Potties, and Snoogies, and Drool, Oh My!

I was under the impression that I was going to be able to have a short work day today. I only had one scheduled appointment, then some more orientation and paperwork, but then I was going to call it a day. Well, the first house my partner and I went to was filled with dirty children and a very pukey mommy. Needless to say, we cancelled that one and went back to the office. For the last few days, both of us in the room have been fighting whatever bug is going around. The one with the sore throat, stuffy/runny nose, headache, and exhaustion? yeah, that's the one. So we're lysoling EVERYTHING and using hand sanitizer like it's water.
I thought I was in the clear and that I would be able to leave without encountering any more sickness for the day... that was before I was asked to provide "respite" aka babysitting for 4 children while their parents received couples counseling upstairs. So there I was with a 10 year old, 9 year old, 3 year old, and 2 year old playing with puppets (which the little ones were putting in their mouths), making meals in the fake kitchen (which the little ones were putting in their mouths), and building towers with blocks (which the little ones were putting in their mouths AND wiping their VERY green snot on). Then, the 2 year old (who is apparently being potty trained) had the "urge" every 10 minutes or so, causing him to whip his diaper off while in the middle of peeing, me trying to "aim" his little boyhood in the direction of the bathroom (not even the toilet, just trying to get it on linoleum instead of our work carpet). I am pretty sure that every single inch of me has been infected by little boy grossness. When I have my own kids, they will be better raised than this. Everybody with class knows that you put your boogers on your own toys, not someone else's.

There's a Toilet Im My Bathroom!

Perhaps all of you modern folk have taken your toilets for granted. Those of us that have been remodeling for 2 months are aware of the emotional lows that come when you technically have a bathroom, but you can't use it. In fact, we didn't even have a toilet in our bathroom for about 5 weeks. And now, we have it all!
Today, my man told me that he was only going to be able to seal the underboard. Then, he sends me an exciting text that we would indeed have linoleum today! THEN he sends me a picture of our vanity, light, and countertop in! Finally, I get home and there's a toilet coming into my house!!!! I was ecstatic! Tonight, when I get up for my usual urine-break, I won't have to stumble down the stairs and get the dogs all excited, thinking they're going outside. No, TONIGHT, I will pee in peace. I love my husband:

Project Bathroom = Minty Fresh

Today we did in with the Shamrock Shake green. I went back to Busy Beaver (yes, that's really the name of the store) and purchased the lightest shade of green you could get. It actually looked white-ish to me, only noticable when held up to a white sample. I get it home, filled with hope. As I began painting, I realized that it definately does NOT look white, rather like Mint. Now, don't get me wrong, I like Mint... I like it a million times better than Shamrock Shake. However, how in the world do people actually buy the color of paint that they want when those samples in the store are completely NOT the same color?
There has to be some sort of paint-department conspiracy to keep customers coming back, spending more and more money trying to get the right paint hue. Well this customer isn't buying into their games. This customer is going to be a quitter! I'm going to learn to live with my minty fresh bathroom if it kills me, and I'm gonna LIKE it, too. Busy Beaver, you will not win, for I refuse to paint that dang room one more time.
On a brighter note, Pat gets to lay the rest of the flooring tomorrow and then it's just the tub, vanity, mirror, lights, and shower head:) Oh sweet bathroom, it will be so good to finally meet you. I'll see you in my minty dreams....

One Room Down, One To Go

Well we finished the living room this weekend! After 3 days of continuous work and very, VERY long shifts, we finally finished a room! The living room looks lovely with it's Acorn Nut and Barely Beige walls, Olive patterned, stain-resistant 12x12 rug, new accent pillows, wall hangings, and cool new table and benches:) Unfortunately, the "aqua" color we chose for the bathroom made it feel like one was drowning in a Shamrock shake.... so we added a gallon of white paint to the mix to try lightening it up some. And now it looks like a slightly-lighter Shamrock shake. It's ridiculous the physical reaction we all seem to have upon walking into the room! So a new color will be chosen immediately. However, kudos to my man for working like a slave all weekend, asking what he can do to help ME, and then not telling me how much he hated the bathroom wall color until I mentioned it first, just in case I liked it. Very sweet, very needed:)

