Headed into a holiday week...

Thanksgiving is almost here already!  I can't believe how incredibly fast this year has gone by!

So here we are, headed into the holiday week - a three day work week -  and we're all set for a major project, hopefully to be completed by the end of the holiday weekend.  All of the necessities were picked up today: paint, trim, etc.  Ok, we may need some nails, but I can get those when I run out to pick up the few things I'll need for Thanksgiving dinner. 

Funny, just last year I wondered if I'd ever have a holiday that I wasn't trying to finish up a project beforehand.  Of course, this isn't the first Thanksgiving I've worked on the house.  A few years ago, Eöl (Santa) brought me the early gift of flooring for the living room. As soon as the table was cleared Thanksgiving Day, we started on the floor.  I still love my floor (and Eöl).

If you live the homesteading type of life, you probably know why we are working on the house during the holidays.  If not, I'll explain:

 In the early spring, we are busy seed shopping and starting plants.  I also work a seasonal job that starts around that time.

Then, later in the spring, we are rushing to get the garden in the ground.  There's a small lull after the garden is planted, but there are outside home improvement projects and weeding to be done, as well as farmer's market work to do.  The market takes at least a day of prep in addition to the actual market day.

Harvest starts before we know it, though it seems like a long wait when tomatoes are green on the vine.  Picking, blanching, freezing, canning, and farmer's market take up pretty much all of my time.

Once harvest is over, we try to prep for winter.  Whenever we have downed trees, we get those cut up for winter fuel.  We do as much prep for next year's garden as possible, mulch the flower beds, rake leaves for the compost pile (I live in the woods, I don't care if there are leaves on the ground...but they are soo good for the compost pile it's hard to leave them if I have time to rake), and work on any last minute outside projects (like the roofing project I just did).  We also harvest chickens at this time of year.

That leaves only a short window for indoor home improvement projects.  Of course, into all those things listed above, you have to add our daily chores, homeschooling, and all that mundane stuff like doctor appointments, etc.

So...here we are again, with a major project for the holidays.  We're finishing up a bathroom! Yay!  The room already has a new toilet..that was one of our first projects when we bought the place. You don't even want to know why.  The flooring is mostly done...and has been that way for over two years.  I know...about that procrastination award...  but other things popped up and we just sort of forgot about it.  The room will be getting a new ceiling, a new paint job, the flooring will be finished...I'm so excited!

In other home improvement news, I did finally finish up the ceiling paper in Big Sis' room.  I got the paint for it today, as well as an unbelievably perfect (and inexpensive) wallpaper border.
 
My project list is pretty long, but the most important things are finishing up this bathroom and Big Sis' room before the baby comes.  For her room, I need to paint the ceiling, get the border up, finish the curtains I am making and get them hung, put in the new closet rods, and then help her rearrange things for the Little One.

I really hope to get started on that baby quilt in the next week or so, as well.  I love quilting, but that's another post entirely!

I just realized, I'd intended this post to be about Thanksgiving dinner, but I suppose I'll save that for tomorrow.