Good morning all. It is presently 5:47, I have been up for 47 minutes. I hope that you are all sleeping soundly still, lucky sons-a-guns!

I apparently slept with my mouth open last night, which I hate. Not only is everything dry from your lips clear to your stomach, your tongue feels all hard and dried out and the worst of all, you have this terrible taste in your mouth. If I didn't know better (because I know I slept with my mouth open... and I know we don't have a cat) I would think that a cat shit in my mouth. Yeah, it's a disgusting comparison, but you all know exactly what I am talking about now, don't you?!

Yesterday I really didn't do too much. I didn't feel "like me" if that makes any sense. It was easy to chalk it up to the weather and just being worn out from all the neck breaking work we've been doing around here. I was trying to remember the last day I did nothing... Monday, when I took Tancy to the doctor. Every day since then (3 in a row) I've been all out gettin' it! So, I attributed my mood and lack of motivation to that. This morning I think ther might have been just a bit of "down" mixed in there. Not depression, just a bit low. Can't even explain it, other than to reconnect that to the weather and pace. Hormones possibly. Who ever really knows exactly why the feel low or down?

Anyway, I feel inclined to run through the events of my evening (since I have already told you about my morning and afternoon). I managed to put the hooks on the door backs (the kind that are mounted to a board and screw into a door). I also managed to put items on said hooks (the entire purpose of the hooks to start with). I unloaded the dish washer and put all those dishes away. I fed the pups. I took out some tilapia for dinner, yumm, I really do enjoy tilapia. Mandy came over and brought cauliflower. That was delicious too. I am telling you I have been craving home cooked food! I cooked the fish and she nuked the cauliflower.

Tancy gave her a tour of the house, Lillie's room, the new pantry and the deconstructed utility room (there's work yet to be done in there). I think she was impressed with all our work. She thinks the crib should be painted. I disagree. I am pretty sure Tancy does too. Its just important to me that the wood (it is real wood everywhere except the two end panels) remain that... not painted over. It's in good enough condition for that thankfully. Anyway, it wasn't too long before dinner was ready, we ate everything! All the cauliflower gone, all the tilapia gone. And pretty healthy in addition to being so freakin' yummy.

We ate, we visited, we tried to feed the shark (by we I mean Mandy and Tancy). Mandy went home. We got our baths and then to bed. We watched the newest episode of "Sober House" and then to sleep. It was 10:00 by then. I didn't just drift off to sleep, I fell slap off the side of the cliff. Honestly, I woke up at 1:45 and thought I'd only been sleeping for a few minutes. It was hard and fast. I went right back to sleep after my nightly stroll to the bathroom and didn't want to get up when Tancy did. I managed to fall back asleep... but the puppies were up and about (keep in mind that they aren't really puppies at all, nearly 3 & 4 years old). They are always ready to go potty, at the very least, when Tancy gets up for work in the mornings. I finally drug my sorry ass out of bed and started about my routine. Pups out, coffee on, pups in, pups fed, coffee fixed, plop down on the couch, visit a minute wtih Tancy, she leaves for work, I get on to blog. That's my day shift morning summed up pretty well.

Today I have a few bigger "To Do" items to mark off my mental list. I need to put all Tancy's tools, presently resting on my kitchen table, in a tote and out of the way. She wants to organize her tool boxes so that stuff we use regularly in the house can be kept in the house. Fine. I just need it off my table. So I'll take care of that later this morning. Daylight is my "start" time. Till then, I'm gonna sit right here and do as I please. What else? I need to put my trivets some place for now. I've asked our friend Gary to help me get creative in placing them. I don't want an entire trivet wall again... makes that one wall overpowering. But I don't want to put them where I can't use them... or store them away. Till then though, I need them off my counter.

If I can find the right stuff to do it, I have some things to put on the walls (some items in the hall bath and an item in the kitchen). Also, we really need to move the big picture on the "dining" wall since the corner shelf is crowding it now. I am not sure I will get to that today... could be a good excuse not to clean though, so I am keeping that in my back pocket. LOL. I'm just kididng, ya'll already know I'm not really a procrastinator... that should be obvious by all that we take on and my own personal list of things to do and things I've managed to get done.

Aside from those things I'd like to clean my kitchen (the microwave had an explosion while we were gone last... love to be left a mess) so I need to get that cleaned up. I was thinking I could get the bathrooms done today as well. Trying to keep the floors and dusting for tomorrow (they go hand in hand... no point in dusting first cause as soon as you sweep, it needs to be done again) and do most of what's left today.

However! I have a prenatal massage this afternoon that I cannot wait to go for! So I don't want to get overly involved in the house work and miss it. I will obviously need a shower before I go, so I have to be mindful of time. From there I need to go to Michael's or Hobby Lobby and get that damn projector I forgot to get yesterday.

Quick note, Miley Cirus (sp?) is on CMT right now, TV is on more for noise than anything. And I just absolutely cannot stand her. I mean, she's what, 15 and being allowed to date a 20 year old guy. We want to know why our kids are over sexed by the time they are 18... there you go! A kid who should be a role model for younger girls and girls her own age is already being allowed by her parents to behave more like an adult than a kid. There's no freakin' way Lillie will be allowed to date a 20 year old at 15. At 15 I really don't want her to even be dating yet! I try really hard to say what will and wont happen... cause we all know how that turns out... but you know what I am saying here. Is it that Miley is the bread winner and they don't want to piss her off and have her file for emancipation and take her money with her? She's a freakin' child! Grow a pair and be a parent for christs sake! Now all the girls her age or younger have the idea that they should have a hunky older boyfriend at age 15. Great, cause the costumes of "Hannah Montana" at Halloween weren't disturbing enough on the little ones. We had a two or three girls (about 10 - 12) come trick-or-treating to the house annd wearing Hannah Montana costumes. They got their candy and left with a Mom in tow. Tancy said "What are they suppose to be? Hookers?" I laughed, because that's exactly what they looked like and then I was sad because that's exactly what they looked like. Then I had to tell her who they were (I don't know how I knew). She was shocked that such young girls were dressed so provocatively. Personally, I think too many Moms want to be their daughters friends... but that's just my opinion... and again, we'll see how I handle things with Lillie. I really don't mean to seem so judgemental... but kids have enough friends, they need their parent(s) to be their parent(s). My Mom felt like my friend when I was heart broken and hurt... but make no mistake, she was always my Mom. Now that I am 30 our relationship has of course evolved... because she's no longer responsible for keeping me safe and teaching me life lessons. Not that she doesn't teach me still. She can just take a breath now and enjoy her hard work for all those years before now. Ladies, gentlemen, be parents to your kids.... it will be much more rewarding to be their parents now and friends when they are adults.

