And…curtain! – ¡Y… cortina!
Since August, I have entered a state of inertia the minute I walk through the door to my house. At work, I have have been extremely productive, but as soon as I get home, I seem incapable of getting even the simplest of chores done. For the past six months, I have been spending a lot of time at home curled up with various animals watching television and crocheting. Can you spot the three beasts sharing the couch with me in this picture?
Desde agosto he sufrido de un estado de inercia que me prohíbe trabajar en la casa. En el trabajo, he estado sumamente productiva, pero en el momento que paso por la puerta de nuestra casa me invade una sensación de inmovilismo que no me deja hacer nada. En los últimos seis meses he pasado casi todo el tiempo en casa tejiendo y viendo la tele acurrucada en el sofá con varios animales. ¿Puedes ver los tres que comparten el asiento conmigo en esta foto?
I hate this feeling of lethargy, and I have been trying to rectify it by focusing on tiny projects that do not require much work. My first attempt to draw the curtain on my laziness was to go out and purchase actual curtains. I combed through several sites, before narrowing down the choice to eight different curtains at Target. Douglas then picked the three that he felt he could live with, and I chose this one. By the way, I am not paid anything nor do I receive any benefits by sharing this with you. I wish I did!
Odio esta sensación de apatía y he estado intentando combatirla con enfocarme en proyectos pequeños que no requieren mucho esfuerzo. El primer intento de <<correr la cortina>> y terminar la época de inactividad fue comprar unas cortinas actuales. Busqué en varios sitios web antes de seleccionar ocho cortinas de Target. De esas Douglas escogió tres que le gustaban a él y de las tres yo elegí esta. Por cierto, no recibo ni dinero ni nada más por mencionarla aquí. Ojalá que sí recibiera alguna recompensa.
Not all of the curtains arrived at once, so I first washed and hung the panels for three of the windows in the living and dining rooms. I think that the new curtains tie in the colors in the dining room nicely.
No todos los telones llegaron a la vez, así que primero lavé y colgué los de tres de las ventanas del salón y del comedor. Creo que las nuevas cortinas combinan bien con los colores que ya estaban en el comedor.
Also, just so you don’t think my house is perfect, here is the mess that I was too lazy to clean up before taking pictures.
Y para que no pienses que mi casa está perfectamente arreglada todo el tiempo, aquí está el desorden que yo no organicé antes de sacar fotos porque estaba demasiada perezosa.
It is hard to picture what the living room should look like because we still have to paint and rehang the hardware on the front window. I do like the drapes on that side window.
Es difícil imaginar cómo se debería ver el salón de estar porque nos hace falta pintar y colgar la ferretería para sujetar las cortinas de nuevo. Pero, las cortinas se ven bien en la otra ventana.
I think that I am going to pay someone to paint, as just thinking about it causes me to want to curl up and refuse to do anything for another six months. I am so serious about the need for help that I just took a break from writing this blog post to send an email to the man that painted the exterior of our house. The email read something like this, “Help us, Pauly Wan Kenobi, you’re our only hope!” Hopefully, he can save us.
Pienso pagar a alguien que nos pinte el salón, porque sólo pensar en tener que hacerlo me hace querer esconderme y no salir por otros seis meses. Estoy tan segura de querer pagar a alguien por hacerlo que dejé de escribir este artículo para mandar un correo electrónico al señor que nos pintó el exterior de la casa. El email decía, <<Ayúdanos, Pauly Wan Kenobi, eres nuestra última esperanza.>> Espero que nos pueda salvar.
Unfortunately, I don’t think that Polar is going to be able to stay with us. We have been working with a trainer, but he is still really aggressive. If it were just the two of us, there would be no question that we would keep working with him. However, if could never take the risk of exposing him to foster children. My heart is breaking over this decision, but I believe it is the right one. At least, I will have the kitties to ease my aching heart. They are regularly sleeping snuggled up with each other for the first time in their lives, and they give us lots of love as well, despite the fact that we brought this crazy dog into their home.
Desafortunadamente, no creo que Polar va a poder quedarse. Hemos estado trabajando con un entrenador de perros, pero todavía es muy agresivo. Si sólo tuviéramos que pensar en nosotros dos, no habría problema, pero jamás podríamos ponerlo en contacto con niños y siempre existe la posibilidad de que lleguen algunos a nuestra casa en cualquier momento. Se me rompe el corazón hacer esta decisión, pero creo que es la correcta. Al menos tendré los gatitos para ayudarme a superar la pérdida. Ya duermen juntos casi siempre, algo que hacían muy poco antes de que llegó Polar, y nos dan mucho cariño también a pesar de que trajimos a ese perro loco a su casa.
