Through The Window

Its beginning to look a lot like christmas, soon the....wait theres still a whole 11 months till Christmas?! What is this???

Still Kickin’

Or should I say “workin” yeah, that would probably be more like it.  Too busy to blog, babysitting on the side for a couple of days, cleaning, washing, organizing, painting…

I’m a little tired.

And it’s time to go to church.  Maybe someday I’ll have time and photos to blog again.  LOL. 

Later!

Oh. My. Goodness.

Today was somethin’ else.  Totally.  Actually the whole week has been (hence the fact that only a couple mobile blog posts made it to the blog this week).  I took a few pictures again today, but as the last time, we didn’t get completely finished with today’s project so no “after pictures” yet. 

I’m thinking about posting a whole bunch of “in the middle” pictures.  But not tonight.  I’m exhausted. 

Today we painted both kids rooms.  (KC picked out awesomest colors, once again, my genius of a paint picker-outer hit it dead on)  Munchkin’s room is now a beautiful juniper leaf green (very girly light green) and K-man’s room is a gorgeous mercer blue (kinda dusky medium blue – but not navy).  We picked up a bunk on consignment this week that is now in his room, and picked up a new white bunk for Munchkin today (and then had to run out later to pick up another mattress and a half gallon of ice cream –we worked REALLY hard, we totally deserved it).  Got it home and got the bunkbed half put together and then realized that we didn’t have bunkie boards or a ladder with it (that’s what happens when you get a really good deal sometimes…lol) so only her bottom bed is together and we used the extra slats for the top bed to hold up her mattress for the evening.  We’ll have to find some boards or something to use.  Anyway, so no “after shots” there, although just having the new color is just killer in itself!  In K-man’s room, the loft bed is up, but one of the bottom bed boards was split, so my daddy (boy, I love my fixit daddy!) took it home to build a replacement board, so that bed is still sitting in the garage.  Also, because of the bed sizes, we switched their rooms, so I haven’t got all their toys back in the right places yet.  The bed they were using before is now in bedroom #3 upstairs and we now have PLENTY of beds for company.  *grin* 

Basically nothing is put back together except for a sheet on the beds so they could go to sleep because you know…it was getting pretty late and they were standing in their rooms, mournfully holding their stuffed animals, with circles under their eyes, saying, “Where’s our beds?  Can we lay down yet?”  (bwahaha –okay so the last sentence was just my imagination….that one was more like…”I’m not tired yet!”  To which I replied, “Oh yes you are!”  LOLOLOL)

And come to think of it, now that they are in bed and KC and I took turns taking the freshly cleaned and sanitized jacuzzi for a test run, I think I’m feeling exactly the same way…except I’m not holding a stuffed animal or protesting that I’m not tired. 

Boy howdy, I have officially decided that the jacuzzi has made every last drop of sweat and energy we have poured into this house completely and totally worth it.  I felt like I was on vacation….SOOOO nice.  LOVE it!! 

Oh yeah, and to wrap up what I was saying about today’s project and nothing being completed, THAT’s why there are no “after” pictures yet.  But SOON, hopefully.  KC ordered closet organizers for the sadly lacking closets and as soon as they get here, they will be going in….cannot WAIT.  But it’s coming along.  We’re getting there.  One room at a time.  Okay, scratch that, we’re doing too many rooms at a time, which is probably why we’re having such a hard time completely finishing ONE.  But STILL….we’re GETTING there, okay?  LOL!  We may not live to tell about it, but whatever.  And here’s my mournful, circles under my eyes look, where I hear my bed calling my name.  NIGHT!  =)

Late Night Paintin'

Primer is definitely not my favorite! Don'tcha just LOVE my stylin (and slightly oversized) paint sweatshirt? Ha.

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Cheap Entertainment

All ya gotta do is drop the kids bath fish toys in the jacuzzi and voila....instant aquarium. Decided to clean it today so the bath toys are swimming in bleach while the jets run....lol.

Faith

The verse that hit me in the message at church tonight:

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. -Isaiah 26:3

Tonight's message was on "faith" (love it when that happens, I feel preached at EVERY time that happens --lol) and I can't help thinking that if the trying of faith worketh patience, then WHY ain't I loaded because my kids just LOVE to try me. *GRIN*

Anyway, good service.

Bunkbeds

Everything I know about tying down large loads, I learned from my hubby. Now let's see if any of those lessons sunk in...me and k-man are going to see if we can get this load home. LOL.

