"HAPPINESS...

So, it's been a while...

2011-01-19T17:54:00.003-07:00

Have you ever had one of those days when you wish you had it as good as a time in the past when at the time you didn't think you had it as good as you really did? I'm having one of those days. I'm dreaming of the past and wishing for simpler times. How great would it be to be young again without having to worry about work, bills and other major responsibilities. To be care-free because we don't know what there is to worry about... Life sure is crazy.

I wish... I were a photographer...

2010-08-28T22:09:00.005-07:00

So, I went to the temple last month just to take some pictures.. below are some of my favorites. I tried to get it from different angles. It was pretty fun. What I've decided is that I need to take some photography classes and some Photoshop classes. That would be cool.

I LOVE RAIN

2010-08-28T21:59:00.004-07:00

We got some great rain today.. too bad it only lasted for about 10 min.'s. I took the pictures below from my front porch.

Road Trip

2010-08-21T10:09:00.003-07:00

Heading down to the ranch today and I can hardly wait to get there. Had a FANTASTIC night with the sista's last night. Thanks girls- it was just what I needed. We have GOT got be more serious about getting together.

Car troubles

2010-07-01T23:46:00.003-07:00

So, I finally took my SUV to the dealership to get the recall from about a year ago fixed. It was for faulty wiring or someting with the speed control that could start a fire in the vehicle. not sure why it took me so long to get it fixed.. but now that it is it's a relief. I finally read the letter the other day and it said something like- Until your vehicle is fixed please park it away from buildings to avoid spreading a fire to nearby structures. Awesome. Actually I really wish I could win the Lottery so I could buy a new car.. then I wouldn't have to worry about all the things that need to be fixed on the one I have.. I love that it's paid for.. but I don't love that the passenger side windows don't work, and the suspension needs to be fixed .. I need an oil change. and to get new brakes. OH, and the CD player won't take new Cd's so I'm stuck with the same one in the car all the time. grrr. I love my car.. just wish it didn't have the old age issues it's having now. It has definitely been used in the last 10 years that I've owned it. My next car will be an Expedition.. it really is too bad I don't play the lottery.. I could find lots of ways to spend the winnings.. LOL!

I need a week of Saturdays...

2010-05-15T10:23:00.002-07:00

So, I'm sitting here at work wishing I were at home.. and yet I know if I were home I wouldn't want to do the 500 things that I need to get done today. My house should be declared a natural disaster area. It is in a state of total dis-array right now and It's driving me NUTS. YES- it's my fault.. I could be working on it during the week.. but by the time I get home, all I want to do is just sit on the couch, relax while watching a couple shows on TV and go to bed. "If I were a rich man"- I totally hear the Fiddler on the Roof music in my head.. "I wouldn't have to work hard.." Wow- can you imagine the life? I can't. There is always something to be done.. someone that needs help.. And would we really have it any other way?

Stake Conference

2010-02-28T17:36:00.003-07:00

We had a fantastic Stake Conference last night and this morning. Last night mom, dad, Myrna, James, Roy, Angie, Kent, Leah and I went to Macayo's after Conf. for dinner. It's become sort of a tradition to go out after conference. This year Roy treated us. Thanks again Roy! The waitress was fantastic and we all had a great time just hanging out, relaxing and having fun conversation. We don't do that often enough. We had some more beautiful rain last night and this morning. The rain today brought back fun memories from Maryland.. tracting in the rain.. it was that light misty rain that is constant. The kind that in the winter in MD. turned to freezing rain and stuck to my jacket. I love it! There were also clouds on the mountains that were totally cool. It was just a beautiful day.

Happy Rainy Sunday

2010-02-21T23:08:00.002-07:00

I LOVE the rain. It really makes me HAPPY. It brings back fun childhood memories of standing on the side wood porch at the Ranch hoping and praying that it will rain enough for the creek and the wash to flow. It struck me today how funny it is that we looked forward to flash flooding as children.

Happy Tuesday!!

2009-12-08T21:30:00.002-07:00

I'm so behind on writing on this blog. It seems I keep saying that when I write. One of these days I may get back in the habit of writing. Work is still crazy. I hardly have any time to do anything outside of work these days. I logged on to the computer tonight trying to win a Home makeover from Wendy's.. tragically I had no luck. (surprise, surprise) This entry is going to be short and sweet since it's already 10:00 and I'm exhausted.

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

2009-11-06T13:24:00.002-07:00

So, I clearly haven't written much lately, but I actually do have news to share. I was released as 2nd Councilor in the Stake YW and was just called to be 2nd Councilor in our Ward Primary. What a change in callings. Our Primary is a mix of our Ward kids and the Spanish Branch kids. (all totalled- about 50 kids). We were called right before the Ward Primary program so there was a whole month of practicing and getting that ready. Now we're back to regular primary and trying to fill callings and get things running smoothly. It's pretty fun. The kids are a little rowdy, but fun to be with. I've got the day off today and have a ton to do. I was so in the mood to organize the front bedroom 2 nights ago.. but the feeling has left me now that I have the time to do it.. What a mess. It will get done though.. the disorganization is killing me. Well- I'm off to pay my bills and balance my checking account. Wish me luck!- I'm hoping I have some $$ left after the bills.. but not really counting on it.

Working Saturday

2009-10-10T21:51:00.002-07:00

So, I had to work today. There weren't many people there so I was able to accomplish quite a bit. Few interruptions which was really nice. I have had a terrible headache all day which stinks. My plan was to go over to Mom & Dad's & help Leah paint the family room but that didn't happen. I hope she was still able to accomplish a lot without me. I'm excited to see the end results in that room.

I NEED A MAID

2009-09-16T19:23:00.003-07:00

I really wish I didn't have to clean all the time.. OH wait- I don't and that's 1/2 the problem! I want the clean house without all of the work and effort it takes to get it that way. I came into the office today to set up my computer and laptop and straighten up a bit... well I set up the printer and the computer.. then got sucked into the computer.. it's ridiculous! So, I figured if I was going to waste time on the computer I might as well update my blog. I've decided that my house is the perfect size for me.... but start adding people to it for dinners and girls nights and get togethers.. it sure does start to feel small. I'm excited about Leadership Training tomorrow. Being so new to my Primary calling it's the perfect timing to start learning right away. I'm especially excited to be on the learning end and not the teaching end this time. Looking forward to Stake Conf. Sat night and Sunday. Just found out that OT is mandatory this weekend.. One of our main doc-ing systems is down on Saturday requiring most of the OT to be on Sunday. I'm covering the Saturday shift 7am-1pm. since I don't work Sundays. Anyway.. I really better get back to Laundry and cleaning. Until next time.....

Happy Sunday

2009-09-14T00:19:00.003-07:00

So, after spending the last 2 hours trying to successfully install Norton Security on my computer- I am finally done.. Wahoo!!! Had some random system issues. Finally feel safer using my computer. OK so- here's my quick update about me before I head to bed it's already way past my bedtime: My new church calling is Primary 2nd Councilor. I'm totally excited. Our new Pres is totally on the ball and I'm sooo looking forward to working with her. I Get to learn all about the Boy Scout program too since I'll be over that. That should be interesting for me.. I'm exhausted so I think I'll go to bed now. I'll post more later.

Oh Happy Day....

2009-09-10T00:08:00.003-07:00

So, today I was able to replace my laptop. I LOVE having a computer again. It was awful without one. I forgot how much I relied on my other one. I am absolutely in love with this new one. I no longer need a docking station to hook it up to a separate keyboard and monitor.. this new one has a great monitor and the keyboard is just like a regular keyboard so it's perfect. Kent is now benefiting from my lack of need of the extra items. Not to worry it's going to take me 2 years to figure out all of the things that it does. Although, really of all the things that they took (laptop, cameras, all my jewelry.. the one thing I'm, still DEVASTATED about is the fact that they also stole my Mission Scriptures.- they are irreplaceable.... You can't even buy brown scriptures anymore. I know.. I've looked. But forget about the color.. the notes and quotes inside I'll never remember them all.. I did get a new set of scriptures today.- Burgundy.. it was either that or green, blue or black. I also got a new mini hymn book. I got a new calling this week that isn't official yet.. so I was also at the bookstore looking for little "helps" and "aids" that will help me in my new calling. I'll let you all know what it is after it's announced on Sunday. - I know you're all dying to know what it is now. Had a FANTASTIC weekend at the Ranch for the family reunion this last weekend.. Had today off too so took advantage of it by doing my running around to the bookstore and to Fry's Electronics. Now it's past midnight and I'm exhausted. I would have gone to bed earlier, but Leah and Kent were here checking out the computer and of course Leah was trying out the games that are on it. lol! Now that I have the new computer I'll try to update this blog more often. Ha! Famous last words.. I think I've said them before. Anyway- goodnight!

IT'S AUGUST.. REALLY??

2009-08-16T21:40:00.003-07:00

SO.. A LOT HAS HAPPENED SINCE APRIL. I HAD MY HOUSE BROKEN INTO A FEW WEEKS BACK AND OF COURSE MY COMPUTER WAS TAKEN. DANG IT ALL. LOST LOTS OF PICS AND WELL- MY WHOLE LIFE WAS ON THAT THING.. PRACTICALLY. THE REST OF MY LIFE WAS IN MY MISSION SCRIPTURES THAT ARE - I JUST KNOW- BEING READ BY SOME HOODLUM ROBBERS AS I TYPE. I'M SO GRATEFUL TO KENT WHO FIXED THE BROKEN WINDOW AND REPLACED THE BACK DOOR AND INSTALLED A SECURITY DOOR AND THANKS TO DAD TOO WHO HELPED. WORK IS STILL CRAZY- BUT I LOVE HAVING A JOB. I'M UPDATING MY BLOG ON LEAH'S COMPUTER THAT I BORROWED TO PAY MY BILLS.- THANKS LEAH! HAD A GREAT TRIP TO CALI LAST WEEK FOR MY NEPHEW MICHAEL JR.'S WEDDING. HAD FUN SEEING THE FAMILY AND BEING TOGETHER.. ALSO L-O-V-E-D THE WEATHER.. WHO WOULDN'T LOVE GOING FROM 110 DEGREES TO 78. WELL.. I BETTER GET THE COMPUTER BACK TO LEAH. UNTIL NEXT TIME...

WEDNESDAY...

2009-04-01T23:47:00.003-07:00

So today I spent 4 hours in training on the new computer system we will soon be using. It's web based so it is much more user friendly. I'm kind of excited to have it roll out. My morning was spent setting up the temps with their computer access.. making sure they could get into everything.. which of course they can't. After work today I went to Home Depot to pick up some filters for my air conditioner. It's been far too long since it's been changed.. so I got a "years supply" of them. (4 of them that are supposed to be good for three months each...- ps.. why do they cost $17 a piece? wow!) I paid my bills today.. WAhoo!! I love it when they're all paid and I have at least $100 till the next paycheck in 2 weeks. Which is a very good thing this time since I signed up to have the missionaries over for dinner on Saturday after Conference.. which means feeding the block-lol! Yeah, we might get something other than Spaghetti. Oh, yeah, and I still need to do my taxes. What a mess. maybe I'll do that Friday night when I have some time to sit down and think about it all.- the paperwork is all put together, it's just a matter of doing it at this point. nothing like procrastinating until 10 days before the due date.. I'm usually done in Feb!. Alright- so clearly I had a fun and exciting day. lol! Hey the fact that I was able to leave work by 6:30 was enough to bring great happiness to my heart today.

OLD POST INFO

2009-03-29T23:58:00.004-07:00

So, I need to keep track of what the blog was.. now that it's been changed.. It used to be called "HOME SWEET HOME" THE START OF MY NEW HOME. And it had the following quote on he page: "In a very real sense, we are builders of eternal houses. We are apprentices to the trade—not skilled craftsmen. We need divine help if we are to build successfully" -Pres. Thomas S. Monson . Now that I'm in my house and things have started to settle a little- I'm focusing on different things and wanted my blog to reflect that.

Starting again...

