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The party was a huge success. I’m not sure if there’s anything else to say… if you weren’t here you missed a wonderful event. All those who came had a wonderful time. Mom and Grandma handled the food prep and allowed me to just enjoy the day. The wine flowed like water… and I spent the entire day with a smile planted firmly on my face.

As much as I’ve enjoyed all the work I’ve done to my house lately, I think I’m due a break. I have some other things I’d like to do and I feel like I need to give myself permission to slow down a bit (maybe it’s more of a reminder that it doesn’t have to be done right away than permission to ease up).

So, here I am… I have a few more things to do in preparation for the housewarming shindig this Saturday, but once that’s done, I’ll probably return to a few other projects for a month or two and use that time to map out a strategy for future projects.

I would like to do something about the flooring relatively soon. Whether it’s laminate or carpet, there are a couple of things that need to be done first in order not to have any weird patching to do later. I want to do some work on the closets and add in the balcony/landing/loft upstairs. Once those are done I’ll get the floors taken care of and the house will hardly be recognizable to anyone who saw it before I bought it.

Things are really coming together. David and Ginny are coming for dinner tonight and we’ll hang the curtains she has so dutifully sewn for me. The breakdown goes something like this: three panels for the sliding glass door, a panel for each of the two bookcases (to cover the bottom halves), a valance for the windows over the kitchen sink, and a runner for the table if she had any fabric left. It’s an incredibly nice thing she’s done for me… as I keep telling them both, they’ve been hugely helpful and I’m not sure how I could have done any of this without all of there help.

Yesterday I started work on a hanging light fixture. I found some nice handmade paper at the craft store that may or may not make it’s way into the design. I’m hoping to finish it by this weekend as the light is most definitely needed in the living room.

The cat seems to have gotten the clue about not scratching the sofa, all though I’m sure that as I type this sentence she’s sitting at home sharpening her claws on the micro-suede.

Not much is left to do. I’ve got a haircut scheduled for Wednesday, and I’ll pick up the turkey’s that night as well so they’ll have time to thaw. Dad will take care of prepping them Saturday morning when the get up to Richmond.

I spent most of my lunch hour today building a playlist on the Ipod… so far I’ve nailed down about seven hours of music. I’ll finish that up tonight when I get home and that’ll be one more thing off the list.

I think all of the work is finally catching up to me. I’m pretty tired today, but I’m looking forward to Saturday and enjoying the fruits of all this work. Even if the turn out is low it’ll be a wonderful day.

I picked up the couch yesterday after work, brought it home, and had previously arranged with David to come over once I got here to help bring it into the house. They arrived soon after I got home and had a friend of ours from New Jersey with them. I haven’t seen Dennis in a couple of years… not since I had divorced myself from kiting. I gave Dennis the nickel tour and then he and David helped move the couch in. Of course, almost as soon as it was in position, the cat went at it with her claws.

Once we were finished David sat down and started talking about how he felt like steak for dinner and suggested we all go out. I countered with the option of going to Costco and picking up some rib eyes, and firing up the grill. Everyone thought it was a fine idea so Dennis drove us up to Costco and and David sprung for the dinner fixings (steaks, potatoes, salad).

When we got back I started on dinner and Dennis pulled out his laptop to show off some pictures. The cat continued to test my limits by making a few more attempts at the couch. Eventually I put her in my office and closed the door. The last thing I need is that animal to shred my new couch… especially before the party next weekend. David opened a bottle of wine and as I cooked, I quickly got drunk.

Once the steaks were ready, everyone was very impressed. There’s no way we could have eaten that well at a restaurant for the $45 David spent. We all sat around the table and talked, laughed, and told stories. It was a very nice evening. They left around nine and I took the opportunity to stretch out on the couch. It’s incredibly cushy. I’m very happy with it (and will be for some time if I can keep the cat from turning it into shredded wheat).

This morning I got up with the intention of finishing off buying everything I need for next weekend except for the food. I went to the salvage store and found a few things (but not the curtain clips I was looking for). Then I went to Walmart and bought towels, a tablecloth, and a few other things before I went to PetsMart to get some sort of cat repellent to spray on the couch.

When I got home I put of the shelf in the bathroom and hung the towel bar and toilet paper holder. It all looks really good in there, and the further punches of white really make that room spectacular. I’m so glad I trusted myself enough to go with that blue.

A little later I think I’ll go out and sweep the driveway and then use the pressure washer I borrowed from Mike to wash it down. There’s a lot of dirt on it from all the work I had done out there last month and if I can get it cleaned it’ll make the front of the house look that much better. I’m thinking about hitting the decks with the pressure washer while I have it, but that’s not really a priority.

I’ve measured and there’s just no way that the love seat will work. For that matter, I don’t think there’s anything large and seat-like that will work in the space that will be available once the entertainment center is removed. So, I’ll pick up my new couch sometime this week (sans love seat), once I find out from David when he might be available to help me move it from the back of my truck to the living room.

I do have one idea, though… the box shelf is such a success that there’s no reason I can’t put another one on that side of the room and, per Ginny’s suggestion, have a series of cushioned boxes underneath the shelf available as extra seating. Then, above the shelf, more shelves on the wall for DVD’s and books. Plus, if I can find a large and cushy ottoman, that too could serve as extra seating.

The nice side effect is that my budget for living room furniture has been reduced considerably and that money can be applied to something else… say, my 42″ Plasma TV that will go over the fireplace.

Oh yes, it will be mine.