*edited to add: guess those lessons really sunk in. This was load #2 on the bunkbed I bought yesterday in one of those nifty little places I found in our new town. *grin* KC helped me with the big pieces on the first load and I went back for this one by myself. And it didn't budge an inch all the way home. And then I unloaded it. ME. JUST me. Teehehe...I am woman, hear me roar. Oh...excuse me. Sorry. LOL.*

A Little Random

Well, I’m doing better about blogging.  Not so hot on the pictures, but hey, 1 out of 2 ain’t bad, right?  Okay. It’s bad. 

I’m all about bad today.  Note to self, when you run around all day, for heaven’s sake, get gas in the car before you have to drive 45 minutes to church.  *sigh*  Your husband, who will suffer heart failure if you are a minute late, will be very frustrated if you have to stop for gas when you’re already running behind.  *sigh*

And while I’m beating myself up, note #2 to self: maybe you should find a recording of that song somewhere that you sing solo on in the choir and practice it over and over for the next 25 years.  Then perhaps when you’re 52, you’ll actually get it right. 

On a less black and blue note, I tried a new recipe for baked potatoes in the microwave, and it turned out really good.  Well, I liked it.  And Munchkin liked it.  And KC and K-man didn’t gag (much).  LOL.  I put it in my recipe box over on the sidebar, cuz it’s an easy fix even in small portions (hello lunch next week…haha).  I sorta loosely followed the recipe, but whatever.  LOL. 

Speaking of loosely following, I got more groceries than what was on the menu this week…but I restocked some of the stuff I keep on hand from Sam’s and I’ll put that stuff on the menu in the next couple weeks, so I’ll have to buy less on those weeks.  On the grocery thing, I have been like pulling out my calculator on my phone in the middle of the stores…just to make sure I’m getting the best deal…lol…a random guy in the aisle gave me a weird look. I don’t think it had ANYTHING to do with me cheering because I calculated the price on the toilet paper I bought at Sam’s WAS cheaper than at Walmart.  By .1116 per roll.  Hey. Stop looking at me that way.  When you buy 36 rolls---hang on, let me get my calculator---okay, I only saved 1.36 but I was excited anyway.  And that’s the price of a drink these days…oh well, whatever.

Again, totally random…I haven’t had a Dr. Pepper in like…a month.  I’ve had a few caffeine free drinks, but have been drinking more water.  Surprisingly enough, I’m not craving it like I used to…(the DP, not the water…lol)

And the reason I haven’t posted much pictures is because I like before and after photos…and right now I have a lot of “before” and a lot of “in the middle” but no totally completed photos, and I’m OCD like that.  Hopefully this will be remedied soon.  LOL. 

Busy day again tomorrow…need another to-do list…I have actually been doing pretty good with my to-do list…I think the last 3 or 4 lists have had about 6 out of 8 completed tasks.  Not all of them done exactly right (hello, putty job – I never claimed to be a master putty-er…oh well), but at least it’s not a hole in the wall, right?  And like KC said, at least I’m not letting the grass grow under my feet.  Well, he didn’t say it like that, but his southern wife rephrased it.  LOL.  Love ya honey! 

Well, busy days start early around here, so I’m off.  Thanks for reading.  You guys are the best.  ;-)

Waiting....

Ugh. I shall have to either unpack my books or find the library very soon or else I shall be forced to resort to mobile blogging every time I sit here in the pickup line at school.

I'm not complaining, of course, it's just that I'm not very patient. Hey--act surprised, will ya?!

Anyway, I've spent all day exploring (errands) and it's taken awhile because I don't know where everything is here yet. I did find a few treasures though, like a nice consignment home store (woohoo) and of course I am really loving the convenience of living in such close proximity to "big city" shopping. LOL. I can see I will have to stay home a lot because I'm not so good at window shoppin. HAH.

Well...school just dismissed so got to run.

Menu Monday

Well, I’m trying to get back into this because it really saves on the groceries when I don’t just go shopping for whatever hits me when I’m in the store (lol). So I was writing it on paper but decided this would be easier so I could link recipes I want to try and just refer back to my blog when I get ready to fix supper.

Monday: Mom’s stuffed shells (note to self: need to thaw in fridge)
Tuesday: Salad and Baked Potatoes (nts: need cheese and make ranch dressing)
Wednesday: Sandwiches (church night)
Thursday: Chicken Ranch Tacos (nts: need taco shells, lettuce, chicken)
Friday: Creamy Salsa Potatoes & Mesquite Chicken (nts: need 2 boxes BC Scalloped Potatoes)
Saturday: Spaghetti & Meatballs

Momma? I need to talk for a minute.

