Big Mistake

In an attempt to make Robin's room more "finished", I took the children shopping today, after taking them to Mickey D's for lunch.  We stopped at my bank, then went to a Target Superstore in an effort to find more matching stuff for Robin's room.  The children were so good, I was concerned that they were overtired...or sick.  We didn't find anything close to what we were looking for.  (I can't believe at the poor selections for bedding and/or curtains out there.  As Meg says, "Fashion is in a bad place right now."  She's right.)  Ryan took on a whiny voice and "lost" me in the toy aisles.  Clearly time to go home.  Still, the venture took three hours out of the day.  Got back in time to prepare supper.  Then there were kid things to take care of...baths, etc.  Then we had to load some things in Meg's van to take to IL.  In short, I am leaving for Illinois tomorrow but am nowhere near ready to go. 

It hurts me to say this, but I am no longer strong enough to do the things that I used to do.  Meg took the back seats out of her van tonight for my IL trip.  They were behind my car when I had to make a run out.  I could scarcely move them!  Water softener salt bags?  Need help to get them in the house and in the brine tank.  Moving?  Well...maybe just a little.  I have been an independent cuss for a long time, but find myself less and less physically able to manage the way I'd like.  I guess there will be more of this as I continue to age...for as long as God allows me to live.     

I feel like I could sleep for a week.  I wouldn't be happy doing that, but it would be nice to have the opportunity.  Going to my sister's tomorrow.  It will be a change of scenery for all of us. 

 

 

Worth It?

For the first time in almost 1 1/2 years, Meg and I are sleeping in bedrooms devoid of children!  As of a few weeks ago, they each had a separate bed in our rooms...but now EVERYONE has a separate bedroom!  Ryan's room was mostly done by Friday.  Robin's room still isn't done, but her bed was set up, etc...and she was excited.  She was moving her clothes to her "new" old dresser while I was telling her that it could wait until tomorrow.  Nice to have new digs!

Has all of the work and expense been worth it?  Worth giving up my whole summer?  You betcha!  We will eventually get everything sorted out...and we will survive!  The next project is planning a birthday party for Robin...and a trip to IL. 

I promise not to pop a brain vein this time!  

Big Day

Meg and I got up this morning and trekked to Mooresville for our Weight Watchers weigh-in.  (Skipped the meeting.)  We both lost over 3 pounds.  Yay!

When we got home KC9HNS was waiting for us to start the moving process.  The other dude didn't show, nor did he call to say he wouldn't be here.  Not nice!  That meant, basically, that Megan and Travis did the rental truck pickup and delivery, plus furniture moving, by themselves while I stood in what shade I could find and perspired. It was hot!  Oh...I did wipe things off as they came out of the storage unit.  Lots and lots of dust and spider webs! 

At storage, I became aware of the constant meowing of a distressed cat.  I was just sure it was locked in one of the storage units but some investigation determined that he was outside, in the heavy weeds behind the units.  He was a cute little black kitten--seeming really to want us, but also afraid.  Meg tried to give him water, but he ran off...only to come back and meow some more.  He was obviously lost from his circle of friends and family.  There was a time when I would have taken him home.  Now, I am just a hard-boiled old lady, I guess.  I hope he found what he was looking for...

When we got the truck back to the house with all of its priceless treasures, there was the unloading deal and cleaning the furniture before it came into the house.  (Didn't get all of that done.  Tomorrow's to-do list.)  Meg and the children now have their dressers, etc...and everyone has a bedroom.  Very little is left in the storage unit, but we aren't ready to incorporate those items in the house, yet.  Before returning the truck to the rental place, we used it to deliver my grandmother's old kitchen table (complete with five leaves) and chairs to Goodwill.  It was in pretty sad shape but such a versatile piece of furniture that I hung onto it long after the chairs began to creek and the varnish began to chip off the surface.  Today, I said good-bye to it in favor of Megan's grandmother's table and chairs...also versatile.  Perhaps a flood or tornado victim will see it there and put it to good use.  I hope they love it as I have.

Meg and I made a trip to Wal-Mart after 9:00 tonight.  We were already pooped, but there were things that we needed.  $120 worth...and we didn't even find everything! 

At one point tonight, Meg said something like, "It's nice to have my things again.   Thank you for welcoming us here."  Before we decided to remodel the house to make bedrooms for everyone, I think she felt displaced.  She made a comment that made it sound like she felt they were in MY house, disrupting MY system.  I sure hoped I hadn't said or done anything to make her feel that way!  I bought this little bungalow for us in 1992, when Meg was 12.  It isn't the Ritz, but I have worked hard to keep it through tough times and make it homey.  I have never considered it "my" house.  It has always been "our" house.  When she got married and left to set up housekeeping, I welcomed that for her. Every woman deserves to have a place of her own.  That, unfortunately, didn't work out.  We have suffered through over a year of cramped quarters and clutter.  There is still a lot to do, but it seems that we have finally, finally made some progress.  Someday, this house will be yours, Meg (whether you want it or not)!  Welcome home!

Many thanks to Travis for his help today.  Hope he enjoys the Brickyard 400 tomorrow.  The tix were his pay for all he did.  Too bad the other dude lost out! 

             

 

Finally...Closer to Goal?

I didn't get as much done today as I'd hoped, but that has been the logo of the summer.  Grandma Judy picked the children up at about 11:00 this morning, and they didn't come home until 6:00.  I did the cutting-in painting in Ryan's bedroom...hung curtains...washed blinds...cleaned up around the house.  Finally, after Meg got back from taking the children to Muncie, I shampooed the carpet in Ryan's room (which is basically unsalvageable) and we moved his "stuff" in there.  Robin's room isn't finished, but we'll get by.  Tomorrow, a couple of fellows are coming to help us move bedroom furniture from Meg's storage until to here.  The times they are a-changing!

We are slated to weigh in at Weight Watchers tomorrow morning, but will have to skip the meeting.  I should be down some, but not as much as I would be if I'd skip my nightly wine.  Next week!

 

I'm Beat!

It was a do-nothing day with the children.  We didn't go anywhere or do anything special.  And, believe it or not, they were pretty good!  Robin tried desperately to play "school" with her little brother, but he wasn't cooperating.  (I told her now she understands what it's like to be a real teacher!)

