what i did today

I think they could have gotten done today if they had gotten those other two pieces for the lights in.  So close!  And I LOVE it!

Date Night

By Friday evening I was wiped out so as soon as I got home, we headed out to eat.  We spent a relaxing evening at home until about 8 when we took the kids to stay at Scott’s parents.  Scott and I came home and went straight to bed.  Pretty sure we were asleep before the kids.  And that’s how date night went around here!

Serve 7

Saturday morning we spent some time with our church’s Serve 7 project at a local homeless shelter helping them get some projects done.  I’d like to say I walked away with warm fuzzies and I did feel good that we were being “hands and feet”.  But.  I really left a little angry that we as a community (just community, not even Christian community) treat our homeless, and those who help them, so poorly.  I mean, seriously.  The offices are housed in an old church whose electrical work is so bad that we couldn’t turn the overhead lights on in a worker’s office because it sparks and could cause a fire. And in fact, one of the lights in the executive director’s office HAD caught on fire and had not been replaced.  Every piece of equipment had to at least have been 20 years old.  There were tables and chairs all in disrepair.  Just last week we had a meeting at work suggesting that we *really needed* a smart board and we didn’t have good enough pens in our supply closet.  I understand that we’re a for-profit business and they run off volunteers and donations but for goodness sakes!  There are children that are LIVING IN THEIR CARS if not for this place.  Can we not service them a tiny bit better??  So if you can’t tell I didn’t walk away  with warm fuzzies.  To be honest, I’m a little angry and embarrassed at how little we care of these office workers that are taking care of people who really, really need help.  OK, let me step off my soap box because I could certainly go on.  Just trust me when I say I plan not to turn a blind eye to anymore.

Uh, so, whew, that came out of nowhere.

Taekwondo Belt Test

Lexi looking very pensive before her test.  You can see us sitting on the wall in the mirror.

We left there and Lexi tested for her yellow belt at Taekwondo.  Let me just say that that was actually fun.  The kids have to break a piece of wood to graduate to the next level and watching those kids was some of the best entertainment I’ve seen in a while.  There was this one tiny blond girl that couldn’t have been more than 5 and I honestly didn’t think she would be able to break it and apparently she didn’t think so either because the look on her face would have won her American’s Funniest Video’s $10,000 when she did because she was SO SHOCKED.  Two other little boys had to go to the side after trying and not succeeding.  After they came back for a second round of tries, the room erupted into thunderous applause when both of their boards broke.  I’m telling you, I was choked up clapping and I had no clue who these kids were.  I walked away from there thinking about challenges we all face when we were sure we can’t tackle but just knowing we all have so much more power than we think.  Are we being stretched?  If not, shouldn’t we stretch ourselves to do something?

Hail Storm

Saturday evening we were surprised by a the hail storm of the century.  I have never ever seen a hail storm like this.  I’ve heard pea size hail hit our windows in past storms but up to baseball sized hail was heard to have hit in the area.  We regularly saw ping pong sized hail being thrown like we were at the busiest range you ever did see.

Carowinds

Today the girl’s and I took off to CAROWINDS!  I spent much of my adolescent summers at Carowinds.  We’ve taken the kids two or three times in the last few years but really, Lexi just wasn’t up for that much walking.  But they are at great ages and seeing that it’s less than 10 minutes away, it suddenly seemed silly to me that we didn’t go.  So we went!  And boy-howdy did we have a blast.  Such nostalgia walking through there and thinking I was my kids’ age when I started going.  By the time we left they wanted to ride the “big kids roller coaster” several more times in a row but I promised many more trips.  I can’t wait.

Addition

We did nothing on the addition and I have to say it was very nice taking a breather and not thinking of it for a while.  I think they are jumping back in with the stone tomorrow and the big electrical switch is supposed to happen this week as well as the start of the drywall.  Pretty sure I was saying that last week at this time but hopefully will not be next week! 

Hope you guys had a great weekend!

Ahhhh…I’m so excited.  We have stone!  I so wish my pictures did it any sort of justice but it is *just* what I wanted.  (just to be clear, it’s only halfway done)

Not sure when the rest is being done.  Maybe next week for most of it.  I do know we are waiting on two special pieces that go around our garage lighting and those don’t come in for another 2 weeks so I’m not expecting it to be done-done soon.

Other notes:

• The power company can’t come until Wednesday which pushes the dry wall back to at least then.
• I ordered light #3 today at lunch because apparently every other one I picked is like $600.

I have to be honest, I’m starting to get to the point where I’m throwing my hands up on any kind of scheduling on this addition.  I’m sure many are asking why I was trying to schedule in the first place.  We’re not on any tight deadline really.  Part of me just needs! to! know! what! is happening!  Well, part of it is trying to understand what is happening so I know when to start picking the next thing out.  But I admit I’ve taken it a bit far and poor Scott has had to answer 80 billion questions about what comes next.  And if you know him, 20 questions isn’t his favorite game.  Poor guy.

After the storms this week I think it was a final straw on trying to figure anything out.  I had assumed we’d be doing drywall this week but I guess I assumed the power company would have been out here on Monday when Scott moved the electrical box but Scott didn’t call them until today and now they are so swamped because of the storm they don’t think they can get out here until next week.  Which means no drywall like we thought this week.

In super good news, the mud for the stone outside is nearly dry and they came today to put the board down for the bathroom tile floor and shower and mud the floor for the shower pan or something along those lines.  It’s starting to look like a real shower!  The tile will be here Friday but will have to wait until the drywall is done sometime next week (or whenever!).  And if you don’t recall, it will be chocolate tile floor to ceiling and on the knee wall on the outside and then glass from the wall up.  The jury is still out on whether we are going to need a glass door or not.  We prefer not but I hate drafty showers too so we’ll see.

