DD's room got a face lift too....

DD lives at her own place but still stays over occasionally. I got rid of her decorations and decided to make the room more of a guest room. I moved the bed to a different wall and got a great deal on the bedding at TJ Max....$59 for 17 pieces...including the deocrative pillows and two sets of 400 count sheets...not bad.

We picke up a dresser at IKEA and added a glass to the top. Now I still have to do something over the bed but another winter project...and yes...I have to get rid of the fax machine....we don't even have a land line...LOL...anyone need a fax machine?

stairs...lazy S

Here is the view of the new floors from coming up the stairs...the "lazy S" curve, and down the steps at the entry way...I like how the curve mimics the area rug we have in the LR.

down stairs project

OK, I am a glutten for punishment but...it turned out nice I think. I decided to add a chair rail down stairs in the hall above the new wood floors...and I painted the wall below the rail...red...took one coat of pink primer and 4 coats of red to cover...but it really does add some zip to that area.

For those who are curious...straight ahead is Dalla's office...(going clockwise) is the garage, my art room to the right of the red wall, behind me is the spare bath and DD's bedroom, I am standing in the lower level all purpose room...(poker, treadmill, TV extra gathering room) and then the laundry room, and the hall that goes up stairs...
I think the wall makes the hall look wider and brighter.

Kitchen 98% finished.

The workmen are gone...the floors are in, the tile back splash is done, and I have my curtains up. I finished making the burgandy valance for the sliding glass door today and got it up too. It looks better than I had anticipated and "feels" very comfy. Dallas also installed rope lights for above the cabinets and I found some light switch plates at the home center that seem to match the back splash perfectly.
I still have a table runner and chair covers to make...but can do that this winter.

remodel updates and citizen's police academy class #3

The floor installers arrived on Tuesday. The guy who had been ill was actually in the ER to be treated for a spider bite that he had ignored for 4 days until his had became swollen and numb and the bite had to be opened and packed. I felt pretty small for thinking that they were making it all up. There were 3 in the crew...the boss and two helpers. All the carpet and padding was removed in less than an hour and the first course of flooring was laid and glued and nailed....Dust is everywhere. Wednesday...the boss didn't show but the helpers did. They think he had food poisoning from the evening before. So the workers continued the job...taking cigarette breaks about every 15 minutes...fortunately I am paying by the job, not the day. they finished 3/4ths of the kitchen. Today, the main boss was back with them and when he saw one of the cut out pieces next to a cabinet...he said it was not close enough and had to rip out almost 25 boards (this involved using a chisel and lots of elbow greece) because it did not meet his standards and he stands by his reputation of being the best in town. There were no raised voices that I could tell but the tension between him and the worker who cut and installed the piece was very evident....no one was saying a word and all were walking on egg shells around him. I don't like people not getting along and I thanked him for caring enough to make sure the job looked right but also tried to tell him the other guy did try to cut the piece correctly and had re cut it at least 3 times that I myself had witnessed. So with having to rip out half of what they did yesterday and not being here on Monday...has put them behind schedule by almost 2 full days and it looks like they will be here all next week too.... my house is dust city!!! My throat is so dry and scratchy from breathing in saw dust and since they leave the patio door open to go use the saws....flys wasps and other flying insects have moved into my house.

yesterday after they left...I killed the same wasp...3 times...!!! I swatted it and went to get a paper towel to clean it up and when I got back...it was gone... then I saw it and swatted it again ...and again.... I almost gave up and wished it could find its way back outside as it sure put up a brave fight....but was afraid Maggie would get stung.

anyhow...the floors or the part that is done is looking Wonderful !!!!
While all this was going on today, I tried to study for my 3rd citizens police acadamy class tonight. It was about lawyer stuff and legal procedures and probable cause and searches and degrees of felonies etc. I was having a difficult time concentrating as there was so much information and there seemed to be exceptions to each example or law. The assistant prosecutor spoke to us as did a beat officer and the examples they gave helped make sense of it all. In the middle of class, we were interrupted by pounding on the outside wall in the back and shouting and while we were turned to look at that, someone ran into the room and stole an object. So then we were told to fill out a narrative of what we witnessed...we will discuss it next week and see how we did with a re enactment. I said I saw a white female in sunglasses with a ball cap pulled down low over her brow and her long brown hair pulled back in a pony tail, slight build,medium height and wearing a dark blue jacket and dark gloves.... and saw her grab a bottle of water from a table and run out .... the guy beside me swore he saw a male .....LOL.... It could have been a guy with long hair as the person was flat chested...but the way the person moved suggested to me that it was a female.......so we shall see next week who needs to get their eyes checked. LOL... but he and I have an excuse...we sit in the last row of the room and the person did not run all the way across the room...we had the worst vantage point...so those up front were not only closer but got to see the person for a longer time as they can see the door from where they sit and could see the person coming and going and from head to toe...We could only see the waist up and only 2-3 seconds.

