Fourth Month - December

The language of a society changes slowly but steadily with the result that an educated person will not be able to read or understand words in his language written 500 years ago.

Today’s Exploit:

Thanksmas was crazy. We did ugly sweaters this year, instead of mustaches and google eyes for the family picture. Honey was promoted back to driller, finally, and naturally they changed his schedule so that he missed all the fun/crazy.  

Baby Arlo decided that I am the favorite and took naps and snuggled with me only. Evidently she liked being kicked by her cousin while sleeping. 

We tried to get some good pictures of Baby at the body-scan sonogram, but it’s stubborn like Daddy and would only show arms and legs. I had to schedule another session because they needed brain pictures. 

Also, YaYa decided that she did actually want to know if Baby is a boy or girl. But I said no one gets to know since I don't want to, wahahahahah!

Family crazy is tiring, makes you need pre-bed naps. 

Third Month - November

Between 1900 and 1920, Tug of War was an Olympic event. Found Here 

Today’s Exploit:

Slight panicking at the fact that I have to tell everyone NOW. Crap. I wanted to wait at least 3 more months. 

I had planned on waiting until after the next appointment to tell anyone, so we would hopefully have some good pictures of the baby. However, the plan to have Klay be the one to tell everyone and the timing of Thanksmas put a rush on things. It all turned out okay, but I was a bit of a wreck leading up to our Skype date. 

This is what Klay read to everyone:

A Family Story

 

I, Klay, am going to be a big brother.

 Baby Kerry is due 3 May 2017.

Kevin (otherwise known as Dad or Honey) hopes the baby will wait until 12 May, so that they can share a birthday.

  

Chukie Bug thinks that this is a joke, and that Dad (Honey) should go play with him.

Stelly Belly is so excited she can’t contain herself; although she might not know just what she is excited about.

Baby is healthy and ornery and about the size of a turnip this week.

 Mikah (Mama) has a big surprise for when you visit.

  

You are invited to attend the official sonogram

appointment on 15 December at 3:00pm.

Group Laziness

H. and Chuk were there for the fire, Stella was there for the pets.

A New Year

This week’s recommended reading:

Image from here.

Today’s Exploit:

I have suddenly come into a profusion of books. I was showered with them for Thanksmas and Christmas. My family finally listened to me… They never get me books anymore, so it was quite exciting. I am working on number 4 right now. Yay.

This one comes with high recommendations. H has read one book since we met, and it’s this one. Not only that, he’s read it twice.

So I am delighted to enter a new year with so many new books to read, to distract me from my continued joblessness (and the fact that I haven’t heard anything about a recent interview), and that H. is back at work on a schedule that I don’t particularly like.

Happy Belated New Year. (You can hear the noisemakers, right? And the 73025 fireworks that had Stella and Chuk driving me nuts with their shivers and need to be ON my lap.) 

... A POOL!

I did 42 kipping pull-ups today.

Hands hurt now.

Today’s Exploit:

My parents came to visit this spring. They have really awesome luck when they come down, in that it always rains. They came down for Thanksmas one year and it had been beautiful and 70-75 degrees for the week before they arrived. It was rainy, sleety, windy and nasty the whole time they were here.

This time was the same. We got gallons and gallons of rain. I think we saw sunshine for 23.6 minutes the whole week. And that time was so humid it hurt.

Anyway, while they were here we took my dad to watch Klay be a Little Beast at my gym while Cupcake and I danced around and did choreographed kickboxing, or something. On the way to the gym we saw a skeleton of a house. No walls, no roof, just framing. 

My dad tried to make a comment on it, but was interrupted in a most hilarious way by Klay.

Dad: That house doesn’t have…

Klay: …A POOL!

It is now one of my favorite quotes of all time and I think of it every time I drive by that house, which is pretty darn often.

Painting Some More

 This week’s recommended reading:

Today’s Exploit:

I have finally gotten back to painting my house. I have been neglecting it for about 5 months, give or take.

We had someone come and do the main living area of the house last November, but I had only done the upstairs bedrooms and part of our bedroom. So I had a half done bathroom for months and months.

Well, I finished the bathroom, and took down the light fixtures. So now I have a fresh painted, albeit, dark bathroom. It is nice during the day when you can see what you’re tripping over.

Next I started working on the media room. It is basically a bedroom, but has some recessed lighting. At least that’s why I think they called it that. It was a charming yellow, like my kitchen and dining rooms. But I wanted it white to be better for watching movies with the projector, and H. goes with it because it’s easier than arguing. Also, the furniture will be gray, not brown. Also, because it is easier to agree than argue.