I managed to get a load of dishes and one load of laundry done, in between meals and taking care of some kid needs.  Ryan claimed that his tummy hurt, but he ate all day with vigor.  Robin played mostly by herself until evening when she and Ryan managed some raucous play.  When that deteriorated into fighting, it was bedtime.  I did get some cutting in done in Robin's room, and got some of the walls clean in Ryan's--plus filled holes.  I'm not happy with the way things look in either room, particularly, but Meg and I are both out of patience and steam when it comes to this project.  Meg got Ryan's room painted this evening. 

On my plate tomorrow are: garbage cans to the street, cutting in along the ceiling in Robin's room, cutting in everywhere in Ryan's room, vacuuming and shampooing both carpets, painting a headboard and footboard, and trying to make a path from the front door to both bedrooms for Saturday's moving.  It's clear to me that we still have to be throwing away more stuff.

Robin is still awake.  I don't know how she functions!  I'm going to bed...

The Biggest Ripoff in Town

The children slept late today because the little toads don't go to bed on time.  Then there was the request for creamed eggs on toast for breakfast, so I became a short-order cook.  I don't mind.  Just wish I'd known a little earlier so I could have had the eggs boiled...

First on the agenda was to get the children's hair cut.  We go to Cookie Cutters in Avon because it specializes in children--complete with fancy vehicles for barber chairs, a TV at every chair (with videos), and a slide.  Plus a balloon with a cookie cutter as an anchor for "being good".  Got the haircuts and headed to Wal-Mart to get school supplies and more paint.  The children were marginally good there.  We had a list of supplies that Robin would need.  Ryan, however, was putting things in the cart for HIM, even though he won't be slated for Kdg until the fall of 2009.  I realized that he was feeling left out, so he got a book bag and a couple of other things.  He will be going to pre-school, so he might need the book bag...

We didn't get home until 3:00--too late for naps.  The children then started picking at/on each other...and that's the stuff I hate.  (How did my parents manage with three of us???)  At one point, when my back was turned, I heard Ryan screaming.  His mouth was bleeding copiously.  The finger was pointed at Robin who seemed not to know what she had done.  I figured it out.  Ryan had a sippie-cup.  Robin tried to take it away from him.  He pulled back with it; she let go.  It recoiled and hit him just inside his top lip.  When the bleeding stopped, we did the popsicle thing, but he held his lip funny the whole rest of the day.  <sigh> 

I got some supper together and left with the children for the county fair midway right after Meg got home.  (I know:  I'm nuts!)  I had two 20-dollar bills with me and vowed that is all we would spend.  Silly me!  Three bucks to park (in the mud).  At the midway, the ticket booth stated that ride tickets were $1 each...or 20 for $18.  There was another amount for $34, but that seemed ridiculous to me.  I got 20 tickets.  We-heh-hell!  Most of the rides were three tickets each...times two kids.  We went through those 20 tickets in no time.  The ferris wheel took four tix apiece...and Grandma had to go on that one...so we were looking at $12 just to look around from up high.  (If you know me, you know I'm not big on heights or rides in general.  I did it out of love...or indulgence.  You decide which!)  Back to the ticket booth for another 20 tickets.  The kids wanted to do one more thing, so it was off to the ATM (conveniently placed at the entrance to the midway).  I paid full price for the exact number of tickets for their last "amusement".  Plus $4 more so they could play a game...plus $8 more for refreshments.  Fifty-three $$ for a couple of hours of noise and kid entertainment.  What a ripoff! 

Meg is freaking out about all there is to do between now and Saturday when we have a rental truck to move stuff.  I'm just about burned out on this project, myself.  All I want to do is find places for everything and clean, but the reality is that we can't do that until the two bedrooms are done.  God bless Grandma Judy--she is going to take the children for some of Friday so I can do some things.  Getting the kids in their own rooms will be a Godsend that has taken 1 1/2 years and lots of bucks to happen.  Meg wanted to cancel Saturday's moving plans.  I said no.  Let's just get this done!   

Next week, I will be going to my sister's for about three days--with the children.  Shari broke both bones in her left arm about three weeks ago and had to have surgery.  I don't know how much help I can be, but I owe her for the great care I got a year ago when my brain blew a gasket at her house.  (Meg reminded me that one year ago tonight, I was unconscious and the surgeon was drilling a hole in my head.  That is, drilling ANOTHER hole in my head!)

The diet is going okay.  Meg and I both experienced the hungries today.  Guess it takes three days for it to hit that we can't just mindlessly plop things in our mouths, and our bodies were resisting.  I was sorely tempted at the fair.  I love that junk!!  I could tell when I got up this morning that my weight was down a tad, just because my belly felt softer.  We are only talking 2-3 pounds, so it isn't exactly a windfall!  The real test of strength will come when school starts.  I'll have to find the fortitude to stay away from the snack machine--and the candy bars that the library sells to teachers.  I am determined to lose this weight so I can stand myself again.  We can do it!

It is finally quiet in the house.  Robin has given up, dear girl.  Now it's Grandma's turn to cave in! 

Powerless, Part Deux

The children and I went to the county fair today.  We looked at rabbits and chickens and pigs and horses and cows.  The kids even got to pet a few.  We saw some hatching chicks.  Ate some junk food.  Sat through a "fire training" show twice.  (This was NOT put on by real fire departments.  Although they did teach some good lessons, this was clearly just entertainment.)  Walked through buildings that displayed 4-H projects and lots of good things.  The main disappointment of the day was the fact that the midway rides don't open until 5:00, and Grandma wasn't willing to stay that long.  (It is promised for tomorrow.  Ugh!) 

After supper, Meg started painting on Robin's room.  The children and I started cleaning the walls in Ry's room.  They sprayed and wiped and wiped and sprayed.  Far from over, but closer to completion.  It was the best bang for the buck!  Haven't been able to get them to stick with any project as long as they did with that...although they did drain an almost full bottle of 409 and another bottle of  The Works.  <sigh>  At least it kept them out of our hair for a little bit...  The painted room sure is pink!  Meg doesn't think she can stand it.  I have pointed out that the walls will be covered with furniture, etc...but she really wants something to soften it.  We'll see what we can do between now and Saturday when the furniture comes in.

