Krafty1

A few things (meme)

1. Do you like bleu cheese?  Nope…but I’m a Brie or Gouda Girl.  They are always on hand.
2. Have you ever smoked? Two years in high school…two years in college.
3. Do you own a gun?  No, but I want to go to gun safety class and would love to shoot clay pigeons.
4. Favorite type of food?  Italian, Cajun, and “comfort”.
5. Favorite type of music?  Anything but rap and hard/acid rock.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? Personally won't touch a hot dog but I LOVE wieners...with ketchup, onions, mustard and pickle relish.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? Little Women. (Okay, so it's not your "traditional Christmas movie...but I always watch it at Christmas!)
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Coffee with cream – or, if I have a few extra bucks…Grande non-fat latte.
9. Can you do push ups?  I CAN do push-ups…I choose NOT to do them with regularity.
10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry?  A St. Nicholas cross necklace that my Mom brought back for me from her trip to Scotland years ago...I’ve since added my daughters' baby rings to it…my “girls” are with me at all times.
11. Favorite hobby?  Knitting is my passion, not my hobby. Research is my hobby and my vocation.  Is travel a hobby? If so, it's mine.
12. Do you have A.D.D.?  No…I have “Give a Mouse a Cookie Syndrome”…I get started on something and am reminded of something else…that brings to mind another thought…that leads me to another discovery…that reminds me…”What was I doing?”
13. Do you wear glasses/contacts?  Both (though not at the same time)…contacts by day…glasses (with bifocals) by night (or day, if I've had a late night!).
14. Middle name?  Ann.
15. Name three thoughts at this exact moment: Should I unpack a few more boxes before bed? How long will tomorrow end up being (for work)? Sunday night's dinner and dinner guest.
16. Name three drinks you regularly drink:  Coffee, water, coffee...okay Diet Coke.
17. Current worry? Will the final financial piece of my divorce settlement arrive in enough time for installation of new windows and insulation before the snow flies. (I know...it's been like forever!!!)
18. Current hate right now?  Entitlement.  (And those who are more concerned with possessions than with happiness.)
19. Favorite place to be?  Surrounded by family and friends after a meal, in the midst of conversation…or Amsterdam if you really want me to name a place.
20. How did you bring in the new year?  Curled up on the couch with my youngest, waiting for my eldest to get home from a party.
21. Someplace you’d like to go?  Greece.
22. Name three people who will complete this.
23. Do you own slippers?  I do.  Oddly, I never wore them much until we moved into the new house…now I wear them all the time because of the hard wood floors…especially in the morning when the wood is cool from the reduced heating overnight...**see #17...need insulation and new windows**
24. What color shirt are you wearing?  Robin’s Egg Blue.
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?  No…and I abhor flannel ones because they make me sweat.
26. Can you whistle? Yes…though I enjoy humming more than whistling.
27. Where are you now? In my bedroom.
28. Would you be a pirate?  I think so...but in an Elizabeth Swann sort of way.
29. What songs do you sing in the shower?  I don’t...but I come up with GREAT ideas in the shower…sometimes I write them on the shower wall in soap so that I don’t forget them in my pre-coffee haze.
30. Favorite girl’s name?  Jo
31. Favorite boy’s name?  Jake
32. What is in your pocket right now?  Probably lint.
33. Last thing that made you laugh?  The Big Bang Theory...and my daughter.
34. What vehicle do you drive?  2002 Chrysler Town & Country…for now.
35. Worst injury you’ve ever had?  Never had a major injury…lots of trips to the hospital for stitches through the years…one stay for being hit in the head by a baseball (while on the sidelines…not while playing, go figure!) and losing consciousness.
36. Do you love where you live?  I’m “in like” with it, but going to love it as we transform it into “our” home.  It has character...just like me.
37. How many TVs do you have in your house?  More than we need for two people…five!
38. How many computers do you have in your house?  Two.
39. If you changed your job, what would it be?  A full-time researcher or private detective. (I’d give a discount to those whose spouses are cheating on them…and the phone number for a good family counselor!)
40. If you had three wishes what would they be?  Time, money, and motivation…to allow me to work on the house and travel…though I don’t need much motivation to travel!!!

Thanks to Vicki for the meme!

That's what friends are for

What a weekend!  My original plan had been to "take the weekend off" from the house.  But as the weekend was upon me...I started thinking of things to fill my weekend with.

