While Wade and I were doing the wiring on Sunday, I found an old screen door in the attic. It used to be on the back door before someone put in a metal one (which I don’t like). The old one even has the original brass hinges and doorknob. It has quite a bit of water damage and tons of paint so I am going to spend a few days sanding it. We plan to replace the screen with glass. Then I get another “new” door.
Month: January 2007
This post is really just about lights. Wade and I spent the day doing some wiring in his shop. I wanted another light switch for the outdoor lights inside the back door. He wanted an additional 220 line run for his new compressor. Spending today in the attic was much better than last time in 100 degree weather. Wade did most of the lighting and I worked on the 220 line. I installed a new junction box and was about to cut the existing line when it occurred to me we had only turned off the breakers for the overhead lights. Thank goodness I didn’t think of that a few seconds later. It took most of the afternoon, but we got it all done. Did I mention how dirty the attic is? I think I’m wearing quite a bit of it on my face.
I love the random stories about how people meet. I had met a friend of a friend at Girl’s Night Out (a girl at my church sets these up once a month for all the girls she knows). The second time we saw each other at Girl’s Night Out, Michelle and I ended up sitting across from each other. We talked all through dinner and another 30 minutes in the parking lot after everyone else had left. We introduced the husbands to each other at church and then last week planned to get together on Saturday. I am always a little hesitant about inviting people to dinner who are not from Anderson. Wade and I drive to Greenville all the time and don’t even think twice about it, but I know not everyone feels the same way. They showed up around 7 and we threw some steaks on the grill. We all bowled on the Nintendo Wii and then Michelle and I talked while the boys played video games. We even managed to finish off the appetizer after dinner. We had a great time. Wade loved that they didn’t try to hide their quirks but openly made fun of each other (like we do).
Obviously Wade was worn out from a week of hard work. I’m not sure what Madison’s excuse was. I enjoyed a new book (after a trip to the library). Wade did eventually wake up and we decided to have a date night with dinner out and a new game for the Wii.
I think I have mentioned before the wonders of our neighborhood. You can place anything (and I mean anything) on the side of the road. If nobody picks it up then the garbage men will definitely take it away. Wade and I cleaned out some furniture we found in the basement from the previous owners. We placed it on the side of the road and it was gone in an hour. At least nothing goes to waste.
This project has been in the works for quite a while. Wade sprayed a board with Chalkboard paint (very cool stuff). He had just been waiting to get a new blade for his table saw before he could make the frame. He made the frame and I did the painting. Now we have a chalkboard in our entryway. Why you might ask? We thought it would be fun to have people sign when they come to visit.
Wade has a great plan to begin working out again. I have been slacking on my running so I had decided to join him. He had done his research and found a new place with great rates. We arrived at Coop’s only to discover the building is still under construction. Too bad they didn’t publicize that information anywhere. I’m not sure if Wade plans to wait for them to open up or is going to look for another gym. Maybe I’ll convince him to start running with me.
A nice family from Asheville, North Carolina came today to check out Tubbles. I had emailed with the woman quite a bit and they seemed very interested. I should have known it was a sure thing when they brought their children with them. The family spent an hour at our house talking with us and visiting with Tubbles. When they left, Tubbles went with them. I hope they are all perfect for each other.
Wade and I love playing Spades, but we have had trouble finding people to play with. The game needs four players. We inevitably have three people or five. My friend Jamie and her boyfriend Kevin spent the weekend with us. We definitely made time for a game of Spades. Wade and I don’t work well as partners so Jamie and Wade took on Kevin and I. Kevin and I won by a landslide – maybe 300 points or so. I think we all had a good time though. If only there was a place to play cards in front of the fireplace..
Wade was having a yucky day so I decided to try extra hard to find him the Nintendo Wii I promised for his birthday. By now I know that stores randomly get them in, but they don’t know when. I called all the stores in Anderson but nobody had one. We were headed to Greenville tonight so I thought I would call a few places there. The first one I tried was K-Mart close to a friend’s house. I was shocked when the woman told me she had one in stock. I asked if it was possible to hold it and she said no (of course not). It was early in the afternoon and we didn’t have to be in Greenville till after dinner so I called my friend Kendall (who lived nearby) and begged her to go get it for me. She told me I didn’t have to beg, she would be happy to. Then she says, “What is it again?” Needless to say Wade was excited. We played it as soon as we got home and both loved it. It’s interactive and fun for all.
Wade and I completed one more project. We had a quote printed on vinyl and then I used the stencil to paint the quote. Our quote is “Love, Honor, & Negotiate.” Now I want to find another place for words on the wall. I love the look.
