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Long page, Loads of Pictures, Be Patient! Sgt. Bill came home on leave! June 21, 2005 12:29PM Yayyyyy! Updated: 07/03/2005 23:26:43 June 2005 June 1, 2005           Emily leaves for Camp LiWa today. It isn't like it's all that far away, but she's on her own and independent, and I guess we'll see her on weekends. With Annie in Texas I guess it's going to be quiet around here until Bill IV arrives on June 21.           Emily and I went shopping for her camp supplies and then to see "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" which was wonderful. Since I haven't read the book(s) I absolutely loved it. Emily was not as thrilled as I was though, but we won't discuss why until I have read the books. That should be fun!           Annie sounds like she's settled in fine at the Errett's and will send pictures soon. I can't wait! June 2, 2005           A few minor problems with the website today, such as... it's not there. I signed up for a less expensive hosting plan and am in the process of finding out how to get it all moved over. Everybody else is more patient than I am about this sort of thing. (grin) The folks at the host are being very nice though. It's just time consuming to do it all by e-mail etc. Oh well, better than the pony express, eh?           Today's task (besides re-uploading/checking the website) will be to completely finish up (except for painting) in the "Entertainment Room"... that means getting everything that doesn't belong in there OUT, and moving all DVDs and Videos IN and alphabetizing them... That should keep me good and busy!!! June 3, 2005           I got the DVD's moved and alphabetized, but my priorities have been rearranged -- I am not working on the "Entertainment Room" as I'd planned, but the kitchen instead. I moved the microwave back into the corner where it used to be. It was just always in the way on the other side, so "Swoosh" back it goes. Any appliance I don't plan to use at least weekly is going OFF my counter!           The fridge is cleaned out, and it is pretty amazing to us. We keep going back to look in it. This is what it looks like with no kids? Granted, we DO need to buy some groceries, but the only things on our list are milk, mustard, parkay, paper towels, toilet paper, parchment paper, bread (maybe) and tombstone pizzas (maybe)... so it's not going to be any big deal. Wow.           The door is also cleaned off. All that is on it is a picture of our Son Bill, the grocery list, and paperwork to send the insurance company to get the Emily's "good grades" discount on the car insurance.           I can't help but decorate it though ... I keep the good stuff on the SIDE of the refrigerator -- the pictures of William and Katie, Emily and Annie, and cool magnets. It's just that the front is so bare without all the writing on it! The only note is to remind me that I need to be at West Valley Track at 7:30 pm to see Emily dance. (naturally it is pouring rain,but it could clear up by 7:30, you never know!)           I can't help but decorate it though ... I keep the good stuff on the SIDE of the refrigerator -- the pictures of William and Katie, Emily and Annie, and cool magnets. It's just that the front is so bare without all the writing on it! The only note is to remind me that I need to be at West Valley Track at 7:30 pm to see Emily dance. (naturally it is pouring rain,but it could clear up by 7:30, you never know!)           I am baking bread today. I think I will bake bread all summer instead of buying it. I am also going to buy some powdered milk. This will certainly help cut back on little trips to the store. I'll also be experimenting with home-made pizza dough (from scratch) since restaurants are so expensive, frozen pizzas seem be be rising in price daily and the mix well, I like the mix, but I'm still going to try it on my own. Also we are drinking iced tea instead of buying sodas by the case.           I hear the bread machine kneading. I was wondering if it is going to work. I'll know for sure about 4:30pm. (it's about 12:45pm now.) If it doesn't work, then... maybe I won't be baking our own bread? We'll see. It's only 10 or 11 years old it should still work. (I haven't used it in over a year though.)           A sobering thought is that all our major appliances are over 12 years old now... and have been moved three times. I don't think moving is a super thing for appliances, but so far we have been fortunate not to have any problems. (KNOCK ON WOOD!)           The last thing we need is to have to replace anything ELSE... the Orange Vibe needs new tires, alignment, new windshield and a checkup, the '98 Neon needs new "struts" and a major tuneup, the '92 Aerostar's electrical system is FRIED (it hasn't been driveable for over 2 years, and it would be a blessing to get it going again)... ...the master bath toilet is running most of the time and about to fall apart, the sink is leaking and the back deck (the parts Bill didn't replace last summer) is rotting out. Sheesh. Wonder if there is a blessing for household appliances? "Please, Lord... let them hold out at least another 5 years?" AMEN! Since God helps them who help themselves, I think we will be doing all that we are able ourselves.           