My Weblog

Rounding out the old.........

I just got home. One hour and 5 minutes to go in 2014. Many things about 2014 have been good; some have been not so good, but through it all......... Yup, that old song: I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to trust His Word.

I don't know how, but it seems as though I pulled a muscle in the wall of my chest. It's right under my right b**b. It hurts like the dickens when I bend over. And because of WHERE it hurts, you can't even grab it and apply counter pressure like you could if it were your shoulder that hurt. Haven't figured that out that "hurts like the dickens" thing yet unless it's the change in gravity. Anyway, my thought tonight is, if it's on the floor, leave it there, LOL.

Nothing truly amazing at work. I worked with Accident Lady with whom I am often paired. And, as usual, she did not play well with others. I spent hours and hours just standing behind the register ringing up customers. If I would start something and had to stop to take care of a customer, by the time I got back to what I had started, she had taken it over and finished it. It's pretty useless to even say anything to her about it as she just will not give up "control" and I am certainly not going to get into an argument over it. I'm not actually certain if it is a control thing or if she is just on auto-pilot. But it seems to be utterly useless to ask her what she'd like me to do or volunteer to do anything specific. After 5 or 6 hours of standing in one spot pushing buttons on the screen, it gets boring. And I definitely don't hurt as much if I can move around a little. However, I don't seem to be able to communicate that to her no matter how hard I try.

I am definitely going to have to try to schedule an appointment with my favorite doc. I just don't think I can handle the very low dose of thyroid meds he's been prescribing. I don't exactly blame him for that because I haven't had a blood test in far too long. But, having had thyroid problems for decades, I have a pretty good feel for what works and what doesn't. I had a pretty lively case of "thyroid fog" tonight. Somehow, though I had had adequate sleep last night, I arrived at work tired. And I made a couple of bloopers throughout the shift. These are classic signs of thyroid issues. Now, I don't think anyone gets 'em all right, but I WANT to get 'em all right anyway. I don't want to collect a paycheck for "less than" work. 

We weren't swamped, but there was a pretty steady stream of customers. Accident Lady did sit down on the step stool and read the paper for a while. I was pea green with envy that she was sitting down. But, I know she hurts just like I do so I'm also happy when I see her sit down. I've often encouraged her to sit down and volunteered to do whatever comes next, but that doesn't work either, LOL. But other than that short period, we were busy. I'd hate to think how much beer we sold. 

We were supposed to get snow last night, today, and tonight. Yeah, well............ Friends who live to the south and west of me reported getting some early this morning but there was NOTHING here. It IS really cold. We will duck below freezing tonight. Dear Lord, please let it duck far enough below freezing to kill off the stuff that is emitting pollen............. THAT is the prayer of the Vegas allergy sufferers who pray and I'm one of them! 

Traffic is just awful according to reports from customers and from Accident Lady. My hunch would be that we have a lot of out-of-towners hanging around for the New Year's celebration. One of my regular customers is a supervisor of valet parking at one of the big time hotel/casinos. He told me it took him an hour tonight just to exit the casino and maneuver his way off the Strip. According to him, this usually takes 10 minutes max. Sure glad I wasn't caught in that.

I was surprised how many locals were NOT going out anywhere for the big celebration. More power to 'em. Getting involved in that mess is, in my book, a sure sign of either desperation or stupidity. 

Along about 10PM we had a couple who are probably in their early 30's come in with their little boy who is probably about 5. Apparently the little guy was given the choice to go to bed as usual or stay up to ring in the New Year. Of course he chose to stay up. Dad said "Two of us are really tired and one of us is FULL of energy. Bet you can guess which one has all the energy". Yes, of course I could, LOL. 

Well, I am going to get myself something to drink and I am going to take some ibuprofen. And then I'll try to figure out what comes next. See ya in the morning...........

Well, here I am.......

Less than an hour from "blast off". It is still windy and cold. And, although it's been overcast all day, the sky in this area is getting dark. Maybe there will be snow after all.........

I have managed to get myself ready for work.

