Seanna (n. shaw-nuh)

LOAD: May 30th and May 31st (last two!)

Another successful Layout-A-Day month.  I created a layout during each and every day of May.  I am most assuredly not creating layouts today, but I am working on these little mini albums made out of policy envelopes (the open ended long envelopes with the string ties).  That’s different, though.  Anyway, these last two feature more photos of our exchange student from Austria, Cordelia. 

These are more photos from her party from last summer.  I don’t think I took any of them.  I really like the one in the middle.  Just a simple layout of a cutie girl.

For this last one, the prompt was to do a layout about a beginning or an end.  Since I was on a roll with the Cordelia stuff, what could be more perfect than this one?

I absolutely love this one.  I keep walking by it on the top of the stack in here and it is really striking in person.  Looks like a magazine layout or something.  Plus, how can you not love those photos, right? 

So that’s the end of another LOAD.  The next one will be in September.  I’m already signed up.  Right now I am taking a Stacy Julian class, Finding Photo Freedom (I think that’s the name), which is the revamped Library of Memories class.  She very graciously set it up for the alumni of LOM to take for free. Cool!  I actually have not really gotten into it yet, just coming off LOAD and working on these two little mini albums I am committed to finishing by mid-month.  But I will soon, I’m sure.  It’s really good stuff. 

Today is a slow Saturday. I have to put in some overtime this afternoon/early evening, and I am working on my little albums as I mentioned, but other than that, just slow and, I’m assuming, warm outside. I will find out in a little while. I have to go to Hobby Lobby to pick something up for my little project.  I am also planning our Christmas adventure, which will be short and sweet and fairly local, but I’m thinking sort of spectacular since fairly local = Gatlinburg.  What a luxury.  I remember when we lived in Florida and Tennessee was so far away.  Now, it’s not and we need to take more advantage of it than we have lately.  I love Tennessee, always have.  It’s a great place to visit and a great place to live.  We are fortunate to be here. 

Speaking of good fortune, my fabulous husband gave the living room a thorough cleaning yesterday.  Top to bottom, including windows inside and out.  Yay!  It’s all shiny and new again.  So much so that I think it’s time to break out a can of spray paint and hit up the local Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity ReStore in search of some old lamps to transform into new accent lamps for the room.  For less than $20, you can end up with a couple of great pieces that are current, colorful and just right.  And  you can’t beat the price. I am also mulling over the idea of sewing new throw pillows. I am no seamstress but I think I can do that much. We have red and white ones in there now—the white can stay but I think we can retire the red to upstairs and maybe try a new color combo.  I’m thinking teal/aqua with the gray couches.  I dunno.  We’ll see.  Sometimes it’s more fun to think about it, am I right?  More fun—LESS WORK.

Speaking of work, I’m off.  It’s already midafternoon.  How did that happen? 

LOAD: May 27th and 28th AND 29th

HOME STRETCH!  The next post will be the last for this round of Layout-A-Day.  Yay!  Because I’m kinda over it!!  I’ll be ready to go again by September, though.

This one is a three-fer.  I figured I would sneak an extra one in since today’s is done, I really like it, and things may get busy by Tuesday—they usually do.

This one does not look as crooked in real life (and I have trimmed off the extra hang-over on the edge since I took the photo).  I love this photo.  The journaling is about how we will probably always have long driveways from now on because it means we don’t have to worry about being on top of our neighbors that way.  Sad but not really bad—I kind of like them.

This one is about what was in my purse when I cleaned it out.  Actually, it IS what was in my purse when I cleaned it out.  Why do I have a feeling that my great-great-grandchildren will be fascinated with this someday…

This last one is definitely my favorite of the three.  Look at all those great faces and photos (most of which I did not take, by the way)!   I miss that girl…

That photo on the bottom right kills me.  Perfect!  OK I am outta here.  I think there may actually be television I am interested in watching.  Happens once in a while! 

Back but only for a bit

I haven't forgotten the Wanda and Darryl saga and I will get back to it, but my computer crashed right before we left for Tybee Island last month.  I'm writing this on Paigey's computer, which she has been kind enough to basically just leave in the studio for me (thanks, Paigey!) but I use a different program to compose my blog posts and I don't want to load it on her laptop.  My little green laptop is in a brown truck on its way to Illinois for a warranty repair.  Since I have a part-time job I use it for as well as just the general tomfoolery, I have decided I need a completely redundant backup system (and a tax deduction).  Tomorrow is the beginning of tax-free days so I think we are going to get a backup laptop.  Maybe, maybe not.  I have been asked to take on more part-time work as a long-term temporary thing so the logic of a new laptop has become more compelling.

