wow

Today is one of those Mondays where I wish I could crawl back in my bed and sleep away the frantic, stressful morning. Unfortunately too many cups of seriously crappy coffee makes this an impossibility for I am wired like an electric fence and you better step back. I feel like I would sizzle and snap if you touched me. Gazing out my window at the early snowfall, I reflect back on the past few weeks. In a nutshell, wow. I feel like God got so sick of our bitching and complaining and said "Give them what they want so I don't have to listen to them for awhile!" Of course he said this in a giant booming voice complete with thunder crashes and lightning. Seriously though, what a ride. As I stated in my last post eons ago, my husband has found a career. Officially a high school teacher, he races out of the house every morning, coffee thermos and computer in hand. My heart swells with pride when I see how happy and peaceful he finally is. During the interview process my nerves couldn't take anymore so I decided to tear our entire house apart. We have been living with a sub par kitchen and identity crisis bedroom for so long I decided now or never. I have also decided to paint the interior of my entire house. My child demanded a real live Christmas tree this year and evergreen just does NOT work with key lime walls so white it will be. I will miss my aluminum splendor this Christmas, but change is good and who am I to deny a child a live tree? The upstairs hallway is also missing a corner linen cabinet that fell 3 feet short of the floor, stopping in mid wall for no apparent reason other then to annoy me the past 11 years. That too got a taste of my sledge hammer with my six year old cheering me on every step of the way, "Go mama, go mama!" So here we are, new career, a kitchen with no walls, holes in my hallway, half-painted bedroom and then I get a phone call. The t.v. producer I had been conversing with via email called and welcomed me on board as a designer of a room on an episode of a morning design show, former Calvin Klein model as the host. WHAT?!! I am not a designer. I sell old junk for a living. Well, apparently my customer thought differently and recommended me for the position. Holy crap, I'm going to be on t.v.! After a whirlwind week and a half of endless emails and texts from my lovely young producer and countless trips for paint and accessories and furniture, film day arrived. Now to quiet the butterflies in my stomach and hope I don't look fat or old on the small screen. Arriving at the pre-film meeting I finally got to meet the gorgeous host. With a dazzling smile and an infectious enthusiasm he took away all my nerves. Working side by side all day I forgot the cameras were even there. Not being a designer by trade and I mean with a degree, I was nervous I would fail. Faced with budget and schedule constraints I thought how the heck can I even pull this off? Growing up my entire life around design with my interior decorator mother and artist uncle, I relaxed, stopped thinking about the small things, and just did what I know how to do. Watching it all come together and hearing the homeowners cry with joy reaffirmed my faith in my ability. A few kind words and hug from the host didn't hurt either. Besides the fact that filming a t.v. show is all kinds of fun and I would definitely do it again, the one lesson I learned from this experience is I am happy right where I am. There is nothing more satisfying then digging through piles of dirty junk, estate sales, flea markets, dusty attics and damp basements. Lugging my haul back to the shop and somehow artistically blending decades together in a small space is where my knowledge of color, scale, and proportion truly comes into play. In my space I'm the boss and that is just how I prefer it. Now that the t.v. show excitement has simmered down, I am able to focus or I should say forge ahead into the holidays. With barely a second to breathe I am on to the next adventure. Life certainly doesn't slow down to wait for you to catch up and boy, I am running. This holiday kick off has me at our local holiday market. A big event well advertised and curated. The event lasts 3 days and I basically have 3 days to get my act together. Sipping afternoon bubbly with my favorite gypsy girl didn't help my productivity this afternoon, but it sure was lovely. Following that we are upon Thanksgiving and the big Black Friday event in my own brick and mortar. Christmas comes complete with Santa and a parade to my hometown the first Saturday in December. Three big holiday weekends all in a row only to be followed by my whole house remodel that we have to somehow bang out in a month. So yes, I am busy. Do I mind? Absolutely not. I have worked hard and waited a long time for my life to find me and now that I'm in the thick of it living that life, there is no slowing me down. Good night world.