Ok, so that's Jodie's life lesson for the day... all because I heard that annoying little twit singing on the TV. LOL.

I could go on with celebrities and the examples they set for kids and young adults... hell, even everyone else sometimes... but really, it's not even daylight yet. I hate to rant so early in the morning. LOL. That's not entirely true either, but it's too early to get so twisted over people who don't live in the real world.

So. Anyway. Tomorrow Mandy is going to come over and help me get the floor done. I am so very thankful for that. I can sweep the floor... but then my back is hosed and I can't mop it. So I really need the help to get it done. I don't know why sweeping messes with my back so badly, but I can be very near tears before its half done. I've managed it and I could do it tomorrow on my own if I had to, but I am glad not to have to. I am also making a roast tomorrow. Tylor will be by to get the truck and the bed, I promised him I would cook something. It's only right, since Mandy is helping, that she get to eat too. Hehehe. Tylor will also pick up our print stand, we don't need it and he wants it... works out perfectly. I just want it out of my living room! I only have a few items left (tools and painting supplies count as two bulk items at this point for my own sanity) to find homes for... some of that, like the print stand, is going away completely. I'll be so glad to be done with that part of it all, finding homes for items. Makes me want to get rid of everything we own, which of course would be stupid because we would just accumulate more stuff, but it is very frustrating for me.

I can't think of much else this morning. My brain is all over the place already. My chiropractor was talking to me yesterday about my treatment plan. He said that it was hard to gauge what I would need, that everyone responds differently to adjustments and he already realized I wake up with a "head full of steam" in the mornings and run all day. Some days, I suppose he's right... lately specifically. But not always. I just feel pressed to get things done before time catches up with me. I've already told you what our schedule looks like and prior to this last week I was really concerned that Lillie would come and everything would still be a disaster. I am more confident now that we'll be fine... all that's really left is fixing the siding where they cut for the attic and making that look nice and neat (I have no idea when that will happen) and a storage solution (which I think I might have found) for our bathroom. Also, I found these things that affix in the bottom of your cabinets which basically amount to a flat drawer that pulls out, so you can put your pots on it and it rolls in and out preventing you from having to crawl in. I'd love to have that in my kitchen for just that purpose. No more dragging everything in the front out to get to something in the back. Awesome! They even make them with a top "drawer" for your lids. I have a shelf now, but the top part would make it even better. They have similar for the bathrooms, only instead of a flat moving surface these are more like bins that roll in and out. I just need to measure everything to see if they would work. And they aren't cheap... so I'll probably have to do one or two at a time (bathroom comes first). Tancy wants to repaint the kitchen blue, she really liked it that color. I did too... but I can't even think about that project right now. That will have to wait a bit for sure.

What was I saying originally? Oh, yeah! So the big projects IN the house are almost done for now (for now because you never know what we will get into down the road). The next projects will be outside; grass, deck, shed or outbuilding. That shouldn't involve wrecking the house, so those wont tax me too much (aside from financially). The house should really only require regular cleaning at this point. No more massive re-organization. At least until we have another kid and that back bedroom has to be reckoned with! But we aren't gonna make ourselves crazy taking that project on mentally right now. LOL.

What are your plans for the day? What's the weather like at your house? It's gonna be in the low 50's here today and raining again. That means the pups are inside all day. That means no open windows with a fresh, crisp breeze blowing in. That means no bright sunshine and clear blue skies to lift my spirits. I'll plug in the iPod, crank the tunes and make due... am I the only one that music helps? I can get a ton more done with some good music pumpin' than I can without it!

I am so excited about my Pops being here for a few days. He'll be here Monday. I miss him. I am so thankful for where we are in our relationship today. It's been work, for both of us. Before I got divorced I was so anxious to make him happy, have him be proud of me. Mom too, but Dad in a bigger way... maybe because Mom was more verbal about how she felt and really just in general. I lived my life based on how I thought they felt and what they wanted, as much as I could. When I got divorced and came out I guess it all went out the window. I needed to know who I actually was, live my own life and deal with the outcome good or bad. I think Pops might have blamed himself for some things. As a parent I can understand how he was going to feel that way no matter what, I think that's what parents do when their kids go through anything like that.... evaluate their responsibility for things. I believe he hurt more than I will ever understand, more than he will ever say. But, those events helped us to have a more honest relationship. I will always want his love and for him to be proud of me... but I no longer try to live my life based on how I think or even know he will feel. I live it for me, Tancy and now Lillie. I accept whatever comes along with that like any other adult. I truly feel because of this change in our relationship, and all the hard work we've done (and continue to do) to get here, today is happening. Six years ago, if I had been living away (wait, I was) he wouldn't have come to see me by himself... I don't think. He loved me, he missed me, we just didn't have that relationship. And truth be told, I wouldn't have asked him to. Again, I loved him, I missed him, we just weren't there. Now I pester him about coming to see me . I think it's only right if Mom makes trips by herself that he should too. I enjoy that one on one time with each parent, tremendously. 10 years ago I never would have expected to have this time with my Pops. I am so thankful and so blessed and so happy that this day is here. I hope he has a great time, I am surely going to enjoy my time with him. I hope he's comfortable and happy and able to relax a bit. I am just so happy he's coming to visit!!

I have great family, on all sides. That's something I can't complain about. Don't get me wrong, we disagree, we have our issues... but when the shit hits the fan we are all covered cause that's just how it is! Arm in arm, side by side we will get through what life throws at us. And on the other side, we'll point and laugh at each others goofy face, trips, falls, jokes, etc. That's how it should be, right? It's work, like any relationship... your partnership or marriage doesn't carry itself, you have to work at it to make it what you want. It's the same with parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, neighbors and friends. So, if you don't have the relationship you want with someone....... CHANGE IT!

Wow, I am just on a soap box this morning. Must be pent up from all the blogging about the house! LOL. Needed something with a little meat on it!

Well kids, its still dark, but I should probably go get dressed, brush my teeth and get my game plan together for my day. I estimate I need to be in the shower around 2:00 - 2:30 at the latest. So I have 7 hours from now! I think I can get quite a bit accomplished in 7 hours. Lets see!

