12.26.05

I remember the first time I walked into our house, after Katrina. It was December 26, 2005, and I'd put it off as long as I could. I went alone--I didn't want Kenny to go with me. He'd been there several times, and I needed to be alone the first time I saw it. And also, if we'd gone together, it would've meant taking Emmeline with us, who was only ten months old at the time.

I drove Kenny's car there--we still hadn't replaced my car--and I pulled up into the driveway with a sense of dread and of wanting to turn around.

When I put the key into the lock--for the first time in four months--it was the weirdest feeling that I can describe. After all, we'd only lived in the house for six weeks when Katrina hit. It was like coming home and walking into a stranger's house at the same time.

Lessons from a Two-Year-Old, Installment #3

After your precious daughter gets her hands on the Sharpie (extra-wide tip) pen that was in the kitchen junk drawer and proceeds to decorate your newly installed kitchen cabinets, bedroom doors and closet doors with it, do not panic. You will try paint thinner first to remove the artwork--it will not work. Luckily, today's installment of Lessons from a Two-Year-Old has your answer. After frantic google searches for removing permanent ink, your intrepid reporter tried all sorts of sundry (and odd) items to do the trick--toothpaste and peanut butter being the ones on the really strange end of the spectrum. Finally, I found one that did the trick--ah, the magical properies of rubbing alcohol! Next time, join us for Lessons for the Husband That's Supposed to be Watching the Two-Year-Old.