On October 26, 2006, Kevin Johnson, our tile man, replaced all the tiles around our bathtub. Trust me, it was necessary. Peter and I had spent a lot of time choosing the tiles. They are contemporary, and I love the look. So when he left that day, I told Kevin we would be getting back to him soon. Because the new tile looked so nice, we wanted to also use it on our bathroom floor which is so old-fashion that it's back in fashion. (Think little white squares edged in black—or just remember your bathroom floor when you were growing up.)

Kevin said, "Great, but if you are thinking about replacing the bathroom sink or cabinet, you need to do that before you put new tile on the floor." Alas, three years later, we are still not ready to have him back.

That is just one example of things that have been on my to-do list way too long.

Just his morning, I noticed that the cloth napkins we use every day (to save trees) are really looking shabby. Replacing them is far easier than looking at bathroom renovations, but it's still another thing to do.

I think I never catch up because I work full time and can barely get the laundry, the grocery shopping, and the watering of my plants done. And now that I am doing my former boss' job in addition to my regular one, it's even harder to keep my head above water.

There is an upside to all this, however. By shopping only when absolutely necessary, I probably have saved enough money to pay for a couple of years of college education for our grandchildren.

I have promised myself that in a month or two when I'm back to doing only one job, I'm going to get the bathroom updated.

And buy some new napkins.