Is There a Light at the End of This Tunnel?

The plumbers have finally gone, saints be praised. They left us Friday afternoon, and I was thrilled to see them go. On Friday evening, a man who may well be our savior appeared at the door to give us an estimate on the repairs to the walls and ceiling. We are very pleased to have him helping us out. We're having him do some painting and a couple of other small fix ups for us as well. One nice thing that I'm very excited about is that we're getting cannister lights installed in the den, and there will be dimmers on them. That means (or should mean) that when some people are watching TV or movies down there, I can also sit with them and enjoy my knitting. Some folks seem to think TV should be watched with the lights out, and I simply don't agree!

Daughter is delighted that she'll get to change the paint color in her bedroom. She's going with a nice hot pink color. We almost came to blows over paint color. Her first choice was a horrible "old bruise" purple and if not that an "artificial grape flavor Kool Aid" purple. Horrible!! She is also getting some additional lighting in her room including a set of track lights in one end which is becoming her art studio. We figure that while there are holes in the ceilings already, this is a good time to install lighting.

Once we recover from the financial blow that this whole ordeal has dealt us, we're going to have more work done on the house. There is still plenty to do that we've not had time to do ourselves, primarily cosmetic fix ups. Patty and Rebel, our sheep, are putting in their baaaahs for new fencing and a little barn as well.

I'm still feeling pretty down and depressed about this whole ordeal. Anyone who knows me well knows that Christmas time is not my favorite holiday in the first place. It hasn't been since I lost my dad 8 years ago. I have to force myself to go through the expected motions for this holiday. In fact, were it up to me, we'd just completely ignore December 25 and just keep on going. I am also a person who likes things neat and orderly. Things are far from that right now. My home is my sanctuary and escape from the crazy world, and now it seems the crazy has invaded in a big way. I don't like it. All of this is not making me a very fun person to be around right now.

Knitting...hmm...I seem to remember what that is. I'm still plugging away at the alligator scarf for my brother. It's very close to finished. I've worked the recommended number of "body" rows for the scarf, but it seems short to me, especially considering it's going to a 6 foot tall guy. I plan to do an additional 4"body" row sections and see what that brings me. I'm guessing this scarf should come out to be 6 feet long once it's completed.

Facebook has been a lot of fun lately. I've found or been found by several friends from high school and college. It's been entertaining walking down memory lane a bit. I have several photos to scan and share with everyone.

One good thing has happened to us in all this crap. Husband and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary on Friday. It's hard to believe it's been that long. Here's to a lifetime yet to come.