Life Is Just So Daily

Friday, January 29, 2010

104.



The countdown is on.
I have 104 days until graduation.
I have 53 days until my non-thesis/thesis-equivalent is due.

I've still got my 4.0!
I have applied for graduation.
I have not even begun to start on the other.

I am so ready to be done.

10 hours this semester.
I work 24+ hours/week & I am doing my internship as well. .
May God grant me the ability to fly by the seat of my pants. {because asking God to make every little detail perfect would be a really lengthy list. I think that flying by the seat of my pants will be just fine...}

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Thursday, January 28, 2010

Our Family is GROWING!

Or rather, our family has grown.
........by 4 fins.

{and you thought I was pregnant, didn't you!? I'm not.}


But----meet TEDDY.


This is Gage's new fish.
I'm hoping & praying that I've de-chlorinated the water properly, or I'll be buying a new fish tomorrow!

Gage was excited about the shark he has chosen for Teddy's bowl...

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Construction Update!

Pics from 1/27: the shower is in! It's not finished, but it's in!


The flooring!!!! Pics from 1/28:




Wooohooooo!

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1/27/10: The Day I Smoked the Birthday Girl.

Yes, I've smoked, but I've never smoked the birthday girl. Until yesterday.

So what if she was 5, and at her birthday party, and I brought her to her knees?
You mess with the bull, you get the horns.
You mess with the cub, and you get the mama bear.
I'm just sayin'........
Setting: Chuck E. Cheese.
Set up: she wants to play with Gage, because she's out of tokens. He reluctantly said yes, after I encouraged it because he is VERY shy about asking other kids to play.
So, they were playing air hockey....
Here's Gage at the BEGINNING of the match:


And then the determination showed itself {the tongue? nothing but determination, my friends}:

So, you may be thinking that the transition from fun to determined is a natural progression in competitive game play. Perhaps. OR---perhaps it was the mean-girls-entourage that the birthday girl had at her side while they'd grab the puck with their hands & slide it back to the birthday girl.
Needless to say, Gage didn't like it one bit:

So, he wanted to quit.
I wouldn't let him. But then---it became evident that he wasn't going to win against the whole group of them across the table...So, when he walked away, I stepped right up & took over his end of the table. And I sent that little disk into the goal so fast that I'm fairly certain it was smoking. And a few scores later---I won. {no pics of that b/c I was too busy playing!}

Yes, I beat a 5 year old & her posse, and I'm bragging about it.
Yes, I'm sad & pathetic for that.
But---she messed with Gage, and in the moment, I couldn't help my silly self.

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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

MIA: Busy Bee

Sorry I've been so absent, but I've been so busy!



So, I've been working my tail off lately, covering for a coworker who is taking some vacation time...

12 hour shifts on Monday & Tuesday.
I finally got to see Gage this morning, for about 20 minutes while I took him to Memaw's before I had to go to school.
Prior to that, I hadn't seen him since I took him to school Monday morning.
This back-to-back 12 hour shifts isn't working for me. Getting off at midnight, 45 minute drive home b/c there is no traffic, and then finally falling asleep between 1 & 1:30 in the morning...only to be asleep in the morning when Daddy takes Gage for me....well, that's nice that I get to sleep in a little...but due to the current home renovations, I can't REALLY sleep that long. When they're installing a shower about 5 feet from your head, it's really hard to keep on sleeping. Know what I'm saying???

The saddest thing: getting home after midnight---finding your child snuggled up with your Hubby, and finding that he's fallen asleep with a picture frame containing a picture of Mommy & Daddy. He told Daddy that he missed me, and he's been sleeping with a picture of me for the past two nights.
So, again---these back-to-back 12s aren't working for us.

Anywho...
Today---school this morning. {Yes, I'm blogging while in class. She thinks that I'm taking very detailed notes. So what?}
After that: quick bite to eat before I dutifully report to the dentist for my cleaning.
And THEN: I'm going to get Gage, and we're going to do something fun. I don't know what---but we'll do something!

