Back to the real life!

Over the last three weeks I have been pretty non-existent in the blogosphere and there is a reason... or maybe I should say an excuse.  In the last month, along with working, I babysat my beautiful one year old godchild for four days, and I refinished my entire dining room and during that time, I will be honest, I didn't experience enough of Milwaukee to tell you about it!

I put the tutu on... couldn't help it!

I am so thankful for the wonderful five days I got to spend with my goddaughter who is an energetic one year old full of life and curiosity!  Watching a child discovering new things is so entertaining; I love watching how her brain is working at this age.  During the time I was with her she was making great strides towards walking starting out walking between her parents and I and moving up to scurrying from one piece of furniture to the next.   This is an important time for me to make sure she knows who I am and recognizes me when I come back.  I hope that is true, because by the time I left, I had a godchild who now knew me well enough to greet me with Eskimo kisses or a smile.  I just can't get enough of that!

Dining room "Before"

Dining room "After"

While refinishing wood was significantly more stressful and daunting than partying it up with the babe, I feel like I emerged from the month victorious!  I can't tell you how badly I yearned for a way strip varnish faster and cleaner but at the end of the month I have a brand-new dining room.  I could not have finished this project alone, well maybe I could, but I know I wouldn't have my wits about me!  My parents and my "fairy grandmother" were loads of help.  Grandma spent four whole days helping me strip, clean and sand 90-year-old varnished woodwork, while Mom and Dad primed, painted, cleaned and decorated the room with me.   This is definitely one of those projects where when it's all said and done you feel the greatest sense of accomplishment.  Since this is technically a blog about Milwaukee and not about me and my crazy life, I will say this, I now have a very close relationship with just about everyone that works at the Home Depot on Holt Ave.  They provide amazing customer service and are very helpful when you are in need.  This particular location is found conveniently less than a mile from my home.  I have been there 17 times in 14 days.  I am sure I don't need to help Home Depot advertise because they are a common household name, but I will say this particular location has a lot of helpful people.  If you have questions, they have answers.

So that is about it.  I'm back to my normal life just like the students that are back to school for the first time this morning.  I look forward to sharing my adventures in Milwaukee with you once again!