I figure I will probably be back over the weekend on the new laptop.  I have to get either red, blue or pink.  Not my favorites, but I think maybe red.  I would really rather have orange or the same green, but those are not available.  Neither is plain old black.  I think brown would be cool, but that's not happening, either.  Oh well, as long as it works, right?  It's not like you can even see what color it is when you are using it, after all.

In other news, Cordelia flew off to Manhattan earlier this week. We had a lovely time and took lots of photos of the party she had last Saturday night.  It was wonderful to see her again and I hope she comes back to visit soon.  Two of my three children are currently getting their wisdom teeth extracted, but their father is doing Dad duty and handling that.  I must be off to pick up their prescriptions, though, so that they are ready and waiting upon their triumphant return from general anesthesia.

I will be back with more Wanda and more Darryl.  I can't say when precisely, but I will be back!

Life with one bathroom and three teenage girls, Part One

So far, things are tolerable.  It helps to know that there is another bathroom available over at my mom's part of the house, but that would be reserved for desperation only. Still, it's nice to have the "desperation option."  Kind of like those oxygen masks that drop down when the plane is somehow careening toward an untoward conclusion.  Ok, maybe not.  Maybe it's more like when you need a Plan B for dessert when you are having company and you're not sure you are handy enough with a torch to pull off the creme brulee. Not that I have ever made that, or even own a torch.  I do have  a fire extinguisher, though.  Safety first! My own schedule is sort of opposite everyone else's most of the time so it doesn't really bother me, although I have to head to the office next week to do some training for a few days.  It should be OK, though. 

Looks like we are winding down our Year with Fina.  Her dad, I know, is in the countdown mode and is very ready for his daughter to come back home.  I think Fina is ready, too.  Not that she is not enjoying her time here; she seems to find springtime in Tennessee very beautiful and spends a lot of time outdoors with her friends, but I think she is ready to get back to her "real" life.  I asked her yesterday what she would have done if she arrived here with the bathroom being in such a state of chaos and grossness, and she just looked at me and said, "I think I would have figured it out..."  Ha, smartass!

Speaking of exchange students who became part of the family, apparently we are going to be seeing C again soon.  Late summer for a few weeks.  That should be fun!  Looking forward to it, C.  Hopefully the bathroom will be put back to rights by then.  Yikes, it had better be.  The situation is so awful that the cats can access the outdoors from a hole in the floor under the tub.  That is just so....I don't know.  Well, yes I do.  It's so "Why even bother with an indoor bathroom, or electricity or running water while you're at it."  That's what it is.  At least the 3 jet engine drying fans are gone.  And the Zip Wall.  In its place are bare floorboards, splinters and the aforementioned hole.  At least we can close the door, but there is a wide gap underneath the door.  I imagine mice, squirrels and all manner of vermin will make their way in soon if things don't start happening, reconstruction wise.

Speaking of that, yesterday my fabulous husband and I went out and looked at bathroom fixtures and flooring.  Ah yes, it was a romantic outing.  Actually it was kind of fun because after that we went to visit Oldest Child at her job and the husband got lost and had to turn around like 10 times.  Awesome.  I had tears from laughing so hard.  It got to the point where he wouldn't even say anything.  He would just stop and execute a three-point turn.  Very enjoyable.  The sun was shining, I was being entertained, and we had just enjoyed a lovely late lunch at the local watering hole.

I must be off.  As usual, today is a work day.  I was going to ride around in my car with the NEW IPOD ADAPTOR one of the children bought me, but that ship may have sailed for today.  Hopefully tomorrow will be as pretty as today and I can test it out then.  Enjoy your Sunday!  Enjoy your hole-less, splinter-free bathrooms that actually have toilets in them!

Catching up on photos n stuff

These are from the "girlies are all set and goin' to college" celebration...

It was at El Tap, of course.  I made the girls order in Spanish.  Then I made the waiter grade them. 

I'm glad I had the opportunity to memorialize the curious abrasion sustained by my child.

Today is Good Friday, but it feels like Saturday. I have been working lots and lots lately but today I am making a concerted effort to take a whole day off.  Alas, days off in life, this life anyway, tend not to be days off.  But at least it will be a day without a schedule dictated by an employer.  However, there is Easter prep, which includes the non-fun acquisition of goods.  And there is cleaning, which may be a bit more fun than usual because I bought new cleaning potions.  Then there is financial housekeeping sorts of stuff that comes around the first of the month.

