ApologetiX

The other day when visiting my friend Shelley in her ceramics shop, she introduced me to her new favorite band. They are a parody band called ApologetiX. If you go to their website you can download a few songs for free if you join their fan club which is also free.

Found this on You Tube.

Picture of teen as was requested :)

He rarely smiles in pictures so this is best I could get. I just measured him the other night and he's a quarter inch shy of 5'8" tall. I can't believe he turns 17 at the end of the month. Time has flown...mostly :)

Hodge Podge about Windows

We installed Marvin Infinity Windows. Out of 11 windows, we had 4 double hung and the rest are all awning. We now have 3 windows upstairs which can be easily exited in an emergency. We easy if you don't mind a bit of drop :)

The front door, Mastercraft, was purchased from Menards and the back door from a Geroy's Building Center in Roseau. No clue on that brand.

I am not linking Geroy's, because I don't recommend them unless you have no choice. They were extremely rude to Mom when she went to pick out the door. He barely spoke to her and tried to get the installer to pick out the door. I told Mom she should have waved her checkbook in front of him to remind him exactly whose money was being spent! I hate it when people assume a woman is too dumb to make a purchase like this. GAH!!!!

I should say that the gentleman at Menards was WONDERFUL when he helped us find the front door and storm. He listened and didn't treat us like dumb broads. He was courteous and quick. He gave helpful recommendations after we told him our needs and thoughts. Overall, I have been very happy with the staff at our local Menards in Grand Forks. I have never been treated poorly or left wondering why I bothered spending money there.

Last weekend we warmed up to over 40°. Snow was melting every where we looked. It was so nice and pleasant to be out and about. The start of the week was pretty warm, but we've been slowly dropping. I believe we've been in the mid-teens the last few days. No sub zero temps which is nice :)

Even though we've had some warmer weather this past week, I can tell a BIG difference in the house temps. I am no longer wearing 2 or 3 layers of clothing just to sit at the computer. I've done this since late October. No longer do I have 2 quilts on my bed. I have been able to sleep in short sleeves instead of 2 layers of clothing. YAY!!!! We have not turned the heat up. It is still set at 65°. There are times when I think about turning it down further.

I am definitely happy with the new windows.

Tues work on the house: lots of pictures

All these pictures were taken Tuesday evening.

Cutting away the wall for the new back door. They ended up going through 7 layers before they hit the outside.


Inside trim for one of the living room windows.


This is where my dogs spent the ENTIRE day. Hiding from the big bad saw that was cutting through the wall.


New back door, taken from the middle of the basement stairs. The door opens outward. We will have a deck built this summer. Now I can go downstairs during the day without turning a light switch on. It also lets light in at night so we can see and not stub out toes on the table.


Another view; this time from the kitchen


Callie was a tad bit scared to approach the new doorway. She has not appreciated having people in the house. She doesn't like strangers and likes the noise levels even less :)



Trim installed on the new front door.


Trim installed in teens room. Yes, we let him paint it black. He has camo sheets. I am hoping to finish painting his room this summer. We have trim to finish. He's still deciding on colors.


Overview of the messy living room after the trim is installed.

Overview of the messy kitchen after the trim is installed.


Mom's vanity area after trim was installed. They couldn't measure this window properly so they underestimated it's size. They had to enlarge the opening. Same thing with another window on the opposite side. The vanity area was cut down rather than hide the new window trim.


They finished the work on Wednesday, but I haven't taken any new pictures. I have been dealing with a nasty allergy attack. I don't handle dust very well and by Tuesday night, I was completely miserable. I've gone through 3 Kleenex boxes by myself and I look liked like Rudolph. I am taking Claritin-D and Benadryl to knock this junk out. Mom kicked me out of the house on Thursday so I could get some fresh air...non-dust filled air.

Latest update on windows/doors

All the windows are installed. One door is installed. The guys are going to work at their shop on Monday cutting all the trim boards. On Tuesday, they will be back to install that and the new back door.

Here are a couple of pictures of the new front door.

Inside:



Outside:


Here is a picture of the back of the house and the last big project to be done. Click on the picture to read all my scribblings :)



I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the cats and dogs are happy to have had a day of peace and quiet. Having strangers in the house is not something they enjoy. *lol*

Update on Garage Door

WOO HOO!!!!

We had to leave while the guys were working so we have no idea if it's able to open. Their prediction was that it would. They won't be back until Tuesday so I'll find out then unless I call on Monday.

Thursday Thirteen #4

Thirteen projects I would like to complete this year

1. Finish my medical transcription course
2. 1 complete scrapbook (probably of the critters)
3. List my books on Librarything.com so I have a catalog of what I actually own
4. Thin my clothes. I've been putting it off for 4 years.
   
5. organize my pictures (hardcopy)
6. Family photo with camera shy teenager
7. Put up my masks in my bedroom. I've lived here for over 3 years and haven't unpacked any of them.
8. Read at least 2 books a month. I haven't read a real book in 5 months.
9. Blog more :)
10. Get the garden in earlier and take better care of it.
11. Take a trip to see old friends
12. Visit a couple of churches that I haven't been to in a while
13. Learn to use my camera better and spend some time just snapping away

Find more Thursday Thirteen blogs here

Does this look like a good morning?

This happen when I was leaving for the Post Office and grocery store this morning. They guys doing the windows think they can fix it and possibly make it operable again. At this point, I just want it to close. The other door doesn't open and we have a ton of stuff stored there. I just want to keep it dry at this point.

New windows

I'll start with a few pictures of the house and yard that I took in November 2004.


Front of the house which faces East.


South side of house. This is the door we use all the time.


North and East (back) sides of house


Mom ordered the new windows and doors last Sept. We picked up the new front door and storm around the same time. The guys just started the installation today. We are having 11 windows replaced, one door replaced and one new door installed to the back yard.

Guy #1 called New Year's night to say they would be here around 10am. Okay, I'm a night owl and I spend most nights studying all night or reading and watching TV. I don't do mornings! I went to bed reasonably early (2:30) so I would be awake and functioning when they arrived. I made it up around 9:30, hopped into the shower and waited and waited and waited.

Guess what time they arrived? It was 12:10pm when they drove up and said they were in town. They said they got a late start (DUH!) and were going for a quick lunch before started working. They were back by 1pm. They did 3 windows of the 11 today and were wrapped up by 4:45. They said they would be back around 9am tomorrow. We shall see.

I wouldn't have minded them being late, if they had called. I could have slept an extra hour :)

Here are some pics of the windows so far.


These are the two living room windows. They are the biggest ones we are replacing this go around. This next picture is new window #1 to the front of the house. Lots of hot sun so a nice new energy efficient window will be a blessing.


New window #2 is on the north side.


New window #3 is on the north side of my bedroom.


The next new window will be on the East side of my bedroom. I put it on here to give an idea of why we HAVE to replace these nasty things. Dumb things let in every ounce of cold. With -20° temps in January (not yet), we need good windows.


This next picture shows where a totally new back door will be installed. I ain't cleaning it out until they start working on it. I have a place for everything, but the cat box.

This will be on the east side of the house which has lots of trees and will be nice for sitting on the deck and grilling. We can't use our current deck much as it's on the south side and receives full sun in the summer.


This is our side door (south facing) which will be our front door once it's replaced. We actually have a front door, but it's going bye-bye when we get new siding this summer. We don't use it and would rather have a window there for an a/c.


I am looking forward to this project being finished. They estimate it will be done on Friday. I'll believe it when it happens. I'm glad that I am not the one going up the ladder tomorrow. Brrrr!!!!!!


P.S.
Linda, I am still looking for some good pics of the kid. He hates to be photographed so I may have to take a couple just to have something to post :)

Crazy Eights

I found this meme at Mental Mom in Motion who found it at A Gentleman's Domain. I thought it looked like fun so I'm doing it.

Eight Things I Often Say

1. Boredom is a state of mind; you choose which state you reside in.
2. Ya know cat...I can go potty alone. (said to Nollie who races me to the bathroom every time)
   
3. More coffee please.
4. Boy, you are driving me nuts! (said to my almost 17 yr old son)
5. I gotta get out of Dodge or I'm gonna go nuts!
6. I hope it snows today. (yes, I love snow)
   
7. Guess that car didn't come equipped with blinkers.
   
8. Look out, Smokie. (She is always laying in front of the fridge)
   

Eight Books I Have Read Or Recently Read

1. Harry Potter and The Deadly Hallows (J.K. Rowling)
   
2. Dragonriders of Pern 3 in 1 (Anne McCaffrey)
   
3. Arrows of the Queen 3 in 1 (Mercedes Lackey)
   
4. Eragon (Christopher Paolini)
   
5. The Oath (Frank Peretti)
   
6. A Treasury Of The World's Best Loved Poems
   
7. Dead Until Dark (Charlaine Harris)
8. The Golem's Eye (Jonathan Stroud)
   

Eight Songs I Could Listen To Over and Over

1. When The Sun Goes Down (Kenny Chesney & Uncle Kracker)
2. One Thing (Finger 11)
   
3. Shameless (Garth Brooks)
4. Lips Of An Angel (Hinder)
   
5. Man! I Feel Like a Woman (Shaina Twain)
6. Because Of You (Kelly Clarkson)
7. The Battle Of New Orleans (Johnny Horton)
8. Magic Man (Heart)