They say that Americans don't get the sleep they should. I certainly don't.
Maybe it's just that when it's time to go to bed, I keep all of the other things that I could be doing. Maybe I have no self-discipline.
I do know that it's hard for me to come straight home and go right to bed. About the only time I manage to accomplish that is if I'm coming from Mom & Dad's house, and it's late. I need that transition, re-entry time to slow down my brain and body a little bit.
Monday night I got a good night's sleep, probably the first in several weeks. I actually went to bed before midnight (a huge feat in itself). Tuesday night, I undid all the benefits. Last night wasn't that much better, although it's certainly been worse.
But I'm tired. And there are enough things going on this week that I just need to be more diligent about getting to bed at a decent time. Otherwise, I'll never make it to Chicago for my vacation - I'll have a nervous breakdown before that.
Bedroom floors, Saturday's update
Dad and Mom came over this morning/afternoon to help me work on the floor. When I started, I really hadn't planned on asking for Dad's help, but he knows so much more than I do about all of the complicated cuts that need to be made around the door jambs. We finished up two of the six, but then Dad was getting tired and started making mistakes. So, we decided to call it a day.
There's room for a couple more rows in the bedroom, which get increasingly more complicated until they finally end at the closet door.
Dad and I aren't both free to work on it again until Wednesday, so I think I'm going to start working at the back wall of the closet. I can do that myself, if I have to, at least up until the door. If that's all we have to do on Wednesday, we just might get it done completely. And, if I can get to Lowe's and pick up the quarter round, and we can get started on that, I might just be done by next weekend. Since that's Bethany's bachelorette party, that would be good.
There's room for a couple more rows in the bedroom, which get increasingly more complicated until they finally end at the closet door.
Dad and I aren't both free to work on it again until Wednesday, so I think I'm going to start working at the back wall of the closet. I can do that myself, if I have to, at least up until the door. If that's all we have to do on Wednesday, we just might get it done completely. And, if I can get to Lowe's and pick up the quarter round, and we can get started on that, I might just be done by next weekend. Since that's Bethany's bachelorette party, that would be good.
Bedroom floors, update
Dad came over and helped me get some more of the floor done in the bedroom, including cutting the hole for the outlet. He's also going to replace the outlet Saturday, so I can use a regular face plate, and not have to buy a sunken one, that only comes in brass, and then worry about painting it. Though I may end up painting one anyway, to get the color to match.
He was actually more help than I thought - I figured he would do most of the cutting for me, which he did. I had planned to lay the pieces myself, including tapping them into place. This is a tricky thing, since you actually need to put weight on two boards at once, to get them to snap into place. So, Dad walked around with me, just standing where I needed. It was a huge help, and gives me hope that we can move pretty quickly when he and Mom both come over on Saturday, as she can stand where I need and he can cut the boards.
He also said that he doesn't think the angles will be all that hard, since they're all 45-degree angles. If he's right, that will certain make cutting the quarter round easier. The worst part will be the doors, since there are three of them.
I'm hoping to move things around a bit in the next two days - move the work bench to the finished part of the floor and clean up the existing sawdust, then add another roll of underlayment. Depending on the time of day, I might even start the next couple rows, if my back and knees can handle it.
He was actually more help than I thought - I figured he would do most of the cutting for me, which he did. I had planned to lay the pieces myself, including tapping them into place. This is a tricky thing, since you actually need to put weight on two boards at once, to get them to snap into place. So, Dad walked around with me, just standing where I needed. It was a huge help, and gives me hope that we can move pretty quickly when he and Mom both come over on Saturday, as she can stand where I need and he can cut the boards.
He also said that he doesn't think the angles will be all that hard, since they're all 45-degree angles. If he's right, that will certain make cutting the quarter round easier. The worst part will be the doors, since there are three of them.
I'm hoping to move things around a bit in the next two days - move the work bench to the finished part of the floor and clean up the existing sawdust, then add another roll of underlayment. Depending on the time of day, I might even start the next couple rows, if my back and knees can handle it.
Bedroom floors, part 2
So, there hasn't really been much progress on the floors.
I was hoping to work on them some tonight, since my mom was coming over to help. But, my dad is determined that it's a bad idea to cover up the outlet we found in the floor (the live outlet, previously covered up by the carpet), and has promised to help cut the whole for the outlet. Tomorrow night.