Thankfully, others had different ideas!!

Thursday was another Mexican Ladies Night with Kel & Cin (Cin of Tanzania Boobag fame).  Good food, good drinks, and good friends...little did I know what they'd have in store for me.

Turns out Friday night they went on a scout trip for new clothing for me.  I'd mentioned Thursday that there are clothes that I didn't even want to unpack because they are covered in "old life". I also mentioned a fund raising event that I need to be "dressed" for. 

The next thing I knew, the phone was ringing on Saturday and I was being kidnapped.  They'd even had some clothing held while on their scout trip. (I have AWESOME friends!!)

One of these will be for the fundraising event.

And of course, after MONTHS of not buying myself a stitch of clothing in order to have EVERY PENNY available for purchasing a house for the girls and me, it felt really good to get new things!!! And shoes...tall shoes for my tall frame that show off my long legs...(not to mention my tattoos!)  I have GREAT friends!!! (Not to mention another group of friends that it turns out was about to take me shopping AND a cousin calling while on said shopping trip to remind me to get "color"!)  I am so fortunate to have so many people in my corner...see... what goes around DOES come around!!!

Now it only the weather would warm up!!!  Don't think there's enough time in my week coming up to knit one of these!!

Pondering

Remember this one?

My favorite photo from last summer's trip to Europe; the 'Dam Bird Butt photo!  It's time to get this baby printed, framed, and hung in the guest bathroom. (Where else would you hang a 'Dam Bird Butt photo!?!) It's a conversation starter, for sure.

And the conversation this photo always leads me to is the universal reminder that good always can come from a bad situation...it's all about how you view the situation!

A friend sent me the following and I may have to draft it to hang along with the photo:

Keep you thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words
Keep your words positive because your words become your attitude
Keep your attitude positive because your attitude turns into your actions
Keep you actions positive because your actions become your future.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!! I've got a photo to frame!! And the future is looking bright!!

(For some reason this post doesn't seem to be updating on the various readers...am reposting to see what's going on.)

A View from the Room(s)

Let me take you on a little tour that I'll call, "Do you see what I see"?

There's always something new and interesting in the back yard when I pull into the driveway.  Odds and ends from the old house that have temporarily been at my parents' place manage to wander their way home. 

Notice all the planters?  They are filled with all the tulip bulbs that I bought in Amsterdam last year and had hoped to plant last fall...at a new place...instead, they're in planters and we'll see how many of them survived.

Next, notice the mountain of rubble!?!

I'm sure my neighbors don't really mind.  (Looks as if they have their own little stockpile of odds and ends.)  At least my pile will disappear soon...the lumber is from the shelves in the fruit cellar (yes, there was a fruit cellar) that will now become a work and storage room (aka a storage room of another sort).  The lumber, of course, is on top of the cement rubble from the slop sink my father "dismantled".

Of course, the view of my front porch isn't much better.

We've been busy unpacking.  The empty boxes have been gathering (more like breeding) on the front porch!  The "tall" chair in the upper right of the photo isn't really tall.  The kids were using it to sit ON TOP of the boxes.  Thank goodness they didn't decide to turn it into a sled!! (Dee and Zack, you're welcome to use any of these babies for this weekend's move!!)

And finally, for all my knitting pals, a view from the edge of my bed.

The yarn is patiently waiting to be unpacked.

And so are the clothes.

And the computer.

And the books.

And did I mention that the floor trim hasn't been painted yet!?!

Ahhh, it's good to be home!!!!

Surprises

It seems that around every corner there will be a surprise or two.  Moving to this house has been no exception!

Sure there was the disgusting surprise of wallpaper border backed with hair.  But I managed to get past that one.

Then there are the odd surprises, like this one.

And, before you ask, yes, the hose is operational. However, the sink is small and there's no outlet for it...but someday... (Believe me, you'll hear that a lot around here...someday.)

But then there are the pleasant surprises like this one.

A glass door knob...not that that's unique, but it's purple!  Actually, I've found a second purple one in the house...they make me smile.

Then there are surprises that are too soon to tell what category they fall into.  One such involves a "someone".  All I'll say is that, at the moment, this one makes me smile.  And if nothing else ever happens, at least this surprise reminds me that being left the way I was did not mean that I was any less desirable.  I wish every woman who has ever cheated on could be reminded of that.  It's a wonderful surprise that shouldn't be a surprise at all. 

