Wednesday, February 28, 2007



So the cabinets are ordered and so are the countertops... We went with corian... it exceeded our budget but I think it will look nice. (Fingers are crossed) The Stilestone was one of my choices and Toni gave it great reviews but the checkbook said otherwise.. Now we wait 3 weeks for the fun to begin.

Since I was spending money I didn't have I also ordered a photo storage box from Croppin Companion.. and I must say It was well worth the twenty bucks. Sturdy, looks nice and is functional.. And the best part it comes with dividers that come out incase I decide not to use it for the pictures.

In true fashion Amandas passport finally arrived today... just in time for her to head off to Mexico on Sunday... Nothing like stressing out over what to do if it didn't arrive in time. But her in Mexico means my little friend will be coming to visit!!! Nothing says spring break like having a puppy to curl up with.

While the snow is melting away nicely with our 40 degree days it was just a few days ago that Christopher woke up to his first snow of the season... seems Richmond does not participate in all the weather we do... As promised here is a picture of his BRAND NEW TRUCK-- Not bad huh?

Sunday, February 25, 2007

WAKE UP




Look what we woke up to.... More snow... and its still snowing...

Christopher bought a new car.. I mean truck yesterday.. but due to SNOW I don't have a picture yet to show you... but I can tell you its one fine machine... 2007 Toyota Tacoma

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Countertops


Spent the day trying to figure out countertop colors and what kind of material it will be made of. As of today I think we are going with HI-MAX which is a solid surface... much like the old Corian but a newer product... and color??? well thats hard for me.. I like color---but I am trying to keep myself in check---I visited three different stores to see countertops in person and finally decided on beige tones brought home about 8 paper samples (thats how they do it now) only to have Mike speak up and say brown floor, brown cabinets, and brown countertops??? So we looked at a color called verdez quartz (almost a hunter green)-- will that be the final choice??? thats anyones guess

Thursday, February 22, 2007

the meltdown

The snow has finally started to melt, I can see the grass again. Which means I can turn in the uniform I have been wearing for the last two weeks... These shoes have got to go! and really how many days can you wear the same coat... albeit its warm pink and has sheepskin but please this girl is dying to wear something different for a change.

We finally convinced the insurance company to see things our way...took about a month but they are going to replace the kitchen cabinets... top and BOTTOM. Way to step up and do the right thing nationwide....

Speaking of insurance, Christopher had alittle accident in his car this past weekend. His tire blew out just as he was turning on a on-ramp-- which in turn caused him to hit the concrete barrier. No damage to the body of the car but apparently it hit square on the tire causing major damage to the wheel and steering mechanism. Anyway he just heard from Nationwide that because of the age of his car they are totalling it... so between now and Tuesday he needs to go buy a new car. He has been thinking about doing this for awhile now... but now he has no choice... unfortunatley for him he has no idea what he wants to be driving... He is taking suggestions. I assume he and Mike will be hitting all the local dealers this weekend to see what kind of deals are out there.
So the big question is weather Nationwide will drop us cold after two claims in one month???

On a brighter note, Sunday we went to look at the new home that Corey is buying. Its a very cute townhouse out in Haymarket. New construction which will be ready in July. Right now Christopher is planning on being his roommate if he can find a job up here. Apparently working nights isn't a life long plan.... It will be nice to have him alittle closer if all works according to plan.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Get Croppin

I so meant to share these pictures last week... but time got away from me. These are a few shots of the get croppin event that Amanda and I went to. Lots of fun! Got a chance to chat with some old friends from our old book club-- take 2 classes and work on some layouts. But what was even more fun was having Amanda to share it with, And to see her get excited about a hobby that I love. Of course she was totally in her element when it came time to visit the shopping booths... This gal can shop no matter where we are!! But her creative eye is dead on-- she made some great choices for an album she is making for a sorority sister. And of course she had to have a few goodies for herself. Me? yea I found some stamps that I had to have... Nancy is a bad influence-- but I think I got some stamps that are versatile enough to show up on my pages again and again.





