Maybe I ought to close this

Since I signed on to Facebook, this blog has almost disappeared. Sorry, but it just doesn't seem like anything is worth saying. I live a boring, routine life. And Facebook can be done in a minute here, a minute there. This takes actual thought and downloading, etc. Those empty minutes are hard to come by these days.

The remodel of my first floor is finished and the minute the contractor hugged me goodbye (you get very close to your contractor in situations like this), my interest and enthusiasm disappeared. It is beautiful and I love most of it, but I'm just exhausted, both mentally and physically. Pooped! And life just keeps piling on, leaving no open days for me to get back in the mood of anything other than sheer maintenance.

One of those maintenance things is the new wood floors. They are beautiful and the workmanship is outstanding...but those folks who told me, "Oh, you're going to LOVE them!" did me no favors. I had no idea they would require constant sweeping, only to be continually dirty. White carpets wouldn't have been this much trouble! I use the dust mop, then the Swiffer, and there still is dirt around. It's like the floor is a magnet and the little dirt pieces are metal. When I had the carpeting, I didn't have to vacuum nearly as often as I have to sweep this, and it wasn't so much pain in my back, either. So now I'm going to have to ask people to take their shoes off...maybe that will help, although I just hate having to do that.

The other thing I'm not 100% happy with is the kitchen faucet. After weeks of deliberating, it was time to order and I couldn't decide. I threw my hands in the air and said, "Oh, just get me that one!". Well, I gave up my spout spray and my hot water dispenser. I really miss them. But this faucet is real pretty. I love the sink. And I love the cabinets, particularly using the chocolate base peninsula and the nutmeg uppers. Awesome. And I'm thrilled that I bit the bullet and ordered the nice hardware.

The best, most favorite thing is the little powder room! The colors we chose are awesome...absolutely love them. The potty and sink are outstanding. Worth every penny to get what I wanted there.

The shutters never came. I finally, after months of escalating phone calls, cancelled the whole order and asked for my deposit back. It was looking like a fraud situation, so I got Bank of America involved and happily received my total deposit within days. I do recommend using a credit card for every deposit you have to make.

So now I'm nearly broke and out of steam. And here comes holiday season. Maybe I'll just use this time to relax and recoup.

The regular routine around here consists of getting kids fed and on the school bus, chores and errands, Bible study for me, gymnastics for kids, visitation schedules, dinner, baths, and homework. Public school these days seems to demand almost as much parental involvement as homeschooling. I can't wait till Megan gets far enough along to teach me. Right now, what I do is have her do it her way, then I do it my "old-fashioned" way. If we don't agree, I make her do it over again. Once that didn't work...she was right and I was wrong. I told her I was just testing her. :-)

Nick just this week got taller than his sister, which means he's for sure taller than me. He continues to leave me speechless about what a good kid he is. He's 13 now and the locust-plague eating has begun. He's going to be staying with me for the weekend soon so I better start the grocery shopping now!