It’s All Coming Back To Me Now

Things are going great over here.  Not stressed at all, thanks for asking.

The apartment.

David keeps making me caulk and paint and paint and remove paint and then paint and then caulk and then paint and then, oh yeah, plaster, and sanding and painting and , Reader, I am over it.

Also.  I am TERRIBLE at it.  And, yet.  I press on.

After I foolishly thought I was all done, for about the 17th time, he trimmed the crawl space and so that needed to be painted to match the rest of the ceiling.

Me:  Can I paint it now?

David:  First you need to caulk around the edges and then fill in the nail holes with putty.

Me, dying a thousand deaths, yet not being dramatic at all:  Doooooooood.  I am really good at filling nail holes with paint.  Can I skip the putty part?

David:  Sure.  And then you can redo it later the right way.

Me:

So.  I did it the right way the first time.  Even though I do NOT see the point.

We are all very tired.  Our goal was to be completely finished this weekend, but that did not happen.  I just keep saying over and over again:

Well.  I do have Saturday.

Because.  I have Saturday.  And then on Sunday, Mom and I leave to fetch Auntie.

You guyz.  I literally spent like 8 hours removing old paint from window frames this weekend.  And it wasn’t even all my fault!  It was the stupid peach paint that was sprayed when whoever build this house built this house!

Peach paint.  I shudder.

Let’s look at the progress, shall we?  It will make us all feel better.

This is not an accurate representation of the wall color.  I don’t know what is going on with the lighting.  I am not a photographer.

David et al built a porch this weekend while I was wasting away my days removing paint from window frames.

Me:  David, I think Auntie needs more of a ramp then stairs.

David:  I don’t know how to build a ramp.

Me:  Hmmmm.

And then I got distracted and busy.  Oh!  Did I tell you?

I had to spend the whole weekend removing paint off of window frames.

And somehow David figured out to build a ramp.

The new porch is dirty.  We have a mud issue.

Let’s move on.

Along with the apartment building, we are also raising children.  LD is playing many a basketball game and scoring all the points, like the stud we all knew he would be.

Hadley was invited to play in an All Star game for local seniors of our areas.

Hadley and HD both have birthdays this week.  Ask me how prepared I am for THAT.

***

School is stressful these days.  There are so many things to do and we are getting ready for Spring Conferences and progress reports.

I have found that whole-heartedly sing/shouting Celine Dion’s classic hit, “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” truly helps relieve the stress of school.  It is most particularly helpful if you completely belt out the line-“Baby, Baby, Baby, when you-” while doing the morning chores.

Sleeping teens LOVE it.

In first grade, I am reading them more chapter books that don’t have as many pictures as they are used to.  This is a good time to teach them a strategy called “visualizing.”  We call it “making a movie in your head.”

Last week, I was most particularly over all the interruptions while I was trying to read the story.

Have you ever tried to teach first grade?  It’s a wild scene.  You are trying to get through whatever you are trying to get through and someone has to pee and someone is wondering if we missed first recess and someone else has a grandma coming to town and someone’s neighbor’s dog is named Leroy and then someone’s tooth will fall out.

Anyways.  I am trying to get through the story and another precious hand pops up to interrupt me for the 8 billionth time, and no, I am not exaggerating.

The book I was reading has one illustration to go with each chapter.

Student:  Mrs. M?

Me (trying to be patient.):  Yes?

Student:  Mrs. M.  I am making the movie!  You know the movie in my head!  And then you showed me the picture!  And I wanted to tell you the picture looks exactly like the movie in my head!

And then I died a thousand deaths because it was finally an appropriate interruption.

And then someone else’s tooth fell out.

***

Calf number 8 was born the other day.  The calves are all that is precious in this world and there is nothing better than going out to see this after a long day-

We had a bit of sadness with the birth of calf #9.  Mama had gone into labor the night before and when we checked on her Sunday morning, the baby was partially out, but dead.

David and I traipsed on out there at the break of dawn to try and help get the baby out.

When calves are born, usually their feet come out first, together.  You know.  Like Superman.  This little one had one foot still stuck and that is why mama couldn’t get him out.  David had to push the head back into the cow and find the other foot.  Once we had both feet out, David tied string to each foot and together we pulled the calf out.

And it was so very dead.  And mama went over and licked it and I wondered if her heart was broken and then we had to go work on the apartment and David made me caulk and paint and paint and paint and paint.

It is a good thing I am not a complainer.

***

David finally bought me that Number One Wife Shirt, but it comes in the form of a sweatshirt and says Best Wife Ever.

I don’t have a picture yet.

I have been too busy painting.

Later, Gators.