FINALLY!!!!

The Final Results of Em's Room

Craft & writing corner

Clothing center

Her "Media Corner"

Her BedBefore

Another Game

We had another softball game last night. Played Interlachen and won 4-1. Finally got the season schedule and looks like we'll be busy traveling to games this year. Not a lot of home games this time. Took a lot of nerve for me to go to last nights game as Jim is out of town. Everyone knows that when he is gone and the sun goes down, the house becomes a lighted fortress. I hate coming home in the dark when he's away.

Jenny had to work last night and missed the game, but was all smiles when she came home at 10:30 last night waving her first PAYCHECK!!!!! Now we have to go open her a bank account and set her up like she is a real grown-up. Little does she know that she's just a baby in my eyes.

Going to Walmart today to get a few things to finish putting Emily's room back together and then we will be through except for the new air vent and door which are contingent on each other, then we move to another area of the house.

Weekend

Saturday started with Rachel's first softball game. They won 5-0 against Micanopy. Stopped at Sonny's on way home for bbq, then spent the rest of the day washing clothes and getting Jim ready to go out of town. Sunday was spent packing Jim's clothes and cooking lunch so I didn't send him off on an empty stomach. He's headed to Pensacola and Gulfport this week, which means I won't get much sleep this week. Can't get to sleep without him here, or at least until the sun starts coming up and I can't keep my eyes open any longer. Kids will love it because I won't be getting them up early this week. Of course they are also complaining because I don't cook big meals while Jim is away. Lot's to do this week, so it will keep me busy.

Papa will love this!!!!

I was working in Emily's room, when I decided that the back corners of the newly built "box" in her room looked bare and didn't blend like I wanted them to. I went to Lowes and bought some molding, painted it, cut it to size, then didn't know how I was going to attach it to the wall since the ceiling is sloped and you can't get a hammer and nail to the top. I didn't want to wait for Jim to get home (he gets all macho when I ask for help, like I'm the little woman and he's the big "he-man), so I remembered that he bought himself a new nailer. Forgive me if I get the name wrong, but I believe it is called a "passlode". Anyway, no air compressor or massive muscles required to use this thing. I told Rachel to bring it to me. She stared at me like I had started sprouting horns...."You're going to use Daddy's new nailer?". I said yes, go get it. She started walking downstairs with her cell phone in her hand, no doubt to rat me out to Jim, so I told her that if she contacted her Dad in any way concerning this.....she was grounded. I read the instruction sheet on how to work this monstrosity and used it with EASE!!!! I LOVED IT!!!! So now let's guess who has custody of Jim's new baby???? ME!! I don't know if he will get over this heartbreak or not...he keeps telling me that I can "borrow" it if I want to, but he retains ownership....We'll see...hahahaha.

Kidnapped my husband

Yesterday was busy painting trim in Emily's room. Of course I had to wrap the room in blue tape. For those who don't know, I'm notorious for blue painter's tape in my house, and just to aggravate my kids, I sometimes let it stay for a while before I take it down after painting. Sometimes I will leave just a small piece on the wall on around a door just to drive them crazy. Anyway, I was finishing up with the paint yesterday and thought that I don't want to spend another night at home watching Jim play computer games and listening to the kids fight with each other over the dumbest things, so I decided to get cleaned up and dressed up and go kidnap my husband for a night out. The kids were going crazy because I told them they were on their own for dinner and don't call me unless it's an emergency. They were uncertain as to where I was going (didn't tell them any details) and left them with their mouths hanging wide open. Went to Jim's office (this was 3:30 in the afternoon) and told him to pack his stuff, we were going out. We went to the movies (Underworld 3---excellent movie) and out to dinner afterwards. Can't remember the last time Jim and I went to a movie alone. It was after 9 when we got home and Jennifer met us at the door with the words "You're grounded". She said dinner and a movie shouldn't take that long (we went to early 4pm movie) and we had no excuse. I think they were just mad because they couldn't go out themselves. We had a blast and wondered why we don't do it more often.

