Life happens

Okay so the pieces of furniture we bought where delivered last night. Now the living room is full of furniture. Chris and his buddy where working on installing the mantel. I decided to fix myself a sandwich. Then did a stupid, fully acknowledge the stupid, it even went thru my head prior to the stupid and sliced my pinky finger. Holy crap it hurt, not to mention bled horribly. So I stick it under the cold water, all the time expressing myself colorfully, and Chris comes in and looks at it and says okay that needs stitches. So off to the local urgent emergency care. Took me right in, examined it, deadened it, cleaned it and stitched it up. No feeling in the upper part of my pinky, should come back slowly. Got a tetnus shot for my efforts, stopped for some take out. Came back home and did not rearrange the furniture.
As always, when you think you know whats going on, life happens and sends you in another direction. Oh well minor detour.

Re-arrange furniture

So tomorrow we get our new pieces of furniture, now we based our purchases on the new layout, so we get to see how well everything fits and works. This should mean additional adjustments, always interesting. Also tomorrow, we are having a mantle put in. Its big, bigger than I was thinking, I was thinking more of a faux mantle, not a real mantle. Meaning it sticks our from the wall more than I thought. Its really nice, the color is a different brown, but I think it will work fine. Cannot wait to see it all come together. There is some frustration, I want it a certain way, and until I get it that way I have frustration. Exciting......and challenging.
After the foundation is done, then comes the really enjoyable part, putting the accents in. Its like adding the jewelry to your outfit, makes it all POP!
Now for the weather, I know that people call Chicago the windy city, but really come to Idaho, southeast Idaho is unbelievably windy. I hate the wind. Really hate the wind. Despise the wind. It is so cold. The stockwaterer is freezing from the wind, FROM THE WIND! Like frozen for and inch.
Even talk of no school tomorrow due to the cold. I doubt it. The wind chill would have to be 35 below, I do not see that for tomorrow. Its cold, but we would need to be single digits with gusting winds over 20 mph. I'll let you know.
We will see.

Furniture

Okay we decided that we needed a new chair in the living room/family room. Our house is small, less than 1200 sq ft. So the living room is the family room. Anyway, we have a sofa and a recliner. We decided to get a club chair or chair and a half with a ottoman. So Saturday we went looking. In my mind I am thinking about 800 bucks should probably do it. I was wrong, wrong wrong. The first store we went to was Interior Accents in IF. Its a really nice furniture store, smaller but fabulous pieces. Anyway we found a gorgeous club chair, that has the combination leather and fabric. So nice, 1600 bucks. Then we wandered around looking at others and I found a sofa table, not looking for one, but found one that is so neat. Then we found like a side table that we could use for under the TV (wall mounted) and put the cable and dvd players on. Anyway for all of it 2778 buckeroos. So we had her write everything down and we went on to other stores. NOTHING came close. So while we ate lunch we called her and did a little negotiating and got everything for less the 2300. Now I am having a little buyers remorse, I want the furniture I just think, we kindof went overboard a bit. Yes they are all quality pieces that will last, just kind of a shock to me. We have never really spent alot on furniture. A few hundred here and there, 800 for the coach. Worldmarket find. Love it. Never big purchases, I guess this is big for me, maybe not so for some of you, but for us it is. Anyway, it will all be delivered on Wednesday. CANNOT WAIT!
BTW when I got home Friday night, Chris told me that one of the cows calved and the calf died. Chris was pretty upset. She gave no signs that she was ready so perhaps something was wrong. Its frustrating though. I mean a dead calf is like losing 500-600 dollars. Hopefully we will have better luck with the others.

Books

Have you ever emotionally reacted to reading a book? Of course, that is the purpose of reading, to take you into the writers imagination. So, a reaction is expected, sadness, joy, concern, fear, all of that right.
Well last night after finishing a book that is a series, a delightful, charming series with some fabulous recipes. Anyway this series is a "cozy mystery" series, so there is always a mystery to solve by the main character and her co-horts, most also are romance. Well in this series there has been a "lovers triangle" you know two men vying for the main characters attention. This has been going on for quite a few of the books. Well in this book, the author made one of the men somewhat of a bad guy. After finishing the book, I literally went into a funk, I was depressed, why do this. I was tired of the triangle aspect, and this appears to do that. Until the next book I really do not know but, it really bothered me. Why? That is what I cannot quite pin down. Its so weird. My husband thinks I'm too involved in reading, if it upsets me. Anyway it just struck me as out of my norm. Perhaps the reason for the mood is that she has one of her characters do something that I disagree with and am disappointed in his behavior, perhaps that is it. I'm disappointed not in a funk, just let down. Oh well, its just a character in a book, so better to be disappointed in a fictionary character than a friend, or loved one. Should be interesting to see what happens in the next book?? Which is the point is it not? So successful writing!
Anyway, now to move on with life. New carpet being put in the living room tomorrow. Yeah. Boo for tonight to have to clear out the room. Fun.

Cold and cough

First off, 3rd grade most definitely kicked our butt!! We should have helped more on her science project. I get a little panicky about doing too much and not letting her do the work. This time we should have helped more. #$&*&$ frustrating. Need to find the balance.
She struggled the whole week with a cold just like me, she would fall asleep at 5:30 and get up at 7 in the morning. So tired. Both of us just miserable with sinus and cough. Still sick this week but slowly getting over it. I hate colds. Two visits to the doc, multiple antibiotics to try, this latest one seems to be working, other than its hard on my stomach. Hopefully she feels better in the morning. I'm still struggling with it.
Chris had it but not as long, of course. Why is that? He never seems to get as sick. I take vitamins, supplements, Chris does not. Never fails. Oh well, such as it is. I think I just get run down. Take on too much. Or take on too much stress, perhaps. Perhaps, its not dealing with stress as well. Need to leave work at work. Put more time into relaxing. We did have a wonderful weekend a bit back. We stayed in a local hotel with a pool, swam, ordered pizza and watched movies. It was so much fun. I really would like to take a weekend shopping in Utah. Just a few stores, Taipan Trading, World Market, and IKEA, but man, after those 3, I can seriously drop some coin. So cannot do it too often. Maybe in April.
This weekend we are looking for a club chair and ottoman to replace the recliner.
That should be fun.
Enjoy.

