Working
I worked 13 + hours today and I’m still not done. My deadline is tomorrow. Must sleep before I go permanently cross-eyed from looking at this computer.
Say a prayer I can get this all finished tomorrow …
Lord willing and creek don’t rise
We live fairly close to a creek. It’s about 3/4 of a mile away, downhill from here. But with the rain we have had lately, it’s got me wondering if we could get a flood here. I guess anything’s theoretically possible.
The last two hours, it’s rained like crazy. Just a nonstop very heavy downpour. I’m curious to see what the rainfall totals are going to be tomorrow.
On our ugly comforter
I realize everyone who has seen our ugly comforter in the background of our photos must think “what were they THINKING when they bought that?”
I was thinking: we’re poor and we need a new comforter. This entire king-sized set is on sale for $15! I’m going to buy it.’
It was either that or a granny-floral print.
Just in case you wondered.
Writing with a fever
I’m sick (imagine that). I also have a deadline tomorrow, which trumps the sickness. So, when I wasn’t lying in bed and moaning today, I was typing. I just hope my writing makes sense.
Actually, all I’m writing is headlines. Still a challenge, but at least I’m not having to write entire stories.
It’s funny, most of the magazines the company I work for produces are in the same vein … promoting a city or county to prospective newcomers or businesses. Each of these publications have some mainstays – an education story, an arts story, a healthcare story, a business story … you get the picture.
The thing about the healthcare and education stories are … every single community wants to claim their schools and local hospital are The Best. Everyone can’t be The Best, but they claim to be nonetheless. So, I find myself using these phrases a LOT: top-notch, high-tech, cutting-edge, state-of-the art, nationally recognized etc.
For once, can I write something bad about one of these places? I guess if that’s what I want, I should work for a newspaper and not a magazine!
Back to the sickness: I knew this was inevitable, when earlier in the week I had a feverish child snuggled right up next to me in the bed. Oh, it’s worth it.
What a drag
Jay and I finally got around to watching For Your Consideration tonight, a Christopher Guest movie. Jay and I are huge fans of Christopher Guest’s “mockumentary”-style movies, including Waiting for Guffmann, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind.
But, For Your Consideration was a big disappointment. Just not very funny or interesting at all. Not that it’s terrible. It’s just … hollow.
Before you run out and rent any of these, a word: if your favorite genre is chick flicks or slapstick comedy, you’re not going to appreciate these.
Yes. A movie snob. I am one.
Houses and stuff
I am so over looking at houses. Everything we can afford SUCKS in one way or another. And I’m not being overly picky, unless you consider not wanting to live in the ghetto picky.
Anyway, I’m just over it. Any good deals get snatched up before you have a chance to blink. I know the housing market’s slowed in parts of the country, but it definitely hasn’t here.
The original home we wanted to bid on had issues that the owner didn’t want to fix. Just in case you were wondering what happened with that.
And another thing I’m over? This Kimkins diet. I thought last time I was on this diet and my hair was falling out I was imagining, but this time I know I’m not. Maybe it just affects different people different ways or something but no joke … my hair is falling out in a bad way. I’m shedding like the cat.
Anyway, say a prayer for my sanity/Jay’s sanity. This house stuff is stressful. I’m overloaded with freelance work still, too … which is both a great and overwhelming thing. At least money’s not an issue right now.
In other news: my to do list this weekend – cut Gabriel’s hair!
That #(*&#$ Cat!
So, Peter attacked Jay tonight, out of the clear blue. Jay was down on the floor minding his own when Peter dive-bombed him, clawing both sides of his face/head.
*Might not want to see this pic if the sight of blood makes you sick … it’s not gory or anything but I never want to subject someone to something they don’t want to see. 
*
Woohoo
I’m starting day 4 of the Kimkins diet and I’m down 7 pounds. So far, so good.
I’m not being fussy about measuring everything out this time, I’m just eating sensible portions of everything, and it must be working. The measuring part was a real drag (I’m the world’s laziest cook), and I’m glad I can skip it.
I poured some sugar-free jello into popsicle molds and that turned out to be a nice treat. A little icy, but still good.
