day 61: "i am thankful for......STAGE 5!"

what on earth is 'stage 5' you ask? well, it's the 'texturing' stage of course!  i like to come up with little terms...it keeps me smiling :)

here are the different stages i have come up with during my years of remodeling:

stage 1:     demolition (tearing down a wall, doors...etc.)
stage 2:     preparing the wall for sheet rock (this usually involves shimming)
stage 3:     install new sheet rock
stage 4:     taping/mudding/sanding new wall (days later........)
stage 5:    texturing the walls
stage 6:     priming the walls
stage 7:     painting the walls
(**an optional stage:  install bead board and chair rail/prime/paint) 
stage 8:     install crown molding (we are kinda addicted to this stuff :))
stage 9:     install baseboard (prime/paint)

and last but NOT least........

stage 10:   ENJOY!

today, my friends, i am in 'stage 5' of our hallway remodel.   here are a few pics of the process up till now:

first time we looked at the house (if only you could 'smell' the cat pee radiating up from the carpet..)

tore out 2 closets and bathroom door (stage 2)

hubby sawing off section of wall...preparing for sheet rock (stage 2)

stage 4 (tape/mud/sand...days of sanding/mudding)

today:  stage 5.....ready for texture!

today: stage 5....ready for texture!

 ok...gotta get off the computer now folks!  i have 'stage 5' to do!  have a good one.....



......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 60: "i am thankful for.....the TSO!"

last night, my boys and i went to the wright state nutter center to see the trans-siberian orchestra perform live on stage!  it was one of the best performances i have ever seen live.  my boys loved it!   here is one of many videos my husband took last night with his phone.  i just had to add this one because one of the guitarist actually high-fived ryan on his way back to the stage!  ryan was very happy about that...;)  (ryan is the one screaming and my husband is the whistle blower!  bet people loved sitting next to us :))

i will upload more of the videos on my youtube channel today if you want to check them out....!!
http://www.youtube.com/user/thepahalfamily

and here are some pictures!

if this show comes to your area....it's a must see...they are worth every penny! bring the kids...make a night out of it!  have a great day my friends.....and MERRY CHRISTMAS!


......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 59: "i am thankful for........K-LOVE!"

k-love is a christian rock radio station. http://www.klove.com/   i started listening to it back in 2005 when i became a christian.  i feel so comforted knowing every time i move, k-love moves with me.  it is the one thing i don't have to change unlike every thing else.  so, thank you k-love for always being there for me when and where i need you.... you are such a blessing!  k-love is listener supported.  it is one of two organizations that i make a monthly donation to. 

so, today...tune in to k-love...where ever you live.  it could be one of those good changes in your life...and they are hard to come by.



....so what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 58: "i am thankful for.......SANDING BLOCKS!"

.....because w/o them, my life as a renovation expert would not only be harder, it would be near impossible!   i own a plethora of different shapes, sizes, grits and colors.   for anyone that finishes out walls as much as i do, they really are a necessity.  here is a pic of my stash..(and that is not all of them!)

i use all of them....as you can see!  they do wear out, and i have to buy more.  i use different sizes, shapes, and grits for all the different stages while finishing out a wall.  i have become quite an expert on sanding blocks over the years.  personally, i think they are the best thing since sliced bread.....but, that's just me :)



.......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 57: "i am thankful for......WARM DECEMBER DAYS!"

......because i grew up in upstate ny so i can really appreciate 60's in december!  i'm kinda liking the temps here in southern ohio.  think i'll stay for a while....;)  if the snow doesn't stick to the ground all winter, i will not be sad.  now, my boys will be...they really miss the snow we had in ny.  but, as for me?  NOPE!!


.......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 56: "i am thankful for.........W.H. AUDEN"!

"if equal affection cannot be.....let the more loving one be me"
-w.h. auden

day 55: "i am thankful for......FENCING!"

ryan had his last fencing class friday night.  he has been going every week since sept.  he is not into team sports like his brother.  i wanted to get him involved in some kind of sport or activity...in order for him to meet new people...  i also wanted him to get active, move his body....get away from the video games.  so, i thought, what boy wouldn't want to swing a sword around at people!  he loved it....he did not want to miss one class!  i am so proud of him.  he not only learned how to 'lunge' and 'parry'...he also tried to make friends.  (well...kinda ;))  i also tried to meet new people (i'm not social either..).  here are a few pics of ryan in his full  fencing gear..

hey, you never know!  maybe he will be an olympic fencing star!  all i know.....is that i am so proud of him...not only for trying something new, but for sticking with it until the end.  way to go ry!



........so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 54: "i am thankful for......'MY WISH'!"

