The Green Room, Part 2

So when I left you we had a giant pile of mess down in the ex-Green Room. We cleaned that all up, and now we have a giant stack of drywall in the garage, and for a while Scott couldn't fit the Mustang in the garage so it had to be in the driveway, so in the cold mornings it wasn't happy and refused to start, so I've been driving Scott to work sometimes.

Anyway.

Once we got everything stripped to the studs we had to do some electrical work. Ok, a LOT of electrical work. Before there had been only one (ugly) light in the ceiling, and we kinda have a thing for can lights, so we wanted to install some in this room. We bought six, but when we were deciding where to put them we decided to just do four (which turned out to be plenty bright), so we have two for when we finish the basement. We had to do some fancy wiring, because we have two on one switch and two on another switch, so there are three ways to light the room, and you can have less light or more light for whatever you're doing.

Here's Scott working on the switches:

At one point while Scott was sorting out all the electrical weirdness that was already in the walls, we came across a bundle of wiring that was for...? It was a giant bundle, and we couldn't tell where it led or what it was for, so we had to turn off all the breakers for the entire house to work on them safely, so Scott had to work by flashlight for a little while:

Here's a shot of one of the can lights:

Obviously, it will look nice when it's finished. The four are in a perfectly symmetrical grid that fits perfectly in the center of the room. We love this.

Remember that giant mess of wires we found in the wall that had been taped together? Fixed!

So here are a few shots for a view of the room all ready for insulation and drywall:

Note the Buster sighting.

Here's when we started to get the insulation put back in:

Note the Buster tail sighting.

Vroom, Vroom, and Police!: A Guest Post By Scott

As you probably know, the Mustang is back together to where I can drive it to work. You've all seen pictures of the exterior, since the outside is pretty close to being finished. It turns heads as it is, but when it's done it'll turn more! The interior isn't completed, but the only part of the whole car that is completely done is the motor:

I was driving home from work and I pulled up to a stop light. An old '87 Buick with two teenagers pulled up next to me. The driver put it in neutral and revved his engine. I glanced over, glanced away and shook my head. One of them started yelling at me "You wanna race?" I simply ignored them. The light changed, and something in me said, "Smoke them anyway!" so I goosed the throttle and got up to the speed limit within 100 feet of the outside of the stop light. They hadn't even finished crossing the intersection yet. I stopped accelerating once I hit the speed limit and continued on my way home. As I approached the next light, I heard the teenagers screaming out the window "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" as they zoomed past me at at least 60 mph (speed limit was 40, by the way).

As they passed me, they went through the next intersection and a police officer was sitting at the light, waiting to turn the same direction they were going. As I passed the policeman, he pulled in right behind me and immediately turned his lights on. I thought, "Oh, great, I got myself in trouble." But then I thought, "Well I wasn't speeding..." The policeman quickly whipped around me and chased the two teenagers! It took him a little while to catch up to them, because they didn't stop accelerating once they passed me. I caught up to where the officer had pulled over the kids, and as I passed, still going the speed limit, I giggled, a small smirk on my face, thinking, "Stupid teenagers!"

Oh, 'Stang, How I Love Thee!

Remember this old thing?



Well, Mr. Amazing Scott has been working hard for months now, just in his spare time, doing body work and then priming and priming and priming, and then spent several weekends in a row working on the paint, and then polishing all the chrome and getting new parts for the markers, and putting it all together and here is the nearly finished front end:



And its incredibly sexy rear end:



Next up is the interior! But can you believe it turned out so amazing? And he painted himself! He turned our garage into a painting booth and it was so very very cool!

Baby Shower!

So Kwiddens had her baby shower last Saturday and I've been putting off posting about it because moving pictures from my phone to my laptop is terribly annoying (but I just ordered a USB micro SD adapter, so maybe it will be easier in the future).

I stayed down at Mim's Friday night. Scott wanted me out of the house while he was painting the 'Stang (which is coming along quite nicely) and we planned on driving up to her house together.

