Now that our house is feeling more livable… I’ve decided that we need to add a little fun! When my granddaughter saw the door under the stairs she said, “Oh look! It’s Harry Potter’s cupboard!” I decided right then and there that I would turn it into a play space for her and her brother. When I announced this to John, he said “I thought we’d keep the vacuum cleaner in there.” Seriously??? That doesn’t sound even remotely fun.

Currently it looks like this.

Just a 3×8 space with a bare bulb and a musty smell. If it was a space for Riley alone, it would become the most awesome Frozen Ice Palace you ever saw… but since it also needs to accommodate Jamie, I’m going to go with something more neutral… it needs to be a place where they can both engage their imaginations. My plan is to get a colorful rug, some throw pillows, a simple light fixture, and create a spot for toy storage as a starting point. I will let Riley choose another pillow for each of them (Jamie is only one. Pillow choices are still beyond him.) and the paint color for the walls.

This is my jumping off point…

I will invite Riley for a sleepover and then we’ll get to work. And by we’ll get to work, I mean Riley will tell me what to do and I’ll do it. She is very good at giving direction.

Mission accomplished! Riley and I took a quick trip to the paint store where she chose light blue, dark blue, and teal green. Then we got to work painting and adding the pillows.

Next I added Riley’s pillows. She chose the pink flower for herself and the truck for the vehicle loving Jamie.

And the finishing touch…

I’m looking forward to many happy years of children playing in the cupboard under the stairs.

It’s New Year’s Eve. A traditional time for reflection. The birth of this blog accompanied a big change in our lives. A move from our family home of 15 years to a home that fits the next phase of our lives… or will once we have completed an inconceivable number of projects both inside and out to our Harvest Gold baby. Thankfully, we found the holidays, along with the guests and parties that go with them, to be incredibly motivating.

What happens once the last workman has finally pulled away in his truck and you take stock of what has been accomplished? You cry… tears of gratitude and tears of frustration. For all that has been done and for all that still remains. And you realize that there are no more workmen coming to help with the remaining projects, and that both thrills and terrifies you.

If we take a closer look, we can see the substantial changes that have already been made… walls opened up, carpeting and tile removed, hardwood floors and slate tile laid, walls and ceilings painted… the key is not to look at what still remains undone, if you value your sanity.

The first time we saw our house, it felt neglected… unloved. John and I are working hard to bring the love back. I would liken it to the moment in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House when Bill Cole says, “It’s a good thing there are two of you. One to love it and one to hold it up.” When we started this adventure, all the rooms were dark and closed in and had at least one feature that was Harvest Gold… the paint, the wallpaper, the carpeting, the drapes… with the kitchen and the exterior tied for first place.

I can’t say that we have significantly altered either of these features… they wait for another day, but I am very pleased with the livability and lovability that we have added elsewhere.

This view of our back yard is one of the things that helps me take a deep breath and keep going.

Happy New Year! I’m wishing for a little more love and a little less Harvest Gold in 2015.

There is nothing quite so motivating as a holiday… when I was a kid, I was motivated to behave myself every time my parents sang, you better watch out, you better not cry… as an adult, I am motivated to get some projects completed, yes, you heard me correctly… completed, around the house before my Thanksgiving guests arrive. Impossible? We shall see… The first thing you should know is that all these guests but one (my Dad) either live here or have been here multiple times. Simple enough, right? The second thing you should know is that in order to have all of us together on one day, we are celebrating on Sunday, November 23rd. Not simple, not simple at all… that is less than a week from now. I am at DEFCON 3, high alert. By the end of the week when both Connor and my Dad arrive, I could easily be approaching DEFCON 1, the point when Robot from Lost in Space waves his mechanical arms yelling, “Danger, Will Robinson.” And as any member of my family can tell you… that is not a pretty sight.

So what have I been doing to avert this catastrophe you might ask??? Well, while John rode around on his tractor turned leaf vacuum all day… I worked to convert two rooms into usable space. FYI, he might challenge my representation of his actions, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

First Connor’s room, aka the room my Dad will use while he is here (sorry Connor, I promise it will be all yours at Christmas). If you think back to our very early (and not so early) days in the house, you may recall that it all started with John and me on a mattress on the floor, while Kaitlyn and the boys lived a life of luxury with their friends (thanks again, friends). Two weeks before Connor was due to head back to school, we forced him… I mean, he begged us to come home so he could sleep on his mattress on the floor just like Mom and Dad… all the cool kids are doing it. Since the floor refinishing wasn’t completed until after he left, we never really set up his room. And I don’t know about you, but what happens around here when rooms don’t get set up is that they turn into storage rooms, in this particular case, the paint and tool storage room. This was extremely convenient as you might imagine, because we have been using lots of paint and lots of tools, so it’s been really nice to have them all in one spot. Ah well.. all good things must come to an end.

Paint and tools come out and relocate to John’s office closet (because if not in Connor’s room, where else would one keep paint?) and the garage (a more reasonable choice), respectively. A bed, a dresser, a bookcase, a desk, a chair, a night table, three lamps, and an alarm clock move in. Sheets are washed, the bed is made, and usable space #1 is all set. My Dad will be extremely grateful, Connor… not so much. (The cats seem to approve.)

So where will poor Connor sleep, you may ask… why, in the sun room, of course… sounds restful, doesn’t it… SUN room… anyhoo… this was a similarly un-set up (un-set up? I’m going with it) room. This is where we first had a TV hook up, with a TV, but no TV stand, so all TV viewing was done… you guessed it… on the floor! Eventually two camp chairs moved out there, to better facilitate TV viewing, and various other odds and ends joined them. As with the tools mentioned above, the camp chairs and odds and ends have now moved out to the garage, and a sectional sleeper sofa moved in. Getting that beast back into the house was no mean feat! Especially since I have already asserted that I was working alone… well okay, maybe I had a little help. The corner piece was in the garage. The right and left sides were in the little house. And the cushions were all over the place. I think we finally have them all present and accounted for. More sheets washed, a foam mattress pad added and we should be all set for usable space #2. (Still no TV stand, as you see, although, again, the cats seem unperturbed.)

Mission complete! This blog post will self destruct in 5 seconds…

And I mean that in the literal sense… putty in my hands, under my nails, in my hair, all over the place… When you take down half a wall, but still need to support the ceiling above, you may build a wooden framework, which requires nails, which make holes, which must then be puttied. It is another mindless and seemingly endless task akin to removing carpet staples (don’t get me started!).

Let me remind you of how we began…

Step 1: Complete Wall Separating the Living Room and the Dining Room

 Step 2: Half of the Dividing Wall Removed

Meanwhile, a lot of time passes and various and sundry projects become partially completed, emphasis on the partially, and finally, our contractor is ready to install a more esthetic suppport structure and remove the prison bars, as I so lovingly call them. Hurray! And then I say to my contractor, as all home owners do, I’ve been thinking… and he says, oh boy, here we go again!

This is what I’ve been thinking…

Our Porch Roof has an Arch Detail (and an ugly brown downspout)

Our Living Room Built Ins have an Arch Detail

Wouldn’t it be nice if our dividing wall had an arch detail?

Step 3: Done!

Nice, right??? But I digress… the nice part of this is that esthetically, I love the arch… what I do not love is when my contractor completes the arch and turns to me and says, the only things left for you to do are putty the nail holes, caulk the joints, prime, and paint. For anyone who has read Wanda Gag, you will totally understand when I say, hundreds of holes, thousands of holes, millions and billions and trillions of holes… now I may be exaggerating just a wee bit, bit it didn’t feel like it at the time…

Holes Before:

Holes After:

Now where did I leave that tube of caulk…