Black Friday

Black Friday...... a once a year tradition of watching adults stand outside in the cold for hours before a store opens to literally run in to try to find that special toy or electronic device and to fight the person that dares to even get close to what you are thinking about buying.

I am still amazed at the fact that people will actually fight over toys and such.

Then there are the people that get mad because they have to stand in long lines to check out.
What are they thinking? Do they actually believe that the thousand people that entered the store before them are going to just wait for them to checkout before they attempt to move toward the checklanes. Of course, there are always the rude people. The ones who no matter how you try to please them, just can't be satisfied. If you offer to adjust a price $2 they want $5. If you have something in pink, they want purple, etc..etc..etc.....

Then add in the fact that the stores are not amply supplied with the items that are in their ads. This makes people sooooo mad. "Why do you have it in your ad, if you aren't going to have it in the store?" Like it is something that we personally are responsible for. Like we want to work 10 hours a day helping people that want the impossible. Give Me A Break!!!

Thank Goodness we only have to do this once a year.

Living Out Of Boxes

Well we are moved in and offically living out of boxes. We are in that process of trying to find a place for everything. Deciding what will stay and what will be gotten rid of is a real task. I would love it if I could just stay home and get things organized. We work all day and unpack and rearrange at night. Sure is a slow process, but we will get it there.


I have managed to get Lindsey's room almost finished. I really like how it has turned out and so does she. Still need to hang the rest of her things on the wall, but the room is put together and the blinds and curtains are hung.



















Our bathroom mirror was delivered on Tuesday. It is a bit bigger than I thought it was going to be, but I love it.




















I am hoping to get the rest of the house in order soon.
I'll try to post more pics as I get things put into their proper place.

Well got to run. I have to be at work very early in the morning.

Hope everyone has a good week.

Packing

Well I have begun the dreaded packing. Putting everything in a box or storage container and moving it to the house. Doing this has forced me to go through and throw away alot of JUNK. I can't believe how much stuff I keep and I know that a few months from now that I will NEED some of the stuff that I have thrown away. That's usually the way it goes, save something for two years and never pull it out, but throw it away and suddenly you find a use for it. Anyway, that is what I have been doing lately.

All this packing and going through things has given me an opportunity to take a trip down memory lane. I was going through some pictures today and of course I had to stop and look at a few of them.
The one above was from one of Mamaws birthday gatherings, I think. I know it was at 'Po folks and I have other pictures of her opening gifts. I'm not sure what year it was, but Adam was small, so I would guess around 1987 or so.


Gee......I guess my natural hair color IS dark brown or almost black.
My son has sure changed..... Still handsome, but definitely has done some growing. He has hopefully learned to shave properly now. His first attempt, I think he had a bit of a problem knowing just when to stop with the shaving cream.
This was always a favorite picture of mine though. He had an old razor with no blade in it that he would use.

I like this picture of Mom & Dad. It was taken at Michael and Linda's Wedding. Twenty one years ago....
So many things have changed. My life has sure taken some turns, as I guess everyones does.

They are supposed to get our propane tank installed tomorrow and then the heating and air guy can get it hooked up and running so that we can move in this week end.

Well I guess I need to get back to packing boxes. I hope you enjoyed my little trip down memory lane. Wish me luck, I still have alot of junk to go through.

Girls

Here it is Sunday and the last day of Fall Break. It's back to school and work tomorrow, but it has been a good week. We have managed to get alot taken care of and had some fun too.
Lindsey and I spent one day shopping. My daughter REALLY likes to shop. She saw some of her friends while we were out. They have a good time together.....just being girls. They like to primp and giggle and giggle and giggle.........





As you can see, they like to pose for pictures too!!!

I really am glad that Lindsey likes for her friends to come over. I like seeing her have friends and feel comfortable bringing them here. (and not being embarassed having Mom around) It is a good feeling knowing that the girls parents are comfortable letting them come over too.

