Day 146 - Lisa

I have a million "caulking" jokes but this is a family blog.  So I'll just say "look out cracks," here I come.

Day 146 - Sis

My Dad use to have us giggling when he would sing, "I took my girl to the circus and sat her on my knee and when she saw the elephants, she peed all over me!"  Although we thought it was hysterically funny, one of my sibling's teacher didn't during Show and Tell when the Moniz kid sang it.  My parents received a note about the inappropriateness of the tune. I could have sung the melody today at PetSmart .  "I took oneeya to PetSmart and felt her pulling on me and when I turned around she had taken a big pee!"  She was "relieved" but I had to do clean-up.

Day 145 - Sis

I love fresh cherries. Cherry pie, chocolate covered cherries,  cherry cola, cherries jubilee, no thanks.  Why do I love fresh cherries so much?  A very good reason, you just can't hang any of those other cherry treats over your ears and pretend their ruby earrings!

Day 145 - Lisa

People ask me all the time why did you decide to move to Georgia versus just finding another job and staying in California?  Well besides the obvious reasons; position, pay, vacation time & benefits it's my co-workers.  While we are not the same company we used to be top to bottom in how people regard each other, it's the people I work with day in and day out that tipped that decision point for me.  It's been a very tough four years saying goodbye and having to make gut-wrenching decisions about so many that I worked with for 10, 15, 20 plus years.  I had an unbelievably loyal and hardworking group in California; saving some of those positions was also a big part of my reason, the thought of me at the elimination of three or more of them who'd given me their sweat equity for many years was too much to bear.  We still have a core group that show compassion, loyalty and teamwork every day.  I've never been one to socialize outside of the workplace often.  I keep my private life and work life pretty separate but we all together have shared our ups and downs in life over the years.  There are many of us now in Georgia that have come from somewhere else.  So we kind of hold on to each other, help one another, and be there to listen to when needed.  Generosity and kindness has always been a big part of what made our company so great.  Thankfully we still have plenty of that among those that are left.  Below is picture of another act of that kindness.  Another housewarming gift from one of co-workers.  A very thoughtful and supportive friend.  Thank you Laura for making Georgia easier to handle with your wit, sarcasm and kindheartedness.

Day 144 - Lisa

Wow, what an evening.  The window salesman called to say, "hey we could move your date up to tomorrow and Saturday if you can be prepared?"  I jumped on the earlier date so we could be more settled.  This also meant I had to take down the gross blinds and their brackets on TWENTY windows.  I highly doubt I'll be able to move much tomorrow.  Up and down the ladder on my ole' softball knees and battling the most moronic display of home workmanship I've ever seen.  Apparently, being a sufficient handyman was not apart of the skill set of previous owners.  I'm not sure who installed these blinds but their ears must have been ringing today!  I cursed, sweated, slammed things and just had a general hissy fit trying to uninstall the brackets.  I have no idea why all the screw heads were mutilated, completely chewed up and stripped.  I had to alternate between phillips and slotted screwdrivers for every screw.  It took me 3.5 hours. 

I guess they thought if they put baby screw next to papa screw in the window frame it might grow up?

The good news of the day is we are thrilled with how our glass tile backsplash turned out.  Kitchen is almost functional.  Just need to replace the cabinet doors and paint them.

And a big THANK YOU to my mama who bought me an ice cream when the truck came into the neighborhood.  It was screaming hot on that ladder.

Day 144 - Sis

I didn't do it!  I taught Lisa as a child not to run with scissors, looks like I should have taught her not to be angry with a screwdriver in her possession.  Her battle with removing old installed blinds caused a hole in newly installed floor. ( Snickering!)

