S.W.A.K.: On a Sorta Snowy Saturday ...

This morning I was awaken by my husband's excitement over the big flakes of snow that were really coming down ... since then it's snowed twice more, the sun came out long enough to cause serious meltyness and now it's raining, really raining.  I guess that's about how this week has gone, too. If you don't like things right now, just wait a few minutes ...

President's Day on Monday was a fun family everybody's home day.  Well, I can wear rose colored glasses in retrospect, right?

This week I primed, textured and painted our new bathroom walls.  Today we're replacing the toilet and sink fixtures.  That still makes us only about halfway done.  Next the shower comes out and we do the walls and door frame while we try to decide how to replace the shower.  I have my own definite wish--cultured marble--but we'll see what we end up with.  I'd also love one of those "open" showers with no doors to scrub and collect mold, but again, who knows ...

Samantha had the usual smattering of appointments ... six to be exact.  Still no change and 7-1/2 weeks into this with no explanation or relief.  She's so done.  She just wants to be NORMAL.  Next week she will officially move to a medically-necessary shortened school day.  We're working out the details on that still, but as soon as we do, that'll be a whole new chapter is our educational adventures.

I started helping Nicholas's class with the pancake dolls that I cut out over Winter Break.  I need to get on top of mine so I can post a tutorial with pictures.  I really admire his teacher for taking on a project of this magnitude.  So little of this type of project is done nowadays and it is so good for the children to move a bit out of their comfort zone and learn new skills--it's only running stitches after all.  It kinda hit home for me when I realized I was teaching the kids the exact same stitch I'm using to draw the pictures on the Rocky Ridge quilt.

I had hoped to be going up to the Portland Temple today with Samantha, but we couldn't schedule a time for baptisms.  Working with her this week to get some names ready for the work reminded me how much I enjoy family history work when I take the time.  Does anyone have any suggestions about how to organize all that information?  Most of what it looks like I need to work on for a while is "reconciling" conflicting records in the Family Search system.  But that also means tracking down original records and other family information.  So many projects, so little time...

S.W.A.K.: Whew!

Rhett worked through three weekends in January, so he took some extra time off this week.  He spent most of his time working on our bathroom.  In this process, I found out that putting up the walls is not so bad, neither is taping and spackling—it’s the sanding that’s killer.  Plaster dust everywhere!  It is so fine and hard to clean up—blech!  He also re-organized the living room so he can host a WOWarcraft party tonight and baked five, yes 5, pies (and one cake)!  (Oh, and for those of you wondering, yes, these pics were taken on the morning of the 14th--the romance never ends ...)

Adagio: Slowing Down

This week went by at about a hundred miles per hour.  Doctor’s appointments, no school Friday, phone calls to straighten out health and homeowners insurance, bathroom demolition, and my once-peaceful bedroom and craft corner piled high with displaced vanity storage.   Falling into bed each evening, I longed to slow down tomorrow and get more done.  Hah!

S.W.A.K.: What a week!

This week has been notable for me in many ways.  I’m used to being a SAHM, my choice and I cherish it.  It’s not too often where it is so glaringly obvious that if I did work then I wouldn’t be able to do it all.  Samantha went to three different doctors this week.  We got new insurance at the beginning of the year, and this proved to be an added challenge.