Accomplishments

I got a text message this morning from my Realtor.  She talked to the title company and will know something by this afternoon.  Today will be long.

I've been driving by the new house every time I run into town just to see those sweet words on the sign.  "Contract Pending".  It's almost as exciting as seeing the word "Sold".  Well, that is until the new wears off and you are in a commitment for what seems like a lifetime.  I'll savor the moment for now though because the sign was finally changed yesterday.  Why am I more excited about this sale than any of the other homes we've bought in the past?  Maybe because I know this is MY thing.  The house will be in my name only.  Just like my car.  Why do we women need that little sense of accomplishment?  I know who I am.  I know I'm worthy.  Still it's a sweet, sweet feeling that hopefully won't kick me in the tail later down the road.

So before all these posts I've made recently, my last one was while I was working on Emily's new bedroom.  I am finished with it for the most part.  I still need to get the headboard I want her to have along with the bedding.  Other than that, I have to finish painting her furniture.  It was in storage and our storage building stinks like crazy.  It has a very strange creosote smell.  It seeped into the furniture and I refuse to paint it until it's aired out.  I just have to get it outside in some fresh air and sunshine and hopefully that will get rid of the awful smell.  Once that's done, it will only be a day or two for it to be finished.  I'll probably wait until after Christmas to do all that.

Our bedroom and bath hasn't been touched in a few months.  I still have unfinished drywall in the kitchen.  Every time I look at it I cringe.  Floating drywall is somewhat therapeutic for me but I just can't make myself do it.  

I need a robot.

Another Adventure

I have a lot of catching up to do, which means a lot of posts in one day for me to write and for you to read.  I'll pretend you don't have last minute Christmas shopping to do or parties to go to.  


Last night I stumbled upon an idea.  I was researching some extras for some Christmas gifts I had bought for the adults in our families when this idea hit me like a ton of bricks.  I did some research and found the start up cost for this adventure is somewhat minimal.  It's affordable, no doubt.  Will it thrive in my little town?  Oh yes, I do believe it will.  There is no competition whatsoever here and they are wonderful products, not to mention our little town needs something like this.  I dare not say what it is yet, for I don't want competition before I even start.  Let's just say kids and adults alike will love it.

I'm allowing myself one year to have this little business up and running.  It's not a big thing at all, but it's something that really looks like a lot of fun that will bring in a little extra cash.

More on this later...

Also, I'm in the process of writing a book.  It's something I've always wanted to do and whether or not it will get published years down the road doesn't matter to me.  My kids enjoy my stories, so I wanted to write them all down for something they could enjoy.  If it's something worthy enough to get published, so be it.  If not, nothing lost.

Ok, maybe another 10 minutes will go by before I write another post. ;)

More on Mae's

As I wrote the previous post on Mae's, I got excited all over again about it, so I'm writing some more.  I know everyone around here is sick of hearing about it, so I figured I'd find a new audience.  You're welcome.

As you can tell, this house has been updated for the most part.  The siding on the outside really makes it adorable and the addition to the back was the feature that really sold me.  It's a 2 bedroom (TINY bedrooms) 2 bath home.  It has a very small kitchen and dining area.  Everything is just what I wanted, honestly.

Again, these are screen shots from the website, so they are blurry.  Also, since I haven't signed the papers yet, the messes are their's not mine.  (Just making sure you know)

Laundry Room (both sides):

The kitchen:

Back corner of house:

Back of house:

Side:

Dining area:

I'm almost hesitant about putting all this information out there.  I'm so afraid this investment is going to fall through.  Faith.  Faith.  Faith.

It will take a while to get everything started, so there are some things I'm going to use the house for before it actually becomes our little shop.  I've packed up my craft room and am now working on all our homeschooling supplies to take over there first.  Those two categories alone could probably fill this entire house.  Kidding, of course.  Maybe.

I'll be spending the majority of my time during the day at this house.  I'm trying to keep myself from doing any kind of renovations at all until our home is done.  Keeping myself calm will be hard.  It doesn't need anything but paint, really, but the carpet is hiding original hardwood floors.  That is a big NO NO!!  I will abstain.  I promise.

With that being said, here are some ideas that I do want to put into action as soon as I can...

For the kitchen...

I'd like to do something like this:

and for the dining area...

something like this (smaller scale of course):

Since I've looked at this house (Mae's), I have really noticed so much wasted space in my own home.  I mean, really.  The rooms here are so large that it's truly ridiculous.  It'd be ok if it was mostly storage, but as you all know, I have none here.  Still.  I feel like cutting my kitchen and dining room in half just to have an extra room of some sorts.  Mae's is making me very jealous.  I'm just that sucker for old frame homes, I tell ya!  

Can I close already???!!!

Mae's

There have been a lot of changes going on in my life and I didn't want to blog about them until I knew for sure some of those things were actually going to come to pass.  Still, nothing is set in stone just yet and I won't be completely sure until next week sometime.  Seven to ten days from the 9th of December to be as exact as I can be.  Although I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, I guess I'll go ahead and fill you in.

About 4 1/2 years ago, Morgan and I decided we wanted to open a children's boutique.  We have had ideas flowing out of our minds so fast we couldn't focus on how to even get started.  That's how it was/has been for me anyway.  We even had a name right off the bat for it.  Mae's.  (Named after the 3 loves of my life, my daughters, Morgan, Allison and Emily, of course)  Over the years of researching and fighting the urge to go full force before being prepared, we have almost completely discarded the entire boutique idea and replaced it with a little bit of everything else.

I've tried putting it out of my head as much as possible due to lack of a place to have the shop.  I figured eventually the perfect location would present itself when the time was right.  I wanted an older home as the store, as a lot of the merchandise will be home decor...mostly handmade.  I want to be able to stage the merchandise as would be seen in a home to give some decor handicap people an idea of what a certain item would look like in a home.

Well, I'm assuming my time has come because I found the perfect house in a perfect location here in town.

