Spring Break

At Last! Spring Break!!!! I can't tell you how much I have looked forward to this week - and it has finally arrived!!! YAHOO!!!!! (Can you tell I'm excited by all the exclamation marks? - Well, if you can't, maybe you could tell if you could see me doing my happy dance, which I have been doing off and on since Friday afternoon about 3:30 - of course, this is nothing compared to the Happy Dance I will be doing on June 4th - but who is counting the days? ME! But that is for another blog!) The first part of this week is going to be busy with doctor's appointments - what was I thinking ??? Anyway, tomorrow is the colonsocopy - Yipee! Today is the prep day which I really HATE (but then who does like to drink that stuff). Really, you would think that they would have gotten this stuff where it isn't that bad to drink, but I don't think that is true yet. Anyway, once you get through the prep the actually test is not a big deal (of course, I don't like not being able to have my coffee in the morning, but I can get over that too). Tuesday we will go back into Lakeland for the pups annual check up at their Vet, then on Wednesday I have my bone density test, mammogram, and the doctor's follow up visit from February. When that is over Dan and I can really enjoy the last couple of days of my break. It looks like Thursday we will be going up to Orlando to check on the kitchen cabinets and some other things - so we might as well go by IKEA too. I asked Dan if we could go by a place that I like in Lake Wales on the way to the doctor on Wednesday called The Barn - I don't think we will buy anything, but I can look around for some ideas and inspiration. We are hoping to have the final paperwork to submit to the bank the first part of next week. That may be something that we can do on Tuesday before making our pilgrimage into Lakeland that day. We'll see how that goes. The contractor has promised to have the paperwork to us by Monday - we shall see. I would really like to get started by the first of April, but I don't see that happening. I don't know how long it will take to do everything that the bank will require. It may not be until the first of May and if it takes 6 weeks to 2 months it will be the end of June before the place is finished. I guess we will just have to wait and see what will happen. I'll keep you updated as I know. Dan did get all the landscaping finished in the back yard last Sunday - I quit on him before it was finished - remember I posted the pictures and showed that there was still a section that was not finished. Well, Dan didn't stop. Well, that is not exactly true - he did stop for a while - it was just too hot - but later on in the afternoon, when the temperatures went down some, he went back out and finished up - so it was all done by sundown last Sunday afternoon. So, it went from this two weeks ago ----------------------------------------

To this. Now, the chairs are going to go back to Lowes - we bought them Friday night - last night we went out and were sitting and Dan just about broke the back legs off the chair he was sitting in - so these just aren't going to work for us. We will have to find something else. Dan did want a fire pit to go on the patio, so I ordered this one off the Internet and it came the middle of the week. It is a pretty good size - and I think that it will be nice, especially next fall when the temperatures drop a little. I don't know if we will use it too much this summer - we might, just for the fun of it - certainly not for the heat! Sorta like a campfire - you don't need it in the summer, but it's fun to sit around the fire. Anyway, Dan has his grill on the patio now, and we will get it all set up for him and he should be ready to do some serious cooking this summer. We still have some work we want to do on the patio, but that isn't something that has to be done right away - it just stuff to make it pretty - columns and railing, stuff like that. Anyway, it will be awhile before that is done - the inside of the house if the next project. Nothing else it being done until we get that done.

I told you that the boat had a problem and we couldn't get it to start last weekend. Well, Dan call and got the boat place to come out to look at it the middle of the week - the starter had burned up on the boat - don't know what caused that. Well, it wasn't exactly the starter, but the wiring. I don't know, I'm not a mechanic, but anyway - they had to order the part (wiring and bushings - does that make sense to anyone?) and it won't be in until next week. Of course, it will be expensive according to Dan (what isn't with a boat?) - maybe he's just trying to set me up - who know's. Hesays he doen't know how much the part is going to be, but I just can't imagine he ordered something that he doesn't know the price of - but then again, it's for his boat. Anyway, Dan is 'dead in the water' right now and can't do anything as far as going out on the lake. But, once he gets this fixed, he should be okay for the summer (maybe?). Once again, we just take it one step at a time.

Well, I don't have that much else to report this week - so I guess I'll close. I'll keep you posted on the home renovations. You guys have a great week and I'll talk to you later!

Dan's trying to work me to death!

One side finishedDirt

Well, we are still getting things done on the outside of the house - the concrete was poured this week and the forms were pulled on Tuesday. We had to let the patio and the flower bed cure for a couple of days before we could do anything, but let me tell you - Dan has decided that I was going to work this weekend! See this pile of dirt - well, it was twice that size on Friday. We have been shoveling dirt and putting it in the flowerbed all weekend long. I am sore where I didn't know I had places to be sore!

