(Im)Patience

We're back online on the desktop for the first time since we packed the computer up on the old house a whole month ago and 24h with intermittent internet service after we [OK, not we, K, my husband] re-installed our complicated set up of cable-modem-to-VOIP-to-wireless-router-to-computer on Tuesday night. The night we finally finished (except for the floor) the study/library (4th bedroom on the ground floor).

Patience -- that's what we'll need in the coming 2, 3? years... And unfortunately I'm a very impatient person :(

A week ago I was just getting so stressed out about the chaotic condition of the house that I was ready to burst! K was getting extremely stressed too and he told me in no uncertain terms that I needed to CALM! DOWN! And I finally realized that this was the best thing to do. Yeah... "to do" -- I don't even want to think about those words since our "To Do" list is a thousand miles long and only three items were completed so far, namely (1) painting the study ceiling (white!! What's up with painting the ceiling the same color as the walls or an ugly beige) and walls (a nice color called Parisian Taupe from this brand) ; (2) painting the window and door frames plus the baseboard heater white; and (3) replacing the outlets, outlet covers, and light switch with nice "modern" white ones (at least ours are not ugly wooden ones, Tracy, but we do have to replace all the outlets, though since most are dark brown or painted over). These things took us four days (with a weekend of break in between) -- not bad, really.

I'm canceling our Netflix subscription tonight (we've had the same DVD with us for over a month -- what a waste of money) since I know what we're going to be doing most nights for the incoming months. Painting ceilings, walls, door and window frames, removing wallpaper and borders, removing old flooring and carpets (from bathrooms! with asbestos laced ancient vinyl type tiles underneath! how fun! -- the ugly carpet in this room and the adjacent hallway and family room have the same tiles underneath that the upstairs bathrooms have), removing wood paneling from walls and attempting to install drywall (K will try to do it in the basement first), and some more painting thrown in for good measure. I'm not even going to post a full list of all that needs to be done for fear that the mere sight of it will just discourage me so fully that I'll be paralyzed and not do anything.

And then, after these relatively inexpensive but labor intensive things are done will come the big, expensive, messy things. Re-doing the whole kitchen and the bathrooms (we have friends who can install ceramic tiles everywhere for us, yay!). Putting new floors downstairs (hallway, family room and study). BUT the kitchen and bathrooms may have to wait a long time because there's the siding and the roof that may need to be done NOW. Plus some plumbing work. I guess I did what I said I wouldn't do and just made a list -- in prose form, though, not itemized as lists usually are...

I forgot to say that we sorely need furniture, particularly dressers for all the clothes in boxes and suitcases all over our room. And a new bed, bookcases and some sofas, plus a table and chairs for the kitchen, but we don't really have money to buy all those items now because the roof and siding are more important. I guess we'll just get the cheapest things we can find at IKEA.

OK, let's try to look at all this from the bright side. It does feels great to be in this almost finished room, apart from all the impatience before we started to work on it. It's all worth the effort and as we work we make the house feel really ours. I guess I need to take it one day at a time, one small project at a time.

Photos will be here soon! Promise. And more photos from Brazil since only TODAY I was able to get them into our computer. All right, I'll be back later.