Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Well, I haven't been doing such a good job with blogging.  I always get frustrated with the blogs I follow when they don't post often, now I'm worse than just about all of them!  The good news is we have a new granddaughter.  Stephanie Margaret was born on January 23rd, weighing 7 lbs and 14 oz.  My husband and I made it to Cincinnati when she was about two hours old and stayed for five days.  She is adorable; I'll post some pictures so you can see what I'm talking about.
Stephanie Margaret 3 hours old
Son John and wife Chellie with new baby
Baby Stephanie looking around
Getting ready to go home
Proud mommy and daddy
Snoozing
Me holding baby
Husband, RW, holding baby

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Christmas is Over

We are undecorating our house this weekend.  It takes us two weeks two decorate, but taking everything down and putting it away just takes a weekend.  I plugged in the tree early this morning before husband (from here on called R.W.) started taking it down.  I think one of my favorite smells in the whole world is the smell of a Christmas tree.  When we moved into this house fourteen years ago, the first Christmas our tree fell over in the living room, so the next year we bought an artificial tree.  We used it for a couple of years, but it just didn't smell like Christmas.  We gave it to my daughter and went back to real trees.

I went back to work on Thursday.  I work at a college, so we get a two-week break for the holidays.  This coming week is what I call "Hell Week," meetings everyday and getting ready for our training on Friday--I supervise a program called Supplemental Instruction in which we have about 45 student workers doing group study sessions for high-risk classes.  That lasts eight hours and is exhausting.  Luckily, we have a three-day weekend afterwards, so I can rest up for the first week of school.  I have a feeling I might be gone the first week.   I've already prepped my two assistants to handle training, which they can do on their own,  but I know it will be confusing for them, too.  The first actual week of the semester is just as busy with our new leaders coming in wanting text books and asking about everything they didn't pay attention to in the training. 

I wrote earlier about my d.i.l. being due this month--in two weeks.  I will go to see the baby, hopefully getting there before she is born.  I've been there when all seven of my other grandchildren were born.  Five were born here, and two in Boston.  With both Boston babies, I got there and they were born within a half hour of my arriving.  My daughter said I should have come earlier, then her labors would have been shorter, lol.  When my d.i.l. goes into labor, or is scheduled for a c-section, R.W. and I will drive there so we can bring some of the bigger items they received at the shower.  He will stay a few days then drive back home, and I will stay at least a week to help them out then fly home. 

Well, I better start helping undecorating before R.W. sees I am playing on the computer and stops.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Attic Remodel

On another blog I found recently, Coastal Charm, they asked for people to put a link to any house renovations, garage sale/thrift store finds, anything to do with decorating on a budget.  So, I'm putting some pictures of our play room we (I say we, but really my husband did the work--I just told him what to do) made for the grand kids last year.  Here are some pictures:


The room when we started.  The attic is approximately 15 by 34, so we made the front half of it into the playroom, which is about 15 by 17.

The windows--aren't they disgusting?

The view of the playroom when you walk up the steps.  I found the rug on CraigsList; it's from the Company Store.  I also found the train table on CraigsList and have been collecting Thomas trains from garage sales for a few years.

The front of the room--we did hire someone to put in the new windows, as we needed new windows in other rooms of our house.  I found the little table and chairs at a thrift store.
I made the bags for different toys, blocks, ponies, little people, hot wheels, marble works, play dishes and food, etc.  I  decided no electronics up there.  I also made the cushion for the wicker love seat out of the same fabric.  One of my younger sisters gave me the shelves, and I found the old fashioned toys at garage sales.
This area is for dolls and doll clothes and furniture, and  book shelves on the left.
This is the view towards the steps; we put the gate there so we could move furniture up there because the steps are very narrow.
Son and granddaughters playing.
Oldest granddaughter taking a break.
Doing puzzles.
I found these decals on Etsy--these are on the wall as you come up the steps.
This is over the windows at the front of the room.  My husband was a little upset that it just said Grandma's house, but that was the way it came.
     Son and his girls making funny faces.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  I don't know if anyone is out there, because I don't have any comments, but I guess I'll just blog on.  I've been trying to think of a new year's resolution, and I'm not very good at keeping resolutions.  The only time I really follow through with something is under the threat of a doctor--like when I quit smoking in '99.  I'd made the resolution to quit every New Years for years and years, but I never kept the resolution.  Finally, I got bronchitis that would not respond to any antibiotics, and my doctor told me I was killing myself.  So I quit on April Fools Day.  It was probably the hardest thing I ever did besides losing my mother.

Within two years, however, I had gained over fifty pounds.  And every year my resolution was to lose fifty pounds.  My doctor kept saying at least I was healthy.  Then, two years ago I was having difficulty breathing, and I was diagnosed with C.O.P.D.  I only knew that was something they advertised lots of drugs for on the commercials during the evening news.  Besides using a couple of different inhalers and a couple of prescriptions, my new doctor, a pulmonoligist, told me that I really needed to lose weight.  He said I was basically carrying around a twenty-pound bag of potatoes resting on my lungs.  So, last year I made the resolution, for about the eighth year, to lose fifty pounds.  I had tried all kinds of diets, Weight Watchers, low carbohydrate, starvation, etc. but always ended up gaining back any weight I had lost.

So, I made the resolution to lose fifty pounds.

And I made it half way.  I lost twenty five.  I didn't follow any special diet; I just quit eating so much.  I did give up drinking coffee loaded with cream and sugar, two cups in the morning and two in the evening, and I quit buying gallons of ice cream every week.  I eat what I want, but in moderation.  I definitely have a sweet tooth, so I buy Tootsie Roll Pops (only the red ones--I get lots of strange looks digging through the bin at ShopnSave for the cherry ones) and Lemon Heads. 

The nicest thing about losing the weight was getting out my winter clothes this fall and having them be too big.  That hadn't happened in years--they just kept getting tighter and tighter.  My goal is to be able to wear a swimming suit this year.  Our whole family goes to Gulf Shores every year, and I haven't worn a swim suit since I gained so much weight.  One of my granddaughters told me that she and her dad had been discussing why I didn't ever go swimming, and decided that I must be afraid of the water and not know how to swim.  I just laughed and told her I didn't swim because I was too fat to wear a swim suit.  I promised her I would wear one this year.

So...this year I will lost the other twenty five pounds...that is my New Year's resolution.