Lists, lists, lists

I have been meaning to make a list of things I would like to do to our house since we moved in 5 years ago. Some of them are simple - curtains. Some are more complicated - storage for arts & crafts stuff.

I am kind of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of gal when it comes to money stuff. If its there I spend it. Some of the things I want to do require a little more cash than what is available at any one time. What that means is I would have to SAVE for awhile to have all the cash dollars available to do some of the projects on my list. So here is where I start. I am going to make a list of some things I would like to SAVE for this year. Trust me, this is a huge step. HUGE.

1) Curtains in the living room. Approx cost: $700 -$1700
We have this great big, huge picture window (9'x6') that looks out into the backyard. Currently it has an old blind on it and that's all. I would like to put some new trim around the window, a new blind that would keep the heat out and some curtains up that would go with either the chairs or my couch, which ever happens to be parked in front of it at the time. It would actually be nice to replace the whole dang window if possible, that would probably add $1000 because of its size.
CHALLENGES: I hate to ask for help and I need it when it comes to window coverings. I just don't see the potential. Only the ugly.

2) Upstairs bathroom update. Approx cost: $350
I would like to put in a new shower curtain, matching towels and accessories, clean up the linen closet and get new bath rugs too. This is probably the easiest of all the projects and the least expensive too.
CHALLENGES: This seems like such a dumb project. Bathroom, whats the big deal?

3) Master Bedroom makeover. Approx cost: $1500
It needs it. I have sheets hanging over curtain rods that are nearly falling off the walls for window coverings. Theres no rhyme or reason to my bedspread or blankets. And the pillows need to be replaced. I would also like to get a second nightstand. We bought a new bedroom set - headboard, foot board, dresser - a few years back but have never gotten the second nightstand. It also needs paint.
CHALLENGES: Finding just the right thing that we both like.

4) Dining room table/chairs/curtains. Approx cost $2500-$3500
I could probably get by with just chairs for now, the kids are going to continue to trash the table, might as well not replace it until they are older - specifically Miss I. But there is a sliding glass door in there that is in desperate need of replacing. We were just talking about it yesterday and we think we could even put in a window instead of the slider ... but that's going to add a ton more to my estimate. Either way the window also needs a new curtain and blinds. It would be really nice to get the kind of door or windows with the blinds built in.

5) Basement remodel. Approx cost: $5000-$7000
This is the biggie. But its not "my" project it's a family project. We talked a couple months ago about what project to tackle this year the upstairs living room or the downstairs laundry/spare/family room. The latter won. We have a great space in our basement. Right now there are 3 separate rooms - laundry & bath, spare bedroom and family room. But the rooms are all kind of choppy and don't flow very well at all. Its my least favorite area of the house.

We would like to re-do the bath/laundry/spare room into one continuous space. I use the spare room for my laundry folding so it would be nice to just turn around and there is my folding table (aka bed) instead of having to go around and through the door. The family room is a great space, large, but arranged really bad right now. There is this HUGE storage area - it's as long as the room is, maybe 15 feet by 3 or more feet deep. There are drawers down one side and across the bottom and it has sliding closet doors over it. The drawer fronts are wood and the closet doors are a different paneling and the rest of it is a faux brick. Its the ugliest thing ever. It would make a great play space or an extra 3 feet to the room. Right now the drawers are stuffed with toys, video tapes, arts and crafts, spare towels. You name it.

The rest of the space is being used for storage and the entertainment center. It would be nice to turn it into something else ... arts and crafts, computer or workout area maybe? And turn the focal point of the room around to another wall where we could build in an entertainment center. It would use the space a lot better. That room also has the potential to adjoin with the spare bedroom. Its not necessary but would be a nice touch for guests. There is also a door out to the back yard that needs to be replaced and My Honey would like to put down some wood floors too. That doesn't sound like too much does it? Hee hee hee.
CHALLENGES: Time. Keeping the kids out of it when we start.

6)HVAC. Approx cost: $10-12,000
We don't have central air. Or heat. Most of the time its not that bad. But there is that month to 6 weeks in the winter when the temps are below zero and that month to 6weeks in the summer when the temps are over 100 when it would really be nice. The reason this project would cost so much is because there is not duct work in our house. Our heat source is "radiant heat" which comes from coils in the ceiling. Currently we have at least one set of coils that isn't working. Unfortunately it's in the kitchen. Brrrr in the mornings. So this project is very expensive. And it will be time consuming, dirty and probably loud. I am afraid to have an estimate done. I don't want to find out it will be twice what I think it will be.

Hmmmm, now that I have spent an imaginary $40000 I guess I better go get some lottery tickets, enter the publishers clearinghouse sweepstakes, sign up for a ton more overtime and get to work!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I took my camera to the shop today. Unfortunately it has to be sent away - just like my computer did - and it may be up to 3 weeks before I hear about it. I sure hope its not expensive. For me, a non-animal person, its kind of like taking the dog to the vet ... What's it going to cost, is it worth it or should I just give up the old one and go get a new one? I know, I know that's cold and harsh to say about an animal. You have no idea what I am going through with our dog right now. Shes old, and she is starting to show her age really bad. Moving slower, just doing weird things. And I have had to ask myself how much I will put us all through for her ... I still don't know. So its a similar kind of thing with the camera. What will I put us all through for her?

Nothing to say

Well, I was thinking I wanted to post something today, but what I should really do is clean the house.

I will say:

I am pissed about something at work, (but what's new.)

We had to TAKE OUT THE TOILET in one of our bathrooms because it got that plugged (note to self: close the door when not in use so the kids don't stuff it again). When My Honey put it back he then realized that there are other problems. I don't know exactly what, but something about the ring around the drain (the one under the toilet) is broken ...

We are thinking of doing a re-model project for this winter. Either the living room or family/laundry/bathroom. Either one would be a lot of work, but fun.

We have to get our rental cleaned up for a new renter in December.

I only have one week left until I get to go out of town. Alone. AND I scored an extra day off! Its costing me one, but it will be worth it.

School carnival on Saturday. We're going as a pirate family. ARRRGG.

And it guess that's it for now.

Catch up

(Well, got caught up on my drafts)

Its just been busy. Work, school, life.

My Honey has been working hard on our driveway. We sit on a high corner and the driveway tends to collect water in mass quantities right where we park. So a rainy day equals a flooded driveway, wet shoes, wet pants, big mud puddle, the whole works. He dug out some of the old dirt and rocks, leveled it better, built up the end of the driveway at the edge of the road and then we got a load of gravel. And then it rained. And there wasn't a puddle in the driveway. My Honey is my hero.

I am sitting here watching Punkin Head (who is nearly TWO YEARS OLD) play with a necklace and the dog. She keeps wanting to put it around the dogs head so she calls the dog "eer oodie, m'ere." But the dog just sits there. So she goes to the dog and puts the jewels on her. Rudy just sits there and lets her because Rudy is the best dog ever. Then Punkin Head says "der go." Its just so dang cute.

She has been so good the past two weeks with babysitters. We have had several new childcare experiences and she has done so good. She took a fall off the steps out front recently. Face plant onto the "welcome" mat. More like the sandpaper pile. It put road rash on her poor baby skin face from her eyebrow to her mouth. Of course the first thing I think when I see her in the mornings is "will this scar?" Pathetic huh? She is such a nutty thing. Funny how kids in the same family can be so different.


Bubba is doing fine at school. I sense some tough days coming, he is having more meltdowns at home. I don't know what the underlying issue is ... I need to do some investigating on that one. I have heard several times this week that he misses his old school so there is something. When I asked what he missed he said "art class" so maybe its just as simple as planning a craft each week on Thursday or Friday? I guess I could try that. Goodness knows we have the resources. Books, supplies etc... Although it could be that he misses Grandma, she has been gone all week.

And work. Well it goes on. I change back to day shift (3am to 1pm) at the beginning of October so that will be nice. Evenings with the family and all that.

Vacation

How lucky am I to live just 30 minutes from here? It was just beautiful yesterday. The weather is still warmish (80's with some wind) and I really enjoyed my time alone. Unfortunately it was a little bright for any good photos and there weren't as many colors turning as I thought yet.




My 10 days off were great. I enjoyed being able to get Bubba into the school routine. We walked to school several times which was just wonderful for me. I need more exercise. I was able to can peaches and tons of pears, thanks to my notes from last year it made it really easy and motivational. I cleaned a bit and just got kind of settled for the next few months. I had a massage, haircut that kind of stuff. It was nice.