My poor fabulous husband has been suffering with allergy sorts of things.  I made him go to the clinic since his doctor is off having a Good Friday.  He also wants to go to Knoxville to visit his fabulous parents.

Then we have a wonderful dance performance tonight featuring Fina, the reluctant dancing exchange student.  Or possibly tomorrow night.  They are on for a two-night tour before retiring forever.  I have seen the costume and it is a sight to behold, let me tell you.  I hope to get photos to share, particularly since I have been threatening her with the photos since I found out about this.  Photos and Youtube videos.  Which reminds me, I need to charge up my lil iPod so I can get to filming tonight. Or tomorrow night.

And I'm off to begin my Day Off.  I think I will start with toilet cleaning.  Or grocery shopping. Or shower scrubbing.  Ahhhhh, leisure. 

Christmas Morning

I woke up at 6:55 a.m.  I know this because I was awakened by the whee-whee-whee that is my little white car's alarm.  As soon as my eyes popped open they spied the clock and it was off to the carport with me, where I discovered...absolutely nothing except a spazzing-out car.  It was a windy morning, though.  Who knows?  I turned it off and reset it, went back to bed...whee-whee-whee.  Again.  This time I decided Scotty needed to be in on the fun, so I fairly well dragged him back down the stairs.  He was so happy.  Not really.  That was the last we saw of him until much later.  He picked up my bug and stayed in bed all morning and some of the afternoon.  Do you think the children are going to wait for dad to feel up to watching the melee peaceful gift opening ritual?  Not one chance.  When I got up the second time, I stayed up and that was when I discovered that two of the children were not even home, anyway.  Remember those photos of fall I posted a while ago, from the scenic overlook?  Wait, let me find one and I will even include a gratuitous shot of my Christmas morning alarm clock car:

 

Anyway, that is where two of them were.  They decided to drive down there and watch the sun rise.  Soooo, they got back a little after 8 a.m. and it was on:

First there is the eating of the cinnamon rolls and the consumption of a beverage.  We must preserve a modicum of civility, after all.

Before leaving for the sunrise, Beth gathered her gifts in a little pile, front and center.  Some things never change.

What's so funny?  No idea. 

Usually the rule is that only one child opens at a time but sometimes you have to make exceptions.

Or you lose the element of surprise!

Beth saw this at the bookstore and somehow it found its way home with us.  I defy you to grab this at your local bookstore and find the price tag.  At least for this particular copy, there was no price to be found.  So we stole it. Not really.

Look at the pile! And what a cooperative subject:

And my oldest makes off with her haul...

Somehow there seems to be an inequality in the carrying of packages.   Probably not the first time that's happened!

Hope you had a lovely Christmas, wherever you were!  Today has been lovely as well.  Quiet, no pressure, lovely. 

So, I broke my toe

That's my excuse for not posting for a while.  Really, it should have made me more prone to update my blog since a broken toe tends to serve as a grounding agent.  But, I was mad at myself, and mad at the toe, and mad at the chair which broke the toe upon the toe's accidental and unfortunate kick.  It still looks horrifically ugly, too.  Purple and blue and almost black, really.  Amazing how much pain a broken toe can cause. But it's better now and I can put on a shoe (granted it's my Avia sneaker) and not gasp with pain, so...progress.  I can also drive again.  I didn't drive for over a week but I think I'm good now.

I have first-day-of school photos of the girls, but they are downstairs and I'm comfortably ensconced upstairs in my bedroom on my husband's chair at the moment. It's blissfully quiet and peaceful.  The first day of school was technically Monday, but that was just a two-hour affair where the children were to pick up their schedules.  P&E took J to pick up hers, and surprisingly, they managed to get it right for J at the school. Then yesterday was, inexplicably, a day off for the children.  Then today, the first full official full day.  P has an orthodontic appointment this afternoon, so I've already gotten a call from the attendance nazis ladies confirming that I did, indeed, write the note requesting that her absence be both granted and excused.  I know that parents are often the last to know and seriously, they could be horrible miscreants when I am not around, but my children are basically cute little nerds, driven to perform at school by virtue of their own internal set of forces and not by anything their parents foist upon them.  It cracks me up that they are treated like dangerous potential prison escapees. 

