Today the Painting Craziness Comes to an End

I hope, anyway. We're between Coat 1 and Coat 2 on the Very Last Wall. Whew!

Unfortunately, I only have "before" pics of my kitchen area, so for the other areas (where I only have "after" pictures), you'll have to use your imagination. Since everyone has seen an off-white wall before, I'm sure you can manage. Can you say imagination? I knew you could.

And you'll have to wait until I'm done putting my house back in order, which will take another day or so. I just can't take "after" pictures while it looks like a large family of vagrants moved into my house. Sorry.

However, I will post a picture of something we enjoyed last night. We ordered pizza to enjoy as a painting break, and apparently our order was taken by Jesus himself! Take a look:


I felt so privileged... although it would have been really cool if He had delivered it and I could have met Him! ;-)

The Insanity, It Begins With Painting

In order to paint that wall, we had to move the entertainment center.

To do that, we had to take everything out. That involved throwing most of the stored stuff away. VCR tapes anyone? I have dozens of them. Lots of Disney movies that, surprisingly, my teenage boys aren't interested in keeping in that format. I'm not either. So out they go.

We took out the receiver, the VCR, the DVD player, the DVR (only talked hubby into that a few months ago -- pretty stunning for a couple of geeks), and finally the TV, which is older than Son the Older. That's right, our TV is like 18 or 19 years old. All of our wiring has to run through our VCR because the TV doesn't have the connectors. We are media dinosaurs.

We had been looking at our pathetic shutters (installed by the previous owners) and lusting after plantation shutters, but Son the Younger and I convinced hubby that a new TV could come first. So here it is!


It's a Samsung 40" HDTV with lots of stats I won't bore you with (even though I actually understand them all, being a bit of a geek). The really sad part is we have no HD inputs, so we're just looking at a cruddy signal amplified on a big screen. Still, it's a lot prettier than our old TV, and the teenagers are ever-so-blissful.

No, I don't know why Cary Elwes has that mark on his cheek. Clearly, he was perfect in "The Princess Bride." Any imperfection can be blamed solely on me.

Just Found Out...

Please keep the family of Steven Curtis Chapman in your prayers. You can leave any comments or condelences here. I cannot imagine their pain and grief, especially their son.

From The Tennessean:

Steven Curtis Chapman’s youngest child died Wednesday evening after being struck by a car driven by her teenage brother in the driveway of the family’s Williamson County home.

Maria, one of the Christian singer’s six children, was taken by LifeFlight to Vanderbilt Hospital, which confirmed the death, according to Laura McPherson, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The 5-year-old was hit by an SUV driven by her teenage brother, she said. Police did not give the driver’s name.

The teen was driving a Toyota Land Cruiser down the driveway of the rural home at about 5:30 p.m. and several children were playing in the area, McPherson said. He did not see Maria in the driveway before the vehicle struck her, she said.

“It appears to be a terrible accident,’’ McPherson said.

No charges are expected, she said. The accident was witnessed by two other children; the entire family was home at the time, McPherson said.

Singer/songwriter Chapman, who recently was inducted into Music City Walk of Fame, is one of contemporary Christian music’s most recognizable and most awarded names.

He and his wife Mary Beth have long been supporters of international adoption, having brought three girls from China into their family. Maria was the youngest.
The couple is so active in the cause that they formed an organization, Shaohannah’s Hope, to aid families wanting to adopt.

As Part of Your Price Is Right Showcase Showdown

I start my new job on June 2 -- a little more than a week from now -- and part of my job duties include being able to take clients to lunch.

Anyone who knows me well knows that my beloved car is a two-seater. A great car, but not if you're taking more than one other person with you anywhere.

So hubby (who has a similar job) and I are investing in a new vehicle in celebration of my newfound employment. We haven't picked it up yet, but here's the promo picture of it. It's even the right color!

For you diehard Price Is Right fans, I'll go ahead and say it: it's A NEW CAR!

This will be my first time to enjoy the wonder of satellite radio, and since I will be supporting a client in another city in the great state of Texas, I'll get plenty of opportunities to use it! It also has an auxilliary plug for my darling iPod, so I can have all sorts of wonderful music (if you haven't checked out Dave Barnes from my last post, you really should).

In other news, I'm taking off this week and next to paint some rooms in my house. I've lived here for 10 years with all off-white walls, and it's time to make some changes. I called up my good friend Heather, who was gracious enough to pick out colors for me, and now I'm painting up a storm. Yes, I will post before and after pics as soon as I have them. Turns out painting is fairly time-consuming when done alone. Who knew?

If You Haven't Heard of Dave Barnes...

Then you're missing out on some of the most talented singer / songwriter music out there. Not to mention that he's not terribly difficult to look at.

First, check out his music.

Then check out his sense of humor (sorry, can't embed his videos).

Enjoy the magnificence that is Dave!

By Request of The Mighty Sister

My dearest darling (and only) sister requested quite some time ago that I blog links to my fun new clothes so she could see what I got.

So, more or less in order, here is my shopping spree!

I went to Coldwater Creek by myself initially. It took me a few hours -- mainly because I tried on almost everything in the store -- but I left with these pants in black and white, this tank top in black and white, these dress pants in black, and this great flattering top in black. I went back during the grand spree the next day at the mall and grabbed this tunic too.

