Between the house, kids, work, and other activities I haven't had much extra time. I've then had to spend a lot of time recuperating from doing waaaaaay too much lately, my body was not very happy with me for a few days there.
We FINALLY have our carpet in upstairs, thank goodness. Now will be moving things into the bedroom. It is going to be so nice having bedrooms and beds and space and doors that can close. 6 people in three rooms for this long is a little wearing.
I can't wait to have dressers again.
The nuttiness of a crazy crocheting and novice knitting mom of four.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
The temporary kid play area, Arenne, Colin, & Abbie intently using it.
The Living Room, new couch hasn't been delivered yet:
The dining room, currently a storage area and where the Wii is, Drew is found here often.
The other side of the dining room, again storage for now.
The laundry room:
Kitchen:
The master bathroom, will be painted. We've torn out that weird sliding curtain thing and I am in the middle of epoxying the shower/tub surround.
The Living Room, new couch hasn't been delivered yet:
The dining room, currently a storage area and where the Wii is, Drew is found here often.
The other side of the dining room, again storage for now.
The laundry room:
Kitchen:
The master bathroom, will be painted. We've torn out that weird sliding curtain thing and I am in the middle of epoxying the shower/tub surround.
even more pictures
This is the dog run in the backyard, the shed is pretty old, and there is concrete along with that lovely green umbrella.
We had this dumpster delivered as we knew there'd be lots of carpet and things thrown out. We filled maybe a fourth of it and let the former owners use it as they moved out (this saved us from having to throw it out ourselves). They filled the rest.
Natural Vegetation, yeah.
Side view of the deck, the tire and wood was left. The pvc piping was put up to hold an awning, we'll be removing it.
Very tall birdhouse
We had this dumpster delivered as we knew there'd be lots of carpet and things thrown out. We filled maybe a fourth of it and let the former owners use it as they moved out (this saved us from having to throw it out ourselves). They filled the rest.
Natural Vegetation, yeah.
Side view of the deck, the tire and wood was left. The pvc piping was put up to hold an awning, we'll be removing it.
Very tall birdhouse
The skeery basement
Next are pics of the basement, which had been annihilated by a very large Newfoundland and a small pooping and peeing everywhere dog. We still have one room to tear carpet out of and a lot more bleaching and cleaning. We're going to put a sealer paint down
on the floor. This is waiting while we finish the main floor.
Here are the stairs going down:
One of the best parts, rows of shelves!
Some things they left:
My Future Craft Room!
The absolute worst, very horrifying room, you are looking at dog hair, pee, and poop along with mold-which was thankfully on the surface of the wall. This carpet is now gone, as is the mold.
Eventually this will be the playroom, after much work. This carpet is also going, and there was surface mold here as well, it has been removed. All of that is stuff they left, although we don't mind the treadmill and big screen tv.
Once again, all they left. We have lots of extra paint now, although most of it has now been painted over.
The work are next to the shelves, a better part of the basement.
on the floor. This is waiting while we finish the main floor.
Here are the stairs going down:
One of the best parts, rows of shelves!
Some things they left:
My Future Craft Room!
The absolute worst, very horrifying room, you are looking at dog hair, pee, and poop along with mold-which was thankfully on the surface of the wall. This carpet is now gone, as is the mold.
Eventually this will be the playroom, after much work. This carpet is also going, and there was surface mold here as well, it has been removed. All of that is stuff they left, although we don't mind the treadmill and big screen tv.
Once again, all they left. We have lots of extra paint now, although most of it has now been painted over.
The work are next to the shelves, a better part of the basement.
As promised...pics!
First, the outside, we have a lot of work to do with the gardens and the outside needs painted, but the yard is huge and perfect for the kiddos:
Saturday, July 05, 2008
we've finally made it out of the ghetto!
