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Thursday, August 31, 2017

Thursday... We Love Thursday...

We do. Only because it's so close to Friday

The room is coming along. Though slowly. Tonight was a night off. We have all of the paint. Even the wall color that they gave me at half price because they didn't have the size I needed. We're just tired, and...

Mr. B was sick tonight. His dad had to go to work training and B was hanging out with That Man and I. He puked. He was running a low fever. Poor baby. He snuggled with me all evening, sleeping in intervals while I was writing. Poor baby. He's such a great kid.

My Thursday at the day job was chaos. I don't know if it will stop. I am overwhelmed. I feel like I can't keep up. But I slog along, doing the best I can.

Long weekend coming up. Whoot!

I am going to miss my writing meeting again, which makes me sad, but it can't be helped. My aunt and uncle will be here. I met my goal! (about ten minutes ago) I'm good to go for not feeling guilty this weekend.

One more day before a three day relaxing weekend. I need this weekend so badly.

Behave!

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Tuesday - It Never Ends...

B*tch day at the day job. Just like yesterday. So yeah. We'll see what the rest of the week brings.

Second coat of paint on the walls. We might need a little more paint to finish. It's hard to see where you miss when a four-year old is running his mini-roller all over the place. He was working hard and cracking us up. Next is the trim. Need to hit up the home improvement store tomorrow. They love me right about now...

The trash has been taken out, dinner cleaned up, laundry running. Now it's writing time. I'm days behind on things. It feels like I'm barely keeping my head above water right now. There's too much going on, but it is what it is.

I did pretty good with the word count last night. We'll see if I can hit it again.

Behave!


Monday, August 28, 2017

Monday Madness...

It was a crazy weekend!

K4 and I shopped a good part of the day on Saturday. We got some great deals and she found some really nice outfits. We laughed a lot, had lunch, and probably walked five or more miles. Got paint and a few groceries. Came home, took a brief nap, putzed around cleaning up and organizing, paid the bills, and then did a test strip of paint on the walls upstairs.

That Man worked late Saturday. We had dinner - which turned out gross and nearly inedible. Hate when that happens. To bed super early for a Saturday.

Sunday we had K5 for the day. Talk about being wore out. We took her to see That Mom, and she also got to see That Sister. We went to lunch, then shopping for a first day of school outfit - at four different stores until we found something she liked. We had a blast! Hooked up with K2 and J so K5 could meet her new cousin. Quick dinner, then the long drive to take her home. It was a good day! We were completely wore out by the time we got home - late!

Today was K4's first last day of school! We were almost late. There were pictures, but she said no posting. She had a pretty good day.

After dinner, we threw a coat of paint on the walls. With Mr. B's help. Another coat needs to go on tomorrow night, and then the trim. Then the floor. The walls are a "pumpkin orange" at this point - it should get darker and more to the color we picked. It's coming together.

Now it's writing time before I fall asleep!

Behave!

Friday, August 25, 2017

Feel Good Friday!

Okay. So here's the list...

1. Friday! Duh! It was a rough week at the day job! I love my co-workers though. Today was one of "those" days, where everything came out wrong and we laughed about everything. That makes it all better.

2. Making Chicken Parmesan for dinner. It was a quick meal, but so good. I made the sauce with fresh tomatoes, garden peppers, and mushrooms. I also ran into a friend at the grocery store. That was cool.

3. Getting a bunch of good words on the page this week. I'm loving this new book. So much.

4. Tomorrow's plans to shop with my baby girl.

5. Also, painting this weekend. Mr. B's room is getting painted. It's also going to be my office soon. I need to leave some wall for him to paint, because I promised.

6. .It's also supposed to be super nice weather-wise this weekend. Nice!

7. Plans to go away soon - just That Man and me....

8. Talking to my Aunt and Uncle. They crack me up so much. So looking forward to their visit next weekend!!

That's all I have... K4's bestie is here and it's nonstop...

Behave!

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Summer Survival: Entry: Only. Year: Seven

I find that I never posted a Summer Survival last year. 

Maybe because there was only one going back to the educational camps, or maybe because it was probably the most different Summer season we've had so far. And it was chaos.  

And now we're in the last Summer season between educational camps. Ever. (Well, there may be some further education, but it won't be the same)

The youngest native starts her senior year of high school in a few days. It is my last first day of school in twenty-three years! 23!!! How strange is that!? I can't wrap my head around it. At all. It seems like only yesterday that I was walking K1 to his first day of Kindergarten. 

I love it though. My last senior. Her last year. She's excited to be done with school. So am I. It's similar to when we had our last year at the younger elementary camp. Other folks thought I should be sad that my last child was done with elementary camp. I was thrilled. I feel the same way now. 