:)
Hope you guys have a great day!

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Sunday, January 24, 2010

Sunday.



It's well after lunchtime.
I'm still in my pajamas.
I am being lazy.

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Thursday, January 21, 2010

Construction, Posing, & Dancing.

So, I have some construction pictures to show you.

"My shower will be here, you like?"
{Sorry, but that above picture is really a joke, but I just HAD to put it in!}

What will be the potty area....

{Yes, I am pretending to be on the potty & making a silly face. Yes, my son took the picture, and therefore I am headless.}

What WILL be the walk-in closet.



I don't really know the dimensions of the closet area....but the room itself is 270sf, I believe. There is definitely room for a tub in there, but we're not putting one in. Big closet, toilet area, two sinks, and a shower.

The pile of sheetrock on the floor made the perfect stage for us.


We danced, we were rockstars, and Mommy even did the Elaine Benes dance....

{Yes, Dr.Feffa might describe the above photo as "breathtaking." I know.}

Gage had fun being a break-dancer & a rockstar, and we sang our little hearts out!








Oh, it was so much fun.
So.Much.Fun.
:)

And yes, the necklace I am wearing is home-made by my son. It's my first mom-necklace, and I adore it. {of course, it's king of like mardi gras beads w/ those colors...not only did I have to show my rack, but I had to grow this child in my womb & nurse him at my bosom. And now, I get to put up with him through the teenage years to come. Lucky me. I've EARNED these beads!}

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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Movie Reviews!


Public Enemies


It was long. It was good, but it was long. There are some shoot-em-up scenes that could have been a lot shorter. I'm just sayin'.... So, it was good, but long.


Sunshine Cleaning


I enjoyed this. I watched it without Hubby b/c I really don't think it would be his cup of tea. But, I enjoyed it. I'd say that I 'liked it', not loved it.


Crank 2


It was okay. Mediocre at best. I enjoyed the first one more than this one.


Deadline


Hubby & I actually watched this right before Brittany Murphy died. (so sad!) Anyway....we enjoyed it. We like creepy thriller type movies. It's a creepy thriller type movie!

The Final Destination
Typical teen-scream type movie with gore. It was okay.

The Hangover

OMG, funny.
LOL funny.
LOVED it.

Four Christmases

Also, LOL funny. LOVED it!!!

Inglourious Bastards

Let me start by saying that Hubby told me that this was a comedy. While Brad Pitt's character may have been comical---nothing about the Holocaust is a comedy to me. This was a very good movie. VERY good. In the end, he agreed with me: comical character, but not really a "comedy."

The Uninvited

Ooooh....bizarro with some creepy twists. I don't remember there being any big hoop-lah about it, but I really enjoyed this one.

The Proposal

Oh, we thought this was very cute. Some VERY very funny moments.
Light-hearted-love-comedy....

Easy Virtue

BOR-ING. didn't finish it. didn't even want to listen to it while I folded laundry. Really. And, maybe I didn't give it enough time...but 30 minutes into it & I just couldn't do it any longer. I had to mail that crap back to Netflix.

Okay....that's it for a while.
:)

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Yesterday's Construction Update...

Well, yesterday we made some more progress.
They started framing some walls, sheetrocked a small area, and set some metal things for the recessed lighting....finshed out the wood floor parts that will be around the toilet & under the shower....

Pics from yesterday:




Tile & paint colors: One color will be for the bathroom, one for the bedroom (what? meeeee? a neutral color? I must be getting old...) Anyway, the paint sample page is laying on top of a floor tile, so that's the tile color that you see popping through in the little square...

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Monday, January 18, 2010

Construction Update.

Oh, the smell of freshly cut wood is just---exciting!
I was telling my mom that we should bottle the smell & sell it to Glade.
"New Home Smell"....ahhhhh.....

So, today I came home, and not only do we have decking for the roof, but we also have plumbing & a floor!

Augh! I am so excited.
{don't I look excited?}


Look! Plumbing!!!