“I need a haircut”
When your three-year-old tells you he needs a haircut, it’s probably time for a haircut.
house, diet
So, we have been looking for the perfect home for what seems like forever. We’ve toyed around with all kinds of ideas, from building our own house to living in an RV, but nothing has really worked out (either for financial reasons or feasibility reasons), so we’ve continued to look.
Actually, we’re way more interested in the land than the home itself. It’s been hard to find acerage in a good area at an affordable price. And with a great view to boot.
But, we found it yesterday…. 2 1/2 acres in the far northern part of the county we live in now. The views are *gorgeous* … you can see rolling farmland and tree-speckled pastures for miles in every direction. The land has a 4/2 mobile home on it. Not my first choice for a place to live (I’m scard of tornadoes), but the land is so beautiful, it just might make up for it. And hopefully, we could eventually build a house on the land. The area surrounding has mostly site-built homes (ie – they’re not mobile homes) … even better for the land’s resale value. And the land is in a desirable school district.
We’re trying to figure out what we can pre-qualify for, but if we do, I really think this one is a “yes.” My picky Jay said he “loved” it after seeing the property yesterday. I told him my only stipulation was that we get an in-ground tornado shelter installed. You can get one installed for about $3K. Not too bad. Maybe we can work that into the contract!
Anyway, please say a prayer for us as we consider this place. We’d be far enough away that we’d probably find another church, which is a huge move. I’ll keep you posted.
In other news, I’m on day 2 of my 2nd try on the Kimkins diet. I’m pretty much subsisting off of lean meat, eggs, diet Dr Pepper and sugar-free Jello. I always do well on diets until about the 2nd week, and then I fall apart. I have instructed Jay to not let me quit this time. We’ll see how THAT goes.
Sunset after the storm
View from my back deck tonight …
Lucy
My beautiful niece is now one month old! And cute as a button, as you can see:
Things that I’ve actually said (recently)
Don’t lick the desk.
Please stop throwing blocks in the toilet.
That cat’s going to scratch you if you don’t stop!
How many pairs of underwear can you possibly go through in one day? (We’re potty training and Mikaela’s bladder is apparently the size of a peanut.)
Stop using your hair for a napkin.
Don’t put the toy bucket on top of the cat.
That bathwater is nasty. Don’t drink it.
I’ve also answered about a million questions this week, since Mikaela’s new favorite phrase is “what’s that?” I really love that she’s so curious … she’s just soaking up the world around her like a little sponge.
Gabriel is the same way. This is such a fun age. They keep it interesting, though!
Yuck.
It’s supposed to be 95 degrees tomorrow. Something tells me this summer’s going to be a long, hot one.
Last summer, I coined a new state motto: Texas – the Hell State.
It hasn’t quite caught on yet.
Speaking of state mottos, I got this in a forwarded email once and thought it was funny:
New State Mottos
Alabama: At Least We’re not Mississippi
Alaska: 11,623 Eskimos Can’t be Wrong!
Arizona: But It’s a Dry Heat
Arkansas: Litterasy Ain’t Everything
California: As Seen on TV
Colorado: If You Don’t Ski, Don’t Bother
Connecticut: Like Massachusetts, Only Dirtier and With Less Character
Delaware: We Really Do Like the Chemicals in our Water
Florida: Ask Us About Our Grandkids
Georgia: We Put the “Fun” in Fundamentalist Extremism
Hawaii: Haka Tiki Mou Sha’ami Leeki Toru (Death to Mainland Scum, But Leave Your Money)
Idaho: More Than Just Potatoes… Well Okay, We’re Not, But The Potatoes Sure Are Real Good
Illinois: Please Don’t Pronounce the “S”
Indiana: 2 Billion Years Tidal Wave Free
Iowa: We Do Amazing Things With Corn
Kansas: First Of The Rectangle States
Kentucky: Five Million People; Fifteen Last Names
Louisiana: We’re Not All Drunk Cajun Wackos, But That’s Our Tourism Campaign
Maine: We’re Really Cold, But We Have Cheap Lobster
Maryland: A Thinking Man’s Delaware
Massachusetts: Our Taxes Are Lower Than Sweden’s (For Most Tax Brackets)
Michigan: First Line of Defense From the Canadians
Minnesota: “10,000 Lakes and 10,000,000,000,000 Mosquitoes”
Mississippi: Come Feel Better About Your Own State
Missouri: Your Federal Flood Relief Tax Dollars at Work
Montana: Land of the Big Sky, the Unabomber, Right-Wing Crazies, and Very Little Else
Nebraska: Ask About Our State Motto Contest
Nevada: Whores and Poker!
