May Update

Five months. That’s how long it took me to fall off the coloring calendar bandwagon.

Now I know.

It is only May 23rd. I have over a week left in the month. Perhaps I’ll throw some color on it before I post this? We’ll see.

It makes sense that May would be the time things start to fall apart. Memorial Day is upon us. The unofficial start to summer is around the corner. It’s unofficial for me because I don’t consider it summer until school is out and we’ve got two weeks left of that.

I’ve made a little headway with my baby quilt. I found and purchased a backing for it. I’ve quilted enough tiny or small things that I think I have enough batting stocked away in my craft closet, but I really have my fingers crossed on that one. Now I have to put the quilt sandwich together, which involves breaking out the quilt frame. For me, that involves four longish pieces of wood with fabric attached to them, chairs, T-pins, safety pins, clamps, and prayers. There must be an easier way, but not one I trust yet.

Sewing and painting go hand in hand here. After moving into our new home 18 months ago, I’m pleased to report the master bedroom is no longer two-toned. It’s all one color now and that color is purple. The next room on the list to paint is the guest bedroom. This room presents the unique challenge of being wallpapered. Many of you scoff, but I’ve never had to take wallpaper down before. Thank God it’s not much, but still, we made a trip to Home Depot for tools because I am not messing around. The guest room is also my sewing room. So, finish the quilt or move all my sewing stuff so we can take down wallpaper and paint? Ah, me. I don’t think the quilt will be done anytime soon, say in the next week or so, but perhaps soon after.

Beyond paint, the home improvement game continues. About three months after we moved in our area got a lot of rain and we got water in our basement. Now, there was already a system in place in the finished portion of our basement (Yea!) but we got water in the unfinished portion (Boo!) which made us grumpy. Fast forward to us (I mean me because I’m the only one home) trying to get an estimate. The tech they sent walked in and twenty minutes later he walked out because he said there wasn’t anything he could do until we moved some bath fixtures or whatever contrived excuse he could come up with because he didn’t feel like dealing with us or whatever. I’m not that bad, I swear, this guy just didn’t know what he was doing. Anyway, call the same place months later and ask them to send a different person. New guy gives us a reasonable estimate and it’s like boom, take my money. We’ll (I mean me, again) be scheduling that and taking care of it this summer also.

In addition, please note we moved into a split level, which means steps, like as soon as you get in the door. I understand why the homeowners before us carpeted the steps and put vinyl on the landing before hitting the hardwood in the kitchen, I do, but no, just no, we are not living like that. Super-handy husband, with a little help from his dad, tore all that out and replaced it with hickory, same as the kitchen. It took a while, for lots of reasons, but the steps are done and they’re all of a similar rise, and they will be getting sanded and refinished with the rest of the hardwood floors next week, not by me or anyone I’m related to so there’s a chance it will get done on time and on budget.

So that’s what I’ve been up to.

Write on.