I, apparently, do not have enough to do to keep me busy. I'm pretty positive all that dust accumulating on the furniture and the dust bunnies beneath the beds could use some attention. My house looks presentable. There might not be a shine on every surface but those surfaces are free of everything but dust. A little dust has never bothered me. Because of this attitude towards my house, I look for chores that are in dire need of attention. This leads me to the daughter's home. My attention focused on the hall bathroom and it's needs. It had now been a year and more since we placed new drywall on one wall. I had big plans. A pretty paint, bright towels, new rugs and shower curtain and a counter top with pretty jars and baskets to hold all those things needed in a bathroom.
I got side tracked for a year plus. Last week, I painted that bathroom. I took a survey on the users of that room and no body had a suggestion on paint colors except Carrie. She suggested "white". How simple. That's the color that now dominates the room. Bright garnet towels, rugs and a color blocked shower curtain in black, white and garnet squares brought it all together. A new towel rod supports those huge garnet colored towels and a full length mirror hangs on the wall alongside. I see the finish line from where I sit. Though I need to add some quarter round molding along the floor, I stopped to start the second project which was on my goal list.
The wood deck has been decorated with sidewalk chalk. Lovely random blocks of color, squiggly markings that only the child that created them understood their meaning, the deck was a mess. Ashes from the BBQ pit added to the colors meshed into the wood. I was determined to bring the wood back to it's former and original state of health.
A few things kept interfering with my race to the finish line. A birthday party, a live theatre performance and school activities caused my projects to extend into a month long endeavor.
The power washer was loaded into the trunk of my car two days ago and the chalk marks disappeared in a powerful jet stream of water. Seeing the original wood reappear, the ashes from the BBQ pit sluffed off, another goal was about to be attained. I don't hate dust but I do detest dirt. The golden color of the deck reappeared. Two days later (today) after the deck had dried, Thompson's Water Seal was applied. The deck is beautiful and better then beautiful, the deck is clean!
I'm a goal oriented person. I set a plan and advance toward my goal. Tomorrow I plan on setting that wood trim piece in that bathroom and I'll be over that finish line!
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Sunday, October 26, 2014
A Busy October
The temperatures, along with the inhabitants, have been busy. Mother Nature has been slowly decreasing her thermostat, but mostly during the late afternoon hours when the sun is rushing toward the horizon. The days still remain a bit uncomfortable though the promise remains of cooler weather simply because it is 'fall'.
Carrie's birthday was October 8th. We had a small family celebration by taking her to her choice of restaurants. Her choice was influenced by the cake that is always smashed into the birthday person's face and the subsequent picture shot and placed on the wall of the establishment. After dinner and before the cake smashing, she was serenaded by the Marachi band. She had a lovely time.
Her big birthday party was scheduled for October 25th (last night). It was a " late afternoon, edging toward darkness" event. The daughter had worked for days on making two Pinatas, mini cupcakes with blood shot eyes on them, avocado dip with chips, caramel corn, candy corn, chocolate chip cookies and hot dogs with "sauce, slaw and onions" and rice crispy treats, which I might add, we forgot to take out of the fridge and serve.
The stress level was high early Saturday morning. All the columns on the patio were wreathed in orange and black crepe paper, the ceiling with spiders on orange and gold tendrils, spooky vampires and ghouls on the fence and skeletons emerging from the cobweb shrouded shrubs surrounding the yard. Tables were set up with orange tablecloths and all the chairs in and out of the house were rounded up and placed in a circle on the outer perimeter of the patio. I had my assigned duties and tried to keep a low profile as the stress level increased with the daughter's duties edging her toward party time.
1800 hours and the guests begin to arrive. Costumed in their Halloween finery, the broken doll danced around, the ninjas, the fairies and the dancers gathered around for the games that have been arranged for them. A set of circles were spray painted onto the grass and the balls the children were given rolled into the different sized circles aiming for the center. We judged the level of enjoyment from the children based on the laughter and the squeals, the darting around the semi dark yard and the hot dogs consumed.
My main job was keeping the hot dog bowl supplied for the guests.
