Finally Finished!!!

Okay, it took a long time but the floor is finally finished. Now I have to wait 3 days before I can move any furniture back in. Here are the final pictures (be ready for ALOT of pictures).
This is my dining room right now:



Breakfast room:

Computer room:

Think I don't have a mess to clean up?
Here's the floor after the final mopping before varnishing (not quite dry):



Varnishing the edges (I did all the varnishing):

Edges done (1st time):


Putting first coat of varnish on rest of floor:

After first coat done:

After second coat on:


Finished product!:


I'm ready to do the computer room now! It's worth all the hard work just to see the finished product. Anybody who scratches my floor will die a slow, painful death! LOL!Now, to get everything dusted before we move stuff back. The living room is the only clean room in my house at this time. Now, maybe I can blog about something else for a change. But I'm just proud of all the hard work and results. Have a good day!

Starting Over

We started over on the floor. I didn't make pictures of when we first started sanding and stripping. We finished stripping it last night. We were both so stoned we couldn't walk straight (I hope that won't make a drug test show up positive, because I have to take one for school). I decided that the varnish remover smells like the gas used to put people to sleep when they have surgery. We both passed out when we went to bed. This morning Doug finished sanding (except what we have to sand by hand). Too bad we can't leave the floors raw wood. I think they look prettier that way. The varnish makes it look darker. Here's some pics I've made so far:
While we were still sanding the last time(notice the difference in the color of the 2 rooms):




Doug taking a well deserved break:

More sanding:

Floor after sanding completed:

This job has been one big pain in the butt! I never want to do it again, but we'll have to due to the difference in the floors of the living room and computer room. HOPEFULLY we'll do better in the computer room and it won't take so long. We still have almost a week before the living room is done. My house is a DISASTER! I don't think I'll ever get it clean again.

Never Believe the Associates at Home Depot

As previously posted, Doug and I had redone our hardwood floors. They looked great until they dried. The associate at Home Depot told Doug that he needed "this" tool to put down the varnish with. This "special tool" left all kinds of bubbles in the varnish and left it very rough. Now we have to strip the floors and start all over with the varnish. And just regular stripper won't take it off. We have to rent yet another machine to take off the varnish and then start over. GRRRRRRRRR! I have to go back to work tomorrow so hopefully the rental place will be closed the weekend and we can keep the machine all weekend and take it back Monday for the price of one day. So now my chair, shelves and tv are in the dining room (not hooked up), my entertainment center is is the computer room, and my house is basicly a mess. I will never believe an associate telling me I need a special tool for something again. I'll just buy a book on how to do it. Oh well...live and learn...I guess.

My New Line of Work

Doug and I decided to take up the carpet in the living room because it was so stained, every time we cleaned it, the stains would be right back in a couple of days. So we took it up and were we disappointed! Our beautiful hardwood floors were ruined! The people who put the carpet down (Lowe's employees) had used really big nails to put the carpet tack strips down and had put the nails about 1" apart. So my floor was full of holes on the edges and looked awful where we had cleaned the carpet so much trying to get all the stains out, the floor looked awful. SO...we decided to sand the floor and re-varnish it. Remember, we've never done anything like this before. It took us almost 2 days to get it sanded. It wasn't the sanding that was so hard. It was the edges. We rented an edger but it still didn't get all the way to the edges. So we burnt up one of Doug's sanders, almost burnt up 2 more, and finally had to go buy a new one and Doug got the edges looking good. I couldn't have done that. I don't have that much patience. But I filled all the nail holes and did alot of the sanding. (So if it looks like ocean waves, blame me! LOL) We had to take out the gas fireplace and do half the room at a time because we couldn't get the couch out. It took 2 days for 2 coats of varnish to dry on the first half. Now the 2nd half has one coat on it. Doug did the first, I did the last. So now I think we'll go into the floor refinishing business. As soon as we learn to get the varnish down evenly. Here's my "new" floor (without the fireplace and only one cushion on the couch, and quite a bit of varnish on the bottom of the couch):

So...what do you think? Think I could make a good living out of this?

Full Moon

Tonight there is a beautiful moon up in the sky. I thought it was full last night but compared to tonight it wasn't. I haven't posted a picture in a while so I made a picture of it to post:

Pools Are Too Much Work!!