Speaking of stamps D. Johnson's class was totally awesome. Made we want to use my stamps more. I seem to collect them and not use them but she had some wonderful ideas- And I even already own some of her stamps... Gotta remember to pull them out and use them alittle more often. Of course there were plenty more that are now on my list should I run across a good sale! As you can see we worked hard in our class-- haha neither of us finished our projects on time-- as a matter of fact we didn't even finish them before we went home at midnight! But thats ok... (alittle Ali speak)



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Wednesday, February 14, 2007

winter disguise

It looks like snow, its cold like snow but hold on because this is Sleet! Talk about an odd storm we had last night. We got snow for a good part of the morning and then last night you could hear the sleet hitting the roof, the deck and the ground. And this is what we woke up to! Looks like a winter wonderland of Snow but one step outside and you realize its all ICE. So after staying home yesterday because of the threat of freezing rain I took the morning off to wait to see if this would melt away-- it did not-- but the plow trucks worked all night and made the roads passable in most spots. As a matter of fact Mike has been out there since Midnight...18 hours and counting...

Ms. Bonnie who has always hated the indoor life is refusing to go out.. I guess she doesn't like the crunch under her feet or the slippery deck stairs.. I thought I could shoval it tonight... but its rock hard and not budging. Spring is coming right?

Kinda liking this picture I took this morning... with the trees in the foreground and the snowy garage in the back.....
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Sunday, February 11, 2007

I am alive





My father was quick to point out that I haven't been blogging this month...to be honest its not due to lack of material to report on in my life its simply a lack of time to sit and type.... so a quick recap -- I think I last left you with the news that my kitchen suffered alittle fire... Well it seems where theres fire there is alot of smoke. And the more we looked around (and smelled) the more we realized that just about every room in our home had smoke residue in it. Something the insurance adjuster should have known and told us. So after many phone conversations the cleaning crew that was to come and clean the carpet in the living/dining room and the totally clean the kitchen ended up doing the whole house. What an undertaking that was. Now throw into the mix that I had a scheduled business trip to Houston Sunday-Tuesday and you now have a schedule nightmare. I went off to Houston-- which by the way was lovely--Warm, Green, and clean.... meanwhile Mike was left to work out the details of how they would clean.
Of course I got stuck in Houston-- due to Snow in Chicago-- Then I got stuck in Chicago due to snow in VA-- when I finally arrived at Dulles-- umm very late-- I waited and waited and waited for my luggage... seems it did not make the plane. The last time I saw my luggage it was getting snowed on.... Finally after midnight Mike and I pulled away from the airport into the snowy night for the long ride home. Amazing to me the amount of traffic at 1am.... and none of them doing to well in the snowy conditions.... My luggage did finally arrive home around 4:30pm on Wednesday-- Nice-
For the next three days Mike and I did split shifts in the house and at work. The cleaners literally touched every object we owned as they wiped everything down... The walls the ceiling, the furniture, everything on and IN the furniture... they emptied every drawer,cabinet and closet.. The bedspreads and coats were sent to the drycleaners along with any peices of dry clean only clothing (luckily I don't own much that isn't wash and wear...) To say that we are exhausted is an understatement... trying to keep up with work and then come home and keep up with the 3 ladies going through our home was a bit much... The good news is yesterday the carpet cleaners came and cleaned the carpets and the furniture... WOW does the house look great....and smells good too! except for the poor kitchen which has had its cabinets emptied into boxes--The frustration of finding things in boxes is high-- And because the insurance company feels their only obligation is to replace the upper (damaged) cabinets this could take awhile to get sorted out as I refuse to have mismatched cabinets. I mean really do they think that is acceptable to anyone?????

My weekend did have some high points... Both kids came home... I'll tell you about that tomorrow... after I get some much needed rest...

Thursday, February 01, 2007

To do lists

It was supposed to snow today but it didn't
The contractor was supposed to call yesterday but didn't
My project at work was supposed to be done today but it isn't... lots of stuff hanging out there.
My to do list is growing by the minute and I refuse to give in and start panicing that it won't be done.
I have Bonco here next week... finally got the prizes last night but still need to shop for food and wrap the prizes. I have a trip to TX Sunday for work that is putting alittle crimp in my timeline for getting things done.. needless to say its adding to the list-- sometime in the next two days I have to pick up the tables for Bonco, do laundry and pack.. And then theres this little mess that I call a kitchen hanging over my head... Hopefully I can call another contractor or two and get them lined up to come look and give estimates while I am gone and then maybe just maybe someone can get the blackened look out of the darn kitchen... The good news is that the insurance guy agreed to clean the carpets-- between the big grease spot by the door and the smell of smoke that has permeated them they really need it.
ohh and The Get Croppin event is next weekend that Amanda and I signed up for. Gotta get pictures printed for the classes we are taking.
Hmmm no reason to panic yet-- Right?