Two piñatas were hung and a huge PVC pipe was used as the "stick" to whack it. April had spent three days making these piñatas. A huge eye with a blue iris created by paper mache over a huge balloon, layered, dried and layered and repeated until a tough skin was created. The balloon was pricked and pulled from the completed, completely dried piñatas. The children lined up to take their turn. I think the construction of this piñata might be a bit overdone. It took a great many swings to soften it up and eventually it gave up it's treats. The children dropped to their knees, jostling each other, amid good natured squeals, gathering all the candy into their treat bags.
The party was a huge success. We were surprised by the large numbers of young children that attended. This was a three day break from school. We expected a lot of families to go out of town so we were pleasantly surprised by the turnout.
The magic hour of 2100 hours arrived and the guests drifted away. The cleanup begun. Thanks to April, Shane and myself, the decorations came down faster then they went up, the bones strewn around the yard and the skeletons in the bushes were retrieved and the patio hosed down to remove all the cupcakes, frosting and candy. I'm sure nobody wanted to get up early this morning for cleanup detail.
I, for one, have enjoyed a quiet Sunday morning, lazing in front of the television. It's very quiet. I'm very grateful. Now what to do about two pans of rice crispy treats?
Carrie's birthday was October 8th. We had a small family celebration by taking her to her choice of restaurants. Her choice was influenced by the cake that is always smashed into the birthday person's face and the subsequent picture shot and placed on the wall of the establishment. After dinner and before the cake smashing, she was serenaded by the Marachi band. She had a lovely time.
Her big birthday party was scheduled for October 25th (last night). It was a " late afternoon, edging toward darkness" event. The daughter had worked for days on making two Pinatas, mini cupcakes with blood shot eyes on them, avocado dip with chips, caramel corn, candy corn, chocolate chip cookies and hot dogs with "sauce, slaw and onions" and rice crispy treats, which I might add, we forgot to take out of the fridge and serve.
The stress level was high early Saturday morning. All the columns on the patio were wreathed in orange and black crepe paper, the ceiling with spiders on orange and gold tendrils, spooky vampires and ghouls on the fence and skeletons emerging from the cobweb shrouded shrubs surrounding the yard. Tables were set up with orange tablecloths and all the chairs in and out of the house were rounded up and placed in a circle on the outer perimeter of the patio. I had my assigned duties and tried to keep a low profile as the stress level increased with the daughter's duties edging her toward party time.
1800 hours and the guests begin to arrive. Costumed in their Halloween finery, the broken doll danced around, the ninjas, the fairies and the dancers gathered around for the games that have been arranged for them. A set of circles were spray painted onto the grass and the balls the children were given rolled into the different sized circles aiming for the center. We judged the level of enjoyment from the children based on the laughter and the squeals, the darting around the semi dark yard and the hot dogs consumed.
My main job was keeping the hot dog bowl supplied for the guests.
Two piñatas were hung and a huge PVC pipe was used as the "stick" to whack it. April had spent three days making these piñatas. A huge eye with a blue iris created by paper mache over a huge balloon, layered, dried and layered and repeated until a tough skin was created. The balloon was pricked and pulled from the completed, completely dried piñatas. The children lined up to take their turn. I think the construction of this piñata might be a bit overdone. It took a great many swings to soften it up and eventually it gave up it's treats. The children dropped to their knees, jostling each other, amid good natured squeals, gathering all the candy into their treat bags.
The party was a huge success. We were surprised by the large numbers of young children that attended. This was a three day break from school. We expected a lot of families to go out of town so we were pleasantly surprised by the turnout.
The magic hour of 2100 hours arrived and the guests drifted away. The cleanup begun. Thanks to April, Shane and myself, the decorations came down faster then they went up, the bones strewn around the yard and the skeletons in the bushes were retrieved and the patio hosed down to remove all the cupcakes, frosting and candy. I'm sure nobody wanted to get up early this morning for cleanup detail.
I, for one, have enjoyed a quiet Sunday morning, lazing in front of the television. It's very quiet. I'm very grateful. Now what to do about two pans of rice crispy treats?