I have run the vacuum cleaner through the master bedroom, the hall, the entryways into the guestroom and the sewing room (can't get much deeper in than that), the main entryway, the living room and the dining room. I've decided my next move, mechanically speaking, will be with the carpet attachment to the steam mop. It is supposed to "freshen" carpet. Well, since the wall units have been moved into proper position, there are places with deep ruts where they were standing temporarily. I am hoping the steam will pull those fibers back up. I'm also going to try it on several other areas......... 

As I vacuumed today, I thought about all the rugs I think I am going to have to buy. I'll have to get some measurements, but there's a yucky seam that runs the depth of the living room. This will require a rug behind the couch (under the console table to as close to the transition to tile as I can come). The same seam dictates a rug from under the front of the couch to up close and personal with those wall units. It seems to me there should be a rug under the dining room table to sort of "define" the area. And, there is a mess where the carpet will eventually transition to something here in the office. That needs covered. And that's just what I've thought of so far. That's probably going to run $800-$900, at least. Then, in addition, it seems to me there should be a runner in the hall. This carpet is very light and it isn't going to take much walking on it to make it nasty looking. Geez.......... I think I need a bank loan. 

I am pretty sure I'd want all these rugs to more or less match. All of these areas are open to each other. I don't want a big mish of colors on the floor from area rugs. I think that means buying them all at once. Now, I guess the big question is whether I hit my pitiful little savings account for that or try to wait it out. It will be many months before I can afford to do that out of current income.........

Because of the color of the carpet and because of the bad seams, it all seems pretty important to me to get done. I'll have to think on it.

I've added about 20 elements or so to the kit I'm working on. Also I've been working on saving open files so that if there's any kind of power outage or some internet guru decides to "update" my computer, I don't lose anything.......... I'll keep that up til I have all the bases covered or run off to the store. 

Okay, that's it for now. I might be back later. Tonight promises to be utterly crazy at the store. I just might have some stories to tell when I get home..........

 

Moving on..........

Well, that phone conversation with my neighbor last night was a down moment in my life. But, the show must go on, so they say.......... (Who are "they" anyway?). 

I work today. 8 hours from 3PM to 11PM. I am pretty well done in as it is, but with the Lord's help, I can do another 8 hours. Then, I think, I might be off til Saturday unless my "go-to" girl thing rears its head which is unlikely. I wonder what I can get done in this house on Thursday and Friday?

I did get most of the carpet fiber mess cleared up again. Not all, for sure, but most. I used a broom to gather together a big pile of it and then just used my hands to put it in the trash. Then I started with the Simplicity vacuum (the "good" vacuum) and got the back end of the hall, which was the worst. I will run that vacuum through the rest of the house today, I hope. 

I managed to get my hands on what I thought was another box of cookbooks. Well, it must have been one of the last boxes I packed because it was a bit of a mishmash. A few "decor" items (they really don't deserve that description, but....), some music books, and 3 cookbooks. I really have to kind of manhandle these boxes to get them out of where they are and I was unprepared for the sound of "stuff" clinking together when I grabbed the box. However, I was blessed and nothing broke. 

So, part of the mess is cleaned up and one more box is emptied............ More to go. I know that when I get the boxes unpacked and get stuff set up in the new wall units, I'll be pleased. Not that I have stuff that's really great to spread around for folks to "ooh" and "aah" over, but I can enjoy it. 

When I finally recover from all this, I can continue on with trying to pull the house together. I can maybe even do some work in the garage on those days when I'm home during the warmest parts of the day. It's pretty darned cold in that garage at night or in the mornings.......

I have almost decided to pay my neighbor that $200 and just move on. I know those carpet pieces are heavy. And the dumpster is way taller than I am. I would have to use a ladder to reach anything. I do my best to tug and push and pull and lift whatever needs to be moved, but I think I could really wear myself out and get nowhere. 

He said he'd take it in payments. Heck, everyone else is demanding payments, so why not add him to the list???

So, I have about 5 hours til I have to leave for work. And it's not likely I'll want to do too much when I get home at 11. So.......... what can I do this morning? Well, I need to get myself pulled together first--shower, dress, makeup, etc. Then, I guess I'll try to continue on with the vacuuming. The sooner I get that done, the less chance there will be that carpet fibers continue to migrate through the whole house. So far, the master bedroom, hall bath, hall, and living room are "infected". I'd like to stop it there. I don't suppose anyone can ever do wrong with an extra vacuuming, right? 

