MOstly done.......

For you Princess Bride fans, the bathroom is MOstly done. It's been mostly done all day! Come to find out we had to wait 48, not the supposed 24 hours, for the tub resurfacing to cure. Therefore.........we are going to my sisters here in a little bit to take showers. And I have to find time to go to the Dr. And I have to finish cleaning two rooms. And I need to "shut up, sit down and listen to my own tapes." (I'm not sure how to put a footnote in a blog, so I will give credit to Dr. Tom for that last quote right here and now.) The inlaws will be here in 19 hours. As one of my smarter-than-me friends wrote, I also need to take time to let my spiritual self get ready to celebrate the birth of my Lord. Wow! That is a whole other thing. There has been quite a bit of stuff come to my eyes and ears this year about how yucky things really were for Mary, Joseph and Jesus at the time of His birth. You know, if you think about it, the recent (in the context of history) church did a pretty good job of pretty-ing up the Christmas story for us! Took out all that pain, dirt and grime, unsanitary-ness, they made Jesus and the Holy Family whiter than white, they swept the camel, sheep and cow dung under the proverbial rug, and never once have I ever heard that Mary got an epidural. I want to spend more time considering all of that......after I finish my to do list.
K

Puppy update

These guys are so much fun to watch! (And NO! The bathroom isn't done yet. Soon though. I promise.)

December 2008

Dear Home Depot,

As it is the time of year we send cards to those we hold dear, I thought it only fitting that I add you to our list. I have, after all, seen you more than most of my family and given you more money than most of my creditors!
As you know, we have been working on remodeling our bathroom. The project seems to have dragged on for quite a bit longer than anticipated. While this has been a boon to the home remodeling industry at a time when the economy is struggling, we are quite ready to say we have done our part to ensure the economic future of America and complete the project.
I would be remiss if I failed to mention the other ways in which this remodel has strengthened the American resolve. The relationship with our friends and neighbors has been elevated to a new level. We have expanded our vocabulary to include the phrase "may we use your bathroom?" and "Do you know anything about wiring?"
Additionally, we have financially supported other industries, including the hotel industry and the psychological counseling industry as well as many fast food establishments. We considered expanding that to include the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms industries, but thought otherwise when we decided we had no interest in supporting our local law enforcement establishment.
Alas, our projects' end is in sight. There are still skills to be employed and developed and, I'm sure, unorthodox methodologies to be explored. It has been quite a journey. Please feel free to continue to address us on a first name basis whenever we come through the door. We will surely miss our daily visits, but know that we hold you in a special place in our hearts and wallets.
Merry Christmas to each one of you.

Karen
Visa: xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-1906

The Puppies are here!

And no. The Bathroom isn't finished. You know those Do-it-yourself shows where they remodel a bathroom in 30 minutes (representing a weekend)? They lie.

The puppies arrived on Dec. 4th. Right on schedule. They even waited until I got home from a very busy afternoon. Everything was smooth sailing until puppy #4. Three hours after puppy #3 made it's appearance, we called the emergency vet and they said we needed to bring her in. Right as we were loading up momma and babies, #4 decided to make it's appearance. It was breach and we had to pull it out of her as poor Sugar was just too exhausted to do it one more time. It was a worthwhile trip to the er though, because they did an ultrasound and confirmed that there were no more puppies. We had thought there were five. We'd have been waiting a really long time for that last one to appear!! Sugar and her babies are doing really well. They are growing like weeds!! (BTW, I'm WAY too old to be doing the newborn thang.)

Here they are!

Puppies

And that's all the news for now! Back to the bathroom........

Whatta weekend.....

Well, it's official: my Starbucks is closed. It surprised me how emotional I have been about this, sort of. I mean, I'm happy to be "retired", leaving me more time to work in my clay studio, but at the same time.....it was three amazing years of my life. We had a really fun party to celebrate. (I've never seen anybody do DDR like that!!) Then I got to go to the Vikings/Packers game on Sunday! Wow! It was amazing! (We should all pray for Charles Gordon. His leg/ankle got seriously, seriously broken.) Then we went and got family Christmas pictures taken (which was A LOT of fun--fun photographer!) Tons of stuff crammed into a very short period of time. (I did work in the bathroom, tiling, also, but that's not so exciting anymore. My goal is to have the bathroom done by Dec. 25th--when the in-laws arrive!)

So, this next chapter of my life starts today. There is just so much old stuff in it it's hard to tell the difference!

God Bless you this week!!
Karen

It just keeps coming and coming and coming and coming....

Today while I was at the Dr. I get a text saying I need to get home right away. Brainiac and Big Head Boy got into it and the picture window in my living room was the unfortunate victim. Nothing like coming home to a huge broken window to liven things up. Makes me weep just thinking about how much those two "love" each other! It's those proud moments that make your heart skip a beat.....or maybe that was angina. Either way my heart was a twitter.