I came home to a note from Duke Energy this afternoon that our power was shut off.  Oops!  I knew I was getting close to not having the bill paid in time, but slipped up.  It was pure irresponsibility on my part.  I get those bills and set them aside, saying "I'll take care of this in a bit"...and then "a bit" goes too long.  I got the bill paid over the phone and, luckily, was told that we'd be turned back on TODAY after 5:00.  We didn't get home until almost 3:00, so I figured we could manage.  The power came back on at 4:00.  The children didn't even notice!!  Since we just lived through a major power outage, my next bill should be considerably less. 

It is obvious to me that the entire house project won't be totally done by the time I have to go back to school, but we will have made a big dent.  Everyone should be in their own bedrooms by then, even if we haven't totally de-cluttered.  Ours is a work in progress!

Tomorrow, haircuts and the county fair midway.  God help me for the time in between!

   

Powerless

Meg and I were painting yesterday...ceilings in both bedroom and trim in one...preparing to apply wall paint.  Nathan called and, of course, was bringing the children home early.  (He said 4:30.  They were in the door by 4:15.)  End of painting.  Then came the storm.  Friend Ryan was here showing us his puppy, Bear, when the wind and rain started.  Then the power went out.  He escaped into the rain.  We were stuck all stinkin' evening with no electricity and two bored children.

Had heard on the Skywarn net on amateur radio that there were trees down here and there, so we piled in the car to take a drive around and gawk.  (What else was there to do with no power????)  Our first attempt to go by Friendswood Golf Course where Nathan and Meg used to live was thwarted by a tree across the road, so we went another way.  Oops!  Another tree.  Some of the older sections of Plainfield had tree damage.  DPW has been busy!  KG9QJ reported that his power was back on, so we headed for home after stopping for ice cream at Culver's...but OUR power was still out, and remained out for the rest of the evening.  At one point, there was nothing to do but go to bed--although we armed Meg with a non-electric alarm clock, with Robin's little alarm clock as a backup.  Apparently the power came back on at 1:45 AM. 

Today marks the one year "anniversary" of my ruptured brain aneurysm.  It was not a particularly happy occasion, but we are celebrating my survival by going out to dinner tonight.  Applebee's has a WW menu.  Sounds good! 

Once Upon a Time

Way back, 29 years ago, when I was preggers with my daughter, my then-husband and I were living in an old rented house.  We decided to paint the second bedroom which was to be the combined nursery and room for my stepdaughter.  We slapped on some latex paint...and in short order it all came peeling down in huge sheets.  Huh?  A trip to a store that specializes in paint sent a representative to the house to figure out what was going on.  The best anyone could figure was that the wall covering was calcimine paint--water based--and that the application of latex totally peeled it. 

We ran into something like that tonight.  As Meg and I were applying a drywall primer to what will be Robin's room, bubbles appeared...and, on one wall at least, the four layers that we had been trying to get off with water and scraping just came right off.  Ugh!

On another note, Meg and I did go to the Weight Watchers meeting this morning.  Meg came into my room and said, "Come on, Tubby.  Get up!"  Tubby?  Well, thankyouverymuch!  She gets a whopping 14 more food points per day than I do.  All of this requires a total shift of thinking, and more planning.  We went to Wally-World to get paint and low fat groceries.  Food that is good for you is a whole lot more expensive than the bad stuff!  I did experience hunger today for the first time in awhile.  I guess that's a step in the right direction...

Have to hit the sack.  We have to paint one room and get another room ready for painting tomorrow...and I am out of steam! 

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men...

...go oft astray.  (Robert Burns.)  Today, with all good intentions, I was waylaid several times during my attempts to get things done in the target bedrooms.  I started wiping down the walls in the mudded room, but everything was so covered in drywall dust that I needed to vacuum before I finished that.  Got the shop vac out, thinking I'd better check the filter because the dust would clog it.  OMG!  The filter was totally covered in filth and dog hair.  I used a toothbrush to clean it some, realizing that I probably need to get another one, soon.  Before I could vacuum, however, I needed to crawl around on my knees to pick up the wallpaper shreds.  Then the phone rang a few times; I had to make a few phone calls; and a friend showed up in my driveway.  To make a long story short, I don't have all of the wallpaper shreds up; the room isn't totally vacuumed, and I got no sealer on the walls because they aren't completely wiped down.  Ugh!

I had a string of unsuccessful phone calls today.  I DID, however, get through to the phone company to let them know that my line still isn't fixed and I need a technician who knows what he is doing.  The gal that I talked to told me that the technician they sent couldn't hear the static with his test equipment.  (That's what he told me, too.)  "Well...can you hear it as I'm talking to you??"  "Yes, I can."  DUH! 

We are trying to plan a birthday party for Robin.  She will be six in two weeks.  The family party will be on the weekend before her actual birthday.  For lack of another venue (we aren't even close to ready here), we will probably reserve a gazebo at Hummel Park and have a luau continued from Grandma Judy's luau party of a few weeks ago.  Robbie wanted to have it at Splash Island, but that's a $130 crack, just to be there.  Not gonna happen!

Meg didn't get home from taking the children to Muncie until 11:15 this evening--and although we were both tired, we had a long talk about our collective weight problem.  'Tis do-or-die time for us.  Gotta do SOMETHING.  Soooo...we are going to join Weight Watchers again.  It's stupid, in a way.  We both know what we have to do in order to make the weight go away, but we haven't been able to do it.  There are a million excuses, but the simple truth is that we are addicted to food because it fills a void.  It will be a lifelong struggle.  The discipline of going to weigh in will help to keep us on target until we can actually achieve some self-discipline.  Please help us pray for strength to do what is right for our bodies!

It is very late...and the first WW meeting is tomorrow morning...plus all of the work we hope to accomplish this weekend.  Going to bed.  Nightie! 

 

 

More Progress

The errant walls in Robin's future room have been mudded and sanded.  I will get a coat of sealer on tomorrow, ready to paint by the weekend.  In fact, if I play my cards right, we could have BOTH bedrooms painted over the weekend, but I'm probably being too optimistic. 

