Friday, May 25, 2012

All Great Changes Are Preceded by Chaos


I should know better.  Home improvement projects always end up being more than they seem.  Always.  

After I came home from my long work week I looked around this house of mine.  This house was a mess.  I don't know what I expected.  The mister was working long hours as well and was exhausted at day's end.  And the kids are, well, kids. Let's just say my children do not clean on their own cognition.

A good part of the mess, however, did not belong to the children.  It was Papa's.  There were boxes of brewery tee shirts, bottles of beer and a spittoon still fresh in its box.  And there were his thrifty finds -- vintage shirts he's meaning to get over to his retail space, an old erector set and other paraphernalia.  All this scattered about the house.  You see Papa doesn't have an office.  Really he has no space in which to put these things.

I realized he needed a space and promptly cleared out the closet under the stairs.  Now his stuff is neatly tucked away tidy as can be.  My stuff, however, which was in the closet, is smack dab in the middle of the hallway.  I solved one problem and created another.

My plan was to, once and for all, claim the nook upstairs. It will make a perfect craft studio. I initially started my studio conversion, ahem, a couple of years ago. I enthusiastically ripped out the carpet and then became distracted ---- ooooooh shiny! 


It was high time I got back to it.  My thought was to finish the floor (paper bag style) and, perhaps, to paint a little.  And by paint a little I meant a little.  One wall I wanted blue.  And I thought I might touch up the beige walls as well.

Well I did it.  I painted the wall blue.  But my lines weren't perfect and the beige indeed needed some touching up.  Only I didn't know the original paint color.  I tromped off to the paint store and came back with a multitude of samples.  I found, I thought, the perfect match.  It was not.

The touch up paint ended up being a shade darker than the original.  I'd already "touched up" the sloped wall that lead to the ceiling and I'd already purchased the paint.  This was bad.  Very bad.  What this meant was that not only was I going to have to paint the wall but the ceiling too.  The high, angled, sloped ceiling.   And me?  I'm neither a fan of heights nor a painting expert.

Well I bit the bullet and painted that ceiling.  But the ceiling and walls led out into the hallway with an even higher sloped ceiling.  There is no clear demarcation between these areas.  No place in which to stop painting. And so, with a heavy sigh,  I borrowed a ladder from my neighbor and precariously began that project as well.  Now I'm halfway done with the hall.  I've not even begun the paper bag floor.

In the meantime we've all been stepping around boxes of fabric and various yarn.  There is a path to the kitchen but it is just that.  A path.

And though I'm tackling this paint job my work is suspect.  Don't look too closely at the details. Ignore the region around the trim. I figure if and when we sell this house someone can come behind me and tidy up my lines.  Someone who is not afraid to be 12 feet up on a creaking ladder.   Someone who knows what they are doing.  At least I hope.

As for me I'm embracing imperfection.  I think once my studio is put together the little errors will fade into the background.  And should they bother you?  Well you don't have to come up for a visit.

Yesterday, while on a painting break, I was perusing Pinterest and came upon this quote, "all great changes are preceded by chaos."  Yes!  Yes indeed.  

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Eye Candy To Get Me Through My Week


I'm back in the valley again -- staying at my folks house and working additional relief shifts.  Two more nights to go and then I finally get a break.  I'll have worked 90 hours this week, all night shifts.  

My ear is ringing like crazy and I am hoping it doesn't lead to a vestibular attack -- that would be terribly embarrassing.   This ringing may be partly my fault -- my asthma has been acting up and I therefore took some steroids.  Though steroids are often prescribed for Meniere's disease they do not seem to work for me.  Rather they make things worse (though breathing is also nice).  As it stands my hearing is shot in my left ear so I'll be angling myself towards the right all night.  *Fingers crossed* that I make it through the night without a dizzy spell.  

I can blame no one but myself for my long work week.  I took on these shifts voluntarily in an attempt to offset some expenses we've had.  Hopefully it will all pan out.  

In the meantime I did squeeze in a little fun.  For a couple of hours this afternoon my mom and I went on the local chicken coop tour (my mom kept calling the coops "huts" -- she's silly!).  We saw some nice coops and lovely gardens.  I am very much looking forward to getting home and spending a bit of time in my own garden.  In the meantime I'll enjoy the above eye candy - chickens and gardens and coops -- oh my!

And now, hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go.  See you on the flip side.  

xo.  

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

One Foot in Front of the Other



As of late we've had several unexpected expenses (darn cars).  Of course these expenses occurred during the winter.  My clinic is typically slower in the winter and a slower clinic means less pay.  Now let me tell you -- a decreased income coupled with increased expenses does not a happy mama make.  To bridge this gap I've committed to work several relief shifts in addition to my normal full time schedule.  

These relief shifts are in the valley and I've left the family at home.  Therefore I'm considering this a working vacation.  My shifts are at night and my folks have graciously allowed me to stay with them during the day.  Here, at my folk's house, I very few responsibilities (no taxi service, no laundry, no arguments to mediate, no meals to serve).  It's a veritable heaven.

Though I worked last night I did get some rest while there.  So this afternoon I went with my mom to a to a small farm on the outskirts of town.  My mom was there for the hanging flower baskets.  I, of course,  was drawn to the livestock-- they had chickens and goats, a pony, a donkey and a pile of bunnies.  *love*  While my mom debated the merits of petunias and geraniums I wandered off to visit the creatures.

Standing there with the animals felt just right.  It always has.  Even as we are completely broke and it's a challenge just to make ends meet I can not help myself.  I'm still dreaming of that farm.

My immediate hope is to pay off our recent debt.  I'm also hoping to get a rate reduction on our second mortgage and am jumping through hoops to make this happen.  Beyond that I do not know what else to do to bring my dreams closer to reality.   I suppose I will simply continue to dream and hope the universe picks up on my vibes.

And now I'm off have to have dinner with a friend -- someone I've known for eons (because I am just that old).  It will be lovely.  And then back to work for another night.  One foot in front of the other over and over again.  Eventually I may look up and see that progress has been made.  One can hope.

xo.