A Fresh Start

What a great weekend! Thanks so much, everyone! Thanks to Sweetie for holding down the fort so I could escape for a few days. Thanks to the kids for being relatively civil to each other. Thanks Mom and Dad for absolutely everything! I had so much fun with my two sisters, though I was missing Caro very much, I must say. And this is the first time in many, many years that I was able to spend one-on-one time with my brother, whom I adore.

Saturday we "girls" went in to Em's house and painted for the entire day and evening. We attacked the ceilings, walls, and trim in the living and dining rooms, and by the time we finished (though not 100% finished), it looked so different than before. I've been agonizing over how to paint my living room and kitchen, but I think I have a pretty good idea now. This year I am ripping out the parquet tile and laying slate in the entryway, hardwood floors in the living room, repainting the whole room, burning the curtains, and putting up something new in the windows (TBD). Some pieces of furniture might also have to disappear. Suzy does all that stuff herself, and without minimizing her talents, it can't be that hard. Tedious perhaps, but not difficult. I feel energized! Re-committed! Ready to be committed...

We also watched "Mamma Mia" with my mom while all four of us worked on our knitting projects. Em sang along to the songs, and now they're all drilled into my brain and can't come out. What a silly movie, but it's definitely catchy. My mom is an amazing mom. She had five children over a 25 year period, and raised us all under constantly-changing conditions. She moved over 20 times during those years, always adjusting to new homes, schools, countries, languages, social conditions, clothing styles, wartime, peacetime, you name it. She cooked everything at home, sewed many of our clothes, and economized to the point of absurdity sometimes so she could stay home with us. She always makes me feel so capable and important. I always feel like her favorite child, and I think we kids each feel like that. I needed to spend the weekend with her, and it went way too fast. But now I feel energized! Re-committed!

But you know me well enough to know that this post isn't just about putting my house in order.

It's Inauguration Day, and I'm so excited about this Fresh Start. I am grateful I still have a home to fuss over, unlike so many others. My sleeves are rolled up and I'm ready to pitch in. Energized! Re-committed! And very happy.