Allelujah!

As the choirs of angels in heaven sing the Allelujah chorus, you'll be happy to know that the bathroom is basically finished. There's little things to finish up, but the major work is done.
As requested, here are the pics. Note: It's a tiny bathroom so pics are limited.



This is the view from the doorway. You can tell how small it is. The funky coloration on the back wall is because I sprayed gloss spray to make the tile look more shiny but I ran out before I could finish. I will finish the gloss spray after next payday.


This is the counter & sink. I wish I would have taken before pictures. The previous counter was green, fake marble-like formica top. It wasn't necessarily ugly, but it was warped in places and the backsplash was totally coming off behind the sink. I really like these tiles. Josh picked out both tiles basically. He liked these at first for the floor, but then decided on the other. I decided to get these to complement the floor. I think it's a great combination if I say so myself. My friend, Matt, put a trim all around the sides to cover up the tile edges.

View from above. This shows a clearer picture of the two tiles. You can't see the floor tile very well, but the center diamonds are black that fade into blue centers. The grout for both the floor and counter is blue. It was a pain to get it and the grout cost more than the counter tiles, but I do love it despite it being messy as heck. I also painted the hardware black.

Above the sink is a long mirror that is almost the full width of the wall. I didn't change the light fixture, but it works for now. I didn't take pictures of the tub since it's just a basic bathtub with sliding doors. It needs to be cleaned desperately, but one thing at a time.

There's some touch up painting that I need to do and I need to put things back in drawers and such, but will save that for another time. I need to get Josh new matching towels and a floor rug as well. He might have to wait until after next payday. But I'm pleased with how it turned out. It's a huge difference. Before, the paint was a kind of beige, but it just looked like a really dirty white. The paint was flaking in several places. I already mentioned the counter issues. Below the sink the wood was turning black from water damage.

I took 1 1/2 tylenol p.m. tablets at 9:00. I'm hoping it will be enough to help me actually get a decent night's sleep. I should sleep well given how little I got last night. I'm full from dinner which should help as well. I made stromboli and fettucini alfredo. It was absolutely wonderful if I say so myself.

Tomorrow, Josh and I are going to Hereford. He's going to drive. I'm going to do some touch up painting in my room and get things taped for the final trim painting. I'll have my students come help me on Wednesday. Tomorrow afternoon, my friend Kirsten is coming over for lunch to have leftover stromboli. I originally invited her to dinner, but she had dog class tonight. She and her dog, Tango, do agility training. After lunch we're going to head to Amarillo and do some shopping. Well, she's going to do some shopping and I'm going to tag along. I can go shopping probably after the end of the week. I need to get busy working on the workshop I'm presenting on Friday.

Well, I guess I'm going to get ready for bed. I'm starting to feel a little sleepy. Maybe it will hit me once I actually lie down. Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

So Very Tired

I went to bed around 2:15. I wasn't completely tired so I took my book to read thinking "I'll read a few pages and then go to sleep." I finished the book around 3:30. Then I tried to go to sleep. I know I was still awake around 4:30. I eventually drifted in and out of sleep this morning, but my dreams seemed to all have grout lines in them. I know... weird. I feel like I have barely slept. I'm going to go back to bed and try to sleep for another hour. Then I have to get up to go get Josh's medical release signed. I also have to clean the house and get the bathroom put back together as much as I can. My body is sore and I really just want some SLEEP. Sorry about the whining. When I rise from the dead or my nap, I'll try to write a better post. Oh, and I'll take pictures of the new bathroom after it's put back together this evening and post them.

**************Update*****************************

I tried going back to bed, but it didn't work. I'm resigning myself to staying up and forcing myself to be tired tonight. I will take tyenol p.m. around 9:00 tonight and see if I can make myself get some sleep. I got up before 11:00 and went to the Dr's office to get Josh's form signed. Now I'm home but I'm not the least bit motivated to do any kind of work. I'm thinking I need some caffeine to get me going. I may run up to Pak-A-Sak and get a coke or something. I have much to do today. My original plan was to go up to the school to work, but I'll go up there tomorrow. I need to get Josh's bathroom back together and the house cleaned. Guess, I better get going if I'm going to get anything done.

Grouting is Messy

I'm sorry I didn't update today... well technically yesterday since it's now after 1 a.m. I was very productive today. Despite taking a full tylenol p.m. last night it still took me 2 hours to get to sleep. I got up around 9-something. Around 10:15 I started getting ready to go to Mass. I went to the 11:15 Mass and am always glad that I go. After that, I came home and checked my computer for email, updated blogs and such. My ex-husband was online so I chatted with him for a little bit. After 1:00 sometime I got hungry so I fixed some lunch. After eating I felt so full and really tired so I had to take a nap. Then I read some of my book. I finally decided I had to get the painting and such done. I finished painting last coats on the drawers and doors. I spray painted the hardware. I taped around the wall tile so I could spray some gloss spray on it. Around 9:00 I was ready to grout. Oh. My. Goodness. It was a messy, messy job. But I did it all by myself. It took more time to clean up the mess than it did to do the actual grouting. I have to repaint some parts of the bathroom where the blue grout set in and stained a bit... or where I dropped it on one of the drawers. Then I had another mess to clean up because some how the sink that is currently upside down in one of the cabinets was spewing some water. I guess when I was cleaning up, I moved it and the handle turned on a bit. I didn't notice it until some of the carpet in the hall was soaked. So then I had to spend more time cleaning that mess up. I feel exhausted, but not necessarily tired. My body is sore, but if I went to bed now, I'd probably still be awake at 3:00. I'm tired of the crap going on with my body. I didn't even want supper tonight. I was supposed to make enchiladas, but I figured it would go to waste because I wasn't hungry. I went to McDonald's to get Josh supper and got myself a coke and a side salad. I drank the coke and ate most of the salad. It just wasn't what I wanted, I guess.
Tomorrow I will clean the toilet, touch up the drawers, and then my friend, Matt, will be coming over for dinner around 6. I'm making stromboli. Matt will put the toilet, sink, and door back for me. Well, I don't have much more to say. I'd like to go to bed, but I just don't think sleep is going to come any time soon.

Susan's Right

I am going to fill out this meme. I'm a little bored and just waiting for the tylenol p.m. to kick in.

1. Do you like chinese food?
Yes.. but certain dishes. I make a great cashew chicken.

2. How big is your bed?
Queen sized waterbed. It's big enough for me, usually 2 dogs and a cat.

3. Is your room clean?
It's mostly clean. It's cleaner than the rest of the house.

4. Laptop or Desktop computer?
I have both, but only use my laptop now.

5. Favorite comedian?
Rita Rudner

6. Do you smoke?
Absolutely not.

7. Does anyone like you?
I hope so. Yes, I'm sure there's a few people that like me. I have more friends than enemies at least.

8. What’s the sexiest thing about Condoleeza Rice?
Uh, I don't know.

10. Sleep with or without clothes on?
With... usually sweats and t-shirt or something similar.

11. Who sleeps with you every night?
My pets. See #2 above.

12. Do long distance relationships work?
Not for me. I think you have to be able to see each other regularly to really get to know each other.

13. Pancakes or French Toast?
French toast. I don't like pancakes.

14. Do you like coffee?
No, but sometimes I wish I did for the caffeine.

15. How do you like your eggs?
I don't like any kind of eggs. But I do like to color Easter eggs.

16. Do you believe in astrology?
No

18. Last person you talked to on the phone?
My aunt Barb.

19. Last person on your missed call list?
On my cell phone... probably Josh. On my home phone.. some unavailable telemarketer or bill collecter.

