The end is near

All floors are finished and I have to pat myself on the back and say that by the time I got half way through the second one, I was a PRO! The library floor went in like little pieces of perfection. I even cut that funky little T-shaped piece in front of the bathroom door and it fit exactly right. Go me! Today I'm putting the molding on the floor, laying the final pieces in Em's room and cleaning house.
Tomorrow, the move begins!
I have to clean out the van :( That's going to be a raunchy old mess. It looks like we've been living in it for the past two months. I have more fast food bags, wrappers and cups than McDonalds. YUCK.
We're under tornado watch this morning. I have no desire to be involved in any way with a tornado, but the days when the weather is suited to them, they're awesome. There is a stillness unmatched by any other natural event, like it's big enough that even the trees stop to wait for what might happen. Like the earth is holding its breath. I love the storms of summer. Yesterday was our first great huge storm of the season and it was awesome. Through the sky dark clouds crept slowly, throwing bolts of lightening out all around. Thunder rumbled like an angry giant. I sat on the porch alone watching it for a little while before I started to work.
The best storm I've ever witnessed happened while we were vacationing in Shenendoah National Park two summers ago. We had spent the day in the valley and were returning late at night. We could see it coming when we came out of the grocery store where we had restocked a lot of our supplies and could tell it was going to be a big one. The ride back up the mountain was treacherous. The rain hammered the van so hard we could hardly see at times. When we finally made it back to our cabin we were relieved. There was no air conditioning in the cabin so the first order of business after returning on any day was always to open the back door. The little cabin sat not far away from the mountain's edge. I forget which one of the kids opened the back door but I remember well the squeal of fearful excitement..."We're above the clouds!"
We all rushed out the door to see what she (it had to be one of the girls) was talking about and sure enough, the storm was boiling just below the top of the mountain and from where we stood we could see the lightening build and break before it streaked toward the ground far, far below us. Lightening, when it happens, seems like it would stretch infinitely in all directions, but it doesn't, or at least it didn't in this storm. From the clouds below us we could see a "top" to the lightening, like the head of a giant sledge hammer, this huge, energetic mass would start to light and flicker, it would churn and seem to roll, then from the center the concentrated beam would come busting out like a laser beam. It was incredible. We stood on the porch for over an hour just watching it and thought about how neat it was that all that was happening below us and we were still getting rain - like there were two levels to the storm and if that was the case, we were smack in the middle of it. How cool is that?

I've got floor!

I spent an hour and a half cussing the first two rows of flooring. I swear installation instructions are written by men with the intelligence levels of a turd. First row installation procedure is ALL that was explained. The first row is a cinch. It's figuring out how to get the rest of them to lock in place that needs instructions. It took a little while, but we finally reinvented that wheel and the laying of the floor went at record speed. Why do instruction writers have to make it such a mystery?

Today Em's room, tomorrow (or later today) the library! After that only the entry room tile awaits being laid (layed?). Oh, there is still the floor to do in the old kitchen and hallway. I feel like the most popular trashy girl in high school.
Ba Da Bomp.

My right knee is swollen and it's a pretty sure bet my toe is broken. The knee is the result of too much time crawling on the floors and climbing ladders I think. It will feel better once it's all done I'm sure. I hope. I didn't sleep well at all last night. I went to bed with the ice pack on my knee and woke up in a wet spot that's sure to take days to dry out. I won't do that again. For a minute there I was sure someone had wet the bed. Laundry has been going since before six this morning so it's looking like I'll at least get partially caught up with that. That will be a great thing for sure. I'm running out of clean underwear.

Little bits of this and that

The kids bathroom window overlooks the screened porch. Not long ago a little bird built a nest and laid 5 of the most beautiful blue/green eggs. Every day we'd peek through the window to see if she was gone then raise the window carefully to count the eggs. They hatched on Tuesday morning so now we have 5 of the cutest little (and apparently starving) birds, chirping away and demanding their supper. All it takes to get them going is the sound of our footsteps in the bathroom. Turn on the water, they're up screaming and craning their little necks for food. Turn on the light, more chirping. The kids and I watch them through the glass like they are some kind of museum exhibit. Each one of us have to fight hard against the urge to take one of them into our hand just to see what they would feel like. Soon enough we'll have baby chicks, I tell them, and then you can fondle all the feathery little creatures that chirp that you want to.
This morning I went to check on the little birds and stopped to pee. I had no more got sat down when the bathroom door starts to creak open. I look over and see The Pig and Winkin - paws against the door where they had raised up on it to force their way in. Their little paws sliding down to the ground as the door opened wider. They sidled into the bathroom, Mosquito along with them, and came over to make me pet them. It's happened for years and years and I shouldn't be surprised that it takes actual concentration to pee, but I've never got over the fact that they can literally interrupt my bathroom break and I can't finish going until they've had their fill of petting and wandered off to inspect the bathtub or the laundry basket. It's like stealing yawns. Winkin steals yawns. Open your mouth wide for anything and she's going to stick her pink little nose right in front of it to check out your fillings. It's aggravating. There's no great feeling of relief from a pee or a yawn interrupted.

I think I may have broke my little toe last night. Either that or it's hurt real bad. Real bad. This morning it throbs like a headache and when I walk it feels like somebody is hitting it with a hammer. It's all purplish red and puffy. I just hope I can avoid causing it pain all day while I'm scooting around laying floor. Today will FINALLY be floor day. Yay me! I thought yesterday would be floor day but every single day there is something else waiting to be done first. Touch up this. Oops, I forgot I had to do that. Geesh, you're not going to leave the trim in Jake's room only half painted are you? Jake's doors and windows await painting today and if there is any way possible for me to pass that duty on to my uncle or Leirin, I'm going to let them have it. I've cut the doors in so they won't be too hard for her to do. She's turning into a pretty darn good painter.

Our bedroom can't have anything done until we make sure there is no wetness hiding behind the walls where the chimney flashing was leaking. That's a pisser - knowing that MY relaxing spot isn't going to be finished by the time we move in. I have to wait for the man to come inspect it though. No use going through all that work to find out the walls must be ripped out. Once the builder guy comes he will start working on the bathrooms. Ceilings have to come out in two of them and the other will be completely gutted. It will feel, I'm sure, like two steps back. I can see it coming to an end though. The getting ready part that is. We still have to move and that's a whole 'nother mess yet to begin.

