Back!

Oh my gosh you guys, I'm so sorry!  Wow, I've been gone a pathetically long time.  Phooey, not good!

That returning job took a lot outta me, man.  Hopefully it's down to only a few minor revisions and then done.  Here's a friendly lesson for you:  when frustrated, please a.) skip yelling, especially at someone you have not met and b.) avoid taking it out on the person brought in late to the party whose sole purpose is to assist and resolve.  Cough.  Just, ya know, FYI.  Things will go plenty smoother, guaranteed.

Moving on....an evening this past week Mike and I discussed the previously aforementioned massive Bag 'o Chips in kind of a farcical manner.  He read what I had written and expressed he would absolutely not be touching that bag, dropping in, "I mean, who has a bag of over 300 paint chips anyway?"  Why, I do my love, the one you married.  "That's hoarding," he said with a knowing smirk.  Knowing he'd be reading about this exchange at a later date.

I can throw them out at any time, I countered.  He scoffed.  Defiantly I grabbed the bag and tossed it in the pantry recycle bin.  "Ha HA!" I said.  He shrugged, shooting me a doubtful eye.

Truth be told, I did rifle through the bag yesterday to extract a few more colors to tape on the stair wall.  But the bag is still in the bin.  And I will toss it.  I can do this.

Know why?  

Unfortunately for Mike, he set himself up for failure on this one, his plan to backfire.  By dumping the Bag 'o Chips, he's only encouraging me to run out to Menards more often.  Right, I know, as if that's possible.  I can hear him now, "aw dammit!!"

Unless.  Unless he already knew that and he's got some other evil Jedi mind game going on.....omg, I never know with this guy!!  Omg, now I'm freaking out!  Omg!  Ok, not really.  Mennnnaardssss.

Great news and thanks for sending good vibes out this past week because.... big boy Finn's Giardia issues are gone!  Negative test!  Yay!!  Yay!  So pleased.  Whew, finally.

FYI, that window sill is at 31".  Yes, he is large.

It wasn't the smoothest vet visit ever but slightly better than I anticipated. The doctor was a bit befuddled by Finn's lack of graciousness.  With all the dog flu going around town, we weren't able to weigh Finn -- he was skin and bones back last October when we got him so we were terribly curious as to how much we've healthily porked him up.  Alas.  We entered a side door into their back room event space for the appointment so that we'd avoid any chance of dog flu which was cool of them, but hence no weigh-in for Finny.

Now if only I could figure out why his poops aren't more normal....it never ends, the fretful Mommy.  I worried about Hailey constantly.  Ask Mike, poor guy.  And what is it about being a dog parent where your conversation always revolves around poop?!

Sadly I can't say I've gotten much of anything interesting done around the house though. I feel like I've been living under a rock for the last two weeks, so when I reemerged yesterday and it was such a beautiful day out, it was blindingly revelatory.

Since it was warm and sunny, I tried to be outdoors.  I had all sorts of ideas lolling about my head for building planters or window boxes or something plant holding for all the nonexistent plants we have but a general clean up of the yucky yard was in order.  

I booted the dumb rain barrel into the gangway next to the garage out of view.  I was shocked that the ice inside had melted -- I really thought it'd be there until next winter!  Well, not really but it was a huge cylinder o' ice.  And after some teak oil touch up's on the chairs we were too lazy to move indoors or cover for winter, I tidied up the backyard a bit, spring tidying, as best as one can in a frumpy perma-messy weedy yard.

Also tidied up my side of the garage again.  My side gets all in disarray somehow.  I don't know how. Not fair.  Dumping ground side I suppose.  But it's less of an oodle-y eyesore now when I drive in so that's great.  Got the other record cabinet indoors so it's definitely time to get a-strippin'.

That same evening as Chip Bag tossing we briefly chatted about the kitchen.  Ah the kitchen.  Sigh.  *head droop*  It plagues me daily, that room.  Such a conundrum.  I keep waiting for the flash of a brilliant solution to wash over me but it seems to be delayed, caught in traffic, missed its flight or something.  Or run into Alison Victoria who does that Kitchen Crashers show on the DIY Network.  Or something.

Mike suggested painting the doors in a similar fashion as the swanky dresser.  Interesting idea.  I did discover that the smaller bead of trim on the doors could potentially be removed with some persuasion which would ease the visual busy-ness and traditional-ish appearance.  

Before I could say anything, Mike spouted his utter disdain for the dopey lame crown trim.  I was thrilled to hear that as that has been a nagging me and nagging me and making me daft for the entire time we've been here. Coming up on two years.  Whaaaa?

Dopey lame annoying crown trim before.

Wow, how did...almost two years already?!  Holy cow.  What the....*head shake*

Anyway, I ripped the darn trim off.  Yup.  Poof, gone.  Out to the alley wit 'cha.

No dopey lame crown trim after.  Yay!

Yeah so now it's that thing where I've been staring at this one detail literally daily, it's been making me nuts for an extended period of time and finally it's gone.  But.  Huh, does it look funny and bizarre now or is it because of the change that it's weird?  Like when I put the shelves up in my office.  Is it odd because it's new, I've been looking at the blank wall for so long or is it that it's not right?

Oh this is right but yes, currently it looks odd for being a change.

So now something must be done with the cabinets.  There are brad nail holes along the top edge and one of the errant nails scratched up a door.  Oops.  Hmph.  

Ok.  It's on.  Wrack brain.  

No pressure, right?  Uh huh, right.

Lots of catching up to do, ya know like silly boring time wasting stuff like cleaning and folding backed up piles of laundry.  But hopefully I'll have some snazzy stuff going on quite soon.  

I did pick up a tile saw on my last Menards outing though.  Ahem.  Albeit a seemingly wimpy one but a tile saw nonetheless.  Trying to garner enough courage and confidence to plow into tile demo and re-tiling.  Oy, sheesh, dear me.      Big.             Big. 

The back stair area totally needs a revisit.  It's a train wreck.  Federal disaster zone actually.  It's a frustrating area being a mere 37 inches wide, the entry from the garage and the crazy mud pit, aka the backyard.  The door is um, how shall we say instead of stupidly placed, off-center...

Back door closed.  Looks like a muddy dirty dark prison.

...and the catch, well, you can see how it operates by grazing the wall.

Seriously quality craftsmanship here folks.  Yes, that's the interior wall to the right of the jamb.

The door placement makes it difficult to cover the wall in anything durably dimensional such as wood or wallpaper or any kind of easy clean material of some sort other than just paint.

How I long for a window in the door or above the door to shed some light in this dark depressing area too.  It's not that they couldn't have put a window in either as the ceiling goes all the way up to our first floor ceiling.

Hm.

Oh, the two new drains showed up for the master bathroom sink.  Turns out the one that the guy sent the link to may actually turn out to be better, we shall see.  He could have done a much better job of explaining it than he did that's for sure as it seems completely different than he described.  But, I appreciate them handling the situation properly.

Okey doke, so there are plans ahead.  Right, next time:  more interesting stuff.  Fingers crossed!  Ok, gotta run, running way way waaaaayyyy behind on all the plans I had for the day!