Poor Megan

Poor, poor Megan! She was forced to stay up late at night packing a week's worth of clothes.

THEN she had to get up at 3:30. That's am, folks!

To be greeted by her mother (what kind of glamour were you expecting at 3:30 am?)


Then she had to shower, dress, and do her hair in a measly 1 hour time span--unheard of

in Meganland.

Next came the frantic drive to the airport, (Not much traffic at that time of day. Just lots of deer and antelope) followed by the jog to the ticket counter.

Now she is forced to view palm trees


Beaches
And Disneyland

She could be home enjoying school, spring temperatures (43 today!), more 50 mph+ winds, and her parents.

Instead she is forced to meet BPA members from all over the nation (many of them male, poor Megan), endure warm, sunny California temperatures (what if she gets a suntan? poor Megan), and gentle breezes (no bad hair days and chapped lips this week, poor Megan), and 24/7 without her parents (and just the constant company of a few of her favorite friends, poor Megan). And what about the whole missing school for an entire week? We all know how much Megan hates that!

Poor, poor Megan!

Duplex Redo, Part Two: The Bathroom

The duplex bathroom was straight out of the seventies. Originally the flooring was a lovely orange (1334 side) or avocado (1332 side) shag that covered 2/3 of the bathroom, with a tacky piece of linoleum by the tub/toilet area, glass sliding doors on the tub, metallic wallpaper on one wall, and lights that hung over the sink on chains. Over the years we removed the glass door (which made it brutal to lean over the tub and bathe kids), replaced the floor numerous times, and even got rid of the chains that had dangerously worn wiring running down them.

Before

As you can see, the old replacement lights weren't much of an improvement. At least they didn't shock you if you accidentally brushed up against them. As an added bonus, they were so far away from the mirror you couldn't really see your wrinkles and gray hair.

The bathroom was one of those projects that turned into a nightmare as we dug into it. The tub was cracked and leaking, and after pricing tub repair jobs, Stan bit the bullet and pulled out the old tub. You haven't lived until you've removed a tub. This picture is the old tub. Note the placement of the towel rack (half a football field from the tub) and the toilet paper holder on the left wall (a full football field from the toilet). The toilet was so close to the tub it was difficult to get the lid up and down, and it was unusable as a seat for bathing kids. (Of course, storing the toilet in the tub isn't terribly convenient either.)

After

Below is a picture of the repositioned toilet and toilet paper holder, as well as a picture of the flooring, which is a cheap, oops--I mean inexpensive-- remnant from the corner flooring store. The old toilet, which was badly cracked, also was replaced.

Here is a picture of the new tub with the fiberglass surround.

More tub pictures. New tubs are not only pricey, they are astoundingly difficult to install due to their bulkiness and weight. The old shower head came out of the wall about 4 feet up from the tub, and Stan replumbed things to put it up higher where it belongs. Some of these plumbing tasks were new to Stan, and there were a few trial and errors (and leaks into the basement) before everything came together. Stan was so excited by his new plumbing skills, which he then used it to install the Backman's dishwasher in a kitchen that had never had a dishwasher.

New and improved lights, door, and the new countertop.

Warning: wrinkles are now clearly visible!

New and more conveniently placed towel rack,

now placed where the toilet paper holder use to be. Because of the tub, the old toilet paper holder, and the fact that one wall had no texturing due to the original wallpaper, Stan retextured most of the bathroom walls.

A view of the new cabinet and countertops--same as we used in the kitchen.

View of Amy's shower curtain and wall decor,

We spent more time fixing the bathroom than any other space. We didn't realize how many problems it had until it was dismantled. The tub was in serious danger of falling through the floor, most of the plumbing was substandard, and much of the sub floor was rotted. The sad part is the situation was the same on the other side. Other than the toilet which was correctly positioned on the 1334 side, everything had to be done twice: replacing the tub, replumbing the shower head, retexturing, new lights, etc. The only thing original to the bathroom is the sink and mirror. Stan did all of the work other than the painting (me) and the counter top. It was all fairly interesting the first time around, but the second time was pure drudgery.

She's Sleeping

No, I didn't mean Hailey. I mean Spring! After several warm weeks and an explosion of robins, flowers, and green growing things, Spring has gone back to sleep. We've had cold temps, nasty wind, freezing nights, and morning snow. I'm beginning to worry that our last frost date--

May 15--may be delayed this year.

And I'm feeling as uncomfortable about the situation as Hailey looks.

I've been sewing a few spiffy pillows for our front bench in an attempt to shake Spring back out of her slumber. Don't they say "Snap out of it!"?