So on the way down we were goofing off and having a great time being ridiculous, because that's what you do with your family (my family, anyway) and Em had gotten these stick-on mustaches and so we were being total dorks, so here is my dear Em, doing her best impression of a creepy old dude: And then of course Mim had to try it, and she looks slightly less creepy:

I declined the offer to participate. I know, I'm boring.

So Kwiddens was there (duh) and very very pregnant:

Oh man am I glad it isn't me that's pregnant...

So she got boatloads of baby stuff from friends and family, and this isn't even half of it:

But she got a crib and a car seat and tons of clothes and of course the blanket I made for her, which I forgot to take a picture of because I SUCK AT THIS GAME (maybe someone will take a picture with her phone and send it to me, hint hint). Anyway, I gave her the blanket, literally one of the most beautiful (and expensive) things I have ever made, and Kwiddens loved it and understood how much time it took to make that (I'm gonna love that baby to death!), and usually the crowd's response is something akin to HOLY CRAP YOU MADE THAT HOW AMAZING. However, I believe Isaac's family is full of idiots who wouldn't see something beautiful for what it is if it were shoved in their faces (I know that seems mean, but seriously, you have to know these people. I'll probably blog about them later). No response. I was hurt and disappointed. At least the person it was for cared and loved it.

After the opening of the presents the shower changed into an open-house type of affair, so we all did whatever we wanted. For Mim and me that entailed sunbathing:

(which turned out to be pretty dumb since we all got sunburned, but oh the sun felt nice!).

And for Em it involved swinging on the hammock, ignoring everyone else, until Isaac offered to push her on the tire swing:

Let me tell you, it's been years since I've tire swung, and sometimes I just really miss being a kid.

Some Jumbled Thoughts

I just have a few things on my mind today...

I'm worrying way too much about how the remodel will turn out and I know we have plenty of cash to pay for it but once you get a certain amount of money in the bank it physically hurts to dip below that amount. I'm worrying that the kitchen remodel won't look as good as we're planning, and that the flooring we picked is all wrong, and blah blah blah...

I was worrying so much last night I couldn't sleep. Scott noticed I was up and came down to talk to me and I am ashamed to say that I was upset so I said some things that I shouldn't have that really hurt his feelings. I try so hard not to say hurtful things, I really do, but last night I felt like I needed someone to blame for a certain situation I'm in and in walked Scott, and he was just right there so I lashed out at him. Ugh. I feel like an ugly person inside today because of it.

Also since it was an unpleasant conversation, neither of us could get back to sleep so we're both total zombies today. I feel horrible about this because I'm the one who kept him up, and he's got a giant coding project at work he has to get done by the end of tomorrow - one of those impossible deadline projects - and I kept him up so he's not going to be able to focus.

I feel like I can't apologize enough for hurting his feelings...I hate when this happens. We've only ever had like three "fights" in our marriage (because we're really good about working things out as they happen and resolving conflicts amicably) and it's always been because we had a misunderstanding, and it's always because I'm freaking out about something stupid.

GAH.

Other than that, I'm just winding lots and lots of yarn into balls for the blanket I'm going to make. It's taking forever. Good thing I had carpal tunnel surgery, because this used to wreak havoc on my hands!

We get to order the rest of the decking materials on Saturday, and we plan on starting the deck the following weekend. Mim and Scott's friend Ben are coming over to help and I think between the four of us we will probably be able to finish it in one weekend.

Scott has started painting the 'Stang. The colors are awesome and it's looking pretty good so far. I think one more color coat and then the clear coats are all he has left.

Kwiddens had her baby shower this past Saturday, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (I don't particularly like showers and I really don't particularly like her in-laws). I did however get a sunburn. It wasn't too bad, but it's itching like crazy and I burned my scalp so combing my hair is quite unpleasant.

Maybe I will think of more later, but for now I'm just trying to stay awake at work. The temptation to nap at my desk is INSANE right now.

