Because it really is personal…

Sweet Daddio (in the bathroom): “I Am Going To Put A New Roll of Toilet Paper On The Holder…”

Me: “Would you like me to show you how, or can you handle it?”

(somewhat frosty silence)

Wow, time flies when you’re having fun…Happy 17th Birthday, Son O’ Mine!

You were a wee little fella when you were born, a solid 6 pounds and much smaller than your chunky brothers, and I worried for a bit that I would break you.

You were a fun baby, sunny tempered and curious, always trying to keep up with 2 older brothers, when meant you crawled early (5 months), walked early (9 months), did everything early, in an attempt to keep up with the big dogs. You were also nearly indestructable, bouncing when you fell off the bed, staring in disbelief when one of your brothers dropped a dumptruck on your head, clinging to the gutter when you climbed on the roof…at 18 months. I’m still not really sure I’m over that one yet.

As a preschooler, your innate charm started to really show through. At the tender age of 2, the women were already getting into catfights over you. The 3 yr old and her same-aged cousin next door indulged in a slap-fest over who was your girlfriend. You just stood there enjoying the histrionics.

Your charm and temperment made your childhood an easy, tho not necessarily peaceful, one. Something about riding your wagon down the (very steep, blind curve) street in front of your house, breaking your arm on the monkey bars, crashing your bike into the crape myrtle, the neighbor’s roses (OW!), playing with matches under the next door neighbor’s deck, where he kept his gas can…no, I haven’t forgotten any of that. I also remember the red converse high tops, your love of the outdoors, and camoflauge as a fashion statement, when worn with stripes. You became capable of a disarming goofiness.

Eventually, you discovered girls, and that caused me some sweat, but I have some faith in your upbringing, and I know the girls that appeal to you will slap you into next week if you get too fresh.

I am proud of the person you are becoming. The other day your boss called to tell me how glad he was that you worked for him this summer, and that you were very well thought of by the vendors you dealt with, and by all the management there. He said he’d only called a parent once before in his 13 yrs of managing, to brag on their child like that. He hoped that you would consider working there again next summer. (#3 worked with the Statesboro Parks Department, doing service and repair on lawnmowers and utility carts) Proud mama? Dern Right!

You still have your own sense of fashion, relying heavily on customized blue jeans, boots, and an Auburn University billcap. I can live with that!

Happy 17th! You are now, In Georgia, eligible to be thrown in the Big Boy’s Hoosegow if you screw up!

We’re at that frsutrating point with the kitchen where the Really Major stuff is done, but there’s endless small tasks to be completed before I can take pictures of it and brag.

The base cabinets and counters need to be fastened down and sealed.

The upper surround around the pantry and laundry need to be converted from bare 2×4′s to drywall, painted, moldings added.

The jury is still out about whether to put the pot rack over the stove (where it is now) or over the island. There’s pros and cons for either way.

The Floor. That’s the biggest job left. 300 square feet of hickory laminate. Sweet Daddio has laid many many square feets of laminate before, and has all the know-how and esoteric tools to do it, it’s just a matter of time meeting time.

I did (with SD’s help) get the outlets and switches replaced yesterday, and installed brushed nickel cover plates in kind of a classic style. I am happy, they look like pretty bits of jewelry scattered around the room.

The cabinet/hutch needs assembling, too. I can’t really get the kitchen in functional order until that’s done, because it’s where the microwave and coffee maker will live.

All in all, SD estimates 2 to 2-1/2 months before it’s totally completed. I can live with that. I watched an HGTV show about a kitchen remodel that took 6 months, and that was with an entire CREW working on it, 8 hours a day. Mind you, this kitchen isn’t as elaborate as that one, but I found a certain level of comfort in knowing that someone else had to wait longer for theirs.

I’ll get my sense of humor back once the floor is down.

to give you an idea of what The Kitchen Project Behemoth is looking like.

“Mom, what time is it?”
“It’s 1:15 in the afternoon.”
“Ha! Ha! Ha! It’s In The Afternoon and I’m Still In My Underpants! Ha! Ha! Ha!”

I bit the bullet, closed my eyes, and did It. We’ll see if it was worthwhile, eventually. It was quicker and more painless than I thought it would be, taking less than a minute and no one saw me do it, either. I was completely alone, and yet, did it successfully and without fanfare.

I Am Proud.

It took 6 months to work through the apathy, but through hard emotional evaluation and true grit, I Did It. Yes I Did.

I finally took the Christmas bow off the mailbox.