Friday, October 3, 2014
AC, a necessity and other Miscellaneous Infomation
"What's that?" I inquire while raising my voice to be heard from the bedroom to the living room.
"Hot? No, I don't feel hot."
The husband is standing over the thermostat, having advanced into the hallway to peer at the numbers displayed.
"It's 77 degrees in here." he informs me. "I think there is something wrong with the a/c unit."
Heat? Hot? We are going to be hot in here soon? That just won't do. I hate to sweat. Dragging myself from my comfy television watching spot on my bed, I meet the husband in the hallway to watch as the thermostat's numbers rise to 78 and then 79 degrees.
"We'll call the repairman tomorrow." the husband informs me.
"Give me the number. I'm calling him today." was my reply. Though it's Sunday, there is a repairman on call 24/7 and I placed that call.
End results, he showed up and had to order a part which he would do on Monday. A rain storm had passed over and saturated us with a heavy shower. That same shower dropped water over this house which lowered the temperatures internally to 83 degrees. We were comfortable with the ceiling fans whirling and a box fan sent here from my daughter's house.
Segue to Monday morning. Promptly at 0800 hrs. my phone rings. The repairman is on his way. We have AC once again.
And that was weeks ago. This post went into "draft" and stayed there until this evening.
I'm very lax in blogging lately.
To catch up a little....this follows:
An appointment at the clinic for blood work was scheduled for Thursday (yesterday). Next Thursday, a follow up appointment with the P.A. after results of the blood test are submitted to her. I expect to be followed closely for the next few years. I'm on maintaince drugs now as the chemo has finished...at least for a while.
My hair has grown back and I'm in dire need of a haircut. I plan on doing that in November. It will have been a year that I have been off the chemo that took my hair so it has been growing for a full year by the time November rolls around. I'll get it cut then to mark the anniversary of "hair".
September sped by. Nothing spectacular to report. No trips or anything dramatic has occurred and for this I'm thankful. We are now moving through October. This Wednesday Carrie will be 9 yrs. old. A family celebration with gifts is planned; her big birthday party will be on October 25th. It will be a Halloween themed party complete with ghosts, goblins and ugly spiders hanging from strings. I might have to be out of town for this one as I'm terribly phobic about spiders...even fake ones.
I took Carrie to see her first theatre movie when she was three years old. I was a bit nervous about this as I didn't know if she would be engrossed enough in the movie to sit still through the whole thing. She did great. Her attention was glued to the big screen watching the Disney featured movie. This past week we decided to go to a movie. It was a bright hot Sunday so sitting in a cool theatre was something I was agreeable to.
This was a spur of the moment decision as much of my life has been dictated by spur of the moment decisions. We didn't check the movie times. We dropped the top on the roadster, donned our sunglasses and hit the road.
We were late for the cartoon feature by about 1/2 hr. Gazing up at the marquee, I spotted a movie that was starting in 5 minutes and that is how Carrie got to see her second R rated movie.
Her mother wasn't impressed when she found out what we were watching. It wasn't too bad. The first scene was the worst with a cheating wife in bed with her lover when her husband walks into the bedroom. After that, the only thing Carrie questioned when the movie was over was "Nana, what is a boner?" A term she had heard repeated in the movie over and over. As usual when Carrie asks a question related to a touchy subject for an 8yr. old, I directed her to ask her mother. Mother's can be touchy about how certain information is presented to their children so I opt out on answering any questions related to sex and any attempts to shorten the length of Carrie's hair. Another thing that will create drama, is cutting Carrie's hair. I know better then to go there but I well remember when Carrie went there with a pair of sharp scissors! I am now grounded from taking Carrie to a movie. I'm am not to be trusted as this is the second R rated movie we have been to. If memory serves me right, Ted and I went to his first R rated movie. We decided we wouldn't mention this to his mom. I don't condone sneaking but if one doesn't inquire, I might not offer the information in detail.
I'm off here to watch some television. The husband is in Odessa on a long job. I've contemplated leaving on a trip to N.C. to see my sister but I haven't made it to the end of the driveway yet. I dread all those road miles and the husband doesn't want me to drive. I hate to fly and the train is a three day trip.
