Miscellaneous New Stuff

KF and MBM, have you enjoyed reading the new stuff? Sometimes I think you may be the only two regular readers I have left. *lol* From the heights of being featured on CNN (in 2004) to the depths of mainly being the blog that tells you how to fix your Samsung phone if you can’t log in anymore (my most popular post of 2014 because apparently it’s a huge issue).

Okay, so what else can I share?

We’re in the process of having our TV room carpet replaced with hardwoods. Well, by the time this post goes live it’ll be done. Right now it looks like this:

We had a lot of work done this summer in addition to the landscaping work. We kept having wasps and yellowjackets getting in the house for the past couple years – there was a hole in one of the window sashs in our TV room. So we had that completely replaced, and also had some exterior wood rot taken care of. We finally got the popcorn ceiling removed in our master bedroom and bath. Last year the popcorn started coming down in the bathroom where our shower was. We determined that the bathroom fan was a joke and not positioned in the right spot. So we got a new fan and had it installed directly over the shower rather than by the entry door to the bathroom. We also had some popcorn coming down in the bedroom near one of the ceiling vents. So we had it all taken down. Man, was it dusty. Our poor housecleaner – she was miserable the next time she came to clean. It was a hot mess up there. But I tell you – it looks GREAT. Now we need to save up to have the REST of the popcorn removed in the house. I just don’t know if I’m ready for that kind of mess any time soon.

We also had ceiling fan/lights installed in the kids’ rooms. Since we moved in they’ve only had light via a plugged in lamp. Their rooms were always dark as a result. Not anymore! Now they have nice bright light AND the ability to get some air movement in their rooms. It has been a nice change. I’d love to eventually do the same in the guest room someday, but since we rarely have guests, it’s not a priority.

In other news, since it’s October Denis and I are in the midst of figuring out our menu for our annual White Elephant party. We won’t be doing an all-new menu like we did last year. We’ll be revisiting some old recipes as well as introducing some new ones. As always, we’re looking forward to the party.

Work is going well. I’ve pretty much thrown off my “Administrative Assistant” title at this point. Sure, I may schedule meetings every now and again, but for the most part I strictly do data analysis. Most of my work is done in Excel instead of Word or Powerpoint. I don’t mind – I like trying to figure out formulas and building big spreadsheets that all work together and provide a snapshot of current outcomes. Yes, my name is Jaynee and I’m a huge nerd.

Denis’s knee is pretty much back to normal. He finished up PT a couple months ago and now he and I both go to the gym almost every night when our schedule allows. I had started a self-challenge to go every day for 100 days. But then I tweaked my knee when doing lower body weights, and it put my out of commission for 2-3 days. So now I just go as much as I can, doing an hour on the treadmill or 20 minutes treadmill and 40 minutes of weights/abs. I was telling CootieGirl the other day that when she turned 13 I’ll upgrade my membership so she can go with me whenever she wants. At first she said no way, but then she sounded a tiny bit intrigued. So we’ll see (she doesn’t turn 13 for another 18 months, so she has time to decide if she’ll take me up on the offer). I go often enough that one of the girls at the front counter knows my name and calls out to me when I come in or leave, almost like Norm on “Cheers.” That’s kind of nice – knowing that I go to the gym often enough that they recognize me as a regular. I’d rather be recognized there than at the local QT picking up a daily slushee.

TV-wise, what am I watching? I like “blackish” a lot. I also have been watching “Forever” – although I don’t know how long it’ll last. “Gotham” is pretty good. It’s weird watching “Gracepoint” when I loved “Broadchurch” on BBC America. But I’ll watch David Tennant in anything, so I’m enjoying it. When I go to the gym I watch “Supernatural” on Netflix streaming on my phone. How have I never watched this show?!?! And it’s been on for 10 years and I never really watched it! Now I love it. I’ve just started Season 2. I’m so happy that I have another 8 seasons after this one to keep me going at the gym. I can typically watch one episode and part of another during my hour on the treadmill. I do an hour on the treadmill 3-4 times a week, which means I can watch 4-5 episodes a week. And I have NINE seasons to watch. It’s not quite binge-watching, but I find I look forward to my workout because I know I’ll get to watch another episode.

Okay, so I think that’s it for now. Look at that – I’ve posted every other day since October 10! Not bad! Today the family is heading to Statesville, NC to the hot air balloon festival. Next Saturday we’re going to a BBQ festival in Lexington, NC. Other upcoming events for us include:

So clearly we have a lot going on – hopefully I’ll remember to come on here and post pictures and updates and all sorts of good stuff. Because that’s how KF and MBM keep informed on the Cootie goings-on (they don’t use Facebook).

Oh, and here are the floors once we moved the furniture back in: