Basement project - part 4

Ta da! I give you the 98% finished photos of the basement project!

Kudos to Caitlin and Rick and Rich (Rick's Dad) for the vision and hard work they did to make this project a reality.

This once dark and gloomy basement is now Chateau McKowski!

Unfortunately Rick had to go on tour 2 days after they moved in, but when he comes home he'll have a nice little place to chill and relax in!

Cool lamps over the bar that just happen to match the very cool floor they did!

Here's the very cool floor. Very Jackson Pollack doncha think?

This is the "bar" area that still needs to be finished. They have time though...they have time!

Basement project - part 3

I haven't posted here in a while, but I've been lurking around on everyone else's blogs.

I hope all is well in your part of the world.

The basement project is coming along quite well. Rick and Cait have accomplished a lot! Rick's Dad has been a big help and we all found out what a real drag spackling and sanding is.

It really sucks.

People who do this for a profession make it seem so easy and effortless.

Pfffftttt - it's not.

We glopped and schmeared and scooped and sanded and glopped some more and sanded some more. It's a dirty messy crappy job. The first day I have to admit I got into a "zone" and just had the radio on and once I found a rythym it was ok. After a while though your arms start to shake, you curse every screw hole you missed and have to go back and cover and generally start hating it more and more as you go along.

But enough about that!

This weekend Rick is hoping to lay the grid for the suspended ceiling. Everyone who has ever done this tell me it's a breeze.

I'm glad Rick is doing it and not me!

I am very impressed on how Caitlin and Rick have managed their expenses on this project.

Margie and I told them we will pay for the basics to get this project done and anything above and beyond the basics will be their responsibility. I told Cait that they have to keep in mind that this is NOT a permanent place for them and not to go too crazy with fixtures and paint and carpeting. The whole idea behind them moving it was to start saving money for their own space someday. (And to also not let them get TOO comfortable so that they never leave! Love ya guys, but we all must leave the nest sometime.) The expression "bargain basement prices" have really applied.

Here are a few pictures to show you how it's coming along. There is still some clean up to be done obviously, but it's much better than it was a few days ago trust me. I still have white foot prints all over my house from the spackle dust, but the worst is over - I hope!










To give you and idea of how dusty it is down there. I moved a tarp to get a better shot of the bar Rick is making and when I took a picture the flash captured all of the particles floating around.



Nasty!

Basement project - part 2

Just a quick update on the basement project.

Rick and Cait have been working their butts off on this and I have to say I'm quite impressed!

Rick and his father started the framing this weekend and managed to get a good start. Rick has been here almost every night this week and should have it all finished by tonight. He will work on the electrical next. Then comes the fun part of sheet rocking, spackling, sanding and installing the drop ceiling!!!

Caitlin doesn't really have any wood working skills but she has been doing her part by painting and packing and moving boxes (many filled with Margie's books) and carrying some furniture up and down the two flights of stairs! Today, she and I dismantled the entertainment center that was down there, carried it up to my new space (her old room) and rolled up the area rugs and put them outside for the trash. The padding underneath was absolutely disgusting. It's been down there for nine years and was deteriorating and smelled a bit like old shoes.

They are trying to get as much done as possible before Rick goes on tour again with his band The Racing Kites. He is the drummer and they will leave sometime mid-August and won't be back for 6 weeks!

I don't think it will be 100% finished but they should have a livable space anyway!



Here's Rick with his trusty drill and a curious smirk! (Caitlin was making fun of his "apron".)



Caitlin is painting some shelves. (Rick said she is just jealous because she doesn't have an apron and will probably get paint on her clothes!)

Sugar and Spice

Another Friday is here! For all you 9 to 5er's a two day reprieve before you have to do it all over again.

I hope it's a good one!

We have had THE crappiest weather this week. Rain, drizzle, more rain...throw in a little fog and humidity levels that do not dip below 90%.

Can we say sticky and disgusting? You never feel completely dry. My dogs have tracked in so much dirt and mud into my house I've just about surrendered to the fact that my house won't be clean until it dries up a little.

On the brighter side - both of my rain barrels are full again!


But the silver lining to all this crappy rain was that I got to spend all day with BOTH of my kids yesterday. My son is in from Chicago for a few days and daughter C had the day off so we went to our favorite little town: Ocean Grove and had a nice lunch. Afterwards my daughter wanted to put in an application to THIS store so my son and I moseyed about and he was getting ideas on how to decorate his new apartment since this one is bigger than his postage stamp size one he previously had.

My daughter played chauffeur and I have to tell you it was kind of nice being driven around!

