If paint could talk...

Garry spent last week at home and we sure enjoyed having him here. In addition to letting me nap, taking the big boys to the movies and on errands, and coaching Zach's t-ball team in the evenings, Garry was in project mode all week. He tackled things that have been on his "honey-do" list for months. What fun!

I'm serious about the fun part -- at least for me. I once read a great book about the "five love languages" that people use to communicate. Garry and I each took the survey that determined how we best receive messages of love. Not surprisingly, we respond to different cues. I landed solidly in the "acts of service" camp. Since then Garry has had a heightened awareness that doing something nice for me (rather than saying sweet things, buying me presents, holding my hand, or even spending time with me) is the best way to say, "I love you." I'd much rather he fix a clogged drain than buy me jewelry. I realize this makes me weird, but it's the truth!

Whether professing his love was his motivation or not, Garry spent hours on various projects around the house this week. Some were big and some were small, but they all made me smile!

This is the project that took the most time: fashioning doors for the TV cabinet he built a few months ago. Some serious craftsmanship went into them! They look amazing, don't you think?


Garry also fixed the door knob on our front door. I'm not sure what he did to it, exactly, but the fact that the door opens and closes with so little effort is something we appreciate many times a day. We didn't realize how annoying the door had become until it worked properly again.


Another little thing: covering the hole that was made during our home improvement adventure (courtesy of this problem) of November 2008. Don't worry; we've only had a hole in the side of our house for six months.


We've been talking about painting the door that leads from our house to the garage since Christmas, when we visited a neighbor's house with the same floor plan. Their door in the same spot is bright red...and I fell in love. (Aside from the fun color, there wasn't a grimy fingerprint to be seen.) After Garry spray-painted a twin-size headboard for me recently, we thought the same espresso-colored paint would look great on the door. So Garry tackled that project this weekend. I love how he suspended the door from the garage door track -- genius.


And finally, the crown jewel of Garry's labors: a yellow wall. I have been carrying a paint swatch in my purse for a long time but didn't quite imagine how much I'd love the color on the wall. I took the Littles out of the house for a couple of hours so Garry could paint, and when I came home and saw it I literally clapped and cheered!


So Garry, here's my public shout-out: You're wonderful and amazing and I love you. Thank you for all your hard work. I'm one happy woman.