2009-03-29T22:29:00.005-07:00

So, it's been while since I last posted.. it feels like just yesterday- the days are passing so quickly lately. It seems all I do is work myself to exhaustion each day and my one day of "rest" in a week just isn't enough. But even as I sit here wishing I didn't have to go in to work tomorrow, I am SOOO grateful to have a job. When our Bishop said today that he had lost his job this week my heart sank. All of the old memories and feelings I had as I was without a job for 8 months came back to me. As I look back on that time now, I realize that it effected me more than I realized at the time. It was great to have extra free time, to accomplish projects, spend time with family, be available to serve others... but even as I see those things now as a good thing, at the time it was overshadowed by the worry and stress of finding a new job. These are definitely days of trial and testing. In an effort to re-prioritize and refocus myself, I've changed the name of my blog to Happiness... I need to work on being more dedicated to the things in my life that really bring happiness. And although I am happy to have a job, that's not what brings me true happiness. Although the amount of hours I have to work won't be changing, what I'm focused on throughout the day/night will be. So, wish me luck... it's going to be a FUN week!. PS- I can hardly wait for General Conference.. I went to the Young Women broadcast on Saturday and it was fantastic.

SICK AND TIRED.

2009-02-28T17:06:00.003-07:00

I started getting sick last week.. I slept most of the day Sunday- thanks Myrna for doing my talk for the CB1 branch. I had to go in to work on Monday still feeling sick. I cleaned up my desk so it would be work able for other employees who are already swamped and overworked.. making it as easy as possible for them to cover then spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week home from work because I'm sick. The 80 hour work weeks finally caught up to me. Little to no sleep, bad eating habits etc. it took it's toll. I even had to resort to drinking a red bull to get me through the day I worked until 3am. and then had to go back in the next day by 9:00- Those drinks are no joke- it's the only thing that got me through. I went into work yesterday- still not recovered, but feeling bad because it was the last day of the month and I knew everyone was busy and didn't have time to work my desk and theirs. So I worked my 8 hours and ended it with a coughing fit. I have a lot of files to work on Monday when I get in, but I'm taking today (Saturday) to stay away from work and enjoy life for one more day before I'm forced back into the 15 hr days. I'm also taking advantage of the day by cleaning up my disaster area of a house that has been sadly neglected for the last 2 months because I haven't been home to take care of it. OK- so basically I'm focusing on my bedroom because well- it's been a sick room for a week and I need it cleaned. (*we won't talk about the pile of Kleenex overflowing from the trash can that definitely needed attention) So, other than work I haven't really been able to do anything lately. I gave a talk in the Osborn ward 2 Sundays ago for High Council Sunday.- The Microphone broke so I basically yelled the whole talk. It's all good though. Yesterday I went to the Church distribution center to get some new g's, and guess what? They sell some food storage stuff now. So, I got a starter kit which equals a box with like 2 #10 cans of wheat, a powdered milk, a pinto beans and something else.. It comes with a video and a little cookbook. it's a start... alright- I've distracted myself from my work long enough. Hope you're all doing fantastic!

SATURDAY IS A SPECIAL DAY....

2009-01-17T13:08:00.002-07:00

WHATEVER. Just kidding.. I'm sitting here at work - yes, you read that right.. at work. I'm working for more than 6 hours today so I have to take at least a 30 min. lunch so that's what I'm doing. Sitting here eating my lunch and updating my blog. Fun times. So, I spent WAY too much time on Facebook last night. I found a ton of new friends.- well, to me passing 12 friends on there was a miracle.. I think I might be at 40 now! yeah me! I have friends! lol. It kills me when I go on to peoples profiles and they have like 200-400 people on their list.. good gravy! I don't even KNOW that many people let alone have them as my friends. I did join the Maryland Baltimore Mission club, but it's mostly made up of newer missionaries.. not many of us Oldies who have been home (will be in May) for 10 years! For crying in a bucket.. I had one of the sisters from the mission add me as her friend and she asked what I'd been up to since the mission.. hmm... here's my reply.. "I've been working.. Oh, and I just bought a new house that I finally moved into..." wow- It's a good thing I bought a house because otherwise there really isn't anything to tell as far as accomplishments. Where have the last 10 years gone?

Facebook

2009-01-16T22:57:00.005-07:00

So, I just got off of Facebook. I decided that I needed to update my profile picture after adding a friend whose picture was in fact a "scrapbooked" picture. I loved it.. so I had to do a couple myself. And of course, it doesn't matter that at this moment it is 11:00pm and I have to go to work tomorrow.. After all- my picture is updated and I'm adding a comment to my blog.. what could be more important than that? Sleep?- I've been without so long.. my body is beginning to learn to slowly function without it.. lol!

So, here's what I was playing around with today. I added these two pictures to Facebook.

So how FuN is that? I lOvE iT!

When I come upon a day that I have more than an hour of time between the time I get home and when I have to go to bed, I will update this blog with all the latest and greatest. until then- Have a fantastic day!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2009-01-03T22:43:00.004-07:00

So, wow- where did that last part of 2008 go? It was all a jumble of a lot of work for me. Business has picked up which is fantastic, but we are having to work mandatory over-time to help a different department. (on top of the OT we have to do just to get our own work done.) It's been crazy. It will definitely help when the $$ comes in for the OT, but boy is it about to do me in. Even though I wasn't living in the house for Christmas- It was decorated for it.. I'm sad I didn't take a picture of all the Nativities displayed on my buffet- I thought I had one.. but don't. So, anyway- here's at least a picture of the Tree, coffee table decorations and the dinner table nativity.

I made that tree skirt with the Nativity on it a long time ago.

I was a bit too ambitious this year as far as "parties" and "dinners" at my house.. This is the way the table looked for the Christmas party, the Ward Missionaries, Sunday dinner at my house and breakfast for Vanessa, Andrea, Megan, Jared, Kent, Leah and me when they were all over helping Leah set up her Christmas tree. Whew! But it was loads of fun.

My most recent bit of exhaustion has come from finally moving into my house! I know- you don't believe it.. but it's true. It finally happened. There's still projects to do, but the "major" stuff is done. So, I decided to move in on New Years Day since it was my only day off- and will be for quite a while. I had completely forgotten about the multi-stake Youth Dance on New Years Eve. Our Stake YM/YW presidency was in charge of making the breakfast. We served @ 12:20 am. After feeding everyone, and cleaning up, I didn't get home until 2:40am and I had told my nephew Lance that I would be by to pick him up at 9:30am.- Well, that's about the time I ended up getting up. I was exhausted!- but there was work to do. Anyway- Lance was a FANTASTIC help. He did 99% of the trips between the two houses carrying my stuff over from my room. I couldn't have done it without him. Kent came over at about the time I got back from picking up Lance to start the floor molding in the bedroom & bathroom.. (I had told him earlier that all I needed to have finished before I would move in was the new toilet installed and the molding put up in the bathroom and bedroom. The toilet he installed on Monday or Tuesday.) So, all the stuff Lance was bringing over was put in the front room until the boards were finished being caulked and painted in my room.

I know it's ridiculous that I have even more stuff! I've totally run out of room.. Thank goodness most of it really is my bedroom stuff and has gone in there.

Leah painting the floor boards after Myrna had finished caulking them. We had to wait for this to be done before we could set up the room- and if you know Myrna & Leah- they could hardly wait.. that's their favorite part of everything.. he final part- decorating setting up etc.

Here's Lance caulking the floor boards in the bathroom. Those didn't get painted yet, but at least they're in and caulked. He also did the ones in the hall way. I love that boy. He really was working hard for me- and I know he was exhausted since he had been out partying for New Years.- Thanks again Lance! You're the best!

So, here's the room finally put together- ish.. sorry, no closet doors.. another room that has those on the 20 year plan. Thie chunky piece below barely fits in this space.. but we're making it work. I need the extra storage it will provide. It had my TV in it before, but I left that for Leah next door since I don't have cable hook-up in my room, and there's no plug near this wall that is the only place for this to go.

Here's the bed and night stand. This is the only direction the bed would go to fit in the room and still be able to use my night stand.. and get into the drawers of my dresser. As you can see- it all barely fits.. but it fits and I love it. I'll have to go back and do the before/after pictures of this room later.

MORE UPDATE- THE FRONT BEDROOM

2008-12-13T15:59:00.004-07:00

SO, OF ALL THE ROOMS IN THE HOUSE, I THINK THE FRONT BEDROOM HAS CHANGED THE MOST.. FROM A STORAGE ROOM.. - TO A CRAFT ROOM/BEDROOM. - THAT IS UNTIL JARIS DECIDES TO MOVE IN WITH ME- THEN IT'LL BE HER ROOM. (NO PRESSURE JARIS.. YOU KNOW YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME..)

HERE IT IS IN PICTURES...

LOOK AT ALL THAT GREAT STUFF!! JUST GOING TO WASTE IN PILES. NOW IT ALL HAS A HOME AND FOR THE MOST PART IS PUT AWAY WHERE IT WILL STAY.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT.. THIS IS AFTER A LOT OF IT HAS BEEN PUT AWAY... STILL LOTS TOO GO....

UNFORTUNATELY YOU CAN'T SEE IT ALL IN THIS PILE.. BUT WE PUT A BUNCH OF STUFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM AND PAINTED AROUND IT BECAUSE IT DIDN'T HAVE A HOME AT THE TIME.. DON'T YOU LOVE THE RED WALL? HERE'S THE SCRAPBOOKING SUPPLIES CLOSET.- I KNOW!! IT'S A LOT. BUT IT'LL BE FANTASTIC ONCE I GET IN THERE AND REALLY ORGANIZE ALL OF THAT STUFF AND START USING IT AGAIN.

THIS IS THE CHRISTMAS CLOSET.. 98% OF THE STUFF IN HERE IS THE BOXES OF STUFF FOR CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS. ISN'T THIS THE MOST FANTASTIC THING FOR THE WALL SPACE IN BETWEEN THE TWO CLOSETS? I LOVE IT! IT'S PRES. HINCKLEY'S 9 BE'S. MYRNA STARTED PUTTING IT UP.. AND LEAH ENDED UP FINISHING IT JUST A FEW MIN.'S BEFORE THE GIRLS' CHRISTMAS PARTY BEGAN.

HERE'S THE RED WALL FINALLY DONE.. 500 COATS LATER. WHY IS RED SO HARD TO PAINT? IT WAS WORTH IT THOUGH.- ESPECIALLY NOW THAT IT'S DONE. HERE'S THE CRAFT TABLE. IT WON'T BE GOING ANYWHERE. WE (MYRNA) HAD TO TAKE IT APART TO GET IT IN THE ROOM. (THE TWO PLASTIC CONTAINERS UNDER THE TABLE ARE CHILDRENS BOOKS THAT WILL BE GOING IN THE BOOKSHELF THAT IS UP AGAINST THE RED WALL.

THIS IS MY NIECE JULIA'S OLD BED. IT WAS AT MYNRA'S HOUSE.. THE NIGHT STAND IS AN OLD ONE I USED BEFORE I GOT MY NEW BEDROOM SET. I GAVE IT TO MYRNA TO USE AT HER HOUSE.. SINCE I TOOK THE BED THAT WAS IN HER BACK BEDROOM.. SHE GAVE ME BACK THE NIGHTSTAND THAT WENT WITH IT.. AND SHE GAVE ME THE LAMP AS WELL.

IT'S STILL A MIRACLE TO ME TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE FLOORS IN THIS ROOM. IT'S A GIGANTIC ROOM WHEN THERE'S NOT A BUNCH OF STORAGE IN IT. I LOVE THAT IT'S DONE. (ALL IT NEEDS IS THE BASEBOARD AND THE 20 YEAR PLAN CLOSET DOORS AND IT WILL BE 100% DONE) (PS.. THE 20 YEAR PLAN IS THE STUFF IT MAY TAKE ME 20 YEARS TO GET...- LOL!)

CATCH UP PART - 2

2008-12-13T13:49:00.005-07:00

So, today's a pretty busy day but I wanted to update this blog, so here I am. Here's some more catch up on what's been going on with the house.. We'll start with the hall closet... I don't have a picture of what it looked like without the drywall.. but you can imagine.. Here it is after being taped & plastered. - Gives you a whole new appreciation for those who lay dry wall all day long. So, before long.. with Dad and Kent working on the hall closet.. the kitchen began to look like this...Tools everywhere of course.

