Pretty Kitchens

I found this link in the April Food and Wine magazine. I think the blue one is pretty, but this sunny room really spoke to me. Love it! Looks very functional too.

The Next Project

I do need to get some after photos posted. Other than the bookcase and a few items in the closet, the room is now officially Troy's. He loves it. Lots of room for Bionicles, and he has more room at that desk to do his homework. Loves the social studies, hates the math. I'm telling him to embrace the math, as he can't avoid it. We'll see. He's having a good year so far. Big man on campus as a 5th grader, no more braces, no more big brother, at least for a while. New big room, too. He also seems quite content (so far) to have his mom and dad to himself.

So, The Next Project. Russ, orderly thinker that he is, says it's to be the bathroom upstairs. This would complete our upstairs renovation, other than repainting now and again. Our bedroom is due now, but maybe I'll get that done when the bathroom is being done. I'm thinking the bathroom is a $10,000 project. Worst case scenario. Can't do $10,000 right now, but maybe $5,000. I still can't believe the estimate we got from ServiceMaster-- $27,000. Can you believe it? It was so outrageous I just laughed the guy right out of the house. As if! About 5 or so years ago another painter offered to "do" the bathroom for $4,500. Good price, but I didn't trust that he had the proper plumbing skills.

Thought for the day: Why is it that one gets the motivation and momentum to do what must be done on one's home just at the point when one has the least amount of money?

Other Painting News

This is Zack's room, soon to be Troy's. It hasn't been painted in a long time either. Troy picked out a blue that is slightly darker than this, Mediterranean Breeze is the color I believe (I probably misspelled Mediterranean but I'm too lazy to go check it).

Zack left the room such a mess. I don't know where to say I failed; as a housekeeper or as a mother since I clearly didn't teach him how to clean up after himself.

Anyway, it's been a good object lesson for Troy. After the room is painted it will officially be Troy's room. He can't wait.

Too Yellow

I think this photo really shows the yellow we're going to be painting over. A bit too, well, yellow. I still think the Creme Brulee will be too bright, but it will be better.

Colors That Men Love

Just saw this article in House Beautiful about the colors that men love. My man would never, ever, ever go with most of these, I don't care if they ARE the colors of his favorite football team. I did like the Ralph Loren Yellowhammer.

More painting

Yay! Mario is coming tonight to take a look at Zack's room (now Troy's room) to repaint. He'll paint that and repaint the hallway. I'm on a roll! Thankfully Troy wants blue, just a bit darker than what's in there already. It's due for repainting. Zack left such a mess in there! Troy's been sleeping there since Zack left, but he's had to put Zack's stuff in piles. One pile for stuff he (Troy) doesn't want, and another for stuff he DOES want. Not that it's automatically his. Zack told him he had to send a list of stuff he wants and Zack will decide. Sheesh!

The House and the Road

Sent my oldest off to college Monday morning. You know, it's a conundrum. On one hand I want him to go, to want the new experiences, knowledge, and, yes, make his own mistakes, but on the other hand I want him to cling to me, telling me he doesn't want to leave, that he loves me. that he'll miss me. How much harder this would be, though, if I was having to pry his fingers from me, from the lintel of the front door, pushing him out the door to get him on his way. So I'm not really sad, but I do miss him already. A friend sent me this poem that made me cry a little:

The House and the Road
By Josephine Preston Peabody (1874-1922)

The little Road says, Go,
The little House says, Stay:
And O, it's bonny here at home,
But I must go away.

The little Road, like me,
Would seek and turn and know;
And forth I must, to learn the things
The little Road would show!

And go I must, my dears,
And journey while I may,
Though heart be sore for the little House
That had no word but Stay.

Maybe, no other way
Your child could ever know
Why a little House would have you stay,
When a little Road says, Go.