Up Up Up Up Up (A blog with lots of pictures)

I'm taking the time to blog right now because I have been quite good with everything else. And on top of that, I was just discussing blogging with my students this evening and I realized that I have not been as diligent as I would like myself to be.

Things have been going better. We have had a lot of different things going on and I have been quite the busy lady getting everything together.

Firstly, I was host to a masquerade. It was a lovely affair for my friends to attend. It was also a major incentive to have my not-so-finished home, more finished. The landlord was actually installing my light fixture and removing stain off of the floor while my party was beginning. It wasn't 100% finished, but it is coming along.

Pictures:

Note the stained cabinets. That's three coats of Michelle's blood, sweat, and frustration. (Well, technically there wasn't any blood...but it did get my blood pressure up more than once, so it is related) Anyhow, it still isn't completely done. Not at all. The sink is new, but did I mention I'm still dealing with the ancient monster clog in the basement. So it drains horribly. And the dishwasher still isn't put in. Thank goodness I kept my portable one. I put up the curtain rods. And the light fixture and myself will be bonded for many years to come. The stain isn't off of the floor. And I'm going to replace the flooring in the Spring and put in the floor panel thingies.

And let me just tell the story about my paint. Which I still have to remedy. I requested 'cream' from the landlord. It took him forever, but when he finally brought the paint over, he was all excited, and it turned into 2 gallons of yellow. Yellow is not acceptable and truthfully I am being haunted by freaking yellow paint. It was that color at the old apartment and I painted over it and then when I repainted this summer I painted it the same color it was. Country white is not really white but yellow. Horrible, unmatchable, Yellow Wallpaper yellow. But anyhow, I had to trek out to Sherwin Williams to use a company discount and to buy the paint. It was $44 and the girl gave me a major attitude and then the color is definitely not 'creamy', the perfect color that matched the curtains. Which I requested. She barely put any color in it at all. And it was such a long and slow fiasco in the first place just to get the paint. So I have to take it back to get the right color. And I'm doing a blue accent area.

Here's the big window. Which is going to be replaced. Again the wrong wall color is making a difference as well. And I'm still looking for a white little two seater table for in the kitchen.

But it is coming along nicely. I'll get the new stove and the hood range within the next two weeks. Or sooner if I do it myself.

We went out for trick or treating yesterday. The girls had a nice time. We went and walked around at the college where I teach because they had a trick or treating event as well earlier. When we got home they purged on candy and then we walked around the block a bit in the new neighborhood. Mallory was telling people 'Give me some candy!' or 'I want candy!' and Marilyn got sick of trick or treating after awhile. 'Mom, do we really have to go to one more house?' It was a nice evening for sure.

Here they are in their costumes: Marilyn was a Ballerina Princess Kitty and Mallory was a Princess

Another thing that I should add is that I did get a puppy. Her name is Morticia and she is a black lab/beagle mix. I have only heard her bark once, she is extremely docile and guess what? She definitely eats everything off of the floor!

Someone was playing with the dog food earlier (I'm not going to mention any names, but I will say that it was not the dog and this particular someone might have been one of my children who definitely knew better because I had told her so....repeatedly.) The dog food was scattered all about.

Look how clean it is now! Not one piece of food or anything (what is there is child debris).

However, in the living room, something more disastrous has occurred. A bag of sequins and sparkly stars was unleashed in an impromptu art endeavor instigated by Marilyn and aided by Mallory. All within 15 minutes as I was looking up directions and getting ready to leave.

Look at it sparkle.Glimmer. Shine.

Marilyn did make an attempt to sweep it up. Sweep it up right into the shag carpet that was previously uninfected. With sparkle.

Here is Marilyn with Isa the Princess Kitty (definitely NOT Isa the Iguana from Dora). This is our newest cat. She's really quite sweet. Marilyn adores her and the kitten waits for marilyn to come home. She's already a little cat though. She waits for Marilyn to come home.

And here is Miss Morticia:

The legal stuff is going. I don't really want to talk about it because there isn't anything that I can do and it still really upsets me. The girls got to see Mark today for the first time in almost 6 months. I don't know anything aside from what my child will tell me. Four year olds are much more advanced than one might imagine. We have another meeting coming up.

I will say this. Things are coming together. It is a lot of work, and I do know that I just make more work for myself. But it is good to be busy and I can't tell you truly how much I am getting done. By myself. I am capable of so much. And I honestly think that I have improved dramatically in my cooking skills again. I did have a semi flop this afternoon with the cheesy turkey sandwiches but I know what caused it and I knew it was going to be an issue before hand. But it is hard to cook when not fully prepared and when you're doing other things. It all would have been fine if I had room temperature butter. But the girls did eat it. They gobbled it all down. Except for the bread. They never eat the bread. But Morticia will :)

I'm waiting to hear about a job that I really really really want. I'm thinking about switching colleges and I should start looking into the school that I really want to go to because perhaps they have more flexible offerings or an online program now. We're getting a piano at some point this month. Marilyn is taking ballet class, during which Mallory and I play with other little kids and parents in the gym. I think my one arm is longer than the other, my hoops always JUST bounce off. When I have my evening classes I drink a cup of coffee (or two) and then I can't fall asleep and I stay up way too late and then I have to work in the morning. Like now. The kitten has not yet learned to not jump all over the computer when I'm using it, except for right now because she is laying on the couch. Dogs smell.

This is my couch right now (or like 20 minutes ago when I took the picture. Now the dog is cuddling on Marilyn).

I got a fortune today from a fortune cookie that read something like, "A bold endeavor is half of success". I hope so.