Wow, What A Day...

It's supposed to rain tonight, so I HAD to get the cover on the septic tank! Of course we spent the morning at the hospital, Carolyn was having a test but I had to be there to drive her home afterwards... We had to be there at 7:30 AM, so I had to keep the kids out of school, because to get to the hospital at that time we had to leave the house at 6:30 AM. Luckily everything was fine!! Then I spent several hours trying to find someone to fix the Bobcat, no luck. So I had to rent one from Home Depot. Sucks having to rent one when I've GOT one sitting in my backyard... I did however find a guy that will fix it, I just have to bring it to him. So I stopped at the Tractor Company and bought some chains and tie downs so I can move the thing... Which is actually good, because if I didn't have the chains, I WOULD NOT have got the lid on the septic tank!

I dragged the old lid to the back, and am about to put the lid in place, Tanner helped me get the hook on because it came off...

I set it down almost perfectly, but had to drag it back about a half inch... LUCKILY I had those chains!!

The morons who tried to charge me $3K broke my drain pipe that the downspout from the gutter drains into... So I had to replace that! I might try to get them to pay for it, but we'll see...

What a pain! I finally got it working though... I'm actually kind of glad they broke it because there was a LOT of crap in the pipe and I was able to clean it out pretty good.

Filling it back in!! The kids had a blast riding with me! I got it all smoothed out and it's ready for seed! I'm SO GLAD that chore is done, you can't even make it up!! So that's how I spent my day! :)

Contractors!!!

Have I mentioned how much I hate contractors??? I had one out today to empty my septic tank, and WOW!!! What a day it's been! So the contractors get out here, and I wasn't even at the house, Carolyn calls me and tells me to get home now because they want to add extra charges to the $285 charge for pumping out the septic tank...

So the first thing they said was that the lid was broken, now maybe it was, maybe it wasn't... Carolyn didn't see them remove it and I wasn't there... When I arrive home, I asked them how much extra it was. He finally comes back with a figure of $2,995.00... HUH??? WHERE did you get that figure I asked. Well, the lid is $750.00. HUH? It's a slab of concrete!! Some other part was $1,695.00 (discount price) and then another $265.00 for some sort of chemicals... I told the guy, and he looked stunned when I did, don't do ANYTHING except pump it out, I have to make some calls. I called Joe first, he said he didn't do that kind of stuff, but would make some calls. I then called some company that actually makes the septic equipment and they said they would sell me the lid for $108!!! I said I'll be over shortly to get it! I went out and told the morons in my front yard, pump it out and leave! They were like, just leave it uncovered?? Yeah!

The $2,710.00 lid (actual cost = $108), because the guys I bought the lid from said I didn't even need the other part those crooks tried to sell me for nearly $2K... I suppose most homeowners would have just paid the nearly three grand though, because they would not have wanted to have the septic tank left uncovered while they found something cheaper! Of course the problem is, I can't lift it! I can't even lift one side of it... So now I have to get the Bobcat repaired tomorrow so that I can move it! :)

My temporary cover!! I told the kids, don't get near it unless you want to be swimming in our waste! They got it! So hopefully, I'll get the Bobcat working again tomorrow and problem will be solved. For a hundred bucks rather than 2700... Wow!

Grandma's 90th...

We won't be attending... I've been thinking about this for a while! It's like, you know, why would I spend a few thousand dollars to go see a bunch of people who obviously could care less about me and my family? Gail and Skip, Neil and Cherry, Duane and Glenda, and all the rest... I can't do it... Then you get to the kids, Mike, Eric, Gwen... Derek, Kendra, Daniel (I'd like to see Daniel actually!), and Heather... Tabitha, Rick, Tammy, Tonya, Terra, WC and Troy. You know, these people have never commented on my blog. Why would I spend a few thousand dollars to go see them??? I won't be doing that! I'll send Grandma a card and some flowers!

The Circle...

So we decided to go ahead and finish the circle in the back, we were tired of looking at it! So off to Home Depot we went and got the supplies...

Back from Home Depot and about to get started...

Why I choose to do these manual labor chores when I could do easy stuff like finish the entertainment center or the trim I'm not sure... :)

Nearly done, I do have to get a masonry blade for so I can cut the last block to fit, but it wouldn't be right to actually FINISH a project in one day! :)

Almost done, the bobcat isn't working, so I have to go to the Bobcat dealer tomorrow and find out what's wrong with it...

I'm NOT going to shovel that much dirt by hand! It will look nice though once it's done. Now it's time to relax and listen to my Jerry Lee Lewis 'Last Man Standing' DVD, which I recommend to everyone!! :)

Saturday...

Busy Saturday here... Of course I've got a million projects going on, but Uncle Andy and Uncle Joshua were coming over, so we decided to have a cookout! The kids were very excited! We got going early actually and went and bought some bushes and some other things, thinking for some reason that we would actually get around to planting anything!