Have a fantastic day. Hopefully you are still sleeping. Lucky bastards. LOL. But if you are awake, I hope you are enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee (or tea) and slowly welcoming your day.

Love to all!

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Hello all! It's Friday evening at 4:20 and I have not done much more than sit on the couch since I got home from running all my errands. I am really tired, but its way too late for a nap at this point, so I thought I would update about my day thus far... exciting stuff!! So, get out the popcorn and the tamales and settle in. Haha.

Once I blogged this morning I started with the bills and the checkbook. Always a good time there! It wasn't bad though, we finally got the GI money we've been waiting on since I don't know when. That meant I would be able to take care of our regular bills and budget out for the remaining things around here to be done/bought (stand up freezer). I updated my spreadsheet and worked the figures. We ended up a bit over budget on the pantry & the attic. With the pantry I didn't realize all the necessary hardware wasn't included in the price of the racks. With the attic, well, Tancy needed a circular saw, which I didn't allow for, and the screws and nails... which seem ridiculously expensive to me. But with all that done I felt a little weight lift off of me (I always worry about money).

After all the business was done I made my list of what I needed to do and what I needed to get while I was out and about. I gathered up a bill that needed to be mailed to remind me to get stamps. I grabbed a supra key from when I was in real estate to send back to the board. I gathered up some braces, screws and nail thingys (not sure their proper name) that we didn't use from the pantry and the attic to take back to Lowes. After I got everything together that I needed and my lists for Lowes and Wal-Mart made I headed to the back to get ready.

I guess it was about 9:30 when I left the house. I went to the post office first, picked up some "forever" stamps (since the rates are changing again... and then again... and then again) and mailed out the supra key. I headed from there to the chiropractors office. I got there early, of course (I am my fathers child). I didn't really have to wait long, I was in the room, adjusted and back out by 10:30... my appointment wasn't until 11:00. I don't have to go back for two weeks. That's a relief, going into Gastonia every few days takes up alot of my time. It wasn't too bad once a week, but twice a week is just too time consuming.

My next stop was Lowes. I brought back the items we didn't use and didn't need (before I lost track of them or they got opened accidentally). Then I picked up the door hangers that I did need, broke basically even on that... wish I could say the same for heading to Wal-Mart! That's where I was headed to next, Wally World, The Devil and any other name you can think of for it. I had done a pretty good job of making my list, but had forgotten a few things that I needed. I did really well about not getting what we didn't need. I was looking for some sort of container for my pantry shelves for items like dried soup packets and breakfast bars that want to slide through the wire racks. I found some that were "CD/DVD" holders, perfect size $1 a piece! I got four. I am considering whether or not I should have gotten more than that... but I think 4 was a good choice. Still $1 each, that is better than I expected to pay. I walked each isle which probably wasn't the best choice for me, before I was half through with the grocery shopping my leg was really bothering me. I picked up one more nursing bra (like the one I really like) cause it was on sale and another pack of under-roo's for Tanc since she's finally found some she likes and can move around in at work without any uncomfortable movement of the fabric. Haha, she'll love me telling that! LMAO. I have no secrets... guess that means she doesn't either.

Wrapped it up, checked out, loaded the car up and headed toward the house. I stopped at Bi-Lo to pick up coffee, that's the only place here I can get Community. We've tried other kinds of coffee, but for me Community is the best, so I bought 4 bricks (now that I have a place to keep them) and got the hell out of there! Home James! Well, not quite... I hadn't eaten all morning (it's about 12:30 at this point) and I am starving! So I decide I want pizza and then have to figure out from where. I settle on trying Little Ceasars. They just opened a new on not far from the house and they have the "Hot & Ready" thing going on now, a large pizza $5.55. That's what I got, walked in, paid and walked right back out, just that quick! Not before noticing the girl checking me out was family, interesting. I had a slice before I ever got home.

I hit the door, let the pups out to potty and commenced to unloading the car. I could have laid down on the floor and gone soundly to sleep. But I didn't. I unloaded the groceries and put away the items that needed to be refridgerated. Then I sat down and had another 2 pieces of pizza. Once my hunger was satisfied I put the rest of the groceries away and put the items in my containers that I intended them for. Actually I got two done and came in the livingroom to sit down. It wasn't until later that I realized I hadn't finished with them and headed back in there to complete that task.

I posted all the pics we've taken of Lillie's room (from the camera, so they are better quality) and of all the destruction in the house here. I also sent the pics of Lillie's room to Casie per her request. I posted a few pics on Facebook as well. I don't know what else I did... seems like I was busy on the computer, but I couldn't tell you why. Aunt Jan commented on my pictures and I was saying we had to get a projector and then suddenly remembered that I was suppose to take care of that today! Ugh! Should have written it down. My brain just isn't working properly lately.

Realizing that I hadn't accomplished anything in a while and determined to change that I got my arse up off the couch and took the door hangers and the drill and went to work. I put one up on the back of the pantry door, on the inside of the hall closet door and on the back bedroom door. Done! Now I can say I accomplished something in the house! I also balanced the checkbook again after the days purchases.

Oh, Mom, you'll be happy to know, I booked three pregnancy massages just a bit ago. I can't wait. My first one is tomorrow. I hesitated because I really need to get alot done here in the house still and it's hard to take that time out of the day. But then I decided as hard as I had been working and would continue to work, not only could I afford the time, but really I needed it. Today I have felt quite burnt out. I feel lazy, which I partially attribute to the funky weather and the rest to the wide ass open work pace I've kept for several days now. I am old, out of shape and knocked up... it's just too much by about the fourth day!

I have gotten so many comments, here and Facebook, about how exhausted everyone else is just from reading about all we are doing. I get that. But think of it like this, I chronicle as much of my day as I possibly can. It helps me to decompress, it helps me feel a sense of accomplishment (when your list is as long as your arm its hard to feel like you are making progress), it keeps everyone in touch who wants to be in touch and its a record for posterity in some ways too. If you chronicled your entire day, as much of it as your memory retained at the end of the day, you'd see that you are probably alot busier than you think you are as well.

