Our Weekend...

Have you ever had one of those Starbuck's double shot energy drinks with guarana? I tried a mocha one today... boy howdy was that thing good. Unfortunately... too good... and I drank the whole thing, at 5:30, quarter t' 6. So now its 12:11 am... and I am *boing* wide awake with no signs of slowing down, actually my body is exhausted... its my brain that is wide awake. So... what do i do? Log onto my blog to let the world... well that teeny tiny part of the blog-o-verse that reads my blog know how our weekend went.

Saturday we went to lowes and got drywall to finish up the bathroom, and boy.. we had so much fun with that trip that 2 hours later we went back. That time we got ceiling tiles and mud (cause I forgot to mention to the dear hubby that I was almost out *smiles*) We worked on the bathroom trying to beat the storm when his parents showed up to drop off some stuff. Wish the visit could have been longer but we had so much to do and the sky was getting darker and darker. Luckily we were able to get almost all the drywall up before we had to wrap for the day. Electrical storms and powertools do not mix well =P.

Sunday we got up, packed stuff in the car and went to visit the new house. Its truly lovely! The owners are very very nice and seemed excited to meet us. We didnt get to meet their cat but their dog Lady who is 16 years old was very tolerant of our young pup and said pup actually behaved himself rather well ( I think he was only at half energy due to the length of the ride.... lol). She only barked at him at the end of the visit and we were told it was because she was jealous of all the attention "he" was receiving... so we made sure to give her even more lovens... she was so sweet it wasnt hard at all to do. *smiles*

The house is awesome... I know we will be very happy there and I just cant wait till we are all settled in our new home. Today was pretty much a trip up to sign the lease, show us gals the house, and we dropped off a few things for Paul as he will be staying up there this week as opposed to a hotel room. We made sure to take a table into the house first and we enjoyed our first meal there together. We also each took one thing for the house to kind of let it know what to expect from us *laughs* Paul took his chess set, Maddy, one of her favorite fairies, Leen took one of her buddhas, and I took one of my windchimes. I think the house likes us *wink*

Guess thats it for now, hope you all had a wonderful weekend...
~Regi

PS... think i am gonna fit in well in our new neighborhood ... she (the landladyess ) invited me to a class she was holding in her back yard tomorrow night... meditation with crystal bowls. Its amazing how the universe works isnt it? I so cant wait to move!!!!

Update on us...

We took lots of pictures of the house we looked at on Sunday but have decided pretty much we wont be taking it. The biggest reason we said no was heating that house would cost an arm and a leg and perhaps a torso or two. The pellet stove not only wasnt in yet... but they hadnt ordered it. So that would mean the house was heated entirely with propane and its one huge house. The fireplaces dont work at all and it was very ramblely... rambly... spread widely out... sheesh!

I fell in love with it though, it had so many period features. Beams to hang flowers and herbs to dry, cast iron bathtub, original pieces in the fireplace to hang pots on to swivel them into the fire... a iron box built into the hearth to bake bread... the history buff in me cried... "Mine... mine... all mine" *smiles* But, the mom inside me looked at how the house was laid out, the distance between the rooms, the various problems that still hadnt been fixed and put her heels into the ground and said no way! So I listened to the mom in me. *cries*

We have 3 other houses we are in contact with owners about... Paul is looking at one on friday before he heads home. So I am keeping my fingers crossed and I know that the right place will come along eventually.

The bathroom is coming along slowly but surely now. Packing is progressing ... the list of things we want to do to the house is shortening every day... so things are moving on that front.

Eileen has finally gotten to talk to her roommate at college, which has set her mind to rest on that front. She has put in notice at her job ... and she is engaged.

Yes.. eileen, at the ripe old age of 18 is engaged.. her young man spoke to Paul and I before he asked her, assured us that they were definitely waiting till after college graduation to get married, but that he was joining the national guard and wanted to make a commitment to her before he made the commitment to them. She is happy, looks at us as if we are insane if we even mention waiting till after grad to get married... "of course we will mom... sheesh!" so things are ok... but scarey on that front. Not sure I am ready for my child to be engaged, I really wanted both my girls to get out there and taste life a bit before settling down, and I am worried too about Shaun and being in the national guard. He however feels strongly that this is something he needs to do. Not only to help the two of them financially... but to be there in support of our country. I know my father would like this kid... Wish he and mom were around, they would be so tickled with all their grandkids.

Maddy says she is excited about going back to public school... but I feel sad about it. I seriously enjoyed homeschooling her, and feel its a wonderful option in todays world. I have struggled with this decision for some time now... but we are going to give it a try. We have heard wonderful things about this school, it will give her a chance to meet kids in this new place we are moving to where we know no one. It will remind her what public school was all about... and if for any reason it doesnt work... we know homeschooling works for us. Hopefully this time we can find a support group we feel more comfortable in. The old one was nice but we just never clicked. Maddy herself has already requested that we continue studying things on our own... she really liked the whole child led education, we spent a heck of a lot of time on colonial new england and the revolution... not because I wanted to... but because she was absolutely fascinated with it. Anyways... as soon as we know for sure we are moving into the district I will call and make an appointment for a tour and any testing they might need to perform.