I called the phone company on Monday to complain about major static on my phone line that is messing up my DSL connectivity (although the connectivity is better since it's not raining).  They said they would send someone by 8:00 PM today.  True to their word--but on the last day promised--a technician showed up this morning.  He whined a lot and scratched his head some.  After awhile, he told me, in essence, that he didn't know where to start to fix the problem.  Couldn't FIND the problem.  Asked me to let it go for a couple of days and see if it cleared up.  Huh??  Subsequently, I had a phone call today with so much static that I could barely hear the person on the other end.  AT&T will hear from me again tomorrow--this time asking them to send someone who has a clue what he is doing!  I don't want to get the poor guy in trouble, but I also expect the problem to be fixed!

Tomorrow is my grandchildren's last day in day care.  For the next three weeks, Meg will pay me to have them here at home; thereafter (when school starts), they will be with Grandma Judy.  Day care has been both a blessing and a curse.  This is a licensed private provider.  We like her.  One of the blessings was that she offered to keep the children for two days last summer so my daughter could be with me in Peoria, IL, after my brain bleed deal.  She never asked for a cent.  One of the curses is that the children are sometimes exposed to things we don't like, which will always be the case once they hit school age.  In any case, this represents a milestone of sorts.  School starts in three weeks.

Lots to do tomorrow.  Hope I can hold up!

    

Progress?

I got an email from a (traitor) ham friend who retired and deserted us by moving to Alabama two years ago.  He reads this blather-blog  from time to time and has given me thunder because, he says, the word "fun" seems to have disappeared from my vocabulary.  Fun?  FUN???  What's that?  He also complained that my summer was being taken up by the house project.  Well...let me tell you, Dave: I knew before I was even out of school in May that the entire summer was likely to go to the house project because of the nature of what we needed to do.  It isn't easy for four people--two of them little ones--to live in a (tiny) house that is being remodeled and redecorated, one room at a time, because there just isn't anyplace to stash stuff that is displaced around the place.  (Did I place those words correctly?)  My dream is that, before the snow flies, we will finally have a place for everything.  So there!

A friend came over today (who has asked not to be named because he's afraid other people are going to ask him for project help, and he is stretched pretty thin already) to work on the problematic bedroom walls in what will be Robin's room.  He is doing a modified version of a "skim coat" of joint compound on the walls, then sanding.  Of course, there is white dust everywhere.  (He left here looking like an albino!)  BUT...it is working!  The walls look horrible but feel smooth.  I believe we are going to be able to get it painted without disastrous results--and soon!  Then the next dreaded task will be to move furniture from Meg's storage unit to the bedrooms.  Ugh!

Dear little Ryan had some issues tonight.  He wouldn't follow instructions...blah, blah...threw tantrums...blah, blah.  At one point, he got mad at his mother and kicked her.  Oops!  I don't have to mention that's a no-no.  I'm sorry...I'm sure there are people reading this who believe that spanking is wrong, but a simple "time out" just wouldn't cut it in this case.  He lost his dessert privilege, got three swats on his bottom, and got sent to bed.  (It was bedtime, anyway.)  He needs to learn, although it hasn't sunk in so far, that "if I do this, this is what will happen".  I never raised a boy so I'm not much help, but I'm pretty sure that kicking one's parent is grounds for corporal punishment.  Interestingly, the worse he behaves, the better Robin is.  The halo over her head fairly gleams as she smiles sweetly.  'Tis a game we all played!

I am reminded of my own daughter's behavior in her early years.  When she was sick, the doc prescribed a decongestant called Naldecon.  It caused her to go nuts.  The first time I gave it to her, I didn't understand that she was under the influence.  The next time it was prescribed, I made the connection.  I do remember calling my mother and telling her to come get my daughter before I killed her!  On another occasion, Meg wanted a drink but wouldn't ask for it politely.  I refused to get it for her until she did.  She threw a fit, at which point I removed myself to my bedroom and locked the door.  On the other side, she screamed and cried and kicked at the door for at least twenty minutes.  "I want a drink!  Come out!  Etc."  Finally, I was hearing, "Make me stop!  Make me stop!"  She was out of control and she knew it.  I opened the door.  "Megan, what do you WANT?"  "I want a drink."  "Can you ask for it nicely?"  "May I have a drink please?"  She got the drink.  End of story.  But at what price glory?!

Nightie-night.

 

The Blood God Smiled on Me!

Crazy day. 

I started the day by running errands--up to Brownsburg to pick up my wallpaper steamer from a ham friend, stopping at Lowe's on my way home to pick up another shelf rail for Meg's room.  I was also to stop at the other grandparents' house to return Grandpa Phil's cordless drill that we borrowed last week, but I couldn't find it!  When I finally did, that was another trip out.  In between, I scraped wallpaper in Robin's room (still!) and kept getting discouraged at the way the walls are.  In places, at least four layers of paint and paper are coming off.  In other places, it can't be blasted off.  The walls are in very poor shape for paint, but I am determined to make it work because we haven't budgeted for more wallpaper.  Keep your fingers crossed for us.

By the time Meg got home, she was tired and a little crabby.  The children wanted to go to the park, but I couldn't take them because one of my ham friends was coming WAY out of his way to pick up a couple of car batteries to take for recycling.  (He works at a car dealership.)  The batteries had been kept in my radio shack for potential emergency power but hadn't been used the entire time I had them.  Besides, I'm not crazy about the notion of having acid batteries in the house.  Meg did end up taking the children to Franklin Park here in Plainfield.  Mike got the batteries, and I got the dishes from dinner cleaned up. 

I am somewhat mortified to have anyone here right now.  Things from the old garage are still spread out all over, as are the working tools, laundry, toys, etc.  (When one is working on a project, it's hard to stop and do cleaning, although I am just itching to do just that.  I can't stand the clutter!)  I think Mike was appalled to see the mess, and it's not over yet!

