Pampered Princess No More

If you had asked me to describe my life before March 6, 2013 I would have said I lived like a pampered princess.  My life was orderly, peaceful and blessed.  I woke up when I wanted to, worked (or not) when I wanted to, and was generally able to avoid unpleasantness.  Pretty much my only real responsibilities were to pay the bills, make sure Ornery had clean clothes to wear, and have food on the table at 11:30 for him to eat. 

Life hasn't always been this bucolic, but yeah, I really am spoiled! 

The closing of our first rental property was a serious turning point in my life. Gone are the days of sitting in a rocking chair drinking coffee and chatting for a couple of hours in the morning. No more long planning breakfasts Saturdays at Panera or whole days spent with my eyes glued to my Nook. Dust has gathered on every surface in the studio and my paints are sadly neglected.

Instead I spend eight to twelve hours every day working.  Hard.

I am not complaining, in fact I think this project has really given me a lot more energy and vigor than I have had in quite a while.  There is much to be said for the feeling of accomplishment and feeling tired from working hard.  I look at all those rooms at 507 and feel a strong sense of pride knowing I painted all those walls!

Painting and cleaning have been my main contributions to the project, and Ornery has done pretty much everything else.  Every swipe of a paint brush or spin of the roller leaves behind a glimpse of the finished product, and gives me a little jolt of happy to know I am contributing.  Every swath of dust vacuumed, spot of grunge scrubbed, and pile of detritus cleared away reveals the beauty of an old house that just wanted some love, and that makes me smile.

I am glad to have a sense of purpose; hopefully keeping Ornery from hiring on as a Grumpy Greeter at Wal-Mart in his old age.  I have been repeatedly challenged to push beyond my comfort level to finish things in a timely manner.  My organizational skills have been required to keep things moving ahead, and my eye for detail has helped with quality control. We are nearing the end of this project and I have mixed feelings about that.

It will take me a while to get things caught back up at home, but I hope we are able to take on another project like this again fairly soon--before I settle back into idleness. Princesses were not really meant to be pampered, in spite of how nice that sounds right now!