Sunday, December 13, 2009

Just a Sampling of My Nice Paint Job! (It has caused more than a few gray hairs!)

The first words Derrick said to this painter when we met him were "I do not like over spray!"

The OVER SPRAY...Yikes!


Going on three months in this house & many areas like the stairs are not even primed or prepped. It is all a bit more challenging now with us living here & the carpet in.
My beautiful railing...This was the day I took matters into my own hands & called in a new painter myself. That was more than uncomfortable, since the old painter was still there.


This is the corner of my coffered ceiling in my office. Those are some pretty big drips!
Love the paint on my fireplace...what can I expect since it was on my wood floor, nearly all of my plumbing fixtures, my marble counters in my bathroom, my cabinets (kitchen & bath), he was pretty much non-discriminate he just sprayed everything. I was a complete wreck watching it happen & even though I fired him, the contractor let him stay on the job. Months later I still make cleaning up over spray a daily task.
A perfect example of how a painter should NOT tape a window off!
He did tape here, but with industrial strength tape & like all over ripped down to the drywall.

Get a load of this nice "waterfall", the carpet guy pointed this one out to me. He said "I've been doing this a long time, but I've never seen anything like it."

My New Home (not sure if I LOVE it or HATE it!)

So this is it...what has been taking up a great deal of my time. It is a beautiful home, but it has been an absolute mess. The painter was a horrible excuse for a painter & literally every surface inside & out has had to be repainted. Unfortunately, the inside all has to be sanded & then the molding, trim & inside closets have to be re-sprayed & then the walls re-painted. It is great, since we are living in it now. We have had three separate paint contractors working to fix it. This means they will give me my homework, for example, clear out these rooms & closets, etc. by tomorrow at 6:30 a.m. I then get to load it all back in & start on a new room. It is all loads of FUN!This is the fixed living room.

Kitchen & dining area-fixed.
I will post more as I get a chance...It is an unbelievably crazy process!

A Break in the "Binge Blogging" for a comment Macall Made Tonight.

Font sizeThe true measure of what kind of day it is...

Sun. 12/13/09
Macall came to Dad & said "It has been a really hard day."
Derrick "oh really, why?" (It is a Sunday evening, how hard can it be for a 5 year-old.)
Macall replied in her 5 year-old DIVA style "Just look at the hair Dad!"

New Pictures of Us

June 2009

Madeline-10 1/2
Preston-9 1/2
Macall-almost 5
Derrick & Julie-wow 15 years!

The Real CRAZINESS Begins!!! (Our adventures while we were homeless!)

Layton Family Reunion, Deer Valley 6/09

Cute girl cousins on a bike ride in Park City, UT
(I can't find my disk of pictures so this is it from the reunion for now.)

Disneyland!
One last chance to take advantage of the Military benefits before civilian life officially begins!

Let's get "GOOFY" after a dip in the pool!
Macall was even up for the Hollywood Tower Hotel ride...Maddy did not think it was so great.
Macall is ready to go...Dad not so sure!


Disneyland was INCREDIBLE!
Soaked after the log ride!
Thunder Mountain Railroad Thrill!
It is so nice that the whole family is up for the fun, Macall was game for anything!
Macall, our "princess" got to meet the princesses!

Back Home in Utah!
June 2009
Second: Head to Utah to see family. Derricks parents are AWESOME, when we pulled up to their house they lined the streets with American flags to welcome home their soldier!

Moving Day!

First: The move, goodbye Mountain Home! Yes, we filled this huge truck. Everything into storage in Washington until further notice.

Back From Deployment & Ready to Separate!

Finally leg of journey...finally back in Boise, ID. It was a long five months and we are grateful that there were no major casualties in Southwest Asia or Idaho during the deployment.
Derrick and Brian happy to be back on US soil at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Brian, also a surgeon, was in Balad, Iraq while Derrick was in Kirkuk.)
Can you appreciate how sweaty we are after having waited 45 minutes on the tarmac? By the way it took another 20 minutes to get the A/C on and we didn't dry out until reaching Ramstein AFB, Germany.
Finally walking up the steps to board the plane...can it be true, almost leaving the middle east.
They made us wait outside to board the airplane. Mind you this is Qatar the end of May and yes it was 140 degrees F.
Ready to leave the terminal at Kirkuk Regional Air Base, Iraq. No I don't drink, but seeing the local Mountain Home watering hole made me thirsty.

standing in front of the 506th EMEDS slogan Derrick designed for the squadron coin while deployed (he also painted this cement T-wall barrier). Thank goodness for less troops getting hurt so the hospital crew could work out in their spare time. We finished this sign a few days before leaving Kirkuk.