Angela's Christmas concert

She is ... Just to the left of Mr Shaw (teacher/conductor) you can only see the top of her head. Poor Angela. I have to say this is the first Christmas concert I have enjoyed the music as they were all recognizable songs and tie tappers ;)

see the person just to the left of the microphone stand in the front row?  That is my little flutist (yes, wearing a red tie)!


Little brunette head to the immediate left of the microphone stand, with read tie... two tiny heads to the left of Mr. Shaw :)

Great show Angie!!

Tree this year

Simple but cute (yeah, yeah, yeah the ladder is still out)


Cute silver pine cones. Only two if these drat it!


Huge silver stars 12" diameter.


Cute acorn bird houses. I think there are 10 or 12 of these - so cute!


What you can't see:
Christmas threw up in my living room over a week ago and I'm too bah humbug to do a darn thing about it!!


Why yes, that is Carl from walking dead on the screen ;)

Lists

My mother has always worked off of a list.  Lots and lots of lists.  These were for everyday things such as what needed to be done with chores, to grocery lists.  There have always been lists in my life, so, tell me; why have I gone the way of NO lists?  I haven't really had lists for anything in a long while.   This would include packing for trips.  So far there has only been one time where this did not bode well for me and I neglected to pack some skivvies.  The funny thing is that the ones I bought on the fly turned out to be so comfy I switched to those on a permanent basis.  I digress.  Lists...

Do you do lists?

Here is my list as of late:

 

Christmas Cards  

Done - Well, sort of.  I found out delivery of cards would be so expensive that I decided I would just do New Year’s Cards instead.

**project for Christmas

                Done - I would like to do ONE more, however, I have found that among other things I am procrastinating on taking pictures as well!  Bad mom!

Cups for Pam

Done – this was a paid job, so really should have been done over the weekend and was PLANNED for the weekend, however working 4 hours on Sunday sort of negated me getting that one done (likely excuse cause I could have done it Saturday – ya know what I mean?)

Ornaments for Denise

                Done – see lame excuse for the above

Tell someone my Christmas list includes a rain gauge

                Done - Kid have been informed I need a new one as mine bit it when we froze over Thanksgiving and I wasn’t here to empty the thing prior.  Whoops!

 

Check pool when home to check water level

                Sort of Done, sort of ongoing – this is now morphed into call the Hayward Company to check all my settings on the blasted thing.

Purchase Concrete fix from Lowes

Wax (yeah, we’ll not discuss this as my legs look like a yeti)

Paint Liz's room

Paint Desk

Paint Dresser

Paint Butches project

 

This was all that was on there… however, there is another list in the bedroom on the wall that helped me work on projects over the summer… there are a few outstanding ones on it as well.  See, I DID have a list now that I job my poor atrophied brain.  The things on it remain as:

 

Paint Cheese Domes

Well, not the domes, the bases, you get the drift

Paint the coat rack

This should have been done already as it is for WINTER as we’re fully in winter and it’s to be used out by the hot tub

 

I’m thinking here was something else on that list; however, it’s not fresh on my pea brain, so I do know of those things at a minimum.

 

And if we’re completely honest I should also put on there to purchase a bed for Liz’s room to be used as a secondary guest bedroom – however, that is on the very bottom of the list at this point because I still have to paint the room and the desk and …. Oh crap… one more thing on the list, or rather a whole series of things to add to the list.  Taking stuff to the consignment; I need to take the following to consignment:

 

The old dining room table

The old display case from the breakfast area

The pink toddler bed I found on the side of the road (or maybe it needs to go right back out on the side of the road?)

 

Shoot, I could make my life so much better by just taking those three things to the Goodwill but with all the bad press on all of the donation places being crooks; it’s hard to justify doing that.

