Friday, April 23, 2010

Spring is Here - Let the Work Begin!

I'm so glad that Spring has finally arrived! The past several months of winter and cold air has seemed like an eternity. Now that Spring is finally here, I have so much I want to do around the house.

When we moved into our home 4 years ago it was plain Jane. The house was built in 1983 and absolutely NOTHING had ever been done to it - on the inside or the outside. Well, okay - there may have been a couple updates several years before we bought it such as new vinyl flooring in the kitchen and bathroom, but that's about it. So, we have spent the past four year adding to its charm by landscaping the front yard, adding guttering, planting trees and painting and fixing up the inside as well. Last year, (when I realized that it was just silly to think we could raise a toddler in a home without a fenced in yard) we built a nice wooden privacy fence. Oh, and we also put in a new garage door this past winter too. Can you believe that the house still had the original wood garage door on it?!

So, this year is the same as the previous 4 - I have a list of things I want to do this Spring and Summer! We just planted some bushes in our backyard against the house. (This is the first bit of landscaping we've done to the backyard.) The next thing we are going to do is build a small platform deck off the back of our house. We just want an area that is big enough for the grill and a couple of chairs to enjoy company. Then I will also creat a flowerbed on each side of the deck where the new bushes are to make it more appealing.

Once the deck and flowerbeds are completed, I have decided we need to repaint our house. I imagine it still has the original coat of paint on it. The color is fine (it's a light tan to match our light brick), but it has definately seen better days. And, our front door faces the West so that afternoon sun has worn the paint down over the years. I'm going to be bold and replace the tan with a country shade of red. Nothing to bright - but not too dull either, somewhere in between. Our guttering, front screen door and garage door are all an off white/almond color. So, the red will be the main color, with the off white/almond as an accent. And to bring out our front door, I have decided to paint it black. I know - sounds bold, but keep in mind it is framed with an off white screen door, plus I have an off white wooden "Welcome" boot hanging on the door too. So, it will all look great together! At least it does in my head.

As you can tell, we have our work cut out for us this Spring and Summer! After all, isn't this what these two seasons are for? I guess I should add that my husband isn't nearly as excited about my plans as I am - but he'll appreciate all my "hard" work when it's finished!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Back to Earth

Do you ever feel like everything is going along perfectly...almost too perfect? And then, BAM! You get slammed with something completely unexpected? Well, that's how my week has been - I know...it's only Tuesday.

My husband has been home now for almost a month, and I've loved every minute of it. Everything has been going great, but I've had that irritating feeling that it has been just too perfect and enjoyable. And yesterday morning something happened, aka "the incident," that brought my suspicions to light. It wasn't anything too terrible, but big enough to make me come back down to earth.

I know we've all been there at one time or another. Yesterday was not a good day. I spent the majority of the day and evening worrying. You see, I am a worrier. My husband can tell me 100 times everything will be fine, but I have to see the facts before I believe it. That's how yesterday was. However, today is a new day and I woke up with a feeling of hope in my stomach. I know everything will work out and be okay, it's just that when things like "the incident" happen, I tend to focus all my energy on the negative. But, like I said - today is a new day and with it come new possibilities and opportunities! All will be okay!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Many, Many Changes....

Well! It has been months since my last blog post! I feel horrible for leaving everyone hanging. However, in the past 3 months, there have been many changes in my life - all for the best!

First of all, we got our little Bichon, now named Sophie, in mid-January. She has been a delight to our family. She and our 2 1/2 year old son have formed a tight bond. They follow each other everywhere making mischief wherever they go.

The biggest and most positive change just happened in the past month. As many of you knew, my husband had changed jobs at the end of October last year. The new job was great and my husband enjoyed it immensely. The only problem was that it required my husband to be gone for at least 6 days a week. In fact, it was not uncommon for him to be gone for 1 1/2 weeks before we would get to see him. So, after much prayer, thought and deliberation we made the decision for him to find a job closer to home where he could actually be home most nights. So, three weeks ago, my husband found a job back home and has been here ever since. It has been wonderful! No amount of money can compensate from the irreplaceable moments you miss when you are away from home - especially when there are children involved.

My freelance writing business has taken off. In fact, I have decided to expand it a bit and do some affiliate marketing with it. I am also going to be putting together a PLR website with another talented writer in the coming months. I am still so very excited to have finally found something that I LOVE doing - that can be done from the comfort of my home, while I spend each day with my son!