Apr. 5, 2006 -
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Apr. 5, 2006 - Kitties
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Apr. 5, 2006 - Welcome
Our cat Bella has been gaining quite a bit of weight lately. I got on the scale with her Saturday and she weighed 17lbs. Some of us suspected she was pregnant (she escaped a few months ago but was back in a few hours) but Barry kept saying he didn't think so because we couldn't feel any kittens. Well, yesterday she was very moody. Growling at the other cat, wandering around meowing etc.
Our alarm went off at 5:30 this morning and since we don't actually have to get out of bed until 6 we were just enjoying a few quiet moments before the day started. I heard what I thought was Solomon (our dog) making noises in his sleep. I snapped my fingers which generally quiets him and the noise stopped but then I heard something else. Barry said well, it can't be Bella because she is right here between us at our feet (where she always sleeps) and maya was playing in the bathroom with something. I figured it was nothing and reached my hand down to pet Bella (keep in mind it is 5:45am and pitch black in our room) My hand touched something wet. I jumped out of bed and turned on the bathroom light and low and behold Bella had given birth to one kitten ON MY BED...ICK ICK ICK....over the next three hours she had six more. We now have seven adorable kittens....
Jessica loved it, Sara was so grossed out she left the room and didn't want to hear about it. We cannot wait until Raina and Heath get here Friday for the surprise. We were going to call and tell them but we want them to be surprised!!
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Apr. 2, 2006 -
This week has been a week...
Barry was out most of it due to his wrist and his parents visit. Our kitchen is still a construction zone only now it is covered in sawdust BUT, the countertops are in and the cabinets are about to be stained and sealed. Then we will tile the backsplash and the peninsula countertop. We are holding off on the floors until summer. Barry's dad knows a place he can get it for less so we will end up with a better floor for the same budget...! Right now I am taking a break for sanding the rest of the cabinets. I need to let the sawdust clear from the room every now and again. The walls are stripped and will be painted later in the week. I can't wait to cook and not have to wear a hard hat!
The kids had a great week with grandma and papaw here. We let them take Friday off from school and we spent most of the day in St. Augustine at the outlet malls. It was fun. They were a bit whiney since they had been to the fair the night before. I had to work so didn't get to go to the fair. 
I did get to go to St Augustine though.
The weather is absolutely beautiful. The sun has been shining for days. The temperature is in the upper 70's, the sky is blue...I LOVE FLORIDA.....
Well, off to another week. Hopefully the time change will not mess us up too much. I really hate losing an hours sleep. I already feel like I don't get enough and now one gets snatched right up from under me!!!
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Mar. 27, 2006 - OUCH
This is one of those weekends I am happy to see over. It was long and busy. Then yesterday afternoon while we were working on the kitchen, Barry sliced his wrist with a utility knife while cutting a piece of drywall. After 5 hours in the emergency room, a tetnus shot, a vicoden, an antibiotic and 10 stitches we returned home exhausted. He ate something and went to bed. I did a few things around the rest of the house and got Sara ready to go back to school this morning. ( She feels that she was somehow jipped and that Spring Break went by way too fast!!!!)
Barry slept on and off. He generally sleeps on his right hand so that made it difficult especially once the numbness wore off. The pain medication helped some but he refused his second dose. He said it didn't hurt 'that bad'...He is a stronger person than I....He cut all the way to the tendon and has to go see a surgeon this week and it 'doesn't hurt that bad'???? Guess this slows down the remodeling a bit!! Thankfully his parents will be here later this afternoon for a few days and I'm sure his dad will enjoy helping him out.
Well, let's hope the rest of the week is less eventful than yesterday!!
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Mar. 22, 2006 - REMODEL??
Well we began work on our kitchen last week. When we bought the house in May we knew it was the one room we would be redoing. It is 1970's from top to bottom. I wish I had known how much work it was going to be...rewarding but so tiring. We are using the cabinets that were already here as they are in great shape BUT they need to be sanded down to bare wood in order to be stained to match the newer cabinets across the kitchen. If I never see sawdust again it will be too soon. Those of you who know me also know that I despise anything which even resembles a mess. So, I now have no cabinet doors or drawers. I have bare fluorescent lighting (that will be gone later this week as the new light fixtures are being put in) and I still need to USE my kitchen...what a disaster!! All in all it will be worth it in the end...right now my back and hands are KILLING ME...
