Let The Exercise Begin

Blog number four about my continued weight loss and get healthy journey.

Success took on many different forms.  I kept up my food journal, drank the recommended amount of water and only ate what I was suppose to.  I did start loosing weight but with a long road ahead it was hard getting excited over 2 or 3 pounds a week.  I know that is good for healthy weight loss and I also know I spent years gaining this weight so it will take a while to get it off.   I just need realistic expectations.

After a month I was ready to add in some exercise.  I just didn't know what kind of exercise would be something I could stick to.   Once again I put a lot of thought into my decision.   Normally walking would be a good place to start but with the narrow country roads and blind curves I don't feel safe walking close to home.   I  have driven to one of the larger neighborhoods and walked around there a few times.  The phrase a few times isn't a good place to start.  Maybe a gym----maybe not.  I am a high maintenance kind of gal and generally a morning person.  If I went to a gym I would shower do my hair and put on a bit of make first, LOL right, just being honest here.   I would also have to drive 15 to 20 minutes to get there.   No way would I do that in the snow.  What was I to do?????

During my bible study group I felt that God wanted me to share about my new journey to get healthy and ask for prayer.  This was really hard for me since I was afraid of failing and more people witnessing my failure.  My willingness to share brought about an answer to my exercise dilemma.   After the group one of the women told me about Leslie Sansone.  She has a program for walking at home.

I went on You Tube and gave it a try.  After a month it was time to switch it up with something new.  My kids told me about Fitness Blender.  Daniel and Kelly have workouts for every level of fitness along with motivational tips.  I have grown to both love and hate these two.  

In October I celebrated my One Year Anniversary of working out 6 days a week for an average of 45 minuets.  I have to say of all my goals this one makes me the proudest.  Exercise has made the biggest difference in my overall health.  I actually enjoy exercising.  All the workouts can be done at home.  Some dumb bells, a chair and a mat are the only equipment needed.  This program is perfect for me since all my excuses are removed.  With so many different workouts I don't get bored.   I did purchase some of their 8 week guides since I do better with a bit more structure but you can access all their workouts for free on fitnessblender.com or on You Tube. 

Food Haul

This is my third post on my weight loss journey for any one who hasn't read the other post.

I was excited when the food arrived.  It was fun unpacking boxes of yummy-sounding meals. There were even cookies, candies, chips and other snack foods. Everything was color coded: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack.  There was a booklet that explained how the plan worked and there was a food journal.  I was supposed to eat several small meals and snacks as well as drink 8 or more glasses of water.  There was also a recommended grocery list for fruits and vegetables to supplement the boxed food.  So I took my list and headed to the store.  I wanted to be set for success not failure!











Ready set go:  My first meals were interesting.  The portions seemed extra small but at least I did eat often, about every 2 hours.  Honestly I wasn't hungry, but it was hard mentally.   My habit was to eat when I was stressed, bored, lonely or basically any time!  I rarely experienced hunger.  Some days I would eat a lot, others I would go without until later in the day and then start eating.  Obviously a inconsistent eating schedule wasn't going to work, so I needed a better plan.  Staying out of the kitchen helped as well as finding distractions.  There were times I had to leave the house (as scripture commands us to flee temptation).  Most days it was easy to stay on the program.

Before Starting My Journey

Just in case you didn't read the first Blog about my weight loss journey this is my second post.  I am discussing the process I went through before starting.

Something had to be different this time if I was going to make this a permanent change.  I spent a long time thinking about my eating habits and what kind of exercise I liked.  First I live to eat,  I am a "Foodie"!!!!! I am an emotional eater, I didn't controlled how much I ate and I didn't ever give myself much opportunity to feel hunger.  While eating I would think about what I would consume next.  House work or walking around Target was my only exercise.  The biggie was fear of failing!!!!!!

First I started praying about this and I gave God a chance to give me some direction.   Literally  I thought about this for several months before starting.  I needed a program that took away most of my decisions.  I wanted to open a drawer and select my food.   I researched several programs.  There are as many different approaches to loosing weight as there are types of people trying to loose weight. I decided on Nutrisystem, it was the kind of program I was looking for. With Nutrisystem there are no meetings to go to but councilors are available to answer questions.   You can order the food on line based on  your program.  I wasn't required to go to any weigh in's but I had my own privet log to keep track of my weight and measurements.  There are Forums with other people in the program available to talk to and success stories to read.  I was able to get a good discount by buying the gift cards through Costco.  I still needed to add in fresh fruit, vegetables and some dairy in addition to the packaged food.

