The Most Boring Month of the Year

Napping dogs.  Business as usual.

Good God.  January is boring.

Nothing really went down this month at all, folks.  Aside from Abby's pom routines, and some friend hangouts on the weekends, we didn't really do much this month. . . which is pretty typical for January, honestly.  After the Holidays wind down and we all head back into our routines, the drudgery of winter really sits in.  We haven't had much snow this month - not a single, Goddamn Snow Day this month, if you can believe that - but what snow we did get hasn't melted at all because it's not reached above 18 degrees all month.  This has been a cold, boring, hellscape of a month.

That being said, I'm sharing with you some pictures and video that we took this month, mostly of weekends and crap like that.  A lot of dog pics this time around, because Kris and the girls - whose pictures I regularly collect - take lots of pics of the damn dogs.

Enjoy. . .

Samson and Watson, as photographed by Alayna's friend, Ava.

(Probably begging for food, here. . . that'd be my guess.)

Both dogs continuously fight over this random, stuffed dinosaur that one of 'em got in a stocking at Christmas.  This is a pretty common occurrence around these parts.

Most of January looked like this.  Snow on the ground, freezing temperatures, but nothing worthy of calling off of school (unfortunately.)

The Johnsons took Abby skating with them one weekend, towards the beginning of the month.  She enjoyed it, which is more than I can say for myself - I despise ice skating.

Finally wore Kris down to try fish this month - bought some cod at Meijer.  We've all attempted to start off the New Year eating healthy, and fish is a great, healthy protein source.  I've lost five pounds this month, which isn't a bad start for my age.

More dog shenanigans.

Kris took this picture to send to her sister, Jessica.  Jes mailed this old Jem and the Holograms t-shirt to Alayna when she was like four years old, back when we lived in Florida.  Alayna still wears it as a pajama shirt.

Abby documents Watson's obsession with the dinosaur.

Another shot of a lazy-ass dog. . .

Yours Truly, ukin' it up.

Haven't been record-shopping in awhile, but I popped into Radio Wasteland towards the beginning of the month to celebrate their 5th year anniversary of opening (only fitting, seeing how I was in the news story that covered the original event.)  Bought a few used records, and this limited repressing of the only Pink Floyd album I can stand listening to (seeing how I'm a regular, Jim gave me the used vinyl free of charge, noting that it's the least he could do seeing how I made an ass of myself on local TV.)

The wives all went out one Saturday for a Mom's Night Out, leaving us dads to watch all of our damn kids over at the Colliers.  Here's Danielle, Courtney, and Kris.

En route to a restaurant. . .

A big ol' gaggle of wives. Kris, Amy, Courtney, Stefanie, Susan, Mees, Danielle, Alicia, and Kelli.

As usual, the wives asked to have a group picture taken of them while they were out eating. . .

To make fun of them - as all good husbands should do - we took this one to copy them, right down to the posing.  The position of the dads here actually matches up with our respective wives.

Throwin' darts in Collier's basement.

Abby made waffles one morning the girls had off of school (unfortunately my school district still had to report to work. . .)

Later on in the week, Abby's pom team performed at the half times of both Northeast/Mt. Pleasant basketball games.

(Abby's in the second row, center-right.)

More pictures of Samson lying around like a lazy bastard.

Decided to spin this limited release as a tribute to the demise of the 'Loaf.

Some random video we found on Abby's phone. . .

Build-a-Bear shenanigans over at the Johnson residence.

One weekend, half-way through the month, I deep-cleaned and reorganized the Captain's Quarters, my personal sanctuary/office in the house.  Took all damn day, but the end results were definitely worth it.

The monitor second-from-left is for the VCR/DVD player and PS2.  The one second-to-right is for the Atari, Nintendo 64, and my pre-Atari consoles, and the one at far right is for the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and Nintendo Switch.  Just in case you were curious.

The work station, cleaned up and organized.

Abby decided to bake herself a cake one day after school.  Did the whole thing from scratch.  None of us figured it'd turn out that good, because Abby's cakes in the past have all been hot messes, but this one actually turned out.  She feasted on it for weeks.

Costco's Kirkland line of off-brand spirits has been a god-send for our home bar:  each label is identical to their more-expensive counterparts, but a half-gallon of the Kirkland option is about half the price of the originals.  A half-gallon of their dark, spiced rum - identical to Captain Morgan - only costs $13.  Their Irish Whiskey - a Jameson clone - is only $35.  This alone justifies the annual cost of our Costco membership.

The third weekend of the month found us back over at the Colliers for an inner-circle hangout with three of the five main families of our friends group.  Ella and Abby entertained themselves with the train set the Colliers have set up in their basement.

Ryan and Erik toss darts in the basement.

Kris, Mees and Courtney

Behold:  Yours Truly vanquished my enemies at darts.

