And It Continues

For all of the home improvement projects I’ve gotten myself into over the years, and for every time I tell myself that I will take BEFORE photos, I find it annoying and stupid odd that it is something I rarely actually accomplish. Grrr.

We’re still elbow deep in redo’s and renovations. After a lot of thought, Mr. N and I decided to go ahead with gutting the shower in the master bathroom and putting in a tub/shower. Reasons? Let me count the ways. First and foremost, the size of the shower is a definite issue. It is possible for me to shave my legs, as long as sit down and extend my leg above my head. I’m not kidding. And while standing under the running water, there is about a foot between your face and the wall. The second issue is that the tile was not overly attractive… a lovely green, probably installed when the house was built in the late 70’s. Not quite the impression we’re trying to make. And lastly, we are getting ready to put the house on the market. My thinking is that I’ve always wanted a tub in the bathroom, so if the house doesn’t sell (or doesn’t sell quickly), then I’ll have the tub I’ve wanted. Otherwise having a full tub in the master will help it show better and improve the value. SO I figure we can’t lose. We’re doing most of the work ourselves, so with only a relatively little money and a lot of time and work invested, it’ll all be worth it. The only annoying thing (besides living is some SERIOUS dust) is that we’re finally doing the stuff we’ve wanted to have done BUT with the prospect of not really getting to enjoy it all that much. Such is life.

Until the bathroom is done and ready to use (which I think/hope will be in about 5 days), and between doing the tiling in the tub/shower, I’m going to attempt to tackle some of the de-cluttering in the storage room as well as depersonalizing the house. Oh the joy of selling a home.

Bathtubs, Bats, and Noseblows

I keep waiting for things to slow down a little bit… just enough so I can stop, take a breath, and relax a little. Seeing as it’s been 9 months without much down time, it’s finally set in that this is the norm. SWEET!

The kids are back in the swing of things at school, and between helping them with homework and volunteering in their classrooms, it’s keeping me busy as well.

Mr. N and I are going to be listing our house for sale in the next couple of weeks (at least that’s the plan). The prospect of buying a home together is exciting, but everything that needs to be done to sell THIS one makes my head ache. Since I can sometimes be a perfectionist and over-thinker, as well as an agent, it’s set me into this tailspin of trying to get a ton of projects done in a very short amount of time.

Kitchen backsplash tiled. Check.

Upstairs ceilings painted. Check.

Holes patched. Check.

Touch up of old paint. Check.

TO DO: Paint living room and kitchen. Rip out retardedly small shower in master bath and install tub. Tile said tub/shower. Paint master bedroom and bath. Paint downstairs bath. Install closets in bedrooms. De-clutter, clean, and in general just get ready to show. In hopefully less than a week. Ugh.

Yeah, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment, which is probably magnified due to the fact that I am sick… AGAIN. But I know we can get all of this crap done and it will be worth it in the end.

On another super exciting note… Mr. N and I are coaching my sons baseball team (ok, I’m just the lowly assistant coach). Their first game was pretty, um, pathetic interesting. After that game we were pretty worried about what the rest of the season would be like. But the kids have improved so tons from one game to the next and it’s been really fun to watch them get better and better. Last night we played the only undefeated team in the league. The team we happened to have played our first game. Which was a team that absolutely KILLED us (I’m not sure what the final score was suffice it to say that we scored ZERO runs). The coach of the team that really rubs me the wrong way. In all fairness, he seems like a pretty nice guy and a dedicated coach, but he in a little too intense for my taste. They are 9 and 10 years old, and I find it a little odd that he actually has hand signals for the kids up to bat. And that yells a little too loud at his players. PLUS, they are a team that has played together for a few years, and he requested certain players be on his team. OUR team was made up of the “left over” kids. So, last night we beat them and I am more excited about it than I probably should be. Not only did it feel great to beat Coach Overzealous’s team, but it was so fun to see our boys reactions and the pride they felt as a result of their win. Woo hoo!

Whew!

What a relief! GLAD® came up with a new plastic bag that clicks so you can make sure it’s closed. Because the whole red-and-blue-makes green closure just wasn’t cutting it. Millions of innocent people have suffered an unmeasurable amount of anxiety due to not knowing if their sandwich bag was really, REALLY closed.

Health care reforms? Deteriorating ozone layer? Child abuse? Pfttt! Who cares now that I can sleep well at night knowing my food is safe when I hear that click. Although it requires ME to actually do the closing. Maybe GLAD® will improve upon this masterpiece by including a helper monkey to close the bags for me.

From Good To Great

It’s 10:30 am on a Sunday morning and I should be out of bed, cleaning up the mess from the party Mr. N and I threw last night. But trolling the good ole’ internet while in the comforts of my own bed is a lot more tempting. And proof that it was a good decision… I just happened upon a little statement that PERFECTLY captures something that I’ve been trying to blog about for awhile now, but couldn’t quite find the way to say it.

“I’ve finally realized that sometimes you lose the good things in life to make room for the great things”.

That is a concept that has been rolling around in my head for awhile, and each day it is solidified. My past life really wasn’t so bad. For the most part it was OK if not good. But without the severing of certain ties and making some drastic changes, I would have never been given the opportunity for what is often a great life. And I would still be in a situation that was mediocre at best and would have continued to decline (in my opinion).

During the shin-dig last night there was a point where I sat back, looked around, and let it all sink in. I felt so grateful and lucky to have met and married what I can only describe as someone who is perfect for me, and to be surrounded not only by some of my long time friends but new and wonderful ones as well. Ones who I would have never had the chance to meet if I hadn’t given up the good for great.

I’m definitely not advocating that if things aren’t going your way that you should jump ship on your current life and search for a new one. I’m just saying that sometimes, in your heart, I think that you know when things aren’t what they could OR should be. And even though it’s scary, there are no rewards without a little risk. I do believe that things happen for a reason, even if it’s difficult to see the reason in the midst of it all, things just have a way of working out for the best.

No More 9 to 5

It’s not a quality about myself that I absolutely love. I wish that I were a little more “flexible”, but alas, I have a hard time with change. Let me clarify: I’m not really afraid of it, but I don’t always embrace it like I could or possible should. Part of it, I believe, is in part due to the fact that life around here can get a little hectic, and I need that bit of routine just to be able to remember everything and get through each week. I can, however, adapt and end up going with the flow… sometimes my head trips me up a little along the way.

This is the part where I tell you that a change has come about and while I was a little unsure of how it would be, I think it’s going to be a great thing for our family. Mr. N has been offered, and has taken, a different position within his company. He’s working four days, 10 hours per day, which means he then gets 3 days per week off. It’s a much different schedule than I’m used to, but I’m excited for the extra time that I’ll be able to spend with him.

Another plus is that my hubby is really excited about this new position, and it’s been fun to listen to him talk about his job with excitement in his voice. I’m so incredibly appreciative and grateful for him and what a wonderful husband, father, and provider he is. And I am proud of him for doing such a great job at work that they thought of him for the position.

Things will be a little different around our home and I think it will take a little getting used to the new schedule, but I’m excited for this change and think only good things will come from it. Congrats Sweetie! You’ll be amazing!

It’s True What They Say

The infamous “they” say that it’s a small world. Well, I’m here to confirm that it really is.

It’s always interesting to find and figure out the connections between various seemingly unconnected and random people in your life. And those occasional “OMG, how would he/she know them” moments are the best. Sometimes this situation can be a little awkward, but more often than not it’s nothing less than entertaining.

Personally, I’m all for this small world stuff because frankly, it makes for the most interesting conversation.