I need to tell you sumfin.  You forgot to pray. 

Um, no, honey, we all just finished having prayer.  And now it’s time to go to sleep.

No, momma, YOU didn’t pray.  And I didn’t pray. 

No, but Daddy prayed with all of us just a few minutes ago.

But I need to pray. 

Well, okay, go ahead. 

Dear God--
Please help me go to Nonna and Poppa’s house.  Please help me go to Mawmaw and Pawpaw’s house.  And help Bubba.  Aaaaa-men. 

-Bedtime conversations with K-man (January 2010)

My Poor Kitty

Well, I scrapped him. No, wait, I don’t mean that like it sounds. I mean, I did a page with one of the last pictures I took of him back in December. My poor baby.

I was trying to get back in the scrapping groove after being “on break” so long with the house stuff, but I don’t know that I’m 100% pleased with this page (although it is kinda growing on me)…

Anywho, the kit is great and I look forward to using it for more happier things. *sigh*

Kit is Time Flies By from Cara at Sweet Tomato Designs and it’s exclusively at Digi Design Resort for the month of January (where she’s doing a guest designer gig) and will be in her store at Polka Dot Plum after January. Fonts are FFF Tusj and Adler. Digi Design Resort is having server transfer difficulties right now, so I’ll have to come back and post the links when it’s back up.

Can’t Complain

Well, my feet and back are absolutely killing me, but at least I’m alive, and have a place to live, and food to eat.  That’s more than a lot of people have tonight…after hearing all the news about Haiti, I don’t think—even on my worst days—I have any right to complain about anything.  That doesn’t mean I don’t complain from time to time…I think we all do, but I’m really trying not to.  LOL.  Especially since I have much more to be grateful for than things to be griping about. 

Speaking of being thankful, I have to say, I have the best friends and family in the whole world!  Our house is totally coming along, thanks in great part to our wonderful, sweet, awesome family and friends.  We had a ton of help moving, then my dad did all this fix-it/inspection stuff around the house (I mean, I’m talking everything from leak repairs to replacing a zillion locks – or maybe it was just five, but I’m sure it felt like a zillion when he was doing it, and seriously, I wouldn’t have been able to do laundry, or have a level stove, or even a refrigerator because he went and picked that up for us, too…so awesome).  Mom helped get stuff in the house and unpacked, then another day she helped me with cleaning.  KC’s mom has been up here quite a few days and cleaned the kids rooms from top to bottom, not to mention the other 10 rooms she helped scrub down and the shower which is finally almost completely grime free after she scoured it 3 times.  The V’s came one day and helped me scrub, unpack, and arrange quite a few boxes.  TM cleaned the front room blinds and window.  Kelly and Morgs came today and we puttied and painted the master bathroom.  I’m probably forgetting somebody because my brain is a little foggy from paint fumes all day, but seriously, everybody has been awesome.  Our house is looking so much more livable, thanks to all our help.  I will totally get pictures one of these here days, but for now, I have been a horrid slacker and haven’t even unpacked my camera since we’ve moved in here. 

Munchkin is doing good in her new school…she seems to like it and she’s had a good week.  I’m not doing so hot with it because it’s different hours than her old school, which means I have to get up like 1/2 hour earlier to get her there on time, but it’s not terrible.  My favorite part is that they have a great system here for pick-ups and drop-offs.  Instead of the dead-end tight spaced parking lot like her old school, it’s a four lane line and the teachers get the kids in and out of the cars (six at a time) which makes it much easier for me because you don’t have to park and then go stand in line or wait for a parking space to open up or anything, you just pull into the line and then wait for it to go around.  Sweet.  I can already tell that I need to find the library around here though, because I can get a lot of reading done while waiting in the line.  LOL!  And it appears that that may be my ONLY chance to read in the near future…hahah. 

K-man is doing good, too, although he refuses to call this new house “home.”  So our conversations go the same way every time we pull into the driveway:
Mom: “We’re home!”
K-man: “Not home!  We’re at the new house.”

And tonight, in this new house, which we are trying to make our home, we painted a high-hiding primer over this awful mud color in the family room, and the fumes are making me a little crazy, so I’m gonna head off here now.  It’s been a long day.  There’s plenty more I could talk about, but for now I’m just gonna go.  Thanks for dropping by, sorry for the sporadic updates.  I will hopefully get better about that, soon.  ;-)

We Have Internet

It’s still having some issues, but at least I can check e-mail, right?  Well, that is WHEN I have a minute to sit down and check it.  I don’t really have free minutes right now because I’m beat and ready for bed, so I’m gonna *try* to make this quick. 