Ryan got the first bath this evening.  After that, he and Robin headed for my/our bedroom, and--as expected--there were suddenly loud tears.  I went in to check.  Ryan was bawling.  He had somehow managed to hit his nose on Robin's leg.  Then I noticed the blood.  By this time, Meg had come in.  Ryan had a major bloody nose.  It took a good ten minutes of pinched nostrils to get it stopped.  And somehow, miraculously, none got on the new carpet!  We tried to explain to him that it could bleed again and that he needed to get quiet, but try making a four-year-old male-of -the-species understand that.  I dare you!  Sure enough, a few minutes later, Ryan came out of his bedroom to tell me that there was blood on his pillow.  A few minutes after that, Meg came out to ask how to get blood spots out of her brand-new EXPENSIVE comforter.  Ack!  I managed to get the spots out of his favorite Spiderman hooded towel and out of her comforter, but only because both were treated instantly.  Whew!  Another crisis averted!  The god of blood stains was smiling on me! 

I have been researching new flooring for the kitchen.  After much consideration, I've decided that vinyl sheet flooring is the best way to go for us.  I know it won't increase the value of the house much, but right now we are looking at ease of care more than anything else.  I'll be shopping around for good quality flooring.  This will be on the docket for September.  I may have to take a day off work to be here when it happens, but it will be time well spent.     

Tomorrow, another ham friend is coming over to give me a hand with a couple of things.  (He knows he is coming over, but I'm not sure he knows what I want him to do.  Oops!)  Still another ham friend is scheduled to come and help with the cabling so Meg can have her beloved TiVo in her bedroom.  I don't have to tell you that the amateur radio "brotherhood" has been my mainstay for the last 11 years.  Whatever would I have done without them?!  God Bless the friendships that radio brings!   

 

More Work

What a lovely day!  Cooler, dryer, sunny.  Pleasant!

We continued with the electronics work, etc., around the house yesterday.  I did some grocery shopping.  Meg did some wallpaper scraping.  We both tried to find some surfaces...  We are both impatient to have these projects over with, but (as is always true with homes), one job begets another, along with the usual chores.  We are stepping things up--or trying to--in an effort to get stuff done a little faster.

The children came home from Muncie last evening in terrible moods.  Meg knew they were home because she could hear the screams in the driveway--yelling at each other.  Ryan's first response to me was a tantrum.  And so it went.  They were hungry and tired, so they got fed and quickly hustled off to bed (along with Mommy and Grandma).  Robin took a couple of hours to conk out.  I think Ryan probably fell asleep faster.  

Back to work here.  Still working on the problematic wallpaper deal.  :( 

The Hamfest...and the Rest of the Day

The Indy Hamfest was today.  Had an advance ticket, thanks to Adam, WB9AJB.  Was to provide transportation for Bill, KG9QJ, and his service dog, Chance...meet several of the guys for breakfast at the Flying J truck stop on the south side of Indy on the way.  I got the back seat of the car cleaned out for the dog before the rain started, but then Bill had to cancel.  On my way, I stopped for gas.  That's when the rain and lightning really started...and even though I was under the canopy at the gas station, my right side--hair and all--got drenched.  (I had just done my hair not 15 minutes before!)  I seriously considered canceling, myself, but drove on to the truck stop.  Had a nice visit with the guys and a good breakfast buffet, although I was freezing from being wet.  The rain didn't let up much.  So, after breakfast, I decided to come back home instead of do the fest.  (Half of this hamfest is tailgated.  Didn't figure much would be going on...)  I should have given the guys my ticket.  As it turned out, Adam forgot his at home and had to buy one at the gate, in spite of providing several for others!  Came home in pouring rain...but apparently it wasn't raining in other places.  Guess the fest turned out okay. 

I got some laundry done, then got sleepy and took a short nappie-poo.  To make a very long story short, another ham friend, AB9D, came by to work on the DSL phone line and try to set my computer up in my room, etc.  Not much success in either task, but some progress was made.

Meanwhile, I watched my daughter take some initiative in getting her computer tables moved into her room.  She took them apart herself, realized that a couple of legs needed some strapping in order to be more stable (got that done), and put them back together again...pretty much alone.  Meg, you are beginning to think like a single woman!  We are both getting impatient with the disarray here which makes it easy to snipe at each other.  Her work schedule will soon get tricky when Bursar bills go out to IUPUI students.  She'll have to work overtime.  And, of course, there will be my return to school in four stinkin' weeks.  (Don't think for a second that that is a lot of time, considering all that is being done here...and the fact that two young'uns live here!)  With all of that facing us, it is easy to panic about what is left to do here at the house.  It will get done.  It's just a matter of when!

My injured "sting" arm continues to improve.  There is one blister that keeps popping up, but most of them are flat, although discolored.  Swelling and redness have mostly dissipated except near the sting site.  The itching, however, is horrendous.  Human bodies are awesome things!

Let's see...what else?  Ryan's bedroom needs to be heavily cleaned and painted.  Robin's room is problematic.  We don't know HOW we will ever get the walls even enough to paint.  If money were no object, we would hire someone to put in all new wallboard, but that's not going to happen.  Don't exactly know where to go from here.

Anyway, it is way past bedtime.  Tomorrow is another day!

 

 

Shack

My radios have been moved to my bedroom!  The "antenna fairy" showed up today and worked in the heat to get coax cables moves, holes drilled and caulked in the bedroom wall for the cables, everything connected, grounded, tuned, and ready to go.  It took all day, but it is a very nice job.  All that is left in Ryan's future bedroom are his mother's computer tables.  No time to get that done today...

I can't tell you how relieved I am to have this "little" project done.  There will always be more to do, but the worst is finished.  Woohoo!!    

Major Pat is still in the hospital without a valid diagnosis.  When I talked to him this afternoon, he was groggy on morphine due to a gout attack.  Please keep praying for his recovery. 

Also talked to my sister today.  She had surgery to repair her arm break on Wednesday.  She sounds as if she is doing okay.  I need to find time to go there to help out, if we aren't too much trouble...

Hamfest tomorrow...then more work on the house.  My summer is four weeks from over.  Ugh!

Dean's List

On the table in front of me is a very lovely certificate indicating that my daughter is on the "Dean's List Highest Honors" at IUPUI!  This represents three courses she has taken this year while working full time and being the newly-single mommy of two pre-schoolers.  It hasn't been easy for her, but I am so proud of her efforts!  You go, Girl!

