Saturday, April 8, 2006

Before and Almost After~Part I

Be prepared.....I don't like showing pictures of a train wreck of a house.  There will be a before and after at the same angle.  Of course, the old orbs showed up again.  I cleaned my lens because they don't show up on Joey's Canon and weren't in pics at Christmas in the family room.  LOL...for safe measure, I told the orbs that they didn't belong there and to pass to the other side.  I'll explain why my old tv is on the floor in front of the new one.  I still haven't put any decorations up.  I've thrown most of my old ones away.  My BF is taking down the ugly blinds.  He has linen blinds from his old apt. that he didn't need.  He has mini blinds of some sort built into the panes of his patio door.  I'm also putting up some type of window treatment above it.  I have a beautiful wrought iron rod that I had stuff draped over (well, Becky redid it because she thought mine was less than perfect.)

 This was the total mess I was living in from Sunday to Thursday.  You can't really see the true ugliness of the lineoleum...well, yes you can..... Ooops, I missed it the first time around.  You can see a piece of the old carpet to the left of Grizzly.  We didn't pull that up until the sofa was removed.  We had to take the sofa and recliner outside because they don't clear the door or cabinets into the kitchen.  Thursday was a beautiful day here, thank goodness!

 

 

 Same shot; different day.  I have a pic of Grizzly on my old rug which was a brick/rust shade but I don't feel like digging for it in my file manager.

  This is the other angle as you enter the door.  There's that vacuum again.

This is the same shot after.  Now, my new 32 inch tv is sitting on a beautiful brushed cherry stand.  Can't see it?  LOL...that's coz my old tv is still there.  Joey and my BF and the next door neighbor got it in the house around 9:00 Thurs night.  My BF plugged it in, there was a white flash and no picture.  He ended up buying me a 32" JVC flat screen...had the most beautiful picture in the store.  Just crapped out from the beginning.  We got it at a furniture store that's been in Butler for ages.  They sell furniture and appliances.  I've gotten lots of my furniture from there.  So....on Wed. they are sending out a new tv on their delivery truck, picking this one up and setting up the new one to make sure it's ok.  Thank the Lord because the tv is a beast.  I couldn't even imagine how Joey and my BF were going to get it back on his truck and bring a new one back in here.  He was flipping because he never has had any problems with anything that he buys, car, appliances, etc.  I, on the other hand, as I've stated before, seem to end up with the lemons so this was just another situation that I'm very used to.

My BF is starting to get very edgy.  I think all the changes he's going through are catching up with him...new apt...the retirement which is rocking his socks.  Things were ok the first day back.  What's killing him is that long time friends who are managers now are being nasty and turning on him.  I'll be glad when he finally gets out of there.  He told his mother today.  She got a little nasty about it which is so unusual for her.  He usually has her and his brother there for Easter.  She said good when he told her he wasn't having Easter.  Not like her at all.  But she has battled lymphoma, got a total clean bill of health a month ago.  Now, congestive heart failure is setting in and her legs are swelling.  I do think she must have been having a very bad day today because she is the sweetest woman.  Nonetheless, it really hurt his feelings.  We are going out tonight but I think I may end up at home again.  He seems to be struggling right now and likes to be alone.  I'll respect that.  He'll be up tomorrow anyway to help me get some things straightened out.  My diningroom is half cleaned out.  I threw most everything away.  I still need the louvered doors put up to the powder room down here and the closet.  Just the finishing touches.  To be continued....Part II and hopefully the final installment will be sometime Wed.

I'm on a roll.  I worked OT today.  I was so whooped yesterday that I barely made it through work.  I could barely drive myself into Pgh this morning and dreaded the drive home.  I made 6 hrs  which is good.  I was so tired driving home.  I prayed I would stay awake.  I should have just skipped it but the money is so needed.  I'm up from my nap now.  I had to reinstall my Kodak program.  It wouldn't load the pics.  Actually, I just had to run a repair which fixed the problem.