21

Favorite view of my living room....full of people!

In all, there were 21 of us who headed to the storage unit on Saturday.

In all, twelve vehicle loads is what it took to empty the storage unit.

In all, 32 buns filled with sloppy joes (or do you call yours hot tamales!?!) to feed the crowd.

In all, my heart is full of gratitude that so many people came to help!!!

In all, I celebrated with a hot shower, my jammies, and my knitting...for the first time in weeks! (The knitting that is, not the shower or jammies!) It was a spectacular day!!!

All in the Family

I'm not the only one working hard around here.

My parents have both joined in towards the cause.  Mom volunteered to put together my laundry room. 

Of course, the sink drain was slow...the slop sink wouldn't drain...and my Dad found the perfect answer...smash the darn thing! Can you even imagine!?!  The slop sink was cement!!!!

Not anymore!  A new single slop sink AND my washer and dryer can now be on the same side of the room thanks to Dad.

Plus, Mom and my Aunt put down linoleum flooring. A little paint & additional lighting helps plus all kinds of little touches that have made this ugly room more inviting!!  Thank you one and all...now we can actually do our laundry at home once again!!

BTW I splurged...we decided NOT to move the old crappy dryer...a new, more efficient gas dryer came to live with us on Sunday!  Who knew anyone actually delivered on Sundays!?!

We're home

It's been a crazy ten days! 

Take a look at the new floors.  They're beautiful!!!  I'm so glad that I had them done right away.  It did mean that we had to wait to move in, but it was so worth it!!  (In case you'd like a refresher, here's the before photos.)

On Easter Sunday, we managed to move in two twin beds so that we could sleep in the new place, but still were being very careful about the floors.

But, there was work to be done for my bedroom.

I learned how to grind out the cracks in the plaster.

And how to spackle.

Then the sanding and priming.

And finally, some paint. (Notice how nicely I covered the floor so it wouldn't get damaged!?!)

Notice those drawers?  Built-ins.  Unfortunately, they aren't "sealed".  As in, if you pull out the drawers and shine a light into the drawer cavity, you can see the roof...and the fallen insulation...and the drawers are filled with black "stuff"...another project for later...when there is time, money, and motivation.

One thing I failed to mention...

removing the wallpaper border totally wigged me out!

The back of it was COATED with hair...not to mention glued down with something other than wallpaper glue!

Totally GROSS!!!

I lost an entire day of work removing about fifteen feet of border...but gained a ton of muscle thanks to good ol' fashioned elbow grease.

My inspiration for the room's colors came from last summer's trip to Amsterdam when I saw khaki, coral, and white everywhere I went!  The room isn't finished yet... the windows and floor trim still need paint.  Stay tuned...things are starting to find their way "home"!

Moving Right Along

Each day a new light is revealed. I stopped this morning to check the work from yesterday.  So much better looking than the ugly carpeting.  I LOVE wood floors and am glad I spent the money to have the floors taken care of right away!

But today was not a day for moving our things.

Today was about helping friends.

Followed by Good Friday services...and a birthday dinner with my girl for her birthday...13...my girl is 13!!!

Moving right along.

What kind of blogger am I?

And so it begins.

The reason we're currently "homeless" is that the floors in the new place are being sanded and refinished.

When we looked at the place, there was carpeting throughout...old carpeting that needed replacing.  However, my Realtor lifted a corner an discovered that there was wonderful maple hardwood floors underneath!

After getting referrals from a couple of friends and a bid from a reputable contractor, I decided to have the hardwood floors brought back to life instead of hidden under more carpeting!  Bonus: it was less expensive to refinish the floors than to get new carpet!

The floors will be much lighter in color, once finished, than they appear here...but that's the difference in 85 years of curing!! 

But, can you believe it!?!  I didn't take a "before" photo!!!  The only ones that I have are the ones from the Realtor.  What kind of blogger does that make me!?!

At least you can get the general idea from this one. 

One week...they estimate it'll be another week before we can move our stuff in.  In the meantime, we (all along with a huge amount of "stuff") have taken up temporary hosing at my parents' house. (Thanks Mom & Dad!)  Soon, though, we'll be able to sit back and relax in our new living room...and maybe even find a moment or two to knit once again!