What are you up to today? This week?

[nuttiwebgal]

Gee Muriel....just seems like the last time I was here you were making your wedding dress and now you have the best mini of all

congrats! and the terrible 2's are not as bad as the treacherous 3's!!! lol

[KathieB]

We arrived back in Missouri on April 4 to a gusher in the basement. When the city turned our water back on, a pipe broke. The friend who was watching the house for us didn't notice (?), even though I'd asked her to check for just such a situation. It's an old house. Anyway, ten days and 62,100 gallons of expensive water later (never mind the attendant sewerage charges), the basement is dried out and the furnace repaired. No major loss, just a lot of cleanup. The drain worked well, so at least we didn't come home to stuff afloat -- like the houseboat, the Mardi Gras float, and the Pierce. Just a lot of really wet and damp stuff from the overhead spray, mostly in the laundry area and Lloyd's workshop. Think putting your thumb over the end of the garden hose times a factor of about 25. Lots of rusty tools that have been somewhat restored. Luckily no artwork was destroyed. Luckily for us, the city-wide cleanup was the following Wednesday, so everything at the curb was picked up at no extra cost to us.

On Sunday, April 14, we got a call from New Orleans that an idiot roofer doing much needed repairs hadn't battened down the hatches properly and a 4 am thunderstorm with 70 mph winds soaked several units, ours included. What we know is that everything still dry in the unit needs to be removed and stored, a sofa bed has to be dried out, all of the wall-to-wall carpeting must be removed as well as the vinyl flooring in kitchen, 2 baths and a large closet. Most of the ceiling sheetrock must be removed and replaced. ServPro and Lloyd's cousin Gloria are on the job, and I'm sure it will all turn out all right in the end, but it is really nerve wracking to be so far away and having to rely on somebody else's eyes and advice for decision making. The fact that we disconnected our AT&T DSL (that's another story!) and switched to a local provider here in Missouri that wasn't hooked up until late yesterday didn't help with communications, but all is well now.

On the brighter side, the garden is just waking up. Ground that was barren when we arrived 12 days ago is greening up, with lilies and hostas and columbines and peonies and others poking up and growing inches a day. There has been rain nearly every day since our return. The phrases "April showers bring May flowers" and "it never rains but it pours" keep swirling around in my head like that annoying "It's a Small World" music from the Disneyland ride.

I have been reading a lot to escape, more than a dozen Kate Shugak, Alaskan private investigator, stories by Dana Stabenow. In the next day or so I need to get downstairs to my craft area (untouched by water) and get busy on the Pierce/Bohemian Inn & Tavern while it's still too wet and cold to work in the garden.

[havanaholly]

Oh, yuck, Kathie. We're getting astronomical estimates for structural work to the Havana house (the contractor doesn't want the job, obviously).

I started the mini prayer rug. This batch of rugs is intended for Mildred, so I have twiddled with the color schemes.

[KeZZsi]

^{It's been quite the week for our family lol MMA Fights on saturady where my uncle had his debut!}

[pdlnpeabody]

With the exception of doing a little bit of foundation work on the MacKenzie house at Chicago International, I have done almost nothing since late February. Now I have to pack up all my mini tools and supplies for another two months. We're moving to another apartment within the complex at the end of June. It's the same size, but it has a 2 bedroom with den configuration instead of 3 bedrooms. The den has French doors and is more easily accessible, so I can put both houses in it. After we move I'll get cracking on both houses, but until then, I'm just filling boxes.

[Anna]

Preparing for the move sounds "fun" Jeremy, hope it goes well amd that you will be able to sneak i some mini-ing now and again ;)

As for me, just plotting and planning and preparing for to orrow's trip to Farum dollhouse show over in Den,ark (which is just a hop, skip and a ferry ride away LOL)

Hugs

[Muriel]

I'm working away slowly on the Fairfield. Doing the floor with skinny sticks - I was inspired by various people on here to do a single width border around the room and then fill the rest. Makes things a bit slower and kinda have to do the floors while the house is half built so that the floorboards go all the way over the cracks and edges. But it is looking good so far - will need plenty of sanding and will have to decide what colour I want the boards to be. Also debating what to do in the kitchen and bathroom. We'll see once I've finished the rest of the floors!

