Honey do's!

This weekend has been a weekend of honey do's. Most husbands know what that is all about. We've been so busy since getting back from California that and it has just been so hot! For me, it started on Friday afternoon. I got done with a job at 1:00pm. My boss looked at me and said, take the truck back to the ranch, clean out the back and go home, have a good weekend. Boy was I excited! I got back to the ranch, did what I needed to and headed back to home. Home. Ginger had been working overtime all week, so she wouldn't be home till 5:30. And I had an idea. It started simple enough, cleaning the floors. I figured I'd do what I could so she didn't have to this weekend, give her a relaxing weekend. Well, I began doing the floors, cleaning rooms, finally got my studio in order, began doing laundry, rearranged the kitchen so I'd have more work space, and soon enough I'd not only cleaned the house and done the laundry, but had a list of things for me to do for the weekend. There were burned out lights that needed to be replaced, a lock that needed to be fixed on an inside door, a paper towel holder to put up, normal stuff. I'd been working on Saturday's, so this was my first Saturday off in a while. Don't get me wrong, I called another guy to see if he needed help this weekend, no answer or return call which I must confess I was happy. So Saturday, I went out and got the materials I needed for my honey do's, went to walmart and stocked up our frig, got some kitchen utensil's we needed, etc.
I should mention I got a big kiss Friday when Ginger got home! And I took her out to eat! Anyway, while I went and did my Saturday shopping, Ginger got to sleep in, then go and work out, she did clean the bathroom (that is her job, I'm not allowed to touch that job), and basically have a day to herself. She went and got a pedicure and then I cooked her new favorite, orange chicken and made fried rice for the first time. Needless to say, I was busy. I looked up some new recipes to try (I'm gonna make a homeade chicken pot pie) and got my drafting table ready to draw again. I have, for some reason, trouble drawing in the summer. But with a touch of fall having dropped upon us for a few days (the heat is back), it was time to knock the dust off the drawing pencils, stumps, and erasers, and get back to what I love doing. I feel the urge to draw, it comes like that. A restless feeling. As if my mind is back in that mode of thinking again. I look at pictures or at nature and I begin to see the lines, and tones, the shadow and light, and I know that it is time to start. That and I have my first commission in a long time to do. God knew when I'd be ready. I'm getting the music ready that I'll be listening to as I draw (Mom sent me bunches of Enya to listen to!) and everything is in it's proper order. The only thing left to get is my drawing lamp. I put mine on Ginger's make up table so she could see. I'd love to get some new shelves and there is a new table I've got my eye on, but that will come in time. I'm not complaining, I love my studio, a working man's studio. Each piece I can tell you where it came from and how God provided. From the overflowing shelf with all my fantasy books (Warhammer baby!) to the white shelf I resurrected from the dead with all my supplies on it. My table has been fixed a couple of times, and my dark pink chair is still the most comfortable chair in the world! My favorite part of the studio, my pictures of Ginger and our honeymoon all over. I can't wait for that first all day rain where I can open the shades up and feel the ambience some flooding into the room.

Which leads me to waking up this morning. I know I talk a lot about how we love our apartment. It is home. And I talk about it because we are so thankful. When we walked in from being gone a couple of days at California I noticed something. The smell. The smell of home. It shot me straight back to walking into my parent's house. It is a scent of love, of caring. I can't explain it, you just have to smell it, but I'll say that this is the first place beyond family's house that I've smelt that smell in a place I've stayed in. Ginger woke this morning to the smell of bacon in the apartment. She came in, sleepy eyed, said she loved the smell, and I looked at my lovely wife with thankfulness. If you come to the apartment you'll see picture's of happiness. Whether my drawings or pictures we've taken, you'll see that there is alot of love. I think the apartment senses it. She was neglected for years. I've seen the pictures! Flamingo pink walls and such, she was in an awful state till someone showed her some love. Now, she seems to voice her approval. As I did my honey do's I'm sure she was appreciative of the attention. The things you will do for the one's or the things you love. I did those things for Ginger because I was thankful for her. She is such a wonderful wife, a wonderful keeper of the house, she deserves weekends like this. And best of all, she was excited to watch the Cowboy's play! And just like my Mom, in the middle of the 3rd quarter, she fell asleep. Good times. I don't know if Mom still falls asleep during games, but I had to laugh at the memories of her being on the couch, she'd fall asleep and the game would get good!

So as I looked at the pictures and drawings this morning, as I looked around at the apartment, I realized what makes the difference between a place you live and home, it's love. This is our safe place, our sanctuary, and God willing, this will be our home for a very long time. Many memories are being made here and many more will be made. So if I have one thing to say to ya'll today it's look around today and see what you are thankful about, and thank God who provided it.

Baa