I'm Done, and I Won It

Look at that, good blog readers, you get a 2 for 1 post today! I have some material that I have been meaning to post for a few days, plus some new stuff.

First, I entered a contest last week over at Di's blog, you might remember this post. Well, guess what. I won. Oh yeah, baby! So, when T-Bone walked in from getting the mail on Thursday, and had a huge envelope marked "media" in his hands, I got super excited. This is what I pulled out of the package...
I absolutely loved the way this package came in the mail. Being a huge Forensics fan, this type of bag was RIGHT UP MY ALLEY!! I loved it so much, that I couldn't help but take everything out and take pics so that all of you lovely people can see what was inside.At the very bottom, is the lovely evidence bag. You have the yellow envelope marked "documents enclosed" that made me feel like an uber important type of person. No clue why, it just did. There is a thank you card from Di, and the book My Soul to Keep by Melanie Wells. Attached to the book, is a sticky that says "Just released Feb. 5th!" with an awesome squiggly line under it. I love this woman's handwriting!Here is a solo shot of the "evidence" bag that everything came in. I swear, if a tornado were coming and I had one thing to save other than my family, this bag would be it. It's just too neat to leave behind!A close-up of the book itself. I really can't wait to start reading it, but I must pace myself. I'm currently reading John Grisham's The Innocent Man, plus T-bone bought The Appeal, also by Grisham, for me yesterday. I think he's trying to hint for me to get off the computer. Point noted, NOT TAKEN. :)Here's a top view of the card that Di sent me. I thought it was the cutest!
"Annie, Enjoy! Please let me know how you like the book!" Signed, Di. With her website addy, of course. Www.liveandletdi.com. It's her new site, as she boasts in this card!And, my warm and fuzzy feeling maker "documents enclosed" envelope. I love that green! It just screams.. LOOK AT ME!!!I bet you were wondering what was inside the "documents enclosed" envelope. Hey, so was I! It's a small world, ain't it? Yeah, anyway. Enclosed, was a sheaf of papers that outline the book, with some background information. See the funny gray-ish smudge looking thing in the blue bar at the top of the page, about 2 inches from the left corner? Can you guess what it is? It's a fingerprint!! I was so stoked to see that, with the whole Forensic thing addiction that I have.

That's all that I have for that part of the post. I really can't wait to read the book, and once it's finished I will leave my aye or nay on it right here. Don't forget to drop by Di's blog, she's a great lady!

Okay, this next part isn't for the weak stomached. Or the faint hearted. In fact, if you value your life, you might not want to read any further. I won't think any less of you for turning back right now, and never returning.

To hell with that, you know I will hold a grudge and come hunting you down. So suck it up, fasten your seat belts, and fear the ride. Oh yes, fear it.

Did I ever mention that we acquired the house we live in absolutely free? And that we pay nothing more than a mere $100 tax for the state of PA once a year? No? Well, I must have felt that you didn't need to know. But it's a crucial part of evidence in what you are about to see below.

You see, you can't get something for nothing. Nope, you definitely can't. So, what we wound up with is no mansion. In fact, it isn't even a damn mini-condo. What it is, is a fashioned monstrosity made to resemble living quarters. No, really. Okay, wait, I'm lying. It's liveable, by far. But.. I left a really nice apartment that I adored to no end for this place, and it needed work. A lot. So much, that I cringe at the thought of what we still need to do.

Nearly 4 months ago, we purchased paint for Buckwheat's room. We knew it needed it, so I figured if I had it hanging around, it would get done in a timely manner. I don't think that nearly 4 months is a timely manner, but hey. I tackled it today. Hardcore.

Before I show you a pic of his room, please keep in mind that we didn't intend to use this room for anything other than storage until it was entirely remodeled. Then, a friend of ours moved in with us last March, and those plans were thrown out the window. And when he left, I moved Buckwheat into it. It was serviceable.. but I. HATED. IT.

