That's a Snowball?

So, we finally get a wee bit of snowfall during the day while the kids are at school. Big, heavy flakes dropped from the sky. When it was over, we received MAYBE 1" of snow. With that in mind, tell me how my kids created these snowballs?

Weekend in Lexington

So, I just finished up my bi-annual weekend in Lexington cropping away and preserving my memories in the kids' albums. The nice along weekend usually begins on Thursday mid-day. Unfortunately, I had to attend a meeting, so I didn't end up leaving town until around 4ish...so I arrived in time for wine & appetizers. I think all "get-a-way" weekends should begin this way. I quickly unloaded my stuff, claimed my favorite bed (as we all typically sleep in the same arrangements), tossed my supplies at my spot realizing I left all my paper & memorability at home, then headed over to the kitchen to have a drink of whatever was being poured. After a couple of quick calls, my paper tote was going to arrive via Yvonne the next day. So I settled into my chair, keeping my glass & others full as Kathy & Joanne made artichoke dip & stuffed mushrooms. Needless to say, we didn't need to heat any more appetizers...new plan...save those for Sunday lunch. So after about 2 hours, a couple bottles of wine, and many mushrooms later, it was time to head back to the cropping area to see what I can do on my albums. Kathy graciously offered the use of her paper until mine arrived. So, I went to work.

When packing up on Sunday, I determined over the course of the weekend, we put together a plan for Emily (my daughter--no she wasn't there) for her organization, received the cure-all for teenage acne, determined it was okay to drink wine at lunch time if we didn't have a Bloody Mary at the beginning of the day, got Kathy's iPod working so were could listen to more than the music of Andrew Lloyd Weber, Johnny Mathis, Journey, Barry Manilow, & the soundtrack from Bridget Jones #2...after we got it working, Kathy received the download tutorial to add more songs via iTunes & cds, we proceeded to skip the other songs as we had listened to them 6 times, except for Barry...there is never a such thing as too much Barry. Other things from the weekend, I found out what song will be played at Joanne's funeral, that keeping a daily journal is a "MUST DO" for the interest for future generations, and NEVER download Photo Shop 7 from the internet as you have no instructions to follow and the online tutorials require subscription maintenance fees.....No, I am not the one using Photo Shop...I use Creative Memories digital photo line of products....but it was interesting seeing a "teeth whiting" enhancer and a "blue skies" enhancer tool...the question was "how do you use them?"

So in the end, after many bottles of wine, several Bloody Marys, and a Long Island Ice Tea or was it two, I cruised along utilizing 1 roll of Photo tape, 3 rolls of Tape Runner and completing all of 2007 in Andrew's book, and made it to Halloween 2007 for Emily, completing a total of 63 pages altogether...a new page completion record for me. Boy, I love those Power Palette as well as those late nights staying up until 2:00 a.m. I wonder if that is why I've needed mini-naps this week...hummm.

Now I return my attention to my digital album of Scotland (already on page 31) and then I'll start prepping for my next retreat in January where I hope to complete as much of 2008 as possible.

A Leafy Type of Day

So, here is what happens when the weather is nice, the breeze tumbles down a bunch of the leaves from your tree, and you have a little artist in the family.

Just a bummer for Richard who is on leaf duty....maybe a big wind will come tonight and blow it all into the neighbors....humm hope my neighbor isn't reading this :)

Halloween

So, imagine if you will, Halloween night...trick or treating hours between 6-8 pm for our town and we head out when it's still daylight for the first hour of trick or treating. On top of this when I walked out the door at 6 pm, the thermometer read 68 degrees. First Halloween in a LONG time that I wasn't bundled up wearing gloves.

This year the bobsy twins (Emily & Emma) decide to be Mimes. So for the past couple months, Emma's mom and I had been working to complete their outfits. We were very successful with finding needed attire...of course all at various stores. They didn't win the prize at school this year, but they had the best Mime costumes compared to others. Come to find out, there were 7 other girls dressed up as Mimes. I thought that was highly unusual until I asked them if they mentioned what they were going to be....of course they were telling people...hence the reason why there were 7 others.


Andrew got his wish this year and was the Evil Jester. The headpiece was still a bit big but with some cardboard and extra tying around the neck :), he was ready to go. Of course with the temperature being warmer than usual, the mask and headpiece were off before we made it to the 10th house. I told him next year, no masks....I have been carrying them for the past few years. I think he really wanted the Jester stick that went with the costume.



Of course the third member of the family, Cubbie, couldn't be left out. We took him T & Ting with us, which that isn't going to happen next year, and he had to have his own little costume too. So being the little piggy that he is, he was a Pig...and we called him Babe. He pleasantly marked his territory all over the neighborhood, who knew a 9 pound dog had that much liquid in him.

Haus Frau List

My list is now full for a few weeks at least :) At least it will keep me out of trouble, or will it? I'll be busy and not staring at the Halloween candy at least, but needing to go back to Lowes for paint & supplies....humm, I'm sure I'll want to add new tasks to my list (& spend $$) just by walking through the aisles wondering about how this or that would work in my house :) I love Lowes.

(1) Basement Storage Area
It's back to the basement for me. Since we did a lot of work before the basement was finished & when we didn't know how we'd use certain items, some of the boxes or leftover furniture was just pushed up against the new racking system so the contractor could do his thing & build walls for the finished basement section...and still sit. So, now that it's time to bring in the patio furniture & the chairs need to go into the storage area, it's time to pull out the leftover stuff & finish the organization.

(2) Nail Hole Filling
Well what can I say, I didn't finish my job last spring. Still need to fill in the nail holes from all the trim in the family room & some of the trim in the dining room.

(3) Kitchen Drawers/Cabinets
Time to go through that spice rack again, see what's ready to be discarded...of course that's after I make my next couple batches of Zucchini bread (this feel like deja vu). Then it's time to tackle a couple of drawers that seems to have too much in them...all the phone books, note pads, school phone books, etc. Still think I have the school phone book from when Emily was in Kindergarten.