20. What was the last text message you received?
one from my student that said he'd help me paint at the school

21. McDonalds or Burger King?
Either, but I prefer Wendy's

22. Number of pillows?
Two.

23. Last thing you ate?
Fried Ice Cream

24. Last thing you bought?
Sonic drinks and food.

25. What are you hearing right now?
John Michael Talbot music CD

26. Pick a lyric?
"Let's do the Time Warp..."

27. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich?
Raspberry preserves

28. Can you play pool?
Yes, but I seem to play better the drunker I get. Not sure why.

29. Do you know how to swim?
Absolutely... I love swimming.

30. Favorite ice cream?
Breyer's Fried Ice Cream

31. Do you like maps?
Yes, they usually help me find where I need to go.

32. Tell me a random fact:
I once went to a taping of The Price is Right. I was upset that I wasn't called to "Come on Down"

33. Ever had a hard on at work?
Not applicable

34. Ever attend a theme party?
Yes, a toga party in college.

35. Ever do a keg stand?
No. I don't like most beers that come in party kegs.

36. Craziest place you've slept after a night of drinking?
On the floor of the bathroom in a hotel in Vegas after having a fight with my husband at the time.

37. What is your favorite season?
Spring, I guess... except for the time change.

38. What is the first music video you ever saw?
I can't remember.. but it had something to do with the letter "M" or something.

39. Pick a movie quote:
"Hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things. And a good thing never dies. " ~The Shawshank Redemption

40. A Favorite quote:
I have several and it changes, but this is a good one:

"Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives." ~ William James


41. What is your favorite Thirsty Thursday hangout?
I am not sure what this means, but I guess my favorite place to drink would be Applebee's.

42. Best friend's name?
Kirsten

43. How long have you known them?
35 years. (And yes, I'm 36... we basically grew up together... sort of.)

44. Last time you laughed at something stupid?
The t.v. show Psych. I'm not saying it was stupid, but it made me laugh.

45. What time did you wake up this morning?
Around 9:45, I think. I went to bed around 2:00 a.m.

46. Wake up next to anyone?
Just my dogs

47. Best thing about winter?
Snow days, time change.

48. Name a couple of favorite colors:
Purple, Green, Blue

49. How old are you?
36

50. What month is your birthday in?
November

51. Do you think pirates are cool or overrated?
They're o.k. I liked the first Pirates movie, but was disappointed in the second.

52. Favorite Dave Matthews Band song (if you have one?)
I don't know any... guess this shows how uncool I really am.

53. What are you doing this weekend?
Going to Mass.

54. Who will take this survey?
Well, I would have said Susan, but I stole it from her. Maybe Tiffany if she finds the time.

And the fun just goes on and on!

Layers....

LAYER ONE:
-- Name: Jennifer (real), Annabel (online)
--Birthplace: Northern Texas Panhandle
-- Current Location: Canyon, Texas

LAYER TWO:
-- Eye Color: hazel
-- Hair Color: Dark brown (with a few stray gray hairs until I yank them out)
-- Height: 5'4" if I stand up straight
-- Righty or Lefty: Righty
-- Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
-- Your Heritage: Heniz 57 variety with lots of German/Indian/English
-- The Shoes Worn Today: I didn't wear any shoes today because I never left the house.
-- Your Weakness: a good sale
-- Your Fears: death, flying stinging insects,
-- Your Perfect Pizza? Hand tossed, hamburger or sausage with onions
-- Goal You'd Like to Achieve: Figure out what I'm really going to be when I grow up. To grow up.

LAYER THREE:
-- Your Thoughts First Waking Up: What time is it?
-- Your Bedtime: Normally around 10:30-11:00. Lately 2:00-3:00 a.m.
-- Your Most Missed Memory: Well, memories really can't be missed.. but I do miss having good, close friends to hang out with.

LAYER FOUR:
-- Pepsi or Coke: Coke
-- McDonald's or Burger King: Haven't we answered this?
-- Single or Group Dates: Any DATE!!!! I'd just like to go out on a real date.. single, group... I don't care!!!
-- Adidas or Nike: Ryka
-- Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Doesn't matter
-- Chocolate or Vanilla: Both
-- Cappuccino or Coffee: Neither... but I do like the Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks

LAYER FIVE:
-- Smoke: The answer is still no. Are you trying to get me to start?
-- Cuss: Rarely any more. But yes, I still do sometimes... like when stubbing a toe or something.
-- Sing: yes, but no solos. I sing in the Church choir and in my car alone.
-- Shower Everyday: When working, yes... during the summer... if I need to or I'm going out.
-- Have a Crush: No, but wouldn't mind having one... at least it would make my blogs more interesting.
-- Want to go to College? Already did that and got a degree... but would like to get my masters.
-- Like(d) High School: Absolutely
-- Want to get Married: Yes, some day.
-- Believe in Yourself: Yes
-- Get Motion Sickness: I love rollercoasters... what do you think?
-- Think You're Attractive: I think I'm cute. I debate the attractive thing all the time.
-- Think You're a Health Freak: I know I'm not.. but should be more interested in my health... but never a freak.
-- Get Along with Your Parent(s): yes... but only have one.
-- Like Thunderstorms: I like rain and mild thunderstorms... nothing that's too close and loud.
-- Play an Instrument: Yes, clarinet.

LAYER SIX:
in the past month...
-- Drank Alcohol:Yes, last night... two bloody marys.
-- Smoked: The answer is still no.
-- Done a Drug: Provera which doesn't seem to be doing much of anything, tylenol p.m., midol
-- Had Sex: Not in over a year.
-- Made Out: no
-- Gone on a Date: still wishing
-- Gone to the Mall:no
-- Eaten an Entire Box of Oreos: no
-- Been on Stage: No.
-- Been Dumped: No.. so maybe not dating is a good thing, right?
-- Gone Skating: Not in many years
-- Made Homemade Cookies: yes, made some for the 4th of July
-- Gone Skinnydipping: never
-- Dyed Your Hair: not in 3 years or so
-- Stolen Anything: no

LAYER SEVEN:
Have you ever...
-- Played a Game that Required Removal of Clothing: Yes, I think so... probably drunk at the time.
-- If so, was it Mixed Company: I can't remember
-- Been Trashed or Extremely Intoxicated: Yes, unfortunately
-- Been Caught "Doing Something": Well... depends on what you mean by that. I'd have to say no.
-- Been Called a Tease: Yes

LAYER EIGHT:
-- Age You Hope to be Married: Maybe before I'm 40.
-- Numbers and Names of Children: 1, Josh, 15 yrs.
-- Describe Your Dream Wedding: Simple, in the Catholic Church, with a great reception
-- What do youWant to be When You Grow Up: Maybe a librarian
-- What Country Would You Most Like to Visit: Italy

LAYER NINE:

in a guy: (I changed this for myself... you can change the sex if you answer this very long meme)
-- Best Eye Color? brown
-- Best Hair Color? Dark brown or black
-- Short or Long hair: whatever as long as it's neat and looks good. (Some men don't look good in long hair)
-- Height: taller than me.. but not too tall
-- Best Articles of Clothing: jeans
-- Best First Date Location: Outback
-- Best First Kiss Location: on the lips if the attraction is there

LAYER TEN:
-- # Of Drugs Taken Illegally: 1 but nothing happened.
-- # Of People I Could Trust With My Life: not sure
-- # Of CDs That I Own: Probably 150 or so
-- # Of Piercings: Just my ears
-- # Of Tattoos: one, but want another one
-- # Of Scars on my Body: probably between 5-10

LAYER ELEVEN
Last Person Who...
-- Slept in Your Bed? Me... as far as someone else... Brian.
-- Saw You Cry? Everybody at my son's father's funeral
-- Made You Cry? Marty
-- Spent the Night at Your House? My aunt and uncle
-- You Shared a Drink With? Kirsten
-- You Went to the Movies With? Josh, his friend, and Kirsten
-- You Went to the Mall With? Josh
-- Yelled at You? janitors at the school
-- Sent You an Email? besides the spam? My former boss (if you don't count email notifications for blog comments... if so, then Summer)

LAYER TWELVE
Have You Ever...
-- Said "I love you"? Yes
-- Been to New York? No, but I want to.
-- Been to Georgia? yes, went to Atlanta for a work convention
-- California? Yes, San Diego and L.A.
-- Hawaii? No
-- Mexico? Yes, Matamoras
-- China? No
-- Canada? No, but close.
--The United Kingdom? No.
-- Danced Naked? Only in front of my husband or a boyfriend.
-- Dreamed something really crazy and then happened the next day? Not exactly, but I've had intuitions or thoughts about things and then they happened.
-- Stalked Someone? No

LAYER THIRTEEN
Pick One...
-- Apples or Bananas? Apples
-- Red or Blue? Blue
-- Walmart or Kmart? Walmart
-- Math or English? English.
-- Radio or CD? CD
-- Drawing or Painting? painting
-- High school or College? Different experiences, but I enjoyed both.