I Can Suck My OWN Thumb

Early this morning, I was awakened (after being repeatedly elbowed all night) to my husband poking his index finger in my face until finally shoving it INTO my mouth, somewhere between my upper teeth and lip. Um, excuse me? Can I help you? Unless you are a dentist, get your wood-choppin', dog-pettin' hand OUT of my mouth. After being elbowed in the face so many times, I should've bitten his finger, but his not-so-subtle snoring told me that he was still, in fact, asleep.
Thankfully, we had a productive day of painting (I'm loving my Acorn Nut colored living room!) and getting rid of old appliances in our basement. Then we went to dinner for some Mexican food with a group of friends, with Pat putting the moves on me the entire time, just like we were on a real date:) Hopefully tonight he remembers that although I do like the occasional Lady Finger, I am generally NOT in the mood for a Chubby-Italian-Man Finger, and to keep his hands, digits, and elbows on HIS side of the bed and out of my mouth.

A Night In

We decided that after a long week, me with the new job, Pat with mudding and sanding, that we would spend the night in watching funny zombie movies and snuggling. It was going wonderfully until my lovely husband decided to let the dogs in without wiping their feet. Again. So the evening turned into a wonderful time of cleaning up mud from the floor and the furniture. Apparently we are now "taking space". It's a good thing I like cleaning. Because that's obviously what I'm going to be doing. For the REST OF MY NATURAL LIFE. I sincerely hope God has a special jewel for my crown entitled "World's Best Husband-Picker-Upper-Afterer". And Pat's jewel can be entitled "Ew. Gross." But those are just options. I'm open to other titles.

Mono of the Heart

I am honestly and downright sad about leaving my old job and the families that I worked with for a year and a half. All day I find myself thinking about the meetings that I'm missing with the insurance company, school observations that I want to follow up on, and brainstorming with parents to come up with new ways to work on target behaviors. I'm stressing about the new job, feeling incompetent and fearful for what lies ahead. There have just been so many recent changes, and I think that it's effecting my physical body.... I thought I may have mono; super tired, weak, fatigued, nauseous, grumpy, runny you-know-what, not to mention the allergies. But I'm thinking it's more emotional stress than anything that is causing these mono-like symptoms. Heart Mono.
On the plus side, my observant husband noted that our one dog had become ill (also runny you-know-whats) on the new hard wood floors and tarp we had down while mudding the dry wall. But have no fear, he tells me. He's taken care of it. Ladies, if your husband has ever told you he has taken care of something, you too, may have found yourself with poop on your arm as you were walking out the door for work after he's left the soiled tarp outside of the door instead of washed off and put back in it's place. "I didn't see it!" he claims. But you and I, we know better. I'm probably going to get Mono of the Arm now, too.

First and Last Day

It was the first day at the new job, but the last day for my parents. They leave in the morning, Project Master Bath not yet completed, but further along than we could've expected considering all that's gone wrong. With a few mental breakdowns, several major fights, and a zillion house catastrophes, it's a wonder we're all still speaking (or living) at this point. But I was alive enough to drudge through the first day of work, consisting of signing a trillion papers, attending meetings, and reading massive amounts of literature regarding the company. I think after a 6 weeks of every possible change known to man, I need to hibernate (just for a few months). I will miss my parents, though. And eventually my bathroom/living room/stairwell/hallway will be complete. It's an exhausting miriad of emotions going on right now, and I know that all will eventually work itself out and be wonderful... hopefully sooner rather than later, because first and last days are never the easiest, especially when they are the same day.

Project Light-It-Up!

