The last pictures for Awhile

This is our semi-finished entry/laundry room for now. We still have a lot of trim to put up and tiling of the bottom steps. We also have not finished the door casings.

The first picture is from the kitchen leading to the back room. We hung a curtain up to seperate the area for now.











The steps are the new oak boards I bought. I put 7 coats on them to make them durable! They better be. I found this neat little storage unit on clearance and 50 percent off to keep things neat and tidy. Owl put a shelf above the units to keep the very used items. We put a roll around laundry unit on the other side. It rolls out allowing more room to fold clothes. There is even a place for the brooms and such on the side. Owl put in a special dryer vent allowing the dryer to be close to the wall. This allows us as much space as possible. I painted one wall chocolate brown and the others a nice light brown. It turned out very nice. We still have to do the top of the low wall and one window casing but it is coming together.

I started painting at 9:00 this morning and didn't stop until 4:00 p.m. I took about 10 minutes off to eat at one point. I still have a few touch up spots but nothing too major. I was amazed that it took me all day and I still didn't finish. The cut in was tricky as some of the walls and windows are over the stairs.

Owl moved the washer and dryer up with our oldest and everything worked right off. It took us most of the night to clean up our mess. We still had wood, tools, dirt, sheetrock, paint, garbage, ect. all over the kitchen and outside the doors. Owl worked hard at cleaning the outside while I worked hard at cleaning the inside.

Life is full of surprises and we hope the grandparents like theirs. I have already done some laundry tonight and I love it. I think they will too.

Eyore is doing o.k. this week. We are having a much better week than last week. He has done some school work all week-end and today. I was excited to see him up and around. His foot is still hurts him alot but I am noticing that he is putting his toes on the ground. Every little bit is progress!

We are nearing the end of the school year and I am so glad. I will be happy to not have to do school lunches and a firm schedule. I like to sleep in. I haven't even done my excersizes since starting this project. I am going biking tomorrow. I hope it isn't too bad after a week off.

I am off to pick up the grandparents. Wish me luck.

Kanga

Pictures in Progress

I'm mixing the grout so I can finish the tile grouting. What a messy job that was. The kitchen became the catch all for the project. The office area has become the dining room come pantry. The office area was the original dining area at one time. I kind of like the table there.

Well, I wrote this long, great post and accidently erased it all. I will have to make this one shorter as I need to get back to work. Here are some pictures of our project as we progress. There are more to come but will have to post later.

We have put the new steps in but have a few supports to add. We are texturing the walls tonight in hopes of me painting tomorrow so we can move the washer and dryer up before the grandparents return tomorrow night.

We did manage to take the time out for a bar-b-que with some friends tonight. It was enjoyable as we were tired.

God is so good to stretch our dollar. We have managed to do the project for about 500.00 dollars.

Kanga

A Castoff

O.K. It was just Eyore getting his cast off today. It was a tuff decision but between two doctors and myself we decided to let him have no cast. The new xray shows a slow healing process. It has been seven weeks and he is still in a lot of pain. He wanted us to keep a cast on it! It should have been well healed by now. The first doctor wanted to send us to a specialist but my regular doctor and I both agree there is little they can do. We must wait. In the meantime we are going to do pool therapy since we have a pool. His ankle and foot are so stiff from no use that it hurts to move it. The pool should help with that. It is frustrating as a parent to see him struggle.

We are putting the first coat of mud on one side of the wall tonight. I also found a new built in microwave/hood for our kitchen. My husband installed that tonight too. It is way cool to have the microwave up and out of the way. I got a great deal on it, only 40.00.

Eyore is taking advantage of his disabilities lately, expecting everyone to do everything for him. I find it hard to know what he can and can't do. I have begun to expect him to learn how to do things with his crutches because he has been on them since December with only a couple of weeks off inbetween. We can't keep doing everything for him and it's driving all of us crazy. He has a bad attitude now and expects everyone to baby him. I've had enough and I'm making him do more. He always feels bad.

I've got to go to bed.

Hard Work with Results

This is coming out of the dining room down to the basement. The stairs takes a corner. The other one is coming up the stairs.

