TToT – Busy, Tired, and Satisfied
Emerson said, “A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best, but what he has said or done otherwise shall give him no peace.”
We have had a busy week. We have poured our hearts into our work and the sense of satisfaction, coupled with the physical exhaustion, is overwhelmingly pleasant.
We kicked off the week with an early morning appointment on Monday and haven’t really stopped since. I’m going to dive in with gratitude for having a full life. I didn’t quite realize it was Friday and thus time for the TToT until I saw Sarah’s post pop in. Is it wrong that I love the part of summer where I start to forget what day it is?
Zilla and I have seen two stage plays this week, each a nice girls’ day out with my Mom. I’m always glad to have the opportunity to see live theatre and am very glad to be able to share that with my Daughter. She loves it. She appreciates it. She knows how to behave. OK, she’s not really good at the audience participation part of children’s theater, but I can’t say I love that part, either. And having the opportunity for three generations of us to spend some time together is a definite boon.
We spent some time with the Hub’s Parents this week. We enjoyed a pleasant evening, gawked at the floors, ate some good summery food, played some table games with Zilla – this kid is amazing – and got to ship some toys out of the house with them to pass on to a younger Cousin.
I am always glad for some time with the BFF. We had a nice long visit where we lost track of time – not like we don’t always kind of do that – and had a fancy tea party with Zilla. I am grateful to have a friend who doesn’t mind sharing some of our visit with Zilla.
Speaking of Zilla, she has been fabulous this week. We have had several occasions to notice her continued growth and development in so many areas. She’s been such a big help – and so patient – with all of the projects and house cleaning these last couple of weeks. She has a toy cleaning cart and she whips that thing out to join in the work. But this week she actually wanted to help for real, not just with the toy set. She’s been dusting and helping with dishes and baking and meal prep and more. As much as I hate to say it, I’m thankful that we have such a helpful big girl in our midst. I so often wish I could keep her small, but we are both so happy to see her growing and maturing.
At this very second, I’m thankful that cat poop is relatively firm. For some inexplicable reason, one or more of the Rotten Cats in this house decided to befoul the house in two locations – one on the new floor, OF COURSE, and the other on my bathroom area rug. Jerks. The Hub is generally the guy on cat poop duty here, but he’s on an errand so it’s all me. I can’t tell if it’s one Rotten Cat or two. But not having to handle anything really squishy is a good deal as far as I’m concerned. And then let me add that I’m SO thankful for these new hardwood floors. Cleaning up Rotten Cat mess from them was simple. Pick up poop, dump it, and disinfect the floor. Done. No carpet cleaner. No steam clean machine. No stain. THANKFUL I tell you!
When I figure out for sure which of them did it, however, that Cat (or Cats) should be thankful that I don’t turn him/them out into the big bad world. Pooping on the floor…honestly. How uncivilized.
I am thankful for what I believe can only be signs, for lack of a better word, that life is progressing as it should for us. Hints, clues…maybe those words work. Whatever the word, I think things are unfolding as they should.
I am thankful for the feeling of satisfaction the Hub and I (and I think Zilla, too) are getting from all of this cleaning and purging and fresh-starting. Did I say that already? Well, it’s a great big thing for us right now, so after consulting with the Guard Virgins and the SBoR/BoSR, I’m certain it legitimately earns a double mention.
I am thankful for the physical tired we feel at night that allows us to fall into a deep and restful sleep. I am thankful for rest. And I am thankful for the feeling of peace that has fallen over this home.
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I am thoroughly impressed with your purging and cleaning stamina these past weeks! Your house looks great. The calm you must feel when you just stand in that room in the photo! Fantastic! And good for Zilla, getting on board with it, too.
I’m pretty impressed with our stamina, too! This is a big job, but we really wanted it done. And it does feel calm – that part is amazing. It feels calm and that is making us feel calm, despite the anxiousness about the future we are handling right now.
Frist? WHO GOT FRIST?
Your new floor is *beautiful* and I’m so glad that you’re entering a time of rest and relaxation and enjoyment of your new home.
Thaaaaat would be Christine. She beat you by a mere minute! But I’m glad you came to read – don’t see you here too often anymore! The house does feel new, even though we’ve been here eight years. It’s amazing what difference these floors and some heavy cleaning have made.
Glad you are indeed enjoying your new home and will say that rest always is good thing 😉
It certainly does feel like a new home, Janine! Let’s just say it’s our new way of living in it. And yes, rest is good. We have not often felt like we could truly rest in recent years because life gets in the way, the chores and projects pile up, and even though we are tired, the list of “to do’s” around us just keeps us from really relaxing. Not any more!
Knowing that life is going as it should, and having a peaceful home–what huge thankfuls! Happy for you!
