Still Here

Assuming that anyone actually reads my blog, they might have been wondering if I fell into a hole somewhere. Well, yes, sort of. I fell into the hole that is my son’s room as I have tried to remodel before he comes home next month (he’s been working at Yellowstone this summer). I figured it would be easier to do it while he is gone, and I actually had hoped to do it long before now, but I’m a “performs best under pressure” kind of girl.

The last incarnation of his room had been inspired by a picture I had seen in a magazine. THAT room had red walls and an Asian-themed décor. It was vibrant and sophisticated, just what an out-of-high-school guy needed. Somewhere along the way, what had looked so put together and classy somehow morphed into a room that we later laughingly called “The Bordello of Blood”. Add the habits of a young adult male, plus the whirlwind activities of packing and leaving for Yellowstone, and here is what I faced when I opened his door:


So Robert and I have been remodeling. I have done a LOT of painting: ceiling, walls, and trim. Robert has been working on putting down a laminate floor (whoever thought that nailing a textile to the floor and then walking all over it was a great idea had to have been crazy!). The floor is down, and Robert is putting the baseboards back a little at a time after he gets home from work each night. This means more touch-up painting for me as he finishes each side.

I also have pulled everything out of Alan’s room – it is sitting in various rooms throughout the house, cluttering up everything. I am going through all of the various plastic carts and plastic boxes that he had, sorting through things and putting things into categories. Young adult males will put things in boxes that should NOT be grouped together. For example, the results of a cosmetology licensing exam, pictures of friends, bank statements, debit card receipts from Subway, and an old comic book from childhood will be all together in one tub (with 500 OTHER things). Middle-aged women who are obsessed with organization will categorize and divide these things and give them separate storage facilities. It takes even longer than painting!

Making things even more exciting is the fact that halfway through this process, my COPD kicked in and I once again developed bronchitis. I have to say that I am a little ticked off about the emphysema thing. If I had been diagnosed with heart disease or diabetes, well, let’s just say that I have eaten enough chocolate and drank enough soda to have earned one of those. But, no…it had to be chronic breathing problems for the girl who never smoked. Anyway, the whole bronchitis thing put me about three or four days behind, but I am finally back in the saddle.

If we ever finish this room, I will happily blog about it and post pictures of this major accomplishment. I will be glad when it IS done, because I have been so busy (or sick) that I have been missing out on some major Pod time. Luckily for me, her mother has been good about posting pictures so that I can at least see her. Pod is doing well, and even putting on some weight. The big problems are that she wants to eat ALL the time (especially at night) and she seems to have her days and nights mixed up. Apparently she becomes wide awake at 11 p.m. and keeps her parents awake until 2 in the morning.

Here is what she looks like late at night:


Here is what she looks like at various times during the day:



I just can’t wait until she is big enough to help me paint!