We're officially in our new house. In case I have not clarified before, our old neighborhood was not an actual ghetto, but it is full of duplexes with a lot of people crammed into a small area. As it is mostly rentals you have a mix of people who care about where they live and those who definitely do not. We're in a smallish town in the midwest, its as ghetto as towns like ours get.
We've been renting for the entire eleven years of our marriage and are so very happy to FINALLY be in our own place. Thankfully the house has cleaned up much better than expected and the awful, horrible dog pee smell is confined to two rooms in the basement, which we're tearing the carpet out of. I'd love to power-wash them with bleach, but regular old scrubbing and mopping with bleach will have to do.
New carpet for the bedrooms and hallway upstairs will be (hopefully) installed at the end of the week, I'll be painting this week. Also painting the shower/tub in the main bath with epoxy and I just might have killed a few of my much needed brain cells with the fumes.
For now all six of us are living in three rooms of the house; living, dining, and kitchen-along with using the bathrooms. Yes, we're living like squatters. It's tight, but will be worth it once the carpet is in and we can move in all the furniture.
Too tired now, but promise pictures soon!
We've been renting for the entire eleven years of our marriage and are so very happy to FINALLY be in our own place. Thankfully the house has cleaned up much better than expected and the awful, horrible dog pee smell is confined to two rooms in the basement, which we're tearing the carpet out of. I'd love to power-wash them with bleach, but regular old scrubbing and mopping with bleach will have to do.
New carpet for the bedrooms and hallway upstairs will be (hopefully) installed at the end of the week, I'll be painting this week. Also painting the shower/tub in the main bath with epoxy and I just might have killed a few of my much needed brain cells with the fumes.
For now all six of us are living in three rooms of the house; living, dining, and kitchen-along with using the bathrooms. Yes, we're living like squatters. It's tight, but will be worth it once the carpet is in and we can move in all the furniture.
Too tired now, but promise pictures soon!
Friday, June 27, 2008
The good news
is that they are cleaning the house a bit as they move out, along with airing it out. It is MUCH better than when we'd been there last.
The bad news is I am STILL packing and we have a big gigantic ton of work to do over the next couple weeks.
Yay!
The bad news is I am STILL packing and we have a big gigantic ton of work to do over the next couple weeks.
Yay!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Finally here again
I once again forgot my email and password for this thing, until I remembered I use Mozilla and they are saved. Whew.
Where to start? On the health front I am having another flare, now the vasculitis is attacking my joints and causing arthritis. I feel like an old lady and am worried I am taking too many NSAID's. I started a new drug called Plaquinil, which will hopefully stop the joint damage in its tracks. I had to have an eye exam prior to starting it, apparently my eyes are reliable. I told the doctor I was happy to hear that something actually worked right. I'm having more of the jerks/shakes/tremors and hands aren't always working right, at least I've had a few years of this to get (mostly) used to it.
The five year old has climbed onto my lap in an effort to convince me he should get to do an "art projeck" using glue right now. I am staying strong with my no's. Colin+glue=scary, sticky disaster
On the home front-AACK GAH ACK HELP!! We're moving over the next week or so, the house we are moving into is a mess. Apparently the one or both of the dogs that have lived there have made it their mission to shit and piss everywhere. Contributing to the awfulness of it, the house has been closed up for a couple months. It SMELLS horrible and makes me want to cry. We have a LOT of work to do now, but have to wait for them to get the rest of their stuff out-of which there is a ton. Scary, scary, scary. We're trying to focus on the end result, instead of the process in getting there. We may just get drunk and stay that way through all of the work in cleaning it up.
Where to start? On the health front I am having another flare, now the vasculitis is attacking my joints and causing arthritis. I feel like an old lady and am worried I am taking too many NSAID's. I started a new drug called Plaquinil, which will hopefully stop the joint damage in its tracks. I had to have an eye exam prior to starting it, apparently my eyes are reliable. I told the doctor I was happy to hear that something actually worked right. I'm having more of the jerks/shakes/tremors and hands aren't always working right, at least I've had a few years of this to get (mostly) used to it.
