List time again

Get Christmas gifts for:
*Rachel
*Haylie
*Alexis
*Kim
*Garrett's homeroom teacher
*Evan's teacher
*Spencer's teacher

*Get gifts in mail: Kim, Sally, JoAnn, Dan, Alexis, Chloe

*Decorate main floor, get tree up, etc.

*Make holiday menu plan

• chocolate fondue for breakfast Christmas morning
• vodka penne for Christmas Eve dinner
• Christmas dinner?
• Boxing Day?
• baking/candies
  

*sew pincushion (started -- OMG so cute!)
*sew apron
*clean up guest room
*clean up laundry room
*iron Rob's shirts (or better yet, take them to the cleaners to be pressed)
(or, what I actually did: throw a tantrum because I am sick of the freakin' shirts being EVERYWHERE and make him iron them himself. Done.)
*make a Goodwill run
*make pillows out of leftover curtain fabric
*make fleece hats for Women's Shelter (will drop off Dec. 9)
*look thru old pix boxes and find those 2 missing photos
*get holiday pix taken and get Christmas cards out the door

I got the crap room cleaned up yesterday so I can actually walk in here. Cleaned off the shelves under the basement stairs and Freecycled a bunch of serving pieces I never use. Most have been picked up already, so I have some space to rearrange things a bit.

The sofa and loveseat were cleaned Monday and so far I am keeping the dog off of them. Honestly, I think the kids make more of a mess than she does, but it's worth a shot. They are 11 this year and they're off-white so anything I can do to prolong their life is good.

I have a few outside projects in the works, too -- a newsletter and the voiceover for a slide presentation, so those will keep me busy as well.

Nice to have a place to organize my thoughts. Sorry to bore you.

Today I have ....

* finished the ribbon tiebacks for my bedroom curtains
* admired Rob's handiwork of last night; he hung a matchstick shade in the bathroom and shortened it from 72" to a reasonable length. It looks nice!
* gone through my closet and purged some things that are just too old or too big (!)
* vacuumed the hallway and my bedroom
* cleaned the kitchen
* made a phone call I've been putting off
* called the vet to get an appointment for Pippa (she's due for shots ... bad pet mama)
* arranged child care so that I can have my manicure/pedicure tomorrow sans kids
* paid some bills so they're ready to deliver/mail tomorrow
* figured out what's for dinner
* taken down a bedroom curtain so I can measure for the other bedroom curtain
* watered plants
* downloaded the pet forms so Pippa can go to the Renaissance Festival with us
* made a list of all the stuff I need to get done tomorrow before my mani/pedi
* moved clean laundry upstairs to be put away
* put another load into the washer
* clean the dog's kennel/wash her bedding
* put away my clothes
* made lunch and dinner
* put the sheets from the guest bedroom in the wash
* did a little cleaning in the spare bedroom

And I am getting ready to ...

* clean the remaining stuff off my desk
* clear stuff off my scrapping tables
* touch up some spots on the garage. We had a wind chime for a while that tore up the stain, so it needs a little TLC. (oops, it's raining. Maybe later.)


Rob and I are going to the Cities tomorrow afternoon. He has to pick up his books for this semester and then there is a BBQ for students and guests. We will stay overnight at a hotel and do a little school clothes shopping for the kids before coming home. The kids will be at Rob's brother's house and are looking forward to playing Rock Band.

The kids are outside riding their bikes around the "flat block." (Our street is just steep enough to make it a challenge and we don't live on a regular block, so they go one block south of us to ride.) LOL

I just love days when I feel so productive!

Updating the list

- finish installing chain link fencing on north side of yard
- buy some annuals and put them in the big pots out front
- finish installing patio blocks
- pull out dying arbor vitae in front; replace with a new, healthy plant
- install a gate between house and garage (this may have to wait until next year because I want an arched gate to match our arbor)
- paint window of garage (because Rob replaced the window and left it white...)
- make curtain and 2 valances for our bedroom (how long has THAT been on the list? I know, I know...)
- find rods for living/dining room and make curtains (I think I found some online at IKEA)
- make slipcover for chair in scrap room (started)
- make table skirts for scrap room
- empty genealogy closet; catalog, organize, enter data into computer
- purchase new genealogy software (I know what I want, but that $59 is not a NEED, so I keep putting it off)
- get chimney fixed (got an estimate yesterday: TWELVE. HUNDRED. DOLLARS. Whatever.)
- paint hallway
- get photos for hallway border; get laminated. (again, since it's not a NEED, it just keeps getting put off)
- have Rob cut the molding we bought to frame the bathroom mirror; paint and install
- fill screw holes and paint rubber stamp shelf

(Bold is finished; updated 12/19/08.)