My mind has been totally consumed with this house since I saw it.  It's so adorable and since I'm a sucker for older homes, I wouldn't even mind living in it.  If it were big enough.

It's not. :(

I close next week.  This has been the Longest.  Week.  Ever.

Want to see some pictures?

I thought so.

(the blurry ones are online screen shots, so be forgiving, please)

Can't wait to show the rest once it's mine, all mine. :)

When Christmas is over and the new year rolls around, I'll have more time to get over there and take more pictures and tell you what our services will be and walk you through it all.

It's going to be so much fun!

Yes, I still have this house I'm living in to finish too.  

Busy Busy

I've been very busy around here.  I don't even have time right now to do this post, but wanted to give a glimpse of something.  This was taken with my phone, so of course, very grainy and dark.  I upgraded to an iPhone 4s so in a couple weeks I shall have a better phone.  Finally.

This is just a teaser of what I'm doing in Emily's room.  I still have a lot of painting and stenciling to do, but here ya go.  Time to get back to work.

Chin Up

Thank you so much for your kind words on my recent post about my friend.  It truly means a lot and I know real prayers have been prayed.  I truly appreciate each and every one of them.

We will be going to visit in the next day or two.  It's becoming harder and harder to go, not that I don't want to see her, of course, something just keeps putting things in the way for me to get there to her.  I don't know.

I had to get out of the house today.  I felt myself falling into a slight state of depression, so I knew what I had to do.  I took the kids to see the movie "Real Steel".  Quite the movie!  Simply a great movie.  Getting out helped, but it's in the 40's tonight and I want to light a fire.  No firewood.  Bummer.

It's been two weeks instead of about one, and I still haven't been able to do all I planned to do.  That's just been my life the past couple years.  Things are always changing, it seems, but the things I want to change never have a chance to.  I have done a little bit here and there.  I've started on painting Emily's bedroom furniture and it's looking fabulous!  I've done a few items for Morgan's room also as well as purchased a few items for Allison's room.  I'm so excited about the bedrooms for the girls, especially Emily's room.  I've almost lost sight of the original inspiration photo I posted before due to knowing what will and won't work.  In my head it's going to be loads better!  Magazine worthy, I tell ya. ;)  It will take a little while to get it exactly what we want because there are some things we just have to have.

Like a tufted headboard

 and a chrome pendant light

beautiful fabric

A little bit of this

and a little bit of that

Or something of the sort.

So, as excited as I am to finish this room, I'm afraid it will be finished last, more than likely.   It's something to look forward to anyway.  By the way, we already have the lamps.  

I also did some rearranging in the kitchen.  Can a normal person do that?  I didn't think so.  More on that later.

It's time to pack to head out on my short trip.  Pray for safety for us and for me to be able to be the friend she needs.

The Death of a Child

Allison interrupted a phone conversation I was having today.  "Mom, what happened to Michael?"  She was on her Facebook as she looked up at me with the look in her eyes that screamed something was wrong. I immediately replied with "NO!  Tell me he didn't die, Allison.  What is it?  What did you see?"  She began to cry as I jerked the laptop from her to see what she was looking at.  I only saw a picture of him and knew.   I knew something was terribly wrong.  I didn't want to confirm what I already knew to be true.  I got up and walked away trying to continue my phone conversation.  My efforts were in vain.

Michael was the son of one of my good friends.  He was only 14 when he took his own life last night.  Death is one thing that is tragic enough, but for a loved one to take their own life, to me, holds a great deal more emotions.  I can not even imagine what his parents are going through.  His sister.  His extended family.  His friends.  He and Allison were friends years ago when we lived just down the street from him and his family.  His sister was Morgan's best friend, his mother, mine.  

I have never felt this kind of pain.  This much sorrow for another person has never been more prominent in me.  I couldn't gather my thoughts today.  I immediately started grabbing clothes out of my closet and onto my bed, getting ready to pack up and take the trip to Louisiana.  His mother was the only thing on my mind.  How is she supposed to be strong enough to deal with this?  Did she see it happen? How are these images ever going to be erased from her memory?  Does she feel guilty in any way?  Why would she?  But maybe she does.  How can she possibly go on?   She'll never be the same.  She's still mourning the death of her dad from just months ago.  Just 5 days ago, her dad got his headstone.  My friend, is rarely seen without a smile on her face.  In fact, the only time I haven't seen a smile on her face is when I'm spilling my problems to her and she takes them to heart, ready to take revenge on the ones who try to hurt me, or the times when she's spilling her heart out to me about things in her life.  Where will that smile go?

I realized I just couldn't gather my thoughts enough to even remember to pack deodorant or toothpaste.  My mind was total chaos.  I didn't know what had happened, just that he was gone.  I had to find out more.  I saw all the comments on her Facebook page and got angrier with each one.  "So sorry about your loss.  Your family is in my prayers."  Seems so cliche,  doesn't it?  What's with leaving a comment on a Facebook page anyway?  What ever happened to old fashioned heartfelt compassion where you actually talk to the person face to face or over the phone, for that matter?  Facebook and text messages seem to be an easy way out.  Your own comfort in an awkward moment.  I know.  I'm just as guilty.  Not this time, though.  I had already tried calling my friend, but of course with no answer.  I then felt terrible, thinking it was just rude to dial the number, knowing she's busy at the moment.  I was just going to get in the car and go.  I still had to find out more, though.  I found a number and called it.  I knew it was probably what it was before even calling, but the confirmation ripped my heart out.  

As we were trying to gather composure and think more logically about things, Allison was back on Facebook.  Since he was her age, they shared a lot of friends...or should I say, they knew mutual people?  People who never paid any mind to anything more than themselves all of a sudden has RIP Michael all over their statuses.  Their assumptions were insane.  Isn't that the way it is when someone takes their own life?   Not knowing a thing about his situation, they start filling in the blanks with whatever they can think of.  These kids who never knew the situation because they never wanted to.  They never tried to be a friend to him, but all of a sudden, they are going to miss him.  Until the dust settles.  It's a crying shame.  

