Playing Catch Up

**DISCLAIMER** This one's a bit long what with the pictures and all. Good morning, dear readers! How is Tuesday treating you? As we all know, last month was crazy! Inspiring! Panic inducing! It was the A-Z Challenge. While I didn't post everyday (nor did I get around to half as many new blogs as I wanted) I DID finish my story. Now, I have a new toy to play with :D I knew it was going to be a longer piece when I started the challenge but I wanted to get it out there and see what kind of reaction it received. Judging by your comments, I *need* to write this story! So thank you all for your encouragement and for giving me back my passion for writing. Seriously. I was beginning to wonder if I should change my major to history...again. What else have I been up to besides school work, school work and MORE school work? Well, with these new classes, I've actually had some down time! Huzzah! I'm hoping this down time won't come back to bite me in the rump in the coming weeks but I'm enjoying every second of it! This is week 2 of my current classes and so far I'm able to breathe (as if my appearance here two days in a row isn't confirmation enough of that!) Here are a few pictures of some things I've been working on. You know, for your viewing pleasure : When I get bored, I usually re-do something in the house. These chairs were given to us by a good friend and, while they serve their purpose in life well, they weren't exactly the best things to look at. So, I gave them a little kick: BEFORE

AFTER

Ta-DA! Amazing what a little fabric and a staple gun will do! My mad decorating skills didn't stop there! No, I found this desk for $5 at a yard sale. I've been looking for a writing desk for sometime and $5 fits snugly in my budget. It went from blah to well...I'll let you decide: BEFORE

AFTER

*that's Colby, by the way. he has a penchant for sitting where he shouldn't and looking at the camera when you're not taking a picture of him specifically...* Ooooh! Aaaahh! Actually, this one made me take a step back and say, "Good job, self! Nice work!" Yes, I do talk to myself like that. Most of the time I have nice things to say to myself :D Finally, the courtyard. WOW was it a wreck when we moved in to this loft last July. Here, see for yourself:

Moisquito coast. Seriously. So, with a LOT of elbow grease, a gallon of bug spray, and more swear words than I care to confess, here's the progress: PROGRESS

A BIT BETTER

BEHOLD!

So. There you have it! I haven't just been holed up in my little loft, gouging my eyes out with Milton and Descartes and more misogynistic literature than you can shake a tomato stake at! I've been out, gotten some fresh air, and refurbished some furniture! Now if I could just figure out how to convince my landlord to let me paint those gosh-awful brick red walls... Thanks for indulging me! WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO BESIDES WRITING, WORKING, AND A-Z CHALLENGE RECOVERING? ANYTHING INTERESTING? SPECTACULAR? DOWN RIGHT BORING? JUST CURIOUS :D