My final picture is one of Megan and Becky at her bash.  I pulled it off of Becky's blog. 

Not my favorite.  Becky looks a wee bit tuned but it was her birthday. And, of course, Megan was in every picture.  That child is photogenic if I must say so myself.

A week in my life in a nutshell.  It's been hectic, tiring, frustrating, and it's still not quite done but we're moving along.  I'm hoping if all goes well, I can get some pics at my BF's tonight.  If not, I will later.

Love to all (Penny, I am getting super excited about that concert!!!)  A new sidebar is a coming........

                                    

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I see the orbs, that's fascinating! You did an awesome job, the house is looking great, so warm and cozy looking! :-)

~ Susan
http://journals.aol.com/njmom72/TheStrawberryPatch

Anonymous said...

Great pics Chris...thanks so much for sharing!
Love the new carpet....wow what a difference it made.
Makes me want to get new carpet, which we need terribly...lol
Your daughter is so pretty..and so is her friend!
Hope you and your b/f have a good night out on the town
Hugss..~Terri~

Anonymous said...

I like the color of the new carpet.   Thanks for sharing the pics.
Missie

Anonymous said...

love the new carpet:) woohoo it looks great can't wait till you are finished

Deb

Anonymous said...

Wow, Chris...what a difference a day can make!!  The new carpet looks great and I bet you`re soooo happy that it`s all done. LOL, I love the way Grizzly manages to get his mug in the pics too.  :)
Your BF is undergoing so many things. Bless you for being understanding. Odd about his mom, huh? I hope things loosen up and the stress clears.
Cute pics of your girls, as always. I love the way you keep making lemonade out of all the lemons. :)
I`m ordering those tickets tonight!
Hugs,
Penny

Anonymous said...

the new carpet looks great. The pics are great. I sure hope your bf will be ok. Lots of changes going on and I know that it can all be hard. I'm sure his mom didn't mean it. Like you said she proably wasn't feeling all that good. Good luck with everything.

Anonymous said...

Chris,  What a difference.  The new carpet looks great!  To bad a bout the new TV.  I'm glad the store is taking good care of you.  So do the girls, they certainly are beautiful.  Milo sends his regards to Grizzly.  Smiles, David

Anonymous said...

hey sorry it's been a while since I left a comment!
just wanted to say HI!

Sharon
http://journals.aol.com/buggieboo1/ThisMommasDrama/

Anonymous said...

Awesome pics.....the kids are beautiful and i love the carpet and room! You have great taste.
So sorry to hear the BF is down...i know if anyone could bring a smile to his face its beautiful Chris!!!
Love,lisa jo

Anonymous said...

Chris your pics are great ~ looking forward to next instalment already !! And the pic of Becky and Megan is lovely, they're both gorgeous girls :-) Hope your BF is ok and feels more like his old self soon. Thinking of you.
Big hugs n much love ~x Debbie x~

Anonymous said...

Howz about sending me an ounce of your energy!!!!
Sharon -

Anonymous said...

All that work sounds so exhausting!!! I know you are tired!!! Maybe you can rest some when you get that room completed!!! http://journals.aol.com/shayshaydc/Golfaholic
Sharon:)

Anonymous said...

Oh cool.  The new carpet looks so pretty.  Great job.  I love the nostalgic look of the wooden panels on the walls too.  And your girls are beautiful. : )  GBU, Shelly

Anonymous said...

LOL about telling the orbs to cross over. I have an orb hat showed up right after our puppy Eddie drowned.  It's him I KNOW it is. I am the only one who's ever seen it and it's almost always in here in my office.  Your home improvements...wow.  I wish I had the energy. Hell, I wish I could DO some painting.  I'm not allowed on ladders. LOL Change ALWAYS scares men.  Every time I tell Rich he's going to wallpaper the guest bathroom...he cringes.  Heehee
Have a great week
Barb