Scott also finished off hand-rails on the back steps yesterday.

And I’m just going to throw this picture up because I thought it looked funny that we have a window between our bedrooms.  Won’t be there long!

And finally for anyone wondering #1 won the lighting choice yesterday by a landslide.

#7 came in second

and #2, 3 and 10 tied for third.

For me right now I’m thinking maybe to put #1 or 7 in our bathroom and #3 in the bedroom.   Thank you so much for voting!

And finally, let me just say I’ve decided I do not like granite for my bathroom.  Everyone keeps saying we need granite because we’re going kinda upscale on everything but it’s just so BUSY and I’m just so not a BUSY patterned person.  I went today to Tile Collection’s Granite shop to look at some remnants and there was one piece that if we do go granite, it would work but it’s just so…veiny.  I must have some really bad memory stuck in my brain folds somewhere of an old person and granite.  It just feels old and out of date.  Although when I go in restaurants or friends’ houses I think it’s quite beautiful.  I know that makes no sense but all I can say is it just did NOT excite me picturing that piece in my bathroom every day!  So I’m planning on stepping back and seeing what other hard surfaces we can get.  Wish me luck.

OK, whew, thank you for letting me vent and update a little about the addition.

So I’m stepping back and looking…we are only 26 days into this project including weekends.  Pretty amazing.

I’m exhausted today but I wanted to throw up these pictures for you. They’ve been preparing the front of the house for the stone. It was pretty exciting to come home and find all the mud up!

We have more progress!

Scott turned all this wood…

…into our back porch.

Obviously still in-progress but at least you don’t have to hike your leg up 3 feet to get in there anymore.  We really hadn’t planned anything except a set of steps but I guess you have to do more to pass code *sigh*.  It’s all temporary (well, somewhat) as we hope to tie it in to our nearby pool deck (maybe next year?)

Also this weekend they insulated the outside walls and ceiling.

It’s really starting to shape up!  Also, a fireplace!  I don’t think you’ve seen a picture yet of my $75 find!

Something I really should have taken pictures of are the piles of trash I cleaned up today.  Whew!

So, plans for the week are to FINALLY move the big electrical box and gas line to the new outside wall.  And once that’s finished, they will start dry wall!  That should take about a week I hear.  That includes cutting open the walls for the hallway and the girls’ new closet.  In other words, it’s going to be a T. TOTAL MESS around here this week.  Also happening this week is supposed to be the stone on the front of the addition and garage.  Rain may hinder that but hopefully towards the end of the week we’ll see some progress there.  Oh!  The cabinet guy came and measured for the bathroom counter so that is being built, but we won’t see it for about 3 weeks.  Whew, I’m tired just thinking about all that.  My mind just wandered off to final tile selection (we ordered the floor and shower tile on Friday), countertop (need to make that appointment) and paint colors (halp).  Is it Friday yet because I feel like I need another weekend already!

The past few weeks and months I’ve been racking up member points, coupons, gift cards, etc. to our favorite stores until all the sudden I had a huge stack of really great discounts.  Plus, the girls have been working hard on their chore chart and had saved all week for a trip to Justice.  Since starting work I’ve been so exhausted in the evening and even into the weekend and have not felt like shopping.  Well.  I’ve gotten some great rest the last two nights and Scott is working today so if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you may well know I made it a girls day out!

Last night Lexi insisted we make an itinerary so we wouldn’t forget anything and put it in my wallet.  After each place today we checked it off.  It was so much fun.  Especially since we walked out of some stores paying absolutely nothing.  I felt a little like a robber hitting up stores but I knew that some of these things had been well-earned from our loyalty (and money!) to the stores before.  And just because I was curious, I decided to see just how much we saved today and thought I would share.

Build-A-Bear

Total before sale: $20
Total after coupon: $0

Saved: 100%, $20

The Limited

Total before sale: $198.59
Total after sale $98.95
Total after coupon $48.95

Saved: 75%, $150

Justice

Total before sale: $24.05
Total after coupon: $14.43

Saved: 40%, 9.62

Ulta

Total before sale: $52.85
Total after sale: $37.90
Total after coupon: $34.90

Saved: 34%, $17.95

TrySports

Total before sale: $10.23
Total after coupon: .23

Total saved: 99%, $10

SAS Cupcakes

Total before sale: $2.49
Total after sale: $2.49

Total saved, 100%, $2.49

Smoothie King

Total before sale: $13.98
Total after coupon: $6.98

Total saved: 50% $6.98

All told, we saved $217.04 with an average of 83% off retail value.  Not a bad of shopping!

Scotty – Scotty always reminds me why I love country music. He’s going to be a classic like George Strait. Love him.

Naima – While I appreciate her efforts, I think that was the wrong song to put that spin on.

Paul – One of Paul’s weaker moments. As unforgettable as it was, I hope it doesn’t put him in the bottom 3.

Pia – Amazing. I think she delivered in a way she hasn’t before. Much more emotion. But it could just be the song. So good.

Thia – Really beautiful but I don’t think enough to save her.

James – He’s verging on cocky for me and I don’t like it. Not a huge fan of this one. Boy can work a stage though.

Lauren – Favorite of hers so far. So, so perfect.

James – Fast forwarded through second half. I’m over the dramatics.

Stefano – He’s improving but still so awkward to watch. So many of the guys are light years ahead of him.

Casey – Favorite Casey moment I think. Totally back in the game this week.

Haley – Have not been a fan of hers but I think that would be my favorite so far.

Favorites: Scotty, Lauren, Casey and maybe Pia too.

In trouble: Thia and Stefano.