Maddy's first day of school will be Aug 27 (paul and my 20th anniversary) and Eileens first day of college is Aug 29th.

Paul is still loving his new job... the company puts him up during the week in a hotel so he has a lot less commuting to do... but its still a long haul for him, and we definitely miss him being home during the week. I cant wait till we are all living in the same space again.

Guess thats all from this front...

~Regi

Harried days and the long commute.

Cell phone~ white screen of death, fixed by tech department at verizon

Disposal~ refuses to grind up food or even rotate, replaced

Dishwasher~ refuses to drain ( directly related to new disposal put in over the weekend ) waiting on hubby to return from winthrop area... take out new disposal and pop out plug that is *supposed* to be popped out if you have a dishwasher feeding into disposal. With the plug the water cant drain. *sigh*

Loss of internet~ chooses weird times to just not work... and then is working fine 20minutes later

loss of phone~ someone unplugged the cord that goes from the answering machine to the wall... I kind of enjoyed the lack of constant ringing *smiles*

Check coolant light on car dashboard~ checked coolant... level is fine, sometimes the thing is on... sometimes the thing is off. I am ignoring it in hopes that it will just eventually go away.

Outside faucet (of course the one on the second meter for use on lawn and pool) wont shut off so every time we water i have to turn it off inside the house at the meter using the shut off valve.

wii wont connect to the internet~ probably related to the on again off again internet access.

I am afraid to even wonder what will go belly up next.

On a different note... hubby seems to be really enjoying his new job. The commute is really a lot to handle though ... especially on extremely busy days so he is staying up in winthrop area this week and will be home either tomorrow or friday after work. Once we can trade in his old car for a more fuel efficient one perhaps on less stressful days he can sleep here and commute... but right now they are smack dab in the middle of end of month/end of quarter for one of their biggest customers so its kind of crazy there.

I cant wait till we can get ourselves up there and in our new place. Havent found it yet... heck havent listed this house yet... waiting on this dang bathroom. Soon as its done or even at the stage where the walls are up but need mudding and painting we can list it. But with it not even close to being done we are in a holding pattern. Hopefully hubby can get the subfloor in this weekend. If things werent so expensive i would hire it out... but we just cant manage that right now.

Things are looking up for us... I just keep telling myself that we have to be patient a bit longer.

And so it goes...

Things have been running rather smoothly as of late.

Math everyday began seamlessly, with only one squawk from her,and I let it pass over me. When the Madster saw I was firm on it she buckled down and the math time is happening even more quickly then before. Spectrum Spelling 5th grade is going quite well... and she is rather enjoying the nonfiction reading workbook we began this week. We are enjoying "The History of US", she seems rather excited by the chapters we have read so far... and the sidebars seem to be a big hit with her. We never did pick up the Rosetta Stone Spanish again... It was quite the investment and I know she wants to learn it, so its a matter of finding a spot for it. This week we worked on Owls, Bats and Ants (for science).. she has a ant project to finish up this week.

I really like the oak meadow social studies/english combo... not too sure about the Environmental science aspect of it. I think if we do homeschool next year we will find a different program for her science. Perhaps a more hands on one that has projects and puzzles and worksheets... she really seems to like that. The reason the SS and English is working I think is that we supplement it heavily with the suggested books and readings... and if we find something we enjoy (such as diaries of kids of the time, we devour them as well) I need to make sure we have a week where we do some of the projects for her colonial/revolutionary america section... making butter, embroidery , making candles, and so on.

I am getting tons of good ideas from the Homeschooling forum I joined. I just wish i had found it so long ago. Its called The Denim Jumper

On the job front I put in some more applications and I even got to speak to a manager... I was quite impressed... Hubby continues to look and actively seek jobs as well. Something has to break free one of these days... it just has to.

The upstairs bathroom is in progress finally... not sure if i mentioned it before but its been a bare shell of a room forever now.. in fact its the reason we couldnt refinance last summer. Heck the plumber has already been paid and the fixtures bought... it was a matter of getting it gutted and the floor ripped up etc. the plumber stopped by yesterday at hubbys request and so its begins... I cant wait to get that project done. That will be the last big, big project we do in this house. I so cant wait.

I guess thats all on this front... have been working a bit on my soaps as of late which you can read about in my craft blog which is listed somewhere here... Have a wonderful evening....

~Regi

Post weekend...

Dang I am tired....

On Saturday my sister came down to visit with her eldest and the bf... (boyfriend as opposed to bestfriend) Teengirl had plans and was gone most of the day... but the maddster was here and the kids spent some time wandering a local beach and then playing on the wii. The two 16 yr olds actually seemed to have a good time hanging out with the 10 yr old... no fights... no screaming... no slamming doors... well until the 18 yr old came home, then all hell broke loose. *sigh* I guess its normal... some sisters just dont get along. I never used to get along with my sister either...and look at us now. So I am in hopes that eventually the two girls will love... like... be able to be in the same building without sparks flying out of their eyes and nasty words spewing out of their mouths. A mom can dream eh?

