Bedroom 2: Getting Started!

Now that you have a good idea of what this bedroom looked like before last weekend, I'll bring you up to speed with what we've been able to accomplish so far :) I cracked up the other day when someone shared her disappointment that the room wasn't done, yet - I can totally relate! It would be wonderful if real-life before and afters could happen all in one blog post :)

I'm committed to blogging reality, though. Sometimes projects do seem to take forever (on the blog and in real life), and yet we are really trying for balance in our lives as husband/wife-parents-family-friends-homeschoolers-DIYers. We worked on bedroom 2 Friday evening and all day Saturday until 6pm or so. Then we ate dinner together as a family and watched a kiddo movie for family night in the evening. We do not, generally, do anything with our projects on Sundays. Sundays are already full as it is with church, family time, and fellowship.

We could bust this room out in no time flat if we went crazy on it each and every night and if I used up every spare minute during the day, but keeping our relationships strong and staying available for friends, family, and ministry is important to us - critical, actually. Getting this house done in record time is not worth the sacrifices we'd have to make at this stage in our lives. In a different stage, maybe we could do it - but not right now.

Okay, had enough of all that jibber jabber? Let's get down to business.

So, we worked Friday night and much of Saturday...


First up was getting rid of the closet system and all of the existing trim in the room. Sam needed to head over to a big box store to get all of the supplies for Saturday's work, so I happily stayed behind to rip this stuff out. I love this part.

Love it!



I got the last of the trim out right as Sam was coming home :) I was "glistening" from the hurry I was in, but I got the job done! Stopped for the evening because it was the kiddos' bedtime and the next items up on our list were all LOUD steps. Rested. Gazed into each other's eyes. Probably ate chocolate - can't remember for certain, but probably. Made plans for Saturday.

Started out Saturday morning with fried eggs and cheese grits all together. Saturday morning breakfast is special because Sam is home. He's usually out the door before we ever even start to think about weekday breakfast. With tummy full, he got to work ripping the drywall off of the closet door casing.

This closet originally had bi-fold doors, but we thought the extra large door opening was unnecessary. We envisioned a regular sized door on this closet...

... and Sam got to work making it happen. It turned out to be a lot easier than either of us had initially thought it would be. Partly, of course, because of Sam's mad skillz.






While Sam finished up the drywall and started mowing the grass, Punkin and I headed back to a big box store (the orange one, this time) to order the door for this closet. A little disconcerting when the guy across the counter has a big "in training" button on, but I think we got the order placed correctly. Hopefully everything opens to the appropriate side, hinges in the right place and all that. It's supposed to arrive in the store this coming weekend.

When we got back home, Sam sprayed the army of dandelions forming ranks in our yard while I painted yet another side of the shelving for bedroom 3. Shelving takes forever to paint. If I stood it on end to paint it, I guess I could get it done faster, but I'm just not confident that there wouldn't be a mark from wherever it was leaning. So, I prime one side and paint two coats. Then, when I'm totally sure it's dry enough to flip over, I do the same on the other side. In my experience so far, it's taking nearly a week for one board.

Sam got cracking on the baseboards when I finished up with my shelves. He got the bottom baseboards in on all three walls that don't involve the closet. The closet wall has to wait for the door to be installed first.

Basecap up on one length before we called it a day. Have I mentioned that Sam wasn't really feeling too hot during all this? He's had a pretty bad cough and some nasty congestion for days. He's such a manly man, though - he just kept snifflin' and nailin'.

And hackin'.

But he was wiped out by dinnertime. We both were. Time for some din-din and snuggle time in the family room watching "Balto". Intense movie, man. Intense. Well, if you're Punkin, anyway.

Depending on how this week goes, and on how Sam is feeling, we might be able to bust a few more odds and ends out in this room before the weekend comes again. It will be perfect if our door arrives on or before Saturday. That way Sam can get the rest of the trim up and start caulking everything so I can get at it with my trusty primer and paint.

Any guesses on when we'll actually have this room checked off our list? Let's make it a game! The closest guess without actually going past the date wins! What do you win? Hmmm... my lasting love and admiration :) And a link to the blog of your choice? My own personal guess is... hmmm... let's see... still need to install door, finish trim, caulk, prime, paint, patch up the window casing, install closet rods/shelves, switch out electrical outlets and plates... (let's not count the overhead lighting because we have to wait until the beginning of May to order that, so don't include overhead lighting in your guess). I'll say we'll be totally done (except for the overhead light) by May 9th. Mother's Day. Wouldn't that be nice? :)

Thanks for sticking with us, y'all. I'll try to keep things moving along here on the blog so you're not just watching paint dry with us. I've been thinking about how to design/decorate a bedroom for both a little girl and a little boy. I think I'll share some of the images I've compiled later this week.

Have a good one!