house stuff

I am pretty excited about fixing up my laundry area in the basement, and that feels a little odd. Either way, yay for me! I would post a picture, but it doesn’t look THAT good even though I used the term “fixed up.” That just means I threw away a ton of junk that had piled up in that area and washed the clothes that were specialty cases that had been sitting around too long. We also bought and put together a white storage cabinet with doors that I now have my detergents, laundry bags, stain stuff, etc. organized and put away in. Today, we bought a clothesline and clothespins for me to hang my diaper covers on (and anything else we want to hang dry), so that will go up soon when I figure out where it will work best. I like doing laundry so much better now because I can get to my dryer and detergent!

Since we keep getting gifts and shipments for Cora, the nursery keeps cycling through clean & ready and piled up with boxes, bags & stuff not put up. It’s getting there, though.

Our basement now has a legitimate guest area in it complete with a not-ignored full bath, so that is nice for my parents and anyone else that might stay over. I actually think it’s nicer for the guest room to be down there than on the main floor anyway because there’s way more privacy, a separate bathroom and a space heater so the guests can control their own temperature. It needs more organization in the other areas down there, but the bedroom part is good to go for the most part.

On top of all that, I am trying hard to get all our Christmas leftovers put away so our house will be clean again! I got it all up besides some boxes, but I need to take the tree down to get everything completely taken care of. I just can’t bear to do it yet.

GOOD THING: started reading a new book!
BAD THING: Choxie is really sad today every time Brian leaves.

this weekend

Here’s what happened since Thursday. I’m sure I’m forgetting some things, but who cares? Sorry it’s long.

THURSDAY: I took off work to catch up around the house and do a little Christmas shopping. I was only out of the house a few hours before I felt like the Energizer Bunny running out of energy, so I came back home. I did manage to buy maybe 3 small Christmas gifts and some things I wanted for the house. That was successful enough. I also worked around the house a lot – mainly on setting up a guest area in the basement.

FRIDAY: I went to work for half the day and worked around the house the rest of the afternoon. I cut Brian’s hair before my parents came into town just in time for the Mezzell Christmas party. It was pretty fun even though I was mostly just tired the whole time. 

SATURDAY: Baby shower! It was nice. We had great brunch food, and I got good things. The other good thing is that it was over by 12:30, so I had most of the day free still. We sat around a lot with my parents because we were tired. Later that afternoon, we went by St. Vincent’s to show them where to go in the hospital before going to The Cheesecake Factory. There, we experienced a true Christmas miracle. It was PACKED. People were coming out saying 2+ hour waits, and my mom went in to check – they told her 45 minutes because she said the heated patio would be ok. Our buzzer went off in five! After we ordered our food, they warned us it could take a while on the food since it was so busy, and we seriously got it all so fast. We basically had our main courses in FORTY minutes from the time we asked about a wait time. SCORE! That evening, we put together Cora’s new swing and high chair. They’re hanging out in the dining room since we don’t need them for a while.

SUNDAY: Church, my parents left, then lunch with Brian’s mom, sister and her friend. Brian and I later went to Babies R Us to swap out the pink swings (2) we got for the yard for the normal blue & red ones, but I somehow misplaced one receipt on the way (found it later, of course), and they didn’t have any regular ones in the store. We also returned one jump up since we got 2 somehow. We also went to Lowe’s and bought some storage stuff – something to use as a bookshelf in Cora’s room and something to help organize my laundry area in the basement. That crap needs organized REALLY bad. We put together the bookshelf tonight.

I SERIOUSLY have to make lots of jewelry tonight to mail tomorrow so people can get them for Christmas gifts. I am not looking forward to it! I am glad for the $, however.

hair

My hairdryer stopped working correctly last night (stuck on the cool setting, which would NEVER get my hair dry), and with my hair, you cannot wait to fix that problem. We went to Kmart this evening to get a new one, so I also wrote down a list of other things for the house I want to buy soon (like in the next 2 weeks) to just see if I could knock any of that out. I couldn’t. I actually seem to find decent stuff at Kmart, so I blame Black Friday for selling all the stuff I want. I guess a Target run is in store soon! Here is what I need: queen sheets for the new guest room, a space heater for the same room, a medium sized trash can for Cora’s room, a wall clock for her room, lamps for both those rooms, possibly a bedside table for the guest room, and who knows what else. I want to get the guest room ready in the next 2 weeks so my parents can stay in it when they come to visit. I am out of town this weekend, so I will have a lot to do when I get back!

GOOD THING: found a hairdryer
BAD THING: so tired of TV these days – maybe that’s good 

shopping success

Here is how today has gone so far.

Work was slow and boring, but that is okay. While at work, I volunteered to buy half of our office’s Angel Tree gift (1 gift card of 2 asked for) since I had planned to go to Old Navy this afternoon.

I remembered (before I left work) that my debit card was not with me. That is a GREAT thing. I was able to run home, let the dog out to play, get my card, and then go shopping.