Fab!

It's almost time to get ready for baseball but in the time we've been home I have:

*cleaned the bathroom
*vacuumed the hall, dining room, and living room
*loaded and run the dishwasher
*painted the last of the touch-ups on the frame pieces for the bathroom mirror
*helped E with a window art project
*watered plants
*dusted
*made my bed
*cleaned the glass in the French door
*taken magazines and newspapers out to the recycling

and Rob, in addition to mowing the lawn and dumping the mulched clippings onto the garden to fertilize and keep weeds down, AND watering the front lawn, has also successfully installed the frame for my bathroom mirror. It is perfect. Pix to come....

Weekend

Got the fence done (yay Rob!). Got some flowers in. I had neglected the pots out front because of the cool weather and my general laziness. Turns out the annuals are way cheap after the 4th of July, but you can't get "Fuchsia Blue Eyes" anymore because apparently everyone else loves it too. Next year....

Small confession: my friend Marchee will be in the Twin Cities at the end of July and may make it down here (she hasn't been here since 2002) and Teresa may be coming in August. She's never been here. I know neither of them cares what my house looks like but I want it spruced up a bit. I guess no matter what, the motivation to get things done is good.

This week:

- an afternoon at the pool with friends
- bookmobile
- grocery shopping
- maybe a nail appointment
- a park playdate with other friends (we hope)
- making some garden stepping stones
- a little sprucing up of the garden (weeding and adding newspaper and grass clippings to keep weeds down)
- painting some rocks with puffy paint to use as garden markers for next year (since I was too lazy to put in a garden this year)
- making some Watermelon Rind Pickles
- perhaps a craft project with some mini canvases to put up in the surf bedroom
- nail appointment for Pippa
- maybe even haircuts for the boys
- and, of course, a healthy dose of baseball

Forgot to mention ... last Monday baseball was canceled. We were at home enjoying the Black Crappie (that's pronounced CROP-ee LOL) Rob caught in Lake Itasca. Delicious. After dinner, we were all just hanging out (the weather was gorgeous after the rain had moved out) and the doorbell rang.

It was my friend Kristine, who moved to the East Coast with her husband and 3 boys last summer. We are simpatico -- we understand each other in so many ways, and moms with 3 boys have to stick together. I hadn't heard much from her in a while and it was SO amazing to just have her show up on my doorstep. If we'd been at baseball I would have missed her, as she flew home the next morning.

So thank you for stopping by, my friend. Don't be a stranger, okay? And hug those gorgeous boys of yours for me. We miss you all.

Thinking ahead

I haven't made a list in a while and lately I've been coming up with all kinds of ideas of stuff I want to accomplish this fall when all 3 of my kids will be in school full days (ah! the day I have dreamed of for so long! so why am I a little sad, too?)

It is humid out today but I decided I had procrastinated long enough and I finished the touch ups and the edges on the door frames ('cause I painted those, like, last October).

There are always home improvement projects underway around here, but we know there are some things that HAVE to be done because Rob anticipates the MBA stuff will continue to suck all of his spare time this winter (and, it turns out, it's sucking most of his Saturdays, too. blech).