Here's the new doorway Kent & Dad cut into the bathroom. It turned out FANTASTIC!!! Dad made sure it went flush with the wall in the bathroom so it doesn't stick out like an obvious door. I love it!Here's what the doorway looks like from in the bathroom.. I still need to paint that wall, but doesn't the little door look fantastic?!

Here it is with the beautiful shelves.

And of course- you know me.. too impatient to get it all filled in... Here it is with some stuff in it.. this isn't the end result by any means - I still need to paint in there... and organize... but it's practically done!

CATCH UP- PART 1

2008-12-11T18:01:00.003-07:00

SO, TODAY YOU GET A NEW BACKGROUND -but not much writting. I'll catch up on everything someother time.. I'm exhausted at the moment.

2008-11-27T15:16:00.002-07:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

So, I invited 1/2 the block to my house for dinner today... Mom, Dad, Leah and Kent. I decided I might as well, so this is the first "party" at my house. I've been cooking for the last couple hours and it's actually been fun. I love being able to use my stuff and have other people over to enjoy it. Kent was put in charge of ice, Mom was bringing ham sauce and the jello salad- (that I made this morning.. all the ingredients were already here so I just made that up first so it would be getting cold in the fridge.- she asked me how she could bring it if I had already made it.. well- it is pretty tricky that way, but it was just as easy for me to make it and be done with it.)Leah was in charge of dessert. Dad- well, yesterday he helped me bring in the washer & drier from outside and hooked them up for me since it was raining on them outside (base boards too) and helped me move the freezer back into the washroom so you might say he was on the decorating committee! lol!

I'll give you one guess as to who was put in charge of the table... what? no it wasn't me.. I was too busy cooking! Of course it was Leah- doesn't it look just like something she'd do? It looks fantastic!

Hope you all are having the best Thanksgiving ever!

Me? I'm thankful for EVERYTHING!

Surprise!

2008-11-27T15:09:00.003-07:00

So, last night Leah came in my room and said Kent was next door working on my house.. he brought Adam & his friend. Apparently Kent said they were looking for something to work on so she told him about the floor boards needing to be installed, the bathroom closet, etc. So, I came over to check it out and they had started the floor boards! Halelujah! It's amazing how it totally changes the look of a room. They didn't finish the front room last night, but Kent came today and finished it. One room down- 5 to go... It's going to be fantastic once we've got the caulking to fill the gaps and have touch up paint done.. here's what they look like now..

it's BEAUTIFUL!!!

Great expectations...

2008-11-27T14:46:00.004-07:00

So, last Saturday after spending 6 hours outside while the youth did the Maryvale service project painting houses and doing gravel landscaping- Myrna and I came back to my house to do some work.. when else is there time? So, I sat down and started a list of the majority of the things that still need to be done.. then decided that right now the most important room to work on is the front room. We even decided to do the moulding ourselves.. but first.. I needed to get the washer and drier back in the house. While we were standing in there- and thinking of bringing them in.. Leah & Myrna talked me in to painting it flaws and all- just so it would be done and look OK. Because realistically- when am I going to get to the washroom to fix it up nice? So, plans diverted and Leah started painting the wash room. Myna started painting base boards and I started doing touch-ups on the paint in the front room. I also spray painted one of Kent's old gold light fixtures white.. I'm going to use that in the washroom. It was Leah's idea- and it's free- that's the best part! It happens every time.. we go for one project and end up with 10 others. Oh, well, it was worth it because the washroom looks 100% better than it did before...

Above is a couple of the befores without the washer & dryer. Below is the almost done afters.. We didn't finish painting the edges because frankly the wooden ladder was too rickety.. and Kent's ladder doesn't have wide enough steps so it hurt my feet to stand on.. blah blah blah.. maybe we were just saving it for Lindy... lol!

Please excuse the mess in the washroom right now.. I had to take all of this stuff out of the kitchen so I could make Thanksgiving dinner today.

FINISHED AT LAST!

2008-11-17T22:34:00.005-07:00

I AM SO EXCITED THAT THE FLOORS ARE FINALLY INSTALLED, SANDED AND SEALED! It's a miracle! I know you all must be pretty tired of hearing about each step in the process of getting the floors done.. and really, how many pictures of a wood floor is a person expected to look at?? Well, the answer my friends is just a few more! These are my beautiful new wood floors. They turned out fantastic and now I can hardly wait for everything else to be done so I can move in and get things organized around here. These pictures just don't do them justice.. you'll just have to come see them for yourselves.. now on to baseboards, touch up painting, bathroom closet, cabinets being officially installed in the washroom... there's still plenty to be done, but the "major" project is finished at last.

Myrna did the sanding and the sanding sealer on the kitchen, front room and hallway. I sanded after the sanding seal, and added the 1st coat of sealer. We both did the 2nd coat taking turns.

The washroom I did by myself tonight. I had to get the sander back to Home Depot. I only wanted to do the 24 hr rental... but it turned into 72 hr.. so much for buying groceries when I move in..lol! I got home and sanded the floor, then put the sanding sealer on and let it dry for an hour 1/2 before adding the 1st coat of sealer. After cleaning up the sander I had Leah help me lift it into the back of my car so I could get it back to Home Depot before 10:00 when the store closed. It worked out perfect.. I was gone while the 1st coat was drying and came home and added the 2nd coat finishing the project! Wahoo!!! - when was the last time you said Wahoo!!?? (Leah- name that movie!)

Dad helped me move the freezer that Leah got for me from a Sister in the ward.. into the kitchen.. All 3 dollies that are in the back yard have flat tires... so it was a 20 min. wait just to get a working dolly.. it's been an adventurous and exhausting night. I worked later than I wanted because I have a ton of work to do.. (it's the busy time of the month.. every one's scrambling to get their last files in before the cut off.) I left with more work to do tomorrow than I'd like to think about.. but I had work to do here at home first.

So, why is it when there's a little project to do the whole house becomes a mess? good gravy!

It makes me laugh that all the grand kids tend to migrate towards the SMALLEST & LOUDEST room in the entire house... Grandpa's office. They love it in there.. maybe because he gives them candy every time they go in.. and maybe because he lets them watch movies with him.. Here they're watching Free Willy. or maybe becuase there's 500 clocks in there to look at and listen too.. and the radio's going.. it's a mystery, but they love it!

2008-11-14T22:28:00.002-07:00

OK- so here we go again.. I just made a new blog header so below is the one that I LOVE that was on there before. It's so simple, but it's totally fun. So, tonight Myrna came over to help with the floors.. I went to Home Depot after work to pick up the sander and sand paper. Myrna's been sanding for me while I've been on the computer. I spent a fantastic time instant messaging with Tammy - the mission companion that I was lucky enough to serve with TWICE! It was great talking/typing with you Tammy! Let's do it more often! While Myrna worked and I was on the computer, the kids were hanging out at Grandma's house. Leah told them it was "movie night at Grandma's" - and well- with popcorn, licorice and Winnie the Pooh - that's a pretty dang good movie night.

Here's Myrna sanding the front room.. this is after she figured out that the first sand paper she used wasn't the roughest stuff.. behind her to the right is the couches piled on each other and the kitchen table and buffet.. they just get to be moved around while we do parts of the floor.

Tomorrow we'll work on adding the sealer. I can't wait to see it all finished. More importantly- I just can't wait until it's finished!

Next time I do a floor.. (in my dreams) I'm going to have the installers who put it in all in one day use the already sealed kind that's done once it's installed. It's going to be amazing!- did I mention that will be happening in my next life?

2008-11-12T16:04:00.004-07:00

Ok. so Leah keeps talking about me adding pictures of the progress to my blog on her blog.. I guess I better do it so here goes... Here's the floor with the holes filled in. I can't wait to see it all sanded and sealed. It's going to be GORGEOUS!!!

Dad helped Jordan & Sterling with the floor in the pantry. I don't think he could help himself. They would have done just fine on their own, but it was nice knowing he was helping them out.

Getting to the bottom of the wood pile. We just barely had enough of the "good" stuff to finish off the floors. It was pretty slim pickings by the time we were down to the last bundle.

Here's Sterling cutting a piece for the floor- in the background you can see Kent up on the roof @ Mom & Dad's. Dad finishing the last two rows of wood in the pantry. I filled in the holes in there since the boys had already left. Boy am I glad they were willing to come over and do the rest of the floor! I am too old for ground work- lol!

The pantry floor is done! Now I just need Kent to actually install the cupboards that are currently just sitting in there. Once that's done I'll load them up in no time... really- they'll be full. I've got 3 sets of dishes to fit in there.. Here's the slim pickings left after all was said and done with the wood. It might look alright in the picture, but they're not. Lot's of crooked cuts.. big holes, cracked wood and missing or not cut right tongue & groove parts. See the beautiful bathroom door I painted? It looks like a brand new door now. I love it! Plus Dad cut it down last night so it actually closes again! (it was being stopped by the wood flooring) Here's the closet in the hallway that I taped and the part you can see I spackled... Myrna did the rest.

So, all in all it was a FANTASTIC day with a lot being accomplished yesterday.

When I got home from work today Kent had finished the flooring in the closet so now the floor is completed installed!!! wahooo!! The wall to the left that you see is going to be cut out so I can have access to this closet from the bathroom. Dad and I went and got all of the supplies Monday night. So, I just need to sand and paint this closet and we can get started.

NEW DEDICATION!

2008-11-12T14:45:00.004-07:00

OK.. so I haven't been on this blog in FOREVER.. Obviously because this time logging in I found out I have 2 "followers" and I'm excited about them! Tecia you know you're one of my Fav's and Amy - I think we've talked more post mission than we ever did during- I love it!. I'm more excited than ever about the house... I called and had my nephews come over yesterday (I had the day off- unlike some of my co-workers..) to help finish filling in the holes in the wood flooring. I haven't completely given up on my brother helping finish the house.. he's just moved on to a new project of putting a new roof on my parents house. My sister Myrna came over too and thank goodness she did! She put the boys to work. She knew they could put the rest of the floor in because they had done her entry way. (they're 14-16) So, they got to work on the pantry/wash room. James, Jordan, Lance and Sterling did a fantastic job! Jordan and Sterling did the floor in the pantry while James & Lance went and helped Kent on the roof next door. There wasn't enough room for 4 boys to do the floor together once they'd finished filling in holes. They had to leave at 6:00, but they got all but the last 2 rows done.. Dad helped me finish that up after they left. So the flooring is now installed! (minus a couple rows in the hall closet..- but that's an easy fix too.) Now, this weekend I'll be renting a sander and will be sanding the floors and then putting the sealer on it.. I'm not staining them.. just keeping them "natural". While the boys were working on the floor, I was painting the bathroom ceiling above the tub and then I painted the door. It's amazing how different things look with a new coat of paint! The house is almost done- I'll add pictures when I get home tonight. I'll probably start painting the 2 bedroom doors tonight so that is done too. I'll have to see if I can get my dad to help me with installing the office door. The two other doors that were installed had to be cut down so I'll need help with that part. Thank goodness for deadlines! I volunteered a long time ago to have a Christmas party for my "sisters" at my house and I have to have the house done by the 1st week in December for the party. Besides the obvious fact that I've wanted to move in for a LONG time. Plus, starting in January I'll be having a monthly Enrichment activity of scrap booking at my house so it would be nice to be settled in the house before that starts too. So, things are looking good for moving in by the end of the month! I can hardly wait!

The end is almost near!

2008-09-20T12:43:00.004-07:00

I'm laughing out loud about the title of this post... sounds kind of doom and gloomy, but believe me- it's music to my ears!. Kent finished the wood flooring in the front room and down the hall! Now I just need the washroom cabinets & floors put in. Here's some pictures of how beautiful the floor looks- holes and all. I'm waiting for James, Jordan and Lance to get here today to help fill in holes. It won't get done today, but it's progress. It's going to look even better in there when it's done and the floor boards are covering up that line all across the wall... It'll be like a brand new house! So, as these pictures were loading I realized there's about a million pictures of my wood floor from every angel on this blog. Just goes to show how excited I am with each little bit that gets done.