This weekend the grandkids were here. I didn't have to worry about Billy and Shelly. They never want to get in the pool. But Rebecca and Nicholas do. The water was so cloudy you couldn't even see the leaves on the bottom of the pool. YUK! So...I did the only thing I could to clear it up. I shot holes in it! (not really) There is a chemical called floculant you can put in it. I put a bottle of floc in it, let it circulate for an hour, then shut the pool down for 24 hours. At the end of the 24 hours, the floc has taken all the gunk out of the water and it is lying on the bottom of the pool in a cloud like substance (this is the floc after it's done it's job). But the water is clear! Then comes the vacuuming! The pool has to be really full in order to vacuum this stuff out. Cause it takes forever, and as you vacuum, some of the stuff gets displaced and goes up into the water. Well, I was almost done with the first vacuuming and the water got too low. So I had water going in the pool until it started getting dark. It still doesn't have enough water so I'll start it back up in the morning and vacuum some more. What really irks me is that the pool doesn't get used that much. I'd still have to do all this even if no one used it. The only time it's ever used is when the grandkids come up and when Bucky, Mary, the kids, Sandy and Robert come up. I get in it occasionally but it's not fun when you're in there by yourself. So I don't get in it much. So if I know you, and you're reading this, PLEASE come swimming in my pool. And Mary and Sandy, you all and the rest of the family are welcome here any time. And Lilly, I hope you come too. I love you guys. It should be ready to swim in tomorrow after I vacuum it again (hint, hint!).

Gasoline Prices

I have a problem with the rising cost of gasoline due to the Alaskan pipeline being shut down. This week on Nightline, I obtained the following information:
In Texas, there was an explosion at the BP facility killing 15 and injuring 107. This company holds the record for the most fatalities of any oil company in the nation. They have paid over $25,000,000 in fines to OSHA and other safety organizations for safety and marketing problems. Criminal charges were filed against them 1 month ago for energy tade regulations. They have been skipping out on their maintainence because they say they are a "Low federal priority" in the oil industry. The BP company has some of the biggest profits in the nation. Much of the pipeline (over 19 miles) is being shutdown due to pipes being so corroded, so thin, and so leaky that they do not even meet the minimum safety requirements. They found 16 anomolies in 12 separate locations where the thickness was over 70% worn down. There has been a pipe rupture in the past spilling 200,000 gallons of oil. This could have been prevented if periodic inspections had been done. They have not inspected their pipes since 1999. All they had to do was send a device called a "Smart Pig" through the pipes. The Pig measures the thickness of the walls of the pipes. And yet all they are doing for the public is making a "public apology". This problem was due to their negligence and I think they should absorb the cost of rising gas prices as punishment for what they have caused, on top of any fines they have to pay. I won't go in a BP station to even buy a piece of bubble gum. I urge everyone to do the same. If they start losing money on sales, maybe they'll learn to take safety and inspections more seriously.

More Grandkid Pictures

Rebecca likes to pretend she's a teenager talking on my phone, while Nic thinks she's just funny:

Nic also likes to play with Rebecca's stuffed cat (look at those sweet sunburned cheeks):

He was really proud of his sunburned neck and shoulders:

And Rebecca's just a little bathing beauty:

Nic is almost always happy. He's so cute when he smiles:

He likes to work puzzles on the computer. He worked one of a butterfly and one of a cat:

Good thing I put the toy box up against Shelly's bed when she sleeps:

Billy looks so sweet and peaceful when he sleeps:

Until Shelly comes in:

Doug brought the kids up for supper the other day. He had to work that night so he decided to take a nap, but the kids had other plans:

Billy loves his little sister. He drags her with him everywhere he goes:

Rambling On

Another weekend behind me. Work was good last night. It's amazing how one night can be so busy and wild and the next night be slow and boring. One month from today I start my classes back at Walters State. I'll be glad to get back in school. As long as I'm in school I'm closer to getting out. It's gonna be hard the next 9 months. I'll have only 1 day each week that I'm not working or going to school. And that day will be spent sleeping after working. I hope my grandkids don't forget what I look like. Although that may be a blessing for them. :) Seriously, I don't think they care what I look like, as long as I'm Nana or MeMe or whoever. I believe they are about the only people who love me unconditionly. I'm taking the last week of August and the first week of September off from work. I don't know what days I'll be doing my clinicals at whatever hospital so I don't know what I can work. I wish I could be at the same hospital I work because I know my way around there. When I get out of school, I'm gonna get on everybody's nerves at work. I'm going to wear my cap at least 2 weeks. Nobody hardly ever wears a cap anymore, including me. But when I get that black stripe, I'm gonna flaunt it. I've worked too hard for it. I get excited just thinking about it. The only problem with being an RN is that I like to work the floor with the nursing assistants and do real hands on stuff with the patient. Seems like you get to know them better. They will be giving me a team of patients every night to do nursing stuff with. They won't pay an RN to work the floor. Oh well, I guess I'll quit rambling and go to bed. Need to catch some zzzzzzzz's. Maybe one of these days, I'll have something worthwhile to post. LOVE YOU ALL!!