(4) Grout Sealant
Time to apply the grout sealant to the tiles floors...keep all that winter yuck out of the grout. Guess that means I need to bleach out the kitchen floor grout first, which means I have to scrub the floor versus just move the Swiffer around...no wonder why I've been putting this off. I think I just paid the cleaning lady extra to do it last time it was done.

(5) Painting
It's time to dust off my paint tray, and shake up my paint cans. For something that I really got into the swing of things before my "break", I have been procrastinating ever since.

• Need to finish prep work & paint the doorway areas of all rooms.
• Need to paint the Basement door, the Garage Door, & the 1st floor Bathroom door & trim.
• Need to paint other side of the staircase going to the 2nd floor
• Need to paint the 2nd floor hallway

The painting really doesn't stop there. It really also goes into all the bedrooms too, but that is something not added to the list yet. Need to see how long it takes for me to get to this spot first.
Further down the list is all new trim for the 2nd floor too. Maybe that can be another winter time project...or maybe I'll have my contractor come and do it for me :)

Well, since I only have 2-4 hours of workable time a day & weekends are pretty booked, I'm hoping to have the basement completed next week, fill the nail holes, spend a day or two in the kitchen, then onto the grout sealant, which isn't really time consuming, it just needs time to dry so entrance & exit strategies need to be reviewed. Then I'll be ready for painting. I'll aim to have my list completed by Thanksgiving....just in time to go do work on the other house :)

And just think, I get to do all my other Haus Frau activities as well....laundry, clean, grocery store, dinner....maybe it's time I think about going back to work, it might be easier :D

Taking A Reading Break

Well, I've been on a reading frenzy over the past few months. Mainly because books that I have on reserve at the library finally moves to my place in line, so I've got to read them...don't want to have to wait in the long reservation line :) I am also wondering if its just the change in the season & the quiet around the house with the kids back in school.

So based on my goals, I've read 46 out of 50 books to date. So for me to take a break shouldn't be too bad, but then again we have a softball tournament this weekend, what will I do with my spare time in between games. I better pick something up at the library tonight. I've cleared my reserved book list, I'll put those on hold for maybe even next year. If anyone has any recommendations, just shoot them over to me. I've got to start building my list for next year.

If you are in the mood for a tear-jerker, pick up any Nicholas Sparks. The couple I have recent read really got the tears flowing...if you wanted to choose just one, I recommend The Lucky One.

Today, I'm going out to lunch with Richard, bringing the note pad along, to get the list flowing of the "haus frau" activities that I need to complete....or really the extended "haus frau"
items like painting, hole filling, etc. At least I finally bought the painters putty I needed last week :) Time to get back to work :)

Oakland Cobras

Emily is now an Oakland Cobra. We finally broke down and joined a travel team.

In August, Emily tried out for a few travel softball teams and after being invited to join a couple of them, we decided to go with the Cobras as they were the Rochester team (less travel time for practice).

So, now a month later, we have our first all-day tournament this Saturday. Unfortunately we do not have our uniforms yet (hence no pix to post). I'm still wondering if they have been ordered. I chuckled at one of the emails we received, indicated that they keep negotiating with various vendors and the uniform price goes down. I chuckle mainly because I'm thinking to myself "Hello, this isn't a new club, why hasn't this been done already." But then I think, bummer on the previous years, as no one ever called around for competitive bids on the uniforms. Works for me as the price goes down.

Now, I'm entering the how many fundraisers do we need to do stage. Can I have a choice between fundraiser vs. just writing a check to cover Emily's cost? So faced with our first fundraiser: Squares on the MSU vs UM football game, I'm wondering what happens when we don't sell our "allotment". Neither Richard nor I are in front of colleagues all the time anymore to push the Squares. Do we have to buy them if we don't sell them? I'd rather write the check to Emily's account versus write a check to have 1/2 the money applied to Emily's account. Of course if we win...the payouts pretty good.

Of course at the parent meeting, I made the fundraiser suggestion of Scrips, with which some people are familiar. This is a nice passive fundraiser. You purchase a prepaid card for Kroger, which Kroger gives back a percentage to your organization. Hey, a girl's got eat! No extra cost for me to just do the weekly (sometimes multiple times a week) grocery shopping and voila, my organization gets $$. For some reason, people didn't understand this topic & thought Football squares & Bowling parties are great!

So, needless to say, get your football square here ;)

And all she wanted to do is play more softball....

To Wii or Not to Wii

That is the question in our household. The kids want a Wii. Why, probably because their friends have one....well good, go visit your friends :)

As I was about to make that commitment, I started analyzing it as the pricey electronic toy that it really is & will we actually get our money out of it. While it would have been good during summer vacation as a part-time activity, now that school is back in session, there really isn't any time to even turn on the t.v., let alone play electronic games.

As I have been told, "at least the Wii encourages actual movement with the kids, based on the game." Isn't the better movement still playing outside?

Our Nintendo DS has paid for itself multiple times over. Not because my kids sit on their beds and play it, but as a car activity driving up north, driving to Atlanta, driving to sport games, it keeps the "are we there, yet?" down to a minimum.

So I'm looking for feedback from all of you out there that has one. Is it worth it? Since you purchased it, is it actively played or since the novelty has worn off, does it collect dust?

The deal I made with my kids is that we'd all buy it....1/3 from everyone. Funny how they quit asking for it once they realized how much would come out of their bank account. That's right, Bank of Mom is endless :)

Back to Routine

So, today was the first FULL day of school....time to get back into routine. No more loafing around the house twiddling my thumbs by exercise received from the remote control. Time to actually get out of bed & get moving.

Emily has decided she's going to walk to the bus stop with the next door neighbor that now attends Middle School. So, now I'm thinking, humm wonder if it's time for a cell phone so she can call me when they arrive too late and miss the bus. I'm sure tomorrow when it's raining at 6:45 she'll be more interested in the car ride :)

Andrew has decided he doesn't want to walk to school...it makes his legs tired. Mind you, he has NEVER walked to school before the past two days, when I thought it would be a good time for me to get some extra exercise as well as the dog. Of course when he told me this, all I thought was that it sounds like we need to walk to school more to strengthen up those little legs.