I've got the blahs

I really do. I don't feel like doing anything... well, other than reading. I was up until 2 a.m. last night (no tylenol p.m.) and didn't fall asleep until probably 2:45-3:00. I slept until 9 something. Then I got up and continued to read my book. And I've read all day other than checking email once in a while, having an annoying IM conversation, and watching t.v. I didn't want to make dinner, but I figured I should be a good mom and make something for the kid. I ended up making hamburgers which is really messy and my kitchen was already a disaster area before I did that. It was either hamburgers or enchiladas so I went with the less complex. I had a burger and then I had ice cream. I have a new kind of ice cream that I really, really like. Really. It's Breyer's Fried Ice Cream. It is quite yummy and I've almost eaten a whole carton of it. O.k. not in one sitting... I've had it for about a week and a half. But it is oh so yummy. So I've sat on my butt doing nothing but reading pretty much all day. I just don't have any enthusiasm or drive to do anything else. I just want to be a lazy bum. I feel kind of bad, but I can't do anything about it right now. I'm just going to blame it on that time of the month (despite the fact that it's basically been that time for about two weeks now thanks to my body that is FREAKING out.) I was invited to a party this evening and I didn't want to go. It was far away and I don't know the people very well and it's a group that I don't really fit into much these days. I guess I'm getting to be an old fuddy duddy. The only thing I'm looking forward to this weekend is going to Mass. And that is a good thing, but I just want to get out of my state of blahs.

Non-productive

I was a lazy bum today. I guess since it's kind of the last of my summer vacation I deserved it... at least that's how I'm justifying it in my mind. I'm not even making supper, I'm heating up taquitos for myself and made Josh hotdogs. I got up around 10:45 this morning. I still felt pretty blah and crampy. I blogged, watched t.v., read my book. I fixed some soup for lunch. After that I was still tired so I went back to be around 1:30 and slept for about an hour. After that, I got dressed and went to the doctor's office to have him sign the form that allows Josh to carry his asthma inhaler with him should he need it. But the doctor wasn't in. Perhaps he is on vacation. So after that I went to Sonic and got a cherry limeade and some tator tots for myself and a grape slush and mozzerella sticks for Josh. I came home, watched more t.v. and read more. Now I'm waiting for my dinner to be finished and for Monk to come on. And no, I didn't get any painting done, but that's o.k. It just means that it might be an extra day before everything can be put back. No biggie. Well, I'm going to go make a bit of queso for my dinner. Sorry that my life is extremely dull and I don't have anything exciting to share.

Well, I'm up

I went back to bed last night and read my book for about 45 minutes. I put it up around 2:25 but didn't fall asleep until sometime after 3:00. I did give in and take 1/2 a tylenol p.m. around 1:45. And now I have cramps and a very early visit from Aunt Mary. I haven't even finished taking my pills that is supposed regulate me. I really just want to lie in bed all day. But I must finish the painting since I didn't do it yesterday as I had intended. But I won't get started on it until this afternoon. Right now I'm going to curl up in front of the t.v. and veg for a while.

Insomnia

I still can't sleep. I went to bed shortly before midnight and I still can't seem to fall asleep. I feel tired, but my body just won't relax or something. I'm trying not to become dependent on sleeping pills. I didn't take anything last night and slept pretty well. My body is just going crazy it seems. I'm going to have to do something about this. Right now things are o.k. since it's summer and I don't have to get up early. But if I don't start getting on a regular schedule soon, I'm going to have to see my doctor about it. I had two bloody marys tonight which did seem to relax me. (And no, I didn't get drunk.. I drank them fairly slow) Now my allergies are acting up. I guess I could go take a benadryl and that would knock me out pretty well.
I'm going to go try reading and see if that will work. I'll check in sometime in the morning or perhaps the afternoon depending on when I do fall asleep.

I did most of the big plans

I did take a shower and change clothes. I finished archiving all my blog posts and that took most of the day. I made a t.v. dinner thing for lunch and it was horrible so I had to make something else. I did go pick up the registration packet for Josh (and let him drive up to the school) and filled everything thing out. It didn't quite take hours, but it took some time. I made supper (spaghetti & meatsauce) and then went to Walmart. I almost made it out under $30. I was about $3 over and that's because I bought a book. I figure that this is my last chance to read for a while so I got another book. It's an Ann Rule book that I haven't read before. The only thing I really didn't do today was paint, but I just didn't feel like it. I am still having the feminine issues with cramps today. The longer this goes on, the more appealing a hysterectomy sounds. Since my last period, I've only had 6 days where I didn't spot. And I've been spotting throughout the time I've been taking my Provera. It seems that it is doing a thing to help with this problem. In reading about it, it clearly states that it is not something that helps with bleeding due to fibroids.
O.k. enough girl talk for now. I won't promise to not mention it again. It is the most exciting thing going on in my life right now. Luckily for my readers, school starts in less than a month and I'm sure I'll have many things to write about then.
I am very saddened that a fellow blogger friend is about to take down his blog. A member of his family discovered it and he doesn't feel comfortable writing it any more. This is the 3rd or 4th blog he's developed. He is a fantastic writer and if you've never read his blog you have missed out. If you make it over there before tomorrow when he takes it down, you might be able to see what I mean.
I am probably just going to go to bed early tonight. I'm feeling rather blah today and just don't want to do much more today. I think I'll go make myself a bloody mary. That sounds really good right now.

Big Plans

O.k. maybe not big plans but here is my current agenda for today. First, I have to take a shower at some point today. Yesterday I didn't change clothes all day or take a shower. I would be completely embarrassed if anyone I knew rang the doorbell right now. Right now I'm in the process of archiving all my posts for the past year. I have a pdf file of my blog from May 2004-June 16 2005 that I sent to Prison Pete at one time but haven't backed up anything else for over a year. Blogger has been pretty good so far, but I think I should keep a back up just in case. I've been promising Pete for a while now that I would send him my updated blogs. I've completed the archive through September of 2005 but I needed a break. Besides, I noticed that my blog entries at this point number 666 and since that's the mark of the devil, I have to write another one quick and make it 667.

After I take a shower and make myself more presentable, I have to go to Josh's high school and pick up his registration packet. Then I will spend hours filling out forms.

I also must finish all the painting for the bathroom. I have to paint the bathroom door, do some touch up on the walls, paint the hardware, and spray the tile with gloss so it's shinier.
I also have to go to Walmart at some point and pick up a few more items. I'm bound and determined to leave there spending less than $30.

So it looks like a busy day for me. I guess I'll go get somethiing to eat so I have enough energy to get it all done.

Some productivity

I got up a little before 9:00 this morning. I was awake around 3:30 this morning, but was able to get back to sleep. I wrote a post in my Catholic blog about prayer this morning that I intended to write on Sunday. Then I did some web surfing. I thought about going back to bed, but I made myself stay up. I decided to start reading my book that I got at Barnes & Noble yesterday. I am really enjoying it and it is getting me motivated for going back to school. The book is called Teaching Outside the Box and is written by the women that the movie Dangerous Minds was about. Some things I'm a little leery about trying out this year, but the thing is that if something doesn't work, I can change it at semester. One of the suggestions is to not have a seating chart. I've always been a big advocate of having a seating chart, but I'm going to try to be flexible this year. The book states that you can always reserve the right to have one if it becomes necessary due to behavior. The book does give me some good ideas on dealing with discipline and some things to make sure I teach in my classes. Now I realize that I'm not even close to being ready for school to start.

