Monday, April 17, 2006

Ah...The Fumes Of Spring

Spring has sprung. The grass is ris'. I wonder where the paintbrush is? Yes, it is that time again where mankind wants to declutter, renew, and redecorate. What is it about gorgegous spring weather that makes us want to stay inside with home improvement projects rather than go outside and enjoy the season?

The fever has hit at my house. It all started with wanting a bed. A real bed, not just a bed frame. I shopped for months online and in furniture stores and could not find exactly what I wanted. That is, until 2 weeks ago when I came aross the perfect panel bed in the perfect cherry color that matches the current funiture I have.

If I am going to have a new bed then surely I need to paint the walls, right? While looking at our walls, I also looked at the walls in the other bedrooms and the hall and decided that they all needed painting. (Kids do amazing damage to paint, it would be good to give everything a fresh coat.) Easy project, with just a little elbow grease.

Of course after looking at the walls I had to look at the floors. The carpet is 10 years old (it's amazing how kids can ruin the carpet beyond repair). Okay, let's replace the carpet upstairs. It means I'll have to rush the paint job but we'll get it done and things will look great.

Then I started looking at the main floor. (Kids are incredibly hard on carpet in high traffic areas.) What if we replaced the carpet there with hardwood flooring? It would look gorgeous! Of course, that means repainting the rooms before the flooring goes in... Oh, and to save money, we'll lay the floor ourselves. We did it in the kitchen when we built the house. Apparently 10 years is enough time to forget the agony of laying your own hardwood floor.

Then I came into the kitchen where the original hardwood is. (What was I thinking, laying hardwood in a kitchen when I have young kids?) The flooring looked worn and warped where the dishwasher leaked. I would love to have tile in here, let's do it! We can lay it ourselves to save on installation. While we're at it, lets paint the cabinets white and change the formica counter to something granite. This will be great!

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I'm halfway through the first painting project. All the other materials are ordered and there is no turning back. While I am still excited for all the new changes, I'm looking out at the gorgeous spring we're having and I feel like I'm missing out. These fumes are getting to me. I think a walk with my kids this evening will clear my head. I hope the daffodils are still in bloom.

Happy Spring!