We typically go out to eat at least once a week.   I read somewhere that one ought to view eating at restaurants as a social event not an eating event.  Also they say you should decide on a restaurant ahead of time and check out the menu so you can make a healthy meal choice.

One of the hardest steps was to inform my family.  I knew they would be supportive, but I hated to fail again.

I made the commitment to myself to give Nutrisystem a three month try with no cheating and doing everything the program suggested.  I did decide to just focus on the eating part and not add in any exercise at first.

I placed my first order and waited for the boxes to arrive.

Looks like a plat of desserts

"Ok Google

Yesterday I discovered the greatest thing!  I would imagine you have seen the commercials advertising "OK GOOGLE".  Since  I have a Samsung S5 phone I use that feature from time to time. Now for the cool part,  I can say "ok google how do you spell -------" and it tells me.  This just might change my life, literally adding minutes to each day.  :) No really!!!!!  Being extremely challenged in the spelling department there are several times a day that spell check can't even figure out what word I am looking for.   I will even search in the hard back Webster's with no luck.  Spelling words correctly is important to me and I work hard to get them correct.  I can spend quite a bit of time looking for the word I want only to end up substituting in another word that is easier to spell.  I just had to share this since I know there are other spelling challenged individuals out there looking for help.  At least two of my sons got the damaged spelling gene from me.  Those of you who take your gift of spelling for granted STOP IT!!!!!!  You are blessed.

A Happy, Healthy Me

A little over a year ago I made a decision to get serious about my health.  I didn't ever loose all the weight gained after the birth of my first son almost 29 years ago.  Wow time does fly.  My weight has gone up and down as I've tried various fad diets.  I would have some success but it was always short term.  These programs didn't help me change my bad habits or fit into my lifestyle.  Honestly the only real accomplishment was feeling like a failure.

My list of aches and pains was growing quite long.  I was also on medicine for high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  I would be out of breath just climbing a flight of stairs or taking a short walk.  I had very little flexibility so I was concerned about falling.  My weight had robbed me of a desired lifestyle.  It was time to take action and responsibility with my health and weight.  So for the next several blog post  I  will talk about this journey so far.  I am not at my goal but I am finally brave enough to share my success as well as failure.   So stay tuned if you are interested or just plain nosey (LOL).

To Much Multi Tasking

Facebook:It has been several hours since lunch time and I remember putting something in the microwave but not eating it.  I don't feel hungry though so what happened?  After a busy morning at home doing laundry and some cleaning I leave for the dentist and grocery shopping.  When I return  home I empty the car and put the groceries away.  Realizing it is lunch time I stick something in the microwave.  Once my counters are clear of groceries I take out some cottage cheese and tomatos and eat my lunch.  Then I go to my computer and upload some pictures of my homemade cards and fold the clothes I washed earlier, and it hits me I never ate the food in the microwave for lunch.  I also realize that I don't feel hungry.  After a few minutes I start to laugh remembering that I ate cottage cheese and tomato for lunch and totally forgot my other plan.  So do I eat it for dinner or try again tomorrow?  

'via Blog this'

Tribute to Hearing and Vision

Today is the first Christmas event of 2012.  Our Hearing and Vision team is having a luncheon.  This is an annual event that marks the end of another screening year.  Mom and I started doing screenings in 2001 and this will be the last year for us both as well as most of our team.  Over the years I have had the privilege of working with many wonderful ladies.  I know next September will be a bit sad not returning to the schools.  But just like a good book, to start a new chapter you have to turn the page and I am ready to start a new chapter.  I have a few ideas on what to do next but will have to see what I actually end up doing.  Thank you mom for being our team leader!  You did a great job setting up our schedule and working with the nurses to prepare the way for our team.  You were always diplomatic in solving issues.  Maybe politics is in your future, just kidding I wouldn't wish that on anyone.  Thank you to the other team members I have worked with over the years.  It was always a pleasure going to work.  We didn't have the petty drama often associated with working with a group of women.  Many memories were made some good and some not so good.  During our down time we had great conversation and solved many issues from politics to family life.  Best wishes to you all as you move on to other things.  Judy if you ever feel the need to carpool just text and I will gladly accompany you wherever you go.  Tere you were always worth waiting for.  Dorene I know I can share a cup of coffee with you anytime.  I love you all!!!!!