We didn't get to go to the house to do any work today, but a lot had to be done nonetheless. Emily and Jacob had their appointments with the specialist today. Em, to get the results of her CT scan and Jake for his initial exam. Emily's sinuses are perfect...quite a surprise. It is indeed her adnoids causing the problem. He also discovered a mole on her neck that will need to be removed. Though she's only had it for a couple of months, it caused him quite a bit of concern. The mole and adenoid removal will have to be done by the end of summer.
By the time Emily was two years old she had two moles removed that showed signs of cellular changes. It signaled, the pathologist said, extreme amounts of overexposure to the sun. The kind of results someone would have that had spent a lifetime in the sun...not two years. My FIL has had every type of skin cancer known to man...a zillion times over. It worries me that Emily can have something pop up and become such a worry in such a short time - particularly since we don't allow her to spend any time in the sun unprotected. She's only eight years old. It's like fighting an invisible demon. We're ever watchful and still don't see it coming sometimes.

Jake was a much more simple matter. He doesn't even require tests. His adenoids are so massive, they can be seen with a light shined into his throat and a little "ahhhhh" from him.

I'm relieved to know that they may have the same excellent results from the removal that Leirin has enjoyed. She has had two ear infections in ten years and bronchitis once instead of the dozens of cases that Jacob has had over the past 7 years. Maybe we won't spend two months with a severely stuffy nose and lingering congestion filled coughs any longer. Line'em up. Cut'em out. Of course I have the little twinge of worry at sending both of my kids "under". It's a difficult thing to send them into a situation that is entirely out of your control. Waiting is hard. Sending them off full of fear of the unknown that is about to happen to them, knowing they feel the need for you to be with them, it's crushing. But I know it will be the best thing for both of them. The doctor said to call him once we get moved and settled in and he will set them both up for the same day. We'll have it behind us then and hopefully they will enjoy many much more healthy years ahead.

After the doctor's appointment, we stopped by Lowes to buy floor for the library. It's beautiful and I can't wait to see it in the room. A little more shopping netted us a cushion for the front porch rocker, a lamp for the office, a perfectamundo coffee cup for me in happy lavender with a great huge handle that my whole hand will fit through (it is a quest of mine to find the perfect coffee cup) and lots of other little goodies. We stopped by Leirin's friend Alex's house to pick up the leather chair and ottoman we bought from them and have a short visit before they return to Ireland tomorrow. We have really enjoyed getting to know her family. Her Irish mother and Japanese step-father have given us a glimpse of other places we've never had before. It is the one thing I will miss about this college town. There is a diversity here that you will not find in any of the surrounding areas.
After we loaded up, we dropped everything at the new house and sat on the porch for a few minutes to catch our breath and enjoyed the evening breeze before heading back to the restaurant for dinner together. When we got to the restaurant we found out that one of our girls (a server) had a heart attack. It's not the first and surely won't be the last but it sends me into this hole of despair every time. She is just sixteen years old and it is so wrong that she suffers this way. She is young enough to be my daughter and it hurts me that there is nothing, NOTHING, that can be done. She might get a new heart some day. If she lives that long. What a thing that must be to carry at her age. What it must do to her mother, I can't even imagine. She is home now - as is normal. She has a heart attack and if she doesn't die they send her home. No time in the hospital...just a big bottle of aspirin and one of nitroglycerine tablets in her purse. Her purse should hold notes passed in class, notepads with the names of cute boys scribbled on the cover in big puffy letters, a wallet that holds more hope than money - not heart medicine.
I feel so selfish every time I think of it and I'm thankful my kids are not facing such things, but I am. I don't think I'm built to handle that kind of thing. I don't understand how people do it, but they definitely have something that I'm lacking.

We were home by 8:00 tonight for the first time in a while. I sat down and ate the rest of the chocolate dipped strawberries Doug brough home for me from the wedding he catered (he always makes extra for me). They had to be eaten tonight because the moisture is starting to seep from the berries and loosen the chocolate. So I did. I ate them all, except the one I gave to each of the kids. If I'd had any sense, I'd have broke out a fruity bottle of cheap wine to drink with them, but they were good anyway. The rest has been nice, though I should have taken my bath first thing after I got home - maybe ate the strawberries in the tub with candle light all around. That would have been good. Hindsight and all that. It's not easy to make myself move at this point when all I want to do is curl up in bed and sleep. Soon enough I'll only have a shower available though, so I want to get those baths every chance I get.

Animaniacs

I think most everybody knows I live with a lot of animals. Including the puppy we just found, we have 6 dogs and 7 cats. Shedding season is upon us so the cats stay outside as much as possible, except for Winkin' since she is missing an eye, her claws and is partly blind in the eye she has left. They are forever doing goofy things and for some reason, this morning has them all acting incredibly dumb. Here's a short list of this morning's antics from the fur crowd at my house.

Winkin stepped on the power button for the shredder then tried to stick her face in the slot to see what was making that cool noise. Is it like a toilet flushing?

Luna (the insane-o min pin) evidently has a barking switch that is activated by the sliding glass door opening. As soon as it's opened, she runs out of the house, wide open, barking at an irritating pitch. She does not stop until I threaten death (which is every time). Inside the dog never makes a noise. She can not, however, be outdoors without barking her fool self to death. It's that small dog syndrome. They have to act big. One day I'm going to punt her little nubby tail right over into the neighbor's yard and let her see the big dogs she's constantly threatening right up close. Stupid dog.

Simon (the Siamese) has rolled off the couch no less than THREE times this morning. When he decides he wants a tummy rub, his head just stops thinking about that narrow thing he's sitting on and the width of his butt in comparison. He falls right to the floor with a big THUD and hops right back up with an "I meant to do that" look. yeah, it's part of the routine. He gets his tummy rub and everybody's happy.

One trip into the bathroom reveals that Brandy has been hanging out in the bathtub (still damp from last night's showers)making neat little doggy footprints. She has this thing for the pattern of perfectly dirty little paws on slick, white surfaces. How she manages to walk right up the sides of the tub in such a straight line is beyond me.

The stray puppy has puked all over the kitchen floor. Probably shouldn't have eaten that slipper or the stick? she found in the back yard.