Today was Wade’s birthday and we celebrated with BBQ (of course). We had a few errands in Greenville (seeing the Wrights and the Broaches) so we decided to have dinner at Sticky Fingers. Maren, my friend from DC, was in town for work so she met us for ice cream. South Carolina has gotten very cold and wintry mix is coming our way. Maybe ice cream wasn’t the best idea…
Wade has opened gifts as he got them, but I had him save my presents till after dinner. When we got home from Greenville, we built a fire, and he opened presents. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find a Nintendo Wii for Wade, but I did get him a second remote and the promise of the system.
Wade was a madman attacking the to do list tonight. He built a shoe shelf for the upstairs closet, fixed the latch on the door under the stairs, contacted several companies about returns, and finished my new front door. I have to do a little touch up paint and Wade still needs to put the numbers back on, but I have a new glass front door! Before and after pictures below:
Wade and I left Memphis early, hoping to make it home in time for Small Group. About half way home we got the message that Small Group was cancelled. Oh well. We stopped to pick up my alterations in Atlanta and made it home by 5:30. We got the new desk and chair, mattresses, and bed unloaded before dark. We didn’t actually put the mattresses on the bed, but maybe tomorrow. Now I just have to find a home for our new desk…
Madison always looks like a devil dog in pictures. I wonder if they have a red-eye reduction that works for dogs..
Update: Ask and you shall receive. Kodak is making a tool for dog eyes in pictures.
Some close family friends have had a rough new year. The Sieners were expecting twin boys in February, but the twins (Kase and Kip) came a few days before Christmas. The boys are getting lots of care in a hospital in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, but they have a long road ahead of them. Just keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Below is a picture of Kase:
Today was Wade’s “The Day I Celebrate My Birthday Day”. It’s probably hard to imagine how, but he sang that line over and over all day long. His birthday isn’t till Wednesday but we were celebrating with his parents this weekend. The big Birthday dinner was a trip to Rendezvous – Wade’s all time favorite rib restaurant. He got his birthday meal, but the presents have to wait till tomorrow. After the late lunch, we watched the movie “We Are Marshall.” I knew the actors but I had heard nothing about the movie. It was a pretty good movie. It had a lot of sad, sappy moments. The rest of the day was spent teaching Wade’s parents fun computer stuff, like keyboard shortcuts and “undo”.
Wade and I can never seem to stay in one place for very long. We got up early this morning, loaded the car and hooked up the trailer. Our only stop was in Atlanta where I went into work for an hour – still no new work. While I was working, Wade and the dogs took a nap in the car. Then we were on the road again for Memphis. The weather was misty and rainy, but we made good time (an 8 hour drive). I finally have my new computer back. I did a little work and watched a movie or two. We arrived in Memphis in time for dinner and time to set up both computers (one for Wade’s mom and one for his dad) and begin the computer lessons.
Today was a hectic day. I spent the morning in Atlanta at work, ran an errand, drove to Anderson, cooked dinner for the Millers, picked Wade up at the airport, delivered dinner to the Millers, and then finally spent some time at home.
The funny story of the day occurs during my errand in Atlanta. I had gotten a new pair of pants at Christmas that needed to be hemmed. I also needed a new pocket in my peacoat. I haven’t found a person to do alterations in Anderson and I love the little Chinese woman I have in Atlanta. I decided to take the things to her and then pick them up when I could. As I was dropping off the items I realized Wade and I would be driving back through Atlanta on Monday. I asked the lady if I could pick them up then and she replied, “What about Tuesday?” I told her I had recently moved to South Carolina and didn’t come to Atlanta very often but I would just wait and pick them up the next time I was in town. She gets this surprised look on her face and says in her heavy accent, “You moved to South Carolina and still bring your clothes to me? They will be ready on Monday”. Isn’t she cute?
My old laptop must have known its time was short. It decided to die last night. That’s not entirely accurate. It decided to stop charging, which essentially means I only have what juice is currently left in the battery (about five minutes). I called Wade and tried to get him to fly home from Las Vegas early, but he didn’t think that was a good idea. In the mean time, I am being a good daughter-in-law and testing out the computer Wade was fixing for his mother.
We are normally at least a three or four computer house – my laptop, Wade’s computer, Wade’s Mac, etc. Somehow we are down to none that are currently working. Wade gave his old computer to his parents, is selling is Mac Mini, my old Sony laptop has died, and my new laptop is on the road with Wade. Thank goodness he comes home tomorrow.
Wade gave me a shadow box last year for Christmas. I knew we were moving so I carefully packed it up and never put anything in it. Somehow with the move, I forgot about the box. I found it last week and decided to actually use it. Most people but wedding or baby stuff in shadow boxes, but I have lots of wedding pictures up and I don’t have a baby. Then I thought of Halloween. We have lots of great pictures and props from our Halloween costumes. I fixed the box, but I don’t have it hanging on the wall quite yet.
