This phase is done

The floor installation is now complete, with the exception of the baseboards. I'll get those picked out, and David will bring his trusty nail gun to tackle that project. Or I guess I should say, nail that project down.

Robert lent his muscles to the project as well. He was able to re-set the toilet in the front bath for me, and brought the washer and dryer back in. I'm on my 3rd load of wash as I type, with another one or two to go. It's been awhile since I've been without my w/d, and plan on it being a long while before that happens again.

Since the dust has pretty well settled, I was able to have Rhett and Ashlynn over while Mom and Dad went to lunch. I even got them to pose for a picture.

And remember that infamous black hole that was taking all my "stuff"? Well, I guess it managed to spit some of it back out. My drill bit has shown up, as has the tylenol and blue masking tape. On top of that, my GPS has worked it's way back to the surface. I hadn't been able to find it since the move, but it's back. Yea!

Life is good.

progress

Not finished yet, but we're in progress on the floors...and what progress! It's looking good. Still lots of dust flying, but it will settle soon.

I have discovered that I have a black hole somewhere around here. I must have, for things keep falling in it and I can't find them. My drill bit I was using just the other day? Gone. A bottle of Tylenol? Gone. And my blue masking tape for painting just up and disappeared. It had to have fallen in that hole, because it practically shouts at you when its laying around.

In the midst of this, I'm starting still another project, but this one uses a different part of my brain and body. A couple of years ago I made the Texas Two Step quilt as a wall hanging for myself, then another one for John and Bonnie. Now I'm gathering bits and pieces of material for a California wall hanging since Bonnie moved their Texas to the family room, and now has a blank wall to fill. It will probably have a couple of hundred 2 1/2" squares, as well as some personalized pieces we'll be inserting. I cut quite a few squares on my lunch hour yesterday, and like to keep it where the same print is only used 2 or 3 times. Most of the prints are florals, and takes just scraps really, but I like to throw in a few things pertaining to the area. I've got some grapes cut for the wine country, some brown and tans for the desert, symbols for a few military bases, and will probably put in a Mickey Mouse in the Disneyland area. It will be awhile before its far enough to show a picture, but I'm glad to have my mind be able to shift gears into a different thought pattern.

busy, busy, busy

Okay. Far be it from me to actually finish one project before starting another. No, that would be too orderly, wouldn't it? So here's the latest. I've ordered my flooring (a nice distressed oak), and Billy Paul will start the prep work for installation this weekend. Naturally I want the living room to have a fresh coat of paint before the new floor goes in, so guess what I've been doing each night after work this week. That's right. I've started in on priming the walls, and also on painting. I'm continuing the pumpkin butter color that I auditioned in the guest room, and think it will do quite nicely. If I let myself jump ahead, I'd like to paint the hallway too, but we'll see. They do make dropcloths for a reason, so if it's on down the way, that's alright. Anyway, here are some pics. I'll throw in one when I moved in (excuse the mess) so you can see a "before". It was fine, but I guess you can say I'm making it my own. Stay tuned to see the "finished" version.

Ramblings on Sunday nite

Sigh. I've got a couple of nails in my tire, causing it to be low enough to trigger a sensor in my dash. I noticed the indicator light Friday, so when I left work I swung by a convenience store and put air in. The light went away, and I forgot about it over the course of a busy weekend. Then this afternoon, I noticed it was on again as I was coming home from Lily's birthday party (which was a lot of fun, by the way). By the time I stopped at the drug store and got back in my car, I forgot about it ... again. So tonite, a Sunday nite about 8:00, I remember and go out to see what I can find. As I aired up the tire, that's when I noticed the nail...then I noticed another one. Sheesh. Just let it stay aired up until 7:00 tomorrow morning when Wal-mart auto express opens.

Speaking of Lily's party, it was held at the Pump It Up. Young and older alike jumped up and down in the air bags and zoomed down the air bag slides, and a good time was had by all. I was able to remain unscathed as I designated myself photographer and stayed at the outer edges to try for the candid shots. A lot of the shots had red-eye, I don't know if it's because it was somewhat dark in there. But here are a few pics to share the fun. Ashlynn's party was Friday nite, but I didn't have my camera handy for that one.

I got more painting done on the outside of the house. Now I have the peak over my bedroom and the trim around the garage to do. I'll be really excited if I can finish it next weekend. Elizabeth was a big help in assisting me with the peak over the garage. I was hesitant to climb on the ladder for the tallest part since the driveway has a bit of an incline, so between the two of us and the extension on the paint handle, we got it. In other house news, I'm making inquiries on changing out the flooring. I'd love to have these two projects done and over with by September 1st. That's my intention. The flooring will be a biggie, because ideally I'd have some interior painting finished by the time it would go in. It will come together.

Recommended reading

I'm sure many have heard of, if not heard part of, Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture". Randy, in his mid-40's, has pancreatic cancer. As a professor at Carnegie Mellon, he gave a last lecture, which ended up on the internet, and then into a book.

We all know how devastating pancreatic cancer is. Mom had it, as did one of her sisters. As a young man, Pausch has beaten odds by surviving as long as he has, though he's still considered terminal.

I've been listening to the book-on-CD of The Last Lecture. I've actually been all the way through it, and am listening for the 2nd time. I won't be surprised if I end up buying the book. It is not morose. Just the opposite, he gives insights into living your childhood dreams, and fully living your life. This little synopsis does not begin to do justice to all the book entails, but take my word for it, you'll be glad you read it.

The sewing room has a floor!

I've been in my new home just over a month now, and I'm sorry to say that my sewing room has been low on my priority list of what needs to be taken care of. But tonite I made some headway in there, and I'm happy to say that I can now see a floor. Yes, it's still got boxes and clutter, but at least now I can walk from one side to the other. I got busy in the closet and put in a few shelves, which allowed me to free up the floor space.

I've always said that almost anything can get done, one step at a time. A couple of steps here, a couple of steps there, and wah-lah, a project gets completed. A walk in the park, it's not, but I'm stepping none the less.