Pooh kitty has sat in front of the door and screamed to get out within 5 minutes of being let in ALL MORNING LONG. I don't know what his deal is.

Fatty cat gave birth to a 40 pound hairball under the hutch. I huge floating mass of black fur ghosties. I'm gonna have to chase that thing down at some point and kill it.

Mosquito knocked over the freshly folded pile of laundry. Twice.

Gimli ate a pasta serving spoon. My bad. I'm the one that did the slack cleaning job on the kitchen and left it out.

Such is my life most days. They're not always so much work and the rewards are great but man, sometimes they wear me ragged.

Long Day

We managed to put in a full twelve hours at the house today. Tomorrow we'll finish pulling carpet tacking out of Em's floor, get carpet out of Leirin's room and the library, touch up and lay floor. If we stay on schedule we should be ready to move this weekend.
I was painting the music room this afternoon. One of the doors is out of square and there is a gap between the corner of the trim and the wall. If you get enough light through that gap you can see the original beadboard walls that remain behind the sheetrock. Add this to the fact that under that staple on ceiling tile is lovely tongue and groove pine ceilings, you have the makings for a major overhaul sometime down the line. At the moment though, all I'm interested in is getting moved in. I'll get that big remodel itch soon enough. For now it's all about the moving. And the party that we're having once we move in.
During our last rest out on the porch at sunset the kids decided to walk down the drive. They'd walk to the road, back up to the house, circle around the back yard and head down the drive way again. They must have walked 2 miles by the time they were done. Doug and I stayed behind on the front porch to enjoy the ever present breeze and the colors of the evening sky. We heard the tree frogs and crickets wake for the evening and watched as the first stars started twinkling in the sky and he said "I'm so glad you decided to come and look at this house."
So am I. We're so close now.

Have a q-tip

Tonight I was on my way from Easley to Seneca and both the kids were asleep in the back of the van so I called to check in with my brother. I've been nothing but on the road for the last week and I haven't talked to him at all. We talked for a few minutes and he started to tell me all about Austin's (the nephew's) latest hijinks. Austin, like most little boys that are two years old, is all boy. His favorite movie is Lord of the Rings (any of them) and he likes a bit of swashbuckling. Anything that can be swung around his head becomes a weapon. Give him his golf clubs and he wants to sword fight. Bat and ball...swordfight. Toilet brush...it all equals swordfight.
Earlier this evening Austin came into the living room where his mama was sitting. He had his bat behind his back which meant another weapon was also hiding back there in his other hand. Terry knows the drill and she held out her hand to receive her weapon. Austin handed her a Q-tip and whacked her in the leg with his baseball bat!

I love two year olds!

Am frantically working to get the house ready. Today was the last day of school and wouldn't you know Em has a birthday party tomorrow from 10-12. Jake has a scout meeting Sunday. Leirin begins working on the farm on Monday and Em and Jake have appointments with the specialist on Wednesday. I just can't get a break. I hope we manage to get moved in before school starts back again. At this rate, I'm beginning to seriously doubt it.

School's out for summer!

Well, in two half days it is. Still I can't keep the song out of my head. I actually volunteered to take my kids out of school last week after they collected all the books, but nooooo. Ok, so I get more excited about summer than my kids do. Em is still battling bouts of crying over "the end" (she's so dramatic) and Leirin, though a bit more mellow about it, wasn't interested in jumpstarting summer either. Duds they are.
Hey, I have things to do. Lots of things.
I have a lot of rooms left to paint and flooring scattered all over the dining room waiting to be installed once it is through "acclimating". I'm ready to get on with it already. Actually I'm ready to be done with it already. Em will be home by about 11:30 in the morning (why they have at least two half days at the end of the year is beyond me) and we're out of the gate by noon after having a less than healthy lunch over which we will discuss (and lament, I'm sure) the end of the year. The end of an era even. Next year will bring an entirely new school and all new friends. GAH! It's just so tragic! **Really I am sympathetic to my kids and I remind them frequently that we aren't going but 10 miles down the road and they can still see their friends. Shoot, they're even more likely to want to come over to play since we will be the only house with our own forest. I just need them to cut me a little slack so I can get this over with so they can feel settled again. I do know what it's doing to them.
Truthfully, it's stretching all our nerves a little thin. We feel like we're stuck somewhere between the transporter bay and the coordinates. Great unmaterialised blobs of nothing with somewhere to go, somewhere to return to, but are in a state of nothingness right now. I just watched Star Trek a while ago. Forgive me. It had to be the Star Trek reference because if I'd used Angel to make my point I'd have had to say.................
I'm not sure what I'd say. Disappointing show. Incredibly well done and about 2 hours too short. Left wide open with so much unexplained. So much unsaid. So many HUH?s Illryia was a real bad ass. I decided I like her a lot. "I want to do more violence," she said. There are days I can totally relate. There wasn't near enough Spike and what about the prophecy? Who gets to be the real boy? Oh well. Can't hope for too much in an hour. Maybe there will be movies. Better yet, Spike tv! At least Star Trek delivered.
Allie continues to be quite the good girl. Not once have I mopped her pee or had to scoop poop from any dark hidden corner. Those floppy little ears enchant me. Gosh I love puppies.
I'm going to try to get in bed a bit early tonight because tomorrow I hit the ground running. There is laundry to finish up here, toilets to scrub, animals to feed and boxes to pack and load. All before Em gets home. But first it will be coffee. Tanzanian Peaberry, mmmmmmmmm, my favorite. Sweet dreams.

Allie being good so she can go with Jake.
copyright 2003

Overheard

Jake was talking to the puppy we found yesterday. He said, “Doggy, this is the deal. We are renting this house and I hope that we can keep you ‘cause we’ll be moving soon and I want you to come with us so you gotta be good.”

Help me.

