Oops...I Still Have One Room To Spring Clean

The fridge has been in place since 9pm last night. (Hubby got a late start moving it inside due to him working on his truck and then having to search the neighborhood for Jack-Jack because he wandered off!! -- will go into THAT in a bit) He hooked up the ice maker, attached the new bottom cardboard panel and then I spent the next 3 hours decorating. (Hung more commemorative church plates, and a few vintage serving plates and bowls...brought my pie safe back in filled with some of my tea sets and vintage salt and pepper shakers...then placed my table and chairs back in the middle of the room.) It's starting to look like a kitchen again!!

Today, the plan is to put away dishes in dishwasher, hand wash a sink full of dirty pots and pans, dust all shelves and tops of cabinets, wipe down counters and cabinet doors, clean window, clean stove, clean microwave & front of dishwasher, and finally scrub floor.

Only AFTER all of that has been completed am I having hubby take me to purchase groceries. OH, and I need to find 2 throw rugs...a small one in front of fridge and a long, narrow one in front of sink and stove.

*********

Jack-Jack has discovered female doggies. *sigh* The neighbor's Pomeranian behind us is now in heat...Jack-Jack went missing for 3 hours and I freaked...Hubby drove around neighborhood but couldn't find him...Jack-Jack finally came home, bringing his new girlfriend home with him, while hubby was gone to pick up Kat form work...I put him in his crate for his "punishment"...I'm making an appointment today for him to be fixed.

Wordless Wednesday...01/07/09

Don't Be Worried...I'm Still Alive!!

Had it not been for the concern of a dear friend there is no telling HOW LONG I would have gone without updating this blog. For the most part, I update my personal blog everyday, but by the time I run through email, go through the morning routine with our crazy zoo, have breakfast, clean house, work in the kitchen, cook dinner then go through the evening routine with our crazy zoo, I have no time left for ME.

As quickly as possible, I'll recap what's new...
KITCHEN REMODEL:
All walls textured and painted
Vinyl words installed on doorway
Carpet ripped off floor. Plywood temporarily painted
85% of cabinets painted inside and out
I still need to install laminated tile flooring.
I'm waiting on the arrival of 12 vintage cast iron shelf brackets so I can install my shelves.
Still need to take down ceiling fan and clean it, and paint ceiling.

OUR CRAZY ZOO IS GROWING:
At last count, we now have...
INSIDE:.................OUTSIDE:
2 Female Cats.........2 Female Cats
1 Male Husky...........3 Male Cats
1 Male Dachshund....8 Growing Kittens
1 Male Parakeet.......3 Newborn Kittens
1 Female Parakeet

And I'm about to be the new owner of a Male Cockatiel...yup...just start calling me the ZOO KEEPER!! ROFL!!

I'm still doing my Meal Planning Mondays, making sense of all the jumbled mess in my brain on Ten Thought Tuesdays, donating items to the thrift store on Waste Not Wednesdays, creating a list on Thankful Thursdays, and running around like a lunatic on Frantic Fridays...just lately I've been forgetting to do them HERE. *blushes*

As for my scrapping/designing passion...it's still growing with leaps and bounds. I'm working on several scrap pages, but nothing finished yet. I have, however, designed and finished 2 paper packs, 1 fall kit, finishing a winter kit & got something magical in the works for Christmas. Still don't know when I'll be in a store again, but hoping to hear something real soon having signed and mailed off all my paperwork not long ago. *giggles*

I Couldn't Say No...

Two days ago, I went to see a friend that was visiting from Texas and learned that a friend of her family had 5 Miniature Dachshund puppies they were giving away FOR FREE. I took one look at the one her family had chosen, fell in love and told them to tell the family friend I wanted one too. I came home, asked hubby what he thought about adding to our family, but was told no.

The next day was Halloween, hubby went on to work, and I received a call from my friend that she had a surprise for me. I told her what hubby had said about the puppy, but still wanted to see it. The moment I got there and saw those gorgeous eyes...I COULDN'T SAY NO!! He was just too adorable.

Because we got him on Halloween, my daughter and I had to think of an awesome name...so we chose Jack Skellington and nicknamed him Jack-Jack. Unfortunately, we were SO UNPREPARED for the new addition, that me, my daughter and Jack-Jack went on a 5 hour shopping spree to get him everything he would need to be comfortable.