Seriously, we have been working hard on getting the flower bed filled and the plants in (we did go to Home Depot and Lowes yesterday - Home Depot had mulch on sale for $1.07 a bag - so we bought 50 bags - the back of the truck was FULL!) We did work most of yesterday - until it just got too dang hot and again this morning and we made a pretty good dent in the job --------

Back side of the pool (toward the canal)

What still needs to be done ------ This is about 10 more feet, but we just gave out of energy and once again, by the time it gets to be around 2 o'clock in the afternoon, it is just too hot to be out there shoveling dirt. Anyway, we should be able to get it finished by next weekend. In case you are wondering what kind of plants these are - we are planting some creeping juniper (which will grow to be about 6 - 8 feet across) and some mounding asylum (which is not what we thought we were getting - we thought we were getting the trailing asylum, like grows in the mountains, but I guess it gets too hot here in south central Florida - so we have decided we will use this stuff this year, but next year we will just put some pots out for some color). I know that for right now it doesn't look like a lot of plants, but we don't want to put too much in since the juniper will grow to be so large in the future. Anyway, I think it will look good in a couple of months it will start to spread and things will start looking up.

This shows how much more we have to go - it doesn't look like that much but it is about three feet deep and it takes about 4 wheel barrow loads of dirt just to fill one small section - we measured and it took 18 loads to do a 6 foot section - that's a lot of dirt! We have about 10 feet left - then we will have to spread the rest of the dirt in the yard - Yahoo - doesn't that sound like fun!

Then on top of shoveling dirt and planting plants and spreading mulch, I have been doing laundry, washing dogs, and still have to do lesson plans. It has been a busy weekend for me! Next week is our last week before Spring Break - I don't know what to expect as far as behavior from the kids, but it can't be much worse than it has been (but as soon as I say that, it will be!). Anyway, I'm looking forward to having a week off from school even if the first three days will be taken up with doctor's appointments. The best part - there are only 50 more days of school! Yep - the countdown is on!

Well, last night we invited Melissa and Justin to come over to go out on the boat to see the Super Moon on the lake - they got here - we loaded up on the boat and - the boat wouldn't start! Dan was so upset - we really don't know what the deal is - we don't think it is the battery, but he is going to put the battery charger on it today and see - it that doesn't work I guess he will call or go see the people at the boat dealership next week and see what needs to be done to fix it. Oh the joys of boat ownership! Anyway, I was all ready to take some pictures of the Super moon on the lake and wasn't able to - so I had to take some shots from the back yard - they didn't turn out as well as I had hoped, but I hope you enjoy the one.

Everyone have a good week and I'll talk to you later!

Well, things are moving along

Well this was the week that we were suppose to find out if we were going to be able to do the house. We don't have the final figures yet, but it looks like we just might be able to be able to do some of the work, if not all of it.


Mark, the contractor did come on Wednesday afternoon - right at 4:00, with his son - who works for him. They came in with a blow up copy of the plans they had emailed us. We walked through the house and talked about the concerns we had (a wall moved in the kitchen/laundry room that didn't need to be moved and would have cost BIG money to move, because it involved moving the door into the garage - not a good idea). We also didn't understand some of the measurements in the bedroom walk-in closet. We addressed all those concerns while we waited for the electrician to get here. He arrived at about 5 and we walked through the house again talking about were light plugs, switches, pendents, cans, etc needed to be and what needed to be moved, etc. The electrician told Mark that he should have figures to him by this past Friday and Mark said that he should have final figures to us sometime this coming week. However, the ballpark figure he gave us was within what we had thought it would be and we think we will be able to do it.

Dan went down and talked to the bank on Thursday and we are waiting to hear back from them on some things that we are looking at - different options we have. So, to make a long story short, we shall see. Right now, things are promising, but only time will tell - but I will keep you posted.

In the meantime, that doesn't mean we haven't been doing things. Dan has been wanting to put a patio on the back of the house - outside the pool enclosure and a retaining wall/flower bed around the pool - well, we finally had the money saved to get that done - and the work was started on Friday.

Everything has been formed up and now we are waiting for the inspectors to come on Monday - after that - hopefully Monday afternoon, but no later than Tuesday, the concrete man will be back to pour the concrete. Dan says by next weekend we will have a usable patio. As you might be able to tell from the first couple of pictures, it is going to be a pretty good size. We have also ordered the fire pit that Dan wants for the patio, and it should be the first part of the week. All we will have to do is get some chairs to go around it, and next weekend we can have a cookout and a fire. Sounds like a good time.

Dan has also been sorta busy in the house - remember that wall I told you about that left a hole in the bedroom wall - well, he finally got that filled in with drywall and has been working on "mudding" the wall. I don't know - but I guess it takes a while to do that???? Plus, he moved the pocket door over to the bathroom door that will close the guest bedroom/bathroom off, but not interfere with the door going out to the pool deck.