Took the children to Splash Island for a couple of hours before their last swimming lesson yesterday.  What a fun place!  Robin, unfortunately, came home with what seems like the start of a cold and red eyes.  After we had some supper and an ice cream treat, both children conked right out.  So did Grandma and Mommy!

Will be busy today trying to get radios and DSL lines hooked up.  This is a job I've been dreading for months.  And it's going to be hot work.  Hope this goes well...

More later.

Sister Dear

The last word I had on my sister is that she was in recovery from her surgery and that the doctor thought everything went well--and that was fairly late in the evening.  If they sent her home tonight, I'm thinking no one is going to get much sleep.  I should have been there, although I'm afraid my presence would have thrown them into a tizzy with having a "guest" in the house.  Last July, this "guest" blew a brain aneurysm while visiting.  Maybe I would have been a jinx!

I just couldn't get myself together today.  Having promised the children that we'd stay at Splash Island after their evening swimming lesson, I was thrown into apoplexy about things.  There is so much to do here...and I have done very little the last two days.  This afternoon, I decided that my problem was likely related to the fact that I'm just weary and in need of a nap...so I took one.  Supper was poorly planned and prepared.  I took the kids to swimming, then brought them home...with the promise that we'll go to Splash Island BEFORE their last lesson tomorrow and just play.  Ryan was the only one who objected, but he got over it soon.

God bless the children...they don't get tons of  Mommy Time.  Tonight when we came home from swimming, they played in my room for awhile, then came out for dessert/snack.  Megan turned on America's Funniest Home Videos.  Ryan snuggled with Meg on the couch while Robin sat on the floor and watched the show.  When Ry got bored and got up, Robin quietly went over and replaced him on Mommy's lap.  I don't care how many people there are in the world looking out for you, there is nothing quite like Mom!

When I got up this morning, the injury to my stung arm had spread.  Redness and swelling now extends from my wrist to above my elbow, with the added pleasure of a 2-inch diameter of blistered, seeping skin near the sting site (no necrosis).  I got on the Internet and started looking things up.  I don't have a rash on my body, nor do I have any trouble breathing.  The reaction isn't 10 inches from the sting site (yet).  It looks as if this is considered a "large local reaction", which could be a precursor to a full-blown allergic reaction next time.  I'm just thinking about how to handle that.  I don't know what got me, but whatever it was, my body sure doesn't like it!  

We are still awash in clutter and trash.  I have about four weeks before I have to go back to school, and three of those weeks I will be keeping the children with me during the day.  I think we put way too much emphasis on schedule and not enough on needs.  Sometimes (like today) we just have to give in to what we can do versus what we would like to do.   So if we don't get the house perfect by school time, we'll just keep at it until it is the way we want it.  (Are you listening, Meg?)  In a hundred years, who will care? 

My dear friend, Major Patrick McPherson of Salvation Army fame, is in the hospital again.  Fluid in his lungs, although his heart is strong.  Please remember him in your prayers.  He and his wife, Carmella, were just transferred to a new community in Michigan, so he doesn't even have the support of local friends to count on.  God loves you, Patrick.  Rest in the Lord!

Just finished three loads of laundry.  Time for this ol' lady to hit the sack!     

Another Day, Another Downpour

I cannot remember an early summer in the recent past when we have had so much rain!  I sit on my messy patio and notice that the neighborhood looks like a rain forest.  Everything is green and growing.  Weeds are prolific!  Yesterday morning, we had a downpour that probably produced an inch of rain.  Tonight, a storm that drenched us with water and close lightning.  Hot, dry weather will probably appear about the time I have to go back to school...

Nothing really memorable happened today.  Meg overslept, so I took the children to day care along about 9:00, allowing them to sleep in some.  Came home and fought fatigue most of the rest of the day. 

My injured (stung) forearm has just gotten worse all day.  It is very swollen, hot, itchy, and achy.  I keep thinking it should be turning the corner to being all right soon, but I may be being too optimistic.  No, I haven't taken any Benadryl.  I didn't think I needed it.  Had no clue this would get this bad!  Methinks it must have been a wasp that got me.  I hate stinging bugs!

Took the children to swimming lessons again today.  Don't know what was going on at the pool, but there were lots of people there when usually we are alone.  The lessons were sent to the "competition" pool, which is deeper.  Both of the children's instructors mentioned their frustrations with that, because they had to do one child at a time due to the depth.  At the very end of the lessons, Ryan came running to me in tears...and holding himself.  He had to go potty.  (We are three for six on that.)  It seems, however, that he managed to bonk his forehead on the pool, but wouldn't talk to me about it.  He had a little knot there when we got home. 

The children get 25 minutes of lessons and 5 minutes of free play.  Today, because there were so many people at the pool, the kids were allowed to stay an extra 15 minutes for play.  When the whistle was blown, everyone else got out of the pool except MY kids.  Finally found Ryan, but the last time I saw Robin AFTER the whistle, she was getting ready to go down the slide again.  I think she was the last one out.  She claimed she didn't hear the whistle...but there were several people blowing.  Hmmm... 

I was frustrated with what little I got done today.  While working on therooms, there is also laundry to be done, dishes to be washed, picking up that needs to happen...AND personal hygiene which has taken a back seat to the rest.  I did get my hair washed ...which was a total waste of time.  By the time I got sweaty and put on a ball cap to prevent sunburn and got rained on, who would know? 

Tomorrow, I promised the children--weather permitting--that we would stay at Splash Island after swimming lessons for Wet Wednesday (a 7:00-10:00 swim, although we won't stay that long).  I am such a sucker!  You know why?  Summer "vacation" ought to be a little fun!  Winter is waaaayy too long!  So I will don a swimming suit and something to cover me up and just splash with the best of them.  Wish me luck! 

Sister Shari, in case you are reading this, my thoughts and prayers are with you for your surgery tomorrow.  I'll be calling to find out how it all came out.  I love you!

Monday, Monday...

Got up early to help get the children ready to go to day care, then started back in on the toxic waste dump (computer room/radio shack) reclamation project.  We had a gully-washer of a storm move through.  Must have been an inch of rain in that one!  In short order, I decided what I wanted to do with the remaining shelves in the 'puter room.  A ham friend came over and cut them to size for me...and installed them on the wall in my new bedroom, after I took a quick trip to Lowe's to get needed hardware.  My new room is quickly taking shape.  When Robin's room is finished and she can be moved out of mine, I will have a bedroom/office/radio shack all in one nice space!

