December 2, 2010 -- I know it has been forever!

Just a few random photos of Lucia and Stefano's trip for you to view.

This is Stefano coloring an art sheet in my classroom on November 30, 2010. He was coloring with a student (Patrick). This photo was taken on Petit Jean Mountain in Arkansas on Saturday, November 27th. We were at the Automobile Museum. You see Lucia and Austin on the left and Jenny and Stefano on the right. It was a beautiful day!

This closeup of Lucia and Stefano was taken at the top of LOOK OUT POINT on Petit Jean Mountain, Arkansas on Saturday, November 27th.

Bruno and Cody preparing the pork loin with garlic and rosemary on Thanksgiving Day in my kitchen.

I have few photos of the trip so far. Jenny and Lucia seemed to be the ones taking the photos, but I did want to share a few with you.

July 10, 2010 Still moving

A WORK IN PROGRESS
As you can see, the new gas stove is finally here. I need to take a new photo of the kitchen/dining room now that the corner hutches, the dining room table and chairs, and the refigerator are in the house. I had Miss Tish put my apple themed items above the kitchen cabinets. That stereo to the right is NOT staying there. It is there for the week so I have something to listen to while I work. All the cabinets are filled now with my household goods.

You can see I have all my pots and pans in this fantastic shelf cabinet. Love that the shelves pull out so you can see them all. Also love the tile floors!

This cabinet was empty when I took the photo last week. Now it is full of all my can and box food goods. The upper cabinet has the canisters and lots of other stuff. That box to the left is residing where the refrigerator is NOW. It is full of things I am taking to my classroom kitchen.

My pride and joy! My scrapbook work area in the sun room. It has also slightly changed. The small cabinet with paper on the left is gone. I added 4 more of those white cubes for paper. The stamp bookcase on the right is now filled with all my current stamp sets. The retired stamp sets are going to be in my office (the smallest bedroom) on four bookcases. Also my computer is moving to the office. This room above will have my big worktable in front of that chair with the paper wall behind me. Then it will have a round table for people to come and sit and play/scrap. Also I am going to put Bruno's cabinet he built for my Mom's old alterations store in this room. It will store the Big Shot, and all my dies as well as the Cricut and all my cartridges.

All the photos were taken last week on Saturday, July 3rd. I had signed the papers for the house at noon on the 30th, so this is only 3 full days later. I will take more photos today. The kitchen furniture is all here and most of my bedroom furniture. The actual headboard and footboard to my sleigh bed has not arrived. So the bed is on a frame for now. Then the couch, loveseat and recliner are in the living room but not in position. Have to wait until after the movers come with "Luica's bedroom" and my office desk. They will need room to move items to that side of the house.

Speaking of movers, they will arrive here at my rental house on Thursday, July 15 at 8:00. I think we will be out of here and fully moved into the new house by 11 a.m. I have to still do the following:

* Pack the remaining scrapbook room. My friend Lisa is coming today and helping me move the storage drawers in the scrapbook closet to the office closet in the new house.

* Pack the breakable items in my bedroom.

* Pack the little remaining items in my kitchen pantry.

* Pack the last items on my kitchen counters (the toaster, can opener, knife block, crock pot, that sort of stuff)

* Clean off and pack the kitchen table.

* Pack the videos in the video cabinet

* Take the shelves off the entertainment center and store the hardware in my ziplock bag so I do not loose any pieces.

* Finish the laundry and move the clean items to the new house

* Get the luggage out of my master bedroom closet (that is all that is left in there)

* Pack down the master bath on Thursday morning after I shower.

* The garage .... oh my goodness.... the garage. I have to pack the shelf with the tupperware, pack what is in the old metal china cabinet of Mom's, and pack the school items I had UNPACKED.... at least most of my garage is still packed (including all Mom's alterations shop materials). That is my Monday and Tuesday job.