This is done..I'm done!
"Hot? No, I don't feel hot."
The husband is standing over the thermostat, having advanced into the hallway to peer at the numbers displayed.
"It's 77 degrees in here." he informs me. "I think there is something wrong with the a/c unit."
Heat? Hot? We are going to be hot in here soon? That just won't do. I hate to sweat. Dragging myself from my comfy television watching spot on my bed, I meet the husband in the hallway to watch as the thermostat's numbers rise to 78 and then 79 degrees.
"We'll call the repairman tomorrow." the husband informs me.
"Give me the number. I'm calling him today." was my reply. Though it's Sunday, there is a repairman on call 24/7 and I placed that call.
End results, he showed up and had to order a part which he would do on Monday. A rain storm had passed over and saturated us with a heavy shower. That same shower dropped water over this house which lowered the temperatures internally to 83 degrees. We were comfortable with the ceiling fans whirling and a box fan sent here from my daughter's house.
Segue to Monday morning. Promptly at 0800 hrs. my phone rings. The repairman is on his way. We have AC once again.
And that was weeks ago. This post went into "draft" and stayed there until this evening.
I'm very lax in blogging lately.
To catch up a little....this follows:
An appointment at the clinic for blood work was scheduled for Thursday (yesterday). Next Thursday, a follow up appointment with the P.A. after results of the blood test are submitted to her. I expect to be followed closely for the next few years. I'm on maintaince drugs now as the chemo has finished...at least for a while.
My hair has grown back and I'm in dire need of a haircut. I plan on doing that in November. It will have been a year that I have been off the chemo that took my hair so it has been growing for a full year by the time November rolls around. I'll get it cut then to mark the anniversary of "hair".
September sped by. Nothing spectacular to report. No trips or anything dramatic has occurred and for this I'm thankful. We are now moving through October. This Wednesday Carrie will be 9 yrs. old. A family celebration with gifts is planned; her big birthday party will be on October 25th. It will be a Halloween themed party complete with ghosts, goblins and ugly spiders hanging from strings. I might have to be out of town for this one as I'm terribly phobic about spiders...even fake ones.
I took Carrie to see her first theatre movie when she was three years old. I was a bit nervous about this as I didn't know if she would be engrossed enough in the movie to sit still through the whole thing. She did great. Her attention was glued to the big screen watching the Disney featured movie. This past week we decided to go to a movie. It was a bright hot Sunday so sitting in a cool theatre was something I was agreeable to.
This was a spur of the moment decision as much of my life has been dictated by spur of the moment decisions. We didn't check the movie times. We dropped the top on the roadster, donned our sunglasses and hit the road.
We were late for the cartoon feature by about 1/2 hr. Gazing up at the marquee, I spotted a movie that was starting in 5 minutes and that is how Carrie got to see her second R rated movie.
Her mother wasn't impressed when she found out what we were watching. It wasn't too bad. The first scene was the worst with a cheating wife in bed with her lover when her husband walks into the bedroom. After that, the only thing Carrie questioned when the movie was over was "Nana, what is a boner?" A term she had heard repeated in the movie over and over. As usual when Carrie asks a question related to a touchy subject for an 8yr. old, I directed her to ask her mother. Mother's can be touchy about how certain information is presented to their children so I opt out on answering any questions related to sex and any attempts to shorten the length of Carrie's hair. Another thing that will create drama, is cutting Carrie's hair. I know better then to go there but I well remember when Carrie went there with a pair of sharp scissors! I am now grounded from taking Carrie to a movie. I'm am not to be trusted as this is the second R rated movie we have been to. If memory serves me right, Ted and I went to his first R rated movie. We decided we wouldn't mention this to his mom. I don't condone sneaking but if one doesn't inquire, I might not offer the information in detail.
I'm off here to watch some television. The husband is in Odessa on a long job. I've contemplated leaving on a trip to N.C. to see my sister but I haven't made it to the end of the driveway yet. I dread all those road miles and the husband doesn't want me to drive. I hate to fly and the train is a three day trip.
This is done..I'm done!
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