Sweetest Man on the Planet

Yes, I am married to the best man on earth.  Before I left to teach my public speaking class this morning I was fussing about schedules, trying to plan out what time I'd return home so we could clean the bathroom and prep it for painting.  I walked around muttering things like, "buy sandpaper," and "must caulk."  I'm desperate to be rid of the dirt and grime.

After my class, I met Blair for lunch and grocery shopping. During lunch, I did more planning. "We can wipe down the walls and ceiling today and tape everything up. That way we can just wake up fresh tomorrow and start priming."

He let me sit there and chatter and not until we got home and I saw gleaming floors everywhere did I realize he'd spent all morning wiping down the bathroom and cleaning all the hardwood floors so no evidence of dusty contractor footprints or leftover tile dust exists. I am one happy, happy woman.

And humbled.  Just how sweet is this man of mine?  My friend Trisha cracked me up the other day when she referred to me "bedding down with Jesus."  He really is too good to be true. (And what a great title for my memoirs, huh?).

I'm exhausted.  My class was small but wonderful, but speaking for hours always drains me.  I need a power nap to  rejuvenate.  And now I can sleep soundly, knowing that a floor below me, my bathroom is shiny.

Enjoy your weekend! 

To Kill A Mockingbird

I finished To Kill A Mockingbird. Brilliant.  On the one hand, makes me want to slit my wrists because I will never, ever, be able to write with such depth and brilliance. On the other hand, since there is no way I could ever do that, the pressure is off. =)

 I think people who write works like that have an inherent gift others may lack. Without putting myself down or fishing for compliments, I could study every book on writing out there and do nothing but practice writing for 8 hours a day for the rest of my life and I could never produce anything that would begin to touch a book of this level of genius. I really think it's either a "you've got it or you don't," type scenario. Certainly, I'm sure she went through many horrible drafts and false starts like the rest of us.  But I think she started off on a higher level of playing field than most writers.

But I'm not a literary writer anyway. And don't have a desire to be one. I'm very happy plugging away for the masses, thank you very much.  Or, at the moment, for the dozens (ha ha ha).

I have a big 'ol list of things to do today. My niece fell sick so we're not going to Fayetteville.  Which, even though my list is huge, takes the pressure off.  I wasn't planning on getting any work done today so anything that does get finished is like a bonus.

Off to the trenches. 

Now It's Just Funny...Decorating Diaries

I got home last night from my speech (which went very well, thank you) about 8:30 PM. There was a message from my contractor.  "The countertops should be in tomorrow. Can they come by at 10 to install them?"  Yippee! Things were coming together.

Alas, my contractor called me this morning. "I have bad news," she said. And truly, I felt sorry for her having to be the one to deliver it. We ordered a granite countertop with double sinks. Apparently, regardless of which company in our area you order the countertop from, they all use the same place down in Charlotte to cut the granite.  Turns out they cut the holes for our sinks too big.  Back to the drawing board.

My contractor said she was on their case and from her tone, I believe her. She has told them the time limit is unacceptable, as is the messed up work, and she wants them to give me the countertops for free with us having to pay only for installation.  She said she's pushing them to recut the countertops to have them ready for a Monday morning installation.

I truly did feel sorry for her.  I've been on her case to get this done, get this done, but this is an aspect simply out of her control. I can imagine her dread this morning having to call and tell me about this latest fiasco.  We've all had to place those "Um, we messed up" phone calls to already irate clients and it's never fun. So I tried to be very nice about it.  And if she can wrangle me a free countertop, I'm not going to argue one bit. 

So here's the plan: My general contractor is finishing up the crown molding trim today.  I'm planning on cleaning the bathroom on Saturday and priming on Sunday. Maybe even the first coat of red paint on Sunday. Then one more coat before the plumber arrives.  I'm calling the shower door people today so they can come out and measure for a door.  But for me, the worst is over.  The constant dirt and grime and dust is going bye-bye.  That's what's been driving me buggy above all else.

I can't wait for next winter so I can actually use my heated floor. ;) 

No Time to Say Hello-Goodbye, I'm Late, I'm Late, I'm Late!

Feeling a bit like the White Rabbit these days. I logged in here to essentially say that I have no time to blog. (Who am I kidding?? There's always time to blog...).  LOTS of projects going on, but first, the good news.

THE TILE GUY IS FINISHED.  We have shower. It's beautiful. I'm very happy with the work. Now if I can just get those darn countertops in.  Plus, now that the tile is done, we can call the door guy to come measure for the shower door and plumber guy can install the fixtures. Frankly, my greatest joy is knowing that soon I can get in there and clean.  You can feel the grit under your feet every time you walk in the bathroom and a haze of dust is everywhere.  I'm looking forward to some time spent with Windex and Charlie's Soap.

As for projects, I've got several.  As I think I mentioned, this is "speaking week." I gave my Toastmasters speech yesterday, which went very well. There was also a speech given by a newer member that was hysterically funny.  It was great to see someone who was nervous about speaking just hit one out of the ballpark. 

My stomach hurt from laughing yesterday.  My Triad Networks group is filled with wanna-be stand-up comedians and I end up wiping laughter tears from my eyes each week.  I love those meetings.  (Although I must learn to stop drinking the coffee.  I usually drink decaf and they only serve regular. Yesterday I had 2 cups and felt jittery and nauseous for the rest of the day).

Tonight I'm giving a 20-minute dinner talk at a Networking group in Greensboro.  It's a group I haven't been to before, so that will be fun. But I need to spend time today polishing my material.

Then Saturday I'm teaching a 3-hour intro to public speaking class.  Same thing as with networking. I've taught the class a million times, but it's been awhile since the last one and I need to find time to make handouts and brush up on my material/delivery.  

This Friday, Blair and I are headed to Fayetteville. My niece has a "family day" at her school and they're allowed to  invite relatives. We thought we'd surprise her by showing up.  Should be fun, but that's a much needed work day lost.

I'm in high spirits though.  Spring weather has arrived (for the moment anyway) and the days are  sunny and warm with a light breeze.  It's the kind of weather that even if you only step outdoors momentarily, it brings a smile to your face. Warmer days are near at hand.

Now, on to those speeches.