By Their Powers Combined...

In this time of Thanksgiving, it seems like the perfect opportunity to give thanks to an amazing superhero in my life. A superhero that has rescued me in my time of need and transformed me from Scared Home Owner to Empowered Home Dominator: Captain Plan-It.

The Planiteers? My mom and dad.

Sure, they may seem like mere mortals. But ... when their powers combine ...  They! Are! Captain Plan-It! A whirlwind of weekend warrior productivity!

And, as a newbie homeowner, I am in desperate need of a saving grace. I was the dream apartment dweller. I was quiet. I didn't take up extra parking spaces. I left cookies and chilled water out for the maintenance man. But as a homeowner? I'm a disaster. I have no instincts for it. Take mowing the lawn. I must have left my spatial capacities back in my apartment because I wind up mowing parts of the yard twice while leaving little grass mohawks spiking up in my wake. The metallic grinding sound rattling out of the lawn mower? I deduce that the sound means the mower is thirsty for more oil, not gas. (Wrong.)

But my parents? They are seasoned professionals. And together they make an unstoppable team.

Any weekend my mom comes down, I know I'm going to have to either carbo-load or Red Bull to keep up with her. She is a homemaking machine with a solution for any domestic problem. For example: almost any home issue / medical ailment can be cured with either Carmex or a Magic Eraser. Chapped lips? Of course. But did you know that Carmex also cures gummy wall reside and zits? And Magic Erasers can be used both as a cleaner for your shower and a pumice for your feet?

In one 36-hour marathon session, we accomplished the following:

• bedroom painted (2 coats)
• groceries stocked
• front window sheers made
• blinds installed
• lawn mowed
• hedges whacked
• German chocolate torte cake baked
• floors swept and mopped
• six paintings hung
• mass attended
• 8 hours slept

That list would have taken a month to do in Suano Time.

My dad wields his powers in the workshop. He makes amazing furniture. Seriously. All of those childhood yawns and tantrums I used to throw in the concrete aisles of Furrows and Ace Hardware? Totally take them back. All of those road trips from the lumber store, desperately clinging to a trio of two-by-fours in the backseat of the Firebird, the boards stretching precariously out the opened trunk? Totally worth it.

My dad has literally furnished half of my new home. And the pieces are stunning! We're not talking Target-DIY-furniture-kits from the Ye Ol' Dad Workshop here. Believe me, I have some of my attempts at Some  Assembly Requireds  sprinkled throughout the house. They creak threateningly each time I walk by, daring me to rest even a coaster on their tops.

Not the ones built Dad Tough. They are solid, sturdy, and beautifully crafted. Certainly better than those macaroni-noodled Christmas ornaments I made for him in kindergarten.

Here are just a few of his pieces of handiwork...

Bookcase Masterpiece

Spice Cabinet and Granite Table

(you know, because he just had a slab laying around the house)

Bulletin Board and Writing Desk

Cabinet

As you can see, my parents are supernatural. They are clearly the Planiteers, while I am -- at best -- Suchi, that annoying side chimp sitting on their shoulder and chirping side comments while they take on the real home remedy enemies. Without them, I would be sitting in my new home. On the floor, boxes everywhere. Picking nits off myself and crying into an haggard carpet. They've helped me make my house into a home, right in time for Thanksgiving. And that is definitely worth giving thanks for.

So thank you, Mom and Dad, for being the superhero to my sidekick monkey!