Update On T's Arm

We saw the dermatological surgeon yesterday. He looked at her arm and the pathology results and said he did not feel the MOHS procedure is really necessary, they just need to take a smaller margin. So we are headed back to see the original surgeon and talk to him about surgery- again.

Happy Thanksgiving.

We had a good day yesterday.

My in-laws came for thanksgiving, bringing us a freezer for Christmas! Finally I can grocery shop without worrying if everything will fit in the freezer.

Although the water is still cold the air temp was 80 so the kids hopped in the pool. They saw for about 45 minutes before turning blue. I cooked between W and J hanging my kitchen cabinet doors so finally the kitchen is "done" at least till we move to the next phase!


Phase 2 is new appliances. I have the stove but need a stainless hood, dishwasher and fridge. Phase 3 will be the new counter top and back splash and, finally, Phase 4 will be the paint and chair rails in the dining area.

Pool Project DONE! (sort of)

The pool is "done" and the kids have been in it. They are CRAZY but they swam for about 30 minutes. The air temperature was 78, I have no idea what the water temperature was but we filled the pool with well water so I can guarantee it was cold. They came out shivering and with blue lips but they had a blast. Next on the list a fence (that is not orange and plastic) and some landscaping come spring.

The kitchen is coming along. W is hoping to hang the cabinet doors next weekend.

T has a consult appointment for her arm bump on Dec. 1st. We should find out then when her procedure will be but likely not till after the 1st of the year.

I have been subbing quite a bit, 2-3 days a week. I subbed for T's class last week. One of the little boys asked me if I really was T's mom.
Me- Yes.
Little Boy- Your daughter is cute.
Me- Thanks.
Little Boy- You look like her. Not that I am saying you are cute or anything.

Monday and Tuesday I was asked to sub for a "difficult" class. I was told that they ate their last sub alive. I handed out a few conduct marks over the two days and threatened to send one student to visit with the principle. But, they were not as bad as I expected after the warning I received. However, I did have 2 kids CHEAT on their math test. Third graders!

Off to sub half a day this afternoon.
Garage sale tomorrow and Saturday.
E and G and I are going to see the new Harry Potter movie tomorrow night!

Pool Progress

We finally have progress on the pool! Day one they dug out the hole and got the walls up.

Day 2 it rained- a lot.


Yesterday was day 3 they pumped the water back out of the hole, finished the bottom of the shallow end and started hooking up the filter equipment. The electrician was also here working on the wiring for the filter and the lights.

Today they are working on the deep end and the slope and I was told they may start back filling along the walls depending on how well the ground dries out in the sun today.

Subbing Update- I have been working! A lot. Well maybe not a lot but enough. I had a 2 day job for a second grade teacher who has a student teaching in her room (I have done it before). Friday they pulled me out because the music sub cancelled so I went to music. Monday I spent a few minutes in an inclusive K classroom waiting on the sub to get there and then turned the room over to her. Tuesday I subbed all day in that room- it was an interesting day. Two children with behavior/attention issues, one with weakness/paralysis on the right side, several who were pulled out at different times of the day for resource, and one with speech/hearing difficulties. I think it went pretty well though. I felt like I kept the kids attentions and they learned something. The only meltdown happened outside the counselors office so she dealt with that : ) and everyone got on the right bus! Today I showed up at 7:15 for a job that starts at 11 (so I put away the Halloween decorations and am catching up on my blog) but as I told the kids better to be there when I am not needed then to not be there when I am!

T's Arm

T had a bump on her arm. We tried treating it with Compound W thinking it was a wart. After a couple days with the Compound W it started bleeding so we made an appointment with a dermatologist. He looked at it said it might be a wart but it kinda didn't look like one but maybe it was it didn't really look like a melanoma but.... First he decided to send us home to try Compound W for a couple more weeks. Then he came back while we were making a follow up appointment and said he wanted one of his fellow derm.s to take a look. He looked said it really didn't look like a wart but maybe it was. They eventually decided to go ahead and do a 4 mm punch biopsy.

