After Only 5 Years… May 21, 2012

Sorry for the delay in posting this.  We had issues with our computer and couldn’t download pictures from the camera.  But all is well now, so here we go…

The spring after Mason was born (2006), Jeremy took on the shed project.  He was excited to do it all himself because, as an architect, he wanted to truly understand the building process.  I was supportive even though I knew it would mean many weekends would be spent with my watching Mason alone while he worked.  But with no garage and a full basement, we really needed the extra storage space.  Jeremy spent one hard weekend getting the frame up.  We were so excited about how fast it was going and started dreaming up how we would paint it and utilize it.

Then we had a setback.  Jeremy started suffering from intense back pain and eventually needed back surgery.  Needless to say, no  more work was done on the shed that spring and summer.

Honestly, I forget how the next three years went.  I think he got the walls up one summer, the roof the next, and then final details and doors.  Between hot summer days, vacations, other house projects, guilt of leaving his then-pregnant wife to run after Mason, then guilt of leaving his wife to take care of an infant and 3-year-old, and just plain life, the shed sat lonely in the far back corner of our yard.  We eventually moved things in (after the roof and doors were done) and have been using it since.  But it was still the “forgotten shed” or the “neglected project” that I would always use as the example of unfinished projects when Jeremy came up with new project ideas.  And whenever I would bug him to just get help, he would go on worrying about how he would utilize others when he was learning as went and didn’t have a plan of attack.

But at the start of this spring, 5 years later, we set a date with his parents to have a Shed Painting Party.  The day finally came, and we actually had to rush to finish filling holes and sanding it all down so it could be ready for paint.  But in one day, we were able to paint the entire shed!  Luckily I was still unemployed and could do the final touch-ups later that week.  But the majority of the work was done in one glorious day.  While the inside is still a mess and could use more organization, we are calling this project officially COMPLETE!

BEFORE

BEFORE

DURING

DURING

AFTER

AFTER

I just love my purple doors. (They match every other exterior door on the house!)

CHECK!

Time Is Up May 9, 2012

I think I have been pretty open on this blog about my time being unemployed.  At first, it was a blessing.  Then the new job search was taking a little too long, and my patience was running thin.  And now I’m back to appreciating the time I have left.  That is because I start a new job on Monday.  The countdown has begun, and I’m trying to squeeze in as much fun as I can before entering the work force again.

I am ecstatic to have a job again for several reasons.  First and foremost is to get a paycheck again.  Contributing to our bank account will allow many other things to happen.  (Most important is our basement getting finished.  They started yesterday, and it is moving right along!)  Secondly, I am eager to get back to a routine.  Granted the routine will be much different from what we’re used to in our house, but we’re all willing to put our best efforts into making it work.  Finally, I’m excited to feel smart again.  Well, hopefully….  Being at home has not helped my mental state, and by diving headfirst into work again, I hope to get back to feeling normal (to me) again soon.

With the impending start date and no time off in the foreseeable future (gotta love starting from zero with vacation time!), I am enjoying my last bits of freedom.  Ok, that sounds like I’m walking into a jail cell next Monday.  It won’t be that bad, but at the same time, the office I’m going to is not getting any design awards, that’s for sure!  Still, I’m relishing in a little “Robin time” this week.  Lunch with friends, finishing a few projects, a day with my mom, a morning movie with my BFF…   All things I wanted to do knowing my time at home is up.

Another plan for my last bits of time?  Writing some more posts!  Be on the lookout for a shed update (5 years of “hard” work is coming to an end), a basement progress report (walls are up, and it’s awesome!), and maybe a few extra thrown in there.  I also imagine that this new routine of ours is going to motivate a few other posts as well.  And for me, it is certainly true that I’m much more productive when I’m busy.  So this new job might be just what I need to get me back on track blog-wise.  Wish me luck!

Self-Portrait May 8, 2012

I was downloading pictures from our camera today in hopes of showing you some progress pics of our newly painted shed and our under construction basement.  But instead, you get these.  Basically Mason was bored, so I asked her to take some pictures of the backyard and the rest of us working hard painting the shed.  She did follow those directions, but then turned the camera on herself.  She may totally hate me in 10 years for posting these, but I couldn’t resist.

Behold!  I proudly present:

Self-Portraits by Mason Lake

Musings… May 2, 2012

I’ve noticed that when other bloggers have writer’s block, they do some random post just spilling everything in their head.  Kind of like a brain dump – blog-style.  In an attempt to find my way back to writing, I’m going to do a brain dump my own way.  Instead of just random things in my head, I’m going to spew out all the random goodness that I can remember over the past week or so.  I mean, that is the point of my blog, right?  To find the good?  Here we go…

1.  Playing tennis with Mason, Cooper and Nana at the park.

2.  Girls lunch out to see The Lucky One.  Great chick flick!

3.  Watching Secretariat with Cooper.  No matter how many times we see it together, it never gets old.

4.  Enjoying afternoons at our local park with all the other families.  (And actually making friends with the other parents!)

5.  Playing baseball in our backyard with the kids.

6.  Big birthday bash for extended family.  It’s always great to laugh and eat cake together.  (My cousin’s girlfriend made that cupcake cake below… Isn’t it awesome?)

7.  A road trip and weekend away with my hubby.

8.  Hearing Mason read her book, “All About Teachers” at her Kindergarten Author’s Tea.

9.  Having a real job interview!  (Fingers crossed)

 10.  Crossing “Paint bedroom trim” off our To Do List after 2 years.

This definitely get my writing juices flowing a little bit.  Let’s hope it’s not another 2 weeks before I post again.

How Time Flies May 1, 2012

I can’t even believe it has been so long since my last post.  I really thought that being home would have allowed me time to blog more.  I had this grand vision of doing at least two posts a week.  That hasn’t happened.  I can’t even really tell you why.  The only excuse I can think of is that when I think about blogging, it has seemed more like a chore lately.  Not something I’m eager to do…  I think because I haven’t felt all happy and go-lucky lately,  I haven’t been as focused on finding the good in each day because I’m just trying to get through each day.  Although if life is so hard, you would think that I could get through it easier if I was focusing on the good of each day.  So again, I go back to not understanding why I’m not blogging much.  Maybe it’s a vicious cycle.  Maybe there are ebbs and flows.  Maybe I just needed a break from it all for a bit.  Blogging shouldn’t be a chore.  It shouldn’t be something I struggle with.  I started this blog because I love to write; I love to share stories.  If I’m not finding joy in doing it, then is it worth doing?  Or would I find more joy in my life is I was looking for it more by writing posts about it?  This is what I’m trying to figure out.  I appreciate your patience with me and sticking around while I come to a conclusion.

In the meantime, here’s a little picture to hold you over until I can find the motivation to write more about it.

My "one and only" and I enjoying a weekend away.