Natasha's sentences are growing, she can now tell little stories about what she can see. I love that she says 'erm' when I ask her a question she needs to think about! She can also count to 12 without mistakes, and knows what two means, but not sure she knows what 5 means ;) ie when she sees two flowers, she says two, but when she sees five she doesn't say five.

My tummy is growing big with 'BB' hopefully a little baby sister or brother for Natasha, due mid October. We're all very excited of course!

I've been working in the garden - quite a novelty for me really. We had it last year and did some work, but so far this year we have cleared quite a bit more, sewn more, and built a picket fence for around the pond to make it safe for Natasha to play with less supervision. Makes me proud when I see what we've done. We just need to fix the side gate (which I think was damaged by our neighbours dog getting into our garden and then trying to escape again) and it should be toddler proof! We're having a slide and climbing frame delivered Saturday, so she'll be excited when we unpack that. Now just hoping we get some nice summer days to enjoy it too.

[chapchap73]

Congratulations Muriel! Another mini of the best kind...prayers for a safe, speedy pregnancy and another wonderful healthy little one to love

[CheckMouse]

Heading off tomorrow morning to the WA coast where I will be working a 3-day Home and Garden Show - staying in a Ramada Inn on the beach. Lodging and per diem paid by my company. I know, I know, it's a tough job but someone has to do it! I've worked this show many times but the difference this year is that I am taking my 90-year-old mother with me. Mixed emotions about that one! :insane: I've always enjoyed the "me" time that comes along with these out-of-town gigs. But my mother isn't well enough to stay home alone for several days, though she's much better than she was. And my boss is very considerate - got me a double room with kitchenette, knowing the situation with Mother. I'm packing today, and getting everything ready to go and I'm already realizing it's harder to plan and think for two!

[KoalaSam]

Congratulations Muriel! That is so exciting! Wow, Natasha is talking already? Time flies!

Have fun CJ! A paid working vacation is the way to go!

[GirlPiper]

The pipe band is playing on the senate floor at the state capital's memorial day ceremony tomorrow. It's our 19th year, and we are the only pipe band that has ever done this. Hope all goes well.

[Selkie]

The pipe band is playing on the senate floor at the state capital's memorial day ceremony tomorrow. It's our 19th year, and we are the only pipe band that has ever done this. Hope all goes well.

Good luck

Sounds like quite an honor.

[Selkie]

My tummy is growing big with 'BB' hopefully a little baby sister or brother for Natasha, due mid October. We're all very excited of course!

Congratulations Muriel.

Twice the fun. Better get to your mini's with wood before the next snuggly mini arrives.

[GirlPiper]

Congratulations Muriel! Another mini of the best kind...prayers for a safe, speedy pregnancy and another wonderful healthy little one to love

That's a nice event to wait for. Congratulations!

[chapchap73]

Well after a pretty chaotic few weeks, life might be getting to somewhat normal. We just finished a MAJOR house move; I think I've touched everything we own at some point. My room came downstairs, my son's room went upstairs, my other son moved to the bigger room upstairs. I also painted 3 rooms, got new area rugs, designed a new "open" closet for my new room, and I'm pretty sure the vacuum was running for the entire time. My Dad got the closet finished over the weekend, and my clothes have a home again. The only thing left to figure out is where I'm going to work on minis. I think it'll be back to the dining table during the day when we aren't using it. This means I'll have to clean up every day, but hopefully I will be more organized. Thank goodness for this forum! You guys gave me much-needed breaks and eye-candy while all my stuff was in a pile on the floor somewhere:)

[jrchob]

Well after a pretty chaotic few weeks, life might be getting to somewhat normal. We just finished a MAJOR house move; I think I've touched everything we own at some point. My room came downstairs, my son's room went upstairs, my other son moved to the bigger room upstairs. I also painted 3 rooms, got new area rugs, designed a new "open" closet for my new room, and I'm pretty sure the vacuum was running for the entire time. My Dad got the closet finished over the weekend, and my clothes have a home again. The only thing left to figure out is where I'm going to work on minis. I think it'll be back to the dining table during the day when we aren't using it. This means I'll have to clean up every day, but hopefully I will be more organized. Thank goodness for this forum! You guys gave me much-needed breaks and eye-candy while all my stuff was in a pile on the floor somewhere:)

Tired just reading your post!!

