Now Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Program

I got the opportunity to attend the Women of Faith conference in Shreveport/Bossier City FOR FREE (Thank you Main Post Chapel!) and so I was gone for several days to that. What an amazing blessing! On my way home from that on Saturday night I had the privilege of retrieving a friend from the airport who chose to spend her spring break vacation here!

So, needless to say, renovations were on hold and are still not getting too much attention. I know that you are all waiting patiently for the latest update on our Master Bedroom, however Southern Living is just like those renovation and makeover shows where the final stages are hidden from the public so that the ultimate reveal can be appropriately dramatic. I am putting the finishing touches on the walls in the closet so that it can be painted and then the hanging and shelving structures will be installed. Not far now.
My friend Pendulum(the one I got at the airport) escorted me shopping yesterday to buy accessories for the bedroom and show me how to have taste and panash and we now have real-live bedside lamps. High fallootin. I will also share with you that Pendulum is an amazingly gifted worshiper so we have been going around singing and singing. LOVE it.

Until next time...

WOF - Quotes Of The Day

"K Was tapping me with chips."

"Yesterday there were snafu's out the wazoo."

"I might have to soap up before I move in."

"To raise responsive children you just let them die."

"The nursing mother's room is located at the Bacardi Bar."

"That is a successful peep!"

"What I need is a little red motorscooter."

"Just lippin' off."

"Adjust to changing times by clinging to unchanging principles."

"When 8-10 thousand women tell you to do something, you just might oughtta pay attention."

"Wonder is the basis for worship."

WOF - Kimleigh and Laudi

I am a stalker. I'll just put it out there. When I found out that I was going to be rooming with two girls that I know who are very good friends and I would like to be their gooder friend, I was so excited. So I set out on a mission...
1. Give them a name. Kimleigh
2. Make myself a nametag. Kimleigh Groupie.

That's me. And that's how I thought it was going to be for the weekend. And then there was a mix-up with the rooms. Which, in the end, got us a bonus roomie. Whom I ADORE. So I set out on a mission....
1. Give us a name. Laudi
2. Take a picture. See above.(Yes it is snowing in our hotel room in Louisiana)

First day of a weekend of fun, faith and fellowship! These are the funnest girls! Right now my partner is flying all over trying to smash a beetle to death, screaming and I am SURE upsetting the neighbors. Kimleigh is talking trash about Laudi, but we don't mind. Word.

Master Bedroom Renovation And Other Updates

*Safety Remarks* FYI - no cameras were harmed in the photoshoot of It's Fashion. We take the utmost care here at Southern Living to insure the safety and comfort of all of our cameras. There is no need to alert PETC. Thank you.

Update on Hubby's Arm - He has been on antibiotics since Sunday for the cellulitis in his arm. It has continued to spread out from his elbow in both directions and reached halfway to his shoulder and halfway to his wrist throughout the week. It now seems to be very slowly subsiding while still making him feel crummy and looking generally macabre.

Update on Master Bedroom renovations - Can we just make this about me for a second? Okay thank you. I am so beat! Holy Cats. Tired. Tired people! Also, please note that Jenster called me HAWT

Update on Master Bedroom renovations for real - Although this is taking way longer than we wanted it to, it is coming together. The wiring is finished, the walls are finished and painted with Cincinnati Hotel Carl Tan, the flooring is 9/10 installed. We have the baseboard, crown molding, trim around doors and windows, painting of the doors, installation of the new ceiling fan, installation of switch plates and outlet covers, and the finishing of the closet left to do, but I do believe we will be moving our bed back in today(If I can finish the touch-ups on the bed frame).



*all the walls are the same color. Some of the pictures were taken with flash, some without.

It's Fashion

Southern Living and other peeks into my psyche has always been a hub for style and fashion. I know that you all come here to gather wisdom and advice about steppin' out in style. Today I offer you fashion for home construction.






I recommend wearing dark shirts to sand drywall in because the effect is just stunning! Look how I managed to make this black t-shirt look gray. And one can never have too many do-rags. This beauty is actually a classic/retro from my hysterectomy days. I'm green like that.

I Hate Corners

Growing up in my house, "Time Out" consisted of standing with your nose in the corner until you realized the wrongness of what you had done, or until you fell asleep, or until your parents remembered that they had put you there. One time, one of us stepped away from the corner and the evidence that we were there were the tears streaming down the wall. (Must have been me - I don't remember my brother being a big crier) So needless to say that corners do not hold fond memories for me - unlike you millions of readers who probably love corners and are so glad I am posting about this now just so you can have a little fond time reminiscing. Also, please don't misconstrue aforementioned account of discipline as parent-bashing. I also have placed my children in time out with their noses to the corner (and even forgot they were there a time or two)(I have the therapy fund coming together just fine thank you)

This week I have reached a new level of despising corners while doing renovations. Every newly dry-walled corner must have joint compound applied to it, sanded, reapplied, and sanded some more until the corner is perfect. You have to do this to all joints, but corners are the WORST! My husband hangs the drywall and I do the mudding. There are 14 corners in our room and closet. I hate corners.


I am sad to have to report that we are not yet back in our room. This is partially due to all those corners, and partially because my husband has shown up with some bizarre infection in his elbow and I had to take him to the emergency room this morning where they immediately gave him some antibiotics, circled the red-hot-swollen-painful area of his elbow, and sent him home. As of this posting, the infection has spread about 2 inches outside the drawing. Hubby is supposed to go back to the doctor in the morning. Also I spent several hours with 2 of my daughters this afternoon shopping all around for our 16 year-old's Junior prom.

I will counter that sad report by sharing with you that I got a sweet deal on snap-together laminate flooring! Of course, we are not going to install it until I am finished sanding the drywall and painting the walls. In my dreams I will have that done tomorrow night.

Here's what our room looks like this evening....




More to come...

Now You See It...

There are certain things that you can know about the S4J household. One of them being that I am more often than not in some stage of some bizarre mishap or situation. But those are stories for another day I'm sure. Another one of them being that there is always some project going on. This week hubby took off of work in order to renovate our bedroom. Okay - his plan was probably more like; coat his 1989 Suburban in durabak bedliner, and maybe make our bedroom nice if he had time otherwise. Because he was home this week, I did my best to keep appointments to a minimum so I could be here too. Of the renovations left to do in this house, we have the master bedroom, 2 of the other bedrooms and the 2 bathrooms. In that order. The other 2 bedrooms we will do this summer when we have kids away at various places. Don't know if we'll get to the bathrooms before it is time to sell and move. A.K.A. RETIRE. *S4J excuses herself while she does the la la happy dance*

Here I am back and out of breath. Anyway, you may be asking, "Why the goofy title S4J?" All will be revealed momentarily (or as quickly as blogger will upload my pictures)

I took a few pictures of every room when we bought the house. This is what ours looked like when we bought it in 2005....
Yes that is wood paneling painted gray with darker gray trim. And Tan carpet.




When Hubby was deployed, I painted the bedroom this brownish color; Fawn something or other, and for whatever reason I only took a picture of this mural of love *aww*



So now you've seen it.

And now you don't...




Always did seem like the kids were SO LOUD when they were taking a shower. I guess that could be because THERE WAS NO WALL BEHIND IT.



We started the renovations on Monday and were hoping to be back in our room this weekend.
Stay tuned....

Sunday Snippets

Our pastor began prayer with, "Great God of every person...."