Sometimes she drives me nuts with the I want, I want, I want, and the smart mouth she seems to have found somewhere (part of being a pre-teen I suppose), but she is a good kid and I am very proud of her.

Have a good week all!!!!!!

Super Mom

Fall Break is here and I have so much that I want to get done this week.
I guess I need to become.........

SuperMom

AKA:
Soccer Mom, Chief Everything Officer, 'The Boss', Working Mom

SUPER POWERS:
mother's love; mega-multitasking; "the look"; cure-all kisses; temper tantrum tactics; mind reading; cheerleading

VULNERABILITIES:
sleep deprivation; child's cries;work/life balance; cute kiddie clothes; mothering co-workers; parental pampering

CATCHPHRASES:
"Go to your room and think about what you did."
"A mother's work is never done."
"Can't talk now, gotta go get the kids!"
"Because I said so, that's why."

I saw this on line and thought it was really cute and ohhhh so true.

All moms are Super Moms, with all the chauffeuring that moms do.......sporting events, school programs, sleep overs, dances, parties, etc., etc., etc.

Not to mention all the errands that go along with these things. You know that science project can't be done unless you buy that $7.00 tri-fold poster board, or I can't go to the B-day party with out a gift. Of course the dance requires a new dress, it's a never ending thing. Then you add in all the Dr. and dentists appointments, plus other errands that must be taken care of ...........I get tired just thinking about it. But it all goes along with being a MOM. And we wouldn't change it for the world.

This week my Super Mom tasks consist of taking my car in for repairs, painting a hallway, the laundry room and two closets, hanging wallpaper in the entry way, ridding the cabinets of all the construction dust, packing things up to move, taking my daughter shopping, going to physical therapy 3 days, getting the cable guy out for installation and the mirror guy out to measure for the mirror and shower doors, go shopping with Michael for the base boards for the living room, kitchen and hallway, and of course there will be laundry and dishes to do, not to mention the cooking too. Hopefully I can get it all done............

Guess I better get started. Have a good week and I'll try to keep you posted on how Super Mom holds up , afterall she's not getting any younger and has a bum foot. (I dropped a pack and play on it at work. Nothing broken, but badly bruised and very sore.)

Painting, painting and more painting....

It seems that painting has become our second job. I don't think we are ever going to run out of things that need to be painted. We have all the walls painted, but are currently working on the doors, windows and the trim. Having to clean and sand the windows before you can even begin to paint them, is very time consuming. We should get the bedrooms completed this weekend...hopefully.
Our appliances should be arriving next week sometime. I can't wait. They will make the kitchen actually look like a kitchen.
The tile has been laid in both baths, the kitchen and the entry way. We have picked out the carpet that we want in the bedrooms and the hardwood that we want in the rest of the house. Now we just have talk to the flooring people to see when they can get it in and installed. Meanwhile......we paint. I'd like to get all or at least most of the painting done before the floors are laid.

















We finally got the issue with the pocket doors resolved.....Thank Goodness. I was begining to think that they were going to have to be torn out and re-installed. I'm still not sure that they were installed properly, but the door company representive says that if they were not installed correctly that they would not open and shut properly, and they do. The problem that we had was that if you touched the wall, it moved. You could actually move the drywall with your hands as if it were attatched to nothing. They have since reinforced it with a metal strip. I just hope that we don't have any problem with it down the road.

Anyway, this is what is up with me..... Working (preparing and getting geared up for 4th quarter....Holiday Season, yes it is fast approaching), shuffling my daughter to volleyball games and practices and painting, painting, painting.........

The Bird Has Left The Nest

My baby bird has left the nest. WAHHHHHH........
I know that it is time for him to spread his wings and fly solo,
but it is still a hard step to take. Hard for me anyway.

All I can do is offer my help and be prepared to stand back or jump in if needed.