I was afraid that hubby wouldn't like having Jack-Jack, but as soon as he got home from work and sat on the couch, he had Jack-Jack lying on his chest taking a nap!! *giggles* It was too precious. Sadly, I forgot how much work puppies are...especially when they wake up every hour wanting attention. It was also the first time he was away from his mommy, the first time surrounded by new animals and family, and the first time he was placed in a crate to sleep for the night. It didn't go well...thank goodness I know how to function on very little sleep!! LOL

ISN'T HE PRECIOUS??

Monday Madness...(a new look and sadness)

Once again, my heart is broken. Late yesterday evening, Burrito passed away. She was fine yesterday morning, eating and drinking, and running around with TONS of energy. But somehow, between morning and late evening, something happened...I found her on the back porch limp and barely breathing. Hubby tried to do all he could, but nothing helped. She passed away 30 minutes later.

So, to keep my mind occupied, I spent the evening/night playing around with a new BG and banner for my blog. Though I got a great looking blog, it didn't help me keep my mind off of Burrito...I still miss her!!

Wednesday-2nd Post For The Day

I just finished uploading 3 new LO's and just HAD to share them with you!! (Of course, you knew I would...hehehe) From the looks of these pages, I think you could say I'm going through a "BLENDING PHASE!!" LOL

Yesterday, Kat, Joey and I were suppose to spend the day at the water park, but plans were changed and we ended up staying at home. To keep themselves occupied, Kat and Joey had a "PHOTO SESSION"...these were just 3 out of the 115 photos that were taken!!

(click each page for full credits and gallery view)

Monday Madness...Laundry, Scrapping and Tears

Late last night, I finally caught up on all of our dirty laundry!! It was at that moment, my brain went haywire and I began to wash anything and everything I could get my hands on!! I think I've found a new addiction...lol

In between each load, I was able to scrap 3 pages...

This is a photo of my Papaw Stone holding my Momma - 1942

Kit: Grandma's Kitchen by Tina Williams Designs
(found HERE)
Font: Elisia
Layout Designer: AlabamaStoneThrower Creations©
Title: A New Generation
Created: June 3, 2007
Program: PSP-9


Just having a bit of fun and whimsy with one of my photos of Kat.

Spiral Album by Kathryn Balint's Spiral Album Kit
(found HERE)
Main BG from Beginning Freebie by Weeds and Wildflowers
Great Oak Trees tubed by PJW
Grunge Overlay by Scrap Celina
BG on Spiral Album from Spiritless Paper Pack by BZArt
Faerie - share fromYahoo/PSP tube group
Wisteria tubed by Molly
Scenery Landscape by PJW

Font: VivianXtremeByWiescher Design
Layout Designer: AlabamaStoneThrower Creations©
Title: Think Of Happy Things
Photo: Kat - Summer '06
Created: June 3, 2007
Program: PSP-9


This page was created for the Deco-Pages CT-Call.

Kit: You Go Girl by Deb Ammerman
(found HERE)
Layout Designer: AlabamaStoneThrower Creations©
Title: You Go Girl
Photo: Kat - February '07
Created: June 4, 2007
Program: PSP-9

The tears have been flowing off and on all day. My fur-baby "Little bit" didn't make it. We brought her back indoors yesterday evening, and like the night before, my hubby and I took turns cuddling and feeding. Then this morning, I woke to find it just lying beside me, hardly breathing, not enough energy to mew. For 5 hours, hubby and I did all we could, but it wouldn't eat, and it's breathing was nearly non existent. I had hopes of it improving, but during the time I had to take OS to work, she slipped away. My heart shattered...

I feel out of kilter. I tried to scrap a few pages today, but I think my muse has exited - stage left.

Tuesday Thoughts...and updates!!

