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Remodeling is FUN, Dangit: Days Four and Five.

Melissa Beene Ford/ before and after+ Remodeling

Day four.

 

Painted three more bedrooms. Spent more money at Walmart and Lowe’s and Home Depot. Exhausted. While painting Annie’s room we laughed about the GHOST EYE* and about how both girls will react when they see their rooms. Annie will do the Annie Face; Katie Beth will say “I liiiiiiike it!!!!!” in her sweet shy voice. We know them well.

*About that Ghost Eye? Annie has made friends with a little boy who lives across the street. A little boy who has been in our house before, he said. Been… in our house… where… he… saw… in the attic…. a GHOST. EYE. Awesome insight into how best to freak Annie out... Ghost eyes are flippin’ terrifying.

Oh, it LOOKS harmless enough… 

 

My almost-70-year-old parents came over to help today. They removed the cedar shingles from Annie’s room and bless my moms heart, she filled in a zillion nail holes and my dad carted sixteen tons of cedar shingles down the stairs in 172 trips. Among other things they found to do all day long. I could NOT make it without them.
 
I just realized with great angst that we never took a “before” picture of Annie’s cedar-shingle-paneled room. I don’t know how we missed that, but her room was all “inside of a medieval castle” theme. Or maybe “inside of a tree house?” Either way, the cedar shingles had to go.
 
The kitchen chairs that came with the house. I can’t WAIT to shabby-chic-ify these things.

It’s 11:06 pm. I’m out.

Day five.
Katie Beth’s room doesn’t look quite so much like Taqueria El Lugar in the light of morning.

Oh, did I forget to mention that I was going with a Cheap Taco Stand theme for her bedroom? That’s probably because it wasn’t quite the look I was going for.

The look I was going for. Source: Pinterest.

Yeah, as I was sitting at El Lugar yesterday waiting for them to bring out our Number Sevens, I couldn’t help but notice the eye-blistering shade of Guadalajara Turquoise on the walls (it’s one of Ralph Lauren’s colors… probably), and had this sinking feeling that I’VE MADE A HUGE MISTAKE.


El Lugar. Not to be confused with my daughter’s bedroom.

I’ve heard rumors that you can see the turquoise paint glowing so loudly you can almost hear it, all the way out her bedroom window clear to Loop 323 like it’s the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant.

I was, shall we say… concerned, maybe a tad dismayed, but not so much so that I was willing to pick a new color and redo the whole thing; I have five bedrooms to paint, for Pete’s sake, and ain’t nobody got time for that. Assaulting Stimulating children with visual pain stimulation is good for children. I mean, I feel sure it is. Like jolts of electricity to their visual cortex or something; that’s got to be good, right?

Thankfully today it’s somewhat subdued in the light of morning.

Really, it is. It is. Really.

Or maybe, just MAYBE I JUST LIKE MEXICAN TACO STANDS, OK? Stop making a big deal out of it. Gosh.

Sherwin-Williams calls it “Mariner,” which doesn’t sound Mexican at ALL.  Sort of deceptive if you ask me.


Spent part of today packing up the old house with all three girls.

Susie is screaming.

Katie Beth is slowing my roll by showing me Every. Last. Trinket she comes across. Look mama! Look! I found this plastic ring I got in my Valentines’ Day goody bag in third grade! Or was it second grade? Look! Mama look!

Annie is singing and dancing her belongings into the trailer one Barbie shoe at a time, because a trailer makes a great stage and she IS a singer and pretty much knows everything there is to know about dancing. But not so much about hard work. Serenity now.


Little girls who are supposed to be PACKING. But at least Susie isn’t screaming at the moment… 


Why is it every time I move into a house there are 5,000 wire hangers left behind by the previous owners? And this, of course, after I have thrown away 5,000 wire hangers of my own. But on laundry day there is nary a hanger to be found. It’s a mystery.

Falling into bed at midnight again. Hubby moved our bed from the den  where we had been camping out into our newly carpeted bedroom while I was in the shower, bless his heart, so night five = first night in our new room.

