Happy 11/11/11

Today is November 11, 2011 and I (Lisa) randomly decided to commemorate this day that only comes along once a century, by taking the day off to accomplish 11 things.  My list is ambitious, but possible and includes the item of resurrecting this blog and reporting on my activities.  It is now 6:45 in the morning, so I better get started.  Items #1 and #2 are putting out the flag for Veterans Day (which also happens to be today) and cleaning out the pantry before the plumber arrives to accomplish items #3 and #4 fix the garbage disposal and the bathtub.

Here I am at 12:30 and things are going much slower than planned. The plumber just finished (has been here since 8:30) and had to replace and rebuild the entire bathtub faucet, as well as put in a new garbage disposal, replace the water turn off valves under the sink and install and a brand new faucet and sprayer... which I had to go buy!  Okay, the deal with the faucet was somewhat optional, but the sprayer had been broken so long that I'm just used to it and kind of mentioned it as an afterthought.  What we had was so old that he couldn't find a replacement part, and so corroded, that I really didn't want to just bandage it up anyway, so I just impulse bought a whole new one.  Crazy!  While he fixed the bathtub, I bought a new faucet and sprayer and while he fixed the sink, I worked on item #5 which was rearrange the living room.  Here are some photos of the day's progress so far...

#1: Put the flag out for Veterans Day

 #2 Clean the Pantry
With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner and all of the anticipated baking and projects in the kitchen to do, this avalanche of a project (literally) was NOT optional today!

The pantry "before"

The pantry "after"

#3 The new Garbage disposal, and SURPRISE, the new faucet and sprayer too.
(Had I known this morning I would be getting a new one, I would have taken a before picture).

New garbage disposal, and (not pictured) new water turn off valves.

New faucet and sprayer.  The curved feature not only matched our light fixtures, but should make it easier to wash tall dishes, fill pots, etc.

#3.5 Pick out a new faucet

So many  choices!

#4 The bathtub, new faucet and turner WITH running water
This bathtub hasn't been in use for many months, and scrubbing it was not on my to do list today, so no comments on any visible grime please!

If you look closely you can see the water running!

#5 Rearrange the living room
I have to admit that I don't really think the results of this project look much better than how it started out.  This change was strictly functionality.  We got an awesome cat tree last Easter that you can't see in the picture because it up against the side of the room where I'm standing to take the picture, which is also the exact spot where we always put our Christmas tree.  There really wasn't anywhere else in the room (or any other room in the house) to move it too, or to put the Christmas tree instead, so something had to give.  This change frees up an entire wall that the cat tree can move to over the holidays, and have the tree in it's usual spot.  (You still don't see the cat tree in the picture though because there really isn't a need to move until until the tree comes.  I just wanted to lay the ground work for it today).

The living room "before"



The living room "after"

I'm now off for the next round of projects and will report back later.

It is now 4:30.  Here is what I've accomplished since noon (shower and lunch not included)

#6 Pick up paperwork to enroll Riley into counseling at his school.
This one was fun because not only did I finally connect with the counselor after several weeks of phone tag and make arrangements to pick up the paperwork needed for his first appointment (which has also now been scheduled), I ran into my 2nd grade teacher at the school!  She totally remembered me, and my mom, AND my grandparents!  I was super impressed with her, she knew me before I knew her.  She had to ask my first name, but knew my last right away, and it wasn't because my nephew goes there so she had a head's up because she didn't even know him!  The most awesome part about this is that Riley is finally going to get some regular help!  Valley Mental Health is doing a pilot program this year and sending counselors into a select number of elementary schools to offer counseling for high risk kids at school, during school!  We are so Lucky that Riley's school is one of them and that he qualifies for the help.  I'm very hopeful that this will make a big difference for him.

Walking into Riley's school

Me and my 2nd grade teacher Miss Weewee.  (I'm not joking, that really was her name back then.  She's married now, but I don't know her new last name).

#7 Get my car registered
This was a particularly overwhelming task because my car has actually been expired since summer and has already failed inspection once.  Never has a little square sticker with a "12" on it been so beautiful!

Mechanic fixing my battery

Cool mural in the waiting room of our local Tunex.

Newspaper article in the lobby while I was waiting for my car.

Success!!!

#8 Pay off the Cemetery bill

As you know, last year our sweet baby kitty, Sooty, died at only 7 years old.  We buried him at a pet cemetery and at the same time purchased plots for all of our cats so they could be together.  We've been paying on it for a year and half and finally pulled together the resources to just pay the rest of the whole thing off.  We now own this entire piece of land outright!  Isn't it pretty?  The photo is from last spring when we took Sparks to the cemetery.

The flowers in the purple container and marker just below are for Sooty and he is buried in the grass between the two borders.  We own the entire piece of land from there to where Kristin and Sparks are standing.

My receipt showing th bill paid on 11/11/11.

#9 Get new glasses

My current glasses have been a problem for a while.  They are too tight, I don't think the prescription is right, I get headaches all the time, and the glare coating has been slowly peeling off the left lens for several months which is very annoying.  After getting the car registered, I went to the eye doctor.  I'm too cheap to pay for the glasses in an hour deal, but I did pick out my new lenses, got my prescription updated, and in 8-10 business days, this is what I'll be wearing...



These are the new glasses



These will be the new sunglasses.  You can't really tell in the picture, but the frames are bright blue!

So, while I was waiting for the doctor I had this major tired wave hit me, my throat started scratching, and the entire time I was having my eyes checked I kept coughing and couldn't stop.  I even had to leave the exam room and get a drink... that's something I've never done before in the middle of an eye doctor appointment.  I'm really bummed that it looks like I'm going to get sick this weekend, but at least it happened in the middle of task #9 and not #1.  Once I got home I took my temperature to see just how whiney I can get away with being.

99.1, not really a full blown fever, but I'm now going to lie down for a while before I do anything else.  I only have one more task that I need to accomplish today (because finishing the blog for the day is going to be #11). I have several options of what it can be, and several hours to do it, so in the end, I think it will all work out great!

It is now 10:00 and my list is complete.  Here is how it ended:

#10 Return to Red Rock
Red Rock Brewing Company has long been one of my favorite places to eat but we NEVER go there because it is expensive and crowded and we rarely go out to eat.  In fact, in trying to remember the last time we ate there, we had to go back in time to our old town house in Bountiful... That was almost 5 years ago!  It was high time we returned to Red Rock and end the day doing something fun together.

This place is all about the beer battered onion rings!  They are huge and fabulous!!  Everything else you order is a side dish to the onion rings.

#11 Blog about my experience
This was a fun day and I really feel like I accomplished a lot.  I was incredibly surprised how much work is to blog about one's day and include photos of every little thing.  People who do this daily are crazy! I don't see myself doing it that often any time soon, but I do plan to keep it up with posts every once in a while.  The renewed interest in blogging really came about because Kristin's mom wanted to start a family blog to help everyone keep updated with each other and I recently helped her set it up.  If we are going to keep the family updated with our big things, we minus well keep our own blog updated with the little things for anyone who is interested while we're at it.  If you are interested in checking out the Anderson Family Blog you can find it at http://briankarenandkids.blogspot.com/.



Happy 11/11/11!  Good Night!

One last photo to remember this day.