#1. As usual, my procrastination is rearing it's ugly head...lol
#2. Thank goodness Monday is over!!
#3. Trying to create a scrap page while on meds means some of your journaling will be wrong.
#4. Not noticing mistake until 24 hours after posting to several galleries and groups creates stress.
#5. Having to make changes and re-upload page to several galleries and groups takes exactly an hour and half to accomplish. (Without potty breaks!!)
#6. Did you know that the mini batteries inside a cordless drill rechargeable battery can over heat when charging, causing them to explode?
#7. Mini battery exploding sounds like gunfire.
#8. Though small, it can leave a huge hole in your ceiling!!
#9. Bubbling battery acid smells nasty!!
#10. I've made a mental note to supervise the other rechargeable battery, just in case hubby accidentally puts it on wrong setting again.

**UPDATES**

Furbabies:
Yesterday, my daughter Kat and I were lying on a blanket in the backyard watching the clouds go by. All was peaceful until I started to go inside to refill my soda. Halfway to the door, I heard what sounded like a small bird chirping. I asked Kat to come over and listen. The chirping got louder near the fence...it wasn't chirping...it was the litter of kittens that the last momma cat had that we were never able to find!! 2 solid orange babies, 1 gray with white paws, and one tiger stripe!! Our total?? 9 adult cats, 6 frisky kittens, 4 in betweens, 3 itty bitty ones, 4 newborns & 1 Husky that thinks he's half human/half feline!!

Runtmiester is doing fine. The momma cat has begun nursing her again, so we haven't had to go replace the bottle...hehehe!! As for eating, her siblings are chowing away on dry food, but it takes forever for her to get one piece chewed, so we've started her on soft foods.

One of the 4 newborns has an eye infection that had caused it to scab over!! With them being in a box for the past few weeks with their momma, we didn't notice until today when they all started to venture out. This poor baby just stood there screaming it's lungs out cause it was alone. I spent nearly half an hour trying to saturate the area with warm water while gently wiping, then hubby spent another half hour. We finally got the eye cleared, but I'm afraid we may be too late to save it. The eye is cloudy and is twice the size of the normal eye. All I can do is continue to flush the eye every few hours with sterile water and pray that it clears.

Bathroom
My bathroom looks like it's getting worse!! Hubby is doing floor in sections, removing a sheet of plywood and repairing the damage underneath, then putting down new plywood. He's now in the middle of section 2 (out of 4), where most of the termite and water damage had occurred. Though the water heater is now reconnected to water and gas lines, the drain area is now leaking and hubby has had to cap it off. (Hoping the repair holds up for a while.) The old carpet has been ripped up and put in the trash pile, and the sink has been disconnected from the wall. I've stripped the wall paper border, and done tons of cleanup.

In the meantime, living in a house while doing a remodel is taking it's toil on my sanity, My den, kitchen and dinning rooms look like a tornado came through!! Mind you, most days I'm not the best housekeeper due to my R.A., but this is BEYOND trashed!! I won't disgust you by going into the gory details for fear of scaring you...just trust me it's worse than anything you can imagine!!

Creative Team's
I am actually having a blast being on 4 CT's!! Once I got everything organized and learned everyone's rules, I was able to get into a smooth flow!! This is what I will be or have been doing this week...

For Nayyan: I've been searching through all of my photos for the perfect beach scenes for my LO requirements for the week. Her kit just screams summer and beach!! 1 down, and 3 to go!!

Lorene has started a Forum for all scrappers to get together and have fun, called Scrapin' Party. There's ALL KINDS of freebies, and even a cool challenge going on!! C'mon over and enjoy the fun!!

For Tina: I'm working with one of her awesome vintage kits. So be on the look out for more heritage pages!!

For Kathryn, it truly is all about the elements!! I've got several pages I'm working on. They're under wraps right now...hush hush...top secret stuff. So you'll just have to stay tuneded for Sunday's review, or stop my galleries sometime this week to check if I've uploaded anything. *giggles* You'll know it when you see it!! :D

Anywhoos, I think that about covers everything. I'm off to get lost in PSP!!

'Til next time...Happy Scrappin'!!

THURSDAY TOM FOOLERY...

