Pimping Out my new crib! The changing of the minds, a woman thang!

A girl can change her mind as many times as she wants… but chances are, just this one little change will be the only time I change my mind.

 Bless my little hot glued and burnt to a crisp fingertips… I went to the antique store and found a new tub.  A mini porcelain bathtub.  The colors didn’t match the scheme of the bath room, sooo I changed the colors and by golly.  I love it.   

*isn’t she a beauty?*  (ten dollars in the antique mall) 

*the big picture of what the bathroom looks like now*

     I actually “repainted” using more paper paint samples from home depot (free) these colors are called “cheeky rose” and “aged teak”

Crocheted “rug” (actually a coaster)  1.48 at the antique mall.   the little white fences on the wall, 25 cents each (4 slats to a piece) To the right is more window sill “molding” I installed. 

  I then tucked little wired beads into them for “flowers” as you see here:

    On the whole, I feel like this new bathroom is much cuter, though way girlier than the blue.   but I couldn’t pass up a real porcelain vintage bathtub in my little home, and that’s why I changed my mind! 

*before

*after*

Noobie #3 and other situations from today

    Rapid change.  Did you ever find yourself in a seemingly precarious place in life and think it was the end of the world only to find out,  that’s really where you needed to be to perfect some change in you….?   Hmmmnnn……

Today I trained noob #3 a little bit.  I really don’t feel comfortable calling her noob!  She is old enough to be my mom. 

 Quiet.  Soft spoken.  Motherly…grandmotherly? 

  Bless my hollow heart, I guess I will be the only one in the office joking and laughing, and being generally improper at work. lol. 

 Anyway, It will be quite a little bit of time before  Ms. “Darla” (not her real name) gets accustomed to working here and trained.

  She is very nice.  very nice indeed. 

 Besides this today,  I worked with a scattered mind.  Couldn’t really concentrate on one thing or another, although it was an easy day.

  The rain or cold front has made it in today and the sound of it rolling down the gutters and roof quietly, is pacifying  me. 

I’m having issues with Big A and  I need this bit of respite.  I will just say that Big A is on lockdown.   Tonight was her first night on grounding, and she spent a tearful, drama filled evening trying to bargain her way to a no grounding. 

 nup.  not gonna happen, gurl.  

  So there she went onto the patio in the back,  and I just thought she was going to get a fresh air.  10 minutes later, I came to find her sitting out in the rain, with lightning in the distance.  Her legs crossed indian style,  her head and neck and back soaking wet.   I mean I almost lost it. 

 Am I not supposed to train this chick not to do certain things without her emotionally blackmailing me? 

 I called her in the house and told her to change into dry clothes and then stay in her room for the night.     She talked to her big sister on the phone for awhile and that seemed to soothe her.    I don’t know what else life has in store for her and i.  i don’t know what else i can handle. 

 

 

Doug has washed his hands of trying to deal with her stubborness (committing the same infraction over and over just because she doesn’t agree with the rules)    If he had his way, he’s want her grounded 2 months for this one.  So overboard!  ( i ended that discussion lest i say something i will regret a hundred years from now) 

I don’t really know how I am feeling, just that I’m weary tonight.  Thank goodness we have a veteran’s day holiday in the middle of the week.  that makes a great break up to the week.  I’ve been so tired lately.    TTYL. K?   Love and hugs,  SG ((()))). 

Did They or didn’t They? and other Sunday night thoughts

        Our house is on the right.  The one where all the leaves are piled against the house. 

   The neighbor’s house and (clean, leafless yard)   is on the left.

  I’m having a problem deciding:  Did they blow all their leaves onto our yard instead of raking them?  Or is it a coincidence, and the wind blew them all over? 

You, the people must decide.  lol.    (I’m just kidding really, I already know the answer.)  I just thought it was a humorous photo.

 

 

 

 

    Okay, let’s make the question a little harder… 

 

  Let’s play guess the picture. 

Of course it’s photo shopped.  But not very MUCH.  You can trust me.  I wouldn’t lie.   I will show the  original photo if some people guess at it, K?  You might be surprised at what it is.

 

The remodeling of the doll/model house goes on…

  This weekend, I did some custom molding for the kitchen, finished “painting” the walls glidden paint “caffe latte”  color, all 4 walls.  I built a custom molding door frame, and overhang.  and gave the windows some trim…  

 

 

 

   Now i need some advice:

 

     Look at the plastic windows that were built into the wood frame of the house.  They are pretty dirty.  I tried cleaning them and they still appear dingy and a little dirty and some of them are scratched. 

