The State Of Things Around Here: Part Deux

First of all (and most important), we have a third grader. Feast your eyes on her gap-toothed smile, people:

This third grader has never been happier to go back to school.

You know why?

New clothes, that's why.

You know why else?

Her "BFF" is not only in her class? And not only sitting at the same table in the same class? But she is now on the same bus and the same bus stop. Oh yes she is, people.

I'd post a photo of this wonderful girl, but I need to ask her equally wonderful Mommy first. And her Mommy? Is MY new BFF! Ha haaaaa! She is the coolest lady ever. I'll have to do a post about her, but I don't know how to convey to you Internets how flippin' FUNNY she is. She makes me wet my pants.

Okay. Now go look at the photo of the Noodle again. That's right. Just scroll up a little.

Do you notice the purple hair? As a reward for quitting her little thumb-sucking habit? She got some purple hair extensions. She's been wanting them forever.

In other news......Zuddy and I have kissed and made-up.

It always helps when I'm working. Outside the home for people who pay me in US dollars.

I was lucky enough to have another job come up just in the nick of time. It's an 8-day-a-month ongoing gig. So that's good news.

But let's be honest: if someone would just pay me for what I do around the house (in US dollars....or-better yet- some nice Euros, since the value of the US dollar is junk right now.), we wouldn't be having these little money issues.
And that's a large part of our problem.

And you know what happens when you have a problem? Stress happens and other (related) problems pop up. That's what happens.

I could go on and on. But -really........who wants to hear about that? Probably not you.

And I don't want you internets to think that I'm a miserable little girl, because I'm not.

I'm actually really happy.

But then, maybe the fact that I'm really happy and still have moments where I feel like I'm not always achieving my goals and realizing my dreams? Maybe that's a good thing to share! Is it? Or is it just whining and complaining?

Then, as I write this, I'm thinking about the title of my blog and the little statement underneath it: "Join me in my never-ending quest to feather my nest".

Uhhhhh. There really isn't a whole lot of nest-feathering going on here, is there? No. There's not.

Well, there is....but it's mostly undocumented and involves this: Because something inside of me wants to clean this time of the year. The nights are getting chilly, the days are just clear and beautiful and sunny.

Man. I just love Autumn.

So I'm starting with the Noodle's bedroom. I took off all of her bedding (She has a different duvet and bedskirt for summer) and put on her winter bedskirt. Then I took everything off the floor and piled it all on her bed and chair:

Then I swept. I moved all of the furniture and cleaned underneath everything.

I'm a good, old-fashioned type of cleaner-girl. Down on my hands and knees, scrub-scrub-scrubbing.

As you know, soon the Noodle will have some different furniture (see the last post) soon. We're getting rid of the dresser, desk and chair you're seeing in the above photos. I'm going to start sanding the new stuff today.

Anyway...I also wiped down all of the baseboards, doors, ceiling fan and furniture. Today I will wash the windows.

Noodle has a very small bedroom. I think it's 9x8 or something like that. It's Crazy-small.

Eventually we will move her into the larger bedroom which is now the office/playroom, but I can't see doing that yet. She still has too many toys. My goal right now is to paint all of that furniture in the basement and get it in her current room. Then we will get her a full-size mattress for a cute Jenny Lind style headboard and footboard I have for her.

But here's the plan for now: get rid of that desk in the photo below:

Get rid of the mirror and chair in the photo below:

And replace it with a white-painted bookcase with three drawers - just like that one at my Mom's place that I painted black - remember that?

Here it is! I need to update you on that project. These bookcases at my Mom's place are finished and filled and accessorized...they look great!

Here is her current dresser...it will be replaced with the desk and chair in the previous post. I want to do a pretty bulletin board or shelving above it. I'll probably end up with the shelving. She needs more storage.

I'm going to swing the bed around so that the headboard is below those plates. And then replace the plates with a pretty bulletin board.

After all of these furniture updates, I will finish the KITCHEN. Then we are going to do a little closet makeover for the Noodle.

That's the plan. What do you think?