I was too excited to wait for it to actually arrive. I had to begin the post this morning. Wade found a red laptop and my dad gave it to me for Christmas. Evidently what Wade found was a company that paints laptops. This requires some extra processing time so I am only now getting my Christmas present. I am sure it is going to be worth the wait. I have wanted a red laptop since last Christmas. FedEx tracking says it should arrive at 4:30 pm. We’ll see how accurate they are. Then I’ll provide a picture!
Update: It’s here! It arrived at 12:30 – go FedEx. Now I have to part with it for a few days. Wade is going to take it to Las Vegas with him. When he comes home, my red laptop will have windows and be all set up for me!
Wade and I were excited that our church decided to change early service from 9 am to 9:30 am. That means we can now get up at 6:45 to be there at 7:45 (we have to drive 30 minutes) for set up. We didn’t go to bed till 2:30 am so I don’t think it is surprising that we didn’t hear the alarm until 7:15 am. Oh well, we did make it in time to help a little. Wade and I worked both services and then began our busy day.
We picked up one of Wade’s interns at the airport (he flew in for the big presentation tomorrow) and then drove to Aunt Louise and Uncle John’s. We are driving to Memphis on Friday to pick up some furniture and needed to borrow Uncle John’s trailer. While we were there, Aunt Louise loaded us up! We got a fireplace screen, fireplace tools, a singing Christmas frog, gift cards, etc. When we got home, Wade and the intern went into work. I gave the dogs a bath, went to the grocery, cleaned house, finished my book, cooked dinner, and delivered it to the guys at work. Now I am going to build a fire and watch a movie while it storms outside – perfect!
Wade spent the morning at work (yes, I know it’s a Saturday) and I spent the morning being a bum. I did get motivated to start back to running. I was consistently running three miles, five days a week and then it got cold. Part of my motivation might have been the 70 degree weather we are having.
GaTech played Clemson today in basketball and we saw it in person. The Floyds’ (Patty, Kenny, and their daughter Mandy) are all big Clemson fans so we decided who better to go to the game with, plus they have connections for getting tickets. The five us found our seats (nice padded, purple seats with orange paw prints on them) and watched an amazing game. The final score was 75-74 with Clemson winning in the last two seconds. I hate that we lost, but WOW what a game! There was a Mellow Mushroom (one of my favorite pizza places) located on the edge of campus so we all had pizza and planned an upcoming trip to Atlanta for the next game between Tech and Clemson.
I held out a long time, but I have finally found two reality TV shows that I enjoy. I don’t go out of my way to watch them, but with TiVo it’s easy to catch reruns.
I have been watching episodes of Little People, Big World for a couple of months now. The show focuses on two little people (dwarfs) and their four children. Only one of their children (one of a set of twins) is a little person. They live on a farm in Oregon and madness seems to ensue. The dad is always tackling some huge project and the mom is normally annoyed, but somehow they just come across as a real family.
VH1 has been showing back to back episodes of America’s Next Top Model. I never thought a show like that would be interesting, but I happened to catch the first episode of a season and was fascinated. I love seeing the girls in everyday life and then the touched up photos from a photo shoot. It’s amazing at the difference. I’m always surprised at what the judges decide is a good photo and who they think is stunning. I almost never agree with them, but they are the ones making the big bucks.
Sally is very hard to talk to on the phone. She likes to call, but she doesn’t seem to have anything to say. I love to talk to Sally in person, but on the phone it just seems to drag. Is it me or Sally? She just sits there and seems very blah. When I try to make a joke, she doesn’t get it. I’m pretty sure it isn’t an intelligence thing. I don’t think my humor changes when I am on the phone. She just doesn’t seem to be able to connect the dots. The really bad part is that I don’t know how to get off the phone. If Sally calls me, then I’m never sure if it is just to chat or if she had a question. I don’t want to end the conversation too early and appear rude, but I don’t want to have to carry the conversation either. Hmmm – maybe this is why email is so popular?
I seem to be having problems with getting details taken care of. I bought Wade a watch for Christmas. When I got it in the mail, it was the wrong one. I emailed with the Internet company (Charles and Marie) and they said to mail it back, get a refund, and place a new order for the right watch. I did all of that. I even got an email from them confirming that they had received the watch and the refund would go through that day (11/27). However, my refund never appeared. I sent two more email over the next month to the company that were never answered. At this point I thought my money was gone. Then my sister suggested going through the credit card company. I was in the middle of filing a dispute when Wade emailed the company. I got a receipt for my refund the next day and he got a personal email. Maybe I just need lessons in how to write threatening emails, but if everyone did what they were supposed to do then it would all work out. At least Wade loved his watch.
Wade is building me a new desk – at some point. Today I just got the cardboard version to make sure it is going to be what I want – I don’t visualize well. If our traveling slows down then I just might get it within the next year!
Johnna requested this post. It is a Tubbles before and after picture.
Tubbles as of the first week in September – weighing 62 pounds.
Tubbles as of today – weighing 45 pounds.
My favorite part is that she now has a tail instead of just a big bump of fat.