The girls have been a great help with the sanding and taking down of the cabinets. Other than that they are enjoying the nice weather (chilly but sunny) !!
Bella (our cat that we rescued from our old neighborhood) seems to be getting fatter by the day. She escaped once (we have not had the opportunity to have her fixed yet) and was gone for about three days so we are awaiting her to either have kittens or keep getting fat...we aren't sure which it is...!!
Alright, I am gone for the night now. I need a HOT HOT HOT shower and a good nights rest so I can start all over again tomorrow!!
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Mar. 20, 2006 - SPRING BREAK
What a day already!!
Sara had a friend spend the night and two more came over this morning. Jessica has a friend here as well and they are ALL going to the mall this afternoon. I can't wait..Peace and quiet at last!!
So far I have cleaned up the kitchen from breakfast, mowed the lawn, done the weedeating and edging. Yesterday I shampooed the living room carpet. I actually cheated and only shampooed the areas NOT covered by the area rug...
Oh well, I had to work last night so I didn't want to overdo it.
Spring is definitely here. I have all kinds of flowers blooming, trees budding and tons of birds singing and tons of things to get cleaned out.
The kids are enjoying their spring break. Raina and Heath are with their mom and taking a road trip to Missouri to visit their stepdad's family. They are excited about the trip back. They will be stopping in TN to do some hiking. Raina was hoping for snow in Missouri but I don't think its going to happen. We miss them terribly but know they are having fun. The girls and I don't have too many plans for the week. Today they are malling it and we are hoping it will be warm enough for at least one trip to the beach.
but I saw the weather and it is supposed to rain tomorrow so maybe later in the week.
Barry's parents are supposed to be here next week. No big plans for them yet. The kids will be back in school but we are planning on letting them take a day off to spend with them....and they will have the afternoons and evenings. I think Barry and his dad are going to work on the kitchen. I am going to do a little on it today. Not sure what but something!!
Hope you all have a good day.
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Mar. 19, 2006 - The ICK has hit
Well the ick that Kim's family had a couple of weeks ago hit our house. Well, it hit me. I started feeling icky Thursday evening and my stomach was unsettled Friday but since I had a ton of errands to run I ignored it. I went to get new glasses....jessica's puppy chewed mine a couple of months ago and since I get a discount at the optical at Target I went there...ends up I will spend less going to my reg. eye doctor so, I will call monday and make an appointment...ANYWAY, they opened a new Zaxby's in front of my Target and along with our paystubs they gave us all coupons for free sandwiches and salads so I took the girls there for a FREE lunch...needless to say that made my stomach worse...by midnight Friday I was throwing up and did that ALL night....I finally fell asleep about 5am...I could not go to Sara and Barry's game (they lost....7/2)...I tried some plain toast around 9 and that came right back up...so I slept the rest of the day and then finally kept some applesauce down around 8:30 last night....and then slept until this morning!!
Other than that the weather is BEAUTIFUL!!! It is a typical Sunday, church, youth, confirmation....so, have a wonderful day!!
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Mar. 15, 2006 - A bit chilly today
Well, it is a bit chilly here this morning. A 'cool' front came through yesterday afternoon and brought some
but the sun is shining and it is supposed to warm up.
I am off again tonight which means I actually get to go to Wednesday night family night at our church with my family....
I spent yesterday pulling down wallpaper in the kitchen. It is almost complete except for behind the refrigerator and I will probaby finish that up sometime today. Then it is time to take down the ceiling fan...some brilliant person (apparently the same one who came up with brick for a backsplash!!) put a ceiling fan in the CORNER of the kitchen over the sink/stove area.??? 
Who thinks these things up...
Please pray for my friend Tracy!! She and her husband and four children are trying to move here. Her husband took a job in Sarasota but their house in CT was not selling and they were trying to support both households on one income. So, he put in his resignation, came back here and the very same time, THE HOUSE SOLD>... the company would not take him back so now he is without a job and they need to move out by the end of the month...they were told they could put off closing but they do not want to risk losing the sale...
