A Little Love before Actual Work

I guess I could start this morning with a couple of blog shout-outs; it might get my little brain warmed up since it seems to be somewhat stalled in the writing department.

First of all, I read a great post the other day on I [Heart] Arugula, which is a blog written by my dear friend, Joanne, who introduced me to blogging in the first place, and who encourages and inspires me to write every day. We went to graduate school together, way back in the day, and are navigating our way through middle age together, even though we live on opposite sides of the country. I had to share this first post, Elephant in the Room, because I just love how she's so comfortable in her life; I wish I could be so self-assured. And this second one, Oh My Goodness, is something I wish I had written myself. Not only because I'm a featured character in it :-) but because I'm having my fair share or Oh My Goodness moments myself these day.

So when you get back from reading over there, which I know you will love, check out my new favorite blog: Controlling My Chaos. {I discovered it on SITS, which is an awesome blog site for bloggers, and an excellent way to find new things to read, gain readers, and make cyber friends.} I probably could have blown off this entire morning reading her; I think we're kindred spirits. Check it out!

The fact that I want to link you up with great bloggers is a testament to the fact that I want to be one. I am still a little OCD over the look of the page, the colors, the fonts, etc. It's a disease, I know; I can't seem to get any substantial content out of my head until the delivery vessel is perfect. Stupid, I know. Some great writers write on napkins. Some don't even need the right pen. (Whatever!) Yet here I am, fiddling around with design features.

Not today. I only changed one thing today [Joanne]. But here's the thing. I was supposed to be out all morning volunteering at Jack's school, but caught a break when they didn't really need me after all. I came home and thought Awesome! I can write this morning instead! Well, then I felt like I needed to get caught up on reading all the blogs I follow, because there are so many great ones out there and I hate to miss stuff, and now, all of a sudden, my time is up. Shawn is waiting patiently for me to pick her up so we can go Deck Staining Supply shopping. I told her I'd be ready to go when I got home from the school and so now it's time.

The shopping part I can handle. Even if it is Home Depot and there are no shoes there. (Crocs don't count). But the work part? I'm not a DIY person. Not even kinda. But my BF Shawn is scary DIY, like I think she was probably Ty Pennington in a past life. She has to save me from myself when I think I can do stuff like stain my deck. We're supposed to go to Home Depot and then, since the weather's nice, start the actual application of Stain to Deck. Oh my God, I can't even paint the nails on my right hand with my left hand.



Boring, useless backyard
BEFORE picture










Beautiful, love, love, love it
HALFWAY DONE picture





Will post my AFTER pic when the stain's done.

This might require cocktails at some point.