....i was listening to my playlist on you tube last night.  this is one of the songs that i put on it a while back.  the words remind me of what i wish for my boys.  good words....good song.  i love you boys...

....so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 53: "i am thankful for.....PLUNGERS!"

.....and it seems that mom is the ONLY one in this house that knows how to use them!  (yes, you guessed it....a little annoyed at my boys this morning ;))

i guess that is why they come is such pretty colors these days........they are not only functional, but they go with any bathroom decor~!  bonus for all moms out there...

UGH.



......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 52: "i am thankful for.....FAMILY PORTRAITS!"

here are a few portraits taken yesterday at a local photo studio.  i think they turned out great!  it's hard to get a good photo of all four of us...but, i think we got one...or two...! 

and here are a few silly ones...for our Christmas cards this year!  i got the 'stacked' idea off the internet.  all three of my 'boys' were great.  they went along with whatever mom wanted..thanks guys ;)

....so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 51: "i am thankful for......"YOU TOO"!"

.....every morning, i drive the boys to school.  i prefer driving them instead of them taking the bus....mainly because i get to sleep in for an extra 1/2 hour and also i get to spend some more time with them.

so, once we get to the school parking lot, there is an assembly line of moms and dads dropping their kids off.....it's a quick and painless process.  the boys open the car door....i spill out all the 'have a great day'...'i love yousss'...'have fun'.... and every morning, sam just smiles...and walks aways...but, my ry guy...he always turns to me before closing his door ...and says ''you too!''...it's the little things that catch my heart off guard.  two little words like 'you too' make my day.   (maybe i need to get out more.... ;))


.....so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 50: "i am thankful for......MY CROWN!"

....because it's been a looooonnnnngggg time comin.  last winter, my tooth chipped.  i mean, it was down to just a tiny bit of tooth left (too many m&m's).  so, i guess it was time to hunt down a good dentist in the area.  i asked my neighbor for any ideas, and she told me about her "handsome greek God" of a dentist...ok, dokie!  that's all well, and good...but, i need a GOOD dentist! so, i made an appointment with her 'greek God'....and what do ya know?  he's not only handsome, but he's a damn good dentist to boot...not many of those around....  so, long story short...last february, i had my tooth pulled and filled with some kind of bone stuff.  he said it had to sit and heal and harden for at least 3-6 months.  geeezzz.....so, needless to say, i had a toothless grin for over 6 months!  finally, in Sept, he said it healed/hardened enough to drill the implant.  thank you God.
i asked him to send me a picture via email of my implant.  i think it is the most daunting thing.....and it felt as strange going in....i'm thinking it's what a piece of sheet rock must feel like being screwed to a stud!

here is the 'screw' in my mouth!

they put a temp crown on top of it....and today, my friends, i get my permanent crown.  i get a tooth back... !!!! (only $1,00000000's of dollars later) 

i also go vote today......i pray for my fellow ohioans....that they make the RIGHT choice....



.........so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 49: "i am thankful for......HALLOWEEN!"

.....because the boys love to dress up, have fun, and share their chocolate with mommy :)

i kinda like the brunette look...what do you think?!

this year, actually, i did not steal all their chocolate....the boys donated 1/2 their candy to our dentist office so they could mail it out to our troops over in afghanistan.  great idea, and great cause....  i didn't eat ANY of their candy this  year!  i'm very proud of myself...and i'm very proud of my boys for giving some of their precious hard earned loot away! 

......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 48: "i am thankful for......SCHOOL PARTIES!"

......so i can go into school to smooze the teachers, see the others kids my boys hang out with all day, and to embarrass them ;)

yesterday, i brought in some treats for my boy's halloween parties.  first i went to sam's classroom.  all the 6th graders were gathered in one room.  they were very loud and very excited to eat all the goodies the parents had brought in for them.  i asked one of the attending teachers to take a picture of sam and me.  it was tough, but i got one...he is at the age of being quite embarrassed of his mother!  how did this happen?!  i don't like it...but understand it.

check out that look!  poor sam.....:)

at least i still have an 8 yr old that beams at the site of his mommy, even in front of his classmates!  no embarrassment from my ry guy :)  the third graders played games, and ate treats.  they were  able to dress up, so it was fun to see all the different costumes, from a beautiful bride, to a killer jester (my ry).

the'killer jester' and me

i will post some more halloween pictures soon....



......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 47: "i am thankful for.......NOT COOKING!"

my husband slaved in the kitchen last night creating his awesome potato and ham soup for dinner....it was soooo good!  perfect meal for a cold, wet, fall day.  i am always thankful when someone else cooks for me.  soooo thankful :)

and i am also thankful when there are left overs for lunch.....bon appetite!

......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!