Allison was very offended by what these other kids were saying and set a few of them straight.  As she was reading to me what they were saying, and what she was saying back to them, I began to feel terrible about the way I was judging these people.  Not too long ago, I cleaned out my Facebook friends.  I deleted people I hardly ever talked to.  He was one of them.  Why?  Why didn't I ever send a friendly hello to him or try to strike up a conversation? Allison began feeling the same guilt.  These people had their stories all wrong, but they are kids just going by what they heard.  Allison and I knew the story.  We've known the story, but still didn't do anything to change it.  It's not like we could have kept this from happening.  Or could it have?  It's too late to know.  There's nothing we can do to change that, but there is still his mother.  My friend.  My very good friend.

WHAT would I say to her?   HOW could I possibly help her?  WHAT do I do?

I was too weary to go on.  All the crying I had done all afternoon had taken every ounce of energy out of me.  I fell asleep for a couple hours and was awaken by Allison telling me Michael's mother was on the phone.  I quickly jumped up, got on the phone with her, and heard her sobbing voice.  She was there.  She saw him.  She can't go back to the house.  Who can blame her?  Can one imagine the pain she's going through without ever going through it themselves?  I kept my composure.  The nap either helped, or I wasn't quite awake yet.  I don't know.   I even felt guilty about that.  After talking briefly to her, I decided to go ahead and pack up and spend the day with her tomorrow.  I want to be selfish and have her all to myself.  I want to hold her in my arms and give her comfort she's needing.  Who am I kidding?  I'm not God.  My arms can't possibly give her what she needs.  

I don't even know why I'm posting this.  It seems too personal.  I am in so much pain for my friend.  I've never felt this way.  Ever.

*Names have been changed for privacy

Moving On?

We own some land in Jasper, a little bit of a larger town about 30 miles from where we are now.   We have thought before about building a home on it, but just never did.  All Clayton's family are neighbors on the same street and everytime we go out there, I wish we just lived there.  It would be nice to live out where we can do anything we'd want, basically.  Own a few horses, play in the mud on 4-wheelers, have the kids play daily with their cousins, be right there where everything is going on.  When I get home, I change my mind.  I'm not used to living extremely close to family.  I haven't most of my life.  I haven't even lived in the same state as my family since I was 16 years old, other than the 7 years or so we lived in Louisiana.  I'm not accustomed to it at all.  Clayton, however, is used to it.  He's used to visiting with his parents at least a few times a week. 

Since I have different feelings about it, I told him I was leaving it all up to him.  He's for moving.  I can't say I don't get excited about it when I think about it a little bit.  But then, I look at my home and my life and ask, "Why change?"  We aren't very far away anyway.  We've worked so hard on this house, I'm in love with this house, even though it gives me headaches daily.  It's our home.  I'm tired of moving anyway.  I'm ready to be settled like we once were years ago. 

I'm sure we won't move, but you never can tell what he will decide.  It would be a few years anyway, so maybe by then, this house will be complete and he will feel more settled in and not want to start all over someplace else.  I'd like to just stay put until all the kids are grown, and move there if we decide to downsize a bit.  Ya know, build a little two bedroom home with very little maintenance.  Then again, we have 7 kids together and the grandkids have already started coming.  We probably won't ever have the chance to downsize. 

It's almost depressing as I look at my house here and know all the plans I still have for it that I really want to put into action.  Moving would be just that...starting all over.  Something I don't want to do. 

***********************************************************************************

Until then...

We aren't completely finished with the bedroom/bathroom remodel, but will be soon enough.  Ok, not soon enough, but we will get there. I sort of got out of the mood, really.  While Clayton was working on what I couldn't, I began working in my craft room a bit, trying to get it organized after sooo long.  It's taking so much to get it where I want it.  I seriously didn't realize I had so much stuff crammed in there.  It doesn't help, either, to buy more things while I'm shopping for organizational supplies. ;)  I've made a few crafts while I've made room in there.  I'm trying to do a lot of decor for the girls' rooms so they will be ready when the rooms get swapped around.  I've come to appreciate the weekends a bit more because that's when I seem to have more time to do things.  I'm so ready for soccer to be OVER!  I think Emily secretly is too.



I won't know what to do with myself.

The bedrooms should be completely switched around this week.   As much as I'd love to paint in an empty room, I'm afraid that's just not going to happen.  I'll feel so much better just having the load of moving the furniture around off my shoulders.  I feel like I'm playing one of those puzzles where the one square is missing and you have to slide left and right, and up and down to make the puzzle, only with the rooms in my house. 

Yep. 

After the bedrooms are swapped, as much as I'd love to start that kitchen project, I'm afraid it's just not going to happen right now.  The next big project will be the middle bathroom which is now the main bathroom.  Trust me, the walls will be torn out the minute Clayton leaves for work, the plumbers called, and the new in.  He doesn't want to start any more projects until these others are finished, but I have to have a decent bathroom for guests and I'm not going to make him work on this one at all.  Him being gone for a month at a time really helps when I want to do something like this. Hehe.

Give me about a week and I will start showing some pictures.  Maybe.

Sleepless Nights

Emily's first soccer game is tomorrow (today).  She's been so excited about it all week and now is the time for it to happen.  I don't think it will.  Anticipation is the worst thing to have on your mind when you need a good night's rest.  She is STILL awake after 3am because of this anticipation.  Of course, so am I since I've spent the last few hours trying everything I can think of to get her relaxed and finally drift off to sleep. 

First, I put on a cd of soft classical music.  No luck.  I gave her a full body massage and warm milk. Still nothing.  I've searched every square inch of my house to find SOMETHING lavender.  I don't have anything.  I REFUSE to give her Benedryl like a few parents I know would.  I don't believe in that and find it to be abuse of the drug.  Dramamine would knock her out in a heartbeat, but that's not going to happen for the same reason. 

