I'm hoping the storms break for the delivery. Our new mattress is scheduled to arrive today and I'm really looking forward to getting our Love Nest back!
The photo doesn't really show the paint color too well, but its officially known as "Nevada Tan" by Ace Hardware. If you ask me, it really should be called Chocolate Milkshake. That light spot in the photo near the vacuum cleaner is a flash reflection or spot on the lens. Ignore the dirty carpet. There's no money in the budget to replace it now.
I still have a lot of work to do before they arrive this afternoon. I have to clear a path to our bedroom! We've been focusing on getting our bedroom ready, the rest of the house has been neglected.
I also still have to find curtains. DH wants me to order a dark brown, but I want something different. Again with the color dilemma. I saw a thermal twill curtain in the color "Lake Mist" at JCPenney that is washable and on sale, but DH didn't like it. Our bedding varies depending on which blankets we use for different seasons, so I'm looking for something neutral.
We've been having crazy thunderstorms roll through. Today could bring more of the same. Last night at work we had multiple tornado warnings but thankfully they were around us, but not close enough to harm us. Of course all of the parents kept hearing the sirens and running to the front desk to check with me. Our area blows the tornado siren if anywhere in the county there could be a tornado. It could be clear outside, but 20 miles away on the other side of the country a storm is brewing and the tornado siren goes off.
On my drive home I ran into several flooded roadways. At other points, I had to drive around blown down tree limbs. I was just so grateful to be able to make it home.
Well I better get back to fluffing my nest. I'll post after photos once its all complete.
You snooze, you lose. The last bowl of Cocoa Puffs are all mine boys!!
I love the paint color we chose for our bedroom. I wasn't sure I was going to, but after several days of rolling my arms over it, spilling it down the front of me, and sniffing paint fumes, I'm really happy with how it's turned out. Problem is, it reminds me of melted chocolate ice cream or chocolate milkshakes. My chocolate cravings are hitting me full force. Hmmm... maybe this is why I'm grooving on the color?
It's been over a week now where I haven't had any carbonated soda and artificial sweeteners. On 7-11, we had stopped at a 7-11 on the drive home from Kansas. I treated myself- HA, HA- to a Crystal Light Slurpee. I ended up with a stomach ache for most of the long drive home. I told myself that day I was giving up artificial sweeteners for good. Since most of the pop I was drinking was diet, I decided to go back to not drinking soda either.
My next step will be giving up sugars but I know I will have to do that one slowly, not cold turkey. Even if I can stay away from white sugars, I love fruit and summer is fruit season! I've recently read how even natural sugars found in fruit can elevate high blood pressure. I think I'll try living without high fructose corn syrup first, and then keep eliminating sugar foods one by one. Maybe I won't have to eliminate whole fruits all together, but will learn how to enjoy an appropriate portion of them.
My neighbor is fighting cancer and her nutritionist told her sugar feeds cancer. She's gone 100% sugar free, no honey, no agave, nothing. When I learned this, it scared me. I do fear getting cancer and with the amount of sugar I consume, its sobering. I'm just praying I can tame my sweet tooth.
The school district in the next town over has decided to fine kids who bully others. First offense is $100, second is $500. Students under age 16 have to go before a judge, but students 16 and older may choose to simply pay the fine and avoid court. Bullying is being defined as any "face-to-face physical or verbal bullying, such as pushing, shoving, name-calling and teasing." IS THIS NOT RIDICULOUS??!!
I doubt these kids will have the money or rather their parents will pay these fines. Bullies aren't going to be stopped by charging them!! Kids who bully do so because they lack self confidence and come from homes without proper parenting.
I know school offiicals often look the other way when they see bullying, but I won't say its their responsibility to discipline either. It is their responsibility to ensure students are safe and have a safe learning environment. Why not require the parents of bullies to supervise their children, and yes, I'm suggesting these parents have to attend school alongside their children, if they want their children enrolled in public education.
