You regular CG readers know I have a five year old daughter.  Her room is in transition – from baby blue to big girl pink, brown and green.  Last week, we painted her room.   Here I am, helping to get rid of that baby blue.  (My friend made me wear that unbelievably lame charming red handkerchief for the photo…)

My girl’s closet was also in need of a major makeover.  Sad to say, I had neglected it for too long.  I just threw everything behind two sliding closet doors and ignored the big problem while I ate Twinkies and watched Days. 

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We are fortunate enough to have a bonus space in our home.  When we were first married, we used this space as a formal dining room.  When the munchkins were born, we gave up our formal dining room to have a toddler playroom, rather than have their toys scattered all over the house.  (I stayed up late one night painting it butter yellow and celery green. I blame the hormones because pregnancy will make you do some crazy things.)  Playskool ruled this roost for several years, until I decided to take the space back. 

Here’s the before (notice the exhausted Dad):

Here’s the after: 

Here’s the story:

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Hi y’all.  I am so thankful to all of the supporters out there who are following this blog.  I am relatively new to this whole thing (like, February) and I love meeting all of you and making new friends out in the blogosphere.  Thanks for all of your comments and emails. 

Mr. CG and I are blessed to live in a beautiful town called Petaluma in Sonoma County, California, in the heart of the Wine Country. I am an attorney who left my full time job when my daughter was born five years ago.  I practice law on the side, but my true passion is remodeling and decorating homes.  I stay awake at night scheming about my next DIY project.  In hindsight, I should have gone to design school, not law school, but coulda-shoulda-woulda.   

It was my not-so-brilliant idea to start a major remodel of our home in 2006, the same year my son was born.  I often refer to this year as “the lost year” since my only memories are in pictures.  Here are some photos of the experience we survived.  Barely.

Grading the site

Mr. CG clearing the new foundation

Framing the expansion

Helping the builder

The critters were not happy 

The family room – yikes

Living with scaffolding

Every year, we throw a Christmas party for our friends, but we were unable to entertain in 2006 because of this remodel.  I wrote a poem about it to all of our friends in that year’s Christmas card.  Here goes:

Twas the June before Christmas, so I said to my spouse

“The time has come to add on to the house”

The approval of plans meant more space in our home

All we could think was “Brushed nickel, or chrome?”

“Wait a minute” we heard, “You just had a baby,

Don’t take on this project, you’re both certainly crazy.”

“Nonsense” we replied “We both have a brain”

We paid no attention to the claims “You’re insane.”

July was the month that we poured the foundation

Funds paid for concrete, but no Hawaiian vacation.

Choosing cabinets and tile and a new kitchen sink

Include sleepless nights, it all drove us to drink

Through summer and fall as we lived in a rental

We knew they were right, we were certainly mental

Here’s December, our pocketbook and spirits diminished,

We still wonder if ever our house will be finished.

And so this strange year we must say with dismay,

Unfortunately at our house there’s no Christmas soiree

We wish all of you peace, and blessings from above

Merry Christmas to all, and we send all our love. 

 

It’s 2009, and we still haven’t finished the master bath, and parts of the rear yard.  Our hope is to complete this year. 

Here’s to hoping !

There are many names for that paint job we all love so much:  Hand Rubbed, Distressed Off-White, Vintage French, Rubbed Cream,  Antique White, Shabby Chic.  You know, that French Antique paint treatment we all pay beaucoup bucks for.  Well, as Billy said, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.  Over the weekend, I developed a truly inexpensive way to distress without all of the stress !

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