Big Changes & Exhaustion

I know it's been a while since my last post and I'm sorry. The only thing I can offer up is a litany of poor excuses so here they are! School has finally ended here and with that came all of the the Monday BEFORE school got out...) After that I had 1 week off, which I ended up working 2 days of at school for CIA planning. No, I'm not a covert op in my other life. 'Round here CIA stands for Curriculum & Instructional Alignment. Seriously, acronyms are waaaaaay over used in education! I spent another day planning for summer school which I am now deep in the heart of. As of this minute, I've finished 1 1/2 weeks of the 3 weeks I'm working. Don't get me wrong, the extra money is going to be nice when it comes to having to get more insulation/paint/trim/drywall etc., but a large part of me is trying to figure out why in the world I signed myself up for this! My afternoons have been filled with hanging with my new assistants. I've attached pictures of them. VJ & M4 keep me company most afternoons and Zach was my bud last week for a couple of days.

Even with all of my "help", I've managed to get some odd jobs completed, much to the credit of Marc & Sara. (Greatly appreciated guys!!) The "new" coffee table is finished, along with coasters to attempt to prevent water stains and marks. The edges of the table are distressed. I figured it would cause me much less distress if I went ahead and "broke it in" before someone else did! While it was nail biting to take the sander to the table, I must say, I'm quite pleased with the results. The coasters were an easy day project discovered here at Sweet Charli. www.sweetcharli.blogspot.com/2010/05/diy-terra-cotta-cake-stand.html Hope this link works, our filter is on today at school. It was off yesterday, go figure!



To add to the feel of the living room, I now have real furniture that doesn't require an Olympic swimmer's lungs to blow up! (My couch before was an old pool float covered in blankets...) For my birthday and Christmas, a friend of mine was nice enough to gift me her couch, chair and a half and ottoman. I love them! I've included a shot of the rocking chair and the chair and a half. Eventually they are going to be recovered, but until I get the money for fabric, it will just have to stay on my to-do list!


My laundry room now has the look of a real room! The drywall is complete and painted. We painted the floor and added the trim this weekend. After living out of the bathroom sink for 2 weeks, I am THRILLED to have my "normal" sink back in place and working. I've included a shot of the wall and the trim. I promise to send more pictures later along with a before shot to truly appreciate the work. My attic also has a new look, but I didn't send a picture of it. We laid 4 bags of insulation over the living room, my bedroom, and guestroom. That brings the R-value in those areas up to a whopping R19. Hmm, wonder what the R-value of the previous 2 inch thick insulation was?? I must say that my room is noticeable cooler. Again, a huge improvement.

For the last big news, I have a room that is almost completely finished!! My bedroom now has closet doors installed! Wahoo!!! It's very nice not to have to look at my clothes all night! With just a few touch-ups, my bedroom will be completely finished! The first room and it only took me, a ton of hours, 11 months, and the help of numerous family and friends to complete! And people do this junk for a living? Are you kidding me!!!!! Yup, it's official, I'm putting it in writing, I'm NEVER doing this again unless I can just write checks and pick out pretty things!!

For the last pic, I included a shot of the rope lights. They are still one of my favorite features in the living room. It adds such an elegant touch to the overall look. Anyway, enjoy the pictures and I promise I'll send more.