The bread turned out just fine. We ate about half of it, and gave the other half to Emily when we met her at the West Valley High School Track, where she was performing with Dance Arts Academy at the Relay for Life. Click the Picture for More June 9, 2005           Yayyyy! Pictures from Annie today! Looks like the little ones like her just fine. Bath time is FUN time! Hm! Having a nanny is nice! Texas is soooo hot. Air conditioning ROCKS!           Son Bill will be home in 11 days, and we have LOADS to do! But this morning I went out and took pictures of flowers around the yard. Dandelions Sweet Briar (Wild Roses) Wild Iris Wild Iris (click for larger view) Wild Iris Lilacs Lilacs (click for larger view)           Needless to say I enjoyed it very much -- the iris and lilacs are fragrant and the day is gorgeous.           Daddy Bill was flying with Guardian Flight most of the night, so after I fed him some lunch, he plans to nap all day. He needs to be ready for work again tonight. Sometimes he doesn't get called, but he will be ready if he does.           Let's see. We will have left over "Salsa Sausage Rice" if we get hungry so I won't have to cook. I made that for lunch yesterday and took half to share for lunch with Cyndee at United Academics. It's nice to visit ... although I had to practically sit on my hands to keep from "working" (laughing). She's got things under control.           In the meantime, I'll continue to tidy up the house. Doesn't that sound like fun? June 11, 2005           Today I mowed the lawns and tidied up the rest of the Family room that Bill and I have been working on for what seems like two weeks... or longer? Anyways, it's almost nearly sort of done? (laughing) It still needs to be painted (either Ocean Kiss or Rhythmic Blue, with Peaceful Night accent) and the carpet is in dire need of cleaning after the room has served as a Dining Room, an Office and now it is ... (Drum Roll, Please) the "Family Room" since all the family pictures are on the walls in there. It's very comfy and cozy -- and that corner unit of the sofa would NOT have fit in there unless we'd done away with the bookcase. Besides which, that corner unit was broken and ... just generally nasty. In my opinion, so is the sofa, but I can live with it since the alternative at this point would be the floor... I really like the room though, all things considered. The bookshelf and entertainment unit were bought in Florida in 1993. The sofas were bought soon after we arrived in Alaska, in 1995. They've held up pretty well for being moved from Florida to Alaska house #1, house #2, and finally house #3. I don't even remember the room we had them in when we first moved into this house. It must have been the Den. Then when we moved the Dining room into the Den, the units were put in the Dining room, and it was Bill's office so had mostly books and no TV on it. Now it is just rearranged and used again for its original purpose. The stereo was bought in Germany in 1982. A CD player was eventually added in place of the turntable which we were unable to find replacement needles for. We bought the TV a few years ago because it had a VCR and DVD player in it. The DVD player has quit working for some inexplicable reason. I don't think I'd go this route again, for that exact reason. Besides which VCR and DVD things are being updated constantly and we tend to keep televisions around for 20 years or so! We got the little "Record Player" for a Father's Day present for Bill 2 or 3 years ago. It's fun to relax and listen to the old LP albums again every so often.           There are still a few things tucked in the corner that will need to be hung up someplace -- some Air Force Certificates and airplane pictures, etc. Those will eventually have a spot on Bill's "I Love Me" wall, when we figure out where that will be. Maybe in the Loft. Time will tell. June 12, 2005           Bill is out flying in the bush for the Diocese of Fairbanks, so I'm on my own.           Today I moved the queensized bed from Annie's room into Emily's room, and will work on the spotty carpet in the Family room, plus work in the Kitchen, then neaten up the Dining/Den/Office. What is left to do is move the twin bed from the "loft" (which was originally (1997) Emily's room) into Annie's room for Sgt. Bill to use while he's home. Unless he's not bothered by pink and wants to sleep on the queen bed in Emily's room. Her room used to be his, wonder how weird that feels? I just figure he'd prefer the peach and Navy to pink and ballerinas... funny, hm? Not that he'd notice, since all he'll do in there probably is sleep, but... in Annie's room there is the TV, so... that's another factor I think he'd consider in choosing. After the bedrooms are set, I will start to work on the Loft * which will become our "library" and hobby storage room. The hobbies being the model plane/car building and scrapbooking and jigsaw puzzles, etc. We have SO many books and they are all things we'll read and re-read, or keepsakes, or whatever. Some people collect baseballs or teaspoons, salt and pepper shakers or mugs. Come to think of it, I do have a lot of mugs and a good portion of those are going to charity VERY soon... I am serious about books.           