- finish installing chain link fencing on north side of yard
- buy some annuals and put them in the big pots out front
- finish installing patio blocks
- pull out dying arbor vitae in front; replace with a new, healthy plant
- install a gate between house and garage (this may have to wait until next year because I want an arched gate to match our arbor)
- paint window of garage (because Rob replaced the window and left it white...)
- make curtain and 2 valances for our bedroom (how long has THAT been on the list? I know, I know...)
- find rods for living/dining room and make curtains (I think I found some online at IKEA)
- make slipcover for chair in scrap room
- make table skirts for scrap room
- empty genealogy closet; catalog, organize, enter data into computer
- purchase new genealogy software (I know what I want, but that $59 is not a NEED, so I keep putting it off)
- get chimney fixed (got an estimate yesterday: TWELVE. HUNDRED. DOLLARS. Whatever.)
- paint hallway
- get photos for hallway border; get laminated. (again, since it's not a NEED, it just keeps getting put off)
- have Rob cut the molding we bought to frame the bathroom mirror; paint and install
- beat dog within an inch of her life because she was barking and got kenneled and now is frantically pawing at her kennel door (of course I'm not going to beat her, but we are definitely at odds right now...)

Honestly, it's not as bad as I thought. And the best part is I'm not obsessing about how quickly I can get it all done. All in good time, grasshopper....

Have a good weekend.

Resting on my laurels

I am so sorry I haven't posted for a few days (I know a few of you out there have been jonesing for a new glimpse into my oh-so-exciting life LOL). But Internets! Look at the list of things I have accomplished (along with the help of my amazing husband and 3 darling children):

*cleaned my house so that I only have to deal with cleanup from camping Monday night, not cleaning house and camping stuff
*prepped veggies and meat for 2 meals at the campsite. I LOVE being ahead of schedule!
*baked 2 delicious loaves of banana bread
*cleaned out the spare bedroom so my mother-in-law has somewhere to sleep while she stays with us next week
*made menu plan and document indicating what items need to be packed in cooler and what goes with dry goods
*Mod Podged my little bar. I have 2 things to add today and I hope to post pictures tonight.
*cleaned the crap room. Yes, this is HUGE. I can see the floor again. Yay me.
*got a fab haircut from Carrie. More on this later, but she revealed something AMAZING to me: I have curly hair. Not corkscrews or anything, but -- ohmygoodness -- CURLS! Seriously. And the cuteness is ... shocking. Who knew?
*made a grocery list, procured groceries thanks to Rob, and got things put away so they can be quickly packed to go
*stopped at the library for this (his book The Know-It-All was a great read) and a few other things that caught my eye as well as some Magic Tree House books for Spencer, who is reading through them at a frantic pace.
*attended Garrett's first baseball game (which they won)
*volunteered at school

Garrett's class is starting the Family Life unit today (yes, that's THE class, people). I was writing blue and orange slips in the back of the classroom so I got to hear about the first half hour of the boys' talk on what they will be learning and the beginning of anatomical discussions. Poor 4th and 5th graders were so uncomfortable.

Rob updated my computer last night, so with luck I will not have the problem I've had all week -- for some reason my computer decides periodically that I am not allowed to visit Google, nor am I allowed to log in to Blogger. He added memory last night and (aside from changing the resolution so that everything looks wonky) he seems to have been successful in making the machine run better.

I am off to finish my Mod Podging and move a basket of laundry upstairs so I can put it away nad unload the dishwasher. Ahh, the glamour.

I will be back later tonight with a picture of the bar cabinet, but it may not be until after 10 because tonight is the season finale of Grey's Anatomy.

Lest you think otherwise

Aforementioned retired neighbor is a nice guy. Honestly, he has never complained about my weeds (at least not to my face). Having dealt with the neighbors from hell in California, I can live with this guy.

And I sold out today and used a weed killer. (I know, corn gluten. Whatever.) I had the stuff in the garage and the means to do it. ***Miraculous occurrence ahead*** We moved into this house in 1997. That's 11 years ago. When we bought it the outside spigot on the front of the house had no handle. It had to be turned on and off with a wrench. Rob told me it was no big deal and we bought a replacement spigot the day we closed, in the giant $500 Menard's shopping spree that included paint, drop cloths, and our wonderful Weber kettle grill. I mentioned it last night as I was leaving for a meeting, kind of in a teasing way. Since we already had the evil chemicals I figured I could use them. (And to be frank, there is really no other option. The whole yard is clover, dandelions, Creeping Charlie, and crabgrass.) The container hooks up to the hose, but I hate fiddling with the wrench. Lo and behold, when I got home I discovered my darling husband had installed the new spigot. Never mind that he was congratulating himself as though he had found a cure for cancer or a way to lasting world peace, he did get the job done. LOL