 Like I said,  they are built into the window frame.  So if I wanted them out, I would just have to take them out by cutting with an exacto knife.  

 I feel that dingy windows detract from the house.  What do you think?   are they dirty and scratched enough for me to remove them?

 

 

Here’s an extra picture I took Saturday morning of a goose landing.  the sunrise that early in the morning paints a magnificent goose landing pretty colors.  I enjoyed him very much. 

In about another month or so,  the pond/lake will once again be overflowing/crowded beyond belief with Canadian geese, seeking warmth. 

 I couldn’t help but notice today, that there are plenty of  brand new,  PLEASE DON’T FEED THE BIRDS OR WILDLIFE, Signs about the area now.   

 

I wonder when it changed from last year.  I wondered if someone got bitten. 

 

Sunday Photo Essay~How the morning greets them

   *sometimes, I feel like this*    

    *saved*

 

 

       *goose wake*

 

 

 

    *reflecting on morning*

 

 

  *just a sip please*

 

 

   *a watchful eye*

 

 

the last stubborn holdout

Proof that they’re evil. *high chick rant warning*

Kids are evil little booger eating minions. 

 Then they hit puberty. 

Once that stage hits, multiply their “shit”nanigans by several times more, and gosh golly gee…don’t we have a great life honey?! 

 Me, you, and these 2 little hormone laden shrews in pint size bodies.  GIRLS.

 

 

  In case you are wondering, Sweetiegirlz has hit the proverbial wall this weekend.    There was no rest for the wicked or the weary (both  describing me, obviously, since I am not the one “resting” my sore throat.) 

 

 

Since Friday, (taking the day off)  Big and Little A had turned me into “angry mime” mom.  since I didn’t want to talk, and only wanted to point angrily, frown deeply and hope they’d get it:  mom needs to rest. 

But that didn’t happen. 

 

 

 that did not.

 

h-a-p-p-e-n.

 

Today sucked with them:

 

Oh sure, I had an early morning of peace.  I got up at 6:30  just as the sun was coming over the horizon, quickly showered, and with still wet hair, and no makeup walked down the street to shoot, more of the nature pond (they call it a lake, but it’s more like a big fishin’ hole).  This time, I left Doug home, perusing facebook.   I just wanted peace.

 

 

  I just wanted pictures of the morning fog over the pond.  Which btw…only happens when there is frost on the ground, and alas, there was no frost.  In fact it was like 50 degrees.  So it was comfortably nippy,  light jacket weather. 

 

 

I got off about 2 good shots, and the rest were all like. “Meh”.   Doug was then willing to go to breakfast with me, and cavort around town in the little shops around town…until he saw the bikers.  “omg, I want to go riding”  which he did when we got home.   

Are you with me so far?  good, you didn’t turn the page. 

 

 

 

  Big A has been the most absolute butt.

  Once her voice goes on “Phuck you mother” mode, it just stays there until I pound some sense into her head. 

  

This girl for one, has a better social life than her dad and I.  She goes bowling, sees movies, goes shopping, hangs out with her friends, one of whom is a dude.   When I told her that she has to come in when Doug and I wanted to go out tonight,  she just freaked out.

  

 She created such a storm that her dad and I didn’t even WANT to go out after that. 

   We explained as in the past, that the rule is:  you are still a kid.  You must stay in the house (no boy allowed) when we are not home! 

Period. 

 

 For her, tho, it is always a question mark followed by eleventy hundred exclamation marks. 

    Like I said,  Doug and I didn’t want to go anywhere after.  he sat at his computer with a frowny face and said “this family makes me sick” 

 

yep.  that’s whaaaat he said.   

anyway,

My voice was strained from yelling at her, and good old Big A to her dad says: 

 ”IM GOING OUT ANYWAY AFTER YOU LEAVE”

 

 

 

        Let’s now insert some comic relief: 

So… needless to say.  Doug is mad at me for as he puts it “being wishy washy” and not going out tonight ‘just to prove something to her’. 

  Big A  is still acting like she owns us, not as parents though, as pets. 

 

 

Last night,  Doug and I were sleeping, he being tired, and I being sick.  Our room was pitch dark…

 I deliberately had turned off the computer right before Big A hit the door on her way in from curfew, so that she wouldn’t turn it on, and talk with her friends, for the next 4 hours, late at night.  