These are p ictures of each side of the new wall with the relocated door

This is what you get when you are dilligent every day to work on your project. We have relocated the door and framed the wall, we have rewired the switches and moved them, we have put up the sheetrock on one side of the wall, torn up all the carpet and are shoring up the steps tonight. It may still be awhile before we're done but it's a good start. However, are bedroom is still not finished, nor the front window in. It's hard to know what to do every day. Here are a few pics of the work in progress. They came out in a funny order but there here.

Tomorow is the start of my weekend and I am happy to see it. It's been a rough week for Eyore and me. He is struggling with writing a paragraph properly even though we practice, practice, practice.

My parents are gone so I must do the laundry!

Have a good evening everyone

To Do or Not To Do!

Tis the question. We are constantly starting new projects when the others aren't finished. We are good at that. We decided to tear out the pantry last night. It seemed pretty straight forward, but nothing ends up to be that way. You say "what's behind the pantry?" Well, let me tell you. It is old wood siding that runs horizonally. Apparently it was a back porch at one time and then converted into house. Strange, I tell you. Some of it had plywood behind it too. We are going to have to rebuild the entire wall that connects the kitchen so it's done right. This is a much bigger project than we thought. We are also going to have to redo the floor and reconfigure how we use the back area. It will be very nice when done, but I fear that may be a month or more.

My parents left last night for Florida for a week and they think it will be done when they get back. HA! I hope to have the floor done but I'm not sure much other will get done.

I will bike this morning. It's a good thing because I ate chips last night. They were good! LOL! It looks like the rain is going to clear off so it might be a nice ride. I'm not sure about getting into the pool today but we'll see.

Homeschooling is going fairly slow but yesterday was a good day. We got all his schooling done. We'll see how he does today. He is still sleeping and usually sleeps til 10:00 a.m. You ask why I don't get him up? Well, if I do it makes him even more tired to get himself around. On Monday he slept until 10:00. His face and eyes were swollen when he got up and he had a headache. He then managed to do some school work around 11:00. He layed back down around 12:00 until 1:00 when we ate lunch. Then he layed back down and took another nap until 3:00. Now how is one to get much done. He is not depressed, he just doesn't feel well. I was glad yesterday was a good day.

He is still struggling with his ulcer and his stomach hurts every day. I suppose I shall have to talk to the doctor about it. I have hopes of someday having a healthy child.

7 miles and counting

Lately I am falling short of the 10 mile mark. That's o.k. though because I am getting a good work out and my heart certainly feels it. I could not keep up with my friend but I did keep going. She is much slimmer than I am. That's my excuse anyway. I swam in the pool and did crunches in the pool too, so I feel pretty good about my accomplishments.

One more week and Eyore gets his cast off. We are crossing our fingers that his foot has healed.

We can finally see our bricks out front as we pressure washed them. They were covered in moss. I planted all my flowers I bought over a week ago and I think it will look very nice in about a month. We removed the big trees that were IN the flower beds and cleaned up and trimmed out front. There is still much to be done to the outside of the house but it's a start. We still need to fix the siding, paint the siding, get some gravel for the side driveway, put the gravel down, bark dust, remove the front hedge, replant some sod, ect. Not too much! LOL!

We are also in the process of taking out the old pantry, located around the corner from the kitchen. We are putting the laundry there. This makes it easier for my mother to do laundry. No stairs for her. We bought a shelving unit to put the food on and did major rearranging to get everything in the kitchen and extra shelves, providing easy access too. We hope to tear the actual pantry out this week. I'm not sure how long it will take us to get the plumbing up from downstairs.

Got to go for now.

Kanga

To Bike or not to Bike

The rain is back but at least it's still warm. We have been swimming in the rain. This summer promises to be such a wonderful summer. The kids and adults alike are enjoying the weather.

I just spent at least 3 hours weeding, planting, trimming, and pressure washing the flower beds and bricks out front. Having a fixer upper is hard because I am the only one who sees the difference. It still doesn't look all that great. The flowers will be wonderful in about 3 weeks though. I have put a lot of color out front. The bricks were covered in moss and now you can see where the flower beds are. We removed the BIG trees they put in the flower beds and put in the right size. We are in the process of replanting a few bushes in the back and digging for a new basement window. A much bigger one. We want to get as much done this summer as possible so we can take a break this winter.