He says he wants to get these walls finished and the trim work back up before the contractor comes in (I don't know, but I'm sure there is a good reason for this). Anyway, I hope to be able to post pictures each week of all the work being done on the house - but we will have to wait at least a couple more weeks. IF we are able to do this - it will be the first of April before we can get started. That will be after Spring Break, and after all the doctor appointments. Like I stated earlier, I'll keep you posted.

Now, finally, for this week - Thursday after work Dan and I took a sunset cruise out on the pontoon boat and I took a few photos - I posted one on my Facebook page, but I wanted to leave you with one on the blog today. I hope that you have a great week and that you'll stay with me - looks like things might actually be starting to happen around here! Yeah! For those of you on Spring Break, have a great week and remember those of us that are still working for a couple more weeks (our Spring Break is not until the last week in March - but that just means we will only have 9 weeks of school left when we get back - Yahoo!!!!) Take care and I hope you enjoy the sunset ------------------

Not exactly the week I thought I would have

Okay, I thought that by this time we would know how much it was going to run to have the remodeling done on the house and we would have made a decision on what we were going to do - NOT!

The guy from the company who is doing the bid for the remodeling job was suppose to come on Friday afternoon after I got home from work, but after work on Friday I checked my phone and there was a message on it from him. He wanted to come next week with the electrician because he wanted to make sure his drawings were accurate, so his pricing would be accurate. He did email us a copy of some drawings that he has done and we like the concept especially in the master bedroom closet/bathroom, but there are some issues with the scale, especially in the kitchen/laundry room/master bathroom (they are all inter-related since they back up to each other and when you square up these angle walls they will all be affected.) Anyway, to make a long story somewhat short, he won't be here until Wednesday afternoon at 4 - which means we won't be able to make any kind of decision until next week. As most of my friends will tell you, I am not the most patient of people, so this is really driving me NUTS!!!!! I wanted to get it done yesterday and now having to wait to even make a decision another week - well, it is not the best of circumstances!

Mark, the owner of the remodeling company, did tell Dan on Friday, that one of the things that is bothering him is the idea of us staying in the house while all the work is being done. Dan doesn't see what the big deal is, but I can sorta understand where he is coming from, especially when we are talking about tearing down just about every single interior wall in the entire house. Anyway, we have talked to the kids that live here in Lake Placid and they have both told us that we can stay with them if we need to - not an issue. So, if the need arises, we do have a place to stay. Anyway, I know I said this last week, but hopefully, this time next week, we will know what we are going to do.

Also on Wednesday we were suppose to have Dan's nephew from Michigan and a bunch of his motorcycle buddies here for a couple of days on their annual Florida road trip. Now these are professional guys who like to take a road trip on their Harley's once a year, and a few years ago, when we lived in North Florida they stayed with us a night or two. So, Dale called and asked if they could come by and stay a couple of nights with us here - of course we said to come on. Well, he called yesterday and he has pneumonia and can't come, but the other guys are coming anyway. It should be interesting and fun - There will be four of them and only one queen size bed - and three blow up beds that will be thrown on the floor around the house - we'll see how that plays out. I may be staying over at the kids house for a couple of days - we'll see.

It has been so windy here that Dan and I have not been out on the boat at all this weekend and it is suppose to rain today - it hasn't yet, but it is cloudy and I know that we could sure use some rain. Dan went out twice this week with our neighbor fishing for shell crackers - they didn't catch anything the first day and Dick, our neighbor, caught one Friday, which they threw back. Dan said that neither one of them wanted to clean one little fish. I'm sure they will have a chance to catch plenty in the days ahead.

We went out to eat on Friday night to Jaxson's - our first time there. We had heard about this place over on the north side of Lake June, but we had never been. We decided Friday night to try it. It was really good - we both had Prime Rib which was excellent and fried cheese cake - yep, you read right - fried cheese cake. Yummy - but I wouldn't recommend it for just one person - Dan and I split one piece and it was more than enough. Anyway, the food was excellent, the service and good, and the manager/owner(?) came over and checked with us a couple of times to make sure everything was good. We will definitely go back. Other than that, we have pretty much stayed at home (I know, I know - will wonders never cease!).

Oh, we did go over to mom's for dinner last night, but other than that, it has been a fairly quiet week. I guess I will let you go for now, but before I do I just wanted to wish my oldest daughter a very Happy Birthday. I know that your card and all will be late - your birthday sorta slipped up on me, but don't think that means I don't love you very much. I hope that you have an absolutely fabulous day today at your party and a wonderful day tomorrow on your birthday - Love you, Crystal!

Everyone else - have a great week -and I'll talk to you later