 

Laughing at Myself

Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself.  This was one of those mornings for me.  I decided my hair was ok so I didn't need to wash it and began my morning routine.  Since it is Saturday I wanted to give some false eyelashes a try.  After 2 hours of primping with my hair and eye makeup it was clear this was a very bad idea.  I looked and felt anything but pretty.  My eyes were red and puffy and it looked more like I had been in a fight instead of getting my "Kardashian" on.   So I jumped into the shower and started the whole process again.  Thirty minutes later I am ready for the day.  I look and feel like myself again.    Ever have one of those days?  Sometimes you just need to crawl back in bed and start again.

Waiting on Sandy

Tree that came down a few weeks ago

How do you prepare for Sandy also known as Frankenstorm?  From what I could tell the major prep began around Thursday.  The stores were stormed with crazed shoppers in search of water, batteries, flashlights,milk, bread and generators.  Lines at the gas stations were record setting.  I guess the big storm the end of June and first of July, where so many lost power is still fresh on peoples mind.

Generator house 

We cleaned out our 5gallen water jugs and refilled them with fresh water.  Outside we secured the deck furniture, mowed the grass and raked leaves.  We are also the new owners of a generator, power does go out around here fairly often.  We had to throw out all our refrigerator and freezer food after the last storm.  The lanterns have been gathered and put on our kitchen table easily accessible.  Cell phone batteries are charged and our pantry is stocked.  Now we wait.

So today is the day.  Oh no we woke up to no power. Rain is steady but not torrential and the wind is more of a breeze so why is the power already out?  This is definably not the start we had hoped for.  Glenn pulls the generator out of its box and decides breakfast out and a Home Depot run is in order.  Armed with a full tummy, extra gas (take that any way you want) and more extension cords we return  home to find the power back on.  Yea!!!  Glenn starts building some kind of structure outside for the generator and I iron, clean the kitchen and check Facebook, Twitter and local news.  We have both have our priority's LOL.

Everyone stay safe and enjoy some family time playing games and carving pumpkins.  I will write an up date later.  

Family Vacations

After a resent family vacation, I was reflecting on how our family vacations have evolved.  I became a Mrs. twenty seven years ago and started making family vacation memories with my husband.   Not counting our Honeymoon we took our first vacation a few months into our marriage.  We wanted to go to Australia and being short on money and cheep decided to go Air Force Space "A" or HOP.  With just the two of us who needed a plan.  Getting to Hawaii was easy and late every afternoon Glenn would call all the different bases to find an empty room for the night.  It was big on adventure on short on plans.  After several attempts to get a flight to Australia we gave up and just took the next plane we could (Japan).  This is still one of my favorite vacations.  It was a huge leap out of my comfort zone.  We road trains and subways having to come up with creative ways to find our stop since the signs were all Japanese writing not letters we could read.  We ordered food from pictures and prayed it was cooked not raw.  One time we ended up with enough food for 6 people.  What a great start to filling pages in our Family Vacation memory book.

When our first son was about 3 months old I found a special at a Marriott in Charleston SC.  Yes, we needed a romantic weekend get away.  LOL I didn't realize that an infant and romantic don't mix.  Our little bundle of joy started crying as we arrived at a nice seafood restaurant.  Our dinner was a success due to a grandmother who asked if she could walk the baby while we ate.  Thank God she was good at catching and not a kidnapper since I launched our little son at her.  Later at the Marriott there was a lot of screaming (hold on this is rated "G") it was our baby.  Finally around 5am we gave up and packed up our romantic weekend and went home.  :( 

Beach in Hawaii

Chincoteague wild ponies

Our next attempt was a few months later, now our child is a toddler.  I spent all day getting ready so we could leave as soon as Glenn got off work.  We head back to Charleston but camping this time.  We finally arrive at our campsite around 9 pm all is quiet except us and our excited toddler.  Once again after no sleep and a very awake little boy we pack up and go home.  I would have loved to here what the campers next to us had to say.  They probably thought it was a nightmare since they never saw us come or go. 