* We still have 8 bookcases, an entertainment center, a recliner, an end table, 3 nightstands, a queen size bed, 3 chest of drawers, a cedar chest, a computer table, many many table chairs, a computer, my tv's, washer, dryer, my old refrigerator (Bruno will get it), Mom's old metal china cabinet and her old metal desk (both going in my new garage for extra storage), Bruno's cabinet he built Mom for her shop (now going in my scrapbook room), 3 plastic bookcases, my Christmas boxes (and there are several of them). I have plenty of work for the movers! Remember I moved here with 2 - 26 ft. moving trucks.

I have given alot of things away -- like 6 boxes of books of mine, a set of Mom's Understanding Human Behavior books, a set of Mom's art books, and a set of Mom's History books. Gave those all to 3 teachers I work with who can use them. I gave away my old couch, corner chair, ottoman and piano to Miss Tish. She loves the idea of new "hand me downs". God bless her soul!

Okay I will get some new photos today, but don't expect a post until Sunday morning.

Have a great day. It is 5:49 a.m. here on Saturday morning and I got to go get busy packing in the scrapbook room.

Arlene

June 30, 2010 Today's the day

Welcome to my new home! I sign the papers and take delivery of the keys at a 11:30 closing this morning.

This is where I will be busy working today. Got all the shelf paper already loaded in the car. After closing, I am heading to deliver my 30 day notice letter to the landlord of my current house rental. Then off to my ****NEW HOUSE**** to unload my car. Then back to the rental to load some kitchen boxes, a radio and a chair. Then back to the new house to unload and put the shelf paper on the shelves, so I can unpack my kitchen stuff and re-use those boxes again. :)

Prior to all this occurring before closing today, I still must:

* Finish packing the kitchen this morning

* Take a shower and dress

* Load the SU catalogs in the car (they are all in envelopes already addressed and ready for mailing)

* Head to the post office to send out the catalogs

* Head to the furniture company to check on the scheduled date of the bedroom furniture delivery.

* Head to the bank and empty out my savings account in order to have my cashier's check for the closing of the house

* Be at the title company prior to 11:30 for the closing.

It is going to be a very long day today. LOL.... In fact, it will probably be the first of MANY long days in the next couple of weeks.

Have a great day!

Arlene

Monday, June 28, 2010

It is getting to close to closing on the house. Today I went with the realtor and did a walk thru on our "fix it list" that the seller has to complete. There are 3 items left on this huge list:
1. Put new seals on the front door --- it is cracked and not airtight.
2. Spa tub in the master bath needs cleaning. Apparently it was wiped out only. Tonight we filled the tub and turned on the jets. Still needs cleaning. More gunk appeared (not as much as when the inspector tested it) so it still needs to be addressed.
3. The master bedroom carpet to be replaced (which will happen after closing on Wednesday).

Tomorrow (Tuesday) I will get the time for the house closing, which we are asking for Wednesday morning. I am so ready for these details to be completed.

Wednesday at an unknown time we will do the closing, and I will hand over a HUGE check and get the keys to my new and first home. :) :) :) :) :) I have the first load in my car and my trunk to be unloaded. Hope to move 2 more loads on Wednesday.

Thursday morning I have to be at the new house by 8 a.m. The man is coming to install my gas stove (which you have to have a licensed installer to do). Then after he leaves I am coming back for yet another load of boxes. I have to be at the house from 1 to 4 p.m. on Thursday to have the new refrigerator delivered. So I plan on unpacking a few boxes and putting together the white cubes for my paper storage in my scrapbook room.

Friday through Sunday, I will move several loads over each day. Monday I will pack more here. On Tuesday, the man is coming with my 2 storm doors for the new house. I bought one for the front door that is very decorative (glass with a nickel finish arch in the glass) and the back door is a full glass storm door with a screen at the top only. My furr balls will love laying at the back door and watching outside. That door is reached from the sunroom/scrapbook room to the deck.

