Adventures in Home Improvement

This past week has been an eye-opener. Sam and I have been attempting to do some of the work on our own, sometimes we were successful and sometimes....not so much. Here's a few hit and misses:

*We had a broken pane in our bathroom window, so Sam decided that he could replace it himself. He went to the hardware store and bought some materials and then researched it on the Internet. He was on the ladder at the window for a long time and I assumed he was replacing the pane of glass.....Wrong, he was removing another pane so he could take it back to the hardware store to have another one cut! Now....this is an intelligent man and you wouldn't believe the dirty look I got when I asked him why he didn't just take the measurements of the window to the store! Well....to top it off, when he returned with 2 new panes (and the old one) wrapped in brown paper he laid them in a chair. I had been in another room cleaning when he got back so I didn't realize that he had put them in the chair and...yep...I sat down on them. So....here we go again.

*Clorox bleach is great for cleaning, Ammonia is great for cleaning, so...if you mix the 2 of them together you should have a Super Cleaner...right? Wrong, what you have is a very toxic gas that will burn your lungs, throat, nose and put you in the bed. Of course everyone, BUT ME, knows this. But I have to say, my kitchen floor was never cleaner.

*When you hire a 30 year old that takes 15-20 minute smoke breaks (he rolls his own cigarettes) and moves like a 60 year old, your house is not going to get painted in a few days. It has taken a week just to paint the front. At least I'm not paying by the hour.

*There are some things you should not pressure wash; Painted kitchen mats, Barbecue utensils (while holding them in your hand), the dirt off your sandals (while your foot is still in them) and last but not least....plants.


Other than these few mishaps...it's been a very productive week!

House painting (Part 1)

That's not a chipmunk....that's my Grandson

Gotta love those cheeks!

Ellison Grace

I'm having a GRANDDAUGHTER!!!!! I can't tell you how excited I am! After having 3 boys and a Grandson, I will finally have that little girl I've always dreamed of. Gabe is 100% boy, rough and tough, so...I hope for a dainty girl. But chances are, she'll take after her Mother and be very athletic, which is fine too. So whether I'm attending Dance recitals or softball games doesn't really matter...what matters is...I will have a Granddaughter!

News and Notes

Here lately it seems that I just can't focus enough to Blog anything, I guess I'm just getting older and can't hold on to my thoughts very long. So....I thought I would just give you a rundown of things that are going on with the family.

*Cody is doing great. We don't see him very often but It's great when we do. He's coming home this weekend and I'm going to be cooking his favorite meal (homemade chicken fingers and mashed potatoes).

*Gabe is into everything. Every time I call they are pulling him away from something he shouldn't be into.

* We're finally getting our house painted. They start tomorrow.

*Josh has just started a new job and is going back to school.

*Jake is pursuing his Master's Degree in Civil Engineering.

*Kelly and Josh will hopefully find out on October 16th if I'm having a grandson or a granddaughter.

*My niece Sarah and her Mom are in Washington, DC on a school trip.

More to come.....

Homecoming 2007

My Niece Audrey was the Junior Maid at her Schools Homecoming.

A Family Divided

My brother-in-Law Tony and Gabe