A year or two ago, the husband decided we should join a gym. So, this week, we did it!
A new, no-frills gym is opening up in our neighborhood and they are waiving all the sign-up fees, and they even have no commitment. So we decided that’s the gym for us, one that won’t trick is into signing up for a year when we’ll really stop going after a month in a half.
So, the plan is to go Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Once they open. Here’s hoping we can stick with that plan …
Today at church, I had the honor of giving the opening prayer. Which meant the bishop announced that I was going to do so.
So when I got to my sunday school class, li’l g (not his real name) who only knows me as ’sister b’, was very intrigued as to what, exactly my first name was. And what kind of name it was.
So, parents, your kids do pay attention to that first hour of church! Er, or at least the first 10 minutes of that first hour …
During my two weeks off, I was fairly active. And I didn’t eat as much as I normally do. Which meant my li’l britney belly started to disappear and my pants don’t fit no more …
It’s not that I was trying to eat less - I’m a big proponent of eating whenever I’m hungry. It’s just that I wasn’t hungry! I did a little googling, and I actually found that exercise is a natural appetite suppressant. According to ‘them’. On the ‘internets’.
But now, I’m back to work, and it’s back to constant eating: breakfast at 6 am, second breakfast at 9, lunch at 11, afternoon snack at 2, post-work snack at 5, dinner at 6, after-dinner snack at 8. My belly will be back in no time!
Alas, tis the last day of my vacation. It’s a good thing, too, because I am EXHAUSTED. Between walking all over DC and Baltimore, and painting my basement (NOT as easy as it sounds), my body is sore and quite ready for a nice, relaxing desk job.
Got up early today to attend the baptism (and worship services) of one of the neighbors. We sat right up front, so the husband got the honors of video taping the little guy’s baptism. At just 6 months old, he was rather composed and calm for the proceedings. (The baby, not the husband. Though the husband was also quite composed and calm.)
Put together my Sunday school lesson (complete with a match game!), then headed off for another 3 hours of church. And only 2 of my kids showed up, so all my efforts couldn’t be fully appreciated. Should have gone with hangman, no preparation needed there …
Decided the trim doesn’t need a second coat and put the basement back together, as much as it can be. Need to buy some bookcases, vertical blinds for the sliding door, a skinnier printer cart, and a couple of comfy fireplace chairs. After I, um, start getting paid again.
All in all, it’s been a great 17 days - even if my delicate programmer hands are now calloused and scratched up. A few days at the new job should fix that right up.
Laid in bed till after 9 because my feet said so. Any time I thought about getting up, my feet convinced me otherwise. Turns out, squatting for 6 hours is tuff on the balls of your feet. Most especially when you do it barefoot …
Finally got up, put on clean, pretty clothes and headed to AC Moore for some little paint brushes. For painting in tiny little spaces. That my fireplace is full of.
Made a 10:45 am stop at McDonalds to pick up a burger, fries and fruit parfait to get my day started off right.
Painted a banister, trim, and fireplace. Did not finish the trim.
The mail man brought me my new internets! Oh, happy day.
The bathroom tile man stopped by to see what he was dealing with. What he is dealing with is a room with no subflooring. Or shower drain. Oy. I gave him a key so he could get started on Monday.
Papa Johns brought dinner, and I called it an early night. Didn’t finish the trim or any doors, but 8 hours of painting is plenty.
Painted from 7:45 am to 11:15 pm. (Two bathroom breaks, two cheezit/tuna salad/frozen grape breaks.) The basement is much larger than it looks. But I got two paints of the purple/gray on, and it looks great. I painted over an unsanded patch, but I didn’t much care, seeing as it’ll be behind my new bookcases. Whenever I get a job and make some money to buy new said bookcases.
Fell asleep dreaming of the pattern that paint rollers make when they put paint on the walls. Seriously. Because that’s what painting for 16 hours will do to ya.
