Meanwhile, back on the home front...

Carey called tonight.  After talking for a few minutes, he handed the phone to Chloe (7).  This is a photo of her that her mama emailed me recently.  It was taken on the night of the Daddy/Daughter dance at the girls' school.  

So Chloe is chattering away, filling me in on all the progress on their new house.  Excitedly telling me that they have started construction on the pool.  Apparently it's not very big, but it is really, really deep, and it has a rock slide.

After about five minutes, she hands the phone to her mother.

• Me: So Chloe says there is a pool going in?
• Kasey: Uh...
• Me: She says it's not very big, but it's really deep.
• Kasey: (laughs and spells out) It's the S-E-P-T-I-C.
• Me:  What about the rock slide?
• Kasey: Leach field.

Now, I could be wrong, but I have a feeling that Daddy has been pulling somebody's leg.  

I also have a feeling that Daddy could have trouble getting a date for the dance next year if he's not careful.

Jumping in...

I had New Year's Day off, but Carey didn't.  After he left for work, a narrow bit of wall between two doorways caught my eye for the umpteenth time, and screamed out, 'Chalkboard!'  This has always been kind of an awkward spot to decorate, since it has a thermostat dead center.

After I started having fun chalking (example 1 and example 2) at Kasey's previous house before it was sold, I started thinking that this wall might be a good spot for a chalkboard of my own.  I purchased the paint months ago, but never went any further.

What with this being the year of Done is Better Than Perfect, I decided there would never be a better day to jump in.  I taped, and painted the edges, and attempted to continue with a sponge brush.  That wasn't working out so well, so I asked Beau to go out to the workshop and find a roller for me.

 Then I called Jared and asked for a favor.  He finished the first coat.

After that dried, Beau added a second coat while I dozed.

Then I came back and added a third coat from the thermostat down, and Kasey took over and finished the third coat from the thermostat up. 

Then before bed I added a fourth coat over the whole thing.  I took off the tape, cleaned up the roller, and put away the ladder.

It was still wet when I took this photo.  I'll let it cure for a couple of days before I take the chalk to it. 

It turned into a family project.  

And done really IS better than perfect!  :)

Brace yourself...

I saw this cute jack-o-lantern on Pinterest the other day.  I wish I could give credit to the original poster, but I couldn't track it back...and I really tried.  But the minute I saw this smiling fellow, I knew I had to make one for our boys in braces.  

Bobby, Jack, and Diego

Awww.  Aren't they cute?  I think the carving was easier than getting a picture of them all in toothy smiles.  I've been forbidden from putting it on Facebook...they didn't say anything about emails, texts, or blog though.  :)

Techno trauma drama...

Yesterday I started a project at the request of an in-law.  It involves finding, scanning, and emailing about 50 photos.  I got completely and utterly frustrated and quit for the day.

At 10:30 a.m. this morning, I went back to it.  

It is now 3:01 pm., and I have one photo scanned, and it came out so dark, that even editing it in Photoshop did not help.

Since the kids moved in, the only trouble we have had is with our wireless network.  Kasey works from home, so she needs reliable, quality connectivity.  My wireless router, while working great for the two computers we had in the house previously, was not cutting it with the added computers.  So we switched to the kids' router. 

However, my printer did not recognize that wireless signal...so every time we needed to print something, we had to reconnect my router, print, and then reconnect the kids' router.  All the while with this or that family member popping in to ask what is up with the router?

So the MAJORITY of my time today has been spent reading, digging, plugging, cursing, unplugging, un-installing, installing, cursing, re-installing, test printing, hoping, fingers crossing, hopes dashing, cursing, starting over, cursing, cursing, cursing.  It is FINALLY working for me.  Now whether it works for anyone else in the house, I really don't care.  ;)  

I just know that when they move into their new house, the couch is not the only thing they will be leaving behind.  They can set up a new router at the new house.  I don't want to start over again.