8/19/11 Back To School Fool

OK, why did I think things might slow down a little when we got back from vacation?!...FOOL!  And BTW, anyone who thinks that vacations with the families are totally relaxing for a Mom has a maid, a personal shopper, a nanny, a personal assistant, and most importantly, a wife.

After the vacation unpack, the back-to-school rush hit us head on.  Both boys had major projects/tests due the week after we returned; translation = me with a red pen (I'm the official 'English' proofreader in the house)...DS1 for a summer college class and DS2 for summer work for an AP HS English class.  In our vacation mail was a notice from DS2's high school stating that they are finally going to change their policy of not weighing AP class grades until Junior and Senior years (and will now start Freshman year...like every other HS in America)...fine print...starting with the class graduating the year after my son (now a Sophomore...and yes, you have to start in AP classes your first two years to get into them your Junior year)...lovely...thanks.

We also had our follow-up appointment for all DS1's medical testing done this summer (from his surgery last fall, yes, I'm protecting his privacy with little detail) to get the results and being the health advocate anal Mom that I am, I spent many days online looking at all the possibilities and getting together my list of questions (this has seriously been keeping me awake all summer).  Let me just sum all this up with we got the best news possible...it was all very unexpected as the odds were very slim that it would turn out this way, so we were surprised and thrilled.  Although he's not got a guarantee of the future, and there's one re-test to do, and another probable minor surgery in his future, we follow up with the Doc in six months and the prognosis looks good at this point.  There's nothing worse than watching your child go through medical issues, is there?

Somewhere in here I eeked out a few minutes for some home projects (yeah, I should be writing a DIY blog, sorry).  I finally found a crystal chandelier for DD's old room reno. (for over the corner end table...I'm making this my 'girly-frou-frou' room to escape to when all the male testosterone in my house gets to be too much, so anything shiny or decorative goes) and made my first Craigslist purchase...here was the pic on Craigslist ($25)...


*Note to self:  Ask for close-up pics and don't assume that you'll "easily be able to paint all the brass that shows white".

Here is what I was left to deal with before painting (the only metal in the room is brushed nickel and I decided white would work best)...it took me a full day to untwist all those little brass wires that went through each flower and held the clear arm covers in place and then I had to undo the center pieces as well. 


Finally I was able to spray paint it all white...DH nicely replaced all the brass electric wiring (that also showed along side every arm) with new white cords and a new white chain to hang it and then it was time for reassembly...NO WAY was I going to rewire all those arm covers, so out came my glue gun and easy-peasy, back together...I restrung all the hanging crystals with some new silver wire (so about $50 in new supplies), and it's about done..it was missing a few crystals, and I broke one undoing everything, so I've ordered some on eBay and I just need to add four around the center top.





I have also been contemplating the fact that my kids have been saying that the 'new' headboard looked too much like the old crib ends...so I added six small wood embellishments to the tops.  Here's half the headboard top now...not sure if it helped LOL, but more frou-frou! 


Oh, and somewhere in here I lost my small vacation gain...plus some...145.5 this morning...it's a new low by 1 lb. (must be all the recent stress LOL).

Then DS1 announced that he would be going back to school a week early and wanted to paint his Frat house room...and that the Frat was paying for him to build a new loft for his bed (OK, I'll admit the one that was in there looked like someone made it out of matchsticks and it must have originally been built for another room as it blocked off a big corner in a tiny room).  So off we went to buy school supplies, food, toiletries, paint, paint supplies, and a new mattress...have I mentioned that the Frat decided to spray the whole house down over the summer while no one was there for the frickin' bedbugs?!...yes, even though they've only seen them in two rooms, and he's never seen them in his, I've been boiling everything he owns each time he comes home...all BUGS FREAK ME OUT...biting bugs...OMG!...I'd seriously be moving out of our house...yes, I've been checking his room here and everyone's mattresses like the almost-OCD Mom that I am.  I know what you're thinking...all you Boob's that were planning to come visit us in our hotel room...and don't worry Boob's roomie-Donna, I promise not to bring any with me...and we can all only hope that the hotel is as almost-OCD with cleaning as me...personally...I'll be checking my mattress (I'd recommend that you do NOT watch the TV program we saw this week...'Bed Bug Apocalypse')!
 