I think it's entirely too late to have her soak in a tub full of bubbles.  We would have to leave the house by 7:30am at the latest to be able to make it to her game on time.  I wish I knew other ways to get children to fall asleep during moments like these.

Any ideas for future reference?

The Fun Part

The bedroom and bathroom are completely ready to be made new now. We went window shopping the other day, but really didn't find anything we wanted. I've been looking online for ideas of what I want and tutorials on things I've never done. There's definitely a lot more to this stuff than I thought. Since Clayton's been the one to do all the remodeling in our first home together, I can understand now why he's not as enthusiastic about this as I was just a few weeks ago.

While researching information about the tile job I want in the bathroom, I found out about needing a moisture barrier between the drywall and backer board. I would have never known. Come to find out, it's code. Good thing the Internet exists. I read to buy roofing felt for this. So, I did. After that purchase, I did more research only to find out it's asbestos. Wonderful. The next inexpensive option is to use plastic sheeting. I always have that handy, so that's what we will use instead.

So, now that the new insulation is installed, the needed studs up, and the old door from hall closed up, it's time to start installing everything. No, that's not the fun part I'm talking about. The fun part? Shopping, of course!

I picked out my tile today. This is the color scheme I'm going with:

Of course, this isn't the layout, just some samples.  There are so many options with tile, so it was a hard decision. I just bought these pieces to bring home, so if I find something else somewhere, I'm only out a few bucks. I do love it, though.

I also bought my tub faucet. It's not exactly what I was looking for, but I liked it.  I'll be returning it tomorrow, though.  I read only bad reviews on this product.

As far as the sink, I have one picked out. I was originally going to go with a round vessel sink, but decided on using a white sink so the white tub and toilet didn't overpower one side of the room. I didn't like any of the white round vessel sinks so decided on this wading pool sink:

I've looked high and low for this sink, but at first only found one that was similar. It just didn't do it for me though, so my quest continued. Overstock satisfied my need and at a fraction of the cost of any other sink I found:

I had the faucet picked out, but since I'm having to return the tub/shower faucet, I'll have to find something that will go with it.

Clayton is definitely going to build the vanity and STORAGE TOWER. Yep! I'm going to have storage FINALLY!!!!!

Even though we are using the existing tub, I cant wait to soak in it.

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My Child

As many people know, I am an unintentional self-inflicted pain type of person. I am clumsy to say the least. If something could happen while participating in a certain activity, you can bet it will happen to me. No matter what precautions are taken, I will prove anything is still possible. Allison is the same way.

Remember just a little while back when she rubbed the leaf oils into her eyes which ended in an emergency room visit? Well, she missed the emergency room, obviously, and decided she'd stick a ring on her finger which was entirely too small.

We did everything imaginable to try to get it off. Nothing. That's when her dad gave us the go to take our (what seems to be monthly) trip to the hospital. They did everything they could before deciding to bring out the ring cutters.





After cutting a little more than the ring itself (finger), we were good to go. Turns out the ring was plastic. That could have saved us a few hundred ER dollars. It felt and looked like metal at home. Wish I'd have known.

The girls used the trip as an excuse to grab some chocolate from the store since we were already out late.

I obliged.

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Yuck!

I'm taking a break right now, trying to muster up the courage to finish tearing out the last of the walls in the bathroom.  I pulled up the toilet and moved out the vanity and started ripping out what was left.  This is by far the most disgusting job I've ever done.  That includes sewer problems, ok?  The back of the vanity at the bottom was damp, so there of course is stink that wasn't noticed at all until the cabinet was moved.  There's evidence of things long gone that I wouldn't want in my house.  EVER.  The adjoining wall which is Allison's room is patched with newspaper.  Newspaper.  Hmmm.  That wall will be replaced soon.

I only have a little bit left where the water valves are.  The bathroom was wainscoted with some type of wallboard that is harder to break away from around anything.  We are trying not to have to turn the water main off, especially this time of night when baths, dishes, and laundry is done, so that's why we are avoiding just undoing everything. 

This job is so disgusting I've almost lost my momentum.  

We bought a door today for the bathroom.  All the interior doors in this house are just plain builder grade doors.  Doors really make a space, so we want to go in with all new.  I planned to buy the 6 panel doors, but decided for only a couple bucks more we bought this kind:

Of course, you can't tell how pretty it will be just from this picture, but you get the idea.  It'll have the same type of door handles that my french doors have.  So pretty.

I really want to show a lot of progress in the next day or two, so I better bust a move.

If These Walls Could Talk

I'd ask them just what was going through the heads of the people who built this house.

With every single job we do, we run across strange ways someone improvised. I guess it's ok though. After all, in my living room we had enough space to put up new drywall without having to tear down the old. So, we have two layers on one wall. Who cares?

We found the same thing in the bathroom we are hooking our new bedroom up to. On that same wall, 6" studs were used instead of 4" like the rest of the house. I'm going to use that to my advantage, possibly, by having built in shelves. The 6" allowance gives me deeper storage.

The past two days I've spent ripping out the rest of the drywall in our future bedroom and bathroom. I'm almost finished, but can't get behind the toilet and vanity just yet. That's for tomorrow, if I find any time whatsoever.

This picture is only after we built the opening for the door going into the bathroom:




It's a total disaster right now, of course but I'm so excited to see the changes being made. It feels like a different home just entering this bathroom from a different angle. The bathroom itself even seems bigger.

So, right now, the bedroom and bathroom are gutted and waiting on us to make them new and pretty. Clayton mentioned building the vanity, so I'm hoping he will do that this week. I'm also hoping to get a vessel sink. I just love them! I am trying to keep this as low cost as possible though, and if I do, the existing sink will be used. It works, so whatever.

I'm also wanting to tile the shower surround. I've been pretty confident in myself that I can do it, but after a little further research today, I'm not so sure. We may settle for a ready made surround, but I won't be happy. We will see.

The demolition hasn't been as complicated as I originally thought it would be. In fact, it's been very simple thanks to the old, brittle drywall. Im so thankful we are doing this, not just to make it a beautiful bathroom, but because of the things I found behind those walls.