Wednesday was one of those "BLAH" cloudy, rainy, icky days...so I figured that there was no better way of passing the time than with me lying in bed and scrapping my photos of how I spent my Mother's Day!!
(Click each photo to see larger images and page credits)

RUNTMIESTER UPDATE:
My hubby and I went to the store late Tuesday night to pick up kitten formula and a tiny bottle to feed it, since none of the momma cats appeared to be letting her nurse. Well, yesterday hubby prepared the bottle and Runtmiester started to nurse...up until she chewed half the nipple off!! HAHAHA!! I guess THAT is why they won't let her nurse anymore...she's a biter...lol

UTILITY ROOM/BATH UPDATE:
The water has been shut off at the meter. The gas has been shut off at the valve. The gas water heater has been drained and disconnected. The entire floor of the utility room has been removed to expose an old hardwood floor beneath that has seen much better days. Again, with severe water and termite damage. Hubby is busting tail trying to get most of the flooring laid at this very moment so he can get the gas water heater reconnected and everything back on before we call it a night.

Monday Madness...

This is how I spent the day recovering from yesterday's excitement...
lying on a blanket in my back yard with my daughter...
surrounded by some of our fur-babies.

Just after dinner, I'd went to my room to check on some e-mail while Kat brought our dog inside. Next thing I knew, Kat was running to my room screaming, "MOM, GUESS WHO IS WITH ME?!?!" In she walked with my RUNTMIESTER!! (The little one that had been missing for 2 weeks!!)

And I've discovered that HE is a SHE!!
(Hubby has nicknamed her...Chuppa Cobbra,
and Kat has nicknamed her Chuppa Meow Meow.
Lawd only knows why...lol)
She is still the runt, being only half the size of the fur-babies (her siblings) that were crawling over Kat earlier in the day. I fixed her a tiny saucer of soft food, and the poor thing ate like she was starved to death...Now I have her in my room, on the bed with me, and trying to keep her off of my laptop...lol

Monday Madness...

Can you believe it?? Monday is here again, and I'm frantically rushing about to finish home-repair projects that should have been completed yesterday. Meaning...our utility room floor still isn't finished. Fortunately, after talking to the salesman that helped us at hhgregg purchase our washer & dryer, we now have pick-up extended until Thursday. Now if I could get hubby motivated enough to actually rip out the old floor...lol

The countdown is on!! (Can you tell I'm a tad excited??)

5 more days until the last day of homeschooling.
5 more days 'til I have to turn in OS's grades.
13 more days 'til OS's graduation.
19 more days 'til OS's 20th b'day.

Monday Madness should be called Monday Sadness today. It was a week ago that I posted a page I had created of RUNTMIESTER, one of my adorable kittens. Later that night, he went missing. Due to his very small size, and the fact he'd just recently learned to jump off of the back porch, hubby and I think he may have been carried off by an owl or dog.

Kit-hearts & pawprints by Calico Designs

Photo - my daughter Kat & runtmiester

My heart is broken that Runt is no longer with us, but the hole in my heart is slowly being filled with love for the other 5 kittens, the 3 itty-bitty ones, and now our latest additions - the 4 newbies. I think it is now official...I AM THE CAT LADY!! hehehe This brings our total to 21 that we know of, cause one of the momma cats just had her liter and won't show us their location. I hope they are safe, though I'm mighty afraid none survived being that this momma hasn't left the back porch since giving birth.

Monday Madness...

Today has started off horribly!! Hubby went to do some minor repairs to Matt's car, only to discover that I accidentally put a quart of power steering fluid in where I should have put transmission fluid!! ARGH!! What's worse, I DROVE a couple of times after doing so!! So today, I sit here patiently while hubby drains my mistake and waits for Matt's friend to come pick him up so he can buy MORE trans fluid to refill. *SIGH*

To make matters worse, I should have been at the power company this morning to pay the light bill since we were running late this month. Keeping fingers crossed they will let me come in tomorrow...??

On a bright note, hubby finally was able to cut our jungle in the back yard!! I'd tried to cut it several weeks ago, but our riding lawnmower decided it was tired and wouldn't restart...for 3 weeks!! Hubby tweaked, and repaired, and tweaked some more...only to have it sit there and do nothing. The finally, yesterday afternoon, it fired up!! WHOO HOOO!! My 5 foot tall jungle is now a thing of the past!! While hubby was plowing away, I had a someone trying to help me chat with a friend...My Little Runtmiester!!

Created using Felty Cat by Calico Corner.