After we sent DS1 off for the weekend to tear out the old loft, paint, and get measurements, I designed a new loft for his tiny room and made a plan and supply list.  We spent a day here cutting boards and pre-drilling holes for the ladder and then off he and DH went to PSU to install it together.  Here he is installing it in the new 'Penn State Blue' room.

So DS1 is now settled at school and DS2 and I are working on all his back-to-school things for the last two weeks of his Summer...he's got his 'tuba test' with the Band teacher next week (after some debate, he decided to sign up for band again even though the guitar is his new love), so the house sounds like a German pub right now.


My youngest sister called yesterday crying as her youngest was on the bus for his first full day of first grade...Me?...I'm looking forward to Labor Day and then...BACK TO SCHOOL!

2/25/11 Little Shop Of Horrors

Let's talk about BOOBs...no not those BOOBs, my boobs! Or lack thereof. The worst thing about my boobs is...getting a mammogram (especially after I lost my boobs somewhere along the WL journey...if you find them, please return them). Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn't remind you to get your mammogram, if you're due.

OK all you big BOOBs, I don't want to hear you whining about how they smash your boob in the vice and it hurts....whaaa...whaaa. Here's how it goes for me vs. you;

• The poor gal running the machine always takes a look at my naked front as I disrobe like 'Oh Sh*t! A boobless one!'
• Yes, don't tell me you've not noticed the smile of appreciation she gives you.
• Then, with me close to the machine, she takes forever and struggles to get it lined up exactly right as she knows this will be critical in a moment.
• You get near the machine and she just makes sure that the shelf is below your boob...hopefully not at your knees (OK, I'm jealous...I hope that it's at least at your belly button).
• Now comes the fun part...getting 'no boob' onto the clear shelf. Step up to the machine and prepare to be dazzled and amazed! ...or is that mauled and mangled? She starts at my waist (where she just spotted, with extreme delight, my extra 'fat girl' belly skin) and yanks upward then forward (like my skin is Silly Putty!) onto the shelf (umm Oww!). She lets go and *poof*...the skin snaps back...then falls back to my belly...gravity (so not my fault).... Now she takes a hard look at me and I can see she's gearing up for the challenge...Uh Oh. She grabs my 'skin' extra hard (OK, now she's got the nipple as she's hoping that will give her some semblance of a boob on the shelf), pushes my back forward against the machine so my ribs are now pressing inward against my lungs, and yanks my boob forward so hard my panni is now on the shelf.
• You...she has you step forward and then raises the shelf under your giant boob up until it's sitting on the shelf like the boob of a perky 16 year old's (you're enjoying the moment).
• Now comes the vice...the other clear 'shelf' above my boob (that I thought was just a higher shelf for a very perky patient) is not a 'shelf' at all! It's now being lowered onto my upper ribs...then pinching downward onto my 'nipple'...OWWW! Just when I think my ribs are going to snap she stops the vice. Oh if it had only ended there, but no, she's teasing me for putting her through all this as she says (with just a little too much enthusiasm) 'Just a little more!'...the vice starts downward again...then stops...then starts...then finally stops...I'm screaming in my head...DOUBLE OWW! My head is now pointing downward as she's given me a reverse face lift and my deflated double chin is now pulled tight on my chest. As I'm looking down, I take a gander through the clear vice at my BOOB! OMG! I try to smile (but my face is now pulled downward so taunt that I'm frozen in a permanent frown). HEY, I HAVE A HUGE BOOB! For the first time I can't see my feet, not because of a giant belly, but because of my (one) GIANT BOOB! OK, it's paper thin horizontally, but I don't care...I have to find a silver lining somewhere in this little shop of horrors.
• You...she lowers the vice an inch onto the top of your giant boob...you say 'ouch' (out loud) and she raises it a little.
• She tells me not to breath (Who the frick can BREATH?!? Can't she see my LUNG is now in the vice!), as the now giant boob may snap back out of the vice if I do, and then we'd have to start over. Start OVER?!!! I'm now hoping if it does 'snap back' that it will be with such force that I'd sail backward into that wall protecting her from the 'rays' and take her out!
  
• She tells you to breath normally.
• I think I hear her talking, and about the point that I'm ready to black out, the top of the vice begins raising. Her voice comes in clearer now, "...done, you can step back now." Ahh, sweet relief as my head snaps back up and my now super stretched extra belly skin falls down to my knees. And then I hear it. Five words that brought tears to my eyes "And now, the other side!"
• She asks you to roll your giant boob off the shelf and place the other one gently on.

I wish I had taken a pic of the giant red 'V' on the upper ribs of my chest when I stumbled out of the room whimpering. I'm seriously thinking of getting a boob job now. Get your mammogram! If I can, you can...they save lives!
DD and I went to the ballet together last night. Fun for us as she used to dance competitively through HS, so it was something we really enjoyed doing! OK, terrible pic (my hair looked way better than this as I used a 'bump it' LOL), but she was running late so I only had time for one before we left her place.

And here we are in our seats after running through the pouring rain!

Happy Weekend all!

2/13/11 My Valentine & Post Fill Day 5

*Portion of Post Deleted

On another note...we went to a Valentine's Day couples party at one of my GF's houses (old neighbor's of ours that now live about 30 min. away). She had about 75 people and a spread of food everywhere (and a chef's station with made to order crab cakes and different pasta dishes). We had a blast and I did fine with tiny amounts of food during the evening (tortellini, cheese hunks, chicken dish, and even meatballs).

She asked each couple to send pics of themselves during their dating years (fun idea), which she printed up and had on display boards. As expected when anyone sees old pics of my DH, his got the most reaction from everyone who knows him...here's why (enjoy!)...

Here we are in 1978 shortly after meeting...

A few years later...

The giant glasses were in...and barely a moustache now (No, not on me!...I was busy moving toward the 'big hair')...

And here's how he came back from Geology field camp one summer in college...I didn't recognize him when he got back (all the Geology majors had beards...well, except the women). And OMG what was I thinking with the perm?!

And here's our engagement picture as we were finishing college (and why my kids say 'You married Sasquatch!'). Our friends last night were calling him 'Mountain Man' (and asking me who my 'first husband' was LOL).

Here I am ready to go last night in my Valentine pink.

Here I am with my Valentine (and I had to leave Tucker in...looks like ghost cat!)...DH needs to get better at lining up timer pics and remembering he's a lot taller than me LOL.

And here I am at the party...with some friends...that have obviously had too much to drink, as you can see by their fuzzy faces. And why do I always pick short friends? I'm an amazon compared to my petite friends and the 4" heels didn't help.

1/29/11 Stylish? Me?

My darling Libby at This One Time, At Band Camp... nominated me for the Stylish Blogger Award. Thanks Libby! I love these awards mainly to read things I don't know about my blogger friends as it always surprises me, and Libby's one exceptional gal...supporting herself since age 16 and putting herself through college! I could barely handle getting my driver's license at age 16!

7 (obscure) Things About ME!
I share everything, so I can never remember what I've already told you (so chalk it up to my 'oldtimers' if this is old news), but here goes...hmmm....maybe more negative things or things you'd hate about me....

1. Here's one that Libby and I have in common...I'm not afraid of tools, I love learning new things, and I love home improvement projects. I've tiled floors and backsplashes, mudded and painted walls, designed and help build decks and was architect for our current home...I even built our pond/waterfall out back...but I don't think I've shared that I can't hammer a nail in straight to save my life (I have a black nail right now from trying to nail one of DD's room projects recently) . We have a deal...me and my 'almost OCD' precisely measure and mark where the nails need to go and DH does the rest.


2. I need to be nominated for that show "Worst Cooks in America" (yes, I've shared with you my 'creative' cooking endeavours)...I thought it was a new show as I just saw a commercial for it, so it shocked me to find out that it's not new and no one in my family has turned me in...yet. My confession is that I've never once watched the Food Network...maybe that explains my lack of skills.


