Spring Cleaning

I decided shortly after Chris deployed, that I needed a break (LOL). Anyway, I planned to take next weekend to go visit my parents and get away from the house for a couple of days. Well, after almost a month without daddy, I decided I needed more than a weekend, so we are kind of having our "spring break" this week. So far it has gone very well. I started my "spring cleaning" last week.

Just before Chris left we did some major renovations to the basement -- making it usable at last. It is soo nice to have a place to store things in an organized manner, and work out etc. . . So, when I started cleaning our Bonus room last week I desperately wanted to improve the use of space. Then I figured it out -- the basement-- and down went the drums to the basement. This is awesome, because now Ezekiel can even practice his drums if Ollie is asleep. YEAH. It also really opens up the space up there. Then, I took the two extra pieces out of the expandable table up there. We left them in before because we had no where to store them. But now -- the basement. So the table that we do arts and crafts on is now much smaller. YEAH. I even hung curtains and bought a couple of body pillows for the boys to hang out on down there. The room is so much nicer now.

In addition to the Bonus room, today I cleaned both upstairs bathrooms. We aren't just talking the cursory cleaning either. I scrubbed the floor on my hands and knees, and went through every drawer etc. . . Those bathrooms are CLEAN. Then, I cleaned Caden's and Ollie's rooms. Caden's wasn't too bad, but I did need to go through all of his clothes to see what he had outgrown. I also FINALLY hung curtains for him. No more bed sheet hanging on the window. It is so nice. He even got to pick them -- Blue striped curtains. He is soo happy. Ollie's room took me a little longer, because I still had some painting to do from when I painted her room before. I had to touch up a few spots, paint the doors, and paint the closet doorknobs PINK. Her curtains are hung now too. Of course I had to patch a hole in the wall from the last time I tried to hang them LOL. It looks so nice. I even went through ALL of her clothes and started making room for Spring and summer wear. YEAH. Now, I plan to clean the schoolroom and my bedroom before I go to bed tonight.

It is so nice to get rooms clean and things put together/away. It is making it finally start to feel like home around here. Now, if we could just sell that house in Florida. We will hopefully be putting it on the market in another month or so. God willing it will sell. I just pray that we don't have to take a loss to sell it. We would really like for Chris to be able to move to the new job at the first of the year, but cannot do so unless God provides a buyer for our house in Florida.

Tomorrow we will be cleaning, repairing, and painting the TREE HOUSE. It will be 100% usable -- complete with lights, paint, carpet, and locking doors when we are finished. My friend Beth is watching the 3 younger ones tomorrow, and her daughter and Russell are going to help me get it done. It will be soo cool, after 2 years of not using it, to be able to enjoy having it.

Wednesday we are taking a break from Cleaning and working, and we are going to Shenandoah National Park to hike and picnic lunch. I am really excited to get out of the house and enjoy the weather, I just hope it doesn't rain. HA.

Hopefully after taking a break on Wednesday, I will be refreshed enough to tackle the kitchen, mud room, office, and the older boys bedroom and clothes on Thursday. It will be so nice to leave a clean house to come home to when we come back from my mom and dad's house.

In other news, I spoke too soon. After all those years in the military I should have known better than to say Chris was coming home early. Ha. Anyway, he has been extended and will not be home now until Mid May. Although we had gotten excited by the early return, it will allow him to have more time off and freedom to hang out with the family during the summer. SO, we are expecting Daddy later now.