backsplash!

Prepping the walls...

The first little wall of tile...

The worst bit ever (check all the cuts I had to make)...

And more tile...

Pause to grout and caulk...and done!

deep thoughts and one-liners, v.2

"I trust you impeccably," says Bob.

deep thoughts and one-liners, v.1

I desire to be the object of your perception.

first signs of spring

Check it out!

Look what's growing on the south side of my house! It's a perfect spot--the only place where the snow has totally melted, tucked out of the wind and right smack in the sunshine.

I can't wait to see what they are. I'm thinking this massive cluster is daffodils.

But these, I'm not so sure. Tulips and grape hyacinth? Oh, I hope they don't get killed off in a late cold snap. It happens. After all, we still have another month of winter. But man, it's hard not to think spring when I come home from work to a sight like this.

the same old fight

Is there any sort of life out there that doesn't make you deal with the same crap over and over again? Because that sounds mighty nice. I sit back, sip my herbal tea, wish I was drinking coffee, and dream of a world where things are dealt with, resolved, and (poof!) gone.
Then I realize where most of these repetitious issues come from: me. And you just can't live without yourself, I don't care what philosophers say. I keep repeating the same behaviors, hoping for different results. And that, as we've all heard, is the definition of crazy.
I keep waiting for someone to wave that magic wand and create positive change. I keep resting on my good intentions. I keep hiding behind excuses: "that's just my personality," "it's genetic," "I can't risk it," "most of the time it's fine," "I don't know how to begin,". . . and my all-time favorite, "things aren't really bad and you're being too dramatic."
I'm not much good at trying new things. Not sure why--I've never thought of myself as a scaredy-cat. And I never, ever want to feel that I'm afraid of hard work. But maybe I am both of those things. I don't know. Compared to. . . but wait--I can't measure myself on anyone else's yardstick, remember? It's just me and the truth. And the truth stings.
I think I need to pray a very dangerous prayer: I need the status quo to be unbearable, to feel I have no choice but change. God, help me change. Make me uncomfortable. Help me slough off this pervasive, subtle laziness. Without your help, in five years I'll still be sitting at this desk in pants that are just a tad too tight, wishing I was somewhat more awesome. Again.

kitchen chaos

Before...

During...
(first changes, painting walls and cabinets)

During...
(ripping out the old counter and sink...but at least I have doors, now)

During...
(new counter and sink, scraping backsplash)

During...
(counter and sink in, new corner door in, now just need to finish that backsplash...and get some new appliances...and refinish the window trim...)

a musing

Wishing I could hurry up and get wise.

Well, you're looking particularly fine today--what are you waiting for?

I should sort out my sock basket. When's the last time I bought fun socks? Would my feet look better in stripes, or polka dots?

I've decided that good women aren't hard to find--we're just hard to keep. Meaning that it actually requires some effort.

I think people need a certain amount of adversity to flourish. Nowadays we're well-fed, soft, comfortable--amid floundering in painful, messy ways. Let's get more good clean dirt on our hands and drop-kick all those purse-sized bottles of hand-sani.

Can't you open your eyes and see that I, in all my backwardness, am actually ahead of them all? Ok, some. Ahead of some. I still got work to do. Who doesn't?

If it doesn't require effort, is it worth anything?

And tupperware. I need to sort my tupperware, too. Get rid of those lidless misfits.

My left shoulder pops funny when I roll it. Why is that?

Repeating the same behavior and expecting different results?
That's crazy talk.