Today was a super good day as far as being productive on a bunch of little things around the house that were really starting to get frustrating.... and strangely enough, they all had to do with lighting. The overhead light in our bedroom now works (thank God, cause my makeup was starting to look overly-"fierce" since I couldn't really see myself until I got outside), the outlets in our bedroom now work, we hung our chandelier and our outside lights for the front porch (which my mom completely cleaned and spider-sprayed for me:)), and we hung our living room light.
Additionally, my man did a great job installing a second shower head downstairs so we can spray the dogs off, replaced piping on the hot water heater that had gone bad, and he merged our hot and cold hoses so they equal warm water now in the basement.... I'm actually really impressed. I knew he could do plumbing, but the initiative he had and just beautiful job he did was very exciting (and it was all without being asked, which I'm more appreciative of than he realizes...) and all he asks for in return is something about white thigh highs..... ;)

Possibly A New Low

It's not like I plan to have temper tantrums, they just happen. And it's not like I try to have impulsive thoughts of murder, violence, and blowing things up, but hey, like you've never been there? Perhaps my anger at this house (and my husband this week) has gotten a little out of hand, but (like there's really a justification for throwing things and screaming that you'd rather die than hear a train again) seriously, I've been teetering at that breaking point for 6 weeks and I think I finally tottered on over the edge this morning.
Thankfully, God saw fit to send me an angel in the form of Ace, the lovely man that works at our local Busy Beaver. He was the correct amount of helpful, encouraging, and lighthearted that I needed in my time of insanity.... that and the large amounts of chocolate I shoveled into my blood stream upon leaving the store. Ace gave me helpful hints about bugs, gardening, home improvement, paint colors, and the relationships. He has become my Dear Abby.... "Dear Ace, Today I tried to throw myself off the second story of our farmhouse and onto a strategically placed pair of hedge trimmers. What do I do to succeed next time? Signed, Tired of the Train"
"Dear Tired of the Train, just remember that if you die in the yard, the spiders will carry your body off and eat your remains. Do you really want to let that happen? Of course not. Next time, just eat more chocolate, change the paint color, and remember my soothing voice as the train screams in your ear at night."
Thank you, Ace. Thank you.

Last Day

Today was my last day at Comprehensive Children and Family Services. As I said goodbye to my last few clients, their families, and co-workers today, I felt a bit of nostalgia and even wondering if I was making the right choice. My families were all very sad that I was leaving, but it was a weird emptiness today as I noticed that they had no choice but to start detatching from me so that they could move on as well. So my nerves for Monday and starting the next career chapter of my life are growing in both excitement and fear.... I'm happy to be able to work with co-workers daily and actually be able to make friends with people that I see consistently. But the job itself still has so many unknowns that it's easy to fall into the trap of questioning what I know is a much better position for me. In any event, God had this job seek ME out (they called me several times while we were on our honeymoon to tell me that there was a job they wanted me to apply for) and God wouldn't send an employer to find an employee unless it was the job that was right for this new phase of life. Maybe it's all just been so overwhelming with the wedding, honeymoon, moving, parents living with us, and remodeling for a month (oh, and yes, STILL PMSing).... but hopefully the IBS clears up by Monday and the first day at the new job:)

Whistle While He Works

I'm sure you all will be thrilled to know that my man and I are done fighting. (cheers from the peanut gallery) It's amazing that a simple "I love you" will put one's relationship on the path to redemption so quickly... so after my statement, I awaken around 4am to my hubby snuggling over to my side of the bed all cutesy-like, before dropping his dead-weight arm across my abdomen and breathing heavily onto my forehead. Now, I'm delighted by the sweet gesture in his half-awake moment, but after a few moments, I started to feel light-headed and my heart was racing (NOT because of the sweet gesture, but because I totally couldn't breathe). And the breath that I was getting, was the disgustingly warm, re-used breath of another person that you get when someone is talking too close to your face (or that you get when someone simply falls asleep on your face).
So I HAD to pull away, you see, or I would've suffocated. Thankfully, my husband was dead to the world and had no idea that I completely shunned his sweet apologetic gesture. I knew he wasn't offended because he whistled. All day long. When he is happy and all is well with the world, we may hear anything from "Happy Birthday" to an old hymn from the 1800s (seriously) and I'm pretty sure that today, we heard both while he helped out on Project Master Bath. Perhaps I should get my dad some ear plugs, but it's good to know that my "I love you" and a death-snuggle in the middle of the night are all it takes to put the whistle back into my hubby's work.

