Kitten Names...

Life here at our house just got a little crazier. We flea treated, washed, litter box trained, and brought in all three kittens. It make for a crazy and very entertaining time in our house. I actually have two of them on my lap playing now. We are keeping two of them, the all black one who's taken a liking to Ross. And the gray and white one who's taken a liking to me. We don't have names though! What do you think we should name them??

It's fun for me to have someone to come home to and keep me company while I read and what for Ross to come home. And they are VERY entertaining...running around playing, scaring, and all around being cute. Ross and I are excited to watch them grow up and play. Last night I think we sat on the couch for an hour or two watching them play with each other. I have to say it's much better then any TV entertainment!!! Here are pictures of the two we are keeping. We think we have the third one adopted out to one of Ross' co-workers.

Outside before we brought them in.

Practicing bush climbing.

A very cute one for a few weeks ago.

Not sure about the bike.

Ross has also started kitty boot camp, yes I help too. It started yesterday when they were climbing on the furniture. He's armed with a spray bottle of water and following them around. Every time they try to climb the furniture with their claws they get sprayed. And they HATE it!!! When they get sprayed we don't see them for a while because they hide under the couch. We decided we we would let them on the furniture when they didn't need their claws to climb it.

Nothing new has really happened with the house, we are in the process of spackling the front (pink) bedroom, but since school started house work slowed down. We are School is goin well for Kacie. I have been blessed to be able to get my reading done each week so far, and enjoy the reading!! We are excited about goin home this weekend to see everyone and then going to a HOKIE football game next weekend. We haven't been to a football game since I graduated in 2006 and I've missed that experience greatly. God blessed us with free tickets through a friend at seminary. We are both so thankful that we can go. Ross is excited because we'll be in the West Stands which means we'll be sitting the whole time instead of standing in the student section. I guess we'll see if we get the true HOKIE football experience over there. Either way we'll be at a game screaming with all the other fans and seeing the HOKIES kick some butt!! It'll be the second time we've gone since April 16, 07 and I really can't wait to go back. Hopefully this time it won't be so emotional, guess we'll see. Here are some pictures of the campus and memorial.

The back of the scoreboard of Lane Stadium.

Burruss Hall

The stadium in the background, and the VT bush in the front, one of 2 VT bushes.

Burruss Hall and the memorial of the 32 we lost.

Where I lived for 3 and half years of my life. 2nd floor of West Ambler Johnston.

The awesome road we get to take there!!!! If you get car sick or don't like to drive crazy not a good idea to be in the car with Ross on this road. But we have a blast!!

School Has Begun

School has begun for Kacie, and house progress has seemed to slow. We still have much to do but now a smaller amount of time to do it in. We know God will provide the time for us to get it all done though! Like I said school has begun for Kacie, I'm taking Counseling people with Problematic Emotions, Old Testament 1, and Theology 1. I'm very excited about all of them, especially since I have so many friends in each class to study with. My reading load is crazy this semester but God will provide the time for me to do it!!!

Ross is still working on getting his schedule at work changed. So please pray for that. Right now we don't see each other much because of our schedule and we are becoming frustrated with it. We are so thankful for our weekends when we get to spend all our time together!!

We are both excited because our church, North Wake, is about to switch study-serve. What it is is for 6 months during one of the services we serve in the church somewhere (sound crew, sunday school teacher, prayer team, etc). And for the other 6 months we study (go to lifechange aka sunday school) during one service. Ross and I are very excited, Ross more so then me, because we are doing sound together. He hasn't been behind a sound board much since we switched to study 6 months ago and he's been itching to do it again. So we're really excited to be able to serve God in this way for the next 6 months! I love the way North Wake does this and really emphasizes serving God in our church and more over to take our service outside our church and to the community.

I have to tell yall about the best website to save $$ when it comes to groceries!! From another friends blog (Thanks Melissa!) I found out about the grocery game (www.grocerygame.com). I looked at it and signed up for it. What it does is take the coupons from the Sunday paper and matches them up with the sales at your selected stores. Telling you when to buy things for the cheapest amount. They tell you to buy things you will use EVEN if you don't need them at that moment because it will be cheaper to buy them now, then when you need them. Basically stock piling them until you need it. Sometimes there are even things for free on there after store sale and coupon!!! I was amazed when I walked out of Harris Teeter yesterday with $25 worth of groceries and only paid $6 for it!!! I called Ross to tell him what this site had done. You do have a monthly fee with the site but it's only $5 a month, however a 4 week trial is only $1. I figure if I can save $19 in just one trip I've paid for the site!!! You pick your store and just clip coupons. The best part is I saved money on things we'll use on a regular basis (Mr. Clean supplies, Hamburger Helper, etc)!! If you're gonna sign up let me know so I can give you my e-mail for who recommended you!!

