Long overdue ...

I have been sooooooooooooooo packed ... er, I mean UNpacked. We've finally moved!!!

I have sooooo much to write about, but no time to do so right now. Since we live near the end of the earth now, we are having difficulty attaining two VERY important things: the Internet and satellite! I am posting this from my office (gotta finish that report before Jan. 1st), so I don't have the time to post new pictures or write and tell about all of the new happenings. Suffice to say we're enjoying the new house (especially the kids!) ... and my life right now is so ... so ... BUSY!

The kids had a fruitful Christmas ... we didn't get to put up the tree until 2 days before Christmas and had to take it down on Christmas day (hey, back off ... I know what some of you are thinking!) ... because the new furniture will arrive soon and I had to make room!

I promise to post new pics soon. I have to find the camera's charger (I think it's still at the old house) so I can take some more pictures.

Be patient! Oh, and I hope everyone has a great New Years! I intend to blog my resolutions ... so hopefully others will join in with theirs.

Real quick GREAT news though ... my mom is coming in February for a week (maybe 2 weeks) visit!! I am flying her (all by herself!) in so she can be the first to christen the upstairs guest room and to take her to all the places in South Georgia that she's always wanted to go but never had the time to when she has visited before! I am sooooo excited!! So are Ron and the kids ...

Until next time ...

J :)

Assorted pics

I've included a variety of photos here because if I divided them it would take me half the night. I am dead-ass tired now, so I'll just lump them here.

I'm not sure in what order they'll show up, but in these y'all will see the hardest working man in the world (that would be RON) working on the fireplace, the bannister upstairs, the wood stairs (courtesy of Shannon), my office upstairs (the terra cotta colored room with the wood floor), the exercise/recreation room (no carpet yet), the front door (which has yet to be stained and the wall that has to be painted), the very complicated and misunderstood alarm and air conditioning controls, and ... um, I'm not sure. Just look and ask if you're not sure what the photo is.

Man, I'm tired ... that's it for now. After posting 6 times (this is #6) tonight, I'm whooped. When Ron came home tonight he said he and Shannon installed the columns in the dining room (which separate it from the den). I will wait to post photos of the columns until the carpet is installed in the other rooms. Hannah's furniture will be delivered Friday, and tomorrow I'm on a mission to find Eli's furniture. I am trying to find him a quality full-sized bed with the drawers underneath the mattress. I'm going to head to the real wood furniture store (the Assistant Dean at work ... her hubby owns it ... I smell a discount!) to see if they can help us out with Eli's stuff.

I have four more days of work and then I'm off for 3 ENTIRE WEEKS. This, of course, is one of the perks of working in higher education. No students on campus typically means a welcomed break. I have LOTS OF WORK to do while on my Christmas vacation ... the house, of course ... but I also have to finish my section of the Annual Performance Report. So ... 3 weeks of vacation isn't as cool as I made it sound ;) ... perhaps one day I'll actually know what it's like to have NOTHING TO DO. Not anytime soon though ...

G'nite, y'all ;)

Master Bedroom

I only included a few of the master bedroom because the carpet for that room won't be installed until Wednesday, possibly Thursday. I've went through hell trying to get (a) the carpet I want and (b) the carpet I want INSTALLED quickly. David, the tile man, has a half-brother who works for a flooring company in Valdosta, so he gave us directions with instructions to ask for his brother (can you say, "discount?"). It turned out to be worth the 45 minute drive ... not only did I find the carpet that I insisted upon (a beautiful neutral pile-cut with flecks of sage throughout), they are going to install it soon! Everywhere else we went kept telling us that it couldn't be installed until after Christmas.

We also ordered the carpet for the bonus room upstairs and the carpet for the extra bedroom upstairs. We got it all at a good price, and we got it all coming within days. Ultra smooth, eh?

I have to meet the "design lady" from the flooring store tomorrow at 3 pm. Since most of the bottom floor is tiled (all except the master bedroom), we will need plenty of area rugs. They can cut any rug to any dimensions, so the woman is coming out to help me choose sizes and colors. I really, REALLY like this one design (and Ron likes it, too) ... so if I end up choosing it I'll post it.

Also, the saleswoman at Turner's has volunteered to meet me so she can help me decide what furniture to buy for the sitting area in the masterbedroom. Isn't that so sweeeeeet of her? I'm sure she isn't thinking of the commission ;)

Oh yeah ... one last thing ... did y'all check out those GORGEOUS dragonfly framed art? All who know me well know I LOVE dragonflies ... and when I saw these at Turner's on Saturday ... they were screaming my name. I know I paid more than I should have, but aren't they BEAUTIFUL??? They're matted in thick gold frames, which will look perfect in my bedroom. I am on the hunt for a dragonfly tapestry, so if anyone runs across one please let me know.

Okay, on to others ...

Kid's bathrooms

Here are pictures of the kid's bathrooms. Hannah's is (obviously) the violet-painted bathroom. A friend of mine, Heather (who is also Shane's pregnant wife), gave me an entire set of bathroom decor ... the shower curtain, the bath rugs, the toothpaste cup, the soap dish ... everything that goes into the bathroom. The design is perfect for Hannah! It has butterflies and dragonflies ... all violet, green, and light pink ... very sweet.

Eli's bathroom, which will double as the bathroom that guests will use, is blue and brown. I fell in love with the two colors together when Vera Bradley came out with the brown/blue paisley print (I have a purse and wallet with that design). So ... I'm on the hunt for brown and blue material, not necessarily paisley. I have a good friend who is in the corporate ladder of Bed, Bath and Beyond ... I may be giving him a call ...

I didn't take a picture of the upstairs bathroom. The mirror still needs to be installed ... and it's just an extra bathroom ... it may be months before I begin decorating that one.

Master Bathroom

In this set of pictures I've included:

- the bathtub and plumbing fixtures

- the shower and plumbing fixtures (get a load of the double shower heads! I can hardly wait!)

- the double sinks and plumbing fixtures

I also love the mirrors in the bathrooms ... the cabinet maker extraordinaire (Shane Carroll) made matching frames for all the mirrors in the bathrooms. He'll be back next week so I can explain to him how I want my closet designed. I've several ideas in my head, and I am excited about articulating those ideas to Shane. He's amazing ... just look at my kitchen cabinets and see what I mean. Oh, and Shane and his wife are expecting their 3rd child, too.

Ahem ... no, not to worry ... Shane's wife and Shannon's wife do NOT drink from my water faucet!! It is NOT in the water!!

Kitchen - Updated Pics

Okay, pictures from the kitchen. I realize now (as I'm sittin' here posting) that I've neglected to show a good picture of the island. Oh well, perhaps once we move in I'll get one of that. I'm also not sure I've gotten close enough to see the granite, at least the design in the granite. I am sure, though, that everyone can see the tile backsplash. The "tile man" ... David ... put in the backsplash in record time ... and I think it's beautiful. We originally planned to have a stainless steel backsplash behind the stovetop, but I think this came out much better.

I also included a picture of Shannon, the excellent "crown moulding" dude. In the photo he is finishing the crown in the breakfast area. He has been perhaps the biggest contributor to our house. Besides installing ALL OF THE MOULDING (crown and otherwise - which is A LOT), he also helps Ron do so many other things. He's a good guy ... and his wife is expecting their 3 child in ten more days. Everyone think good thoughts for Shannon and his family ...

Okay, on to other pictures ...

5 more days until MOVING DAY!

Okay, this post is long over due. We've been swamped with trying to get the house finished (more Ron than me, of course), and I've been buried at work since next week is finals week.
On Thursday evening (Dec. 7th - D-Day) we had our SSS Christmas party. It was only for the peer tutors and SSS staff; however, the party was anything but boring. We did the whole "secret Santa" thing going ... it lasted a week ... and on Thursday we each discovered who our secret Santa was. I happened to pick Jonathan's name ... he's 17 years old ... still in high school, but also taking college classes (he will be a sophomore when he begins UGA in the fall) ... so it was more than tough finding him a gift he'd like. I finally settled on a shirt ... but included the gift receipt just in case he hated it. My secret Santa was a girl named Stephanie ... she's very quiet and reserved, so I never could figure who picked my name. She did well ... she bought me some body lotion and shower gel from Bath and Body Works. Good, huh? All in all, the party was lots of fun. I love laughing with these kids ... it reminds me of when I was young ...

This past weekend (and the past 3 weekends, too) have been spent driving all over town ... spending gobs of money at Lowe's. Yesterday was kinda fun ... we went FURNITURE shopping. Fun in the way that it's always cool to get somethin' new ... but gut wrenching in the way that you've got to PAY FOR IT. Still, it was kinda fun. We hit all the furniture stores in town, which consists of FIVE. We settled on Hannah's bedroom suite at Farmer's Furniture ... a mahogany sleigh bed (see picture above). For our bedroom, we decided to only buy the bed (king sleigh bed in the picture above - the one in the room with the white curtains) because we need to see how the bed will fit with the antique dresser we have. I have a good feeling we'll be going back soon to get the nightstands and dresser with mirror.