There will be a shower here...


There will be two pedestal sinks against that back wall...


Yes, I know...we still have a long way to go, but I'm still excited.

Last Wednesday: coffee w/ some moms after school drop off. Zephra & I then went shopping. It was on my to-do list, and she said that she'd enjoy going, so we hit a few spots. LUCKILY for me, she went. Why? Well, because I went to Lowe's and intended to ORDER two white pedestal sinks. What a mixed blessing: they had 2 of the style I chose in stock. Only one would fit in my trunk. So, Zephra carried the other one home for me. Woohoo! Thanks, chica!

And, later I went to Home Depot for blinds & faucets....
I got two of these faucets {I wanted the vintage looking "x" handles, like we have in the shower in the main bathroom, but Hubby doesn't really like those, and didn't want them for this bathroom....so I chose something else...that kind of has a retro-feel to me...}:


We've got lots of things still in boxes, so I'll refrain from posting pictures of my boxed up shower, toilet, sinks, mirrors, etc. It will be hard to contain my excitement, but I'll try.

:)

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New Year's Newsletter....

Christmas cards?
Not this year.
In fact, since Gage was born in 2005, I think we've only sent out Christmas cards once. The rest have been New Year's Cards.
One might say we don't ever have our ducks in a row by Christmas.
Or...maybe we're just trendsetters. {don't YOU want to send out New Year's cards!?}

Anyway....this year, in addition to the New Year's card...I'm sending out a family newsletter.
It's....kind of a spoof on the family newsletters that you get from the "Perfects." Oh, come on----we all know the Perfects! The perfect mom with the perfect hair, the perfect home, the perfect husband, the perfect children with perfect grades, etc.

So, here's our very IMPERFECT family newsletter.
Ideas were snipped from various places, and just kind of thrown together, so that 2010 can go down as the year that Laine sent out a family newsletter FULL OF LIES!
{now really....you gotta love that!}

_______________________________________________
Well, well, well. Here we are again. It’s apparently time for the "Casa-de Lainey-Paney" family newsletter. Can you believe that 2010 is already here? 2009 started with January, just like the year before. And before we knew it, February came along, and then March. Our uber-intelligent, gifted and talented, genius child soon recognized the pattern, and was able to confidently predict April and May. After that, the monthly predictions were barely even a challenge. Gage soon hypothesized that Christmas would fall in December this year. Sure enough, here I am, sitting here, writing to you. Christmas came in December. A genius, I tell you. There’s just really no capping his intellect, now is there?

We don’t have the 2.1 kids to BRAG about in our newsletter, and for that we apologize. I’ll try to double the bragging about our son to accommodate your needs, mmmkay?

Gage is now 4, and he’s practically embarrassed himself with accomplishments. He started PreK-3s this year, based on his age. After years of teaching Michael Phelps to swim, climbing Mount Everest, and mastering 8 different languages, it was time for Gage to spend some time with kids his own age. We proudly report that he’s doing well in Pre-K, and actually teaching his teachers about relaxation through guided imagery. His goal for 2010 is to cure world hunger, and he’s almost mastered the formula for doing so. Again, I tell you---there’s just no capping his intellect.
In addition to amazing intellect, this child excels at everything sports related. His athletic ability is unsurpassed. As mentioned, he taught Michael Phelps to swim, and taught Tiger everything he knows about golf {golf, and only golf. Any of Tiger’s mistakes shall not serve as a reflection in any way on our son, his golf skills, or teaching abilities}. This past year Gage wanted to test the limits of his wee-body by being the first and only 4 year old to tackle Everest. We are happy to report that we made it a family event, and all reached the Summit without supplemental oxygen, in less than 2 days. Our heroic son even carried the Sherpa back down to the base-camp on a make-shift sled that he constructed out of his own coat, his backpack, and branches. The Boy Scouts of America celebrated his actions with an honorary Eagle Scout pin.