Durango Colo

Not to happy Indians

Our family became 5 and since there were more of them than us we finally got smart and took a more kid friendly approach.  State parks, Disneyland, amusement parks, zoos, lakes, beaches and family visits became our vacation spots.  Thanks to Nintendo (Game Boy) one for each, our car ride was more pleasant.  I would wrap small games, toys, puzzles and snacks to open when boredom set in.  We usually camped so they could expel energy running around and yelling without disturbing anyone else.  We made some great Family Vacation memories.

Yellowstone

Lake of The Ozarks

Now our sons are married so I have daughters on vacation.  It's nice not being the only one who needs more than 2 pairs of shoes.  We can do girl things like paint nails and change our clothes several times a day.  We don't have to do everything as a group but can do our own thing also.  It is definitely easier to relax now.

Nail drying dance

Bethany Beach

I look forward to the next chapter in Family Vacations with little ones back in the picture.  But this time I get to have all the fun with them and my kids get to do all the work.  Life is Good! 

Good Bye Aunt Lorna

Aunt Lorna's memorial service was yesterday but I wasn't able to attend.  I thought it fitting that I write my own goodbye. 

I was thinking of footprints, not the carbon kind but the ones left after you have walked on.  My Aunt Lorna left many footprints just on my life alone.  My first real memory of my aunt was around the time I was 10.  My brother and I went to stay with my aunt and uncle the summer after my father passed away.  This continued for several years.  I didn't realize at the time what all this meant,  for my brother and I it was a chance for two city kids to play cowboy and run around like wild Indians.   For my mother it was a chance to grieve, heal and put her life back on course.   For my aunt and uncle it was more mouths to feed and more kids to keep track of.  Believe me if my memory serves me right the five of us were quit a handful.  Some of the things we did on those summer days will forever be kept for our memory alone. 

My Aunt was the one determined to keep the Wiegers family together by planing reunions every three years.   These were a big deal since the family started with seven siblings and added spouses, kids, aunts and uncles.  Everyone would convene on their farm in Kansas.   I can still see Aunt Lorna in her kitchen cooking and delegating the food preparation.   I remember a pickup bed filled with ears of corn.  In Kansas you didn't eat just one ear but at least one more than you tummy could hold. 

After I was married Aunt Lorna would still reach out to me with a birthday cards and later with Facebook messages.  Even though I really didn't spend much time with my Aunt she made many footprints in my life.

(Aunt Lorna is the lady with the sunflower blouse.)











I know she touched many other lives as well.  She was a very active member in her community.  Even though  I would like to think my brother and I were the only ones, other nieces, nephews and grandchildren were treated to her farm retreat.  Her footprints have moved heavenward but I am certain she has inspired others to step in. 

Thank you Aunt Lorna for the love and care you showed me.  You will be missed! 

Time Flies

Yes, time flies!  It has been forever since my last post, I have thought about it, does that count?  NO!!!!!  Just like seeing a friend and saying I have thought about you but time got away before I called (Sorry).  Like everything in life it is about prioritizing and starting again, trying to do better this time.    Since it has been so long I feel like there is a lot to say so first let me focus.  Ok, got it.  My first thought on "Time Flies"

Last week my youngest son graduated from college (WOW).  I use to call him my baby since he is the youngest of three and it bothers him just a bit.  He is far from being a baby though.  He is a husband, a college graduate, a hard worker and he makes decisions and lives with the consequences.  I enjoy having adult children and a new sort of relationship that goes with that.  If I continue to just see them as my babies I would miss out on a great opportunity.  I am now reaping the benefits of raising them.  They are my friends, advisers and support team.

As I reflect back over the years my main advise to young mothers is don't be in a hurry to move on to another stage.  Enjoy the soft fuzzy hair of your newborn, the constant activity of your toddler, the challenge of wills in elementary, the mood swings of a per-teen, independence of a teenager and struggle to be an adult in college.  Each phase flies by and can not be revisited or redone.  Invest your time wisely and enjoy the moment you are in.

Bethany Beach

It is more fun starting a vacation then to end one.  We had a great week of R&R, good eats and drinks.  The only thing missing was a few family members.  :( aka Glenn, Papaw, Kyle and Maggie.