Happy Homemaking!
¡Espero que todos tus sueños caseros se cumplan!
I am a teacher, traveler, artist, writer, homemaker and a whole lot more. In January 2009, I bought the Cape of Dreams. It was the second house that I had ever owned, but it was the first that I bought by myself. I now live in the house with my husband Douglas, our dog Kahlua, and Crème de Menthe, the cat. Because, what life is complete without a little Kahlua and Cream? I love arts and crafts of all kinds, and I refinish furniture as well. We are slowly redoing our entire house. You can read about my projects on my blog www.CapeofDreams.com
Oh boy, I’ve been there so many times – you have my sympathy. Have you had lab work done recently? Maybe that will provide an answer. I like the curtains – your house looks pretty good to me, but it’s frustrating when you’re not happy with things. I’m so sorry Polar is not working out – it sounded hopeful but it’s a wise woman who can see the truth rather than what she wants to see. Hope things improve soon.
Thank you, Barbara. I don’t think that my problem is physical. At work I am energized and I get work done, I just don’t feel like doing anything at home! It is nice to have the curtains up, though. Polar went back to the shelter today. We are sad, but we are certain that it was the right decision. We did not take it lightly.
I am beating the January blues this year by treating myself to new carpet. Therefore I need to re-decorate throughout. I am 2 weeks in 4 rooms more or less finished and 3 to go. It is hard going and I have 13 days till my carpet arrives. Hope you feel energized soon x
New carpet sounds exciting! Four rooms down is impressive. Want to come help at my house? 😉
So sorry to hear about Polar but am so proud of your persistent child fostering initiative. Decisions like these are tough. Jo @ Let’s Face the Music
Yes, we had to decide if it was more important to rescue that one dog or rescue a couple of kids. That was an easy choice to make. Children are much more important. Hopefully, we get some soon!
I’m sorry to hear you’ve lost your DIY energy, but I can understand it, because I’ve sort of lost it, myself–hence my sporadic blog posts. Sometimes, I think we all need a break. Don’t be hard on yourself! If you need help, ask for it. There will be other projects. I’m also so sorry to hear about Polar. You guys did your best to make it work and gave him every chance. I was wondering how you would deal with foster kids and an unpredictable dog. How very sad. But, you can’t take the chance of him hurting kids. Life sucks sometimes … cuddle those dear kitties.
PS – The curtains look nice!
Thank you for your encouragement. It helps to know that I am not the only one that feels this way sometimes. I really miss Polar, but I am sure that we made the right decision. There will be other dogs in our future, even though Douglas says “never again” right now! I am sure that he will change his mind someday, and in the meantime, the kitties are loving the attention.
I have been in many slumps like what you describe. It’s especially hard when work is crazy, as that takes so much energy. And also when you’re dealing with trauma like Kahlua passing. I LOVE your new curtains! Makes me want to change out ours and copy you. Even though it’s an impossible decision, it sounds like Polar is too much of a wild card to have with foster children. 🙁
It makes me happy to see Creme and Ponche snuggling together! Gives me hope for Birdie & Darwin. I also think it’s very smart to hire out your wall painting. I know it’s been giving you an additional source of dread and stress, and that’s the last thing you need. With all the money you’ve saved over the years going the DIY route you’ll still be way ahead of the game after hiring a painter!
It is good to know that I am not alone and that others support my decisions. Sometimes I am too hard on myself. Creme and Ponche have started fighting again since Polar has been gone, but not nearly as viciously as they were right after Kahlua died. It does seem by the pictures that I have seen on Facebook that there is hope for Birdie and Darwin. They have made a lot of progress.
Maybe Crème and Ponche just have to go through their own adjustment period and figure out who is the top cat. As long as they don’t hurt each other. Then again, you can plead with Douglas that they NEED a dog in their lives!
Ponche has finally figured out that he does not have to allow Creme to beat him up. He is still smaller than her, but they are pretty equal in a fight, so he will stand up to her now, which is good. Usually they are good to each other. I am sure that we will have a dog again someday, but it is nice right now not having to worry about rushing home to walk a dog and being able to go away for a weekend without having to find someone to take care of a dog. It does make life easier.
The curtains give a nice finished look to the windows and add some cosiness. I feel it difficult to take care of any project this time of year. Days are short and it’s mostly work during the week and some house work during the weekend… I keep telling myself that finishing to paint the toilet door won’t take too much time, but I can’t find that time!
I also have a quick painting job that I keep putting off. We just both have to accept what we can do and have faith that the rest will get done eventually!