So we do have an little bit of an update on the house. Our house came with no screens in the windows, yes there was a screen in the door from our room to the deck, and the back sliding door, but none in the window!! And if any of you know Ross and I for a good 2-3 months out of the year our windows are wide open and the AC is off. We really wanted screens before the end of the summer because we knew it was gonna get nice and save us money. We had heard from many people that getting someone to make screens cost a TON of money. So yesterday night we ventured into the wonderful world of window screen making. I mean from cutting the frame and putting it together to putting in the screen material itself. It isn't that hard!!! Surprisingly! I think the hardest part was getting the measurement right, but after a few trimming cuts we had it right. Here are a few pictures of us making them, Ross wanted me to help (a good thing) and not take picts so there aren't many. We got 5 of the 11 done last night. The rest will be done soon as the weather is gettin really nice at night here, upper 60s!

The beginnings of a frame.

Spline to hold the screen in.

Our first screen done!

Kitchen window screens.

Close up, a little bowed but it'll stretch.

My sister came down on the 9th and we got some time together talking and baking, o course! We made a stuffed crust pizza, that was so good. When Ross came home we watched Olympics and finished flooring the hallways. So for all purposes the house is floored. The only place you can see tar paper on sub-floor is 3 closets and small trim pieces. When Renee was here we tried to get here to use the huge saw ans she wouldn't be we did talk her into using the tack gun!! Once she used it once we weren't allowed to touch it again. It was much fun!! Here are some pictures of the finished hall.

Beginning the hall, we had to make the two rooms meet it was fun to say the least.

Taking a break to watch the Olympics.

What Renee did when she wasn't using the tack gun, play Battlefield 2. I have such a girly sister!! LOL

Almost done!

Hall way done!

The living room is getting into better shape!!!

We have started the front pink bedroom by marking all the divits in the walls. Both Ross and I thought this would be the easiest bedroom when it came to spackling but I guess we were wrong. There are no major holes but there are TONS of marks on the walls. The marking happened a week ago and well it's still marked out with nothing done to it, can't you tell school started??

Divits...

A calm wall. And I haven't moved the stack of wood yet!

The worst of it!

The calm wall.

More spackling!

We were also able to get our ceiling fan hung in the living room. After a little trial and error with the down rod it's up there safely. Apparently we needed a 24" down rod and not a 36" (BIG difference!!). So now we have a bigger fan in our crazy big living/dining room! It's only took us putting it up and taking it down 5 or 6 times to get it right.

Old fan down, and new plate in place.

The VERY small old fan.

Our bigger Hunter fan.

Finally up and going!

I almost forgot, here are pictures of our newly hung wood blinds (thanks again mom and dad!).

Our master bedroom windows.

Master bedroom door to the deck.

Our blinds again.

Kitchen blinds, we still have to paint in here hence the tape.

That's everything except for the list...

1. Finish wood in closets.
2. Use rest of wood to do entry
3. Killz extra bath, front room, and kitchen
4. Paint front bedroom, extra bath, hall, entry, and kitchen
5. Start putting holes in our lovely walls.... :-( to hang pictures.... :-) (It's good and evil thing!)
6. Look for tile because it's the next major project

So only 1 thing off the list....slowly but surly right?

Tagged by Terra

1. Answer the questions using only one word.
2. Tag four others. (Ross, Sher, Jenn, & Emily)

Where is your cell phone? pocket
Your significant other? amazing
Your hair? short
Your mother? crazy
Your father? nerd
Your favorite thing? rain
Your dream last night? none
Your favorite drink? milk
Your dream/goal? counselor
The room you’re in? cold
Your hobby? house
Your fear? break-in
Where do you want to be in 6 years? closer
What you’re not? perfect
Muffins? blueberry
One of your wish list items? beadboard
Where you grew up? Varina
Last thing you did? read
Favorite gadget? computer
Your pets? cats
Your computer? fast
Your mood? calm
Missing someone? yes
Your car? many
Favorite store? kroger
Like someone? YES
Your favorite color? HOKIES!!
Last time you laughed? today
Last time you cried? month

Visits full of blessings.

The past two weekends our parents have come to visit and help with the house. It was so nice to get so much accomplished in a weekend and to see them!