First up during the big day o' mall shopping with my lovely personal shopper, interior decorator, and best bud Heather was J. Jill. The things I ended up not buying because I found better things elsewhere were a denim skirt, this black skirt, and this skirt, which matches this shirt that I did get. That same shirt also goes with this skirt. To wear over many other things, I got this great short sleeve black jacket -- great wardrobe staple for Texas! And since I'd gotten so much black and white, Heather insisted on some color, which we got in this sweater in light green. I also got the greatest pair of trouser jeans ever, but I can't find them on the web site to show you -- bummer! I went back a few days later and got these crop pants on sale (two in demim and one in brown). I got one denim pair to fit me now and one to fit me if I lose another 5-10 pounds.

Next up during the mall extravaganza was Gap, where I bought these khakis and this cute pink top, which isn't very work-y, but it was cute, so what the heck.

Then it was off to Talbot's, where I zigzagged back and forth between petites and regular to pick up lots of goodies like this denim miniskirt and this great A-line black skirt (on sale even!). Also, this great sleeveless striped top, which doesn't look on me like it does on the model because I have a lot more, um, lots of things than she does. And even though it's out of season, I got this amazing denim jacket that's cut really well; it will be great for fall. The thing that I didn't get that I really wanted was this skirt in turquoise with a matching sleeveless turquoise sweater that I can't seem to find online. Gorgeous, but too expensive, AND dry clean only, which is a deal-breaker for me.

It was a really fun shopping day, and I would never have expected to find so much all in one day. I give all the credit to Heather for being such a great shopper. It's been a blast wearing all my new things and hearing how fantastic I look. Next up: Heather will be picking out colors for my house! Yes, for those who know me, this is a really scary step. I've lived in a beige house for ten years, but now I'm going to PAINT! In COLORS, y'all!

Look out, the chick has gone crazy now!

It's Hip to Be Square

How often do you get to dance with yourself years later? This is great!

Can I Get Some Bargain Lungs at the Target?

When I left the women's retreat on Sunday, I came down with a monster cold, the sort of thing that mere over-the-counter meds can't handle. I've spent every night this week mostly sleepless due to either coughing or sinus crud (and no one wants me to say more than that).

On Wednesday, I was tired of not sleeping, so I sent the hubby out to find Drixoral, a 12-hour antihistamine that could dry up the Nile River. He came back with one of those namby-pamby 24-hour antihistamines for allergies. I looked at the Nyquil in my medicine cabinet, looked at the meds my loving husband had brought home, and I knew I should take what he'd brought me.

You guessed right: big mistake. I hardly slept.

On Thursday night, I took my Nyquil, happy in the knowledge that I would sleep. As I got ready for bed, I was still eyeing the antihistamine hubby brought home. Just to make SURE I would really sleep, I took it too. Sure enough, I slept really well.

On Friday, I tore our little town apart looking for Drixoral. Walgreen's was out, and I knew hubby hadn't found any at the HEB. I ended up buying the last box the CVS had, and of course I had to sign my life away to buy it. ("Please sign the statement below, swearing that you are not manufacturing methamphetamine...") Seriously people, I just want to sleep. I promise!

Exhausted, I fell into bed at 9pm (after reneging on a baby shower that I was just too sick and tired for). I made a horrifying discovery: while Drixoral has always worked wonders in the past, it is not equal to whatever has hold of my head right now. I got back up at 11pm and took one of the namby-pamby 24-hour antihistamines, but even then, I didn't sleep as well as I had with the Nyquil.

And while yesterday I only suspected, today I'm quite sure the cold has migrated to my lungs and turned nasty. Yes, it's Saturday and I have bronchitis. And my doctor retired, so now I don't really have one, so I have no clue what to do now. Any thoughts?

Learning Sign Language, Pronto

The week before my church's annual women's retreat is always, shall we say, intense. More so than any week of the year (although probably at least one week in December comes close). So that's why I was scarce last week.

I used to be in charge of the silent auction at the retreat and hold down a full time job. There is no way I could have done that this year, with the challenges of working out the details of starting my new job. I'm really grateful I wasn't the one in charge this year.

Lindi, this year's silent auction queen, did an amazing job gathering items, making baskets, and making the auction presentation much more appealing than it's ever been. That's just not my area of giftedness. I can organize; I can't decorate. Ask anyone who's been to my house. My sister and I laugh all the time about how there's a decorating gene, and it's just not present in our family.

I wish I had taken pictures of the auction setup; I sure took pictures of everything else! I have far too many to post, but if you'd like to see the retreat, look here. Note that some were taken during large group sessions (~270 women signed up), some were taken during smaller class sessions, and some were taken during late night talkfests when we were all a little punchy. There are some great ones taken during communion on Sunday, which we do in the small amphitheater in back of the cafeteria -- a truly beautiful place. None are altered with the exception of three that I cropped (originals and crops are uploaded).

Unfortunately, my sinuses went nuts on the last day, and I'm now mostly voiceless. My husband loves it when this happens -- he says I sound like a "breathy Demi Moore," and there's a little truth to that -- but this time my throat hurts and I'd really just as soon stay in bed. It hurts to talk, and anyone who knows me knows how I love to talk! I can type to communicate, but I don't know sign language (other than "thank you"). Looks like it's time to learn!