I can do some design stuff. I mentioned I started a new kit this week. Well, I still need to finish up that one I pulled out of the archives. And, the new kit is in need of elements, lots of elements. So far, it has 3 varieties of flowers and one frame and that's it. Hmmmm.......plenty to do there. 

I have been continuing to try to work in some sort of round robin manner in the house. Since every room in the house is in an uproar, that makes as much sense to me as anything. So, maybe I can mix a little of that in with unpacking boxes..........

The good news for the moment is that because tomorrow is a holiday, our paychecks are ready a day early. This paycheck is one of the largest I've ever gotten since starting this job. Looks like I'm gonna need it!!!!

On Facebook, I've heard from someone who lives about 20 miles south of me and I've heard from someone who lives about 8 miles southwest of me. They've had snow. Here, not yet....... But it's really windy and overcast. The forecast now says 50% chance of wind/rain/snow. Well, I wouldn't mind looking at a little of the white stuff, LOL. I'm just glad I work just a mile from home. People in Vegas really don't know how to drive when it rains or snows. They forget how very slippery it gets. I'd just as soon not play in the traffic today! 

Today would have been DH's 65th birthday. He's dancin' with Jesus today and those that have gone on before are giving him a backslap or two and loving on him, lucky dog! I work really hard to NOT spend time thinking about what might have been, but..........on days like this, it's hard. One more day with potentially difficult thoughts and emotions to overcome--January 5, the anniversary of his death. Then, it's clear sailing til somewhere around Thanksgiving, 2015. 

The worst thing about losing a spouse seems to be that there is no one to talk to, no one with whom to spend time, no one with whom to go places. I DO miss that. But, to me, it's not worth looking for some sort of a relationship just for that. So, I go talk to the customers at the store and try to make them feel appreciated. They ARE appreciated, particularly the ones I see every time I work. 

I'm signing off now, in favor of getting some things done around here. YOU have a BLESSED day! And, I am wishing you the very best for 2015.

So discouraged.........

I am really not a happy camper tonight. Months ago I paid Mr. Fixit and his son to move the carpet pieces out of the garage, measure them and restack them neatly in the garage. Then they came to install the carpet and when they were done, the garage looked just as bad as it had before I paid them to do that work. So, while they were here last night, I told them I wanted the garage straightened up. The son showed me a small pile of extra carpet and padding (small pieces) about a foot high and asked if he could put it in the neighbor's dumpster. I waffled for a while and finally said okay. Yeah, well.......... They threw a mountain of stuff in there which I did not know until I went to back my van out of the driveway, looked at the dumpster and all I could see was carpet. They piled a big load of stuff in there. Of course, I was on short time so there was nothing I could do about it when I discovered what they had done.

I came home from work tonight to find my neighbor's business card in my door, asking me to call him. He states that they had an inspector out to check some stuff with regard to the new room they are adding and the inspector told him that since the dumpster is piled up like that, there would be a cost of $200 to him. Needless, the neighbor would like the $200. If there are consequences tomorrow, there is nothing I can do about it. But, I'm going to have to drag a ladder out there and pull that crap out of the dumpster on Thursday or pay up. I want to strangle Mr. Fixit. I really really do.

To exacerbate the whole thing, he walked into the house last night and said "A professional with the right tools could stretch out all these wrinkles". Well, first of all, he claims to be a professional. And secondly, I paid for tools and equipment. I expected I would get a quality job, given that I was paying. If he needed other tools to do the work, then I think I should have been told "I can do a piss poor job with these tools or, if you want it to look better, it will cost you an extra $100 to rent this particular tool for 2 days." I would have hated spending another $100, but I am none too fond of what I've been left with, given the money I've already put into this mess. My choices now are to live with what I have, spend hundreds of $$$ to buy rugs to try to cover up as much of the mess as possible, or hire someone else and pay them $$$ to fix what's here. I really really want to hurt him. 

And, then, to make it even worse, he was carrying on about the garage door opener. According to him it should be in the middle of the garage. Well, yes, that is the classic place for a garage door opener. However, I happen to have an attic access in the middle of the garage! No, I don't want a garage door opener installed there so that I don't have access to the attic. No, I don't want to pay him to move the attic access so the garage door opener can be installed there. I HAD a professional work on the garage door opener a few years ago, and given the configuration of the garage, the way the opener is now installed was recommended. And the professional told me that this should work just fine.

I am beginning to tire of Mr. Fixit pushing at me to pay him to do work I don't want him to do or don't consider necessary or don't have the $$$ for. I just want to bash him over the head right now.

So, I will be spending New Year's Day, on a ladder, trying to drag as much of that carpet out of the dumpster as I can possibly manage. And it will be a cold day you know where before Mr. Fixit sees any more of my greenback $$$. 

And, by the way, I know the neighbor is telling the truth because we deal with the same problem at the store. For example, the dumpster is usually full by Saturday. We put no more trash in there until it's emptied because it would cost the owners more if that dumpster is heaped up. So, given that, what the neighbor has said makes sense.  

Well, it's obvious I need some prayer time. I really don't have a good attitude right now..........

Well, so much for all my work..........

Got an unexpected phone call from Mr. Fixit tonight. He and his younger son were ready to work on carpet, etc. Wow! 

They fixed one of the worst of the seam problems. It's still not what I wish it were, but it's certainly better than it was. Before it was badly cut, pieced, pieced again, and the carpet tape did not stick properly. Now it's just a seam (but WAY better done than before), one seam, no piecing. 

HOWEVER, I had just finished vacuuming through the house. Now there are carpet fibers everywhere accompanied by a small piece of carpet here and there. I feel like I'm starting all over. I'll need to gather all that stuff up either by hand or with a broom and dustpan before I can even vacuum again! That stuff is NOT good for the vacuum cleaner.......... And, of course, it's all through the house from being carried on our shoes...........

The good news is that the wall units are now moved into final position. Glory be! Now I can start to put stuff into them. That means I can unload a bunch of boxes. And, they are all plugged into electricity so they light up very nicely. Now if I could just get all the variations of glass clean, LOL. If I can get the glass really clean, perhaps, lit up, the wall units will distract people from the flaws in the carpet. 

There was also a utility cabinet in the hall that had been moved into the sewing room. Boxes and boxes of mostly toys from that cabinet were also piled in there. I wanted to at least get the cookbooks put away since they were going into a bookcase unrelated to anything else, but getting to the boxes in which the books were packed was a near impossibility. I managed to get one out but darn near herniated myself in the process, LOL. The cookbooks are at the far side of the room, behind all the other stuff that was piled in front. The cabinet has now been moved back into the hallway. So, a green light for the sorting of toys and unpacking of cookbooks! I had hoped to alter the position of the cabinet somewhat, but It needed to be anchored into a stud and it ended up all we could do was put it back in the same place. Oh, well............the corner by the cabinet was another place that was really badly cut. So, I am now parking a vacuum cleaner there, right over the bad spot. At least that way, no one will see it, LOL. 

So, tomorrow I work 8 hours and Wednesday I work another 8 hours. I won't have much energy left after that. But, come Thursday, I can start working on cleaning up carpet fibers all over again. At least I can also start unpacking some boxes. There is a pile of carpet gunk in the hall bath (remember, I just mopped the floor in there? Also, carpet gunk from the master bedroom all the way to the living room. Woe is me, LOL! 

I also had Mr. Fixit Junior work on the garage, restoring it to its former "glory". Unfortunately I still cannot get the van in the garage. Too many pieces of leftover carpet and padding. Can't do anything with that til I make a final decision as to what will happen with the floor in this room. Bah Humbug! However, at least I can walk uninhibited to the far side of the garage. That's something I haven't been able to do for about 5 years.........

Mr. Fixit sometimes aggravates me about as much as any male could ever aggravate any female. Picture pulling a van into a garage. In front of the van was a wide workbench. In order to walk behind the van to the kitchen door side of the garage, it was necessary to nose right up against the middle support of the workbench. But, if you got it in close enough, there was 8-12 inches behind the van (between the rear bumper and the garage door, to move from the "wrong" side of the garage to the "right" (door) side of the garage and enter the house through the kitchen. Well all the remaining carpet and padding is piled in front of the workbench. Mr. Fixit stood there and argued with me that I could get the van in the garage. I finally said "Would you please give me credit for having learned something in the 20+ years I've owned this house and the 8 years I've owned this van." I probably sounded exasperated although I was trying not to. At that point he walked out and looked at the van and admitted it looked "too long" to fit! I wouldn't have minded slapping him upside the head about then though I'd have had to repent for that later...........