We had to stop by the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner and then my son and I went to the liquor store and he picked out a very nice Chilean Pinot Noir. Agustinos Reserva if you want to check it out. Nice and light and it went very well with our dinner which was beef, chicken and shrimp kabobs.

My daughter and her boyfriend were there and M came home just in time for us to serve up dinner.

We chatted and laughed and I am still smiling today because I enjoyed myself so much.

Here is a picture of my son, my daughters boyfriend and my daughter. (there was a picture that included me in there as well but between the sunburn I got on Sunday and the reaction to the sulfites in the wine I was as red as a lobster so I'm not going to post that one!)



Also - I want to mention that R (daughter's boyfriend) is in a band called Racing Kites. He's the drummer. If you ever want to check them out please do!

I let you know what my son's theme song was when he was a baby, but now it's C's turn. It's not a tune that is as well known but the first time I heard it was right after she was born. The very first time I got to hold her in my arms I said: "Hello little sweet pea! You have the brightest eyes!"

Sweat Pea was her nickname when she was little and she still is my little sweet pea, but she's all grown up now.



Thanks for a great day yesterday kids! I love you both!

Peace all - have a great weekend!

Sugar and Spice

I talked to my son last night. He's moving again. The poor guy has had to move every 6 months for the past 2 years or so for some odd reason or another and now he has signed a 1 year lease and will become a permanent resident of the state of Illinois!

Congrats!

I know I keep posting stuff about my kids and if you get bored with that kind of thing - sorry, but I am still having these "OMG I can't believe they are all grown up" thoughts.

I swear it was just yesterday when he looked like this:

and now he looks like this:

That's him and his girlfriend K.

Not a little boy anymore...definitely a man now.

I'll spare you all of the trips down memory lane. I want to keep some of them to myself but I will tell you that each of my kids had a song I used to sing to them when they were little. I'd play it on the stereo and dance around the living room with them. If it came on the radio when they were in the car I would tell them that this is their song and turn it up and sing along.

So looking at the picture of my little guy and his golden hair and eyes of blue I used to always sing this song to him:

(My head is boppin' back and forth and I'm getting a bit choked up)

I love you S and I'm so proud of you!

Happy weekend all!

Peace!

A difference

I woke up late this morning. I didn't feel like getting out of bed so I allowed myself to just lie there and wander in and out of random thoughts.

My alarm clock is always faced away from me for two reasons: the light is so damn bright it keeps me awake and if I have a sleepless night (of which there are many) I don't want to keep looking at the clock and see that it has only been 5 minutes since the last time I looked.

M had already headed off to work - more than a bit reluctant to return. Her boss to whom we've affectionately nicknamed "the Troll" has been out on vacation for the past two weeks. M has had that time to actually get some work done and get caught up on misc. things that seemed to get pushed to the side because the Troll has other work for her to do, like print reports and take pictures of every piece of equipment that is about to be thrown away.

I've never met the Troll, but I think we have all seen the type.

Daughter C was home last night. The first time in a while. She and her boyfriend spent the night here instead of at his parents house. We love him - he's a good looking guy and treats my daughter very well.

When I woke up this morning and walked out of my room I could smell his cologne lingering in the air. It was a bit weird.

Wow - it's been a while since the scent of a man has been in this house and perhaps it hit me how things have changed.

You see it happening all around you but on a day to day basis those changes are small. It is when you look back over a few months or a year that you really see the differences that have occurred.

I'm starting to feel the first twinges of an empty nest. My son has made a life for himself in Chicago and I only see him 2-3 times a year and now my daughter has been spending more and more time with the boyfriend aka Rick and it will be 4 or 5 days that I won't see her.

She does call just to check in and let me know she is OK (I worry about that stuff) but now the house has become very quiet in the evenings.

M has her baseball games to watch, I will putz on the computer, watch Keith and Rachel, pay the bills or try to focus on a book to read. (Menopause has really screwed up my ability to concentrate).

I like the changes. It makes me feel proud that my children have turned into responsible adults and learning to work out life's problems on their own.

On Saturday M and I will meet Rick's parents. They are coming over for a bar-b-que. That's a big step and I have to say I'm a bit nervous. Even though I'm fairly certain that his parents are aware that M and I are a couple I just worry about how it's received. Some people don't honestly care, some say that they don't and will keep up appearances but when they get home it's a different story.

I don't know why I care about this so much, but I do. More for the sake of my children than anything else. There is also that "needing to be approved" thing I have going on too.

Does one ever grow out of that?

Hmmmm?

So all of this deep thinking was brought on by a young man's cologne in my house. It's amazing how one little thing will make a difference in your life.

Whoop di do!

It's another new year.