Today In Pictures

So the paint for the Mustang came in:I seriously didn't think it was this complicated...so many things to mix and about ten different coats...I'm glad Scott is doing it instead of me.

I was looking into my ICP-MS and noticing how pretty plasma is:
Yeah that's about 10,000 degrees Celsius in there. Awesome.

Buster got a haircut:
I loved the long hair, but it was getting to where we had to brush him every day to keep it from getting terribly matted. We got rid of the curtains that were over the windows in our living room, so it's much easier for him to watch outside, so there he is, perched in his usual spot.

I ordered yarn for a blanket for Mim:
It came today and all the colors are just right together, and I absolutely cannot wait to get started on it.

We went to Home Depot today. If we made the first purchase on Scott's new Home Depot Card today, we got 10% off, so we went and ordered some stuff for the back door and the deck and got some tools:
Apparently spending $2,000 makes Scott very upset. He's going to pout for days...

So Slow...

I feel like nothing is going on, but that's not completely true...it just seems like the same things are just still happening and taking their sweet time to do it.

For example, Scott is still working on getting the car prepped to paint. He's pretty sure that he'll be ready for it this coming weekend, so I'm going down to Mim's so I don't have to sit around and smell the fumes. Although that might actually be fun, after I get over the lightheadedness... Either way it just seems like this stage has been going on for soooo looong, but Scott is back to full time now at work and we have so many other things going on, so really he's going along at a fast pace.

Another thing is the renovation. Our next phase is the back door and the deck. We've gone to Home Depot and planned and prepared our order, and we were going to buy it soon but it turns out if we wait until May 1 there's an extra discount on the decking, and we need it since we're going with the nice stuff. So we're waiting until then, and in the meantime we're still waiting on our building permit...we put in the rest of our plans last week and we're impatient for it to be approved.

I've also been dragging my feet on the baby blanket for Kwiddens...it has been all done except weaving the ends for months now...I think...anyway, I hate weaving in ends so I kept putting it off, and now here I am, with her baby shower this coming Saturday, and I have all these ends to weave in...I worked on it tonight for about an hour and a half, and I think if I do that every night this week I can have it done by Thursday night. After that, Kwiddens asked me to make her socks to wear to the hospital when she goes into labor, but frankly, I'm all socked out, so I think I'm going to ask her if I can make them later just as a regular present for no specific occasion...

Because: I found a pattern for a blanket that I really really really want to make, and I caved and ordered the yarn for it, and it should be here any day...oh I'm bad.

But, things are getting done. This past weekend Scott and I did yard work, organized and cleaned the spare room, which is the car parts room for now, and did some spring cleaning inside the house.

I know things will get going soon, but I'm just so impatient!

Plus, there were leftover lemon poppyseed muffins in my coworker's office today and they were very tempting. I've also been craving chocolate, which is weird, because that's never been a craving I've had on a regular basis, but I blame the hCG.

Luck?

For the most part I would not consider myself lucky. Everything I have has come from good decisions and smart planning at some point in my life.

I have a great husband because I took a long time to date and get to know him before I really committed. I dated many men of all types before meeting him so I would find out about myself: what I admired in a man, what wasn't really that important, and what I wanted a relationship to be like. I chose from the very beginning to not make the same mistakes my parents made (no offense, Mim) and to communicate about everything (and I mean everything, even if it's embarrassing) with Scott. I chose to focus on what's important and make sure I didn't have unrealistic expectations about what marriage would be like. I chose to do whatever it takes to make this marriage the best I've ever seen, no matter how difficult it got.

I have plenty of money because I went to college, got a challenging and (somewhat) useful degree so I could get a very good job, which I've kept because I chose to give it my all, and also because I worked so hard in high school so I could get a scholarship, and worked at least one job at all times through college so I have no debt. Scott and I decided to be careful and responsible with our money so we can afford to live the lifestyle we want, so we were able to buy one car half with cash, half on credit, and the other totally in cash. We have since paid off the first car, so the only debt we have at all is the mortgage. It helps that we decided not to have children, because let's face it: dogs are cheaper.