So I've spent most of the day reading the book. I stopped to get a bite to eat and watch a little t.v. Now I'm chatting and writing this blog. I know you're excited to read about my doldrum life. I thought about writing an insightful blog after watching Sex & the City last night, but decided to go to bed instead. Maybe I'll work on it.

Another day

I slept in again. I took a full tylenol p.m. last night. I had dreams about my uterus... imagine that. I'm trying not to obsess about my medical issues, but it's been in my thoughts today.

I didn't do any painting today. I will finish up as much as I can tomorrow and then plan to grout on Saturday. I washed dishes and worked on my school webpage stuff today. I also got out of the house if you can believe it. I went to the bookstore and got a teaching book that I had read about. Then I went to walmart to pick up more feminine products. (Yeah, I know you guys are excited to hear about that.) I came home and made supper tonight. We had porkchops and Au Gratin potatoes. It was really yummy. Now I'm flipping through the channels on the t.v. and surfing the web. O.k. really I'm writing this blog, but that's what I was doing earlier. I'm getting a state of boredom. I'm going to have to do something. I guess I'll go read the new book I bought.

Got some answers...

...which leads me to more questions. My doctor called me today. He said that the ultrasound showed I have fibroid tumors. No surprise. It's basically what I suspected. Luckily fibroids are not cancerous and don't turn cancerous. On the down side, having them isn't going to relieve my symptoms and could eventually cause more problems. My doctor mentioned the possibility of a hysterectomy. My problem is that I can't just say that it's o.k. to do something that drastic for my bit of inconvenience at the moment. But if more problems arise then it may be necessary. This leads to more questions.

I'm 36 years old. It's not likely I'm going to be having more children. A. I'm not married. B. If I were married, my age is already a factor. C. Even if I did get married and wanted to have children, it might not be possible because of the fibroids that already exist. Then again on the what if side... what if I do meet someone that does want children or at least the possibility? I'm not sure how I feel about all of this. The thing is that I don't think I would be upset about not having more children. I'm at an age where I just want to be able to do what I want in life. But in considering the possibility of someday finding a decent man, I decided that I would consider having another child if it's something he wanted. I thought it might be nice to raise a child in a married environment rather than doing it by myself.

I've suspected for a long time that I would eventually have a hysterectomy. My mom was 36 when she had hers and my sister was 29. But theirs was due to pre-cancerous cells. So I'm not sure it's really necessary at this point and I can't just say let's do it. Sure, it would be nice to get rid of having periods, but it is major surgery and depending on what kind, it could involve hormone replacement thereapy.

Then again, if I go ahead and have a hysterectomy in the next year or so, it could possibly prevent cancer that could come later on. Given my family history, it seems logical that I would need it in the long run. Having it done now while I'm younger and in a fairly reasonable shape might be better than later on.

So these are thoughts circling my head at the moment. Certainly things that need to be investigated further. I will wait and see what happens when I go back for a doctor visit in the fall.

Last week of vacation

Well, this is my last week before I get back to work. Officially, I don't have to report back until the 9th of August, but next week I need to get a head start. I'm going to try to rest up and enjoy the week as much as I can. I still have the bathroom to finish. I'm down to the last bit of painting for the bathroom. I still have the hardware to paint and the counter tile to grout.

I am still having difficulty sleeping and I wonder if it's the prescription I'm taking. This prescription that is supposed to help regulate my periods and hasn't done it's job. I guess I'll wait and see what happens when I finish the pills next week and see if it makes a difference.

Today I slept late and then got up and sat in front of the t.v. I tried blogging earlier, but blogger wasn't cooperating. I had some lunch and then painted the drawers for the bathroom. I did some laundry, took a shower, surfed the web and have pretty much been a lazy bum today. I thought about going up to Amarillo to the bookstore, but I decided not to. I think I'm going to start trying to get my school web pages designed.

And such is my exciting life.

Making some progress

I'm getting close to finishing the painting in the bathroom. I painted the walls today. I just need to finish the trim and the drawers and hardware. Then I need to let it set for a few days and then I'll grout.

It's only 8:00 and I feel exhausted. I may go to bed early tonight and then go to the 8:30 mass in the morning. I need to make a dessert for the picnic and if I go to Mass early then I can come home and make it.

I don't have anything more to share today. I just painted and went to the grocery store. Maybe tomorrow will be more exciting.

Another borrowed meme

Yesterday and Today

Borrowed from the blog of Iris.

Ten years ago:
I was 26 years old. I had been teaching junior high for two years. I met my now ex-husband in April that year so we would have been dating a few months and getting ready to go on our first trip together to St. Louis in August. I bought my first car on my own that year in March. My son was five and would be starting kindergarten in September. I was living in a house that is just down the block and around the corner from where I am now. I paid $245 a month in rent for a small two bedroom house with a small backyard. It was the most I'd ever paid in rent at the time.

Five years ago:
I was 31 years old. I had been married for about 2 1/2 years. We just bought our first house the year before. My marriage was on the rocks off and on, but was in a decent place at the time. Richard and I went to our first rollercoaster event and joined ACE that year. I was in my second year working for Jostens yearbooks.

One year ago:
I was enjoying my last summer before taking the leap back to teaching. I had been divorced for two years and it had been over a year since Marty and I had broken up. I was pretty much in the same place I am now, but now I have health insurance and my wisdom teeth out. Josh was at the end of band camp and I played in director's band again last year. I had been dating Brian from Dalhart and realized that it wasn't going to work out. There's not a post from July 21 last year, but here's the post from July 22. They day before was written about cleaning. Imagine that.

Yesterday:
Painted at the school. Played two concerts with the director's band. Went out to eat with my friend Kirsten.

Today:
Picked up Josh's stuff from his dorm at 10:30. Came home and took a shower and went to his concert at 12:30. Stayed for the Honor's band concert. After the concerts, Josh and I went to Amarillo. We went to eat at Olive Garden. Then we went to Lowe's to get tile, paint, and toilet parts. Got everything but the paint. Went to Home Depot. Got paint. Went to Barnes & Noble. Got Josh a music book. Came home. Josh got his software in the mail today. He is ecstatic. I checked my email, read blogs and am thinking of taking a nap.

Tomorrow:
Will be painting the bathroom. Maybe clean house. Pay bills. Balance my checkbook. Go to the store. Find something to make for the Church picnic on Sunday.

Five people I'm tagging

I tag anyone that wants to do this meme. Don't feel obligated. But comment if you do the meme. Or comment if you don't. Or don't comment. Do what you want.

Band Camp is almost over

I went up to the campus this morning to get the things out of Josh's dorm room. His concert is at 12:30 today. My friend Matt has gone above and beyond for my bathroom. He came over yesterday and laid all the tile for the counter except for one piece (was one piece short). He also put in a new backsplash and trim all around the counter. It's going to look great. I have to do all the finish work which is to putty the nail holes in the trim, seal the edges, paint the trim and grout. It will probably take another week before it's all finished. So Josh and I will have to share a bathroom for the next week... God help us.

Josh decided today that he didn't want to go to Albuquerque. If we go, we would have to go this Mon.-Wed. There is no other time for us to go before school starts. Josh starts summer band next Thursday and then I go back officially on the 9th. I may still just take this next week off. It will be my last official week of doing almost nothing. I still have websites to work on (or at websites to plan to work on) and a yearbook workshop to plan. I still need to do some housecleaning, of course. But if we don't go to Albuquerque, I won't feel as rushed. It's always a quick trip and the gas price is outrageous.

Last night the girls night was just me and my friend Kirsten. My other friend missed my phone calls and decided not to go. The other person had to pass because of money. So we went to Applebee's and had perfect margaritas with our dinner. It was quite yummy. I got really full and was tired when I got home, but Matt was still working on the bathroom. I figured I'd sleep pretty well because I was so tired, but once again, I tossed and turned. I had a pain in my side for part of the night. The only way I could sleep for a while was on my back because of the pain. It eventually went away, but I generally don't do well sleeping on my back. Usually I'm curled up on my side with two pillows under my head. I had more weird chase dreams last night. But now they're all kind of vague in my head so I can't share them with you. I really need to do something about my sleeping issues. If it doesn't change before school starts, I'll see my doctor about it.

