What a busy day!

There's no sensation quite like sauntering up to a service counter and saying, "We are doing this mongo project that's way over our heads, and in the process we've taken something apart that we aren't certain how to put back together." You know they just loooooove hearing that, right? Especially coming from a woman hauling four children behind her: one in a sling, one asleep in a cart, and the older two covered in white paint and red dirt... wearing overalls. Then, just in case we might be mistaken for normal people, and to make certain we are the butt of all break room jokes for the rest of the weekend, I broke out the digital camera to show them what I was talking about (because when it comes to windows, I know three words and not one of them had anything to do with what I was asking about). Learning a new skill is always a humbling experience. And I learned a new word today: stoop. No, I mean I learned a new application for that word... (Don't want some random soul to stumble on that sentence and think, "And she's educating her own children!?!")

We then headed to Wal-Mart for some primer, more paint brushes (because no, we don't ever remember to wash them out, why do you ask?) and other paints. It took the poor man in the paint department three hours to mix five one gallon cans for us. He was not having a good day, I think, as he yelled at some customers and was quite short with us, as well. I wanted to, as we put it, go all Way Of The Gun on him (not literally, folks - it's a movie, with the best one-line threat we've ever heard). But on occasion we have the chance to set the example we keep trying to convince our children to follow. This was one of them. It worked beautifully, and not only did I set a good example for the boys, but the boys followed my lead, and by the time our transaction with this gentleman was done, he was smiling and being downright nice. He even tried joking with the boys (but by then they were too freaked out by him to be able to shift gears so quickly, so they stuck with being standoffishly formal, yet polite). My brain was fried. There is simply nothing to do to entertain four children in Wal-Mart for three hours. It felt good to head home.

We pulled in to the drive to find Zorak flinging gravel into the chasms we jokingly refer to as ruts. Today was the first time I've ever entered the property without bottoming out! What a treat! Now we can have that construction dumpster hauled away!

I set the boys up with playdoh at the breakfast bar, reveled in the sight of three happy children creating and playing (and not getting anything stuck in carpet), then headed back to paint the master bedroom. I painted the ceiling (one of the many random shades of white with special names) and part of the trim. Then I moved on to the walls. They are grey, rather than orange. I started singing Johnny Cash songs as the paint went on, but when it dried it lost its "prison wall" look. Quite swanky, if I do say so myself. Zorak threw down the tack strips and hauled out the carpet padding... only to discover they'd given us the wrong padding. Dead in the water, and we were on such a roll! ARGH.

Oh, well. Worse things have happened. We'll switch out the carpet padding in the morning and pick up where we left off. The boys got to bed early and are eagerly awaiting a day at the quarry with friends this weekend. Miss Emily fell asleep at a semi-decent hour. That left Zorak and I alone to plot and plan. He worked on the concrete forms a bit. I sorted clothes. Domesticity at it's most blissfully dull. It was a wonderful evening! And a hectic, busy day.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy