An American 4th

Happy 4th of July

Okay....I confess I started celebrating a couple of days ago. Karyn took one look at our bathroom and the huge tub and wanted a bubble bath. We went shopping and got some handy dandy bubble stuff and just for fun grabbed several little packets of face mask. Mine was hot clay. It got hot for about 10 seconds and then slid around on my face like honey. I grabbed the only headband I could find which was the one Karyn found to wear when greeting Katie at the airport after her year in Pakistan. Voila!! A blog photo for the 4th!

Karyn is back home now and Bob is about to head to Wales for another silent retreat. He likes that stuff a lot. I get to enjoy a few more days with Katie before she heads off to DC and her new assignment, which is much less worrisome than her year in Pakistan. Hallelujah! There are always worries but some places are just inherently MORE worrisome.

Just for the record I highly recommend bubble baths. It was great fun and we should all relax this way much more often. The world might be much more peaceful!

Blessings,
gk

BUSY Time For Me!

I know that I have been a really terrible blogger lately. All I can say is that I was so into getting stuff arranged in the house, retirement stuff, friends and family coming and going, more travels, worries about my sick sister, etc. that my energy for ANY thing was totally sapped. Now it's really hard to get back into the swing of things! So....here goes....

Karyn came!

First of all, right after we moved it was Bob's birthday. Karyn surprised him by arriving in San Antonio and spending a few days with us. It was so nice to have her here in the new place! She got to suffer through the finishing of the floors.....

Dining room and entry before

New wood floors

Almost all of the carpet and tile were removed on the first floor and replaced with new wood floors or tile. Here's what the wood looks like now.

Kitchen with tile removed

Dining area

New kitchen tile

The kitchen had the pink tile seen in the above entry photo. We chose a larger 16" tile with black grout. The sales lady did all she could to talk me out of the black grout. I'm so glad I didn't listen because I think it is just the right color for the space. 8^) Later we plan to redo the whole kitchen with new appliances, counter tops, and back splash but that's a project for another day!

New master bath tile

  The bathroom had the same beige carpet as the dining room above. Carpet in a bathroom just does not make sense to me. It also does not go well with kitties' litter boxes so out it came. Yes, it's a giant bath and we love it. The huge closet is through the barely visible door in the center rear of the room. We have managed to have ALL our clothes in that closet so no more dresser in the bedroom! It has really worked out great and we love getting dressed all in the bath and closet area, and we can both get dressed at the same time unlike our former 1880s house. Yea!!!

While the wood floors were being finished and the tile was being installed I was working dead out the get EVERY thing into place and all the art work hung on the walls. We moved in May 11th and retirement was on June 15 with a party the night before on June 14th. I had one month to reach my goal before people started arriving from out of town. That is why the blog has been silent! Meanwhile, in the midst of all this madness Mother's Day came along and this arrived from my daughter, Ellen.

Lilies and Roses for Mother's Day

Many blessings till the next post,
gk

We're Still Alive.....

I promise! I've just been working dead out to get things done before everyone showed up for the retirement gig. We have a new roof and new floors downstairs too.

The retirement party was last Thursday and was just fantastic. We were able to skype Katie from Pakistan and folks came from all over the US even Hawaii! Then on the way home we were in a pile-up on the highway. We were #2 in a line of 5 cars and a sixth car left the scene. None of us was badly hurt and no one there got a ticket. I got to bed at 1:30 AM and then we had the ceremony on Friday at 9 AM. The rest of the day was spent visiting with friends and family. Saturday we went to the zoo and then had the Hospital Corps Ball that night. Sunday it was up at 4 AM to get all the kids to the airport for 6:30 flights. Monday we left Bob's little car at the shop for repairs and spent much of the day catching up on stuff. Then today we are off to Muleshoe to take care of some pressing business with my sister who is still in the nursing home there.

So.....I promise there will be photos and such soon. I know I have been a dismal failure at blogging lately but I do have tons of stuff to share if I can just get the uninterrupted time to do it! We'll be back in a few days and home for a week then we go to Jacksonville, FL for 3 days. Bob's a featured speaker there. Retirement is not so retiring so far!!! 8^)

Thanks so much for all your concern!

Blessings,
gk

Coming Up For Air

Oh my, oh my! I have indeed been buried in boxes. And I pretty much feel like I've been chewed up, spit out and stomped on. When I hear 'move' I always react with 'Ugh, I hate moving' but it's just a general feeling. I forget the particulars like how much my hands hurt from constantly gripping things, my back from leaning over so much and lifting way more than usual and my feet from standing ALL day! I am SO GRATEFUL for movers who do the heavy lifting and who I had unpack most of the boxes.

Every move has a story and this one is no different. On May 10 the movers loaded everything onto the truck. It rained all day but mostly a light drizzle so it wasn't too much of a problem. The problem for me was that they did not finish until after 8 PM. Bob arrived from the new house where flooring was being installed (that's another post!),  brought sandwiches for dinner and helped load up the kitties and all the last minute stuff like everything in the refrigerator, cleaning supplies that could not be packed, etc., etc. It was after 9 PM when all this got done and meanwhile the skies opened up big time. We headed out in the pouring rain to travel the 15 miles to the new house. By the time we got to our subdivision my low tire pressure light was on. I was trying to ignore it but when it got down to a thump, thump, thump I new I was in trouble. I called Bob who was ahead of me and he came back to my car. Thank goodness we were off major roads by then!!! Yep. That tire was flat as flat could be. I rode to the house with Bob and we unloaded his car. I stayed and started cleaning in anticipation of moving in the next day and Bob, my hero, headed back in the rain to my car. He had to unload my car into his so he could get to the spare. By this time it was getting close to 10 PM, still no dinner and reeling on our feet. Bob says it was raining, really dark and cars were whizzing by so he finally thought to make use of USAA roadside assistance. LOVE USAA!!!! They came and changed the tire. Bob came back, got me and we got my car to the house. We grabbed clothes and headed to the hotel. By the time we got there with pants, shirts and underwear over our arms it was after 11 PM. I have never before been so tired I could not eat but we skipped the food  and just laid down and went to sleep! The next day I realized I had no toothbrush, no hairbrush, just clothes. Who cares?!!  We had to get  back to the house and meet the crew for unloading. They arrived at 8 AM and bless them every one they were done by 1:30 PM. That was May 11 and I have been unpacking and sorting and cleaning construction dust from the flooring installation ever since!!!

So....where's the pic in this blog? Well, yesterday the neighbors from across the street, Marsha and Marshall I kid you not, came over and brought cat toys for the girls and a cake for Bob and me. What a great welcome!!!

Neighborly welcome gift

Okay, they used our first names and we go by our middle names but hey, cake is cake! And it is a yummy one too.

Hand made sugar flowers, taste awful but really pretty!

We  also had friends come over to go out for dinner. We met Dennis and Gail in Hawaii and they just transferred to San Antonio. Dennis is retired Navy and Gail will be at METC. Yea! I'm telling you I could not make this stuff up!!! None of us ever dreamed when we said good-bye in 2007 that we'd be together again in San Antonio, TX in 2012! Not the greatest pic but who can sit still for a photo when there is cake to consume?!!

Gail and Dennis

Me in the yet to be utilized kitchen

So.....I'm still alive enough to eat things better left alone and I am actually down to the last few boxes. Soon I'll be hanging art and photos and then I'll know we really live here!

Blessings abound,
gk

My New Best Friends

Lydia, Alejandra & Jo Ann

Really, they were happy to be at my house! It's just that this was taken at the end of the first day of packing. They have been just wonderful and have even asked the company to be the ones to come and help me unpack stuff next week. Yea!!! No new names to learn. 8^)

I am so very grateful that we are provided a moving company. I cannot imagine the task ahead of me otherwise. I'm very hopeful that we don't have to do this again. Notice I said hopeful. I am married to Bob after all. He's never stayed anywhere more than seven years in his whole life. Back then he was asking to move to a house down the street to my resounding NO. Then he wanted to at least rearrange the furniture. That didn't fly either. We shall see.