I headed down to the new mall stuff at Alabaster because I heard that Old Navy has maternity clothes, and I also wanted to go to a Bed Bath & Beyond, which is also there. I drove down and immediately noticed there’s also a Hibbett Sports, so I called work and volunteered to get that half of our Angel Tree gift, too. They were excited, and I felt helpful. 

In Old Navy, the “maternity section” is a tiny wall in the very back, far corner of the store. It’s basically bull crap. Everything I tried on sucked, so I left. Also, I forgot to buy the dang gift card. 

I walked to BB&B and successfully found all the bathroom rugs I wanted and also a new shower curtain liner that is mildew free. Yes!

I then walked to Books-A-Million to check out their baby books (the record kind, not to read them), but they were no good. I then got in my car to drive down to Hibbett, only to remember the Old Navy gift card I should’ve bought, so I went back to get that. Success!

I did drive down to Hibbett and get that card, too. Success! On the way in, I noticed there was a Target there, too, which was my other store option for the afternoon, so all in all, Alabaster was perfect.

Before Target, I got food at Chick-fil-A (also in the same mall area) finally at 2 because I wasn’t hungry at lunch time.

At Target, I managed to find some awesome sweat pants I can wear around instead of having to wear jeans or pajama pants. I also got a pretty cardigan/sweater thing and a much needed white maternity tank top like my black one I seriously wear all the time.

When I was done shopping at 2:30, it was perfect timing to get to the chiropractor in Homewood by the time it opened at 3!

I did so much this afternoon that was productive! I even swept the back patio of leaves (not sure why) when I got home and chatted with our neighbor.

I think we’re eating dinner with the Hollands tonight, so that will be good, too.

Yay for Fridays!

plans

Monday was Halloween, so we got out of dodge to avoid kids coming to our house. Sheena mentioned hanging out, so I said we could see about taking over Brian’s parents’ basement. She requested I make burritos, so I did. We ate burritos, watched Paranormal Activity 2 and laughed a lot. Also, we yelled at Brian a lot to be quiet. MELK! It was fun times.

Tuesday was Circle, and it was just okay. I’m a little over Circle at the moment, and we did a crafty project for the Children’s Ministry, which is hard for me because I want all the things we make to look great, and they never do. It’s hard for me to turn in something that isn’t cute, but whatever. Some people just can’t make things cute. I’m glad our next meeting is our Christmas party!!!

Wednesday nights are booked up, but it’s all fun stuff. That’s what I’m talking about! I now usually have band practice and then come home to Modern Family, South Park, Nick Swardson’s show and American Horror Story. There’s a perfect break from 8:30-9 for me to shower so I don’t have to go to bed any later than normal. Perfect!

Thursday is probably going to be TV night even though I haven’t asked about it yet. If not, then I’ll work on stuff around the house.

On a different note, I have Cora’s curtain fabric in, so I will make curtains soon! Also, once I move some things around in the basement, I will be able to clear out that room and set up the nursery! I need to pick a paint color, paint that room, get the furniture in, and then we will also get new windows. That will be awesome!

GOOD THING: lots of leftovers to eat for dinner this week
BAD THING: indigestion! my throat burns

projects

Here are some things we want or need to do soon, and it’s going to be a lot of work but good!

-fix one wall in the basement by hanging sheetrock over some ugly metal someone thought looked good – cheap fix and not that hard

-get a pest company to come over and see what issue we have with critters in our attic – $ but no work required from us

-new windows in the nursery and our bedroom to combat sound and mostly to help with insulating the house – $$$ but easy since they’ll do the work

-paint the nursery and maybe the bedroom while I’m at it since the new windows will probably cause a bit of repair work needed around the windows – cheap stuff, just time consuming – we’re good at painting, though!

-move guest bedroom furniture down to the basement, which will hold our new guest bedroom area – free, easy & fast!

-go to Ikea to get a new dresser and rocking chair for the nursery – and whatever else we may find – $ but necessary and fun and will be a fun day trip

We are also going to Georgia soon for my friend’s baby shower, and we’ll go again 3 weeks later because my cousin is getting married.

I love the fall! I hope it stays cool this time.

jaykay

That drama was fake! Don’t worry – I won’t stop blogging. BUT – I need some comments!

Today is Friday, obviously, and here is how it’s been so far: This morning, I had the absolute worst morning hair you have EVER seen, and it was sick. Somehow, I tamed it fairly quickly before work. Work was very slow, but it wasn’t bad. I was just ready to get out of there! After work, I drove through downtown Homewood and considered checking out At Home and that new store down on the lower side – can’t remember what it’s called – but there were no parking spots, and I gave up. I drove on over to Whole Foods and ate a little bitty salad with some SICK dressing (thank goodness I got it in it’s own container so I didn’t have to use it), fruit, yogurt and some delicious pasta salad. The dressing was their balsamic vinaigrette – do not get it. To me, it tasted and looked like A1 Steak Sauce, and salad is not steak. It was VERY strong. Oh, and I drank some Tazo Passionfruit Tea. After I ate, I figured I would go check out the Amy’s Soup selection, and it was all on sale! I loaded up my right arm with 7 cans and got outta there (after paying). On the way home, people were driving terribly, so I was trying to switch lanes some to get past them. In doing so, I accidentally switched into a lane that was exiting off 280, so I had to take a detour to Highland Avenue on the way home. Oops!