I went back to Lifetime today...with all the other SAHMs...which was self-evident in the parking lot. I did more leg work on the elliptical, don't want to jump in too much after being idle. Tomorrow I plan to hit the cycling class again...then Friday, back to Pilates.

Now I have to pull out my list of things to do that I didn't finish when summer started and get all the little odds & ends finished from the Spring projects, so I can start the Fall projects. I also want to start on my own list that I wanted to complete when I left the employment world. What a loser I would be if I did not get something checked off the list before I decide to go back to work.

Time to find that list :)

Registration Day

Well...it's that time of year...FINALLY! No matter how much fun you can have in one summer, School Registration always come sooner than later!

Off we went...as a family at that...to West Middle School with the envelope with the plethora of paperwork (can't anything be done on-line?) to get Emily all set for school, which starts next week. First we wait in line for the $2 Planner, not required, but you get points off in certain classes if you don't use the "not required" planner. Then onto the Class Schedule with locker combination. Then onto Pictures, pull the paperwork & check out for that one. Then onto Yearbook Sales, pull the paperwork & check out for that one. Then Emily wanted a school hoodie this year, so get in that line & pull the paperwork & check out for that one. Then PTA, then Music Boosters....finally it was time to move out of the cafeteria & get 2 out of 4 books....hadn't figured that one out yet, then off to find the locker. Upon arrival, Emily opens it up & we start unloading the backpack we brought with all the locker paraphernalia that is required as the 6"wide x 9"depth locker lacks space for any storage, so you have to create your own. Fortunately, Emily passes on the locker shelving stand, which her BFF must have as she is not tall enough to reach the only shelf to store books. We jury-rigged her binder thingy she carries to class into the locker (Emily has the angle all figured out to get it to fit), quickly shut the locker so nothing falls out, then wait for Emily while she and her BFF wander off to make sure she knows where to go next week.

So a couple hours later, I ask her if she remembers her locker combination....of course not! Where did we put that thing...hopefully not in the binder thingy.

Just wait until you see how long Emily's hair is in her pictures...comparing it to last years and it must have grown another 4-6" over the year.

Tomorrow is Andrew's turn....

Meet the Cousins

So, I get home from Scotland, do wash, and a couple days later we head up north for most of the week.

My niece Jill is at the Lake House vacationing with her family, so it was a great time to (1) spend with my Great nephew & niece, as well as for Emily & Andrew to meet some cousins...and second cousins.

As usual, the kids hit it well & took off playing together down at the beach, out in the water, on the tube, paddling to the middle of the lake, and fishing.

Fishing was main priority for Levi (Jill's son), so Emily hopped right to it. Andrew came along reluctantly as he remembers getting a hook lodged in his lip or something when he was 2...everything was when he was 2...so he swore off fishing. But thanks to Tony (Jill's husband), as well as peer pressure, got him back to swing the lure.

So during a evening boat tour, all of a sudden the kids at the back of the boat, were yelling "Stop the boat, stop the boat". I'm thinking someone's falling in, or dropped something in the water...like the fishing pole, but no Levi & Emily caught a fish & needed to reel it into the boat. Emily didn't realize how much work catching a REAL fish really was. Her usual catch is something the size of my hand, but this one we ate.

Then we headed down to Atlanta the following week and stopped in New Bremen both ways...going down and coming back to visit and pop in on the Bremenfest parade. Low and behold all of my brother's kids were in town for the parade, so Emily & Andrew got to meet all their second cousins!

My Scotland Voyage

Yes, I've been back in the country for a couple of weeks, but continuously on the go (somewhere else)...were you thinking...how long is this trip? Well, all I can say is that it was FANTASTIC! Kind of wish I was just getting back...I could have stayed forever! Not one thing stands out as this is the best part of the trip. I remember all of it as each day had it's own best parts that doesn't weigh over any...probably why I could have stayed forever...definitely in the Highlands.

Some of my most memorable moments:

• Plane delay in DTW, causing us to miss our flight from AMS to EDI, which then we were placed on separate flights...are we ever going to get there?
• First views of Edinburgh Castle up on the hill.
• Wondering if we'd ever find a restaurant that served food after 8:00 pm in Edinburgh.
• Checking out the men in skirts...proper term...kilts.
• Driving in a Right-hand Drive car on the Left side of the road -- only bounced off the curb one or two times, or was it three or four...what can I say, the roads are more narrow & those trucks seem to really come at you. Which B road is this?
  
• Remembering to look Right-Left-Right vs. Left-Right-Left when crossing the road.
• The drive from Edinburgh to Fort William...or really Stirling to Fort William...what a view.
• Seeing snow still on the mountains.
• Seeing heather on the mountainsides ... just like the postcards.
• Seeing a Highland Coo (Cow)
• Climbing the wee hill behind Glenfiddan & capturing views of the glen & of the Harry Potter viaduct & steam train.
• Inverness ... love this town!
• Having the sun rise at 4am and set at 10:30...or was it later & earlier....just always seemed to be there!
• Drive to Skye...or was it the drive back seeing the things I didn't see going out.
• Leaving my mark on Scotland as I had to go really bad :)
  
• Stopping by several Standing Stones that date back 4000 years+
  
• Eating a great deli sandwich outside the Beauly Priory when it was in the 80's (25C)
  
• Chatting with the Earl of Mar at Castle Leod.
• Wading in the sea at Nairn...collecting shells & rocks for the kids
• Dinner outside at Findhorn watching the tide go out...great Fish & Chips!
• Walking through the Battlefield of Culloden.
• All the meals in Inverness...best yet!
  
• The views & tasting at Glenfiddich distillery.
• Staying at the Dinnet house, a more recently built (100 years old) manor house & having dinner with our host & other guests...great conversation.
  
• Mist rolling in over Dunnotar Castle & St. Andrews.
• Seeing the 8th century Pictish Stones at Meigle & St. Andrews.
  
• Attending evening service at Roslyn Chapel after touring it.
• Staying at Borthwick Castle...where Mary Queen of Scots & her 3rd husband Lord Bothwell spent their honeymoon...mind your head when going into the loo.
• Breakfast conversations with other guests at Borthwick Castle...is 2 hours too long for toast & cereal?
  
