Sun Sum Summer time!

It's finally officially summer Here. I can't believe I haven't posted since March. I'm a working woman now (26 hours a week!). Which I love but it has seriously cut into my blogging time!

So here's an update since march:

• New York City ROCKED!~! I can't wait to go back! We were there Fri afternoon until Monday afternoon. We ate Cuban, visited the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square (we really were a half a block away!), Hells Kitchen, Ground Zero, the Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum, The UN, Grand Central Station, Broadway (we saw Mary Poppins and A little night music). I would spend ALL my extra money on shows if I lived there. We went to Amy's breads, I had a delish cupcake from a famous cupcake place whose name I can't remember. We saw Bryant Park and the NYC Library! Catherine Zeta Jones almost stepped on me! We went to Rockefeller Center and ST Patrick's cathedral. We had a great time and stayed at the Paramount Hotel.
• The kids left for the summer. Both of them managed to move on to the next grade though it was in doubt because of nick's laziness and procrastination. So one kid is on the honor roll with a 4.0 and the other could have been but instead barely passed sophomore English. They're back Aug 6th.
• Mom and I drove to CA for a family reunion. We were gone 12 days. We drove Hwy 50 through CO, UT, and NV. We visited Manitou Springs, Yosemite, Mono Lake, the San Joaquin valley and Oroville. We purchased pottery thus propping up the CA economy. We brought the Aunt home with us.
• We had the dining room painted a lovely shade of light grey. The trim is bright white. The outlets have been switched and the carpet has been cleaned.
• Kurt and I planted a lot of new perennials. We attempted to liberate my hostas from the timber weeds at the farm.
• I got "promoted" at work. I'm now an administrative assistant working M-Th from 8a-3p rather than working 8-10 hours whenever I feel like it.
• We still don't have baby although we talked to a potential expectant mom (it fell through, but it was exciting). We're starting Year 2 of waiting.
• Kurt goes to Tucson Sun-Wed.
• Tomorrow I'm trying acupuncture for the first time.

I think that pretty much sums up what's been happening around here. I'd post some pictures if I was on the other computer.

A Brand New Look

We finally got the bedroom painted. All we have left to do is to change the outlets from beige to white.

I hate painting. I SWEAR I am NEVER painting again. EVER.

Here we have BEFORE:




and now we have AFTER:



We painted over the wall paper and we painted the woodwork white. Our color scheme is Blue Beyond and Twinkle. We are very happy! Now Kurt will have an office and I'll have a scrap/genealogy/study room!

It wasn't as bad as I thought

i freaking HATE to paint. When my friends paint I fetch their beers. Kurt and I started painting what was formerly Nick's room. The kids are gone til Aug 3 so now is the time to get things done! The room has hideous flowered and water stained wall paper. Plus the previous owner painted all the woodwork in the house a blah dingey beige.

We are painting the walls "blue beyond", the ceiling bright white, and the woodwork is going to be some bright white color of which i forget the name. It might be "snowflake." After the painting debacle of the boudoir of last year we bought better paint. I must say that Sherwin Williams paint is far superior to the cheapo walmart stuff. Kurt pointed out that everything everyone else makes if far superior to walmart products, but we live where we do so we shop at walmart a majority of time.

We got the walls all done as well as the ceiling. It only took us about 3-4 hours. It would have taken me weeks and weeks and weeks. We need to paint the woodwork, baseboard heaters, and windows (which is gonna stink) and touch up where Kurt got paint on the ceiling.

We need our handyman to show up, too. He needs to install the ceiling fan in that room and fix the ceiling in Nick's new room so we can get that room set up.

Bargains Galore!!

my sister recently posted that she has an addiction. She is addicted to buying plants. Well, so am I! Hardly anyone is having decent sales on perennials, but Wal-Mart in Waterloo is! I - actually the aunt - bought a cartload of stuff. We got hostas for 2.96 ea; a 3' hydrangea for $2; and 2 pink lilacs for $2 ea also. She also bought some hibiscus that were very cheap. I went back yesterday and bought 2 Colorado blue spruce trees for 50% off. Kurt is very excited about all the gardening we get to do this week. I bought mulch earlier in the week that we need to get put down, too. Oh, and I ordered some hostas online, too!

The painter boys have been here since Tuesday scraping and painting Big Blue. She's the same color (although I think the cream is a shade darker). It will be nice to have that over with. The only home improvements we have left are installation of 3 more ceiling fans, replacing 2 sections of drywall and painting nick's room - soon to be the office and craft room. Unfortunately, Kurt and I are planning on doing that ourselves. Hopefully, that will go better than our boudoir did.

I took my "test" malaria pill on Monday. Next Monday I'll be able to start the typhoid pills. They have to be refrigerated. I hope they aren't too large. The malaria pill was difficult to swallow. I have to take gummi vitamins cuz of the pill size. I'm such a delicate flower!