I did it!!

First of all, I am going to congratulate myself for being so productive this weekend.

Tony went to Michigan for one of his college roommate's weddings--I stayed behind. (Stupid $400 flights, and that was when he booked a month ago. I looked for a flight two weeks before and they were $800!!!!! Insane!) I haven't called a whole lot because I wanted him to enjoy his time up there with his old college buddies without a needy wife to worry about.

Task 1: Paint our guest bathroom.

Before he left, Tony helped me decide on a green color for our small guest bath. He was afraid to go too dark to keep from making a small room look smaller, so we decided on what looked like a Granny Smith Apple green. I waited until Saturday to start. Went to Home Depot and got paint and supplies. I was rather impressed with myself because I remembered how to pick out the mixing color---I worked at Home Depot through college (WHOOP!). A guy in line told me I was being very brave with the color choice... I agreed. But sometimes, you just don't know until you get it up there on the walls! Upon returning with my HD goodies, I moved everything out of the bathroom and cleaned it really well. I know that doesn't make much sense---to clean it before you paint---but I knew I would be crawling around on the floor and wanted to make sure it wasn't dirty.

I got everything moved and cleaned, then taped off the edges. TIP: Run your finger over the tape 2-3 times to make sure it sticks well, or else you'll end up with spatters, especially on the ceiling! Next step-first coat. It was a little scary, the color. At that point I was hoping that the second coat would tone it down a little...and that wasn't the case. Got the second coat on and took the tape down and it still was a little scary. UGH. Something that really gets on my nerves---when the paint sticks to the tape and it peels off!! Luckily, it only happened in 3 or 4 places unlike when we painted the other bathroom and it was every 2 inches.

I think I still might paint the ceiling, trim and door a brighter white to offset the green, but am a little afraid to because all the surfaces (countertop, bathtub, toilet) are all off-white. It looks ok where we did it in our other bathroom, so I think I will go ahead with it later today before I move everything back in. I'm stil hoping that all the dark brown I have to move in will help tone down the green.

Task 2: Mow the yard

I did it! All alone for the first time! What a chore. I have a new respect for Tony, and will definitely make a bigger deal out of it when he does the yard. I had a fight with the weed-whip, and still don't really know how to use the thing, but it came out ok. I do have a few tips:

-Mow as much as close to "obstacles" as you can. Whatever you don't mow will just be extra work with the weed-whacker and it's sure harder on the arms!

-WEAR GLOVES! My little girl hands both have blisters. About halfway through I decided to "don" a golf glove because it was within reach and it helped a lot.

-If you get a headache after being out in the sun for a while like I do, take medicine before you go out. Excedrin works great for me because it keeps the headache away AND gives me a caffeine boost!

-Keep a big glass of water out there and don't forget about it!

-Dump the clippings before the mower gets too heavy to push.

-I'm scared of Tony's edger for some reason. To get a similar effect, I turn the weed-whip over where the nose is facing the ground and use it that way.

-BIG SUNGLASSES are awesome for yard work! They act like safety glasses AND keep the sun out of your eyes.

-Reward yourself with a nice long cold shower when you get back in.

YAY!