• Trying to decide on which abbey was my favorite, Jedburgh, Dryburgh, Melrose...Melrose won out!
• Seeing all the castles...Best Ruins: Dunnotar & Urquhart; Best Rebuilt: Eileen Donan & Stirling will be when complete; Best still occupied: Castle Leod & Glamis; and I'm sure my choices will change when I start revisiting my pictures.
• My daily Scottish breakfast of Two Fried Eggs, Bacon, Grilled Tomato, yogurt & granola, fruit & in Inverness add Porridge with scotch liqueur & real cream.
  
• Amazed that others were more obsessed with our Presidential race then we were!
  
• Digesting all the centuries of history that has occurred in one country!
• Lucking out and only have a couple days of light rain off & on...blue skies & sunshine!
  
• And course, spending it all with my sister.

Off to Scotland

As many of you know, I leave today for a 2-week vacation to Scotland with my sister Jane. The trip all started after we both read the "Outlander" series by Diana Gabaldon...if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. After planning, researching, updating itineraries, making arrangements for kids, making to-do lists and checking them twice over the past year, it's finally time to leave for the airport. Whew!

The excitement for the trip went in spurts as did the research...when I'd go a couple weeks, busy with home improvements & not search for something on the internet, then the excitement would wean. But, hop onto the computer with the plans to do a couple of searches and end up spending hours, the excitement was re-energized and I wanted to leave that day. Sometimes the best part of the vacation is actually the planning, as you look forward to the trip and the excitement builds.

For instance, I remember one day a couple months back when things just weren't going right, hotels were filling up, couldn't get this or that, and needed to change our flight arrangements as my sister & I planned to extend out our trip to do more things. So, as I had already had 2 strike outs for the day, I wasn't looking forward to calling NWA as what I wanted just wasn't on the website. So, I place the call and tell them, first I want to change my flight return date, then second I want to change my sister's ticket, so she's coming through DTW & we are on the same flight, flying together, the rest of the way , then on the way back, I want her to go directly from the Amsterdam connection to LAX. Mind you, I am flying business class across the pond. I knew it was possible, it just wasn't popping up as available on the website. So the NWA agent worked hard & said, no problem we can do that, bumping my sister up to Business class with me, so we both have enjoyable flights, have a meal with real utensils, & can get some sleep versus just a crick in the neck. Wahoo! Home Run! I'm sure going to miss being an Elite member next year....maybe I'll go back to work this fall to hang onto it...it's all about the upgrades :)

So then July came....and it was time to go shopping to find clothes to wear...with dropping a few pounds, I now faced the dilemma...what do I wear. So off to Eddie Bauer I went for all their super sales! Was very successful there & began filling my suitcase. I have a design potential for all the engineers out there...make a suitcase for a woman traveler! There just isn't a good place to pack shoes...and you know we need to take multiples. Don't put them in side pockets that take up the actual usable surface space for packing & don't make me just lay them on my clothes...who knows where I walked! I have an idea in mind if any one is interested in drawing it up...maybe I'll hit up Richard's engineering drawing skills...

So now I'm Eddie Bauer-fied, organized, packed...with my shoes in plastic bags but touching my clothes, passport in one hand, boarding pass in the other & ready to leave for the airport. Meeting Jane at her gate at 4:00 pm. Chat on the flip side!

Holiday Weekend

Went up north to the lake house for the 4th of July holiday weekend and had the best weather that we've had in years! What fun we had hanging out on the boat, playing in the water...it was a bit chilly for me...Richard of course wouldn't get in as it was FAR from bath water.

Every night we'd have a fire & the kids made S'mores for everyone...and plenty for themselves. Then we'd get all the kids on the boat, head to the center of the lake & watch the nightly firework display. Poor Cubbie didn't really care for the big boomers.

Resolution Update

So, it's finally July...as my calendar tells me...so I thought I'd drop back to January to figure out how I'm doing on my New Years Resolutions. I'm sure many of you that make them, probably never revisit them & in February they were probably already forgotten.

Well, I looked backed this morning to really see how I was doing...

(1) Read 50 books: totally on track there...just counted 28 on my reading log...with having a reading frenzy this past month...all of which have been great books if you are wanting some ideas to pick something up.

BEST book of the month was The Time Traveler's Wife. If you are in a book club, make this your suggestion. Grab it from your libs, or if you want to borrow my copy, let me know. My nephew passed the book off to me when I was in LA for his graduation in May. I think this may be coming out as a movie, so read the book first!

The Iris Johansen books are part of her Eve Duncan series...unless you've read that series, you may not want to pick up those books. I do recommend the series...interesting reading. An interesting fact if you think you want to get started on Iris as a new author for you, while not all the books are relative to the same series, she often weaves in the characters from all her books into other ones. Her website is not the easiest to follow, but if you want to read her, just let me know & I'll help you get started with the order of books.

Fearless Fourteen....Janet Evanovich...what can I say, it's part of her Stephanie Plum series which is hilarious...if you haven't read her, need to do so. My series books are lent out right now, but if you want to borrow, let me know. Otherwise, go to libs and start with the first one...One for the Money.

James Patterson...both the Quickie & Sundays at Tiffany's were good....especially liked Sundays at Tiffany's...hope they make that one into a movie...if they follow the book. Really heart touching...yes Kathy I shed a couple of tears in this one too!

Looking for new book recommendations...please forward!

(2) Lifetime 3 days a week.
Outside of a couple weeks here and there...been keeping to this as a minimum...many weeks it's 5 days a week. Seeing the results, so I guess it's worth it. I'm not a LOVE of working out, so don't think that you need to love it to do it. Just do it because you probably need to do it & it's the best thing for you! We aren't getting any younger....especially Alisa who turns 40 this year & will soon experience the things the rest of us already are :)

(3) Blog 2 times a week.
Well, that's obviously not happening...hasn't been a priority for me, but I do miss not capturing up to the minute fun things in our life by not blogging about them...they will be soon forgotten fun things. Will try to get back into it in August after I get back from vacation.

(4) Organize.
Slowly be surely, it's coming along...hopefully by end of the year, most of the house will be organized.