When children come into our lives we have time to prepare, to think about it, time to get to know and love them. But when they leave, no matter how much we've talked about it or planned for it, it's still a drastic change. One day they are there with their long legs, their music, their cars, their friends, their questions, and then, they're gone. The bird-leaving-the-nest metaphor.

My hand is no longer on the bicycle seat, it is time to let go.

I will worry, as Mothers do, but I know that he will do just fine.

I just hope that his roomates are BIG sports fans...........

Volleyball

Lindsey has been going all summer to volleyball conditioning, learning the ins and outs of the game and getting in better shape to hopefully make the team.
Well, I am proud to say that SHE DID. All of her hard work has paid off in a big way.
She went to two days of try outs and made the High School team. My 7th grader has made the Freshman team at Warren East High. :) :)
They played their first game on Tuesday. They did not win, but Lindsey got to play and she played really well. She was out there diving after that ball.....
I have to say, I am very proud of her. She really likes playing and I think it has been a good thing for her. She has made some new friends and found something that she is really interested in.

Back To School

Well it is that time again.....Back To School.
Summer has been WAYYYYY to short.
Lindsey is now a Middle Schooler.
I can't believe it. She is a little nervous about it, but I know that she will be fine.
She is looking forward to meeting new people.
Now we just have to get her used to actually getting up in the morning. She has gotten used to sleeping until 10 or so. This morning was no problem, but give her a few days and she'll be saying I don't want to get up, can't I sleep just a few more minutes. Hopefully it won't take her long to get back into the routine of school.
Then of course, with school comes......the HOMEWORK. I sure haven't missed that.
Well, gotta run. Have a good day!!!

Television

Well, I think I am well caught up on my tv watching.

I have watched everything. Old shows new shows. I watched cooking shows, building shows, remodeling shows, medical shows, and on and on........

I do have to say that TLC has become one of my favorite channels. I really like the Property Ladder; Flip That House; Little People, Big World; Shalom In The Home;Trading Spaces and Miami Ink. If you haven't seen any of.....check them out.

I saw Untold Stories of the ER last night. We actually watched a couple of these back to back. Some of the stories were really strange, others were interesting....strange, but interesting. The show does, however make you stop and think about how your life can change in just a small frame in time.

Anyway, this is what I have been up to. Rather boring, but relaxing. I have been over at the house a little, but it is sooooo hot that I can't stay long. I let the guys in the other day to finish the cabinets. They look so good!!! The contractor and the plumber will be back, hopefully, next week to finish up their work (installing the lights and fixtures). Then it is up to us to get the rest of the flooring down and the rest of the painting done. I'm begining to get tired of painting, but still have alot to do. Slowly but surely it is coming together.

Well I need to run......Boy Meets World is on........

Talk to you soon.

Listen.......

This house is soooooooooo quiet!!! It's downright eerie.

The kids have gone on vacation with their Dad. There is no music playing, no sports on the t.v.,
no video games making those repetitive noises, no one in the computer chair, no one to chauffeur here and there, no one saying can I have______ or can ______ come over, no one saying "I'm bored" or "I'm hungry (ten minutes after eating)".

I have none of this......Instead I have TOTAL SILENCE.
I could hear a pin drop SILENCE.
I can hear my own thoughts SILENCE.

A whole week of this? I don't know if I can handle it.
A week of actually being able to watch an entire show on t.v. with out someone saying, but I've been waiting all week for this show, or but the big game is on. (of course with Adam every game of every sport is THE BIG GAME)

I actually know what the remote looks like now. It actually can change the t.v. to a channel that is NOT sports related.
Am I dreaming......is it the drugs........No I think it is real.
Gee so many channels, so many shows and silence. How will I ever make it through the next week. :) :) :) :)

I do miss my kids, really I do. But I think I will enjoy this coming week.
I will have some major ME time :)

And just so everyone knows, the surgery went well. I am supposed to call on Monday for the pathology report. So keep your fingers crossed for me.

