My list

Today I:

*cleaned my family room and windexed the coffee table :/

*organized a bunch of boxes in the basement - maybe now I can start thinking about planning my studio :)

*lifted too many boxes in the basement full of books and such and can now not move my neck :(

*began painting my living room :)

*emptied the dishwasher and filled it :/

*got news that Cali has some interest from someone on the board of the Humane Society :)

*sent Elli to play and spend the night at 'Aunt Lolo's :)

*watched the snow fall - 5 inches already? :/

*wired pictures for hanging in an art exhibit (Opening on March 4, 5:30-7:30 at the Art Center)

*visited with a friend of mine out at the college :)

*found out a great friend of mine had her baby today :)

*found a hot rice bag that I'm going to sleep with tonight :)

If you're going to leave a comment on my blog (where I can say whatever I want about whatever I want) scolding me for not having a favorable opinion that matches yours about a certain store and for 'freaking out' about the paint fumes in my house (that were toxic no matter what you say - whoever you are), and then praising that certain store for their awesome paint and customer service while dissing another (better) paint company - then leave your name! Be proud of your support!

Ooo! Ooo! Then you can write to that certain company and tell them that you stood up for them on this nasty blog - they'll probably remember me, because I sent them that letter - and then they'll thank you and probably hire you in their paint department.

What a downer...

I have been unmotivated to post anything lately.

Elli's room is finally livable - thankfully! I was in contact with a guy from Valspar, who was generally a nice guy, I guess. I felt like I was being treated like I had never painted before...which really offends me...but other than that, I suppose he tried to help. I haven't heard from them at all since the initial complaint and conversation, so I guess that they are done with me. Oh well. At least they didn't take forever to get back with me like Lowes did.

Lowes finally called me one day. It was actually the store manager at one of the Lowes here in town. She was very nice and apologetic. She actually offered to bring over an air purifier to leave for a few days because it had been two weeks and Elli was still not sleeping in her room. I declined at the moment, but now wish that I hadn't. I thought that we still had one. They also said that they would give me my money back for what I spent on the paint and the customer service I had. So now, I have to track down my receipt....it's SOMEWHERE. I'm glad that they at least offered some kind of restitution. I wasn't expecting anything in my complaint to them, but I'm also not going to turn down the offer to get my money back either. I still don't like their floor staff in general - I was there yesterday because I had to and it was all the effort in the world for this guy to turn his attention from his casual leaning-on-the-grills-on-the-main-isle conversation with a coworker to barely point me in the right direction of the pvc pipes I was looking for. So Lowes, I still hate you.

I've been really wanting to get into sewing lately. I want to do a lot of reconstructing of kids clothes out of mine or Mike's clothes. I want to make a quilt and just sew stuff...Period. but guess what?! My Singer sewing machine is broken. My stitch length doesn't vary and the zig-zag stitch doesn't work. I got it at the end of October 2008. Then I got pregnant, so sick I wanted to die, packed up, and moved to a new house....so it isn't like I've had a lot of time to be using my new machine. That new machine was a replacement of the first one I bought that screwed up promptly. I think that I should just ask for my money back. I did finally get a hold of Singer via telephone- it took 5 days. I called just for troubleshooting advice and they are emailing me a UPS label to return it and they'll replace it. Apparently, I didn't buy a great machine? Their customer service was nice - once I got through! So who knows how long until I can start sewing again. Bummer.

So, that's where I've been. Life's crazy and everything I want to do seems to be complicated or has a catch, and Mike's never home to help because of a change at work.

I need a break and I need it soon!

Oh my

Happy Valentines Day, honey :)

Do you remember when we were this young? and goofy? and had a lot of hair?

It was only 6 years ago.....We've aged!

I love you, even though you gave me wrinkles ;)

It really is a good thing - or so I tell myself

I really do think it is a good thing that I can do just about anything I put my mind to. (Except waiting patiently on companies to respond to a question or complaint - I definitely can't do that.) I can however cook or bake something if I am hungry and my home is lacking in grab snacks. Great for my stomach - not great for my waist or hips.

This is how things usually go...

I open the fridge. Nothing.

I open the freezer. Nothing.

I check the fridge again, just in case I missed something - and, after all, I am standing right there. Still nothing.

I really need something to snack on! There is nothing anywhere in my house!!

"Elli?"

"What Mom?"

"Let's make cookies."

"Yippee!!"

There really isn't anything much better than a warm chocolate chip cookie....

Hmmm....who gets the giant ones? I think they'll be great in my coffee...

That's a great idea, Mom!!!

Astey-Tay....

Crafty

Every fiber of my being wants to be crafty right now.

I want to paint flowers all over Elli's walls.

I want to paint my living room walls.

I want to make hair clips for Elli to go with her new hair cut.

I want to make more shirts for Levi.

I want to make pants for Levi - the ones I made tonight are a little snug. Eh...first try.

I want to sew.

I want to paint trees all over Levi's walls.

I want to hang pictures on my walls.

I want to paint big paintings.

I want to finish my quilt.

I want to paint my bathroom.

I want to create! It makes me happy!!!

But...

I have to do laundry.

I have to vacuum.

I have to do the dishes.

I have to clean the toilets.

I have to constantly clean up behind my daughter.

I have to clean up behind my husband.

I have to spend half of my day at least once a week going to a doctor of some kind because of the ridiculous car accident I had 2 years ago...still.

I have to take care of Cali.

Ugh.

First (real) haircut!

Sorry in advance that my pictures are sideways this time.

I thought that I would have a little girl with beautiful long hair that I wouldn't have to cut until she was 12 years old...just an occasional trim, ya know? Instead, I got this.

Crazy bad, kid mullet.

So today I decided that I'm just going to do it! I am going to cut her mullet off! It can't look worse. I have to say that I don't know why I waited so long to do this! I freaking LOVE it! It is so pretty! She no longer has "crazy hair" but has beautiful, body filled, curly hair again!

But she looks a lot more like a big girl now...or something...I can't explain it.

Yay!!

After:

It makes me a little jealous.

On another hair note, it is dumping the snow and I don't think I will be able to make it to my own appointment tomorrow.... I AM SO BUMMED!!!

Dear Lowes,

Dear Lowes,

I hate you and your paint.

I have never ever in my history of painting rooms had anything smell as bad and as toxic as your brand of Valspar paint. I thought it was supposed to be low VOCs and environmentally friendly (that's what your commercials and the Valspar website claims, anyways). I was afraid that I was going to fall off of my ladder because I was so dizzy from the fumes. My head was splitting from it's toxicity.

A week ago I went into your store. 'How different can paint be?' I thought to myself, so I bought your Valspar paint with the gift cards we have collected. Apparently, very different. Now my 3 year old daughter is on an air mattress in my son's room, but should be in her own room. I won't let her play in her room or carry my son into my daughters room because of the deadly air that is in there. My daughter has this newly painted room, but can't sleep in it because it is STILL way too toxic in her room to let her in there for any amount of time other than just to get her clothes. There is a lot of detail and mural work that I want to be doing in her room to get it finished, but can't because I know that if I am in there for more than 15 minutes, I will have a headache.

For the past 6 days we have even had a window fan in the room sucking the air out, as well as a fan in her doorway forcing air toward the window fan. Last night we even opened the adjacent bathroom's window in the hopes that it would pull fresh air from there through the fan in her doorway and replace the toxic air that is occupying her room. That didn't work either.

It has been a week!

I actually don't mind the scent of fresh paint, but this is beyond anything that I have experienced before -almost worse than an oil base paint.

A month ago, I painted my kitchen using a competitors paint (Sherwin Williams) and had no problems what-so-ever. No fumes past the initial paint can opening. I was not afraid to let my 6 week old son be in the room an hour after it was painted. I was cooking dinner in it that evening. We ate in the room that night.

Not only am I upset about the horrible fumes from this "environmentally conscious" brand, but the service I received from the man working at the paint counter was bad too. He treated me like I had no idea what I was doing and just wasn't friendly at all. I will say though, that when I took a paint can back to get the color corrected (yes, I had to because the guy the day before was just in a hurry to get me out of there and gave me color that wasn't exactly what I asked for), the second guy who helped me was very nice. He was my age.

I won't go into the complications that your paint has caused my family, but just know that I will NEVER be buying paint from your store again. I will tell all of my friends to never buy paint from your store. It is absolutely ridiculous.

From now on, I will be going back to Sherwin Williams or Home Depot. For that matter, Home Depot employees are always nicer and they have better kids' carts, so I'll probably be going there for home repair supplies as well.

Goodbye Lowes.

Dear Sherwin Williams,

I love you and your paint.

I cheated on you, and I am sorry. Will you take me back?