Watching Ella and Abby practicing their pom routine, in preparation for next weekend's big pom Regionals meet down in Northville.

White Russians and Skip-Bo at the end of another night with the friend group.

- Brian

The Den

The process begins. . .

'Sup, Internet.

So we've been in our house now for like, oh, three years, thereabouts.  In that time, we've made plenty of exterior and interior improvements, but nothing overly structural in nature. . . until now.

Our basement (for those of you unaware) consists of a long, big main room, with three other rooms branching off of it to one side (the kids' room, the Captain's Quarters, and storage room), and two rooms off to the other (the laundry room and crawl space.)  In this large room, we were forced to house a hodge-podge of stuff, and none of it really went with the rest:  a TV area for the girls, my exercise area, and Kris' office.

While this wasn't initially a huge deal to us, the problem became evident as we began to host more and more parties with our circle of friends.  During our larger affairs (Halloween and St. Patrick's Day, most notably), we'd have about 20 - 30 kids running around the basement, and we'd have to get creative in putting away our belongings that were fragile, expensive, dangerous, or any combination of the three.  This meant hanging a bed sheet over Kris' office cubicle, blocking off entrance to the Captain's Quarters with the treadmill, putting the rest of the exercise equipment in the storage room, etc.

I came up with the idea of putting a wall in the basement about a year ago, and in theory this would continue from the existing wall (the one that frames the Captain's Quarters) and bisect the main, long room of the basement.  My plan was to create a fourth bedroom, essentially, as this newly-created space would already contain the code requirements of a.) an egress window, b.) a closet (currently being used as Kris' office space), and c.) existing light switches, vents, and outlets.  This wasn't due to our desire to sell the house, mind you - we're going to be buried in this frickin' house of ours - but rather to increase its value for refinancing purposes whenever opportunities arise.

Morgan let me borrow this huge truck in order to pick up supplies for the wall.

When all this Covid-19 bullshit broke out, Kris and I found that we suddenly had nothing but time on our hands, so we got my step-dad, John, to give us a hand in finally throwing up a wall.  It took him and I two days to build the wall itself, and then about a week to put in the door/door frame, add on all the trim, and layer on multiple coats of wall cement in order to smooth out the surface (because there was lots of time required between coats in order for the layers to dry.)

The end result, as you're about to see below, was the creation of our fourth bedroom, which, for the time being is housing my exercise equipment and Kris' office.  For all intents and purposes, we're all referring to this new room as 'The Den.'

Check it out:

This part took a long, long time - building the frame with 2x4's.  Lots of measuring, cutting, and locking into place.  I don't have the patience for construction work.

With the drywall panels up on one side, I was able to throw up rolls of insulation (wearing long sleeves, obviously - you don't want that shit on your bare skin.)  We could've skipped this step, but I wanted the wall soundproof, in case the kids were blaring the TV and Kris needed to work in a quieter atmosphere.

Double-wielding drills as we throw up the other side of drywall paneling.

Covering all divets and bumps with drywall cement. . .

You can't really tell from this picture, but this new room is a lot bigger than we initially anticipated.  We thought it'd end up being cramped, but after selling the spin bike and removing the old TV stand (I'm going to mount the TV on the wall in this room), there's more than enough space for everything.

The door - which was definitely a bitch to put in right - and the trim, all up and ready to roll.

All that remains now is some paint (Kris' department) and decor and we'll be in business (you can expect pics of the finished product once we wrap it all up.)

- Brian

A Look Back at 2017 (December)

Hi gang.

As could be expected, December was absolutely insane around here.  Every weekend was filled up with Holiday-oriented obligations, the weekdays were jam-packed with the usual school/piano practice/lesson planning/homework/Girl Scouts grind, we had special school events continuously popping up here and there, the driveway became an attention-seeking pain in my ass, and we had to winterize waaaay more crap around the house than I would've liked.  As it does every year, December flew by in, like, twelve minutes or so.

So, not surprisingly, here's a shitload of pictures for you. 

Have fun.

The girls tear into Day One of their Advent Calendars (courtesy of Playmobil. . . 'cause Jesus.)

Note the open Bible.  We should get a few points for attempting to link our standard commercialism (i.e. toy-centric Advent calendars) with some authentic Christmas.

Holiday shopping for the Warden and the girls.

Kris' Girl Scout troop decided to sell cookies one night outside the Royal Party Store in Midland.  Perhaps not the greatest location choice one could think of off the top of one's head, but I guess they sold a shitload of cookies. 

I prefer Cork and Ale to this place, as here they really only sell sixers (no twelve-pack samplers, no individual bottles to mix up your own, or 'big' bottle options), and those are usually marked up a buck or two.