The order of the day is having to KEEP reminding myself, as I dig out things, that I am NOT merely cleaning.  In the past, when cleaning, I would simply put things away--if I could find places for them.  This time, I am attempting to de-clutter each space by at least 50% or more.  I can accept that I will probably never be as organized as I'd like to be, but it would be nice not to drown in "schtuff" that has simply been allowed to accumulate.

I picked up the children from day care...then picked up a Papa Murphy's pizza for supper (largely because I can't find the kitchen right now...and don't have time to cook).  Got the kiddos fed and ready for swimming lessons.  Both are doing quite well.  I, however, got stung on the underside of the forearm by some cowardly flying something-or-other that zipped away before I could even get a swat at him.  What are the odds?  There are hundreds of deck chairs at Splash Island.  One other mother and I were the only ones on that side of the pool.  I put my arm down on the arm of the chair, and STINGO!  It swelled up, of course, but I'm not allergic.  In a day or two, it will itch like crazy...

Ryan was kind of cute this evening.  When we got back from swimming, both children disappeared into my bedroom and closed the door.  Not a good sign...but since there were no tears or shouts, we let them play.  Then it was dessert/bedtime snack time.  Ryan said he was eating his ice cream and trying not to get it on his face.  That's a first!  He also, sympathetically, closed a door that his sister bonked herself on so she wouldn't do it again.  When Meg thanked him for being so good tonight, he said, "I'm here to help!"  I thanked him, too...which upset his sister.  "I was good, too.  Why did you tell him that?"  I had to explain that since he is littler than she is and not always on good behavior, we thought it was a nice idea to tell him when he was.  She seemed to be okay with that.  (She gets plenty of appreciation for her good behavior--which occurs more often than his.)

Got an email from my sister this morning stating that one or both of her broken arm bones have somehow separated since a week ago when the accident occurred.  She now has to have surgery for a plate and screws on Wednesday.  The doc claims that healing will go much faster this way.  I hope he's right.  She isn't liking this very much!  Thinking of you, Shari!

More of the same tomorrow.  I need a bath!

 

Gremlins!

Yesterday morning when I got up, I couldn't connect to the Internet.  Meg soon found out that we had no dial tone...and then, instantly, it came back up.  Phone gremlins, I guess.  Then, this morning--along about 2:00 AM--Meg came and woke me up saying that we had no power.  She had already reported it and had also checked the breakers.  Within an hour, we had power again, with the utility truck just outside the fence.  Guess it was a localized outing.  Maybe some squirrel bit the dust in the dark?  Power gremlins.  Guess the utility gods don't like us!

After Meg delivered the children to their father on the northeast side of Indy yesterday, she came home and tackled the "some assembly required" computer desk that was purchased to go in the living room (since the radio/computer room is being dismantled).  She did it all by herself, without power tools!  Took 4 1/2 hours, and she has some sore muscles today, but it looks good. 

While she was working on the desk, I was working in the toxic wasteland of the computer/radio room.  It is the smallest and busiest room in the house...and the one that has received the least attention for cleaning.  The room is shamefully filthy.  I filled three garbage bags of stuff that has piled up for years, and I am far from finished!  We will continue with the project today.  I have raised enough dust to choke a horse!

Fourth Activities

In spite of the mess here at home, I tried to make the Fourth a little special for the grandchildren.  God bless Grandma Judy!  She took the children to the movies, then kept them at her house for much of the afternoon, so that when they came home, we had our "Happy Birthday, America" supper, then walked to Hummel Park (with the Heffelman grandparents) for the activities going on there...and, of course, fireworks.  Grandma Judy had found a couple of pop-up bug houses for the children, and we provided glow-sticks in order to keep track of the little guys.  It was a long and busy day.

For a relatively small town, Plainfield does an excellent job with the holiday preparations.  At Hummel Park, there was a climbing wall, some inflated bouncy things, free popsicles at the library booth, fire trucks on display, duck races (with those little yellow rubber duckies)...and food tents.  The Hendricks Symphonic Choir and Orchestra played/sang wonderful recognizable and patriotic music, from the tributes to the armed services to The 1812 Overture, The William Tell Overture, and--of course--Stars and Stripes Forever.  It is the music that makes or breaks the day for me.  Then there were the fireworks--at least 30 minute's worth.  Great show!  The only glitches in the evening were a couple of melt-downs from Ryan, and Robin's having to go potty just before the fireworks finale.  (The restrooms are way too far apart at the park!)  Then the long walk uphill back home from the park with two very tired children.  We plopped Ryan in the tub then into bed.  Robin conked out the instant she was tucked in.  Megan and I followed immediately thereafter.  We were tired!

Yesterday's Independence Day celebration was as good or better than any I could remember as a kid.  We were almost always at my grandparents' farm, chasing lightning bugs (which my grandchildren do)...and eating corn on the cob (which we did yesterday).  There were always other good culinary treats--like a creamed new potatoes and peas dish that my mother fixed with garden produce, and watermelon.  When it came time for fireworks, my father would drive out to some country road in between a couple of towns that did fireworks displays, while we sat on the hood of the car being eaten alive by mosquitoes to see fireworks way off in the distance.  I was an adult before I ever got to see fireworks up close and personal.  No comparison! 

There is a superstition among teachers that summer vacation is over by the Fourth.  The time flies by so fast that there is a mad dash to get things done...and then it is over for another year.  Depressing, really.  We have been so busy here at home that I haven't had the time or the order to rest up from the school year...but there is no other choice.  If we are going to go into another winter together--which we are--we must make use of the time we have to "git 'er done".  The next task is moving the radio room.  God help us all!

 

That Time of Day

If you are a parent, you probably have had days like I had today...where, by a certain time in the day's developments, you just can't listen anymore.  All talked out and all listened out.  Done.  It happened to me about 7:00 PM, but the evening was far from over.  I tried my best to be civil to everyone, but I'm sure my desire to be left alone for awhile shone through.

