A few more projects in the works...

Well this weekend we bought another set of wicker--a love seat, 2 chairs and 2 tables--for $50. What a steal. It was all white and so far this weekend Doug has painted the love seat and one table brown to match the stuff on the porch and the 2 chairs went a burnt orange--cinnamon is what the can said. Trying to match the burnt orange--rusty color in the dining room curtains. I bought a new table runner in cinnamon last weekend in Schaumburg and already have the same color candles in a couple of candlesticks in there. Tired of the green already--thinking of changing it to a robin's egg blue--the original color I wanted but was worried about having in my house of fall colors. Should have went with my first instinct, because now that we have the new couch and rug--it has that blue and a lighter shade of sage green. Going to put the 2 chairs in the dining room on either side of my round drop leaf table by the windows. I have wanted to get chairs in there forever--it was how I pictured that room from the very beginning and getting such a good deal on the wicker set made it all possible. I'm not too sure on the color yet--Doug is out there glazing them with a brown color now--to tone down the color--I bought beige cushions at Target yesterday for $17.50 each and material at Hobby Lobby for $2/yard to make pillows. They brought cushions and pillows today for the set--they were stored somewhere else when we picked it up. Luckily for us the love seat cushion and a few of the pillows matched our set currently out there. Awesome for me. The other pillows will be covered with the Hobby Lobby fabric and will save me from having to purchase pillow forms.

Another project almost finished is the magnetic/cork board/message center that we are making from one of our old windows. Doug took the glass out of it and cut boards and metal to fit in the openings. He attached cork on the wood and I mod-podged decorative paper onto the metal pieces. Waiting for them to dry to see how it turned out. I'm tired of all the pieces of paper stuck on the fridge. So we will put this on the wall next to the fridge that isn't visible from the hallway or dining room to get some of the visual clutter out of the kitchen.

Also we purchased a desk from Ikea last weekend that Doug will put together sometime here shortly I hope. Going to move the computer back out of the closet and out into the open--it is overheating in here.

I took pictures of all these things and I hope to figure out how to post them on here when I get a little more free time. Not this week: Mon-game, Tues-open house, Wed-game, Thursday-game, Friday-porch party, Saturday-game. And one of our friends' mom has died so we need to go to a visitation sometime this week. Junior High baseball is our life for the next month and half.

Tomorrow is the first day of school...

For my kids. I've been back since August 1st. Amazingly enough 3 people came in to register their students at 3:15--I get off at 3:30. Needless to say, I got home around 5, by the time I got all the paperwork done, entered in the computer and put away. But I think I am ready for tomorrow. I hope I remember to change the bells because it is a half day.

I got my new contract today. Of all of the great things I love about my job...the blanket 3% raise for non-certified staff is not on the list. In fact it sucks. I get.....26 cents an hour more than I did last year. It made me kind of weepy today. I haven't got that kind of sucky raise since I worked at Soy Capital Bank in 1986. Of all the things I do for the school and staff and kids--26 cents just seems...LAME. And I've told Doug many times I would work for less because I love this job so. Guess I lied. I guess I'm concerned more because they think I am only worth that amount. I know they aren't looking at us as individuals--and maybe that makes me a little mad too. I'll get over it--because I love it so--but it doesn't make it suck less.

I haven't done too well on Weight Watchers lately. In fact I haven't done it for the last 3 weeks--to be truthful--it's been longer than that. Doug and I went to the store last night and I stocked up on fruit and WW meals--time to get my ass in gear again. I want to be down another size before Christmas. I want to show my doctor that I can do it. I need to succeed at this. And I know I can--this is the first time in a long time that I still feel like I can do it. Going to start with the next meal.