Spiders. Big spiders. Dead, but still spiders. LOTS OF THEM.

I'm sure if these walls could talk, their most spoken word would be EEEK!






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The Coolest of Family Nights

Ok, so today was another failure in the exercise world.  I walked 1/2 mile.  My walking partner's legs were jelly today so she could hardly stand.  Allison walked with me at soccer practice and decided she didn't want to accompany me very long.  I planned to walk once we got home, but I brought one of my dear friends home with me from the soccer field.  This is why:

I surprised the family yesterday with an idea Morgan had a few weeks ago.  It's not perfect, but it does the job amazingly.

Welcome to the Hood Family Cinema:

It's amazing what a little PVC pipe, velcro and painters canvas can do, right? 

We are really wanting the burn ban to go away now so we can have hotdogs and marshmallows over a fire and really enjoy being outside in the cooler weather.  We put the whole set up in the backyard near the outdoor kitchen.  It was originally meant for fun, not meant to spend a lot of money.  I can see it now, though.  I'm sure this will all be tweaked a bit for a more permanent feature.  That's just how Clayton is.

Day 3 - Fail

I didn't do anything yesterday as far as exercising goes.  I didn't even walk.  The guys were watching tv so I used that as an excuse not to do anything.  My legs were jelly anyway.  Today, however is soccer practice again for Emily, so I'll be forced to walk.  When we get home it'll be family time at a very cool level in which I'll post about later. 

I have to do day 3 today though.  No giving up!

Day 2 - Over, Thankfully!

Today during Emily's soccer practice, a friend of mine and I walked 2 miles.  It wasn't that bad at all.  I'm quickly building myself up without getting tired.  Tonight, during day 2 of P90X, I wasn't as successful, but I'm not calling today a total failure.  I did about half of the workout and it wasn't due to soreness at all.  It was strictly leg work today.  After the walk today and of course going in full force yesterday, my legs have become limp.  Totally not doing anything but wobbling.  Bud, who is majoring in kinesiology was here pushing me (taking all the fun out of it..lol) to keep going.  He finally went to take a shower in the middle of my workout, so I cheated a bit. Ha ha. He caught me though, so I had to continue. :(  Like I said though, not a TOTAL failure.  At least I DID do a lot today.  I know my legs will be completely non-functional tomorrow, for sure.  Good thing tomorrow is Shoulders and Arms then another Ab Ripper X.  Not that I'm really looking forward to that. At. All.

I'm so tired I can't even keep my eyes open.  Something's working! 

Night!

A Week in the LIfe

All the activities have started except for dance.  I missed the registration to the studio where the girls were going to take it, but another one came along for us.  Allison and Emily start after Labor Day and Morgan starts in October.  Also, we are trying to find another guitar and drum teacher, so the girls didn't have that this week.  We have been so fortunate not to have any of the schedules clash, except for soccer.  Practice has been changed to Wednesday evenings. I'm not liking that, but it will be over in November.

After Bud painted Emily's room, we had a change of plans and wound up knocking all the drywall out of that room to go in with new.  We are now going to take her room, she's taking Morgan's and Morgan is still taking ours.  The reason we had to go in with new drywall is because we are also taking out the closet in that room to open up the middle bathroom more and didn't want to have new and old drywall in the same room.  It's a good thing too because there was the presense of mold.  Flooding causes all these types of problems, you know.  (something on my washing machine is leaking at the moment too.  Geez)

I guess I don't explain things very well because I've tried explaining this closet before to people and they just don't seem to understand what I mean by saying the closet is BEHIND the tub.  (there's a wall that divides it from the bathroom, people)  Here's a quick pathetic drawing (not to scale, of course):

We will be closing off the opening to the closet in Emily's room and opening that space into the bathroom, scooting the bathtub into it and changing the plumbing to the toilet.   This will be the main bathroom. That's all in a different post, though.

With this being our bedroom in the near future, we are going to close off another bathroom from the hall and opening it to access it from the bedroom.  There is a slab that used to be another kitchen years ago (I have no idea why), and we are going to close it in and add it to the bedroom for a sitting area.  The bedroom is entirely too small for our bedroom furniture, so we will probably only have enough room for our bed.  In the addition, we will have to put our dressers and add a closet. The addition will have to wait a while.  Then again, you never can tell what we are going to do.  Again, another blog.

I just can't seem to get that breather, but as long as it gets done, I'm not too concerned.

Fun week!  More of them for a while, too.

P90X - Day 1 - Complete

Today I did chest/back and the ab ripper x.   

Do we seriously age THAT much in just 2 short years?  When I first bought/tried this program 2 years ago, the first day was a breeze!  Today, HELLO!!  I can't do pushups, but I tried.  I did most everything, but of course, not as much as they did on the tv.  I feel ok with what I did accomplish, though.  My back will be in some pain tomorrow.  I already feel it and it's very uncomfortable.  I did this alone too.  Clayton didn't join in, but at least he didn't laugh at me doing it, either.  Ha!

89 more days to go.  It will only get easier from here, right?

Pre - P90X - Day 1

Isn't it funny how you can anticipate something for so long and when the moment finally arrives you dread it?  That's so how I'm feeling right now. 

Clayton and I just walked briskly for about 20 minutes, so I'm assuming at our pace it was about a mile.  I could have gone longer, but knowing I'm about to start my 90 day program, I came indoors.  It feels so great outside with the cooler winds from the storm in the gulf.  I wouldn't be able to even walk outside without breaking a sweat a few days ago.

I have my before pictures taken and my weight and measurements recorded.  I can't understand this, but I actually weigh 5 lbs less than what I did the last time I weighed myself.  I thought I had gotten bigger.  Honestly, I probably did.  I more than likely loss muscle and gained twice as much fat to make up for it.  Oh well.

Anyway, I'm off.  I feel my body losing its endurance.

Not Again!

