Messes. Carpet. Comments. Nathan News.

You know that thing I said to you last week that I would post before and after photos of our bedroom?

Well, I don’t have a bit of problem showing you the before pictures or even the “in between” pictures. But I thought it might be more dramatic to wait till the bedroom was completely done before I do The Big Reveal. And the good news is that we should have it done by the end of the week; we just need to get mini blinds and curtains hung. I am indubitably excited. (Which is much more excited that regular ol’ excited.)

I will, however, give you a little sneak preview of the work in progress so that you can see a bit of the paint color and how the whole project is coming along.

Here’s the photo tour . . . accompanied by a little dash of continued untidiness. (Clutter Meter, be still!)

Remember a couple weeks ago when we had the big discussion about the best way to arrange our bed pillows? Well, I am just going to tell you that I have thrown all of your wisdom and advice out the window and have decided to go my own way and do my own thing in the Pillow War Conundrum Department.

Here is my own personal arrangement. What do you think? Do I need to post another poll so that we can vote on it? I actually really like it. It’s kind of a free form, creative, mashed up morass of pillow-ness.

I snapped this picture of one of our ubiquitous bed piles; it just seemed to be a nice snapshot of married life. “His and her shoes” in the middle of a redecorating process—what could possible be more “married” than that?

And speaking of married life—here are Mr. Smith and me back in our younger days--back when we still had horse and buggies and there was no indoor plumbing. Oh, the stories we could tell of our days back on the lone prair-ee.

Here’s a little ol’ peek at the project in process. (Gives you a little hint of the color.)

And here is your last look at the blue carpet which we shall say farewell to today. Have I already told you how excited I am? Well, let me just say it again! I’m excited!

This is what Sarah’s bathroom looked like when we left the house this morning. We just took miscellaneous stuff from the other rooms and flung it in there. I almost broke out into a hive looking at that scene, but I got out of there just in time. (Snowy is obviously very puzzled about the proceedings. Of course, he’s puzzled about most things.)

Even the steps leading up to Sarah’s room were called into duty for storing stuff.

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Questions and Comments:

Kelly Dunn said, “I'm just curious.....do you always have a camera in your hand? I'm amazed at how you have pictures for all your blogs!”

Kelly, yes I do keep my camera in my purse at all times, in addition to a spare set of batteries. I just sort of feel insecure if my camera isn’t always within reach!

Pam said, “OK... so did you get a new camera? The picture quality has really improved as of late, so something has changed. That pic of Sarah and Snowy on the swing is just lovely... frameably beautiful.”

Pam, nope, no new camera. As always, any picture I take that turns out especially well is completely by accident! But I’m glad that a photographer of your skill notices my occasional good pictures.

Dorine asked, “Did you ever make it to North Dakota when you were traveling and singing? It really isn't "on the way" to anywhere, so you pretty much have to have a reason to want to come!! Just curious! Love all your pictures and stories. You are always in my prayers, Sweet Friend!!!”

Dorine, we sang at a church in Bismarck and also at an Indian reservation somewhere in the state. I don’t remember the name of the town but I do remember that particular concert quite well because I fell off the stage. Backward. Feet flying over my head. Wearing a skirt! It was not one of my finer moments.

Suzi said, “What a neat town!! Thanks for sharing it with us. I wonder, do most of the restaurants in Manteo and Wanchese close for the Winter, or are there enough year round folks to sustain them?”

Suzi, yes, a few restaurants (and businesses) do close here in the off season but last winter (our first one here) there still seemed to be plenty of places to eat and shop.

Bridget said, “So I must confess......I have stolen your grocery list-upon-the-cupboard door strategy....and I actually strung a pen on a string on the inside catch....Amazingly I was able to do my shopping in about 1/3 of the time. As a mom to 5 kids, less time in the grocery store means I'm more likely to not need a rubber room, so thanks a million.”

Bridget, I am so happy that one of my many rambling posts made a practical difference in some ones life. Thanks for letting me know. Now I feel all glow-y inside.

Melanie said, “I don't know if I've ever left a comment here, but I love reading your blog! I'm so glad you talked about Extraordinary Measures because I saw it advertised and then somehow missed it when it was in theaters. I'm going to have rent it and watch it! Have you seen Letters to God? If not, you should watch it, but have those Kleenex handy! Thank you so much for all of your wonderful posts! I'm so glad everyone is doing well!”

Melanie, Since we went through such a difficult time with Sarah’s cancer and treatment, you’d think I wouldn’t want to watch movies about sick kids. But they still just seem to draw me in. I haven’t seen Letters To God yet, but that’s one of the movies that’s on The List. I’m glad to hear it highly recommended. (I also enjoyed My Sister’s Keeper.)

Catherine asked, “Where in Florida is Nathan? Is he back at school taking summer courses? Is he going to be a senior? It seems like he just started college.”

Catherine, Nathan is currently in Winter Park, FL; he’s living for the summer with his girlfriend’s sister and brother-in-law. His university (Southeastern University) is actually in nearby Lakeland, FL. No, he didn’t take any summer courses and yes, he is going to be a senior this year. I can hardly believe it.

Judy said, “It seems there hasn't been a "Nathan Report" lately. Is he doing okay? By openly sharing your lives, the Smiths have become a part of all our families and I miss hearing about him.”

Judy, it was so sweet of you to also inquire about Nathan and to write, “ . . . the Smiths have become a part of all our families . . .”

I feel all glow-y inside. Again!

Nathan has actually had a challenging summer. He got way behind in his summer job search when two jobs that looked like absolute certainties both fell through at the last minute. If you know anything about the college student job market, if you don’t get a job nailed down early in the summer, your chances of finding anything go way, way down.

Bottom line is that he never did find a summer job. He went to interviews, filled out applications, had great references—the whole bit. And I’m not just speaking as a proud mom, but Nathan is a hard worker, shows up on time, and has excellent people skills. His plan was to work himself to the bone this summer and get money saved up but as it turned out, he’s barely making ends meet.

He does have a part time job in the campus mailroom nailed down when school starts, but he wants to find another one in addition to that.

So anyway, that’s the scoop on my favorite son. As you moms out there know, we always hate it when we can’t rush in and make all the tough stuff in our kid’s life go away. Life was a whole easier when he was five years old and his biggest Life Crisis consisted of finding out that someone else ate the last chocolate chip cookie. Oh for those simpler days!

Anyway, thanks so much for asking about him. It makes my mama heart happy to get to write about him.