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.

On with the Trim

The Trim work has started! All the trim for the dining room, living room, foyer, & kitchen has been acquired. Priming has been completed & initial painting has started. The plan is to get the window treatments up first, then the floor trim... First nails went in today :)

Still have the family room, hallway, & door trim to still acquire...debating on the painting walls....more paint...think it's time to hire a painter :)

What was I thinking!

All in My Head

So it appears I'm already skipping out on one of my resolutions....Lifetime Fitness! Haven't been in a week...but then again I've had a head cold & its hard to work out when your ears are plugged & you can't breathe! Of course it also hasn't helped that my Exercise partner is also out sick...A couple more days and we'll start making it up & getting back on track...

In the meanwhile, I finished Mary, Queen of Scotland & the Isles...next book!

2008 Resolutions Challenge

As I have been leafing through the plethora of magazines I now receive...Thanks West Middle School for that fundraiser...I have been reading all the New Year Resolutions garble and decided to actually set some of my own for 2008.

I have NEVER been one to set resolutions as it means to make a permanent change and maybe I never wanted to commit to a permanent change...well I did get married & had 2 kids...I guess those are permanent. And since I over-analyze things half the time, I always wondered why friends who make lists, put Lose Weight at the top of their list...is that a permanent change. Not in my book. The permanent change is eating habits or exercise habits or sewing your mouth shut and the result is loss of weight. If Lose Weight is on the list every year for the past 20 years, shouldn't they be birth weight by now? Usually that fleeting thought is gone in one month and at the end of the year, instead of losing 10-20 pounds, you've gained 10-20 pounds.

So back to the resolutions! I decided to commit to change on 5 things...some harder, requiring more time & effort, some not so hard...but I think the hardest thing was to come up with 5.

1. Read 50 books (added reading log on my blog)
Is this really a resolution or a goal? Well, I never really tracked how many books I've read since I started reading again a few years back...and if I can make this into a permanent change in my life, just think, in 10 years I will have read 500 books.

2. Life at the Gym - minimum 3 days a week
Although my goal is get to 5 days right now while I'm not working...if I can make a permanent change with 3 days forever, I'll be able to have my cake & eat it too...after I shed all those pounds from eating my cake without exercising.

3. Blog at least twice a week
So, sometimes I get occupied or can't get onto the computer as everyone else is on it...maybe it's time to invest in another? But if I can focus at least twice a week, it may increase to once a day...that's scary thought...as well as not to be so long...as I've been told. Hey, I may be getting interactive with you...so watch for more challenges!

4. Get & Stay Organized
So I always thought I was an organized person, but not in all aspects of life. I may be able to create organized vacations, get my work files together, but if you opened my bathroom drawers or saw my basement right now, you'd wonder if I was totally out of my mind. So while I'm off I want to de-clutter my home & hopefully that will help me stay organized and make a permanent change in my lifestyle...or maybe it's organized clutter.

5. Make my Family #1
Sad to say, my true calling in life was NOT to be an adorning wife & doting mother. And I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid to become that either! But, my family has always taken the backseat to my work life, and while I'm STILL adjusting to the transition, I am working to make sure I can be there for them by saying "no" to other things....within reason. I am not going to forgo a night out with friends to sit and watch them play with their DS...but to really work to create a better family life...less arguing, more playtime :)

So, now they are in writing for me to make the steps for change....I'll keep you posted!

Challenge for you....what life changes are you read to commit?

School Field Trips

So, I'm on my 3rd field trip with Andrew this school year, where when I worked I promised I would go on one and they pick the one. I think we have 1-2 more left for this year...better check out the teacher's web page to find out where I will be going next.

Things I have discovered...

• almost the same parents always go...drivers needed (I miss my Pacifica)
  
• I learn more than the kids do...especially that I didn't know Rochester had all these things
  
• I've become class field trip photographer...hope they like extra pictures of Andrew
• Andrew has two little girls that like him & as a good parent, those are the ones I drive so I can keep my eye on things
• there is no way I could be an elementary school teacher
• I know more of the kids names than I do the other parents that always attend
• I'm always in need of a nap afterwards
• Our class has been "weather" lucky...always unusually warm & dry...where the class that goes the next day...always a big rain storm (knock on wood to keep that going)
• I almost had a weak moment & volunteered for some school activity for PTA...good thing the field trip ended...not ready for official school jobs...better stay away from school for a while :)

Oh the things I missed when I worked...

Happy New Year

Okay...yes it's been over a month since my last blog entry...yes I know as everyone is reminding me of this...so I'll do a quick summary....and I will try to be quick versus long-winded on the happenings over the past month...aren't you lucky :)

(1) All the carpet is installed! Yippee...this process created the entity of Smith Moving Company, as every piece of furniture had to be moved and returned to it's location after the carpet installation. The amazing thing is how you can cram so much stuff in one space. The other amazing thing is that we survived. Recommendation to all: if you are replacing carpeting in 4 bedrooms, hallway, stairs & the family room, either (1) Move...it would be easier, or (2) Hire a moving company to move out all your stuff and then move it all back. When you are doing all the work, you really start to realize how you are just not as young as you once were...or ever was! So with the carpet installation...yes, you guessed it more painting was required...and to save a few bucks we removed all the carpet ourselves...or the kids did :)

(2) Guests for a long weekend! We inherited a 9th grader & a 6th grader in the middle of December for a long weekend....there mom needed a get-a-way...no problem, the more the merrier...and I could use a babysitter for Saturday nite! It was an interesting experience for me to have a real teenager under my house. Although everything went well, it helped me decide to postpone having the kids get cell phones anytime soon...or word of advice, get unlimited texting when you make that step as I think that is all that kids do...no hours on the phone talking...its all texting! And then just when you think it's time to go back to school...Snow Day! So we went sledding instead of to school where of course we had an injury in our group that required plenty of rest on the sofa!

(3) Barry Manilow! Went to the Big Barry concert! Got there in plenty of time to have decent parking, a casual drink, and a nice relaxing evening...well with the Snow coming in...Barry started his performance at 9:30 vs 8:00, as he had just arrived to the Palace at 8:45 as it took him 6 hours to get from Cleveland to Auburn Hills...he made it up to us with his flashy costumes & plenty of songs. Not bad for a "old man"!

(4) Christmas! Well you guessed it, another holiday that no matter what I do, it creeps up on me and it's already here before you know it....well, this is the first year we haven't put up a tree. Once we got the house back in order, and decided we'd spend Christmas up north, we opted not to do a tree for 3 days of enjoyment...maybe next year! That will keep the scrapbook page down to a minimum :)

(5) Article in the Freep
See the link below or attached for the Article on the Rochester Sparkling Light Show...the Smith family made the paper!
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071221/NEWS03/712210333/1001

(6) Holidays
Well the 2 weeks of no school were filled with Andrew's annual bronchitis, Christmas up north, sitting around reading 4 books, solving Sudoku puzzles & watching mega movie marathon with my kids (when I could have been blogging)...and strategizing my plans for next year when we will have 16 days off in a row...we're going somewhere!

(7) New Year's Eve
Stole away to the Sterling Inn for NYE for their Splash Bash with the Denninger family...spent the day in the water park, watching High School Musical 2 games performed by Radio Disney, saw a magician & a ventriliquist...missed the clown...but saw the ball drop at midnight while sharing champagne with good friends!

Now we are to the present....