Here's why, get ready for the shock and awe portion of this program.
This was Buckwheat's bedroom. From the doorway (which, the door isn't there, I removed it and replaced it with a baby gate). If you look straight in, you will see the shabby curtains, the water damage down the walls from year's ago that have since been fixed, and the funky non-matching colors. Absolutely horrific. I cringed to even look down the hallway and see this lurking at the end of it.Standing in his room, and looking to the left, you would be met with this view. An open closet. This boy has so many toys, along with the other 3 runts, that it was literally spilling over. And here's a nice vanity shot of the smoke stained walls (we don't smoke inside, but the previous occupants did), with a ragged curtain edge thrown in for free. Just looking at what I put up with is making me want to hurl myself off the closest bridge. What was I thinking?!?!Here is the wall above his bed. At some point last September, I acquired a buzzing bug up my ass and took some free paint from my mother, thinking that it would end my back bedroom woes. What it did, was make it worse. I found out that I didn't like it after painting just less than half of the room, and left it the way it was. I'm so horrible. I should join some sort of anonymous meeting over this.Proof that I quit painting the room less than halfway through lies in this pic. Along with a gaudy ass curtain. If you look to the top left of the window, you will see evidence of the smoke stained walls. I'm so glad I wasn't sniffing them, I'm sure I would have had enough nicotine intake to last me for 3 years!This is my last of the haunting pics. I swear, if they don't give you nightmares, you need to be seen. I'm sure that any shrink will tell you that you have an extreme desensitization to anything horrific. The double windows in his room, adorned with T-Bone's Philadelphia Eagles emblem that has been stuck to that window for over 14 years. Nice memorabilia, horrible water stains.

I couldn't take it a moment longer. I snagged T-Bone by the short hairs this morning, dragged him into this mess, and forced him to help me turn this dungeon into a bedroom. He obliged, but grudgingly. Did I mention he doesn't know how to paint? Yeah. Twenty-eight long years of his life, and he has never painted for more than 5 minutes. It's pathetic!

By this afternoon, life was looking grand. So grand, in fact, that I felt obligated to share the transformation with everyone! I know, I'm so thoughtful. Here's a slew of pics, nearly in the order that I presented them in the before section.

Drum roll please...So, what's all of this boil down to?
One gallon of Little Boy Blue Paint- $14.99
Spare curtains, Louvre doors, and an old laundry hammock- Free
Sweat, Fatigue, and Aching Muscles- Free
Proving to yourself that you aren't the redneck scumbag that the room portrayed you to be... PRICELESS!!

Very long post, after a very long and trying day. T-Bone's tired, I'm exhausted, and the room is done. I'm grateful. And, proud of myself for finally ridding that boil of a bedroom from my ass house!
P.s.- Did I forget to mention that we even painted the ceiling blue?? Yeah, we're nuts. That's why you like reading me!!

What These Say About Me

Claire, over at Two Kids, a Gear-head and Me, did a tag that included the following rules:

The LOOK AT THIS STUFF! ISN'T IT NEAT? Tag

1. Find five things around your house (relatively) that say something about the person you are and snap a picture of them.

1. Tell us about them.

The pic that I posted first off says a bit about me, and isn't counting towards my 5 things. I just saw it on my computer and realized that it says quite a bit about me, and that it would fit here.
I'm a smart ass, I'm full of fun, and I hate to take things seriously. Oh, and I always sport the smug look, I'm not in Freud mode or I would try to break it down for all of you so you could better understand me. Let's just say that I'm not a snob, but I'm not the type of person that you are going to WANT to say hi to in the grocery store while in line if you don't know me. You're likely to be frightened off by the "touch me and die" look that I sport while in public.