While I was at it, I decided to paint my kitchen since the removal of the nasty plastic backsplash left a mismatch of yellow and tan in addition to some charming gashes. They were kind enough to use foam glue to secure the plastic stuff. Naturally it tore the layers of paint and speckling off when I took it down.

Now I just need to paint some cabinets and vanities and we’ll be off to the next project.

Yay.

Procrastination is My Superpower

 This week’s recommended reading: 

A new addition to the Old Kingdom books! So excited!

Today’s Exploit:

I have been too busy having adventures and procrastinating to make posts for the past few months. I am very good at making excuses to avoid doing anything productive. I have only been relatively consistent going to the gym and taking naps.

I have even procrastinating on my job search and painting my bathroom. Also, I just realized that  need a new banner! Maybe I can figure out what will go well while I paint…

I Have Doggies!

I need to make some more marshmallows. And chocolate mousse. And probably some salad.

Today’s Exploit:

I have adopted. (Really it should say "we" but I'm selfish today, and home alone.)

Twice.

First we got a boy.

He is energetic and lovey and pretty.

He is mostly a lab.

Klay named him Chuk.

Chuk has never ending energy.

Then we got a girl.

She is timid and affectionate and slightly irritated with Chuk, although who can blame her?

Klay also named her, he just doesn’t know it yet.

Her name is Stella.

Stella is a German Shepard and Hound mix.  

Chuk and Stella, the two crazies.

Here’s a picture of them fighting over my lap:

 

Stella likes to stay close. 

Chuk is too busy killing all the toys to take pictures.

Tractor Parts

It snowed yesterday. And the window leaked, so now my sleeping bag is wet.

Today’s Exploit:

We got a tractor. 

A small tractor that is not much bigger than the lawn mower, but it has 4 wheel drive and lots of attachments.

H is really excited.

Except the first thing he did when we got it home was to break the clutch.

So he spent the day under the tractor trying to fix the broken part, only to find that it was fixed incorrectly last time and needs a whole new mechanism.

So he decided to work without it. It just means that he can’t back up or change gears very easily.

Then he spent a day driving to a used tractor dealership to find spare parts, only to arrive after they closed (on a Saturday) and had to come back empty handed.

He messed with it a bit more, but was unable to rig a solution.

So he gave up for a minute and went back to making circles in my garden, to level out the ground.

He started going along the fence, when…

A tie rod slipped and he crashed into the fence.

He had to spend about 4.6328 minutes getting untangled.

Not pleased…

He got of the tractor and stomped over to his truck. I’m pretty sure he would have killed the tractor with some large blunt instrument if I hadn’t intervened and made him drink some tea.

He was mad enough he wouldn’t even give me a hug.

And I spent the whole time trying not to laugh.

Whoa

The "I-can't-believe-they're-actually-doing-it" Look

It's Almost Thanksmas!

Happy Thanksgiving. I will be jealous of everyone who gets to see their families. Thanksgiving is all about extended family and a big reunion.

Today’s Exploit:

Thanksmas is my version of Thanksgiving and Christmas, since my job doesn’t allow me to take holidays off.

My parents and my sister and her significant other will be coming to my house.

Cupcake is the only one who has seen it in person, and she was just there late at night and early in the morning.

And that was before we had any furniture. 

Plus she was more interested in her wedding dress.

Duh.

But now they are going to be crashing my house for a week, and I haven’t even had a chance to put the curtains up.

They may have to do chores before we can do an official house tour.

Schedule

My house is going to be painted and furnished soon. 

Excitement is abundant.

Today’s Exploit:

I have a sort of schedule for a minute. I work 20 days and have 10 days off. Three of us cycle through this pattern. Or at least we did for a month. Then one of the other MWDs made the other mad. And now we might not have a schedule any more. 

I have my fingers crossed for the house painting week and for Thanksmas week. 

Please let the gods of the oilfield have mercy and let me have those weeks home.

I have big plans for those weeks, and even menues ready to go.

My Book Nook

After 3 months this is the only corner of the house that
looks like it is decorated and lived in.

This is my House

This is my house. I am shellfish and call it mine, but I do share it.
And I'm trying really hard not to be too bossy about changes we make.

It Wasn’t Lifeproof

I have a house! I get in trouble for calling it mine, but I do it anyway. 

Really it’s ours, but MINE is more fun. I sound like a Finding Nemo seagull.

Today’s Exploit:

I dropped my phone yesterday. I had just been thinking how amazing it was that I still had my original screen protector on it. And I had been taking it out of my case more because my charger won’t fit with it on. 

But yesterday, it was in the case, and I just got back from my run. 

I had my phone in my hand, I was walking. And then it bumped against my leg and then was on the ground. 

The lifeproof case isn’t so lifeproof here.

My screen is shattered, and the screen protector is what’s holding it all together. 

And naturally, being at work, I have no place nearby to go to get it fixed, replaced or find a kit to do it myself.

Excited for a House

Working nights when I have a qualified person working days is SOOOO nice, and I don’t have to worry about paperwork!

Today’s Exploit:

So far, so good on the house. 

We had an inspection, and it went much, much better than the last one. The house had normal maintenance issues for a 15 year old house, instead of neglect problems from a 115 year old house after being ignored for 20 years.

We still have a couple of weeks before we close, but everything is looking promising and I am getting pretty excited. 

The house has 4 bedrooms and a media room, which looks like a bedroom. All of the bedrooms are big and bright, although one of them is hot pink. And, to my mother’s dismay, the second bathroom is blue. I am looking forward to so much space for storage, after packing everything for 3 people into a single bedroom apartment. Also, since we will have so many rooms, Cupcake says we have to have Christmas at our house now. 

The kitchen is nice and open, and has an island, and window that looks out on the back porch/yard/property.  It has so much counter space that even I won’t be able to fill it with all my kitchen stuff. Also, it has a gas stove, and I am ridiculously excited about that. I have big plans for taking the cupboards out to replace with shelves, and changing the countertops from it’s current green rock to butcher-block. 

The back porch is truly amazing, and gigantic, and will be perfect with some strings of party lights and an outdoor kitchen area. There’s even a fire pit already in place and an amazing view up into the little hills behind the house. I have plenty of space for gardens and maybe some fruit trees, and H. has space for a shop and is excited about getting to buy a tractor to mow the grass. We just need some marshmallow roasting sticks and some fresh marshmallows (This time I’ll make them thicker!). 

Trying Again

This week’s recommended reading:

Found here

Today’s Exploit:

So the first house didn’t workout, but that doesn’t mean we’re giving up.

Yesterday H. and I went and looked at some more houses. We found some good things and some bad. 

I touched a cat and it yelled at us when we locked it back in its room. We encountered an over-filled victorian with 5 doll houses. And some great views of the lake, as well as some fans that wouldn’t turn off. 

We found one that is just right and makes everyone happy. So we put in an offer. Please cross your fingers for us. Hopefully no one else will out bit us and we can finally move out of our cramped apartment. 

No More House

This week’s recommended reading:

Today’s Exploit:

We had the inspection for the house the other day.

I was so excited to go back and take pictures, to make plans for how to re-do and to decorate the rooms. 

Sadly, the first thing I heard when I got to the house was that the inspector had done a preliminary check, and every major system in the house was failing. So I went around and looked at the rooms and did some imagining.

But then I had the meeting where he told me everything that needed to be fixed. The list was endless and he didn’t even go into detail.

We started outside and talked about how the roof needed major repairs, possibly replaced. And the roof support structure needed to be replaced to support a new/repaired roof. The roof needed to be replaced to prevent any more water damage to the upper ceiling. Due to the water damage there is a possible mold problem in the bedrooms. 

The exterior of the house is covered with wood rot, and everything was hand made, so the only way to match it is to have it made. Also, it has extensive evidence of termite damage, so most likely all wood parts on the house will need to be replaced. Additionally, the house is not level, and the sub-structure has termite damage, and has been improperly repaired multiple times in the past.

All of the systems in the house are failing and were improperly installed as well: the electrical, the plumbing, the HVAC system. All of these have remnants of the previous version of the installation, excess wires, old pipes (possibly even lead pipes remain), and damaged air vents. 

After hearing all of this, and being completely overloaded with information, I went and waited for the official report. I also had a nice long talk with H. about what this house would require to just keep it from deteriorating even more.

We decided that this house, while amazing and lovely and historically awesome, is not one we want to tackle as our first house. 

So we are back on the hunt for something that I can stand to live in without tearing apart completely.

Wish me luck, I need some.

It’s Mine, All Mine!

This week’s recommended reading: 

Today’s Exploit:

I get my house! They said yes!

I am so excited I can’t even put it into words. 

I have so many plans.

First I’ll take out the carpet and some tile.

Then we’ll work on the master bathroom, while I decide what in the world to do with the weirdo downstairs bathroom and laundry area.

Then I’ll deal with the extra tall counter/sink in the kitchen and get a beautiful gas cooktop, and take out the cabinets to put shelves on the wall. 

All the little cubbies need cleaned out and re-finished. As does the mini cellar-thing.

And I get to bring my piano down without forcing myself out of the house to provide space!

At some point we’ll deal with the not so fun tasks, like getting the bee nest out of a wall, and making sure the house is level and not rotting away. And waterproof in the rain. 

I can’t wait to finish the paperwork stuff so the fun part can start!