*********************************************************************************

Here's a recap of my week:

Monday: chaperoned Evan's class trip to the Minnesota Zoo, Evan had soccer in the evening
Tuesday: volunteered at school in the morning, spent the afternoon in the driveway vacuuming and cleaning out the minivan. (It looks amazing!), Garrett had baseball in the evening
Wednesday: volunteered for DFL in morning, tried to clean a little in the house and finish up the car, Evan had soccer in evening
Thursday: volunteered at school in morning, had lunch out with Rob and Spencer, spent the afternoon supervising field day for the K-3rd grades at a park near the school (and got sunburned despite the hat, sunglasses, 50 SPF lotion, and standing in the shade for most of the day), Garrett had baseball in evening
Friday: ran to the library, dollar store and grocery store with Spencer this morning, then had a volunteer thing get canceled (woo hoo!) so I ran to buy a storage thing for food when we camp (the 60 gallon Rubbermaid tote wasn't working so well), and found tires for the camper. Installation was FREE (helLO), so we had them put on and ran to get covers for the tires (the sun is really hard on them). While out we stopped for lemon garlic chicken kabobs at our favorite butcher and tzatziki sauce at a little place nearby. Rob fired up the grill when we got home, I made some rice and some veggie kabobs, and we had a lovely dinner. A quick walk on the shores of Silver Lake helped us wear the boys and the dog out. We still try to practice the physical exhaustion theory of parenting. LOL It works.

So there you have it. A week in the life. It feels good, though -- a less busy week is ahead (not as much volunteering, I hope). It's a good thing because I have lots to do in preparation for the inaugural camping trip of 2008. Hard to believe it's only a week away.

It's here!

Oh, blessed, blessed day!

My car thermometer read 61 degrees just a short time ago. That's above the doughnut, people. 61 glorious, sunny, breezy, springy, birds-chirping, motorcycles-roaring-by, thank-god-the-winter-is-finally-over degrees. As my kids would say, Boo Yah!

In other news, part of my cheeriness today is due, no doubt, to the fact that I sent the kids to the Y today from 9-4. They swam, played in the gym, went to the playground, and ate the sack lunches I packed for them, and I:

*unloaded the dishwasher
*went through a list of pictures I need for my crop next weekend, found most of them on the computer, and ordered them online from Wal-Mart (note to self: you need to transfer pix from C: drive to CM Memory Manager, go through over 4,000 [yes, that is correct] pictures and label and sort them, and do a massive CD back up)
*cut all the fabric for my stained glass sweatshirt, stitched a few pieces, and am prepared to iron and sew the rest tonight
*cleaned up my scrap table
*took a bunch of printed photos that have gotten themselves into an unholy mess out to the dining room table so I can sort them properly
*made 2 VERY overdue sympathy cards
*went to WalMart for some groceries. I know, it's politically incorrect. And usually I shop at the locally owned store, which I love, but honestly, I figured I had spent $100 and at the check out it was just under $60. Wal-Mart may be evil but you can save money there. Seriously.
*realized as I loaded groceries into the car that I forgot the pictures (DUH!) and ran back in. Bought Pop-Tarts for a treat for kids' breakfast tomorrow and found long sleeved raglan style shirts on clearance for $4. Bought one for each kid for next fall.
*picked up kids. Noticed with disappointment the way Garrett's face fell when he saw me. I am hoping it was just because he had a good day, not because he hates me and I have irreparably broken him what with all of the "clean your room" and "do it NOW, not when you get around to it" he's been hearing lately.

So it was a good day, a day of accomplishment, a day of goal setting, a day that, once I let myself let go of the guilt at spending money on child care when I was at home with no discernible purpose and no money-generating activity, I enjoyed.

The windows are open (and my dog and many others, apparently are having a hard time with the bird and people and traffic noises that have been shut out of our houses since last fall), the kids are subbing for a neighbor on her paper route, and 24 hours from now Rob will be done with school for the weekend and on his way home.