After lunch, I came home and immediately changed clothes and headed into the woods to work a while. Choxie slipped past me and made it up there, too, so she ran free for a while. I got a decent amount done, and the dog had tons of fun running all over the place. I finally just now got her back into the yard and shut all the gates so she can’t get back out. Now, I am sitting outside in the backyard in the swing while typing this and watching the beautiful birds! They’re singing lots of songs, and I love watching them fly all over the place from tree to tree.

I have seen one chipmunk already this year, which means Choxie did, too. She’s already back to taring down the rocks around the water garden trying to get to them. they must’ve woken up from the winter!

I just saw ANOTHER house on our street go up for sale! I don’t think it was yesterday. It’s the cutest one so far, and someone should get it – someone we know so we can be neighbors! It’s on the inside of the U, so it’s not on a steep hill, and it’s 1-story. It’s cute!

Brian just walked outside and scared the CRAP out of me because it is 2:3, not 4:15, and I had no idea he was coming home early. AGH! I think I almost just had a heart attack.

GOOD THING: soup on sale!
BAD THING: might be sore after climbing up and down the backyard today

the office

“And where it says ‘state your business’ he wrote ‘Beeswax, None of Yours, Incorporated’.”

Gotta love Dwight!

GOOD THING: worked in the woods tonight and hauled all of it down to the street
BAD THING: back hurts

whoa whoa

Today was crazay! Work wasn’t THAT crazy, but it was busy for a Friday. While at work, Brian called to see if I could run his camera by his work for an impromptu photo shoot, so I did that instead of work an extra 30 minutes like I was supposed to to make up for missing work for a haircut this week. I will just fix it next week. Anyway, after work, I had to run home and hurry to his work so he could do his job. It wasn’t that inconvenient since I wanted to go to the Summit today anyway. I went, and i was able to use a sweet gift card that Sheena gave me to help cover 2 new dresses! Now, I have 3 new dresses with birthday money. How do I know which one to wear first?! I also went to a million other place and hurried around all day mixed with cleaning really quickly in the house and cleaning up the backyard.

This evening, we met the Carters and half the Pattons for food at Sam’s Deli & Grill before an event at church about the Alabama Constitution. then, the Pattons (both now) came to our house for drinks and talking!

Now, Choxie is curled up asleep on the couch, I’m blogging while watching E! News, and Brian is surfing the interwebs in the office.

I can’t wait to sleep late tomorrow! I hope I can. I want to do other stuff tomorrow, too, but sleeping is the first goal of the day. Last weekend was not exactly restful since we were at my parents’ house where it is impossible to sleep late or even through the night hardly (especially since it was storming super bad this past time). I also want to sleep late because we have to get up really early next weekend to go train at the SIFAT campus to probably learn to drill wells! I’ll blog about that after it’s over because we aren’t sure what we’ll do yet. On the subject of next weekend, it will probably be busy because we invited 4 neighbors over for dinner that same night. I am making them Pioneer Woman lasagna! I don’t see how anyone could dislike it, so it’s a safe bet.

Our compost bin is working like a charm so far (I think). There is no bad smell, and it’s staying kind of moist with the help of some squirts from my water bottle. I haven’t put any food scraps in there except a sweet potato skin, some eggshells and part of a squash, but there are leaves, dirt, grass clippings and even some cloth that I added today.

GOOD THING: fun night
BAD THING: nothinggggggggggg

this week

This week has been weird. My computer at work stopped working due to a virus on Monday afternoon, so I went until this afternoon without a computer in my office. I tried to clean my office some, and I had a bulk mailing that took up some time that didn’t require a computer, so that ws nice. Other than that, my to-do list was pretty short, so I just cleaned some more and worked on thinning out the office recyling. Everything should be back to normal tomorrow, though.

Tonight, I went to 5 stores looking for a new trash can for our kitchen, and I can’t find anything. the same 3 or 4 trash cans are everywhere, and they will not work. It’s so weird how limited the trash can selection is. I am not even counting those that are ridiculously expensive. There is no way I need a stainless steel trash can that requires it’s own liners; those are the wrong size and shape, anyway. I did find one trash can that would probably be okay, but it was $40 (and just plastic!), and I was going to need 2 of them. No, thanks!
*EDIT: I have found an awesome trash can online that is, in fact, stainless steel and expensive, but it would be awesome and has 2 compartments so it could solve both issues at once. If someone would give me about $100, I’ll get it! haha

It all started because we got a new table and stools to put in our kitchen, but the corner where the table now is happens to be where the trash can and our recyling bin usually stays. There really isn’t anywhere else to put those things, so we’re trying to figure it out. If you think you can help me, please do!

I have been wondering where my headband went – Brian just walked in and asked what was around my neck! Headband: found!

I ran 30 minutes again yesterday! It was a tiny, tiny bit easier, too, so I think I’m on the right track!

GOOD THING: got some new mixing bowls tonight and some yeast to make some bread
BAD THING: TV stinks tonight