Blogging all the time

I don't think I've ever posted more than I have in the last few days. So much is going on that I seem to barely get time to sit down, and I seldom feel like I have got any rest, but somehow I've managed post after post here. It's good, I guess because the days are flying by at blazing speed. There may come a time when I don't remember the frantic euphoria of right now...maybe as early as next week. I've been up since a little before 4 this morning. It's been so many years since I got more than 5 hours sleep, it's what I get for going to bed before 11pm last night. Too bad too, I could really use a few more hours. Down in the kitchen the dishwasher is running, filling the house with the hum of spinning water thingies. Upstairs, laundry tumbles in the dryer and more waits in the basket for it's turn at clean. Still not much is clean in the house thesedays. I'm hoping another cup of coffee will see me off and running and the house might be a little closer to presentable by the time the girls leave for school. One can only hope.
Yesterday my brother brought his wife and Austin to the house. Terry (brother's wife) hadn't got to see the house yet and Austin was due for some heavy duty running around (which he got out in the yard). I was, as always, proud to show it off and point out all the little quirks that make the house so special to me - like the green door in the kids livingroom that opens to a wall, and the rough little original kitchen, so quaint with the antique wood and metal cabinets and crooked beadboard ceilings and walls. I was amazed when Terry claimed that particular room her favorite in the house. It's tiny, it's so...old, and John told me yesterday that she's told him repeatedly that she thinks the greatest things in the world are electricity and hair products. I happen to know that nail polish ranks right up there too. And lest I give the impression that my sister-in-law is a superficial type I'll throw out the disclaimer and say she is most definitely NOT. While she is beautiful and well-groomed, she likes cleaning house, mowing the lawn, rummaging around with her metal detector and playing with cats. It means a lot to me that my family loves the house and can understand why we chose to move "away" (outside of 15 minutes drive from all other family) and I'm very relieved every time someone new sees the place and gushes over it's perfection. Terry even suggested having Pop's retirement party there at the house. A big party is definitely in the works. I wonder if anyone will get drunk enough to volunteer to cut grass? Probably, but I doubt the volunteering to mow part.
Last night when we were taking a break between scrubbing kitchen cabinets and priming ceilings (my arms were killing me) we sat on the porch rocking in the naturally crackled chairs on the front porch. Doug said "It is peaceful here isn't it?" and I was thrilled to see that he seemed to understand the feeling that had grabbed me when we looked at this house. In spite of the fact that it did not come ready to move in, it is perfect for us - quirky kitchen, window on the inside of the house, and green door to nowhere - all of it.
Emily's room is now complete and so is the sewing room in back. The old kitchen still waits cleaning and painting of the cabinets and the floor, but I think that will wait until later on because we still have to replace the windows in there. Speaking of windows, Doug knocked out one of the panes of glass in the kitchen window yesterday. The exterior glazing is non-existant and when he went to swat the wasp that had snuck inside with one of us through the front door, it just fell out. Easy enough to fix. Just add it to the list. I'll get to it at some point, I'm sure. Thank goodness for the storm windows.
Today I'm taking the day off. Not exactly a day off, I'm shopping for flooring and heading into Anderson where the Home Depot is much larger than the one we have in Seneca. If I ever go back to work it will be in Lowes, Home Depot or a book store.

Lost and Found

We were coming home from Lowes tonight (yes, I practically live there thesedays) and we found a puppy that had apparently been abandoned at the entrance to the recycling center and the large plant that occupy all the land on this particular road. She has the face of a border collie but it's all black except for her adorable chin. She isn't tiny but she's pretty young and she still has that sweet puppy breath. (awwww, I seriously love puppy breath).
We're calling her Allie. Though we assume she was dumped there because of the location and the fact that she hesitated to come when she was called as if she was afraid and her flea collar was on so tight it was cutting into her neck, we will try to find her owners. It's doubtful though. After ten years of rescue work you get good at reading the animals reaction and the places they turn up. Most likely we will end up trying to place her in a new home soon. She will make someone a really wonderful pet. If we don't find one, she will become our yard dog, I'm sure. That's the way it always works. It's why we have six dogs already (on less than one acre) Surely the fifteen acres at the new house will free up room for one more. We'll have to see how it plays out.

Not much going on on the remodeling front. It will be a few weeks still before the guy can come to start work on the bathrooms because he's finishing up two jobs at the moment. I, on the other hand, got all the rooms primed today and I'm ready to begin putting on top coats of paint YAY! We have all the paint. The kids have picked some really cheerful colors. It's going to be a happy looking house. I am very glad that Home Depot has been happy to custom match the Alexander Julian color chips I get at Lowes and put them in Behr paint for me. Nothing can beat Behr. I started out using the best brand of paint Lowes carries, but it don't compare to Behr. I got a beautiful color called Moonshine and one called Honey Moon. I like their color names as much as I like the colors. Great undertones and even bright cheerful colors look elegant and natural. I have to go look at one more type of flooring tomorrow and then I'll make the decision. As soon as rooms are completed, carpet will come out and floors go in. The plan is to be moved in by June 7th. I gotta hurry!

This is Luna, our Min Pin. Surely (in her own eyes) the most ferocious little dog ever to walk the earth. Too bad her smaller than a cat, 7 lb body makes it difficult for her to get that point across to people. Leirin decided to help her with her image. We caught Luna sleeping on my bed the other night so Leirin posed her lips and finally came up with this photo. It should do wonders for her ranks in the I AM viscious ratings. And yes, she slept through the whole thing...only yawned when it was over and moved to a more comfy position. I noticed that photo posts remove the comments links from below. I'm not sure why it does that so if you have anything to say about my mean old puppy dog or my ufo sighting email me at geekymom@bellsouth.net. Happy Day to ya!
copyright 2003

At 8:09 pm last night I was getting out of the car to go into Lowes (where else?) and these lights in the sky caught my eye. I have no idea what they were, but we watched them until sunset at 8:25. I am not sure but I think if you click on the picture it will show you a larger picture. This is the first time I've used HELLO to put a picture on here so I don't know how it works. They were brilliant white, brighter than stars and...I'm not sure how to say it...reflective? We stood, along with several other people in the parking lot, speculating on what they might possibly be. From the West, a jet approached and when it got within a short range of the lights, they just vanished. Gone. So it may or may not be a UFO but it's a sighting - one of many that I've had of lights in the sky I didn't understand. But this time I got pictures. Cool.
copyright 2003

Never gettin' done

Everytime I think "Today I'll finish those three rooms, FINALLY." I don't. I'm not sure why it is that I can't seem to get things going in there any faster than they are. It may have something to do with the fact that it takes me a good part of the morning to do a little work in this house. I mean, the dogs do have to eat and get some time outside before they are locked inside to await my return. I have to do dishes sometime because in spite of the fact that we've not eaten a meal at home in days, somehow we still manage to fill the dishwasher regularly. I still haven't figured out how that happens yet. Of course there's no slowing down the laundry. And I've mentioned already that it's shedding season. We are the House of Hair thesedays.
I have an hour before Leirin gets home and we'll be off again to work for a few hours in hopes that I can get both floors in tonight, paint a ceiling, and prime two doors and trim. Leirin will be there to help with the priming and painting the ceiling. Jake and Em are great help with flooring. I can't wait until school is out. Maybe a week with no interruptions in the day (like having to come back home to meet Em's schoolbus) will see me get a lot more accomplished. Things are turning out nicely but my GOD they are going slow.
If I get the rooms done tonight I'll have more pics on the photo blog.

