The Garden of Eden

After some discussion about a few raised beds, Belle comes home one day to see Prince Charming rototilling a 10 X 30 garden in the back yard. What happened to a few raised beds? That plan had changed, and of course, Belle was apparently not paying attention to those THOUGHT WAVES as they floated about the living room and kitchen in the last few weeks.

OK, so now we have a house that has only 1.5 bathrooms, with an old utility room that may someday become the master bath (turn the 0.5 into a full bath) after the wall is finished, floor ripped out, toilet and sink moved and replaced, etc. etc. We also have a non-finished mud room/laundry room that is only accessible by the garage with no finished walls, floors, or ceiling, heated by a space heater, trim needed throughout the entire house, a kitchen island which hasn't been built, and a million other small things, AND sick husband BUT now we have a huge (by my standards) garden.

I am supposed to be happy that the Prince is providing food for the family in case crisis occurs. I think it already did. I don't think food will fix it.

A Shadow falls over the land

Belle, Prince Charming, and the the princess and princes are now all living happily ever after in Prince Charming's tiny castle, which will be finished "some day" (Belle is guessing on 2020 when she hires contractors), and the unthinkable happens... Prince Charming falls ill. Luckily, it is a managble condition and not exactly life-threatening if monitored, but a shadow has fallen over the land and Belle is worried.

She realizes that her Prince cannot complete the tasks at hand, and she also knows he does not want anyone working on his castle, so she attempts to patiently wait. After all, it's not his fault he is sick.

A garden had been discussed, and Belle thinks a few raised beds in the yard might be a nice way to get the family outside in the fresh air. Prince finds a great deal on a rototiller...hmm, Belle realizes later, this probably should have been a red flag.

The Money Pit

So, Belle finally sells her condo and moves in to her husband's house. Note she still can't really bear to call it "hers." The childrens' bedrooms had been completed. Belle insisted that Prince Charming do that first, as it was important the kids have a place to call their own when they stayed with him (this occurred even before the engagement). Finally, some of the big projects were being completed: floors in the living room and hallway were a gorgeous solid oak, the kitchen and dining room had a beautiful stone floor, the maple cabinets were amazing... and someday soon she was sure the last 2 feet of the hallway would be completed, and the floor of the hall closet would be done, and there would be trim in the kitchen some day...

Prince Charming

She had met a really great guy, with a couple of little kids, and she thought, "Hmm... maybe this is what I have been looking for - a ready-made family!" Prince Charming, however, was a bit slow-witted about some topics, and cruised along in the relationship without wanting to ...shall we say... firm up any commitments. So, the princess said, "See ya!" and left.

A higher power (I call it God but insert your belief here) decided that this couple needed to be together, so the ex princess and Prince Charming not only made up but got married, and also decided to add one more to their family. It seems a clock, which never existed before, not only appeared but started ticking ever so quickly! Before they were married three months, a little prince was in the works.

Love does strange things to people, and for some CRAZY reason, the ex-princess (let's call her Belle) decided she would put her cute but too-small-for-a-family-of-now-five condo on the market and agreed to move into her now-husband's house. This house had been a labor of love for several years, as he bought it very cheaply as a fixer upper. When he bought it, he thought it was a great size for a single guy with 2 kids just on the weekends. While he was dating Belle when he purchased it, he NEVER thought she would ever marry the likes of him, so she never really entered into the equation.

While Mr. Charming is extemely handy, and even has a profession involving such things (but more on a more industrial scale), he is very... analytical and methodical (note the word "slow" never appears here!). In other words, the job will be done right but it will take 20 to 50 times longer than Belle (or any other person) would have ever anticipated.

Things are starting to take shape now, aren't they?

Once upon a time...

... there was this little princess. She was raised by King Crabcake and Queen Lakeview who resided in a beautiful part of the country where there was everything to do, but not much in the way of good jobs, especially in the field their geeky little scientist princess loved so much. So the little princess headed back to the heartland, where she had lived once before with the King and Queen, to fulfill her dreams.

With the exception of a bad starter marriage, the little princess was living a great life: she had a great job, had great friends, had a great condo, and did fun stuff like travel and have crazy restaurant tabs and shopped to her heart's content.

One day, she looked around and said, "Hmm... while this is fun, shouldn't life be about more than this?"

Dethroned princess

This blog is the maniacal ravings of an average mom, in an average part of the country, working an average white-collar job, living in a below average, fixer-upper house, to a NOT average husband (wonderful but stubborn!), who gave up her single "princess" lifestyle for "every little girl's dream," and is now saying....

WHAT WAS I THINKING???

OK, I only say that once a day when my head is about to explode because I refuse to take Prozac or Strattera and probably need both.