Fun Facts.. - I was tagged by Launi

2008-09-12T09:50:00.003-07:00

The rules: List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog! 3 Joys-1) Having the Gospel 2) My floors are almost done! 3) I'm employed again so I can keep my house.. lol! 3 Fears-1) Loosing my job 2) Not being able to provide for myself even with a job... 3) scary movies- although that's more of a dislike.. 3 Current Obsessions/Collections-1) getting my house done 2) Moving in to my house... 3) sheep 3 Facts About Yourself-1) I love hanging out with friends 2) I can't wait to go to the ranch again. 3) I love being employed, just don't necessarily love my job. 3 Goals- 1) Move in to my house before the end of the month 2) have the house completely done before the end of the year (everything put away, cleaned and in place) 3) Survive until Oct. when we go to the ranch! I guess I'll tag: Leah, Myrna, Tammy, Jaris & Tecia. Now I guess the trick is to have them read my blog so they know they were tagged! lol!

Ziegler Adoption

2008-09-05T13:04:00.006-07:00

I know Myrna hasn't had time yet to updated her blog ... but I've got the day off and I can't not talk about it.. and include a few pictures from yesterday.... she'll have to fill in the details on her blog.

So, yesterday was the court date for Myrna & James to adopt the kids. We all (Mom, Dad, Leah, Roy & Harrison, Kent, me, Adam, Mom & Dad Ziegler, Stacie & Jordan, Shea's other grandparents the Lindquists and her aunt Alexis) went to show our support. So, now it's official. Myrna & James are the proud parents of 5 children. Shea kept her name the same and the rest of the kids just had their last names changed. We went out to lunch afterwords at Shea & Grandma & Grandpa's favorite restaurant.. Home Town Buffet (mom, dad, Leah, Kent, Roy & Harrison, me and the Zieglers- Myrna, James, Shea, Joey, Jordan, Jessie and Samantha.) We saw Joe & Barbra Fish there. (They are two of my favorite people- they made my first weeks in the mission field so much easier because I was able to see them working in the DC temple.) We all had a good time and went away very full.

Congratulations!! We love you!

Sister had an ice cream cone- she loved the idea and licked some of it, but had grandpa finish it for her. I love Joey's untucked shirt- he is ALL boy!

I think Jessie is wearing more of his lunch than he actually ate.

Shea was in heaven eating at her favorite restaurant.

Jordan- I could just eat him. He loves to have his picture taken.

Next up is Shea's baptism tomorrow. She called and asked me to play the piano. Leah's going to lead. I think she asked her cousins to give the talks and prayers. She's so cute.

Then, on the 27th it's to the temple for their sealing. I can hardly wait. They are the perfect little family and making it eternal is the best thing ever!

Reunion...

2008-09-05T11:41:00.002-07:00

So, this weekend was the family reunion. Everyone in town was there except Gigi & Suzanne. We had a great time and the weather was beautiful! We got the regular afternoon/evening rain which the kids LOVE to play in and the majority of the time was sunny and beautiful.. Not too hot. Allen, James, Adam and Brian brought camping trailers down for their families. Roy & fam. and the "singles" (Leah, Kent and me) slept inside along with Mom & Dad. The kids had a great time.. they just went off and did their own things. I'll have to add some pictures here later... I took some but then downloaded them to Kent's computer, and Leah's computer so I could keep taking more.. (I forgot to bring extra memory sticks.. so in order to take more photos I had to remove the ones I had on the disk) The kids are getting so old.. it's amazing how the time has flown. We all LOVE having Adam and his family come with us each year. We'll definitely have to keep them on the invite list for all the other family stuff we do. They are a FANTASTIC family and we love having them around.

Floors!

2008-09-05T10:37:00.003-07:00

Kent worked on the floors again last week. More progress, yeah!! Now less than 1/3rd of the front room is left to do plus the hallway and it'll be done... well, installed anyway.. then comes the messy part of filling in holes, sanding and sealing. He even trimmed the front door so the door would open over the flooring... Here's some pics... I'm looking forward to moving in by the end of the month.. keep your fingers crossed that it all works out! lol.

I remember when....

2008-08-23T16:00:00.002-07:00

I saw this on my friend Tammy's blog and since I want to be just like her I'm adding it to mine too. (love ya Tammy!) Even all you who don't leave comments now- please leave me a memory. 1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! 2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments. Thanks for the great idea Tammy!

New blog header...

2008-08-23T15:56:00.004-07:00

Well, I'm a little late getting a new blog header on since Aug. is almost over and this one was specifically for July.. Oh well. Here's the most recent- very simple but fun one. And of course, in keeping with tradition, here's what the July header looked like...

I was going to use the header below for this month but found it to be too drab.. plus, I couldn't get the whole blog page to have colors that went well enough with it to work.. so I used the flower one above instead. I need to plan some more so I have them ready for the coming months..

Ranch withdrawls...

2008-08-04T10:09:00.002-07:00

So, Leah and I went to the ranch this weekend to make sure mom & dad got settled in. (they left on Tuesday to go down for their belated "summer". The weather was BEAUTIFUL. It rained a little bit Saturday evening, but Saturday night (about 12:30 am) - it poured.. the Thunder was LOUD and there was some serious lightening. It was fantastic! We stayed late Sunday night waiting for it to rain again.. We sat outside from 7:00 to 8:00 just watching it rain. The Lightning was incredible and very close. I think it was making mom nervous that we were sitting on the porch with it so close... but we enjoyed every minute of it. Plus there was a cool breeze.. it was almost chilly. Saturday I cleaned out the utensil drawers, the cups, plates, bowls, mixing bowls etc cabinets and washed everything. Not to worry it took 5 hours.. but it was great to have it done. So, Saturday night Leah made lemon bars.. we had a piece before we went to bed- she made it late in the evening so it was still too warm to eat when mom went to bed so she didn't get a piece- even though she wanted one. She put a towel over it and left it on the old stove. After dinner on Sunday she got it out so she could put some on a plate to take home for a treat and apparently the mice wanted some Saturday night too. There were mouse droppings all over the pan. It was devistating. Lesson learned.. don't leave anything on the old stove, and make sure you cover it with something secure- not a dish towel. Anyway we got a good laugh out of it.. Can't wait to go back again. I LOVE the rainy season down there.

Happy 24th of July breakfast day!

2008-07-26T17:49:00.003-07:00

This morning our ward celebrated the 24th of July with a breakfast from 7:00 to 9:00. There was going to be a flag raising ceremony outside at the flagpole, but at 7:00 the sprinklers turned on so it was moved to inside where the boys did the Color Guard and we said the pledge inside. Breakfast was good, it was pancakes, sausage and eggs. yum. Kent was one of the ones cooking. Myrna & James brought the kids about 15 min. before mom & dad were ready to leave. It was definitely too early in the morning for them and they were worn out so I brought them home. Which actually turned out great because then I got started right away on cleaning up my house and getting my laundry over here to do so I wouldn't need the washer until next Saturday. Monday Jennifer Shoemaker is going to be moving in for 2 weeks while she finishes out her job. They've just moved to CA for Ryan's schooling so he'll be out there with the kids and she's going to stay in my room here at the house on an air mattress Monday - Friday and then go home on Weekends. So, since this place has been a construction zone for 6 months and the rooms all have storage stuff in them.. I had to clean out a few things in that back bedroom and dust everything. Kent put the bathroom door on this week and came today to put the bedroom door on. I asked him to have the hall closet done by today too, but that didn't get done. At least the fan in the bathroom and the shower head are on now. Dad put the fan back and Kent put the shower head on. It's most exciting. The two of them even moved the two cabinets so there's a walkway past them now, and re-arranged the furniture in the front room so that both couches could be used. Kent said.. "just in case she wants to have a party over here and people need to sit down." So, now everything is cleaned and ready, I'm just waiting for the laundry to be done. The towels that I have were in storage for 5 years so I decided to wash those today too. It's been a busy day. I started working over here at about 9:00 and it's now 6:00. Whew, I could use a nap.

Happy Independence day!

2008-07-03T20:29:00.003-07:00

So, I decided I wanted to do a new blog header.. I really like coming up with new ones. If I lived where my computer is right now, I'd probably change it once a month... We'll see if that actually happens when I move in here. I decided I needed a 4th of July page to celebrate summer. I think it's fun. I love that I can change the background and font colors to match the header.

And of course- in keeping with tradition, I've got to add the old blog header here so I know what the previous one looked like.

So, work is going... I've definitely got the hang of things.. now I just need to get a smooth rhythm going so I can handle big volume.

Tonight and for the rest of the weekend is finishing up on last minute camp stuff. We leave Monday morning and come back on Friday. I'm really excited. We're going to Camp Lo-MIA and we're back in Orchard camp which is definitely bigger than West camp so we'll have LOTS of room to do whatever we want in and we won't have to haul everything to make new class/sleeping areas. Now- it's just about getting everything done by early tomorrow so Saturday and Sunday can be days of rest and relaxation before the party at camp. Alright.. I've digressed enough.. back to working on camp projects.

UPDATE

2008-06-21T10:17:00.002-07:00

I haven't written in a while because frankly nothing new has happened. No progress has been made on the house. I wish I were rich and could just hire people to finish it for me, and then I'd get the windows done too, and my landscaping, and enclose the carport into a garage and add on a master suite with a family room. Ah, what a dreamer I am. The days of my ever having any money are over. But really, what would make me happiest right now would be to have the floors and bathroom closet done so I can move in. I can't move in until it's done because the mess around here would drive me INSANE. Work is OK. I Love having money coming in again. What a relief that is. It's not the ideal situation for me, but believe me, after doing without for 8 months I'll take what I can get. I supervised the position before... I didn't do all the steps so there are some things that are new for me, that I'm learning. Everyone comes to me for help and I definitely don't have all the answers but I share what I know. I did get the week of camp off so I will be able to go this year. I'm excited about going back to Orchard camp. I LOVE the fact that the stake cabin has it's own bathroom. THAT will be HEAVEN! (especially since I usually wake up in the middle of the night having to go. I'm like an old lady!) Plus, this year I won't be cooking so I'll actually get to hang out with the girls and be a part of camp. I'm very excited about that.

New job...

2008-05-10T15:43:00.002-07:00

So, I started work back @ Chase on Monday. The new office I'm at is about 5 min. (less than 5 miles) from home which is fantastic since gas prices are going up even higher. During lunch the other day some of the girls I'll be working with asked me why I didn't just go home during lunch time since I was so close.. my response was that the gas to get home would be more expensive than the lunch I had just bought from the cafeteria. I'm in training for the next two weeks. It's all review of course, but hey- like I'm going to complain about being paid for it. I'm the "go-to" in the room when there's a question or clarification needed. A couple of the girls have already joked about the fact that they want to sit by me when we're assigned desks. Friday we met in the Tempe office to train (since the Phx. one doesn't have PACS training access) I was having major flash backs on the drive in to work yesterday morning. We'll be in Tempe on Monday too- the team has already planned on eating at Z'Tejas for lunch. We ate together Friday and invited the trainer to join us and had a great time.

THE KITCHEN FLOOR'S DONE!

2008-05-10T15:23:00.003-07:00

The kitchen is done! Doesn't it look fantastic? (well, not done/done, but installed) Now all that's left is 1/2 of the front room and the hallway. Then we'll be busy filling holes, sanding and sealing.

BLOG HEADERS

2008-05-01T17:26:00.003-07:00

I decided to add my last blog header as a picture in the blog so I would know what it looked like at one time.. I'm going to try to change it maybe monthly just to keep things fun and interesting. Plus, when I actually have this blog printed as a book, I want it included. so here goes...

I GOT A JOB!