The biopsy came back as an atypical Spitz nevus. More here http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1059623-overview

The recommendation was to excise a 1 cm margin around the site. Because of the size of the excision and the way it would need to be repaired T would end up with a 6 cm incision on her left forearm and it would have to be done under general anesthesia. Today we saw a general surgeon at the Naval Hospital. He recommended that due to the size of the incision and the amount of tissue that would need to be removed that we see a dermatologist out in town who can do a Mohs procedure. With this procedure instead of taking a 1 cm margin they take a 1 mm margin and map any abnormal cells. If they find any they can they target the area with the abnormal cells and do further excision. This procedure will (hopefully) minimize the amount of tissue they will have to excise and leave her with a smaller incision.

More on Mohs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohs_surgery

Even though Mohs is most often used to treat skin cancer T does not have cancer. In all the studies that have been done on Spitz Nevi there are no documented cases of any type of metastasis.

Halloween

Our neighborhood is lacking in kids so we figured there wouldn't be many houses passing out candy so we joined the Burroughs to trick or treat in their neighborhood.

The dad's "dressed up" too- they were chippendale rejects.

For some reason blogger want to put all my jack o lantern pictures on sideways except this one so here is G's jack o lantern!

Pumpkin Carving

We had a pumpkin carving party! G did her own pretty much by herself this year and E did his completely on his own. I drew the lines on T's pumpkin and she did the glitter glue and then hammered in her gems. This year P and D and their mom and dad joined us for our annual tradition!

After the pumpkins were all carved we roasted the seeds and enjoyed them while we watched the Gator game!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Preheat Oven to 325

Separate seeds from pulp and rinse.

Ingredients

pumpkin seeds

kosher salt

olive oil

Spread seeds evenly over jelly roll or other pan with raised sides.

Bake 10 minutes (this helps dry the seeds out so the salt and oil will stick)

Spray seeds with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Return to oven and cook 10 more minutes or until seeds are golden brown.

The Well is Fixed

There is a new pressure relief valve in place so no more leaking. Now we just have to go out and fill in the hole the leaking water created. Good thing we opted to keep the dirt they dug up putting the well in.

Still no stove. The schedule was full for today so it is supposed to be delivered tomorrow between 8 and noon. I find it shocking that when they screw up a delivery it doesn't become a high priority to get it delivered. The company I bought the stove from is giving us a free extended warranty for our trouble but the delivery company is like "oh well."

The kids are very excited for Halloween. E is going to be Harry Potter, again, but this time in Quidditch robes carrying his broom. Ge is going to be Hermione Granger and T is Mariposa (a Barbie character). They can pay a dollar to wear their costumes to school on Friday and the money goes to Relay for Life. I am subbing in second grade Friday and have a Professor McGonagal costume I am considering wearing. I am worried I will be the only adult that shows up in costume!

Ugghh... More Troubles

I ordered a stove several weeks ago and it was supposed to be delivered Friday between 1-5. The delivery man called at 5 and said he was running behind but would be here by 6. 6:30 still no stove and the delivery man wasn't answering his phone. I called this morning and the company said he didn't finish the delivery before ours until 7:15 so he didn't get to ours. The schedule was full for today and tomorrow so they are going to try and get the stove out on Wednesday. Good thing I have a job where I can choose days not to work!

The pump for the new well is leaking. The well guy is coming tomorrow to install a new pressure valve and that should fix it. Fingers crossed but the way things are going lately....

Extreme Makeover Home Edition

G's dance studio was asked to participate in a Christmas parade at the reveal of Extreme Makeover Home Edition's newest house. The episode will air Dec 12th with Mariah Carey as the special guest star.

We had to arrive at 11am to get the girls on their float and have the float at the staging area at 11:45. Then the moms joined the rest of the crowd to wait

The first time the parade passed we had a silent parade. The girls danced to no music. The marching band looked like it was playing but no sound was coming out. The crowd clapped silently. Then we waited...

Second take...

G's company was asked with the cheerleaders and one other float to stay for a third take. Rumor had it that Mariah Carey was supposed to pick one of the two remaining floats to ride to the house on. However, one of the staff members told us that she would not be riding on a float because it would give the onlookers an opportunity to take her picture. Apparently she has a personal photographer that does all her pictures. Even the crew and volunteers were not allowed picture with her when she was on set.

