O. D.

I'm dreadfully behind in my blogging for a very good reason. Life. Most specifically, my life. I'm behind in everything really, but I don't let it get to me. I'm a can-do gal known for keeping many irons in the fire. I guess I like it that way. My husband, bless his heart for caring, is often reminding me that I regularly bite off more than I can chew. He's taken to calling me, "O. D.".  I asked him what the heck that means and he explained that it's short for "Over Doer". Very funny. He's more reasonable than I am, quick to say, "No" and understands his limits without feeling like he's letting anyone down. We're nothing alike, which I suppose is part of our marital success - each intrigued with the oddities of the other. Although I hate to admit that he is right about my overdoing it, I'm afraid, this time he is. 

He caught me limping today with a small tear in my eye. It wasn't a tear of sadness, but rather pain and exhaustion. I've spent the entire week taking apart Audra's room, dragging out trash, moving in a new bigger bed, painting and decorating. Back in March, when Audra turned 13, she asked to redo her room. We talked about colors - she wanted blues, greens and polka dots. I liked her ideas and explained to her that it would most likely need to wait until summer. She understood. For the past few weeks, she has reminded me that it's now summer and has asked when we might be able to do her room. I reminded her that I'm still swamped and would need to fit it in later in the summer. Again, she understood. Audra is very helpful, kind and patient. She is sensitive to my work load and obligations while being quick to offer a hand or assistance if ever she notices I need help. She's a wonderful daughter and always a blessing.

So, with her away at church camp this week, the lightbulb came on. What a great surprise for her to come home to.....A brand new room!  My husband did not like the idea from the start. He actually raised his voice a little and told me that he was not going to be able to help. He was swamped this week, as well, he protested. His work load aside, and I mean this with no disrespect, he's also one of those husbands who feigns hearing problems and intestinal bleeding whenever there's a honey-do needing to be done. His phone mysteriously rings just as I'm giving him the specs on the help I need. He holds up his free hand, answers the phone and walks outside so he can hear. I love him and keep repeating this to myself.

With that, I have literally spent hours, over the course of days, moving, cleaning, patching nail holes and vacuuming bird seed out of absolutely everything in there. Last night I finished painting around midnight. Tonight I finished painting the lime colored polka dots around 11:00. I should say that "we" finished. My friend helped me paint and he is really the only reason that it's finally done. He's actually my husband's friend, too, but I know he prefers me because I don't call him Richard Simmons, like my husband does. My husband thinks that any man who likes to paint and decorate obviously has too many female hormones. He has thrown "our" friend into this category. My husband, on the other hand, likes to think of himself as John Wayne. The strong, silent type. So, while John Wayne has been going to bed early, Richard Simmons and I have stayed up late for two consecutive nights and gotten all of the work done. Together, we made a great painting team - me with the big roller and him with the beautifully done trim work. My trim work looked like a Parkinson's patient had been in there, so we switched. I was more comfortable with the unencumbered feeling of the big roller, but I'm fairly sure that both shoulders are permanently scarred from the five hours of rolling. That being said, the shoulders are actually feeling much better than the knees, which took a beating climbing up and down the ten foot ladder to constantly reload the paint roller and today, they have almost seized up. Hence the limp and the tear. I'm extremely grateful for ibuprofen and ice, which are the only reasons I am walking at all.

The room looks amazing! We started with what we both termed, smurf blue. It is the exact opposite of peptobismol pink. That was my analogy. Three walls of smurf blue, followed by one contrasting wall of Blue's Clue's blue and the accent color is lime. It is peaceful and clean. Very teenagerish. I love it and I know she will, too!

So, as I write this middle-of-the-night blog with ice packs on my knees, John Wayne is peacefully snoring and Richard Simmons has called it a night.  I think O.D. has officially lived up to her name this week and I'm done for the night, too!

Comments

[Randall]

Hey Sheila,
Okay, so I called in all my favors looking for you. Started with the morgues…..whew! Then on to all the hospitals in a 50 mile radius……….whew! Then on to all the holding tanks for our local incarceration facilities……….whew! Talked to Sheriff Joe………no luck! Checked the passenger lists of all the flights going to and coming back from Buenos Aires ……. Nothing (apparently Governor Sanford was traveling without you). Sent a team to San Diego to see if you had moved back home……nope! Then you sneak back on to your blog site with the news that all you have been doing for the past few days is having fun painting Audra’s room. That’s cold!! Where were you when I needed a “blog fix” from you a couple of days ago?? Well, I’m glad you are okay and I’m feeling much better now :-) Hope you had your video camera running when Audra caught the first glimpse of her “new” room. Totally awesome!!!! Randall

[S]

You are SO funny, Randall! (I still say you should be writing!) I know, I know, it was terrible of me to just disappear from blogville without notifying you. I had intentions of getting a blog posted each day, but I was overwhelmed with exhaustion and could not muster the energy. I'm not sure that I would use the word "fun" when describing the complete reorganization of Audra's room - I have never seen so many candy wrappers and dust. After an incredibly long week, I'm so glad that it is finally DONE and yes, I did use the video camera to capture the reveal moment. She was speechless and completely surprised. It was wonderful and she LOVES her new space. I'm going to crash this weekend and catch up on some much needed rest. Hope to see you on Sunday!