It has been a crazy and eventful week here in our house. We have been super busy. My BFF (our little joke as we revert back to middle school), Patti, has been here for the last week from Cincinnati. We have had a blast. She is an awesome decorator and loves to paint (something I hate). We have been painting my house like crazy. The first room we tackled was my girls room. It's so hard to decorate a room when the girls have such different taste. Emily is 12 and Elizabeth 16. They hate sharing a room but we needed a guest room and I needed the guest room to double as a scrapbook room. So,they have to share a room. Emily wanted a green room and Elizabeth wanted blue. I said compromise and do purple. So, along come Patti and agreed that a purple room would look the best with the comforter's they have. So, in one day, we got the room painted. It still needs some "decluttering" and they need to finish putting stuff away but they are so happy with the result. We moved the entire room around, got all the posters/pictures/awards/shelves hung. They each even have their own "wall of fame". Elizabeth loves Pirates (the picture looks like the wall is pink, but it is purple). My favorite part is the little reading corner with the fun lamp. They also have a desk in another corner. All I have left to do in that room is sew a valance and make a little lap blanket for the chair. I bought the material yesterday so hopefully I can get that done in the next few days. We also painted the boys room gray (it was this ugly two tone blue). I will post photos when we get that one done. Today we finish painting my family room, kitchen. Tomorrow it's the living room and dining room.

We have really been scrapbooking our hearts out. I have gotton so many pages completed. I hope I can keep this up when she leaves on Wednesday. :*(

Greg made the JV baseball team. I am so happy for him because he just loves baseball! To make the team when so many kids try out is awesome. Now the fun begins with all the practice. He has been conditioning 3 times a week but now it's conditioning AND practice. At least he will practice later and Steve can help with the pick up now. Emily made the school play. Again, thrilling since so many people tried out. We've always called her our "little drama queen"!

Greg and Elizabeth also filled out their class schedules for next year. My "baby" will be a senior. Greg will be a sophmore. Where has the time gone??? Emily will be in her last year in middle school (8th). I feel so old!!!!! And then there is Mark. Still struggling with the math concept. we are looking into taking him to Huntington or Sylvan. I don't know how to help him. The school certainly isn't and we are on our own.

Not much else to blog about. As I mentioned, it's been painting painting painting! I finally feel like this house is "mine". I have never loved this house. I really miss my house in Utah. I miss the layout, the two stories, THE EXTRA BATHROOM!!! Two bathrooms for six people just doesn't cut it. But, I am beginning to like this house and it finally feels like it's mine.

Well, need to get back to putting all my scrapbook stuff away so we can paint. Have a wonderful week!!!!

1.11.07

Yesterday was the crappiest day for me. I was so emotional about it that I couldn't even sit down and type it out. I know a lot of people don't read this blog but it feels good to just sit down and type out my feelings.

Mark was supposed to get his report card. I was mentally prepared (so I thought) for the usual comments. Behavior, listening, blah blah blah. I even called the audiologist to see about getting his CAP (Central Auditory Processing) test done. She hasn't called me back yet. I even got online and researched ADD. Next step with him is to his pediatrician. Steve refuses to consider that he could possibly be ADD and WILL NOT "medicate" his kid. So, I am in this alone. I WILL do what is best for him. My "mother's instinct" is telling me to pursue this and that there is something "there". He is NOT a bad kid. So, yesterday he gets in the car and no report card. no new AR book. His classwork came home again to be completed because he didn't do it in school. So, that put me in such a bad/depressed mood. Enter Oprah. I never watch Oprah. I never have the TV on. But I decided to lay across my bed in my "downer" mood and I flipped it on. The rabbi from "Shalom In the Home" was on talking about families. OMG. That first family could have been mine. I was seeing my own family on TV. A family with four kids just like me and two parents on different levels. He pointed out that they were six individuals living in a house not a home. I started bawling. I watched that show from start to finish and really had a good look at my own family. My kids are spoiled and sometimes disrespectful. So, I told Steve that it stops. I am the mom and wife in this family and not the maid, cook. chaeffer, etc. I have no time for myself because I am consumed with everyone else. I love to scrapbook. I have a room to do it. But do I? No. Because when I am ready to sit down at 9 o'clock at night to spend time on it, I am too tired--no exhausted. I love spending time scrapbooking. It's one of the only things I do for myself that I really and truly enjoy.