And just when we thought we couldn’t be any more proud, our son finished composing his third opera, and vowed to live at home with us forever, because we’re just so much fun.

No, Really….None of that stuff is true, except: Gage did start Pre-K, it is going well, we ARE proud of him, and he has promised to live at home with us forever! Life is just as crazy as usual. {hence the New Year’s card instead of a Christmas card! Short on time, anyone?} Around here, we’re all lucky if we know what day it is, are dressed appropriately for the weather & occasion, and make it ANYWHERE on time (okay….so that’s not true for ALL of the members of this family, but it’s always true if MOMMY is responsible for getting anyone anywhere!). Despite our imperfections, we are thankful for our blessings, and thankful for each other. We are thankful that we can retain a sense of humor with our hectic life and imperfect family. We are especially thankful for the gift of Jesus, a gift freely given and undeserved.

We hope you have a happy and blessed 2010!

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Saturday, January 16, 2010

Work, Work, Work! Busy Busy Busy!

Sorry for my lack of blogging.
I've been very busy!
...work & what not... You know---this whole "work"-thing has really been interfering with my blogging.
I'm just saying....

And just for fun---I'll leave you with a work-funny {well, work-funny for me...welcome to the typical BS we see in the ER...I assure you, we see this stuff EVERY day. I'm just sayin'....}:

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Sunday, January 10, 2010

2010 Lessons.

So, there are a few things I've learned so far in 2010:

1. Human clippers don't work so well on the dog. Trust me. {and don't tell Hubby that I tried to trim the dog's hair with his clippers! mmmkay?}

2. It really sucks to drop your new plum colored eyeshadow on the bathroom floor & have it shatter into powderdy dust.

3. It sucks even more when your bathroom floor is white tile with white grout.

4. It's best to just take the popcorn bowl away from your 4 year old when the popcorn is gone. Why? Because picking the little round unpopped kernals out of your bedding at midnight is not nearly as much fun as snuggling in your bed with your 4 year old, a bowl of popcorn & a movie on a cold Saturday afternoon.

5. Now that people are getting my age right when they just randomly guess, it's time to institute a wrinkle care regimen. {What happened to the 5-7 years younger than I really am guesses that people used to make?}

Saturday, January 09, 2010

Update-Schmup-date.


It's Saturday.

I am ramping up for a busy week.

I will be working 39.5 hours this week, which is just practically unheard of in the world of Lainey-Paney. Plus, I have internship stuff on my days off. Good times.

Gage is getting better from his pneumonia.....FINALLY!

I still let him ride his bike in the house. Yeah, I'm cool like that.

All the men around me are falling apart medically, I swear! Hubby's blood pressure shot UP yesterday to the point that he busted capillaries in his eyes while at work. Went & had his BP checked, and it was off to the dr's office for him. He's never been dx'd with hypertension, so this was kind of odd. Yes, his bp was elevated, but even more than that, he felt like his heart was racing, and indeed it was. Resting pulse of 109. That's no good. So, he was sent home w/ instructions for monitoring his bp over a period of time & this handy monitor that I got for him. It's really been better than it was yesterday, but still---at rest, it's in the "pre-hypertension" range & his resting pulse hasn't fallen below 90 yet. Good times.

My papa (grandfather) is in need of a pacemaker, should he choose to pursue that...I spent last Wednesday w/ him at the internist's office, and then to the cardiologist...blood work this week....2nd opinion at the VA.....it's going to be a big decision for him. And....so....there's that. My grandmother can't keep driving him to & from the hospital where his doctors are, so Dad & I have agreed to carry that load, and we'll just have to work it all out as the appointments come up. But none of us can tell Papa what to choose. That's the biggest issue: him deciding it he wants to pursue it, or what life may look like if he chooses not to.

Papa Joe---Gage's grandfather....he's having health issues too, and his may really turn out to be...well, rather devastating. Testing so far seems to indicate that, but certainly he has further testing to endure. So, we're all trying to remain optimistic.