Well, I have to run and take a shower and get ready for Josh's concert.

A long day already

I got up this morning around 7:45. I left to go up to the school at 8:25 but had to stop for gas. I got there around 9-ish and the stairs were still blocked off. There was a new sign that said the upstairs wouldn't be available until Friday the 21st. I was a little upset but decided to go talk to my principal about it. I asked him if it was true that I still couldn't go upstairs because the previous sign on Tuesday said that we could go up starting today. He said he'd check with the custodial staff and he told me how I'd already upset them. I told him that I knew but I was checking the keys that the secretary had given me. So he eventually finds the custodians and they say it's o.k. for me to go up... which is good because I would have bitched and moaned a bit about wasting another tank of gas. O.k. maybe I would have silently sulked, but I still would have been upset. So I go up and my door key doesn't work. I go back down and tell my principal. He comes up with his keys. Even his master key doesn't work. He thinks something is jammed in there, but I'm not sure. They key goes in, but it won't turn. Luckily we can get in through the office/storage door. He says that he'll submit a work order for my door lock. I had three students there intermittently this morning. We got the base color up and a good deal of the trim done. The blue is really, really pretty. I still need to go up and do some touch up painting but I'm going to have to wait a week. The principal will be gone next week and I think the custodians are planning more work so I'm not going to bother going up there to just have to turn around and come back. Part of next week we'll go to Albuquerque instead. Maybe then I'll get some of the yearbook workshop stuff ready to go and then I'll be able to spend the rest of the time in my room at school.

I made it home with 15 minutes to change clothes, put on make-up and do my hair. I basically got it done, but was sweating like mad. We played two concerts today and my mouth was so very tired by the middle of the second concert. Tonight my friend Kirsten and maybe my friend Pam is going out to eat and probably have a perfect margarita at Applebee's. Tomorrow I have to pick up Josh's stuff at 10:30 when he checks out of his dorm. His concert is at 12:30.

I tried painting last night but the dingy white I requested is a little too dingy... meaning gray. I wanted something that isn't quite bright white, but it was a little overboard. Now I have to get more paint to mix with this paint to have the shade I want. It never seems to end. Well, I better get ready to head out to eat. I'm starving. I didn't have time for lunch and all I had was half a cinnamon roll this morning.

Still in the wrong business

I got my bill for my ultrasound that I had in June. At first I think I was reading it wrong and thought I owed $912.77. I was a bit taken aback by that since I was told at first that I would only owe around $300. But when I read it again it said that amount was the total charges and that the account balance is $88.02. So I think I'm getting off better than what I was originally told even though they ultimately charged (the insurance company) more than originally planned. But I still don't have any information as to whether or not the tests revealed anything. I called my doctor's office to see if they could tell me anything and the nurse/administrative assistant is out on vacation. So I still don't have any answers, but I did stop spotting after I started taking my pills again. I'm still in the wrong business when the hospital makes $900 for my 15 minute appointment. That is a little less than half of my current paycheck.

I went to Lowe's this morning and got the counter tile, tile adhesive, grout sealer, paint, and some paint rollers to the tune of $75. Josh's bathroom is costing more than I planned, but I am very happy with it and think it's worth it. It's still a pretty good deal though. It's basically a remodel for around $200. Luckily I've had free labor. (Well, free except for food and beer... which is much cheaper.) I ordered Josh's music software today and now he can really start creating musical masterpieces. I do expect him to win an academy award for best original music score and take care of me in my old age. He has promised that if he's ever nominated, that he will take me to the ceremony. Isn't he a good kid?

I'm still feeling a bit tired today, but I'm going to try to not take a nap. I've been generating ideas to incorporate at school next year. They are big on technology and I want to incorporate using it more in my class. I'm actually thinking of having them blog their journal writing and other assignments instead of writing them on paper. There is an educational blogging site that can be used and the teacher can read their submissions before they are posted. I think it would be cool to do that. It would save me from having to haul stacks of spirals home to grade journaling. I also want to possibly do something with podcasting. That is the big push in our district. I also still want to incorporate having a school website with assignments and links and such on it. I am just worried about keeping up with it. I think, however, that if I get the basic site up at the beginning of school, I can just add links and pages to it later. I just didn't have time last year to create a site from scratch once I learned how to use front page in the middle of the school year. It's basically because I am a perfectionist and I want my school website to look good and not like most cheesy teacher sites.

Well, I better get ready to go to the last band rehearsal. I need to practice a little bit of my music. The concerts are tomorrow. One is at 3:00 and the other is at 4:00. I think tomorrow night I'm going to plan a girl's night out. My friend Norma (Marty's sister-in-law) wanted to get together and I just invited my friend Kirsten. I'll also call my friend Pam. Any other girls instered in going, you're welcome to join us. Tiffany, you interested?

Sleep? What's that?

I didn't sleep well last night... again. I decided to not take a tylenol p.m. I think I heard that it's not supposed to be addicting, but I didn't want to take any chances. I figured that surely I could go to sleep without a problem. I mean I was barely holding my head up while watching CSI at 11 p.m. I wanted to finish watching it, so I did, and I went to be at midnight. And I was still awake at 1 or 2... I'm not sure. Then I started sleeping and dreaming and it was one of those kind of scary chase dreams where someone was after me and I was hiding and I knew that he was going to find me. I think it had something to do with the CSI episode I had just watched, but I woke up and decided I didn't want to dream about that any more. So I try to go back to sleep and I had one of those nights where you just don't ever fall into a deep sleep. You can't get comfortable and you seem to wake up every time you change positions. Then sometime this morning I had another weird dream. You wanted to know what it was about, right?

I dreamed that my aunt wanted me to make a special dessert for a special occasion. Since I like to do things like that, I thought it would be great. So I look through a recipe book and find a recipe for a chocolate cake that has strawberries on top. I realize I have to go to the store to get the things on my list. But I don't have a car for some reason. So I ride a bike. I go to the store that used to be just up the street (but it really isn't there any more, but dreams can change that.) I got there and I was in the checkout line for some reason (before buying anything) and I paid for the stuff I was going to get, but hadn't gotten yet. Anyways, I went to get my stuff and I kept forgetting certain things - not surprising for me. But it was hard to find everything I needed; I was getting cake items like baking powder, cocoa, etc. but there were in weird places in the store. I needed some coffee... which is weird because I don't drink it, but I think I needed it for the cake recipe and so I get some coffee grounds and just pour them into my shopping bag... not a coffee bag, but all over my other items in my bag. Then I have to check out again since I got some other things I didn't pay for beforehand. I tried to estimate how much coffee I had and they said they couldn't do that and they needed to weigh it. I was like "duh" and headed back to the aisle to find a coffee bag. Then the dream takes me back to the house to start making the cake. I then realize that the special occasion is for my aunt's oldest daughter who in my dream is a lesbian and she's wanting a judge to legalize the "union" with her partner. I'm irritated because as a Catholic I feel like it's wrong to support that and I was kind of roped into make a special cake for something I wouldn't have supported. But I made the cake anyway and it turned out great. Sometime after that I woke up. **Note: My cousin in real life is not a lesbian.** **I also may need to find a chocolate cake recipe now.**

And now I'm up but I'm still tired. I need to go to Lowe's (It's finally Payday!!!!) and get the materials to finish the bathroom. I also have to get some more money for Josh. I also need to pay some bills and order Josh's music software. It looks like it's already going to be another busy day. But maybe a quick nap first? Is it too early for that?

I was annoyed, now I'm irritated

I got up early this morning again (8:45 after not going to bed until 2:00 - see previous post) and headed back to Hereford to continue painting my room. I got there and signs were on the stairs stating that they were waxing and nobody could come up until Thursday. I really wished I had known this in advance. I've been in my room up there painting and not one of the custodial staff came in to tell me this. So I mostly wasted a trip up there. Since it costs me a little over $6.00 each time I make the trip, I hate wasting the gas. I figured since I was there, I would finally try to get the keys to my room since the person who was supposed to have them was finally back. She didn't have them but had two sets of keys that weren't labeled. She gave them to me to try and see if they worked. Although I know I wasn't supposed to, I went upstairs just to test the keys and I got yelled at by the custodial staff. That's not a good thing to get off on the wrong foot with the custodians. They, along with the secreteries, are the ones you have to butter up the most. Now my trash probably won't be changed until next semester.

