Day:I really have no idea. Progress Report

Can you believe we're still not done the dining room? I had to involve the husband: and he works at a much different pace than I do. I am chafing to get back in there, but a last minute decision to paint the ceiling is going to delay setting up again for another couple of days (or more). I was discussing with said husband what yet needs to be done and he reminds me he has to "rake leaves and caulk the cracks" outside the house. (sigh). That can eat all our available time tomorrow. I may just have to risk my neck and paint the ceiling myself. After all, I do see the chiropractor every Tuesday at three.

Other than to paint the ceiling, all I really need help with is assembling the Expedit and holding up a seven foot board level at doorway height so I can draw a straight line from which to measure the precise placement of all those pesky almond shelf bracket supports.

The room is beautiful. I love the colour. I love that I can walk into the room at ten o'clock in the morning and actually read the print on a flyer on the floor without having to turn on a light. It's amazing how bright it is. The kids regret losing the red, but they pop their heads into the room every hour or so and shout. They love the echo! It's driving me mad with boxes piled in the (narrow) hallway (scrapping stuff), on the bench in the living room (photo boxes), on the dresser outside the bathroom (the contents of the china cabinet), and just in front of the piano (the stuff on the bookshelves and homeschool stuff).

We moved the table in the dining room to the kitchen: and the husband loves it there. He wants to shorten its length by six inches so someone can actually squeeze by the cabinets and get into the seats: I have my doubts about this. But I'm torn, because if I let him do it, I may be able to get a nice round table (with leaves!) for the dining room which it badly needs. So, we'll see. Decisions are undertaken very slowly around here when the husband is involved and then once made, fruition must not be rushed.

Back to curing activity: I tried crackling my dresser today to make it look like barn board. I think it worked: whether I actually like it is another matter yet to be decided. I have to give it 24 hours to "cure" and then I can reassemble it and put my clothes back into it and figure out whether I'll do the other dresser the same way or just fugadaboudit. Once again, I wish I could take digital pictures and get instant feedback: but I'm almost finished a roll and we'll just have to wait, won't we.

Man, I am frustrated. I'm also tired. I could have done some more sanding on the drawer units today, but the thought of standing outside destroying the beauty of the day with the noise and mess of the sander just wasn't all that appealing. But, I suppose It Must Be Done. Part of the problem is that I still don't know what I'm doing with them (no vision) and I'm sick and tired of them. They were a temporary thing I built 23 (or so) years ago. It takes about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes to sand each piece (and there are about a dozen pieces) and the whole time I wonder, please, can I grow up now and have Real Furniture? Please? It was too nice a day to mess up with thoughts like that.

I've stalled on the little round table, too. Egads, I could have built about four of them by now! I'm going to say "done" and slap down some varnish tomorrow. (I hope).

I DID hang the second brown drape up in the living room. After about a month, the drapery panels are now the same. I also decided not to hem them and live with the three inch puddle on the floor. I hate "puddleing" drapes, but these are four-five feet wide (each) and triple pleated and lined. So, I think I saved about four hours of my life. When the husband saw them, the dark brown dominating the wall, he observed: "I thought you were trying to lighten the place up."
"Oh, I am," I replied, "these are just temporary until we re-paint this room." I promised him it wouldn't, couldn't happen before Spring. And I will keep that promise. (Yes, there is still the living room faux fireplace facelift to complete--again, a project needing the help of the handy husband who would much rather play with his kids and go for walks with his wife than hold things that need pounding and painting).

So, that's where things are at.

I've been in serious web-deprivation mode. I am reading books in lieu of tapping the keyboard, though, and that's always great. (Frank McCourt, if anybody's asking).