Heading South!!

I am leaving on a jet plane...
going to one of my favorite places in the world!!

Source: http://pittsburgh.issa.org/

Going to visit some of my favorite people!

I'll be back on Monday!!

Hope that you all have a weekend full of love, fun, cookouts and lots of smiles!!

Love and hugs!



Weekend smiles....and 400th post

This is my 400th post....I can't believe that I have had things to say 400 times...pretty crazy!!  I have met some pretty amazing people in these 400 posts and found and outlet to record the positive and sometimes not so positive stuff in my life...

It's only apt to have this post be about some projects that we have conquered in my house...and by we I mostly mean my hubby and his father...

I live in an old house....like almost 100 years old...plaster, lathe and outdated electricity have made for some interesting projects

The light in my hallway went out a few weeks ago and we had no idea why...but after trying the usual things, hubby put duct tape over the switch and said don't touch until dad comes.

This weekend they came...

and they cut into walls..

and realized that most of the electricity was not done well....and was running out of one junction box...so like so many other projects...this one quick thing turned into a nightmare.

Holes were cut, wire was pulled. floors were pulled up..and pulled up again.

lots of swearing, a bit of exhaustion and a whole lot of frustration were swirling like the plaster dust in my house this weekend.

Two trips to Lowes and two trip to Home Depot, three starbucks runs, Subway sandwiches and a six pack of beer later...

The electrical wiring is re run to the lights in my ceilings downstairs.

One thing that I have been asking for since we moved into the house is light switches.

I have none downstairs...

The kitchen light is on a pull string.

The dining room light is on a pull string.

The living room light, we replaced with a remote controlled ceiling fan.

So the bonus for the weekend was the I have LIGHT SWITCHES!!! 

Four of them.

This is the beginning of the first two...pretty excited.

And it means that I got to hang a light that I bought two years ago....

It was an inspiration light..

meaning that I was hoping that if I bought it they would get to the switches faster...

It didn't quite work that way...I don't think that hubby really likes the light..

But me...

I have walked all around the outside of the house to see it through every window!!

Here it is...not sure if it's going to work yet...but after a couple of stops and starts and rewiring it twice...

It works!! And I LOVE it...

Hubby still not so much...but I am like a kid who discovers what the switches do...I have been flicking them on and off for the last hour!!

I don't have a hall light yet- but the wiring is there so hopefully this will be done this week..

Hubby is hammering the bedroom floor back down as we speak..

There are twenty tons of plaster dust stuck everywhere...

tempers flew at times...

There are tools all over the house

And a few holes in the ceiling still....

BUT...

I have a light switch!!

Quick Stop

Just to tell you all that I am thinking about you...
Sending positive thoughts to you all on a regular basis and hoping that there are things that are making you smile every day.
Hugs and lots of love!

Smiles this week

I am forever grateful for the people I surround myself with in my life.  My friends and my family.
There have been some pretty lively discussions about recent voting that occured in North Carolina around here lately (hence my last blog post).  Many of you know that my brother is gay and incredibly happy with the person he has chosen to be with...and we all like him too.
As I read through the comments and the facebook posts about the vote the other day, I genuinely feel sorry for people who are gay and their family doesn't accept them.
My mother wrote a post about how proud she was of my brother and the person that he has become, regardless of his secual orientation. 
The support from friends and family was overwhelming.
When they decide to get married (because they are going to, we already know that is the intention) we are going to have one hell of a party in a state that allows that to happen.
And I honestly can't wait for that day to happen.
I understand that this is a "hot button" issue right now, but I honestly don't understand why it needs to be.  Who says that another person has the right to chose who someone else is going to be with for the rest of their lives?
And why shouldn't they be afforded the same benefits as any other couple in love?
I just don't get it.

On another note, hubby is working on the house this weekend with his father- which means that everything will be covered in a layer of plaster dust.
Hopefully by the end of it, the electricity in the whole downstairs will be rerun and we only need to deal with the upstairs....that's the plan anyway.

I am leaving work today and going and getting my hair cut and colored.  I was trying to hold off until after the end of the summer but I am in the need of a pick me up and I think this is going to be it.

This was a rambling, nonsensical post.  I hope that you are all doing well....sending hugs, love and lots of smiles to all of you.

One question

With  a caveat that I appreciate discuss and the ability for people to freely express their opinions respectfully.

In regards to recent political events
My question is:
If I have moral issues with the person that you have chosen to marry- does that mean that I can tell you that you aren't allowed to marry them?

And a follow up question:
Why does anyone have that right?

A weekend away

to go visit little ones almost has me motivated again..
we headed north to visit and celebrate a trio of birthdays and a graduation from college.
The ride is always the best part..
Just me and my hubby...
the dreariness lifted yesterday morning as we headed north...
everything is so green after the none stop rain we have had for the last week.
We had a chance to actually talk about some changes that may or may not be on the horizon..
A change in path, together...and it's a tough decision.
It involves moving away from everything he finds safe if the opportunity arises...which is yet to be determined..
just a couple of parking lot conversations..
but he and I talked and hashed out issues with going and not going..
It would be an incredible adventure, but one  that requires by in on both our parts, not just one.
Sacrifices will be made either way...
We got up there and spent the day with nephews and cousins...a baby in the house for the first time in a long time and a couple of nephews who weren't quite sure what to make of it...
but it was fun to listen to the giggles..
Family betting on the derby happened as well as oggling at amazing hats...
I wish I had the recipe for mint juleps because those would have been consumed after the babes went to bed...
The kiddos had sombreros for Cinco de Mayo and the adults had margaritas after bed time.
Birthday cake was consumed and funny cards passed out...a few high spirited games of uno were played.
Tonight was a very wet night as someone was trying to use the warm water from the washing machine line to do some cleaning outside.
Hoses were run and not connected quite tightly enough...
The laundry room floor got a good cleaning...
and then again when the drain line wasn't hooked up properly for the first load of laundry...
but at least we could laugh about it as we were sopping up the water...
Hubby's birthday is tomorrow..I am afraid that there is only one sappy card to be read.
He wants something for his birthday that requires him to pick it out so a very boring gift card will be given...and I have been debating a singing chicken at his office...if only I could find one.
I hope that the full moon brought it's restorative powers to you all this weekend....I did go out last night and soak up some of it's rays and hoping for a quiet week at work..
sending hugs and lots of love on the back of the moon rays and star beams tonight..

Amazing Article

Three Steps to Living Fearlessly with More Love

A person, someone I knew when I was in college and had an incredible amount of repect for wrote this article.
It not only embodies the way I have strived (not always successfully) to live my life..but is also written incredibly well.
She and I worked on a few shows together when we were in college.
She is the first one to tell me that if someone calls me a bitch, I should say thank you because it means that I know what I want and am not afraid to stand up to whomever or whatever to get it.  She is amazingly talented in many ways- plus the picture of her daughter is adorable!
Hugs and love