2008-04-24T18:39:00.003-07:00

So, I got a call from the Chase recruiter today.. I was offered a job. It's not what I applied for, and it means a pay cut and less vacation time, but it's a job and I'll have real insurance and good benefits! So, I'll be starting on May 5th as a Closer/Funder. (instead of the Supervisor of that area that I used to be... Oh well, less responsibility for me which believe me -I'm not sad about. I'll finally be responsible for only me again!) I am so excited. What a relief to know I'm employed and will have an income coming again! I'll definitely be able to sleep much better tonight. I go tomorrow for fingerprints and to fill out an I-9 and other tax info papers.

MORE FLOOR!

2008-04-24T18:24:00.002-07:00

So, here's what Kent's done today! He got a call and had to go.. he left his tools out so I'm not sure if he's planning to come back tonight or not.. I guess I'll find out in the morning when I see whether more progress is done or not. I've been here all day doing laundry. I really should do it more often so I'm not having to do 7 loads in one day. (There's really something to be said about only having enough underwear for a week... that means you HAVE to do laundry once a week.- someday I'll learn...

THE FLOOR!

2008-04-24T13:37:00.005-07:00

I am so excited the floors have been started!! And it looks beautiful! Kent came over on Tuesday and did about 1/3rd of the front room in about 4 hours. above is the kitchen which is now the "cutting room". It's going to be loads of fun cleaning up dust from everywhere in the house once this project is done. - but it will be worth it! It's gorgeous! and this is just the "raw" version. Once it's been filled, sanded and sealed it will be even better! That little pile of wood by the cabinet is what can't be used so far.. either the tongue & groove is on the wrong side or the holes are just too big and the wood isn't worth using. I knew there would be some we couldn't use.. that's why they have you order 30% more than what you need, I just hope in the end, it will be enough to go clear to the laundry room like originally planned without having to buy more. I'm a worrier by nature, so until it's proven to be enough, I'll worry about it- darn it. I can't wait to fill in the holes to see what they look like. It's going to be amazing! I think I'm going to fill them in with black.. but I'll have to try a few out to see how it looks first and then decide for sure. I'm so glad I went with the 5" pieces. I love the big chunks of wood. I think Kent's glad too because it's making the installation go much faster too. lol! Thanks Kent!!

Progress!

2008-03-26T16:09:00.004-07:00

So, Kent came over today and finished up the cabinets in the kitchen- and can I just say how beautiful they are!!!! I love the extra storage space already. (ps. I realize the fridge doesn't exactly fit that space.. I made the space big enough so when I upgrade to a stainless steel fridge to match the stove & dishwasher it will fit.- which will probably not be for 10 more years.. but hey- it's all about planning ahead.)I also wanted my microwave on one of the shelves so it wouldn't take up what little counter space I have, so Kent put that in for me today too. It turned out perfect!

Even with the extra space, the cupboards are filling up fast!

Kent also started on the flooring.. He put down a roll of plastic and 3 pieces of plywood. He has to get the air compressor, nail gun etc. from James so he can start adding the wood. It's going to be amazing and I can hardly wait to see it! It's going to look fantastic! It's not going to be so fun cleaning up all of the dust that is going to get everywhere because of the sanding, but it will totally be worth it!

Too much fun!

2008-03-25T17:00:00.004-07:00

Here's another thing I did in Photoshop.. SO much fun!

The quote that is on the little pieces of paper on the right is the quote from Pres. Monson on the bottom of my blog.

2008-03-25T16:09:00.005-07:00

So, can I just say how much I love Photoshop? I just recently got it and I LOVE IT! I did the blog topper that is now on my blog the other day, but couldn't figure out until today how to save it the right way so that I could attach it to the blog.. Now that I've got that figured out.. I just need to figure out how to make it so it fits all the way across the top.. One step at a time.. I'm self taught so it's a slow process. I created the topper below today, and found out there are two formats to save it.. the first one is a jpeg- which keeps it looking like the original.. the other version is a gif which distorts the image colors like the example below. I like them both!

The two toppers I've done so far have been from the FREE download stuff you can get from Shabby Princess. I love http://www.shabbyprincess.com/ Thanks Tammy for letting me know about them! They are my absolute favorite!!

Now, I'm off to do some more learning and figuring out how to use photoshop. Wish me luck!

It's about time!

2008-03-25T14:07:00.008-07:00

I know it's been forever since I last updated this blog... things have been crazy. And to top it all off- I'm sick again.. It's ridiculous! Maybe it's allergies.. whatever it is I would really like to stop waking up every 3 hours because I can't breathe!

Below are a few pictures showing the bare floor. No more carpet!Since the front room ended up being taken apart.. some of the smaller items that were in there are now crammed into the office for short term storage.. so now I'm back to having a house that is a big mess again.

So, the wood flooring, the cabinets and the plywood & floor boards were all delivered the Friday I last wrote.

The flooring was delivered first at about 11:30. Thank goodness they unloaded that themselves! Believe me it was worth having to pay extra for the delivery.

The plywood and floor boards arrived about an hour later. Let's just say- that wasn't much fun unloading that and putting it in the house. I got 2 big splinters in the process but I sure am glad it's done now.

The cabinets came last and it actually turned out that everything came in just the right order that day. There are about 9 more boxes that go along with these 4 big ones that hold the shelves and misc. wood pieces. It's all taking up a huge chunk of the front room.

Kent's been helping to install Boston's cupboards so he couldn't start on mine last week. He did however come over yesterday for a couple hours and we took all of the cupboards out of the boxes and he stood them all up. He moved the light switch in the kitchen so it would be out of the way of the cupboards, and he built and installed one of the base's for the cupboards. (I'm having them raised in the kitchen to match the height of the ones that are up now. - I won't have him do that for the washroom ones since it's just extra work.) I had to go to Home Depot yesterday morning to get the 2, 2x4's he needed as well as the plastic underlay for the flooring. While I was there I got some black spray paint to re-paint the front door. I got 2 bottles.. I should have gotten 3. I re-painted the front door yesterday. It looks better than it did before, but it could still look better.. I'm done re-doing it however so it is what it is. I went back to Home Depot again last night to pick up some screws that Kent needs to install the cabinets, as well as to get some dry wall mud to fill in the hole created by the old outlet space. He said I could do that part myself- so no judging my fill in spot that you can see above. It doesn't look as bad in the picture as it does in real life! lol - I'll save the texture and fixing for Kent to finish.

BACK TO SQUARE ONE...

2008-03-14T08:58:00.002-07:00

So, I finally got the calls this week that the wood flooring is in- it's being delivered today. Two days later, as I was standing in Lowe's buying the plywood for the floors, and baseboard for all the rooms, I got a call saying the cabinets are in- they're being delivered today too! OK, can I just say that I don't really like Lowe's services. I went there on Wednesday to return some stuff I had gotten- (medicine cabinet, curtain rod, cabinet handles, light etc) since I didn't have my receipts for all of that stuff, I had to have the refund put on a Lowe's card. Well, I rarely go to Lowe's so I decided to shop around and see what else I needed for the house while I was there so I could use the card and be done with it... Long story short... I ended up in the wood department and decided that I might as well get the plywood and baseboard there and have them deliver it instead of going to Home Depot to get it since I had the Lowe's refund card. At the store it worked out well. I set up the appointment for the wood to be delivered on Thursday. Too bad that didn't happen. I had also arranged to pick up my nephew Jordan on Thursday to come and help me take out the carpet in the front room & hallway. Lowe's told me the delivery would be here between 9 and noon so I came over here at 8:00 to cut out the carpet in the area I was going to have them put the wood. I went back home to watch a little TV and wait for Dad to get up to see if he would be at the house, or at least watch out for the delivery so I could go pick Jordan up- I told him I'd be there @ 10:00. Dad, who usually gets up by 8:30, didn't get up until 10:45. Anyway- it took Jordan and me about 3 hours to get the carpet up, the tacking up, sweep everything, put some of the smaller furniture in other rooms so we wouldn't have to keep moving it and haul the carpet out to the carport. Below are the pictures of what it looks like now.. (of course the office is now a mess because it became a "holding" room for the bench, coffee table etc..)I already miss it being all put together. I can hardly wait until it's all done! It won't be long now and I'll be moved in! YIPPEE!!!! So, on with the Lowe's DRAMA. So, I called there at 2:00 to let them know I hadn't gotten my delivery yet.. The guy I bought the stuff from said he saw them load it on the truck that morning, I would have it by the end of the day. I called back @ 4:30- still no delivery. The store manager said the truck still had 3 more deliveries to make so I waited... @ 6:00 when still no delivery was made.. I called back and talked to the store manager who then FINALLY looked up my information on the computer and said.. "Oh, it never ended up on the truck. I see it right here. the order was done right.. I'm not sure why it didn't get delivered." Are you kidding me? after 3 calls and making sure someone was at the house or it was being watched for the delivery ALL day!!!!!!! aGGGGGGGGGHhhhhhh What a joke. Needless to say- I will NOT ever have Lowe's do anything for me again.

KITCHEN UPDATE

2008-03-01T14:07:00.004-07:00

So, I went to Home Depot yesterday and ordered my kitchen cabinets. Above is a picture of what the wall with the refrigerator will look like (minus the fact that my current fridge doesn't look like that.. I'll upgrade it in 10 years or when mine breaks down.. which ever comes first. lol) I also ordered more cabinets that look like these for the pantry/wash room area. I can hardly wait until they come in 3 weeks!!!!! It's going to be AWESOME!! I'll actually have room to store things. Wahoo!

I also decided to bite the bullet and go ahead and get the real wood floor and have Kent install that. I'd like to have that done before the cabinets get here, so that means it has to be done in 3 weeks. I'll go to lumber liquidators on Monday and order the wood. I've decided to have Home Depot come and install the floor boards. It'll take them an hour to do what it would take me forever to do. And believe me the cost is worth it. So, once the new wood floors are down in the front room, kitchen, hallway and laundry/pantry I'll set up a time for them to come and install it. Can't wait! Once that's done I'll be moving in!!!!!

DETAILS...

2008-03-01T13:44:00.003-07:00

So, Kent came over last night and finished putting in the light in the bathroom. Leah and I hung the mirror and the towel rack today. Now, I just need to find something to put over the toilet. An Embroidery perhaps?? We'll see. I'm so glad I took the medicine cabinet off and just hung the mirror flush with the wall. It looked awful sticking out with the medicine cabinet attached. Now, we just need to cut the hole in the bathroom wall behind the door to be able to access the hall closet from in there and it will be set! Well, that and I need to finish caulking the bathtub. I'll finish that up today and paint the ceiling in the tub area to match the rest of the room as well. I just put up a coat of KILZ the other day after scrubbing the tub down.The hall "church" wall is up in the hallway! I love it! It really does look fantastic. Leah put it up today. Then she's going to work on scrap booking more pictures for my picture wall frames. That will be fantastic to have that done too.. (cause then I can clean up the mess it's making in the front room. Plus, it'll definitely make the wall look even more fabulous to have all of the family pictures up there.)

toilet paper holder

2008-02-26T16:24:00.003-07:00

PS.. I did re-paint the toilet paper holder in the bathroom the other day. It turned out OK.. The black spray paint can stopped working just when I would have added another coat, but it looks fine. I'm glad it's done.

Oh, what a day....

2008-02-26T16:10:00.002-07:00

So, yesterday I asked dad to fix the upside-down door knob on the front door- which he did, and to install my new kitchen faucet.. which he started to do... but then ran in to trouble trying to remove the old one and had to call Kent for help. So, Kent came down and installed the new one. It's beautiful! It's leaking right now, but we'll get that fixed. Kent finished just in time for Dad & Mom to take us to Home Town Buffet for lunch. Believe me- dad was checking his watch every 2 min. while Kent was doing the faucet making sure we had enough time to get there before the 3:30 senior lunch discount ended. Funny old man. While dad was working on his projects, I took down the outside light and cleaned then re-spray painted it white. Just about cut off my finger in the process too. I took the glass pieces out and was washing them while the paint dried.. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and was scrubbing the glass pretty fast and hard.. needless to say, I cut it on the edge of the glass. It took a good millimeter of skin off my finger. Luckily Leah had some neosporin which I put on last night and today and already it's 10 times better. Today, I went to Costco and got some items to stock some shelves and the freezer. I DEFINITELY need more cabinets. I'm already out of room, and there's really nothing in the cupboards. (before that I met with my Insurance agent and went over my information. We made a couple of changes and set up an appointment for Thursday to go over my 401k stuff. (since right now it's just sitting with Chase doing nothing.) I then came home and filed my taxes. I'm very excited about that. That's one extra heavy burden off my shoulders. Wahoo!!!

