Sunday, March 31, 2013

Remodeling and the wet

A year ago today we had buds on the trees.


Not this year though.

It rained cats and dogs yesterday morning until early afternoon. 
Really got rid of some snow.
It's a soupy mess around here, but that is ok it'll soon be dried and green. 


I spent most of yesterday working on the bathroom. 

Funny how one thing leads to another. 
You see a bubble in the paint above the tub and just have to scrape it off only to discover mold.

Or what you think is mold.

Upon further investigation and a whole lot of scraping later, find that it's not mold as you thought, but rust from that strip of metal that is on the corners/edges of drywall.
Which is good and bad.
Good that is's not mold, but time consuming and testing your amateur carpenter skills when that metal strip has to come out, the area cleaned, replaced, re-puttied, ect...

My plans for a tile floor have gone by the wayside since it's about a grand for tile alone.
The bathroom is rather large 17x10.
The more economical way is going to be glue less vinyl that comes in a big ass sheet that you cut in to fit.
This will allow new cabinets, mirror and toilet.

Sounds like we may be having company the last weekend of this month so I am really hoping to have it all done and looking good by then. 

The kids are done with the egg hunt and are snacking on candy.

Also, side note - thanks to Nicole for the awesome new way to cook Easter eggs!
You would not believe how easy those nasty eggs are to peal using this method!


I'm off to paint the ceiling and finish the wall prep.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday :)











Friday, March 29, 2013

TGIF!



The sun it shines!

Melting more snow.

Revealing LOTS of shit that needs to be removed, as you can see below.
Very hard to clean up after the ponies when every thing was continually covered in fresh snow and now with the snow melting, oh man it is a mess.  


Also note how well Jenny's eye has healed up.


Breakfast.


My interview yesterday was 45 minutes long and went pretty well I think.

With the exception of that FIRST stupid question about acting ethically, that had three parts to answer within 3 minutes.

I literally drew a bank.
I couldn't think of a thing to say - I choked.
Which is quite unusual for me; I've got that gift of gab and can talk to anyone about anything.

Then some weird thing that happened at the library when I worked there popped into my head and I rattled that off. 
Was totally not relevant to what he had asked.
I cringe when I think about answering that question.

After that, the interviewer spoke for a bit and that allowed me to gather my wits. 

shit

deep breath 

YOU CAN DO THIS!

and 

somehow I did


 The other questions I answered with intelligence, coherent thought and RELEVANCY.

Hopefully he can get past that first bad answer I provided, because the rest of the interview went really well. 


I should hear something at the latest by April 10th.



My darling daughter went to the Mall of America with friends yesterday. 
Stayed in a hotel, swam and had a blast
She found the perfect Prom dress too.
Can't wait to see it when she gets home.

Prom.
Can you believe she is old enough to go to the prom?
Damn.


Alright.
I'm off.
Time to get busy.
The bathroom awaits.

Take it easy :)









Wednesday, March 27, 2013

House cow and more


Pumpkin pie aka house cow napping.



 Yesterday morning I got an email from the hiring manager to set up an interview!
Tomorrow at 4p!

I'm excited!

Company policy dictates that I notify my manager of my intentions and advise him of the coming interview.
He is very supportive of my desire to move on within the company.
We spoke of work volumes and how another person is being moved to our team next week from within the company and since I was more than likely moving on, he would need even more personnel. 
That sounded promising, but we'll see.

The kids are off for the rest of the week and came home from school with big plans.
I said sure, just so long as the house is picked up and cleaned up. 
My lovely daughters reply was - why she didn't make this mess?

HOLY SHIT!
are you kidding me!?!?

Really irritated me. 
Which prompted my 
YOU LIVE HERE YOU GET TO FREAKING HELP 
speech.
aah teenagers.

At which point after I handed out the list of things to do I said in a mocking voice Ok, I'm going to ride horses now!
HA

Boy did that piss her off lol

I didn't ride, but did go out and do a little brushing and hoof picking.
Those furry beasts are really shedding, spring must be here.

And the melting is a wonderful thing.
The pool has water just running from the scupper.


Happy hump day folks :)








Monday, March 25, 2013

Random crap

Socks.
MOO


First off

I had that phone interview today and I think it went real well. 
The recruiter told me I was well qualified for the job and would be hearing from them to set up an appointment to interview with the hiring manager within a week. 
fingers crossed 

We've got some serious melting going on. 
Love it!


I use to get superb cell service here at home.
Our contract ran out about a month ago and since then I get the worst freaking service EVER!
Pisses me off!
I went into the local service office and asked about it, even going so far as to suggest that the reason I now get shitty service was because I'm out of contract.
They were horrified that I'd suggest such a thing.
But let me see your phone and I'll scan for new cell towers for you and if that doesn't work I suggest new phones.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!
I think I've mentioned before that I'm cheap.
There are no free phones, 30 bucks each -we have four - to reactivate and then an addition 50 bucks a month?@?
I think not.
GRRRRR
It's a no win situation.





Sunday, March 24, 2013

Spring?

Yeah, not quite yet.

We had a few days earlier in the week below zero in the AM and only getting to the low 20's for an afternoon highs.

This weekend though, we have climbed to the low 30's.
 Which actually feels pretty good and is melting some of the snow pack.

The horses are waiting for me to bring out breakfast.
Gypsy having a good stretch.


 Lilly.



Work.
We managed to get through the high volumes of documents that needed to be processed.
Even had two whole weekends off - getting life back to normal (whatever that is).

Then "they" changed the process. 
What we could previously process in one hour is no longer even remotely possible.
Back to OT.
Somehow I managed to squeeze in 14 hours of OT between Wednesday and yesterday.

I applied for an internal position in another department last week.
Have a phone interview tomorrow.
Still a telecommuter position and same hours, but more money and if other folks are correct much less stress/bullshit.


Colton is home for Spring break.
It's so nice just having him here.
BUT my son you need to take the hint and vacuum/clean your stinking room.
When I park that vacuum in front of your door, this is me telling you that your room is a pit and to get with the program and clean!
NOT to literally walk around the vacuum for three days, as you have.
UGH...

My bathroom remodel has stalled a bit.
I've got no energy and when I have energy there is no time.
Funny how that works.
However, I had previously requested next Friday off so I am really hoping to get a good chunk of it done next weekend.
Fingers crossed anyhow.


No big plans for the day here. 
Maybe a little cooking/baking.
Maybe a little laundry.
Maybe a little cleaning.
Maybe a little horse ride.
Maybe a little nap.

Bye :)







Sunday, March 17, 2013

Happy St Patrick's Day to ya!

Top O' the Morning!

Chyann spent Thursday and yesterday in Green Bay with the pep band cheering on our girls basketball team at the State tournament. 

Unfortunately they didn't win the gold, but did come home with the silver trophy. 
They gals played great and really, what an experience for them all. 
Chyann says it was the most exciting experience ever.

Whilst she was gone the boys cleared more snow. 
Starting with scooping the roof. 
Colton holding the ladder for the Hubby.
I wanted to tell -um, yell- at him to zip up your coat!
Put on a hat!!
Decided not to be a nag and within about 15 min he was back inside dressing more warmly. 


Yes, we do have our own skidsteer.
 It is currently in need of a whole compliment of hydraulic hoses.
Since it is not working we used our friends skidsteer to move the snow, got about 5 more inches.
Caden got a lesson on driving too.


I worked four hours yesterday and probably should have myself parked at the other computer right now, but I am just not feeling it. 

Had a great time at the wine tasting event on Friday.
Colton came with me and the Hubby was our driver. 
We ran into some of his friends and their parents.
They had an even bigger selection of wines to sample and more food too.