Tuesday morning I also have my new bedroom suite coming. I broke down last week and bought a California King size sleigh bed, a set of mattresses for that bed, a dresser and 2 nightstands. I also bought 2 corner curio cabinets for my kitchen to put all my china/crystal and the beautiful things Mom got for her wedding years and years ago.

Wednesday and Thursday of next week I will be back and forth between houses and packing. I want to carry as much with me as I possibly can before I call the movers to come and get the furniture and appliances. I hope to have the truck and men here to move these items either on Thursday, July 8th or the following Thursday, July 15. Whatever day I have the moving men and the truck, then my babies have to go the vet the night before until we get all the furniture moved. Can't have them going outside at either place. So they will go get their shots, an overnight stay at the vet and their nails trimmed. Then when I pick them up, they will go directly to the new house.

On Friday of that week I have a chemo cycle, so I will not be doing alot of packing or lifting. I figure I will stay at the new house and unpack and set up a few things.

So much to do and so little time!

Arlene

June 1, 2010 The House

Okay, the seller rejected my offer. They counter-offered. I accepted the counter-offer. I get all closing costs paid, new bedroom carpet, and a home warranty. I spent more than I wanted, but I got $8,000 in concessions (which is great since the $8000 tax credit is no longer applicable).

The home inspection will happen by the middle of next week. Closing is set for June 30th. Will keep you posted. I am still not believing that this happening.

Went by the house today and took measurements of each room. Marked them and the locations of each phone jack, cable outlet, electrical outlet and light switch throughout the house on my house plan. That will help me determine what will go with me and what gets donated to Civitan (it is an agency that works with the developmentally disabled and they have a resale or thrift store).

Saturday, May 29th, 2010

As you know I have been out house hunting. I have seen over 35 homes. Today I went back out and saw my top picks again. This is the one I have decided upon. It has 1,719 square feet of liveable space. This afternoon I wrote a contract for the house. My offer is much lower than the asking price. So I am betting that the seller will counter-offer.

It is a brick home with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. It has an electric stove in it now, but it DOES have gas hookup for a stove! That makes me a very happy camper. I love a gas stove. Above you see the front of the house. The two windows you see on the left are the two extra bedrooms. The master is to the rear of the house behind the 2 car garage.



This is the living room (or great room). It has a gas log fireplace. It is about 16 ft. x 20 ft. The double doors open onto the sun room. To the left you see the bar of the kitchen and the dining area.

Notice the bar in the kitchen to the left? You saw it from another angle in the previous photo. I will have to replace the electric stove with a gas stove, and purchase a refrigerator. Those cabinets on the right are a pantry storage. The bottom cabinet has deep drawers that pull out that will make it easy to find what you are looking for. There is a dishwasher that you can barely see on the left close to the sink. This room (the dining area, the sunroom, and both bathrooms) are ceramic tile. The rest of the house is carpeted.

This view was taken from standing in the kitchen at the sink looking into the living room. That is a gas log fireplace. The sunroom is off to the left through the French doors.

A view of the sunroom. The plans suggest it be used for a sunroom, a formal dining room or a study. This will be my scrapbook area to work. I plan on using the smallest bedroom for scrapbook and stamp storage. There is a bank of windows across the back wall of this room to view the sunlight and backyard.

There is a small deck out back (you go out thru the sunroom to the deck) but if you know me, I don't stay outside long. But I love, love, love windows. And this has windows!!!!! I can work and actually get alot of natural lighting. I can already say I want to plant some gardenia bushes outside that set of windows! LOL

Will let you know next week what they counter offer..... I have a bit more breathing room to use for this house.

Arlene

Sunday Morning, May 16th, 2010

Finally! This is my new classroom area in the NEW Middle School Building. We were given the keys on Friday. I can now come and go in the room and begin to get organized! The students will begin the new school year in this building. What you see above is the massive amount of room for my classroom space.

