What's Important?

Ten days ago, the Waldo Canyon Fire started here in Colorado. While there were some early evacuations and people who knew they might be evacuated, there was no damage nor loss of life in the first few days. But on Day 4, the weather took a turn that no one saw coming and 65 mph winds sent the flames into the city of Colorado Springs with no notice at all. By the time all was said and done on Tuesday, 32,000 people had been evacuated and 346 homes were burned (although we didn't learn that number for a few more days).

Even though we live about six miles east (as the crow flies - you couldn't drive that short a distance) and it wasn't terribly likely that the fire would make it that far, I also decided I wasn't going to be foolish enough to think that it was totally impossible. I felt that getting a few important things together would probably be a good idea, even though I'd most likely return them all to their regular homes before long. I'd rather be prepared and not need it than the other way around, I decided.

It's interesting when you start considering what would really matter to you if you had to leave your house with no knowledge of whether or not you'd get to return. Most of us have quite a bit of stuff, much of which we really like and want to keep. But when you view your stuff through the eyes of what you would take if you had to leave on a moment's notice, it's amazing how much really doesn't matter that much. One news station here listed it succinctly with 5 Ps:

1. People
2. Pets
3. Prescriptions
4. Papers
5. Pictures

Of course there are memorabilia and heirlooms that some people will take with them. But when I was gathering items together, those five pretty much covered it.

Now, when the somewhat-less-than-immediate danger to us has passed, it makes me stop and really think about all this stuff. I've been in a pretty good de-cluttering mode in recent years, but now it seems that even more of it is not that important. It just takes up space - physical space in our home and mental space as I think about it, organize and store it, maintain it, move it around, and wonder if I should keep it. I think it's time to shift the de-cluttering into high gear. While I don't care to have to start all over, I do think that living lighter is a great idea.

Unspoken Contest

Nothing's been mentioned, but I believe that John & I have an Unspoken Contest taking place in our bathroom. Actually, two of them.

1. Who can be the last person to use the toothpaste and the other one has to get the new one out of the box?

2. Who will finally cave and take all the empty toilet paper rolls to the recycle bin?



What say you?

Homebody

There was a time in my life when I couldn't stand being home for extended periods of time. If I spent much time at home, I would just have to leave. Even if I had nowhere in particular to go. Even if it meant just going to Target and wandering aimlessly (a very dangerous pastime for one's checkbook) or Taco Bell to eat something that wasn't at home.

Many years ago, John & I had moved to a new city in a different state, and I didn't have a job yet. I spontaneously drove 45 miles away to have lunch with my husband. Sadly, this was before cell phones and I had no idea that he wasn't able to have lunch with me that day. Disappointed, I stopped at Burger King because I was very hungry. Unfortunately, I had left my money at home, had no bank account yet (i.e.; no debit card) and we had no credit card. So I had to go home (the place I didn't want to be to begin with) - 45 miles away - hungry, lonely, and disappointed.

Following another move and similar situation, I also drove from south San Jose to Palo Alto (yeah, Bay Area traffic) to have lunch with my cousin. All in the name of getting out of my home. The home where I should've been unpacking and putting things away and getting settled.

That was also the reason I thought I could never be a stay-at-home mom. I'd lose my mind if I spent that much time at home! Our running joke was that John would stay home if we ever had kids and I would be the one to work. Besides, he's a better housekeeper than me.

But God has a sense of humor, doesn't He? Oh, initially when I quit my paying job to stay home with the boys, I still had to get out fairly often. But little by little, there was a transformation. He not only changed my heart, but these days, I've swung to the other end of spectrum. Sometimes I don't want to leave for any reason.

• Not to get milk, even though we need it
• Not to see my family and friends, even though I love them
• Not to go to church, even though I know I'll be fed and encouraged

But I do. I leave home for awhile. And it's usually okay. But if I've been gone too much, I need to have some extended time at home again. To rejuvenate and refuel. Who'd have thought it? Certainly not me.



What about you? Do you like to be home? Do you hanker to get out of the house? Or something in between?

The Red Wall

Ever since we moved into this house a year ago, I've pondered about adding some major color to our living room. Like one or two green walls. Maybe. For whatever reason, I just couldn't nail down a specific color, no matter how much I wanted to get this project done.

But this weekend, I learned why I couldn't make this happen. Because I'm a BUNNY TRAIL kind of gal. I'm not very adept at getting from point A to point B in a direct line. Thanks to this colander brain in my head, I'm easily . . . SQUIRREL!

Anyway, awhile back, we decided to move our plain old brown bookshelf from the living room up to the end of the hallway (just outside my studio) to accommodate homeschool books and such. Then we would stain the unfinished bookshelf with lower cupboards and put it in the living room instead. We bought the stain some time ago and finally got around to that project on Sunday.

We emptied the brown bookshelf and hauled it upstairs. Oh, I guess it actually started back another day. On Saturday, I began cleaning up the studio and getting rid of things. I realized that I desperately need a bookshelf for all the homeschool books, so we needed to get that brown shelf moved and soon.

So, back to staining and moving the shelf. Once that space was vacant along the big wall (aka the "blank slate"), I felt the need to paint it.



While green was the original color of choice, I became concerned that we wouldn't find one that worked with the green curtains, the freshly stained green bookshelf, and the green in the furniture. Never fear, we have all these groovy colors in our rug, so let's go with burgundy. Or more specifically, Deep Garnet by Glidden.



The color chip is a dark burgundy with NO hint of pink. But when we opened the can, it was looking rather magenta-ish. This freaked me out just a bit.

Yikes!!


Looks much too pink to me!


We painted a square on the wall and it was definitely more pink-magenta than it was supposed to be. This color definitely doesn't cover very well. Two coats will not cut it. So I painted two or three more coats on that square and it began to appear that with drying and probably four coats, we really would have Deep Garnet.