Mom ended up babysitting Jacob (Katie, Mike, Kelli, & Jon went to work out at the Y, and there was no babysitting available), so we couldn't have worked on the floors, anyway, not with an active 2-year-old and a plugged-in circular saw in the same room. Sometimes, I wish she would just say no.
Anyway, I offered to buy Dad dinner for his help tomorrow. He won't be able to do much, just basically cut the pieces that I need, but hopefully I can do a decent job of putting the planks in myself.
I was hoping to work on them some tonight, since my mom was coming over to help. But, my dad is determined that it's a bad idea to cover up the outlet we found in the floor (the live outlet, previously covered up by the carpet), and has promised to help cut the whole for the outlet. Tomorrow night.
Mom ended up babysitting Jacob (Katie, Mike, Kelli, & Jon went to work out at the Y, and there was no babysitting available), so we couldn't have worked on the floors, anyway, not with an active 2-year-old and a plugged-in circular saw in the same room. Sometimes, I wish she would just say no.
Anyway, I offered to buy Dad dinner for his help tomorrow. He won't be able to do much, just basically cut the pieces that I need, but hopefully I can do a decent job of putting the planks in myself.
Hardwood Floors
I started installing laminate hardwood floors in my bedroom this week.
First step, get rid of the disgusting, stained, smelly carpet. I can't even begin to describe how disgusting this process was. Fortunately, having a 16-year-old brother, I have access to a great workforce that will carry the disgusting stuff out to dumpster with only the promise of free ice cream.
Then, pulling up all of the tack strips and carpet pad staples. This was time-consuming, to be sure, but I've heard it can be a lot worse, so I'm not complaining. My brother came over on Saturday (because I offered to pay him) to help for a few hours.
Then we started laying the floor. It took a while to get going, just to understand how to do it, and by the time we started to figure it out, we were done for the day.
But Sunday Bethany came over, and my new friend Lisa, who loves hands-on stuff and didn't have anything else to do, and we finished half the bedroom. Granted it was the easy half, but it's still a huge visual improvement.
So far the biggest drawback to the entire project is that I absolutely can't sleep in my bedroom, between all of the dust and animal dander stirred up when I pulled up the carpet, and the wonderful green dust from the flooring. I've been crashing at Mom & Dad's, which worked for the weekend, since they didn't mind having Dakota around. But Mom doesn't want to deal with her all week, so this morning I drove her and her crate back home, put them inside, then headed on to work. Sleeping on my couch downstairs will be a lot less comfortable, but I think it's going to be the best option, since I can't keep moving things back and forth each morning and evening. Hopefully, the discomfort will urge me to move a bit more quickly.
First step, get rid of the disgusting, stained, smelly carpet. I can't even begin to describe how disgusting this process was. Fortunately, having a 16-year-old brother, I have access to a great workforce that will carry the disgusting stuff out to dumpster with only the promise of free ice cream.
Then, pulling up all of the tack strips and carpet pad staples. This was time-consuming, to be sure, but I've heard it can be a lot worse, so I'm not complaining. My brother came over on Saturday (because I offered to pay him) to help for a few hours.
Then we started laying the floor. It took a while to get going, just to understand how to do it, and by the time we started to figure it out, we were done for the day.
But Sunday Bethany came over, and my new friend Lisa, who loves hands-on stuff and didn't have anything else to do, and we finished half the bedroom. Granted it was the easy half, but it's still a huge visual improvement.
So far the biggest drawback to the entire project is that I absolutely can't sleep in my bedroom, between all of the dust and animal dander stirred up when I pulled up the carpet, and the wonderful green dust from the flooring. I've been crashing at Mom & Dad's, which worked for the weekend, since they didn't mind having Dakota around. But Mom doesn't want to deal with her all week, so this morning I drove her and her crate back home, put them inside, then headed on to work. Sleeping on my couch downstairs will be a lot less comfortable, but I think it's going to be the best option, since I can't keep moving things back and forth each morning and evening. Hopefully, the discomfort will urge me to move a bit more quickly.