(5) Family First.
Well, not sure how I rate there...especially since I'll be taking a vacation WITHOUT them :) But, I've been to virtually every baseball & softball game this Spring, cheering the teams on to victory...hopefully. Been interesting around the house since school completed...definitely need to get out more.

So more work to do for the rest of the year....hopefully cementing the new habits that I'm trying to develop.

What Day Is It?

So I wake up on Tuesday, July1, still thinking it's Sunday...or really not knowing what day it is. How did this happen? I don't think I've ever lost track of what day it was...I guess I am my mother whom since retirement doesn't ever know what day it is, but I guess that's the side benefit of retirement...who cares what day it is.

I think back and wonder was it the decompression from 4 weeks of 6 day/week of baseball & softball, where the calendar was looked at daily to find out what field & time we needed to be. Having a week off from sports, I sit here and wonder, what did I do with my evenings before April when the season started. Obviously, I blogged more :)

I must admit that the kids & I did the most logical thing Sunday & Monday...sit on the couch, veg out, and watch movies we have probably seen a dozen times (or more). Moving only to get food & use the bathroom & change positions on the couch. At least we did get out of our jammies. But come Tuesday when I was itching to get out of the house once again, I didn't even know what day it was anymore.

Now it's crunch time...got the list made of all the things needing to be complete before we migrate up north for the holiday weekend...how can the list continue to grow...but I guess that's what happens when you are comatose for 2 days.

All Star Game

Emily was one of 5 girls from her softball team to be nominated for the All Star Game. Her team, the Eastern Conference, consisted of the LA Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, and Arizona Diamondbacks. As she played with the best of the best, the game came down the wire in the sixth inning where her team came up to bat sitting at a score of 4-8. They pulled it together and Emily scored the winning run, beating the Western Conference (St Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics) 9-8.

New Acquisition

My living room is finally complete. The much desired piano is finally in place. All of us sit and play everyday...of course the kids are all over it as it's the new "toy" in the house.

Basement is Finished !

Wow! It took a few weeks...longer than planned...but it's finished & I'm moving my CM business into it for preparations for my next workshop...this Friday. Here are the before & after pix. Can you guess which one is which. You'll have to stop by to see the real (whole) thing.

Andrew turns 9

In the bowling alley where Andrew wanted to have his 9th birthday party, I sat chatting with one of the moms that stayed to watch. We determined we probably passed each other in the halls of Crittenton 9 years ago as Andrew was born on the 7th and hers was on the 9th. I told her I was the mom that was pushing the baby cart back to the nursery saying, "you keep him, I'm going to take a nap." She laughed as I told her I'd press the button for all diaper changes, and how the nurse asked me "didn't I want to give it a try", as I told her "why, I have the next 2-3 years of changing Baby Smith's diaper as we still hadn't decided on a name....and we knew it was a boy since I was 20 weeks pregnant. I was looking at this as my 4-day mini-holiday at the Hospital-Marriot, room service was high on my list! My best memories were when the food lady brought my food that I ordered and then came & cleaned it all up, all the bottle water as Rochester had some sort of water main break so we couldn't have tap, hot & cold self-administering morphine drip after the surgery....aaahhh the total spa treatment!

So now my baby is 9 years old...going on 13 (has to keep ahead of his sister)...and wondering how long my sweet little boy will stay sweet or will I be getting calls from the principal soon. Right now, I'll go with the first and keep thinking it will always be this way.

Starting on the Basement

Time to finish off the basement! That's been my mantra for the past 14 years living in this house. But as all projects go, other items move up on the laundry list of things to do, and other things get placed way down this list. Well, will all the home improvements we've been doing this past year, it was time to start the basement project.

Last summer, we started doing some initial cleaning of the basement, ridding ourselves of furniture & books & other items that finds it's way downstairs labeled "unused but not ready to let go". Well, the initial Clean Sweep did wonders, but then it refilled with moving a bunch of stuff out of the other rooms that we were remodeling.

So, I put on the work gloves, picked up GIANT size trash bags, heavy duty of course, and got to work. All books went into boxes & given to the RH Library. The old cabinets that were down there got empty & beaten to trash size pieces. All memorability of the kids got sorted and stored in tubs. Racks were purchased for the storage area & everything that was a keeper went on the racks....preferably in a tub.

June Already!

Wow! What happened to May and my blog posts...as everyone has been asking. Well, let's see what did I do in May...I read some books, see the list. I went to LA for a long weekend for my nephew's graduations from Loyal Marymount Univ. I went to many softball games or practices...and they continue through June. Had a nice long weekend up north for Memorial Day. Did another field trip with Andrew. Worked like crazy on the basement to get it all cleaned up for the contractors to start the finishing process. That about sums it up.

World Without End

Just finished up World Without End! Whew!

I must say...I liked it better than the first book "Pillars of the Earth". Although the plot is slightly different & the names are call changed, it was interesting to see in the perspective of this author what 200 years can do for a city & how the Black Plague ravished the times. Although it still had it's revengeful people, it wasn't as harsh as Pillars which made it more enjoyable to read.

If you've read the first one, you definitely want to read the second....give yourself a couple weeks to burn through its 1014 pages. Pretty intense at some spots.

WAHOO!! Dodgers Beat Tigers 17-8!

It's not what you think!

Emily's softball team (LA Dodgers) had Opening Day on Saturday. After spending all morning at various RHLL events...Bat-a-thon, Team Pictures, etc...we hustle back over to the appropriate field for a 2:00 pm showdown with none other than
the Detroit Tigers.
Was a bit nervous at first, as the Tigers had a couple of girls we knew on their team AND we knew they were good....but obviously they couldn't support their team to victory.

Emily played Catcher the whole game and blocked several Steals for Home...they'll know next time not to run when Emily's at home plate. Emily herself had 2 runs and 1 RBI.

We celebrated the victory by heading over to our local pub--RJ's for Pizza & Wings...of course Mom & Dad added a few brews to our celebration!

Day with Andrew

Spent a fabulous day with Andrew on one of his many days off from school. It gave us time to enjoy our beautiful weather we were having, practice his Math Pentalon games, and just spend a little mommy/son time together.

