I always have this feeling once August hits. No matter how much time summer offers, it never seems like enough. And, inevitably when August hits, I start to mentally list all the things I didn't accomplish. Book. Check. Article. Check. Conference proposal. Check. To be honest, I don't know where the time goes. It seems as though pre and post Baby Beeton this was always the dilemma. It's amazing how doing nothing takes up so much time.
I can't complain. I know. I'm privileged to have a stretch of time without teaching. To think. To research. To read. To write. To blow bubbles.
This morning, in an effort to remain positive, I tried to focus on the things that I did accomplish - the things aside from tent tea parties and trips to Opal Daniels Park. I remember when the summer started, saying to our babysitter, "When you come back in the fall, you won't even recognize this house!" I knew it was a bold statement to make, and as I look around today, I realize that she will, very much so, recognize this house - its broken dining room light fixture, the rooms yet to be painted, the cracked kitchen floor. But, I also know that there are a host of things that we did do that she might not notice but are significant... at least to me.
What follows is a list of summer time accomplishments...
1) A brick border in the front garden.
2) An organized front hall closet.
3) A painted downstairs bathroom.
4) A clean downstairs bathroom.
5) A new downstairs bathroom curtain - made by me (with turquoise ball trim!).
6) A newly hung Kate Spade shower curtain in the downstairs bathroom.
7) A chevron futon in the playroom.
8) A painted and organized desk.
9) New playroom curtains.
10) An organized closet for Baby Beeton.
11) New bedside table lamps in the master bedroom.
12) New bedside table lamp in the guest bedroom.
13) Newly hung hooks throughout the house to help with organization.
14) Back stairs demolished and new stairs on their way up.
15) Plus, countless smaller organizing projects to clear up living space!
To be honest, I think when people visit our house, they tend to forget just what we were up against. I forget what we were up against. I completely forgot that we had to cut our bed in order to get it up our narrow staircase. I blocked from my mind the night I filled the tub, and there were three dead roaches floating in it. Or the time when a dead mouse was discovered by Ruby in our couch. In focusing on our unpainted dining room, I forgot that we had to clear a significant amount of stuff out of our house from the previous owner, including such things as dirty magazines and forgotten underwear. Here's a few pictures of the severity of our initial situation.
I need to remind myself of these facts when I start to feel down about our lovable little money pit. Even though our basement doors downstairs are half painted, at least we have real carpeting down there and not fake green grass. And, while there may not be curtains hung in the guest room, Baby Beeton has a cute little nursery, lovingly painted by his parents. With no more mice.
Keep sweeping, Martha
Read Down Came the Rain by Brooke Shields.