New Hampshire: Go Away and Leave Us Alone
New Jersey: Ya Wanna ##$%##! Motto? I Got Yer ##$%##! Motto Right Here!
New Mexico: Lizards Make Excellent Pets
New York: You Have the Right to Remain Silent, You Have the Right to an Attorney…
North Carolina: Tobacco is a Vegetable
North Dakota: We Really Are One of the 50 States!
Ohio: We Wish We Were In Michigan
Oklahoma: Like the Play, Only No Singing
Oregon: Spotted Owl… It’s What’s For Dinner
Pennsylvania: Cook With Coal
Rhode Island: We’re Not REALLY An Island
South Carolina: Remember the Civil War? We Didn’t Actually Surrender
South Dakota: Closer Than North Dakota
Tennessee: The Educashun State
Texas: Si’ Hablo Ing’les (Yes, I Speak English)
Utah: Our Jesus Is Better Than Your Jesus
Vermont: Yep
Virginia: Who Says Government Stiffs and Slackjaw Yokels Don’t Mix?
Washington: Help! We’re Overrun By Nerds and Slackers!
Washington, D.C.: Wanna Be Mayor?
West Virginia: One Big Happy Family — Really!
Wisconsin: Come Smell Our Dairy Air
Wyoming: Wynot?
Music to my ears
Gabriel just made my day. He was watching the ‘previews’ on his Wiggles video, when a Barney video promotion came on.
Gabriel said, “I no like Barney, mama. Barney bad.”
on becoming a family member
It feels like Peter’s been with us forever. He has blended right into the family amazingly well. I think I like him so much because he’s like me (loves to be around people, gets harassed by the kids, grumpy when he wakes up, cute … HA). I swear, tomorrow I fully expect to see him sitting in my living room, eating my chocolate and drinking my Dr Pepper!
Well, not exactly …
Gabriel was reading a farm animal book earlier, when he pointed to a picture of a chicken and said, “look, mama! Chicken nuggets!”
House building and home building
This weekend we attended a FamilyLife Weekend to Remember Conference.
FamilyLife is a Christian organization based out of Little Rock that focuses on strenghening marriages and families. They have a great website with lots of articles that I always find applicable to my life. They also produce a number of publications and host several different types of marriage seminars nationwide.
We were first introduced to FamilyLife when my sister not-so-subtly suggested that we attend a Weekend to Remember conference in 2004. Jay and I grudgingly went, but it changed our lives. This is the funny thing about it: what they’re teaching isn’t rocket science. It’s all in the Bible. But the analogies and stories they use really drive the points home in a way that makes it stick. Topics covered in the conference include God’s design for marriage, how to ‘fight’ fair (conflict resolution), communication, and sex. There are also break-out sessions for the men and women that focus on being a Godly husband or wife.
Anyway, we went this weekend as volunteers – we helped people in the registration area, and we still got to attend the conference. It was a nice refresher. Every marriage could stand some improvement, even though ours is light-years away from what it once was (better, I mean).
One other thing I noticed about this conference was the people who came – young, old, married, divorced and seeking reconciliation, pre-married, re-married, rich and poor, black, white, yellow and brown … it was refreshing to see people from so many walks of life come together (there were 840 of us in all) to seek a strenghened marriage. If everyone walks away from that conference with a totally changed outlook on marriage and life, can you imagine the impact on their families and children and friends? What a beautiful thought.
Anyway, on to our next topic: home building. Jay and I met with a general contractor that works at our church yesterday, and he has volunteered his know-how for free. He has a bad back and can’t physically do the work, but he can tell us what needs to be done when and how, and what we need to sub-contract out (and which sub-contractors to use). Jay thinks we can do it and is really excited. Thankfully, Jay already has some home-building experience, so we’re not going into this blind.