Schools receive money based on enrollment numbers, so they don't want to suspend trouble makers so easily. I know of a case in our district where they paid a teacher to sit with a delinquent 45 minutes a day in a room at the school, just so they could say he met the attendance requirements. No tutoring went on. They were buying time until this young man turned 16 and would then officially drop out. Outside of those 45 minutes at the school, this kid roamed the town free, getting into more trouble, such as stealing my sister's gasoline and setting fire to her porch. I strongly felt this kid shouldn't have been kicked out of school and into a 45 minute babysitting session, but rather his parents had been required to take full responsibility for him, 24/7. This doesn't mean writing a check or pulling out a credit card to pay for damages.
I better get off my soapbox and get back to raising my kids, who are now waking up and wondering where the Cocoa Puffs are.
I am not a morning person and when you throw this wicked daylight savings at me, it only gets worse. I forgot to change the clock in my car so when I left for work, the demonic red digital glow read 3:55am. I'm grateful I work mostly nights. If I had to leave for work more than once a week at 5:00am, I'd be a grumpy girl.
I need to get my haircut. DH usually prefers I keep it long enough to pull back but even he has noticed it has gotten really long. I can't remember the last time I had it cut. Its probably been over a year, maybe two. I don't like getting my haircut. I don't like strangers touching me. I can justify that we don't have the money for it now, but the simple truth is, I hate having my hair cut, and I'm too cheap to pay for it! Dare I cut it myself? I knew someone who did this and it looked terrible, so I don't think I will.
I have to make a mess today. A big mess, but not a fun mess. I need to sand down the drywall mud and prime it. We've been sharing a bathroom with the boys while we fix the drywall tape in our bathroom. I'm ready to have my bathroom back, so I'm motivated to get messy today.
Well, I better get busy. The sooner I finish the dirty work, the sooner I may just have a chance to enjoy some of this sunny weather.
I've not only been messing with my Multiply blog's look, but my need to redecorate has spread to our Sleepyhouse as well. DH has the bug too and we've started to rearrange furniture and move computers in anticipation for the new PC arriving. (Nesting for a new computer baby?)
I knew something was up when DH called me at work and asked, "Would you mind if I drilled a hole in the floor?" Sure, why not.
We decided to move our futon frame and mattress back downstairs to the man cave. We did this after I got home, at 11:00pm at night! Just a few nicks I'll have to touch up with paint, along the stairs.
Of course the idea of moving furniture around always sounds like a cool idea to freshen things up, but you forget about all the little, piddly stuff you also have to move. So this morning my nest is in desperate need of sprucing.
I think its cabin fever making me want to change my surroundings. I also think I've finally grown used to the bitter cold or lost my mind. During the car's oil change bright and early this morning, rather than wait inside, I walked the lot, looking at cars we can't afford. It was -16 F. This doesn't make any logical sense does it. I must have cabin fever.
I'm praying for a new vehicle. I know the van's on borrowed time only now I'll know why I'm crashing when the wheel falls off. Our concerned mechanic showed me. We did get over 200,000 miles out of it. We've had it for 11 years and now we'll most likely, LITERALLY, run it into the ground. Hopefully I'm not driving 55 on the highway when this happens.
I have no clue how we can afford a car payment. Maybe we'll be blessed and we can find a decent used car for a few grand. We can't make it with one vehicle when both of us need to work. There is no public transportation option.
The work from home I was doing for the pool is drying up. We are up and running with our new software and I've begun to threaten those I work with- use it or I'll personally get you! I spent much of December setting it up only to discover no one used it. I had to re-do much of it during January because of this, and now that its complete and ready to roll, I'm not giving the other staff any choice but to use it. I've told the boss she needs to hide the old, paper files and books, and force staff to use the computers.
We are so conditioned that change is scary aren't we? I'm realizing change is what keeps you alert, alive. You need to adapt or you'll become a fossil.
I think I'll go and make more adaptations to our Sleepyhouse right now. Happy Hump Day!