Sat on the top ‘not-a-step’ of my 6-foot ladder and lived to tell the tale. Work on my bathroom started today. And my ceilings now look fabulous.
Day 13 was a much, much better day than the horrible 12. Even if my neck has now failed. I have decided to never paint a ceiling that large again. Ever.
Will be heading to Home Depot later to buy the wall paint, now that I picked a color (I call it purple, he calls it gray) that the husband has agreed to.
And I’m so looking forward to a shower once the bathroom men turn my water back on …
Broke the internets (or at least the antenna on my router). So the blogs are being written in old-fashioned word, until the mail man brings me my new internets.
Overall, the day was bad, and the husband came home after a bad day at work. And so we did what any couple does after a double-bad day: we went to Maggie Moos for a shake and a little piece of heaven.
I tried the dark chocolate, fudge, strawberry and nut concoction – and it is the best thing ever. Total chocolate buzz on the first bite. I am in love with Maggie Moos dark chocolate. Even if I can only eat 6 bites before my intestines pitch a fit. It is sooooooooo worth it. Especially after a bad day.
Time to get to work! Woke up “early” (a hair before 7) to beat the garbage man. Gathered up all the trash, scooped the kitty poo, and ran out to the street in my jammies with plenty of time to spare.
Cleaned out the pink room (a 9×9 child’s bedroom that is painted pink, with a pink wall paper border, and pink mini-blinds), which mostly just meant actually filing all the stacks of paper that has collected over the last 6 months. Discovered a reimbursement check dated January 17 that is no good after 180 days - today is day 179. Who said bein’ unemployed doesn’t bring in any money?
Moved the closet that I had previously moved to the basement on account of our mold issues up to the newly organized pink room.
After making about 30 trips up and down 2 flights of stairs, I was really cursing my decision to take all our clothes to the basement.
Once the clothes were upstairs (the pink room looks better than it has in months, the cleaning ladies are in for quite the shock …) it was time to move everything out of the basement.
Oi. Books are heavy. As are bookcases. And OMG, I totally discovered something new about the husband: he has a TMNT sewer playground. Like that he used to play with when he was 10. Now, I’m not one to talk; I, myself, have an embarrassingly large lego collection. I just didn’t know the husband had anything besides collectors-items-still-in-the-packaging toys. That we are soooo gonna retire on.
Got a phone call from the bathroom man just so he could tell me that he didn’t have a start date for me yet. Oh, and could I drop by a check for the over-budgeted tile amount? Because once he orders the tile, THEN he can get me a start date. Maybe. If he feels like it.
Showered, paid the bathroom man, did some shopping at Lowes for pre-painting supplies (caulk and pink patching goop), and found some fabulous light fixtures! So I bought 6. And wished my dad was still here to show me how to install such things without killing myself.
Stopped off at the grocery store and bought all kinds of wonderful yumminess. And found out that when you don’t stop off at the grocery store after work in a mad rush to get home in time to start dinner, the grocery store is quite a lovely place to leisurely meander.
Got home just before the husband, and started dinner. And did some dishes.
Washed the basement walls and doors (I know it’s not necessary, but the previous owners liked to fling lumpy goop all over the walls - and I don’t dust or de-cobweb …). Helped the husband with some wow quests, then patched up some holes. There’s still plenty more to patch up tomorrow.
Slept in (boy, doesn’t that sound familiar …) then got up to prepare a Sunday School lesson fit for 9 year olds. And, seeing as they are 9, my lesson manual was very insistent that I leave out the most scandalous part.
Church was churchie, then I came home to get my warlock to 56.
Made breakfast for dinner - which for the husband means biscuits, tater tots, bacon, eggs, and GRAVY - and for myself, bacon, eggs and toast.
Watched an episode of Middle Man, which, if it weren’t summer, we probably wouldn’t be watching. The characters are entertaining, if you can get over the power-rangers style “special” effects and fight scenes.
Played a little free-cell before bed, and then called it a night.