Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just copy this entire post and paste it into your own post. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then tag someone else!
I tag Summer, DeAnna, Cricker, and Aunt Kathy!!!
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Paper – what’s the fun in gift bags??
2. Real or artificial tree? Real this year, but what a mess!
3. When do you put up the tree? Weekend following Thanksgiving. This year we waited until the following weekend, because Thanksgiving came so early.
4. When do you take the tree down? January 2nd most likely, although this year our tree is sooo dry, so it might come down sooner.
5. Do you like eggnog? That’s a big no.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Gretchen, my mini-schnauzer. I remember getting out of Girl Scouts and coming to the car and seeing my coat in the back seat with a lump under it. Under the coat was this tiny little fluff of a little sweet puppy!!!
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yep, over the last several years Geoff has collected for me all of the pieces to the nativity from Willow Tree. It is (and will likely always be) my absolute favorite Christmas decoration. Putting up the nativity was my favorite part of Christmas decorating growing up, and it still is.
8. Hardest person to buy for? Um, hmmm. I actually have a knack for gifts. I guess my father-in-law is probably my hardest person, but I usually let Geoff pick something for him. Geoff, on the other hand, is the easiest person in the world for me to shop for. In fact, the hard part with Geoff is to put a limit on the buying, because every time I go out I find some other little something that he would like.
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? In junior high school, some of the guys (from church, mind you) thought it would be funny to give me an (anonymous – ha!) gift (in my mailbox) of a tshirt with a rather lewd comment on it. Lovely, really! (Cricker, do you remember that??)
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, email, whatever, just send them to me!
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Toss up between "Charlie Brown Christmas" and “A Christmas Story”
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? This year I had all of the kids on my list done in June/July! I have been known to grab a Christmas gift for one year at the after-Christmas sales the previous year. The problem with those gifts is that it’s so hard to hold onto them until Christmas!
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Sure. And I’ve been the gracious recipient of quite a few recycled gifts – a lot of times these come from my sister, and I use them and love them!
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Mom’s chocolate pie and Liz’s sweet potato casserole, I also like green bean casserole
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? I usually do the small white lights on the tree and the big colored bulbs on the house. Since we have the construction project going on right now, I decided to use the big colored bulbs on the tree, and it was fun for this year, but I think I’ll go back to clear white next year. I’d like to get one of the timers that causes the lights to twinkle.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Have yourself a merry little Christmas
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Usually travel because family lives away, but this year we decided to stay home. We’ll probably be having more home Christmases in the coming years given that we’re trying to start our own family and it’s nice to have Christmas at home when your kids are small.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Comet Cupid Donner Blitzen Dasher Dancer Prancer Vixon Rudolph (Now see, this is going to be cheating because when you copy and paste, you don’t have to think about it – I’ve got them all laid out for you!)
20. What's on the tree top? A cross. An unusual choice for a Christmas Tree topper it seems, but totally appropriate. I loved it when I found it a few years ago, and have used it ever since.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Christmas morning. Early Christmas morning!
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Not necessarily this time of year, but it annoys me when I find Christmas decorations up and Christmas music playing in OCTOBER (or earlier)!
23. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? No, I like it to look like a hodge-podge of kids decorations. “All things merry and bright”
24. What do/did you leave for Santa? Cookies and milk – I think oreo’s are his favorite!
25. What were any traditions you had growing up? Any that you do as an adult now? Fondue on Christmas Eve. I want to start doing that now that I’m an adult as well, but I don’t have a fondue set – Christmas gift idea for me if you’re still shopping!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
House Project Update
So I've lost count of the number of days we've had this project going on. The roof is complete, and it's a beaute! We've got to sit down and go over the remainder of the billing this evening, and unfortunately, only Geoff will be there for that. Hope it goes well. I'll be at rehearsal for Sunday morning praise team...
The brick layers will be here tomorrow to start the front of the porch foundation. We decided to pour over the entire existing slab because it was so poorly done the first time. This will cover all of the flaws and will leave a seamless and straight and level porch. They're going to stain the concrete to match the bricks and we'll never have to paint it!!! The bricks are a new choice too, and will tie in nicely with the new steps at the side of the house. (Advice to others considering a remodel - always plan to spend more than your estimate, not because your contractor doesn't do you right, but because you end up with all of these great choices you didn't consider at first and suddenly think you can't live without)!