So, that is what happened to my evening. It was frustrating and time consuming and, at times, downright worrisome, but once I get the mess cleaned up again, it'll be better. Things can start to normalize around here. I reminded Mr. Fixit that one thing I had specified when we set this carpeting deal up was that I did not want my house topsy turvy for the entire month of December. Well, today is the 30th. And, because of my work schedule, I can't really expect to accomplish much til January 1. That pretty well means, I got EXACTLY what I said I didn't want!

I did a lot of unzipping of computer files and sorting and organizing today. I also worked on a new kit that I hope to move into a store in January. It's moving pretty well--it has 15 papers already and I actually pretty much like them all, LOL. I wouldn't sell a kit that had a paper I hated, so I guess I'm on a roll! 

I also managed to wash and dry 2 loads of clothes as well as fold one more load left over from whenever it was I last had a day off. Friday? I think so. I did go after those glass doors on the wall units, but now they are pretty well covered in fingerprints from being moved. Well, they weren't REALLY clean anyway, so I guess I'd have had to wash them again anyway..........

Got a few bills paid and worked on the budgeting program. Also dragged mucho trash to the curb as tomorrow is trash day. Did some other odds and ends around the house. And managed to pay the IRS $63 to renew my tax preparer ID #, an expense that I didn't have to pay before Obama became president......... Anything that requires working through the IRS website is always a challenge. I still need to purchase a calender refill for my day planner and the tax program. We're talking more than $500 for that stuff. I HATE this time of year for a lot of reasons, but being hit with car registration, tax software, PTIN number fee, and planner refill all in the same month is a WHOLE LOT for my poor budget to absorb......

Oh, NOTE TO A SPECIAL FRIEND: Yes, indeed I did get that gift certificate. Now all I need to do is try to figure out which of the bazillion things on my wish list to use it on, LOL. It's a great problem to have. You are so generous and I appreciate you more than you can imagine. Thank you! I would have probably done a better job of thanking you in a timely manner without all the extra hours I worked this past week. (Excuses, excuses.........)

I'm calling it quits for tonight. I will have to be out of the house by 10:30 AM or thereabouts which means if I rush off to bed now, I can get my requisite 7 hours of sleep. See ya tomorrow.

Featured kit.........

I used to post my new kits here every week. Then someone offered to start a blog JUST for my HotFlashDesigns products. In the middle of setting up that blog, she moved. Needless to say, the moving set back the completion date on the blog. It's finished now, but I decided I'd go back to posting my kits here anyway. 

This week's kit is called Shimmer and Shine. If your Christmas is a little bit more "modern", less traditional, you will love this kit. It's also appropriate for that part of us that loves "shiny" things. I promised my CT when I was working on this kit that I would make everything "shimmer and shine", true to the kit's name. I think I succeeded. This kit is available in the HotFlashDesigns store at A Cherry on Top. You can find it here. Come on, now. It's December 29th. I KNOW you haven't scrapped all your Christmas photos yet. There are two other Christmas kits there from HotFlashDesigns as well. Take a minute, follow that link, and look around a bit. No doubt you will find SOMETHING you like, LOL.

If for some reason you want just the papers, just the elements or just the alphas, you can buy them separately with this kit. Here's a closer look:

Whether you buy the full kit or the separate parts, you'll find them at introductory pricing. Just $4.20 for the kit. I promise, you'll get your money's worth and more!

Another day in paradise..........

Well, glory be, today I do not have to go to work. I am very grateful for the extra hours I've worked lately (and I'll be even more grateful when I see the paycheck that results from them), but I am happily at home all day today. 

My plans for today? More sorting, purging, organizing, and carrying. I successfully got the lights connected up and functioning on the wall units in the living room. I don't expect I'll use them often, but they do look nice. Now, if I could just get all the glass to look good..........

I am dealing with mirrored backs on the inside of the units, glass shelves and glass doors. And these pieces sat in my garage for roughly 5 years. They were dust covered and had quite a film on the glass when they got moved inside. I've cleaned and cleaned at them and each time I think I've finally got it, only to discover later that they are still streaked with vestiges of the film. I went after the doors on two units again last night. They're better but I don't know if they're actually clean. 

In the afternoons, the units in the dining room are well-lit by the sun. The streaks are VERY visible then. And I don't like it one bit! Guess I'll see what I can do about that this afternoon. For the mirrored insides, I actually need a stepstool, but I just happen to have one of those.

I've been sorting scrapbooks. I have duplicates here which I made for my daughter. But in clearing everything out of the living room/dining room for the carpet to be laid, the duplicates are all mixed up with the originals. So, one by one, I have been dragging them down from where I piled them and checking them out. They will be delivered to her house soon.

She has said she thinks I don't love her or my grandchildren. Well, here is many hours of work (editing photos, scrapping pages, printing pages, filing pages, etc) and many $$$$ of expense (photo paper, ink, binders, etc) that should be proof that her statement is a very hurtful bald-faced lie. 

I will never understand this statement from her. When her father left at age 2.5, I was the parent that stayed. And when he "managed" to contribute all of $250 to her support over the next 15.5 years, I was the one who paid for the shoes, the clothes, the food, the roof over her head. 

Oh, well, it's in God's hands.......

Anyway, last night, I actually managed to reach across a slew of boxes containing stuff that needs sorted to drag out one box of my cookbooks. Those go into a separate bookshelf, not part of the wall unit, so I can actually get those into proper place if I can reach them. Reaching them is a challenge, but if I could do it once, surely I can do it again and again and again and again--yeah, I think there are a total of 5 boxes...........

So, more sorting and carrying things from place to place today. And more design work. I have more work to do on that archived kit I pulled out to finish. I aim for 100 MB of elements in my kits. That one is now sitting at 75. I don't know what else will go in there yet. I do know I want some curly ribbons/string and, of course, some word art stuff. Maybe something else. Kinda depends on inspiration. 

I want to get some bills paid. I sorted through mail and stuff on the desk last night. Still much more to go. That two weeks when I could not open a filing cabinet drawer sure set me back. But I am determined to get this thing pulled into shape. And that will only happen as I keep working on it.

NOTE: I posted about my Hoover Steam Mop yesterday. I mentioned in that post that I really wanted to get more of the heavy duty mop head covers as 2 just didn't seem like enough. I prowled around Amazon and found 4 for $13.95 including shipping. Happy to say that having clean mop heads won't be a problem around here for much longer, LOL.

Well, that's the rough plan for today. I'm sure I will conjure up a whole lot of other stuff that needs done as the day passes. For example, the word "laundry" just popped into my head. Yes, there's always some amount of laundry to do......... Anyway, you have a great day and BE BLESSED. 

Go-To Girl.........

Yep, that's me, though I'm probably a bit on the sundown side of "girl". My plans for the day included design and a lot of carrying, sorting, straightening, etc. Yeah, well...........

I worked yesterday with Mrs. GHE. She did the bare minimum and complained of kidney/back problems. She looked a bit puffy to me but I didn't say anything. I had been told that she was frequently ill....... and I didn't want to exacerbate the problem. Well, she's at work and wants to go home. So, I will work 3-7 in her place. Hey, it's a few more $$$ in my pocket and now she thinks she owes me, LOL. And she can go home and do whatever she can think of to feel better. It's a win-win, except for the state of my house..........

And, I'm quite pleased if I get to be the "go to" girl. It will wreak havoc with whatever plans I have for the day, but it will give me more hours and more $$$. I have many more expenses to face and the $$$ is welcome. Not that there are many absences at the store.......... It is not a good thing to be absent there, no matter how good your reason. Mrs. GHE had her bases covered though as she knew I would come in and cover for her before she called Mrs. Owner. That eases the burden on management somewhat and makes an absence less trouble.

I spoke with a lady that manages a local convenience type store. She is a "working" manager. She told me that between Monday morning and Wednesday night, she had worked 42 hours! Geez. I'm sure she must have been utterly exhausted.

This will give me 25 hours this week which is about as much as I want to work. Anyway, I'm happy about it.