On the wall with the red fire alarm will be a SMART BOARD.... it is an amazing piece of technology where I can show students lessons from the Internet. It makes the lessons enlarged for the entire class to view. That gray rolling computer stand is for my *hopefully* digital camera and new laptop. Off to the right you can see one bulletin board... further down that wall is a wipe board to write on in class.

Now this side of the room is opposite of the WHITE BOARD. As you see I took the photo before moving tables or the rolling computer stand. Will take more photos this week to share. My desk is now in the middle of that bank of windows. Behind it and centered to the windows is my black bookcase. Makes it easy for me to turn around and grab something and then turn back to my desk. My computer will rest on the right side of the desk and the printer will be on a computer stand next to my desk (can't move these until school is out!).

Ahhh! A kitchen! We can finally teach a few simple cooking skills to the students. It is a galley kitchen style. Love the buttery yellow walls. Floors are concrete and then stained. There will be no tile to deal with in this building. That door you see at the end of the kitchen opens into my storage unit.

Now I love the fact the storage unit came without shelving. LOL... Yesterday, Wayne, Laura and I took 7 sets of bookcases to the school. Wayne assembled them and we got them placed inside that storage unit. I am moving one more bookcase in that room from my current classroom. But finally I will be able to properly store, organize and find materials! Each bookcase is 31 inches wide and 76 inches tall with 5 shelves. So I have 40 shelves!!!!! I already have my plan on how to fill these shelves. One bookcase will be strictly for Science books and materials. Another for Social Studies books and materials. The next is for Independent Living materials (Life Simulation, Drivers' Education, Independent Living books). Next is the Reading/Language Arts bookcases (yes need 2 of them!)... and so on. Am excited that I will be able to walk into the closet and grab the right book without having to drag out boxes and check out each one. My current storage closet is smaller than my kitchen pantry.

Now the other side of the kitchen. The wonderful bank of windows! I am going from a tiny, tiny room to this wonderful room. Going from a single window to 2 huge banks of windows. For me it is great because I love natural light.

Today I am cleaning the scrapbook room (and currently as you see taking a break). I have to stamp some images for a trade I did with a lady. Then I have to begin prepping for my June 5th card class. Today I am going to work on the Father's Day card, which is so cute. I saw an idea on the web and then have played with it and changed it a bit. I am going to use that stamp set called Totally Tools. Can't show you until the 5th of June because my class gets to see it first!

So I better go put something into the crock pot for dinner tonight, and get back in here to finish cleaning. I have alot of stamping I want to happen today. Yesterday was a dud day for me. After I got back from the middle school I ended up propping my feet up all day.

I went out to dinner with Tawanna and Lisa on Friday night. I know better than eat Chinese food, even though I love it. The sodium kills me. My ankles were sooo huge. They were much much wider than my feet. Oh and they ached! I was walking (or rather shuffling) because it was so painful. Thought that I better keep them up and not stay in a sitting position any longer. Went home and took a fluid pill and of course, drank water by the gallon and was constantly in the bathroom.

But today, they look more like ankles. But am taking another fluid pill ..... something about the combination of heat, humidity and then add sodium and my poor ankles and legs fill with fluid. The doctors call it "idiopathic (unspecified) edema" --- basically they cannot find out why this occurs and it has been happening since my late teens. My ankles look like elephant feet.... ugh ugh ugh... that is why you NEVER see me in dresses..... and I only wear shorts around the house.

Hate people seeing my horrible legs. Now add the psoriasis that the chemo gave me.... I look like a patchy, scaly set of elephant legs.... Even have almost quit wearing short sleeve shirts for the same reason. The psoriasis is bad in red scaly patches on my legs, but both elbows are hard white patches and sometimes it appears on my hands and face.

Yet, I cannot complain too much. After all the chemo is also what has kept me alive. So it truly is a small price to pay. Life with psorasis versus death without psorasis.... hmmmmm rather be alive. I think my mission in life or on earth is not finished. So here I am!

I will get off my soapbox now. You all have a great day!

Arlene