Busy Bees

We're settling down with the remodeling now that fall is setting in. We've been really busy over the past 18 months or so. Now it's time to just enjoy what we've done. We started simple with wanting/needing to have our trim repainted. We choose a chocolatey purply color called Carib Chip. I love it. But from painting things snowballed. We ended up replacing all our windows because they were in such bad shape it made no sense to paint their trim as-is. We qualified for a commercial rate - nice (23 windows -and that's just the ones we replaced).
Next came all new floors (bamboo). That was just for us though, but I think it will add to resale value too. I love them and they've made me love the house. The old floors were horribly cracked and grooved; they'd collect fur and cat litter bits from kitty paws - obviously making the house look and feel dirty all the time. After that we thought we were done with big stuff. Concentrating on small, more weekend warrior type jobs, we replaced the front porch flooring, painted a couple rooms, installed new lighting in 90% of our rooms, upgraded our electric box and had a stair runner installed.
Then this summer we decided to dive in to the bathroom remodel - another big job. Part way through planning & getting quotes, we added on the laundry room remodel (and shoe-horning in a 1/2 bath) so we'd have some plumbing to use while the upstairs was out of commission. I'm really glad we went that route. Those tasks are done too - finally.
Now we have a new washer & dryer in the new laundry room/half-bath. Our upstairs bath is also completly redone - gone is the 4ft clawfoot tub and separate stall shower. Instead we have a fullsize tub with a tile surround. We considered one of those shower inserts that is pretty standard but in the end went with custom tile. We have two long but thin windows in our shower, and I would have hated to lose them. Now they are tiled and double as shelves for all my shampoos. Don't worry, they're just below the ceiling of our 2nd story so it's nothing exhibitionist or anything. Only the squirrels in our black walnut tree can catch a glimpse of anything.
It's a relief to have it all done. Not that I did much, what we didn't hire out D did. At best my role was project management. All we have left for the fall is to install gutters on our sunroom. Then this winter's list is de-cluttering and setting up the nursery. Come spring I think we'll be even more glad we tackled all of this when we did. We'll be a bit overwhelmed & preoccupied with a whole new person.

Laziness

I'm still here. I haven't written in who knows how long - I could easily look but I'd just assume remain ignorant. The only reason I can settle on for why I have not written is pure laziness. I sit next to the laptop each evening but I can't bring myself to even turn it on let alone create complete sentences. I've even had enough things going on (all, okay most, non-baby too) to actually blog about but no.
I'm back though - if I have any readers left (not sure how many I had to start with though). You can look forward to blogs updating everyone on our home remodels, our bookcase drama, feng shui fixes, and of course baby stuff.

Light at the end of the tunnel

Yes, I feel like we're beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel - the bathroom remodeling tunnel. This morning was the first time in over 2 weeks since I've showered at home. And it was in the new shower! There's still plenty to be done including painting, priming, vanity/sink installation, toilet installation, plus all the little things like mirrors, towel rods, etc.

Last but not least, will be the built-in. We are struggling to find a way to get doors that will match the stain on the vanities. The problem is that we bought the vanities at Ikea and they seem to have their own special stains. It does not appear you can purchase them either, which I think is something they should consider. So now we go about trying to find already matching doors by chance, or finding someone to stain unfinished doors for us (to match).

My house is in a rough state with all the linen closet contents in the guest room; the downstairs is filled with construction bits and items left to be installed; my new half bath/laundry room has not been trimmed out and boxes of tile are still being stored in there. It's a feng-shui nightmare around here. It will take us weeks upon weeks to get things organized and by then we'll have baby stuff to deal with.


That leads me to the other mess - our sunroom. It's filled with stuff we don't want. I have photographed it all for Craigslist (most of it will be free) but I have not listed it. A few items will actually be sold and I can't seem to figure out a price. I don't really care how much I get at this point, I just want all the stuff gone. I try to ignore the room is full of crap or that it couldn't possibly take me that long to post free stuff online if I'd just do it. I seem to spend plenty of time on the couch with the laptop these days so I feel I have no excuse.

I'm calling Cherish Your World today. That's our feng-shui consultant. I hope to have her back out here this month or maybe next but definitely before the holidays. That means I have to get the crap in the sunroom out of here. And we have to get the bathroom finished. I'm hoping have a date scheduled with her will motivate us, well mainly me.

3 Rs

I'm aware I have not posted in awhile. I don't really want this blog to become all baby all the time. But I'm a little consumed by that already. I do feel a lot better, but not yet consistently good. And I'm still very tired, I think that may be in part due to my thyroid and not just the baby. We'll see at my next doctor appointment when they do bloodwork.