Day 143 - Lisa

My closet had really old and broken glass doors.  I'm not a big fan of a lot of glass so I took them down and broke them even more in the process.  I do not know what to do for replacements just yet. Nothing is speaking to me so I went all "Design on a Dime" and bought a shower curtain rod, hooks and two plastic curtains put them together to create a layered look of a a curtain with just a brown tree  and top layer curtain of cherry blossoms.  The colors match my own wood and blues.  I'm happy with the result for awhile.  ;>

Day 143 - Sis

While oneeya does her watch at the house, sunii, the dutiful cat without any supervision, continues alone on many days to evenings keeping all types of invaders from storming the apartment. Rest good warrior, well done.

Day 142 - Lisa

So yesterday I rushed home because we had errands to run.  Needed to go to Home Depot to see about flooring for the laundry room.  We spent a good 30 minutes debating which linoleum or tile to get.  Finally came to the conclusion that we were feeling too rushed and whatever, we'll just keep the butt ugly brick red flooring till we figure out what we really want.

So.

I walked out with a Knock-Out rose to add to the four already sitting on the deck of the house.  Shortly to be planted in the backyard.  I never heard of "Knock-Out" roses till I moved here.  Today I found out why they are called that.  With everything going on and so little sleep lately I completely forgot I had "Pinky" in the back of my truck.  So when the unmentioned cable van cut me off this morning and I had to slam on my brakes causing dirt, foam, leaves, a branch and the entire pot to started flying around the inside of my truck bouncing off the windows the back of the seat and almost my head I realized, "ah Knock-Out Rose!"  Luckily the saw we bought a couple weeks ago stayed steady on the rug!  Whew!

Day 142 - Sis

As I was cutting out the recipes I told you about yesterday, I found an item about root vegetables and rutabaga was one of them. Now I can't say that I've ever eaten rutabaga but it does have a place in my life and Melissa's, a niece of mine. She is my brother's eldest daughter and when she came into my family's lives we were all very excited for my brother and his wife and later they had another daughter to complete their family. When Melissa was a little girl, maybe around six, she and I started a little routine between the two of us.  Whenever Melissa and I saw each other and one of us was leaving, we would say goodbye with catchphrases like: "See you later alligator" and the other might say, " See you soon kangaroo."  But one night she was leaving my house and said, "After while crocodile."  So I surprised her by replying, " See you later rutabaga."  That has become the thing between us for all these years.  When she was in grammar school rutabaga was the security word she picked for anyone who she wasn't sure of  and who might try to pick her up. Even to this day she will occasionally address me as "rutabaga." So I love rutabagas even though that's the only contact I've ever had with them. :-0

Day 141 - Lisa

I kept calling it a halo, my mom a heirloom yet what I needed was a lamp harp.  Who knew they were so hard to find.  Target had a zillion lamps but no harps.  Took many stores before I finally found one.  I don't know why but this makes me feel old.  LOL

Day 141 - Sis

Finally getting around to doing one of those jobs that you talk about but put off because it's not urgent.  So here is a stack of FoodNetwork magazines loaded with recipes I want to try- some day!  I am cutting out the recipes I think I'll make because now I have a brand new stove to try them on. Having no family here, besides Lisa, makes it difficult to do test runs since if we don't care for it, there's no one to come over to push them on.  Some of my family will eat anything that's free!

Day 140 - Sis

I can now start to toss the things I won't be using in the house. Here's my first - a broiler pan I think I used it most as a cookie cooling rack.  Could never get it quite clean and took off most of the finish trying. Now it's finished.;-

Day 140 - Lisa

What a long weekend; in and out of the house, meeting up and locking up the house after the floor guys, being called to look at this and that.  Running errands in prep for moving in.  Every project creates another project; the floors look gorgeous and now the base boards look horrid.  LOL  Ah, the joys of home ownership.  Wouldn't have it any other way. Love our new rug-less staircase.  Definitely need to do something with that ugly green tile in front of the fireplace, gone is the pukey green bottom in the dining room aka music room that we plan to make it.  Back splash this week will & then we are thinking we want to paint the cabinets a very light green to lighten up the kitchen and give it a little kick and that will complete the kitchen!!  Almost ready to move in - just need to get the windows installed!