Mirror, Mirror off the Wall

Our new house actually is not new but was built in 1977. We have been in the process of making changes in the house to make it our home. When we first viewed the house, there were three changes that came to mind. First, we wanted to do something to make the fireplace safe for visiting grandchildren. Second, we were determined to remove the ugly wallpaper in the bathroom. Third, the mirrored wall in the living room had to go.

I know that the mirrors make the room LOOK BIGGER; however, the effect is an illusion.

The mirrored wall actually limit where you can place furniture in the room.

Having the mirrored wall removed became a problem. Since this was glass, Daddy D and I decided to have the mirrors removed rather than making the removal a Ma and Pa Do-It-Yourself Project. Finding someone who does this type of work was easier than I first imagined. Glass and mirror businesses apparently routinely are asked to remove wall to ceiling mirrors like ours. However, finding someone to actually come to the house and take down the mirrors did prove to be a problem. I contacted five different local companies to remove the glass. Three of the businesses agreed to send a representative to give an estimate on the job. The first company failed to show up for three different appointments. Two other companies did not even commit to a specific time to look a the job. Glass Doctor guaranteed an email response in thirty minutes, but we never heard from the good doctor. Finally, a local company, MPI Glass, met me within twenty minutes, looked at the job, and gave an estimate. The next day early in the morning, the man and his son were at the house, had the mirrors off the walls, and carted away the glass in less than 30 minutes.

The man from MPI Glass efficiently removing the mirrors.

Our painter, Marco, preparing the walls for painting.

After the mirrors were removed, this allowed us to continue with other renovations. The same day, my husband and a friend replaced the drywall behind the mirrors. Our painter taped the drywall and then painted the living room. Then, we had the carpets cleaned. However, the delay in the mirror removal slowed our renovations. But finally, we are moving forward and are scheduled to move on Wednesday, July 29th.

Over the River...

Yikes, my last post was April 26th. Like most of you, I have been a little busy lately. Buying a new home has occupied some of my time. For a variety of reasons but mostly because of the flooding, we are moving from our home of 38 years. Our new house is in a quiet area without flooding issues.

I suppose more importantly may be our reasons for moving to the new home. The new house, which was built in 1977, offers a quiet neighborhood and is near a park. Our new home does not have a basement but does have a family room. The new home does have a lovely screened back porch and sits on an acre and a half plot of land.

We closed on the new home on Monday and have spent the week making changes in the house to make it our home. But hopefully long before Thanksgiving, we will be moved in and living to our new home in the country. If you come for a visit, we are just over the river and through the woods. (Okay, not really, but there is a river flowing through the park, which is in a wooded area.)

Happily Ever After

Hoosier Girl of The Coffee Table is this week's Fun Monday host. Hoosier Girl is contemplating marriage so she is asking, "What do you consider important to a good marriage or relationship?"

Even though I have been inconsistent with my blog and my Fun Monday participation, there are two reasons that I have signed up for this exercise. First, the lovely hostess is also from Indiana, and second, I have been married for a number of years, for 42 since the day after Christmas. Now, my longevity of marital bliss may not make me an expert at the topic, but I do have some reflections.

December 26, 1966

The first and foremost secret to a good realtionship is selecting a good partner. Perhaps, this is easier said than accomplished, but fortunately I did marry a kind, intelligent, handsome, and even-tempered man, Daddy D. Although we married at a relatively young age, we grew up together before our children were born. Additionally, I think that our willingness to forgive has helped this personal growth. Finally, although we have some separate interests, we do try to spend time with each other.

December 26, 2006 at the 40th wedding anniversary party that we threw for ourselves.

Maybe another pathway to a healthy relationship is the ability to have good time.

Up, Up, and Away

Sayre of Sayre Smiles is this week's Fun Monday host. The lovely and creative Sayre is asking us to " Take your camera to work and take pictures of the things that inspire you as you work or that inspires your co-workers."