And we had a 3 day weekend as a family. So we cut down a tree!



I know, what about the birds, what about what it gives to the environment. So what? Have I ever told you what it did to my house and yard?? It had yellow needles that it shed each spring, they would track into the house on everyones shoes, pile up in the yard, in the entry way, all over the welcome mat. And it had red berries, sticky, yucky, not suitable to eat by human, red berries that fell off of it every fall. They were so gross. I am so glad to see it go. Plus I got to run the chipper, I was such a stud-chick. Not quite as cool as My Honey when he pushed the tree down, but close. That's one of the greatest things about My Honey; he will let me try anything. Unlike the Man Of The House I grew up in, who was through and through chauvinist "You want to do what? How do you even know what that machine is called? You're a GIRL." My Honey will let me try the power tools, often offering to teach me how something works. Like the chipper and the chainsaw. I told him no thanks to the chainsaw, maybe later.

So the tree is gone, the pantry is stocked, Bubba is off to school and I am relaxed. That was my vacation. Well, most of it, there is also the part about going to my first PTO meeting (I am such a nerd), my first meeting with Bubba's teacher (even more nerdy) and a meeting with the Principal (the ultimate nerdy, I am looking into volunteering on a committee).

Well, maybe not nerdy, but I am trying to get myself involved in the school somehow. I just don't want to watch my kids waste time or grow bored like I did. Not that parent involvement would have changed that, but maybe. One never knows. Plus, the more eyes and ears I have watching out for my kids the better right? The more involved I am the less likely they are to act out right?

-------------------------------------------------------

I went to visitation at the funeral home yesterday. I hemmed and hawed not sure if there was a point to it. Coincidentally it was at the same place where I went to my first funeral ever, and where my friend Jen's life was celebrated last year. I am glad I went. Mike seemed pleased to see me, shared a few stories and left me for a few minutes to say goodbye. You know, I don't think he was pleased, more like honored. Yeah. Honored. I stuck around a few minutes, I wanted to say a few words to him alone, I heard a few more stories that gave me more peace and then had the chance to say thanks. Thanks for allowing me in their lives, for sharing his wife with me when I needed her, to which he replied "It was our honor, Renie always felt that way."

Tomorrow is the memorial service. I am sure the church will be packed. I am sure I will cry a bucket of tears. My Honey is so good to me, he made arrangements for a babysitter in the morning so he could go with me. I hadn't even asked him. What a guy. And tomorrow I return to work. Thankfully I should have some time to get myself together between the service and work.

Random vacation notes

So I am sitting on the boat (yesterday). You read that right. I took the laptop out on the boat. Why you ask? Because I am boat-sitting, not boating. The trailer is broken so My Honey has it at home while I boat sit at the park. It’s nice though, being on the boat. Silly me, there isn't any wireless access out here though. Duh.

Our trip to Issaquah was un-eventful save for the teenage-ness. Either I have totally forgotten what being a teen is or my youngest sister is just a disrespectful little wench. My Honey describes it this way, “it’s allowed, so she acts that way.” She was fine at our house last week, cooperative and very few snotty remarks (which were expected). I returned her a brat. I felt bad until I realized that is how she always treats her parents. Oh no you dint. Not in my house. Not while I pay for all your expenses including your text-messaging, talk till late, stupid cell phone. No way. I am just furious with her. What a shit. Was I that bad? I really don’t think so, my mother would have sent me packing. Seriously.

The kids actually stayed an extra night in Issaquah, we are going to exchange them this afternoon, and My Honey and I went out last night. I found a new favorite drink, Irish Whiskey, straight up. Mmmmmmm it was good.

While my dad and his wife were here I wanted to do something for them. His wife was easy, I scheduled a massage. She was in heaven. My dad was a little more difficult. I ended up taking him to work with me for a few hours. I think he liked it. He is a total techie kind of person. He sells computer programs and trains people how to use them. So he watched and listened as I dispatched. Yeah, I think I done well.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While the kids and I were away, My Honey demo'd the downstairs bathroom!! Yay! New shower coming. Now I need to find a book on tile designs. Or a website....

The trailer got fixed, now we can boat and not have to worry about the boards on the trailer being rotten, breaking off, damaging the boat. I guess that's what happens after 13 or 14 years.

Finally, tomorrow (Tuesday) is our anniversary. 15 years. We are so old.