Update

Weekend was good. Of course we did the Twilight release party at Borders bookstore Friday night. Jim didn't think we girls needed to be out and on the road that late at night without him, so he and Jake also went with us. I think it was pure torture for Jake. Unbelievably, Jim was calm and cool through the whole thing. Of course there were plenty of videos and cds for him to browse through, not to mention the coffee shop. The girls had a blast and got their special edition video. Glad we went, because they ran out of videos while we were there. The place was packed!!!! On the way home, Jim decides to swing by Krispy Kreme and get donuts, so the night was a big hit for the girls and he was their "hero" that night.

We spent the rest of the weekend doing NOTHING!!! I read two books (paranormal romance, naturally) and we watched a couple of movies. Jim played games on his computer and the kids just became couch potatoes. That all ends now. I'm going to Lowes today to pick up some last minute things for Emily's room, and when they are together, we can start putting things back in place and she can move back into her room. Softball season begins full swing this week with their first game. Jenny is working today and Jake and Emily are trying to finish the school year, so they can have a little break before we start again. This school year was totally messed up with too many "emergencies" and chaos. Hopefully we can get the new school year started and under better control. To Jake's horror, he found out that they have to have vaccines before starting 7th grade and needless to say, he's not a happy camper. Like father, like son.

That's what's happening with the Holcomb's. I want to hear from everyone else, so either send me an email on what's happening or start your own blog and send me the link!!!!

Trip Cancelled

Our trip to Ozark was cancelled. House we were going to look at already has contract, so we decided not to go. Spent yesterday playing with JR, so now I have to do everything I put off yesterday. Jenny starts her new job today, so she was happy we are decided to stay home. I'm trying to decide if I can stay up late enough tomorrow night to take the girls to a midnight "Twilight" release party at the bookstore. Rachel is so into that movie, it's borderline obsessive. She took Emily yesterday to buy her Twilight t-shirt so she would have one to wear to the party. The girls are still restricted on driving after 10pm, so mom has to drive. Let's hope I get a nap tomorrow afternoon.

Update

Jenny took her SAT's Saturday. She feels she did well on them. Should get the results in a few weeks. We finally finished installing the floor in Emily's room. Now it's on to painting trim and putting up shelves. Kids did their MAP's (measures of Academic Progress) yesterday. It's computerized, so that was an all day affair. I had JR yesterday also, so we just sat around and had fun!!! I have him again on Wednesday, then it's off to Panama City (Jim's Office) and Ozark for a few days. We will be one kid short this trip due to the fact that Jennifer GOT A JOB!!!!!! She starts training Thursday at Winn Dixie. She is so excited. We are going out today to buy the required work clothes. With unemployment the way it is, we were all surprised when they called for her!!! She's grown up too fast. Things are really getting busy around with the job, softball, school and working on the house. Just hoping I can hold on to my sanity. Not that there's a lot to hold on to in the first place, but I would like to stay this side of a padded room.

U of FL

Today I have to take Jenny to UF to find the place she is supposed to take her SAT's Saturday. She is like her mom in that she is geographically challenged and doesn't like heavy traffic. I have tried to assure her that the traffic will not be heavy at 7am at a university on Saturday, unless it is students trying to get home from a night of partying.

We also have a few stops to make while we are in town. Hopefully, one will be to pick up my sweetie for lunch if he's not too busy. We have been working in Emily's room this week. It is a slow process because we can't empty her room due to space, so we work a little, move furniture, work a little more, move some more furniture. The room has officially been sprayed down with Pepto (Emily's color choice reminds me of Pepto), and one half of the room has been tiled. Jim is going to put in baseboards and I will finish touch up painting before we move to the other side of the room. Everything is coming together, but it is slow. I'm going to Lowes today to look for wallpaper border and light switch covers that coordinate with everything. Pink and black. With Emily, I can understand the black, but the Pepto threw me. We were working in there yesterday and Jenny came in the room and started pestering us, so Emily, being the child she is, decided to get Jenny out of her hair by telling her the new box that Dad built around the chimney housed the dead body of the last person who got on her nerves. Needless to say, Jenny left. Emily's a chip off the old block (me).

Painting Day

Well, it's Monday again. My parents and brother came for short visit this weekend. I think it was a little too soon for Daddy to make trip. He was tired and a little disoriented when they got here, but after hours of sleeping, he was almost to himself by the time they left for home. Don't know how this is going to play out. Not looking all that great.

Painting Emily's room today. Pepto-Bismol pink, or at least that's what it looks like to me. Hopefully with her sloped ceilings, I won't have too much paint in my hair. Have a crockpot full of bbq chicken going, so at least I will have supper ready tonight. Jim's biggest fear is that I will get too busy with the house and he will go hungry.

Now it's time to put away the computer and wrap my hand around a paintbrush...fun, fun.

What's Happening

Jenny, Emily and I went to see the Jonas Brothers 3D concert yesterday as part of Emily's birthday present. The girls really enjoyed it, but Mom doesn't squeal for teenage boys, so it wasn't such a high for me. But Emily is REALLY into them, so she drooled through the whole thing. Then we went to the bookstore, and then to Lowe's to get the materials to finish Emily's room. She picked out black marble tile and "Party Cake" pink for the paint color. Of course I told her all her Jonas Brother posters had to come down for me to paint the walls. That should take until sometime next week to finish.

Bought groceries today (yuk) getting ready for my baby brother and parents to arrive for the weekend if Daddy feels like the ride. I think cabin fever has set in on him since his surgery in Dec. That's all that is happening around here. Now it is time to "go stick my nose in a book" as Jim says.

Pics

Hulk Baby (JR's new trick)

The Birthday kids

Blowing out the candles

Pizza for a Holcomb Party

It's Official - Teenagers

Well, it's official. All my kids are teenagers, or at least the ones still at home are. Yesterday my twins turned 13. Unbelievable!!!! Had a house full of people and a great time. Kate and I had fun ribbing Jim and Bert about our blogs. Told them they would know what was going on in their house if they read them. Jim wanted to know how I knew everyone would be here for the birthday....told him I read it on the blog!!! Found out through the grapevine that we have a lot of blog followers. Of course, this didn't make Jim or Bert feel any better knowing that their dirty laundry was being aired on the internet for the whole family to read...but they will get over it. We promised we wouldn't tell EVERYTHING!!!

Anyway, this is my first attempt to post any pics, so be patient and if this works, I will post more.

Busy Day

Well, today was busy. Baked two cakes for Jake and Emily's birthday. Each wanted a homemade chocolate cake, but each wanted a different recipe. I asked if they were sure they didn't want a bought birthday cake and they said no. I said well, most kids want a store bought birthday cake, what's up with you?...Emily replied.."Most kids don't have a mom that cooks as good as you do". Needless to say the little "suck up" got a huge hug and kiss. Jim took all of us to Outback Steakhouse tonight for a "special" birthday dinner before the actual day. Can't believe my babies are going to be teenagers tomorrow!! Time is moving too fast.

Monday AGAIN!!!

Spent Saturday with my grandson, JR, while Jon and Krystle were working. Jim built the box to go around the chimney in Emily's room. Making progress!!! Sunday, we just did nothing. Made big pot of potato soup and read a book. Good times!! But here we are at Monday again and school begins, Jim is at work, and I have to clean..YUK. It's bedroom and bathroom today after a weekend of not cleaning. Jim is like a slug and leaves a trail wherever he goes. Candy wrappers, coffee cups, peanut jars and socks. SO...now it's time to plug up the iPod and go around with a garbage bag and laundry hamper. The favorite saying in this house is, "Don't worry, Mom will get it". Guess that's what mom's are for.