While I love Hannah's bedroom suite, and I love the king sleigh bed for our bedroom ... both of those do not compare to how much I'm BANANAS over the kitchen table (see pic above) and leather couch for the den (can't find a picture of it ... but I'll take one of it when it's delivered). First ... the table. Now ... I know most of you won't go nuts over this table, but I have to briefly explain why I am.

When Ron told me to "pick out some furniture," I was trying to be kind (with regards to the price). I looked at circulars ... surfed the 'Net ... and decided upon a kitchen table from Farmer's Furniture. It was cute ... not really my first choice, but I wasn't repulsed by it. I figured I could live with it and make it work. Well, when I took Ron to the store to show him ... he said, "hell no." He didn't mind the furniture I chose for Hannah's room (actually, she chose it), but there was no way he was going to buy the table I picked out among the 6 designs that were available (hey, this is THOMASVILLE). Anyway, we paid for Hannah's furniture and headed to Turner's. We bought a couch two years ago at Turner's, and when we walked in the saleswoman from our last visit there remembered us. She was very nice (and was very much working on commission) ... and she was the one who guided us to the area where Ron found this table. When Ron laid his eyes on the table, he knew that was the one he wanted. I, of course, saw the price ... and thought, "there is NO way he's gonna buy this." Well ... I am still in shock ... he said, "this is the one we want." (sidebar: I'm gonna have to be nice for a REALLY long time for this table ;))

So ... we find the king sleigh bed ... and then I tell Ron I want to show him the couch I picked out. Now friends (and family) ... I looked at a gazillion couches ... and no matter how many I looked at, sat on, considered ... none would leave the impression I had of the whiskey-colored leather couch I found at Turner's a month before this weekend. As we (me, Ron, Hannah, Eli, and the saleswoman) head towards the leather section of the store, I began searching for the couch of my dreams. I turn a corner thinking, "oh, it's right around here." I get to that spot and I can't find it ... I panic ... truly, my heart just dropped. The saleswoman says, "are you looking for the whiskey-colored one?" I first think, "how the hell does she know that?" and then I wonder, "where the hell did they move it?" The saleswoman takes me around another corner ... and there it is ... in all its glory ... and I just melt as I gaze upon the rich leather ... and Ron melts as he gazes upon the PRICE. Thankfully, it's on sale (yeah, right ... sure it is) ... and I get the "go ahead." Of course, he wouldn't relent and let me get the loveseat, too ... that is, until he sees the couch in the den. He seems to think there won't be enough room in the den for both. Ahem ... let me spare everyone the suspense ... there's room ... oh yeah, there's PLENTY of room. That loveseat will finds it way home soon ... :)

The only drawback of buying furniture from Turner's (besides the sticker shock) is that the furniture will take 6 weeks to arrive. Well, they have UP TO 6 weeks for its delivery. The saleswoman told me that they will be close the entire week of Christmas, so I should plan on the entire 6 weeks. Ugh. Oh well, it'll be worth it.

Okay, let me get posting some pics of the house. I'm sorry it's taken so long to update the photos ... so many people have been asking me to post some photos, but the house was in a stage where it was difficult to look at parts of it and imagine what it'd look like. Since we're near the end, most everything is complete except where noted.

Tequila Christmas Cake

I have a friend from long ago who recently sent this to me. As the old saying goes, "it's an oldy, but a goody."

Tequila Christmas Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
Lemon juice
4 large eggs
Nuts
1 bottle tequila
2 cups of dried fruit

Sample the tequila to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the
tequila again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level
cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of
butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again.
At this point it's best to make sure the tequila is still OK. Try
another cup... just in case. Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 leggs
and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Pick the frigging fruit up off floor. Mix on the turner. If the fried
druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver.
Sample the tequila to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt.
Or something. Check the tequila. Now shift the lemon juice and strain
your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever
you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try
not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw
the bowl through the window. Finish the tequila and wipe counter with the cat.

CHERRY MISTMAS!

A Monday Giggle

Compliments of my dear friend, Nita.

Women are Evil by Nature

A woman went up to the bar in a quiet rural pub. She gestured alluringly to the bartender who approached her immediately.She seductively signaled that he should bring his face closer to hers. As he did, she gently caressed his full beard.

"Are you the manager?" she asked, softly stroking his face with both hands.

"Actually no," he replied.

"Can you get him for me? I need to speak to him," she said, running her hands beyond his beard and into his hair.

"I'm afraid I can't," breathed the bartender. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Yes, I need for you to give him a message," she continued, running her forefinger across the bartender's lip and slyly popping a couple of her fingers into his mouth & allowing him to suck them gently.

"What should I tell him?" the bartender managed to say.

"Tell him," she whispered," There's no toilet paper, hand soap, or papertowels in the ladies room.