We're getting a print out on the cost difference between columns and cast iron, and since they raised the roof, this is a bigger deal than before. (Initially, they had factored into the cost reusing some of our existing cast iron, so now none of it will work - meaning this cost will be added-on cost, so the cheaper choice will likely win the vote). Thanks, everyone, for voting!
This might be wishful thinking, but it is possible that we will have a porch by Christmas. I've seen these brick guys work, and the bricks, at the very least, will be done, so from the street, the porch will look awesome (even if there is a gaping hole in the middle where the concrete goes). I'll post pictures on Thursday or Friday. I have not had a chance to take many because I'm getting home so late. I have to make up all of that sick leave I took the other week, and that requires working until it's too dark for pictures.
Anyway, I need to finish getting ready for work, but I felt like updating on my blog, so there, I've done it! :)
The brick layers will be here tomorrow to start the front of the porch foundation. We decided to pour over the entire existing slab because it was so poorly done the first time. This will cover all of the flaws and will leave a seamless and straight and level porch. They're going to stain the concrete to match the bricks and we'll never have to paint it!!! The bricks are a new choice too, and will tie in nicely with the new steps at the side of the house. (Advice to others considering a remodel - always plan to spend more than your estimate, not because your contractor doesn't do you right, but because you end up with all of these great choices you didn't consider at first and suddenly think you can't live without)!
We're getting a print out on the cost difference between columns and cast iron, and since they raised the roof, this is a bigger deal than before. (Initially, they had factored into the cost reusing some of our existing cast iron, so now none of it will work - meaning this cost will be added-on cost, so the cheaper choice will likely win the vote). Thanks, everyone, for voting!
This might be wishful thinking, but it is possible that we will have a porch by Christmas. I've seen these brick guys work, and the bricks, at the very least, will be done, so from the street, the porch will look awesome (even if there is a gaping hole in the middle where the concrete goes). I'll post pictures on Thursday or Friday. I have not had a chance to take many because I'm getting home so late. I have to make up all of that sick leave I took the other week, and that requires working until it's too dark for pictures.
Anyway, I need to finish getting ready for work, but I felt like updating on my blog, so there, I've done it! :)
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
While the cat's away...
Okay, I'm alive. Most of you know that I've been out sick for quite some time, which means you have missed out on a whole lot of the work going on. I was too sick to even notice the work was being done, let alone to get pictures of it and put them up here. I wish I had had the energy, but oh well.Geoff took this photo today. So you can see that the porch roof is done and that the porch pad area has been dug out for concrete. They're going to start laying bricks across the outside of the pad area tomorrow, and the shingles are here and ready to be put on tomorrow as well. Once the bricks are done, they will pour the concrete pad and fill in the concrete area at the back walkway.
You can see that some of our fence is now missing as well. Also, we're trying to come to a decision about whether we'll be putting up white columns or black cast iron railing to support the roof over the porch. I'm going to put up a poll, so be sure to vote!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tried It
Okay, I've seen a bunch of you bloggers using these nifty little video things, and I figured that this would be a good way to share some of the house project pictures without totally cluttering my blog with picture after picture.
So I tried it. I've posted my first slideshow below (with Smilebox). I think there's a way to click on them and view it bigger which should help. it is hard to give anyone an idea of a house picture in so small a form.
Some of the pictures you've seen, but I put a few of Day five up there and they're pretty dramatic, I think.
Anyway, I'm home sick today (thanks, G - think I got it from you). Feeling pretty cruddy but hoping it will pass quickly since we're going to try to do our Christmas decorating this weekend.
We keep going back and forth on the roof material choice. We have plenty of needs and wants requiring our money - it's hard work to determine how to best spend it. Anyway, I'm headed back to sleep off some more of this sore throat...
So I tried it. I've posted my first slideshow below (with Smilebox). I think there's a way to click on them and view it bigger which should help. it is hard to give anyone an idea of a house picture in so small a form.
Some of the pictures you've seen, but I put a few of Day five up there and they're pretty dramatic, I think.
Anyway, I'm home sick today (thanks, G - think I got it from you). Feeling pretty cruddy but hoping it will pass quickly since we're going to try to do our Christmas decorating this weekend.
We keep going back and forth on the roof material choice. We have plenty of needs and wants requiring our money - it's hard work to determine how to best spend it. Anyway, I'm headed back to sleep off some more of this sore throat...
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