Answers to F.A.Q.

This is not really directed to anyone, so don't take it personal. I just need to complain about a few things and (Hopefully) burn off some stress.

But I do suggest everyone should pay attention so not to be one of "Those" people.

* "You posted online that you got some work done! I'm gonna stop to see it"

No, no and NO. Why is it that every time I move a chair two feet or some boxes into another room someone wants to "see"? That's why I post photos ONLINE. So you can "see" what we have gotten done without freaking annoying me with your presence.

* "Well, I'll just 'drop by' totally unannounced"

And it should be completely legal for me to shoot you if you do so.

If you had any idea the amount of hate set off by the chain reactions that break lose when someone knocks on my door, you would be very afraid.

This has to be the only time I wish T-Bone was as mean as he looks. I often fantasize about him ripping apart people who knock on my door without warning. Cause if my goofy dogs have to flip out every damn time someone comes to the door, I should at least get a good show out of it. But if you are lucky, I’ll just slam the door in your face.

This house is not the "Drop In" house.

And while I'm on this, do NOT think it will be any better if you bring your damn kids by. Like that's gonna soften my raging bitchness. And it's not just your kid; I don't even want my own kids in my house.

* "Well, I'll just tell them not to touch anything"

And if you really think that will work, CPS should take your children away, cause you are a dumb ass. Look, I'm not saying anything bad about your kid. Everyone knows what monsters mine are, it's just this place looks like Never-freaking-Never Land to kids. No carpet, mazes of boxes and God only knows what else is hiding around here.

IT IS DANGEROUS to your children and most importantly to my things.

I don't care who you are or how much I love the kid; if it breaks something of mine I WILL kill them. At this point, having any kids in this house puts me in a deep state of psycho.

This house is not a "Kid Friendly" house.

* "Well, you moved in four years ago and we still haven’t seen the place"

This would be because of all of the things listed above. If you are not going to pay attention at least shut the Hell up.

* "You know I can help you! I know about doing Insert some random crap you took a class on at Home Depot"

Really, are you trying to piss me off? Cause unless you are planning to pay for whatever work you can "help" with, all you are doing is making me day dream about beating you to death with a paint roller.

This crap costs MONEY. Allot of money. And we are still paying off expenses we ran up just trying to live after Ike slapped our old house like it was one of the Ikettes.

And since we are being honest, I would much rather pay someone I don't know to do work around here. As the old saying goes "You get what you pay for". Plus, I can yell at them if they mess up and not have to act like I feel bad about it later.

* "Oh Amanda! Your jokes are so funny!"

Died. Just died. Now.

Like I said, please don't take any of this personal.

Unless at any time while reading this you thought to yourself:

"Well, she can't mean me! Cause we are Insert "Related" or "Have know each other for" Insert random amount of years.

Then yes. This is most definitely about you.

But please don't worry, in 40 years or so when we are done, we will invite you over. And you can tell us all the things you would have done instead. And give us all the "advice" you would have giving if we had only let you help.

Thus completely reassuring that we did the right thing by telling everyone to go F#$K OFF.

Ike Survives Many Have A Few Years Before They Need To Worry... Maybe...

Sometime around 1999 I saw a weather "expert" say that they could "predict" when hurricanes would hit the Galveston area by the past pattern of hurricanes.

He said that the Galveston area was hit by a large and damaging hurricane every 15 to 20 years. He went on to say that we where "due" for a large and damaging hurricane at the beginning of the new millennium.

I tried to find any info on the guy's report online with no luck. So I looked up some of the "worst" known hurricanes to hit the area and this is what I got:

• Sept. 8-10, 1900: Galveston; 6,000-12,000 dead; damage $30 million to $40 million (around $800 million in today's dollars); Storm surge 15-20 feet, winds estimated at 120 mph; Deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history

15 Years Later

• Aug. 16-19, 1915: Galveston; 375 dead, damage over $56 million. Most losses ($50 million) to crops; storm tide 16.1 feet.

28 Years Later

• July 27, 1943: 1943 Surprise Hurricane

18 Years Later

• Sept. 11-13, 1961: Carla, Port O'Connor-Galveston-Houston; 34 dead, $300 million damage; wind gusts estimated at 175 mph, storm tide 18.5 feet at Port Lavaca.

22 Years

• Aug. 18, 1983: Alicia, Galveston-Houston; 21 dead, more than $2 billion damage; 22 tornadoes, winds 130 mph.

25 Years

• Sept. 1, 2008: Hurricane Ike

So if we use the "20 Years" voodoo science we should be okay around here till 2028 - 2033!

But a pretty much unrelated and "Amanda" thing I notice was the design periods!

Right now we are trying to "Remodel" our home. And I keep coming back to the style of homes I lived in when I lived in the Texas City/Galveston area as a kid. They pretty much all have three design eras: Victorian, Art Deco & Atomic Age all used at once.

But if you look at the time line you can see why!

It was during each of those design eras a nasty hurricane hit leaving the area homes in need of repair. So of course they would update and repair the home in the latest style.

So if we ever finish our house and you are able to see it, you'll then under stand why there are three different design eras use all over the place!

Finishing Up Cash's Room

NaNa and Cash finished up his room:

Cash's Bedroom

Cash-Cash has the best NaNa ever! She sat down with him and designed want he wanted paited in his room. And THIS is what they came up with:

This & That

Stephen AKA MR FIX IT:

The first bed The Guys busted:


The second broke bed:




Okay, I'm really the one that "fixed" this:


ZIP TIES, the Handy-Man's Best Friend:

NEW A/C

It has been so hot:


Old a/c:



NEW a/c:


Old and new side by side:

More Painting The Boys Rooms

Painting The Boys Rooms

Both of The Boy's wanted grey walls:





More of Stephen patching up The Boy's bathroom:



And new mold free walls in our shower:

Pulling Up Carpet

The carpet was soooo old & soooo gross:





The "Padding" was moldy & falling apart:



Now, time to pull up all the "tacks":



Stephen has had his work cut out for him in the Boy's bathroom:

More Photos of Our New Home

Here it is!



Looking in from the front door:



The front room. We plan to make it the music room. With guitars, drum set and piano:



UGH, the kitchen. I'm so not lovin' it.



Living Room / Family Room:



Cash's room:



Sid's room:



And our room: