Getting a Big Jump

I walked in to work this morning with no jacket on. All of our snow is gone and the temp is in the mid-40s. This reprieve from what began as a cold harsh winter is welcome but it's not a friend to the trails and my fat-bike. I've been too busy working on an indoor project to have any time at all for riding so it really doesn't matter to me.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit how many hours I've been spending on our laundry room renovation. What started out as a simple paint the walls and redo the curtains project has morphed into quite a bit more. Karen suggested we consider painting the oak cabinets and trim throughout the room and adding a slatted wood ceiling. Both very nice ideas. Plus, anything to slowly chip away at the honey-oak look of our home's interior is a good thing.

I spent all of Friday night in our garage staining the boards for the slatted wood ceiling that Joe is going to do for us. Tammy isn't totally sold on the color we're going with but I am. I trust Karen's judgment. It's yellow but not at all bright; more of a muted yellow but I think it'll look nice trimmed with white crown molding. The wood for the ceiling in the photo to the left has already been stained.

Keith was a big help in offering to spray-paint our cabinet doors at his shop. I only needed to sand them for him.

Here's where I left it as I headed out the door this morning. My work is pretty much done with the exception of a few touch-up spots that I'll knock out tomorrow. Joe is planning to come by on Wednesday to do the ceiling. He figures he'll need a day and a half.

Between the painting I did in the basement a couple months ago and the work in the laundry room, I'm getting a big jump on my retirement to-do list.

I have yet to begin my Christmas shopping! How crowded would the malls be if there was no online shopping? My plan is to take off from work early tomorrow and head over to Mall of America and see if I can take a sizable bite out of the task.

I recently read Jennifer Knapp's book Facing the Music. Jennifer is a former Contemporary Christian Music artist who fell from grace within the church when it was learned that she's gay. It was such an interesting read as it's so much more than just about her experience with CCM. She doesn't come off as bitter, just disappointed for the way she and others are marginalized and silenced by those in the church.

This is my favorite song of hers from a few years ago...