  Sure enough,  I just closed my eyes, when BAM!  my bedroom doorknob hits the wall hard.  She has just busted in and for what? 

 what you say, could be so important that she would risk life and limb to break and enter my most revered sanctuary? 

 

 

HER:  uhhh, yeah.  I just wanted to see if you could turn on the computer?

See what I mean?

  evil. 

 

 

 and Little A OMG, passive-aggressive much? 

 This girl will not do anything without telling her the required 26 and a half times. 

  Of course, she’s very charming while she’s NOT doing what you told her to do 5 hours ago.  Very charming.   

 I made some awesome chicken wings tonight with Korean BBQ sauce, honey, seasoned to perfection.   with steamed rice and a salad.    

 

Little A:  I don’t want to eat chicken, I am not in the mood for it. 

 

 

She proceeds to screw with me for the next 30 minutes, bargaining for waffles instead, promising me she will clean up the kitchen, promising she will eat rice and chicken AFTER her waffles.  yada yada…

Okay.  here’s some more comic relief:

see?  I’m not all about ranting, here. 

 

 

I’m through.  I’m through.

  I sewed for an hour.  I watched COPS.  I watched AMERICA’s MOST WANTED.   I cuddled Sugar.   I made a mental note to do something nice for my neighbors next door, who probably stay pretty in tune with our soap opera over here.  How they put up with us,  I- dont–kn0w….

There was a lot of other special “topics” dealing with Big A and revolving around clothes, shoes, cell phone minutes,  and  cleaning.  but I will spare you.  In fact here’s to ending this rant on a good note:

The goodish, the badful, and the ugliest

 

     ” Today was a mixture of the good, the bad, and the ugly. ”

 So, this morning started out okay. 

 Getting little A up for school was a  cinch, since she got about eleventy hundred hours of sleep. 

 She somehow managed to have a meltdown of epic proportions last night, with the catalyst being her sister of course.  Or maybe it was her PMS already starting, who the heck knows. 

 All I know is I would trade 20 teenage boys for these 2 girls.  At least all I would have to worry about would be finding a lock for the fridge. 

  anyway, little A yes, she got mad, and as you may know, she has some powerful singing lungs.  For some strange reason, going to her room had no affect on her.  she screeched and squalled and was in hysterics for about 15 good minutes.  Make that 15 looooonnnnng minutes. good minutes are something you enjoy.

  I was really concerned about her throat at that point, that she may cause herself bleeding on the surgical site.   after trying to reason with her a 2nd time, she went off again, choosing not to eat dinner, and she fell asleep for hours, until I went up around 11 and got in bed with her and hugged her. 

 ”lets make up”  i told her,  “i love you, let’s start over tommorrow”   and indeed tommorrow (today) it was a different child I saw. 

 calm. 

 obedient.

  finally.  

The good:  At work was chili cook off day! 

 3.00 bought you a taste of every chili there, (18!) 

 plus a whole  bowl full of your favorite one, plus drink, along with crackers, fritos, and anything else you think might go on top of chili.  The annual event is really fun for all of us who work there. 

  Well the bad, here goes, not much except for a very sore throat, for a third day now. 

 No doubt Big A’s virus passed on to me, maybe.  Right now, my eyes are burning and my throat raw. 

 (not the chili, since i didn’t choose a spicy one to eat and I did NOT sample 18 chilis) 

 I can’t call off work tommorrow since I have the boards (groan) again.  Once a month, I must sit still (really hard) and not talk (OMG) and not joke around (futile)   for 3 hours.

  I am what’s known as the board “recorder”  One of the aspects  of my job is getting the facts down on paper basically, and assisting the board members with their job. 

   So today, I went to work sick and tommorrow I already feel worse tonight…or something like that!  crap!  I don’t know what I’m saying, K? 

  In the afternoon, today of course came the horrible news of the shootings I posted about earlier. so yeah,  really really ugly. 

I’m speechless.  I had tears in my eyes for this. 

 This guy was an American born person with a Muslim name, who did not want to deploy to Iraq, and made derogatory remarks about the war.   You just know there’s gonna be some hating going on in an already hateful world. 

   Like I said before this shooter was a pathetic coward.   (special place in hell….as I’m so fond of saying)  so that’s about it. 

crazy day.  Looped into today was a lot of people saying,  “I NEED THIS NOW”  and randomly questioning things that I had no control over.  Proof positive that snowballs roll downhill….or something like that.   

 here’s hoping your night is a peaceful one. 