Of course, if Spring really does wake up, I will have no more excuses for putting off the painting of this formerly neglected bench....

The Windy City

Billings has had a really windy week. The weatherman claims we've been having

hurricane speed wind gusts.

If I'm going to have to endure hurricane strength weather,

I should at least be enjoying living on a beach.

Instead I'm enduring the bad hair days created by the endless wind.

In addition to the hair issues, wind is not a friend of the garden. A few days ago this bleeding heart was bushy, covered with blooming hearts, and thriving. Sadly, the wind blew the fence over and smooshed it.

The good news is that we now have a new view of the water. It may not be the beach,

but it is swimmable.

Can you believe our neighbor threw up this temporary fence to keep the riff raff out?

Will my bleeding heart survive? Will the fence be repaired before Christmas? Will my neighbor notice if we sneak over the fence for a late night swim?

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind....

Here She Comes!

Spring that is. My very most favorite time of the year. Some years Billings forgets to have Spring all together. Other years Spring gets started and is murdered (yes murdered!) by a late snow storm. This year, although our temperatures are still all over the place, Spring is looking particularly lovely.

The clematis is climbing

The periwinkle is blooming


Tulips and pansies are in full bloom

Lamium is going crazy in the backyard

Bushes are leafing out

Raspberries are fully leafed out

Asparagus has made its appearance

Peas, radishes, lettuce and carrots are all up and growing

Bleeding Hearts are, well, bleeding!

This odd looking early-blooming peony is almost ready to open it's first bud.

Every year I say "This is my year to garden." Every year my plans are derailed. But really! This! is! my! year! to! garden! No marriages, no new babies, no surprises. Right, family? Right?

Hearts And Hands

Hearts and Hands is the annual community service project sponsored by the Billings and Billings East Stakes which took place on Friday and Saturday. There are 38 organizations who receive various donations, ranging from quilts to food to baby layettes to school supplies. All donations are used locally. Below is a picture of the finished products, ready to be picked up by the organizations.

Long shot of the distribution tables.

Last year we added a used clothing drive for women. Donated clothes are checked for stains, then sorted by type (dress, pants, shirts, shoes, purses) and sized and hung for sisters to sort through. Anyone can take anything and any amount of clothing they want. Some clothes are pulled for Billings "Dress for Success"--a charity that gives professional-type clothing to needy women for use in interviews or jobs. Leftovers are picked up by Salvation Army.


Below is a picture of the stage where elementary school kits were assembled. These kits include a new backpack, new pencils, markers, glue sticks, notebooks, markers, crayons, and scissors. If we have more supplies then requested by local charities, we donate them to School District 2.


These are finished backpacks in the teen room. They have school supplies and hygiene items. They are intended for charities that service homeless or runaway kids. We don't always meet the requests made by the charities we work with, but we do the best we can, and the charities are delighted to get our donations. It's heartbreaking to see the amount requested each year and know there are that many needy kids and teens in our community.

Below are sisters assembling teen kids

Below, a picture of the 100+ clothing protectors for nursing homes.

A shot of the gym where quilts were being tied. We try to involve other churches, and one really wonderful church participates every year, including their pastor and wife, teenage sons and their friends.

We make baby, twin, and lap size quilts. Most of the quilts were finished before the service days this year, freeing up valuable time. For the first time in many years we finished every single quilt. Last year we sent home 40 quilts to be finished and donated later.

Each assembly area had a sign that listed what was to go into each kit. Donated items were separated into piles and sisters walked around the tables, adding one of each item on the list to their bag.

Piles in the layette room:
toys

diapers

clothing

receiving blankets and burp rags

Other projects that I didn't get pictures of were the friendship bags---basically a bag of food for people who are in need of their next meal, the hygiene kits for Women's shelter, Salvation Army, and Family Services, the knitted caps for cancer victims, and the clothing and book donations for Head Start, and the blood donation area. We provide the biggest blood donation days for the local blood bank.

I am always so amazed at the generosity of people in our community. There were many pieced and hand or machine quilted quilts. At a time when many people are in need themselves, there were so many donations.

Sweet 17 and Never Been....Oh, Never Mind

Happy Birthday Megan!

Megan told me this week that 17 is a "nothing birthday"---not the socially important 16th birthday and not the emancipating 18th birthday. She did not volunteer to forgo her nothing birthday presents.

Here's what Megan's friends were doing last night while Megan was sleeping.

The reluctant birthday morning pose.


Unfortunately for Megan, her birthday is a shared event. She has school, I have two solid days of Hearts and Hands, not to mention a 33rd anniversary to celebrate.
I have a feeling Megan will still be celebrating her nothing birthday without me.