So my young native is gainfully employed for another day, then the job becomes "days off working" kind of thing. I haven't heard "I'm bored" one time this summer. And while the shells and beads are constantly going to trade for food, and the outlay for educational camp supplies and threads will be much less this year, it's still going to destroy the shells and beads account. 

I am looking forward to this last year of educational camp. I am also looking forward to being away from our camp to be in a different camp with family. 

Yeah... This is the lamest Summer Survival yet. No wonder I never posted one last year! Ha!

Behave! 



Wednesday, August 23, 2017

What? Wednesday!

Sorry I kind of fell off the face of the earth for a few days! It's been crazy trying to get this reno project done. Exhaustion is the name of the game these days!

Lots going on!

1. K4 has moved into her new digs. It's not quite done - maybe 85%. There's still trim to be done, a little electric work, lights to hang, and her dressing room/closet to finish. The third coat of poly went down Monday night and we let it cure for 48 hours. (Last night I went to bed at a ridiculously early time, and still didn't sleep) Tonight was moving her things up there. It's coming together and she is very happy with it. We need some more furniture - a coffee table, futon, end tables, lamps - that kind of thing, but we'll get them as we go along. It's a great space - I'm kind of jealous we decided not to go back up, but the double set of stairs would kill That Man's knees.

2. Next is painting/flooring in her old room. Mr. B will take that room for now. Then it will be my office. Now we're choosing paint colors and trying to decide what to do with the floor.

3. After K4's room is done, we'll be redoing the kitchen floor.

4. The house is an utter and complete wreck thanks to the constant work on the bedroom. I hope to get that squared away this weekend, after some painting. The dining room looks like a cross between a tea party, camping preparedness, and a construction zone.
I borrowed my sister's fancy dishes for my niece's baby shower and they're still here. No one has had the time or the room to get them back to where they need to go. Our good neighbor gave us a bunch of dishes for the camper and they're loaded up into the cooler waiting to be put in the camper. And the construction part is self-explanatory.

5. Writing - well. That's happening next. Now that the major work is done, I'm reclaiming my time!

6. Mosquitoes. OMG! You cannot step foot outside without being eaten alive! I never get bit and my legs are covered with bites. It's insane. We can't figure out where they're coming from. We've even done the yard spray stuff. I'm itchy!

7. My sister-in-law has to have surgery on her arm where her grand-dog caused her to fall and get broken. My sister probably has to have gallbladder surgery very soon, too. Oy vey! I worry about them both!

That's all for now!

Behave!

Friday, August 18, 2017

Feel Good Friday

Thank Goodness Friday is here!

What a brutal week at the day job! We all take a few minutes to decompress together at the end of the day and, today, we just kept looking at each other and going ... uh... Ha! I love my coworkers!

So here's the Feel Good list:

1. Friday! Duh! And you know what? I hate that! I remember when Monday was my best day of the week because it meant I was back to writing. THAT is my goal!

2. Attic progress. Second coat of poly is down. The stairwell has been cleaned and primer began. I need to figure out what to do on the walls to hide the imperfections. Wall covering has not arrived yet. Boo. Ideas are being thrown around. It is coming together. This is my weekend though. I cannot wait until we are done with this project.

3. Air conditioning. Today was probably one of the grossest days we've had all summer. I stepped out to help bring the lunch order into work and it felt like I jumped in a big pot of split pea soup. Then it rained. My windows were down. I wouldn't have known except for the water droplets that were hanging around on my door. It was a jeans stuck to you kind of day and I'm grateful that my house is cool and comfortable.

4. Writing. I did manage to get many words on the page and figure out a significant story element this week. Yay! I like how this new story is coming together.

5. Not having to do a million loads of laundry this weekend. I busted my hump doing laundry yesterday. I have a basket to fold and probably one more load to go and I'm completely caught up.

6. Tomatoes!! Our tomatoes are ripening! I bought a ginormous package of bacon so we can have BLT's! Fresh garden tomatoes are the very best thing. I had one for my lunch the other day and it was amazing!

7. K5. Our granddaughter is such an amazing kid! For the past few years, she's been growing her hair so she can cut it and donate to wigs for kids. Yesterday, she met that goal and had her very first haircut. Gone are her baby curls and baby blonde hair. In its place is a grown up looking girl, who is so beautiful! We're so proud of her. And she looks so stinking grown up! I can't deal!

8. Getting pictures of the new grandson! He is so cute! He has these cute chubby cheeks that I just want to kiss endlessly! And his smile is ridiculously adorable!

9. Plans with That Man to escape to the camping world - just the two of us. The sooner, the better.

10. I'm stretching it now... I've got nothing else I can think of at the moment...

Behave!!

Thursday, August 17, 2017

It's All About the Attic...

We're so close.