 

♥SG

Fort Hood shooter gives Army a Huge black eye

        

    And everyone stationed on Military posts on American
Soil will never forget today.  

“ Eleven people plus an attacker were killed and 31 were wounded after a gunman opened fire at Fort Hood in Texas on Thursday…” photo and news courtesy of:  CNN

CNN plays continuously throughout our facility on post, and as word spread here in Fort Leavenworth, KS ,  I think we were all in some form of pain for those victims and families.

    We empathized.  We immediately felt for those dozens of Soldiers and the feeling was multiplied to the nth degree because this person who wore the uniform,  I won’t even dignify him by calling him a Soldier, he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.   

The fact that he was angry that he was being deployed to Iraq… just shows he was the world’s worst coward. 

 There are single mothers with infants  who have been deployed to Iraq and have served their country with dignity, and guess what?  They aren’t coming home the same person inside…

 All the speculation by the News media who gave this person the benefit of the doubt, ”oh he was stressed…” la de da…give me a big fat break! 

Doug and I spent the better part of the night rolling our eyes at the T.V.     All evening we heard only one person who made any sense, and that happened to be a veteran who’d been there done that, in Iraq.    

  Listen closely America.  Listen to your warriors cry loud.   They need your support more than ever.  

 Rest in Peace Fellow Soldiers. 

My husband is a Soldier and a medic.  We have such a peaceful post here.  Our families live in peace. But  Soldiers DO train for events such as this.

  Mass Casualty is something NO one wants to think about ever!  But Soldiers train for it, and for that,  we are all grateful. 

      *photo of Doug participating in a Mass Casualty excercise.

     Our hearts are appreciative toward the entire medical community of Fort Hood and surrounding communities who administered first aid to these Soldiers. 

Pimping out my crib! Part 2 of my dollhouse renovations

On November 4, since last time, I did this:

I got a strong start on the bathroom, first placing linoleum from  Home depot (one square= 1.69) white to brighten up the shadowy interior of the doll house. 

 I started cutting the paint samples from home depot (they were free) as “painting” the walls. 

 also made one wall white,

wall two china blue and

 wall 3 a combination of both colors. 

I had ordered a “pop out” kit from E-bay for the bathroom furniture for 7 bucks.  It consisted of very thin wood “pop outs” that have tabs and holes, but I ended up having to hot glue them a tad anyway.

 

 

 

  When they were together,  I used an old small jar of gloss white paint that Doug had in the garage and painted the bathtub and toilet white.  

 I am a very clumsy model maker (even taking my time)  , so my attempts at the tub and toilet were marginal at best.

 

 

  the kit also came with a dressing table and sink that I elected to put in the kitchen. (you’ll see why later, I may change my mind)       Anyway, I finally removed the towel bar, and used the towel for a bath mat, 

 

 and toilet paper handles from where the original owner had them in the attic of all places! 

 who wants to go to the bathroom in the attic?  lol.

 

  So, far from done, but here is a “mostly” done,  without the window dressings  in the bathroom.  The mini- jar of “bath salts”  Is actually a tiny bottle of cut amethyst I got from the science center in Florida years ago. 

 stop back by once in a while,  for more “pimping out my new crib” at the link at the top of the page. 

especially sweet night

           Me,  cleaning, quick swipes of trash assembled around big A on the computer desk.

 her: “don’t touch that…oh.

  that was my snot [rag]“  gah!!!   

  tonight’s been a real diversion from the normal nightly routine.  We as little A’s parents, got invited to her choir musical.    One thing about little A.  she loves to sing–even post surgery, that gurl would not miss her concert!    She promised to lip sync if her throat got to hurting much. 

 

 

 

 

 

      We got to see the Beatles for free, oh wow!

 

 

      and Elvis.  Elvis isn’t dead you know.  He’s alive and well and he just played tonight.  He sounds better than ever too.

Along with being good on my new adjusted caloric intake and food preparation plan  (NOT a diet) 

I went over to Starbucks and had a bran muffin with 2 percent milk for breakfast. 

 I had an apple, a cheesestick and 3 slices of lean smoked deli ham.  I drank water allll day.  not a coke in sight.  

  This morning was especially sweet.  You know if you are reading this blog much that Sugar and Prince, my two dogs do not get along at all.  well, I got up to find them both laying on the couch with big A like this:

 

well, there IS hope for this family after all.  If they can get along…..

Think of it this way…

RE: bad days.

        Before you get all ornery and junk, just remember, it really could be worse!