We are suppose to go to Mandy's once Tancy gets home. I am so tired. It will be nice, we really haven't seen them much lately, but I am sooooooo tired. I'd love to have a nice long soak and then go to bed. Oh well, another day. I need to work on my list of what has to be done tomorrow and what that leaves for Sunday. Monday will be a full day for us... at 8:20 Tancy's knees have a date with a big needle and some cortizone. We pick Pops up at the airport a little after 10:00 and then I have an OB appointment at 2:30 (I think). Whew. That day is going to fly by. While Pops is here I want to take him to "The Tender Box" which is a cigar shop in Charlotte. I need to find out where its at, but I figure with GPS I should be ok.

Oh, I almost forgot. Tylor is going to take our spare bed to Ohio on Monday for us. He will borrow Tancys truck, which means she will be driving his truck to work. We're giving him gas money to do it. We would have loved to take it ourselves, I know Tancy really has been missing her family, but there's just no time. Between Pops being here, us being in Louisiana, our anniversary (that just covers till the end of April folks) and her work schedule... cause we've got something schedule nearly every day she has off... it would just be impossible for us to do. So, Ty, being the great fella he is, is gonna handle it for us. He'll come by Sunday to pick up the truck and the bed. Good thing too cause I need it out of that room for when Pops gets here. It's not that the bed is that big, a double, but when you stand a bed up in a room with another bed, it seems to take up alot of space.

I really have to give the back bedroom some attention. Right now, not only is the bed that belongs in there, the other bed is in there, so is the furniture that remains; vanity and chest of drawers. But so is the stroller/car seat combo we are taking down to Louisiana with us and my art easle. I really need to find a home for the easle, I don't want to put it in the attic, I would like it some place I can get to it and use it when the notion strikes... but I don't know where that would be right now. So, guests will just have to put up with it for now.

Yay! I just got some good news! Mandy is coming here for dinner tonight. Yay. I could eat dinner in my pajamas!! Steve is out on a solo so I think she wants to get out of the house. That makes me feel better. Just knowing that I don't have to leave the house at 6:30 or 7:00 and drive 45 minutes to her house. Goodie!

Well, I need to put some appointments in my phone and unload the dishwasher. That aint gettin' done sitting here... so I guess I should wrap this up. I hope you all have a great evening and a wonderful weekend. Maybe the weather will be pretty for you and you can enjoy being outside and soaking up the sunshine.

Love to all!

Good morning everyone. I hope this finds you all healthy and happy. For some the weekend has started already, for others, if you can just make it to quittin' time you are home free! For me, its more like Tuesday.

I made pork chops (pan fried) and rice-a-roni for dinner last night. Relatively easy and SOOOO much better than the crap we've been eating on the run. Honestly, it was that good... not because I made it, or even because it was that special, just simply home cooking. Yummy. I could have made myself sick.

We put the crib together after dinner. I have been anxious to see it put together and up in the room. It looks fantastic. I posted some pics on facebook, the quality isn't great, its already dark and I took them with my phone. I will see if I can get them on here... eventually I have to suck it up and download the pics from the camera to the computer. That's the only way to get any quality pics for ya'll to see.

My body hurt so badly at that point that even standing there holding the crib while Tancy put it together was a strain. I think I might have worked a little more at the hare's pace at times than remaining at the tortoise pace I had been aiming for. That and some lifting and moving with the attic and utility room... Oh well, it really couldn't be avoided. So, when we got done with the crib I made my way to a hot bath. I would have liked to have soaked some, but I was so tired and just ready for bed that I didn't soak too long.

I got in bed full of grunts and groans. Tancy thought I was "fussin'" at her at one point, I had to clarify that I was just hurting and making noises beyond my control. LOL. I think by 9:30 I was asleep. I didn't wake up till 3:39. It wasn't wonderful, best I ever had sleep, but it was sleep. When I got back in bed from my potty run at 3:40 at that point, I had a hard time going back to sleep. Of course that's when the really yummy sleep came... and in a little more than an hour it was time to get up. I probably could have slept in, but between the light from the bathroom (door open) and the dogs ready to get up, there was no chance of that happening. And let me tell you, I was a crab ass before my feet hit the floor! Yesterday morning was bad, but this morning was worse... honestly, I could barely stand myself. I don't know why its been so bad lately but I hope it doesn't last long. I am going to have to exile myself someplace where I can't harm others. Haha!

I managed not to rip Tancy's head off before she left for work. Not that I have any reason to, I'm just that crabby! I've also managed not to kill the dogs, again, no reason. They are sleeping now, so that makes it easier. I just got my second cup of coffee and my mood is starting to lift, thankfully.

So today I have what could be considered a break. I have a chiropractic appointment just before lunch. Then I need to take a few things back to Lowes that we didn't use and pick up a few things that we need. Lastly I will head to get groceries. I don't need as much as I thought I did... but I still need a few key items (milk) and figure while I am out I might as well take care of that. Once I get home I'll put everything away and take care of a few things between then and when Tancy gets home. I need to figure out something for dinner along the way. You will all be very happy (or not) to know that I got ALL the laundry done yesterday. Of course there are already dirty clothes in the hamper... vicious cycle! I need to unload the dishwasher this morning before I head out and pay some bills, so even though it will be a different kind of work today, there's still plenty to be done!

Here are the pics I was talking about:

This is the crib that I slept in when I was a baby. Tancy stripped it and stained it. It looks so good, the picture really doesn't do it justice. The mirror next to it (proped on the start of the mural) goes with the dresser... but instead of going back on the dresser it will be mounted long way on the wall about the cubby.

This is the much talked about cubby that I wanted for the room. There are four cubby's without backs and canvas boxes will slide inside those. The other 5 with backs on them will hold books, nick knacks, etc. The mirror will be mounted on the wall about this. All we have left to do with the cubby is mount it to the wall with L brackets.

And this is the dresser. We got it at the consignment store here by the house. We paid less than $50 for it!! It's heavy and sturdy. Gary primed it and Tancy painted it (you might be able to see that the legs are still original wood). We will use this as a changing table as well, just gotta get the pad, etc. to make that happen.

That concludes new pictures of Lillie's room for now. More (and hopefully better) pictures to come. But, this gives you a pretty good idea on colors and progress.

I hope you all have a great day. I am going to see if I can figure out how to print the coupons I want off of CouponMom.com. So far it's smarter than I am!!

Love to all!

Hello all. How is everyone? I hope doing very well, glad to see the end of another work day more than likely.