She stayed in her white van until the very last minute.

But Michael came out to greet the crowd...

And Ty ran by to give everyone high fives...

Take 3 of the parade...

The family arrives...

Move that bus...

It was an interesting thing to see and G enjoyed it. I could believe we where there for 7 hours to shoot one, very short, parade. Knowing how long it took to film it will be interesting see how much of it makes it too the final show.

Home Today

I subbed for 1st grade (not T's class though) yesterday but I am staying to day because... the well is going in. They hit the first snag this morning first thing- the ground was too soft to drive the truck on they had to go back and get some plywood. Hopefully that is our one and only snag for this project. I called the pool guy and let him know that the well is being taken care of so we can move forward with the pool permit.

Pool/Subbing Updates

Enforcement can't do anything to help us with the well situation since the company that installed it is under new ownership. The new owner did agree to kill the old well for free but it is still going to cost us $2000 for a new well. Now to find out where the neighbor's septic lines are and get all the well permits taken care of. Should be a week or so till the well is dead and then we can get our pool permit.

I did sub for the art teacher last Wednesday. Then I subbed for a second grade teacher Thursday and Friday. She actually had a student teacher in her class that is teaching all the lessons so I mostly monitored behavior and helped the kids with their seat work when they needed it. So nice to get an orientation to the school policies and procedures : )

Nothing on tap for this week yet but E's teacher asked me if I could sub for her for a week either the last week in October or the first of November. She was thrilled to know she will have a sub who isn't freaked out about teaching two different grade levels and is familiar with the ups and downs of gifted students. Oh, and G tested for the gifted program and passed. She will be in "PATS" with E on Thursdays as soon as her paperwork is done and her IEP is in place.

Subbing

I applied for a sub position back in August when the kids started school. After three visits to the district offices, two hours of training, and an almost two week wait to have my information entered in the system, I have my first job. I will be pretending to be an art teacher on Wednesday!

MORE Pool Stuff

While I was waiting for the well guy this morning the entire Health Department showed up : ) The original inspector from the sale in May, the inspector from the pool permit and 3 other guys. They poked and prodded around the yard and verified that the long line runs all the way to the well head and they found a second line. In addition, they found a third line that runs under the footings of the deck.

The inspector is not sure how he missed all this on the inspection in May. But he said it wouldn't have affected the sale of the house anyway. He would have just advised us that no further permits would be issued until the problems were corrected. I told him it sure would have affected the sale of the house because we would have asked that they tear down the deck and provide assurance that the septic drains were not damaged. In addition, we would have either asked them to kill and replace the well or sell at a lower price because the property didn't have a irrigation system that met code. The inspector assured me that the well company would take care of the issue but if they didn't I should let him know and he would talk to enforcement with the Water Management District to ensure it is taken care of. I think maybe they are trying to cover their a**.

So fast forward a few hours and the well guy shows up with his wife and daughter. (The well guy bought the company from his father-in-law, so the guy who originally drilled the well was her dad. ) The well guy verified that yes the well is within 50 ft of the septic line but suggested that the drain lines must have been finished after the well. I pointed out that the septic permit is dated 10/94 and the well was drilled 6/95. He suggested that they might have been working on the septic installation when the well was drilled and then moved the lines after the well was done. He asked to see a receipt for the well from his company. I told him I didn't have a receipt what I had was the instructions with the installation date, serial number of the tank, and the installers name and number written on it. He confirmed that his father-in-law usually did that when he put in a well, but that maybe the home owner had written it. I brought the paper work out and his wife said that was her dad's handwriting. After a couple phone calls the well guy got the permit number for the well and confirmed that his father-in-law had put in the well. But the responsibility for a well goes to the driller not the company. So he says since his father-in-law no longer works for the company and is no longer licensed there is nothing that can be done. He did offer to kill the well and drill us a new one at cost- $1500. So now he is trying to cover his a**.

So I called the HD inspector back and told him the scoop. He said the septic lines had to have gone in before the well. First, you can't get a well permit without and occupancy permit and you can't get in occupancy permit without a septic system. Second, if on the off chance they some how did get a well permit before the septic was done then the septic system wouldn't have passed inspection because the well would have been to close.