I have now done 3 floors in my house with the steam mop. I'm telling you, I LOVE that thing. I have yet to crack the seal on the little bottle of floor cleaner that came with it. I have been working strictly with steam. And, boy, what a difference it has made! I am proud of how those 3 floors look! It occurs to me I have not shown you what I bought so you could go get one yourself if you need one. For all I know, I am the last woman on planet earth to have one. Maybe that's why I got such a great deal????? Anyway, here she is in all her glory.

It is officially called the Hoover Twin Tank Steam Mop. You can find it on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Q7CK56/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I will be checking back on Amazon to see if there are additional pads for the mop. It comes with 2 pads for hard floors and one for "refreshing" carpet, whatever that means. Anyway, I did two floors last night, both of which were quite dirty with several weeks of interruption due to the carpet-laying and due to workmen with dirty shoes using both areas. When I was passing the hall bathroom just now, I discovered it looked "streaked". Well, I took a look at the mop pad and it was really dirty. So, I put the second mop pad on and went over the floor again. It looks great now. But, I don't want to be worrying about whether or not I have enough clean mop pads when I pull this thing out, KWIM? I do have to say, I took one stroke down the center of that bathroom floor last night, just one stroke, and I could immediately see the difference. The way that thing is cleaning out the "dimples" in the flooring is like magic!

Three features I really like are the "rotating" head and the triangular shape of the head and the LONG cord. That mop head will rotate so you can work straight on, or you can make the "point" of the triangle go right or left so you can take that baby right up against mopboard and right into corners. And because of the long cord, you aren't repositioning where the thing is plugged in every 30 seconds. I can do both the kitchen floor and the entry with one plug-in. Or, I can do the entryway and the hall bath with only one plug in. Hooray for long cords!

In case you are wondering, no, that is not an affiliate link. I don't make a cent if you buy one. I'm just sharing my experience with a product I LOVE!

I pulled out of the archives another unfinished kit. I had the papers designed and some flowers and that's it. I'm now about 75% done with the elements and all the papers are done. It's a kit about sisters so it's feminine and soft yet vibrant and high contrast too. Should work for a lot of different layouts. There are even enough neutrals to create several masculine layouts so my creative artist who has only boys should be happy about that, LOL. 

Well, I am dressed for grubbing around the house. I will need to change shirts and I'll need to dress warmly. We have a high forecast of 48 degrees. We're at 46 right now, but the time I leave for work will be the warmest part of the day. Coming home will be chilly. Once the sun starts to set, it cools off FAST in the desert! Also, I swear they still have cold air blowing in the store. I look as big as a house with shirts layered under sweatshirts layered under that goofy smock, but I don't look cold, LOL. That's a plus. Blue is not my best color, LOL. I'm heading off to start on that shirt thing and to start on make-up which I had NO plans to put on today. Geez.........

YOU be BLESSED today! I am!

 

Brrrrr.........

If you live in Buffalo, New York, you probably would think it's pretty warm in Vegas. However, our high for the day will be in the 40's, so for us desert rats, that's chilly. 

I work a 5-hour shift today and so must dash off very soon to get ready. I'm supposed to be there, ready to work in 1 hour and 20 minutes. These "show up in the morning" days are hard for me. Years ago, I owned an Opel Kadett. That thing just did not want to start in the mornings. My mechanic who was from Germany equipped my Opel with a "hard start" kit. I sure wish someone could fix me up with a "hard start" kit! 

I told you I planned to work harder on getting my water. My goal is for 60 oz a day. I managed 50 oz yesterday. To tell you the truth, my shriveled up skin doesn't look a bit better, but I'm hoping my innards are working better. I doubt 10 more ounces would have made a difference, but I'm going to try for it again today. 

New kit is up in the store today. I've inventoried and brought up to store readiness 3 kits. I am happy to know I have some inventory. Takes a bit of the pressure off. 

Well, I don't have time for more. This was mostly to reassure you that I'm still here, LOL. Now off to get ready for work. See ya later. In the meantime, YOU be BLESSED today!

Oy! What a day.......

I am sore. First, I was sore to start with when I got up this AM. Leftovers, I assume, from my 3 days in a row at the job. But, now.......... Oh, boy, now......... Now I am really sore. 