Love to all and have a good week end. I'll be relaxing on my sofa recliner watching some t.v.

Hospitals....Yuck

I really hate hospitals..... I had to go for some pre-op tests on Monday. I had to have some blood drawn and an ekg, etc....etc..... I hate it anyway, but the Dr. had not sent the orders over and I had to sit there until they faxed them over. I sat there waiting and watching the t.v. and the people going by the office I was I was in. Across the hall was a conference room, where I saw a family being escorted in. Then a few minutes later I saw the Dr. go in. The look on their faces brought back some memories. I started thinking about how many times I myself have been in that position. It was down right depressing.
Finally, my orders were there and I was called back. Didn't take very long at all.

I have to be back on Wed. at 6a.m. I am having some laser surgery done. Kind of like a D&C, but with a laser. At least I don't have to stay in the hospital.
I am really dreading it and just want it to be over with.
Maybe I'll actually post a little more since I'll be home for about a week.

Murphy's Law

We have all heard of Murphy's Law.... What ever can go wrong, WILL go wrong.

This week I thought that we were going to make great strides with the house. We had several things lined up and really thought that we were making progress. However, Murphy found his way into the equation.

We had our kitchen cabinets and the bathroom vanities custom made. They were to be installed this week. We weren't quite ready for the bathroom cabinets to be put in place, because we are still doing some painting and the tile has not yet been laid. So the kitchen cabinets were going to be installed and the bathroom ones brought to the house and installed at a later time.

On the same day, the tile in the master bath was to be laid, or at least the process started.
Our installer works on our floor in between working his factory job.

It sounded like a good plan....no problems. The workers were to arrive and install their respective products while we were out aquiring bath fixtures and more paint. It was a good feeling to think that several things were to be happening at the same time. We were saying, "YES....Progress"!!

So we go out, purchase the things we need and head back to the house to see all our things taking shape. We walk into the kitchen and the workers are buzzing around measuring and leveling and making the kitchen come to life. All seems right, so we go to the master bath and see that the backer board for the tile is almost completely in place. Except for the area around the tub. We then realize that the tub installer has not allowed for a floor. The tub has been installed and the granite set in place. The tub is surrounded by granite. Heavy granite.
The tile installer says that the tile should go under the granite, that the tub should have been installed with an allowance for a floor. So we call the tub installer. They are reluctant to remove it and recut it to fit properly. They say that we stand a chance of breaking the granite moving it and recutting it. They suggest that we install the tile up to the tub and have the grout seam against the tub. But part of the granite is supposed to be the access to the motor of the tub and easily accessible in the event that there is a problem. So we are at a stand still with the floor until we decide what to do. Do we take the risk of recutting the granite or just adjust the tile to the tub? If we don't recut the granite, the access part will be very hard to remove without messing up the tile. We have even thought about surrounding the tub with wood to match the vanities, but that would be an additional cost to us and such a waste since we have already purchased the granite.
Anyway........while all this is going on the cabinet installers are busy installing cabinets. Michael is on the phone with the tub installer and I walk into the kitchen to see the progress in there.
At this point the cabinets are in place and they are in the process of putting on the doors. They are beautiful, BUT have the wrong handles on them and the stack of drawers are in the wrong place. I feel like I want to cry. I get on the phone with the cabinet guy and tell him of the problem. He checks his file and says, no, that's what you ordered, but asked if I could come by the shop to see if we can figure this out. At this point I am sick. Michael wraps up his conversation with the tub guy and we head off to the cabinet shop.
Turns out that they wrote down the wrong number for the handle. When we arrived he knew exactly which handle I had choosen. The one he showed me at the time I placed the order was in his show room and had been placed in an open box of other knobs, so the wrong one was ordered. He remembered showing it to me. So........to get the proper handle on my cabinets ALL the door fronts have to be remade. It wouldn't be a big deal, but I wanted handles and they put on knobs. I hate knobs......didn't even want them on my drawers. As for the stack of drawers, I'm not sure how that happened, but I decided to just live with that.