I just can't tell you how incredible I feel right now. I feel like I did it. I beat the winter. I made it through. There were some rough patches, but I did it. I am stronger now, and smarter, too. Next year I will not only survive -- I will kick winter's ass!

But I'm not in any hurry for it to get here. Right now, 61 degrees and sunny is absolutely perfect, thankyouverymuch.

It's been a while

since I posted a list. So here are the remaining items from the last list:
(bold have been started; red are completed)
-finish door jambs on main floor
-stain trim in basement
-make a slipcover for scrapbook chair (must get black and white toile fabric first)
-sort and organize photos
-sort and organize family history stuff
-sew table skirts for scrap room
-pick and print photos for Christmas border (this goal has slipped WAY down on the priority list for now LOL)
-order a new dust cover for sewing machine (again with the toile)
-paint hallway
-finish surf painting for kids' room
-finish bedroom curtains

Of course, I also have new stuff, and this week my goals mostly have to do with the scrapbooking room (aka World Headquarters):
-finish journaling in Spencer's album
-scan and upload remaining layouts from Spence's album
-put Spence's album back together again
-mail stuff
-make pages for Garrett's camping album
-make pages for our 2008 camping album
-punch and bind 2 camping albums at school
-straighten out computer desk
-have Rob hang school picture frames (note to self: figure out where to hang said frames)
-have Rob hang curtain rods in bedroom so finished curtains/valances can be hung
-finish stained glass bed jacket for myself
-organize stuff for the print drawer shadowbox I am making for my mom
-get to work on school layouts for the boys (Dude, I am so far behind on this....)

So I'll be busy. We are also hosting Rob's brother and his family for our annual Valentine's Day extravaganza (okay, it's heart-shaped pizza and a few other V-day themed food items, Shirley temples or another pink drink, and maybe a fancy dessert, but I like the word extravaganza). Looking forward to that, although I think my niece (who will be 16 in just over a week) is not. LOL I may have to take away the pink Razr at the dinner table. Ha.

I am off to do some organizing and cleaning up. I love my little room, and since it's just the kids and me and some Chinese leftovers for dinner tonight, I can be here guilt-free all afternoon.

Deadline!

Today is my deadline. I need to be done so that I can have my surgery tomorrow and not have to worry about anything for a couple of days while I recuperate.

I have some wrapping left to do but can finish that up tonight.

I have done some baking but the rest can be done over the weekend.

Garrett's robe is cut out and I am getting ready to pin the pattern to Evan's. Should have all 3 cut out by later tonight.

I have started my grandma's sweatshirt but not sure if I will finish in time to get it in the mail Friday.

I ordered Happy New Year cards this afternoon because there is no freakin' way I was getting Christmas ones out in time. They will go in the mail sometime after Dec. 25. (Thanks to those of you who have sent holiday cards, by the way. I love getting them).

I don't even have teacher gifts started for my kids' 3 main teachers. I did clipboards for them last year so this year I am stumped. Guess I should have quit thinking about it and actually gotten something done about it, huh? Now I'm not sure what I'm gonna do ... last day of school is Friday.

All in all I am okay. The world will not fall apart if these things don't get done. I'm just plugging away at it in hopes that most will be done. Thankfully my husband is home now and is helping. As I type he is in the kitchen making krumkake. Turns out the ceramic top stove works fine with the krumkake iron, thank goodness.

I'll probably be gone a few days ... thanks in advance for your good wishes.

Crafty Christmas gifts

I have grand & glorious plans to get a bunch of homemade gifts done this year. I want to do a clipboard or two, some small albums, an altered notebook, some calendars, and a shadowbox. Of course I really need to do another stained glass sweatshirt (for my grandma) and the fleece robes for the boys that my parents bought the fabric for last year. Yikes. It's still sitting in my closet.

I also have these little 7x7-inch albums that I have done for Garrett and Evan. They are each 25 2-sided pages, beginning with the first official portrait from the hospital and ending with a shot of them with their kindergarten teacher. In the middle are the birthdays, the important people, the Halloween and Christmas photos, the families, and lots of everyday photos. Spencer will be the "Extra Special Person" in his classroom the week of his birthday (January 12) and I have not started his book yet. He wants to display it in the classroom that week, so I need to get moving. So that is percolating in my brain and I'd really like to get started on it but clearly the other items have priority.