It's getting closer!

2008-02-18T13:53:00.004-07:00

Kent took these pictures as he was working in the bathroom... Myrna wanted me to post these pictures last night so she could hurry up and see them, but I was too tired after meetings yesterday to come over and do it.. so here it goes today....

OK- first let's talk about the drama of this toilet paper holder.. I painted it black.. it looked beautiful!. Then, I sprayed sealer over it and this is what happened.. it totally bubled the paint. So, now I have to start from scratch and do this all over again. Drama.

Here's another view of the beautiful sink. The toilet's now in and ready to use. (well- if you're not shy about using it without a door to the bathroom.- lol!) A nice cleaned scrubbed toilett.

Here's a picture of the start of the electrical. He's removing the two side lights and putting in a top light that will go just above the mirror. The beautiful, black oval mirror, origianlly had a medacine cabinet attched which meant it couldn't be put into the wall so the mirror would be flush with the wall, so today I took the cabinet part off and will have Kent just mount the mirror by itself on the wall. It was too big and took up too much space with the cabinet.. plus, with opening the wall up in the bathroom so I have access to the closet, I'll just keep all of the stuff I would have put in the medacine cabinet in the closet. It's what I did at my old house and it worked out great.

Bathroom

2008-02-14T12:46:00.004-07:00

So, I walked into the house to find that Kent put in the bathroom sink last night! Wahoo!!! It looks beautiful. (He was over doing his laundry when I left at about 12:30 am. Leah, Myrna and I were going through pictures to see which ones I wanted on my picture wall.) Here's a view with the black toilette paper holder I had pictured before. It really turned out fantastic. Isn't that a fun faucet? I love it!

MORE PICTURES..

2008-02-12T12:01:00.001-07:00

So, you've seen all the big stuff... now let's look at a little bit more detail..... ok- isn't this even more beautiful up close??? I love this buffet. I was going to get new handles for it, but for now these will work. Leah of course did the arrangement on top. Here's the calendar thing Myrna & Leah made for me when I got back from my mission... the calendar on display there now is actually 4 years old. lol- I need to update it. Just wanted to show the fun decor we put on it. Here's my beautiful dish towels/cloths & an apron. I've got them stored in the black buffet in the kitchen. I should have everyone guess to see if they can figure out what I did here... I actually just did it today... I painted the toilet paper holder black. Since all of the other hardware will be black I figured this should match it. Hopefully it turns out alright. I'll take another picture after the 2nd coat has dried and the plastic is off the wall.

This beautiful light fixture was gold.. YUCK! so I painted it black and saved myself from having to buy a new one. The smoke detector also got a coat of white added to it since it was off-white before. Ah, the tricks and things you'll do when you don't have the $$ to buy new. I couldn't remember if I'd taken a picture of this chair in the corner of the office yet.. if so- well here it is again. This is the beautiful table that will be going in the craft room. I love it! These are my beautiful door knobs. can't wait to have all the doors up with these on them.

aahhh, and then there's the new cabinet knobs. Changing them from the white ones really made a difference in the look of the kitchen. I love it!

UPDATE TIME...

2008-02-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

Wow, I didn't realize I hadn't updated this in so long. So, there's a couple updates I need to add. Today was all about cleaning. I cleaned out the refridgerator and the upright freezer. I did 2 loads in the dishwasher of all the utensils and the mixing bowls, etc. that are in my cupboard so now, if it's in the cupboard, it's clean and read to be used. I even washed all of my dish towels. I just now finished putting the grout sealer in the bathroom. I'll probably add another coat tomorrow.

So, here's a new picture with the padding on the chairs. This one was taken at night, so it's kinda dark so you can't really tell how the new red seats break up the black blob of furniture, but it totally does. It definitely finished the look over there. Plus, there's a new beautiful Red bowl on the table that Leah got me.

So, here's a view of the room from the hallway. Can't wait until the front curtains are put in.

Here's Jessie helping me spackle the bathroom. He was working on this for about 20 min.'s Thank goodness for sanders! lol. He also helped paint a little until he started getting too close to the paint and almost got it on himself.. then he had to stop. Pretty dang good for a 2 year old.

Here's the beautifully cleaned out refridgerator. It'll be fantastic to have it full and be living in the house!

And, last but not least, here's a picture of the bathroom with the painted wall and the grout freshly sealed.

HAPPY VOTING DAY!

2008-02-05T14:24:00.001-07:00

I went in to Pres. Warren's office to train the new girl for a couple hours, then went and voted. Sadly, no one but the workers were there when I got there. I was able to walk right in, vote, and walk right out. Great for me because I didn't have to stand in line.. but good grief.. Where was everyone? This is a presidential election for Pete's sake! Vote people, Vote! (side note added 2/12/08- So, Leah was nice enough to tell me that maybe no one else was out voting in the middle of the afternoon like I was because they were at work! lol! -she's got a point.)

I WAS TAGGED.

2008-02-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by my friend Tammy thanks a lot! lol! I haven't ever been tagged while blogging so this is a first. :) Here's the ABC list... A- Attached or single: Single – want to be Attached, but not stressing about it. B- Best Friend: My Sisters C-Cake or Pie: Banana Cream Pie. D- Day of Choice: Saturday- I can actually get things done. E- Essential Item: Personal hygein stuff. F- Favorite Color: Brown, red, black G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Bears, but they’re not my fav. H- Hometown: Phoenix, AZ I- Indulgence(s): reading novels, watching TV J- January or July: July- who doesn’t love the summer? K-Kids: none but I’ve got some great names picked out if I ever have any. L-Life is incomplete without: Family M- Marriage Date: TBD N- Number of Siblings: 10 O- Oranges or Apples: Apples P- Phobias or Fears: I hate scary movies. Q- Quote(s): “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Marianne Williamson, quoted by Nelson Mandela R- Reason To Smile: My house is almost done! S- Season: Spring in MD! T- Tag Six: I don’t know 6 people with bloggs… U- Unknown Fact About Me: I've been unemployed for 6 months now... boy does that stink! V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I eat both. Eating meat is not oppression of animals- It’s part of the reason of their existence according to the bible. Heck if you're going to say eating meat is oppression of animals, then Plants are living things too... may be we should all just stop eating all together. Give me a break. W- Worst Habit: watching TV X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: I’ve only ever had an X-Ray- and only once. Y- Your Favorite Food: Tamale pie, Floutas, Enchiladas Z: Zodiac: Libra

DINNING CHAIRS

2008-02-04T15:24:00.000-07:00

Ok- I had to add these pictures of the dinning table with the finished chairs.. They turned out FANTASTIC!

SATURDAY - WORK DAY PART 2

2008-02-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

Don't think that I wasn't doing anything while Myrna was painting... I was cleaning the cabinets and putting contact paper on the shelves & drawers. I also changed all of the door handle/knobs. They look fabulous. Once both Myrna and I were done with our projects Myrna started cleaning off the countertop to the left of the stove. Since the cabinets were now clean we decided to start putting some of my things away. Look what we accomplished....

This first one shows the contact paper... Isn't it great?!! I could be a professional! LOL- believe me I wouldn't because it took forever and wasn't even fun. lol

This is the cabinet above the dishwasher that will have my "everyday" dishes in it. Don't worry, the sippy cups aren't for me.. they're for when little Nieces & Nephews visit. I put it all in my first load in the dishwasher on Friday night so it's all ready to be used.

The silverware drawer - I can't wait to use it. I had to take some of the "extra" things I had in this drawer and put it in one of the drawers on the cart because it was just too full. I need to get a couple of extra plastic trays....

Look at that beautiful red collendar. Isn't it the best? This little corner cabinet doesn't have a lot of space in it, but it sure is great to have my stuff in it.

This may be my favorite cabinet. Mom & Dad got me these pots & pans for my Birthday last year. They are fantastic! - another can't wait coming up... I can't wait to cook with them!

And of course, last but not least is the stove. What a great storage space!

Gotta love the Pampered Chef things... You can tell I've only used the top one... and even then only a couple times. lol.

SATURDAY- WORK DAY

2008-02-04T14:32:00.001-07:00

So, as far as the work on the house Saturday.... Myrna painted the parts we missed on the kitchen cart pictured below. It's perfect for the spot it's going in the kitchen. I love that it's on wheels so that when I need more room, I can just roll it out into the wash room area - or wherever.

She also took the door knobs off the front door and painted the area I didn't get to because the knob was in the way, she sealed the outside black of the door and painted the doorway itself. It's like a while new entry way.

SATURDAY MORNING

2008-02-04T14:14:00.001-07:00

So, Harrison spent the night Friday night and ended up waking me up at 6 am Saturday morning. (Myrna's playpin was already in my room so he slept in there.) He did pretty good once I got him up and started a movie for him. He sat in my chair, watched "Robots" and ate dry cereal in a bowl while I slept for another 2 hrs.. well, at least I got to lay in bed for another two hours. I got up and started watching Pres. Hinckley's Funeral. I was taping it knowing with kids around I wasn't going to be able to see 1/2 of it. I had planned on Saturday beinga work day so Myrna came over to help just as I'd finished fixing Harrison a mid-morning snack of eggs. Once he'd finished eating Myrna and I came over to my house and started working while the kids played in the back yard. The backyard is full of the boys JUNK and so isn't exactly the safest place for 4 boys under the age of 4 so Leah came out and watched them. (two - 2 year olds, a 3 year old and a 4 year old- they're hilarious together. Samantha was taking her morning nap.) I'll definitely do a before and after of the back yard once it's cleaned out. I've already taken the before pictures (just now in fact on this beautiful rainy February day) but I'll save them until it's emptied out to show you. (Here's just a short list of things that are back there. A boat, a canoe, a Jeep, a rail, a trailer etc. - Those of you who've seen it know how exciting it will be to have an empty back yard!)

It's coming together!

2008-02-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

So, my brother Kent gutted the bathroom Wednesday night and dry laid the tile down to see which ones he'd need to cut and how many he'd use. Thursday he made the cuts and installed the floor. The mortar was taking forever to dry- (probably because the house is cold because I don't leave the heat on..) Right now there's a space heater in there to hopefully speed up the drying process so the grout can be added. I'll have to paint before he puts the toilette & sink back in so it'll be easier to paint. Can't wait to start on the closet and the lighting & everything else that still has to be done in there. It's definitely getting closer to being done.

Myrna came over tonight and brought the seat cushions over. We spent some time taking out a lot of nails out of the wood, and then cutting batting and the fabric. Leah helped cut the material and is screwing the tops back on to the chairs as I type. They're beautiful! Below is a picture of one of the 3 layers of fabric that were on the chairs. It's a good thing Myrna knows and likes to do everything because if not, I'd have to do it myself, and probably would end up not doing it. (like re-doing 2 tables, 8 chairs, a dresser, a night stand and a kitchen cart- definitely not a project I would have done by myself.)

Here's the end result. I love it! I'll add another picture with all of the chairs around the table to get the full effect. It may not be until tomorrow though. We'll see what the night brings. It's still early.. only 10:30. lol.

MORE PROGRESS!

2008-01-28T11:11:00.001-07:00

My furniture is now in the front room. I am so excited about it. It looks fantastic! Thanks to Myrna & James for storing them for me for the last 4 years! (It worked out well because I as able to see my couches up against her kitchen walls and knew I had to have that color in my front room because it goes with the couches perfectly.) But first, you have to see the "before"...

This is the way Kent had his front room.

The buffet & dinning table & chairs are projects that Myrna and I re-finished. That's the results of all the sanding, dusting, painting and finishing that we did. We went to Wal-mart after a Ward Conference Leadership training on Saturday and bought the PERFECT material for the seat cushions on the chairs. (they're not on right now. Once they are it'll break up that big mass of black in that area. lol!) It's a dark red with swirls in it that are almost the same color as the curtains. They go beautifully with the couches.

