Summer came...

and ever since then, every minute of my day has been scheduled....

The last 36 hours looked something like this...

One last white-toothed grin on the way to the Orthodontist...again.

A little hooking up to some strange contraption

\

...and ALOT of metal later..

We have signed up for two more years of Orthodontist appointments, payment plans, and sore gums.   But this time, I can see the end in sight....she's the last, and then I plan to NEVER set foot in that office again.  {Sorry, Dr. Albright and fam, it's been great, but it'll be greater when we're outta there.}

The rest of our time has been spent running between two houses.  Painting at one and eating and sleeping in the other.  I don't know how the rich and famous keep up with multiple homes.  Perhaps they have hired help.  All I know is that right now my body is screaming at me.  After painting all day with two of my kids and two VERY generous friends {mom stopped by and went to hacking back all the overgrown bushes outside..} we managed to finish up the downstairs and get started on Emma's VERY PINK bedroom. 

 It wasn't that long ago that I was painting another room pink, but this time we went with a little darker shade just to change things up a little.  Kim and Ali went to town in her room- they're my heroes!!! 

I stayed downstairs and finished up the half bath and diningroom....

I finished up in time to race home and make dinner so that Nick could get to his softball game, which I opted out of in lieu of cleaning the kitchen, the fridge, the floor, the dishwasher, folding a pile of clothes, sweeping the porch, watering the flowers and falling into my hammock...which is where I type now. 

I'm totally beat....

which is why I can't think of anything sensible, sweet or funny to say. 

THE END

the EAGLE has landed...

I've been MIA...ever since this guy came to town:

and left THIS in my driveway...

{only a 13 year old girl would want a photo shoot with a dumpster!}

We've spent 7 days sorting, throwing, organizing and throwing some more...I'm down to the attic and the bathroom closet today.  And I'm doing everything I can to ignore it and hope it will just go away on its own....but that's not likely to happen.

 

Yesterday I tackled my room....a virtual jungle of bedroom furniture, projects, junk and left-over business stuff.  I filled several trash bags, made garage sale piles and filled bags for Goodwill until my mom came, at which time we decided to do a little demolition of the desk and sewing area that has been here for years taking up space.  My bedroom gained about two feet in the process!  I hate that it takes moving to actually get this place in order!

It's heading towards 90 degrees here today, which means the attic is probably 100...and the longer I wait, the hotter it will be.  Ugh...

Only 2 more days with "Eagle"....not sure he can handle much more abuse from us. 

Next we're on to touch-up paint and a few other odd-job projects...

Hope the rest of you are enjoying the sun from the outside!

Stripped down and bare...

We've officially begun the stripping down and de-cluttering process.  My mom arrived, bearing "gifts" of garbage bags, sponges, rags and rubber gloves.  I immediately snapped out of my temporary paralysis and got to work.  We filled bags of junk, boxes of the good stuff as the first of many days

of cleaning and sorting began...

The bathroom is completely naked - stripped of all color and waiting for a fresh coat of paint....

The kitchen hutch has been stripped and de-cluttered...china packed away.

and my kitchen counters are more bare naked than they've ever been.  Funny, because according to this picture, they're still a little cluttered.  I guess I have to wean myself slowly!

{mom...you don't understand...I HAD to put the silverware box back on the counter!  I paced across the room twice for a spoon....just NOT going to happen!  I promise you can take something else off tomorrow!}

Thanks to my main man, Mr. Clean, 90% of the scuff marks that made themselves at home on my walls have disappeared.  I'm not sure how he does it or what he hides inside those erasers, but WHATever it is, it's working for me.  Might even save on some paint costs.  I'm pretty sure there is some kind of spell in those magic things, too...something about them makes you WANT to clean.  You can hardly stop yourself from going room to room, daring it to take off another stubborn spot! 

That's IS magic if it makes me WANT to clean.

In answer to some of your questions, we DO have a moving destination.  After some deliberation, it's been decided that we should take over the home that my sister and I grew up in.  It's a little weird and exciting all at the same time.  Lots of work to be done on both this end and that one...but I think when it's all said and done, it will all be a good transition. 

Sort of like coming "HOME" again....even though it hasn't really been home to me for about 22 years!

{“Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to” }

John Ed Pearce