I guess our next step is meeting with the bank to talk about a construction loan. Then we have to find land. Actually, one of the the first orders of business needs to be planning the entire house out, from the lumber all the way down to the appliances. The sub-contractor said that we need to be “done” with this house in our heads (and on paper) before we ever start building it. He’s right. I would hate to get 9/10 of the way done and then find the money is gone.
I guess I’ll feel like this is all really going to happen once we get a “yes” from the bank. I have decided to chronicle this endeavor and later write a book about it. It’s probably going to be a long, hard road, but I’m sure it will be worth it in the end.
Latest
So, I’ve been out of work for over a year now, except for doing freelance editing/writing for my former Nashville-area employer. The work from them has been abundant lately, but I always feel like I can’t “count” on that income, since freelance tends to be feast or famine.
So, Jay and I continue to seek ways to cut costs. We’ve thought of every option you could imagine, including taking a roommate in to our home, living in a very small apartment, and living in an RV. There seems to be no ‘perfect’ situation, so we continue to look.
Our latest option that we’re exploring is building our own home. I mean, literally building it ourselves. We would have to sub-contract out some things (probably HVAC installation, wiring, plumbing, the pouring of the foundation, etc.), but we would do a lot of it ourselves. We know this could potentially be a giant undertaking, but we feel like it’s at least worth looking into.
We met a guy at our church who had been a general contractor for 45 years, and then destroyed his back (he’s currently full of metal). He can walk, but he can’t work. He’s decided to use his talents in an advisory capacity – in other words, he can’t do the building, but he can tell someone else how to.
So, we are going to meet with him soon and discuss everything. He’s already volunteered to be our general contractor. For free. How cool is that?
Anyway, who knows if this will actually happen … but it’s an exciting thought nonetheless. Jay and I have been driving around and looking at (expensive) land. I never appreciated how much land costed. I always thought the overwhelming majority of a home’s cost was in the house itself, but you’d be surprised how much land goes for …
Anyway, we need to figure the financing part out before we forge ahead. That’s the main thing. I’m hoping we can keep the land under $30K and the house under $60K … but that might just be really wishful thinking.
Is there a “Building Your Own House” for Dummies?
Leezard
This little fella was outside our front door tonight, clinging to a small plant. We sure do have a lot of lizards ’round these parts!
Caption me
This AP photo of Bush and Putin I found on cnn.com is just SCREAMING to be captioned.
Cute
Jay, the kids and I attend a small group once a week for a Bible study. The parents conduct the Bible study at one house, and child care is at another house nearby. Each week, two parents from the group take a turn keeping the kids (there’s 14 kids between us, from infants to preschool age).
As you can imagine, it’s usually pretty chaotic. Yesterday was no exception, but we managed to get the kids settled down (somewhat) for a Bible story about the creation of the world. Karen led the lesson while I was in the kitchen, fixing a snack for when storytime was over. I overheard Karen ask the kids, “who can tell me what God made on the third day?”
Will, a two-year-old piped up, “Tractors?”
This post could contain stunning photos
… but, it doesn’t because I forgot to take my camera with me today.
Jay had the day off and we did some driving around out in a rural area of the county. Before too long, some really nasty looking clouds blew up. A wall cloud formed, and I just KNEW it was going to drop a tornado any second (it didn’t). (For those not in the know, I am terrified of tornadoes…but I’m also fascinated by them at the same time.)
Even though I was nervous, trying to get back home before the storm caught up with us, the clouds were breath-taking. I wish I could’ve gotten some pictures.
It was funny – I sped home and we all made it inside about 30 seconds before the bottom fell out. We got a severe thunderstorm, but nothing more.
Christin’s a cover model!
My friend Christin, who I’ve mentioned on this blog before, is on the cover of the current issue of Woman’s World magazine, looking great – and skinny!
Cows
Jay and I were out house-hunting Saturday in a rural area of the county, when we happened upon a herd of cows. I had my camera, so I decided to get a few photos.