Speaking of nerds, that reminds me.  J (I think I can call her Fina here without identifying her, so that's what I will probably do)...anyway, Fina says that the definition of "nerd" in Berlin must not be the same as here, because in Berlin it is a very bad thing to be a nerd.  Here, it's just a benign lifestyle choice for the most part.  When we told her we were mostly nerds (my husband excepted), she was rather shocked.  We told her that it's not even all that uncool to be a nerd anymore, at least not here.  That led to the following:  "OhGodOhGod--I'm living in a Nerd Village."  HAHAHAHAHAHA That was very entertaining.  I discovered yesterday that Fina really really likes her closet.  She went over and turned the light on and off, and exclaimed about how the doors could be drawn shut to hide everything.  It's not that impressive of a closet even, so it is nice that she appreciates such simple things.

What's new since I last wrote?  Hmmm, let's see.  B got a job working at a local Japanese restaurant as a server and bartender. This scandalized her grammy, but B has to wear black dresses to work, so how bad can it really be?  So far, B seems to like it.  She is there now, working the lunch shift.  I think she definitely likes the work uniform.  She has four black dresses she can rotate (so far).

Things have quieted down some for me work-wise, but the big boss has put me on a launch team for the second phase of a new software implementation.  I was told that I am to fulfill the "cheerleader" role, talking up the new system and allaying fears by being positive about it.  That seems like kind of an easy job because it's actually a pretty cool system.  It does involve once-a-week 8 AM Tuesday meetings, though.  Yeek.  This will last for about 2-3 months until the official launch date.  The meetings consist of about an hour-long conference call while we sit in front of computers and they show us stuff. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.  I had already read all the stuff they were showing us, silly me.  Anyway, it's a cool system and I think it will ultimately be a great thing for my company.

My fabulous husband went back to work last week, not that he really stopped working all summer.  He's been tired, getting adjusted to the new schedule again. 

I guess that's about all I have to report, unless I want to get all political about what's going on with the government.  But it turns out I'm really not in the mood for that, so you're off the hook.

I will be back with photos soon--I'm sure Fina's Folks will be anxious to see them!!

First time in a Tennessee grocery store

Hahahaha she already has the look.  It's the look that says, "Oh no, not you again with the camera.  I must smile and pretend I am not annoyed."  Just kidding.  I think I caught her unaware there for just a second.  Last night B took J to a record (really.  a record) store in Nashville and she found three albums she liked enough to buy:  Sex Pistols, Mick Jagger and something else.  She was quite surprised and happy at the prices. 

Want to see Charlie again?

She is one small girl.  She talks all the time.  All the time.  The only things she doesn't like are (a) when you won't give her your food; and (b) the dog.  Everything else, she's up for. Oh, except hot coffee.  She is not a fan of that and is quite disgusted with the whole idea at this point.

I am off for a long day of working, having slacked off all day yesterday other than the trip to the grocery store.  Ahhhhhh it was good, though.  I even watched Gilmore Girls, which I very rarely do. 

The girls are at church or still asleep.  J went to church with one of them.  P, I think.  She wants a bike to ride around on and explore with.  All this driving everywhere is a very foreign concept to her.  We did have a bike but we sold it at the garage sale last fall.  Ah, well. 

I don't generally like Sundays all that well; I find them depressing which is something that stems from my childhood, I think.  Working and moving the laundry around befits the whole Sunday vibe, I think.  We need to start going to church again, though.  I miss it. 

And with that, off I go...

Meet J

This was just after she'd been on a plane traveling for hours and hours and she still looks so pretty!  Photo by P.

 

Here's J and E at the Host Family Orientation meeting, which took place at El Tap to accommodate my weird  work schedule, and I still managed to be about 15 minutes late to it.  NICE. J&E had just met a bit before I took this photo--E had been off at running camp.  She said they ran about 40 miles.  Wow.   Anyway, they just naturally fell into this pose after E rolled her eyes at me.  No sense fighting the inevitable, right?

We made a sign to welcome J (and now you will know her name if you look carefully but oh well)

See that brick wall with the flowers?  Yeah, that's where I left MY CAMERA.  Then we drove off.  Fortunately, I noticed it was not with me about 30 minutes later, before those clouds turned into rain, and Uncle Steve saved the day by coming up and rescuing my poor little Nikon.  I never do stuff like that! 

Anyway, so we got to the airport probably an hour early just to be on the safe side, but B was desperate for food, so we wandered over to this bar/lounge where a quite talented young man named "Michael Lee Hunt" (think about it, and in an airport, no less.  "Ben Dover, paging Ben Dover....") was singing and playing his guitar, and then it took forever for the cute waitress to bring the chicken strips to the girls but we STILL should have had plenty of time to get over to where J was disembarking, but the plane was 10 minutes early and somehow we still managed to screw it up.  We found her a few minutes later downstairs in baggage claim and all was well.