Unless you are anti-television, I’d guess you’ve noticed the new fall season has started. I don’t watch a ton of television and these days I watch everything after the fact thanks to my DVR. I’ve had to make some cuts but hopefully it’s only temporary. I’ve CSI, Desperate Housewives, and even Heroes. I just don’t have time to keep up. But I’m thinking once I get through The War miniseries from PBS that I’ll have more time for old favorites or maybe something new like Pushing Daisies.

Speaking of television, and specifically The War I have to comment on it. In fact it’s what’s brought me back to the blog. I’ve always been interested in history. I’m not sure if it’s genetic (my dad’s a history teacher, or was) or because I was raised grading history tests, playing teacher using TEs my dad opted not to go with, and watching history-related television (and current events of course). In any case, I love to read history based books. I especially love those that are nonfiction but read like fiction (i.e. Devil in the White City) or those that are completely fiction but whose author is so well-versed in the time period they are writing about that you can believe the backdrop of the story nearly completely (i.e. Philippa Gregory novels).

My grandfather fought in World War II and it’s a part of history I have particular interest in. I think it may actually be because I didn’t hear stories from him about his experience, but saw his photos. I’m in the middle of episode three, The Deadly Call. Most of the episodes are similar, footage run together with the narrator explaining the battle, background, etc. But a good portion of this episode dealt with life at home, specifically with the raw materials people gathered to help the war effort. Tin, scrap metal, aluminum, even left over animal fat from cooking was all needed by the military. D was watching with me and noted how amazing it was that the time of greatest Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle was in the 1940s. Everything was rationed and everyone took part in recycling. People cleaned out their garages and kitchens for metal to donate. They cleaned and crushed cans for weekly pickup, and they saved their used cooking fat in containers and dropped them off at collection centers. Meanwhile a good number of areas around Columbus don’t have recycling programs. And I’m sure even in areas with recycling a large number of households don’t utilize it. Weird, and sad.

writing

Why do you write?
It's this question, or more so the answer to this question that feeds my inner critic and halts my writing dead in its tracks.
This past week, the subject of writing has come up a number of times, in a number of ways, from a number of people. First D commented that I should be journaling more online (separate thing from this) and generally writing more. A few days later AJ laughs at what to me is one more oddity of my life, but one I've managed to spin and amuse her with - she says I should be writing about this stuff. Later, I read that the author of a blog I frequent has taken a hiatus - to write more. Then I get an essay to proof from another friend, this is big. This gets my attention.
We used to keep each other writing like we kept each other walking or running. It was she I spent a week with in CO - fueling my inner critic. Well, I was supposed to be learning all kinds of writing tidbits from acclaimed author Dorothy Allison. Instead my inner critic was given a week long buffet to feed on - a buffet of how I was not so qualified, inspired, interesting or worthy. No, Ms. Allison didn't say much if any of that, though if you've met her or heard her speak it would not surprise you if she did. Regardless, that's the message I got, and I've not written since. Well, I blog and I occasionally do the online "journal" thingy. The inner critic is the reigning champion and I'm not up for a fight.
Besides - why do I write? Why do you write? Why do they write? Who? They - those authors and writers I met so many of in 2004-2005 - so many of them said they write "because they have to."
Ah, more nourishment for inner critic. I don't have to write. I have nothing internally driving me to write other than a desire to do so. The same desire I have to learn to paint or start my own business someday. Someday. I don't HAVE TO do anything except eat and sleep and breathe. Past that I'd add on exercise because I really do feel my body insists I do that. But I do not feel incomplete if I do not write. I do not have to write.
I failed the first test. The first test all those writers haughtily gave to wannabes at their feet. Not all of them, but most. I hated hearing it. I wanted someone to say they wrote because they were good at it or because it was the livelihood they fell into. I wanted something attainable. I felt immediately removed from the writers' club. Add to that my novice abilities and general stick-in-the-mud personality when it comes to these matters (trying new things, pushing forward, etc.) and I was done, finished, and glad for it.
But now the topic comes back. There's a knock at the door, then another and then another. I hear it. But I still have only a novice's ability in my opinion. Why? Because I'm not schooled in writing and I'm all about needing the rules given to me before I begin. I cannot learn while I go! I'll mess it up. Besides, I have nothing to write about. I live a most uninteresting life and can barely find enough tidbits to fill this blog let alone more. And what or who am I writing for and in what format? Essay, journal, article - for myself or others or what? Ugh. How about nothing for anyone. And last but not least - there's the question. The one the inner critic always uses when I think I've gotten around the other issues she presents.
Why do you write?