I'm moving!

Today I have packed up two loads of boxes from the house and moved to storage at the new house. Amazing how much my van holds. Thumbs up Honda!!! I knew Fatty was shedding but not that much. To be fair, it is shedding season, especially for very long haired, fat, black kitty cats, but geesh! The space on the floor between the boxes (where she has taken to napping) looks like a violent new breed of snow storm swept through.
I'm a little disappointed that getting the boxes out didn't really help the house to look much cleaner, but I think a broom and dustpan will go a long way toward helping that.
If anyone is interested in seeing our new house (and a picture of the most beautiful daughter in the whole world) check out the link to my photo blog on the left. The batteries went dead in the camera before I got a lot of pictures but I'll be adding more soon, along with tales of remodeling adventures. Tomorrow I'll take the next load out to the house and lay the floor in the sewing room. If all goes well, I may get the ceiling painted in the soaping room (old kitchen) and get the floor in there too. Go me! A couple of touch ups on Emily's room and I'll be set for tearing out carpet and laying the new floor in there...hopefully by the weekend when I can draft my brother to help me. That depends on how much luck I have learning how to operate the paint sprayer though. If it goes well, I may just paint the whole house this weekend (best case senario). If I end up laying all the floors then it will obviously not have gone well with the compressor.
Anyway, I'm tired tonight after hauling heavy boxes full of books. I'm a really not smart packer. I tried to be but I've never packed a house before and I'm afraid my ignorance is being felt by my back. I'm in need of a long soak and a good episode of Angel. Spike makes everything better.

I stayed awake all day yesterday except for the couple of times I dozed off while reading and snatched a ten minute nap. It was a busy day. Doug took me shopping for an air compressor so I can spray the paint (this is assuming I learn how to use it well - I really hope I can). I will eventually get the sandblaster and nail gun. Those are both pretty dang cool. Leirin can't wait to try air brushing since we bought that kit to go with it too.
Doug has been plagued with car trouble lately. The Acura had a busted radiator. Got that fixed only to have the heater coil bust and find out that will cost 900 dollars to fix. For the moment the heating system has been bypassed and all it will mean is no heat come winter time which, for the moment, is ok, but that is only because it was over 90 degrees yesterday. We'll both be looking to light a fire in it come cold weather. We have some time to make a decision or get a new car though. So while the Acura was in the shop yesterday awaiting the diagnosis he drove the Mustang. I followed him in to work so he could drop it off for new tires. While we've worked on the restoration we just kept the dry rotting tires filled with air and didn't intend to put new tires on it until it was actually driven regularly. Idling in the drive doesn't require decent tread. At shortly after 3 I got a call from Doug saying he ran out of gas (gas meter thingy is apparently broken and doesn't move below 1/4 tank) and could I bring gas? Sure. Cranked right up but didn't run worth a crap after that. When he stopped to fill the tank at the gas station it wouldn't crank up again.
Sometimes I really regret that I ever bought that car for him. I grew up spending weekends doing something to the cars. It's the thing to do. You change the oil, clean the plugs, take something apart, or just take it off, because...well, I'm not sure about the because part. It's just what we did. Must be a redneck right of passage. Now that cars are a lot more complicated, I don't know squat about them. I really wish he could have loved that car. He does love it but only when it works...forget the restoring part and a car is like a woman really. You can't leave her sitting until you need her in an emergency and expect performance. With the way work goes for him, he doesn't have time to enjoy things like tinkering with cars, so it treats him like a woman scorned. I wish he did, but honestly that car is my dream, not his. He would have much preferred an old Porsche or Mazda RX whatever it was (7?) One of those might have held his interest in spite of work or at least motivated him to have me arrange for restoration. The 1966 Mustang was, and still is, my favorite. If the seat came up far enough for me to push the clutch all the way in and still see over the steering wheel and it had power steering, I'd claim it for myself. That's an awful lot of ifs though.I don't know what we will end up doing.

It's almost 3:30 and I've slept for an hour and a half tonight. I think I may have worked too hard today because I was bone tired when I went to bed and naturally I couldn't sleep. I'm sitting here now resigned to the fact that I'm up for the night. As soon as I finish puttering about here at my desk, I will fold some clothes and start cleaning the house. It's just as well, I suppose, because the house sure does need it. I've worked the entire week on three rooms in the house and not one of them are finished yet. I have a window to paint in one room still before I can lay the floor, a ceiling to paint in another and the floor to install there, and two doors to prime and trim in the third then I can rip out carpet and get it ready for the new floor. I have got to change my method because it's just not moving fast enough.
The good news is that Doug is taking me shopping tomorrow to buy a compressor with a paint sprayer and nail gun attachment. That should really speed up the painting process and when it comes time to put the floor in, it will save my hands a lot of pain. I hope. I know squat about air compressors and tools you can use with them. It all sounds good though.
I had a really great Mother's Day. Jake made me a sweet little card and wrapped several of his own personal treasures up in toilet paper to give to me. Emily had made me several beautiful cards and my mom gave me a pair of shorty pajamas. I can usually count on my mom to keep me supplied with soft pj's.
I had some problems painting the back door this afternoon. There is a wasp nest right inside the screen door and the wasp was none too happy when we tried to shoo him away. Being that I'm allergic to bee stings, we ended up giving up and saving that part of the trim for another day. We bought wasp and hornet spray on the way home tonight. That'll show him.
Two and a half hours until I have to wake the kids. I wonder if I should make coffee now or save it for later? I know that going to sleep now would do nothing more than assure that I oversleep in the morning. It's insane. I've been ready to go to bed since 6:00 this evening. I don't understand why I couldn't sleep. Nothing I can do about it now though. Might as well make myself productive.

