What is it about breaks...

...that make me think I can get so much done?

While I should be enjoying some time to get caught up and prepared for the next semester of school (which starts on Monday) I have to go and plan a big project.

Nathan said last night, "Why do I let you talk me into these things?"

'These things' being a complete office re-do. In preparation for potentially having to convert our TV room into a bedroom for #2 (that sounds so impersonal, but I'm just being expedient) we have planned in the back of our minds to turn our basement home office into a home office/guestroom/media room. Mind you, to fit all of those functions into one medium-sized room required some careful planning and creative thinking, but I think we're going to make it work. Unfortunately it is requiring some painting (the room was still lavendar and yellow from the days in which it served as Hannah's bedroom), removing an enormous antique rolltop desk, building a new bookshelf/storage unit, sorting through and re-storing massive amounts of media components (equipment, empty DVD cases, mini DV tapes, cords, boxes of recorded media, computer manuals, software disks, etc., etc.) assembling a much smaller work station for me, and the piece de resistance` -- assembling a trundle day bed from IKEA... AFTER I repaint it to fit our new color scheme (because it only came in white).

I'm worn out but we're at the point now of no return. There is stuff EVERYWHERE and unfortunately the important box of stuff is buried. I need to pay our quarterly state taxes by the 9th and the coupon is buried in some box in the big pile in the garage. I haven't done Christmas thank yous yet nor caught up on my receipts from Christmas and that's driving me nuts. We DID get one big monkey off our back today and that was to tear down all the Christmas decorations in the center (we had two events here this past weekend and both groups requested we keep things up through their event so they wouldn't have to decorate). It feels good to walk out in the center and find everything tidy and relatively clean -- that won't last long once students return.

All that to say, if you e-mailed me in the last few days, it may be a while before I get back to you. Ellie did start school again today so I have three more afternoons this week to tackle our project and hopefully get back to regular life soon!