On marathon painting, and fireplace progress!

Yesterday and today, Cody has been paying me very fine compliments on my painting. Not sure what's up there but I imagine it had something to do with finally reaching two rooms that mean everything to HIM, his bedroom and playroom. I've been coating out his furniture in black and when he saw it, he just went, "OH WOW mom! I love my table like that! You're a really good painter!" Later today while painting his playroom and he came in and said again, "Mom, you're a good painter. Can I help?" Woa... magic words there. You better believe my boy had a roller in his hands in 3 seconds flat! Be careful what you wish for around here these days.

Yes, painting has been my middle name lately. Every square inch of this house is being touched in some way and that's a whole lotta inches to cover. But wow.. I'm really starting to see things come together. So clean, fresh, bright... this place will truly resemble a new house.

Funny thing happens though when you paint closets. You have to put your clothes somewhere else. Right now they are ALL happily heaped up high under a sheet on top of the couch. Eh.. no time to sit anyway.

Oh, and the playroom. The colour inspiration for my playroom is this picture. I'm tired so I don't remember what I've posted last, but I started painting the playroom the same taupe as the rest of the house, and immediately I could see the fun diminishing. So I picked out some fun today.

I groaned for too long over paint chips and decided that's that and out the door I flew. Don't you love it when the paint store person hands you back your new can of highly desired paint colour and says, "It's only that bright when it's wet." Then as I drove home, I tested the paint dot on the lid against the chip and gulp. So I get it home and realize it's yeah, pretty bright going on wet. Then again anything would be against an all taupe house. I was wanting a brick red. Not orange, not burgundy, just red but not red red. A quiet red. So I decided only on one wall this colour would go, behind the floor to ceiling Ikea toy storage. Yep, that proved to be enough. I'm getting use to it. Cody loves it of course because 'I'm a good painter.'

Dan and son Peter came today and started on the fireplace project. The mantel is in place with funky metal brackets and framework around the opening and it is so cooooool.... here's a glimpse of what was accomplished today. Much more to come tomorrow!

As of now, the living room is not full of cushy chairs and tasteful arrangement of furniture configurations beside a cozy crackling fire. Oh no. It's full of buckets of sand, tools, mixer, bags of mortar, glue and cultured stone. Beside one of the coolest most original emerging fireplaces on earth. Yep, I'm liking my living room fine just the way it is! Cody was so thrilled with the new mantle he wanted to do his homework beside it. (true story!)

Lots going on tomorrow. Dan and Peter will be back on the fireplace again. I'll be gutting the kitchen cabinets as they will start to be dismantled Friday night, and also assisting with fireplace needs where I can. Floors are starting Saturday (eeee!!! I've waited so long for real floors!) so I need to have all the stuff upstairs going down.

Jake was here in the PM for a moment and asked me what I'll do when all the renos are over. My response was, "Sleep."

I think I'll take my own advice and do just that right now. Nighty night!