Clutter and Productivity
It’s certainly true that clutter gets in the way of productivity. Right now, in addition to the stuff that actually belongs in my living room, I’m looking a dog crate that needs to go upstairs, a set of Pyrex bakeware that I won at a Christmas party a couple years ago, four rolls of underlayment for the wood laminate floor going down in my bedroom, and a box of assorted Hawaiian and beach gear from our week at camp at the beginning of August. All of this is in addition to the assorted papers and mail and such littering the dining table, and the shoes all over the floor.
I know I need to clean these out. In fact, I’ve got to do it before Sunday, because our Bible study is meeting here then. And yet, instead of cleaning, here I sit – watching Singing In The Rain and blogging about cleaning.
I know I need to clean these out. In fact, I’ve got to do it before Sunday, because our Bible study is meeting here then. And yet, instead of cleaning, here I sit – watching Singing In The Rain and blogging about cleaning.
It's been a while
It's been a while since I last posted. Sometimes this is because there's really nothing going on to post about, and sometimes it's because too much is going on. In this case, it's both.
We've started Young Life Club again for the fall. We kicked off the semester with a pool party on August 26, and tried to keep momentum with Club that night and the next Monday. We were off this week for Labor Day.
High school games start this week, which means I'll need to be a bit more creative with my work schedule. Mostly, this really means coming in to work earlier, which I should probably do anyway, just for the sake of my productivity. Now that school is back in session, this also means my schedule picks up drastically, really starting this week. In addition to regular Campaigners, we have Club every week and Leadership more often. Plus, my women's Bible study starts meeting again every other week, and praise team practices move to the week. One a regular basis, I only have one weeknight free a week, not including games. And of course, that fills up quickly.
I spent the holiday weekend working at Lake Champion for Family Camp. It's amazing how much has changed in my life since last year's Family Camp - it's almost hard to believe. But it's good, because it means that God is doing some great things in my life. Going away to camp, though, especially when I'm not going as a leader, kind of rocks me a bit. Camp is just such a total escape from real life that it takes me a while to adjust back in, and this transition has seemed a bit rockier than most. There are other things going on in my head, but nothing I really feel ready to share here, at least not yet.
So, because of all of this, I feel a bit like I'm just hanging on at the moment, waiting for life to short itself out a bit into the new fall routine. It's good, though. :-)
We've started Young Life Club again for the fall. We kicked off the semester with a pool party on August 26, and tried to keep momentum with Club that night and the next Monday. We were off this week for Labor Day.
High school games start this week, which means I'll need to be a bit more creative with my work schedule. Mostly, this really means coming in to work earlier, which I should probably do anyway, just for the sake of my productivity. Now that school is back in session, this also means my schedule picks up drastically, really starting this week. In addition to regular Campaigners, we have Club every week and Leadership more often. Plus, my women's Bible study starts meeting again every other week, and praise team practices move to the week. One a regular basis, I only have one weeknight free a week, not including games. And of course, that fills up quickly.
I spent the holiday weekend working at Lake Champion for Family Camp. It's amazing how much has changed in my life since last year's Family Camp - it's almost hard to believe. But it's good, because it means that God is doing some great things in my life. Going away to camp, though, especially when I'm not going as a leader, kind of rocks me a bit. Camp is just such a total escape from real life that it takes me a while to adjust back in, and this transition has seemed a bit rockier than most. There are other things going on in my head, but nothing I really feel ready to share here, at least not yet.
So, because of all of this, I feel a bit like I'm just hanging on at the moment, waiting for life to short itself out a bit into the new fall routine. It's good, though. :-)
My Christmas card mailing list, part 2
In my last post, I explained how I use my PDA to track my Christmas card mailing list.
It occurs to me that if you don't want to keep track of how your list changes from year to year, or who sends you cards, you could just use a simple notation - "CC". Then, the process would be a bit simpler. Just export the files, and update the Excel file directly if there's someone you want to add or remove. Just make sure to update the notations in your address book accordingly, for next year.
It occurs to me that if you don't want to keep track of how your list changes from year to year, or who sends you cards, you could just use a simple notation - "CC". Then, the process would be a bit simpler. Just export the files, and update the Excel file directly if there's someone you want to add or remove. Just make sure to update the notations in your address book accordingly, for next year.
Using my PDA for my Christmas card mailing list
When I mentioned, over at OrganizedChristmas that I use my PDA for my Christmas card mailing list, someone asked for the exact process. So, I'd thought I would go ahead and post it here.
