Pool is done (thanks to Dad and Seth's hard work and ingenuity).  Ugh.  You should have seen he junk in the 6" of water at the bottom of the pool.

Garage is done (third coat and all, thanks to Mom and some sporadic, continued work from the cherubs).

Need one more coat of joint compound all over, and a trip to Walmart for more paint (argh!), and the laundry room will be done.

Mom and dad have promised their help every night this week to get all the projects finished...so that we can have a picnic at Stoneybrook tomorrow with the whole family.  The kids really need the down-time from projects.  They haven't gotten much mommy and daddy time lately, and they need it.  And frankly, we need some time away from the house.  Tomorrow, Seth will work on Kitchen cabinets or the soffat around the back of the house, I'll work on the basement (didn't get to that today), and then I'll paint some trim on the front of the house. Going to try out a chocolate mousse filling recipe in a dark chocolate cake for the picnic...have to try out these recipes when I'm not the only one eating them!!  :) 

It's amazing how tired you get spending two hours painting in the sun (and 3 hours on stage in the morning...that will do it too).  10:30.  Fighting to keep my eyes open.  I think it's time to stop fighting.

We just have such different ideas.

I should have remembered this...we did it five years ago, right about this time. And we did it the year before that too...when we decided we would wait a year before we bought a house...have a little more saved up, find just the right place (which turned out to be one of the places we glanced at the year before, actually). We discovered in our hunting that when it comes right down to it, I just want a place to live (Seth likes to say, "You would be happy living in a box." I think that's pushing it a bit.). I like unique, homey houses with character. The place doesn't have to be big, it doesn't have to be impressive, it doesn't need bells and whistles. I want enough bedrooms for people to sleep in, enough space for our furniture and a swingset, and a comfortable place for us to sit with family and friends. I am fussy about kitchens, which I won't budge much on (though if there's potential, and we can do something about it, I might), and fussy about storage space, but that can be figured out later. Most of it, for that matter, can be worked out later. I figure a coat of paint and flooring makes a house mine...details. Whatever.

We also discovered in that process that Seth requires much more from a house. Tall ceilings. Open layouts (which I like, but don't require). A separate living room and family room--need to keep the kids' stuff out of the place he wants to relax, or at least be able to hide it. Good structure. A big yard (preferably much bigger than what we actually have--"I want to play catch with my son in the yard."). Non-chopped-up space. Non-project houses. Bells and whistles. A two-car garage. A "barn" or otherwise designated out-building. He wants to live in town-ish for now, but he doesn't want to be too close to the neighbors. If the house is on a main road, it has to have a big back yard--at least .3 acres--away from said main road. He doesn't like small bedrooms, he wants separate entries into each one, and he would prefer a room we can designate just for school ("so that our dining room isn't also a classroom")(I would love this too...though it's not mandatory on my list as it is on his). It must be in a "nice town," not "too old," or "too upscale" (although if he could find a house in an upscale neighborhood for a steal, he would take it). If it needs flooring or paint...he's ok with that. But that's it. No ripping out kitchens. No tearing out walls. No restructuring bathrooms.

He's looking for a $250,000 house on a much, much, much smaller budget.

I am not enjoying this process. Ugh.

We looked at a house yesterday...I loved it. He said "absolutely not." Go figure. Ah, well. When we find the right house, we'll agree, right?

All prayers are welcome and appreciated. :)