I am about to go biking this morning in the rain. I think my asthma is better so I can do it. I'll let you know if I made it the whole way.

Out of breath and huffing

is not the way I want to spend my week-end, however, my asthma is telling me different. I have had to take my inhaler every few hours and cough most of the night. I am very tired.

Did being tired and sick stop me from rising at 7:00, leaving at 7:40 and going to our annual neighborhood sale? Not on your life! I had a blast. We spent all of our money and came home with 2 vehichles full of stuff. As most of you know we have been remodeling our house slowly. We got 3 extrerior doors, several lights, and a lot of misc. parts for our house. We got a generator, outside yard lights, work bench, and a wonderful digital camera. Then there was the mundane things such as toys and clothes. The two best deals of the day were a motorcycle for the boys for 125.00 and a wooden swing set for 20.00. I had a good time and came home happy. A good garage sale is good for the heart!

Now the hard part comes. We have to put all the stuff we bought away. We cleaned out the van, ate lunch, cleaned the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. We have piles sorted out and yet to put away. Owl went to get the swing set, the kids want to swim and I want to get the rest of the cleaning done. Soooo, my asthma is getting bad and I have to sit down. I'm making myself feel productive and writing here. Cleaning is out for a little while. I guess I will let the kids swim and watch them.

I have been biking with my new friend and now that I can't breath, have had to let go of it for the past 3 days. I have however, lost 10 pounds now. I am not a diehard excersicer, but I am working at it. It's frustrating when you have to slow down. I am going to try and bike tomorrow.

Today, I hope my husband can put up one of the lights in our new bathroom, put together the swing set, and work on installing a new door. I may be expecting too much but I can dream can't I?

I am enjoying my new friend. We are able to do so much together. I have been helping her with her house and she has been helping me with my excersize. I wouldn't even do it if it wasn't for her. We seem to be able to talk about nothing at all. I also like that Her daughter and mine get along. If she is working long hours her daughter comes over here. If I have an appointment, she will let my kids go over there. It is easy going because all of our kids are school age so it's not like babysitting.

Life is settling in pretty good here in our new little community!
Here's a picture of our new motorcycle.

Kanga

Pictures for a lifetime

Stress for a morning. Sometimes I wonder if pictures are worth it. Will I or could I be satisfied with the ones I take? Do I really need to go to a studio? Will I regret it if I don't take those long awaited pictures? The answer is yes, I will regret it but I hate doing it. I dread it. This morning I went to get pictures taken of my daughter with her biological brother (previously refered to as spiderman). We thought we'd be there an hour. I arrived at 9:30 when they opened and waited for one person in front. Not to bad, or so I though. The next thing I know is it's after 11:30. For goodness sakes, the day was almost gone. We hadn't even gotten to the zoo. We figured we'd get there by 11:30 and leave by 2:00 and that would be a good day. We hadn't had lunch, put the kids in the car or started driving yet. We didn't get to the zoo til 1:00 O'clock. We had to ask her hubby to take her other boy to his swim lesson so we had enough time at the zoo. It was a wonderful time but oh how I wish those pictures had been easier and faster.

We had a wonderful time at the zoo but the memory is bittersweet. I don't know if I'll ever get another day with spiderman. He is due to go to his bio mom in two weeks. My attemps to set up meetings and talk with her have failed. The grandma tries to assure me that she will but I wonder and my heart breaks. You should have seen the two kids together. They were constantly seeking out each other and making sure the other was there.

We left them in the afternoon and I fear we won't see him again. His time with his current family is so short now that I hate to take away their time with our visits. They have been so gracious in opening up their home and hearts to us but I know they need this last bit of time with him. For his sake as much as theirs.

Spiderman keeps asking her why he can't stay with them. What is a mother to say? Finally, she told him because "The Mom" wants you. She doesn't want to hurt him but she doesn't want to take the blame either. He hit the bio mom the other day and when he was asked why he simply stated "because she wouldn't let me go to you, mom!" A comeback is hard to find there.