The kids were enthralled with the pictures and videos Andy showed us from Iraq! It was good to see Andy actually, hopefully he'll stop back by while he is in GA!

Have to throw in a pic of my new lawn, it's coming right along!

We bought pavers to go around the 'circle', but decided we didn't like the color, so I loaded the red ones on the trailer to take back in the morning and get the ones we want. The kids thought that was great, and used the trailer as a ramp for a while, they were disappointed when I closed the trailer... :)

Yes! I AM still working on the entertainment center, and am almost done I might add! All in good time people! :)

Another One...

Funny, but it's the only one I could find where we are actually all together, unless you want to go back to when we were very little...

Old Photos II...

I couldn't resist Titus... :)

That's a nice look there Petra! :)

May as well include some of myself... :) Not sure what I was thinking with that getup...

Aunt Cherry and Kendra... (obviously! :)

I have found a few other gems I'll post later! :)

Okay, We Can Do That... :)

Post old photos that is... :) I haven't found all of mine yet, and I have a ton of them... Here are a few to get started though, and yes, I'll post some of myself as well! :) I look back at some of them and am like, "What in the world were you thinking Matt?" Well, obviously I wasn't!

Matthew and I... What about those glasses? What was I thinking? Of course I guess I thought I was styling... Who knows...

Petra, Titus, Tory and myself... Christmas I think. Why I EVER thought a mustache was a good idea, I have no idea... :)

Titus and Marci in the cabin we built... Lovely photo! We actually built that damn thing because we didn't want to stay in the main cabin. Wow! That brings back memories!

Of course I'm not leaving without posting the status of the entertainment center... :) You guys are stuck seeing that till it's done! :) I did start priming it today, and then quit after doing a bit, because, as I've said before, I HATE painting!!! :)

Nope, Not Done Yet...

It wasn't for lack of trying though... :) I spent all evening working on that thing. Just too much trim I guess...

I barely finished one side!

There is always tomorrow though! Maybe! :)

Of course they are obvious to me, but I suppose it would be nearly impossible for anyone else to spot them... :)

I Should Have Been Programmer...

Ever wanted to do something, then try to find a software program to help you? I have, MANY times! NONE of the programs do what they say they do, except the expensive ones, like PhotoShop, etc... So I am going to build a deck (no, I'm not done with the entertainment center or the trim upstairs, but it just wouldn't be right to not start another project BEFORE I'm done! :) and I have been trying to find a software program to design it and spit me out a materials list (why? I'm not sure, I should do it like I do everything else, just start building it! :).

Needless to say, ALL of the programs I've seen suck! I actually just bought one and downloaded it, and it sucks so bad I've already asked for my money back, I doubt I'll get it, but wow! It was totally unusable! Luckily it was only $19...

So then I keep going back to the Lowe's online one, and wow! I guess I'm just going to have to take it to the store, let them customize it for me and print out the plans, then just go get the stuff myself... Take carriage bolts for instance... Needed to bolt the beams to the posts I suppose, but they are $1.72 each at Lowe's and Home Depot and the nuts and washers are extra!! The plan said I needed 132 of them!! That's $227.04 for JUST the bolts!! I found them on Ebay WITH the washers and the nuts, 140 of them for $99.95 and FREE shipping! So anyway, I just need the plans, that's all! Matter of fact, I've been looking on Ebay for the ballusters I want as well, and they are a third of what they are at the Lowes and Home Depot... Gotta LOVE Ebay! Craigslist as well! I'll be looking for lumber on Craigslist in a few... :)

So anyway, if anyone knows of any decent software...

Here's a pic from Lowe's online design software:

Basically what I'm going to build, but none of these programs will spit me out a materials list... So I imagine I'll just start building and make multiple trips for supplies! :)

I Try, But Wow!

I've been wanting to have that entertainment center upstairs now for about a week! It's not for lack of trying, I worked on it all weekend... I started on it today at 10:00 and just quit a few minutes ago... :( Still not done though...

What are you doing Matt you might ask... Well, when I measured the ceiling where the thing is going, I didn't account for the crown molding, so it was off by an inch, so I had to cut an inch off the top... Only sidetracked me for about 30 minutes though... :)

That's as far as I got...

I'm done with the middle piece! :) (Except for painting of course)

While I was working, Taylor and Sarah came in, it was Sarah's birthday, so her and Taylor went to somewhere at the mall (I HATE the mall), and got all dolled up... So I took a picture. They had a good time though...

Back At It...

So I've taken a break from the entertainment center project... Not sure why I do that, but I have about a thousand projects going on at any given time... :)

I am almost to the prime and paint stage, so I'm starting to get excited about it!