It's still rainy today. It started raining last night and the grass really appreciates it!!! Monday is supposed to be sunny and hot though. HOT is 75F, because I'm so used to it being cooler... plus it is more humid this year than I remember it being before, so I've been grateful for the rain showers to cool things down a little. I really don't think I could handle 90F anymore for any length of time.           I sure do have a lot to get done. Better post this and get in gear! June 13, 2005           Today I steam cleaned the carpet in the Family room. WHEW!!! It looks a lot nicer (not new, of course, but nicer!) I have the big fan in there to help it dry fastest so that late this afternoon I can vacuum, I hope. If not, I'll vacuum it in the morning.           After I'm cooled off, (I hate hot and sweaty!) I will take the rest of Emily's dance cosumes and gear upstairs to her room. (I had her gear down here in the sewing room to air it out and check for repairs. Isn't it about time she starts doing that herself?) Then I will pick up all the storage boxes and put them on the sewing desk to vacuum the sewing room (used to be living room) and consider steam cleaning in there. It really needs it, at least in places. If I do places, I might as well do the whole shootin' match. My plan was to get the family room done last night and do the sewing room today with a better "break" between the two... but my Carpet Cleaner Getter Guy (Bill) zonked out yesterday -- he was exhausted. Rather than try to get the steam cleaner out myself (and make both of us testy) I opted to wait for today. Flexibility. Have it or find a deep lake with a short pier and take a long walk on it!           Lest I sound wimpy (Ok, I'm wimpy to let things get this messy!) I think I'll take a picture of all the JUNK piled up at the sewing room entryway so my detractors will realize this is a real bit of work. All Bill's flying magazines, some jackets, clothes and who knows what else got jumbled up and tossed there. I'm not looking forward to it. I also had to stack a whole bunch of china and stuff on the "schranks" that I have to figure out where to store nicely. (Do I need to explain what "Schranks" are again? Explain Schranks, thanks.)           Am I cooled off yet? No, not quite. I will take the picture, post it and then I will be cooled off enough to tackle the job. WHAT a mess! Click to see it clean!           See what I mean? I have some work to do... June 14, 2005           This morning Bill (Daddy) got called in at 5:55 or so, but I didn't go back to sleep because it is cooler in the morning... and as we know by now, I have TOO much to do in the heat of the day!           I put as many boxes and such up on the sewing table as possible, then vacuumed again. Then I went ahead and steam-cleaned the carpet in there as well as I possibly could. It is greatly improved but of course far from perfect. This afternoon (when it is dry) I will vacuum it again and move what boxes I couldn't stack anywhere in order to clean beneath them. It's bad enough that I didn't get all this done before we moved the shelves and schranks in there, so I am going to clean every place I possibly can. How many times did I say possibly? Sheesh. Well, it's possible; impossible things are happening every day.           Speaking of impossible what am I going to do with all that junk? (See messy picture above. Or don't. Please.) Okay I found a handbag of mine in that, and a Christmas tree ornament. The rest of it isn't mine, and I have no idea what to do with it. I can dispose of the obvious trash, but even then, I don't know what magazines to keep or pitch, what half these publications are or what books, clothes, or music Emily wants to keep. (groan) I will figure something out.           The other thing to figure out is how to best store all my fabric and sewing gear. I have plenty of ideas, and have seen some great suggestions on the web, but to implement them would require resources that are not currently a priority. (Is that a good way to say, "I'm flat broke!") (laughing) I have some shelves and some plastic tubs, but am not thrilled with either one as far as accessiblity and organization go. (smothering a yawn) This isn't boring, I'm just worn out. NOW, I think I'll go back to bed for an hour or so...           ... and face the fact that the loft simply isn't going to get done before Sgt. Billy comes marching home. June 15, 2005           I never did get a nap yesterday, but I did get quite a bit sorted. It's still a disaster, but it's improving. The sewing room just needs storage for the "stuff" laying around, and that means shelves or chests or something. WHAT a mess! Click to see it clean!           What's in there? Clockwise, starting at noon, that is a built in curio cabinet bookshelf that was part of the house when we moved in. It has my "Pretties" in it, but I also tape pattern pieces to the glass after I have pressed them. I think the pieces that are there have been there about a year. Maybe I need to stop doing that. The bookshelf portion needs to be cleaned out and I can put my sewing books and such on those shelves.           To the right of those shelves is a pile of junk to sort, books and fabric. In the corner is my sewing machine cabinet for the Singer Stylist 534 bought in 1979. On top is more fabric and sewing junk. Underneath is the old used Singer Stylist 834 bought in about 2000 for Annie to learn to sew on. In front of the windows are various boxes of fabric and supplies. yeah. Lots of machines, fabric and supplies, hm? I would just LOVE to teach sewing! Click to see it clean!           Now, at left, is the top of one of the schranks and back to back is a bookshelf. On top of the schrank is the pretty bluebonnet canister set Mom sent to me (with Teapot) That I just love. Since my counter space is so limited I haven't gotten to use it for flour and stuff, but I dream about being able to someday. Bill is busily sorting through stuff that is his, and his alone.           I put all that china away and stacked stuff for Bill to sort through on the schrank.           On top of the bookshelves is a rockingchair pincusion like my mother used to have, a couple of mailing boxes, and a tote-bag with Emily's old Cheerleading gear in it. That's going up to her room, as soon as I remember to take it. All those notebooks are magazines and information about flying. I have shanghaied the two upper right hand shelves for some of my sewing books, etc.           And that dress is the green formal I made her for the prom she didn't go to, and set of plastic shelves with... you guessed it, more fabric.           My cutting mats, babylocks and serger are on the desk in the center of the room.           The plastic shelves have most of the fabric I currently have plans for and works in progress. The plastic drawer sets hold ribbon, lace, interfacing, fat quarters, snaps, zippers, hooks and eyes, etc. It is "loosely" organized in the drawers but I plan to tighten those nuts down as soon as I get everything positioned. Jump to Sewing Room Plan           The drawers USED to be underneath the desk in the center of the room. Now there are big plastic containers holding fabric. Not ideal, but it works for the time being. The draperies directly behind theh plastic shelves are in the opening that could connect the old dining room to the old living room. Since the old dining room is now the family room and the old living room is the sewing room, those drapes are back to back with the entertainment unit in the family room.           Well, back to the grind. Progress WILL prevail proportnally to the pace of my perseverance!!! June 16, 2005           "Look what Mom and Dad did today!"           Marzipan says, "This is different, there used to be dirty CARPETING there in front of that door! I'm not even sure where I am now!"           The big project for today (along with working on organization in the sewing room...) was to remove the soiled carpeting from in front of the upstairs bathroom and replace it with tiles. Now let me think...           This was begun in July 2003!!! (sigh) Well, this is progress and we will do well not to roll our eyes in the face of progress.           Where did that phrase come from anyway? "In the face of progress"... well I like my turn of it. And so does Marzipan!           We relaxed a bit and watched "Lost in Space" on the Family Channel (the newer movie version that flopped in theatres.)           Ginger finally had enough and took over the remote control. Enough of this, people! Get back to work!!! June 17, 2005           Today's GREAT news is that the mail brought news that Emily was awarded a scholarship that will certainly cover her first semester at UAF, and some of the second, we hope! Good Job EMILY! We are so proud of you!           Today some of the Deacon wives met for lunch at Pizza Hut and we had a nice time. We decided to get together on the 3rd Friday of every month at a not-to-expensive-but-nicer-than-fast-food place for lunch together. Next month is the Cookie Jar Restaurant. Sounds good!           