Yes, those are pretty darn big. Hanging in there for the really big stuff to happen. Feels like we’re getting prepped for that – whatever it is. Now we just need that to happen…
Your new home is beautiful! So is the cat, no matter how poopy he is!
Haha – yes, he is a very handsome cat. All three are cute, but that one is particularly good-looking. I think he knows it, too.
The house looks good – feels so brand-new, even though we’ve been here for several years.
Dont be too hard on rotten cat… in the middle of vid chat Skip left a brown patch on my bed… ACHKLLLLGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRR…. gag!!!!!!!! Im with you and Zilla… I figure if theater was meant to be interactive I would be an actor not sitting in the audience so leave me there and dont ask me to participate beyond watching the show! hows that for grumpy!? Take care and dont worry there are still lots of summer days to forget what day they are! 🙂
Ugh – pet spots on the bed are the WORST. So gross.
I am glad there are still many days of summer left…very glad!
I’ll make it unanimous, the floors look very,very good. (I like the darker look, as opposed to a lighter oak).
Tired can be good… especially after some good physical exertion.
Yes, we love the darker wood. We probably would’ve gone even darker, but it will show every speck of dust. This is a perfect color.
The photo you shared of your home, and its newness and oldness is so full of thankfulness and peace that I can feel it, from here, no matter how near or far you actually live. The lighting is perfect for peace.
I love that Zilla and you have enjoyed the theater and I also love that she’s not a fan of the participation part, because I’m not either, and neither is my son. I know what you mean, too, about keeping her small, but reveling in her growth. Happiness and blessings to you, my fabulous friend. I hope all of the unknowns and business and everything else is a sign to the best of things to come.
See, we could totally hang out and go to the theater and not participate! Truly, the next time you head this way you MUST let me know ahead of time.
I like the lighting, too – sunshine and light are good, but sometimes a little bit of dim light can do wonders for the soul, too. It’s calming. Peaceful.
Hoping the best is yet to be, too!
The best part of having a HUGE job like that done is being able to enjoy the end results. After you recover from the sleep deprivation, put on socks and “skate” around your new floors! You can call it “dusting” if you get caught.
I want to pull a really great Risky Business-style sock slide. Perhaps I’ll keep my pants on, though. Or not! 😀
Such a peaceful post this week. Seriously, I could simply feel the contentment and ease in it. Isn’t that a nice feeling?
I’m in that time of the summer when I can’t remember what day it is, too. We only have a few weeks left so I’m beginning to feel the pressure of putting things to rights…..backing up bedtime, waking earlier, remembering what day it is….
Great post this week…so sorry about the cat poo. But those floors are gorgeous!
It is a great feeling, Sandy. Contentment is a good word.
Backing up bedtime already?? When does school begin down there?
Those floors look absolutely beautiful! Well done, floorers and the meaning of me family. I’m so glad you’ve reached a place of rest and looking back with satisfaction. It is really coming through on your posts lately.
We’re so happy with the floors – and the projects overall. It has indeed created a sense of satisfaction and peace.
Oh what a GLORIOUS feeling to have worked so hard and feel satisfied and exhausted all in one! I love that Zilla is helping!! And the theatre sound so lovely! All the activities sounds just wonderful.
The pic of your home is absolutely STUNNING!!!! Oh, I can’t imagine how good it feels to be in your beautiful home now!!
I would definitely get those cats to talk… ONE of them has a confession to make!
It is a great feeling, Chris, and I am definitely enjoying being in the house with things in order rather than jobs piled up everywhere on “to do” piles. It looks and feels wonderful!
The Cats are rotten…hard to say which one is the culprit. We have our suspicions, though. Cat One has a bad attitude.
This was just a real fun read. Like an upbeat peak into a favoured sitcom. Love the way you’re taking such a grateful perspective on things. It’s put me in a good mood for the day and has inspired to do the same. Thanks. (Hope you’re able to forgive the cat, he/she looks very cute.)
Hi, Micah. Had to laugh – I often think life here is a bit like a sitcom. Glad it was inspiring!
The cats always end up forgiven…they’re terribly cute and pretty hard to resist.
I am new to your blog so I am not totally hip to your back story of purging / cleaning but I have started that task in my own home and let me tell you, I like seeing empty shelves in closets and cupboards! And your new wood floors are beautiful! I will be hanging around so I can catch up on your story.
Welcome, Pattie! Well, the back story is simply that we had a whole pile of projects that were put on hold for…a long time. We had hardwood floors installed and had to pack things up so the floor crew could get in so we decided it was high time to clean and purge in a major way.
I agree with you – seeing empty shelves and drawers is a great thing!
Come back again soon!
Light glowing on a clean wood floor….ah, warm, safe and homey.
Yes, exactly!