Today.  An ordinary, typical day.  Until the end.  We rushed to piano lessons, then from there rushed to a 4-H meeting and came home to Allison stayed home sick and Bud who helped move things out of the laundry room so I could pull up carpet.  It has industrial carpet in that room, which I don't care for at all, but it worked for the time being.  

The other day I noticed the carpet was a bit damp in front of the washing machine.  I figured it was nothing, maybe just a load that didn't sit just right.  I don't know.  I used it again, more water.  I couldn't tell where it was coming from, so I turned the machine off and let it sit yesterday.  The floor continued to get wetter and wetter.  It started stinking.  Bud and I pulled the machine out away from the wall to check the hoses.  Nothing.  We tipped it up.  Nothing.  When we placed it back down, the water made its appearance.  From the bottom right hand side, the water flowed.  ARGH!  

Tonight when I came home, I couldn't stand the smell any longer.  Not to mention my laundry is starting to pile up.  That doesn't happen here.  Remember, laundry is my THANG!  My back was hurting and Bud tried to get me to sit, but I didn't listen.  I wanted to go ahead and just rip up the little bit of carpet and get the smell out of this house.  So, I started at the carport door. I cut a strip, pulled it up, and found NO WAY!!!  Not that paper sack thing again!  Yep!  This time, it's on top of the tile that's under the carpet.  I'm hoping this will be a lot easier than the girls' rooms.  I'm hoping I can just take my heat gun and rip up the tile.  

Really?  I mean, SERIOUSLY?  My house is upside down once more.

I don't have time to do anything right now. 

Lifestyle Change

Two years ago, almost exactly, we were watching tv in a hotel room. It was late so the only thing on was, of course, infomercials. Now, I have been known as THE sucker for all those fabulous products offered while Clayton, on the other hand, looks at them the way he looks at life. Not a pessimist, a realist (as he puts it). Instead of changing the channel or just simply turning the tv off, he was watching and was actually showing a little bit of positivity for it. That product was P90X. I had gotten off the infomercial kick at that time, but watching him getting so interested in it, I decided to order it. Just as I planned, we began our journey toward getting fit. He took what he needed to work while I kept what I needed at home. I'm not sure how long he worked on it, but I remember mine ever so clearly.

The first day was not a big deal at all. The second day I was sore, but no more than expected. The third day, my legs were like cooked noodles and I felt muscles in places I never felt before. By the fourth day, I caved. If I could have walked, I would have pressed on. I couldn't do anything. That's when I gave up. Pathetic, right? What made it so bad was that after I had given up, that's when everyone told me I should have pressed on because the third and fourth day was the worst. They were right. The fifth day, I wasn't even sore...at all. I should have continued.

Our wonderful product I bought on tv that night has now been in the tv stand since.

Last week Bud asked if he could borrow it. Well, I guess I could wait for his 90 days to be up before trying to start it again. Not a problem. After that, I've been seeing the program on a daily basis and it's calling my name. I just may keep it here at home and let him have it after my 90 days is over. That's what I'm thinking will happen.

I've been thin my entire life up until about 5 years ago. I'm not obese, but I'm not where I want to be either. I realize I'm getting older and with the extra weight on me, I look older. Older than I feel I should look. I did lose 23 lbs the beginning of this year,but gained back 10 of those lbs since. Luckily, I haven't gained the entire shebang, but I was on such a role that I gave up that plan because I thought I was a lot thinner than I actually was. Pictures proved otherwise.

Sooooo, here's the game plan. After Clayton returns home, I'm forcing him to do this with me. He's a very stubborn man when it comes to areas he knows he needs to change, so when he starts working out, he goes full force and over works himself thinking he can do what he did when he was in the Marines. Ha! Even if we were both in shape, I assure you, we can't do what we did when we were 19. I don't care what those infomercials will promise me.

I'm going to blog about my P90X. Every single pain infused day. Starting Sunday. I'd love to start Thursday since it's the first of the month, but Clayton and I are going out Saturday on a murder mystery dinner cruise. If I start Thursday, Saturday would be that horrific third day. No, I'm not already making excuses. I promise.

I will not be providing comic relief for you all by including pictures. That just wouldn't be fun for me at all.

Wish us luck!

Just Can't Help Myself

Ok, so not ALL home projects will be on hold for a while.  I can't help it.  I have to finish the girls' rooms before I can take that breather. 

I've been searching high and low for bedding and accessories for both Allison and Emily's bedrooms.  The turquoise for Em's room is driving me batty.  Everything is either too blue or too green.  I don't particulary like shopping online for items like this since the colors you see depends on the calibration of the monitor you are using.  I found something though, that makes me not even care if it's the right torquoise or not.  I may just find things based on that item alone.  Here is what I found:

Isn't she a beaut?  That's not even all.  I found this at Tonic Living and they also have this design in fabric!!  Oh yeah!  So, for 25.00 for the pillow and 9.95 per yard of fabric, I'm opting out of buying the pillow.  I have PLEEENNNTTTY of fillers here at home, too, so I won't have to worry about that.

I'm seriously drooling, folks.

Tsk Tsk Shame Shame

Michelle Obama accused of spending $10m in public money on vacations | View Original

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By Tamara Abraham
Last updated at 8:28 PM on 24th August 2011
The Obamas' summer break on Martha's Vineyard has already been branded a PR disaster after the couple arrived four hours apart on separate government jets.
But according to new reports, this is the least of their extravagances.
White House sources today claimed that the First Lady has spent $10million of U.S. taxpayers' money on vacations alone in the past year.

