Where the heck?!

So, where the heck have you been?!?! I know that's what you are all thinking. I have been holding myself hostage in the home. We are slowly (according to my preferences), but surely making progress in making this home our own. The basement was finished before I left for AL for Christmas as one of J's big Christmas presents. Was he surprised? Of course not; but he was very happy with the final result. Now that the big room of the basement is finished, all that's left is the guest room and the bathroom. The paint in the bedroom is halfway finished, and the bathroom is on hold. Once I'm done with the bedroom, I'll consider the basement level to be completely done (for now). The main floor is 99% finished as well. Thanks to a massive family paint effort, the living room, dining room, kitchen, den, and hallways were all painted. All that stands is painting the trim in living room and the hallways. The kitchen is completely done! The den is completely done! The dining room is completely done! These are all great things to check off of my to-do list, but I will feel much better when 2/3 floors of this new house are finished. I can't believe that we've been in VA for almost 3 months and in our new house for 6 weeks. It is actually starting to feel a little bit like home, but as everyone knows, change is a long and difficult process!

It's a really good thing that I enjoy our new home and have plenty of projects to complete indoors because it has been colder than cold lately. I think there were two weeks straight when our high temperature was still below freezing. Seeing as how I cannot stand the winter, this has really been unappealing in almost every way for me. I guess it wouldn't really matter where I was these days because the temperatures have been so low across the country. I think my parents were running a string that even we couldn't hold a candle to. Our two weeks of below freezing was nothing compared to two weeks of single digit temps. GROSS!!! I really can't stand being cold, so these temperatures are confining me to our wonderful new house. As lovely as it is, I am ready to get out of here. Where to go, though? Your guess is as good as mine. Hopefully, I'll be able to share my escapades shortly, whether they be big city adventures or tales from a newly hired substitute. Stay tuned for pictures of the improvements we have made so far!