Getting Dirty

Heh, fooled you with that title, didn’t I? Well, I am clearing the garden today, and relocating those white rocks in the flower beds, and whacking major shrubbery.

But not with a herring.

As low maintenance as our backyard is, the dogs tend to wreak their own special kind of havoc by running in the flower beds while barking at the dogs on the other side of the fences. Consequently, all the gravel and pretty pebbles get displaced. If it were up to me, I would have all that taken out and replaced with MOAR DURT!! But it’s too costly of a project to undertake at this time, so we stick to maintaining it. Hopefully one day we will set up a hammock for nice summer evenings. Along with fifteen bug zappers.

Can’t take chances with insects around here. Not when they can carry you off 😀

Irons in the Fire

Holy cow, do I have a lot of crap going on.

Tomorrow we shall enjoy the Independence Day parade, in which Son is taking part. But today, we have to get in gear. Have to clean the rooms, do loads of laundry, get uniforms ready, finish storing stuff in the (nicely organized) garage, trim the Barbados trees, re-do the gravel beds, and clean the cabinets.

Oh, and have a repairman fix the upstairs A/C unit.

Because it’s Texas. In the summer.

Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Hopefully after all is done, I will have time to finish a few projects I have going on, like the book sculpture, the light fixture (still figuring out how to even out the ornaments), a scrapbook layout for a challenge (almost done) and some DIY cupcake stands for a party (they will be the party favors).

It’s not that I got tired of making stuff. It’s just that I didn’t want to ruin my nails before our trip last weekend. It was moot anyway, seeing as I broke three of them while at the lake. I may not have a lot of vanities, but I want my hands to be somewhat presentable.

Because no one wants to shake hands with dried up gobs of E-6000 😀

The Endless Summer

Four days later, I can sit down to write a post.

I think it has been four days since my last post. I really have no idea.

Between driving kids to work, working on updating Little One’s room, running stuff to Goodwill, birthdays, anniversaries, family visits, reunions, more reunions, graduations, the promotion ceremony, and the normal day-to-day stuff of running errands and chores, I am just horse tired. Not just tired. HORSE TIRED!!!

I don’t even know what that means.

And now I realize that June is almost over, and I feel like I haven’t done anything. Except clean the refrigerator. I did do that. After that chore, I needed an anti-depressant.

Anyway, I better get going. If I keep going at this rate, I may not need to ever go to the Y 😉

Time to Work on Little One’s Room

I’m sure y’all remember the amazing transformation I did to Eldest’s room. If you don’t, go ahead and click on the link. I’ll wait.

*waits a few minutes for the awesomeness to sink in*

Amazing, isn’t it? Well, she has done a great job of keeping things pretty organized. So far. But now it’s time to do something special for Little One. And that will NOT be a picnic.

My youngest daughter has very specific tastes. Very…. interesting tastes. Anyone who smiles while watching Rear Window or The Birds has interesting tastes. That’s what I call it, anyway. What can I say? She’s a chip off the old block(head). Thankfully, her room is painted, and she wants to keep the furniture and drapes. So not a lot to do, really. But one of the things she wants in her room is a reading nook: her own chair, her own chandelier (I did say chip off the old block, and meant ME, you know), vanity area, etc. She’s growing up, and wants to make sure WE know it.

Like this, only waaaaay cheaper.

I don’t think I’m ready for that.

But she is. She is just a bit…. stubborn when it comes to getting rid of certain things. So today we will be rearranging her things and moving stuff around. The screaming will be epic. But I am sure she has ear plugs for that 🙂

In Case You Wondered, I’m Still Here

I honestly thought that with the school year coming to an end, things would be easier. At the very least, I wouldn’t be so busy.

Well, I for one have learned my lesson.

I didn’t post much at the weekend because I spent it with the family, had some ROTC commitments for Memorial Day, and I figured y’all would be busy observing the holiday, too. And then Tuesday showed up, and all Hades broke loose from its tethers.

First, pick up car from mechanic.No, it ain’t fixed. The car’s computer is too OLD for the mechanic’s computer to “read”. GAH!!!

Second, take pics to be scanned to CD at Walgreen’s. Why? Because my scanner decided that scanning graduation portraits was gauche.

Third, go to dentist and change Eldest’s appointment for July. Finals wait for no senior.

Fourth, enquire at thrift shop on how to be a volunteer (Son needs the hours for NHS). Awesomely, I found an old candlestick to match another I found weeks ago.

Fifth, fix side mirror of Hubby’s car (fell off, so I E-6000 it). So it’s a bit crooked. So is the road.

Sixth, finish ironing. Because ACUs should never be ironed, unless you work for the Army.

Seventh, start dinner. Thank you Lord, for giving someone the intelligence to come up with pre-cooked burgers.

Eighth, take girls to get ice cream, because it’s on the way to a friend’s house where said friend has found a box turtle for them to see.

Ninth, go to Lowes™ and get air filters, even some in the wrong size, just to make tomorrow special.

Tenth, replace some filters, and enjoy having a dust storm settle in my hair.

So there you have it: how I spent my Tuesday. I’m hoping my week improves.

If it doesn’t, there’s wine for that 😀

Rats With Better PR

Yesterday afternoon, I went outside to water the flowers, praying that I wouldn’t end up murdering them yet again it would rain, since it was overcast and that would save me from having to roll out the sprinkler. I…..don’t have the best luck with plants. Except my hostas, which weirdly are freakishly huge under the tree.

I guess they thrive on ignorance and neglect.

Anyway, I go get the garden hose, and turn to talk to my calla lily. She hasn’t deserted me, either. Again, ignorance and neglect. I give her a good drink of water, and then turn to the marigolds in the bright teacup style pot, only to find broken leaves, snapped heads, and a mess of dirt. Why? Because some squirrel decided that was where he had hidden his treasure trove of acorns.

Seems legit.

Normally I am not one to get upset over something so small. But they had done it to the newly planted petunias out front, which were BRAND FREAKING NEW AND HAD NO ACORNS IN THE DIRT!! So of course, I snapped.

Me: STAY OUT OF MY POTTED PLANTS, YOU INSIPID BAG OF MANGY FUR!!

Squirrel: *looks at me from the fence edge*

Me: YES, YOU!! I CATCH YOU AROUND MY PLANTS AGAIN, AND I WILL MAKE STEW OUT OF YOUR HIDE!!

Neighbor: Hey Aggie*. How’s…. your day?

Me: Uh, Hey! Just…fine… watering plants.

Neighbor: Need a shotgun?

Me: I’m on it.

Neighbor: I didn’t hear a thing.

Me: I owe you.

I don’t like squirrels, as you can probably surmise. I don’t care that they have bushy tails, or cute little hands (which have nasty claws), or cheeky pouches. Screw that. I think they are nasty little birdseed thieves who conspire to wreak havoc on the roads and make your plants wither and die.

It’s a good thing I was defrosting chicken, because stew sounded pretty good right then 😉

Can’t Stop Me Now

Last weekend we cleaned out the garage, and let me tell you, it looks AMAZING!! Well, technically half of it does. We couldn’t clean out the other wall because it has all of my stained glass stuff, and we need protective gloves and eye goggles to clean it out. Still, the garage is a vast improvement over the trash dump site way it was before.

But now I am itching to reorganize something. Some people finish a project and sit back to admire their work. I tend to want to channel that satisfaction towards another problem spot. The problem is, there are too many problem spots.

And Legos come in handy for this.

Picking one is like a Lay’s™ potato chip. You can’t stop at just one.

So I guess I better go get a bag of potato chips and finish that off. That’s something I can certainly achieve today.

Glad I found a way to channel my productive side 😉

Laundry Lottery

One of the biggest laundry irks is finding stuff in pockets. I hate that. I really, really do. Seriously, how hard is it to turn out your pockets before placing clothes in the dirty laundry? And while I’m venting, how hard is it to turn clothes right side out???

Ok, I better leave that for another rant.

Anyway, as y’all may remember, I organized my laundry room a few months ago, and one of the things I placed on the washer was a jar. A big jar for found coins. Wouldn’t you know it, but right after I did that the kids started to turn out their pockets. GAH!! But since I do Hubby’s laundry, he tends to forget, and that’s when I score.

This time, I found $50!!!

Which means I get to put it towards a new cooking pot. Or a couple of drinks at Starbucks™.

Yes, I’m putting it towards the cooking pot. I can make my own coffee 😉

Shaving With Occam’s Razor

Why do people make things complicated?

A friend of mine decided to redo her pantry. Good for her, I say! I love remodeling, and love to see the “before-and-after” pics people post on social sites. But her redo makes absolutely no sense to me.

See, she has wire shelving in her pantry, and hates it. Small things fall through, and some things just topple over. I have the same problem. I despise all of the wire shelving in this house, with the possible exception of the linen closet, because I do like air to circulate through the linens. It’s one of my Jones. Anyway, her solution is going to set her back about $4,000. She is ripping out all the shelving and putting in wood shelves and having them painted. All for an area that seldom will be seen by visitors. Now like I said, I’m all for home improvement, but NOT when I can find an easier, more cost effective solution, like this one!

That’s peel and stick tile, which you can get for less than a dollar per square foot. Simply peel the backing, and apply to the wire shelf. That’s it. I did the math, and it hurt my brain, but for my pantry the total cost would be about $40, and I would have enough left over to do a few shelves in the kids’ rooms. Can you imagine what you could buy with the $3, 960???

Even after I told her of my solution, she was undeterred. She wants to make upgrades to her home in case she has to sell it. I can understand that. I remember when she took a wobbly chair in to get the legs shortened. I told her a bit of cork under the short leg would have solved her problem. She replied, “But the cork wouldn’t match the color [of the chair].” She never thought of a Sharpie™.

I must say she is an inspiration to me. She always makes me think of the easiest solution to the problem du jour. It’s a gift, and a curse 😉

Is It Spring Yet???

Nope, not complaining of the weather at all. For once. But for some reason I find myself itching to get home improvements started.

This is highly unusual. So much so that Hubby still can’t picture my vision. And it’s a GRAND one. This is my To-Do List for next weekend:

• Paint the main bathroom.
• Frame bathroom mirrors with stone tiles.
• Hang antique mirror in foyer.
• Update light fixtures with paint.
• Finish making light fixture for Little One’s room.

This does not include cleaning out and reorganizing the garage, which is a constant battle, truth be told. But I am making progress slowly. I took several garbage bagfuls to Goodwill, and thrown out crap that had been boxed up since North Carolina.

That was before Germany, which was ten years ago.

I am NOT a hoarder!!

Anyway, this week I will be prepping rooms and light fixtures and even wall decor. Hopefully things will be ready by next Saturday. But if I know Hubby, he’s hoping the majority will be done before then 😉