A preview for you... :)

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get it trimmed out, primed and painted! We'll see how that works out! I do think it looks pretty nice though, but I guess I have a biased opinion... :)

I've Reclaimed My Garage!!!!

So I loaded up the trailer with all the junk that has accumulated for six years, and off to the dump we went...

Got everything strapped down, and off to the dump we go...

At the dump, that was fun! The smell was nice!

My garage is usable again!!! Plus, I can park the Bobcat right there in the middle! I'm tired! I'm glad it is done though!

Dump Day...

So for the past six years I've not really had anywhere to put things that I couldn't either burn or put out for the trash guys. I do however have an external garage, so guess where everything went... Well, it finally reached capacity! We bought a trailer a few weeks ago off of Craigslist (I LOVE Craigslist!), so I decided to put it to use for the first time! The kids were ecstatic about the prospect!

There is all the junk I've accumulated over the past six years while living here. There are appliances, broken furniture, trim, remodeling scraps, a toilet, a sink, broken toys, doors, scrap metal we cleaned up around the yard from when whoever built this house just threw it around the yard, etc, etc, etc... :)

Tanner and Nate getting ready to help! Looks like plenty of room in the trailer, no? Yeah, that's what I though at first as well!

It's loaded to the hilt! The kids were all a great help! Just have to strap it down in the morning and haul it to the dump.

I can't believe I have my garage back! Just have to sweep it out and organize it now. No, I'm not done with the entertainment center yet! :) I get sidetracked a lot! Well, I have a ton of different things to do! I'll get back on that tomorrow though. I'm thinking that I only have about a month or so left of projects to do, then I can relax for a minute. :) What can I say, I don't like to be idle! :)

Huffington Post...

Don't choke on your coffee Titus... :) I could not state it much better myself though...

Article...

Don Imus...

I don't have much to say, well, I have a LOT to say, but still formulating my thoughts. It's time for people to stand up against these people who scream about firing people because of comments. Particularly people like Sharpton and Jackson who are pimps and would make zero money if they didn't scream like they do. They do it for the money. How about the top ten hip-hop songs? They trash women and are violent. How about firing them? No, they make too much money. Imus did too though, and still does, but MSNBC dropped him today. This PC stuff pisses me off so much I can hardly stand it. I just can't believe that we have gotten to the point as a country that if a few pimps start screaming racism everyone listens!! Stunning! Why can't the people who disagree raise their voices as well? Well, therein lies the issue, they don't. Take the Republican base. They are a bunch of idiots. They rarely raise their voice about anything, yet they will attack Rudy for his stances. Yet they do nothing else. Lesson: The morons who complain about this country headed in the wrong direction, do nothing. Christians? Yeah, right! They do nothing either. Where is the Christian voice? You have people who are pimps for the Christian voice as well, they are anything but Christian I might add. Many of them are only in it for the money. One name comes to mind, Dobson. Huh? Who is that moron? Why does he think he speaks for all Christians? He doesn't even believe in the Bible from what I've read. Yet he sways many to his side. There are many more like him. They are all about the money, could care less about the big picture. Sad really. I just wish people would stop with this PC thing. I have e-mailed and sent a letter to MSNBC about them dropping Imus. The hypocrites that have been slamming him though are doing it out of malice. It will be interesting what happens...

Nope...

Still not done with it, the center piece has turned into a nightmare of sorts, but I've got the issues worked out now... :)

The hard part is done, smooth sailing from here... :)

The good thing about making furniture is that if you are painting it, it doesn't matter... Spackling, wood putty, whatever, prime and paint, no one will ever know! :)

How about the whole Don Imus issue? I can't believe these PC people, most of all Jackson and Sharpton. Those two are pimps for the black people and are self appointed. They nauseate me. Anyone who has EVER watched the Imus in the Morning program would know that there was no racism intended whatsoever!! Yet the execs at MSNBC and CBS caved to the PC police and the antics of Sharpton and Jackson and suspended Imus for two weeks! Are you kidding me?? I was just now watching Hannity and heard him say something about Don Imus, I'll never watch Hannity again. Same with O'Reilly, I just listened to him spew some nonsense about racism, I will not be watching him any longer either. NONE of these morons have obviously EVER actually watched the Imus in the Morning program... Racist?? Please!! Don Imus does more for charity, more for sick kids, more for a LOT of things than Hannity, O'Reilly, Limbaugh, and any other person who is slamming him now than ALL of them put together! Don Imus is the person who is responsible for getting the death benefit for our armed service members increased from like $12K to $250K (not sure of the exact figures), but Imus was instrumental in getting it done. Don Imus was the one who raised more than $15 million dollars to finish the Intrepid Center for our troops who come back from the war with issues. I CANNOT believe that MSNBC and CBS caved to all these fruit cakes like Jackson and Sharpton. Come on people! Americans have GOT to stop being so politically correct! From the looks of things though, I doubt they will... Too bad! This PC nonsense is ridiculous!

