Life Interrupted

The kids are resting, the dryer is going and the dishwasher is humming.

Clearly, I am not in my house.

We have been living with my in-laws for the past week while my husband and father-in-law sand, stain and polyurethane our living room and dining room floors. It has been slow going, because when my ancestors decided to be thrifty and paint around the carpets (true story), they put down this maroon paint that is almost impossible to take up with a sander. I have been informed that any other rooms with this paint will not be sanded.

The first few days of living here were a little bit crazy. And there was every reason for it be that way- it was five adults, two kids and three dogs trying to find a new every day normal. The fifth adult is Great Grandma Pease, which means we have four generations living under one roof. It's pretty amazing when you think about it.

Things I have learned on this adventure:

1. Dishwashers are, in fact, a marvelous invention. Before last week, I had never used or loaded a dishwasher in my life. Now I've been loading the dishwasher every day, and I've got to say, it's going to be hard to go back to hand washing!

2. Dryers are as amazing as I remembered. Not having to time laundry according to the weather forecast? Astounding. Being able to wash and dry a load of clothes at 9pm? Priceless.

3. One dog is great, two dogs are fun, but three dogs are too much. Especially when they all bark at once and wake up the kids. Especially when I want to walk all of them, but end up picking and choosing because everyone knows a Beagle on a leash is hard enough.

While this many people and dogs in one house can be kind of intense, I have to remind myself that before I know it, we'll be back at our house. Time goes quickly. It's not everyday I can walk out the door for my nightly walk and go several different directions instead of just up to the quarry. It's not everyday that other people make us breakfast and dinner, and it's definitely not every day that I'm around someone who bakes different desserts every afternoon (Great Gram).

Before I know it, we'll be stuck in the house during the colder months and craving a change in pace. Might as well make the most of this!