Booking a vacation retreat via the internet can be an adventure in it's self.  You never know quit what to expect but this time we won!  We did check out one we almost rented and were thankful someone was watching out for us because it looked awful.  Our beach week would have been quit a different experience.  It was nice going early in the season before the masses of tourist arrived.  I enjoyed talking to the locals who were very friendly and eager to share their favorite places to eat or get a pedicure.  On our last night we decided to get all you can eat crab.  On a recommendation we headed to Ocean City  which was about 30 min away.  The buffet wasn't exactly what we had in mind so we left the waiter a tip and walked out.  In the parking lot an older couple flagged us down saying they over heard we wanted crab.  Their favorite place was up the road on the left.  So piling back into the car we make the journey in search of all you can eat crab.  The parking was a challenge but determination paid off.  When we got to the lobby there was a sign advertising the buffet for Fri. and Sat. night.........Uh, it was Thursday  :(  so back to the car.  At this point we decided to go the the Crab Shack across the street from where we were staying.   Several people had told us their crab was delicious, we were just hoping for a cheaper deal and a buffet with other choices in case we didn't want just crab .  So 2 hours later we had our crab dinner.  It was a fun experience.  Mamaw and Josh were the pros at getting the meat out and actually had enough to get full.  Elena decided she couldn't eat anything that was looking at her while she bashed in it's shell.  Lansen and I had problems with cleaning the poop and guts to get to the meat.  So we just made a mess and looked like we had plenty to eat.  I think we had about  2 tablespoons of meat each.  I suggested going to McDonald's for ice cream sundaes and Lansen decided a hamburger would be yummy also.  Josh said his hands were itching so he went to wash up before heading out.  His hand itching was just the beginning by the time we got to McDonald's he was coughing and his face looked swollen.  So we doped off Lansen and Elena and headed to the ER.   By the time we got there he had a rash and his breathing strained .  After being treated for an allergic reaction we headed home at about 1am.  I guess we should have figured all the curve balls were an attempt to keep us from eating the crab.

We are all safe and sound and ready to face Monday.

Adventures to Austria or Not

     This is day 5 of our Austria Adventure.  Glenn and I are hoping to catch a space A flight to Germany and end up in Austria before January 5th.  Kyle decided about a month ago to get married while visiting his girlfriend Maggie.  We are thrilled with the news but decided to go the cheep way and use one of our military benefits.  If there is space on military transport planes we can fly free.  As retires we are at the absolute bottom of the list though.  Knowing how this works, you have to be very flexible and willing to hang out in a terminal for hours or possibly days.  This made great sense on Sunday when there was a flight with 105 seats but just before leaving Glenn discovered his passport expired 10 days ago.  A new plan took shape in a few short hours.  He got an appointment in Philly at the passport office on Monday morning.  They can expedite the process to get a new one.  Trying to beat the snow we left for Philly Sunday night.  We didn't quite beat the storm but did arrive safe and sound.  We chose a hotel within a few miles of the office so if the roads were too bad GLENN could walk there.  I would remain in our warm hotel room.  Monday morning feeling optimistic we checked out of our hotel and  navigated the snow covered streets to the passport office.  The downtown businesses were busy shoveling sidewalks for any brave soles that would venture through their doors.  That is all but the one we cared about.  A sign written on plain white paper hanging on the door, "Building Closed due to the Snow".  So Sunday Night Football and the Passport office would be canceled until Tuesday.  Glenn rescheduled his appointment for Tuesday and we went back to the hotel for another night.  On a positive note, we finally got to see newest Harry Potter movie.  
     With Glenn's new passport we headed for Dover AFB to see about getting a flight.  We waited around for two days with several other families.  As the hours ticked by the kids got wilder.  It was quite comical, above the running and screaming an announcement could be heard "parents need to keep control over their children at ALL times, no running in the terminal".  :)
     Last night we made a decision to drive to NJ to another AFB since it sounded like there were more flights and seats available.  This morning once again things change.  The two flights with 73 seats each are reduced one flight with 8 seats,  these were filled by two families in a matter of minutes.  Ok, next chance at 6pm tonight maybe 73 seats.  We have our laptops, movies, books and puzzles so here we stay hoping for the best. 
     Stay tuned for more updates.  I am writing this for my sanity so you really don't have to keep reading I am sure you all have better things to do.

End of Summer

This morning it dawned on me that the Summer of 2010 is over.  For me it has been a different sort of summer.  Usually they are marked by places we vacation and trips to the lake.  This year the only trips taken were to Fairfax to work on "The House".  I do have more accomplishments this summer in the before and after photos.  Both Glenn and I even lost a few pounds, I guess we were too busy to eat.  Our before and after photos don't look any different though.