Today has been very busy and very productive for me today. We rolled out of bed at 4:45 and it started, granted I took a little time for my coffee... but not too much. By 5:30 I was getting busy. I got dressed, brushed my teeth and left the bedroom with all the dirty laundry. How do two people dirty so many clothes?! I have yet to figure that one out.

I was diligent in staying on top of the laundry, every time the washer would cut off, to the dryer that load would go and another load would start. When the dryer cut off, out came the dry clothes, straight to the back to fold and put them away. I have one load in the dryer now and one load in the washer (it is 5:47, that's right, I have been washing clothes for 12 hours). Now, I don't want you to think that was all clothes. I'll break down the loads for you:
1 load of whites
1 load of darks
1 load solely made up of Tancy's work shirts (2) and blue jeans (2) requiring fabric softener for work
1 load of towels
1 load consisting of our bedspread and pillow cases
1 load of sheets
1 load of funky sheets we have used painting and staining and the dogs blankets from their kennels
I am sure you can see how I have been doing laundry all damn day!! LOL.

Once I got the laundry going I headed back into our bathroom to collect the trash, I hit every room in the house until I had it all. I then saw a box of checks on the kitchen table that needed to be thrown out (we don't have that account any more) so I commenced to ripping them to shreads... very therapeutic. I managed to pick up a few other things before moving on to the next thing... the dishes. I finished loading the dishwasher, just a couple of items in the sink, and turned it on. As soon as that cut off I unloaded and put away dishes. I was so proud because this left not a dirty dish in the house! Yay me!

By the time daylight was breaking I was working on the cubby shelf in Lillie's room. I got it all put together and near where it belongs. I then decided to fold the clothes that were already on my bed (from another day, not from what I had just put on to wash and dry this morning). I no sooner got going good on that and Tylor got here. We talked a bit about what was on the agenda for the day. He got to work on moving my mop/broom holder from the utility room into the pantry where I wanted it and I went back to my clothes. Finished all that up and decided the bed needing freshening up... the rest of the house was getting completely overhauled! So I stripped the bed down and put clean sheets on it. Took everything else in the utility room to be washed.

From there I couldn't really decide what to do so I headed back into Lillie's room to pull up tape. I had to be done and no furniture could be finally put in place until that was done. During that process I also put face plates back on the light switch and electrical outlets. Today was one of those days where there are so many things on the list its just hard to figure out what to do next. That part can be frustrating. I think there was probably laundry to be moved, started, folded and put away at this point, so I probably took care of that.

Tylor was upstairs already, working diligently on putting down our attic flooring. I scrubbed out the kitchen sink. We've rinsed out all our paint stuff in the sink and that leaves that milky paint look on the stainless, so I scrubbed that good and proper. I also had a few dishes that hadn't come clean in the dishwasher, so I scrubbed them good while I was "scrubbin'". Then I headed back into Lillie's room. I am always drawn to projects in
there first. I put up the blinds... boy if the directions were worth a
shit that would have gone alot faster! But they are up, secure and look good, so that's really all that matters, right?!

I made Ty and me sandwiches for lunch, figured we should both eat. They were pretty damn good if I do say so myself. I had been thinking about dinner, taking out pork chops earlier this morning and it wasn't hard to feel hungry. After we ate I loaded the dishes in the dishwasher (so as not to leave any mess) and moved more laundry around. Then it was back to Lillie's room. After debating with myself as to whether or not to go ahead I decided that I should put the curtain rod up. Again, no directions, but much simpler than the blinds, so no trouble. I put the valance on it and up and viola! Looks good. I was really proud of how "together" the room is starting to look.

By now Tylor is getting closer to finishing up the flooring and there's more clothes to fold and put away and another load to dry and yet another load to wash! Wow, this freakin' laundry will never end! Oh well, I suppose it's my fault for putting it off. But now I have a mess in the floor in Lillie's room from drilling holes for the blinds and curtain rod, so what is the next logical step? Sweep! And I can't just sweep one room, especially when the floors all need it (yes, I just swept yesterday but the amount of dirt is astonishing). So I commence to working my way through the house, broom in hand. About the time I get into the kitchen Tylor comes in with insulation all over him and its all over the floor! Ugh! He then shakes off for me... I call him an asshole... we both laugh. I sweep that mess up too. He thinks I am crazy, that's ok.

I know he's really close to being done now, so I start moving all the items to go into the attic in the living room in one spot so we know what goes and it's easily accessible. One of the items to go is currently in the hall closet, so I drag that out, along with everything else on the floor in there and sweep that out good. I put all the stuff back in the closet, this time in an order that makes sense. Then I had to sweep again of course. Ugh.

Another round of laundry.

By this time Tylor is ready to get the stuff moved up to the attic. We start that process and it goes faster than I expected it to. We get that done and then load the truck up with all the trash from the projects and just the house in general... if I am confused by the amount of laundry we have I am completely dumbfounded by the amount of trash we have! Ty and I take that load to the dump (we didn't have room for our actual trash in the trash cans) and then to take a battery to Auto Zone that the previous owners of his house left for him to dispose of. I treat us to Hot Fudge Sundaes at Sonic since we've been working so hard. We head back home.

He gets to work on pulling the shelving in the utility room out. In the mean time my bedspread is dry and I put that on the bed and the pillow cases back on the pillows. I fold and put away the rest. He made short order of the shelving. All he had to do was detach it from the wall, he's going to put it in his utility room at his house, so it was basically in tact... much easier than taking it completely apart!

We got the first part of the shelving out the door and down to his truck. We had to finess the second part a bit, but got it out relatively easily. We loaded that in the truck and then the first part and we were good to go! He picked up the single pieces for the longer shelves and we put those in the truck and he was out and headed home... probably tickled shitless to be done with my list of things to be done.

I had another load of clothes to fold and put away by this time. I also put the towels in my wooden box that they go in, rolled up nice and pretty, all spa style. I folded the other towels and put them away. The last thing on my list for the day (other than cooking dinner) is to tidy up in the utility room now. I sweep and move stuff and sweep and move stuff. I get everything swept up and put in some kind of order. I feed the pups and sit down to blog!

Tancy is on her way home now, so I must go get dinner going. Have a great evening.

Love to all!

  Good morning all. I said good even though I can't really see much good just yet. I hope that all of you slept well last night and woke rested and refreshed this morning. The week is almost done!