Expensive taste: Michelle Obama, pictured yesterday in Massachusetts, has been accused of spending $10m of public money on vacationsBranding her 'disgusting' and 'a vacation junkie', they say the 47-year-old mother-of-two has been indulging in five-star hotels, where she splashes out on expensive massages and alcohol.More...The 'top source' told the National Enquirer: 'It's disgusting. Michelle is taking advantage of her privileged position while the most hardworking Americans can barely afford a week or two off work.'When it's all added up, she's spent more than $10million in taxpayers' money on her vacations.'His and her jets: The President and his wife, who are spending nine days on Martha's Vineyard, have come under fire for travelling on separate plane

The First Lady is believed to have taken 42 days of holiday in the past year, including a $375,000 break in Spain and a four-day ski trip to Vail, Colorado, where she spent $2,000 a night on a suite at the Sebastian hotel.And the first family's nine-day stay in Martha's Vineyard is also proving costly, with rental of the Blue Heron Farm property alone costing an estimated $50,000 a week.The source continued: 'Michelle also enjoys drinking expensive booze during her trips. She favours martinis with top-shelf vodka and has a taste for rich sparking wines.'The vacations are totally Michelle's idea. She's like a junkie. She can't schedule enough getaways, and she lives from one to the next - all the while sticking it to hardworking Americans.'Travelling in style: Mrs Obama during her $375,000 trip to Spain last yea

High security: Bodyguards surround the First Lady and youngest daughter Sasha as they take a stroll on the Costa del Sol
While the President and his wife do pay for some of their personal expenses from their own pocket, the website whitehousedossier.com says that the amount paid by the couple is 'dwarfed by the overall cost to the public'.The magazine also reported that Mrs Obama, whose fashion choices are widely followed, had been going on 'wild shopping sprees', much to the distress of her husband, who, its sources reveal, is 'absolutely furious' at his wife's 'out-of-control spending'.The President has already come under fire this week over his decision to take a family vacation while millions of Americans are out of work and countless more are financially strapped.Luxury break: The President and his family, pictured in December, splashed out more than $1.5million on a Christmas holiday in Hawai
GIRLS' TRIP TO SPAIN: AUGUST 2010
The exact cost is unclear as Mrs Obama and her 40 friends footed many personal expenses, such as hotels and meals themselves.But the U.S. taxpayer would have paid for the First Lady's 68-strong security detail, personal staff, and use of presidential jet Air Force Two.Per diems for the secret service team runs at around $281 each - nearly $98,000 for the length of the summer break.
Use of Air Force Two, the Air Force version of a 757, comes in at $149,900 for the round trip. This does not include time on the ground.
Mrs Obama's personal staff, of which there are an unknown amount and might cost considerably more per day, should also be taken into account.
CHRISTMAS BREAK IN HAWAII: DECEMBER 2010
According to the Hawaii Reporter, the bill for the $1.5m trip included:

• $63,000 on an early flight bringing Mrs Obama and the children to Hawaii ahead of the President.
• $1,000,000 on Mr Obama’s return trip from Washington on Air Force One.
• $38,000 for the ‘Winter White House’ beach property rental.
• $16,000 to rent nearby homes for Secret Service and Navy Seals.
• $134,000 for 24 White House staff to stay at the Moana Hotel.
• $251,000 in police overtime.
• $10,000 for an ambulance to be on hand at all times
  SKI TRIP TO VAIL: FEBRUARY 2011
  Mrs Obama and her daughters stayed at the Sebastian hotel on Vail Mountain, where rooms cost more than $2,400 for multi-bedroom suites.The family appear to have flown there on Air Force Two.They were escorted to the resort by a motorcade of about a dozen vehicles, including 15 state and local law enforcement officersSUMMER HOLIDAY ON MARTHA'S VINEYARD: AUGUST 2011
  The Blue Heron Farm estate, where the Obama family are currently staying, rents for about $50,000 a week.According to U.S. News and World Report, the Coast Guard is required to keep ships floating near the property, the presidential helicopter and jet remain at the ready and security agents will be on 24-hour duty.

Home Projects at a Halt

Emily's room got painted, but it's the wrong color.  I had taken a picture with my phone of the inspiration photo for her room. Having my phone with me, I matched it the best I could, but it turned out a little too grape-ish (hmm, is that even a word?  I doubt it.)  I know Bud isn't going to want to think about paint for a while, so we may just go with what's there for now.  I'm terrible about judging things before they are finished anyway.

We have to slow down a bit on all our home projects.  I still haven't decorated the new kitchen/dining room wall.  I keep getting way ahead of myself on other projects.  It's time to slow down and take a breather because our schedule is getting crazier and crazier.  Home projects are going to be more of a weekend thing, I believe, even though the weekends are going to be busy as well.

The girls signed up for entries in the upcoming county fair.  Morgan is entering jewelry and bread.  She makes one mean zucchini bread!  Allison is entering photography and probably some sort of food item.  (she's been gone for the last couple weeks and hasn't been able to see the complete list)  Emily is entering wearable art and cookies.  This will be their very first entries in a county fair, but I have a very vague memory of Morgan entering a painted picture back in elementary school and winning 3rd place.  She doesn't remember and I'm wondering why I didn't keep up with it.  Next year, there will be livestock entries.  Oh boy. 

I am hosting a fall festival here at our home for our homeschool group in October.  I have the tendency to go all out on things, so I have to watch myself.  I have a few moms who have offered to help, so I think I'm going to let that happen.  I'm excited about it!  I'm also creating the homeschool group's yearbook this year.  For the activities some of the other kids are doing, that I wouldn't normally go to, I'll be there as much as possible to make sure there are photos taken of everything we want to include in the yearbook.  Our homeschool group is very active in a lot of areas, so this will be some hard work going on.

So, not really a whole lot of time to worry with little things like putting pictures up on a wall.  We won't be home long enough to enjoy them anway.

Can I take a nap now?

.....zzzzzz

Purple She Says

I have a painter here at the house this weekend. We call him Bud. Aka, our son. He has been doing some work around the house while his dad is gone to work. I must say, I could get used to this! He has learned really quickly that he doesn't like to paint. Ha! Now he understands why I gave HIM the job!

My father in law brought over some help today to get the piano unloaded. It fit so perfectly where I decided to put it. The kids will go in the room and play it and even though they only know a few songs, it sounds magical to me. I love the sound of a piano. Even the sound of one that needs to be tuned.

