If you give Alisa a project...

she's going to find another project to go with it.

Ironically, the story Jessi chose last night was, If You Give a Pig a Pancake. These stories have been some of our favorites, but last night I realized just how much they apply to my life.

Mike has diagnosed me with the "shiny object" condition. I tend to get distracted while doing projects.

Here is the latest story.

Since moving into our home 1.75 years ago, I have been planning the built-ins for the laundry room. I knew that I wanted us to build them ourselves so that I could get exactly what I wanted. Grandpa Peel taught Mike well, so with his building skills and my director/designer/painter skills I knew we could pull it off.

Well, I had drawn up the plans (in my mind--that one's for you, Mimi) and then on paper. We finally had a weekend with some free time so I declared that we would commence the construction. Memorial Day would be the day. And, the project would be completed by Saturday.

We got a jump start and bought the supplies and started cutting wood on Saturday. Of course it took longer than I had planned, but it is sturdy and straight and well-built. I am now in the process of painting it.

We added bead board to the back of the cabinet. So I figured that while we were already living in sawdust we might as well do the bead board I had planned for the bench entry area from the garage. It looks great, but the paint I had won't work for it so it is primed and ready for paint.

But then I realize that I want to paint the entire laundry room--you know to make it more cheery. I get this wild notion that adding a happy color to the walls will aid me in the drudgery that takes place in that room.

I decided on pale blue and I actually let Bev pick the color (trying to let go of a few control issues.) That is half done.

I now think that I want a much brighter light in the laundry room because, as I previously mentioned, a bright room will fix all of my problems.

So, since I am in the middle of all of these paining projects and have it all over my hands and nails, I might as well paint that lamp base I bought.

One day last week Andrew started a conversation with me by saying, "No offense Mom, but when were you going to go to the store?" Apparently buying food had been put on hold.

I know that, along with me finding shiny objects and wanting the project to be perfect, one of the reasons projects take a while is that I do have these little people relying on me to be present and take care of them. We did eat take-out more last week than we have in ages. My house looked like my room did when I was a teenager. The kids got a lot of "independent play time." But, they still got their stories and homework help and baths and snuggles. I think they survived.

Mike has been extremely patient with the mess. He worked his tail off last week. Every night when he came home from work we worked on the cabinet. He took the kids swimming and fishing to give me time to paint. He has earned some serious husband points.

That, and I still find him very appealing when he is covered in sawdust.