We've been so hot these past few days so our new swimming pool has come in handy. Little Roo has finally begun to dive properly. It has taken a lot of practice but she has been persistant. We are so proud of her.

Eyore is still struggling with his foot. It appears to not be healing still. I am deeply concerned about the boy. He struggles in every way now. Fatigue is a daily issue as are his eyes and his stomach and his foot. One wonders how he can go on like this. I want to find him a special camp to go to but without a diagnosis, the camps run from 500 to 1000. I can't afford that! I want him to be normal but it sure is hard. Our lifestyle is changing. I have a child who needs me constantly. I am grateful I am here but there are days it feels overwhelming.

The bright spot in my week is Friday for this is the day Garage Sales start. I must be off so I can be ready for tomorrow morning.

Kanga

It's hard to believe

that it's as if summer has arrived. The long summer days spent by the pool side is already true at our house. We have had bar-b-ques, friends over and after school everyday the kids swim with us. We are finding more ways to dive and things to dive off of.

I can't find my good suit though so I finally had to go shopping. The suit that I was wearing I was falling out of. Not Good! So I decided to go to a second hand store before going to the actual store where I have to spend my lifes savings. While looking around I found a brand new suit with the tags, origanally priced at 78.00 for 20.00. I took the gamble and it fits perfect and hides many unsightly spots. I am so excited. I've already swam in it this afternoon.

I think we're going to have chili dogs for dinner and then off to church so off I go.

Life is so full of dilemas that

it's hard to know what to do sometimes. Do I stay home and clean the house or do the grocery shopping? Do I clean the pool or plant the flowers? Do I make a doctor's appt. or do I write on my blog? Some days the decisions are easy and some days they are not. Today is not an easy one. I just want to finish everything all at once and I have hardly started. I kept one child home from school today because of sickness and now have to go pick up the other one. I have a dentist appointment and also need to organize my kitchen. The list is never ending.

I have made one firm decision. That decision is to sell my horses. I don't want to but I need to. I don't have the time, energy, or money they require. We are officially going to be city people. Life puts us through a lot of changes but I also know that I can get them back at a later date.

Got to go get Christopher now.

God Is Good

So yesterday was mother's day and it was just beautiful. I love the sunshine. I mean I really love the sunshine! We bought a house we are fixing up and it came with an inground pool. We have never had such a wonderful time. We ended up having two other couples and kids come over and had a wonderful barbque, then we swam away the afternoon. It was the best day ever. When have you ever been able to lounge by the pool all after noon. There is never a pool around when we need it! There is usually no time to lay around in the pool either. So, here we sat listing to the children laugh and play while we relaxed in the other end of the pool. It was the best day ever!

On a sad note, I just have to write about our little boy Spiderman (he really thinks he is spider man, he told me so). We adopted his sister, then cared for him for over a year. He went to an adoptive home in January a year ago. He's been with his adoptive parents for a year and a half now and has to return to his bio mom now. It is devistating for everyone involved. We have felt safe on our end and knew he was always loved and cared for deeply. They spoil him deeply! The judge has decided that after 2 1/2 years that the bio mom has done enough now and can have him back. He is now 3 1/2 years old. He is extremely attached to his current parents and likes the "new mom" o.k. but does not grasp that he has to go back. The adoptive parents, especially the mom is having a very difficult time. They never intended to do foster care, just adopt. Now they are loosing their little boy. We have been able to see him and talk to him any time we want and vice-versa for Sjpiderman. I don't know what God's plan is but I do know we parents can't see how this is best for Spiderman. We are all devistated by the turn of events. The mom was not even in the picture when we had him. Both bio parents have a very disturbing and legal past. The bio mom is very kind and nice but it's just not fair for Spiderman. He has been through so much already. We are trusting God daily for his care of the boy. We know God says he is his. Please pray with us that all parties can see what's best for Spiderman and Grace would abound for the current adoptive family. Mom is understandably emotional and heartbroken. She has taught him the faith of God and we pray daily that the bio mom will keep this up. We also pray that the bio mom will see what's best and let him stay with his current family. Thank you for your prays.

