at the lakehouse...

it's peaceful this morning, a nice way to wake up. slept in late, despite the fact that we went to bed earlier than has become usual since i began my vacation time. forgot the eggs, but was grateful that matt was willing to run to the "country store" down the road to grab some. for some reason, i can't be at the lakehouse now without making fried egg sandwiches on bagels. so good.

it's raining just a bit, off and on. the baby ducklings who were cute and fuzzy the last time we were here are now much bigger and a little less downy. there are more lily pads on the water, and a ripple on the surface that resembles a current... can't figure out where it's coming from. the lake was so placid the last time we visited. matt's devoted himself to finishing the puzzle that the family started weeks ago. i look forward to a long day of peacefulness.

so while the earlier part of my week was "do nothing" time, (or "do whatever i feel like doing, on a whim" time) now it is study & prep time. nothing too intense, but i'm speaking to the "big people" on Joshua on the 5th and need to finish my message, and i have a few of those "never going to get done unless i put in some extra time" projects i've been wanting to finish. so here's to a morning of productivity.

"vacation" - day 1

i'm out of the office this week, looking to take a little "decompression" time. don't have much of anything planned, though i have a whole stack of books i want to get through, a little to-do list of projects in the studio, and plan to take a few days to go up to the lakehouse at the end of the week.

but i'm still finding it hard to keep myself amused. and it's only day 1. bad sign, eh? suddenly i have all this free time, so i'm doing things like planning the groceries we need for the lakehouse, messing with facebook's mobile update features, and well - updating my blog...

i should probably get out of my pajamas, huh? maybe it's time for a meandering through value village.

house update...

we hosted our housewarming party today, less because our house is "done" {far from it}, and more because we felt like if we waited any longer, we'd lose our window of opportunity. {it's been four months, after all.}

i hate that blogger won't let you upload multiple photos at once. lame.

so, here are a few, and if you want to see the rest, you'll have to go friend me on facebook:

felt the need to compile a list of "everything we've done":

• scrubbed floors, walls, appliances.
  
• ripped up carpet.
  
• pulled staples from the floor. (serious fore-arm workout.)
  
• painted walls, kitchen cabinets & existing trim.
  
• replaced sub-flooring in the bedroom.
  
• tore out utility closet shelves.
  
• installed new stove, washer & dryer - including rewiring and some drywall work.
  
• installed water heater timer & insulation blanket.
  
• shelf-papered over winnie-the-pooh lining on nearly every horizontal surface within the kitchen cabinets (and the bathroom window sill).
  
• put up curtains and rods on every window.
  
• scrubbed and scraped adhesive from hardwoods.
  
• successfully covered up the most severe burn spot i've ever seen, on our living room wood floors.
  
• replaced front door and back door (to garage).
  
• laid carpet in guest room and master bedroom.
  
• tore down wire shelving in guest room.
  
• ripped out baseboards (to be replaced).
  
• dug out dirt/grass around house that was too close to the siding.
  
• ripped out half of the terrible "structure" behind the house.
  
• cut down 5 cedar trees, measuring at least 25-35 feet each, limbing and sawing it for yardwaste disposal and firewood.
  
• mowed, wheedwhacked like crazy.
  
• replaced porch & patio light fixtures.
  
• installed "drawer-pull" style knobs as towel hangers.
  
• cleaned out & replanted {mostly} front flower beds.
  
• installed soaker hoses in front beds.
  
• installed compost bin.

i hate being such an undependable blogger, but rarely do i feel like i have something worth blogging about.

today, it's 90 degrees, and i think my house is at least that. about 5 weeks ago, we cut down the 5 giant cedar trees in our front yard. they were quite the eyesore... but they were also our only source of shade. this is compounded by the fact that all of our windows are, presumably, original construction, and open push-out style. only one set of windows are "new", and despite the double-pane, they radiate heat like crazy. tomorrow, we investigate roll-up solar shades.

so, i'm miserable. matt's miserable. the cats are miserable. here's to a high of only 76 tomorrow...