The five year old has climbed onto my lap in an effort to convince me he should get to do an "art projeck" using glue right now. I am staying strong with my no's. Colin+glue=scary, sticky disaster
On the home front-AACK GAH ACK HELP!! We're moving over the next week or so, the house we are moving into is a mess. Apparently the one or both of the dogs that have lived there have made it their mission to shit and piss everywhere. Contributing to the awfulness of it, the house has been closed up for a couple months. It SMELLS horrible and makes me want to cry. We have a LOT of work to do now, but have to wait for them to get the rest of their stuff out-of which there is a ton. Scary, scary, scary. We're trying to focus on the end result, instead of the process in getting there. We may just get drunk and stay that way through all of the work in cleaning it up.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
So it's been a bit
and I know the plan was for me to blog every day this month, but I haven't made that goal. At all. At the moment I am watching "I think I Love My Wife..." starring Chris Rock. I wish I could say I like this movie, but at this point it just irritates the shit out of me with it's stupid cliches and ridiculousness. There is something about this whole crappy genre of movies that treat wives like they are this ball and chain or thing to be put up with that just completely irritates the shit out of me. Not even just wives, but even those who have long-term commitments, all of it. It is completely insulting that in movies we are relegated to picking out wall sconces and wallpaper and apparently that is all we are good for. Blech. And another blech.
The other thing is that it assumes wives are these are ignoramuses who would have NO IDEA that their husband is being a ridiculous jerk off chasing some chick who can't stand on her own two feet to find someone not already with another person. Starting a fight to get out of the house? Blech, yuck, patooey!
So on the real side of things, my kids are fantastic and doing great things every day. I have been having a crapload of arthritis and although I am handling it better mentally, it is really jacking with my daily agenda.
I have also decided that it is officially my mission to let other moms know that most of us are not at all together and prepared and FANTABULOUS, that there are only a very select few who are able to follow that mode and the rest of use muddle along in a realistic way. At the preschool program tonight I was told by three other mothers that were not prepared for dressing their kids up for the program and how they'd rushed to get them appropriate clothes for the night. And how they STILL felt unprepared for forgetting tights/shoes/whathaveyou. I made it a point to let them know two of my four were in lunch stained shirts and all four were in play clothes and we barely had their hair brushed before the program started. I let all of them know that if they were even tempted to feel bad they should think about us.
In the end, while I (briefly) considered rushing home for program type clothes, I decided to roll with it. It was not worth it to rush and go and do so my kids could wear some certain outfit. And not once during that program did I even think about my kids' clothes. I was focused on their smiles and how they sang and did they dance. It was fun and great and FANTABULOUS. Even if they weren't dressed up in their finest and polished up.
My goal is to affirm to other moms that while we feel pressured to achieve some damn goal, the achievers are few and far between and us catcher-uppers are more common than anyone would like to believe.
P.S. I do work for the Lutheran Church and there is a Minister in my title and I STILL am not a super-mom. So there. Take that.
The other thing is that it assumes wives are these are ignoramuses who would have NO IDEA that their husband is being a ridiculous jerk off chasing some chick who can't stand on her own two feet to find someone not already with another person. Starting a fight to get out of the house? Blech, yuck, patooey!
So on the real side of things, my kids are fantastic and doing great things every day. I have been having a crapload of arthritis and although I am handling it better mentally, it is really jacking with my daily agenda.
I have also decided that it is officially my mission to let other moms know that most of us are not at all together and prepared and FANTABULOUS, that there are only a very select few who are able to follow that mode and the rest of use muddle along in a realistic way. At the preschool program tonight I was told by three other mothers that were not prepared for dressing their kids up for the program and how they'd rushed to get them appropriate clothes for the night. And how they STILL felt unprepared for forgetting tights/shoes/whathaveyou. I made it a point to let them know two of my four were in lunch stained shirts and all four were in play clothes and we barely had their hair brushed before the program started. I let all of them know that if they were even tempted to feel bad they should think about us.