Roo is not taking the move very well either. She is very afraid she will not see him anymore. She talks to him a couple of times a week and spends days over there. This is a hard adjustment for an 8 year old to make. We all need prayer through this difficult time.

Birthday Bash

It's been such a hectic week but I managed to pull of a small birthday party for Eyore. He was feeling better today so that helped. I took our family and 2 friends plus another family with us. We went to see RV. That was too funny. The adults and teen liked it better than the kids. I recomend it though, it was really good.

Now, my son has this friend. He hasn't been able to see him in a long time. He got to come, then he was even going to spend the night. Then, out of the blue he went home. I felt bad for Eyore because this boy used to be his best friend. He made it to sleep but it was hard on him and I felt bad for him too. No one likes thinking they get one thing to end up with another.

On that note, we have 3 other birthday parties to go to tomorrow. We are going broke just buying presents this week. One of the parties is a really good friend/family member that he's going to. They are only a few days apart so Eyore and him have a good time together. It's pretty much going to be the whole day out and I'm not looking forward to that.

We gave our second dog away the other day and boy was that hard. He just wasn't the perfect match for us but he was close. He slept with Roo every night but he couldn't always make it outside to go to the restroom so we didn't care for that. We think he needed a doggy door to be on the main level and we just had to big of a house. We found the perfect home for him and they have already sent pictures of him there for us to see. What a relief it is to find nice people who care.

It's late so I must be off.

Roo

Multi Colored Cast

So we could have some variety in our life, they gave Eyore a multi colored cast. It's very cute! Don't want to tell him that or he would not be a happy camper. To continue the saga of our life, the cast dried at an angle making it almost impossible for Eyore to walk. So now we have a great cast but he can't walk. Huh! Is there something I'm missing here? I'm almost embarresed to ask or say something to the doctors again. The doc that does this type of cast is due any day and won't be able to fix it if she has the baby. Oh well, that's life.

I went on a 10 mile bike ride today and I'm sooo tired. I love it much better than walking but I am overweight and that bike seat is @#$@$##$ hard. I keep thinking I'm going to get used to it but so far I haven't. It's only been four days of riding consistantly though. Maybe next week I will feel better.

Mothers day is such a dilema. I always get to pick out my own flowers. The kids and hubby take me to a cool nursery and I go around and pick whatever I want. I get alot! I enjoy it. This year I'm not sure what to do. I desperately need a new bike but I have always gotten flowers. What to do. Sigh. Sigh again. I hate change!

Kanga

Back to the Doc's we go

Well, there comes a time when I sit at my desk and long for some peace and quiet. I would love to just sit here and enjoy a cup of tea (I'm out) and have no cares. So reality is I have to go back to the doc's with Eyore. The bottom of his cast is now completely broken and soft. I don't want to go but I don't think it was put on right in the first place. I think it wouldn't have broken if it was done right. It frustrates me that I have to pay another 15.00 to go back. It's not our fault, but I am putting out more money again. He is not feeling well either. He had a good day yesterday but the evening was downhill and he couldn't sleep last night. His body doesn't self regulate so he was very hot! He doesn't look so good this morning.

I will call and go out today. I need him to feel good for tomorow. It's his birthday. He is now 11 years old. If only he could be like the other 11 year olds and not need to lay down for 2 or 3 hours a day. He is going to take a couple of friends to a movie. He is looking forward to this. We're going to see RV. Should be fun.

I would appreciate the sun coming out today but I think I'm out of luck. It is mild out side so I guess I can live with that.

I have to go get prescriptions today and buy Eyore's present and take him to the doc. I guess I'm dumed to be out today.

If anyone else gets to stay home, God bless you. I so wish I could.

Kanga

A Surgery with an Answer

Well, Eyore had surgery on Monday. For the first time in a long time there was an answer. He has an ulcer and it is also eating part of the bottom of the esophogus. Medicine is the answer for now. If that doesn't work, we can then look at other options. We are happy to at least have one answer in a long list of questions.