So we are back to it being the well driller's fault that the well is in the wrong place and we need to kill and drill.

I did talk to a septic guy. He said I should plan on $7,000-$8,000 to dig up the old drain lines and excavate a new 700 sqft drain field. He said as much as he wanted the work if the system is working we shouldn't mess with it.

Update on the Pool Project

Saturday we marked out where we wanted to move the pool- away from the septic lines. The HD came out earlier this week to check the new placement. They said the pool location was fine but we were still going to have to move the septic line because it is to close to the well. They are refusing to grant the pool permit till we move the lines. We came up with several options.

1. Forget the pool and do nothing. The problem with that is we figure eventually the HD will come back and cite us for the line being to close to the well and have to fix it anyway.
2. Move the line. That will not only involve a lot of time waiting for permit to move, hiring a company to do it, and doing the job but the cost is also hard to predict because we will have to upgrade the system to meet any new standard interpretations.
3. Kill the well and leave the pool in the newly marked location. Then we will hopefully be able to go back later and drill a new well.

I called the company that originally drilled the well to see if they kept records as to where septic lines were when the well was drilled. (The septic company that installed the system had a fire and was then bought out by another company so no records.) I asked the well company for records and a quote on killing the well. The owner told me he would bet me $100 that the HD is wrong about the line placement because they never would have put a well that close to the drain field.

Wayne called the HD inspector who inspected the septic system when we bought the house to find out what he could tell us. When that inspection was done one of the things they were to check for was proximity of the drain lines to any wells! He said from his records there should be 3 lines running from our septic tank and 2 lines running from our grey water tank so the lines shouldn't run 140ft to the well.

So... the well guy is coming out today and the 2 inspectors at the HD are supposed to talk to each other. Our pool is supposed to go in Oct. 23rd so- fingers crossed!

A Walk in the Woods

After we met with the pool contractor we took a walk with the kids through the woods behind our house. There are several well defined trails as well as a creek that runs through the 500 acres of woods . We walked down the trail to the creek and on the way back E noticed another "trail." We figured it would be a good experience for the kids to see what happens where you follow "trails" rather then the well marked path. The trail disappeared and we were lost. We stumbled back to the path through vines and thorn bushes hoping the kids had learned their lesson. They hadn't so when they found another "trail" we did it all over again. After that the kids agreed that they should stay on the paths!

We headed back to the house for lunch and W and E headed off to baseball practice. The girls wanted to go back to the woods. We had told the kids that we would spray paint a mark on the tree on the home trail so they would always know which one it was, but we hadn't done it yet. I told the girls they could go play but to stay on the home trail since it wasn't marked. They were gone maybe 10 minutes before they came back up to the house to tell me they heard a noise in the woods. They weren't sure if it was a snake, a rabbit, or a person. I assured them that it probably wasn't a snake, they don't make much noise, or a person, a person probably would have spoken and a rabbit, squirrel or deer wouldn't hurt them. They went back out to play.

Almost half an hour later I hadn't seen them again. I was surprised that no one had heard a noise, gotten hot or hungry, or gotten into an argument so I stopped fixing dinner and walked out to check on them. As I started walking down the trail I could hear something moving through the woods to my left. It didn't run quickly away like rabbit or squirrel would have so I was thinking it might be a deer. I walked quietly in the hopes that I might see it and I figured if the girls were playing nicely they didn't need to know I was there. I was almost to the end of the home trail when I heard the girls talking-

T, "It's this way this is the trail home."

G, "How do you know?"

They turned up the trail, saw me, and came running.

G, "Mom we left the trail and we got lost and we couldn't figure out which trail led home.'
T, "I knew this was the right one, I heard you."

G, "Mom, where you calling us? I didn't hear you calling us."

T, "I didn't hear her calling with my ears I heard her calling with my heart. I said a prayer on the trail when we were lost and then I heard mom call me."

As soon an W got home he marked the home trail so hopefully no more getting lost. But I am glad T listens to her heart.

Pool- Plan D

So septic tanks have to have 140 ft of drain line, most septic tanks have 2 lines (sometimes more) running 70 ft a piece. Our apparently has one line that runs 140 ft from our side yard all the way across the back yard almost to the other side of our property line. What is really scary is that it stops about a foot short of our well. Good thing we only use the well for irrigation! I am wondering if they knew how close it was when they dug the well.