In the end, while I (briefly) considered rushing home for program type clothes, I decided to roll with it. It was not worth it to rush and go and do so my kids could wear some certain outfit. And not once during that program did I even think about my kids' clothes. I was focused on their smiles and how they sang and did they dance. It was fun and great and FANTABULOUS. Even if they weren't dressed up in their finest and polished up.
My goal is to affirm to other moms that while we feel pressured to achieve some damn goal, the achievers are few and far between and us catcher-uppers are more common than anyone would like to believe.
P.S. I do work for the Lutheran Church and there is a Minister in my title and I STILL am not a super-mom. So there. Take that.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Mother's Day is almost here...aaah.
Yesterday a friend and I went for manicures and pedicures to treat ourselves for Mother's Day. It was fantastic. I hadn't been for either in a looooong time and forgot how relaxing it is. They had wonderful massage chairs-the best I've ever sat in-and did a great job. I had been in a lot of pain yesterday so it was especially nice to feel better. We laughed and had fun and just relaxed. I was a tad overwhelmed and edgy before, so it was to my family's benefit as I came home much happier. Wish I could afford to do it every week.
I have got to get some pictures uploaded, but I am too lazy right now. Colin lost his FIRST tooth and is very excited. As the youngest he often feels like he has to wait FOREVER for these kinds of things and he wanted to pull the tooth out himself when it was barely wiggly. I got him to wait and we pulled it out this morning, he is very, very happy and showing off his grin all over the place. The tooth next to it is wiggly as well and won't be too far behind.
On a hugely exciting note we will be moving soon. We are buying a house! We'll be leasing to own for a couple years, the seller can avoid tax penalties and it gives us a bit more time to get the loan in place. We're getting a great deal and the house is PERFECT. We cannot wait, we've been renting for way, way too long and as much as we've made this our home it just isn't that great and could be taken care of much better by our landlords. It will be so nice to be in our own place and have our money going towards something instead of into someone's pocket.
I can't wait, and am so excited. Except the move will happen around mid to end of June and it's MAY and I have a lot to pack and do. GAH!
I have got to get some pictures uploaded, but I am too lazy right now. Colin lost his FIRST tooth and is very excited. As the youngest he often feels like he has to wait FOREVER for these kinds of things and he wanted to pull the tooth out himself when it was barely wiggly. I got him to wait and we pulled it out this morning, he is very, very happy and showing off his grin all over the place. The tooth next to it is wiggly as well and won't be too far behind.
On a hugely exciting note we will be moving soon. We are buying a house! We'll be leasing to own for a couple years, the seller can avoid tax penalties and it gives us a bit more time to get the loan in place. We're getting a great deal and the house is PERFECT. We cannot wait, we've been renting for way, way too long and as much as we've made this our home it just isn't that great and could be taken care of much better by our landlords. It will be so nice to be in our own place and have our money going towards something instead of into someone's pocket.
I can't wait, and am so excited. Except the move will happen around mid to end of June and it's MAY and I have a lot to pack and do. GAH!
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
I've started
yet another dishcloth. They are so handy and so easy to make and it is so easy to avoid working on a project that seems to be taking forever in favor of a quick little nifty dishcloth.
I'm toying with the idea of crocheting a bathroom rug or two, but because of the aforementioned projects I've been avoiding I don't want to start anything new. I really, really need to just buckle down and work on them. The crazy part is that I like working on them once I get going, so it makes no sense for me to avoid them.
I'm not sure why I expect myself to make sense though, you'd think I'd have gotten used to it by now.
I'm toying with the idea of crocheting a bathroom rug or two, but because of the aforementioned projects I've been avoiding I don't want to start anything new. I really, really need to just buckle down and work on them. The crazy part is that I like working on them once I get going, so it makes no sense for me to avoid them.