So, today starts change. First thing I did was ask Steve to drive Mark to school and walk him into the classroom. I wanted him to find out where the report card is and why he keeps bringing the same AR book home everyday. He was NOT thrilled but I pointed out that if I did it, Mark wouldn't think anything of it. He is more afraid of Steve and tries harder to please him. So, today dad for the first time drove him to school. I was thrilled to see him do it. He needs to do it more often. Steve is so checked out and consumed with the stress of his job that he has alienated himself from us. I told him that. He was brought up in a home where mom did everything, dad worked. Dad was not handy. Dad was not involved with the daily running of the household and schoolwork. Total opposite of my family. So, I see him turning into his dad. I love my FIL but I couldn't be married to him. But, they just celebrated 46 years of marriage so it works for them. But, I don't want to go down that path. I want a 50-50 partnership.

Okay, enough whining Today is a better day! I am not going to look backward but forward. It's not too late for changing my ways. I actually am meeting a friend at 9 am at Panera for breakfast. I can't wait to have a conversation other than carpools, homework and kids. Real grown up talk.

Tomorrow my friend Patti arrives from Cincinnati. We have been friends for 17 years. She has had a rough last year with her divorce and all. 22 years of marriage and two kids! It was devastating for everyone. Her family has been part of mine and vice versa. Her hubby had a mid life crisis and thought "the grass was greener on the other side". Boy, was he wrong. So she is flying down for 12 days. She is an avid scrapbooker like me so we will have many late nights of scrapping. I can't wait. The thought of having someone in the house to talk with.............And best of all, getting to scrapbook..............

Well, time to get my day started. Have a wonderful Thursday! The weekend is almost here.

1.3.07

As I am going through, putting the Christmas decorations away, I also put away my Christmas CD's. So, with the house to myself, I put in 5 more CD's on random to listen to (and crank up). I love Soundtracks! I love the variety of music that comes on it. So, in my CD player is:

Where the Heart Is

You've Got Mail

Ally McBeal featuring Vonda Shepard (old TV favorite)

Providence

Dawson's Creek

So, what's everyone else listening too?

BTW, I picked up my new specs and I CAN SEE! WOW.

I've been playing around with the colors on the blog trying to figure out what color I like. I tried pink and then I found this blue. I am drawn to this blue. At my last house, everything was blue. Kitchen had a blue wall, living room had blue/white furniture. Then we moved and I decided no more blue. I miss all that blue! We have been in this house 3.5 years and I still don't feel "at home". So, as part of my New Year's Resolution, I have decided to paint my house. I know Steve isn't big on colors and all the decorations, but I am the one who is always here. So, I am going to add some color and some "fun stuff". I love to look at "virtual tours" on the internet of houses for sale just for ideas. I love going to open houses to be nosy. I love going through model homes. I just want my house to be "mine" and not what was here when we moved in. I started and painted the walls a deep gold. It's really pretty. Now I just have to decide if I want to paint the back accent wall a separate color. I am thinking either a chili pepper red or eggplant. My kitchen is grapes/Italian theme. So I think either color will work. My friend is coming to visit on January 12 and she loves to decorate. So, I told her that she has full reign over what we do. I always told her that she should be a professional decorator. She just has the knack for it. So, for 10 more days, I can live with my egg shell walls.

Tomorrow is back to the grind. Kids go back to school. I am excited to get them out of here but at the same time, I dread all the running around. It was such a nice break. Greg will have baseball 4 days a week. Elizabeth will have all her newspaper deadlines and all her club activities. Mark will have homework again............but on a happy note, I will have about 5 hours of PEACE AND QUIET. No more Disney Channel or CSI Miami marathons. Yippee. I can crank my music.

My glasses are in! That's on my list tomorrow is to go get my new glasses. I can't wait to see.

I have been purging/pitching my scrapbook room. It feels so good to get rid of stuff. I participate in a lot of swaps so I have a lot of stuff I won't use. I can't wait to start scrapping again. I also am determinted to make this Stampin Up business work. I am not in it for the money (but the discount sure is nice). I just want something "challenging" to do. I am even toying with the idea of going back to school! When will I have time? I have no idea. But just the thought of it gets me excited. I used to love to work. I loved getting dressed up and going downtown. Don't get me wrong, I love staying at home with my kids, but now that they are getting older, I would love to do something for myself. I have no intention of going to work full-time. But in a couple of years, they will be going to college. I have been a SAHM for 14 years now so I know my skills are "rusty". So, maybe 2007 will be the year.

Well, I guess I should consider going to bed. No more sleeping in until 8 like I have been. It's back to 6 am. By 9 am, I will have the house to myself so that will get me up and moving. The weather is supposed to improve (it's been rainy the last 2 days), so a little sunshine would just make me so happy. I am hoping to start taking the tree down as well. That's a job in itself.

So, until next time............have a good week.

Happy New Year!!!!!!