The next day we went to the MP tournament and low and behold, Andrew won Gold Metal...must have been all that strategic practice with Mommy :)

A Day in the Life in Rochester Hills

So, have you ever had the day like mine....

Get up & moving in the morning as it's Math Club day at Andrew's school...need to be there by 7:30 as I am a weekly helper.

Realize that I forgot my knee brace, so after Math Club, run home to grab it on the way to the gym.

Workout...hard...while not really feeling quite right.

Come home & have an early lunch to help the "not feeling quite right" go away...thinking low blood sugar or who knows what it was...

Grab Richard & get moving on the errands du jour...run over to the tile store to pick up the special caulk that matches our grout, then pop in at Lowe's...I need a frequent shopper card for that place...

Come out with mulch & top soil & other items on the list & get in the car, turn the key, and hear a click...Well, I always thought cars went vroom when you turned the key and become quite concerned about the click as it was 2:30 and needed to do the Yearbook Club carpool at 3:30.

Time to call AAA..."sorry for your problems, I'll send out a Battery jumper person for you, it will be about 45 minutes"....YIKES, I have kid pick up in 1 hour.

Ring, ring..."Hello Kathy, HELP! Can you pick me up & take me home", I asked. "Sure, no problem, be right there" she reponds. Thank god for friends like Kathy.

Okay, so the plan is made, R stays with the car...."what do you mean you don't have your cell phone, okay here's mine, keep your self busy playing with it while you wait for the battery charger guy." Kathy runs me home, I grab Big Blue (R's truck), run to WMS to pick up 3 girls, then run all the kids home.

Ring, ring "Hey R, what's the deal?" He responds, "Well, it's not the battery, it's the starter, they are sending a tow truck now"..."just Brilliant" I respond. So I have 1/2 hour from the last drop off until I do the Long Meadow run for that carpool...I think I can run down and get all the stuff in the car & get back to get the boys...

As I'm dodging in my Dodge Truck thru ROHI traffic to go 12 miles RT in 30 minutes...did I make it...

No, I was 10 minutes late picking up the boys....bummer since it was 72 degrees and they had to suffer by waiting outside at the car loop.

Do the boy drop off, then recollect Emily and head back down to pick up R from Lowes as the car was finally picked up...

Well, that wasn't on the agenda today....we were suppose to work on the basement and squirt the caulk into place in the bathroom....

I guess there is always tomorrow, as Scarlett O'Hara says "Tomorrow is another day!"

Library Holds

Have you ever had a bunch of "newer" books on hold at the Library, waiting for your turn? Well, I had been running 7 holds at the Libs and wouldn't you know it, 5 of them came up at the same time. So, it was time to put the book down that I was reading and start cranking out some books! Fortunately, they were mostly easy reads...but of course I received notification that World Without End is ready for pick up...I'll need all 3 weeks for that one, so I had been postponing to pick it up. Guess that's on my agenda today, as they won't hold it forever :)

Big 3-0!

Well, as I wish I was just turning 30 years old, that's not what's happening....but I am celebrating just the same! After months & months of trying to eat proper & working out religiously I have finally hit the 30 lb mark! YEA! Of course more to go...

I was getting frustrated there for a bit as it's been pretty stagnate over the past few months, but then I did a Metabolic Assessment Test at the gym and found out that I was working too HARD at my daily workouts...imagine that...so I was only burning Glucose calories, not Fat Calories. So now I track everything through my heart rate to stay in the "right" zone for me & it proved successful. Now to hopefully kick it into gear & get the scale on a steady decline once again!

I Am Alive & Ticking

So, I've been off the computer for a while. Funny, it's just not a priority in life as it once was and I have a ton of things that have filled it's space.

Word for the Younger Generations...unplug yourself and go outside :)

Easter was busy. Last minute getting the kitchen & family room painted before family arrived into town. Richard was busy trying to get as much of the trim completed as possible.

We celebrated Cubbie's 1st birthday....yes, we got him a doggie cake! It was pretty big and he's still enjoying it.




Then after the 4 days, we headed up north and did end of the season snowmobiling & played at Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City. It was quite fun and poor Cubbie...sent him over to a local TC kennel for the day & night. Not sure if he has forgiven us yet, but I keep bribing him with treats....actually he doesn't leave my side and follows me everywhere. I think he doesn't want to get left behind again.

Paint by Numbers

Remember back when you received your first Paint by Numbers kit. You probably received it as a present from a relative or from a birthday party as no parent in their right mind would purchase something with paint to be used in their own house.

Well, as I refocused my attention back on the needed painting that I was avoiding, I started to think up my own Paint by Numbers program.

1. Remove all items from paint surface or that could possibly get paint on them if I get close to it.
2. Fill in all the holes that seem to be in the wall...didn't we ever fill them from the previous owner when we painted...obviously not.
3. Tape off what needs to be taped...I'm down to taping only on my wood surfaces...getting pretty good at my ceiling to wall line.
4. Put down the plastic...especially over my NEW carpet.
5. Sand the fill.
6. Wipe down from the sanding & any other splashes on the wall.
7. Prime where necessary or if changing from dark color to light color.
8. Finally Paint & Paint & Paint
9. Clean up
10. Put it all back together.

Of course while painting the kitchen, which I completed yesterday, I also had to add cleaning the top of the cabinets into the mix...as well as general cleaning afterwards. I tried to avoid the proverbial Spring Cleaning of all the drawers well I was at it, as I needed to stay on focus to get the painting completed, so more trim can be nailed.

Off to do the Family Room today :)

Family Portrait

A very rare opportunity to have our picture taken together as a family. Usually, I'm the one behind the camera, which I have noticed a lot with working on the kids' scrapbooks. So here we are, ready to go to Mama Mia 1.5 weeks ago; picture taken by one of Emily's friends in the living room.

A Rose is just a Rose

I received Flowers yesterday from all my special people....

From Richard

From Emily

From Andrew

Oh Happy Day...

So, as I sit here and contemplate the 42nd year of my life, I realize a few things...

