Taking care of things long overdue!

I have been on a mad tear around the house and yard. Scrubbing woodwork, weeding flower beds, painting trim, rearranging furniture, cleaning closets....... I had a conversation with my sister because I was wondering if there were a greater plan that I was not aware of that was moving me to get my 'house' in order......twilight zone type stuff.

It took a few weeks because I am slow at putting two and two together. Rather than analyze I just bumble along in my own little focused way totally oblivious. Kind of like Mr. MaGoo! or as a Ding Bat as my husband fondly calls me. So, it finally dawns on me that I am no longer working tons of extra hours at work and not bringing hours of work home each week. And not only are my hours at a normal level I do not have that dark cloud shrouded around me that never seemed to go away no matter how much time I spent at work. There was that insurmountable sheer rock face climb looming. It really beats one down after a while. The difference.......I have a temp at work helping. Unbelievable. I used to feel snobbish or that I was acting superior passing on my grunt work to a temp but I finally got over it. It is great - copy this, file that, shred this, bind that - and it gives me time to orchestrate meetings, take minutes, keep my boss on track and more. It is like anything else, you don't realize how overwhelmed you are until you are back to normal. It has taken me 8 weeks of her help to get to a point where I caught up and can keep current.

Next I will be the digging into the projects that have been put aside for so long. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and the company but I was beginning to think I had a brain tumor or was losing my mind because I just could keep up. It was the old - "What is wrong with me" because of course it had to be Type A me not working to potential. At one point this winter, I actually contemplating a visit to our HR department to request a leave. I was that overwhelmed. You all know that story.....take this task on for a month til we retrained someone and one task becomes 10 and a month became 3 years. Oh well all behind me now............

So, back to diligently stitching......photos of my progress to follow.

So as I said, the spring housecleaning thing......I am on a two or three year plan to put my house on the market. It is time to downsize but the housing market is no place for a seller right now. And then there is the little problem that my husband and I strongly disagree on what we want. I say downsize! He on the other hand wants acreage.

So anyway I just finished painting my stairs. I sanded the tops and scrubbed with Murphy's Oil Soap and then used one of those orange glow or whatever products to revive the wood. They may not be as nice as refinishing the hardwood but they look 100% better. I painted the trim and risers white and I am left top paint the spindles on the banister. Yucko! Has anyone every taken on that tedious job? There had to be a trick or a fancy brush.

I sewed tie back curtains for my powder room and hemmed and put them up. I also made new valances and hung sheers in my 'new' dining room.

I didn't just rearrange furniture, I flipped rooms. The computer room is now the dining room; the sun room now the family room and the living room - the living room with a TV and furniture from other rooms. I am left with a sofa and chair - both over 25 years old, that other than needing to be cleaning are decent. I am donating them to the local Habitat for Humanity Store. I need to coordinate my schedule with theirs to allow for the pickup/delivery.

Still doing the Facebook thing but only one day a week.

Lastly, I am diligently stitching on my stitch along project and will post photos before the weekend is over. I have a stitcher's retreat in 3 weeks and I can't wait.......stitching and the beach. What could be better? And I just signed up for a two class in September through my guild.