We are exhausted from the long week-end spent at my sisters, then the surgery the next morning, then the recuperating. Eyore does not recover normally and is still having severe head-aches and fatigue. He is barely awake this morning. School has become such a challenge. He is so tired most of the time that we can only do about half of what we need to accomplish. Through the summer it will be.

I had to put Christopher in an early morning homework club to get him to keep his grades up. This is so frustrating to me. He is so smart but just doesn't do the work or only does it half way and then turns it in. If he takes the time to do it he gets 95 to 100%. Ahhhhh! I had to be at the school at 8:00 this morning and school normaly starts at 9:00. They decided to let my little Roo stay to so I didn't have to stay for 45 minutes. The secretary of the school said she would pick Christopher up so I don't have to go to the school every time and Roo can catch the bus. Thank you miss secretary.

Our pool is crystal clear now and swimmable. Come on over Mrs. Darling. The water is still a bit cold but the kids love it. The yard is another matter. Our grass is nice and green but so is everything else. The people before us put in so many bushes and trees and there is absolutely no other color than green. We have a huge back yard and it desperately needs some color.

The life of fixing up a house is more than we ever thought. It is much harder to keep the house clean while you are constantly making a mess or working outside so much that you don't spend enough time inside.

The automatic sprinklers are a major blessing and I find them fun to watch! At least I don't have to water everything every day.

Off to start school for the day.

I really am alive!

I really am kicking and screaming and having a busy life. I just can't always get to my blog! Sooo, here's to you Mrs. Darling!

Since I last wrote I was slowly getting better. I am better, except for these migranes I can't seem to shake. I am still homeschooling Eyore and enjoying it most of the time.

Eyore has had a few good weeks and a few not so good weeks. He has fractured is other foot now and will be in a cast as of tomorrow. His horse wanted to roll while he was on and he didn't get that foot out of the way soon enough. So, 4-H is out for now.

Speeking of 4-H, it is getting out of hand. I think the leader is to competetive and can't stand us red necks here. We don't take lessons, we don't ride all that well, we own old saddles or synthetick (Yes, no leather!) saddles, we don't own fancy show clothes and not name brand. One of the members noticed the brand of jeans my kids were wearing. Can you believe that? We have the world's uggliest trailer and our horses don't wear shoes. We are just to red neck for her.

I wrote her an email about the issues that seemed to be creeping up and she has been none to friendly since. When we went to pre-fair there was no leader there. Christopher ended up in the wrong class and I had no clue there was a place to look and make sure that he was in the right classes. When I tried to talk to the leader about it afterward, she did not have anything possitive to say and had the audacity to tell me the ribbons he won were going to be harder to get at fair so he better work hard. She had no "good job", no "How'd he do", no "I'm glad he did it", no nothing. She has not said a positive word to us in the past few months. I want to just up and quit but then she wins and that ticks me off. She is a good leader and has good things to teach the kids but she just doesn't like us. I haven't decided if I should try and talk to her again or not.

On to our house. We finally went from green and gunky to crystal clear blue in our pool. We even had our first official party too. I think the water is still cold but the kids don't. We got 5 solar panels off of criagslist and all the pipe so that really helps the temp. in the pool. It's up to a whopping 65 degrees! We have had to rebuy and replace, and remove, and redo almost everything. We put in buckets of chemicals and pulled out more leaves and mulch than I could have imagined. It took a solid month of working on it to get it remotely blue. We found, over 8 balls, a skimmer cover, a golf club, a chimney sweeper, a baseball bat and more in the bottom. It was plain yucky! I'll post a pic or two here.

We are currently trying to get all the weeds out of the endless beds and get the sprinkler system up and running. I have planted flowers out front, and we have finished our master bedroom and huge walk in closet downstairs. We also finished a huge storage closet downstairs. We have one wall to finish off Roo's room and then two egress windows to put in and that should finish of the downstairs, until we start on the laundry room.

Eyore has had two bad days now and I must go and see if I can do anyting more for him. It is hard to get school done when he is so tired he keeps falling asleep on the couch or so sick he is loosing his contents.

Well, there's no pics because I can't get them to upload.

See you all later