Yesterday we didn't do much else after my last post. Tylor and Tancy finished securing the attic door/ladder and called it a day. Tancy and I did clean up all the insulation (as best we could and felt like at the time anyway) before we headed in. We then headed to Sonic to get dinner. I would have loved a home cooked meal, but neither of us had the energy. As a matter of fact, we chose Sonic because we wouldn't have to get out of the car at all, we could eat there, throw our trash away and head home... all without leaving our car. We were exhausted.

When we got home I got in the shower, a bath would have been lovely, but I felt so gross and filthy that I just couldn't think about sitting in my own funk floating all around me. The shower was wonderful. It's amazing how a little hot water makes you feel a bit more human. Tancy got a bath, I don't know if her knee would have allowed her to stand in the shower for long, plus she'd been on her feet all day already.

We both climbed into bed after our showers (I of course had my nightly 16 oz. of milk and a couple of cookies). We watched a bit of TV and before we knew it, it was 10:00. I turned the TV off and Tancy was asleep pretty quickly. She was some tired, her body jerked and jumped for a bit. I, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. I haven't been able to get comfortable and I feel so hot most of the night. Not to mention the issues with breathing, my sinuses are bothering me and dripping at night.. emphasis on dripping, it sounds like a dripping faucet to me... not easy to go to sleep with that. When I don't have that problem I either can't breathe out of my nose or just can't catch my breath. FUN! LOL. I dozed off and on.

At about 3:30 Scout pulled her ear flappin' shit again. We both just tried not to get so worked up. It was a mild case, but never the less, it woke us both up and kept us both up for long enough. I can't speak for Tancy, but about the time I was good and asleep, the alarm went off.

I drug my sorry ass out of bed right after Tancy got up and let the puppies out. I made coffee, fed the pups when I let them back in and then fixed our cups of coffee. I love my pantry! Honestly. It's even better than I thought and the more I have to go in there for something, the more I love it. I don't know why we didn't do it sooner.

So, today I am going to work on putting things where they belong and the stuff that doesn't belong anywhere yet either has to find a place or be put neatly somewhere temporarily. That's the goal. I am putting Lillie's cubby together today, that'll be my first project this morning (since I have several hours before Tylor gets here). Then I need to start some laundry going. I think until the shelving in the utility room gets taken down I'll put the tools in there, that way they are off of my kitchen table. Outside of that, I don't know. There's plenty to be done, its just a matter of what I tackle today.

Ok, the pictures I was trying for yesterday didn't work out yesterday.... but here they are today. The pics were taken on my phone, after a long day of work, so if they are blurry its because my hands weren't exactly steady any more. I took better pictures with the camera, but I am so not about working on that right now. You'll have to wait for those, sorry 'bout your luck.

I think ya'll have seen this one, but it made me smile this morning. Our Lillie Laughing. She's been fairly active lately, Tancy felt her move for quite a while last night.

Hemmi wanted to help paint. You can't tell because he was moving away from me, but this is the "key lime" green of the dresser and mirror. He later licked a square foot of yellow off the wall. We decided to block him from the bedroom for his own good after that.

Our new WONDERFUL pantry. This is just the view from the door, to the left is another two shelves with printer paper and some miscellaneous office type supplies. Got to give Tylor full credit on these, great job, thank you soo much! I don't know how we ever managed without it.

This is the start of the Sea Wall for Lillie's mural. The colors don't really come through here, but the top is a light blue with shades of nearly white and darker blue faded in. The middle is darker blue with (you guessed it) lighter blue and nearly white faded in. The bottom is basically the same at the top. The thought is that the darker middle gives it depth and the additional colors faded in and even some not so faded give it the illusion of "movement". It may not look like too much in the picture, but for two chicks that aren't professional artists, it's pretty impressive in person.

Lillie's room has received it's final coat of yellow paint (maybe a bit of work on the trim still, but overall). Her dresser is in place, though we will have to move it out to remove the tape from the baseboard behind it... maybe I'll do that today. I'll build the cubby today and that will be placed where it belongs. I won't do too much else in there though so that Tancy and I can work on it together. The bed still needs to be put together, the mirror on the wall and the blinds and curtain rod need to go up. But we are certainly making progress. Did I mention I hand scrubbed the floor yesterday?!

Wow, we have accomplished alot in two days. How come the list of  what's to be done doesn't seem any shorter? My next few days will be spent primarily getting everything back in order... certainly not taking on any more projects!

Alright kids, I think that's all I got for this morning. There could be more later I suppose, but I am going to try really hard to work slow and steady all day. Yesterday I worked hard and fast, so I needed to take more breaks, thus all the posts. So, if you don't hear from me again today, don't be surprised. I'll take more pictures and post as I can. I hope you all have a great day. I am hopeful that my attitude will improve as the caffeine kicks in!! LOL. And of course, BOTH dogs are laying here on the couch beside me sleeping soundly!!

Love to all!

Well, it's only been 2.5 hours, but I have managed to complete the following tasks since I blogged last:
*The third coat of yellow paint on the walls in Lillie's room
*All trash removed from the house
*All floors swept
*The paint scrubbed off of the floor in Lillie's room
*The floor in Lillie's room mopped (the first of many to come)

I also managed to pick up a few items and put them in their homes. I unloaded the dishwasher and put those dishes away and reloaded the dishwasher. I took all the paint cans out of Lillie's room that we would no longer need and cleaned up all paint supplies. They have not found a proper home yet... but damn, I can only do so much. LOL. I also managed to pull the old blind clips down so that the new blinds can be put up. Next I should really pull the tape off of the baseboards, doors and window. I just don't know how much more juice I've got in my battery today.

Tancy and Tylor have completed the attic access. Tylor will have to come back tomorrow to secure the flooring. Then I think the only thing to be completed will be to reattach the siding that was on the car port ceiling and/or frame in (for asthetics) around the door itself. But that was alot of work. I honestly don't know how they are still standing. I am completely exhausted and I don't feel like I did half of what they did.

Poor Tanc, she's got to go back to work tomorrow... and that's probably the only way she's gonna catch a break right now. Tylor has been such a help, we couldn't have gotten this much done without him for absolutely certain.

Well, I'd hoped to have some pictures for ya'll by now... but they are taking forever to send from my phone to my email so that I can post them here, so they will just have to wait till tomorrow. I doubt I post any more tonight, I am sick of myself at this point... but I feel inclined to keep you all abreast of our progress at this point, so there you go, you are updated! Haha!