I work at the Clifford Pierce Middle School where I teach science to seventh graders. With our vaulted entrance pointing upward, just walking into our building can be awe-inspiring.

But, what visitors see as they are inside the building is indeed inspirational to our students, staff members, and visitors alike. This huge space shuttle model hangs in the pointed entrance way. The space shuttle, which is 1:10 scale model of Endeavour, was originally constructed by a Cub Scout Pack in a nearby town. The Cub Scouts walked alongside the shuttle in a Fourth of July parade. The shuttle was then donated to the Merrillville Schools and hangs outside our Planetarium, which is the only planetarium in Northwest Indiana that presents group and public program.

To see other example of inspirational workplace artwork or to participate in this Fun Monday event, visit Sayre Smiles .

Dream a Little Dream with Me

This week's Fun Monday hostess is Jill, of The Adventures of Lil Mouse. Jill asking us about our dreams. Specifically, Jill asks, "Do you have any dreams, particularly recurrent ones that you feel no one else has? Or, just tell us about an odd dream you had as a kid.


Usually, I do not dream, or perhaps, something about my advanced age makes me incapable of remembering my dreams. However, conveniently for this Fun Monday, this past Friday night my sleep was disturbed by a frightening and memorable dream. In my dream, I was in very close proximity to an oncoming tornado. Strangely, this scary dream coincides with one of my real-life fantasies of photographing one of these dangerous weather phenomena. When I hear the television announcer proclaim a tornado warning or even when the local siren sounds the alarm, I always grab my camera and look for funnel clouds through the doorways and windows. You may think that being more frightened of an imaginary threat than a real hazard is strange. However, for some reason, the shadowy unknown always seems scarier to me than actual dangers.

I do remember another strange twilight dreaminess experience from my younger years. A couple of times, when I was in my teens, I remember being asleep, but I was conscious of trying to wake up. However, for a time period, which seemed eternal, I was not able to wake and be fully conscious. In this dreamlike not quite awake state, I seemed to float about the house. Although there were no scary monsters in these dreams, the semi-conscious state frightened me as I apparently had little control of my being.

Then, as a child, I dreamt that I was in a dentist chair, and this lady with hairy fingernails tried to choke me. When I awoke, the sheet was wrapped around my neck. (((Shudder))) This dream scared me for months. I may be fortunate not to remember most dreams these days.

Brotherly Love in the Summertime

This week's Fun Monday hostess is Patience. Knowing that patience is a virtue , my hostess will probably not mind my late entry to this week's event. The task for this Monday is, "How I'll Spend My Summer."

Since I teach school during the year, part of my summer vacation will be spent doing all the things that I put off during the rest of the year. Every year, I hope to do some serious cleaning and complete some much needed renovation on our sixty year old home. And every summer. I get less done than I planned.

However, perhaps Patience is actually referring to fun in the sun rather work in the gloom. Some years my husband and I do not actually travel for our vacation. Hopefully, this summer will not be one of those years. As you might infer from our title, Daddy D and I hope to visit Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, this summer. During our stay, we would to emphasize touring the historic sites in the city including Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. I am not sure what else to see, but maybe you experienced travelers can give me some tips. Plus, our youngest son, Luke, has been there a few times, and he is very helpful with travel plans.

Luke with Rocky in Philadelphia

Happy Fun Monday, I have missed all of you.

Fun Monday - Indiana Wants You

Pamela of Dust Will Wait is the hostess of this week's Fun Monday adventure. For our challenge, Pamela is asking us, "Show me in pictures or tell me in words what defines the place where you live." The wise and wonderful Pamela is leaving the interpretation of the task up to the participants. (Of course, the generous Fun Monday crowd is always accepting of others responses...after all this is about having fun on Monday.)

This comic strip drawn by our son, Luke, for the Purdue Exponent when he was a college student delineates a definite feature about where I live.

Living in Indiana, we have the opportunity to experience all four seasons and all sorts of weather.

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter

(Note: I was planning a blogging special event for Valentine's Day. However, perhaps this should be postponed for another day.)