No End In Sight

Kenny and I watched "No End In Sight" last night. We definitely have a greater understanding of how the situation in Iraq came to be. Sad indeed...

I Don't Need No Stinking Instructions

I can barely tap the keys on my laptop without wincing in pain. But I just had to post that WE ARE DONE! We chipped away at the last section of mortar after about 8 hours of labor. Even though I'm sore and tired, the sense of accomplishment was worth it.

I have to admit though, about 7 hours into our chip-fest, Kenny noticed that the chisel blade wasn't put in the right way. I had it upside down. Oops! Needless to say, he shot me a look of dissatisfaction. And boy did flipping that chisel around make a difference. The mortar came up so much easier once the chisel was in the right way. My arms were actually being pelted by the mortar once the chisel was installed right. Geez, you'd think that Kenny would have noticed that YESTERDAY. What was he thinking, leaving such monumental decisions to a woman? Man, you'd think that he actually trusted me and believed that I knew what I was doing! Men...I tell you.

If that weren't bad enough, as we were heading back to Home Depot to return the chipping hammer, I noticed on the pages behind the rental receipt were the instructions for the chipper. Seems that there is a control lever on that piece of equipment.... Level 1-2: Plaster and drywall. Level 3: Tile Removal. Level 4: Masonry. Level 5-6: Concrete. Yeah...needless to say, I had it set to level 1. Once again, I wonder how much faster and easier this job could have been had I taken the time to actually read the instructions.

Feeling a bit guilty about this whole ordeal in hindsight, I tried to convince Kenny that it was worth it considering that we had put our own sweat into the project. I asked him if he felt the same sense of accomplishment as I did and whether or not he would do it again. I believe his reply was, "Let's see, I just gave up $500 worth of OT hours where I would have been doing something that is 10 times less strenuous...and I could have watched the playoffs while working that OT....hmmm, I'm not sharing your enthusiasm." Of course, he was teasing...I think. Well, at least he said it with a smile on his face. He is a good man, my husband. He supports my crazy endeavors time and time again. He even put about 4 loads of laundry away this morning. I don't know what I did to deserve such dedication and support, but he sends it my way time and time again. Even when I neglect to read the instructions.

I can do this...no problem.

We started working on our house this week. The drywall guys came and raised up a 2 foot ledge to be a half wall in our dining room. They also repaired the water damaged drywall on the ceiling in one of the bedrooms. Later next week, they will come back to finish one other small project that we need for a future flat screen tv.

The only thing left is the flooring, paint and a good cleaning. My theory was to at least remove the tile downstairs before painting so that we wouldn't have to clean the walls twice; once before painting and once after the tile is removed (very dusty job). So, we got a couple of quotes on the tile removal....I was floored, no pun intended. One place wanted $3/sf and the other wanted $2/sf. Considering that we have over 600 sf, that was $1,200 that I had not budgeted for in our flooring. So to keep expenses down, I figured that it wouldn't be that difficult to just do the removal ourselves....what a mistake that idea was.

My brother in law laid tile in the past, so I called him up and got a few pointers from him. We then headed down to the tool rental area at Home Depot and rented a chipping hammer, which is basically a hand-held jack hammer. Yesterday, the goal was to remove that 600 sf in one day. In fact, I originally was going to do it all myself. I'm pretty handy and never shy away from do-it-yourself types of projects. But 2 hours into it, Kenny decided to take off from work and come help me. He must have felt sorry for me and my stubborn tendencies.

For the next 5 hours, we chipped away at the tile. Most all of it is up as of this morning. We only have a few more spots around the walls to remove. What remains now is the mortar. So essentially, we are going to have to go back over all 600 sf of the floor so that it is level and smooth.

I don't think this would be such an issue if I were 10 years younger. In fact, I know that we probably could have knocked out the entire project in one day if we were both 10 years younger. But as I sit here this morning looking over all the wounds on my legs and arms from the flying tile....as I feel the pain in my aching hands, arms, knees, back and chest, I'm dreading the task at hand. Ironically, I'm glad that we're doing it. Putting my own blood & sweat into the house has given me a sense of ownership more so than just having the keys. Even Jason busted out a handful of tiles yesterday and is ready to go again this morning. I'm sure that he'll remember this project for the rest of his life. I know I certainly will. In fact, I'll remember this as the one and ONLY time that I ever busted up tile. Any future tile work we decide to take on will only include the labor of my hand signing the check to pay whomever we hire. Believe me when I tell you that these people earn every single penny of what they charge.

Justin, I have a new found respect for you.

Home Sweet Home

Kenny and I signed papers at the title company yesterday. It's official: we're homeowners here in Texas. I wonder if this officially makes us Texans....nah. But it does allow us someplace more permanent to hang our hats. A place to customize to our liking. I'm already picking out paint colors and flooring. It's exciting, but not as exciting as when we bought our first home in Reno. There was something magical about our first home purchase....almost like a dream realized. Anyway, the next chapter is about to begin for us here in the Lone Star State.

I believe that I mentioned before (at least in our Christmas newsletter) that I would be posting before and after pictures of the house. I've already got a slide show set up with before pictures. Once we get started, I'll start posting more. In fact, I may even post on the go with my newest electronic gadget: the Treo 755. Most everyone knows that I'm a gadget/electronics junkie. So when my cell phone finally pooped out, Kenny surprised me with a Blackberry. I wasn't too thrilled with the cost associated with having a Blackberry, but could accept those associated with the Treo. Plus, I'm able to run an updated version of my beloved HandyShopper software on it. Yeah, I know....I'm a nerd.

On another note, it looks as though 2008 is off to a running start as far as church ministries. If everything goes as I expect it to, I'll be facilitating Financial Peace University at the Keller campus of our church. In addition to that, it looks as though the Women's Adventure Retreat is in need of a coordinator.....so I'll step into that roll as well. To be quite honest, I'm scared to death. Already, the self doubt and fear is setting in. But that's the beauty of my faith....when I step out to do something knowing full well that it can't be done of my own strength, but can be done only through submission to my Lord. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Phil 4:13.

As for today, we've got a basketball game to watch this morning as Jason and his buddy Boston play their first game in this new sport. They already rock as baseball players....let's see if they can dominate another sport. (I'm not a proud mother or anything.) Then, we're off to the house to allow the boys to pick their bedrooms. After that, who knows. Maybe Lowes to pick more paint swatches, maybe back home to start boxing up stuff, maybe we'll just take the day off and enjoy a movie. Regardless of what it is, I guess it's time to actually get it started.

The Power Of Four

I love technology. I'm a gadget junkie and I love electronics. But today, I am extremely thankful for one in particular phone addition that we have in this age; the ability to conference call.

Back in Reno, myself and 3 of my closest friends decided that we needed to meet a couple of times a month for the purpose of prayer. It was nothing for us to sit for hours on end and fellowship and pray for one another. And I believe that my prayer life grew stronger than ever during that time. I saw many many answered prayers...but what's more, I developed a deeper relationship with each of these women than I ever thought possible. There is something about praying with another person that allows you to see deep into who they are. I don't know why I was chosen for this privilege, but I do not take it for granted.

When our family moved to Texas, I was taken out of that foursome and have missed the time that was spent together immensely. Over the months, the three of them continued to meet...often lifting me up during their prayer time knowing full well how much I was struggling to adapt to our new life here.

Recently, another member of our foursome moved to Wisconsin. Yet she had the idea to four-way call a couple of times a month...and that's just what we did today, minus one who is attending a funeral. Anyway, I can't put into words just how powerful our time together is, even over the phone separated by thousands of miles. Just getting to hear all of our voices on the same line is so filling. We cry and laugh together and share an intimacy with one another that I have never experienced outside of my marriage.

As we filled each other in on what is happening with our lives today, I found myself crying. Two of my dear sisters are experiencing the same pains that myself and the third sister in my group experienced when I moved to Texas. Having been down that road, it was all I could do to pray and cry in sympathy at the knowledge that their journey was just beginning.

I don't know why God separated our little foursome, but I know that He is sovereign and I trust that He works all things for His purpose...and His purpose is ALWAYS good. Even when it brings tears to our eyes that can't be contained, He is always good and I will forever praise His name and serve Him.

I am so thankful for these women and the time that we share together in prayer. I often thank God for placing them in my life and I sincerely look forward to the day when we are in our King's presence, praising Him for all of eternity. I just know that in Heaven, we will be neighbors and won't have to burden the pain of separation anymore. I so very much look forward to that day!

Shopping Cart Safety

Having more than one child is such a strange phenomenon. When Jason was born, Kenny and I did everything by the book. Any first time parent would probably see themselves in us. The car seats were professionally inspected for proper installation. Diapers were changed every hour on the hour whether needed or not. And if Jason even coughed suspiciously, we were at the doctor's office.

Then came Dallas, and we loosened up a little. We felt more comfortable in our parenting skin and knew that every time that he cried, it was not the end of the world. We were still cautious parents, but not as crazy as we were with Jason.

Now that Keegan is almost 2 and a half, we are practically pros. In fact, we could probably partner up and write a parenting book. However.....

You'd think that common sense would override parenting confidence when it comes to the most common faux pas. For example: shopping cart safety.