M and I spent a quiet night home as we usually do. We watched a few episodes of Buffy (we're almost done) and started on a jigsaw puzzle, ate crap, drank wine, encouraged each other to stay up just a bit longer, watched the Jonas Brothers on Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve celebration and cringed when those kids were attempting to sing. Maybe their voices were distorted because it was like 12 degrees in Times Square, but I didn't think they were all that great.

As for Dick Clark himself - it makes me uncomfortable to see him on TV and I'll just leave it at that.

The New Year came in rather quietly. There weren't too many neighbors shooting off fireworks for some reason. Maybe because it was freakin'12 degrees with 40 mph wind gusts. The fireworks themselves were too cold to go outside.

M and I gave each other a kiss...petted the dogs and went to bed.

I woke up at 9:30. M is still sleeping.

I'm just a bit jealous, but that's OK. I'll take a nap later.

I finally made my way around all my favorite blogs today. It was nice to catch up.

The plan for today?

There is no plan...that's the plan.

It's a good plan.

Maybe I can convince M to go see a movie. We haven't been in a while, that would be nice to do. We would both like to see the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. We can continue on our all junk food weekend which we do almost every New Year and then vow to eat healthier for the rest of the year. The only problem now with junk food weekend is that our stomachs can no longer handle that kind of food. We both get acid reflux if we eat too much crap. Our bodies almost WANT to be healthy. What's up with that?

Whatever.

Daughter C went out for the evening and told us she wouldn't be home. That's fine...she's stayed over friends houses before, she's 21 she can pretty much do what she wants. I asked where she was staying and she kind of slid in there that she was staying at her new boyfriends house.

Wait...what?

The instant conversation that happened in my brain was this: "Ok Mom, she's 21, not a baby any more and probably not a virgin either. This is OK, part of growing up. You can handle this."

I told her I loved her and to have a nice time and to be safe.

She answered her usual: "I love you too, I will...and don't worry."

Then I said it again: "Be safe".

She looked at me and said: "Don't worry, I'm not going to be driving and I probably won't be drinking either." (She's not really a drinker)

M responded: "I don't think that's what your Mom meant when she said be safe!"

C looked at me wide eye!

I looked back at her a little sad, but still with that concerned "Mom" look in my eyes.

Realization hit her!

Realization hit me!

Right between the eyes.

They is all growed up now Mom.

:::sigh:::

This is a weird place. It's not that you don't want your kids to be sexual it's that you don't want them to get hurt. When I realized my son was "doing the deed" my reaction was a little different. I hoped he didn't catch anything. With my daughter I just hope who ever she trusts to make that special connection with isn't some asshole trying to put another notch in his belt.

M and I have met the new boyfriend and he really seems like a nice guy so I feel a bit more at ease, but still...it's a really weird place.

The secret mantra I used to say in my heads when there were growing up went from: "don't do drug, don't do drugs, don't do drugs" to "Don't have sex, don't have sex. don't have sex" and now it is "Don't get pregnant, don't get pregnant, don't get pregnant (or get anyone pregnant in my son's case)".


Ugh - I can't think about this too much. I think I need a nap already.

Happy New Year all!

Kids

I have 2 kids....well...they aren't kids anymore, actually today is my "baby's' 20th birthday.

Wow.

Looking back, everything seems like it happened so fast, but there were times when I couldn't wait for them to grow up and out of certain stages of their lives: diapers, learning the word "No", asking the question "why", puberty and adolescence, defying authority, finding their voices, slaves to fashion, the great debates etc.

It just whizzes by...it really does.

Someone asked me once: "Don't you wish they were still little and you could still cuddle with them?"

I will admit, that I do get nostalgic for it at times, but no, I don't want to go back to that time...I am glad they are all grown up now. It's the beauty of life...experiencing these different phases and watching how they develop and handle these on their own now.

Since my son moved to Chicago to go to school out there, it's amazing how he's learn to survive on his own. He throws in the occasional, "I was down to my last $2 and have been eating granola bars and mac and cheese for 5 days in a row.", but he has only asked me for money on occasion. The Mom in me wants to just give him money to help him out, but the parent in me says - He's OK. This is a lesson; a problem he needs to work out. It's part of being an adult.

My daughter...she may need a little more "tough love" in this department. She's going to school locally and is still living at home. Mom is still an ATM to her at times and perhaps since she is "the baby" I tend to give in more to her. I have to start saying No and letting her get used to it. I think we will both have a hard time with it!

M is not their parent, but she has been a part of their lives for nearly 11 years now. She has never really tried to parent them, but my children directly affect our lives and she has done well to let me know if there is something going on that she is uncomfortable with. My kids love and respect her and I think that is what you ultimately hope for. We are a family.

Anyway - Happy Birthday to my "baby" girl.