I think that "in the face of" phrase is probably explained somewhere on the web but I didn't find it specifically. I think it probably stands for "startling" or "blatant" since is something flies up in your face or is in your face it's very prominent or attention getting. Of course it's usually "flies in the face of" and ... don't you imagine it would be unpleasant to have flies in your face all the time? Ugh. Kinda like "Pig Pen" in Charlie Brown cartoons.           Well at least my house isn't THAT much of a disaster, we only have mosquitos in our face, not flies.           After clearing off the sewing machine cabinet, I tackled one of the challenging corner of the sewing room. The shelves were upstairs in the bathroom and just gathered junk and dust, so I brought them down (Bill helped some) and am storing patterns and other supplies on them.           Let's see, we bought these shelves in 1995 or 96, when we lived on Eielson AFB. They were worth the minimal investment, even if they do tend to break if they're moved the wrong way. I don't plan on moving them again for a LONG time.           As a reminder of what that corner looked like before,Jump to Sewing Room Plan.           Now, officially it is tomorrow, but it's not even 2 am yet, so here is what I've finished up in the sewing room. By tomorrow I will be able to "close the door" (gate, rather, to keep the dogs out of there) and move back into finishing up the entryway.           Hey, I took down those pattern pieces! I also took the time to organize the thread rack. I could really use two of these things!           I also moved the embroidery machine over to the sewing machine cabinet because it is much more stable than the converted computer desk. The embroidery machine vibrates quite a bit since is it more heavy-duty than the regular sewing machine, so it's better off in the corner. I won't be able to sew face to face with Annie (when she is home) but we don't usually sew at the same time, anyway. Besides which, when she moves out completely, the Baby Lock Decorator is hers. She paid for half of it with the understanding that it would belong to her when she leaves home. Hm. Wonder if I get to keep it if she moves out and then comes back? Hee hee!           If I can walk tomorrow (my back really is hurting pretty bad) then I will for sure be able to finish the sewing room. I was satisfied enough with it tonight that I even made a pillow cover for Sgt. Bill's room -- pictures to be posted after he sees it! I rearranged a few other small things once I'd started sewing, for convenience sake. When the room is complete, I'll post a "Completed Sewing Room" page to show the differences between it and the original "Sewing Room Plan."           For now, though, I'm going to BED! (YAWN!!!) June 18, 2005           Today is going to be a rough day. My back hurts so bad I'm ready to go back to bed, but I won't because stuff has GOT to get done. I will have to ask Bill to vacuum for me.           The only major challenge left in the sewing room is where to store all the fabric. I don't like having the boxes laying around because: Boxes are unsightly I can't view the fabric selections in the boxes The boxes are heavy and frequently in the way In addition, I'm not totally keen on the fabric being shelved, because: Shelves get dusty therefore fabric gets dusty Light can fade exposed edges of the fabric If I need to slide a fabric out of a stack it messes up the whole shelf           It's going to require some heavy duty planning and probably a great deal of compromise. I would like to try a system that I would file by color in hanging file folders. I don't see me acquiring any lateral filing cabinets anytime soon, which would probably be an ideal solution. The top of the two drawer size would make a good surface for a cutting mat. I can dream about it all I want to but I am NOT going to consider spending money on that kind of thing. Ever. It might work perfectly but it would look nasty.           I'm done until I get some shelves or bring down a chest from upstairs or something. It's been a good effort.           Now, onward in the entryway... June 19, 2005 Sunrise: 2:58 AM       Sunset: 12:43 AM Length of Day: 21 hours 45 minutes           Happy Father's Day!           I didn't get anything done in the entry way because my back was hurting so much. I took some medicine and racked out for several hours which helped but I'm still no happy camper.           Although I wasn't into lifting and carting and moving things, I was still productive because I finished a bedspread and two pillows for my room. I really love sewing! The bedspread was a no brainer because it was prequilted doublesided fabric. It's a LOT busy patternwise, but I like the colors and what the heck, I can't see it when I'm asleep. I do like it a lot though, and made the spread reversible. I had a little helper!           