Scholorship

Yeah!!!! I was wondering how I was going to pay my bills for the next 9 months while I'm in school. When I'm in school, I only work 3 days every 2 weeks. I had applied for a scholorship through the place I work (Covenant Health) but thought I had blown it on the interview. They hit you with questions you're not expecting and it really puts you on the spot. I felt like I was being interogoted with 3 women sitting behind a table and me sitting in a lone chair in front of them. Today I got the letter that said I had been chosen to receive the scholorship! This is great! I can still apply for Fort Sanders to do tuition reimbursement but this will help me get the books I need and pay the fees that the reimbursement doesn't cover. So I should have enough left over to pay some of my bills.
I know everybody that applied for this scholorship deserved it. But I'm just so happy I got it! Ain't God good?

School's Out, Teacher Let The Monkeys Out

YEAH!!! I took my final today. I thought I already had a B in the class. But when I got to school, I found out that one of the tests was just to test my math skills and didn't count toward my final grade. Well!! I was worried silly. I didn't study much for the final because I thought I had it in the bag and my score was really 92 points below the amount I had figured. (Our grades were based on a 730 point score.) But thank God I made it! I was wondering if I could even pull off a C for the class. But the test wasn't that hard and I made a B anyway. So now I get to take a few weeks off and not have to study. So now I'll take care of Doug. He has been so good while I've been in school. He leaves me alone to study and cooks my supper for me. So tonight I cooked his supper and fixed his medicine for the next week. (He takes a bunch of medicine, but not as much as he used to take.)
My son and his wife and Billy and Shelly have gone to Myrtle Beach along with 14 other people, big and little. He's called twice (he just got there Saturday). Seems as though the kids can't get enough of the ocean. They love it. So maybe when they get back, Billy won't be so afraid of the pool.
I thought I had Doug's motorcycle sold but the guy hasn't called me back yet.
:( Doug isn't able to ride it anymore. Maybe he's just waiting until Friday when I go back to work to find out what the payoff is on it. (He's a nurse where I work) But if he doesn't buy it, that's okay. He needs to get something he really wants or else he won't be happy with it. The main problem is, you can buy a brand new one cheaper than what my payoff is. But we've put good saddle bags on it, a windshield, and have a brand new set of footboards for it that we haven't even put on it yet. I'll just keep paying on it and when I get out of school and get my raise, I'll pay it off so I won't have to worry about it. It doesn't even have 300 miles on it. Oh well...
Think I'll go now and burn my books. LOL Can't do that cause I'll need them later on too. Especially before I take state boards. Talk about scary! That will be the end of me! Have a great day and don't do anything I wouldn't do. LOL

Becca Went to Church

Rebecca got to come up and spend the night last night and go to church! She really enjoyed it. Only bad part was, I had to work last night. But I stayed up with her until she left for Sunday School. I didn't wake up til almost 4:30. I called her mom and asked her if she could stay til after church and she said no that she had to come home then. So I didn't get to spend much time with her. We had pancakes for breakfast and I asked her if she wanted to say grace. She said ok and she said the sweetest prayer. I can tell she's been praying. She said she's still praying for her mom and I am too. She goes to spend a week with her dad tomorrow and I know that she'll be in a Christian environment. They go to church, pray together and teach her alot about the Lord. I want her to be with her mom but I want her to be exposed to church as much as possible. Soon I'll be having my weekends straightened back out and she can spend every other weekend and go to church. Nic will be coming too. So he'll be in church every other Sunday anyway. We will only have them once a month because I'm not going to stop keeping Billy and Shelly either just to please certain people. Tomorrow is Doug's birthday. I'm going to sneak up to Sears and buy him a new riding lawn mower. Ours is torn up. He has no idea. He'll be so surprised. There is a guy at work who will probably be buying Doug's bike. I was really wanting to let Bucky buy it but this guy has the cash and I need it bad! Especially if I get Doug that mower. Well, that's all I have for tonight. Have a good one!

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!

Today was the last day of class. We took our test in psyche and I passed! Now I have to go back Tuesday to take my final. But guess what? I only have to make a 6.5 on my final to have a B average for the semester! I think I can pull that one off. If I made a 73 I would have an A average. I really don't see that happening. It's going to cover OB, Reproduction, Pediatrics, and Psyche. That's alot of stuff to study for. I remember some of it but I don't know what will be on the test. So...we'll see. Anyway, I'm going to relax the rest of the day and not study at all. I have to go back to work tomorrow so I'm taking some time off. Might even take a nap.
I got a really cute picture of Shelly when she was up here that I'd like to share with you. She was loving on my mean old Troy and when I snapped the picture, she was giving him a kiss. I love it!

