News Flash...

...Time does actually fly when you have tons of things to do and a finite time in which to accomplish them. That's not really news to anyone who has felt the pressure of trying to fit too much into too little time. But I was reminded of that inevitability after failing to complete half of the things I wanted to get done last week. (Just checked, it was only like a third, but feels more monumental.)

BUT - on the upside...I (as you know) had a great visit with the RE on Monday, and Wednesday's visit also went well. Slid right in without resistance. This is big doings for me! Of course, those two visits took at least 3 hours each out of my week. (6 hours)

AND I managed to get the hall bath painted on New Years Day. No pictures yet, but I really like it. We went with a very very light blueish-green, with enough color to know it's not white, but not so much that you end up looking like you've got a permanent stomach flu when you look in the mirror. While it's NOT in any way a professional job, I'm satisfied. (8 hours with taping and other prep, drying time, and reassembling the bath that evening so my BIL could use it.)

AND on Tuesday I spent 5(!) hours returning presents (DH got 3 copies of Iron Man - everyone bought it for him! It suggests a slight lack of communication.), and running some other errands along the way. (5 hours)

AND I found the time to make Angel biscuits* in an experiment to figure out DH's favorite carrier for country ham as recalled from childhood parties. And we have a winner! The recipe I used took 11 hours, with refrigeration time, and time for the biscuits to rise, but actual hands on was less than 2 hours. Now that we know this is what he likes, I can look for another, shorter recipe that I can make and bake same day. (2 hours)

I have to admit, I also found the time to read a few books here and there, so for funzies let's say I read 6 books at a time frame of 2 hours each. (12 hours)

That's approximately 33 hours of my life. Plus there was time spent playing computer games, playing the UNO Flash game my BIL got for Christmas on New Years Eve (wow, that game is stressful for someone who doesn't perform well under pressure!), and some general vegging around (like broccoli) to attempt to recover from Christmas. For the record, the sparkling peach juice I found at Target was an excellent substitute for a sparkling alcoholic beverage.

If I had been home this weekend instead of up at the condo, I probably could have gotten everything checked off.

Next big-ish project, not on this weeks list: window treatments for the breakfast area. Have had the fabric for a couple years now, I just need to figure out what I want to do with it. Was thinking roman shades, but now I'm thinking more scarf valence draped over a few supports. There's time to think on that. We don't often use the breakfast area - our coffee table gets very hard use as a dining area - but we used it more with my parents and BIL visiting, so I had a chance to notice that the windows were a bit bare.

One of the main things I didn't get done, mostly due to lack of energy more than lack of time - put some items we have just hanging around the house on craigslist or ebay. Things like a 22"(?) flat screen CRT monitor in great condition, a pair of unused wakeboard boots, an iPod speaker system I won as a door prize - no good without an iPod, and an electronic thing that communicates with chevy/gmc truck onboard computers to maximize performance. Any takers?



*Not sure what the origin of these are, but it's not something you find in the Joy of Cooking. It's called a biscuit, but uses yeast to help rise, so there are some roll like elements as well. The recipe I used caused much cursing and gnashing of teeth as kneading was required while the dough was very much still sticky. I'm also thinking after attempting to get everything stirred in evenly that the next attempt will be a great time to test out the bread dough attachment for my mixer.