View Full Album

Here’s the photo album of the house…it’s public now.  I took out the main view of the house until after it’s no longer listed on any realtor sites and stuff…just being cautious, sorry.  People who know us are welcome to come visit and see the outside.  *grin*  Everybody else just gets the inside and back views.  LOL. 

I do have to say that these photos do not show the true actuality of the filth we’ve had to clean inside…seriously, these photos look like the house is pretty clean…and at first glances, it does look clean.  It’s not till you start taking a rag to stuff and realizing that you’ve only washed 8 inches of molding and you need to change the water, that you really realize how dirty things are.  Oh well.  It’s okay.  It’s a house, and after a large bill to fix the broken motor in the heat pump, it’s a WARM house, and for that (the heat, not the bill) I’m grateful. 

One of these days I’ll have time to write all the stuff that is going on, and by then, I’m sure I’ll have forgotten most of the important stuff…can’t win for losing.  LOL. 

Oh, one more thing before I go…poor Jango.  He can’t ride with me alive OR dead.  :-O  The last time I took the cats for a haircut, I had to hit my brakes and the poor cat went flying in his cage to the floor.  Made him puke and do other nasty things…oops.  Well, Friday, I went back to the old house to get the last bit of things, and Jango (which we haven’t buried yet because it’s been so cold).  Well, I put the other stuff in the car and went back around and got my poor baby (he was in a container) and put it in the one last spot in the car.  Came on down the road, around curves, all that, the box never moved.  Next thing I know I turned a corner and here he goes flying and off comes the lid and my poor baby is being tossed around the vehicle once again.  This time, I was the one who was about ready to puke.  And I knew he wasn’t going to care, but I felt all bad AGAIN!  My poor cat.  I could still cry over him.  I have never cried over a pet like that.  So sad.

Anywho.  Goodnight.

Ew

Man alive this place is FILTHY. We are up to our ears in cleaner and dirty rags. Our internet is slow and we havent got it all working right-- not to mention, at this point having a clean shower and potty is taking priority over checking email. The house is slowly getting cleaned, not an easy task since everything from the ceiling to the baseboards and everything in between has to be thoroughly washed and in some cases--SCRAPED off. I have never seen such filth. I dont think these people EVER washed their hands (or toilets) judging by the gunk that is all over the doors and lightswitches....Yuck. Okay...I'm done complaining and now I need to get back to cleaning. I dont have time to get on my computer right now so if u have emailed and need an answer u might wanna text me instead. Lol. If u dont hear from me again, i might have died from cleaning product inhalation...rofl. Have
a great day.

I cannot believe we forgot the stuff in the attic....tonight was supposed to be a wrapup trip and quick...not so. Four hours, a truck and trailer load, and a packed to the gills van later and we STILL have to go back and get the trash tomorrow. This is us sitting in wallyworld parking lot while kc gets a cargo net to keep all this stuff in the truck...such fun at 10:13 pm...lol. Moving is so stressful!!

Movin...

Poor snowball dont know what to think. Her best friend disappears and suddenly she spends hours locked up watching us move all our stuff and now alllll this space that she has to explore alone. Man...she and I sure do miss Jango. He would have gotten skinny in this new house with two flights of stairs to chase snowball up and down. *Sigh* anyway our internet is having issues so im blogging from my phone. Will update more when i can.

Jango - 1/3/10

I'm so sorry, Jango. I miss u so bad already. RIP my sweet kitty friend. :-('''

Happy New Year

Well, I’m a mess. I didn’t even get half the pictures on the Photo Hunt for December, the house isn’t packed, and we have to be out in less than 7 days. I’m stressed, and I’m sleepy. Hopefully it can only go up from here. *grin*

I don’t have time to blog either. *sigh* Hope ya’ll are having a much less stressful beginning of 2010. I cannot believe it’s 2010. NUTS!

Oh yeah, and it’s probably a pretty good thing I don’t have time to blog because I’m REALLY scatterbrained these days. Like it took me half an hour yesterday to make a PB&J sandwich because I kept forgetting what I was doing. That is BAD. Can you imagine what that would look like if I was trying to blog? Kinda like I’m doing now?

I hereby resolve to stress less. (See? There I go again…scattered!)

I’m leaving now. Prayers appreciated! =) =)

PS: here's a quick announcement from one of the designers that I do CT work for:

Sweet Tomato Designs closed her other stores and is now exclusively selling at PolkaDotPlum. Don't miss her grand opening sale...everything is 50% off!

Here is the link to go directly to her designs.