Poor little J was so exhausted that we came home and showed her her new room, and she sort of floated around it exclaiming things, things which seemed positive, in German.  Lots of long compound German words but we sort of gathered from her tone and  face that they were good compound German words.  It was very cute.  She ate a bowl of spaghetti and went to bed. She is still a little jetlagged but is keeping a good schedule, getting up at a decent time and going to bed fairly early.  I think P wanted C to see how the rooms look now, so here are some photos:

See the green blanket on the far bed?  That is the blanket that "goes" in J's room but now it's P's blankie.  I was first like "What to do, what to do?" but then I remembered the comforter, circa 1986, that I have always loved.  I used to look for months and months for linens because I only liked very expensive stuff, like the $200+ plus comforters (which was outrageous back in the mid 80s and kind of still is today).  But I was poor and besides, at some point it becomes the principle of the thing.  So I would wait for it to go on super clearance at the linen outlet stores and then I would snatch it up. Anyway, so the blanket in J's room is a vintage 1980s comforter until I come up with something better.  Which may or may not happen.  Sloth is a powerful thing.  Plus, I still like to buy linens only on super clearance.

OK, so let's see.  This upcoming week is a busy one.  I have to work in the office Wed-Fri next week, covering for the boss.  My fabulous husband is starting the school year next week with a week of inservice, more or less.  I think he has to give a presentation to some of the teachers, too.  P is in band camp, and E wants to get her driver's license.  B is looking for a part-time job, which are kind of hard to come by around here these days but I'm sure something will turn up. 

I still owe lots of emails to people.  I've been in a bit of a funk in that department, I'm afraid.  I'm sure nobody is living or dying waiting for an email from me, though.  That would be too much pressure altogether.

It is 7:15 AM here in middle Tennessee, and I have been up for 2 hours.  I think I am going to go to the grocery store because the girls inform me we are dangerously close to starving to death from lack of options.  I think they are just being dramatic but their point is well taken.  I was sort of hoping to take J with us on the first trip, but she had a busy evening last night, going to the local production of The Music Man with P&E.  She also walked around the neighborhood.  On her first morning here, she looked out the kitchen window and said it looked like Märchen, which means "fairy tale."  That was very sweet and quite a compliment!  I should tell the yard guy.  But I probably won't.   I have to work a bit today or I will regret it tomorrow and I believe laundry is woefully behind.  Little Charlie is here with me in the studio at the moment, just dozing away on one of the throws.  She likes it in here.  I have finally taken to leaving the door open so she can wander around, and she does, but this is apparently her home base because it's where I find her when she is done exploring and wants to take a little kitten break.  She is still SO TINY.  I need to take photos of her because I know it won't last long.  She seems to be starting to get along with Sam and Leo, although I don't think she is at all interested in making friends with Nugget.  Nugget probably feels pretty much the same way.  She talks a lot and purrs a lot and definitely, definitely plays a lot.  But she also sleeps a lot, so it all balances out. 

I guess I'm off before the sloth kicks in and I find myself spending the day, just spending the day.  I have things to do, man!

Yesterday was such a sad day

First, Farrah lost her ferocious fight to survive her illness.  I was so sad to hear that, even though we all knew it was coming.

Then Michael Jackson up and died on us.  The juxtaposition of one who fought so hard to live and one who really seems to have kind of thrown it all away is a tough one.  When you look up "Sometimes life is not fair," yesterday should probably be right up there in the examples.  I'm sad about MJ too, though.  I was a huge fan and introduced him to the children, who also became fans.  It'd be nice to see a star shine as bright again in our lifetimes but I just don't know. Maybe it's not a good idea for them to shine so bright; it seems to not usually end well.

On a much more upbeat note, in the Life Goes On category, we mailed off a package today.  I hope she gets it in time for it to be useful!  I don't think she really looks at my blog so here's a photo:

Isn't that so cute?  There are two luggage tags (we filled them out with her name and our address), a key chain with a key to the house that has a little pouch with a tote bag all zipped into it, a book about being an exchange student, a little moleskine sketchbook since she is apparently an artist, and a little book I made with photos of the house and her room and the high school, etc.  The girls put a card in there, too.  Now we are officially all set!  July 22nd is the date; we got the final confirmation today.  Weird!  But good!