What this means for the pool project is another change of plans. We have the option of keeping the pool where it is and moving the drain lines- $290 for the permit + at least $1000 to move the lines + the cost of bringing the system up to code if needed. That of course all depends on approval of the permit. We could pay the $290 and find out the Health Department won't let us move the lines anyway. So we are planning to go with the option of moving the pool to the other side of the drain line further from the house. That would leave us with a wood deck up close to the house and a paver path connecting the deck to the pool. We are keeping our fingers crossed for this plan- we meet with the pool contractor again on Saturday.

On a different note- I have finally collected all the documents needed and received my "training" to sub at the kids school. (Training being OSHA requirements and district policies. No one ever teaches you HOW to sub.) It will still be another week before my info get in the system for me to get calls.

Revising Pool Plans Again?

The pool contractor called today to say that he went to the health department this morning about our septic inspection. They did do the inspection but they did not mark the lines and they couldn't give the contractor the schematic because they couldn't find it. BUT- we need to move the pool or the septic lines as the lines flow through the pool site. Funny thing is they have no documentation that they did the inspection and either Wayne or I have been here all Friday and Monday except for the 1 hours that we were at E's IEP meeting at school. Seems like maybe it was easier to take the inspection money and tell us to hire people then to do the inspection? The pool contractor told them part of the inspection we paid for was to mark the lines and they need to come back out and do it. Back to waiting....

Project Updates

• Pool- project start date has been pushed back to Oct. 23rd. We had a meeting with the pool contractor about moving the pool and changing the deck plans to accommodate the fence. Turned into a conversation about how to reroute the sprinkler system and rewire the garage. We are going to wait till W's dad can be here to supervise the contractors so that is doesn't fall on me : ) No matter when the pool goes in this fall I figure the kids will get in it- once and then it will be waiting for us come spring.



• Kitchen is on hold waiting for hinges. We bought hinges that line up with the old ones, turns out they are similar but not the same as the old ones and the doors won't hang right. We talked to a guy about powder coating them black and he is pretty sure he can do it. We left one with him to test. We should get it back the middle of next week and we will go from there.



• One project that is done- the fireplace. It wasn't BAD before just a bit to pink/orange. So I mixed have chocolate brown paint and have water and brushed it over the bricks. It is a subtle change but it makes big difference in the room.

Updates

1. Canning- I finally got the canning thing figured out using the camp stove. The freezer is still pretty full but I have jars of blueberry preserves and syrup. I was planning on putting up so scuppernog jelly as well but some sort of wild life seems to have gotten to my scuppernogs so there won't be enough. We planted a fall garden- tomatoes and eggplant and raspberry and blackberry bushes.


2. School- The kids started school August 23rd. E is in a gifted classroom rather then a pull out program and is really enjoying the challenge, so nice not to hear how boring school is, kinda funny to see him actually have to WORK. The girls like their teachers and are making new friends. They seem to all be adjusting well to the school day it is just the mornings we are still working on. The bus comes at 6:50!




3. W returned from Memphis September 1st. My parents came to visit Labor Day weekend and since then W has been hard at work redoing the kitchen. Here is the kitchen when we first moved in. Kitchen after all the cabinet bases had been sanded. Preview of some finished drawers.


4. 
   
   The work on the kitchen has slowed to a crawl while we get the back yard prepped for a pool. For planning purposes we had two pool guys come out and give us quotes for the new pool we were thinking of putting in about February. Guy one asked us what we wanted drew up a plan for us and gave us a quote. T shaped pool, extra decking that we will eventually cover with a pergola to give us a covered patio space for eating and grilling. Guy 2 said a T shaped pool wouldn't allow for the drainage needed when it rains and would end up too close to the septic lines. He recommended a standard shaped pool with an extended shallow end and a steeper slope down to the deep. He gave us a quote much lower then Guy1 and offered us a discount to do it now! He said he has plenty of jobs for February but nothing for next week : )
5. So in the next week the sprinkler system need to be rerouted, the gazebo torn down and a fence put up. Snag one has already been hit- we can't find anyone to put up a fence with out tearing out a bunch of plants and a tree or two. So we are reworking the pool plans to fence in the pool instead of the yard and have a separate covered wood deck space for grillin' and chillin'. We need to talk to the pool guy to see how this new plan will fit in the yard but maybe it will go smoothly from here on out?