(1) I'm not as young as I once was...
It's Tuesday and I'm still exhausted from a whirlwind weekend. The weekend started on Thursday for me. I head over to Lexington in the afternoon for a scrapbooking extravaganza with the "A-List" Scrapbooking Club. I work hard on Thursday...well not so hard...have a drink or two, and listen to all the chatting with the 5 of us that arrived on Thursday until 1:30 am in the morning. Then, I crack down and work hard on Friday...lots to do...have another drink or two...and more chatting once the remaining group arrives on Friday night until again 1:30 am in the morning. Saturday arrives. I am targeted to leave for another fun filled event at noon, but an determined to get a lot more completed in my albums. I'm up at 7:00 a.m. cranking out the pages. By the time I leave, I've completed 37 pages...WOW...I never do that...of course they need to be journaled, but that's okay...at least the pictures are on a page.

I hop in my car and head off for Chelsea for a DDD overnight gathering, a 2.25 hour drive from Lexington...there just isn't any good way to get there :) So, as I sleep my way over...not kidding...I'm tooling along pretty quickly to get there in time...I have no idea where I'm going, but I have to be there by 2:30 pm. I arrive just in time, toss my bag in my room, change into my dress pants, re-evaluate my lipstick, then join 9 others for an afternoon at the Purple Rose theater, dinner at the Common Group, and an overnight stay at the Chelsea Victorian House Inn. Chatting occurs all evening with all those I haven't seen in a while, some as long as 3 years, many it had been almost a year! So chat continues until the wee hours of the morning once again...and then up at 7:00 a.m. thanks to the Church bells across the street. I was told they chimed all night, but I obviously must of added those into my dream world.

So, when I finally get home, I unload the car from the whole weekend, go upstairs and crawl into bed for a nap. Monday comes around; thank goodness no exercise today, as was planned, just totally exhausted.

Now Tuesday comes around and I'm still exhausted, and wondering what day of the week it is. The cappuccino I had a lunch didn't do anything for me...except dilate my eyes with the caffeine.
So I'm sitting here and thinking back on the all nighters I use to pull...heading up to MSU to meet up with Alisa, stay up half the night, get on the road and head to Fenton for work the next morning. Then I think of all the times I usually don't sleep much and read half the night, but I guess this was more physical or mental relaxation as I have difficulties staying awake...and the day isn't over yet :)

(2) I'm not as old as I think I am....
Although I'm not good at multiple all-nighters...or multi-night short quantity of sleep, I still can get up and make it to Lifetime for my brutal workout. I'm still up with my kids when it's time for school the next day. I have all my original parts, some of them freshened (my eyes...what did you actually think), and I can still tie one on and still remember and laugh about the memories for years to come (especially if they are scrapbooked). My adrenaline seems to be endless at times and I feel I still can conquer the world. I'm sure I'll look back years from now and think...those were the good ol' days when I could do so much!

I keep remembering what Scarlett O'Hara said "Tomorrow is another day" and figure it's better than Rhett Butler "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

No Tickie, No Laundry

So, I show up this morning for my daily workout at Lifetime...today is Hydro Training. I get lucky and obtain the absolute BEST parking spot. I get my bag, get out of the car, and realize that I don't have my LT card nor my license, as I forgot to grab my purse on the way out the door. Usually I don't take my purse, so I didn't think anything of it. I keep my wallet in my coat pocket, but over the weekend, I changed purses & we took the kids to Mama Mia, so I put my wallet back into my purse...which is where it still sits. So, I see Kathy pull up and I think, that's fine, I'll be her "guest"...can't do that either without a license or picture id. So I'm standing in the parking lot chatting with her when she suggests we go to breakfast, but then realizes she only has $5...she didn't have her purse either, just her id requirements.

So, I'm hoping through all the excitement, I got my heart rate moving and a burned a couple calories...

Book Reading Resolution

As I finished Pillars of the Earth yesterday, I started thinking about my Book Reading resolution of 50 books for 2007. Now, I'm not really concerned about making it, but since I have several books on my list that are nearly 1000 pages, first being Mary Queen of Scots, next Pillars of the Earth, then World Without End, and History of Scotland, I starting thinking, next year, I should make it a total number of pages, as these books represent approximately 2.5 books based on the average of 350 pages in typical book I read. So if I calculated that out, that would be 17,500 pages, which would target ~1500 pages. So far in 2007 I have read 3594, so I'm right on track. But the way, I wrote it up with 50 books, I have to read 4-5 a month, and I'm sitting at 7....well, I'm still close to being on track. Next group of books are research books for Scotland...so I'll be curious how quickly I breeze through them.

BTW: I would recommend this book. This is my first Ken Follett book, recommended reading by my sister, Jane. Mr. Follett has a unique writing style which I enjoyed; his format of writing helped pull me into the story quickly. He introduces multiple characters into his story and they ties them all together in his plot. Although I believe this book could probably be 100 pages less once you remove some repetition, but on the flip side I was disappointed when the last 100 pages tossed you in 10-20 year increments and wished for another couple hundred pages to slow down the time and give added credit on the successes made in the end. Although lengthy, it would be a great Book Club book as the discussion on it can be endless. I don't recommend it on tape/CD. I tried it and found the reader not appealing.

Looking forward to my turn at the Library arriving for World Without End (I'm #23 out of 34 on hold), which is a continuation of sorts of Pillars of the Earth, but a 200 years later. Little Birdies told me, it's even better. If anyone has the hard copy...can I borrow it :)

Lunar Eclipse

As the world watch the 2008 Total Lunar Eclipse last night...next one not occurring until 12/2010...we as a family made plans to stay up and watch.

So by 10:00 pm we were huddled in Andrew's room, looking out the window & taking pictures until we steamed up the window. Then we moved to Emily's window and laid on the floor watching it go mostly dark talking about all the colors we saw until we decided we couldn't stay awake any longer. It was pretty awesome!

Stay tuned for a Total Solar Eclipse on August 1, 2008.

Winter Break

As I sit here relieved that our school Winter Break is over and things can get back to "normal", I think back on this past LONG weekend and laugh.

Headed up north on Saturday morning...too much effort to head up on Friday night...get there, get the sleds out, and head out for a ride with the kids & my dad.