Are You There HGTV? It's Me, Shivonne

Never really getting into HGTV before, I'm not sure how I managed to make it through the day without seeing Mike Holmes' sexy overalls, Property Virgins giving it up to their first home, and House Hunters (yes, even the International version) penny pinching to have the home of their dreams. They really get ya by showing one episode right after the next, without even a commercial in between to distract you into doing real work on YOUR OWN HOME. But I must say, I'm becoming quite the little addict :) I'm even becoming less annoyed by the people with their ridiculously picky "MUST HAVE" lists and the couples looking for extravagent summer homes to match their UBER-extravagant spring, fall, and winter homes. But if anyone from HGTV is out there and reading this menial blog, my name is Shivonne Costa.... and you can feel free to come to my home, make me an episode offer, and fix my house for free. Amen.

Down in the Grumps

Well, I guess it's not considered fighting if you're simply not speaking to one another, but it feels like a fight either way. I'm not sure if everyone's first month of marriage is as strenuous as this or if it's that we've had a large amount of stressors that have just kind of taken over, but either way, I'm grumpy. Between the rain and gloom, dwindling pocket book amount, ever-continuing house renovations, and PMS, I'm about ready to go into hibernation for the next month and try again around month #3 to see if wedded bliss occurs then instead. But for now, this gloomy, poor, annoyed, PMSer is signing off and going in search of chocolate, tissues, and a back massager...

Insomniacs R Us

At first I thought it was just me, but apparently our entire household decided it was too nice of a night to waste on silly tasks like sleeping. So instead, we all stayed up for most of the night, in our respective beds, desperately trying to fall asleep but not quite reaching our goal. Everytime I was about to drift back off into the land of Nod, I was awakened to a gust of wind blowing the blinds above my head till they made that rattling, buzzing noise.... or I woke up to the sound of the toilet flushing downstairs (since, keep in mind, we were all up and roaming freely last night).... but my favorite was when Pat woke me up to tell me he hit me in the face.
Hmmm. Did I wake up when you hit me? (she said) Well, no. (he said) THEN STOP TALKING! (she said sweetly) I believe that this situation warrented an apology only if the injured person were awake. So, after we laughed for a bit, we were finally able to fall asleep, that is, after the 6:30 train went through. Now that we're all thoroughly exhausted, we're going to get a late start at the bathroom and kitchen cupboards. Wish me luck.

We Have FLOOR!!

I can honestly say that the most exciting thing that happened today (and relieving for all involved) is that we now have flooring in the hallway leading to our bedroom! Perhaps, while going through your everyday life, you take advantage of things, such as walking on floors without worrying about stepping on the solid beams and not the pipes.... or maybe turning on a lightswitch and the light coming on.... or even getting to use a bathroom in your own home without having to wait in a long line.
Obviously, not all of these things can be rectified overnight, but I'm choosing to get super excited over the fact that the coat closet now has a handle, the kitchen cabinet now shuts all the way, and that we have FLOOR in our hallway! Oh, and I'm excited that I'm super cool for building an entire pantry closet by myself.... just give me a diagram, NASA, I'm ready.

St. Patrick's Day

My husband, Patrick, and my dad, Dennis, have been working like slaves from morning till bed on Project Master Bath. Sweating, barely eating, running into glitch after flop, sore backs, bruises, exhaustion.... needless to say, my boys need a day off for being the saints that they've been. My dad is convinced that he should keep going until he gets to a stage where the work will slow down considerably, but I know my hubby. And my hubby needs a day of rest. Therefore, I dub tomorrow St. Patrick's Day in honor of his hard work, sore back, and need for alone time. No work for Patty tomorrow :)

(P.S. Bubba, if you're reading this, I love you:))