Anyway, enough about my personality (which I'm actually tons of fun thank you very much) and on with the show!I'm. A. Geek. Nerd, brainiac, brown-noser, teacher's pet, anything of the sort.. that is who I am. I love to read. Love it so much, that I can NOT go to the bathroom without a book. Over the years, I have accumulated well over 200 books. What you see here, plus maybe 15 more, is all that I now have. Between moving, running, and leaving... all of my books have been scattered to the winds. The ones that I now have are the ones that I have managed to acquire again after the past 5 years. Not much, I know. I have a bigger habit of READING MY BOOKS 4 or 5 TIMES each. If I were a die hard about having a different (and new to me) book to read at different times, I would owe a truckload of debt. Books can be costly things, especially when they are Stephen King, John Grisham, or Nora Roberts. Also, I'm really not a book snob. If it is handed to me, I will read it. And it's rare that I don't finish a book because I didn't like it. Ok, the books are boring me... next!Truffle Whore. That's what this pic says about me. I don't mind chocolate, but I LOVE chocolate that has the word "truffle" on the label. As a matter of fact, my all time favorite candy.. I can't find this year... and this is the time of year that it is released! Ugh.. if anyone finds these bad boys anywhere, let me know. I will gladly wire you money via paypal so you can buy them and send them to me. I've searched everywhere.. so take a GOOD gander at these babies just in case you spot them...
WOW that's a big pic. I couldn't find the packaging, but they specifically say Dove Truffle on the package, and they are shaped like this. And, they only come 3 halves (if I remember right) per box. *sigh* I would die for these things, truly. Someone please find them and send me like 3 dozen!!! Anyway, back to the truffle whore thing. I didn't even pull out my whole truffle stash, as I just realized. I have some stashed in my dresser drawer for when I get in a fit during my sleeping hours. It must be Ambien induced.
Blurry pic, but you get a 3 for one right here. My computer, a Mountain Dew, and the cookbook I keep on my computer desk. Weird, huh? That's me though. I can NOT live without my computer. Can't. Or the Mountain Dew, for now. I plan to wean myself off it, at some point before summer hits. I've noticed that I make it through the heat with more ambition when I'm not slugging down Mountain Dew, and choose water instead. And the cookbook? That's my thing, baby. I cook. I like to try new food. I'm all over it.I'm a scent snob. Big time. I love to have candles burning in the house, but I will ONLY burn them if I am in the process of cleaning, then they will remain burning until they either go out on their own, I leave the house, or I go to bed. I love the Glade scent oil candles that you see in the purplish package. They melt down into an oil, and burn for hours. Plus, they give off the yummiest, and most vibrant scents that I have ever seen. Stacked in the basket with the Glade, are my breakaway tarts for my tart burner. In leather, sex on the beach, clean cotton, and vanilla musk. In the itty bitty basket, are little tart shots scented in Christmas Tree (pine) which gave the feel of a real Christmas this year since I won't allow a real tree. I'm the Grinch on that, and totally proud of it.Last, but not least, I'm a lover of all things dragon. I've lost a lot of my dragons over the years (much like my books) but I do have a small collection going again. This one just happened to be the one I chose for the pic. The others didn't catch the light right, and they looked blurrier than heck. What do dragons say about me? I think they show the side of my that loves to fantasize, about being a millionaire, writing a novel, winning the Nobel Prize.. ok, ok.. it says I'm a dreamer. And I can deal with that.
Sooo... I'm not tagging anyone. I know, don't you just hate that? But.. I'm not tagging anyone because if they need blog material, here it is. Run with it. Other than that, just enjoy what I posted, and consider yourself tagged if you have something of your own to say!

Menu Plan Monday 3/3-3/10

So far, the crock pot recipes for last week are turning out to be duds. The slow cooker turkey sandwiches were okay, but they aren't something I can force myself to eat too often. The creamy red potatoes? They weren't done as much as I prefer them, making it hard to enjoy them. The sauce for the potatoes was okay, but not anything to do the cha cha slide over. We had the hearty beans with beef yesterday, which were okay. I had to add some cooked macaroni to it, it looked nothing more than beef with a smattering of beans. I don't recommend this recipe if you don't care for baked beans, because frankly... it's a baked bean casserole with beef. The end. :) T-Bone liked it, and has been a trooper so far, so I should consider myself blessed. This week, I'm heading back to old school and just throwing together a menu that won't be time consuming. Not that I have much going on this week, but I'm not so sure I want to spend time at the stove. Enough of my rambling, if you need more menu's, head on over and visit Laura@OrgJunkie and fill your week up!
Thursday- Supper Bakes (bought this a couple of week's ago and need to use it)
Friday- Spaghetti
Saturday- Kielbasa, Fried Potatoes
Sunday- Chili
Monday- Bruschetta Burgers, Fries
Tuesday- Quiche
Wednesday- Leftovers