I should note that I do this for all mailing lists, not just Christmas cards. It takes a bit of time, but it's easier than keeping two separate lists updated, in my opinion. And, I got this idea originally from pdaaddict over at OrganizedHome.
To start, I modified one of the Custom fields in my Contacts list to be called "Mailing." In there, I make notations for anyone who is part of a mailing list. For Christmas cards, the notation looks like this: CC-04 or CC-04X. 04 represents the year, so this year's notations will be CC-05. I use the X at the end if I received a Christmas card from that person.
Here are the basic steps I go through:
If your contacts list is small enough, you could just go through the list on your Palm. Mine contains nearly 500 entries though, the vast majority of which do not receive cards. So, I go through the following process to export my list into something I can read a bit more easily.
Using last year's list as a reference, I add this year's notation (CC-05) to the Mailing field of all contacts I want on this year's list. Then, I go through the same export process:
Export this year's list into Microsoft Word for labels
Once I have the Excel file, I step through Microsoft Word's Mail Merge wizard to create labels, using the Excel file as my data source.
And that's it!
I should note that I do this for all mailing lists, not just Christmas cards. It takes a bit of time, but it's easier than keeping two separate lists updated, in my opinion. And, I got this idea originally from pdaaddict over at OrganizedHome.
To start, I modified one of the Custom fields in my Contacts list to be called "Mailing." In there, I make notations for anyone who is part of a mailing list. For Christmas cards, the notation looks like this: CC-04 or CC-04X. 04 represents the year, so this year's notations will be CC-05. I use the X at the end if I received a Christmas card from that person.
Here are the basic steps I go through:
- Review last year's card list.
- Create this year's list.
- Export this year's list into Microsoft Word for labels.
If your contacts list is small enough, you could just go through the list on your Palm. Mine contains nearly 500 entries though, the vast majority of which do not receive cards. So, I go through the following process to export my list into something I can read a bit more easily.
- First, I export all my records using the Palm Desktop. I only export the following fields: First Name, Last Name, Address, City, State, Zip, Country, and Mailing. I export them as a Comma Separated file (csv).
- Next, I import this CSV file into Excel.
- I use Excel to filter the results based on the Mailing field. This year, I'll filter using CC-04, followed by a wildcard.
- Then, I copy and paste these filtered records into a new worksheet, effectively getting rid of all the other records.
Using last year's list as a reference, I add this year's notation (CC-05) to the Mailing field of all contacts I want on this year's list. Then, I go through the same export process:
- Export the Palm Desktop records into a CSV file.
- Import the CSV file into Excel.
- Filter the Excel file, using CC-05, followed by a wildcard.
- Copy and paste the filtered records into a new worksheet.
Export this year's list into Microsoft Word for labels
Once I have the Excel file, I step through Microsoft Word's Mail Merge wizard to create labels, using the Excel file as my data source.
And that's it!
Back from camp
It's been almost two weeks since I last posted, which is mostly because of being away at camp for a week and the mad rush to get things done before I left. I'm also sick, which isn't helping my energy level much at all. I'm always pretty wiped out when I get back from camp, but this sickness is really throwing me for a loop. I have no desire to do anything but just lay around.
I was 15 minutes late for Campaigners last night, because at some point, Brad had changed the time without telling me. I think he didn't change it intentionally, and announced the new time at the area meeting the morning we left camp. Unfortunately, though, I wasn't there, because I was with Jami. This is still extremely frustrating to me, although I realize that it was all just an accident, because I have this general feeling that my input isn't really important here. I'm not sure when we got to that point, but right now I'm debating whether or not I should mention it to him whenever we have our next team meeting.
In the meantime, I need to get back to work. Blah.
I was 15 minutes late for Campaigners last night, because at some point, Brad had changed the time without telling me. I think he didn't change it intentionally, and announced the new time at the area meeting the morning we left camp. Unfortunately, though, I wasn't there, because I was with Jami. This is still extremely frustrating to me, although I realize that it was all just an accident, because I have this general feeling that my input isn't really important here. I'm not sure when we got to that point, but right now I'm debating whether or not I should mention it to him whenever we have our next team meeting.
In the meantime, I need to get back to work. Blah.
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