At 2:00am, I could be found with my future sister-in-law at the Wal-mart in Arlington purchasing a pick axe, a shovel, and a halogen work light. The men behind us in line joked that we must be burying a body. I am sure that we looked rather interesting, and I laughingly said that men should be wary of pissing us off. However, he was not far from the truth. My brother's dog escaped from the yard tonight and was hit by a car. Some very kind people called my brother and took Jack to a 24 hour pet care where the decision was made by my brother that the kindest thing to do was let Jack be in peace. We then drove to Arlington where the guys started digging with the tools they had at 1am. It is now almost 4:30 and we have just returned home. Exhausted and weary, but knowing that my brother needed to get this done and needed all of us there. There are somethings that you do no matter what the time. This was one of them.

I have not participated in the Eulogy Meme thing. Mainly because I'm not really sure that I want to know what people will say about me at my funeral. However, I thought it might be interesting to write out what I expect people to say at my funeral after all the general niceties have been said. So, enjoy. You can let me know which statement you would say if you feel so inclined.

( Comments overheard at my funeral. )

All right. I think this brings up to time to pack up and head out. Have a great evening everyone.

Since doing the repairs on my house and since gas has caused both direct and indirect cost increases to the budget, it seems I have been on a mission to become more energy efficient. The solar screens that were put on last Saturday seem to have made a huge difference. Our house is darker and the glare inside the house has really been cut down significantly. I sort of feel like I'm living in a cage. I'm not sure how I'll feel about it in the winter, but right now in the heat of the summer, it's totally wonderful.

( Attic Update )

Tomorrow the carpet comes. I need to call the gutter and siding people. Storage shed arrived Tuesday, but I'm not sure when sbbish will get a chance to relevel the ground and set it up. Looks like the stuff will still be buried underneath a blue tarp when my parents are in town next week. Ah, well. It can't be helped. We can only do so much, and I'm sure they understand that. Is it just me or does it seem like I am constantly having to rush to get things done in the house before my parents arrive?

I went to the dentist today expecting my normal cleaning. I got my appointments confused though and today was the "two fillings" appointment. That's an unpleasant realization when you don't have time to steal yourself up for things.

So, no gym for me tonight like I had planned. Maybe I will start packing for the carpet move instead. So many books. . .

We need to have some more insulation blown into our attic. I thought because of all the dust that can accumulated from this, having it done before the carpet installation on Friday, might be a good idea. Anyone have any personal experience with a company that does this? I'll take good references and those to avoid. Thanks!

I came home this evening after being gone since 8:00 this morning on a gardening adventure day in Ft. Worth (the city that I will become very familiar with over the next couple months, but that's another story). I looked on our front porch and there were screens on the porch. Curious. Then I realized that we the guys had come out to install our solar shades. They look great. Now, we'll just have to see if it really helps to cut down on our electric bill as they say it does.

We have new carpet that should be installed next Friday. Next week someone should be coming by to look at the gutters and the new siding color difference. On July 3, someone is scheduled to come fix the glass windows that the first guy messed up. The end is in sight. I can feel it. I need it to come soon, so I can get my receipts to the insurance company and get reimbursed for our depreciation costs. I don't know how much we'll be able to recover, but at this point, every little bit helps. The more money I spend out of pocket on these renovations, the longer it will be before I get a new car.

http://www.cosmeticscop.com/

I was just introduced to this website on my cross stitch friends board. Knowing how many of my faire friends are fanatics about skin care and makeup especially for performance, I thought this might be a helpful link. This lady does reviews of all sorts of makeups along with a Best and Worst item for the month. I don't agree with all of her assessments, but it seems to be a good source for some things.

Tomorrow the interior guys come to tear out glass embedded drywall and add back new glass free drywall. Wednesday, they paint. Tomorrow, we get an estimate from the carpet place. Hopefully by Thursday or Friday, they can come install the carpet. We are going to recarpet most of the house. I look around at our wall-to-wall furniture. Bookcases filled with books. Cabinets filled with china. All sitting on carpet. I want to cry.

What greeted us when we woke up yesterday morning? An overflowing bathroom sink which naturally required emergency care. ( Plumbing Story )

( Still fixing up the house )

I had toyed with going to the picnic and the wedding, but what with all the house stuff that has been pushed off so long because of faire, I really had some Saturday things that had to be done.

lys1022's post from yesterday has inspired me. I have a lot of things that I want to get done around the house. It is harder considering the fact we are still recovering from the April storm damage. I will never sit down and dedicate a day to clean, so I have visited Fly Lady and will be keeping an eye on her site. I'm not saying I am going to follow her plan to the letter, but I did scrub my kitchen sink last night.

( Oven Cleaning )

I am going to try Fly Lady's advice though on doing small chunks of things at a time. I get home about an hour before sbbish. I am going to make a conscious effort to avoid napping on the sofa and attempt to do some sort of organization or cleaning at that time. Yesterday, I worked on my 2007 Scarborough scrapbook. I think that should count as organization. After all, I was putting loose pictures in an album. Don't you agree?

