Trying out Windows Live Writer

Upgraded to Windows 7 today, and haven’t noticed a whole lot new except for this neato program, Live Writer.  Supposedly, I can use this program to compose blogs that will publish to my existing blog site.  If it works, it will be awesome!  Already, I notice that adding a picture is much easier.  This is a picture from a tour bus in Valencia.

 

So, I’ll tell you what we’ve done this weekend using some of the features I see on Live Writer.  Here is where live.  Weird, huh?  I just clicked on “add a map”, and there you have it.

 

I rearranged my classroom observation hours so I could have Friday off.  It was a good time to take off because we had a grant due Thursday.  I stayed up late finishing up some grading Wednesday, got up early to work on grant stuff Thursday, then went to the Stars game Thursday night.  And since it’s so easy to add a picture, here is a picture!   The picture links to an article.  Neato.

It was good to have Friday off because we undertook a little renovation project this weekend.  We decided to merge our offices so we’d have an extra bedroom to put the old bedroom furniture that has been in our dining room for (seriously) since last January.  So, Friday, we slept in a bit since we were out late for the Stars game, went to wal-mart to get supplies and groceries, then moved all the furniture out of Tom’s office and prepped the room for painting (tape, newspaper, dropcloth, etc). 

Saturday morning, we primed the room with Kilz.  OK, that stuff is serious!  Tom was laughing saying, “I’m starting to get high!” and I thought he was just being silly until the room started spinning for me (who had been with the Kilz for 45 minutes longer than Tom) and I started stumbling backwards.  I decided it was time for a break!  We had the window open and the fan running, but it wasn’t enough.  We decided to stop and eat for a minute, enjoyed our 30 minutes worth of giggles (Tom walked in when Ina Garten said “doughball” on TV, and he thought it was hilarious), then got back to work. 

Long story short about Kilz – it gets on your skin, and it stays on your skin until your skin comes off.  For real.  I had it all over my hands from trying to clean off our equipment, and I had to scrape my skin raw to get it off.  Whew.

Use Kilz, get stoned and end up with super soft exfoliated skin!

Painted the room a warm, darkish beige called Gaucho.  Then, we left for Danyelle and Reade’s house to watch the UFC fights.  What a great set of fights!  Each one was exciting.  I made Pioneer Woman’s chicken enchiladas, and they were to-die-for. 

Today, we slept in since we didn’t get home til 1am, then we discovered that we really needed to touch up our paint job (unexpectedly), so out came the rollers again.  It was worth the extra hour’s worth of work, though.  Here are some pics of the finished product.  It’s hard to get a good picture since the room is teeny tiny, but you can get the idea.  And if you have seen this room BEFORE, prepare to be shocked.  It’s nothing special, but a tremendous accomplishment based on how it was!

Look past the computer chair, and it’s my glider (minus the ottoman, which I’ve been using at my desk…LOL) and my bookcase.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is my desk corner, complete with tools of the day.  We put our robots on a shelf…love it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom’s computer desk with the TV.  Anyway, nothing special, but if only you knew what an improvement.  I love the wall color, all warm instead of the cold stark WHITE that was in here before (and still lurks all throughout the house.)

 

And now we are relaxing, celebrating our accomplishment with some Shiner Holiday Cheer.

 

Got a busy few weeks ahead.  We are going to see Christmas Carol in 3D tomorrow night (finally!), then to see the One O’Clock Jazz band Tuesday night, then of course lots of baking in preparation for Thanksgiving on Thursday, then a little light Black Friday shopping (Tom wants a toolbox from Sears, and there is a comforter there I will pick up, but nothing crazy like years past!)  Saturday, I’ll put up the Christmas tree.  The following Thursday and Friday, I have a conference in Houston to attend.  Then I gotta grade the rest of the weekend, then it’s the last week of classes.  Officially less than 1 month from graduation!

And now, I’ll try to submit this blog.  If you are reading this, it has worked, and I call it a glowing success.