while pete was away......

growing up, we had this sort of unspoken tradition of doing some kind of nice surprise for a family member whenever they happened to be away for whatever reason. it was never a requirement, just seemed to happen on its own. whether it was just cleaning up their room, organizing something for them, buying them a little gift, or tackling a project they've been wanting done, we always seemed to do enjoy doing a little something special. to this day, i can't seem to pull myself away from this tradition. so when pete informed me of a 2-day work trip to canada, the wheels started turning. I will say, as much as I HATE having him away, i haven't stopped moving, barely off my feet till now (about 2 hours prior to his arrival home).  I am exhausted but MAN have I been productive. And don't get me wrong, I never could have finished it all without my mom and dad's help (but lets not forget, they are the ones that instilled this tradition in me so they can't expect much less :) Here's a quick run down of the highlight accomplishments "while pete was away" :

General projects:
Laundered every stitch of clothing in our house minus the clothes on our backs.
Not just laundered, but put it all away.
Completely cleaned/organized our master bedroom, closet and bathroom.
Total inside clean of my car.
General clean of the rest of the house.

Special projects:
found a great deal on tv for our room (which he's been wanting for a while)
shopped around and found a thin, perfect little table stand for it
sanded down and painted the table
rearranged the room a little and set it all up (working cable and all ;)
made a fresh strawberry cream pie for his late-night arrival

oh and I don't want to fail to mention the fact that the girls were cared for, fed, rested, played-with, etc.... i promise i did NOT lock them away for 2 days to get my work done ;-)

ok so I realize there are cords everywhere and tags still on, etc. there are definite tweaks to be made, but don't forget, we're talking 2 days!! Plus, since he's a guy...I wanna give him the option of picking out his own tv, if this isn't what he wants. Overall though, I'm very pleased!

Yummmy fresh strawberry cream pie (at least I hope its yummy!).... can't wait for a slice of this with a little ice cream with the hubs when he arrives.

I missed my man, especially with no phone service from canada :(  but I completely enjoy a little hard work to make him feel extra special, loved, and appreciated. Plus its a little tip for making the time go faster.... fill all that time up workin hard and before you know it, their home!

T-minus 2 hours till reveal time :)