More Home-Work

Later this morning, southernselkie and her fiance are coming over to help me with my house. My brother-in-law-to-be is going to patch the holes left over from the plumbing debacle, and my sister, who is one of those people who gets spiritual satisfaction from cleaning and used to work as a house cleaner, is going to help me scrub floors, walls, and cabinets. (And yes, I'm going to pay her for her assistance.) My daughter is going to help clean and help wrangle the fiance's little daughter.

Next Saturday, my friend-from-work comes back to hang the closet doors (which were purchased back in March or April!) and replace the two ugly, mis-matched lights in my kitchen with nicer, matching lights and dimmer switches. My parents (and _storyteller_, if he doesn't have another event he needs to go to) are also going to be here to help the daughter and me finish painting my bedroom.

And then I'm going to call Mr. Handyman to replace my toilet and re-tile my bathroom floor, and re-do the bathroom walls which need re-patching and sanding and painting.

And then I'm going to have a party!

Home-Work Icon Request

I have not been able to find a really good Domesticity/Home-Work icon that suits my desire to express sacred homemaking and/or a certain irreverent approach.

Do any of you have any suggestions, pointers, or donations?

This Queen of Pentacles icon is only marginally appropriate. Look where pentacle is, for heaven's sake! I'm trying to get away from abstracting this work, and her pentacle is in her mind, not being expressed in the world.

Unfortunately, most Queen of Pentacles icons just don't work for me. They're a bit too cozy-homemaker for my taste.

Pirattitude and "Wife Swap"

Via a link within an article cited by the ever-inspirational Dread Pirate shellefly. . .

The family of one of the founders of Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19, folks!) took part in the tv reality show Wife Swap. I've never watched the show, but after reading "Mad Sally's" account of being swapped into an uptight, appearances-are-everything family, I'm tempted to tune in.

Her story is here: http://www.keeptothecode.com/12features.html

Confession

I am not looking forward to all the house work today.

Mid-Day Report

Sister's Fiance is patching the two holes in my bedroom ceiling. He is appalled by the workmanship -- or lack thereof -- by my ex and his b-i-l in my kitchen and bathroom. He wants to fix all of it for me. Plus the leaky wall in the Yellow Room, my toilet and the bathroom floor, and the rest of the flooring.

My sister is doing battle with the grime on my floors and walls, to great effect.

I've done the dishes and cleaned counters and am making sure everyone has the tools and refreshments they need. I'll start laundry once the upstairs girls have finished their showers.

My daughter volunteered to clean the toilet and did a great job. She is also pitching in as needed and entertaining the Fiance's daughter.

And we're having fun.

More bulletins later.

Sunday Evening -- T-minus 27 Hours

My house looks a lot better, thanks to southernselkie and Co.

There is no longer a cardboard-covered hole directly over the head of my bed. Nor one over my daughter's bookshelf. Holes in the kitchen ceiling and above the bathroom door were patched, and ugly seams have been mended. Floors have been swept and then mopped -- strenuously. I found out that the reason I haven't done a good job getting my walls clean wasn't (necessarily) lack of domestic skill on my part but because they were only painted with primer and no top coat. Thus they suck up the dirt and grime and hold on to it.

More curses have been flung in the direction of the previous owners of this house.
(Just kidding.)
(But I'm sorely tempted.)

I have clean sheets on the bed and several loads of laundry cycling through.

If all goes as planned, _storyteller_ will be here at 8pm on Monday.
To stay.

Between now and then I need to type up the minutes from an important meeting on Friday, talk to George's supervisor about my missing Wicked tickets credit (and start pressing for a refund), harrass the management of _storyteller_'s apartment because the smell in there makes me believe they have not shampooed the carpets as they had said they were going to do last week, and lay in some groceries.