Another week goes by...

Two major projects are consuming our lives right now: the basement remodel and Dom's toilet training. By far the easier of the two is the basement. At least we're seeing some progress downstairs! So far, we've had NOTHING where toilet training is concerned. Not a drop, and preschool is less than two months away. At this rate, I'm beginning to wonder whether he'll be able to start kindergarten! It doesn't matter what incentive we offer: Dominick just has no interest in using the toilet.

But the basement project is rolling along, though it's not the sexy work that's being done, just things like moving plumbing and gas lines and clearing out more junk. (I made another trip to Goodwill today.) Still, I'm excited that we have actual light in our laundry room now, and the dryer has finally been moved out of the awkward angled position it's occupied for years.

During the course of demolition and purging, we found a few interesting items in our basement. The previous owner, or rather his daughter, who owned the house after he died, left the basement (and garage) full of nothing useful. I'd have a more extensive list if we hadn't previously trashed or donated loads and loads of stuff.

• Dog tag for Wrigley
• Label from the original owner's gun display downstairs
• A tiny scrap of the Post-Dispatch with an article about President Eisenhower's tribute to Ernie Pyle
• Schnucks spring water, expiration date December 1989
• Genuine four-leaf clover





• Box of yellow and black plastic wall tile--nice!


• Scrap of the kitchen's original linoleum floor
• Dead snake