Poor Little Frog

Anybody who reads my blog knows about the frog. He had gotten to be quite the pet around here. One time I was trying to see if he was down in the dirt in the flower box so I stuck my finger down in it. Needless to say, he didn't like that idea so he bit my finger. Thank goodness frogs don't have teeth. But it scared the heck out of me. Well, my mom was over here yesterday and when she was leaving, she called to me to come out in the driveway with her. When I got there she asked me if that was my frog. Doug had run over him with the van. The only part that was messed up was one side of his head. Poor little frog. I gave him a proper burial wrapped in paper towels and buried him in the garbage can. So I guess I won't have a pet frog any more. Oh well, something else will come along and get my attention. I wish the hummingbirds would come around. We've only seen 2 this year. We put up feeders and it seems like they don't want to eat now. I think they are the cutest little things. One year all we had to do was go out the front door and we'd see about a dozen out there. I guess I'll have to adopt a fly. They never go away. Everybody join with me and say: "POOR LITTLE FROG!!" Then we'll all gang up on Doug for killing him. :)

Okay, I'm on a countdown! 1 week and the final or 2 days and the final. Take your pick. I'm off Tuesday for the 4th, so I only have to go on Wed and Thurs. I think maybe I'm getting a little too confident. I need to be studying for my psych test on Tuesday and my final the next Tuesday. We had our potluck lunch today. You would've thought it was homecoming at church. So much food! I did my reproductive presentation yesterday and my community presentation yesterday. All my presentations and my projects are done! All I have left is the tests. Just pray for me. I need it! You'd think with my history with Doug and Bambi that I'd ace the psych test. LOL Not quite! Anyway, I took my camera to school with me one day and made pictures of some of my classmates during lunch. So guess what?!? I'm gonna post them. Here goes:
This is Marty Rucker, my OB teacher. She is hilarious. And she's a dean! But she gives hard tests. She will give on some of the questions though if there's a typo or something:

Sally Steck, my psyche teacher. She's a navy nurse. She's so tiny!!!

This is Christina, my "sister". We work on all our projects together:

The rest of the pictures are classmates. I don't remember all of their names, but everyone is so nice! I'm glad they'll be in my class next semester, along with 100 other people!






You just wouldn't understand how such a bunch of women can feel like family in such a short time. And you know what's the best thing about our class? NO MEN!! LOL :) I guess if I want to be able to graduate with my "family" next May I'd better get busy studying. Take care! I love you!

Passing...so far

Well, I passed my OB test and my quiz. I still have 2 presentations to do, but I'm ready for that. I have my projects done and ready to turn in. I've been busy. I have one test in psych and then my final. We have 2 weeks left. I go for my interview for my scholorship tomorrow. I sure hope I get it. My VA checks haven't started coming in yet so I REALLY need the money. I really enjoyed going to Mary's grandparent's apt the other day to meet them. I haven't seen them in so long. It sure was good to see them again. While we were there, Bucky bought a truck. Now we need to find him a motorcycle. And yes, Mary, I want to see you on the back of it (as long as he's a good driver). My baby boy turned 26 Saturday. It seems like just yesterday that he was born. But then it seems like yesterday that Bambi was born, too. And she's 34. Ugh!! Makes me sound old. But I don't feel old so I don't care how old people think I am. Oh well, better go study and go to bed so I'll be ready for my class and then interview after school.

GREAT SUNDAY!!!!!

Today I didn't get to go to church this morning because I worked all night and I had to sleep. So I went to bed and Doug went to church. Rebecca had gone to Sunday School with my mom. Well, I got woke up at 12:30 by Doug saying "Vicki! Rebecca has something she wants to tell you." So I rolled over and sleepily said "What!?!?" She said " I got saved at church this morning." Man! Was I ever happy! I yelled Yeah!, grabbed her and pulled her into the bed with me. She seems so much happier today. Then when we went to church tonight, she told the preacher that she wanted to be baptised and join the church. So 2 weeks from today, on Sunday night (I'll be sleeping Sunday morning), she is getting baptised. I have been praying for this for so long. And she'll be moving back down west and won't be living close to the church after next weekend so we'll have to pick her up to bring her to church because her mom won't go. I've been praying that she would get saved while she was still here and in church on Sunday's and Wednesday nights. But that's okay. She's gonna be in church! AND SHE'S SAVED!! PRAISE GOD!!! She'll be in Heaven with me. I'm so happy! (You'd never know)