The kids decide they want to try driving...past due for Emily try...so with a brave heart, I turned the handlebars over to Andrew first, as he was riding with me. He did pretty well for an 8 year old, jumping up to 40mph. Only issue is I had to continuously tell him to get onto the right hand side of the road...he thought he was invincible.

Emily on the other hand was more reserved, but being 11, I let her drive longer...or maybe it felt longer as she didn't go much faster than 25...long time, same distance! In the end, I survived.

Then we moved onto Sunday and for the first time, the weather man was correct. It was raining. Couldn't understand how, since it read 25 degrees on the thermometer, but I keep forgetting that it is Michigan & anything is possible. So as we debate on what we were going to do that day...go swimming or go see a movie...I hear this splat, splat, splat...SOB my NEW roof was dripping on the inside of the house.

So, R & I climb up on the roof and start shoveling the 3 feet of snow that has sat up there for however long & now weighs a million pounds with the added water. I get most of one side finished before my shovel bends in half and breaks. So there I am, on the roof, soaked with rain & sweat, with my broken shovel, staring at the roof wondering why can it rain and the bloody snow doesn't melt!

Since it was as good a break as any, I went inside to play games with the kids, R & dad went into town to find a replacement shovel. Richard finishes the one side when he returned and decided that should do it. I'm a bit skeptical, but hey I'll go along with that versus break my back.

So Sunday night comes around and we have the "family" couch action going on with the 4 of us on the sofa sprawled all over watching a Star Trek movie...how appropriate. When all of a sudden, drip, drip, drip on my SOFA! Well, we move the sofa, put a towel and bowl down and keep watching movies...what else is there to do.

By morning, the temps drop further, the internal rain stopped...probably frozen under the shingles and we head back up to the roof to shovel the other side of the house. Fortunately our light weight snowblower worked on the hard pack...now that it was frozen :)

I'm wishing I had my heart monitor with me as I'm on my 8th day of continuous exercise! Tuesday...I took a break :)

5 Days a Week

So, last week I completed the first full 5 day workout schedule...there weren't any interruptions due school closings etc. Kathy & I changed our schedule and added "Strictly Strength" for Wednesday. It represented issues on Thursday when I had to get out of bed & go down those once again dreadful stairs to start my day all over again and prepare for cycling.

In light of our success of completion as well as our struggles to make the completion, Kathy had forwarded me a jovial email that summed up our week...thought I'd share it with everyone:

A WOMAN'S WEEK AT THE GYM

If you read this without laughing out loud, there is something wrong with you. This is dedicated to everyone who ever attempted to get into a regular workout routine.

Dear Diary, For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try. I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear. My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.

MONDAY: Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess -- with blonde hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!! Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring! Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was aroun d. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!

TUESDAY: I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Belinda's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT! It's a whole new life for me.

WEDNESDAY: The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot. Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for early in the morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why the Hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other shit too.

THURSDAY: Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late, it took me that long to tie my shoes. Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. She sent another skinny bitch to find me Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine -- which I sank.

FRIDAY: I hate that bitch Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it. Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the damned barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?

SATURDAY: Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her made me want to smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.

SUNDAY: I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my daughter (the little shit) will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!

Winter Blues...or is it Snow

Well after last week's big excitement of no school "because it's too warm & the snow turned to ice" to another no school on Friday "because we are expecting 10" of snow but got 3", to now we had freezing rain last night, turning into snow with it not suppose to stop until a final dump on Sunday...but it's okay that we have school...because we probably sucked up all our snow days last week!

As a winter-sports lover, growing up I thought winter didn't last long enough...well I guess I'm all grown up and I see why people move to AZ or FL. I'd say this weather is for the birds, but hey, they don't even stay in Michigan for the winter....what was I thinking.

So, this spurred me to start fantasizing about 85 degree weather, crystal blue waters of the Carribean, and any place that has a beach, a pool, and a view...of course everything is either already booked up or costing a fortune during our Easter break....Calgon, take me away! If anyone finds a great place to go for not so much $$, just let me know.

And no Painting another room is not helping readjust my attitude about winter right now :)

Crazy Michigan Weather

So, on Tuesday (1/29), we get up as usual at 6:15 am to get Emily ready for school. I look at the thermometer and it says low 40's...cool! It had rained much of Monday night and the sun was scheduled to come out with highs near 50...I'll take it. Well at 6:30 am, I get a call from my workout buddy, Kathy, telling me...No School...they just canceled! What! Since we can't seem to plow our roads from the snow we received on Sat & Sun, the rain made the "back roads" turn to ice, so No School for us.

So, today rolls around...we have had strong winds like 50+ mph all night! I check to see if the grill cover survived and realize it's not just cold outside, it's beyond cold. I check the weather and it's 7 degrees with -12 windchill. So, I immediately go to the RCS website to see if there is school today. Of course there is. Can't risk a little ice on the roads, but can let our kids stand out and get frostbite waiting for the bus. Amazing! The dog doesn't even want to go outside!

In the meanwhile...I decide it is necessary to paint the Foyer before we start laying the trim in there! Always something more to do with that dirty 5 letter word.

Plinths

As the trim continues...an interesting word arises in our vocabulary...Plinths! Some of you out there are familiar with the word, some may be running to your dictionary or looking up online right now to see what it is...but it is a word we have been using for the past couple weeks and has been a thorn in my side!

Plinths are the square/rectangular piece of trim that initiates the column (from the floor) when doing doorway trim or even window trim in some cases.

As we continue with the trim work...I don't think it will ever be finished...sorry Mark, you may never see your saw again :)...the search for the plinth has become ridiculous. We needed 8 more...but now our local Lowes is out of our size (due in 2 weeks), our local Home Depot doesn't carry that size or style...so then it's off to search the surrounding cities for the perfect plinth! Finally found more down in Sterling Heights...needed another 8...had 10 in stock...so had to really decide which ones were the best of the 10! Back to work!

Living Room is 95% complete...now needs quarter round since the floor wasn't level, we don't mention the walls! Here's a preview with also a quick peek at the dining room...which is about 45% complete.