 

So in the end, my initial list got shorter, but the ongoing long term list is getting longer, and longer and longer:

·         Call the Hayward Company to check all my settings on system

·         Purchase Concrete fix from Lowes

·         Wax (yeah, we’ll not discuss this as my legs look like a yeti)

·         Paint Liz's room

·         Paint Desk

·         Paint Dresser

·         Paint Butches project

·         Paint Cheese Domes

·         Paint the coat rack

·         Take the following to consignment in January:

o   The old dining room table

o   The old display case from the breakfast area

o   The pink toddler bed

·         Sand “new” dining table and refinish (see, I snuck just ONE more thing in there… just one more)

The newest "find"

Ok now don't laugh, I have plans for this bad boy!! And Merry Christmas to me!!

In the door and DIRTY!!


Scrubbed up...





What was I thinking you ask?
THIS



Ok really the one that tempted me was really white with a lightly colored back wall.
More like this one:



Anyway enough dreaming.
For now this one will stay its current color and we will paint it in the spring :) I'm excited for this project!

The find...

Before





Cleaned up





Loaded with all his juices.





Butch taking a picture to show off to a friend. So funny!





I'll add a picture when he gets it on his wall ;)

Angela's Art

Angela's latest art on her ceiling fan blades. It has glow in the dark blades.





More of her art in the walls. This is a personal favorite.





Tree growing.





Love this one too!!





Can you believe this is. Coverup done in a matter of hours.





Looks like a fun start ;)





Good thing I know it's just paint and wondering how I will frame it after she's gone to college? Put a frame at that level and just mount it there? Sounds doable. :)

Love that girls artistic flare!

Color Guard and Angela

 

color guard pictures from school - will scan in without the "proof" after I get them!!

 

Center back row.  Right below the "0"

Same spot!

Center back - right in front of the horn - third from the left in the back ...

 Same spot.  We tried to do some continuous shots as it was cold and rainy this night.  There were no competitions in the sunlight, therefor making it hard to get a good picture!!

Thanksgiving

From a 14 year olds perspective ...

 

 

Sitting down to dinner with our little family.

 

I KNOW we couldn't fit any more food on that table!  And it was sooo good!

Breast Exam Followup

Two hours, two squishes, two ultrasounds later and I'm finally out if there! Good lord that was trying!! So it's true. The right side is also in full mutiny. The good news? Due to my "history" it's just dubbed "simple" and I head home for another year! Yeah. No 6 month follow up!! I guess 6 years of continued visits and revisits have jaded me and I figured this would be the outcome.

Guess I should count myself lucky that they worry so much about the girls.

So on that note I'll be thankful for the pain in the ass that these exams are in that they can save a life with early detection.

Oh, and while we're on the subject of the lovely boobies and exams, I brought home the lovely BB Pasties today :D

They are sooo pretty, don't you think - they crack me up every time!  I mean, really folks, are the flowers supposed to make me feel better that you're flopping the girls all over the place and placing them in a vice grip while telling me to "hold still".... hum... even if I wiggle, the girl in the vice is going no where anytime soon!!!  Yowza!!  I also brought home a home exam shower card for the not so little girl to know what to look for.  Ah, the joys of being a girl, eh?

Time to redo the curtains in the dining room

I'm in LOVE with this curtain rod and curtains!

I  may not be so in love when I find out the curtain rod cost.. but for now, I'm in love with this idea!

 

I really think that those curtains would look GREAT in here...

what do YOU think?

 

 

Oh, yeah, and I redo these curtains, then I have do redo the ones in the living room as well - they do match...

hum... will have to stick to the color scheme it is now as that's the rug that will have to stay for the duration.... too expensive to replace ALL of that...

 

 

now what type of curtains do I want, that is the $20,000 question this week.

I think I want sheers similar to what is in the top picture... but the living room looks like this:

 

yeah, we need something different in there... and longer curtain rod too...