No, I Didn't Finish...

I tried though... :) I made several critical errors, and had to redo some things... Happens when you don't measure things like, oh, the dvd player that is going to go in the cabinet...

That's as far as I got... :(

Hopefully I'll finish it this week, although projects like this, if I don't finish them on the weekend, tend to 'wait' until the next weekend, we'll see... :) If you look at the picture, you can see where I screwed up and had to move those white squares over... I'm just glad I caught the error before I was done. It would not have been fun to take the thing upstairs and find out the dvd player would not fit in it...

Happy Easter!

The kids actually got to hunt eggs twice today, we had a hunt at our house like we always do. Then Taylor's friend Sarah came home and we had another hunt in our neighbors yard. So the kids were happy! :)

About to embark on the first hunt!

After the hunt. I actually video taped it this year, so now I have to transfer it to my PC and edit it... :)

Dashing off to find eggs at my neighbors house...

After the hunt: Tanner, Chance, Sarah, Taylor and Nate.

Hope everyone had a great day with their families! Happy Easter!

You Know...

I always start these projects, but they ALWAYS take longer than I think they will... :) It's coming right along, I was projecting Thursday though that this thing would be in my living room by Sunday... :)

Both of the main cabinets are pretty much done...

Now I just have to build the middle cabinet that the TV will sit on and finish everything. Hmmm... I wonder how much I will get done tomorrow since it's Easter? We'll see... :)

Sneak Preview...

Yeah, I know... I've been building my entertainment center! So I'll let you all have a sneak preview... :)

It's coming right along!!

The Fun Stuff...

So I've decided to take advantage of the 3 day weekend and build my entertainment center, something I really enjoy doing I might add. Building that is... No, in case you are wondering, I have not yet finished putting up all the trim upstairs. Yeah, I know it has been about 4 weeks now... :)

The entertainment center in its current state...

We'll see how far I get this weekend! :)

WooHoo!!!

My grass is growing!!!

Yeah, I still have to spread out that pile of dirt there, but it rained for two days after I had it delivered... :( That's how my luck goes... I'm actually glad it did rain though, because my 'new' lawn definitely needed it...

Quotes, Sayings, Etc...

Remember a funny quote that a family member used to use? Doesn't even have to be a funny one. A saying that reminds you of a family member? Something a family member says all the time that reminds you of them when you hear it? You get the gist, no? That's what Titus and Jackie are looking for. Send them in! You can either post them here, or e-mail them to Titus or Jackie. If you need the e-mail address, e-mail me and I'll send it to you... Should be lots of fun, I've already thought of several I'll be sending over... :) They are going to have them printed on little placards that will be laying on the tables for the reception, come on guys, let's hear them... :)

Family Website...

So there has been some talk from various family members about having a family website. There would be a main page, and you would be able to link to each of the various families pages from the main page, each family though would be able to update and do whatever they wanted to their page... There are enough people in the family that can put web pages together, that I'm sure assistance would be available for those who needed it. The question I guess is, who is interested?

The main page would be a collaborative effort I suppose, I don't think anyone has thought much yet as to design, etc, just trying to see if there is any interest... So I've been instructed to throw out the idea... :)

I think it's a great idea! I just wonder how many would participate? Each families page could be as simple as an updated photo, would not have to be anything fancy, and of course you could get as fancy as you wanted, with dates important to your family, photo albums, pictures of events your family attended, etc... The ideas are limitless, and each families page could really be whatever they wanted.

So if anyone is interested, here is the forum, thoughts? Ideas? Comments?

Getting Fitted...

We went today and got fitted for Titus and Jackies wedding, it took a while and we had five kids with us. It's funny when you go around with that many, people are like, "Wow, you really have your hands full there." Uhh, no, not really... If they didn't behave and do as they were told, then we'd have a problem, but hands full?? No.

Trying to figure out the shirt size for Chance...

I think they are getting quite excited about the trip as it draws closer, I'm not sure they were too keen on the whole fitting process though... :)

Who knew I've been wearing the wrong shirt size all this time?? I'll still keep buying mine with an inch larger neck size because I HATE being choked... I rarely wear a tie anyway, so it doesn't really matter... :)

Taylor trying on her flower girl dress...

I'd put up a picture of Taylor trying on her dress, but Jackie may not want anyone to see it until August 4th... :) Here's a funny story Jackie, when we went to order the dress, the girl was on the phone for like 20 minutes talking to whoever makes them, turns out they would not be able to have that particular style done by then. LUCKILY, they had one dress in that style left in the store, and lo and behold it fit Taylor perfectly!!! So we have the dress in hand!! :)