Wisconsin Health Care

So, for all my Californian friends, here's yet another reason why I REALLY love my health insurance company: (Direct from the company website...)

COUPLE'S MASSAGE WORKSHOP

Learn to give and receive full-body, nurturing touch with your partner in this hands-on class. Lecture is kept to a minimum with an emphasis on the massage techniques.

Develop confidence and skill in giving massage
Explore new ways to communicate through touch
Learn pain and stress relief techniques

Class size is limited to ensure that each couple receives ample personal attention and private room instruction.

Yes, really! And, it was oh, so fun! ;)

Oops.

While pouring some ranch dressing, I somehow poured about a 1/2 cup into my lap. I thought, "Well, it's not paint..."

About Being Tie-dy

So the house has a bunch of blond-colored tumbleweeds floating around, and I decide the house needs a vacuum. I swoop around the upstairs, suck up all the offending fur balls, and head downstairs. I notice the closet really hasn't had much attention in a while, so I pull out the hand tool to do some detail work. There's a few pieces of stuff on the floor that really shouldn't be vacuumed up. So, I bend down to pick up the things, being careful not to bop my head on anything, but not noticing the hand tool is pointing up. THWOOOOOP! I have very successfully sucked up one of Jonathan's silk ties off its hanger. I'm thinking that, after my last few blogs, none of you are going to be asking me to come and do any work around your house.

Arrrrgh!

The neighbors are fencing. Not the picket, chain link, or even barbed wire type. Fencing - the "en garde!" type. Fencing - complete with body protection, facemask, gloves, and swords. Clank, clank! We thought that fencing was kind of odd. I mean, Frisbee, kicking around a soccer ball, but fencing? Really?

On almost any given Sunday, there are anywhere from 5-8 cars parked in front of our house and theirs. They're not really a rowdy bunch - the sound of metal against metal is usually all we hear. The first time, we weren't sure what to think, but now, it's just one of the sounds in the neighborhood - until they pull out their accordion. Or have a pirate party, complete with grown men wearing balloon-sleeved shirts, but there's not a child in sight. And here I thought it was interesting when we had neighbors in California who regularly had Fiestas...

Hello, My Name is Lucy Ricardo

...at least, this week it sure seems to be! Let me start at the beginning - I've been painting - a lot. I've been working on a mural in one of the children's rooms at church, re-painting the faded and peeling sign in front of the church, and painting my living room. Yes, all of them this week.

Paint is always an iffy undertaking with me. I'm not always aware of my surroundings when I've got a paintbrush in my hand. I'm also not the most coordinated of all people. Put those things together, and you've got the makings of an "I Love Lucy" episode. Let me just start with Wednesday.

Wednesday, I not only managed to get paint in my hair, but I also forgot the fact that I was wearing an apron to wipe off paint, and wiped it on my non-paining jeans. At least, they were my non-painting jeans. That afternoon, I went home and started on the living room walls, still wearing my painting apron, but also now wearing the real painting pants. In the evening, Jonathan came home, and like we always do, we greeted each other with a hug and kiss. Now, Jonathan has a good pair of painting Dockers.

We won't even discuss every time the paint decided to drip anywhere that the dropcloth was not, including the area rug. Moving on to yesterday...

Yesterday, I was determined not to have a repeat of the day before. Well, it wasn't. It gets better. Yesterday, I started out with the primer. This primer is said to stick to anything and everything, and doesn't come off, which is why I got it - I was tired of sanding the previously un-painted window frames. Realizing what kind of a day I'd had the day before, I thought it would be best if I didn't work out of the open gallon can. I could already visualize the white primer oozing all over my hardwood floor... So, I decided to pour a little bit into a small can with a handle. All was going well, until right at the end, when my hands seemingly went rogue, and decided to flip the gallon can over, landing the primer on me, the counter, the sink, the cabinets, and the tiled floor. I'm freaking out, trying to figure out how to get it all up, as it's practically drying on contact, and even a razor blade won't even scrape it up. In a sheer stroke of brilliance, I grab the acetone I use to remove my nailpolish, and am able to clean up pretty much everything. Moving on, I carefully begin to prime and paint...

As I'm painting, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go ahead and work out of the gallon can, leaving the paint-covered lid on the dropcloth. You can guess the rest - I take a step, pivot to my next position, and realize, as I have my sock-covered foot on the wood floor, that it is also now a paint-covered foot. You have GOT to be kidding me! As I stand on one foot, I reach down and grab the paint-covered sock, flip it inside-out, find a dry spot, and quickly wipe off the paint from the floor. Clean. Whew! Oh, but it gets better...

I've managed not to make any huge mistakes for a couple hours, so I'm happily painting around the top on the walls, standing on my ladder. I step off the ladder to go get something, and promptly immerse my entire foot - RIGHT IN THE PAINT CAN!! MY WHOLE FOOT!! I begin to squeegee my foot against the inner rim, all the while muttering to myself, "This can't really be getting worse..." I throw away my second sock of the day, wipe off the bottom part of my now VERY painted pants, clean up around my ankle, and go search for another sock. Upon his arrival home, I tell Jonathan of the latest adventures, and he calmly replies, "Did it ever occur to you that maybe you shouldn't be painting today?" I don't think I'll tell him about the big white brush stroke I found this morning on the back of the couch....

Painting...

I was out painting the sign at church yesterday, when the sun started to set. It was a great experience - God and I painting together. He won. (Best in Color and Originality...) :)