Maybe when my mother-in-law is here after Christmas I will have a day to hide in my scrap room and get it done quickly.

I did a couple albums a week or two ago -- used plain chipboard, cut it to size with an X-acto knife, and covered it with patterned paper. Cut pages to size out of cardstock, and took it to school to use their comb binder machine. I LOVE that thing! The comb bindings are available at office supply stores (I could only find black) but on ebay they have every color under the sun.

As an aside, on the pastel-ish one, should the flip flops be coral/lime or periwinkle/lime? I can't decide -- what looks better?

Crossing things off that list

My list is shrinking on one end but growing on the other. I got the recipes done and now am waiting for a sturdy 3 ring binder and some plastic sleeves to put it all together. Hoping for those for Christmas, maybe from the kids. Something pretty inexpensive, easy to find, and that will totally make me happy. Perfect. Now for the next thing: what is it about me that makes me jump from one thing to another without a break? Nancy's sweatshirt is almost done. The top photo is the quilting pattern. It is self-adhesive on the edges and you place it where you want it and stitch over the lines. The photo is when all lines had been stitched. The bottom photo is after I started tearing the paper off. It leaves all these little paper scraps but they mostly come out as you cut into the sweatshirt fabric to reveal the other fabric behind. I'll finish the cutting this week, I think, and get it in the washer soon. It looks good, though, and I hope she loves it.

And I got some cool stuff off Freecycle this week that I think I can turn into cool stuff for my nieces. Will see how far I get on that. I also did start on the teacher gifts and my prototypes worked great so I will update later with photos and a how-to on those.

Go me.

Feeling industrious

My throat is still sore and my voice is pretty pathetic. I feel like Peter Brady -- "Time to Change" -- remember when his voice was cracking? LOL Since I was up early this morning (!) I sat down and copied some more recipes onto 4x6 index cards. Now I need pages that will hold those cards horizontally in a 3 ring binder. Anybody have a source?

I also wrapped 3 Christmas gifts that my mother-in-law had shipped here for the boys, which gave me the opportunity to check out my stock of gift wrap and the like. Turns out I have more than I could possibly use in 5 years. I went thru the gift bags and found bags that were given to me when Garrett was born. Seriously. Nice to know, though, that I have ribbon, bows, paper, boxes and bags aplenty. The only thing I might need is tape.

I have begun organizing the spare bedroom and listed a couple of things on ebay that we have not used that I am sure someone else will love. Took down the Halloween decorations and rearranged a bit in the laundry room so that when it comes time to break out the Christmas stuff I am ready. Baby steps, right?

Stuff I'd like to accomplish this week:

get the pavers set in the sand between the house and garage (Rob got most of it done)

get rid of the rabbit fencing that was around the garden (again, Rob did it)

finish burning the yard waste in the fire pit

continue working on the Holiday Control Journal from FlyLady

work on Nancy's sweatshirt (the border finally arrived)

start planning for Christmas gifts for teachers

I am still flying pretty high after the concert. It really was remarkable. And I enjoyed it SO much more than the one in 1999. I couldn't figure out why until I looked back at the setlist from that night. This time there were just more songs I liked and that I knew. It adds a lot to be able to sing along.

I love Magic -- all of the songs. Most of them have a decidedly political perspective, though, and this doesn't. The day I first heard it I was surprised at the melodic quality of his voice, and that translates pretty well onstage as well. I cried throughout the entire performance of this Friday night -- I'm not sure why, except it just has such a wistful tone. Check Clarence's solo. Left me speechless.