Tomorrow the truck gets loaded and then Friday is delivery day. Saturday will be a nightmare of boxes and trying to clean up the dust from having the new floors installed, which is now going quite well according to Bob. I have not been over there to see.

Pray it rains AT NIGHT and stays dry during loading and unloading!!!! Given the drought I really can't ask for prayers for no rain. It's just too desperately needed right now.

Blessings around,
gk
 

Flamingos Have Flown!

Remember when we moved in here at Fort Sam Houston almost two years ago?? This was the 'airline bathroom' downstairs, the one that is so tiny one can use the toilet, wash hands and clean the mirror all at the SAME time.

Flamingo Bathroom

I know it's all just stuff but wow, stuff can make a difference!!

Flamingos Have Flown

It may just be stuff but it makes all the difference in the personality of a place! I'm am just itching to get everything all sorted out in the new place. First though, we have to get all packed up here. And workmen have invaded the new house......

Dining Room and Entry

Dining Room Today

The house had pinkish colored tile and a yellow toned carpet. For me the colors just did not work together! We have elected to replace all this with wood floors. Fingers are crossed that this all gets done _before_ the household goods arrive! We shall see.....

For now it's more than a little scary looking! And dust is everywhere. Bleah! More house cleaning to do. Sigh.....

Family Room

Family Room Today

Here's the family room yesterday......

 .....and today.

Even I am having trouble imagining the finished product!

Meanwhile this is what my car's thermometer said yesterday when I got home from the interstate:

After the drive.....

I realize it is much hotter on the road but still!! This is NOT good news! I fear we are having another doozy of a summer. Let just hope for overcast, mildly windy  packing and unpacking days!!

Blessings,

gk

Are You There?

I decided to just take out the time to sit and post something. Things are just crazy and may be getting crazier. That's how moves are, even local ones. I worked over two days and finally got the yukky out of the master closet and then put in all new shelving and hanging rods. I'm very pleased with the outcome!

Left Side

Right Side

Those shelves there are in the center of the closet and a rod goes from them to the wall with a shelf above. We decided to leave that as it would make a hole in the carpet if we took it out.....and they will be useful just like they are. So....double racks on the side walls with a few shelves thrown in and long stuff on the back wall with shoe racks below out of the photo's range.

There are more built in shelves to the right here that are just behind the closet door.

Man, I thought I'd never get to the end! Things sped up considerably once I went and bought my new electric screw driver. I love that new tool! Yea for power tools!!!

Every time I drove over to the house I took a car full of stuff. I'm taking things that are just easier to carry over and put away myself rather than having the movers pack them in a ton of paper that will have to then be all unwrapped and the packaging carried out. So...dishes not needed day to day, my spinning wheel, all the bathroom stuff except for what we are still using, laundry extras, plants and, because I worry about them getting smushed and/or warped, my baskets.

Honestly, I did not know I had so many. One entire car load was baskets!!! Some collected here and there and many that I have made in the last few years.....

Baskets

More baskets

Even more baskets

What can I say? I just really love baskets!! I confess there were a few that we missed, too. Oh my....and I haven't even started on the basket weaving supplies......


So....this is what has been going on for me lately. This weekend we also have a crew putting in new wood flooring while we are over here with the packers. Tile will be installed the Monday after we have all our stuff delivered. This should be interesting to say the very least!

Meanwhile, I spent some time tracking down my sister. It turns out that she was transferred to a different hospital and couldn't find her phone charger. A cousin who lives pretty close to Lubbock checked in on her and went back to the first place and found the charger. Yea!! I hope this place can help her make some improvement. It's not looking too promising otherwise. Many thanks for all the inquiries and prayers offered. It is deeply appreciated!!

Off for a few hours sleep now. Mornings just come WAY too early for me!

Blessings,
gk