It has been fun watching the two sets of Lambs grow over the summer.  I faithfully look for them as I drive by the farm.  One set was born totally black and now there is just a little on their face.  Some of the eight Hummingbirds I have watched over the summer have left for their long flight to Mexico.  I still see five of them taking hits at the feeders.  It is nice not having to refill the feeders every day.  I was making eight cups of sugar water every other day to keep up with their eating.   There are still a lot of deer around but the fawns have lost their spots.

I enjoyed getting to know Maggie, an au pair from Austria.   She didn't just steal Kyle's hart but mine and Glenn's as well.  I miss her smile and contagious laugh.  We hope she can come back to the USA soon.  Lansen's girlfriend Elena spent a lot of time with us over the summer.  It was so fun getting to know her better.  I felt sad each time she needed to return home.  Having another female around was a special treat for me. 

Monday I go back to work so Summer is defiantly over.  There is still a list of projects left to do and I will chisel away a little at a time.  It is time to move on to Fall and see what this season has in store.  Cooler nights, breezy days, daylight savings (yuck), lots of yard work and best of all Football and Hockey to name a few.

Kick Off

This has nothing to do with "The House" so I know some of you won't be interested.  I will still keep you updated from time to time but for now some new material.  Any one that knows me knows I am a sports fan.  Yes, little ol'me.  I go for the more violent sports aka, hockey, football and MMA.   This comes from being a Mama to three sons and even a male black lab.  I call it survival!  The funny thing is I love sports even more than some of my sons.

Tonight is opening night for NFL which is a great moment since it means Hockey season is just around the corner.  I started out watching football and knowing hockey was another cool sport but didn't pay much attention to it until about two years ago.  Now football is ok but Hockey is the one I love. 

Our family has a Fantasy Football League the BLF.  This will be our forth year.  We play for fun but are pretty competition.   My team name this year is the Marsha Mellows.  This name should put fear into the other team owners.  I am acting as the League Manager since Glenn already has more jobs than time.  We did an automatic draft this year due to last minute timing.  There are several players on my team I have never heard of so I need to do some homework.  I do recognize Tom Brady though.  Glenn picked up Ben Rothensberger  who is suspended for at least 3 to 4 games.  Mom and other sports fans have been wondering why Bret Farve is still playing and not retiring while he can sill walk.  Well he ended up on her team.  My sister-in -law who lives in Denver and is a Broncos fan ended up with Jay Cutler (their ex QB).  So there were a few funny automatic picks but for the most part the teams should start out even.

Our teams are set for tonights game and an exciting weekend ahead.  Lets play some football!

The House update #1

It is time to up date you on progress made at "The House".  No, it isn't finished yet.  Glenn has continued to stop in after his real job and put in a few hours of work.  Last week he finished the upstairs bathroom.

Perfect shirt!  "Handy Dad INC"

Over the Laber Day weekend I helped Glenn hang the mirror, and cabinet in the downstairs bathroom.  So both bathrooms are finished! Yea!!!!!  I painted doors and more molding pieces.  Lansen cut the molding, Glenn brought his table saw over which made this job much easier.  Monday was very frustrating since most of the day was spent on cutting out the place for hinges on doors.  They were having all sorts of problems.  But there are door on Andres and Joshua's bedrooms and the downstairs bathroom so far.  Lansen patched the hole in the living room wall that was still open from electrical work.  Glenn re routed the vent for the clothes dryer.  It was just going into the crawl space which was a very bad idea. 

I cleaned and painted the railing and base boards for the stairs.  Mom stained the upstairs hallway.  This is the last of the wood floors.  It will need three coats of polyurethane before calling it finished.  

Tomorrow a new stove is being delivered.  Yes, the one Mom spent so many hours cleaning self distrusted.  :(  We haven't had much luck with keeping the original appliances.  Hopefully the washer and dryer will work for a while.

Andres moved in on Sunday so all three boys are living there now.  It isn't too bad as long as they avoid the back family room/construction zone.  There still needs to be mini blinds for the windows but at least the windows are high so no one can really see in.

