16 years ago today,by planned C-section, Collin got me out of traveling around Chicago visiting for Thanksgiving while I was 9 months pregnant,due any day and feeling like a beached whale. Yes, I purposly planned to have my baby the day before Thanksgiving to get me out either traveling or cooking! It worked too! :-)
And I had the cutest little boy....
I don't know where the time went, but I do know that each year he gives me more to be thankful for!
Finished up 2 projects this week! (As always just click on the images if you want to see them bigger!)
First was Sandy's website for her Graphic Design business. She's been working out of her home since she had Liam, and is doing really well! Sand and I have been friends since we shared lockers in 7th grade. Sandy was a piggie locker mate, she denys this, her house is immaculate, but her locker was messy! That's what I wish I had a picture of, our messy locker! Oh the website... She made a logo quite a bit ago,
Then, while we were at Disney a couple of weeks ago, Scotty watched our dogs and needed a little project to keep him busy while he was here. Ever since we moved into this house I have wanted custom bookshelves on the family room half wall.
Oh lookie!, I found a picture of the half wall from when we first moved into the house. There's Sandy from Stenson Graphix sitting in the chair! LOL
That's Mike trying to cover his ears (not eyes Mike!), and Lego looking stunned (not bored Lego!) while I tell the stories of Sandy's messy locker! Oh the book shelves...
So while we were at Disney, Scotty made the frame. When I got home we attached them to the wall. He didn't want to do it while I was gone because he wanted to make sure I approved. Scotty is a smart man, he was married for 50 years, I think that has something to do with it! :-)
After they were attached to the wall, I picked out trim I wanted at Lowe's, and we attached that. Well, I sort of held the wood while he hammered.
Mostly because I can't hammer very well standing, let alone while laying on the floor.
Once the trim was all up, two coats of primer, and two coats of paint and sanding in between and you have book shelves!
Then today I filled them up!
Just in case you are wondering whats on the top middle shelf?? That would be all those things that are only priceless to a mom, some of the kids school projects through out the years.. A pink ceremic pig mug by Ian. A ceramic Mom mug by Collin. Eagle jar by Collin. Some kind of Blow fish by Collin. And..... "something" by Ian. I don't know what it is.
In the last two weeks, well since the 21st, I have been to Surrey, BC to host a gathering of net friends in honor of Diana Gabaldon's newest book "An Echo of a Bone". We were entertained by dancing skeletons Gayle and Ginny!
We had a White Elephant Exchange and by the look on my face you know it was Craptacular!
And somehow Scotty always gets the girl!
I will have more on Surrey when I make the web page. Surrey, B.C., is always cloudy and rainy, and a bit chilly. I have been going there every year for about 10 years, and can coun't the few sunny days on one hand. The sun just doesn't shine, I've decided I rather have clear skies and snow instead. Cloudy skies are a bit depressing.
When I got back I had just enough time to do some (the washing machine broke as I was washing) laundry, shop for food for Scotty (he was staying and watching the dogs) and pack for Disney.
Here's Collin and Brian on the Runaway Mine Train... I was good this year and didn't go eat an entire Funnel Cake while they were on the ride. (They line wasn't long enough, they would of come back while I was in the middle of it! :-)
Here's the close-up of them.
Florida was having an October heat wave, it was in the very high 80's and very humid, first day we were there it was 97% humidity. I have never seen my hair so curly or ugly. There is no amount of money that would make me move to Florida, I would never have straight hair again!
I will take the snow and cold, for beautiful falls and springs. Just remind me of that in February will you?
Ian came home on Friday for Fall Break. Which means a lot of hair everywhere. Ive never seen someone with so much hair! Its like everywhere too. I thin it everytime I trim it. Even shave off a bit underneath..... and it like multiplies. I'm thinking when he finally decides to cut it, I will make myself a wig!
Brian is in Florida, at a Project Manager's whatever at this hotel. Gaylord something or other Resort. E'nuf about him!
Sunday, a very cold Sunday, was the Hospice Walk with Fr. Bill. He is 85 years old, and I think Ive been walking this with for 7 years. That means hearing the same stories 7 times! *G* It's like Ground Hog Day only with walking! He actually did 2 miles! Incredible.
Today, I went to stand on Nine One One duty at Scotty's while he crawled under his house putting insulation on water pipes. Brian has a rule he is never on a ladder outside w/o me home, so it's sort of like that for Scotty, a ladder or under the house. Scotty most certainly agrees that he doesnt want to be found dead and stinky under his house. So Brian gave him some of these jumpsuits he use to wear at Bayer when he had to go into rooms that were making drugs. Scotty looked so funny I had to take a picture. It lasts longer you know! *G*
When he came out of the hole an hour and half later, most of that suit was brown!
And Ian went back to school tonight after a Walmart run, where we filled his cart up with apple pie, mac and cheese, and more frozen stuff than his cooler could hold. And... one air freshener! I asked "Who's the stinky one in the apartment?"