Just Put Me In A Bubble and Seal Me Up

On a few occasions of my life, I have known to be (again, just once or twice) slightly.... clumsy. I know what you're thinking. How could this charming, intelligent, funny girl manage to hurt herself as often as she does? There are people that hurt themselves on purpose to fulfill some inner sense of reality and feeling. And here I am, mocking them with my unintentional incidents of self-abusing behavior. Perhaps with all of our furniture moved about, power tools lining the floors, and random nails scattered around, I have been less than safe in my choice of footwear (flip flops, bare feet, etc.). But it is truly amazing how many times I have stubbed my toes, banged my knees, and rolled my ankles in the past few days.
I can't even blame the latest incident on Project Master Bath, as it happened while I was trying to read my planner and walk at the same time (normally I could do that PLUS chew gum, but apparently I'm losing my touch). Needless to say, I completely rolled my ankle, leaving it swollen and ridiculously sore. Upon hearing that I had hurt myself for the hundredth time in 3 days, my loving husband sent me a caring text message, asking me if he should build me a bubble to live in once the bathroom is complete. Ah. It's always comforting to know that when you're hurting, there will always be someone by your side to laugh at you and make jokes at your expense. I am truly blessed.

Zzzzzz....SOME of us are getting them

For those of you who don't know, I may in fact be the world's lightest sleeper. Anyone who has ever lived with me can attest to this fact. This is a problem that seems to be getting increasingly worse with age. When I was a baby, my mom could run the vaccum in my bedroom, jostling my crib about the room without waking me up. As a child, loud noises could stir me, but I was otherwise sound asleep. In college, I struggled with the desk lamps of my roommates and the constant buzz of activity outside our room. In my first apartment, the mere sound of the refridgerator running sent me over the edge.
An now? Now that I live in an old farm house, what could possibly keep me awake? Bugs flying into my ear while I sleep and buzzing me awake (YES, that was about a week ago)? A husband that saws logs in his sleep as much as he chops wood while awake? The sound of puppy dog nails on the hard wood floors of our room, hall, etc.? Yes, yes. All of these things keep me awake at night. But none as painfully so as the train that goes through our front yard 1-4 times nightly, riding it's brakes and tooting it's ever-joyful little horn, mocking me as I lie in my bed, tensing with every passing screech of the brakes..... I somethimes envision myself sabatoging the tracks for the following night while I lay in bed half-sleeping, half-anxiously clawing at the covers waiting for the train to pass and wondering if and when the next one will come.....
But not to worry, everyone. According to everyone I've spoken to, there is good news. Apparently, I'll get used to it! Isn't that WONDERFUL news? And here I was, getting all upset over nothing. One to two years, tops they say, and I'll be sleeping like a baby. Until then, ..... zzzz..... oh, sorry, fell asleep typing..... zzzzz

Alone Time... THEN Together Time

After the 9th day of work on Project Master Bath (which has quickly turned into Project Hallway, Living Room, and Basement), we decided to watch the Tom Hanks classic, The Money Pit, for a few laughs. It was fantasic to giggle at Tom Hanks' misfortunes in the movie, misfortunes that we could somewhat relate to.... but the laughing stopped the very next day when we ran into more termite damage, no internet, brown water from the faucets, some sort of insect outbreak, holes in the ceiling and walls, and torn up carpet. All in all, it's safe to say that I had a rather large meltdown. I mean, ladies, who wouldn't! On top of it all, my one dog was projectile vomiting on the hour and my other dog got into a dog fight with the neighbor dog.... so theres the dog imitating the Exorcist and the dog imitating a pirate with his one eye closed up after being scratched.
So Pirate and Pukey and I tried laying down for a nap to take the edge off.... just as the power saw started up. Needless to say, my nap was unsuccessful and I was A LITTLE edgy (meaning my husband could have sliced a BRICK with my edges).
Seeing my need for a break, my parents had an evening out to give me and my man a little time together. What did we do? He took a quad ride into the woods and watched a movie on his computer. I showered and blow dried my hair for the first time since this project began (blow drying my hair that is... I HAVE showered in the last 2 weeks!). I also did my nails and watched my own movie... Today, however, our grumpiness seems to have greatly subsided today. Apparently we needed alone time BEFORE we were ready for together time:)