I got up around 8am today and started the first of two loads of laundry, plus washed DD's competiton gym leotard separately. Then I started on her hair do for the meet today. Whew! That is an accomplishment! It's all about the hair, ya know. Did this tricky little spider-web thing that's become popular, then back in a ponytail, then the ponytail curled into spirals. Took about 15 tiny little clear elastics and a dozen little foam curlers, a handful of hair gel and a couple dozen squirts of hairspray. And over an hour of my time. ;o) That was extra special, usually I give it a really good ponytail, but very rarely go that extreme. I was feeling generous, and she asked so nicely. ;o) Here's the idea. This was taken tonight, after the meet, after 1000 tugs on the ponytail and lots of tumbling loosened the curls (and it doesn't hold curls very well, either). Honest, it was tight curls. Next time I'll remember to take the pic before the meet. While that set, and the laundry was drying, I cleaned out the van and went up for an oil change and the emmissions test. Then back home, made lunch for the family, showered and changed myself. Then we drove an hour to the gymnastics meet. Did that, had dinner, got back around 9pm DD accomplished some good scores! She had a great meet and finishsed first place all around in her age group and session. That is a first for her, so it was very exciting. She has been struggling with bars for a couple months, but today also finished first on bars, another first. And she's going to leave her hair like that for a couple days. ;o) Took me too long to take it back out already. I am not skilled with it, I have to compensate by taking my time and concentrating. I even tell her not to talk to me while I'm working on it, which is *really* hard for her. LOL! BTW, DD is 9. Now I'm going to crawl into bed with a book. Tomorrow is another day, and I have other tasks that have been waiting all week. Like getting caught up on my online class.

My goodness, we needed this. You guys are incredible. Look at all those things you do every day you don't even recognize! Pollying, Painting, vacuuming, caring, choosing, stocking, washing, (stop me) all without losing your sanity for falling over dead. Of exhaustion, I mean, right? Today I went to get a new social security card. Unfortunately they moved without notifying me. The NERVE. So, what's a girl to do? [Gimme a Hell YA!"] Go thrifting. Visited H4H in Riverdale (MD) and the antique/2nd hand/junk store next to it. They also took a break and didn't notify me. The sign said to come back later, but NO, this chick's on a roll! Off to Baltimore (MD) I charged. 2nd Chance, here I come. Oh, my are they putting in new furniture all the time. No Orphan beaded inset cabinets, so I passed on that. I did find some side lights to accompany my other side lights I picked up before. I'm going to make closet doors out of them. Way cool. I also couldn't resist a pair of 30" doors with horizontal grids on their glass. They're gonna need some work, but that's just fine. What am I going to do with them? I have no idea if I tell you I'll have to kill you. Picked up a face frame delivery from [drum roll] Brian and The Cabinet Joint.com. I am SO psyched about this. Beaded inset, of course. Met with a Garden Web Mid-Atlantic Gardening member who is going to lease an acre of my land (A whopping $100 a year for water) to grow ... PEONIES! She is opening a nursery needs a place to grow them. PEONIES! Managed not to spend my Multi-purpose Fred's drywall money. My MBR looks great with all skim coated drywall. I am Hap-peeeee! Now, I'm gonna take a nap. I should mow the lawn, since I never go to it, but it's gonna be there when I decide to hack it down.

Linelle, you still have a guest bath! It's just that you're in to that rustic look and have strategically placed yours in the drive. Easily accessible. Industrial. Cool.... (You buyin' that?) Yesterday I didn't do much but I did move and organize more crap out of my MBR in preparation for the final drywall coat. I'm thinking tomorrow I might go and buy paint. I am choosing Glidden (I think it is) Natural Wicker for the walls, and 50% lighter for the ceiling. I'm thinking 75% lighter for any trim I end up putting up. Monochromatic, but so different because of the shading. I'm going to need 5 gallon buckets of this stuff, so thank goodness for DirectBuy and Sherwin Williams! Yeah! I went to work. (Accomplishment!) Today I am completing the (re)organization of the crap I moved out of the MBR and into now 3 other rooms. No reason to have so much clutter when I can stack much of it to the ceiling in the den and close those gorgeous pocket doors I reclaimed! :) Oh --- the guys are here to remove and hopefully replace 2 of my solar panels. Somehow, despite a lack of trees or anything that could have landed on them, two of them have turned up to be smashed concave. We have no explanation and no, it wasn't snow. I don't have a power bill right now, but that could change based upon this winter's huge bills, averaging, how little I use these warm weather seasons, and the panels themselves, Obviously. Called around because my wonderful dog, Morgan, needs an ultrasound. She had her spring shave and her tummy is very distended on one side. I wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't been shaved. She's not in any pain, eating like the little pig she is, and seems just fine. It's impeding her gait a little, though, so I'm worried. She's also between 12 and 14 years old, so we don't know.... wish us the best! Oh - lowest ultrasound in the Annapolis/southern Maryland pricing? INCLUDING the office visit? Like you could get one without the other, right? $425. Soapstone, you're just gonna have to wait. In the meanwhile, here's a picture of my panels and the solar water system on their installation day in 2006. Like many hillbillies, I used to keep my fridge on the back porch. I just realized I don't have a newer picture of the porch area. Mucho different now. :) That dog is Duke, who turned out to be my ex-POC-GC-DH's girlfriend's dog and I never knew. Does it ever end? Anyway.... without further ado

Thanks everyone. What is amazing to me is that she has been talking about this for so long and I wasn't sure how she would do it! But, she did. I like how she explains everything in detail, the hows and whys. I didn't expect this either.