Just an update
I've wanted to blog so many times over the last month, but each time I thought about it, I'd trip over an unopened moving box and spend until bedtime putting it (and three more) away.
This may be the first evening I've had an hour to spend on my laptop. Not that I really have an hour. As I write this Robin is downstairs pulling out cabinets with a crowbar. I could be helping. I could be watching the Olympics (are they still on?) I could be doing laundry, which has piled up over the week. But I could also use a break.
Our new house is two floors - main and basement. The main floor is fully unpacked save a few boxes buried in the garage under who knows what. So there is normalcy and calm as we walk around up here and go about our daily routines.
Entering the basement is another story. It's mostly unfinished and looks about what it did in 1953, when it was built. There's still an old school pencil sharpener screwed into a cabinet. I can see the previous owner (there was only one before us) use it to sharpen his pencil before working in his garage woodshop.
It's a lot of space to go unused, so we're finishing it. We're taking out cabinets, replacing plumbing and fixing wiring. We'll put up walls and install lighting. The first step is moving the washer and dryer, which involves concrete work and more plumbing. Today we gave the green light on the plumbing jobs. Only 5 times what we'd budgeted. Who needs curtains anyway? Or lighting? Or food?
The good news is we LOVE the house. The garden is a little slice of heaven. I've already spent about 12 hours a week out there cleaning and raking and pruning and watering. Thus the no blogging. But once the clean-up is complete, it's next to no maintenance. The roses, flowers, bushes and trees are already in place. The woman who lived here obviously loved gardening, but she was old the last few years and likely couldn't do much upkeep.
---- 10 minute lapse ----
Poor Robin. While he was pulling out cabinets, a piece of wood came down on the bridge of his nose and cut into it. It will bruise and not be pretty. I gave him the Cinderella ice pack that Gigi picked out today at Target. He has a 5K in the morning that he really wants to do. But the cut is right where sunglasses rest, so that'll be irritating.
So many other things I want to say. Like complain about the enormous quantity of candy and sugary snack foods that are available and marketed with abandon. Holy childhood obesity, Batman! And speaking of Batman, I wish I had time to see the movie so I could blog about it. I miss blogging about movies, but I miss seeing them more. Hopefully by the time cooler, darker weather is here, we'll have completed most of our projects and I can catch up.
In other news, I love working. I love leaving the house early in the morning, treating myself to a latte. I love walking into a climate-controlled office and sitting at my cozy cubicle. I love (like-ish) sorting through emails while I nibble on my poor-man's scone - two slices of whole grain bread with jam and thick pats of cold, unsalted butter in between. I love starting my to-do list and feeling productive when I turn things in. I smile when people say good morning and I reapply lipstick when my coffee cup has stolen the previous coat. I love eating lunch sitting down, even when I'm working at the same time. When I pick the kids up after work, I'm calm. They're happy to see me. The evening goes fast. I'm tired at the end of those days, but I'm happy.
Now I'm off to bed. Not so much time will pass until my next blog. They may be shorter and not proofed, but I'll try. Night.
This may be the first evening I've had an hour to spend on my laptop. Not that I really have an hour. As I write this Robin is downstairs pulling out cabinets with a crowbar. I could be helping. I could be watching the Olympics (are they still on?) I could be doing laundry, which has piled up over the week. But I could also use a break.
Our new house is two floors - main and basement. The main floor is fully unpacked save a few boxes buried in the garage under who knows what. So there is normalcy and calm as we walk around up here and go about our daily routines.
Entering the basement is another story. It's mostly unfinished and looks about what it did in 1953, when it was built. There's still an old school pencil sharpener screwed into a cabinet. I can see the previous owner (there was only one before us) use it to sharpen his pencil before working in his garage woodshop.
It's a lot of space to go unused, so we're finishing it. We're taking out cabinets, replacing plumbing and fixing wiring. We'll put up walls and install lighting. The first step is moving the washer and dryer, which involves concrete work and more plumbing. Today we gave the green light on the plumbing jobs. Only 5 times what we'd budgeted. Who needs curtains anyway? Or lighting? Or food?
The good news is we LOVE the house. The garden is a little slice of heaven. I've already spent about 12 hours a week out there cleaning and raking and pruning and watering. Thus the no blogging. But once the clean-up is complete, it's next to no maintenance. The roses, flowers, bushes and trees are already in place. The woman who lived here obviously loved gardening, but she was old the last few years and likely couldn't do much upkeep.
---- 10 minute lapse ----
Poor Robin. While he was pulling out cabinets, a piece of wood came down on the bridge of his nose and cut into it. It will bruise and not be pretty. I gave him the Cinderella ice pack that Gigi picked out today at Target. He has a 5K in the morning that he really wants to do. But the cut is right where sunglasses rest, so that'll be irritating.
So many other things I want to say. Like complain about the enormous quantity of candy and sugary snack foods that are available and marketed with abandon. Holy childhood obesity, Batman! And speaking of Batman, I wish I had time to see the movie so I could blog about it. I miss blogging about movies, but I miss seeing them more. Hopefully by the time cooler, darker weather is here, we'll have completed most of our projects and I can catch up.
In other news, I love working. I love leaving the house early in the morning, treating myself to a latte. I love walking into a climate-controlled office and sitting at my cozy cubicle. I love (like-ish) sorting through emails while I nibble on my poor-man's scone - two slices of whole grain bread with jam and thick pats of cold, unsalted butter in between. I love starting my to-do list and feeling productive when I turn things in. I smile when people say good morning and I reapply lipstick when my coffee cup has stolen the previous coat. I love eating lunch sitting down, even when I'm working at the same time. When I pick the kids up after work, I'm calm. They're happy to see me. The evening goes fast. I'm tired at the end of those days, but I'm happy.
Now I'm off to bed. Not so much time will pass until my next blog. They may be shorter and not proofed, but I'll try. Night.
posted by Anne at 9:07 PM
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