Settling In

The house looked great when we returned.

There were a few oddities - like every single frying pan I own being completely burnt. Apparently the friends who stayed in our house while we were away are serious about avoiding under-cooked foods.

Another funny thing was that our house plants - all five of them - had been gathered in one place, apparently to die a slow death.

Which is fine, because I wanted to get new ones anyway - and now I can do so without feeling guilty. A win-win!

Therefore, the only thing we've really had to deal with upon our return has been the garden. And truly - it is a holy mess of crumbling brick patios, dandelions and peeling decks. We couldn't stand looking at it, so yesterday Mike sanded the decks while I proceeded to fill 4 bags with garden waste. I wouldn't be surprised if another 2 or 3 bags will be added to that number before pickup tomorrow. Flowers have been purchased, and more will be bought today to liven things up.

The grass really needs to be redone, but we'll have to wait until the fall or next spring to do that - there's just too many other projects on the go this spring.

Tomorrow, we are going to start contacting contractors to get to work on fixing up the mess caused by the leak last fall. This includes the kitchen, the dining room, the downstairs rec room and guest room, the boys' bathroom.

While we're at it, I'm planning to get the white tile in the main floor hallway replaced by something more dirt friendly. I am not a clean freak by any stretch of the imagination, but I have a hard time ignoring muddy footprints throughout the house. So what better solution than to hide them with a darker flooring? If anyone has any suggestions, I am all ears!

Our boys had a sleepover at a friend's house last night, and I am crossing fingers they slept for more than 5 hours. Mike's mother (my second mother-in-law - as Mike's parents divorced a long time ago) is spending the afternoon with us, after which we're going to our friends' house for dinner.

I'm pondering going away more often - I've yet to cook a meal in our house, seeing as how all our lovely friends are taking such good care of us. We are being incredibly spoiled.

Hope everyone's having a lovely weekend! I've been a bad bloggy friend, but next week will be better.