Bought and assembled a desk for Kris this month.  The assembly was a pain in the ass, but it's a solid piece of furniture, and works well in her office cubby.  You'll note the lack of 'footrest': there was a board that connected the two sides along the bottom in the back, but I forgot to install it.  By the time I realized my error, I would have had to backtrack about fourteen steps, and it's only for aesthetic purposes anyway. . . so I told Kris to just deal with it instead (not that her feet could reach the board anyway.)

Heaven, in beer form.

One evening we opted to take the girls (and Watson) out for a stroll through the Midland City Forest.  It was relatively warm out (high 40s, low 50s - that neck of the woods), so we decided to take advantage of the nice weather while we still could.

Letting the girls map out our route (with some strong parental guidance, of course.)

We didn't end up staying very long, because we didn't get there until after 4pm, and we're to that time of year when the sun sets ridiculously early.

The Sledding Hill.  Sans snow.

Watson contemplates life.

You may recognize this spot as the same place we went sledding at from a few posts ago.

Roommates.

Our exterior Christmas lights, which I put up around Thanksgiving (but obviously didn't turn on until after Thanksgiving - give me some credit.)  You'll note the dead spot above the garage - I made two attempts to switch the lights out, but since it was so high up, and I was standing far above my comfort zone on the ladder, I couldn't fix it.  

We took the girls to an arts and crafts bazaar at their school so that they could pick out Christmas presents for one another and each of the us parents (all the items on sale were under $7.)  Kris' girl scout troop, along with a couple others, were all on hand selling craft items and leftover cookie boxes, so while she hawked her wares with one of our kids, I took the other around to pick out gifts, then we'd switch.  Abby's friend, Sophie, requested I take a picture of them with these two elderly people.  Not sure why.

Mom was pretty adamant about not wanting Christmas presents this year (we got her some anyway), but we were able to twist her arm into letting us at least take her out for dinner one Friday night towards the beginning of the month.  We opted for Genji, which is a really good Japanese Hibachi and sushi joint - probably the best - in town.

They give you a ridiculous amount of food, though - you're guaranteed to be in a food coma for a few days following a night out at this place.

The girls really liked it - they've never really seen a Japanese chef make the food up close before.

First snowfall of the season. . .

We find this a lot around the house.  On walkways, on windows, on mirrors, etc.

One thing we realized after some time was that our second refrigerator (which had originally been located in the basement of the house, but was moved upstairs and almost taken away by the previous owners - despite being in the purchase agreement - if you'll remember) would have to be moved inside.  While it wouldn't be destroyed by the cold weather, per se, we'd have to constantly adjust the inside temperature of the refrigerator in order to save the motor from burning out, as well as to keep the pressurized items (the beer, the pop, etc.) from exploding in the cold.  We ultimately decided to move the fridge back downstairs to its original location, which posed two problems:  1.) how the hell we were going to move a fridge downstairs, through two narrow doorways and down a tight flight of stairs, and 2.) what we were going to do with our third fridge, that was sitting in the second fridge's original spot in the Storage Room.  To address problem #2, I decided to install the third fridge in my Captain's Quarters.  Here is a Before Shot for you.

After rewiring a few things (moving the cassette deck, subwoofer and speakers to the other side of the room and hooking them up to the other TV), I installed the third fridge (shown here) and found that it fit like a glove.

So this fridge is now being called The Private Reserve.  This is the special craft beer that I don't plan on sharing with anyone.  When we move the second fridge downstairs into its original position in the Storage Room, I'll house most of my craft beer, normal beer, etc. - the stuff I don't mind sharing when company is over - in there.

One of my favorite Christmas beers, which I enjoyed throughout the fridge setup process.  I usually stay away from this brewery, but they do a good job with this one.

Snapping some random shots around the house one evening after work/school, once my new 24-105 Canon lens came in the mail (it's awesome.)

Gymnastics time.  Again.

Playing Monster High on the Wii U.

Selfies.

Trying on new snow pants.  Winter stuff never lasts more than a year with these guys.

This is the only kind of pictures we find on Alayna's camera.

Another night of Advent (featuring Dad in his natural environment.)

Cindy requested a picture of the girls in front of their Christmas Tree for the upcoming 2018 Hough Family Calendar.

Had to document this:  Abby's first beaten video game.  After playing on and off for a few months, she finally beat that Monster High game on the Wii U.  She was pretty proud of herself, and assured me she was going to tackle Legend of Zelda: Windwaker next.  I have my doubts.

A recent vinyl haul from this month.  My collection is really rounding out nicely:  I'm selling my used and unwanted records to Radio Wasteland, and in return the owner is giving me store credit so I can purchase new stuff.  It's a win-win for everyone.

My all-time favorite beer, only comes out for a limited time in December.  At $15 for a six pack, it's a bit pricey, but Holy Shit is it worth it. . .

On a Saturday, half-way through the month, Morgan, Eric and John - husbands of some of Kris' friends whom we all hang out with - came over and gave me a hand moving the second refrigerator from the garage back into the basement.  This was a huge process that took the better part of the day, and most of that was devoted to disassembling the fridge and removing doors so the fridge could fit through.  Before they came over, I removed the doors from the Storage Room and the basement stairwell - along with the handrailing - then removed all four doors/drawers from the fridge itself.  After doing so, of course I had to use it as a shield.  That's a no-brainer.

Fortunately, we were able to move it up the two steps from the Garage into the Study without having to take the heavy outside door of the frame (that would've been a bitch, for sure.)  Moving down the stairwell wasn't too bad, seeing how we had four grown men doing it, and now - after six months of hanging out in the garage - our second refrigerator is back to its original position.  Thanks for moving it in the first place, Previous Home Owners.

Later that evening, after we had moved the fridge and had rested up a bit, we all went over to the Davis' joint for their annual Christmas Party.  The guys all stayed in their den to watch sports and drink beer (more of the latter for me, honestly), while the women and children hung out in the dining room and kitchen and did shit like this. . .  whatever the hell it is.

Kris, Courtney (Eric's wife), and Danielle (Morgan's wife.)

The next day, it was finally time for the biggest event of the month (you heard me, Christmas):  Star Wars, Ep. VIII:  The Last Jedi.  Like two years ago, when we saw Ep.VII, we got their early to snag perfect seats, buy some snacks/beverages, and prepare ourselves for some pure awesomeness.

After the movie, Abby was on cloud nine - she loves Star Wars, so this was about the coolest thing in the world to her.  I, personally, was far from impressed, but I won't spoil anything for you.

Abby emulates Rey while beating the ivory.

Kris took a day off during the last week before Winter Break in order  head in to the girls' school and help Abby decorate a Gingerbread House with her class.

That's Abby's BFF, Larkin, in the background there.

Finished product

Homegirls.  And yes, it was Pajama Day.

A couple days before Christmas Eve, Kris was working and the girls and I found ourselves officially on Winter Break.  Since it was Grocery Day, it fell on us to pick up the groceries, as well as any and all last-minute Holiday stuff for the Season.  You can imagine just how much fun it was running through the stores this time of year with two girls in tow . . .

I let the girls buy a few things after they had behaved themselves so well throughout the duration of our  TWO-HOUR shopping trip.  I don't usually bribe the kids, but two days before Christmas Eve?  You're damn right, I did.

I treated myself, too.  This sampler is AWESOME.

I made To-Do Lists for the girls the following day, while Kris was at work and I was forced to wrangle both girls on my own again.  I told them they could check off the items on the list in any order they want.  Here, Alayna prepares to take a shower (hence her being behind the shower curtain) to see what she wants to do next.  Believe it or not, this system worked out pretty well.

Later that evening, Kris took the kids off my hands to give me a break, and met up with her friend, Kim to check out some outdoors light display (I forget where it was - maybe Beaverton?)  

While they were outside freezing their butts off, I was comfortably saving Hyrule.  Just in case you were curious.

(That's not really the North Pole.  Just sayin'.)

Abby and Alayna, and some deformed Santa Bridge Thing.

Hot chocolate.  Kinda goes with the territory.

Maybe cookies for Santa ('cause, as you'll remember, he personally requested that Kris make him chocolate chip cookies this year.  Thanks, asshole.)

My second favorite Christmas movie:  A Muppets Family Christmas.  I usually save it for right around Christmas Eve/Christmas, but this year it fell on the 23rd.

Just try and name a greater human being that has ever lived.  Go ahead.  I'll wait.

Holy crap, is this kid ever going to be disappointed in life. . .

The day after Christmas, playing some Harry Potter Clue (one of the girls' presents this year.)  I like to think that I'm naturally awesome at Clue - and I am - but, believe it or not, Abby kicked the shit out of all of us this first time playing it.

An evening in at the Hough residence, with Abby currently working her way through Legend of Zelda: Windwaker (I had just beaten it earlier in the day - more to come with that, later.)

Once again, for New Year's Eve, we hosted Rita and Smitty at our place.  We had a few crockpots going, some party snacks out, and just kept it low-key (like last year.)  The girls love having these guys around, so when they showed up the girls threw together an ad-hoc 'New Years Eve' party in Abby's room, which entailed make-overs and a strict ban on beer and wine (seriously - they made a frickin' sign.)

Time for a dance party, courtesy of the Wii U.

Hanging out in my favorite room of the house.

For the obligatory annual champagne toast.

The countdown begins. . .

So long, 2017 - you weren't too bad at all.  Definitely not as bad as the musician-killing, Trump-electing 2016 (may it forever rot in Hell.)

- Brian