The keys didn't work. So I snuck out and tiptoed as carefully as could back down stairs. Another person was suggested that might have the keys. Since I had nothing else to do, I decided to head over to another building (that luckily I could go in to) and find out. Sure enough, I was able to locate my new keys... not that I could use them. So this changes my plans. I wanted to be finished painting my room by the end of the week. Now I won't be able to finish until some time next week... which was when I was supposed to go to Albuquerque for a few days. School starts in less than a month and I still have a ton of things to do in that time. I have to get my room set up and organized. I have to send stuff of to the printers to be printed for the first week. I have a yearbook workshop that I still need to plan. I still need to work on getting school websites set up. Where has the time gone?

Now I can't sleep

I tried going to bed at 10:45 without taking a tylenol p.m. And now it's 12:45 and I'm still awake. I got up somewhat early today at 8:45 (that's early for summer break); I worked hard painting today and didn't take a nap. I should be able to sleep, but I can't. Nothing's wrong and nothing in particular is on my mind. I decided to finish a post on my other blog that I'd been working on for a couple of days. Then I went to see if anybody else has posted anything. And now I'm bored. I finally caved and took 1/2 a tylenol p.m. and it has yet to hit me. So what do I write about?

Bathroom update: Everything has two coats of primer except for the back of two cabinet doors. I didn't get to Lowe's today so I haven't started painting the actual paint. With everything white and clean in there it looks really good. Except for the green countertop that is still in there.

House cleaning update: My house could use some cleaning as always. It's not a complete disaster, however. I need to unload the dishwasher and load it again. I need to pick things up and put things away. Of course I still have some laundry to do, but it's not overwhelming. (The joy of summer, you can wear the same clothes more than one day if you don't go anywhere.)

Love life update: Nothing to report there. Haven't met anyone that is interesting and single. Of course I don't get out much, but oh well.

Music update: I've been playing in director's band since last Tuesday. I'm actually getting most of the music down. Our concert is this Thursday. You're all invited to come. O.k. I know most of you that read this blog actually live much too far away to come to my concert. But if there are any local fans that want to come, send me an email and I'll let you know what time and where. We have an amazing flute soloist playing and the concert should be really good... if you like that kind of thing.

This is getting annoying

Word of warning... more girl talk here. I mentioned my female issues in a previous post. Go ahead read it if you haven't before. So I did the ultrasound and didn't hear anything back from my doctor so I'm assuming nothing major there. (Though I should probably call and just make sure... I was out of town and just got busy and haven't given it much thought.) I took my two weeks of pills diligently which was amazing for me. Although I was told that I would probably have a period 3-7 days after the last pill, it turned out to be 10 days later... but no big deal. I was to start pills again 14 days after the start of my last period... which was two weeks ago today.

First let me explain a few things. I mentioned before how much I hate this part of being female. The only time it ever was a relief was when I was sexually active and although after my first child I started taking precautions, it was a relief to know I wasn't pregnant in case there was ever a doubt. For most of my life I guess my periods were fairly normal. I didn't give them much thought. They came approximately every month and later on they would be fairly short. That's a good thing if you have to have them... they might as well not last very long.

So I started taking the pills last month even though I had started spotting again. The spotting continued for a few more days and finally stopped. Everything was fine and I started my period ten days later. And it continued for 10 days straight. That's 10 days. Not 4-5, not even a week... but a week and a half. O.k. No big deal. At least it will be another month before it happens again. After all, I am taking pills. So guess what happens today? I started spotting again. I hadn't even had a chance to refill my prescription. Today was 14 days.

Aaaarrrrghhhhhh!

O.k. I feel better now. I'm just tired of this. It's really, really annoying. Sometimes I want to go ahead and have a hysterectomy and be done with all of this. But then I keep thinking about potentially marrying again... some day.... and what if my potential mate is someone that wants to have kids? I still am not sure if I want more, but I guess it would be nice to have the option. I just wish this issue wasn't going on at the moment. So I filled my prescription and wrote a hot check for it. I was going to wait a couple of extra days but figured that would be bad. I hope this stuff gets my body working the way it's supposed to.

-- End of rant --

Time is flying fast

<----- Josh's bathroom tile

Before I know it, summer will be over and it will be time to start school again. But I've already been at work. I started painting my room at the school this morning. I had a student show up at 10:00 to help and she stayed until about 12:45. Then I had another student come in around 1:00. I'm covering the hideous pink with a nice neutral cream color. It's a really big room and there's a lot of painting around electrical and network boxes. I have done a great deal of painting in my later years beginning with the first house that Richard and I bought together. I painted four rooms in that house and did quite a bit of wallpaper as well. When I lost that house to foreclosure in the divorce I moved into my parents house shortly after my mom passed away. I decided to make it my house instead of what used to be my aunt's house and then my parents house. I painted three bedrooms and a bathroom before I moved in. I also wallpapered Josh's room. If you want to see some pictures, you can click here. I don't have pictures of the spare room or Josh's bathroom, but will load some when everything is finished. Right now they are in a state of disarray with the remodel that's going on.

So in the mornings I am up at the school from 10-2 working there. When I get home, I take a quick shower (because I am a messy painter) and then head to summer band at 3:00. I get home from there around 4:40. Then in the evenings I've been working in Josh's bathroom. I have two coats of primer on the top half of the walls and a single coat on the lower tiled part. I will finish priming in there tonight. Tomorrow I will start painting and then on Wednesday/Thursday, hopefully I will start tiling the counter. I hope that by Friday everything will be done when Josh gets back from band camp. I don't want to have to share my bathroom. I know that sounds selfish... but after living with a man and having a son that isn't very accurate, I don't want my bathroom to become the disgusting mess that his was. I'm also going to put my foot down when his bathroom is done and insist that if he can't aim better that he will have to regularly clean up the mess.

Well, I need to go pick up my prescription (that will be another post soon) and then run to Lowe's and write a somewhat hot check for more supplies. If you want to see pictures of my classroom before I started painting, click here.

Weird search phrases

It's once again time to post the latest search words that bring people to my blog. A few are understandable... but some I just don't get.

office secreteries with boss - not sure about this one but I guess I've written those words in my blog before
photos of feldman's diner in canyon texas - This one actually makes sense since it is a local restaurant
cleansing a house - I know, I know... I write too much about house cleaning... but not sure about cleansing
split-phase air-over fan motor teao parts - At first this didn't make sense... but then I remember writing about my heater woes and I actually used all of those words.
laundering machine - Enough said
"candle warmer" 2003 advertisement - I guess I mentioned getting a candle warmer for Christmas or something.
"broke my neck" - This I've done and have written about it.
today i met the man of my dreams - Yeah, right... I wish I could write that.
"m key doesn't work" "laptop" - Well, my "m" key seems to work just fine.
profiles.yahoo.com /salon car - I'm stumped on these last three...
gel bra mervyn's
how often do married couple have sex - ?????

Friends are friends for a while

Friendship is an interesting thing. Some people can make friends easily and they always have someone to call on for whatever reason. To go shopping, to go out, or for some help or whatever. I find that I don't have much in the way of real friends and it's a bit disconcerting. I'm not sure why. I know I've written about this before, but I'm trying to make heads or tails out of it I guess.