I hope ya'll have a great night. Hopefully you are all off work by now! Enjoy your night doing whatever it is you choose to do. For me, it wont be long before I choose to get a bite to eat, wash my nasty self, crawl into bed grunty and moaning because my entire body hurts and pray for sleep to come quickly and soundly.

Love to all!

Wow. What a day already! I hope you are all having a great today.

So we got up, had coffee, got dressed and started moving... and boy we haven't stopped since. I got started on the pantry, moving everything from the utility room and even the canned food from the kitchen. I arranged everything just like I wanted it (basically. We have alot more shit than I thought we did!). I got the dogs stuff in there, all our food stuff in there, all our cleaning stuff in there and what "office" stuff we kept is also in there. I am not thrilled about how we had to put the hope chest and file cabinet to get them both in there, but at least we have a place for both.
 
While I was working on that Tancy worked on Lillie's room, adding one more layer of paint to the "trim". She also started working on the fish but decided we are going to need to get a projector to do it like she wants it done. So guess what I'll be doing tomorrow? You got it, going to get a projector.

Tylor got here before too long and they assesed the attic space for how to do it and what we would need. Next thing you know we are all headed out. Ty and Tanc in the truck (like yesterday) and me in the car. We got what we needed from Lowes and checked out, they headed home with the goods and I picked up lunch. I don't think they were back long before I drove up. Lunch was decent enough... I am missing home cooked food and just as soon as I get a minute and enough energy I'll cook. I also need to get some groceries, again with the time and energy.

After eating they began work on the attic space. I got to work on the kitchen, my counters have become catch all's for EVERYTHING and I am sick to death of it. I managed to move enough around that everything has a proper home now, not just jammed in side ways where ever I could find a spot. Yay! I love it when everything has a place. I also managed to get rid of some stuff, which is always good.

I helped Ty get all the OSB (SOB always comes to mind first) up to Tancy in the attic to lay down up there to give them a spot to sit on before putting in the door. The access is going to have to be in the carport, no adequate place to put it in the house... something to do with the way the joists run upstairs. I understand but can't relay it in proper terms, so I wont try. LOL. Tylor, he's such an ox, he basically lifted 8 pieces of OSB up to Tancy, I just kept a hand on the bottom to help guide. Tancy, of course being no weakling herself, pulled them up and placed them by herself. This really is beyond my physical capabilities at this point or my mental capacity for that matter! I'll stick with organization, cleaning, cooking, etc. I can tell you where just about everything in this house is. I can cook nearly anything you want to eat. I can clean like nobody's business. But ask me to lift just one sheet of OSB over my head and I wouldn't know whether to laugh at you or cry at this moment.

Today I am feeling a bit overwhelmed... like maybe, just maybe we bit off too much this time. Dad will be here Monday and I am feeling really pressed to get everything done (not by him, though he picks I don't take that seriously, by myself). I'd like to have everything in place and the house clean when he gets here. Right now I am beginning to question the possibility of that. I have so much to do still. Here's my list of what I want to get done by Monday:
*The broom, mop, etc. hanging on the wall in the utility room moved into the pantry
*The shelving removed from the utility room
*The holes in the utility room walls filled
*The kitchen fully back together
*The kitchen table cleaned off completely
*All the stuff to be stored in the attic actually in the attic
*All the tools put away in their homes (which technically, at this point, doesn't exist... the crawl space will do)
*Lillie's room, the yellow at least, completed
*The furniture in Lillie's room put together and in place (bed & cubby)
*The mirror for Lillie's room put on the wall
*All furniture that needs to be secured to a wall properly secured
*All the trash out of the house & to the dump
*All give-a-ways gone
*The house clean
*The laundry done
*The floors swept, mopped and shinin'

This is just right off the top of my head... I am sure there's more. Can you see why I am feeling overwhelmed currently? I think that Tancy and Tylor will at least have the attic door/ladder in today. I don't know how much of the OSB will be nailed down today, but that's one of those things that isn't too bad... getting it up there was much more difficult than nailing it down will be. Once they get that done, hopefully, we'll get the items that need to go in the attic up there. I think Ty will have to help Tancy with that.

If Tancy can take down the mop, broom hanger and put it up in the pantry I can take those two rooms from there. I am capable of removing the shelving in the utility room and filling in the holes as well. Once that's done, all that's left in the utility room is a fresh coat of paint, the new, shorter shelf for my laundry stuff (the only items that don't get moved out of the utility room) put above the washer and dryer and eventually the stand up freezer. I don't know how soon we will actually get that. Then those two rooms will be completed. There really isn't much left to do in the pantry.

I think my best bet is to work room to room, not moving to another until one is completely finished. I try to always work this way so as not to get completely overwhelmed. My trouble comes in when I start moving stuff from one room to another, its hard to go back into the original room and keep working in there... I start putting away whatever I just brought into the second room... then I find something that needs to go in yet another room and the cycle becomes vicious. But I think once the pantry & utility room are done I'll start the dining/kitchen area. Once that's done the living room. Then the hall closet (which is presently in ashambles because that's where the original attic access is), hopefully that wont take too long and I can move on to Lillie's room. One more coat of yellow in there and we should be able to start with furniture which means the next step is cleaning the floor good before we move furniture in. Then I can put the bed together and where it will go and the dresser against the wall where it belongs. I'll also be able to put together the cubby unit and put it where it'll go. Then I'll need Tancy to secure the cubby to the wall as well as put the mirror up. I'll get the blinds and the curtain rod put up and all that will be left is the mural.

Next is the back bedroom. I need to re-work the items that are in there now (specifically the mattress and box springs) so that Pops is comfy in there. Dust, do the floor and that room is done. I'll then move on to the hall bath, a quick clean, shouldn't need much more, no one has been in there. I want to put up the few little decorations I have for that room (we'd packed them away when we put the house on the market) and that will finish out that room.

Lastly is our bedroom and bathroom which isn't much more than routine cleaning. Then I will be done. Maybe I can take it two - three rooms each day since some don't require much. I think I can get it done... I hope I can. If not, well, I'll just have to try not to be a basket case about it not being done and Pops being here. But honestly, that's just a deadline for me, I am ready to have my house back. The mess is starting to bug me, living in a construction zone is only easy for a short time for me.