The first coat of poly went down tonight. It was a brutal dance between me and That Man. He would do a section, dripping in sweat, and then I would take over, also dripping in sweat. It's hot as balls up there. (yes, we have an air conditioner, but don't want to put it in until all of the dust is gone. Plus, everything dries faster without it. There are fans running, but neither did anything for the oppressive heat tonight)

It looks awesome though. Darker than we thought, but still super cool.

Next is a coat of paint on the walls/partial walls that won't be covered in burlap. The rest of the material should be here tomorrow. But we will paint before that. We had to put a coat of poly down first so any errant drops of paint won't suck right into the 111 year old wood floor.

It's a dance. But it's working out so far.

Tomorrow is Friday, which is a good thing on so many levels!

Behave!


Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Wednesday - Almost a Week?

I didn't mean for it to take me so long between updates!!

It's been crazy here with trying to get the attic done.

Recap of that:

Junk is gone. I cannot tell you how freeing that is! The only things left stored up there relating to That Man and and I are some National Geographic magazines the kids wanted to keep, a box of books - also for the kids, some wood, and some insulation. So technically, That Man and I have nothing stored up there (except that old timey bag cell phone we'll sell eventually). This is a very awesome thing. (Remember what we went through clearing out our parents house? Yeah... We checked box number one...next is the basement)

We have the poly for the floor, the paint for the other floor, the half-wall has awesome wood on it, and the walls are 1/4 done. The sanding on the big half is done. This sounds like nothing, but, trust me, it's not. It already looks amazing up there. Tomorrow night, we spot sand the wood filler and put the first coat of poly down. Then we can paint (better to paint walls with a super old floor with a coat of poly down for easy clean up). We only have to paint about a foot on one whole wall and two partial walls, and then about four feet of wall on one wall. The burlap covering is working out awesome, and we're waiting for more to come so we can finish.

It is coming along quite nicely. The Kid should be in her new room by next weekend. We still need to do the other side of the room, but that will also start to happen next weekend and should go quickly since it's a super small area. Well, not super small, just a lot smaller than the big side. LOL

Other than that.

That Mom is doing okay in rehab. She does have a UTI, which explains a lot. Her roommate is a trip.

School starts in 12 days. K4 is not really thrilled about that. There are still jeans, undies, and school supplies to be purchased.

Camp is coming in about two weeks. So very looking forward to that. The Aunt and Uncle are coming to be with us for the weekend. Yay!

I need to write (writing has suffered a lot with this attic thing). I should be able to get at least a few words in before time to crash.

Behave!



Thursday, August 10, 2017

Thursday...

Oh geeze...

The 'burban is back in the shop, which is the last thing we need right now. The Jeep is still parked until her cancer can get fixed in about three weeks. The Green Goblin is back, but we will be selling her because her life cycle is at an end, and even though we picked her up tonight, she can't be driven until the shop actually puts an inspection sticker on her. (They forgot) And even though the shop drove it and tried to figure out what was wrong with it, they couldn't, so we still have no idea... It's always something. The 'burban lost a brake line today. This is after That Man fixed the oil leak we had (we went through five quarts in three days), and when he pulled it off the ramps, we wondered if it was an electrical glitch or something to worry about. Well... After driving it with the brake light on, I can tell you that it was something to worry about. I had no brakes. Well. Some. But not the usual amount. Argh. So now... We share one car between three people. Ugh...And all three of us have to be at work at different times. How fun...

That Mom is comfortably settled in a short term rehab center. There's not much that can be done for the issues she's having. We now have a name for her symptoms and issues of late (dementia aside). She refuses surgery and is not a surgical candidate. So we do what we do... And make the most of everything. None of us know what the near future holds at this point. We're just happy she's in a place that will care for her 24/7 and that we know one of the nurses there.

Attic renovations are coming along. The garbage is almost gone. So is the carpet. Some of the wood floor has been replaced. The wall covering has been ordered. This weekend is a big push. We'll be sanding floors, and hopefully putting poly down. Hey, if anyone wants to come and help... We'll feed you and supply adult beverages... just saying. Ha!

The new book is also coming along. I'm still working the details out in my head, but Robin Hood. Yess!

Tomorrow is Friday. Thank goodness. It's been a Hell week at the day job. And that's an understatement...

Behave!!

Sunday, August 06, 2017

Weekend Wrap Up

Argh. Back to the day job tomorrow. I need at least three more weekend days to get everything done. For real.

Let's see:

1. That Mom is hanging in there. She's upset that she missed the baby shower today, but she's in the best possible place right now. She has a bunch of tests tomorrow. Her doctor called us today with an update, but basically they are managing her, which is all they can do right now.

