Weekends are starting to kick my butt. I come into work on Monday thinking that what I really need is another day to get all my weekending out of the way. I would so rather work four ten hour days and have that extra weekend day than five eight hour days. Maybe I'll add that to my future dream job check list. Ten hour work days and the freedom to go for Friday morning brunches as I wish.
Saturday was such a mixture of productivity and inactivity that it was nice. I had mini brunch with a friend, came home and relaxed, and then ran errands with my mom. Saturday night Karl was out so I finished The Half Blood Prince and did some serious living room beautifying. My secret weapon was the vacuum and a Swiffer Duster without the handle. I think the living room and I defeated that duster but it made me proud. It seems the key to success with those things is so just use it like a rag without the handle. I've always found them really disappointing but since I misplaced the handle I have renewed faith and affection towards them. Crazy effective. My duster and I conquered unfathomable heights. Or something.
Did I mention Monday's causing me pain?
I embraced my domesticity and even went so far as to bust out some spray paint Saturday night. I know, it was getting all sorts of crazy. Tragedy was striking Hogwarts, I was finding old photos that needed to be framed and was pulling really ugly frames out of boxes. I'm finally starting to revert our home into what my bedroom looked like before we were married. Less Jars of Clay posters, but more photos of the people that matter most and not just pictures of Karl and I looking really attractive and married.
Yeah, I busted out the spray paint and did a pretty intense job on some rather unattractive plastic frames. I heard the key to good spray painting is to do it from a little farther back so you get a nice spray. Since the cans were almost empty I opted for getting up close and personal. It may not have been the best call. I used TON of spray paint trying to get out the bubbles that kept appearing and, of the two, one looks perfect and the other has some streaking along the outer sides that I think I'll have to fix. They were still a little tacky last night when we went to bed so I think I overdid it a little. You'd think 24 hours would be enough...
I realized something else, though, while I was spraying frames in our driveway: Spray painting is really fun. Changing the ugly frames (silver and black, and brown) into something colourful and pretty was really gratifying. I just used some leftover spray paint my mom had from doing the same thing to deck furniture last summer. One's a really nice rich blue colour and the other is a pale, buttery yellow. I don't want to brag, but that makes me pretty domestic.
Not only did I get some photo frames beautified, I also managed to get a handle on the book hoarding beast and the results were surprising. Our living room is mostly underground but there's a boarded up window just below the ceiling. The board's on the outside and when we first moved in I initially thought it would be nice to open the window and get some fresh air in. It was a terrible idea. There's a hold slightly smaller than a tennis ball in the plywood behind the window, and behind that is a lot of ferny type plants and garden areas breed nature things. Especially spiders. That window was a portal for big nasty spiders to come into our living room and terrify me. The stories I could tell you... And when I'm talking about big nasty spiders I'm not joking around. They're big. They're nasty. They're trying to eat me in my sleep (and while I read, knit, watch TV, shower, go to the bathroom, cook, put on shoes, or do anything else) and I do not want them in my home. Long story short, that window stays closed now and always will.
The thing is, the window with the plywood behind it is really quite an unattractive feature in our living room. It reminds me that we live in a cave and have to fear horrible monsters trying to kill us, thinking it's their home. We're basic fighting off an alien invasion. Just saying. Saturday night I took the plunge and made the hideous space nice. I put up my books that had been living on various tables, added a framed picture and my knitting needles up there and suddenly felt accomplished. It looked nice and the best part was that I actually found that I have more space to fill than books to fill it. Ha! I'm not as much of a hoarder as I thought.
I have no idea how my posts can get so long. We'll call it time filling techniques as I trudge through yet another dull work day.
Sunday stripped me of all my energy even though we sat around for 90% of it. It was easily the nicest and warmest day we've had all year. I saw my first baby baptism and celebrated afterwards by having a lazy lunch at our friend Tim's parents' house. I didn't know it but they have animals there. Lots and lots of animals. Chickens, ducks, goats, alpacas, kittens, and a pig. I wanted to pet a chicken but I ended up holding one too. I also made friends with a goat who kept nuzzling my hand like a dog. I had no idea goats were so docile and friendly! I pet a baby alpaca (ten days old), chased around a pig until I gave up and pet it later. It was the coolest thing ever. Not that I'd ever want farm animals to look after myself, Karl and I are enough responsibility as it is, but I never knew people living in a city could have their own personal petting zoo in their backyard.
All that weekend fun has left me exhausted and wishing I had another day to relax. Oh weekends, we're having quite the love affair aren't we?
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