Whacked on Wednesday

Keeping up the alliteration, since I used it on my last post.
Which was a whopping 11 days ago.
Really burning up the blogosphere, aren't I?

And I probably wouldn't be posting now except Ivan had to make a run into Cordoba, leaving me at loose ends this evening. What's left of the evening, that is. We didn't get home until almost 8 p.m.

Besides writing this, I'm planning a thrilling half hour of Pinterest surfing before calling it an early night.  My eyeballs need to see some pretties after looking at splotchy stained wood and smeared white primer all afternoon.

Might have to get the ice pack (actually a frozen bag of corn) for my sore neck first, though -- the result of priming the bedroom ceiling at the casita. 

My neck's going to have to get used to it, because it's going to take longer than I anticipated to get the job done. Ivan told me I needed to be sure and really dig the paint brush into the grooves (it's a tongue-and-groove wood ceiling) for full coverage. Talk about time-consuming! I only managed to get 1/3 of the ceiling done this afternoon. Meaning it will take me the rest of the week to finish priming it.

Thankfully the second (and third, if necessary) coat will be much easier -- and quicker -- to apply, since I'll just be able to roll those on. Ivan said as long as I get those grooves good the first time, I won't need to work so hard on 'em next time.

The weather was warm enough I didn't even need a jacket. Not sure if it made it all the way to 70 as forecast, but it was quite pleasant. According to weather.com we're scheduled for temps up in the 70s for the next week or so. Good painting weather!

My plan is to spend the mornings taking care of things at the house, and then have Ivan pick me up after lunch to paint at the casita. That way I won't fall behind at home, and can still get the painting done. Having the extra two weeks is a HUGE blessing!

I've gotten some sewing done this week, too. We decided it would be a good idea for me to whip up some covers for the crock pot and the Kitchenaid stand mixer, since we'll need to leave those out on the counter in the kitchen. Because until last week we thought we'd be moving pronto, I'd already packed all my fabric -- and really didn't feel like digging through that pile of boxes in Packing Central to find it. But there was one bin that hadn't made it out there yet, because it was too heavy for me to carry alone. It's full of upholstery fabric and I picked through and found some I thought would work.

Recognize that fabric? Those were remnants left from the cushion projects in Sta. Rosa.

Let me tell you, I have never ripped out so many seams in one project! The one for the stand mixer, especially, about drove me to distraction. It looks simple, right?! I'm not sure if it was because I was tired, or if I'm really that inept, but I basically sewed that thing three and a half times! The one for the crock pot only required ripping out and sewing about half of it one time. (But then again, I didn't line it, like I did the other.) *sigh* At least they're done now.

Even with the extra two weeks, we are going to be cutting it close. Everything is taking so long to get done! Still haven't heard when, or even if, this week we'll have our final gas line inspection. But we're ready, whenever it happens.

Ivan's been working on a variety of projects, including the garage door installation. His older aviation buddy Julio has been helping him figure out how it goes (we bought it used, without the paperwork). Ivan's done part of the welding and installation already, and today they figured out what was left. Not sure how long it will take Ivan to do it, but at least he knows what he needs to do now. That's progress!

Paint is going to make things look a lot better, but I realized today just how completely wonky the casita really is. The walls undulate! Seriously, they have some very interesting bulging going on. But I'm going to embrace the imperfections, and pretend it's like some quaint Greek villa on an island in the Mediterranean! As long as it's bright white and clean, it'll all be good.

I know the trick to making it be both functional and beautiful is to keep clutter to a minimum. I've got the furniture layout all figured out on graph paper, but I'm also ready to "edit" out some of the pieces if it starts feeling claustrophobic. Having spent a year in Africa using mostly borrowed furniture (and a minimal amount at that), I know we can live a lot more simply than we tend to do. But I'm also one of those who really likes MY THINGS -- and foresee the necessity of giving myself pep talks about "letting go" and "purging".

It all boils down to: What do we really need, as opposed to what is merely nice to have around?

That is one difficult question, my friends!

If you were downsizing to a two-room space, what are those things that you absolutely MUST have with you? your non-negotiable items? Come on, do tell! Inquiring minds want to know.