I have emailed them some info on the Jacksonville area and they are looking into it....She and I have been friends since 5th grade....while most of our friends went on to college from highschool she and I chose the marriage and family route...we both have four kids and have been through divorces and remarriages, lived thousands of miles apart and have at times, gone years without contact and we can still pick up right where we left off....I would LOVE to have her here!!!
Well, enough for now...if I don't get started doing something soon the day will slip away before I know it!!
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Mar. 14, 2006 - Finally, a day off...NOT
Well I worked last night and it was a mess. 
We went way over sales over the weekend and it showed in the mess the store was. Plus a lot of areas are being reset with new stuff so what isn't done is a mess. What is done looks great...and the plus side to working at Target TONS OF CLEARANCE and I still get my discount even on clearance merchandise!! Gotta Love It!!
We are about to redo the kitchen...
of course not being filthy rich (or anything with the word rich in it) we are doing all the work ourselves one little bit at a time. First things first we have to tear it down....we have taken off the plastic light coverings...think 1970's soffets and fluorescent lighting....now we are scraping wall paper (that is what I spent the morning doing....!!) Thankfully all previous owners left what was there there and there is only one layer so it is going smoothly...(KNOCK ON WOOD) We also have brick to take down. Someone brilliant dreamed up the grand idea of using BRICK as the backing over the counters (think brick backsplash!!!??) One you can't clean it, two I hate not being able to clean something!!! So that is going to be a chore....Since replacing cabinets is way too expensive and these really are in good structural condition, we are going to sand them and repaint them.....we are planning to tile the floor...and perhaps the counter...that decision is still in the negotiating stage...we have different ideas so we have to find one to agree on (I'll let you know ??)
Other than that, today is my day off....I am doing laundry
and cleaning...I need to bathe the dogs before the weather gets icky so, guess I'll check in later...
Glad you had a great trip Kim...and that you made it back safely and your town was missed by the horrendous weather...AMEN...
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Mar. 13, 2006 -
I was right. It was a weekend.
The alternator in our older car needed replacing so, we bought one and when I got up at 6am Saturday to get Sara up and ready for her band thing, Barry got up to put it on. Well, as is our luck, in doing so something else broke. When we located the part it ended up only being available at the dealership. We could have waited a week for Napa BUT, we cannot possibly live with one car. So, I took Sara to her school, drove back home to bring Jessica to work and pick up the new part, then brought it home and drove to a different school to see Sara's assessment. Her band got ALL SUPERIORS...the highest you can get and it is the first time her school has brought this band level!!! 
I then came back home, washed and waxed the car while Sara laid down for a nap and Barry worked out in the yard. Then we loaded up the three younger kids to take Jessica the now fixed car and be at the soccer game at 4:30!!!!!!!!!! Came home had dinner and CRASHED out exhausted....Yesterday was the normal SUnday. We went to 8:45 worship. Talk about a service....I cannot even put into words what happened during that hour. Let me just say that God was certainly there and I am grateful to have a pastor who recognized the presence and feeling of what was happening and put her own sermon and agenda aside to let it happen!!!
We came home and had to fix the kitchen faucet...there was water EVERYWHERE!!! Then barry had play practice for the Easter play, I had to go to work, Sara had confirmation class and then youth group!! I was happy to go to work and rest!!!
Raina and Heath went back to their mom's today. Due to Spring Break next week they will be gone two full weeks...it is so hard when they are gone...we all miss them so much...all of this back and forth is terrible. I wish the courts would hurry up and do something!!!
Anyway I need to run and get a few more things done before I head off to work...
Hope you all had a more restful weekend then we did!!!
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Mar. 10, 2006 - What a day!!
What a Friday...just the beginning of yet another jam packed weekend!!
Heath had his speech assessment today at 9. He will need about 6-8 sessions of speech therapy to correct the impediment now that they have corrected his tongue.
It was too attached to the bottom of his mouth. They clipped that muscle and all will be well. OF course he is just excited that he can stick his tongue all the way out of his mouth and touch the bottom of his chin. BOYS!!!
Jessica is at her second day at the car wash. She came home Wednesday and took her nails off and said from now on, she will have them done SHORT!! 
Raina is home (at her mom's until we go get her) she had two teeth pulled yesterday and they were still bothering her. 
