I Think I'm Getting too Old for This

Woo hoo! I did it! It was down to the wire, but I managed to get each and every one of my mini home improvement projects done in the knick of time. I was framing my very last photo when my little bro called to let me know they had landed in Long Beach. I know my insane determination to whip things into stylish shape was thoroughly unnecessary, but it felt good to have the place in tip-top shape when they walked through the door, all the same.

Of course, after their initial walk-through, I'm sure my decor was never thought of again. To be honest, we were too busy. Thursday night was chill, but as soon as we woke up Friday morning, we hit the ground running and didn't slow down until I dropped them off at the airport on Monday morning. We hit all of the tourist spots, rode bikes on the boardwalk, grabbed margaritas, kayaked with sea lions, grabbed beers, rode bikes to the local watering holes, grabbed some more drinks, and laughed until we were too exhausted to move. It was a good weekend - the kind you can never really plan, but only hope for. It was exactly the type of weekend we all needed.

Sadly, I think I might still be physically recovering from all of our shenanigans. (I'm not accustomed to that level of craziness any more!) But the weekend was totally worth it. As adults, it's often difficult to fit in fun time with your siblings, especially when living so far away from each other. And that is exactly what we managed to do - have an incredibly fun time.

So now it's back to life as usual; a lot of work, interlaced with a little bit of play. Until next time...

Who am I Really Trying to Impress?

I am a woman on a mission.  It is approximately T minus seven hours until my brother and his wife touch down at Long Beach Airport, and it will take me just about that long to finish all of the little projects I have going to make our place more presentable.  It's not that our place was all that bad before, but it was a little barren.  I had ideas, but no motivation to carry them out.  So, of course, now that I actually have family coming to town, I have had motivation coming out of my ears, and am operating in overdrive.  I've been sanding, painting, reorganizing, and flat-out decorating like a madwoman.  Last night, I even skipped work to stay up into the wee hours of the morning watching bad TV whilst refurbishing a vintage coffee table.  It's insanity, but I'm loving the overall results.  I actually feel like this little beach bungalow is turning into a home we can call our own.  So, as much as I'd like to reflect a little more, the clock is ticking and I still have a lot of things to cross off my "To Do" list.  Wish me luck!

Crying Uncle

That's it. I've given up. I'm throwing in the towel. (At least for now.) I'm a sucker for a good project, but this is getting ridiculous. My hands are cramped from sanding. (I seriously look like my hands are riddled with arthritis.) My little bungalow is filled with blue dust. My ears are ringing with the reverberations of my automatic sander. And, despite weeks of work, I'm nowhere near finishing. Tomorrow, I'm loading the dang thing into Mouse's truck so he can take it to the storage unit. I just cannot stand to look at it any longer. I need a break.

What's all this fuss about, you ask? Several months ago, a friend spotted a vintage art-deco cabinet at an auction. It needed work, but he knew I enjoyed refurbishing things, so he took a chance and bought it for me. Now, I'm cursing the day he came across this monstrosity. It has been the absolute bane of my existence since I started working on it.

To be honest, I knew it was going to be trouble the moment I laid eyes on it. The veneer was rippled from moisture and cracked with age. The paint was bubbled in places and flaking off in others, revealing several layers that would have to be stripped away. At least two shelves would need total replacing. Mouse wanted to chuck it immediately. I dug my heels in, determined to uncover the diamond in the rough. I guess this is my reward for such stubbornness.

I thought I could finish this before my brother's visit this weekend. I thought it could be transformed into a quirky wine cabinet, and make for a cool conversation piece. So I've forgone all of the other little projects on my plate, spending every spare moment sanding and dismantling, until today.

Today I finally had to face reality and realize this project had zero chance of being done in time for the big visit. I had to hang my head in sheepish shame, admit defeat, and ask Mouse to help me hide the evidence. So, tomorrow it goes. I'm not totally giving up; I'm just postponing further agony. Eventually, I'll have the motivation and mental strength to tackle this cabinet again, and make it into a piece I can be proud of. (And I'll be sure to post my progress when I do.) But for now, I need to focus on the little, more do-able things to make my beach house more visit ready, like tidying up the mess I've spent weeks creating. Ha!