I kept the grandchildren home from day care today so we could go to IUPUI and join Megan for a pitch-in picnic cookout at her workplace.  Of course, it rained pretty hard all morning...so the "picnic" was inside, at people's desks.  I had threatened the children to use their manners, which they did.  Robin was quite the proper little lady.  Meg would introduce her to someone.  She would shake hands and say, "My name is Robin and I'm five."  Then, "Nice to meet you" and "Happy Fourth of July".  Ryan was shyer but still direct with people who spoke directly to him.  He enjoyed clomping his sandals on the hallway floors, etc.  We stayed for an hour, then left for Plainfield.  It was nice to visit Mommy in her "new" office.

To keep the kids occupied in the car, I suggested that we count American flags from I-465 westward on US 40.  Of course, there was an argument about who should be looking on which side of the car, but we eventually lost count somewhere around 120 flags.  Every time the kids saw one, they would say, "Aye, Matey!"  I had to do the counting.  Ryan's "aye mateys" were loud and raucous.  Ugh!

Along about 4:30, I took the children to Mickey D's for supper.  (Meg was to stop on her way home for her own supper.)  I didn't even have the food to the table in the Play Place when Robin ran by me saying, "I have to go potty!"  She dashed off to the women's room, even though there is a closer accessible restroom in the play area.  She came back walking funny.  Her jeans shorts had a button that she couldn't unfasten in time, so she had wet her pants.  <Sigh>  She sat with me and ate while her little brother ran off to play.  Shortly thereafter, we left to get her in dry clothes for the trek to swimming lessons.  We got all the way to the door of McD's when Ryan said, "Hey!  I don't have my shoes!"  I'm glad he noticed because I sure didn't! 

By this time, the rain had pretty much stopped, so I assumed that the swimming lessons would be on.  They were.  (We are getting good at dressing underneath a towel at the end of the lesson.)  There is a little more comeraderie among the parents now that the children have been together for nearly a week.  Kid personalities really begin to emerge.  Robin and one other girl in her group are so far ahead of the others, I heard her instructor say, "You two are swimming on your own on Tuesday."  Don't know exactly what that means...  Ryan had a sub instructor today who commented that Ry just shivered the whole time he was in the water...but he doesn't give up.  He is the youngest and smallest in his group, but he is a champ in effort. 

The children had designs of how they would like to spend the rest of their evening.  (By now, it was just past 7:00.)  I told them that we were meeting up with Mommy and going to Aldi's to buy water softener salt.  (Much needed!  I needed dynamite to get the soap scum off the bathtub!)  Meg was tired and somewhat snippy.  I was tired and somewhat snippy.  Ryan was getting totally out of control.  (He had been on the brink since before swimming.)  I should point out, I guess, that he was up at 5:00 AM with his mother...and had no nap, in spite of my efforts.  Thus, his mouth was running full tilt, to the degree that Meg and I couldn't even talk about her day in the car.  By the time we got home, all I wanted was to get him in bed and away from me for awhile.  That didn't happen soon.  The kids enjoy playing in my bedroom because it is a space that hasn't been totally destroyed yet.  Ugh!

Two things:

First, I am not as young as I used to be, so don't have as much stamina as I once did, even a year or two ago.  Meg and I decided awhile back that I need to relax and just be Grandma...not a parent substitute.  I'm working on that.  I am trying to be more understanding, less judgmental, less blaming.  I have mostly stopped yelling and am listening more.  But here's the deal: with my hearing problem, listening becomes a bit of an issue.  Any excess noise creates difficulties in hearing and concentration--and Ryan is in an "excess noise" stage of life.  Aaarrrggghh! 

Second, the difference between girldom and boydom is rearing its ugly head.  Robin is becoming the little lady, annoyed by her brother's immaturity.  Today she told me, "I am so done with him!  From this day on, I don't want to deal with him.  I can't handle it!"  (She's only five!)  Ryan, in the meantime, has reached the stage, at age four, where my brother used to drive me nuts at the same age.  Potty words are part of the silliness.  One-upsmanship.  Always having the last word.  Silly exaggerations.  Babbling, just to hear his own voice.  Volume way out of control.  Big time temper.  I was the stepmother of a boy once and didn't understand him, either!  I have said this before: psychology will tell you that gender behaviors are learned.  I am here to tell you that Ryan came out of the hopper wired male!  We are trying to redirect him to more socially acceptable behaviors, but he just hasn't got the maturity level for that, yet.  I am hoping that his involvement in soccer this fall (without his sister) will give him the confidence he seems to need.

Projects here are suspended until after the Fourth.  We are all just tired.  So now, having bored everyone with the ins and outs of my life in the slow lane, I bid you all a happy Independence Day. 

  

Interesting Email

I heard from my bro-in-law a couple of days ago that my sister fell by their pool and broke both bones in her left arm.  I guess it was her turn for an emergency, but I don't like it very much--and she hates it!  It will get better, Shari.  Just lower your standards a bit.  You have no other choice.  And now it is also your turn to ask for help. 

Have been taking the children to swimming lessons this week.  Robin, who was everyone's favorite in swimming lessons in Muncie, has been somewhat eclipsed by her brother.  For some reason, he was put in a more advanced group.   He is only four, but has just amazed me with his tenacity.  Robin is in a baby group, way below her abilities...but she gets more attention because two of the five-member group get out of the water and refuse to participate (in spite of their daddy's interference).  I am getting a tan in the process. 

For the last two days, I have accomplished nothing on the wallpaper stripping.  I wanted to have the room ready for painting this weekend, but it ain't gonna happen.  Today, I largely couldn't hack it.  I went to the bedroom after taking the children to day care and didn't wake up until almost 12:30 PM.  I don't care.  I have been going full-tilt all summer.  So has Meg.  If it gets done, we'll be lucky.

Tomorrow, I am taking the children to IUPUI to share in a picnic lunch with their mother at work.  We will also have them for the Fourth.  They will spend 24-hours with Daddy in Muncie thereafter. 

Not much is getting done right now.  I don't care!  Am doing what I can...and what I can't doesn't matter. 

In case I don't get back here, Happy Independence Day to all of my friends!  You know who you are!