kitchen ....glitch

The floor and back splash installer called 30 minutes before he was due here to say he would not make it today and tomorrow might be iffy. His helper got injuried Saturday (either a cut arm or hand as the guy told me both stories)...so that put him behind on a job he was to have finished on Saturday. GREAT...not for the injured man....but ....could the guy have called to let me know about this on Saturday instead of right before he was due here? Guess not. Dallas and I emptied out the kitchen yesterday the table, chairs, hutch, dishes, anything on the floor, and disconnected the water lines to the fridge. Of course I also had to empty my counter tops since they will be putting in a black spash....and the halls and entry, and landings had to be cleared of furniture and decoration. so my LR< DR< and spare bedroom look like a garage sale gone bad.... I am trying to laugh...hohoho...but am bummed that it isn't getting underway today...this means if they start tomorrow it won't be finished by the weekend and I will be having yet another week of this mess torn up...cause after they are done, i have to paint the new shoe molding before we can start putting stuff away....

Nothing ever seems to go smoothly when you hire out work...so I am trying to stay patient and focus on how nice it will be when they get it done.....I am just wondering if I will still live here or be in a nursing home by that time...LOL..

on the bright side...washing my kitchen floor was a breeze this morning...didn't have to move anything...

32 and counting...

Lsst week, Dallas and I had our 32nd wedding anniversary....(doesn't seem that long until I look in the mirror and wonder where the youth went). We are re doing the kitchen instead of taking an expensive trip somewhere so I never thought he would also send me 2 dozen of the sweetest smelling red roses...but ...glad he did. (big smile)
Each day they open a bit more and the smell is......devine!
..all he got from me was a card! LOL

Just call me ....Rambo

About 2 months ago, I had the opportunity to apply for this year's Citizens Police Academy taught by the local police department and justice system. I was accepted and very excited as they only take 16 applicants per year. Our city has 44,000 residents and when we graduate...(assuming they don't lock me up first) we will be 16 of 120 total graduates in the city since the program began in 2001. They used to do two classes a year but they decided to increase the weeks of requirement and then had to decrease to the once a year schedule. I am a member of class #9.

We meet every Thursday night for 3 hours+...and then have other exercises for Saturdays scheduled occassionally. When we ride along...that is also at different times than class. The course is 12 weeks long and I have just finished up my second week. Can I say I love this opportunity??? So far, the info presented to us is interesting, entertaining...(with all the war stories we get to hear) and educational.

Besides getting to know each sworn officer and department auxillary staff, I am learning more about our community ...its problems, and good things and am thinking of ways in which I can get involved after this program is over.

We all are gaining a better understanding of how our department works, is funded, and structured...and who is repsonsible for what... from Dispatch to investigation, to prevention to intervention, to hiring and internal affairs. We get to first hand experience what the department has available and how they function in the city.

I am really looking forward to the SWAT and gun range exercises as well as the ride alongs... we got a wonderful tour of dispatch and will also be allowed 1 on 1 time to observe a shift in dispatch.

Our city covers 29 square miles and is divided into 3 districts..each with their specific problem areas....major highways, malls, colleges (bars) etc.

I was also pleased to learn that our city department is one of only 500-600 police agencies nationwide to be accreditated through CALEA. (but it doesn't surprise me...the officers I have met so far are extremely professional and they demonstrate that everyday...whether they are on duty or not.

What has surprised me is the openness with which they speak. They told us they have nothing to hide...no little secrets that they don't want the public to know...if we have questions...they will answer us truthfully and find out the answers they don't know. Nothing is off limits. They, in fact, have expressed gratitude to us for giving up our time to learn about what they do.

Anyway...as you can see...by the photo, our text is jam packed with information to study in addition to what we are learning in class....3 inches worth ...divided into 12 week sessions. Lots of reading and preparation ..but I want to get the most out of this experience and so far it has been amazing. My fellow students range in age from 18-72 with most being in their 40's... they are teachers, accountants, intelligence officers from the base, 2 house wives, 2 current police academy students, a retired military chaplin, several civilian contract workers for the base, and me, a semi retired RN. There is one couple attending who have a son who is an officer in the department and they want to find out more about his job and what it entails as they say...."He doesn't talk about his job and they are curious".
I will try to keep this updated as I have more experiences to share...but a fair warning...
I am scheduled to do a ride along from 11 PM to 3 AM and then show up for fire arms practice at 9AM....LOL...THAT ought to be ......interesting ...after drinking coffee all night long to stay awake. (wink) can you imagine a middle aged female shooting a machine gun after 6 cups of coffee and no sleep? DUCK!!! I wonder if they have a tarp for the roof to keep the rain out after I am done......hehehehehe