Kacie's parents and grandma came down late on July 26th. We were able to hang out and talk. Plus move all of our stuff out of the bedrooms into the living room (again) so we could start work in the morning. We got up on Sunday and killzed the front bedroom floor and hall floor. Then we decided to go out to breakfast so we don't get over come by killz. Going out to breakfast on a Sunday morning proved to be difficult. But we found Bruegger's Bagels open and very good I have to add. Funny side note is this is one of the few places the kid I nanny for can eat, so I was happy to finally find out what he had been talking about. After a tasty breakfast we came home. Ross and dad started to lay down tar paper and then started the wood floor. Mom decided she wanted to mow the yard (it needed it). It would have been done already but our 2 ride mowers were out of commision, so we only had a push mower to do an acre and a quarter!!! Grandma spent her day between playing and loving the kittens on the front porch and on the couch watching dad and Ross. All in all it was a great weekend and we got a TON done. After they left Ross and I decided to put up our bedroom fan and take down the noise, small, dust filled one. Then we called it a night and went to bed!

Our really messy living room, it was clean! But I guess this is what happens when you take everything out of the bedrooms.

Dad and Ross finishing up killzing the floor.

Mom mowing the grass.

Part way through the flooring.

Grandma loving on the kittens.

Lunch break.

Dad and Ross figuing out how to finish the flooring.

It's done! The closets will be done last.

Ross taking down our old bedroom fan.

Our Hunter fan where it should be....it's quiet now and moves sooo much more air!

We were able to move everything in and give Ross his garage back!

We found this on our front porch after mom and dad left.

The sunset Sunday from our front porch.

The following weekend Ross' parents came on August 1. Kacie was at work and Ross was home when they arrived and was able to talk to them. Plus they hung all the wood blinds in our room. God blessed our socks off when they told us they were gettin wood blinds for our whole house. (Thank you so much!) Saturday we all got up early. Ross went to work and we hung around talking until 10ish. Ross called about then asking what we had gotten done and well we were just starting. We patched all the holes in the walls, I don't know which was worse the back bedroom or the living room. But after that mom started trimming the killz and I went off to cook Cinnabon clones for Lifechange (our verison of Sunday school at Church). Mom and dad finished killzing and then decided to take a break. The killz had overcome them, so we sat on the back deck for a while and played with the kittens. After a break for heads to stop spinning it was back in to paint pastel lime green. They were able to finish the room for us by the time they left. Such a blessing. After they left Ross and I put up the rest of our wood blinds and called it a night.

Patching!

Dad working on patching and mom trimming the killz.

Dad and mom finishing killzing the whole room.

The start of the pastel lime green. Ross was at work but calling to check up on us every once in a while so we drew a picture for him.

Trimming the green

Finishing up the green.

Ross home from work to a finished bedroom.

The look of don't take my picture, and Ross putting up our wood blinds in the kitchen.

Monday Ross and I got up early and started the wood floor, we wanted to get it done that day. We started the tap paper figured out our pattern (by far the hardest part) and went at it. I cut and helped place and he nailed and knocked it into the exact place. We had our system, that was until I had to go to work. Ross took a break and went for a dump run, I can't wait until we are back to our normal trash consumption! He got back took a nap and started back at the floor. I came home to the room half done and jumped right back into cutting and helping put in place. We worked until we got to the door where it became tricky. Plus it was 1am and we figured it be a good time to go to sleep. All this week we've been wanting to finish but it's been busy at work for Ross (I'm so glad it has too!) that it just hasn't worked out. But, soon all the sufloor will be covered!

Starting the wood floor.

What I came home to, I was so excited!

Almost to the door, this is about 12/12:30 at night.

Where we called it a night.

I hope you have enjoyed this addition of Jenkins house update. This weekend my sister comes down so there will be more painting and hopefully the floor will be done soon. God blessed our socks off through my parents who provided for all this flooring (Thank you!!). And God is awesome is making it last so much that we have tons of extra! So our next major flooring project is to rip up the linoleum floor and put down wood in our entry.

I almost forgot!! Here's what's left....
1. Finish wood the extra bedroom closets and hall
2. Use rest of wood to do entry
3. Killz front bedroom, extra bath, and kitchen
4. Paint front bedroom, extra bath, hall, entry, and kitchen
5. Start putting holes in our lovely walls.... :-( to hang pictures.... :-) (It's good and evil thing!)
6. Look for tile because it's the next major project

3 things crossed off our list!