So once again, we are sort of at a stand still with the house. We are making progress with the painting, but now have to wait for cabinet doors to be made over again and to decide how to procede with the master bath tile.

We are having the carpet and hardwood people out on Friday to measure and give us an estimate.......SURELY nothing can go wrong with that. Hopefully Murphy will move on to someone else. :)

The House

I wanted to show everyone how the house is begining to take shape. We are beginning to add some color to the walls. The kitchen tile is finished and we have the bathroom tile. The cabinets and bath room vanities are ready to be installed, just waiting to coordinate with the cabinet maker a day that they are available. We are in the process of chosing light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, med. cabinets, mirrors, hardwood, etc...etc... So many things to decide and to make blend together. I like the shopping part, but spending the time picking out things and trying to get them where you need them when you need them,is a bit of a challenge. It is coming together though slowly, but surely.
The pictures are of Lindsey's room. We still have some trim and doors to paint , but her room is close to being finished. I'll take more pictures and post them in the near future.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend. Me.....I'm working. I've been in retail for going on 8 years and it still is amazing to me how many people are out bright and early on week end mornings. But keeps me in a job I suppose.........

Smoky Mountain Fun

It's been a while since I have Blogged. I have been VERY busy. Between working, working on the house, homework, cooking, cleaning, etc...etc... I hardly have time to breathe. Add in a school trip to the Smokies....whew...I'm beat.
Lindsey is in the Richardsville Elem. Chorus and they for the second year in a row have attended the Smoky mountain Music Festival. They have been the only Elementary School in this competition. They have competed against Middle and High Schools. For the second year in a row they have come away with not only the first place trophy in their division, but a proficient score of 97.6 . They placed 3rd overall with the top highschool score only being 1 and1/8 points higher than theirs.
We spent 3 days in Gatlinburg. Arrived on Thursday and just strolled around the parkway. Sang on Friday and visited the Aquarium. Then on Saturday went to DollyWood. We had a GREAT time. I have attached a pic that we had done while there.

Talk to you soon.
I'll try to get some updated pics of the house on her pretty soon.

Jeanette

Weird or Compulsive? You Decide!!!

So I've been tagged.....now I have to tell everyone "6 Weird Things About Me"
I can probably come up with 12.


Where to start, Hmmmm......

1. I HAVE to have EVERYTHING hanging in my closet facing the same way. Of course like things also hang with like things. (Pants together, Shirts together, Dresses together etc....) And when an item is removed, the empty hanger is put in a specific place, not just left where it was.This does make working retail a bit easier.

2. Clothes that are put in drawers, are done neatly. White socks folded and placed together, then colors, then black ones. Panties and bras are folded and placed into the drawer in their appropriate place.

3. Towels HAVE to be folded a certain way, so that they fit into the cabinet and have that uniformly folded look, no unfolded edge showing. Washcloths and hand towels are treated the same way, folded and placed into their respective place.

4. Laundry has to be done on a daily basis. I can't function if I don't do at least one load of laundry a day. I will put a load in while getting ready for work, or sometimes late at night if I have been out and about that day. I even do laundry while on vacation.

5. When cooking I wipe my sink, counter and stove off about a million times. If anything is dripped or splashed onto these surfaces, then it has to be wiped off....right then. I am pretty particular with my kitchen. The other rooms in my house can get messy or cluttered, but not the kitchen. The same goes for water in the bathroom. If you splash water, wipe it up.

6. I am a VERY nervous driver. I hate driving on the Interstate. I can do it, but in areas where there are many lanes, I panic. I could never live in a big city that I had to deal with that on a daily basis. Give me a country two lane and I am fine.

7. Glasses in my cabinets are grouped together and lined up in a row. Kind of like in the movie Sleeping With The Enemy.

8. Items stored in the attic have to be placed in either a box or a plastic storage container and lined up so that you can move in the attic and find whatever you need to find.