I can't wait until the curtains are hung on the front window. It'll really make that bench pop. There's a night stand at the end of the bench now, but that's not staying. That goes in the craft room. It's just sitting there for now until I can find the perfect table to go there. I can still kick myself for not getting myself tables like we got for my parents house. They would be perfect in mine. Oh well. Something else will be found.

These pictures really don't do the room justice. You'll just have to see it to know how great it has turned out. I am so excited to move in- even more than before! Now, if we can just get the bathroom done so we can move on to the kitchen and have all of the major projects done... It's going to be fantastic!

cute boy!

2008-01-25T19:31:00.001-07:00

OK- since I'm adding pictures, I just have to add these two of my nephew Harrison singing. He had us entertained all night. He's 2. The best was his "Take me out to the Ballgame", but he wouldn't look at me while he sang it..

ANOTHER WEEK GONE BY...

2008-01-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

So, I just went home to get my camera so I could add pictures today.. Here's the office again... brought my cedar chest over last Saturday. Leah put up the cork board with the map on it then too. Here's the ghetto load that was in the back of Myrna's truck. I totally laughed about it.. The kitchen table is straddling the buffet, and my bench is sitting up against the window. We were determined not to make more than one trip. And we did it. (the chairs and drawers were in the back of my Explorer.) Here's the picture wall Leah & I put up. I helped hold the pictures while Leah put the screws in the wall and put them up. - I totally count that as helping! (lol) I totally love it. I can hardly wait to see real pictures in all the frames.

This is my niece Samantha (we call her Sister- she's the youngest of the foster kids Myrna & James are working to adopt.) She LOVES to wipe things down. We had to wipe everything down before we brought it inside since it's been stored outside for months. She was out there wiping those drawers down for at least 30 min. - dang cute girl.

PROGRESS...

2008-01-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

So, I worked all week last week and so I didn't have time to work on the house or post for a full-time job. Friday night however, Myrna came over and her and Leah- mostly Leah put up my picture wall in the front room. It looks fantastic. At least the frame arrangement does.. The majority need pictures put in them, but that will come later. We'll get together and put together scrapbook like pages to put in the frames. It makes the wall funner to look at. So, needless to say, Friday night was a long night.. we had to pull out all my decorating stuff. For the most part we had already done that.. but I found some more stuff. I think I've got enough stuff to do about 3 more picture walls.. LOL! I didn't bring my camera over here today, but I'll add pictures to this blog next time. Saturday I had the carpets cleaned. The guy didn't do as great a job as I thought he would. Oh, well. There's still spots, but at least it smells different now. I went and helped Myrna load up my buffet, dinning room table & chairs, and a bench into her truck and mine and brought them over. They're the ones we refinished.. They've been stored outside this whole time (under cover of course). It's nice to finally have them in the house. We'd have brought the couches over, but they are in Myrna's upstairs living room and we weren't about to lug those big things down the stairs. So, we'll wait until after Tuesday when my bro-in-law James & bro. Kent are back from the ranch. We didn't get to work on projects as much as we wanted on Saturday because Myrna and I had to do Stake training for 2 wards. It's their ward conference weekend and our new stake pres. has brought back the Saturday night meetings as an opportunity for individualized ward training. It turned out fantastic. We split the presidency up and met with the two wards individually. We'll be doing the same thing for each set of ward Conferences.. (2 each time they're scheduled.) Next week it's the Spanish branches. The rest are farther out. Sunday was BUSY!!! Started off with Country Club ward conf. had about 30 min. to go home and fix some lunch before having to be at the Gateway ward conf. then had about an hour for dinner before having to be at a camp meeting @ 5:30. Then, right after the camp meeting was a Stake Youth Fireside where our new Stake Presidency spoke. It turned out fantastic. What a bunch of funny men. They all told funny stories and I think the youth really enjoyed getting to know them better. Two more days have gone by with no work done on the house, but It'll be done soon. Hopefully I'll be in by the first of Feb. We'll see.

SECURITY

2008-01-14T19:04:00.001-07:00

Today I installed the alarm system. Instead of just beeping when a door is opened.. it tells you what door is open. Mom came over to check it out tonight and wants one like it. Didn't work on anything else since I worked a 1/2 day for a member of our stake Pres. I'll be helping him out until he can find someone.

FRONT ROOM

2008-01-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the front room with the two colored walls and the curtains up. The mirror set against the wall is actually going on the wall to the left like my parents house. It'll be the first thing you see as you walk in the front door.

THE OFFICE

2008-01-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

I was just responding to an e-mail from my fabulous friend Lindy and decided I needed to add pictures to this blog today to show some of the progress I've been talking about, so here goes...

Here's 3 stages of the office.. 1. The way it looked when Kent lived there. 2. Cleaned completely out and ready to paint. 3. Painted w/ the book shelves up. Myrna's coming over when the kids wake up to help me move the computer desk over there so the office can be completely done..

ps. the stuff leaning up under the window in stage 3- is my picture frames and other decorating stuff.. right now it's just being stored in there. The other stuff is in the closet. Maybe tonight I'll move it all to the closet so when I take another picture, it'll look more done. All that'll be left to do is put the floor molding down... You can't really tell how beautiful the brown paint is on the wall, but trust me, it looks great.

MUSCLES

2008-01-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

Ok- reading that last comment at a reasonable hour, it made me laugh all over again because obviously I was sleep deprived... I do have more arm muscles.. what I meant to say was that I have them because of all the painting/rolling I've been doing on the house.- they didn't just suddenly appear. I have got to stop typing on this blog at midnight and later.. it clearly shows the lateness of the hour when I do.

muscles!!

2008-01-12T00:35:00.000-07:00

OK- I just have to add, that I was looking at my arms today and noticed that I totally have more muscles - it made me laugh out loud.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

2008-01-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

Started the morning off @ Home Depot. Got some more paint and more flooring to be able to do the kitchen floor. I wanted to do real wood, but with no job and no $$ left, I'm using the leftover laminate that I got for my parents house..., but there wasn't enough, so I had to go get 3 more boxes. The color is not an exact match, but mixing the pieces together will look beautiful. I added a 2nd coat of white to the kitchen and finished painting under the cabinets. Now, the kitchen is finished being painted. Once the floors are done I'll add the floor boards around the cabinets and walls and that room will be done. Wahoo!!! I also added a 3rd coat -Leah did the first two a few days ago.. on the front door (outside). We decided to paint it black and it looks beautiful. I painted the inside of the door today. 2 coats of white. I didn't do around the door knobs because they need to be taken off first. I also did some touch ups on a couple areas in the front room that got nicked.. I got 2 gallons of red paint for the craft room today but won't be painting that room until everything else is done since it's currently the storage room. When I get to it, it's going to be like the painting we did in Benjamin Knights room- 2 tone, with a black board separating the red on bottom & brown on top... I'll take pictures so you'll see what I mean. I can hardly wait. I already have Levi material curtains- dad calls them overalls because they have the fantastic metal hook & snap like overalls do. I think it's going to be fabulous.. Kent also got the Internet line put into the office so we set up the modem and router on my laptop. Now the room is ready to have the desk in it and the floor moulding and that room will be done!!! Yippeeeee!!! Now, we need to start on the bathroom. I will be so excited when that room is done. That is definitely the complete make over room. maybe I'll start that tomorrow... we'll see.

SLOWLY BUT SURELY...

2008-01-10T11:25:00.001-07:00

So, yesterday after vacuuming the front room, hallway and office - even using the wand to get the very edges... I started painting the kitchen. I got the first coat down, then ran out of paint and time. I had a young women's pres. meeting. So now I've got to go get some more paint. I woke up this morning barely able to breathe. My throat hurts and I'm congested. I've caught what my mom has. Dang it! So, today I'm not sure what I'm going to be able to accomplish. Right now I just feel like sleeping.

CONTINUING PROGRESS...

2008-01-08T01:24:00.000-07:00

Today started off with attending the funeral of my Uncle George Mills with my parents. He passed away last week. Unfortunately I didn't know him that well. His wife was my dad's sister. My favorite cousin Adam is the only active member in that family. He's the manager of a funeral home so he was in charge of the funeral services just like he was for his grandma a few years ago. It was an awful day for a funeral because it rained. The Air Force Color Guard was there to do the flag presentation, and they were soaked clear through standing in the rain waiting for everyone to get to the grave side. (the services were in the chapel on site so it was just a short walk to get there) Afterwords, my parents and I went out to lunch and had a great time. I am constantly exhausted from working on the house, so I came home and sat in dad's recliner and ended up falling a sleep for about an hour and 1/2. Watched some TV with my mom until my sister Myrna called and said she could come over to help get the office organized tonight. So, I brought over all of my movies and some more books to add to the shelves and Myrna, Leah and I organized them and put them on the shelves. (by organize I mean alphabetize by author for the books, and separate by type for the movies- although I'll be going back and re-doing the movies. I actually like to sort my "old" movies differently.) We found several duplicates in both books and movies... oh well. So, now we just need the Internet hooked up so I can bring my desk and computer over to set up and the room will be complete.

A DAY OF REST

2008-01-06T17:35:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for Sundays! This one came around just in time! I'm not sure I could have worked today if I wanted to. My hands are swollen and sore, I can barely move and I still need about 10 hours of sleep. (That will have to wait until after my meeting tonight for girls camp.) I did go over to the house to look at a couple of the mission scrap books today. Ahh, the memories. My cousin Carolyn came over so of course she had to be shown around the place too. Still can't wait for it to be done!

"SATURDAY IS A SPECIAL DAY..."

2008-01-06T00:23:00.000-07:00

The morning started off with a trip to Home Depot with 1/2 the family. (lol) My sisters, Dad and I all went. Dad came because he loves to go to Home Depot. We had to get special lights for the ceiling fan in the office.. - long story short... I got 4 matching ceiling fans- same serial # and all- the packaging was a little different but I figured one was just new packaging.. needless to say 2 of them have candelabra base light bulbs (small) and the other 2 have regular.. Anyway, so we got light bulbs, paint for my room, curtain rods, etc. Leah painted the front door outside black. The inside will be white.. Myrna painted the window sills in the front room and office. I taped my bedroom and painted the corners while Leah painted the walls. It's a light color- called Antique White. It's mom's favorite room because it's the lightest. She only likes white rooms. I'll have to take some pictures and add them here so you can see the colors. Kent put up the ceiling fans in my bedroom and the front room and put up two curtain rods and hung the curtains in the front room. Dad switched out the light switches to the rocking kind instead of the flip kind in the front room & office. It looks fantastic! Myrna & I put up the curtain rod in the office and hung the curtains. It looks fantastic! Myrna & I started putting the 4 book shelves I got from Big Lots together... I lucked out and Adam - my brothers friend finished them up so I could work on a different project. Anyway, the office is now done.. Myrna spotted the carpet which was really all it needed, so we put the book shelves along the longest wall. It looks fantastic. We also went through my "storage room"- the one that will eventually be the "Craft Room" - basically because we were so excited about the office we wanted to find stuff to decorate it with. While we were rummaging through everything we organized all of my stuff by room so it would be easier to find.. plus so we could see what I really have. It was like Christmas! I totally forgot about 1/2 of it. The progress is coming along slowly but surely. With the office move in ready, I'm even more excited because things are finally coming together and I can see the results. Thank goodness for every one's help! It is definitely coming along quicker because I've got help.

HAPPY FRIDAY

2008-01-05T01:22:00.000-07:00

Today started early considering I didn't get to bed until after 2:00 last night. When I woke up I had an incredible hankerin' for a good breakfast of country fried potatoes and scrambled eggs. yum! So, I made it for me and my parents. After breakfast it was straight to work on the house. I put a 2nd coat of paint in the front room and on the doorways. I finished painting the hallway. Spackled some more nail holes in the walls and then sanded them down. Taped the front room walls to be painted brown then taped the office ceiling and painted the corners and edges. (Can I just say that I have been up and down that ladder today more times than I care to remember.) Leah came over after work and helped roll the 2 brown walls and the office walls. It's great to see the progress happening. Myrna came over later and helped. Tomorrow's another big day full of lots of work to do, but believe me I am sleeping until I am done sleeping tomorrow.

