Can You Paint With All The Colors Of The Wind?

This morning I woke up bound and determined to paint the front door. I seriously don't know what's gotten into me. After painting the interior of my house in Columbus from top to bottom, I swore if I ever picked up a paintbrush again it would be too soon. I'm starting to think I'm obsessed or something. I do have obsessive/compulsive tendencies, but that's a whole other story, one that I'm sure my husband and daughters would just love to rant about.

I whoa'd myself down a little and didn't get started on the door until about 1:00. Problem is, I don't think I can shut my door tonight because there's no way the paint will be cured and I'm afraid it might stick to the weatherstripping around the door if I shut it. I had already push-pinned plastic over the opening in order to keep from air conditioning the front yard, but was it sealed tight? Definitely not. Okay, so now I have tape all over the front of the house around the door. Not very attractive, but we're talking bugs here, and I already have about 8 mosquito bites from being out in the yard last night. I am NOT going through that again.

I'll bet my neighbors (if they're watching) are wondering why I'm taking pictures of my taped up, plastic covered front door. But, do I care? No, not really.

It's hard to believe you can spend a whole day painting a door. But I'm here to say "yes you can." How long does it take for paint to dry anyway? Ten bucks says it's longer than I waited. Patience may be a virtue, but instant gratification is my motto, so I let the primer dry for what I personally thought was an appropriate amount of time and on went the first coat of paint. I never said I was a professional and I'm certainly not getting paid by the hour, so -- the door is done. It looks terrific and it beats white all to heck!

Since I've already seen every episode of Designed To Sell (and every other show) on HGTV (at least twice), I ended up catching a few episodes of Hoarders while waiting for paint to dry. Talk about depressing -- yikes!

Other than that, I didn't do much today. Took the dogs out a few times and made a pasta salad. Big day in the Florida Panhandle.

Another Day in Paradise

Okay...so I've been a Florida resident (not officially, but I'm working on it) for a month. We have spent a majority of our time going through all of our worldly possessions, making decisions about what we no longer want or will no longer need in order to continue life on earth. Combining two households into one and trying to find space for everything in a smaller house is a challenge.

Today I'm feeling a little frustrated. Patience, apparently, is no longer one of my virtues. I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I am going to get the garage organized today if it kills me. For sure -- there's an old golf bag, two folding chairs in bags, and a bag of old curtains and sheets that are going to the curb. If I can muster the strength, there's a Pilates bench that will join them. I have, sadly, come the conclusion that I'm never going to use the Pilates bench. I should have come to that conclusion before I bought it. Sometimes I wonder about myself.

We are still waiting for some guy we met to come and clear the trees and brush from about four feet of land all along one side of our property. Until that happens, there's no way we can fence in our back yard, which means every morning I'm out walking the dogs through the yard at 6:00. I'm not whining for myself. I know the dogs would like to run free in the yard instead of being on leashes all the time. I'm whining for the dogs (and for the neighbors who have to lay eyes on me at 6 o'clock in the morning). It should be noted...we tried clearing some of the property ourselves and came to the conclusion that it can't be done by man. The job definitely requires a machine. We get an A for effort, but that's about it.

We have two bathrooms and a bedroom left to paint. That will happen after I get over "the joy" of painting the kitchen. Just know that this old girl can still climb a ladder and manage a mean cut-in along the ceiling with a paintbrush. I get an A on this project. I am also contemplating painting our front door. Somebody stop me!

Today I may venture out to Lowes to buy some flowers. I have these adorable, bright and colorful containers that I need to do something with. One of them is fairly large and really should be sunk a few inches into the ground. So my trip to Lowes is entirely dependent on whether or not I find the time and energy to go outside and dig a hole.

I'm thinking the garage may just do me in. Lowes may have to wait until tomorrow.

Hugs to all my family and friends in Ohio. Big hugs to Lindsey and Caroline, the most wonderful daughters in the world.