Goings On…

April was a very busy month, and it spilled over into May just a bit. I have to say that it seriously wore me out!  Not sure why… it just did.

You may remember the water leak we had a couple weeks ago.  Turned out to be a 1-inch crack in the copper pipe connected to the outdoor faucet.  Yep, a cracked copper pipe!  Eric fixed that this past weekend (yay!) and we were only without water for one day.  Fortunately M & I were at church for half of that day (Eric had stayed home with A who wasn’t feeling well).  That was one bit if stress that is now in the past, and MUCH less of an issue than I was afraid it may have been.

There was also the flower bed I built last week.  It’s coming along nicely, but I still need to go dig up some plants from the back hillside and move them up front…  The hillside is the Summer project – and one I’m not entirely looking forward to.  The hill is 75′ long % 25′ tall, with a fairly steep incline and very not level.  Oh, and lots of tree stumps.  It’s covered with grass, blackberry vines, buttercup and nettles.  And dandelions.  And the 6-10 plants that survived the winter that need to be moved before Eric attempts to kill everything.  And trees scattered here and there.  Not good trees, mind you, but the kind that (as the former owner put it) “grow when you cut down a forest” which they apparently did to build this subdivision.  yeah, not looking forward to that project.

However, my kitchen looks AMAZING!  Eric did SUCH a nice job on it!  We painted the walls a lovely mocha suede color and put in a marble backsplash in creams, taupes and colors in between.  All that is left for this Spring is to get a micro-hood installed to free up counter space.  We called it the remodel-on-the-cheap.  The paint was $50, the tile about $350 for everything.  We took down the vertical blinds and put up some sheers that have been in a box for years and it looks SOOOOOOOOOOOO much better!

Now I just need to get everything put away.

The end of last week and beginning of this week also saw the girls & I making some Mother’s Day gifts for Grandma’s… one of which I still need to finish and get in the mail.  They are very cool though.  I’d share more, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise for anyone!

I know that doesn’t seem like a lot, but I must remind you that the mortar holding on the tile must set for 24-48 hours, then we had to seal it (another 48 hours) and THEN grout it, which set over the next day or so.  And Eric was out of town in the middle.  Yep, I essentially had no kitchen for 10 days.  I’m now officially tired of “away food” and want to eat something that we cooked again!

The flower bed was another long project.  We had to *whisper* remove the tree.  Then we used leftover bricks from the portion of the wall we built last year to start the flower bed… and ran out.  So that sat partially done for a couple of weeks before I made it to the lumber yard to get more brick (Lowe’s didn’t have any and Home Depot’s bricks were waaaaaay different!).  But it’s now built (although Eric says they are crooked) and that project is 95% finished.

It’s amazing how unfinished projects make a person weary!  It’s not a physical weariness (although that eventually comes) but a mental weariness.  Living in a constant state of limbo and chaos just isn’t good for us…  I’m just thankful that we are getting the list checked off, one project at a time.

Now I just have to tackle the garage and my office.  Ugh, my stress level just went up again!

Oh, and the good news from the water leak?  A new storage space!  The faucet came into the house under the entry-way, which means that the hole we had to cut into the wall opened up into a great little storage space under the stairs and landing!  Just a little something to help clear out the garage…

That all fell on the heels of taxes and 10 solid weeks of being sick.  Plus Easter services and all that those entail… No wonder I feel a bit tired this week!

Can’t complain though… life is just too good!  God is good, and He keeps us sane if only we will let Him.  It is from Him that we get that peace that goes far beyond all human understanding – that peace for which I am so very thankful.

Just a little update to help explain my lack of posting as of late.  Well, all of that and spending time online doing, er, other things.  Like something that starts with F and the end rhymes with hook.  And twitter.  And PandoraJam.  And typing chord charts. And planning music for services.  And… and.. and… well, you get the picture!

Have a great week, and Happy Mother’s Day to those that are, just in case I don’t make it back until next week.  Make it a great one…