The Week In Review

If there's one thing everyone has in common when it comes to moving, it's how busy life gets. Between packing and unpacking and finding places for everything and getting used to a new house and (at least in my case) learning a new town...it feels like there's no getting caught up. I'm happy to say the house is completely unpacked and it's mostly organized. It's taken awhile to get used to the house but I feel much more comfortable now than I did whenever we first moved in. I don't find myself getting nervous whenever the television is "too loud" (which it never is). I don't think as much about the stalking and harassment I escaped whenever we left the townhouse. My neighborhood is quiet, peaceful, and the neighbors are friendly. Each day it feels more and more like home.

I've thought about my blog everyday. "I'm gonna get to it today, even if it's just a quick post," I keep telling myself. But then I remember something else that needs to get done first, and something else that is priority, and the blog gets pushed aside. I could get upset and discouraged, but instead I'm just gonna go ahead and post my week in review (or two weeks in review at this point) and try to get back on track. Progress over perfection.

My daughter and son-in-law were supposed to come visit Memorial Day weekend but my son-in-law pulled a muscle in his back the night before they planned to drive up. They had to cancel because four hours in a car with back pain wasn't in their plans. Thankfully my son and daughter-in-law did come up a couple of days so we enjoyed spending some time with them. 

I also began applying for jobs that week. I still receive alimony from J, but I prefer not to. I have to deal with his complaints and whining whenever he has to send a payment, and I don't need any guilt trips. So I applied to three different companies and actually was called in for an interview the following Monday. It was a good interview in my opinion, and I hoped I would hear good news by the end of the week when I was told they'd get back to me. Friday afternoon I called, since I'd heard nothing from the company, and I was told they hadn't made a decision yet. So I'm still waiting to find out if they'll give me an offer. The waiting is, of course, the hardest part.

In the waiting I got the "itch to switch" and decided to rearrange the furniture in my bedroom. I wasn't sure how it would look but I actually really like it.

The wall where the bed was is now the office area, and the wall where the vanity was is where the bed is. The vanity fits better on the shorter wall. The best part was that I didn't have to move any of the artwork on the walls. I hate having to make more nail holes.

Another project I tackled was the garage. I got a $200 gift card from AT&T for being a repeat customer or some such thing, and I used it to buy shelves for all the totes and stuff in the garage. In my usual neglectful fashion I forgot to take a before picture, but here is the after, and I'm loving it.

 All those totes had been on the floor, some against that wall, some against the other wall, piled on top of each other and looking like a hot mess. Now they're all on shelves, neat and organized. I was able to move the lawn mower into one corner and the Christmas tree bag into the other. The garage looks clean and spacious, not like I just moved in less than two months ago (though that part is true!). By the way, I absolutely love my electric lawn mower. It works so well, and it doesn't tire me out like the big clunky gas mower used to, plus it runs 40 minutes at the most and forces me to stop so I don't wear myself out.

Let me end with this beauty: a sandhill crane that decided to stay in my yard for hours on Memorial Day. It's breathtakingly beautiful. E and I could have sat at the window all afternoon watching it. God's creation which declare His Majesty. Enjoy!

Central Florida House Tour - The Master Bedroom

I've decided to do a house tour similar to the one I did whenever we moved into our townhouse. I enjoyed doing a step-by-step transformation, though I have to confess I didn't take as many pictures as I should have. It couldn't be helped; there was so much to do and my focus was on getting the house cleaned and habitable. And I had a whole lot of cleaning to do. The more I looked, the more I was convinced the cleaning crew did little more than spray room freshener to make the house smell nice.

 This is just some of the pet hair from cleaning the baseboards and around the corners. I had my work cut out for me.

This was how the bedroom looked after the first night. I had only packed the essentials on the first pod so we'd have a place to sleep, and since the one nightstand hadn't fit on the first pod it ended up with the bed and bedding. This was my bedroom for the first three days, then slowly furniture and decor made its way in. This is the bedroom now:

I decorated somewhat similarly to how I had it in the townhouse, with the same bedding and the same artwork above the bed. I didn't put the area rug completely underneath the bed because it would make the room seem empty. Even though it's the same furniture, it feels different in this room with the gray tiles and walls.

Next to the bed is my vanity. It fits beautifully between the two windows.

On the next wall, next to the door into the bedroom, I've set up my office. I have my desk and file cabinet here, with some artwork my daughter gave me. I have some ideas for how I might rearrange the room, but for now this is working well.

The last wall has a weird shape that is perfect for my chest of drawers. It fits right in between the master closet on the left and the master bathroom on the right. It's like it was made for my furniture.

The master bathroom will be next - stay tuned!