[GirlPiper]

Meee too! That's a lot of shuffling.

[minigrandma10]

Memorial day week-end;

wallpaper the monster house ( I should really name it)

finish making sunflowers and roses( had these kits for years)

do the last touches on dome vignette for the county fair (first time doing this)

So, I will be busy. (keeps me out of trouble...,lol)

Gail

[havanaholly]

Catching up on ten days' worth of clothes dirtied by hiking, paddling and just piddling around.

[Muriel]

Thanks all!

Selkie, definitly trying to get this Faifield done. The little floorboards are taking a while.

[havanaholly]

We saw in a local calendar of events that the local archeology group is soliciting volunteers to do rough sorting and today was one of the days listed, so off we went to check into it and, of course, the calendar is a computer=generated thing and we should have called ahead; however, we spent a most pleasant AM chatting with the young man who hosts the little gallery/ museum at the facility where the lab is located, and he encouraged us to return when the lab's open. He's a recent post-grad archeologist with a specialty in shipwrecks (with which the FL coast is littered) and held us fascinated with some of the work he's been in on.

[KathieB]

It has been ... uh, I dunno how long ... since the April 14 roof leak in the New Orleans condo. We've been living with a cousin. A couple of weeks ago someone hit our van. No injuries, but the vehicle was totaled, so we had to go shopping. I've had more conversations with insurance companies than I want to think about. The wall to wall carpeting was toast; we now have wall to wall porcelain tile. The whole place has been repainted, and tomorrow the damaged kitchen cabinets & counter top will be replaced with new. And ServPro, who removed the furniture and other possessions and held them in storage, will be bringing it all back tomorrow as well. Should be a real goat rodeo around here.

The pottery shop and Marie Laveau's cottage were left here on a high shelf and survived well ... until the painters moved them to paint the closet. Both of the garage doors on the pottery shop were popped off, and one is missing. We searched every inch of the plastic, but it's just gone. And Marie Laveau's cottage lighting system popped off.That's not all that bad, as I was planning to replace them with LEDs. But the garage door? Sheesh!

Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure the weeds in the Missouri garden are planning a verdant welcome home for us. We'll be heading in that direction when we get everything unpacked and in place here, maybe in a week. Internet access has been limited, so I've been missing all of my Greenleaf friends. Look forward to getting caught up when we get back to Missouri.

[havanaholly]

Kathie, you and Loyd have been in my thoughts and prayers, and I'm sorry to hear of so much damage to your lovely condo. I don't know what it is about workmen and minis, but they seem to be mutually incompatible. I hope the rest of your NOLA sojourn goes smoothly & without further incident, and have a very safe trip home to MO.

[pdlnpeabody]

Wow Kathie, I'm glad you and Lloyd weren't hurt (was the car hit while parked?). Also glad you were able to get the condo repaired.

My family has been blindsided this week. I have spent most of the last 6 days on my back. My daughter caught a virus at the doctor's office while getting her immunizations last Monday and gave it to the rest of the family within 48 hours. We took all three kids to the doctor on Friday to find out Julianna had walking pneumonia and the boys were on their way to having it too. My wife and I were told we would probably fare much better than them. The doctor was wrong. My wife and I were barely able to treat the kids and we're waiting for results from my wife's doctor regarding how her lungs are doing. I was diagnosed with pneumonia on Monday and today the doctor prescribed an inhaler along with the other meds I'm already on. I feel ridiculous. I'm like the scrawny kid from the movie "Goonies".

If that wasn't enough, my last surviving grandparent, my grandma Barbara passed away on Monday morning. She was a tiny but feisty lady and quick witted too. She was a few weeks shy of 88. I'm not strong enough to make the trip to Kokomo, Indiana for the funeral, so I'm going to miss it tomorrow. Obviously, my dad and his two brothers have taken it hard.

[havanaholly]

Ow, Jeremy! You are going through the wringer! I had pneumonia three times whilst we lived in Jacksonville and nearly died the second time, so y'all of you take care.