2. The attic is coming along. We kicked butt on Saturday, despite having to run errands and do the shopping. We still have quite a bit to do before we can do the construction part, but we're getting there. K4 fell down the steps today carrying a box. She's okay, but she was a little shook up.

3. The baby shower was good. It was a lot of work, but I was glad to be able to help my sister-in-law out. The tables were beautiful and the food turned out well. I made egg salad and potato salad. And then we made little sandwiches. She got a lot of nice gifts. Baby H is due in a month and we're all excited.

Now it's chill out time. We're beat beyond beat. I still have laundry to do.

That is all.

Behave!

Friday, August 04, 2017

Feel Good Friday

Oh! We made it!!

We'll do Good Thing, Bad Thing...

Let's start with the bad.

1. That Man's Mom is in the hospital. She went tonight. Her blood pressure was out of control and her confusion was epic. She's in active Congestive Heart Failure, but the doctors are managing it. They want to keep her for a few days to get the fluid out and check her meds.

2. I am missing my great-nephews first birthday party tomorrow. :(

3. I am also missing my meeting and my friends. :(

4. The work ahead of me this weekend is daunting.

5. Another month of one car between the two of us. I can't wait to get my Jeep back.

Now Good.

1. My latest update on That Mom is that her bp has dropped and she's breathing better. Good. I also love the doctor that saw her before we left. He was attentive and listened to us. And I got a laugh and a smart assed comment from her when I got there, which is awesome. That Mom is very close to me and our sense of humor matches.

2. Hopefully good attic progress tomorrow between hospital time and prepping for my niece's baby shower.

3. Talking to my sister. It was a very good conversation. I miss her.

4. The thunderstorm we're having right now! Awesome! We're under a severe watch/warning. I love it!

5. Emails from good friends!

6. The plan to get stuff done this weekend, despite everything else.

7. My awesome sister-in-law celebrating her new old lady status today! :) 50 like me now! She's also FIVE years cancer free! Fantastic! She has been my friend since ninth grade and I don't know what I'd do without her! She has a heart of gold and the kind of no-nonsense attitude that I aspire to have! Love her!

8. Figuring out what to eat for dinner with K4. We wandered and wandered around the ginormous grocery store after leaving the hospital. Finally, she decided on something and so did I. But we laughed a lot and managed to keep each other sane while in the huge grocery store. (I hate this grocery store. It stresses me out, but we figured we'd have better luck getting something for dinner fast there.)

9. Living through the work week. One of my favorite coworkers had his last day today. It's sad. I'm going to miss him and his sense of humor and great attitude. He moved on to bigger and better things, but work is not going to be the same without him. Last week, we said good-bye to another guy, who I really like, but didn't really get to know. It's weird and the changes are disconcerting.

10. Meeting my writing goal! (Finished the short!!) Now on to sequels!! Yay!

That is all!

Behave!!

Tuesday, August 01, 2017

Tuesday...

Today has been a pretty good day.

I wrote a bunch of words. Good words, too. (well... maybe. I hope.)

I picked up a penny from the parking lot at the day job today. This penny has been in the parking lot months - like since winter or before. Every time I would see it, it was heads down and I would hear my mom's voice telling me to never pick up a heads down penny and to wait. I always wondered if it would ever be heads up and what would have to happen for it to be so...

Today, it was heads up. I don't know how. And it's now in my pocket. It's very worn and beaten, but it was heads up. Finally. I can't tell you how many times I've walked by that penny. It was hot and a mess, but as I slid it into my pocket, I felt a definite sense of peace and rightness. I can't explain that. It is what it is.

Someone I very recently started working with bought my book and this morning, though she hadn't finished it, told me she was loving it. Awesome! Total author validation! Even if she ends up hating it at the end, she still loved it for a time. Right?

Phone calls that turned out better than I expected. Nah...  I don't want to get into it, but suffice it to say that my worries are put to rest. That's all I can ask for.

That's three good things. Awesome.

The only bad part about the day is That Man isn't feeling that great. His head is killing him. He slept a while, took some meds, and is feeling some better. Good. But what is up with that? Though, he's always dealt with headaches. It has been a while though. This is where K4 gets it. I wish I had answers and a solution.

K4 also had a migraine today. She missed work and her oral surgeon appointment. She is feeling better after sleeping pretty much all day. Like father, like daughter.

Attic work was done, but not by me. K1 went through a bunch of his stuff, and from what I can see, we have a win as far as space goes. Very good.  AND I folded all of the laundry in addition to what laundry I did tonight. That's like the bees knees or something, right?

So now it's bedtime. The laundry is as done as it ever gets around here. We had a good dinner and dishes are done. Toys are cleaned up. Trash is taken out (which was no small feat - attic cleaning. I'm thrilled to see all of the crap gone). The house is in semi-decent order. I'm okay with all of that.

That is all...

Behave!