Christmas list

My mother-in-law is ready to go Christmas shopping. I've been compiling this list for a while. JoAnn, make sure you communicate with Rob so he knows what you buy. (He's standing behind me right now.)LOL

Label Maker



Yankee Candles

Fireside scent (discontinued but back for a limited time)


Set of 6 stainless steel measuring spoons



FlyLady' Calendar "Ultimate Works" package

The 2008 Calendar, Sticker Kit, 16" FlyDuster,
26" FlyDuster and FlyLady Timer



The West Wing Complete Series on DVD



Digital Meat thermometer/timer


Stamp set



The Master Genealogist software program Gold version download



Scrapbook Adhesives (red package) I can never have too many of these


Rubber Stamps (I want them mounted, please)

This is not art
item 682D
Official Scrapbook
item 656F

Books from Amazon.com

Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life
The Good Son
What Stories Does My Son Need?
A Fine Young Man
Eat, Pray, Love

Gift cards

Office Max
Michaels
Hobby Lobby
Avenue
Barnes & Noble

Weekend

Oh. My. Goodness. Did we ever have fun on our little getaway, notwithstanding the annoyance I felt at my dear husband because he did his usual freak-out thing right before we left. We've been married almost 12 years -- you would think I would just learn to expect him to freak and that it wouldn't bother me anymore. Oh well.

Here are a few pix from the Waterpark of America.





We got home last night and decided not to do the rock show today. Rain was in the forecast so Rob ran out to at least get the gate put in (we're installing chain-link fencing back there). Lo and behold, the rain held off, he got it all done, and I managed to get over half of the pile of brush that's been sitting out there into the firepit and burned. The yard looks much better. Still some work to do, but progress is good.

And today I got a 27 page Excel document done, complete with pictures of special items in my grandma's home. She wants to send the document to everyone in the family asking what pieces they want -- jewelry, furniture, dishes, collectibles, and the hundreds of oil paintings she has done. I will add descriptions of the pieces as we go along -- for now, the document has been created, there are close to 200 pictures in it, and I feel good about it.

A tree up the street is in its full glory today -- I tried to capture it.



Another busy week ahead. I am hoping the Silestone will be installed, I have 2 full days of volunteering at school (Thursday and Friday), and the pattern for Nancy's sweatshirt is in at the sewing store, so I will be trying to get to that as soon as I can, too.

And while we were at the hotel I got more recipes copied, so I am that much closer to my goal.

Have a good week, all.

More list

I know, you're sick of lists. But I am getting so much done with my lists!

-copy recipes onto index cards and place in album
-create document with photos for my grandma to use as inventory/valuation and to determine who wants and/or gets what
-finish door jambs on main floor
-stain trim in basement
-make a slipcover for scrapbook chair
-sort and organize photos
-sort and organize family history stuff
-sew bathrobes for kids
-sew table skirts for scrap room
-pick and print photos for Christmas border
-finish sweatshirt for Nancy
-clean out spare bedroom so it can be used
-stain hot tub
-make a new dust cover for sewing machine
-stain arbor
-get chain link fence installed across back yard (will wait for spring to do the side of the yard)
-make Christmas ornaments
-paint hallway
-finish surf painting for kids' room
-finish bedroom curtains
-work on decorating idea book

Off to Evan's classroom for Poetry & Punch.
*updated 12/28/07

Yessss ....

More progress on the list. Got my mom's sweatshirt done and into the mail. Honestly, it was the buttonholes that were holding me back. I am afraid of buttonholes. Most of my sewing consists of straight seams. This is deliberate on my part; I don't venture too far into realms I am unfamiliar with in the sewing world.

Anyway, the buttonholes are done. Are they beautiful? Not so much. Functional? Possibly. But DONE they are. And really, my mom is highly unlikely to button the thing. She lives life in a perpetual state of "power surge." (Sorry, mom.)

Here is the sweatshirt just before it got put in the box. It really is pretty, I think. And my sis-in-law Nancy's is well on its way. I am just waiting for a border from the sewing store for the stained glass pattern. Next week, I think.



And I got the finials for the boys' curtain rod DONE. Evan sanded them this afternoon for me and I painted them tonight while catching up on Grey's Anatomy on abc.com. Can I just say that that is AWESOME? I watched all of this season's episodes and am caught up. Since we are out of town for MEA weekend I am unlikely to catch this week's episode but this was so convenient I may never watch it on TV again.