It's Mother's Day, 7am and soon I will load a few boxes in the van and head to the house for another day of painting. I gave my mom and grandma their gifts earlier in the week because I didn't know if I would get to see them today. I mean, Ill see them, but only for a few minutes when Emily comes home from her weekend with Nany. Since we had just turned over a large portion of our life savings for the new house, I had no idea what I'd give my mom and grandma this year. We're pretty much broke. Buying gifts for people that have lived beyond fifty years is kind of tough anyway because they tend to already have the things they want and all the dust catchers they'll ever need. As luck would have it, Emily and Leirin spent an afternoon playing photographer one day last week and Em ily got several exceptionally good pictures of Leirin. A good picture of Leirin is a rare event. It's not that she isn't photogenic, oh no, she's beautiful and makes a lovely picture as long as she doesn't know she's making a picture. Let her know you're about to take one though, and she gives you scared eyes and a tight smile. She's camera shy.
For whatever reason she sat in front of the rose bush and posed for Emily last week and the results were amazing. (ignore the pictures at the bottom that won't show. My talents with pictures and websites is very limited and I can't adjust the size of our house pictures to get them to show up)

It took most of the day to do, but I figured out how to make the pictures black and white and splice them together on the page for an 8x10 for my mom and grandma (made one for myself too, of course). They loved them and could hardly believe that these pictures were of Leirin, perfectly posed, because we all know what her pictures usually turn out like. Near the bottom of the photograph, I had placed a transparent, color picture of Leirin and a horse that was taken a year or so ago. It has always been my favorite picture of her because it captures her essence, so my mom had seen that picture and recognized it. At one point though, she looked at the pictures above it of the little girl that has changed so much in the last year and said "Who is that little girl?" She looked a little bit embarrassed when she realized she hadn't recognized her, but then she stood for a few minutes just staring at the picture and said "You just don't always realize how much they've grown up, do you?" and then, "She's supposed to be a baby still."

I thought the same thing when I first saw them - her beautiful skin draped in the shadow of the rose, long hair brushing her lap as she sat cross legged on the ground...that's my baby. And look how she has grown.

After we closed on the house week the first thing I did was call my mom to let her know it was finally over. She was very happy, but it wasn't all because we had got the house that meant so much to me. What she said was, "I am so glad this is over for you now and you don't have to worry about it anymore." To her, it was all about me. She talked happily about plans and how the timing is perfect that the kids will move in just as summer break begins. I could hear the relief in her voice as she imagined them running until they got tired before they reached the end of the yard. Kids should have room to run. She was thrilled for us. No more loud parties from neighbors across the street to celebrate the end to finals, no more parking lots full of drunken students screaming at the top of their lungs to celebrate the end of finals, a win for the football team, Friday night, Saturday night, the 15th of the month...there is no end to the reasons for loud celebration in this town. It was all about how good it was going to be for us, but as we said goodbye I heard her voice crack and knew it was about her too. I'm still her baby and I won't be ten minutes away anymore. I'm only moving fifteen minutes away from where I live now but it's in the other direction away from my mom's and it makes me nearly half an hour from her. It will be long distance to call now.

When you're a mom the time passes so fast and though you live with the person your child is becoming every day, you mark every milestone and realize they are there... there is that place in your mind that holds the moment of their birth with such clarity, it seems like just yesterday. The feelings of that moment remain strong. If anything they intensify. No matter how much time passes or how many milestones we mark, a part of us remains in that moment. That's how our children remain our babies forever even though they may be twelve, or thirty-six, or fifty-eight years-old. Along with the joy of watching them grow comes the tug of sadness that separation brings.

I remember when my kids were new. I'd put their bassinet close beside the bed and though they were near enough that I could hear them breathe, I would reach out my arm and rest my hand on their belly while we slept. I felt like if anything were to happen, I would be close enough to know instantly, and I could do something. There was comfort in my feeling close enough to help.

I know just what my mom was feeling as she hung up the phone.