Time gets away from me all the time. Usually when life happens in unexpected ways. February has been that way.
We had an excellent visit with my brother and his wife, and their two youngest boys. Only get to see them once or twice a year, sometimes not even that. Military....that explains it.
Love visiting with them. Wish they lived near, not in another country. Oh well.
We had a great time watching the superbowl together, at my other brothers house. Good time, great rivalry within the family, making it that much more fun watching the game. However the after party was the pits, it was spent at the emergency room with my parents, after they got in a car crash. My Mom got the worst of it. A couple broken ribs, couple cracked ones, lacerated liver, and whiplash. She stayed in the hospital for a few days. Dad got to go home that night (actually it was early morning). Chris and I stayed until they got her into her room, 3ish or something. So difficult when your parents age, mine are in their seventies. It's tough when somewhere along the line the child becomes the parent to their own parents. Dad is doing okay. Mom is having a harder time, taking longer to heal, tries to do to much and then add another day of just resting.
That would be enough to make February yuck. However, not this time, Chris gets blood work back that needs further investigation. So he had a liver biopsy, the good news is that he has fatty liver, which considering the other alternatives, is a good thing. Some diet changes and possibly medicine will hopefully resolve this. He also is having some kidney issues, which we are waiting on what that is. Should have the results shortly. Hope for the best, but deal with the rest. Now I have a cold. Its just never ending. Waiting for a new month. March will be better.
Cait has a science project this Friday, (3rd grade-not to scientific) however its not working like it says. Simple project, large container, put in one cup water mixed with two drops red food coloring. Then add eight more cups of water until clear (this is what the instructions say) well it will not be clear, just slightly pink. So we have to work with the results given.
Terrible when 3rd grade kicks your butt.
Fun stuff.
Cait gets her head gear next week, she has an underbite. Today we go in and get the metal spacers on her teeth, then they take the measurements and send them off to have the gear made. Then in about 3 months she will get braces on her top four teeth. She will have the headgear for about 9 months. Then when she is a teenager she will have full on braces.
Ka-ching!!!!! Couple grand just for the headgear. More fun stuff. More life happenings!
Been working on getting the taxes done. I realize I have a brother who is an excellent CPA and is more than willing to do the taxes, yet for some reason I feel I must do them myself, me and TurboTax that is. I really like TurboTax. Getting a refund, so thats good. We have had a couple of years of paying and that is so not my kind of thing. We made adjustments and for the last 5 years have not had to pay. Need to try and finish those tonight after piano lessons.
Finished the Elementary PTO newsletter and sent that off to the printer. One more thing to check off.
We should start calving in the next few weeks. We have 9 cows, Cait has one cow. Always enjoy the calving. Not the stress, but the newborn calves are so cool. It really is amazing to see one being born. Hopefully we don't have any losses. I'll post pictures after they are cleaned up!
Well thats enough of the life and times!!!!!
Come on March!

Halfway thru January

Okay, Christmas is over and pretty much packed up. One lone tote, for the last things you find, that you have been looking at for weeks, not recognize as Christmas. You know how that goes, you look up one day and go, wait thats Christmas stuff, shouldn't that be put away. Oh well, happens every year. So I guess it could be called tradition. Besides at this time of year, I've been shopping the clearance sales, so things have to be put away for Christmas. I have the neighbors gifts, co-workers gifts, etc. already. That is a great feeling. I can pick up something really fun and CHEAP, but no one realizes how little money I spent. I like a bargain!!! I am done with that also. Now its just packing up and putting away, and then adding the new things for the house that we got for Christmas or on clearance after. FUN. I enjoy that.
We still need to finish our kitchen remodel. All the difficult stuff is done, now its the detail stuff. Why that is taking so long I really don't know. I want it done, but the backsplash, and the final touchup painting. So strange that it is not getting done, it annoys me, but still does not motivate me. Maybe now that the Holiday are over, I'll focus again.
The New Year also brings out the notion of all the stuff I want to accomplish this year. Too many projects that did not get done last year already start the list. Maybe the list needs to be banned, and just accomplish what comes up. That might be a better approach.
Then add to that, Cait's grades are bad. 3rd grade shouldn't have bad grades. 3rd grade should still be A's. We have a chatter, socialite, flitterbug. So now she has to buckle down and get serious and her social activities have to be curtailed. 3rd grade should not be this way. It's not like she cannot do the work, she just wont focus and do it right away, then she has to rush to finish and doesn't even read the directions! So frustrating to get her to understand that homework alone will not do it. Then she argues that she knows what the Teacher wants. Too much of my personality coming thru. SCARY. Trying to figure out the best way to move forward.
Love my life. Never the norm of what I think will happen.
I do love my life. Love it. My husband is awesome, and works so hard for us. He is struggling with some health issues and really hates making changes. I agree I have a problem with that also. We both need to work on changes, eating and exercising. Don't we all. My daughter is a blessing like you would not believe. She is so amazing and so strong willed that it scares the daylights out of me. We live in a beautiful area, little house on 2 tiny acres. It's tiny acreage cuz there are 10 cows, 4 horses, 1 burro, 3 dogs and 2 cats sharing the place.
Anyway life is good. Frustrating, trying, but so good. Just trying to enjoy.