During the warehouse furniture sale,there was a table for $97 bucks. The delivery men damaged it, and it was unusable. I looked, Scotty looked, and neither of us could find one the right size for a small eat-in kitchen. So I said...Scotty you should make one.
So he figured out what size he wanted it, bought some pine for the top. I bought some table legs off of Ebay cheap. It was just under $100 total. I have this thing for decorative trim.
Like here when I added it on my kitchen cabinets.
and here when I added it to the kitchen island.
I liked the stuff on the kitchen island so much I put it in the bathroom too!
So all that to say....I thought Scottys table needed trim too! Here's the table in the middle of its first coat of stain. I stained thats about it.
And all finished with trim.
As you can see the door still needs to be painted, and the register cover is in the garage waiting for paint. That's another day.
I dug a hole, that's basically all I did. I forget what I was working on, but for this project all I did was dig a hole. Not a big hole mind you, it did have small rocks in it and was very tedious if that helps my case. When Im working on stuff there, the doggers usually come with me. There's a fence in his backyard he repaired enough for them, and I would put a little temp fence across the drive way. Well, Miss Lola kept going under it and I kept finding her in his neighbors yard, or one day in the middle of the street trying to scare the mailwoman. So now theres something more sturdy,it was cheaper than wood and it looks cute.
......and "No", they wont jump over that.
Then on Saturday....... Scotty and I went to a DG signing in Dayton, she has a new book out. Renee and her new boy toy *G* Victor met us there from Pittsbugh. They were on Renee time so that meant they missed the DG talk, and then we had very high numbers for the signing line. 180's. So we went to a little pub across the street till our number was up. Well, we went back and no Diana, nobody was there practically, just a few women sitting in some chairs. Luckily DG was taking a nature break. She came back and we got to spend some time chatting with her all by ourselves before she packed up and left, so it worked out a bit better than standing in the signing line.
So that was a good day right there, but it gets better. Brian drove up for dinner (he didnt want to leave at 9:30 in the morning with me), and Georgia, Will and Will's mom also came to Dayton for dinner. So we had a nice laugh filled dinner to officially meet Renee's new dude. I don't know who named Victor, the new dude, sounds like Brian. :-) Scotty and Victor got free muffins because they had never been to a Mimi's Cafe before. We also got free dessert from them because they asked us all to move over. Boy was that worth it!
So I have no pictures of that... I forgot my camera, and forgot that the phone had a camera too. I do however have a picture of the gift I made for Victor. Renee, says hes very sweet, and always says or does romantic things. The only thing is Renee isnt quite use to this and sometimes doesnt always notice some gestures. So I told her Victor needs a journal to write all the nice things he does down, so he can remind you later. So I made Victor a journal with this graphic.
You know I dont get together with my sisters very often, and that might be a bad thing. But... when I do get together with them, all we do is laugh, and that is a great thing!
Okay, the kids are back in school and I've been going to the movies a lot! Here's my round-up.
Julie & Julia Loved, loved, loved this movie! It was very funny, funnier than I thought it would be. Beware, you leave very hungry. Which is a very hard thing to do considering you just inhaled a bag of popcorn!
District 9 I didn't want to see this one, but Brian and Collin went and said I would like it.... and I did! It starts like a documentary, and is that way pretty much through the whole movie. Set in South Africa, with some aliens landing there, and they don't know what to do with them, so they set up a camp, which turns into a city by itself. Lot's of aliens getting blown to pieces and a bit too much of the "F" word, even for me, and that's one of my favorite words. :-) If you can handle those two things, you'll like it.
Whiteout This had some of my least favorite things in it.... it was a thriller, and it was in Antartica. Confusion and Snow... Yuck! I knew it was going to be bad when it opens with a naked girl in the shower for no reason at all. So if you would like to waste some money for no reason at all, or really like naked girls in showers... go see it.
Inglorious Basterds I didn't think I would like this at all. It's pretty violent, but the plot it great. Basically the Jews getting revenge on Hitler.... c'mon you have to admit you would like to see that! It's one of those movies that almost everyone in it dies... so dont get attached to anyone, not that anyone is worth getting attached to.
Love Happens Okay, this is advertised as a romantic comedy, and it's not. Not at all. My neighbor's mom came with us since it was the 8th anniversary of her spouses death, you know to kind of have something to take her mind off of it, and we are watching the movie and the plot... A motivational speaker that helps people deal with their grief! So not a lot of laughs, I think I cried more than laughed. It was okay. It's a rental.
Today Brian and I saw...
The Informant Was really looking forward to this, the previews were great, I love Matt Damon, and it's a comedy. Where can you go wrong? It wasn't funny. I didn't find it funny, and I think I'm a pretty good judge of funny. But judging how many times I laughed in what felt like three hours sitting there, I would have to say skip it.
Now all those movies you see a lot of trailers, this is by far the one I'm most looking forward to...
I have found with all my big screen movie watching, that when George Clooney is that big infront of you... nothing sucks that he is in!
Just a place to gather all the things I like to do...
books I've read, graphics or websites I've made. Also, the latest that's going on with The Author's Attic. And of course, family things and labrador things too.