I have an amazing house and awesome renovation plans because Scott and I decided to take the leap into homeownership at the perfect time in relation to the housing market. We have such awesome plans and the means to put them into place because we are going to do most of the work ourselves, and because we got the tax credit for buying a house.

I have an amazingly smart and adorable and sweet dog that fits into our family perfectly because Scott and I wanted to rescue him, and he was just so freaking adorable that as soon as we saw him we knew he was ours.

I have a good relationship with (most of) my family because I chose to move on and give people a second chance. The only person I have no relationship with is the one person who doesn't even want a relationship with me, and I have finally realized that this is totally beyond my control. I can never forget about the crap I went through growing up and during the first few years I was married (the crap had nothing to do with Scott, but everything to do with my screwed up family), but I choose to ignore it, forgive, and focus on the future. One of the best decisions I ever made was to try to have a relationship with Mim again.

I have my sanity because I chose to take care of myself and see a psychiatrist. I also saw a therapist for a while to help me get past my past and my hang-ups. I have my sanity because I have finally recognized my limitations and learned about myself on such a deeper level. I now understand how my mind works and how I can deal with it to make my life as normal as possible. I choose to think of my condition as a challenge, not a handicap.

I have lost weight because I took charge of my life and my health and worked DAMN hard to get the weight off. hCG was hands down the hardest thing I have ever done, and it was also worth it for so many reasons. I lost so much weight and made a giant step toward breaking some very deeply ingrained food addictions. I learned portion control and how to make healthier lifestyle choices. And I look better, too. (FYI, I'm back on the diet to get the last 20 pounds off. I did so well maintaining my weight after the last round, and this time around the cravings aren't so intense. They're also different. Last time I was craving Krispy Kremes, and this time around I am craving salad.)

So I don't consider myself lucky, even though I have such an amazing life right now (knock on wood...). I have worked so hard physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually to get where I am today.

But last night I was so so SO lucky.

Because there was a drunk kid going down our street at about midnight slashing everyone's tires on every car that wasn't in a garage for no apparent reason.

And he skipped ours.

(The cops caught him, don't worry)

LUCKY.

Also, the weather seems to have gotten its act together.

Ten Things

So I just have a few things to post today, with no apparent theme.

Scott is almost finished sanding, bondo-ing, and priming the 'Stang so soon he will be able to paint it. He doesn't think it's going fast enough, but I think we should take our time and get it done very well the first time. We're looking to sell this thing for quite a chunk of cash, so it needs to be as authentic and carefully done as possible.

I hate tailgaters. When someone is that close behind me, the evil part of me wants to just SLAM on my brakes and pretend there was a deer in the road or something, because more often than not the car behind me is much MUCH more expensive than mine. Ha. But then there's that whole whiplash thing...

Diet Mountain Dew isn't very good when it's flat and warm.

I really really want to know who the final Cylon is, but I promised Scott I wouldn't go online to find out before we finish watching the series. It's just about killing me.

One of my friends' husband is a structural engineer and was kind enough to come over the day before yesterday and take a look at our sub floor and support beams in the basement. It turns out that if we replace one beam with steel and add one more on the longer side of the basement, we might not have to replace the entire sub floor before we can put the wood down.

Mim called me yesterday and asked me a chemistry question (I love when she does that!). Someone had told her that aspartame decomposes to make formaldehyde in your stomach and poisons you so you shouldn't drink diet soda with aspartame in it. Number one, there is no known one step acid to aldehyde reduction. Number two, if you did want to make it into an aldehyde, you would have to eat some lithium aluminum hydride tetrabutyl oxide or else some palladium and quinoline, and if you had eaten these formaldehyde in your stomach would be the LAST thing you should worry about. So there's your chemistry lesson for today: aspartame will not turn into formaldehyde in your stomach. The end.