So anywho... my sister didnt leave until almost 10 oclock at night... we ate homemade pizza for dinner and played several rounds of Assassin (incredibly fun game) and then the jerks got me hooked on yet another freaking "reality" tv show. America's top model or something like that. Its not like I dont watch enough of that stuff... american idol, survivor, the amazing race, big brother, top chef, project runway, Hell's kitchen... I love all these shows, though currently I am sort of ignoring survivor and AI and barely keeping up with BigBrother (thank god for tivo or the fake version my cable company offers). Also on Saturday my mother in law called and made arrangements to pick up ms Maddy on Sunday, so on top of watching the show with my sister, making dinner, intervening when bloodshed was looming with the girlz... i was doing laundry and helping the youngest decide what she would take to grammies house.

Sunday- Mimi Linda showed up at noon to pick up the maddster... Maddy was so freaking excited and she did all the packing for her trip (10 minutes away lol) She took 3 pairs of pants, 3 shortsleeved shirts, 3 long sleeved shirts, unmentionables, pjs, 1 jacket, 2 movies, 3 books, one borrowed knitting bag with a project as well as her new knitting book she got for Xmas, 1 stuffed animal, her DS and all her games and her most important item... her new Rachel Ray cook book... "cause mimi and i are gonna cook up a storm" When i carried all the stuff out to the car i jokingly said this is the first load, and Hubbys mom laughed and laughed. The kid had one duffle bag, one back pack, one plastic bag of shoes and one knitting bag. Apparently Tuesday Mimi and Maddy are going to make up a menu, go shopping for ingredients, cook a meal and we are all going over for a fine dining experience.

After Maddy left I spent the afternoon trying to muck out her room. Her room is one of the ones we definitely need to paint before we sell the house.. maybe I mentioned already the dark purple walls with almost blackish purple trim... the list of friends in the closet and the writing on the ceiling. I would like to have the ceiling, and trim done at least before we pick up miss maddy... it would be nice if it was all done but at the same time we are working on the upstairs bathroom. right now its a upstairs hole. We are talking no floorboards... just floor joists... no walls just studs... plumbing pipes sticking up out of the floorless floor and wall-less walls. Its horrid. Hubby is working hard on it... and as soon as he gets a few more wall studs in we can call the plumber to come and start putting in the new plumbing and taking out the old icky stuff. I cant wait till this is all done... it feels like the projects have been going on for the last few years. We start we stop we start we stop... yanno? Life just gets in the way and before you know it you have been down to one bathroom for over a year and it becomes "normal" I dont remember the last time both bathrooms were working because before this era (of the upstairs bath not working) it was the era of the downstairs bath not working. Any ways... it will all eventually be done and we can sell the house and move to a new one where the projects begin anew. Yikes!

I didnt actually get a chance to pull out maddys quilt, when we finally were done with the days work, had dinner etc we took showers and threw ourselves in bed and were asleep in seconds.

Hope you all have a wonderful day... the teen wants to go driving, i want to start priming the trim and hubby... that rat is still sleeping.

Wishing you peace ...
~Regi

PS... Teengirl mentioned to me that she really misses Maddy. *shakes head*

Life in the fast lane...

We worked on the yard a bit more today, spent time in the fresh air and digging in the dirt. Maddy made another "stew" and then proceeded to host her own show about the best way to make meatballs to go in said stew. The kid is a natural born "foodnetwork" star... her admitted heros are Rachel Ray and Paula Deen... the kid has a future I tell ya.

We grilled hamburgs and one Amy's Veggie burger for dinner and followed that up with the chocolate cake i talked about yesterday. Dang the thing is good... and it only takes 20 minutes to bake. Yum!

Hubby hasnt heard yet from the company up north... I am trying hard to not be discouraged by this. I know they will get in touch... its just a matter of when.

We have a few plans for the weekend... my sister is coming down for the day tomorrow. She needs help with her Statistics class work, and she is bringing my niece and the bf. Her hubby and the boys are staying home but hopefully next time they will come and visit. We are going to continue to get some work done in the yard, as well as the house. I need to get out and purchase the paint for Maddys room, and perhaps get the good stuff for my trim paint... its either that or repaint all the trim in the bathroom, living room and dining room to match the new cheaper aka crappy trim paint we picked up a month ago.

The kids are both off for April Vacation next week so other then the days Maddy is with Mimi and Papa and the time Teengirl spends with them we will be all busy busting our behinds working on the house.

I also want to try and get some more work done on Ms Maddys quilt. She has now taken to hinting that it would make a fine birthday gift... as long as its done. She started saying this in January. Does she know her procrastinating mom or what? Granted... January is when life started its little rollercoaster dance... but still! I have one strip of border on... need to continue it around and then 3 other border strips to go... Its supposed to be a twin... we will see.


Wishing you a wonderful weekend...

Regi