3. Yes, you know I'm afraid of the dark...and I lock the bedroom doors when DH isn't home (the kids are on their own when the Boogie Man comes to get us all)...but did I share that I can't get to sleep when he's away?...I'm usually up until midnight...I'm not sure if it's because I'm such a chicken liver or because I miss his snoring LOL.


4. I generally don't like reality shows unless it's showing a talent (like 'Idol'), but my guilty pleasure is the 'Real Housewives' shows...always makes me feel better about myself (sad, I know) and reinforces that money, and I'm sorry to let you getting-skinny gals down, but even thinness, doesn't buy happiness (chocolate is the answer).


5. I suck at math...it's like learning a foreign language for me. I was the one who had to memorize every Algebra formula and never knew which one to use when...never got it. My kids are math whizzes...DS2 just announced yesterday that he got the highest grade on the math midterm out of the whole 9th grade. They don't get it from me...they never even bothered asking me to check their math homework (but I'm a whiz at English...you'd never know that from my 'dot...dot...dot' sentence structure, would you)? I aced Geometry though...makes total sense for an artistic person.


6. I can still do a headstand...well, now against a wall or with someone spotting me, but even at my heaviest I pulled this out about once every year or so for the kiddos...and my frog stand is legendary...generally because I looked so much like a upside down, red faced, fat toad that the kids would be howling with laughter.


7. DH and I figured out early in our marriage three things; 1. that you just need to give up trying to understand what other people spend their money on (I'm know others think we're completely nuts too with all the things we like to collect), and 2. be careful who you go on vacation with and make sure they have the same vacation plans that you do (or they don't mind if you do your own thing from time to time...my one sis and I work this out well, as my kids love museums and hers don't...others we've been on vacation with have to do everything together and only if we agree on each thing.). I would drive most of you nuts on vacation as most of our vacations are go, go, go and we like to see local things...I don't get traveling a far distance and paying a bunch of money to sit by a hotel pool ALL day on vacation...I can do that near home (or maybe it's because I just burn LOL). Now, I can relax if it's just a beach vacation (love the ocean), but even then I can't spend more than 1/2 a day on the beach...and I'm multitasking (listening to a book on tape while doing needlework, or building a sand monster...or if you're there with me...drinking and chatting!). And 3. that as long as DH and I agree on these previous two that's all that matters.
   

15 bloggers I love or have recently discovered:
I'm breaking the rules...I've been a terrible blogger lately and I haven't updated my 'following' list in awhile. So I'll use this opportunity to ask you to let me know if you're following me and I'm not following you...just leave me a link to your blog here in comments and I'll remedy that...and you've just earned yourself the award...grab it and post! Thanks!

1/18/11 Three New Bedrooms

As expected DH and I spent a few hours Saturday morning and then 5 hours on Sunday finishing up the installs down at DD's new apartment. She's got a few boxes left to unpack, but we're finally done. I forgot to take pictures of the living area downstairs, but here's her new attic bedroom.

The stairs up are on the other side of this half wall (we put a sound reducing curtain at the bottom for a 'door'). Lots of low 'knee wall' ceiling space in her room and not a lot of it where you can stand up, so figuring out furniture wasn't easy (and I can't tell you how many times my 6'4" DH hit his head). Here's the newly repainted and recovered chair, dresser (you can only stand by the dresser before the slope begins) and bookcase (and we added a board between for a computer desk).

The rest of the tour continues counter-clockwise. Here's the top of the stairs on the far right (crap to go home at the top of it), bins and cupboards and closet door. This is her old desk and she bought a mirror that fit perfectly, so we painted it all plus a chair and now it's her vanity (full bath door to left of it and here's one of the newly beaded lampshades).

Here's the tall dresser (she can just stand in front of it) and a peek at the metal and ceramic new white knobs we bought for all the old furniture. We forgot the curtain rod that will cover this furnace closet doors...so I guess we're not quite done LOL.