I'm not sure why I expect myself to make sense though, you'd think I'd have gotten used to it by now.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Collect your money
I officially missed yesterday. If only I had popped on to dash off a quick note. Except I didn't.
I spent much of the day at church where the line is often blurred between my volunteering and working. For some I am told to put down hours worked, but for others its all volunteered. I ended up with the notes from the two hour afternoon meeting as well personal notes for all the things asked/given to me to do as a result of the meeting. Wheeeee!
I also went to dinner with a friend and it was very nice, very nice! I think both of us needed a break from husbands/kids/jobs/houses to vent and talk and laugh. I felt much better, especially after being sick and in spite of having fifty bazillion thousand things to do at work and home.
Apparently it was also Ex-Boyfriend Day at the restaurant we went to for lunch. First I saw an ex who I had almost married and was with for a long time. I haven't run into him for at least 8 years and it was sort of strange because he looks older and it was a reminder that I also look older and am indeed in my 30's. The other is a good friend and our daughters and sons now play together and I've gotten over the weird we're grown-ups now factor with him. I did tell my mom that we needed to get out of there because after one or two more ex-boyfriend sightings it could only go downhill from there
I spent much of the day at church where the line is often blurred between my volunteering and working. For some I am told to put down hours worked, but for others its all volunteered. I ended up with the notes from the two hour afternoon meeting as well personal notes for all the things asked/given to me to do as a result of the meeting. Wheeeee!
I also went to dinner with a friend and it was very nice, very nice! I think both of us needed a break from husbands/kids/jobs/houses to vent and talk and laugh. I felt much better, especially after being sick and in spite of having fifty bazillion thousand things to do at work and home.
Apparently it was also Ex-Boyfriend Day at the restaurant we went to for lunch. First I saw an ex who I had almost married and was with for a long time. I haven't run into him for at least 8 years and it was sort of strange because he looks older and it was a reminder that I also look older and am indeed in my 30's. The other is a good friend and our daughters and sons now play together and I've gotten over the weird we're grown-ups now factor with him. I did tell my mom that we needed to get out of there because after one or two more ex-boyfriend sightings it could only go downhill from there
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Alright
so I made yesterday's post on the 1st, but then didn't get it posted until today. But it retained the original date. So there you go. My only defense is that I have once again caught the latest respiratory whatever going around.
Sometimes I feel like Charlie Brown.
Sometimes I feel like Charlie Brown.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
The handy thing about Identical Twins
is that if people want to know what they look like and there is only one of them around, I can say "There's another one just like her."*
*Disclaimer: Yes, we celebrate their individuality and they are not known as the twins or as one person, but as two entirely separate people who look very much the same.
This should've been my post for the 2nd, which I apparently did not actually publish to my blog.
*Disclaimer: Yes, we celebrate their individuality and they are not known as the twins or as one person, but as two entirely separate people who look very much the same.
This should've been my post for the 2nd, which I apparently did not actually publish to my blog.
I could've probably gotten away with
the post about posting every day in May as my actual first day of May post, but I'm going to shock you and post AGAIN! HA HA!
I had to post to show off Abbie & Arenne, who are now NINE years old and WAY WAY TOO OLD.
I realized the other day when talking with some moms about baby stuff that I no longer have any babies. I've known this for awhile, but this is the first time it really hit me that I NO LONGER HAVE ANY BABIES! I had four children in three and a half years and my world was baby central for so long. Wow. No babies. There's good and bad in that. The good is no more midnight bottles, diaper changes, diaper BUYING, spit-up, endless crying and all that. The bad is no more sweet baby smiles and giggles or baby head sniffing or soft baby cuddles, and well, you know the rest.
I will just have to snuggle other people's babies. And watch as mine get older and older every single minute.
I had to post to show off Abbie & Arenne, who are now NINE years old and WAY WAY TOO OLD.
