BUSY!

we moved jackson downstairs to the small, closetless bedroom off the kitchen. we moved kendyl and shawn(who was in my bedroom) into the huge bedroom jackson has been destroying enjoying for 4.5 years. it has been a HUGE undertaking, to say the least. between the urine soaked carpeting, the roof leak last year-which messed up walls and ceiling-, the closets full of yuck, the hidden, stolen items, the knives hidden throughout, the fly larva under the banana peel, the urine sprayed windows(YES), broken(brand new) 40$ blinds, broken baseboard, freshly painted (18 mos. ago)walls that had been gouged with a screw driver, holed with a hammer, written on with black sharpie, poked with scissors..... OY.

we:

ripped out all the carpet and padding

pulled staples

removed all baseboard

installed cheap, but very pretty, laminate flooring

removed the door

cut and painted a new door, baseboard, trim for windows and closets and doors

installed the above

scrubbed walls and windows

mudded holes, gouges, cracks, sharpie marks, banged up areas and the like

installed all new outlets, switches and covers for all, we always do this as we paint each room, but ran out of time and money when i painted it before. it freshens up the place and everything had been painted over by so many families before us... some outlets were faulty anyway.

today we are:

sanding the mud

touching up paint(it will show, but i am not re painting the entire damn room!)

sanding and painting walnut stained closet doors and trim(cant afford to install new stuff right now)

finishing touches

kendyl's old room was all set for jackson, walls are an off white/barely yellow/Navaho white maybe? all i had to do was change out curtain rods that had daisy ends, paint over little, pink, stenciled butterflies, remove coat racks, hooks, wall art etc..scrub window trim and touch up, replace a blind, vacuum, mop, and move furniture around. he destroyed his captains bed, ripped all the dawers apart, so bed #3(in less than 6 years) went to the dump. hes on a mattress on the floor with his book case headboard behind him. bed, 3 dressers, plastic, stackable toy bins and a book shelf. boring, but he cannot handle more. he just can't. I SHRUNK HIS WORLD.

we still havent figured out who the expensive watch i found belongs to. the CD's were Jay's,(he leaves for war tomorrow ) the t shirts were Ben's and Doug's, a 35$ book about "50 Cent" was a book kris had borrowed from a friend, ( "i read it though!" LOL)the knives are mine and Tim's, the nail clippers were Tim's. the DVD's were Tim's. the watch is still a mystery, along with the Herbie Hancock CD's(?????)

so, i'm sorry i bored you. thats what ive been so busy with. i'm also proof reading recipes for the cookbook committe i am on-long story!

did i ever put pumpkin patch photos on here? maybe i only put them on Facbook? i will check. i havent played with my camera much this week. just some before & during photos of the bedroom. they are enjoying the huge space! we filled it quickly though. the rooms are never as spacious as you think they are when you get started. i am hoping to squeeze a little table and chair set in there though- time to purge more toys!

have a great weekend!

mom, kristin & kendyl together again

wordless wednesday

they found an inch worm!

Mooney Fruit Cake

FORGOT to tell you..

Doug got a speeding ticket in dec., then another in sept. then he got a letter telling him to show up in court , since hes under age 20. he showed up in uniform, chatted with the kind judge and.................the judge decided NOT to revoke dougs license (for like 60 days!). PHEW! he was very cool and since doug is an Army mechanic, he needs his civilian license or he will lose his military license. we are all so relieved. doug doesnt need any bad news. but he does need to slow down! the judge is sending him to a drivers class. hee hee. mom is happy :)

bullet point update kinda post- for now

no tiiiimmme!!!!!!

* Doug got word of his deployment date. 09.11.10 - first to Wisconsin(no idea why), then kuwait for more training, then one year in Afghanistan

* mom is doing great! shes being released on Thursday and will have intense therapy 3 days a week in our own town. stroke was "moderate". She can walk!

* Jackson teases autistic kid and gets in trouble. to me, its not bullying, its sheer lack of social skills, long story, but nothing they are doing , or i am doing, is working because when he wont speak to autistic kid, kid feels hurt and tattles that jack teased him again. what to do?

* got the phone call today that Jackson farts constantly, seemingly "at will", in class to get laughs. funny how he doesnt do that here. he will be home any minute. how do i handle this one? duct tape? Christine?

* refrigerator is fixed, as of just now. $137.00

* truck is now fixed. took 6 days. $1583.00

* furnace is repaired. no bill yet. scared? terrified. thanks.

* long story, but a house we looked at before purchasing this tiny place in may of 05, but didnt go inside because the asking price was 303k(we had a limit of 265k and didnt think the owner would drop the price that much)needs a roof. Yogi went over there to give the guy an estimate and found that the guy paid 270k for it right after we moved in here(UGH) and is now moving to Baltimore and wants to rent it out. we may have a chance to rent it. for the same monthly payment, in the same school district, we'd be gaining:
a 2 car garage,
2 more bedrooms,
basement living/family room,
space for another bedroom down there,
another full bathroom,
attic,
above garage storage(or living area),
huge laundry room with tables for folding.......
we wouldnt be home owners anymore, but how can we say NO? Id have space for a fishtank and and a piano again! we'd be able to do foster care again. we've been home owners for over 12 years now, it would be a huge adjustment, calling the landlord to ask permission to paint a bedroom. but for another 1500SF of living/sleeping/playing/storage space.... its a huge decision. have i mentioned that we are not good decision makers?
our babysitter, Courtney(formerly known as "C") is living with us full time now, and she would be able to have her own room. Uncle Tim would have a half bathroom off of his bedroom! hes old and he would like that! there are Indians living nextdoor. we've never known any Indians before. Are Indians nice? i hear they dont like ice in their drinks. would my dog be able to have the freedom he enjoys here? the backyard is fenced in, the lot is almost as big as this one and even flatter. the lawn is really nice. i havent walked through the house yet. Yogi says its really nice, but i dont know if i should believe him LOL. ok, im losing it LOL

* Kristin needs 300$ to apply to go to Costa Rica to study spanish for the winter. then she needs another $800 to hold her place in the program, all by Nov. 1st. we've given her $400.00 so far. then everything BROKE. i hate college lol

* Shawn talks now. he's so funny! i love him sooo much i cant stand it. my little comedian. hes such a daddy's boy now though. waaa.

* both youngest went to well baby/kid appointments on the 12th. Shawn went from the 1st % ile to the 23rd for weight!!!!! i was so excited. 25 lbs 8 oz. his head is in the 110th % ile ! i blame birth father, J. hes 35 inches tall. 50th %ile! my big boy! Kendyl is 40 lbs 40 inches-40th %ile!(she was always in the 30th for height)


* I'm trying to get my weight down. i suck at it. nuff said. i'm also cranky.

* work has really picked up for Yogi. after the worst aug. & sept. in history, october has been downright ILL. we have work through the holidays and then some. good thing. we hate college lol

* my trip to MI in Sept. was a good thing. my life has changed in more than a few ways. my personal "just me" life. i also started to really pay attention to how much TV the youngest 2 kids watch. i tracked it for 3 weeks. she watched more than i thought! we have cut way way way back. one hour a day is all she watches now. ken LOVES TV. she has been so great about it. we are doing other things now. speaking of other things....

* I LOVE MY NEW CAMERA!!!!!! i havent been so happy in years. dumb huh? but i cant hide it. so there. i honestly have to ration my time with my camera. thats sick. sometimes i lock the bitch up. dont judge lol

* Courtney eats weird stuff. she has celiac disease and is allergic to gluten. the stuff is gross and expensive. good thing i love her.

* Courtney was hired by TARGET! can you say DISCOUNT? i think i am more excited than she is. Momma needs a new pair of .. umm.. i dont know lol

* Yogi is THE MAN. best husband and Father EVER. believe it! i am so happy. but i always was.

* uncle Tim celebrated one year with us on Oct. 4th. we love him and want him to stay forever, even though hes really different than any of us. i guess everybody here is different than everybody else!

* not sure how we are handling Christmas this year. when i think about it, i feel nervous and sick to my stomach. it will be very hard, whether we move or stay here. there are 9 people here. one income.

* forgot something- Doug moved out and is renting an apartment in the city with ben & chelsee. so far so good. he still eats our food. he thought he finally had a full time job as a mechanic, but they want him every weekend and he has Army drill one weekend a month, so they decided not to hire him. ILLEGAL, but true.

i guess thats it for now, i must go be the chef. the boys are on a HUGE roof for the entire week. i even "meal planned". arent you proud?
love all 7 of you! al

just some pictures