9. Dirty clothes also have to be put in their proper place. I have a wicker laundry basket in my bedroom that I put my things into when I take them off. There are two clothes baskets in my laundry room for dirty items to be placed......one for wet things, one for dry. A simple task you would think, but one that my daughter has such trouble with.

10. I can't stand dirty dishes in the sink. Rinse it off and stack or place it neatly beside the sink and I'm fine with it, but don't put it in the sink.

11. When I place dishes in the dishwasher they all face the same direction. (plates mainly) Certain items have certain spots that they go in even though they actually fit into many. I know that they would get just as clean from any spot that they are put into, but I can't stand it if they are not put in their special place.

12. When I go to bed at night, I have to have to be covered up. It doesn't matter if it is 100 degrees, I have to have my cover. I can't fall asleep if I am not covered up.

This was way too easy to write. I feel like such a compulsive nut case,
but it's all true and it's me.
What else can I say.
Now I Tag Carol

Mi Vida Loco----My Crazy Life

It has taken me a while to get these on here, but finally here they are, pictures of our mini vacation.

It was a sort of rocky week. It began with Hartsul and his mother spending the week end with Michael's sister, Pam(which I find to be strange in the first place). Before Michael went to pick him up, Pam and her husband took Hartsul out for lunch and a little shopping. They bought him a Playstation 2 game. They don't see him alot and he was there........However, the second he walked through the door here, he stuck the game in Lindsey's face and said" Look what I got, now I have 9 games and you only have 4". Lindsey and I looked at each other and said well we know what kind of week this is going to be.

On Monday we did a little shopping, just Lindsey and I. We wanted to get her some things for summer. She no longer can shop in the little girls department, we have to shop the juniors department.....WAHHHHHHH My baby is not a baby anymore. BIG WAHHHHHHHH
Anyway, we had a great time shopping and just being together.
Lindsey had some money that she had gotten for doing chores and keeping good grades, but found that it wasn't as easy to turn loose of it as she thought. She discovered that if SHE was the one forking out $56.00 for those Holister jeans or capris they don't look so cute. Funny how that works......Moms money spends so much easier than hers.

Then on Tuesday, we took my car to Beaver Dam for some car repairs. Michael and Hartsul drove up also. I left my car and from there we went to Owensboro and spent the night at the Executive Inn.
It is a nice place. They have a really big indoor pool and of course that is where the kids wanted to stay. We did manage to get them out for a walk and a little antique shopping. Hartsul continued to be a little shit. He at one point sat down in the floor and threw a fit because Michael wouldn't let him buy a guitar. At that point, Lindsey and I went to walk around by ourselves. We walked all around the Hotel. That is when I took the pictures that I have posted here.















We left early the next morning, drove home to pick up Adam(who had morning classes) and headed to Nashville. We visited The Country Music Hall Of Fame and walked around downtown Nashville a bit. Took a few pictures of The Ryman, checked out Tootsie's Orchid Lounge (the little hole in the wall that alot of country music stars got their start...like Gretchen Wilson), then headed back toward home. All of the kids actually had a pretty good time. It was neat to see all the stuff that is displayed telling the history of Country Music. We stopped in Hendersonville to have dinner at a little place on the lake called Steamboat Bill's. It was pretty good. I recommend the fish!!
After we arrived home Barry came to pick up Lindsey and she spent the night at his house.
He brought her home Thursday afternoon. I spent the day cleaning and such....... and returning to Beaver Dam with Michael and Hartsul to pick up my car.