100 THINGS ABOUT ME THAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST TO PRACTICALLY NO ONE

1. I’m 36 years old
2. I color my hair frequently to match the seasons…dark reddish brown for fall with highlights that end up nearly blonde by summer. I do the occasional Copper Penny too.
3. I’ve learned (recently) not to give my husband a vote between two drastically different color shades for my hair or I’ll end up with a winter color at the beginning of summer L
4. I straighten my hair with a curling iron
5. I am an observer - because I think most people don’t look closely enough and miss some of the most incredibly profound moments life has to offer.
6. There are things about me that are a little weird.
7. I have memories of another life in a time that was long ago.
8. Sometimes I know things are going to happen before they do (see number 6)
9. I’m a country girl
10. If you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I always said I wanted to get married and have babies.
11. Once upon a time I was HOT
12. The only thing I miss from my life before children is the ability to be ready to leave in 5 minutes and my boobs. Oh and my waist.
13. I still have a great ass. Very glad about that
14. I don’t like having to dress up.
15. I am rediscovering my love for shoes.
16. My children are the most amazing people I’ve ever met
17. I don’t have much tolerance for alcohol. I throw up fast, but once I do I could drink a football player under the table.
18. I have a cute nose
19. My kids have my nose
20. I wear an anklet that jingles. It’s my signature
21. I don’t fit in with other moms. They’re so…TV mom and I’m just weird.
22. I can read people well.
23. I believe in magic.
24. My favorite drink is Amaretto Sour. I can drink lots of them
25. I get “fast” when I am drinking.
26. # 25 is one of my husband’s favorite things about me
27. In high school I saved my lunch money to buy TJ Swann (Mellow Days) for the weekend.
28. I’m not as exciting or adventurous thesedays
29. My Christmas wish list is full of power tools, my husband wants kitchen gadgets
30. I can not tolerate a liar
31. I know if I’m being lied to
32. I will buy 5.00 clearance clothes I like ok instead of the $30.00 anything that I adore and that would look great on me.
33. I’m worth more than I think I am
34. I can do or learn to do just about anything.
35. Demolition ranks right up there with sex
36. I have an unhealthy obsession with Spike
37. I have a thing for bad boys
38. I’m glad I didn’t marry a bad boy. He’s been hard enough.
39. I love gay men and think everyone should know one. They’re awesome.
40. I worry about what people think of me because I already have a hard time fitting in
41. I think God is in nature
42. I love trees (though I don’t hug them)
43. Houses should be built surrounded by trees that snuggle it close
44. I don’t mind dirty jokes as long as they are really funny.
45. I’m not much of a lady
46. My FIL thinks I’m an uneducated country girl
47. I showed him
48. My brain is way more intelligent than my mouth
49. I won’t lie to my kids
50. I love puppy breath
51. My grandma is one of the most important people in my life.
52. I don’t care if my kids date someone of a different race.
53. I would kill anyone that hurt any of my kids and not think twice about it.
54. I like all kinds of music. My CDs have Louis Armstrong, Ozzy, Aerosmith and Doris Day or Nat King Cole on them and they sound great.
55. I could run the best radio station in the world. If it’s ever been great, I’d play it.
56. One day I want to go to Scotland. I think somewhere around there is where I lived that past life. And I have a thing for men in kilts and Gaelic.
57. My husband won’t take me to the Highland Games because of #56. I’m that bad.
58. I’d like to sit in James Earl Jones lap and listen to him read me a story.
59. I’d just like to sit in Denzel Washington’s lap
60. I think Orlando Bloom should get his ears surgically altered to be pointy all the time, dye his hair blonde and grow it long.
61. I’d love to hear my husband say things to me that Jamie said to Claire (Outlander) Even if it wasn’t in Gaelic
62. I think Rocco (from the restaurant) is a real to-the-bone-FOOL. And he’s too stupid to realize he is.
63. Bill Nye the Science guy turns me on.
64. I can’t watch any movie set in the 70s. 70s style was a mistake the first time around and I can’t believe we’re having to do it again. I grew up wearing double zipper, patch-worked, hip-hugging, flared leg blue jeans. It’s just wrong. Shudder.
65. I’d rather wear boys Levis than silk pants.
66. I can’t do anything left handed
67. My brother and I have a thing about toothbrushes and ink pens. If we find a good one, we have to tell each other about it.
68. My brother is my best friend in the world.
69. I think some insane people know something the rest of us don’t.
70. I’ve written a hundred books in my head but my fingers are apparently constipated.
71. #70 may be related to my head being smarter than my mouth. (only fingers in this case)
72. I give up too easily
73. I can pick stocks like Buffet (but I’m not sure I spelled his name right. For some reason I never read it before and got an image of a table full of food)
74. I like to watch the moon. It gives something to me
75. Sometimes it’s hard not to smack stupid people. Not your every day person that does something stupid, but truly stupid people. Like Rocco.
76. I think if God chose to be anything, she’d be a horse. Or a dog.
77. I like to lean close to a sleeping baby and feel their breath on my face.
78. I miss having babies.
79. I like that there is not a single soul from the school all the way through the district office that don’t know I’m hell on wheels when it comes to my kids.
80. The Wiggles creep me out.
81. I think it’s wrong that I’m getting gray hair and wrinkles
82. Long, long ago I had a boyfriend that was mean. I’d like to go back in time and kick his ass.
83. I’m severely afraid of heights. When I’m in a building with more than 4 stories I can feel it move and the ground pulls at me.
84. I’ve stood and watched men with long poles search water for one of my kids.
85. I couldn’t survive anything like 84 again.
86. I don’t fall apart until the end.
87. I have a headache daily
88. I wonder if the headache would go away if I could write those stories
89. I like that my kids rescue chipmunks and snakes from the cats and move them to a safe place
90. I especially like that they usually do it before the cats make it inside with their catch of the day
91. The smell of honeysuckle can make just about anything better.
92. I think it is wrong that someone can make millions of dollars throwing a ball while children starve.
93. I live with more than a dozen animals. Aside from the hair, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
94. I don't swim
95. I don’t want to live far away from my family
96. I don’t want my kids to live far away from me
97. I can cry watching movies. One time I could cry over commercials but they don’t make many very good commercials anymore.
98. I think I’d have a knack for writing ad copy since I apparently have a thing for commercials.
99. I think people that don’t like animals can’t be trusted.
100. If I answered these questions tomorrow I would probably sound like an entirely different person.

I have paint on my nails, all over my pants (they're my paint pants) and in my hair.

I'm a happy camper.

We got a late start this morning because I couldn't find the bucket of joint compound I had sat out to take with me (in the closet) and then my father-in-law brought his mom and his fiance over to see the house (and let his fiance meet us) and I got nothing done after that. I had to leave at 2:00 to be sure I made it home in time to meet Emily's school bus, but still it was a really really great day. There is no air conditioner running and the 86 degree day was putting the insulation in the house to the test. The entire time I was there I bet it didn't get above 70 indoors. That was really great. Jake and I had stopped by Doug's for grilled cheese sandwiches and fries and we ate sitting in the empty livingroom in front of the fireplace before we got to work.
Painting the original kitchen is not easy. It's old beadboard that wasn't done in 4x8 sheets so the walls have lots of gaps between boards that vary in size and it takes a lot of laying off of the paint to make sure you don't get runs all over the place. I only got part of two walls painted but it's turning out really lovely so far. Since this room is completely original, I wanted to stay within the realm of original for the house and since I detest all of the other pastel colors that it is painted now, I chose the happy lavender for that room. Cheerful it is and that will be a cool place to make soap. I'm not sure if I'll paint both rooms happy purple or not. I'll be using it for a sewing room and storage.
The two rooms we will use the least are the ones I'm starting with because they will be able to store a lot of stuff longer than any other room in the house. It made sense to me.

After the closing yesterday we got the keys to the buildings. We've never been inside any of them before because they've always been locked when we've gone to the house and the only key fit the front door and that was all. There are two large 10x20 buildings and a small wooden building that's mainly used to hold tools and the garbage cans (I guess to keep the coons out of the trash). The little building is practically spooky but the big ones are just perfect. Inside each of them are shelves and storage racks all over the place. They both have power and the second one even has running water. Plenty of lighting and outlets for my tools. Doug said immediately he knew which one I'd want. We're going to see about getting a small window unit for the shop so I won't have to get sweaty while I'm outside building stuff. I may even get a mini-fridge to keep work beer in. Why not? I have plenty of outlets. How long do you think it will take my husband to ask if he can put a television and recliner out there for watching football games? I'll get to set it up pretty soon because I have to build a dining room table and bookshelves for the library. The guinea pigs are also going to get a new deluxe piggy home at some point. I'm going to be a sawing fool.

