Thank You so Much for Stopping By

Carrie is snuggled down in the King sized bed, usually where the husband sleeps when he is in town. Carrie sleeps in her bedroom on those occasions. She is beneath both the sheet AND the blanket this morning.

Our mornings are a bit on the chilly side now indicated by Carrie's use of both sheet AND blanket. Carrie is a hot natured child much like me. A little heat is sufficient for her and just a tad more is way way too much. I used to tuck her in after she went to sleep, fitting the blanket and sheet snugly around her body only to find on my final check of her before going to bed, the blanket and the sheet kicked of and sometimes even her gown was missing. When she gets hot, she immediately goes au naturelle.

 

Today she has selected a movie so this afternoon we will head to the theatre. I don't plan on doing much today or as little as required of me. Tomorrow will bring another day of construction.

 

There are a few more things that will require a saw and the compressor and nailers. Soon I will be able to pack all those things out of the bedroom Carrie occupies which is right now filled with everything related to this job.

 

The deck needs presssure washed and the outside of the home needs it. Hopefully, this week it will all get done and the bathroom remodel can get underway.

 

I'm out of bed much to early again this morning. I may need a nap around noon so I'll look for an early morning showing of the movie Carrie wants to see.

 

The husband remains in Texas on his job and it looks as though he may be there at least another 3 weeks. The problems have been sorted through and the client is calm. As I'm writing this, my eyelids droop and as my head tilts forward, I do that snap, raise, eyes open and find myself paused in my typing. I assume this means I should stretch out on this sofa and let nature take it's course.

 

On that note I'm outta here! 

My Day Off

Wow...a day off! I loaded up the small lawn mower and headed for the daughter's house. We haven't paid much attention to the lawn while doing our week long marathon remodeling project and it's lookin a bit shaggy.

 

Usually the daughter mows when I deliver the little lawn mower to her. We keep it at my house in the shed to keep it out of the weather. It's so light that I can load it in the trunk of my car when her lawn needs mowed. Since she and Shane (her S.O.) were working on the wall behind the washing machine today, I loaded it and mowed her lawn. Not much to mowing and the only reason it needed done was not for the height of the grass but because it just looked unkempt. This will be the last time this year it will have to be done hopefully.

 

I stopped in to see how the repair job on the wall was coming along. I just stared and was silently thankful that Shane took this job upon and not me. Two of the 2X4's needed to be replaced and the wiring was almost bare that goes to the light switches. Along with sheet rock, 2X4's and insulation, he will have to do a bit of wiring and then build a support to attach the light switches to. This might be an all day job and one that I got out of doing. THANK YOU SHANE!

 

Finally the pressure washer was started. Something I failed to get done a couple of days ago when I wanted to use it. I power washed the patio and planned on climbing aboard the riding mower to mulch the leaves on the front lawn when I heard a mower running outside. Peeking out, I found my neighbor on his riding lawn mower doing it for me! Thank you James!

 

The daughter's drapes are in the washing machine as we speak. I wanted to shorten them so they wouldn't hang in front of the window a/c unit and need to always be tied in a knot out of the way. That "look" drives me crazy. I hemmed them by hand to hang just to the top of the a/c unit and as soon as the washer is finished with them, I'll hang them on the line and drive back to the daughter's to see how that wall is coming along. THANK YOU SHANE! Can you tell how relieved I am that I am not doing this!

 

And..that's my "day off" so far and it's barely 1530 hrs!

I Might Be Too Old For This

I'm dragging tonight. Ten hours spent cutting wood and installing it and sweeping up the mess after each session and I'm so tired I can't think straight.

 

Tomorrow I'm taking the day off. The daughter and I have been working for the past 5 days on her home. Trim work and repair after repair and the difference is noted.

 

This afternoon we were finally able to start doing some painting. The deep deep green that covered the ceiling and walls was covered with Kilz. That was a story in itself.

 

I thought the daughter had some Kilz in her storage unit but when she dug it out and I opened the can it was in chunks with a mold like scum over it. Trashing it, I headed to Walmart to buy a fresh can. I dashed into the store already exhausted from all the work done during the morning, I just wanted to get back and roll on Kilz. This has to dry before we can paint it in the color the daughter wants. The grandson hasn't been able to use this room and I thought we might be able to get it done today. I'm never very realistic about how long it takes to get things done.

 

I opened the new can and gazed in astonishment at the contents. It was a milk chocolate color. We reread the contents on the can and it assured us it was white and also blanco. A double assurance.

