The Last Gasp of Summer

This past weekend was our last free weekend before school starts and life as we know it ends. Recognizing this, we spent the weekend sleeping in, totally relaxing, and just doing what we wanted...not at all. Actually, we spent the weekend shuttling painting and cleaning supplies between our house and the condo, which is once more available for occupancy. We like the idea of small improvements each year (or, in some cases, big ones), so this year we painted over the 2004-era faux paint with something more contemporary and, well, neutral. It looks beautiful. And, oh, how I miss our condo kitchen, which I lovingly scrubbed while trying to figure out how to smuggle the beautiful stainless steel appliances into our house without Jason noticing. Sigh.

Between trips to the condo, I tackled painting our spare room, one of the few places we didn't paint when we moved in three years ago. This was the classic case of a simple project blowing out of control. As we pulled the bed out, Jason said, "This light fixture is horrendous, let's get a new one." Then, as we brushed down the walls, I said, "We have to paint the ceiling in here, it is the color of dingy underwear." Then, as we taped the trim, Jason said, "We might as well put in new door handles..."

Four trips to Home Depot later, however, it looks new and sparkly. We moved the bed to a different wall, and it makes all the difference. I stood in the doorway Sunday night, exhausted to the point of whimpering, and said, "You're so pretty, Room, and totally worth all the work...I think." At the very least, we're both happy to have this project done before things kick into gear again!