It has been a day of pushing and pulling and sorting and carrying and on and on. I cannot put anything in the 5-piece wallunit until I can get the electrical hooked up and get the units moved into place. If I could actually get that accomplished, I could begin unpacking some of the stuff I packed up and putting it in place. However........I am awaiting the arrival of labor. 

Mr. Fixit finally surfaced last night. When I paid him and his relatives for the carpet job, I was $5 short on cash. He actually showed up at the store and expected me to buy him $5 worth of beer. Well, I owed him, so I did that, but.......... He asked about the carpet. It would do me no good to complain about most of it, but I did tell him I needed the two big guys over here to continue with moving stuff into place. He got all feisty and defensive with me because I asked to have the two guys come back. He denied any responsibility for that and that was true. However, the fact remains that there were things that could not be put in place then that need to be put into place now. No need to get feisty with me about that! And I told him about the places where the carpet tape didn't "take". Well, according to him, they can't get to it right now. So........ I can't do squat with about 12 boxes of books and dishes/crystal. If I can tunnel into the sewing room far enough, I can begin unpacking cookbooks. But the tunneling is going to take lots of time. There are boxes in the way that are filled with multiple random objects, mostly toys and games that go into a utility cabinet that is also in the guest room. I surely can't fill that up and then expect to have it moved. So, I'm kinda stuck........ I may just go hire some day laborers. I know they wouldn't expect any more money than Mr. Fixit's tribe and I could get done now what I need done now. I'll see. Maybe Sunday or Monday............

Beyond all that, I am still faced with a house where nothing is even in the right room. And I haven't "discovered" yet where some rather important things are. I have carried tools and brooms from the entryway to the garage. Started putting away all the vacuum cleaner parts that were in the guest room. And like that............ I'd sure like to find my livingroom lamps....... I don't honestly think the house looks much better, but it's not because I didn't try. I did get the entryway cleaned out. Next, I will need to steam mop the floor in there. You would not believe the amount of carpet debris I've cleaned up from the entryway floor. But the floor is still dirtier than I've ever seen it. 

I also folded a load of laundry and washed another, but I could actually do about 2 more loads if it weren't past midnight. I work tomorrow starting at 9:45 so it's time to drag my rusty butt to bed, not time to do laundry........

Anyway, in between all that, I worked on design stuff and budget stuff. I worked my way through 3 kits, organizing files, sorting previews, etc. Just generally putting all the finishing touches on them so that they could actually go into the store. I have been winging it for a while, but I recreated my inventory tracking sheet. I am so grateful I have had the chance to do that. Of course, I have lots of blanks on that sheet to fill in, but it will help a lot in deciding which kit needs what done to it and which kits are ready to go. And, I've reconciled the budget/checking account up through 12/22. I've entered some stuff up through yesterday, but I need to make sure I got it all..........

I started sorting scrapbooks. When I was actively scrapping, I printed each page 3 times. One set of books went to my mother. There is, of course, a set for me. And there's a set for my daughter. I stored my daughter's here for years. I will be delivering them to her as soon as I get the books separated. I already carried/mailed my mother's to her so that part is taken care of. I have a lot of pages that are not filed in the scrapbooks. I scrapped randomly but filed chronologically. Well, I am not going to take time to file all those extra pages for DD. And I will not be buying any more acid free/lignin free page protectors for her. I have a heavy debt/expense load and I cannot spend on this stuff like I once did.....

I release new kits on Saturday morning. However, now that I am having to be at work on Saturday mornings, that hasn't been working out too well. The upload process is incredibly slow and I'd have to be up before dawn to be assured of getting everything uploaded on Saturday morning. So, I got everything uploaded tonight for tomorrow's release. 

I also went and picked up some meds today at the pharmacy. They are great in some ways. They use their computerized system to determine when refills are needed and if a person has run out of authorized refills, they call the doc and get authorization to refill again. And they call you to come in to pick up the stuff. Trouble is, they call incessantly til you actually show up, pick up the stuff, and pay for it. Well, today was the day for that. Hopefully that is the end of the phone calls for a while. 

Well, in spite of the fact that I don't feel like I've done enough, I did turn in a pretty good day's work. I will just keep at it til it looks like a sensible place to live again......... Heading down the hall now. G'night!