poplar road

1) I've returned to bellydance lessons and am less stressed;

2) I'm getting a paycheque three weeks in a row;

3) the new window in the master bathroom looks awesome – daylight, whoo-hoo!

4) we may not have a vanity in the main bath, but we have trim around the tub and doesn't it look great? (Needs sealant and grout, but you get the idea.)

5) the heating system will finally be finished this weekend with Jason's help;

6) we found torchiere lamps for bedroom lighting that come with compact fluorescent lights on dimmer switches (at last) for under $100;

7) Richard started up his new business in a month, and his first job finishes this weekend;

8) we might not get as far as painting, but we will have the ceiling done and primer on in the new master bedroom (here are pictures as we were doing the last coat of mud on most walls, and starting the ceiling);

9) we have renovated about 1200 square feet from top to bottom in less than a year without intentionally doing each other bodily harm;

and 10) Richard sold his first Unimog today. He's not overjoyed, as the negotiating on this deal was tough and he put more hours into it than perhaps it was worth, but it's a good sign that more sales will follow. It's progress.

So, we have a lot to be thankful for. It's been a slog, lately, with me back at work and both of us working double time to get the new business going, and we haven't had much time to relax since starting the new bedroom & bathrooms project this summer, but the first morning that we wake up in our new master suite and look around at our smooth freshly painted walls, new birch laminate floors, tidy, dust-free and well-organized dressing room, and the sun shining in our French doors, we're going to roll over and go back to sleep happy in the knowledge that we've done a great job, and that there's no reason to get out of bed. And if that's not until Christmas morning at the rate we're going, well, I can live with that.