Homehomehome...We Are HOME!

Wow! We have been home one week now...this is after an additional month-long stay in-hospital (totalling 2 months). I hadn't bothered to update the houseblog yet because, well, no house-related progress had been made during the interim. This all started on May 30th, when our 3 yo daughter who has Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) went in for an open-heart surgery [not a direct part of her 3-part surgery]. After a month in recovery, we went home, only to return back to the hospital within a week. In short, she developed a further infection and her life was in serious danger for some time. There was plenty of drama to go with that stay, and she was so depressed for most of that time.

During that time, I focused my blog-writing prowess on her 'blog [carepages.com], and completely neglected the house & it's 'blog. I spent most of my time driving, as I work Northwest of home (1-2 hours), and the hospital was Southwest (~2-3 hours). I have written enough for a book on her carepage by now, and if you care for the details, I will happily point the way. So for here, let me just say that Michaela is doing very well now and is her happy charming self again. The only caveat is that her total heart-function is still not very strong, which means that she may not be a candidate for the 3rd heart surgery (Fontan)...this would then mean that she may be getting a heart transplant before she turns 5.

So, I suppose I now have a fresh set of eyes to look over the house and the projects I have started (read as: NOT FINISHED). I will be making a new priority list and endeavor to start marking off the tasks ASAP, because like all home owners, the task not-yet-started is infinitely more sexy than the one that stares at you unfinished for months...and I DON'T need any more of those.

In no particular order, here are a few of those:
- install door hardware on back door
- finish installing last ~25 sq.ft of hardwood flooring
- install toe plates for new wood floor
- prime & paint plaster walls in dining room
- strip paint from built-in bookcases & china cabinet
- sand wood trims, rails & built-ins in living and dining room
- shellac all that wood (and find another source of quality shellac)
- replace 8 mini-lites in entry door with beveled glass
- replace plumbing with copper tubing

My wish list is actually infinitely longer, but this would quell my angst for some time.