I have been walking on the treadmill on my lunch breaks at work and sometimes again when I get home. I just pop in some Scrubs or Stargate or Gilmore Girls or whatever and walk while I watch and it makes it go so much faster. I feel like I have more energy and I don't feel so bad about having a cookie for lunch yesterday.

I wish I were a size 8. Or a 6. Whatever.

Kwiddens asked me to knit her special socks to wear to the hospital when she goes into labor. They will be purple. Also, I am stalling weaving the ends into her baby's blanket by starting a new lace scarf.

I'm in love with my new phone, but I miss waking up to Hedwig's Theme as my alarm. I will have to download a new tone.

Did and Will Do?

Ok, so everyone and their mom is doing a New Year's post, so I might as well jump on in. Four days late. Oops.

So, here are some highlights of this past year:

1 Year at my job

Bought a 1968 Mustang

Had carpal tunnel surgery

Bought A HOUSE

Got 2 new instruments at work

Read all the Harry Potters (again)

Knitted my first sweater

Kwiddens got married

Had to go to court

Drank WAY too much egg nog

Learned to knit socks

Learned to knit mittens

Had our first yard sale

Pierced my ear

Vacationed in Vegas

Got a new baby pink laptop

Got a concealed carry permit and bought a gun of my very own

Buster got a tragic haircut

Had Li over for a week

And here are some things I hope to accomplish or experience this coming year (these are not resolutions, mind you, just some ideas):

Get the rest of the way down to my ideal weight

Wear makeup to work more often (try to look like a girl for once)

Renovate the kitchen

Continue to build my movie/music/TV show collection (I'm thinking about buying Dexter...)

Put more money in savings

Pay off our car

Get a new cell phone

Spoil my new little (NIECE OR NEPHEW) that's coming out of Kwiddens in June (I know the sex but it's a secret for now) (I already started the baby blanket and it is going to be GORGEOUS and expensive...silk bamboo fiber, oh yes)

Keep knitting and crocheting and everything else I love to do

Build up my hand-knit sock arsenal

Get more sun

Work more on the Mustang (although Scott will be doing this more than I will)

There's more, I'm sure, I'm just having a little brain freeze and can't think of any more.

So Happy New Year to everyone. Hope this one's better than the last!

P.S. I wrote 2009 like ten times today in my lab book and kept having to correct it. Oops.

It Doesn't Have A Name Yet

So here are some pictures of the 'Stang:The Scott is working on the lights.

And here is the whole thing:It's a project car, for sure, but we're really excited. Scott took it in today to get it inspected. He's been working on it for weeks to get it all ready to pass safety and emissions. Apparently it runs too rich in idle, though, so we'll have to figure out how to fix that.

It needs a paint job, of course, and the entire interior is a mess but for the most part the engine is in good shape, so it's mostly cosmetic work it needs. Scott and I can't agree on colors for it, though. I guess that's a way in the future though, so we won't worry about it for now.

8 Cylinders of RAW POWER

I just haven't been in the mood to write anything lately. So here are a few things I will (probably) post about in the future:

We bought a car. 1968 Ford Mustang. Not even kidding.

I have two brand new instruments at work and I have been loving my job more and more every day.

I am knitting again. I have made one sock. Now I just need to start the next...

I have been craving tacos like you would not believe.

It's snowing today (finally).

I have had headaches for days that won't go away or respond to medication. I'm not sure how much Tylenol my liver can take, but I'm probably pushing the limit.

Allene and Chris moved out, so we have our house back to ourselves. And that stupid dog is gone, too.

I put up my Christmas tree today.

I need to reformat my laptop. Scott is going to show me how.

Mim and her boyfriend are coming over tomorrow to hang out, so I need to clean my house. I should probably do that now, actually...

The 'Stang is the coolest thing ever. We are officially cool now.

Very cool.