I love my life, my room, and my house, and I’m so thankful that God brought all this together for me.

Even though I’m gonna die from exhaustion and soreness.

The El Lugar Nuclear Power Plant room so far… it isn’t so bad, is it?

For more of our remodeling adventure:
Day One, the one about frolicking and tupperware
Day Two, the one about the carpet
Day Three, the brutal truth about remodeling.
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About Me


Hey there... I'm Melissa! Texas girl. Mom to three + one goldendoodle. Believer. Old house fanatic. Creating a happy + healthy home with purpose is my passion. I'm so glad you're here!

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I don’t know who’s big idea it was to strip 80 I don’t know who’s big idea it was to strip 80 years of paint off of this door down to the wood and start over… but that person has no business starting new projects. 😅 My neighbors must have thought this project would never end. *I* thought this project would never end. 😰 If you’re thinking of doing this yourself? Just don’t, ok? Throw the whole door away and buy a new one. 😂🤣 Just kidding.  Old house weirdos like me… we can’t just do things the easy way. Anyhoo… after some trial and error, @sherwinwilliams Celestial is what I landed on, and I have to say… I like it. Periwinkle-ish blue looks great with the yellow house and will look even better when the azaleas are in bloom. Was it all worth it? That’s not important right now. 🤭 Will I do this all again in two years? The magic eight ball says… without a doubt. 👏🏻 I’ve already picked the next color. #gluttonforpunishment #somefoolsneverlearn #oldhouselove #oldhomelove #makinghome #southernliving #gardenandgun #azaleadistrict #tylertx
Spring in the Azalea District makes the winters in Spring in the Azalea District makes the winters in an 80-year-old house completely worth it … what broken pipes, icy hardwood floors and drafty windows? 🤔 I forgot already. #comeonspring #azaleadistrict #tylertx
Happy Saturday ☀️ Happy Saturday ☀️
Salt Lake City is always magical ✨ Salt Lake City is always magical ✨
2022 had its highs and lows for sure, but scrollin 2022 had its highs and lows for sure, but scrolling through my pics from the last twelve months made me realize how blessed and content I am. Prosperity, love, and peace have been ours in abundance, in spite of the pain of losing my dad. The second picture is the last picture of him… the last time I saw him. 💔 But God has been good to my family this year and 2022 is ending far better than it began. 😄 #2022inreview #thanksforthememories
Who wants a Christmas tour of my home? 🙋🏼‍ Who wants a Christmas tour of my home? 🙋🏼‍♀️
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That’s it. That’s the tour. (Slide two). 
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It’s a new trend I’m starting: bare Christmas tree. Lowe’s tag still attached (so quirky and unexpected)! Christmas ornaments still in boxes. Coming soon to an Anthropologie window display near you. 
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Every year I think, “next year I’ll do better. Next year I’ll have it together.” And then, here we are on the SIXTH Christmas that we’ve been in this house, the sixth Christmas I’ve dragged our chaotic bunch of Christmas mess out of a chaotic garage I still haven’t unpacked from our move six years ago. 
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Maybe this year is the year I’ll organize it all and put it back neatly so that by Christmas number 7, it will be smooth sailing. People will flock to my social media to see how I’ve pulled everything off SO PERFECTLY. Next year will be my year. 
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Seems every year there’s less and less bandwidth for all these things. There’s more grief and stress, less money. More demands, less grace. 
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I put this sign on the wall in my office so I could keep it in front of my eyes: Love. Joy. Peace. And all that. I am SO unlike Jesus most days. So lacking in all of these character qualities. And that’s WITH waking up most mornings and spending my first 30 minutes with God Himself. 
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How lost would I be without that? Geez. I can’t fathom. I REQUIRE being transformed by renewing my mind every single morning, and even then, responding to people and life with love, joy, peace and patience doesn’t come naturally. 
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It’s the goal, though. 
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This weary world needs that from us Believers during this season, more than ever… even more than an Anthropologie-window-display worthy Christmas home tour. 
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I’m working on both.
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