Emily has never been a girly girl but yet not a tomboy either. She just sort of fits in somewhere in between like her sisters and me. So, it shocked me a bit when she requested purple for her room. I tried to persuade her to go a different route, but she has the final say since it is her living quarters. So, after Pinterest, we found a room we both agreed on. This is our inspiration room:






I am really loving these colors together! Now that Bud has one of the back bedrooms painted, this will be the next he works on. Emily is so ready to have her room finished. So am I.

Those Irons in the Fire.

Here is your answer, Aunt Connie.

The past few days have been full of planning. From the new school year to the holidays, to making time to visit with family we haven't seen in too many years to even mention. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this time of year is swamped. From August through April we have birthdays just with our kids and grandkids. Actually, if you include Mother's Day and Father's Day and the one kid who waited until July to be born, our entire year is taken up with something to celebrate each month. This time of year is the most wallet emptying time, though with the holidays and the kids' activities.

Since I am easily overwhelmed, one would think filling up my plate to the point of overflowing would not be a good idea. I beg to differ. It actually depends on what it's filled up and overflowing with.

For a couple sad years, I got to the point of not getting the kids involved in anything, letting them do whatever they could to find something to entertain them. It resulted in me becoming quite lazy as far as not wanting to go anywhere or do anything that I didn't deem necessary. I lost a lot of connection with my kids, and they became lazy as well, spending too much time with friends away from home (because I'd rather the friend's parents entertain than me having to do it), and if they were home, they were always in front of some type of screen. Now, that doesn't mean I didn't spend any time with them, because I did. After all, i do homeschool, remember? We played games and went on family vacations and such, but it still wasn't the way it used to or should have been. Times flies by and kids grow up too quickly to worry about anything else but raising them and making their childhood the best to your ability, even if it's board games every night.

I spent too much time in that mode and I became depressed. Clinically.

So, with that skeleton out of my closet, with our family moving back to our hometown, it has become easier to get back on track with the way things always were back in the day. I've gotten rid of the things that just simply doesn't matter. This is why sometimes I change my mind on things I do plan to do. It has to fit in with the important things. When I realize it's a waste of time, I get rid of it or the idea.

That's not at all to say I don't ever get overwhelmed, because I do. I'm very much a go getter and want to "do it all", MYSELF. I'm learning that's impossible and I just have to live with it. Delegating really is a good thing and when you are delegating kids, it really doesn't hurt them. In fact, it helps them. That's a different point, though.

These kiddies of mine get to choose what activities they want to do. What they have chosen for the next few months is as follows:

Morgan: Jazz Dance, Guitar, Piano

Allison: Jazz Dance, Piano

Emily: Drums, Piano, Soccer

As for me: Stained glass and finishing my pharmacy classes (stopped when I started homeschooling)

Mondays are filled with drums and guitar, Tuesdays with piano, dance, soccer, Wednesday, church, Thursday, soccer and stained glass, Friday, free, Saturday, soccer games.

I'd much rather spend my time watching my kids spend their time doing something that helps them become more well rounded than see them in front of a screen or being idle.

As far as things I get myself into, well, I've always been for self improvement. I'm a lover of learning.

Back to the calendar. ;)

Stained Glass

Isn't it beautiful?

It's always been intriguing to me and I've always wanted some type of gorgeous piece in my home. I've never even priced a piece before because I've always just assumed they were entirely too expensive to own. Don't ask why because I don't know.

While I drool over supplies of different types in craft stores, I've been seeing decorative glass in small sheets. They are just beautiful, yet I give no thought to them being for making stained glass projects. From now on, I'll dig a little deeper and more than likely load up on some of it. Why?

Because I found a stained glass class here in my remote little town. Are you serious???


I was so happy when I heard the news I had to figure out who would want to join me.

Who doesn't work during class hours?.....hmmmm.....

Aunt Debbie!!

So, long story short, I have a stained glass partner. (because I want one)

We start next week and I couldn't be happier. Well I could if the class was free, especially because I found all sorts of tuts online. Oh well. It'll be time and money well spent.

Pudding Cups and Potatoes

Three pudding cups


Three potatoes mashed



That's it. That's all I've had to eat all week.

Dentists. They have never been a fear for me, but over the past year I dread them.

The Novocain or whatever "Cain" is used in dental offices these days makes my heart feel as if it's going to jump out of my chest. The dentist gets really irritated with me because my body is shaking uncontrollably. This time when it started happening, I asked for the gas. I inhaled that so deeply and quickly I'm surprised I didn't pass out. BUT.....

If I hadn't taken the gas, I would have been able to save myself from this diet I've been forced to eat all week. Before going into my little room, I had new x-rays taken. Letting the nurse know what tooth I wanted worked on, she pointed out another one that needed tending to. I was all for it.
Getting it over with in one visit suited me just fine. So, with the one she pointed out and the one I went in for in the first place, I believe that's two teeth? 1+1=2.

As I'm getting all settled in, in that lovely reclined position, the dentist tells me what he's going to do. Our conversation went something like this:

Dr. Quack: I numb bottom first then come back and numb top. Ok?

Me: Um, why the top?

Dr. Quack: Because you have tooth there. Three teeth I do today. Ok?

Me: Uh, no. It was just two. This one and this one.

Dental assistant: No chart say 3. Ok? Ok.

Me: (thinking I may have missed something). Well, ok.

The procedure starts and I begin the gas after my body goes into it's well known fits. I'm going to get as drugged as I could and hopefully just fall asleep.

Just as I was as high as a kite in the sky in spring, and felt the pressure of the dentist pulling the tooth I knew nothing was wrong with, I hear the dental assistant tell the dentist. "Oh, here's her chart. We had the wrong one."

It was too late and I was too drugged to make sense of it to fight back.

So, this is why soft foods are on my menu for the week. Id rather have a root canal any day over an extraction. I'd also rather have one of these rather than another pudding cup:


Such is life.