Halfway through

I have made it halfway through the semester. I can't believe it! I only have 4 more weeks to go. I have 2 more tests, a quiz, and 2 presentations to do. Then I have to turn in projects. I think I have 3 of those. So I'm going to be kind of busy the next 4 weeks. I already have part of the projects done, so maybe it won't be too bad. Doug has been so great during this time. Before I started school, I was on the computer alot but tried to keep the house clean. But now I'm on the computer all the time and don't even wash dishes. He doesn't clean, but he does do the dishes every now and then. And he leaves me alone when I'm studying. Now Rebecca, that's a different story. I'll tell her not to even speak to me while I'm studying and she'll talk more than ever. But she's a 9 year old kid. I love her so much. Anyway, just keep praying for me that I'll get through this next 4 weeks okay and I'll pass with a good grade. I'm applying for a scholarship at work and I have to have a 2.75 GPA. I hope I can do it. I love all of you and I appreciate your encouragement. You just don't know how much that means to me. See ya!

Almost Birthday Party

Today was a wonderful day! Of course I had Billy and Shelly, but my friends Bucky, Mary, their 3 kids, Justin, Tori, and Ryan, and Justin's girlfriend Elizabeth, Robert and Sandy came up to go swimming. We had a great time. Of course, I had to wait til Billy and Shelly went to sleep before I could get in the pool. By that time, Rebecca was home from her dad's and she was already in the pool. They all surprised me by bringing cupcakes, cards and goodies for my birthday. They shouldn't have, because I quit having birthdays a long time ago. Anyway, I always want to do for everybody else, and I feel guilty when people spend their money on me. But nevertheless, I loved all I got. YOU SHOULD SEE THE CARD MARY AND SANDY GOT ME!!!! VA VA VOOM!!! Use your imagination on that one. Sandy finally got to pinch Shelly's cheeks, and Shelly even let her hold her:

Then Robert decided he was going to float around in the pool:


Bucky gave Mary a nice hat:

A pretty decent shot of Sandy and Mary:

Billy really wanted to get in the pool, but the closest he got was putting his feet in the water. But just in case, he was ready:

Oh, and did I mention Robert had a good time floating?

When it was time to eat, Mary had her pants on over her swimsuit, and I couldn't resist:

Rebecca wanted Tori to jump:

Justin has a real pretty girlfriend, Elizabeth:

Rebecca likes to sign "ILY":

Was Justin playing with himself? Or is he just wierd?

Anyway, I hope they had a good time. I know I did. I hardly ever have company, and I really enjoy it when it's people I love as much as I love these people. I want to thank them for everything they've done for me and for their friendship. I love you guys!

Another New Car

Yes, it's true. I have yet ANOTHER new car. Seems the one I got last was a lemon. But I still loved it. Suzuki of East TN called me yesterday (my blue car was there waiting for a solution for it's problem and I was driving a loaner) and told me they would put me in another car for an even trade. So I went there after school and looked around. My Forenza had the premium package with all the extras and they wanted to trade for a Suzuki Aerio with the basic package. I told them I wanted the premuim package with the cruize control, alloy wheels, etc. They agreed to that I didn't have to pay anything out of pocket. I loved that Forenza and I still plan on getting another one when I get out of school. If you ever want to get a new car, go to Suzuki on Kingston Pike and ask for Javier Rivera (tell them I sent you). I have never been treated so nice at a car dealership, and Javier is so honest (you don't find many honest car salesmen). He told me that they really don't know when they will be able to get my car fixed, and even though they had furnished me with a loaner car until mine was fixed, they really didn't know if what they did would fix the problem or not. Anyway, you know me, camera crazy. So here it is...
This is a side view of the car:

Front view:

Other side:

It also has climate controlled heat and air where all you have to do is set it on the temperature you want and it will cool or heat. Has outdoor temp display, all wheel drive, and 6 disc CD player:

Sorry about the color in the last pic, I had on orange shirt and it reflected. HOPEFULLY I will be keeping this car for awhile and not be trading anymore for a long time. I'm tired of driving different cars. But the people at Suzuki have been great. Made sure I had a full tank of gas, and even though I haven't seen any, they said since it was sitting outside in the storm, that if it had any hail damage they would fix it at no cost to me. They're doing that on all their cars. Well, gotta go study for a test Tuesday. Have a wonderful day! And congratulations to Bucky on his new job at a computer place!