There's a Whole Lot of Sawing Going On

Spring break is here. I almost want to say it is a rude interruption. I'm not upset about the break, that's one of the perks of working for a school system. No, it's just that I realize that we're three quarters of the way through the school year and it seems to have come without much warning. This reminds me that Jenna will be getting her learner's permit next month and her driver's license will follow next year. In just ten short weeks she'll have her freshman year behind her and it'll seem like no time before she's ordering a cap and gown. I don't mean to be rushing things, but I know that when spring break rolls around in 2016 I'll be wondering where the time has gone because three years just doesn’t sound like a long time any more.

THE BATHROOM FLOOR, AGAIN. Our bathroom has issues. I wish I could push it off into a sink hole and start over. (No offense to the Bush family in Florida intended.) We have water issues that have never been fixed so for the fifth time we're having the floor redone.

We scheduled this job for spring break so that Vicki and the kids could go spend the week with Will and family in Georgia while I stayed behind to take care of the bathroom. We've hired someone to do the job. I knew from my last two attempts to fix the floor this was beyond my ability and probably too much for me to accomplish by myself in a week.

So, Vicki and the kids headed south after church and lunch Sunday and I headed to Lowe’s. Yesterday the crew showed up and tore into the bathroom. We think the water is mainly coming from a leak in the roof around the sewer vent pipe and the joint where the tub and tile meet. Additionally, we are installing a fan to vent the steam and our bathroom has never had one. We are also putting up sheetrock as the walls were simply plaster coated brick.

I am tackling my own projects while my bathroom is out of commission. I bought a 12 foot clothes rack to hang from the wall in our upstairs storage room to better organize off season clothes and get rid of some old, rolling racks so we can make better use of space. Tomorrow Judy and I are going to help Mom do a little cleaning out.

HOW'S THAT. Saturday night Vicki gave the kids a packing list so they could pack their own clothes for their trip. As Nate was packing he called downstairs, "Mom, what are sweet pants?"

"Sweat pants, Nate. Sweat pants."

"Oh. Okay…Hey, why is everybody laughing at me!"

BAKING "THE CAKE." Everyone has that special dessert, that treat you want above all else for your birthday. Mine is a chocolate cake that Mom and Aunt Mar used to make.

Vicki has tried to make the cake before but mastering the icing, which comes from the inappropriately named "Never Fail Fudge" recipe, has eluded her. I had given up on ever tasting the cake again until Jenna decided to give it a try. She made one this weekend and hope was reborn for me!

What was really funny was that Jenna bursts into the living room where we are in a panic. "We're out of soda!" Then spotting Vicki's can of Coke Zero sitting by her, "Can I have some of your coke for the cake? Please hurry, it's boiling!"

Mom's recipe, which I had copied word for word, calls for soda. I guess Jenna had assumed from a recent Coca-Cola cake that this recipe called for the soft drink as well. When Vicki set her straight that the recipe meant baking soda Jenna shot me a dirty look, complained about my typing up the recipe, and ran back to the kitchen to save the cake.

(If you are wondering why I didn't capitalize "coke" in Jenna's quote above it's because in our pocket of the country it is not in our vernacular to use "soda" or "pop" to describe soft drinks. We use "coke" for this, even if we are talking about non Coca-Cola products.)

Joe