I've figured out that there are varying levels of friendship. You can have acquaintences which are people you know, but you aren't ever really involved with them. Perhaps people you work with or maybe even people you converse with from time to time. Then there are friendly acquaintences which are close to friends but not exactly. It might be someone that you actually call on the phone every once in a while but usually not just to talk to them, but perhaps ask question or a favor or something. You might get together once in a blue moon. When you see them in the grocery store, you ask how they're doing and you always say something like "We should get together soon," but you never really do. Then there are friends. Those are people you've known for a length of time and you have more of a special feeling for. You could probably call on them for favors and you'd definitely invite them to special occasions. You make an effort to stay in contact fairly often and keep up with each other's lives for the most part. The next step above that might be a "girlfriend" to another female (not lesbian) which is someone that is a close friend. You call them about everything especially when you need to talk about the opposite sex. You get together and go out and you always help each other out when needed. I'm not sure what you'd call the equivalent for guys or what a close friend of the opposite sex would be called.

I've discovered that as I've gotten older, close friends seem to be fewer and far between. Or maybe it's just me. I know there are women out there that still have "best friends" and they do everything together. I just don't have that. I have a few friends that are kind of close that I do some things with. But we don't stay in touch weekly and one of them lives 9 hours away most of the time. I have a lot of friendly acquaintances that I know from work or church. And then there's my good blog friends. I'm sure if I lived close to any of them, they would be friends that would come over for parties and such. I am wondering if my lack of friends is something is really just me. When I was married, we had some "couple" friends that we would get together with every now and then. I'm still friends with one of those couples, but they moved to Michigan. But I've also changed quite a bit since they were last living here. I still see them when they come back to town, but it's not the same. I'm not one to go out and party and drink like I once did.

I've lost my best friend that I had in high school and throughout college. I guess we just grew apart since she stopped talking to me and every effort I made to contact her for over a year was unanswered. I finally took the hint. I've talked to her once since then, and she was friendly, but that's still the last I've heard from her. I sent her a letter shortly before I was confirmed in the Catholic Church telling her that I missed her friendship and although I wasn't sure why things had changed that I was still interested in getting together some time if she was interested. I put the ball in her court and she never responded to it. The "why" of it used to bother me, but I realized that I've done what I can to mend things and that's all I can do.

I wonder if it's me. I used to have at least one best friend throughout grade school, junior high, and high school. The friend changed from time to time, but I always had one. Now I don't really have someone like that. For a while it was my husband, then it was Marty. Although I'm still friends with both of them, it's not the same. I do have some very good friends, but I'm missing the one you call a best friend. Maybe it's just a part of adulthood. Maybe it's the fact that I've been in kind of a loner state. I don't know. Perhaps I'm just being impatient as always. Maybe my new best friend is just around the corner.

For such a small bathroom

... it really seems quite big with all the painting I'm doing. And I'm just getting the primer down. I haven't painted around the sink where I'll be laying tiles soon. I think I'll save that until after I've grouted the tiles. I'm going to have to some creative checkbook balancing and perhaps a little bit of floating so I can buy the tiles and actual paint for the bathroom. I slept in this morning which was wonderful. I hadn't heard from Matt so I decided to start putting on the primer. Sure enough, as soon as I started, Matt called to say he was on his way. Good news is that he finished grouting the floor tile. He also took out the warped backsplash behind the sink. He'll replace it with another piece of wood and then take the sink out so I can start tiling. I went to director's band today and Dr. Garner was late for probably the first time in history. Somehow he was an hour behind schedule so he got to our rehearsal about 20 minutes late. I did get to see Josh for about 10 seconds though. He got some mail at home and I brought it to him. After I got home I did a little more painting, then made some dinner. Then I painted some more. Then I watched Monk and Pysch. Then I painted some more. Now I'm tired.
Guess I'll go to be and then do some more painting in the morning.

not much time to update

This morning I went to the school to unload all my stuff from my car. I had two students meet me there this morning. We then moved all the stuff in my room to the center and started taping and putting down drop cloths for painting. We'll start painting on Monday. I talked to my principal today and he never got the email I sent. I asked him about moving the stuff out of the storage room and he's getting on top of it. After I got home, I ate some lunch and then went to band. After band I went back to Amarillo to pick up my grout which had to be special ordered. I guess blue grout isn't very popular. Then I came home and tried to take a nap but I wasn't as tired as I thought I was. I got up and made some dinner and watched t.v. for a bit. Now I'm taking a break from scraping my bathroom walls. I hope to finish the scraping and pasting tonight. My friend Matt will be here in the morning to grout the floor. I'd like to get started on the counter, but I'm very short of funds at the moment and will have to wait until next week for the tile.

And that's all the excitement in my life. Now my blog sounds like a home improvement show. Well, I do like watching Trading Spaces, While You Were Out and all those other home improvement shows on TLC. Mine would be called Room Makeovers under $200. I don't know what I'd do if I actually had $1000 to fix a room.

Well, I better get back to work; my break time is over.

Pain-ting

I haven't really started all the painting I plan to do in the next few weeks. I know it will be a pain, but it will also be very worth it. I tested the paint in my bathroom and it isn't lead based. That means after my floor is done I can start scraping it off. The big pain is going to be the painting at school. The room is quite large. I could probably call some of my students and have them help, but then I would have students helping me paint. I'm not sure I want to risk it. I'm not a perfect painter, but I don't want it slopped on all over the place.

Today I have to go up to the school and start moving things out of my old room into my new room. I'm just having a hard time getting motivated at the moment. But I do need to get going so I can find some boxes to pack some things in. I'm going now... really, I am. See... this is the end of...

Who has time to worry about lonliness?

Sorry for the previous pity post. I'm over it. Perhaps it was the glass (or two) of wine I had before writing it. Things have been busy here. Yesterday I went up to the school and got a look at my room. It's a nice large space, but it will definitely need some work. The previous teacher painted the room pink and green. There might have been a point in my life where I thought pink and green was a cool color combination, but I've outgrown it. There is a ton of storage along one wall, but the majority of the cabinets and drawers have locks and I couldn't open all of them. It needs to be majorly cleaned, repainted, and rearranged. I also need desks for the room and have made a request to my principal. There is a great storage/office space area that will be great if I can get all the stuff that's currently in there cleared out. Overall, I'm pleased with the space but want to make it my room.

After my trip to Hereford, I came back home and picked up Wendy's for lunch. Then I cleared the bathroom so my friend Matt could come work on the floor. After he got here and got started, I headed to Lowe's to get grout for the tile. Unfortunately, they didn't have the color I wanted. I then headed to Home Depot and they didn't have it either. I'm going to have to call around to other stores today and see if I can find someone with it in stock. Matt did a great job yesterday and he was able to get the entire floor down. I think it looks great. I'm going to be doing the tiling on the countertop, however. Matt doesn't have the time to do all of that so he's going to leave me instructions. I hope I can do it. I still have painting to do in there as well. I got started on the drawers already by priming them. I still need to get the actual paint.

So I have a lot of projects going on to keep me busy. Between the bathroom, my room at school, and director's band, I won't have much time for anything else.

All Alone

I took Josh to band camp this afternoon. We seemed to go at a really bad time and had to wait in line for everything. I was amazed at the rudeness of some of the kids. They came into the dorm lobby with tons of bags and didn't watch where they were going and would knock other bags over or run over things and wouldn't say "excuse me." Josh even commented after we finally got his dorm key that when he has kids come here that he'll teach them some manners.

And now I'm alone. I have the house to myself for the next two weeks. What to do, what to do? I do plan to work on Josh's bathroom. I'm going to paint the existing wall tile rather than remove it. I need to get a lead paint test kit and test the peeling paint in the bathroom. It needs to be scraped off, but since the house was built before 1978 then it could contain lead. If that's the case, then I'd have to have professionals come do the work and that would suck. I'm hoping the paint is lead-free and I can get started on it soon.

I'm probably going to start going up to the school to get some work done. I still need to check out my new room and see what kind of space I will have. I will play in director's band so that will keep me busy for a while as well. I'm going to need something to do to keep myself occupied. It's going to feel a bit lonely here without Josh. Sure, he stays in his room most of the time (he is a teenager) but it's still my job to take care of him. I guess I better get used to it though. He'll be graduating in three years and then go off to college. And since there are no prospects for my love life, it seems that I will, indeed, be quite alone. I'm trying realize that it's o.k. if that's the way things end up. It's just kind of a hard pill to swallow sometimes.