Continuing counter-clockwise is the bed in the main sloped area, with the new bedding and tufted headboard...

...and here's the bench we recovered with the baskets underneath.

Here's one of the two old couches we gave her...with a slipcover and the new pillows. The ceiling gets so low we had to pull the couch out about 10" or you couldn't sit on it...leaving a weird gap behind the couch...so I put a long shelf on the wall (extra storage under the shelf and a pic gallery on top).

And here's the last look of the dormer window.

And back at home DS2 was off school yesterday so we spent the afternoon figuring out and making covers for the kitten beds we bought (he picked 'Beatles' fabric, and I picked 'PSU' for DS1's cat).

What's that sticking out you ask? Why these aren't just kitten beds anymore...

We made them with a pocket so they're a whole kitten bedroom!

So there are my THREE redecorated new bedrooms...DONE!

12/8/10 Life Isn't Always Fair

First, thanks for the notes noticing I've been away. I started today's blog just wanting to post some Christmas decoration pics, but I've found I need to begin first with letting some things go. I'm realizing that I've probably been working hard keeping myself too busy, because I didn't want to talk about, or even think about it anymore this (maybe I've been avoiding coming here because I knew I'd have to)…I've lost to much sleep already. I've been trying to uplift myself with Christmas (I LOVE Christmas). As an optimist, I'm not a worrier and can always find the bright side of things, but when it comes to my kids being hurt...it's a different story.

I'm still embroiled in the several craptastic life things I mentioned earlier. One of them took a turn last week and I'm just realizing now that I've been avoiding really dealing with my feelings about it. 

*Portion of Post Deleted For Lap Band Blog
Anyway...sorry this post was a downer. I AM having fun getting ready for Christmas, crafting (I made a whole mini tree this weekend), and decorating (except for the d@mn Christmas lights that I've spent day's restringing this year...I swear they are just taunting me…flickering a new line out each day, but who the heck likes dealing with the lights?!)...I'll post some pics next! As DD said again this year 'It looks like someone threw-up Christmas on our tree and all over our house!' I'm hoping to about finish the decorating today and we've got DS2's band concert tonight…Fa-la-la-la-la!

11/27/10 Giving Thanks

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday (those that celebrate Thanksgiving)! We had a great week with DS1 home. He's back at school now (at the football game today). It's snowing big flakes here...just a dusting, but so pretty.

We did the usual things;
- Picked out a Christmas tree with the kids (a week earlier than normal since DS1 had to go back early). This one's a beauty...a Frazier Fir, almost 11'...it's up in the foyer and the lights go on today.

- Watched lots of movies together. Went to see 'Harry Potter' (very good).

- Spent lots of time cooking...yes, me...just because I don't like to cook, doesn't mean I can't (although I always have my 'epic fails', usually due to creativity, and this year was no exception). I'm most thankful for having the family all together, so I went all out cooking this year. Here's my Thanksgiving food porn...

----- We make heavy appetizers and treats for lunch so we'll be hungry for dinner (no appetizer's before); Shrimp, Texas Caviar (Bean, Corn Dip- I added chick peas this year, yum), hot Dried Beef Spread, Pumpkin Roll, and Apple Coffee Cake (all homemade).

----- Here's my Thanksgiving spread (there's the acorn trees I made to the right, I blogged about another past Thanksgiving).

----- This year's 'Martha Moment'...I made my own centerpiece this year from the gourds that DS2 grew (stuck them with some bamboo skewers) and some mums I had on the front porch (just put the oasis in a foam pumpkin).

----- This year's menu: Turkey (used a new butter basting recipe, yum), Sage Dressing, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy (new recipe with white wine and chicken stock, yum), cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, variety of fancy olives, and rolls (the one thing that wasn't homemade this year). I made spiced mulled cider...new recipe with floating oranges, or I used the little tangerines and youstick the cloves in them all over (OMG, if you want your house to smell great, you put 10 of these into the oven to bake before you float them in the cider). And I served the one bottle of wine we brought back from Paris...it just seemed like the right time to have it...from the place where I had my LB 'moment' and now my first holidays after goal...I have a lot to be thankful for!

