Halloween 2009

Here is the pumpkin Mark carved so we could have a real Jack O'Lantern. Again for the second year in a row, I do not have a basic pillar candle or tea light and end up using a scented candle (meant for in the house) and end up smelling up the outside.....albeit very nice smelling!

We decided it was entirely too tiresome to get up every two seconds and go to the door so we just camped out on the front steps with tons of candy to hand out to kids. And boy did we get a lot! The weather was incredibly nice too.

Sprinkles absolutely LOVED having all of those people coming up to the house and watching them. But then he got tired, so he came up and laid behind the candy.

And when the candy in the basket was all gone, he used the basket as his bed. It was just him and the box of Ring Pops that were left.

Wainscotting

Mark did this beautiful job on the wainscotting in the dining room. Also, a peek at the finished floors!

Sanding and Polyurethaning (total guess on spelling)

We actually got this done a week and a half ago, but I'm behind--as usual.
We didn't put a stain on it. Just left it natural with polyurethane. We like a lighter look.

Where have I been?

In pain. That's where. I had my second laser eye surgery last Thursday morning. My first surgery gave me 20/20 vision in my right eye, but I had 20/60 vision in my left eye. So, it was still not very sharp and the astigmatism was not corrected either. Thankfully when I purchased the package I got the one that allows me to have free "touch ups" for a lifetime. My left eye unfortunately doesn't have enough tissue to have a third touch up though. But that's fine.

I can truly say that laser eye surgery has changed my life. Prior to this, my eyes were so bad that I had to hold a big alarm clock with huge numbers smack up to my face to even make out the numbers. I was really really blind.

I had PRK done, which gives you the same results as Lasik does but is typically reserved for those who don't have a whole lot of corneal tissue and you can't cut a flap for lasik. So instead, they SCRAPE the cornea off and then laser it. Sheesh, it hurts. BAD. I can't even describe it. And narcotics don't even help. Seriously. I tried them the first time around and didn't even ask for any the second time because they just made me nauseated. So, I took tons of Ibuprofen and Tylenol and stayed in bed for THREE whole days. I had to cancel dinner club and another couple's invitation to dinner Saturday due to the pain. But Sunday morning? I woke up completely pain free! My left eye was totally blurry, but so what? I had no pain!! So, Mark suggested that we go have brunch at a nice restaurant in Chapel Hill called the Weathervane. It was lots of fun! And afterwards we stopped in four or five houses on the Raleigh Parade of Homes. You pick up all kinds of ideas from that place! Then to make it even better our neighbors who we couldn't eat with Saturday night came over and invited us to dinner that night. What fun!!!

I'll update our house progress soon!!