Feeling better.. enough to go to the movies

I slept in this morning but not as late as I did yesterday. I got up a little after 9:00, I think. I didn't do much this morning other than watch t.v. Josh and I took a brief trip to the movie theatre to buy our movie tickets early. It was his first experience driving on the interstate. He did pretty well except for changing lanes. He wants to turn the wheel rather than just pull on it a bit. Then I came home and had some lunch. It's riveting reading, I know. Oh! I did have Mormons come knocking on my door today. They introduced themselves and I told them I was Catholic and I didn't believe in their teachings and it was a waste of their time. They proceeded to tell me that's great and that they were just sharing the good news about blah, blah, blah, blah, blah... I interrupted and told them that I had to leave in a few minutes (which was true) and I wasn't interested in what they had to say. I was nice about it but sent them along their merry way.

I took Josh and a friend along with one of my friends to see the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. It was o.k. but I was disappointed in the ending - if you can call it that. I won't give anything away but it reminds me of the second Back to Future movie where it ends leaving you hanging. You have to go see the movie that comes out next year in order to see what the actual ending is. It was also a bit long at 2 1/2 hours and had it's token moments of gore to gross people out. I will say that it did have some great and creative fight choreography. Maybe I should have gone to see the new Superman movie instead.

We came home and I fixed spaghetti for supper and had a glass of wine as I watched the season premiere of Monk. I've still got a runny nose and watery eyes so I'll take some more allergy medicine tonight. I need to practice my clarinet a bit. Josh and I are playing at Mass on Sunday morning before he leaves for band camp. I also need to make sure all his laundry is washed so he can get packed.

I am debating about getting involved in a Diocesan choir for a special Mass held in August. I think it might be fun to sing in a group made up of musicians from other Parishes. I'm concerned that I might not fit in -- singing-wise. I can follow along pretty well as long as I'm singing the melody for the most part. I might try it. It's four rehearsals and then the final performance. The only thing is that it is on the same day as another event I have going on and I need to see if I can go to both. I still need things to get myself out of the house more.

Feeling blah again

I don't know if it's allergies or a cold but I woke up feeling just blah today. I made myself get up and go up to speech camp so that I could give them the list of missing books I made. After that I came back home and went back to bed. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I didn't get out of bed until after noon. I was just tired. I finally got up and piddled around. Josh and I went to Lowe's to look at tile today. The first tile he liked was a bit expensive at $10 a square foot. Even though it's a small bathroom, that's a bit much. We finally found something similar for a lot less at 2.27 a square foot. We bought two boxes of it. I plan to have my friend Matt come sometime next week to help me install it. But now I'm having some other thoughts about my bathroom project and I want to more that what I may be able to do or have time for. I am excited about the tile but I also have plans to replace the vanity top which is not in good condition and the backsplash is warped and coming off. I plan to get rid of it and replace it with a sheet of wood and tile on top of it. O.k. that should be simple enough, but when I looked in the bathroom tonight I realized that the existing tile isn't going to look very good with the new stuff. I am wondering how excruciating it would be to replace that tile as well. I would really like to give the whole bathroom a new face. It's something to consider. I don't mind doing the work, but I will need some muscle help probably. I guess I'll give it some thought.

I finally broke down and got a new battery for my digital camera. They cost about $40 but last about two years. There have been several moments where I've wanted to take pictures of something but didn't have the capability. I'm glad I will be able to use it again. Josh and I also went to the bookstore and a miracle happened! I walked out of there without buying a single book! I think that is unheard of for me. Perhaps it was the fact that I'd just dropped $90 on tile and the camera battery.

Well, Monk is on so I have to get going. Hopefully I'll be feeling less blah tomorrow.

The 4th, Speech Camp and whatever

I finally got my house clean. My aunt and uncle got here around 2:30 on Monday. I started my last bit of cleaning at 7:30 that morning and that included the garage and Josh's bathroom which were both pretty hideous. I didn't go to speech camp from Saturday through Tuesday. Monday night I made chicken parmesan for dinner and then we listened to some of Josh's music that he's written. My aunt was impressed with it and she offered to pay the rest of the money needed to get the updated software. I'll order it while he's gone to camp. Tuesday we went to see the 4th of July parade. It was o.k., but it's just not the same without a marching band in it. My cousin's birthday party was at 5:00. Josh and I went there and stayed for about 2 1/2 hours. We invited a few people to come by my house to watch the fireworks. We have a great view from the church parking lot right across the street. Most of my family was here as well as a group of friends that were having a party just down the street. I think I ended up with about 25 people in my house just before the fireworks started. The show was pretty decent this year. Everybody left shortly after the show and I was dog tired. I didn't sleep well the night before and then I had had a few drinks. I wasn't drunk, just sleepy. My allergies were starting to act up though. I didn't take anything for it because I needed to get up somewhat early this morning. My aunt and uncle left around 7:00 a.m. I got up to say good-bye and then went back to bed for a little bit. I went to camp today and got all the books shelved and then I came home to print a list so I could check to see what was turned in. I started after lunch today and worked four hours straight and didn't quite get finished. Josh called me a little before 4:15 and reminded me that he had a lesson. I completely lost track of time. I gathered my stuff and picked him up for his lesson. Afterwards we went back to the school to finish up the books. We ordered Thai take-out, came home to eat, and then we had to head back up to the Church for a music rehearsal. We're playing at the 8:30 Mass on Sunday. Sunday is also the day that Josh is going to band camp. I'll be alone for two weeks.
Tomorrow I have to go up to camp again briefly and then Josh and I are going to go look at tile for his bathroom. I may try to get up to Hereford as well so I can take a look at my room. I need to make plans to get moved.

Well, that's all the excitement for today. I'm going to head for bed pretty soon since the drowsiness is starting.

Cleaning

As much as I hate to clean on a regular basis, I actually do a really good job when I do make the decision to get going. I piddled around today and didn't start until around 1:00. I finally turned the t.v. to a music station so I'd stop watching it. I got started and realized that I needed vacuum bags. Unfortunately the kind I need, Kirby, is only sold at Kirby stores. We have a store here but it closed at 1:00. I pulled up at 2:15. Vacuuming was a major priority so I headed to Amarillo to the store up there. Luckily it was open until 4:00 today. Then I went to Pet Smart to get flea medicine for the dogs since they've been scratching and it's that time of year. After that I went to Walmart to get cleaning supplies. I ended up spending more than I wanted at Walmart, but at least my house should sparkle when I get it finished. When I got back I started in on the Living Room and now that it's almost midnight I'm close to getting it finished. I have to say that I didn't work on it constantly, but I did get it really clean. I learned how to use the attachments on my vacuum and I got the cobwebs out and along all the floorboards. I moved furniture out of the way and vacuumed underneath it. I straightened up all my bookshelves, cleaned off my desk and it's looking pretty good. Unfortunately, I have 3 more major rooms to clean as well as two bathrooms. I will start in on the kitchen in the morning before going to church. After church, I will start on the guest bedroom and get it ready for my aunt and uncle. My bedroom really isn't too bad. It mostly needs vacuuming and the bathroom cleaned.

I'm sorry I don't have anyting more exciting to share other than my cleaning excerpts. This blog is about my life and it seems to constantly revolve around cleaning. If I should ever get married again and have a decent income, I think I will hire someone to come in and clean a couple of days a week. I think it would be so worth it.

It's way past my bedtime so I better head that way.

No Big Deal

The party was fine. We ate BBQ and I had two beers. I sat with other people that I knew but mostly listened to the conversation. I stayed about two hours and left with the second to last group to leave. It was nice to get out and be social and I don't think I acted like an idiot or said anything stupid. I came home and continued reading my book. It's getting to the exciting part so I was up until about midnight reading it before I just got too tired. I went to bed and I slept in this morning. Speech camp is continuing today but I'm devoting the weekend to cleaning. It's now 10:30 and I haven't gotten started yet. I'm thinking about running to Sonic for a coke to get me going. It's time to get motivated... in a few minutes. Really. I mean it.