Here are the finials:




And I started a Yahoo group that will morph into a real live book group at some point. I think it will be a slow start, but I am being patient, because good things are worth waiting for and this group will be fab if we can get it together. With jobs and husbands and kids and volunteering and life in general it won't be fast, but with the women I've invited it will be interesting. That is a very good thing.

Last thing: my darling husband has been driving around in cars that sort of have had the "this will work for now" theme. Tonight he bought his dream car. He has wanted one since they came out and he is now the proud owner of a PT Cruiser. It's a 2002 but in beautiful shape and it has all the bells and whistles. He is so excited, and I am excited for him. The color is Taupe Frost Metallic. Very classy.

So ... life rolls merrily along, and it is good. Very good.

List update

-copy recipes onto index cards and place in album
-paint back of scrap shelves with magnetic paint
-finish door jambs on main floor
-stain trim in basement
-hang suspended ceiling and install tiles in basement bath
-sort and organize photos
-sort and organize family history stuff
-sew bathrobes for kids
-sew table skirts for scrap room
-finish sweatshirt for Mom
-finish sweatshirt for Nancy
-choose photos, have them printed and laminated to create border for hallway
-mail envelope to Sally with Henry's paperwork
-print family group sheets for Aunt Ida to have them proofed and corrected
-write thank you notes for the Ohio trip
-make cards for Sally for her birthday
-add trim to baking cabinet
-sand / paint baking cabinet before obtaining solid surface top
-stain hot tub
-tear up hallway carpet
-remove tile from entry and bath
-stain arbor
-stain front door trim
-stain back door trim
-hang wood blind in family room
-paint hallway
-finish surf painting for kids' room
-finish bedroom curtains
-work on decorating idea book
-finish crown molding in living room
-finish "Lost Socks" thing
-sand round finials for boys' curtain rod and paint like beach balls

The things with an X after them are in progress and have been worked on in the last 7 days but are not complete yet.
*updated 12/28/07

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So, yes, I am rockin' and rollin'. Today, not so many projects because one of Rob's classmates is coming for dinner and some work on a joint project. We are having cranberry-lime chicken, a tossed salad, and either oven roasted veggies or green beans amandine. And I have a 10 lb. bag of Haralson apples on the kitchen counter so a pie is definitely in my plans.

In other news, it seems my phone call has generated some good karma. Yesterday my phone rang and the Caller ID showed an unfamiliar local number. It was my friend Sarka (pronounced "SHAR-ka" with a rolled "R"). She is from the Czech Republic and I haven't seen her since July 2004. She's in town and coming for dinner Friday night. I was so happy I cried. (We're having chicken breasts, peanut satay sauce, rice, possibly some steamed veggies, and Jamaican black beans.)

And Saturday some friends are coming for dinner with their kids. The kids all play together really well and this couple enjoys their wine, so of course it is always a fab time when we get together. I think we'll do a self-serve chicken soft taco bar that night, with homemade guacamole and lots of cheese, veggies, and sour cream.

My "To-Do" list is long today so I'll close for now. Lots of dusting and vacuuming, and some catching up on laundry. I am a day behind.

Have a great day!!

Cool stuff

1. Rummage sale stuff is out of my spare bedroom and is now someone else's treasure (or problem, whichever... LOL)

2. Magnetic paint (all 6 coats) is on the back of my scrap storage shelf and I freehand painted some designs and words on it. There is still room if you have a word suggestion for me. I really am happy with this, too. Very whimsical.



3. This project, which I found in Family Fun magazine, has been in the works since June. I had it hanging up but the location was giving me some trouble. To explain, I have a wood cornice above my washer and dryer. There is a dowel about the diameter of a closet rod inside, and a fabric panel hangs down to give the room some color, visual interest, and to hide all the icky pipes and stuff back there. The project hung fine, but the letters were all jumble-y and tipped so you couldn't see them well. Inspiration struck in church today -- self-adhesive pin backs! So the pin backs are stuck to the clothespins and then pinned to the curtain to hold them in place and keep them upright. Ta-daaaaaa! You can find directions to the project here.



Rob is working on the crown molding and dinner is in the oven, so all in all it has been a most productive weekend. *Insert giant grinning smiley here.*