Excuses, excuses

Well, I gave myself a bye lately on doing house stuff since Steve-o was preparing for the most hellish test to date, and I didn't want to make the house any more of a disaster than it already was. Poor guy - the test took 10 hours instead of the anticipated 8, due to some inept exam proctors. But it's over. Hooray! Now - onto those applications for him....and back to house work for me. Boo!

Originally, I had envisioned this blog lasting only a month or two....just long enough to put the house back together and get on with my life. But, as it turns out, this home repair business is lasting for far longer than I'd thought, and progressing far slower. Partly - I had no idea what I was in for, or how quickly a seemingly simple task could get out of control. And partly, once I got a kitchen and a couch, it somehow became alright to live in a house without baseboard, without matching walls, and with plastic bags taped over the holes in the ceiling. Other stuff took priority - like trying to enjoy the summer. I just hated feeling like every spare moment was spent researching home repair, buying stuff for home repair, doing home repair, or thinking about home repair. Ever have that happen? - with a crappy job, or school applications, or what-not?

I've realized that living somewhere that is 1/2 done is sort-of bringing me down and making me a much grumpier person than I should be. I mean - it's the place you go home to - the place that is supposed to be your 'out' from the craziness of your life - not the craziness itself. And I want it all done! But I can't realistically think I'm going to tie up all the loose ends in the next two weeks, either. So, I have to find a way to strike a happy middle ground.

And as I've been reminded by many a home owner - it's never really done. There is always something you want to do, or think you should do, or something that breaks that you need to fix. But I like definite tasks and definite ends to those definite tasks So, here goes nothing - paint both bedrooms, install baseboard, put in shelving in kitchen, and get new kitchen cabinets and sink (yikes - this is a big one!).....and be done! Pocket door in the bathroom and bathroom storage - you're just gonna have to wait. One task at a time. To the bedrooms!

Watery Quietude

Well, we took our vitamin c pills and got better...just in time for some fabulous DC weather. Weather where the humidity is 40% instead of 99%. Where when it is 84 degrees, it actually feels like 84...not 110. Hooray!

Other good news - we picked our bedroom paint colors. Bedroom one will be a lovely ocean blue-green color called Watery....actually at about 75% (Hooray for Mike at the paint store!) The second bedroom was almost a sage green, but we're going to try a color with a bit more blue in it. a deeper greenish blue called Quietude. It actually looks deeper on the wall. It's the one in the upper left. But Quietude sounds lovely, huh? Hopefully, it will be nice and therapeutic. Good for sleeping, and studying and knitting!

Of course, I just bought the paint. There won't actually be painting until a few weeks from now when Steve-o finishes this. We can't go killing off his brain cells with paint fumes until he's done. He needs them.

Summer is a sleepy time for blogging....much better for playing outside and gardening, but......I bought some trim for the kitchen in-wall shelving thing. Bring out the circular saw! Here goes nothing! Plus, I sold my giant living room chair on here, and I have a few more items that will be posted this week. Who needs a used inkjet printer, or this? I have to clear out the storage unit this month! Especially with all of the parking tickets I keep getting! Wait - remind me why I can't move to the commonwealth like Miss Rebecca, again.

Oh, and on the evil contractor front. An update to the last installment. My insurance company won't step in and settle it. So, now I'm back to having the sleazy contractors say I owe them money, and me saying I don't. We're sort of at an impasse. Okay, so they (whoever they are) say that possession is 9/10ths of the law. But what about when you have money they want, but they have the lawyers? Who wins in that scenario? Hmm.

I'll leave you with one final view of the continuing attempt to purge the apartment of unnecessary boxes, papers, etc. When you don't have time to deal with your bills, give them to the cat to pay.