Accomplishments

I passed the LCSW exam! I'm so happy. For months I've been studying after putting Elena Rose to bed, until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore . . . studying review materials and doing practice exams, when all I wanted to do was go to sleep or tackle a few things on my endless to-do list. Now, two exhausting exams later, I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I finally have my nights back! I've been able to relax, cook, watch television without feeling like I should be doing something else, and carve a pumpkin. So nice!

I made minestrone for the first time, and I was able to prep all the veggies the night before so that I could make it without Elena crying and tugging at me.


And Jorge has made some accomplishments of his own on our house. He built a fence and gate to block off the side area that we are making into a dog run for Ginger and Charlie. This area used to have an ugly, green, ground cover plant that just took over the whole space. There was a big, ugly tree in the middle, which we had removed awhile ago due to termite damage and it getting dangerously close to the roof. Jorge removed all of the ground cover plants himself, sprayed it with weed killer, installed new sprinklers, and laid down netting to prevent Charlie from digging holes. He also sectioned off an area to add grass, and we will cover the rest with bark, and maybe something else. We're very excited to get this area done and then tackle the rest of the backyard to make it a space we can enjoy.

The gate and fence

The dog run area


Jorge also converted our wood-burning fireplace into a gas-burning fireplace. This will be the first winter in our house that we'll actually be able to use our fireplace! We haven't decided what kind of cover we want to use for it yet.


Things are moving along with the house, and we're very happy with the recent improvements.