On Friday Lindsey and I had an appointment at the Spa. Lindsey really likes the spa. We had a manicure and a pedicure. I had a massage(which I highly reccomend), Lindsey had a makeup session and her hair cut and styled. She looks sooooooo cute. The only problem was that it was storming. The spa building has ALOT of windows. I wasn't real comfortable being there during a storm. But we were monitoring the weather. We left the spa in between storms and met Michael and Hartsul for lunch.
We were being seated and Hartsul started saying something......I didn't understand what he was saying, Lindsey did. I just heard Michael telling him to be quiet. That of course, peaked my interest in what he was saying. He was saying" I got a PSP, I got a PSP....". Turns out that when his Aunt Pam took him shopping earlier in the week she noticed that he was admiring the PSPs at Best Buy and asked him if he would like to have one of those.......well duh........he said yes. Lindsey has one ( a gift from her father after a bit of discussion and disapproval from me).
I fealt that she was too young for it and it has been a subject of some controversy, but she has it and with her brothers help has learned how to use it. She also knows what it is and is very careful with it and knows that it is not a toy to just toss around. Anyway, getting back to the story.....Aunt Pam has decided that Hartsul needs a PSP. Pam doesn't know what a PSP is, doesn't realize that it is really targeted to teens, that Hartsul does not have access to the videos or music that can be downloaded to it, or that the majority of the games and movies that are available for it are teen or mature rated. So he is going to have a system that he will not be able to do hardly anything with. But he wants it, so he shall have it..........
So we have that.......plus during this meal Hartsul kept kicking me or Lindsey under the table. He does this alot, most of the time I try to ignore this behavior or finally tell him to stop. However, as we were getting up to leave, Michael excused himself to go to the restroom. At that point Hartsul kicked me, not a little kick, but a full hard kick. I was reaching the boiling point. When Michael returned he could tell I was upset. I informed him of what was going on and that I was reaching the point that I could not take much more. We discussed the PSP, his son's mis behavior and attitude. Lindsey and I then left. Of course this was the topic of discussion for the rest of the week. Hartsul kept doing things that he knew was bugging me or Lindsey. Michael finally tried to discipline him. Most of the time the only thing he does is to talk to him, which he laughs the whole time. Well this time that is what he was doing, but I sort of lost it during his little talk. There was Michael talking to this kid who was laughing at him and sort of mocking what he was saying. I lost it......... Michael doesn't like to deal with unpleasant things but I think he is begining to see that this kid NEEDS discipline. He did end up giving him a couple of swats on the butt, but he had to chase him all over the yard to do it.
This whole situation makes me step back and think.......
Michael did talk to his sister that evening and tell her to hold off on the PSP.
But she bought it the next day and has opened it and the game that was bought to go with it. So it is just a matter of time before he will get it.
So thanks for listening (reading) allowing me to vent a bit. I welcome your comments or questions.

It's been awhile since I have Blogged......I've been so busy lately with work and the house.
The drywallers are going to begin hanging the walls this week.
I think that will make a BIG difference in making the house look like a house rather than a destruction zone. I know I am ready to see it come back together.

We took the kids to the circus on Sunday. It was fun. I hadn't been to one since I was very young. Lindsey had never been. She liked it alot, especially the Frisbee catching dog. We got there early and went down on the floor for a ringside preview of the show and some autographs of the performers.

Lindsey is out of school for Spring Break and I am on vacation, so we are going to spend some time doing Mom--Daughter things. We went shopping yesterday and plan on visiting the Spa later in the week. We are also planning a little trip to Nashville. I've always wanted to see the Country Music Hall Of Fame.......so this week we plan on going there. Hopefully the kids won't be too bored with it.

Making Progress

Well here it is Saturday at last. Another week has gone by and FINALLY we can see progress!!!!

To the right you can see the back of our house as it was when we bought it. Our construction of the new bathroom and the expansion of the master bedroom has begun. This week we have had workers everywhere. One crew working on the outside and then ourselves and others working on the inside. Remodeling and constructing at the same time, plus working 40 hours........I'm beat.
It does feel good to see our house begining to come together the way that we want it to. It is hard work and we still have a long way to go, but step by step and one day at a time we will get it there.