 



Cancer Awareness

Saturday I went to a cancer study that I had signed up for in the summer... a LONG time back, however I was feeling that I should give back to the world in some way at that point and mom had spotted this blurb in the paper about a cancer study. She couldn't participate due to age - they wanted people in the study for long term - still not sure what that REALLY means as it was never really spelled out in years.

Fast forward to Tuesday; I get a phone call asking me to come back for a follow-up mammogram and ultrasound with the local Imaging Center. Ok, this isn't THAT shocking as I have had one aspiration and multiple checks on the left since 2007. It was funny because when I called to set up a routine mammogram they ask when my last one was and I said a year ago in July ... she looks and looks and looks and states, no, the last one you had was in 2007. She came back on the line with an "oh, wait, I see, you have had diagnostics every year since then." Yep, that's me and my very loved and examined left breast. Sigh.

I go in and they have changed their approach, there is no more draping of the teeny tiny top. No sir, now you go in with bare breasts and let's face it gals, there is no modesty in those teeny tiny tops anyway... they are a joke to modesty!

I finally had a "normal" mammogram, no ultrasounds, no extra decorated BB dots on odd spots of my breast that when pressed with that vise grip leaves divots that last a full day. Those same said BB's that I tease the technicians that if they squeeze ANY harder will shoot across the room and take an eye out and I can't be held responsible for that! While we're on the topic of those BB-Band-Aids - who in their right mind thought they should be decorated with flowers... I laughed and told Butch one day I was going to wear those bad boys home to him - hahahaha. I'm sure he would really appreciate the little flowers more than I do.

Anyway, I digress. I got the call on Tuesday for a follow up and the message was a little garbled and asking me for follow up and right. Ok, that can't be right. The left has known issues that are always getting more and more attention. So, I have Angela listen to the message and ask her, "did she say "RIGHT"?" To which the child was mortified... but with a 14 year old having boobs now, this is the perfect time to discuss self-exams, etc.. Then I start feeling my boobs and muttering "right?" Hum... I don't feel a thing. She walked out shaking her head - poor child will be scared for life with the things she sees/hears around me, I'm sure!

So... the exam is set (27th), the Right shall join the team of "problem children" and we'll see how this one plays out as I still can't find the "issue"... watch, I'm going to go in, they'll try to find where this mystery spot is on the right and find they mismarked stuff and it IS the left!! Ha!

Until then I'll continue to look like I have a boob fetish and randomly feel around my right breast for this mystery lump/bump/issue - ha!

Angela's new doo

Angela decided to go for a purple under layer on her hair. I decided to help.


First bleach it.





Why yes, it IS a bit pink in the middle. Weird, eh?


Onto the purple dye. Ok who's brainiac idea was this???



Wow!!! Dried.


Drying in with the rest of the hair!


"normal"


When pulled forward. Can you tell she loves it?


In her normal French braid mode for color guard. Yes this has been approved by her guard coach. First thing I insisted she check!

Angela stats

Angela is now 5'7". Wow!!

Laundry room revisited

Before:

Mom had asked today why did I buy the crock for the Oxiclean if I was just going to leave the bucket up there. Good point. I was waiting for the perfect "bucket" to use for garbage. Seems I had it outside this whole time! :)
After:

Even a basket to gather pens and change in a lost and found setting.
Next up? Paint the rusting lid to the dryer. Wow. Didn't realize how much rust was there until I scrubbed it today! Wow. Time to paint it!!
And a little more:
You'll notice not all of the collapsible baskets are out now. Only two. One for reds and whites.

Here is where I tucked the others until needed. I probably should have hung them in full site for kids and husbands. However if all goes well we shall train then where their home is when not in use :)

I have one more plan for this room. The idea came from here http://southernhospitalityblog.com/my-laundry-room-makeover-finale/
I have to see if mine needs one more coat of paint or not at this point.
I have to say I LOVE a separate laundry room with a door however the next house shall have one twice this size... And a big pantry.
A girl can dream can't she?

Not sure the real color can stay with they yellow. I think it clashes.