Worst wine though was Strawberry Rhubarb. 
Tasted like Strawberry chapstick - waxy and fake or something. 
Was a real let down. 
Am hoping the plain Rhubarb will be good, but they are out of it currently.
Will have to wait for the next batch to be made. 
Favorite wine this time was Sunset with Bliss a close second. 

I wonder how hard it is to make wine. 
We've got a ginormous rhubarb patch.
Hmm.. 
Going to have to do some research.

Later :)










Wednesday, March 13, 2013

This and that

Almost through another week.

9 more inches of snow.
Significant accumulation expected on Friday and Monday too. We are 7.5 inches away from an all time record for snow in the month of March. The weather guy said it is entirely possible we'll break the record.


During the last cold snap, the Hubby was driving my van and was at the grocery store. He turned the key and heard a shot! Thought some one was shooting either at him or near him. Turned out it was the drivers side door air bag that exploded! The concussion ripped the seat belt thingy off the side of the wall, blew the little seat belt stop off too. Scared the ever loving shit out of him!

He assumed it had deployed due to a short or something. Another thing to add to the "to do" fix list.

Last week we were at the store. He went out to sit in the van because he was tired of waiting for me and the kids. Started the van and BAM! The passenger side airbag deployed! Somewhat less of a scare since he knew no one was shooting at him lol

Now every time I get in the van to start it, I cringe. Will the main bags blow? So far so good. The Hubby is looking for replacement modules and chasing down wiring schematics. Hope he finds them soon.



My thoughts on exercising to DVD's at home - which I do every work day during my lunch break.
Exercise in your sports bra and undies, shoes and socks too of course.
This way you can see what you have got bouncing, flopping and thrashing around.

It might just motivate you to NOT eat that last piece of cake/handful of cookies/second helping of dinner or drink that fourth beer.
Try it. Sure works for me.

Another wine tasting event in town Friday and I'm looking forward to it. This time they are charging a 5 dollar cover charge (Sherri and I assume this is because we drank so much last time) and you get a free glass to drink from, and all the nibbles you want too. Unfortunately Sherri has other plans so I'm either having the Hubby or eldest son escort me (be my driver).  The lovely Krissy is in AK for a visit otherwise I'd talk her into coming.


Sweet dreams folks.
Here's to another day closer to Spring.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

My favorite time of the day.


It's quiet and the coffee is good.

Had an appt in the Cities yesterday and squeezed in a stop at Home Depot on the way home where I browsed flooring, paint and tile. 
I got some de-stick stuff and spackle too.

I've been dreaming about this bathroom remodel for a while now and had an idea what my end result was going to be, but now I'm waffling on the colors - damn, decisions and more decisions to be made. 

Anyhow we made it home with daylight to spare and enjoyed the 40* temps till dark.


Pumpkin pie has sure grown.
She likes to go outside for short jaunts, then she scurries back into the safety/warmth of the house.


The Hubby holding Jenny after Chyann's ride.
Yes, he was chipping out a channel for the shit stream to flow. 


Caden digging out a new snow fort.
Can you tell how high this snow pile is?
Look at how far down the fence is.
We've got a lot of snow.


And because I didn't ride, Chyann decided Scotch must be feeling left out so she rode him and ponied Jenny along.
 Shasta can't be left behind, which really pisses Caden off. 
His dog shouldn't want to follow Chyann ever!


Why didn't I ride?
Well...
 Lets just say we had fast food on the way home and it totally did not agree with me. 


My incredibly handsome eldest son graced us with his presence later in the evening.
He has a ton of homework this weekend that he is slogging through.
(hard to get a good picture of this kid, he doesn't care to have his picture taken)


It's raining/sleeting this morning.

No big plans for the day.
Think I'll do some baking though.

Later :)



Thursday, March 7, 2013

Random Thirsty Thursday

Hola Folks!