Lansen is going to be able to put some of his job experience to good use since he just got a job working for Home Depot.  Maybe he did that so he could see his Dad once in a while.  LOL

Day Thirty three

Waiting on the furniture

New microwave

Ready for more dishes

Medicine cabinet

Mom and I did a lot of picking up and moving of tools and supply's to the family room and soon to be Lansens bedroom (when finished).  I hung the newly painted black and white medicine cabinet.   The bathroom is going to look sooooooo good, with the large black and white square design floor and other black and white accents.  Mom sprayed closets and rooms with bug spray.  Glenn got an early start and finished the ceiling in the orange room and put the finishing touches on the bathtub.  Andres stopped by and measured and cut the molding for the bathroom.  Lansen and Josh spent their day packing for their move.   Glenn was unable to get a U-Haul since all the rental places were closed today.  It makes prefect sense to be closed on Sundays, right?  He was able to borrowed a trailer from a friend.  Most of the larger furniture and the refrigerator fit.  The items left will fit in either Glenn's truck or the van.  You did notice I said "the refrigerator fit".  You faithful followers from the early days are probably wondering about the one in "the house" that Mom spent a lot of time cleaning.  After giving it some time we decided it wasn't getting cold enough.  Fortunately I had an extra fridge stored in our barn.   I will use the stored one at my house and give the boys the one we have been using.   The only problem is the one that has been stored doesn't have an automatic ice maker.  Glenn is not too happy to give that up but at least we don't need to by a new refrigerator.   Oh, when I was looking in the barn for things the boys could use in their new house, I think I found the correct feet for the sofa.  I will let you know later if they are or if we need to use the ones I took from the sofa destined for the dump. 

I hope the boys will find all these cleaning supplies

My blog post won't be as regular since we are mostly finished.  I will keep you up to date on our progress as it happens.  There will be an open house once "the house" is totally finished.  I will also work on a before and after photo album.  Thank you for your comments and encouragement through this process.  It has been fun writing the blog.  Who knows maybe I will keep posting but with a new theme. 

Construction Zone!

Day Thirty two

 This week has flown by and now it is Saturday-----WOW!  Mom and I leave for "the house" around 9am
but stop at Wal -Mart on the way.  There are only a few jobs for us to do today.  Most of what is left has to be done by Glenn and Lansen.  There are a few areas that will need paint at a later date but they are not ready yet.  I decide to finish painting the medicine cabinet and the floor molding.  Elena prepares the bedroom floors so Mom can put a third coat of polyurethane on.  After seeing the living room we decided a third coat was necessary.  Glenn painted the second coat on the ceiling in the upstairs bathroom.  Lansen and Elena measure the living room for floor molding then work together to cut it.  Glenn makes a trip to a rental store to get a special roller for installing the vinyl and a nail gun to make putting up the molding easier.  After we all leave Glenn works on the pluming for the bathtub. 

Lansen and Andres will start moving in tomorrow.  I feel like the home improvement shows the day before the family returns home.  There a several unfinished projects and tools and construction debris ever where.  The living room, bedrooms and dining area are finished except window blinds.  Tomorrow should be interesting.

Day Thirty one

I need a real job so I don't get tasked with being at "The House" by 8 am to meet the delivery man or set up man.  Today it was the FIOS Verizon man.  I love how they say you need to be available between 8am and 5pm.  You would think they could narrow it down just a little better.  He did arrive at 8:30 so getting there at 8 wasn't a total waste of time. 

I was up at 5:30 so I could clean at least one of our bathrooms and do a few loads of laundry before leaving at 7:00.  I haven't seen our Maid (that would be me) in several weeks and things are defiantly falling behind.   If we don't get the Fairfax house finished soon our house will need a total renovation. 

I finished the second coat of paint on the bathroom and cleaned the light fixture.  After looking over the medicine cabinet and still not being happy with how it looks I decided to paint it black and white.  The vinyl floor is black and white so it should look pretty nice when it is finished.  I also painted more floor molding.

Lansen was the only other worker today until Glenn got there after work.   They got the kitchen sink totally functioning.  Lansen attached most of the floor molding in Josh's room.  Glenn installed part of the shower wall in the upstairs bath.

The boys will start moving in tomorrow and Sunday since school starts on Monday.  I just wish we had another 2 or 3 weeks before they needed the house.  It will be a little harder to finish up once they move in.  Everyone is being a good sport and trying to stay positive.  Getting the internet and TV put a big smile on Lansen's face today.

First piece of furniture