Well, I am back after an exhausting 3 weeks of travel. I was in Dallas, Texas; New York twice; Marco Island, Florida. Only the Florida trip was for fun. Hopefully I am back now until Chicago in June – but you never know.
As winter is starting to slowly turn toward spring I am getting the itch to be more personally productive. I have begun some aggressive list making. Achievement seems just within reach.
So, I share with you some of my personal “to do” list. And then provide what I am quite sure will keep me from completion.
1. At a garage sale TWO YEARS AGO (with the newest season’s garage sale season coming soon) I bought an old fashioned diaper changing table. Does it mean anything to you to realize that I bought this thing the summer BEFORE I got married and now am married and have a child and still haven’t completed this project? I am shamed by my own procrastination. Anyway…I had seen this great project in a do-it-yourself magazine where you convert a changing table into a drink cart. It was charming. It seemed serendipitous when weeks later I saw a changing table just like the one in the article for only $5. It still sits in the basement today waiting to be transformed.
2. When Jeff and I were working on selling his house (again, this will now be two summers ago) a neighbor of his was hosting a garage sale (I’m sensing a trend) and had an old bike for sale. It was one of those kind of old-fashioned models with the basket and the 3 speeds…sure, it was kind of broken down…but it was only $2 and I felt sure that with a little TLC it could just be
charming! I could just see myself tooling around, kind of Martha’s Vineyard-esque with my straw hat, Bermuda shorts and pastel bike (with a bouquet of freshly picked daisies in the basket). This is much like the vision I had of myself mowing my lawn with an eco-friendly reel mower in a white dress and hat (another trend) before setting up the croquet set for an impromptu match (Jeff quickly vetoed this purchase…he said that it would more likely be him sweating through a Cubs t-shirt during the first 10 minutes of a 3 hour job in the boiling hot sun slaving behind an instrument of torture …something he wanted no part of). Anyhow…the bike is still limply propped up in the garage unrestored.
3. I don’t know why I never noticed it before, but whoever painted our ceilings before we moved
in did a crappy job. I don’t even know if there’s one coat of paint on those things. It would be really nice to re-white those nasty ceilings. I also have to say that I made a number of my own mistakes painting the walls when I moved in…so, this would give me the chance to right those wrongs too. I have already bought some instant stripper to fix the paint boo-boos on the trim (OK, the stripper has only sat on the counter for 3 weeks…but I’m REALLY going to do this).
4. When I moved into the house the basement was beautiful. The floor had been freshly painted grey…it was awesome. It’s pristine condition moved me to love. Now it’s dirty, dusty, and fairly gross. It needs a good sweep and some serious mopping. I’m ashamed at how I’ve let it deteriorate.
5. I won’t even mention all the boxes in the crawl space I was blessed with when Jeff moved in. Suffice it to say that these boxes contain “treasures” like old yellow pages books, mugs full of old pens, LL Bean catalogs, etc. Shhhh…it’s a secret….don’t tell Jeff….but a purge is forthcoming.
6. The garage is a disgrace.
7. I’ve always wanted a party patio. I’ve got some kind of cool items now…I just have to integrate it into some kind of coherent, elegant yet playful, outdoor hangout.
I’m just so happy looking at that list! Life would be so wonderful if I got that stuff done. I can’t even tell you.
But, here is what will inevitably keep me from this bliss:
1. Hey, it’s the cast of Lost on Oprah!
2. Oooh…the Sephora catalog arrived…
3. All of a sudden I’m compelled to rearrange all the closets.
4. Anyone feel like ice cream?
5. Look at my toes…boy do I need some polish!
6. Is that a new episode of To Catch a Predator???
7. Oh, I’m just so drowsy…a quick nap won’t hurt anything…
8. I wonder if there’s anything new on You Tube?
9. I’m almost to the end of the book…surely it will only take me a few minutes to finish (an hour later I’m still reading)
10. OK Langston…mommy will lay on the floor and tickle your tummy (I don’t really think this counts)
As winter is starting to slowly turn toward spring I am getting the itch to be more personally productive. I have begun some aggressive list making. Achievement seems just within reach.
So, I share with you some of my personal “to do” list. And then provide what I am quite sure will keep me from completion.
1. At a garage sale TWO YEARS AGO (with the newest season’s garage sale season coming soon) I bought an old fashioned diaper changing table. Does it mean anything to you to realize that I bought this thing the summer BEFORE I got married and now am married and have a child and still haven’t completed this project? I am shamed by my own procrastination. Anyway…I had seen this great project in a do-it-yourself magazine where you convert a changing table into a drink cart. It was charming. It seemed serendipitous when weeks later I saw a changing table just like the one in the article for only $5. It still sits in the basement today waiting to be transformed.
2. When Jeff and I were working on selling his house (again, this will now be two summers ago) a neighbor of his was hosting a garage sale (I’m sensing a trend) and had an old bike for sale. It was one of those kind of old-fashioned models with the basket and the 3 speeds…sure, it was kind of broken down…but it was only $2 and I felt sure that with a little TLC it could just be
charming! I could just see myself tooling around, kind of Martha’s Vineyard-esque with my straw hat, Bermuda shorts and pastel bike (with a bouquet of freshly picked daisies in the basket). This is much like the vision I had of myself mowing my lawn with an eco-friendly reel mower in a white dress and hat (another trend) before setting up the croquet set for an impromptu match (Jeff quickly vetoed this purchase…he said that it would more likely be him sweating through a Cubs t-shirt during the first 10 minutes of a 3 hour job in the boiling hot sun slaving behind an instrument of torture …something he wanted no part of). Anyhow…the bike is still limply propped up in the garage unrestored.3. I don’t know why I never noticed it before, but whoever painted our ceilings before we moved
in did a crappy job. I don’t even know if there’s one coat of paint on those things. It would be really nice to re-white those nasty ceilings. I also have to say that I made a number of my own mistakes painting the walls when I moved in…so, this would give me the chance to right those wrongs too. I have already bought some instant stripper to fix the paint boo-boos on the trim (OK, the stripper has only sat on the counter for 3 weeks…but I’m REALLY going to do this).4. When I moved into the house the basement was beautiful. The floor had been freshly painted grey…it was awesome. It’s pristine condition moved me to love. Now it’s dirty, dusty, and fairly gross. It needs a good sweep and some serious mopping. I’m ashamed at how I’ve let it deteriorate.
5. I won’t even mention all the boxes in the crawl space I was blessed with when Jeff moved in. Suffice it to say that these boxes contain “treasures” like old yellow pages books, mugs full of old pens, LL Bean catalogs, etc. Shhhh…it’s a secret….don’t tell Jeff….but a purge is forthcoming.
6. The garage is a disgrace.
7. I’ve always wanted a party patio. I’ve got some kind of cool items now…I just have to integrate it into some kind of coherent, elegant yet playful, outdoor hangout.
I’m just so happy looking at that list! Life would be so wonderful if I got that stuff done. I can’t even tell you.
But, here is what will inevitably keep me from this bliss:
1. Hey, it’s the cast of Lost on Oprah!
2. Oooh…the Sephora catalog arrived…
3. All of a sudden I’m compelled to rearrange all the closets.
4. Anyone feel like ice cream?
5. Look at my toes…boy do I need some polish!
6. Is that a new episode of To Catch a Predator???
7. Oh, I’m just so drowsy…a quick nap won’t hurt anything…
8. I wonder if there’s anything new on You Tube?
9. I’m almost to the end of the book…surely it will only take me a few minutes to finish (an hour later I’m still reading)
10. OK Langston…mommy will lay on the floor and tickle your tummy (I don’t really think this counts)