I realized the other day when talking with some moms about baby stuff that I no longer have any babies. I've known this for awhile, but this is the first time it really hit me that I NO LONGER HAVE ANY BABIES! I had four children in three and a half years and my world was baby central for so long. Wow. No babies. There's good and bad in that. The good is no more midnight bottles, diaper changes, diaper BUYING, spit-up, endless crying and all that. The bad is no more sweet baby smiles and giggles or baby head sniffing or soft baby cuddles, and well, you know the rest.
I will just have to snuggle other people's babies. And watch as mine get older and older every single minute.
Blog A Day? I think I can, I think I can...
Sunday, April 27, 2008
I am officially a MOA
now that I have survived Advent, Christmas, Easter and Confirmation services. Whew.
The good news is that I am slowly but surely making my way through the mountains of files and learning the various equipment and software and feeling more on top of things every day. It helps to be feeling better and have more energy.
I had wanted to try to get some things made up for a craft fair we had this past weekend, unfortunately I have been having a rough go of it with the arthritis so I gave up on that idea. Hopefully next year. I did find some nice handmade rugs for my kitchen and get a new purse, woohoo!
I really, really hope to get some sleep tonight. This past week has been a restless one and I didn't have my usual time on the weekend to rest.
The good news is that I am slowly but surely making my way through the mountains of files and learning the various equipment and software and feeling more on top of things every day. It helps to be feeling better and have more energy.
I had wanted to try to get some things made up for a craft fair we had this past weekend, unfortunately I have been having a rough go of it with the arthritis so I gave up on that idea. Hopefully next year. I did find some nice handmade rugs for my kitchen and get a new purse, woohoo!
I really, really hope to get some sleep tonight. This past week has been a restless one and I didn't have my usual time on the weekend to rest.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Not bad, not bad at all
were my doctors words at my appt yesterday. I told him that was good because I wasn't overly fond of bad.
I haven't needed an epogen or neuprogen shot in 3 weeks and after a fun-filled day and night of keeping my urine in a jug and then a big bad blood draw yesterday morning and THEN my doctor's visit I have found that all my levels look very good and things are going pretty darn well.
I do not have to go back for a month. I have a whole month of no blood draws, no hospital or doctor visits, no injections. A MONTH.
I will still have to do the whole pee in a jug thing along with the blood draws in a month, but I'll take every bit I can get.
I also get to take one less med. Life is good, not bad, not bad at all.
I haven't needed an epogen or neuprogen shot in 3 weeks and after a fun-filled day and night of keeping my urine in a jug and then a big bad blood draw yesterday morning and THEN my doctor's visit I have found that all my levels look very good and things are going pretty darn well.
I do not have to go back for a month. I have a whole month of no blood draws, no hospital or doctor visits, no injections. A MONTH.
I will still have to do the whole pee in a jug thing along with the blood draws in a month, but I'll take every bit I can get.
I also get to take one less med. Life is good, not bad, not bad at all.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Yeah, I'm not finishing the photo post
because it has been forever and I just don't feel like it.
Sorry for not posting for so long, I am really not feeling well. Lots of joint pain, probably due to the dampness and rain.
I am not all that witty or interesting at the moment, but I am crocheting & knitting. At some point I will actually put some pics up.
Abbie & Arenne turned 9, it is so crazy how old they are getting, it's just too fast! They had a dog party centered around my mom's new dog, Petey. It was hilarious and a lot of fun.
Hopefully I will be on again soon and a little more interesting!
Sorry for not posting for so long, I am really not feeling well. Lots of joint pain, probably due to the dampness and rain.
I am not all that witty or interesting at the moment, but I am crocheting & knitting. At some point I will actually put some pics up.
Abbie & Arenne turned 9, it is so crazy how old they are getting, it's just too fast! They had a dog party centered around my mom's new dog, Petey. It was hilarious and a lot of fun.
Hopefully I will be on again soon and a little more interesting!
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