I am so relieved to learn that I am not alone in my battle with clutter and storage. In a search to find ways to store fabric and supplies I found that Lisa Vollrath fights the same war with her workroom. I'm sure there are others brave enough to post their reorganization efforts (with pictures) out there somewhere. I am just grateful to have found Lisa's and gleaned some ideas from her wisdom. June 20, 2005           Get a load of this:           It was hard work, but it is DONE and I LOVE the way it looks! There is a place to hang the dog leashes and everything. Of course there is still the doggie gate, and there are still things that we'd probably stow if we were having company over, but this is our HOME and we actually live in it. And I am just ONE happy camper.           Except for one small thing... I still have the den, the master bedroom and the loft to go... not to mention the garage... BUT... truly this is as nice as I have ever gotten things and still been able to say, "THIS IS LIVEABLE!" Whenever I've gotten my house clean to "picture perfect" it hasn't been comfortable and liveable to me. Now I am well on my way to Happy Homemaker land. Onward... because the Den           is a DISASTER! June 21, 2005           11 Hours and 37 Minutes to go (which means it's nearly 1:00AM... We've been working hard today. Bill cleaned the upstairs bath, repaired a broken drawer and put pretty ceramic knobs on the cabinets. He also worked on the door of the bathroom downstairs which has gone tilted with the thaw of summer. Closed fine in the winter, but now it's a pain in the patooties.           The den is still a wreck, but LOOK at the kitchen!           The bar is clean and everything... I'm so relieved. Now to get to bed so I can spring out of bed (fortified by 800mg. Motrin) and get the den tackled, then sweep and mop Annie's room. Be impressed. Be VERY impressed. I have waited ... quite literally YEARS to have my house this tidy, waiting for some help and encouragement to get it done. Well, by golly... I musta got it somewhere, because there was no way I was going to settle for Billy coming home to a total disaster like he did at Christmas... and every other time he's come home...           You know... people talk about depression and how it affects them and all that stuff? Well, maybe I'm getting over some of my depression or something. Wouldn't that be swell? I think I'm finally ready to put my foot down and say, "This is MY home... as well as yours, and I am not willing to let it slide. PICK YOUR STUFF UP AND PUT IT AWAY!!!" (grin) Not like I haven't said it before... but before, I wouldn't have tossed out their stuff... now I just think I will give them a wake up call! MEANIE MOMMY!           P.S. Hey kids, I love you... don't ever forget it! G'Nite! June 21, 2005 Sunrise: 2:57AM           Sunset: 12:47AM           It's the longest day today. But it will fly by, since I pick Sgt. Bill up in just 4 hours and 36 minutes. I went to bed at 2:00AM... got up at 7:30AM... and my head is pounding... like it is going to come off. I think it's sinuses. Ugh. I'll go take a hot shower then come down and get this den in order (if that is possible!) Bill got called out early (I think it was about 5:30AM, I don't remember...) It's a GREAT day today! Yayyyy! (Can't wait to see Billy!) He's Home!!! He MOWED! YAY!           Bill's flight was right on time. I met him at the airport (Daddy Bill was in Anchorage on a flight for work) then we went to Sam's Club for milk. then we came home and he mowed while I finished up the dining area portion of the den... (buffing my nails on my lapel) good job on both counts!           I really like this view. I like the "Bagel" (yellow), "Rhythmic Blue" (lighter of the two aquas I am using) and the "Ocean Kiss" (darker of the aqua blues) in the upper right hand corner. PLUS it really shows how special that dark blue wall looks! And really shows how much I need to finish painting the Kitchen ceiling! (laughing) I hate popcorn ceilings. You can click on the photo to see an enlarged view and use the "Back" button to return to this page. That's Annie's computer I'm packing up to send to her in Texas on the dining table.           Obviously we still need storage for those models, and they'll probably end up in the sewing room since I put the "craft" table in there. Unless ... we get the loft converted to a library craft center sooner than later!           Originally I was going to put that full length mirror propped against the buffet above the fireplace. Now I think it's got to go somewhere else. Like a door upstairs or something...           YIKES! Time for Gilmore Girls, gotta go! Ta!Ta! June 22, 2005           Everybody (which means Sgt. Bill) is still asleep. He went out with Rob yesterday evening, but came home pretty early. Emily was disappointed that he wasn't with Daddy when she got her supper at Dance tonight, but hopefully he'll be able to visit with her a little on Thursday and on the weekend. She's missed him lots! And he ought to see her on her toes!           Aha!           Here's to Breakfast!           