Time off

I had all of last week off and had a list a mile long of thing I needed to accomplish while I had the time!

The ladies I work with have started a book group which I attended where we chose the Hunger games to be the book of chose this month. We also decided that since it is an addicting book we should just go ahead and read the 2nd book as well. I started the Hunger games and had them both read in 4 days. Good recommendations! I enjoyed the books. Looking forward to the 3rd book since I have been left hanging! I enjoy reading, it takes my mind off of all the everyday things going on in life.

I also got to be a full time mom. Which includes being a taxi cab driver, laundry and more laundry, being at the door when the kids walk in and being able to have dinner at a descent hour. We ate before 8 p.m. every night and I didn't make a quick run to the local eating establishments because I was just to tired to cook which has been know to happen from time to time.

My biggest item on my list happened to be something I am tired of doing and have been putting it off for a few months.

I painted. . . . grr what was I thinking? After finishing the basement and painting and repainting basically the whole house last year I didn't want to touch another paint brush for a while however I had one more room that really needed my attention!

Our main bathroom

I painted it yellow about 10 years ago (I wasn't going for canary yellow which is what I got). I also don't know what I was thinking back a few years ago when I also painted the ceiling yellow. What? Every time I look in the room I keep thinking just paint it for heavens sake but just couldn't bring myself to do it.

Finally with the time off it became my #1 item to accomplish. Madison wanted it the same color as her room since we had left over paint.

I think the people at Lowe's got use to seeing me every morning at 7:15 right in the middle of their morning huddle, I have never had so many associates ask if they could help me in a 10 yards radius, and then I was off to Walmart to pick up a few items without it being crowded. That is the best time to go shopping anywhere!

Before . . . . UGH!

After

I also painted my last door, and changed my last light switch out (which I did all by myself - too impatient for Brett's help and guess what? It works Yeah me)

I also transferred some tapes to CD which was interesting to listen to. One was my boss playing the piano and he was amazing, the other happened to be a program my parents ward put on years ago and my dad was the narrator. It was fun to have my dad talk to me while I painted. I tend to think of him while I paint anyhow (not sure why) but I liked it even better this time because he actually talked to me.

It was nice to have time spent with the kids and still have time for Brett and I! We even got out to a couple of movies as well.

So needless to say, I had a great week off , I got lots accomplished and felt good about it but I also have things on my list still in need of being done. Time. . . it all takes time!

Mission Accomplished!!!

I have created some tasks I HAD to have done before today (Monday) and I wasn't sure I was going to get them done but, with a lot of persistence I did it!

• Wash walls - DONE



• Paint bedroom wall with Temple paint - DONE



• Not enough painting . . .Paint the rest of my bedroom walls - DONE



• Add more to plate. . . . paint bathroom while I'm at it - DONE



• Paint all baseboards and trim white - DONE

• Switch out old lightswitches with one I bought months ago - attempted to do by self - impatient husband does them instead - DONE (Thanks Husband!)

• Oh yeah - don't forget the doors need to be painted as well (4 -grr) - DONE



• Paint baseboards in the rest of the upstairs - DONE



• Wash the blinds in bedroom and put back up so I am not on display for the neighbors to watch- DONE



• Pull up carpet to make all the painting easier - DONE Thanks Brett and kids!!



• Find places for and move all furniture out and back without breaking anything fragile etc. - DONE (well almost we have to have some muscle come and help with the big stuff)


• Sit down and Blog, take ten minutes for self - Working on it!



• Rehang all doors - DONE



• Clean up after self EVERY time I paint - DONE

• Fix family meals . . . try to maneuver through ALL the furniture in the kitchen . . . for go trying that - just eat out it's easier! - DONE



• Have carpet laid upstairs - DONE

• Ugh - Just remembered I have to paint one more door - I'll get to it later! :)
• Vacuum our new carpet and enjoy! - Doing it!

I am so excited to have accomplished all of this. It may not seem like a lot but my legs are sore from up and down on the ladder and my arms should be big and bulky from all the painting I have done lately! I am so grateful for my gallon of paint from the temple . . .Its amazing how much work one little gallon of paint can create. I keep telling Brett. . . .I am making our house a HOME!

Another of the many "Maddy" adventures

Once upon a time . . . there lived the same little girl as before. The dear sweet little girl was having a play date with one of her cousins. The two were having a splendid time together. They were very busy in and out of the bathroom then back into the bedroom. . . Repeated several times. As the mother I decided to check up on them to see what they were doing. As I started down the hall way I noticed something not right on the carpet. Hum I thought and continued into the bedroom they were in (which happened to be Cole's). What a shock!! These cute little girls had decided to use the ink pads I had and were making hand and foot prints as their projects. Now remember I said they had gone in and out of the bedroom several times. To this day, I do not remember what their artwork on paper looked like but, I will never forget the artwork all over my carpet. Ink was everywhere! They had been very active all over Cole's room. They did not use the light colors, NO they used every dark color of ink they could find. There was a spot of RED about the size of a dinner plate right in the middle of the room. The carpet cleaners were not able to get all of the ink out. So last weekend we pulled up the carpet and put laminate in that room also. I have to say I was sad to see it go (not really) but the memories I am! Those silly reminders are from when the kids were little and I miss those times so much! (not the "mom's crazy" times but the kids being little time)

I was so out of sorts after the initial shock I did not realize Maddy was wearing a skirt so I apologize for the underwear shot!!

At the time this was NOT the pitter patter of little feet!

Before. . .

Yuck! you can see the red spot at the bottom of the picture

During . . .

After!

It's amazing what a new floor and a paint job does for a room! It feels so clean and new!!
I love home improvements! I wish we could do more just little things now and then.

Ta-Da

My room is finally done Yeah!!! (and no more poopie carpet!) It took us the majority of the weekend but I loved it. I have so much crap, I have had to either get rid of stuff or find a way to hide it. I do not want my room to be cluttered! My room feel so brand new! First few planks to go in


Brett busy at work. . .

the final product. . . I was so excited to get my desk back into my room I forgot to take pictures of the whole room. Oh well you get the idea!

Love it!

I am however afraid I may hurt myself with my chair. Now the wheels move so easily the chair is going to fly out from under me and I am going to end up on the floor :) Guess we will just have to see.

This is before we put the baseboards back down
My scrapbook/computer room

Brett even build me another shelf in the closet so I can put ALL of my photo albums together. (Well they can't all be together, I have them on shelves in 2 other rooms also. Yes- I have a ton of photo albums not to mention I have a ton of scrapbooks also)