We all know the importance of keeping our little ones strapped in their proper seat. Oh, did I mention that I'm a parenting pro? Those strict shopping cart rules are for newbies! So...Keegan wants to hang out in the larger area of the cart....Keegan gets to hang out in the larger area of the cart. Hey, he's child number 3 and all I care about now is silence....not safety. Besides, like I said, I'm a parenting pro and can certainly manage my son in a shopping cart.

Well, as much as I'd like to claim that protecting him was just what I was able to do yesterday during our afternoon run to Wal-Mart, I just couldn't overcome the law of physics. Those laws would indicate that when child is standing in a movable object, and the object moves without the child prepared to move with it....said child will stay in place while object moves from under him. Translation: When I pull a shopping cart backward while Keegan is standing in it, chances are he is going to fall forward out of the basket and land directly on his head. Low and behold, that's just what happened. Right there in lane #12 in front of security cameras (I'm expecting CPS to knock on the front door any day now), customers, workers and other mothers shooting me their glares of disapproval.

I fully expected him to vomit in response to such a violent strike to the head. I was sure that he would have at the least, a concussion. However, he actually turned out fine. Just a small lump on the corner of his forehead. It sounded and looked much worse than what it was. That didn't stop the Wal-Mart manager from asking me to fill out an incident report. (Gotta protect themselves...completely understandable.) But on the flip side, Keegan did get a free bag of M&M's out of the ordeal. Once again, I suspect that the majority of the scarring will be taken on by my emotional state. The guilt kept me awake last night. If I said, "I know better than that." once, I said it a million times.

I guess I'm just grateful that God made children so pliable. I realized early on that Keegan would take full advantage of that fact. We are talking about the same child who snapped off the tip of his finger earlier this year, remember?

I now fully understand why my parents always said that it hurt them more than it hurt me. If I could have taken the fall for Keegan yesterday, I would have done it a thousand times just to keep the tears from rolling down his face. The sad fact is that I could have prevented it. But the basket seat was wet and rather than ask for a towel to dry it off, I let Keegan have his way and ride where I knew he wasn't the safest.

Was the lesson learned? I'd say so. I just wish for my children's sake that I didn't always have to learn things the hard way.

Insomnia Gone

Finally...FINALLY....my insomnia seems to have subsided. I'm sure that fact is in direct relation to the amount of stress that has been reduced over the last week. The two major things, that I believe have put me back into slumber mode, are our housing future and Christmas.

I'd say that 90% of our Christmas shopping is done. I knocked out most of it on Thursday via Amazon.com. On Friday, Kenny and I handled the rest by spending the majority of the day at the Grapevine Mills Mall.

Like I said, I've still got a few things to pick up. But most of our shopping is done. We've gone a little over budget, but I'm ok with that considering that a handful of gifts are well worth the money spent. They have the power to change peoples lives and you just can't tie a dollar amount to a gift like that.

As mentioned in my previous post, we put an offer in on a house last Sunday night. By Monday evening, we got the call from our realtor letting us know that our offer was accepted. As a family, we immediately dropped to our knees and thanked God for this blessing. The offer we submitted was only 75% of the property's value. It is a near perfect fit for our family. The only thing that I would change would be the backyard's size....or lack thereof. It's a bit small. But the deal we got makes the size tolerable....at least temporarily.

So now, we are waiting for the final purchase agreement so that we can get the inspection done and the loan processed. Once we have possession, we'll go in and do a little bit of drywall work/alterations. We'll also be putting in new floors and counter tops in the kitchen. Once all those things are done, I'll probably paint and then we'll move in. We should be in by the end of January. I think once everything is said and done, I'll post the before and after pictures of the house.

On today's agenda: I need to put the Christmas tree up, do a little more shopping, and then get behind my camera to take the boys' portrait. I imagine after this full day, I won't have a problem falling asleep tonight. Ohhhh, how wonderful it feels to easily fall asleep again.

Random Thoughts

For the last week or so, I've had insomnia. A few times this week, I've taken a sleep pill to help out. Normally, one good night of sleep reboots my system and I'm back on track. But not this week. I'm sure it is stress/anxiety related. Note to self: up medication dosage. In the meantime, I figured that I'd better get back to my blogging and purge out some of the random thoughts that I've had over the last few weeks....

Thanksgiving has come and gone. I'm sure that I gained at least 2 pounds. Guess I'd better hit the gym a little harder this week. Anyway, I did reflect on the many blessings that are in my life throughout that day and the days since. I, like most, count my family, friends and health as a blessing and am extremely thankful to have each.

