Yes, in a sense I did fall off the face of the Earth. The last month has been a black hole of my emotions and time. We tried, and failed, to conceive a baby via IVF (in vitro fertilization). There won't be any more attempts (the black hole also consumed a sizable sum of money). Yes, we are considering adopting but not yet. So now I turn my attention back to life: my marriage, my work, and my projects. The first is not a problem, it's just that any of you who've gone through the struggle of infertility can relate to the impact it has. And my projects, well I didn't exactly put them on hold because the IVF didn't consume all waking hours - although thinking about it did. I haven't been spending time sewing, knitting or crafting because we've been consumed by
yet another home improvement project. As if we didn't have enough on our plate last month.
This time it's the family room floor. The carpet was ok except that carpet and
Ella don't go well together - and it's not about her claws. Fortunately we like hardwood, however there was no hardwood underneath the carpet, only ugly linoleum tile squares. So out went the tiles and in went some gorgeous oak hardwood. We're about 3/4 complete. I'll post a picture later.
I'm anxious to get back to my sewing. My Burda top is complete except for hemming the sleeves. I also have kitchen curtains to finish and after the floor is done I will definitely want to get those completed because the kitchen and family room adjoin. I also have plans to make some pillows for the family room couch - again, I'll soon be inspired by those new floors to complete the family room decor.
Everything is linked to that family room! Once it's back together and we can enjoy the TV in the evening (when I'm not sewing, heh), I'll want to resume knitting. I really want to get started on a summertime top with the
light orange yarn I picked up at Stitches.
Those are my crafting plans but they'll likely get sidetracked again because the home improvement projects don't end with the family room floor. Oh yes, there's more. The living room needs to be gutted and redone with new drywall, insulation, lighting, and refinished floors. And then there's our bedroom, which is a big project. New drywall, insulation, lighting, floors refinished -
plus we want to raise the ceiling to the roof line, redo the master bath and put in closet organization. And it doesn't stop there,
noooooo! We've talked about putting a bay window in the master bedroom (which is in the front of the house) and changing the front siding to stucco to match the rest of the house and painting the whole house. Fortunately we have agreed that we'll hire someone to do the window and stucco and maybe the painting - thank goodness!
It's good to be back on Earth. This last month has been a real downer. It'd be great to have kids but we'll survive if we don't. The plus side is that I that I have more time for my hobbies, right?