Tomorrow will be even busier. Sara has her music performance assessment at 9:30am (she has to be at her school at 7am).
..This is a HUGE part of their grade and all the middle school bands will be there. They have to perform two songs and then sight read a march...she is a bit nervous.
Then she and Barry have a soccer game at 4:30. We will be missing two defensive players so let's hope for the best!!
Thankfully I am off today and tomorrow so that should help...
Sunday we of course have church in the morning and then I have to work in the afternoon/evening. Sara has confirmation class at 4 and then both girls have youth group. Barry also has rehearsal for an Easter play right after worship. Another long day....!!! IS IT SPRING BREAK YET
Well, I'm going to go try and enjoy the rest of the morning of peace and quiet before the weekend begins.
Hope you all have a great day and if I don't get a chance to post again before Monday.
Have a GREAT WEEKEND
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Mar. 9, 2006 - I LOVE Florida
Well we are all set here for another beautiful day leading up to a beautiful weekend. It is supposed to be sunny and near 80' ALL WEEKEND. Then a cool front Monday and Tuesday ( it might get down to the 70's!!!!)
Last night was interesting. Jessica worked her first day at the car wash and came home exhausted and then had to go teach her Wednesday night bible study. Barry and I (actually just Barry...I was giving instructions on how NOT to make a mess in my kitchen) began taking down the lighting in the kitchen. It is 70's!!! Soffets with long fluorescent lights and those plastic slide covers. We got all the covers and trim down...next we have to figure out what is behind the soffet without destroying it incase there is nothing there!!!!!
I took Sara out to get some shoes. She has the MPAA (music performance assessment) Saturday. The note two weeks ago said 'sunday best' we have that covered. The new note last Friday said black skirt/white shirt....sooooo, we had to get those...do these people know how hard it is to find black skirts in MARCH???????? and of course none of her black winter shoes fit anymore...we found a cute pair...Target of course!! (gotta love that discount!!!) She then got a pair of flip flops from the dollar spot at Target...I swear that girl and her flip flops!!!!
We are praying for Kim & Brian's family (barry's brother and his family) apparently a stomach flu is running its course through their household. Kim is supposed to go out of town for a conference this weekend. If you have kids you know how rarely we get away without them....so we are hoping she doesn't get it and everyone else is healthy enough for her leave them!!!!
Well, guess that is enough for this morning. I need to get off of here and go get something done. I am babysitting for our friends Scott and Beth (nici and tori!!) today. They go to a Christian school and they are off today....I also need to get the dogs bathed when it warms up.
Hope you all have a great day!!!
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Mar. 8, 2006 - HELP
Well, hope you guys aren't too rough on my first entry. I had it all done, then tried to search my computer for a picture and lost my entry so I am having to redo it.
I got the idea from my sister-in-law in Missouri (thanks Kim). Our friends and family are so spread out all over the country that this seems a great way to keep everyone up to date on what is going on in our lives and what is going on in theirs.
Well for everyone who doesn't know us..or just wants to know a bit more...
My name is michele and my husband's name is barry.
This is a second marriage for both and we both came to this marriage with two children. Jessica,17...Sara,11...Raina, 8...Heath, 6.....
We have two dogs, two cats, a rabbit, a carribean tree frog, a hamster and some fish....yes the word ZOO comes to mind.
My husband is an engineer and I work part -time at Target...it really is fun!!!
The kids all go to school except Jessica who is done and will walk in May!! I can't believe my baby is graduating...seems like just yesterday she was pitching a fit in the grocery store for m&m's (oh maybe that was yesterday!!!)
We have a very busy but fun life. We attend church on Sundays and Wednesdays, my husband is a youth counselor, Jessica teaches the kindergarten/1st grade bible study on Wednesdays and is in the adult choir...the kids are in the kids choir and Sara is also in confirmation this spring. Barry coaches Sara's u12 soccer team (go Madness!!!) Raina is in dance at a school of performing arts and will be playing the queen in Sleeping Beauty this spring....Heath is well, a 6 year old boy. Boundless energy and questions questions questions!!!! We have lots of friends and love to have game nights at different homes...
Well enough for now...Hope I figure this out so I don't have to re-type it again...
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