For dessert; pumpkin pie with whipped cream (DS2 loves the canned stuff LOL), candied jack-be-little pumpkins stuffed with vanilla ice cream and carmel sauce. New recipe...and my epic fail. I went all the way to an orchard to find the little pumpkins. I wasn't watching them closely enough while they were in the simple sugar bath cooking for a long time and they went from not done to burnt on the bottoms in a minute. They actually were pretty yummy though with the ice cream as long as you didn't eat the bottom LOL...and they looked beautiful...almost translucent with a shiny glaze.

We're spending a lazy day in front of the TV and eating leftovers (DH is making lentil soup with some leftover ham we had) after wearing ourselves out at the Black Friday sales yesterday. Off to watch the big OSU football game on TV (my youngest sis/husband are going this year...brrr...I think I like my seats better today LOL) and I need to make the fire in the fireplace (nothing like a wood fire)...stay warm all!

11/10/10 Fashionista- What Goes Around... (lots of pics)

...Comes Around.

Let's take a walk through fashion history...mine specifically...and all the trends that cycle out and back in.

I'm surprised how much I'm enjoying building a new wardrobe now. Growing up I was never a trend setter with fashion. Coming from a home with 5 kids (4 girls) I was always looking for hand-me-downs...the best was when we got boxes from our older cousins once or twice. Looking back, I actually think I was probably a little behind-the-times. I desperately wanted the latest fashion trend, but I was usually on the tail end by the time I got it. Let's face it, clothes were very expensive then and fabric was a lot cheaper...Mom's actually sewed clothing (thanks again Mom for sewing me the white bikini I desperately begged you for...it's not your fault that I only wore it once...a self-conscious teen figuring out that people are not staring at you because you've got the cutest bikini at the community pool, but because it's see-through when it gets wet was a little traumatic) and most teen's closets weren't packed with nearly the amount of clothing they are now.

I have vivid memories of the few brand new, trendy clothing pieces I received for birthdays or Christmas and I remember wearing them often and until I wore them out.

Elephant bell bottoms...wide all the way from the top of the thighs until the enormous bell-bottoms (I don't think these have ever come back in...too bad as I could have used these when I was fat with my thunder thighs...mine had much looser thighs than these...of course that was when I was stick-thin...I'm always doing things backwards...'skinny jeans' when I'm obese...ugh.);

A midi (mid-calf length) coat made of tan corduroy (mine would have been right in now with the military look as it was double breasted);

Sweater unitard; from my toes to my (turtle) neck in gold cable knit, with a wrap around red-plaid mini skirt...NO this isn't me, just some other unfortunate girl in a unitard who at least had the sense to cover a lot more of the unitard (I was a tall skinny beanpole and I looked like a giant banana...these shouldn't ever come back in...ever...at least in gold).
'Love, Peace, & Flowers' Hip Hugger pants; picture the white one in the corner below and add a bright yellow sash belt and then add neon colored Peter Max style words and flowers (yes, I felt like a flower child in these).
A maxi (length) dress...my first one was red paisley (similar to the one below) and later I had a cream colored peasant-style one.Maxi dresses are back in. Of course I'm behind-the-times again and didn't buy one until I was skinny this summer and trust me, they're a fat girl's dream dress...and yes, they have them with flowy sleeves if you're working on the arms...even the big 'butterfly' sleeves we used to wear;
And here's the cream colored one (I thought I looked like a bride in this)...yes, the actual one I wore in middle school...I told you I'm a saver.And lest you think I can still fit into it...NOT. OK, this made me feel busty for the first time (when we all know I'm in training bras)...maybe my ribs have expanded LOL?
I blame my 'saving' it on my Mom...my DD actually just this week wore this beautiful expensive Peck and Peck dress Mom bought in NYC in the early 50's before she was married...see, most things come back in style (Yes, I wore this in college, and NO, I can't fit even my left pinkie in this thing now...it looks like a sack here, but it has a tiny waist with a flared skirt and is super cute on).

*Portions of Post Deleted For Lap Band Book