Whirlwind Weekend

H1 and I had decided that this past weekend was going to be a project weekend. Most of the stuff we need to do now is miscellaneous. There's nothing major, but a lot of small to mid-size projects that have to be finished before we can get things in the house arranged how we would like them to be.

We did decide to make a mid-morning start on Saturday though. It was a tiring week for both of us and rest seemed more important than trying to plow through. That was a good choice. Throughout the weekend, H1 was able to put some shelving together, change the oil on the van, clean out and organize the garage (talk about a several hour ordeal trying to make heads or tales out of all those boxes), and help me finish spackling and painting the stairway. We still need to finish painting the ceiling and trim in the stairway, and I think that will get done either tonight or tomorrow night.

I got the rest of the dining room cleared out, so now there isn't anything extra in here except two boxed of home canned applesauce. Those boxes do have a home, but that home is temporarily occupied by some other boxes waiting to be moved into the attic. That was H1's other project. We don't have much attic space. When the previous owners added central heating (propane system), they had the furnace and duct-work installed and run through the attic. Odd, right? There's not much room to maneuver or store things up there, but I think we can get enough up there to finish clearing out the garage. Previously, they had put down some very thin (1/4 inch) boards of some kind. All I know is they were not your regular plywood and felt flimsy to walk on, so I wouldn't go in there. H1 got a different, sturdier kind of wood to put up there and is cutting those sheets down so he can fit them. So far, he'd taken out the old stuff and now there are three 4x4 sections of the new stuff down, and he has a little bit more to go before we can start moving things in.

All said and done, it was a very profitable weekend as far as use of our time. My hope is that by the end of May, we will have everything finished and be settled in completely. I say it's my hope, because at this point, I don't think I can guarantee anything!

H1 got a call on Tuesday from our worship leader at church, asking him to lead this Sunday so she could take a weekend off with her family. I know she's needed some time with them, so I'm glad she called. H1 leads worship at our church 4-5 times a year, sometimes more.

After church, we had the opportunity to stop by American Attic, a new shop in Smithfield that a friend of mine is opening. She has been working very hard with her co-owner and a few friends to renovate an old building. Right now the shop is officially scheduled to open on May 1, but they've had so many people come right on in while they are working and ask to buy things! She said they are doing a few sales now, since there is so much interest in the shop. I'm excited for her, and I'm looking forward to shopping there myself. They carry a lot of Amish-made things, and as of June 1st, will start selling snowballs too. Are you familiar with a snowball? Basically it's flavored shaved ice with different toppings on it. Mmmmm! We don't have anything like that in this area that I know of, so I'm looking forward to having a new spot to take H3 (and H4) for a treat!

It's Monday, so today we're hitting the ground running. I've been working on all the bills that are due this month. H1 handles the budget in general, but I write the checks and organize/file things so he can see them when he gets home. He'll be taking a half day today, since I have two doctor appointments scheduled. The first is with the same doctor who did my ultrasound before. He wants to do another now to see if the cleft he'd noted before is still present and if it is, to start us on a slightly different path for the birth (meeting with the specialists beforehand, etc). The second appointment is directly after, with a midwife. This will be my first time meeting Jean. I met with another midwife at the same practice before, but her family is moving in early June, so she wouldn't be here for the birth of our baby. We're planning to deliver at the hospital up near Richmond, just with a midwife. H3 was born at a hospital with a midwife, and my experience was really good, so that's what we're praying for again. As always, I'll give more details about H4 as I know them.

Happy Monday!

~H2