I Could Totally Be Her

I was sitting at work yesterday, and got to thinking about my house. I'm not quite sure why, but I tend to do this a lot when I am away from said house. I start thinking about all the things that need to be fixed. (BTW...I once had a realtor stalk me because she wanted to list our house. Finally, I told her that we needed time to fix things inside and get it in "show-worthy" condition. And she said, "It is only 5 years old, what possibly could need to be done?" And that? Made me feel like shit.)

Sometimes, with Workaholic working the schedule obsessive way that he does, I feel like I could be Annie from 7th Heaven. Remember that show? I am totally her, minus the minister for a husband, the seven kids, the never-ending patience, and the ability to do anything handy around the house. But I could be her. Minus the minister husband and the seven kids and the never-ending patience.

Let's see, since we've been living in the house for the past 6 1/2 years now, I shall list what needs fixed.


Paint: Pretty much the entire interior needs to be repainted, including but definitely not limited to the baseboards. I'm very hard on those with the vacuum cleaner. We apparently also are very hard on walls. There is some patching that will have to be done, due to some furniture re-arranging that wasn't done as carefully as it should have been.

Floor: The hardwood is scratched by more things than I can count (dogs, kids, furniture, the boy) and should be refinished. We will probably do that AFTER we move out.

Light bulbs: There is never a time when there is not a single light bulb out in my house. Right now, there is one in Sam's room and one in the hallway leading in from the garage. Why Gail...why don't you change them? you ask. Umm...yeah, I should. I'm generally too lazy to pull out the step ladder though.

Dust: There are 5 people, a dog, and a cat that are in this house most of the time. Did you know that dust is mainly composed of dead skin? And pet dander. So...yeah. I have no problem keeping the dust cleared off of places that are reachable, like picture frames and furniture. It's those high places, like ceiling fans and vanity lights that get me. Again with the step ladder.

Clutter: I just can't seem to ever put anything away. Ever. I have a laundry room with a nice counter top that you can't see. The bar in my kitchen is usually full of mail that needs opened, paperwork that needs filed, and crumbs that Workaholic doesn't wipe up.

Exterior: We have some damage from a storm a few years ago...spindles on a 2nd story balcony that were knocked off. Those need to be replaced. And there are a couple of spots where the wood needs to be replaced around one of our exterior doors. Plus, the screened in porch always needs to be vacuumed, and the landscaping could use a spring clean-up.


If I was Annie from 7th Heaven, I would totally get all this done. She was a Superwoman. A Supermom! I'm just me. Maybe I'll start small...changing the light bulbs. Work my way up to the dusting. (Get it? Work my way up? I crack myself up.)