Nesting

I've moved back in, and I love it!

The movers brought in as much as they could Saturday without overcrowding us with boxes and furniture that we couldn't put against the walls. Everything is in the middle of the floor while we waited for the painter to catch up with us. I picked him up this morning at 8:00, and he got started. He finished the baseboards and window sills, so as soon as they dry, we can move the furniture back - but wait, we have the brown trim around the perimeter to paint first.

I talked to the painter about adding the brown stripe, and he agreed to do it. Then we discussed finishing the floor with quarter-round or caulk to make it look finished. He suggested quarter-round. so that's what we'll do. I have enough paint to take care of that, and I'm thinking that by next weekend, we'll be done!

I started unpacking boxes. I put things in the pantry, my dresser, and my closet. I had a huge trash bag of hangers that I had to untangle and I filled the bar in the walk-in closet with them. Where did they all come from? I don't think I took clothes off hangers to pack. At least I didn't for the other closet. It was so easy to put things back because I just grabbed a section at a time and put them in the box. One box held all the clothes from one closet. They're wrinkled, but I can fluff before I wear.

I've probably emptied about 10 boxes, and you can't see any progress yet. There's an overwhelming number of boxes in the garage still.

I took the painter home about 12:30 and had the rest of the day to myself, all by myself. What to do? I sat in front of the TV for a while, then I realized I was wasting time, so I put the TV on the jazz station and got to work. I showered, washed my hair, and put on a different outfit and makeup for the first time in days.

My daughter and I went shopping for drapers and rods. She suggested a soft green, very pretty drapery panel for the living room. I would have never thought of that. I was looking at neutrals or reds. I only bought one panel so we could test it before I committed to buying 8, actually 15 more. I like the grommet panels because I like opening the curtains during the day and closing them at night. Having the rings or grommets will make that much easier. I'll have double rods with ivory sheers behind. We picked out clear ball finials that are absolutely stunning. I'm so excited.

I'm only going to be here 6 more years, or at least until I retire. Then I'm moving close to my family. I'm 20 miles from my daughter and about 27 miles from my sister. I'd prefer to be closer to them, but it's nice being 4.5 miles from work.

My daughter isn't crazy about the floor, but she likes everything else. She said it looks so light and airy. I think it's because I don't have curtains on any windows yet. But the colors on the walls are really nice, neutral, and relaxing to me. I'm very pleased with everything that's been done.

There's just a little touch-up painting, the perimeter brown stripe, quarter-round trim, caulking the bath tubs, installing the microhood, replacing the ceiling fans, adding drapers and bookcases, and I'm done. My boss told me to think of Murphy Brown and Eldon. Remember that show? Her small home improvement project took on a life of its own. He said that he had the same thing happen - scope creep kept their floor covered in brown paper for 6 months.

I'm thinking of having a dinner party for my crew to thank them for all their time and effort. They've spent so much time here that they consider my home their second home. They're here every evening and weekend. There would be the packer, main man, painter, Superman and his 3 sidekicks, the electrician, and the AC guy.

Then the "reveal" party. Knowing you're going to be invited to check out my handiwork really puts the pressure on me to get 'er done right!

I'll tell my landscaper, who has been conspicuously absent the last couple months, that I'm having this party and I'll be glad to mention who did the landscaping. It can be a good thing or not - it depends on him.

While I'm unpacking, I'm purging and putting everything in meaningful places. If I don't need it, use, or absolutely love it, it's going. My cedar chest, which was a hope chest that held things for the future, will now hold things from my past like wedding photos and things I can't bear to part with but don't want to get rid of.

Nesting is the period between chaos and order when I get to really bring it all together.