After breakfast Bill and his Dad "computed" for awhile, then went off to Ft. Wainwright to pick up some toiletries, to the Cathedral to drop off Bill's alb (I call it his "Deacon Dress") and to wait in line at the DMV, I guess, for Billy to take his driver's instruction permit test.           SIGH... I guess I'll just get back to cleaning... It's such a joy... Where'd I put that Motrin? Nah, it makes me have bad heartburn... I'll just work through the "discomfort"... SIGH...           Well... I worked a bit, but it wasn't at cleaning the office area.           I cooked a yummy supper of ... well, I don't know what it was, it was chicken... and lemon and onion and apple and some italian seasoning... and it was yummy, even though it doesn't look like much. I boiled some potatoes with tuscan herb blend and heated up some green beans. We had a salad with it, and it was really good. Billy wouldn't eat any of the potatoes though. Sheesh, trying to maintain his boyish figure, I guess?           Who knows? There were a lot of leftovers, even though it was yummy, because we'd had sandwiches from Quizno's for lunch not too long before 6 pm. I guess it was about 2pm or so we ate lunch.           Lotsa leftovers, so Emily will get some too, for supper Thursday!Goofy Brother Bill wouldn't let me take a picture of him. Not a GOOD one anyway!           After supper I sat down in my nice clean sewing room and made some reversible placemats for my nice clean dining table in my nice clean dining area! How about THEM apples!           Ok, they're not apples, they're flowers, but aren't they pretty? I have finished five or six of the eight.           I have enough fabric left to make some hotpads for the table and maybe some other accessories, like a bread basket liner. Won't that be nice?           It was such a pleasure to sew and have everything close at hand. I'm really pleased with what I've done, and look forward to sewing LOADS more cool stuff!           Later I watched "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of ... " (I forget how to spell it...) but Daddy Bill and Sgt. Bill went to sleep.           Marzipan wants to know... "Do you miss me???           Until tomorrow... (YAWN!!!) G'nite! June 23, 2005           Busy day today, but it sure did FEEL lazy! Sgt. Bill and I went to the DMV and got his Instruction Permit. He drove around and out to Eielson AFB. He got his dad a combined birthday-Father's Day gift of a 17" Flat Screen Monitor. What a SPECIAL son! :) I am so proud of him. Then we came home and he adjusted his Dad's computer desk and installed the new monitor. When Dad gets home tonight, won't he be surprised?!           At about 5:45 we took Emily some supper at dance class. She was VERY happy to see her big brother but unthrilled that we took a few pictures.           After we watched her warm up for a few minutes, we came home and had leftovers from last night for supper. I cut up the leftover chicken then stirred it and its sauce in with some bow-tie pasta. It was good! When Dad got home it was hilarious...           We told him he could check his e-mail while we heated the leftovers for him... he was COMPLETELY clueless, because his screensaver was exactly the same. He didn't notice that his monitor was at all different!           We were laughing SO hard and he was looking around, saying, "What?"           Finally he sat down and looked at the monitor, and I said, "You need a monitor-bite kit!!!" when he figured out what it was he thought it was "pretty slick!" I'm not tired or anything, am I? A pretty slick monitor. June 25, 2005           Be ADVISED!!!           There are only SIX more shopping months before CHRISTMAS!!!           Speaking of Christmas, it feels like that around here! Billy bought me a new toilet for my master bathroom! Isn't he the sweetest? It is exactly what I wanted, too... I told him so. Right now Dad Bill is down in the crawlspace/basement thingy turning the water off so they can take out the old toilet. Once they've done that, I will go up there and paint and put down new floor tiles (leftovers from the hallway) and then they will put in the NEW toilet. The new floor tiles are really only a stop-gap thing... the subfloor REALLY needs to be replaced, along with the sink and bathtub, but that is a major overhaul and not in the budget. Neither was the toilet, but thanks to Christmas in June, the old one that ran constantly unless we "rocked" the tank can be replaced.           PARENTAL WARNING These are potty pictures. (grin)           Yeah, this is AFTER I scrubbed the floor. I probably should have cleaned off the bathroom sink counter, but it's such a work of art... so unique. So... conversation stopping.           HUMPH!!!! I was listing all the things on the bathroom counter and identifying whose they are, when SOMEBODY who shall remain nameless sat down at my computer and started using it and OBVIOUSLY closed the file without saving it. GRRRRR! Well, it isn't really important anyway. What's important is that it's getting cleaned up!           