 

"Maybe it's like the pink ceiling paint. It's pink in the can and when it drys it turns white." says the daughter. She dipped a paint stick in it and took the hair dryer to it and it remained chocolate. Undeterred, I poured some in a roller pan and headed to the grandson's bedroom. The ceiling remained chocolate and I was on the phone to Walmart. Apparently someone at the store had tinted it and mistakenly placed it back on the shelf. Among the 10 cans of Kilz sitting on that shelf, I had to select the one that wasn't supposed to be there.

 

I'm tired and irritated and short with the sales clerk. He told me they would replace it. I wanted to ask if they would deliver it as I was too tired to make another trip to exchange the paints.

 

Tired as I was, I stumbled into the store and grabbed the new can of paint and headed back to try to get this room started. Tomorrow it should be ready for the  final coat of paint and the grandson can move back into his room.

 

I'm taking the day off. The daughter assures me that she can finish painting. Shane, her fellow, has promised to replace the two by four that has rotted behind the washer and hang a sheet of drywall. He will also replace the soft floor in front of the back door and measure for a new door that we will order. I"m so grateful that this is one job I won't have to concern myself with.

 

I'll get back there on Monday and start painting hall ceiling move along to the living room and the master bedroom. I am so excited. We are back on track on this project. As soon as the painting is completed and the back door is installed, the remodel of the master bedroom will be enough for this year.

 

It's Ambien time. The 3 ibuprofen should be kicking in soon. I hurt!

Progress and that Light at the End of the Tunnel thing!

I'm so excited and it's such a good feeling. What is causing the rise in my pulse rate? Paint! Simply paint.

 

For the past six days I leap from my bed (figuratively only) and start preparing Carrie's school lunch, get it packed and then slip into her bedroom and nuzzle her awake. She stretches one arm then the other, arches her back and stiffens her legs. Soon her body goes limp and she rolls to her side, sits up and smiles. She is ready for her morning hug after which she stumbles barely awake into the bathroom. It's her morning ritual. We meet again in the living room where I have her school uniform, ID badge, shoes and socks waiting on the coffee table.

 

She is already beginning to chatter about something going on in her life. Little girls like to talk. Soon we head to the kitchen counter where she sips her chocolate milk, takes her pill and eats a few dry fruit loops. Carrie is not a fan of an early breakfast and her school lunch is served at 10:30 which is usually the time she is ready for some breakfast. I worry that since she eats so early in the morning, she will be famished by 1500 hrs. We pack a little snack for her for the afternoons.

 

That's my early morning. As soon as I deliver her to her bus stop, I hurry home to get my supplies for the days work. I have been doing a little carpentry work and some repairs on the daughters home. The wainscoting she installed around her living room and hallway had never had the chair rail installed nor the quarter round that sits on the floor against the walls.

 

Staining and installing these two things have drastically changed the appearance of this room and it makes me very happy to see it come together. We installed sheet rock to one wall in Ted's bedroom and repaired flaws in the wall with spackling in places and patched sheet rock in others. My goal is to do all the repairs before painting any part of this project. That was yesterday. We have now arrived to the painting part of this project and I'm excited at this portion of the project. I like the decorating part of a makeup and after 6 days, we have arrived!

 

I have some sanding to do this morning before I begin painting and the daughter has a little sheet rock work to do in her bedroom before she joins me with roller and brush.

 

During my shopping spree at my Home Depot, the employees know me on sight, I happened down the aisle that has the weather stripping. I added that project to my list of things to do.

 

Most of my days lately have been spent on this project. I'm tired at the end of my day and usually have missed lunch  so I'm also very hungry.

 

Although hungry and tired, it's a satisfying feeling to note how much has been accomplished and to see this home change so much after each days work. It keeps me motivated.

 

All this has not be done alone. The daughter is there everyday measuring and cutting and cleaning up the construction debris. I don't know if she enjoys doing this sort of work as much as I do but she is hanging in there.

 

It's now time to head to the kitchen and get the mac and cheese in the wide mouth thermos, the potato chips, spoon and napkin and the thermos of milk packed for Carrie's lunch.

 

It's time for me to make a run to the shed to get my light and sanding blocks to sand that sheet rock that was floated yesterday. Being busy is better then sitting around doing nothing isn't it?

 

I'll be in the kitchen should you need something.

 

P.S....Aunt Ev..sorry I had to cut our phone conversation so short. I'll get back to you later today..promise!