Defeated

I have given up on the canning for now, I guess my freezer will have to remain full of blueberries and I will start adding tomatoes until I run out of room : )

I went to Walmart this morning and bought a canning pot, jar rack, jars, and all the utensils I need. When I got home I read the instructions and found I couldn't use the pot on my glass top stove. But reading a canning website I found I discovered that propane stoves actually work better then kitchen stoves. I have a propane burner on our grill- the pot exceeds the weight limit!

We have 2 camp stoves. One is single burner that sits on top of the propane canister- I don't think that will work. The other is a dual burner and should work. However, there is no fuel for it, I can't find the directions for it, and I am not sure when the last time we used it was.

I am hoping the next time my in laws come my FIL can help me figure out a way to do this.

Off to peel and freeze tomatoes and sort and freeze the blueberries.

Blueberries

While my in laws were watching our house my mother in law picked and froze blueberries from our yard. When I moved in I had 6 gallon size freezer bags of blueberries in my freezer. The last few days the kids have gone out daily and picked about 1/2 a cup of blueberries a day. Yesterday morning I picked 8 cups of blueberries. Today I made 10 1/2 pints of blueberry preserves. I was looking up recipes for blueberry syrup when one of our new neighbors stopped by with a welcome gift- a gallon bag of fresh blueberries! I really do appreciate the effort that went into picking them but...



Tomorrow I am going to buy some canning supplies and make blueberry syrup. Pics of the new digs coming as soon as I dig far enough out from under the blueberries to finish organizing the house!

Another Long Overdue Update

We bought a house is Pensacola over spring break and closed the end of May. W and his dad went in after close and put in new floors and painted. W's parents have been staying at our house on and off since then maintaining the yard and making sure the house is occupied.



We (the kids and I) finally moved in last week, after finishing dance (G auditioned and was chosen for the company at a dance studio here), karate (E is a black belt now), and finishing out the baseball season. W will join us permanently at the end of Aug after he trains his replacement in Memphis.



Our new home is a 4 bedroom ranch, with a Florida room, on a one acre lot. Our lot backs to 500 acres of paper company land with a discharge stream running through it. We found out after close that the paper company is going to build an underground pipeline through there that will carry water waste out to the bay. Mostly though it is just unused forested land!



The man who lived here was an avid gardener. We have scuppernongs, blueberries, and figs plus before he moved he planted pole beans, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and squash. In addition there are magnolia trees, crape myrtle, tons of begonias, and a hibiscus and lots of stuff I can't identify. The only thing missing is a pool.

I Guess an Update is Due

Mid-January we began the process of staging our house so we could get it on the market since we PCS to Pensacola this summer. We listed the house January 18th and sold it 4 days later. 30 days and few negotiations and some new windows later and we closed. Since then we have been living in an apartment complex about 1/2 a mile from our old house.

We call this our Red Neck Digs. Most of our furniture was packed out and shipped to P'Cola for storage so we have a folding table and lawn furniture in our dining room (can you call it a "dining" room when it is furnished as such?) Our mattresses are on the floor, our clothes are in various assortments of storage containers and suitcases and our bedside tables are cardboard boxes.

When we got here we discovered our dryer wasn't drying clothes very well. That would be because bird's nests in dryer vents don't allow for much venting of the dryer. Friday we discovered (courtesy of the $70 vet visit) that our indoor cat has fleas. Welcome to washing 4 sets of bed linens when each load has to be run trough the dryer twice. The good news is the pest control people come on Mondays so Monday they will bomb the apartment. Bad news- washing 4 sets of bed linens again along with a huge chunk of our clothing since it is in open containers on the floor. Someone reminded me last night that this will just make us appreciate the house in P'Cola that much more once we get settled.

Speaking of that- the Internet house hunting that has been going on for almost a year will turn into real life house hunting over spring break! Bring on the house tours : )