After the first coat. Did I say this paint doesn't cover very well?


Half way through the second coat.


My helper, the Comedian.


The wall does have a third coat, but no photos yet. I was planning on a fourth coat before bed tonight, but my SI joint said, "No stinkin' way!" So I complied. But I will get some third and fourth coat pix up. Hopefully it doesn't require even more paint. Because that gallon will be empty by then.

Oink Flu

This is the paraphernalia du jour at our house. Things are on the upswing, but it definitely prevented regular life from happening over the weekend.

No blog hopping.

No blog posting.

No church.

No visiting family.

You get the idea.

I updated my blog hop post below. Will return soon.

Fresh Start Week

Somehow, with the school year winding down, hubby starting his business, and life in general happening, I have completely lost my grip on just about everything. As the CFO/Admin/Officer/Whatever-Else-I-Am of my husband's company, I'm functioning with an office on three floors. This is what using a laptop can do to a person. I must say that it's not the most efficient way to do this job.

It's also that time of year when I am required by the homeschooling laws of my state to test my 9th grade son. I have the test. I just have not yet administered it. Speaking of homeschool, our year was up and down, which is to say that it was entirely normal. But we didn't cover as much as I believe we ought. Which is also entirely normal. So we'll be doing enrolling in Slacker High's Homeschool Light this summer. Which equates to a few hours of studies per week.

I've hung in there these past few weeks with all the chaos balls in the air, but they're starting to drop. Like ripe pumpkins. And it's kind of yucky and messy. Which does not make for a very smooth-running operation around here. Therefore, it's time for some regrouping, organizing, and purging. Or something resembling that.



To that end, here's the game plan:

Homeschool:
Give the boys a list on Monday of what they need to do for school, as well as chores. It will be up to them to manage their time. If they complete all the school work on Monday, they're free for the week. If they procrastinate, there will be no getting together with friends on Friday. Of course, being the mom, I'll offer some brilliant advice, "If you do a little each day, you'll have plenty of free time, and you won't feel overwhelmed by trying to do it all at once. It's important to learn how to balance your time." This, of course, will be rejected out-of-hand, precisely because I'm the mom.

I will also begin working on next school year's plans. As well as administering the test for ClayGuy.

The Biz:
We need a system for handling incoming repair orders, payments, invoices, and other sundry paperwork that my dear breadwinner brings home each day. Right now, he just hands it to me. This works okay, unless I'm cooking dinner, out in the garden, or otherwise detained. Additionally, I've started some files in a file tote, but we will outgrow that system in approximately the next 30 days or so. The files need a more permanent home. On a happy note, I did purchase an "entered" stamp, so I know when the ROs have been entered into QuickBooks. Cause I'm super organized and efficient like that.

Meals & Groceries:
Time to re-implement my meal planning and grocery shopping system. It works really well. When I actually use it. We eat at home more, eat healthier, and eat cheaper. But it's one of those processes where things must be done in a certain order. I don't cook much if we don't have the proper food in our house. But I don't grocery shop if I haven't created meal plans. On Wednesday, I'll be perusing the grocery store fliers and planning some meals.

The Rest of It:
There's a list a few miles long beyond these three things, but if I can complete the three before the end of the week, I'll take care of at least some of them. That's the goal anyway. And by posting here, I will have something by which to assess my week.



The photos are SOOC and come from our yard. I'd have done some editing, but I have a cake to bake. It's my mom's birthday today, after all. But it just never seems right to post without something nice to look at.

For something else nice to look at, go to my photoblog and see if you can help solve my flower mystery.

A Warning

We had an interesting morning. As I was getting ready to head to the shower, my son asked if I'd grab another box of cereal. They're stored in a cupboard in the garage, so I popped out and got one for him. When I stepped into the garage (from our dining room), it smelled like something was burning. Actually, more of a smoldering odor. Like paper, wood, or cardboard. It was a very strong scent. I checked around the garage and found areas where it wasn't as strong, watched for smoke or flames and saw nothing, and ultimately called 911.

Hubby came home and the fire department came - two trucks even (hold your breath - I didn't get any photos). We had a half dozen fire fighters checking out every nook and cranny in the garage, as well as outside, the patio, and the attached shed. They brought out the heat-sensitive testing equipment and other things. The weird thing is that they could find nothing. No heat anywhere. No smoke. No fire. But they sure smelled the odor.

The only item of concern is the Griswold electrical plan in the garage - extension cords strung along to a variety of components; garage door opener, outside light, fluorescent lights, incandescent lights, etc. It's one of those things we knew should be addressed, but hadn't done anything about. One of the fluorescent fixtures seemed to be going out, but the odor was definitely not electrical or ballast.

So as much as they were a bit unsettled at not finding a source, they had to pack it in and leave. Not before installing a smoke detector in the garage and one in our family room, cause we still needed one more. (Side note: I didn't know the fire department would give you free smoke detectors - we've purchased our others.) So we're to stay here and monitor things for the next 24 hours. These guys were awesome, btw. They're practically a stone's throw from our house, so they showed up quickly. They checked every possibility. They were friendly and kind. Our kudos to these hard-working guys.

On a good note, we have a fire extinguisher just inside the garage door. Had we spotted any small flames (before the arrival of our neighborhood fire fighters), we'd have had that available to use.

After they left and the four of us were hanging out discussing things, I pondered that maybe it was a warning from God. Maybe He was getting us to deal with the electrical Griswoldness in the garage because something bad might have happened. There's been no more odor since then. It wasn't anywhere else in the house or outside - just in the garage.

We're not taking this warning lightly. Hubby called an electrician friend before heading back to work. He'll be out in the morning.