So. Because they're putting in the new toilet, and I am doing the floor, I figured I'd better PAINT before I put the floor down.           I decided to paint the master bathroom "Honeydew" (sort of light green) which was the color we painted Emily's room in 2000, and Annie and Kristy painted the downstairs bath July 6, 2000. There was plenty left, it stirred up nicely and "Voila!" I have a green bathroom. It's not the green I really wanted, but I'm not getting picky. It'll do JUST fine!           A year or more ago, when Wal-Mart first opened in Fairbanks, I bought some bathroom decor I really like. I got the shower curtain, hooks, a toothbrush holder, cup, soap dish, shower curtain rings and a wall-border. All that is around here somewhere and when I find them... it will look SOooooo nice. I decided that I'll put some flower decoration on the front of the sink cabinet, but in the meantime, it's just painted. Partly. I'll have to figure something out for the meantime...           Daddy Bill installed the new toilet with Sgt. Bill's help. Sgt. Bill chose the toilet lid for us. Now we can think of him every day. Several times a day. With a great big SMILE!           I probably won't go to the trouble of painting or scanning or otherwise putting flowers on the front of the sink cabinet... I'll probably just paint it pink or something. Anyway, for the most part, the bathroom is done, until we can replace the tub and sink... which will be YEARS probably.           It's been a long day -- I'm not done yet, still have to clean up the bathtub and bathroom sink. I'm worn out. I think I'll work on the kitchen curtains tomorrow since I didn't get to do that today...           Ta-ta! June 26, 2005           Bless him, Dad-Bill cleaned the tub out because after I sat down awhile, I could barely MOVE. Putting in tiles and painting involved a lot of sitting on the floor and stretching and so on... and once I quit moving, I got REALLY sore. It's better today, but last night I felt like I was 150 years old or something.           I didn't really seem to accomplish very much today, either. Maybe it's the weekend. I did paint the center panels on the sink cabinet doors in the bathroom a very, very light yellow. So now I have a blank canvas for whatever it is I come up with ... if anything, to decorate on it. I'm no artist though, so I don't expect whatever happens to be impressive. I'll just look at it as fun.           Yeah. That'll work. Tomorrow. Maybe. June 27, 2005           I'm working on the kitchen curtains today and should finish them... Whether or not they get hung depends on if Bill can find any brackets to hang the rods. We have plenty of rods, but the brackets are all in one of those storage bin things (SO organized!)... but I don't know where the storage bin is. (SHRUG) What else is new?           Sgt. Bill's visit has been SO nice. We need to go to Delta Junction and pick up his rifle, and maybe see if there is a DMV there he can get in to take his driving test. He drives just fine and dandy. Like he'd been driving all the years he's been overseas anyway, so he'll ace it. June 28, 2005           Today Sgt. Bill is out with his pals Jeremiah and Rob. They went to see Batman Begins or whatever the new one is... and then to play X-Box and visit.           Dad Bill built the screen door for the back deck so the dogs can go in and out without an entire horde of mosquitoes coming inside. When Sgt. Bill left, he said, "I'll believe it when I see it." So... he'll see. (grin) Ginger checked it out before Bill stapled the screen onto the frame. Both dogs   seem to be perfectly satisfied with it. The frame is made from 1 x 2s with stapled on screen fabric. I made the door flap and put a little dowel in it for weight.           I finished the kitchen curtains last night, and when I find the hangers for them, I'll get pictures taken and posted. That was lots of fun. June 29, 2005           Emily's recital pictures are posted. The page is at: http://www.birchgrove.net/d2005/recital05.html. June 30, 2005           A dab of paint here, a dab of paint there. Eventually, it'll all get done. Hi-ho, Hi-ho.           The stairs-wall is pretty much painted, except up near the ceiling which is vaulted. That means I can't reach it. Actually, that means pretty much nobody can reach it... so until we get a ladder, it's not quite finished.           Eventually, one plan is to re-do the stairs in wood with non-slip treads and have banisters on BOTH sides, since as I get more achey and breaky with age, it'll be nice to have more to hold onto.           Budget that about a million and ten years into the future. In the meantime I need to shampoo the carpet on the stairs.           I just couldn't wait to see what the color will look like in the family room, so I did a small... uhm... sampling.           Funny, I like the colors just as much as I thought I would. (grin) Hurrah! Jump to July Contact the Birch Grove: E-Mail

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