Lindsey has enjoyed getting to walk from school in the afternoons to the new house. She also has liked helping with some of the work. She really likes pulling out nails......and there sure has been ALOT of them to pull out. Hartsul also likes to work on the house and of course being a boy has had to explore the huge dirt pile in the back yard. Both kids are excited about the house and we like that they want to be a part of getting it the way we want it.
I'll try to keep you up to date as we go along.

Destruction, Destruction, Destruction

Well it's been a long week and boy am I glad that the week end is here. It's been a crazy week at work. We have a new District Manager and she made her first visit to the store this week. So we have been scrambling to get the store perfect. She actually commented on how good my department looked. Yeah!!!!!!


As you can see from the pictures, we have done some destruction at the house. It looks like we are tearing it down. LOL
They finally delivered our dumpster, so now we can get all that debris out of the house. Thank Goodness!!!!! Hopefully we can get that taken care of this week-end. We still have a door way to open up and another one to close in. Carpet needs to be torn out, plugs and switches moved, etc...etc....etc..... Alot of work to be done.
Our contractor did get the addition started this week. We have the hole dug and the footer poured. I'm ready to see some walls go up...............

I'll try to post more pictures as we go along.

It's getting late and I have lots to do tomorrow. Take Care All!!!

It's Saturday and It's COLD!!!

Well here it is Saturday at last......I can't believe how cold it is. Just a few days ago my neighbors were outside washing their car. Today we have snow and freezing cold temps.

We spent our day at the new house. Trying to line up all the contractors so that we can get this project moving. We've started that process of changing things. Hopefully we won't find too many problems along the way.

We let the kids help with tearing down the wall that was between the kitchen and the living room. They had so much fun. We let them actually kick the wall to get it down. It was the half wall with the spindles at the top, paneling on the kitchen side and drywall (with this UGLY blue stucco) on the living room side. The cabinets are being replaced, the dishwasher is going on the other side of the sink, the stove is moving a bit, a snack bar is going to be where the spindles were, and the floor will be tiled. The wallpaper is going also. Making a few changes...............

I added some pics so you can see what it looked like before we started. I'll try to take more as we go along so that you can see what it looks like when we are done.

Take A Look At Our House

Finally home from work. Been watching it snow off and on all day, but still no snow on the ground. A few times it was coming down pretty good, but then a few minutes later...nothing.
Oh well.
Well I must say that I have enjoyed reading the blogs over the last couple of days.
I find it so interesting how peoples lives are so alike. How you think sometimes that you are the only one who feels a certain way, when in fact alot of others have the same feelings or fears that you do. It is a good thing to know that you are not alone.
Michael and I have just bought a house together. We got it at a great price. It had gone through a forclosure, so it needs alot of TLC. I am so looking forward to doing the repairs. We are going to expand the master bedroom and bath. We have a contractor lined up already and as soon as he finishes the job he is on now, he will start on ours. I can't wait!! I have attached a pic so that you all can see it. I am excited about getting to redo the house. It has so much more room than the one we are in now. It is very close to Lindsey's school. I can stand on the front porch and watch her walk to school. The funny thing is, this is her last year there. She will be going to Warren East Middle School in the fall.
Linney, I know how you feel about signing those papers for a house. It is a big step, but well worth it. I took a look at the pics of the place you and Jay are loking at....Looks very nice.
For those of you who are wondering.....Michael and I will be getting married in April 2007.
Adam still has a year of college to go and I don't want him to lose his grants, so we have decided to wait a bit to get married.
Well I guess I'll go for now. Need to decide what's for dinner tonight. The kids think for some reason that I should feed them tonight......

Joining The Rest Of The World

Hello All...... Well I guess it's about time that I join the rest of the world and Blog.
I must say that I have enjoyed reading others and look forward to bloging.
I an just a novice, so bear with me.

Well it is getting late and I have to be at work at 5 a.m. So I'll try to check in tomorrow.