I can't wait.

It's mine, it's mine, all mine (and Doug's and the kids).
Closing was today.

The house is ours.

Thank goodness it's over! WHEW!

I had got permission to start painting this weekend because the people that we're buying the house from have not finished getting everything out yet and they need more time. There was too much stuff to work around though and since it is all being divided among the people named in the sisters' will, I didn't feel comfortable moving it. They have been emptying the house for two years already. I don't want to mess them up and make the process take any longer than it must. We did get nails and screws out of the walls and as soon as I get my van back (hubby's car is in the shop with a busted radiator) I'll go and start prepping the walls for paint. It was a nice day there even though we didn't get much work done. And we got that required walk in the woods in. I wonder if any of us will ever stay inside once we move. It seems to me that we will all most likely be in the woods somewhere most of the time.
We found new tracks in the barn. This time there were the usual deer and coon tracks, and we didn't find any prints of the big cat but a little cat had been there, and my uncle identified what he thought might be coyote. Wow! We have those here? Cool beans. It's not that I want any of us or ours to be eaten by something wild, but I do desperately want to live in a place where the wild hasn't been destroyed and this, to me, is exciting. All we need now is a bear and we'll be good to go.

On the way to the farm, Leirin told me about a dream she had Saturday night. She said "I dreamed I sold my toothbrush on ebay and the guy that bought it died because he didn't wash it out and I had cleaned it with bleach and didn't rinse it out good enough. The ebay police came looking for me and it was scary."
Wild. I wonder where she gets that imagination from?
Oh, and she got a hundred bucks for that used and seriously ragged toothbrush too.

Emily woke up with a high temperature this morning and she is home from school again. Right now she is on the couch under a pile of covers freezing in spite of the fact that her skin feels like it's actively burning. Poor baby. She is scheduled for a CAT scan on her sinuses in a couple of weeks. I hope they don't manage to kill her in the meantime.
As luck would have it, the kids are scheduled to start PACT testing at school tomorrow. PACT tests are a big, BIG deal here. The schools start weeks full of practice testing. The kids get bombarded with test taking tips and tricks. They get test taking lessons in class, they get them on the local news. During one interview a teacher said something like...We spend the week prior preparing the kids for the test...show them how to rule out wrong answers because usually two are obvious, and once you have those out of there, you've got a 50/50 chance for a correct answer. It just sounded stupid.
Like they aren't teaching them to know the right answer to begin with. It's all about the test. All about the money schools will get from better scores on the tests. So anyway, according to district policy, children have to be free of fever for a full twenty four hours without receiving any medication to control temperature, before they can return to school. This means, Emily has an automatic day out of school tomorrow, no matter what she feels like. But the PACT tests start tomorrow, and I wonder what they expect me to do. Of course she HAS to be there. They're taking THE TEST. But in accordance with their own policy, she can't be, and you know they still expect me to provide a doctor's excuse for following their rule. We don't need to see a doctor, Emily is already under the care of a specialist. We've already been once last week and he told me there is nothing more we can do until we get the CAT scan and form a treatment plan. But the school still expects me to spend 130 bucks on a note so they will stop threatening to fail a straight A student or charge me with promoting truancy. It's insane.

I'm going to give the specialist a call later on and just ask for a note, but I swear if they insist on an appointment to get it, the school is just going to have to do without it. I'm not going to be fall guy in what amounts to a get rich quick scheme. I can't afford it.
So today we're stuck at home without a car and I'll be spending time packing up and clearing out what I can here. If I can shift boxes well enough, I might even manage a smattering of cleaning here and there. We'll see. First, I must finish the pot of coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. Coffee is good.

I have paint and last night I picked out the tile for the entryway of the house. I only bought the intention piece though. That's the single piece I buy and bring home to give my husband fair warning of my intentions before I actually go spend the money on enough to do the whole job. It's a beautiful, embossed piece with a touch of the color that will be in the rooms on either side of it. We're going to be coordinated. I'm excited about that. I even took before pictures.

Leirin and I were taking pictures and examining the ceiling in the kitchen when I said that I hope they leave some of the old phones there in the house. The house has the old 4 prong type jacks and there are a lot of them throughout the house. We don't have that many phones and the way the house is built we won't be able to hear the phone ring all the way through.

Leirin said, "Why? They don't work."

"They will work once the phone service is connected," I told her.

"Not those phones," she said pointing at the one on the counter and motioning to the one in the bedroom, " The buttons are missing."

It took me a second before I understood what she was talking about.

"OH! They'll work. This is a ROTARY phone."

Blank look from Leirin.

"But how do you dial if you can't press the buttons?" She was completely thrown by the dial on the face of the phone. Talk about making me feel old. She's 13 years old and has never seen a rotary phone. I had to laugh. I wonder what she'd do if she saw a record?

Yesterday our new neighbors moved in next door. We didn't meet them until their dogs and our dogs met at the fence and barked like they were all insane. Actually, it was mostly my dogs that appeared insane. Luna, our little hellion, has taught every one of our dogs that the answer to everything is to bark. A lot. Stupid dog. So I stood at the fence after shaking hands with our new neighbor and missing his name because of all the barking and told him to feel free to tell her to come back inside if he gets out there before I am able to. She'll most likely go as long as he calls her by name. Then again she is stupid so who knows. The people we met are very nice. They are both grad students here at the university and I think they are going to be renting a few of the other rooms in the house to people they know. It's just how Doug started out here when he was in college and how we got stuck here in this house in a neighborhood full of students. I wonder if they will find themselves still here several years from now, with kids that can't play outside because of the way people drive, and unable to afford to move to a better place.

I colored my hair again Friday night. Doug chose a dark reddish brown. Not the right color for this time of year. As he contemplated each of the boxes I held, I secretly wished he would pick the honeyed blonde, but noooo. He chose the winter shade of dark brown. It's really pretty and I'd be excited about it if it was September, but I was kind of excited about the near to blonde shade. I guess it will end up as highlights in a couple of weeks. My hair has more colors than a box of crayons.

And now it's almost time to throw on the old overalls and workboots and prepare to paint and tear out carpet. Oh joy.
No, I mean it. Oh, Joy!