JAN 3RD -

2008-01-04T01:23:00.000-07:00

So, Thursday (still my today since I haven't gone to bed yet.. the date says the 4th because well, technically it is) I went to help my new sister-in-law Suzanne organize. Merging two families with 5 kids each - together into one house has taken it's toll on her space and organization. Myrna went with me and today we worked on the front room and the kids rooms. A lot was thrown out, and some great stuff was given to DI. Less is definitely more in terms of organization. The kids rooms looked like completely new rooms by the time they were done with them. Now we'll have to go back and help with the other rooms... but first, I need to get my house done and moved into while I'm off work and have the time. The sooner the better because I really can hardly wait to decorate the place. I have lots to decorate with, but couldn't really tell you what it all was since I haven't seen some of it for 5 years. It'll be like Christmas going through my boxes and putting stuff up and away. I LOVE to be organized and finally having a place to put everything and knowing exactly where it is and how to find it is definitely going to be HEAVEN!. I stopped off at Home Depot after dropping Myrna off at home. I got some more paint - spray paint to paint the up-duct covers white, and an outlet box because I have one that's broken. OK- so I had the carpet padding in my garbage can and I put it out today to be picked up before I left the house (about 9:30 am). When I got home, it was still there. Ughh. Apparently the garbage man came extra early today. So now I have to wait until Monday to get the first load out. Can't wait until it's all gone. I guess I'd better get to bed tonight so I can actually wake up in the morning to start working all over again. Sheish, with all this physical labor I'm using muscles I haven't used in a long time and it's taking it's toll on this old body of mine.

JAN. 2ND -

2008-01-04T01:18:00.000-07:00

Wednesday I painted ALL day. Started at 10 and went until about 6:00. Boy was I sore at the end of the day and so very tired of rolling paint. I finished the ceiling in the front room, office, bedroom and hallway and also the walls in the hallway and front room (except for the two walls that will be color highlight walls.) I can't wait until the painting is done. I'll have to add a 2nd coat to the front room, but I think I might leave that for my sister Leah who loves to paint. (and doesn't leave streaks like I do...) Took some TylenolPM and slept very well that night!

OH, WHAT A DAY!

2008-01-01T01:21:00.000-07:00

The day started out early with a job interview. It was alright, but I don't think it's the job for me. I got home and after finally thinking it over, I decided I'm not going to use the new carpet I just got.. so that meant putting it on Craigslist to sell. I posted it for $250. (I paid $100) Anyway, I had a guy respond and he came out today to look at it.. I wasn't sure about the measurements, blah blah blah.. long story short, I let them take it for $150. So, basically it was a wash for me. I got my $100 back, and $50 back for the gas I had to put in Myrna's car to get to Queen Creek & back. I'm just glad it's gone. I have to deal with the padding- but that's easily thrown away. As I was posting the carpet on Craigslist- I went next door to take a picture of it and noticed that Kent was packing his stuff onto his truck & trailer by himself to move. So I hurried and sent the posting and went to help him. We loaded the rest of the smaller furniture and misc. items- then drove 3 houses down and unloaded it at his house. My brother in law James came near the end of our unloading. His 2 brothers joined him about 15 min. later and they helped load the heavy furniture and get it down to Kent's house. So, for all intents & purposes Kent's moved out (except for a few things in the bedroom & bathroom, and the kitchen still needs to be cleared out.) My sisters are going to help me start painting the office tomorrow. The guy with the doors finally called me back today. I bought the 6 doors from him. He was nice enough to deliver them to me. They will be fantastic in the house. Dad was very excited about them too. The day ended with the multi-stake Youth dance from 9:00-12:30. I got home at 1:00. Now, I'm watching a Fred Astair/Ginger Rogers movie. I'm giving up on it in the middle right now though to go to bed. I'm exhausted!

DRAMA CARPET

2007-12-29T17:52:00.000-07:00

I am exhausted today!. The morning started at 7:00 (after going to bed @ 1:00) My nephew Harrison (2) came over for me to watch while his parents went to the temple. So 5 girls and a two year old later... spending all day outside running around, digging up treasures with a metal detector in my back yard, climbing trees, playing tag, going for a walk down the street and generally trying to keep an eye on everyone is enough to wipe me out.. (and that was just what happened up to noon.) So, Myrna came over and we drove to Queen Creek to pick up the carpet. Remind me in the future, that if an entry ever says Queen Creek- no matter how good a deal it is to just skip it and move on.. the drive there was an hour long. So, in a big truck hauling a trailer.. gas being $3.15 a galon.. $60 later we got there. The carpet was stored in an outdoor unit.. not the best storing conditions. We had to dig it out and load it ourselves. I got it just to to check it out. I wouldn't use the pad- it's in a bunch of pieces, and looks like it may have gotten wet. I'll probably stick with my original plan and have the carpets that are already in the house cleaned (already have an appointment scheduled) and see how they do. If they turn out good- I'll just keep that in and save myself the hassle of removing the old, and hiring someone to install what I just picked up today. If nothing else, I can put the carpet back on Craigslist and re-sell it to get my $$ back. So, it was a pretty crazy day of running around. I definitely am going to bed early tonight.

FANTASTIC FIND!

2007-12-28T22:06:00.001-07:00

OK. so, I said I was going to be sanding today and I had every intention to.. Got out my little table to put the door on.. plugged in the sander I borrwed from Kent, had my scraper and water bottle out.. started sanding.. and was completely devistated that the doors were not in good condition.. the wood was splitting in areas, and the sanding was going to take FOREVER. I came to the conclusion that I need to get new doors for the house. I went to Home Depot to look at doors, countertops, cabinets and paint.. First of all- why is it that when you want help, no one is around, but when you don't want it 5 people ask you if you want help? Today I wanted help so of course no one was around. I was in the Countertop/kitchen cabinet area for about 15 min. Finally a guy shows up and asks if I need help. I told him I wanted an estimate on kitchen cabinets.. so after the guy works on the measurements I gave him he says it's going to be like $2000. You've got to be kidding! There's only about 30 sq feet of countertop space- and I wasn't even trying to get granite! So, no new countertops for me for a while.. another thing I'll have to save up for.. Then, after finding out that I needed 20 gallons of paint to repaint the house.. (at $100 per 5 gallon- because all paint is not the same as my brother seems to think.. Glidden is YUCKY- so no wonder it's only $60 per gallon.- dang it!) I checked out the utility cabinets and they're definitely not free. I got the paint- there's no way I'm waiting to do that.. I didn't even try to look at doors after finding out that I couldn't get anything else anyway.. Needless to say with no job yet, it was a very discouraging day. Projects that I wanted to do right away are going to have to wait for quite a while now. The day however did turn around. There's nothing funnier than to listen to what 10-12 year old girls talk about. But the best thing of the day was looking on Craigslist. I haven't been on in quite a while because, well, I have all the furniture that could possibly fit in my house already.. I was just checking out to see if someone had a great deal on wood floors. No such luck today, however, I did find some carpet for only $100. The description said it was new never used- enough to fill a house. I called on it and it's still available and the padding is included! How great is that?? So, it looks like I won't have to deal with 10 year old carpet after all! I am totally excited. The lady estimated she had 1000 sq ft. or more and since my house is only 1200 sq ft. it would be enough. Halelujah! I called my sister Myrna (the oldest girl) to see if she could take me out there since she's got a truck and Kent's is broken. So, we'll be heading out there to pick it up at 1:00 tomorrow. Here's the link to check it out.. http://phoenix.craigslist.org/mat/521788968.html So Myrna called me back after checking out the Materials section of Craigslist where I told her I found the carpet.. she'd never looked there before- I go all the time looking for cabinets.. anyway- she found some doors for $10 a piece! it's like a miracle!. I called the guy and left a message. hopefully he'll call back tomorrow. He had 4 bedroom doors w/6 panels- exactly how many I need in the right size. He also has a closet door that will fit in my hallway closet.. and a bedroom closet door- all the right sizes. So, hopefully he'll call me back and I'll get 6 doors for only $60. What a deal! So, anyway, the day turned out pretty great.

DOORS

2007-12-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

So, we're at the start of another new day. I think I'm going to start on the doors. Bedroom doors and closet doors. I'll start with the ones that have just been sitting in the wash room for the past 10 years. They need to be sanded down- some have extra texture on them, some have the paint flaking off.. Kent was going to texture them all.. I really don't like textured doors, so I've got to sand them down and start from scratch. I tried to sand one of them earlier this week and ended up breaking my sander because the texture was too thick, and there were too many layers of old paint to get through. So, I borrowed Kent's sander and his industrial strength sandpaper and will start working on it today after I go pick up two of my nieces for a sleep over at Grandma's this weekend. (there will be 6 girls in all staying over.. my 2nd oldest brother Steven's (who died last year) daughter couldn't make it over for Christmas day (she's living with her Uncle & Aunt on her mom's side who are fighting for custody- with our support- it's a long story..) so she's getting to come for the weekend. She wanted to also spend time with her girl cousins and somehow it turned into a weekend sleepover for everyone. The rest of her wish list was to go to "Grandma & Grandpa's favorite Restaurant"- which is Home Town Buffet, which cracks me up because that is like the old folks gathering place.. my parents are "regulars" there.. they know the manager & waitresses by name- and vice versa. They even know the other "regulars". Her other wish was to go to the park that they always took her to when she was younger. So, Saturday is all planned out. The weekend is going to be filled with giggleing girls for Grandma and sanding doors for me.

DAY 2

2007-12-27T11:16:00.000-07:00

So, this is my house. I love red brick houses. Ignore the yard.. that's on the last of my list of "things to do" So, we're on to another new day. Kent (my brother) started moving some stuff out of my house to his. I took some before pictures this morning just to show what a bachelor pad it's been, and how much work it's going to take to fix it up... but I'm totally excited to get started. He's cleaning some stuff out of the back yard today.. wahoo!!! It's a great house on a large lot, so my back yard is big which is fantastic. The biggest project of the house may be re-texturing. Kent did it a long time ago.. but it was more of a trial run and I don't really like it. He just did his house at the end of the block with a different type of texture that I like a lot better, so I'm thinking of having him re-texture this house. We'll see.

picture of the back of the house. I'm standing in the middle of the back yard.

1/2 of the kitchen- the counters are extra tall which I am so excited about. I just have to paint, replace the floor and countertops, and add some tall cabinets to the area I'm standing in which is by the fridge.

the bathroom- will be gutted.. I'm putting in a pedistal sink, new mirror, new lights, tile floors, new window, I'm also going to be cutting out part of the wall behind the door to add a closet door.. there's a closet outside the bathroom that I want to be able to access from inside the bathroom, so that will take some construction. Can't wait until this room is done.. It will probably be the first one to be worked on since I have all of the material for it already.

This is the middle bedroom which will be turned into my office/library. The wall on the left will be lined with bookshelves to store my books & movies. The wall on the right will hold my desk.

This is the front room/dinning area. My original plan was to put new wood floors throughout the house... but since I don't have a job right now.. that is going to be a project to be done after I move in. (6 mo. to a year.) This is going to be painted.. I'll have 2 accent color walls, I'll be adding new floor moulding and crown moulding. Can hardly wait to see my furniture in here.

In the beginning....

2007-12-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

So, I thought I'd try out blogging to track the progress of my new house.. I should have started it when I started refurbishing my furniture, but it's too late for that now, since it's finally done! (not to worry it only took 2 months- but it turned out beautifully) I would love to have a workshop so I could work on furniture more often.. but I'll have to be content to stick with a day job.

Here's an example of a project we (my sisters & I) did for a friend of ours- it was a surprise room "make-over" and this was an addition to the front room... The first picture is the drawing of what we wanted the project to look like.. (the base was a coffee table we bought and added on to to make the entertainment center.) the next picture is obviously the finished project. I think the hardest part about the project was getting the paint on the top we built to match the pre-done bottom. In the end, it turned out fantastic!