And with the passing of Thanksgiving comes the Christmas season. I could post on how consumer oriented it has become, and probably will do so in the near future. For now, I just want to vent my bitterness toward the Salvation Army for sending out those bell ringers 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. Now, I don't mean to sound bah-humbug....but Thanksgiving, the holiday, gets more and more lost every year. The one day that we can just count our blessings and be thankful is getting snuffed out between Halloween and Christmas. I just want a little separation. Can we please enjoy Thanksgiving without big business shoving their agenda down our throats? I'm all for supporting charity, but PLEASE....keep the bell ringers at bay until we've eaten our turkey! Is that so much to ask?!?

Ok....onto other things that are chapping my backside right now. Umm...I just watched "Sicko" and gave it 2 thumbs up. Very thought provoking and worth checking out. The part the chaps my backside is the greed of HMOs and the lack of dedication that our government has in the matter of taking care of the least of these in our country.

On another note, Kenny and I are shopping for a house. We actually put a bid in this evening on a house in our neighborhood. It's a foreclosed house...bank owned...and about $35k under market value. For that price, we're willing to sacrifice the big yard and spend 2 years living in it. After 2 years, we'll see about selling it along with the Reno house and then buying something a little more suitable...mostly, something with a larger yard. Well, I guess I shouldn't get too ahead of myself. The bank has to accept our offer first. If they do, I'll post progress pictures on the house. Right now, it needs a major clean job and new carpets. We'll probably add new counter tops in the kitchen as well. But like I said, I need not put the carriage before the horse.

I guess that's it for now. Just sitting here bored and AWAKE. I think I'll add some more songs to my myspace play list/jukebox. Either that, or maybe I'll go rearrange the pots and pans in the kitchen cabinets. Good Lord...please let me get drowsy soon!

Dialogues with Dallas

Over his PB&Honey sandwich w/ apples, Dallas inquisitively asked me, "Mommy, in old times...when you were the controller for the TV...did you have to karate chop your apples in half cause they didn't have knives?".

No son...we simply found the sharpest rock we could find and muddled our way through such endeavors in that fashion.

Blessed

The last couple of weeks have been pretty eventful around our house. In my previous post, I mentioned that my dear friend, Erin had come into town for a visit. As expected, the time went by way too fast. We really didn't do too much as far as tourist attractions. Mostly, we just enjoyed each other's company through the everyday life events like grocery shopping, baseball games, family time and girlfriend conversation. We did visit the Dallas Arboretum, which was nice. It would have been much more fun had the weather cooperated, but it was still nice nonetheless. Anyway, the time spent together was much needed. Even though I hated to see her head back home, I was so grateful that she came.

A couple of days after Erin boarded a plane home, I was back at the airport picking up our next house guests. Kenny's younger brother, Justin and his wife Jessica decided that they would come out for a visit. When Jessica told me that they were thinking about taking vacation out this way, I was a bit surprised. I honestly thought that Texas was the LAST place they'd want to come...especially considering that for the same airfare, they could have gone to Costa Rica. Hmmm...Texas? Costa Rica? I don't get it, but hey...I was very excited that they did decide to come and hang out.

We definitely did more of the tourist type of thing with them. We visited the JFK 6th Floor Museum, Six Flags over Texas, The Fort Worth Stockyards and even spent an afternoon horseback riding along Grapevine Lake. The horseback riding was a blast. It was their idea....and I'm glad that they had it. We were able to take Jason and Dallas both. (Jason got his own horse and Dallas rode with the trail guide.) And had Jason not been yelling at his horse the whole time for snacking, I'm sure we would have seen some white tail deer, coyotes and bobcats. Turns out the only other animal we saw aside from the horses were a couple of dogs and a few goats that hung around the stables.

Considering that Justin and Jessica were here during Halloween, we also took in a Pumpkin Patch and enjoyed our first Trick or Treating adventure around the neighborhood.

Aside from a nasty bug that worked its way around the boys and Jessica, the time spent together was really nice. We were able to show them around town and take them to some of our favorite places to eat. Jessica even told me that Texas wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Yeah, that's what I think too. Once you get use to it, it starts to grow on you. Mind you, you'll never hear me say that Texas is my dream location....but it's turning out to be alright.

On one final note, we have taken our house in Reno off the market and rented it out. We're still not able to charge enough rent to cover our payment, but it's a lot easier to fork out an additional $150 bucks a month vs $1500. I just hope that these tenants work out better than our last set. And in another year or two, maybe the market will have rebounded. In the meantime, we'll rent out the house in Reno and then try to find something for us to buy around here. In fact, we've already got our eyes on a house around the corner from us that is bank owned. Let's just hope that they bank is willing to get it off their books for the price we want to pay.

Well, I must say that it feels great to finally have the house off of our back and to have been filled up with the love that our house guests brought. It makes the upcoming Thanksgiving season more meaningful. We certainly are a blessed family.