Tuesday, November 11, 2025 -- Mattie died 820 weeks ago today.

Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2003. Mattie was a year and a half old and we took him to a Fall Festival. This was a typically weekend occurrence in the Autumn months, as Mattie loved outdoor time and we had fun introducing him to pumpkins and the wonderful colors, foods, and activities of the season. I have to admit, if these types of festivals existed when I was a kid, I never went to one. When they say raising a child allows you the opportunity to be a kid again.... well it is true. But it is better, because you get to see the world through the beautiful and innocent eyes of your child.  

Quote of the day: I and the girl in the picture have ceased to be the same person. I am her outcome, the result of the life she once lived headlong; whereas she, if she can be said to exist at all, is composed only of what I remember. I have the better view - I can see her clearly, most of the time. But even if she knew enough to look, she can't see me at all. ~  Margaret Atwood

Today felt like a lost day! Alfredo, my contractor was scheduled to come over today, but I wasn't sure of his timing. So I got up early because I wanted to be ready for him. Alfredo installed the light fixture I ordered for the bathroom and then he worked for four hours, yes four hours on changing the faucets on my bathroom sink. For months now, I have been dealing with a leaky bathroom sink. The water comes out of the handles, even when the faucets weren't turned to the open position. It was so bad that I wrapped paper towels around the faucets daily. When I heard my plumber wanted to charge me $1,100 to correct the situation, I decided to just live with the problem. Well that was until I started working with Alfredo and saw what he did with the bathroom that was damaged from a flood in August. So today, Alfredo worked diligently to correct this mess! But that meant we were literally home all day. Sounds easy enough, but when we are home all day, my mom gets stir crazy and my dad sleeps the day away. So not good for either of them.

I honesty can't get over this bathroom transformation. It went from the ugliest bathroom in the house to one of the nicest looking ones! When we moved into the house in 2021, this was the color and set up of the bathroom. Everything was builder grade. We installed the sink you see in the photo because the original sink was low to the floor, almost designed for a small child. There was no way it would have worked for my mom.  

Alfredo installed the light fixture today and truly it is a night and day difference. I am in the process of getting a new shower curtain and bath mat, and then I have ideas for some art work to bring pops of color into the space. So stay tuned. 

This may not seem like a big deal to you, but to me having faucets that aren't leaking, pooling water, and making a mess is a gift! What I love about Alfredo is he is determined to get the job right, he takes his time, and even my home owner's insurance company gave me feedback that Alfredo's prices are fair and reasonable! 

When Alfredo left today, he wanted to make sure I shut the hoses to the house off because it is frigid and the pipes could freeze. I assured him I did this, and though I haven't said a word to him, he can see that I am juggling everything in the house myself. His final words to me tonight were.... you are doing a great job. He says most home owners push projects off, the issues start piling up and then it becomes financially impossible to manage them. He confirmed that my approach of budgeting and managing one project at a time is the way to go! That meant a lot to me because this is the first house I have ever owned, and I have had to learn very quickly.