short break....

I'm taking a short break to fuel my obsession with baseball. My 2 favorite teams have been playing a 3 game series against each other. I, of course, had to watch at least part of it. Things are going well here around the house. We're getting things done at a good pace. Not that I should be sitting down right now, but hey - no one's perfect. I have all but where I'm waiting on mud to dry painted in the hall way. The whole left hand side of the hall is done and painted. Little Man is busy running off to see his friends and arguing with me about helping so I've decided to ignore his room. He wants it done, he can quit being a lazy tail and help get it done. He and Tom took off to go swimming while Pancho and B helped me finish off the trim work in B's room. All I have left to do in what was his original room is paint one wall and it's done. I am SO happy about that! We got the piece of dry wall replaced this morning where Hurricane had put all his nice holes in it. Wouldn't you know that it was 3 1/2 inches too short for the wall? So, I still have to piece in that bottom couple of inches. I just thought I was done hanging dry wall didn't I?

On other notes, the check from crappy insurance company came in. We got it to the roofers and they have been here at 8 am the last 2 mornings working on the house. Can you imagine how unhappy my children are that there has been someone banging on the roof over their heads on their first two days of summer break? They all got up this morning yelping at me about it. My sympathy level is at an absolute low right now and by the time the third child got out of bed complaining....let's just say my response wasn't very nice. I think I got progressively ruder by the complaint. They were warned and they could go to bed earlier than they did so .... not. my. problem. When things need done - they need done.

My kids are giving me a hard time about our roofer. I will say that I've known this man and his brother for years. About 8 of them. Roofer is a nice guy. Single guy with kids. Custodial parent. We have spent many minutes (hours?) on the phone lately trying to get everything straightened out with the crappy insurance company and get this job going. Our conversations have veered off course a time or ten and we may have talked about other things that just the insurance. So, my brats have started teasing me about "my boyfriend". Their words - definitely not mine. I may or may not have to paint make-up on them while they're sleeping if they don't quit. I must have been too much a hermit the last 11 years since talking to a man on the phone elicits this much attention. Roofer guy is as happily divorced as I am and I'm fairly sure that he has no more attention of ever getting involved with anyone again than I do. So, the kids are barking up the wrong tree on this one. I'm not quite sure why everyone seems to think I would be happier if I were "with someone". Well.... having someone else here to take over all this remodeling stuff would be nice. But, then what would I do with them once the work was done? Just joking folks! I know that most of my friends in blog land are happily married. It just doesn't seem to be the thing for me. I'm no good at marriage. I'm too independent.

Well, the Rangers have almost beat the Red Sox in the rubber match between the 2 teams. I suppose I should get ready to get in there and get that wall painted. I've been too much a bum the last hour anyhow. Y'all take care!

Happy Easter all!

So, as a good morning present, Mother Nature awoke me at 5:25 AM (it should be illegal to be up then BTW) with a storm.  Rain in itself wouldn't be so bad but it was raining in my room.  Yes folks, I said IN MY ROOM.  See, I live in a good part of Texas.  Storms form right over the top of us with no warning on occasion.  Sometimes they roll in west - east.  Then we have warning.  Sometimes, they just form.  One such storm hit us about a month ago.  It did some shingle damage.  We have been messing with our insurance company who shall remain nameless because they won't be our insurance company for much longer ever since.  They sent us a check that isn't anywhere close to what the repairs themselves will touch.  We have been trying to reach them for almost 3 weeks by the phone.  They finally set up an appointment for my wonderful roofing guy to speak to them on Monday at 9.  That's after 2 weeks of wonderful roofing guy calling them no less than 3 times per day for 2 weeks straight.   There is a state minimum that they have to pay contractors per square for roof repairs.  The check they sent us is for less than 1/2 of what the state minimum is.  And it's not only supposed to cover the roof but assorted other repairs from the same storm.  Monday, I will be calling around looking for someone else to hand insurance money to.  After speaking to my roofers (who should be here shortly to tighten up the existing tarp) to find out which insurance companies actually have decent customer service.  There are too many companies out there to keep handing money to those with poor customer service.  It's my new motto.  I'm so tired of giving people money to be treated badly.  I've decided that this year is my year to not give my money to companies who don't appreciate my business. 

I'm in the middle of making Easter dinner.  All my monsters will be here today.  Well, except Tara, my daughter.  I have declared my house a neutral zone with the boys.  Whatever issues they may have with each other, they are not in any way shape or form to be shown, discussed, or brought up today.  They will be nice to each other.  I don't care if they're "fake" or anything else so long as they're nice and polite.  If they start with common decency then maybe somewhere along the way, real liking will follow.  I have no idea if Hurricane is bringing Donna with him today or not.  He never answered me.  I haven't asked if they're back together or not.  I don't really want to know right now.  The boys asked for fried potato salad for dinner.  We're not going the traditional route for Easter dinner this year.  We're having ribs with fried potato salad and coleslaw.  I don't make fried potato salad often.  It's not that it's awfully expensive because it's not.  It's the time involved to do it.  You have to make a bit of it then wait.  Cook some more then wait.  Wait for it to cook.  I guess it's because I'm basically a lazy cook.  I don't have enough patience unless I'm in the mood.  And I don't get in the mood often enough I guess.  If anyone wants the recipe of the fried potato salad, let me know.  I actually just fielded a call from my daughter, Tara, asking for the recipe for potato salad so she can try to make it.  She also asked for the recipe for my homemade noodles.  That's something else I don't make frequently.  When I make noodles, I usually roll out several batches and freeze some.  That way I get all the mess and the headaches out of the way at once.  

Well, off to watch the Ranger game.  After 3 wins at home, they dropped the last 2 to the Tigers.  With Millwood on the mound today, maybe they can pull one win out.  They're up by 4 now off a 2 run shot by Hamilton and a 2 run shot from Kinsler.  Here's hoping that they can hang onto the lead.  

Happy Easter all!