1/14/11 Two Men and a Truck (well, more like a minivan...and a car...and one woman)

Sorry I've been MIA...I feel like I've been spinning around since before Thanksgiving! Forgive me, but I seriously haven't even been on email for weeks now...just too busy trying to get things done.

It was the move(s) that never ended...and the 'punch list' still isn't done.

DS1's move (went back to school last Friday).

• Moved the former occupant, who wasn't there, out (well, not him, his things).
  
• Moved DS1's things from upstairs down.<>
  
• Found bedbugs in the new room (only dead ones, but bombed the room anyway...yes, I've been boiling everything in his room at home, I'm so creeped out thinking we'll get these here!).

DD's move

Well perhaps I should explain first that this became much more than just a move.

She decided that she wanted to redo her bedroom at the same time. After looking at some furniture, she decided to wait to buy new things until she's a little older, knows what she really wants, and is in a bigger place (a wise decision I thought). Her bedroom in the apartment is attic space, so it's got lots of knee walls and you can only stand up in less then half the floor space, so it took some thought to lay it all out. She took us up on the offer of taking her old bedroom furniture (just painted white plain stuff she's had since she was little) as well as two old couches and some other pieces...and you know what that means?!!...redecorating and refurbishing work for me! It was fun to get to teach her to do a few of these things...she helped me with some of the painting and recovering the furniture, and I know she appreciates it all the more now that she's worked on it. She hadn't had new bedding in 10 years and she decided she needed something more sophisticated...so she picked a pale blue and dark brown theme (with a splash of lime green for the 'pop'). We also bought her a bunch of new stuff she needed for the place.

• First, I can't even tell you how many hours we've spent shopping lately for things she needed...let's just take one item...the brown paint for her furniture. Now I'm VERY picky when it comes to paint colors. Yes, I've been known to repaint my Dining room three times in three days...finally mixing my own paint (it's the curse of a former art teacher that we're picky about paint), but my DD takes the cake (sorry Dear, love you, but you do...and that 'momism' I coined...'Life is about Choices and results or consequences' should have included something more about making the actual choice...quickly). I would have taken in the brown fabric from her bed and had them just match it...but she didn't want 'matchy-matchy', but more of a wood tone. Over an hour at the hardware store...we looked at every color of brown...then we took sample cards to the blind section to compare them to the wooden blinds to compare tones...then to the kitchen section to compare them to the wood cabinet colors...then next to the entrance doors, where a nice sales lady wanted to know if we needed to get out (I seriously had to bite my tongue from screaming 'YES!!! Let me outta here!')...nope, 'Thanks, we're just looking at paint cards in natural light.'...but we walked out with a gallon of brown, which is more than I can say for the fabric store where we spent over an hour and walked out empty-handed...my DH was along for the fabric store trip, which made it extra fun as he was about to lose it looking at fabric swatches and kept saying 'Why am I here?'). All is good though as we found some shower curtains and curtain panels she liked that we used to make everything.




• Primed and painted (most items got 4 coats, so it was many days of painting): 2 dressers, bedside table, desk, desk legs, vanity, 2 side chairs, 2 dining chairs, bookcase, and a vanity mirror. I replaced all the old wooden knobs on her bedroom furniture with new silver and wt. knobs I found.




• After DS1 & DH took the biggest furniture down, then we spent last Saturday taking two more trips down (van and car both) with her things and all day Sunday shopping and starting the headboard and bench projects. We went back down on Monday afternoon with another van load and spent the evening installing things like curtain rods, couch slipcovers, shelves in her closet, etc.

This weeks jobs are done:

• Recovered: 2 chair Seats, Bench (she bought an ugly bench at TJMaxx and I recovered it and added tufted buttons)



• Made from scratch: Tufted Headboard (very comfy with 2" of foam and batting; the fabric for this and the bench were two fabric shower curtains)


• Sewed: Bolster for bed (it was just a DKNY regular pillow sham we found and I converted), 4 couch pillows (from the leftover fabric), and 2 curtains


• Added: Beaded trim to two lampshades and (get your mind out of the gutter) made two switch tassels with the leftovers...and scotchguarded them and everything else.




Found her some baskets for under the bench and covered the bottoms so they'll slide on the carpet.

Yesterday and today I finished my sewing and recovering projects for her, in between clearing the 6" of more snow we just got...I wish I'd had DS2 (school closed) take a pic of me when I came in from using the snowblower (first time I've cleared the driveway on my own). I looked like the abominable snowman...white head to toe and I couldn't take my own gloves off they were so frozen. Will someone please tell me how to use a snowblower in the wind without it all blowing back in your face?!

DH and I are going out shopping for a few more things we need at the hardware store tonight. We've got to deliver all the finished goods to her tomorrow along with some things she still has here and we still have a huge list of things we need to install with her, so I'm predicting another weekend of 'moving'. I'm just hoping we'll be done after that!

Here's what makes it all worth it...I received this email from her today:

Thank you so much for all the help last week!! I appreciate it!! I know my little room renovations cost more than expected, please take the Jo Ann's receipt from my account.

I love you!!! :)

Dear Daughter

No, we're not going to charge her, but I'm glad that she appreciates how much we've done and how much it costs even to do-it-yourself (she was shocked that just the foam for the headboard was over $80). We're so proud of her and are happy to help her get a start in her first 'official' new place.

Now...I've got her old bedroom and a study that are about empty of furniture here at home...time for some more decorating...but I'm way too exhausted to even think about it right now!

Oh, and the kittens have been to the vet every week now...they both got sicker with a respiratory infection (lots of sneezing), and then in addition to all the worms, they found they had an intestinal parasite as well...so lots more meds they hated (I swear the one pill was a horse-sized pill and we were all about crying trying to get pieces down their tiny throats). All is well though...had their second shot yesterday and the respiratory infection is gone, as are the worms, the ear mites, and the intestinal parasites!!! The staff was laughing as I did a happy dance on the spot (we've all got chapped and bleeding hands from washing them so much).

I'll try to remember to take some pics of her room tomorrow....hopefully things will finally slow down again next week so I can dig out the mess my house is in LOL (yikes, my youngest sister's family arrives next weekend!)!

Be back soon...lots to discuss on my 'fill that wasn't' and some of my maintenance moments...hope you're all doing well!!!