We got another 8 inches of snow this week and the kids ended up with a fourth snow day.
Which means they get to tack an extra day on at the end of the school year. 
Bummer for them lol

Only took me a hour or so every night this week to rip up the old floor in the bathroom. 
Glad that part is done. 
It was hell on my poor knees.

You sure wouldn't think it, but those old adhesive tiles left quite a bit of sticky behind.
Now if you walk on it you surely stick.
Funnier than shit to watch the dogs and cats traverse it though.
Going to have to find some kind of adhesive remover to put on it I suppose. 

The bathroom walls had wainscoting and when I took that off, a bit (ok, maybe more than a bit in some areas) of sheet-rock came too.
What a mess. 
Going to hit the hardware store tomorrow to get some shit to attempt to fix the sheet-rock and de-stick the floor.

Did I mention under the wainscoting there is old old old wallpaper that MUST come off?
Well there is. 
I've used that hot water and liquid fabric softener trick before.
Let's hope that it works on really old stuff. 


In other news...

Caden says to me the other day that he spoke with a British accent all day at school.
I said really? Let's hear it. 
So, he spins me a sentence and I tell him that I think that is more of an Australian accent and what did your teacher think? 
He said she laughed the first time and then ignored him!


Have you ever looked your address up on Google earth?
Caden did on his IPod the other day and showed me.
 I was amazed at what I saw.
The picture of our place was taken before the Elm came down and is amazingly detailed.
In fact I can see someone swimming in the pool, how crazy is that?


Another lost photo of  Caden at the Cowboy museum in Oklahoma City.


I've got the next three days off!

Have a good evening :)

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Sunday already?

How'd that happen.

I don't think this weekend could have flown any faster than it did.

A few pictures of the ice fishing expedition yesterday.
The Hubby said the ice was about three feet thick, so he didn't have any problems driving my van out on the ice. 
Our friends have a nice little camper they bring out, that has all the comforts of home.
From heat to hot food and cold beer. 

The Hubby didn't fish, but played cribbage and assisted Caden while he was fishing. 



Unfortunately no fish for Caden his first time out, but he did get a nibble and is super stoked to fish this spring.
I'm not sure why we don't fish more. 
I'm guessing we just have so many other things going on, that it is not a priority. 


Meanwhile the weather is just a smidgen above freezing and that means we are getting some melting going on.
Unfortunately that also means water in the barn - good thing we only have the horse water located in there and it's easy enough to move to higher ground since the water is pouring in.
What a mess.

And we are forecast to get 9 to 12 inches of snow starting tomorrow afternoon.
GRRRR
Can we all say DONE with winter?!?!


No tattoos after my visit with Sherri and family last night, but we did have fun.
We always do.

Today Colton headed back to college and the new room mate. 

After my nap by happenstance, the bathroom remodel began.
I stubbed my toe on a piece of vinyl tile and the prying up of that shit had to happen.
Amazing how much energy one has when they get two WHOLE days off in a row for two weeks in a row. 

I was quite intent on scraping and prying with a butter knife to remove the tile, when the Hubby, who believes in working smarter not harder, brought in a small air compressor and some kind of funky air hammer.
Damn, that thing worked like magic!
I'm already over a quarter done.
YAY! 





  

Saturday, March 2, 2013

A busy Saturday

It's a beautiful day.
The sun is shining and the snow is melting.

Made a hay run this AM before the snow started getting rotten.


Scotch and Casper checking it out.


Caden and the Hubby spent the day ice fishing with friends - pictures of that tomorrow, while Colton did home work and Chyann and I rode horses.

Saw about ten snowmachines taking advantage of the trails before more snow melts and they are closed. 

Another great ride. 
Jenny was a bit of an ass on the way home.
She just wanted to GO NOW. 
Chyann easily handled the situation though.
Damn I'm sore now.


Going over to my friend Sherri's tonight.
Can't wait.

Last time we got together we got tattoos.



Sure they were glitter tattoos, but tattoos just the same.



Have a good evening!