Sunroom Picture

Sunroom in progress pictures

Here is the first picture of our sunroom in progress. They have started putting the siding on the outside. Today Eddie and I climbed into the room to discuss the French doors. We decided that the doors are too big for the size room we have, so we decided to return them and get our money back so we can buy some furniture to go in the room. Instead, we are going to have an arched doorway going from the dining room into the sunroom. From inside the room, the view is wonderful! It's just like being outside only we won't have to fight the bugs.

Roller Coaster Ride

This sunroom thing is a roller coaster ride. After the construction people came last Thursday and got so much done on the room, we were really encouraged and feeling like something was finally getting done. We anticipated them coming back on Friday and getting alot more done. Our hopes were dashed when they didn't show up on Friday. Eddie was extremely upset. I felt like they probably had another job to do or finish, and that they would be back yesterday. They didn't show yesterday morning either. Eddie asked me to call them instead of him calling because he didn't trust himself not to say something he would regret later. I called and talked to the head construction guy and he said that he thought he had told Eddie last Thursday that he wouldn't be there on Friday because he was going out of town. I just said well maybe Eddie just forgot. He's had so much on his mind lately, it's understandable that he would not remember that. So the construction guy said they were finishing something up and to look for them after lunch yesterday. When I got home they still had not been there.

I'm feeling really down about it now, even though I know they will show up eventually to work on the room. But, there is no rain in the forecast for this whole week and they could get so much done if they would just show up. Eddie said he thinks they have alot of jobs to do and they are spreading themselves out. In other words, they go one day and work on a job, then leave that job for a day or two to go work on another one and so on. I don't understand why they do this. Why not work on one job until it is completely finished and then got to the next one. It's not rocket science. Maybe that's just too easy. Or maybe it's because I'm a woman and I just don't understand these things. Anyway, this whole thing is just wearing us down. If we had not already invested so much time and money we would just say forget it and cut our losses. But, we can't do that now. We are smack in the middle of this and we have no choice but to finish what we started.

If it ever gets finished.

Encouraged

I went to painting class last night and I'm really encouraged. My art teacher was glad to see me and that made me feel good. He helped me with my painting, which is a dulcimer. When I get tired, I like to just walk around the room and look at what others are doing. I always encourage people with their art. I think that really means alot and makes people feel good about what they are doing. At one point, two of my classmates were walking around looking at what the other students were doing. When they got behind me, one of them said, "Wow!!" I looked around me to see whose painting they were talking about and realized they were talking about mine. It made me feel really good. Then one of them said, "That is so cool." referring to my painting. I thanked them and it made me feel so good to hear someone say that about what I was doing. It really encouraged me.

When I'm taking a painting class I think about how hard it is to go to class after working all day, but when I get there I'm really glad I went. Even if I'm not sure where to go with my painting, I usually just try something and then the teacher comes along and helps me know where to go next, or tells me what to change and how to change it. I'm feeling really good about my painting right now. I hope it comes out well, and I realized last night that I was actually enjoying working on it. Usually my art teacher plays blues and jazz music while we are painting. At one point, he played some classical music and it just seemed so appropriate for me while painting my dulcimer.

When I got home last night I saw that the construction people had raised the framing for the walls of our new sunroom. I wanted to take a picture, but it was dark by the time I got home and dark when I left for work this morning, so I didn't get a picture. Hopefully, I can get one this afternoon and post it. It was really exciting to see the walls up. Now I have a good idea of what the room is going to look like and how big it's going to be. It's going to be bigger than we thought. We're both really glad.

Losing Interest

I don't know what's wrong with me lately. I seem to be losing interest in alot of things. For one thing, I'm looking for (and finding) excuses not to go to my painting classes. I'm in intermediate studio and I'm supposed to be an advanced student, but sometimes I just can't figure out what the heck I'm doing there. I feel like I don't belong there. Sometimes I feel all thumbs when I first start a painting and I think I can't figure out how to mix the paints to get the colors I want, and then somehow, miraculously, it all works out. I still think I may not have the hang of the brushstrokes to get the effect I want on the canvas. Another thing is that I really enjoy going around the classroom to see what other people are painting. It inspires me, but at the same time it makes me feel intimidated because I think that I will never be able to paint as well as they do. So, I'm thinking about quitting. It's really hard to get enthusiatic about going to class and painting for 3 hours after working all day, even though the class is only one night a week. Most days I'm so tired after work that all I want to do is go home and crash. My day starts at 5:45 a.m. and, when I go to class, I usually get home around 10:00 p.m., which makes for a really long day, well over 12 hours. I know I shouldn't be complaining because I know there are people who are working more than that, especially if they are going to school and/or working two jobs.

Eddie is the one who suggested that maybe I am losing interest in my painting classes, since I have been looking for excuses not to go. He is so attuned to what I am feeling and thinking most of the time. I think he's right and I've just been avoiding admitting that I'm losing interest.

Trying to get this sunroom built is wearing us both down. That might be part of it too. It has been raining here for the past two weeks, and next week promises to bring more rain. The builders are scheduled to start on the room Monday, but there is rain in the forecast. The weather is not cooperating at all. I guess those things can't be helped, but this constant dead in the water thing and getting nothing done is driving me nuts. My house is a wreck and I've got to start packing up some things in my dining room so that when they do start putting the french doors in, they won't damage anything.

Maybe I'm just sleep deprived and need a weekend to catch up.

Ick! Sick.

We have been so consumed with this sunroom thing that we are both getting tired quickly. We had to fire the original builders because of some unprofessional things going on. Also, we discovered how painfully slow they were. The good news is that we have hired another construction company to build the room and things are moving along.

We have been buying a few things along to go into the sunroom. Eddie just called me a few minutes ago from a local store that is closing to tell me about a glass table and padded chair seats that we can put into the sunroom. The table is on sale for half price, but (there's always a but), they have to be assembled. This is not good. Now we are trying to decide if we want to attempt to do that or not. My fear is that we will buy it and somehow never get around to putting it together. Yes, it happens frequently around here. So, we are waiting on that.

Saturday I went to get my hair cut. It was way overdue. There has been so much going on that I wasn't able to go at my regular time last month. Anyway, I ran a few errands and, on the way home I noticed that my throat was getting sore. I thought, "Great. Just what I need." It was the kind of soreness that you know that you are getting sick from. I got progressively worse over the weekend, but amazingly enough, my sore throat seems to be better today and hopefully will be gone by tomorrow. Now I have the stuffiness, congestion, coughing, sneezing, etc. Eddie thinks I have allergies, but I don't know. I'm taking my BP medicine, and my multi-vitamin along wth some extra vitamin C and Clariton. Also, cough medicine as I need it. I'm at work today because I thought I would be here as much as I could. I may end up taking a sick day sometime this week if I don't get better.

I have been doing some embroidery on pillowcases that I plan to give as Christmas gifts. I also started knitting my sweater that my knitting guild is making. I will write more about that in my knitting journal. I would love to post some pictures, but everything is in such disarray that I haven't been able to do it. Hopefully, I can soon.