As of approximately 8:30 last night, the girl I have fondly referred to as my "hopefully-one day-soon-to-be-future sister-in-law", is now my brother's official fiancée. I have known for a week-and-a-half that my brother was going to propose as I helped him make the proposal scrapbook. It is one of the hardest secrets I have kept telling a very select few people in order not to jinx it. My mother may kill me for not telling her, but it was not my news to tell. I cannot even begin to express how happy I am for them both.

For all of you who are fans of period films such as Pride and Prejudice, you must see Cranford. I laughed, I cried. It was hard to find five hours to watch it over the past few weeks, but absolutely worth it. Hie thee to a video store or put it on your Netflix list now. You won't be sorry.

Look what the workers found in the cemetery across the alley from our house yesterday? How cute is that? Yes, that is my tiny hand that he is sitting in. Poor little thing. He was terrified.

http://www.pbase.com/image/97775073

I know that I am tired and reaching the end of my rope when I want to tell my husband something, so I yell out to him--only to remember that he's off playing racquetball with the guys. And he's been gone for the last hour-and-a-half. Apparently, the eight hours of sleep I got last night was not enough to catch up on what I've lost recently.

On a happy note, there are heavy storms coming through tonight, and I do not have to worry about putting the towels out to absorb a waterfall in my guest bedroom.

My make-up rocks. At least, I think it does. Saturday evening after the day at the sauna, I got home and went to take off whatever was left of my makeup. I looked in the mirror for the first time in hours and thought, "Oh, my goodness. It looks like I still have all my makeup on." It took the normal three cotton wipes and the fabulous Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Milk to get it all off and find my face underneath everything. So, in case anyone wonders what I use and the order of application.

( Cut for the sake of friends everywhere. )

So, there you have it. How my makeup lasts all day in a sauna. Of course, then I go the entire workweek without any makeup application at all. I really hate wearing makeup. I go through more makeup during faire season than I do the entire rest of the year combined.

As for hair care, I really like the organic Giovanni product line. I do have to use the 50/50 balance even though I don't color treat, perm, or heat style my hair. Apparently, my hair is just naturally dry.

I can barely hear myself think at the moment and seem to be developing a pounding headache due to the loud pounding and shaking going on in my house. Nonetheless, I am grinning tons with happiness about to burst from every seam of my being. Why? There are six men working away on my roof right now. By tonight, they expect to have all the old shingles removed and a layer of tar paper down. Tomorrow morning at 8am, the new shingles will be delivered. By the time I get home from faire, I will be safely ensconced under a new roof. Too bad it will probably be Monday before I can see it.

We have chose Black Walnut in the 30 year shingle style. I really like the look of the 30 year shingles. I never knew it would be so hard to choose a color. I am really not good at this. But, I like black and red, so with a black roof (with some flecks of red in it) and red brick (with flecks of black in it), I think it should be a good combination. No one tell me I made a bad choice now because it is too late!

We are also having them install two wind turbines while they are up there. I'm not sure what that will do to the aesthetics of the house, but I figure with a black roof, any extra venting of the attic has got to be a good thing. We'll also have them add some insulation when all is said and done. With the solar shades that we plan to upgrade too, we should hopefully see some salvation in our energy costs. I have no idea how much this storm will cost us in the long run, but hopefully we'll at least be able to improve on future costs.

Ah, there is nothing quite like the sound of your shingles and siding flapping against your house in the gusty winds. . .

Although, the pile of shingles on my sidewalk hasn't budged an inch. What's up with that?

So, I am working away at a digital photo album for my mother for Mother's Day. I do this in the glass encrusted room on the monitor with spots due to the April 10 storms. I listen to the patter or the rain and the rolling thunder as another round of storms come in. I look up to the corner and notice a rather large bubble forming in the paint. Odd, that wasn't like that before. It sort of reminds me of the water balloons at MPIII. Oh, yes, my friends. Water has once again breached the room. I have popped the bubble with a bowl and towel underneath catching as much of the water as I could. I have gone outside, but cannot find where it might be coming in from. It is not on the ceiling and the wall has vinyl siding over it. I've checked all the other rooms and they appear to be fine for the moment.

So, I ask, how long is this going to continue? At least this one is in the room that already needs to be redone. I hope all the problems stay here. The insurance adjuster comes tomorrow. One more thing to add to the list.

For Women, but not locked to women

I just saw an article on the local NBC news about the campaign for standard sizing. Goodbye standard one number fits all in whole numbers like 8, 10, 12. This lady proposes something along the lines of 8.1, 8.2, or 8.3, etc. The number after the decimal point is your body type. A .1 is straight, a .2 is an hourglass, and a .3 is pear shaped. Their first plan is to offer pants. This is a fabulous idea and I hope it succeeds, so I have found my "perfect fit" and is an 8.3. Which makes sense. My waist is an 8 but I have to get a 12 to fit my hips. I have also registered so they can store my data and present it to manufacturers. I figure the more women who register, the more data they will get, and maybe, just maybe, those of us who have to buy pants that would fit another person at our waist, might one day be able to buy pants that fit us!

Check it out and register if you are as excited about this idea as I am!

Fitlogic