Between replacing the window, having the plumber out this past weekend to unclog the main drain from our house and the unexpected complete bathroom remodel, I just can't tell you how glad I am that money tree in the back yard is thriving! Wait! There's more....the unplanned pregnancy of Sugar! On the 18th, I get to find out how many puppies shes expecting. Near as I can figure she's due on Dec. 6th. Yipee. (Did I mention that my in-laws are coming for Christmas?)

Oh Boy! I bet you wish you were me!

Go Vote!!!

I was reading a favorite blog I read and since the author is Canadian, I didn't expect anything regarding Election Day. What I found was both amusing and irritating (in a not-seriously irritating way): "If you are American, go vote. The suspense is killing the rest of us."

I ran into several Homeschool Families (kidlets in tow) at the polling place. I'm sure the conversation was the same in all of our minivans: "Voting is a fundamental American principle. People have fought and died to get and keep the right to vote. There are places on this earth right now where people risk their lives to be able to vote......"

I feel very patriotic today. I love our Country. It is the best country on earth. I wish my children could experience all cars coming to a stop at 5pm when taps was played. Growing up on a Military Base is certainly a privilege that leaves a life long impression on your heart.

Now I'm gushing...........God Bless America!!

Only one more day!

Tomorrow is the end (?) of an era in my life. It is the last day I am scheduled to work at Starbucks. My store is closing and I am retiring. I say it is the last day I'm scheduled, because as one of my co-workers is adept at pointing out, I've tried unsuccessfully to retire before. Twice.

Oct. 28th was my 3 year anniversary with Starbucks.

It is a very bittersweet ending. I will sorely miss my co-workers and many of my regular customers. I will not miss standing on my feet, running around, minding details, cleaning stuff and the like. I will miss people smiling at me and saying "Thank you" when I hand them their drink. (Perhaps I could train my children......NAH!!!) I will miss earning MUG awards and wearing my CoffeeMaster apron. I will not miss coffee counts and one particular milk delivery man. I will not miss getting home after 10:30 pm and being so wound up I can't go to bed! I will, however, miss the quiet of the house when I arrive home at 10:30 pm!

All in all, I am looking forward to the time at home with my kidlets and hubbie. As someone very wise put it, "This is the only time in eternity I will have to raise my children." And that time is so very fleeting (most of the time.)

I will be actively pursuing getting classes going in my pottery studio again. Just as soon as I finish the bathroom. Oy. What a project. I poured the concrete on the new subfloor yesterday. I will restart/continue tiling in the tub surround tomorrow. Or Tuesday. Then on to the floor. My goal is to install the new toilet this coming weekend. It's good to have goals. Gives you something to wave at as they go flying by! Oy.

So, in conclusion, tomorrow is going to be a bittersweet, very full, very fast day. I'm sure my emotions will be completely under control......HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I crack myself up!

K

Funny, funny kid stuff

I was just reading a really great blog: Bring the Rain. I laughed so hard I almost woke the kids up! My kids are now in the frenetic part of life where they are all "independent" yet need to be reminded to change their underwear on a daily basis. So now, for your future enjoyment, I am reminding myself to post the "Poop in a Pringles Can" story and "Mom! It's going to be bigger than our car!" story at a date far enough into the future that my kids won't hate me for sharing, but not so far into the future that I can't still use it as performance based incentive for them!

And then......

I hate it when people say, "Oh, yeah. I have a blog. I should post on it sometime." So instead I will say, "Hi again!"

Every time I start to think I'm rather tech savy, some binary twit comes along and explodes that myth for me! Today it was when trying to install a widgit. It was really cool too. I'll need a nap before I try that again.

I finished (sort of) a pair of socks in the ER last night. I was there with Brainiac and her second kidney stone. Now I shall begin the Vikings Socks!!! (I need to get pretty far along on them so I don't ditch them after - or during - the next game!)

I get my cast off tomorrow. Not gonna lie, I'm a little nervous about it. I know people get them sawn off every day and still walk away with their limbs attached, but comeon! You'd be nervous too if someone came at your leg with a saw!

I'll let you know how it goes. Off to cast on some gold and purple socks!

K

Time

You know.....I'm starting to wonder about the state of my physical being. It's not all that introspective--trust me. I am apparently trying to make sure the Medical community in my town stays in business. In the past month alone, I have had 2 MRI's, an EMG (OUCH!), many, many lab tests and on Monday I am having Surgery. Don't get me wrong, I like my Dr, but when I saw her today, and the first thing she said was, "Weren't you in here yesterday?" I knew for sure I'd crossed that fine line between the casual patient and truly comitted patient! I should type up a form letter to give each Physician I visit to let them know that I expect a Christmas gift and a birthday card ;-)

I think I'm going to go spin some wool now!

In The Beginning....

Well, It's time to start blogging again. Or at least that's what I've been told. (I always do what I'm told ;-)