Well, now that I have completely bugged you with these trivial things that you probably care nothing about I think I'll sign off of here and see what else I can tackle today. Maybe I'll go ahead and put that coat of paint on the walls in Lillie's room this evening, that'll be one thing off the list at least. Honestly, I don't even know what the next "best" step is.

I hope you are all having a great evening. Work should be almost done and there's still plenty of daylight to enjoy when you get home!

Love to all!

P.S. Jan-E-Poo, yesterday you wanted to know where my blog was... well, I've given you a total of three today (one that should have posted yesterday) and I've been working my ass off.... So, I ask you, where's your blog for today?!

Good morning. We just got up and I have a terrible headache. Tancy's knee seems to still be bothering her.

We went to Mandy's yesterday evening and had dinner. We had a great visit but stayed too long... I wanted to come home and get a few things done before going to bed. Oh well, we got home around 10:00 and by the time we got baths, etc. It was nearly midnight.

So, I am about to have my cup of coffee and then I'll get dressed and get to work. I need to get everything transferred from the utility room into the pantry. Eventually I'll be able to pull stuff from various locations in the house where I've randomly found space to keep it and put it in the pantry in a real home. I think I'll be re-working some of the kitchen as well (Sandy's world will be rocked!!). Needless to say I am excited about it all.

I don't have much else to report this morning. I hope you are all doing well. It's hump day and Tancy's last day off... (bummer) We've been busting our asses here in the house, I have to say that makes it feel like we've had less time. Wow, the week is almost over. I have alot to do before Monday gets here! I'm not getting anything done here..so I am outtie!

Love to all!

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Hello all! I am a little later posting than I normally like
(or earlier, depending on Tancy's shift) and pressed for time, so I'll make
this one quick as I can.

Yesterday we had anticipated working in the house some... but Tancy's knee is
giving her so much trouble we opted to get her in to the doctor and take it
easy before and after said appointment. Right now we really don't know what is
going on with it. It's her left knee, its swollen and tender to touch. It's
buckling on her as well... not fun and not something she handles too well. She
doesn't like anyone to know she's in pain, let alone having trouble walking.
Anyway, the doc gave her a new anti-inflammatory (it was time, she's been on
Naproxen for about three years now, initially PRN and then on a schedule). She
also gave her a Prednisone (sp?) pack to start on until they can asses if
Cortizone shots will help at all. She then sent her right down the hall to have
both knees x-rayed. If that doesn't show us anything they will send her to get
an MRI done. I am a bit concerned due to the level of discomfort (i.e. pain)
and because it is buckling on her. She's on her feet the entire time she's at
work, walking, climbing, etc. That's alot to put on any part of your body that
hurts.

From there we got her a knee brace hoping to help with the buckling and add
some counter pressure to it as well. Then to CVS to get her meds (we also
picked up a ton of junk food to snack on while watching movies). I picked up
Subway later once we were sure she wasn't going to feel up to getting out again
and we had dinner on the couch while catching up on our DVR'd shows. The
steroids really messed her stomach up, still are, mostly indigestion that just
will not quit. She's not accustomed to indigestion either, so it is quite
uncomfortable.

We went to bed around 11:00 and were both asleep fairly quickly. At 12:51 I
woke up to Tancy sitting bolt upright in bed. I was worried something was
really wrong... Thankfully that wasn't the case. The steroids were keeping her
up and her stomach was burning as well. I was now awake (I guess that initial
fear woke me up good and proper) too so we watched TV in the livingroom till
about 3:00 and then headed to bed. We both had fits of sleep from then on. It
was basically a miserable night for both of us.

This morning I had to get up earlier than I might have liked, but I had an
appointment with the chiropractor. I headed off to that and left Tancy nursing
her cup of coffee. By the time I was headed home she had eaten breakfast and
taken her medicine. The steroids really mess her up something terrible. I hate
to see it, but I suppose if they help her knee it makes it worth it? You'd have
to ask her that I guess.

By the time I got home Tylor was here (he's helping us accomplish a few of our
projects so we can knock out several things that we need desperately) and Tancy
was putting her shoes on. We headed to Lowes to get the shelving for our new
pantry. Yay! I can't wait for that. It will be so nice! And the utility room
will be neat and in order again... and if the pantry is chaotic, I can shut the
door!! Ha! Tancy and Tylor headed home and I picked up lunch for us. They'd
just finished unloading everything when I drove up. We ate and then all got to
work. Tylor is working on the pantry by himself. The kid can do anything! I am
constantly amazed by him. Tancy started working on paint in Lillie's room and I
worked on re-organizing my sewing and (what little bit of) craft stuff so it
can go in the pantry when the shelving is done. Next I had to run back to Lowes
to get some paint, we ran out of the yellow, it took alot more than we expected
to cover the color that was on the walls. I came back and started the second
coat of trim in the bedroom (its going to take at least one more coat... ugh...
yellow... that's what I get!). I managed to get half way through it before I
was miserable and hurting, I pushed through and completed it before throwing in
the towel and making my way to the couch.

So, here I sit, blogging about the last 24+ hours. Once Tylor is finished I
will start moving stuff so we can take down the unit that Tancy built in the
utility room (it has to come down before we can start on the attic access). We
will head to Mandy's at some point this evening to get Tancy's tools (you may
remember we took a whole bunch of shit to Mandy's when we listed the house) and
our ladder. Then we'll come home and probably crash!

Tomorrow Tylor will come back and we'll get started on the attic. The ladder
has to be put in and then we'll start the flooring process. Once that is done I
can put some items upstairs that we would have otherwise had to figure out
storage for. That makes me so happy, to have that extra space... I can pull all
the shit I have stuffed into closet corners and misc. spots and actually have a
spot for it! Yay. It's alot of work, but thankfully, between Tancy and Tylor
it'll get done and done well. I just help where I can. Which leads me to my
closing. I need to bug out of here and check on Tylor first, see if he needs
anything... and then check on Tancy. She's obsessed with the murel presently.
It's really important to her and she's putting her heart and soul (blood, sweat
and tears) into it.

I hope you all have a great evening. I may or may not post tomorrow. I would
imagine my help will be needed tomorrow, even if it's just handing someone
tools. I am still good for something damnit. I have to admitt, I don't like not
being able to do everything I would have been doing prior to pregnancy. Makes
me feel a bit useless. Oh well, I'll get over myself! Ha!

Love to all.