Hubby has his CHL renewal stuff coming up, so I'm gonna have to come up with something fun for Gage & I to do while Daddy's off doing that. The frigid cold is really limiting our choices there! But, I'm sure we'll be able to come up with something!

House renovations: they are supposed to start Monday. But, then again, the materials were supposed to be delivered yesterday or day before. They weren't ready yet, or weren't available, or something. So, they're not here yet. The whole "start on the 11th and completion ETA of 14 days later"....yeah, I'm really not thinking that's going to happen. Whatever. Lexapro helps me not care about that, and I'm really setting my sights on having a new master bath & walk-in closet by Valentine's Day. In my mind, that's the appropriate time frame, and I won't be pissed until 2/15 if it's not done!

Speaking of house renovations....went to price some of the materials and items that we will be providing. I mentioned buying the following already: towel rings, light sconces, mirrors, & tile. All those things---done. Went to Lowe's to price doors. I have something to say about that: "ARE YOU F*CKING KIDDING ME?" I'm a big fan of doors. I like opening them...closing them....on occasion, slamming them. I will never again take a door for granted. never. The price of doors is fucking mind blowing. Hubby's over there spouting stuff about a "Three-Oh-Six-Oh" door. What? I, having no idea what he's talking about, responded with, "Well, this one cost $307, not $306. Is that for ONE? One door??? Does that include the installation price? Does it automatically open for me as I approach? Why does it cost so much?" Really, I was floored. $307 for ONE door. I need to two to fit the wall opening. So, if I get the door set that I want---it's $614 for the two door panels. That doesn't include the framing/casing/whatever that's called, or the door handles.

Sorry if I'm ranting. It's just that---we bought a house. It already had doors. I had no idea that they can be so expensive. I mean---I figured that replacing your front door may be pricey, but an interior door that just shuts off your closet from your bathroom? $307 for that?

Anyway...this is going to be tons of fun. I'll try not to rant about the price of things on here too much. And besides, I got such a great deal on my other stuff----I saved over $800 from my mirror/towel rings/light sconces purchase, and we saved $$ on the tile too. So, all that $$ we saved just may go to doors.....

Gage started back to school this past week.
It was a rough transition back, I'm not gonna lie.
Whew! But, he'll get back into the swing of things. He's still in love with M, and still glad to play with his best school buddy, Will. So, that's good.

We've been enjoying our Wii very much these days. In fact---Hubby & Gage made a trip to Game Stop today to surprise Mommy with this:

I'm so very excited, YOU DONKEY!

And of course, they had to pick out a few other things like this...


....and this.


I have a feeling those boys are going to be Wii'ing it for a while...and maybe...just maybe I'll get to play my Hell's Kitchen game tonight after Gage goes to bed. I suppose we'll see...

That's about all I know for now.
:)

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Tuesday, January 05, 2010

2009; Casa-de-Lainey-Paney Family Pic.

Well, they are FINALLY in!
Here are a few of our 2009 family pics that I scanned in.
Taken in December '09.
:)





This picture...this one. I feel it. It just seems to sum up how I feel about Gage, about the fun we have together, about motherhood. And maybe it's because I was there, it was us, etc.... but to me---I just feel that moment when I look at the picture, and I wish everyone else could too.


Gage can be...shy, and moody, and did I mention shy? Probably hard for most of you bloggers to believe...but those who have been around him in person know what I'm talking about. But the little boy you usually see in pictures....the laughing-so-hard-his-eyes-are-practically-closed little boy----that's the one that I get to see every day. And I get to be his mom. And sure, he may completely clam up around strangers and new situations, and....well, whatever. He's mine. I get to see the fun and love and mischeif in him every day!

My God, I'm lucky.
Because he's fabulous.

{and I don't care if anyone out there gets their nose bent out of joint about me ranting on & on & on about my kid. I love him. I don't love every single thing he does, but I love him, and his personality, and his heart, and his imagination, and this list could go on & on. I can't help it. I'm a mom.}

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