The 10 Year Cheer...

It's hard to believe that it has been almost 10 years since we built our house. When we built the house we kept things basic and cheap as we had 2 small children. I painted all the walls a creamy white and the kids rooms got a coat of free paint that we picked up at Home Depot when they use to give away their "oop's paints." My thought process was that there were more important things to spend our money on than walls that were going to get dirty and beat up. Over the years we put in a lawn, upgraded from a gravel to a paved driveway and lots of other useful and sensible upgrades. I promised Rebecca earlier this year that I would repaint all the walls, trim and ceilings in the house. I don't think she believed me because she knows how much I hate painting. I am actually pretty good at it and enjoy the look and feel of a clean, freshly painted surface but because I worked for a painter when I was a teenager painting is never something I enjoy doing. I honestly think Rebecca was happier than a child opening birthday presents when she realized that I was serious and committed to painting the walls. She was even more surprised when I told her I wanted to use different pigments in the paint!

I discussed my ideas with her and we headed to the store to try to decide on colors we would both be happy with. and amazingly when we got home and started comparing samples we had both picked several of the same colors. Some times its the little things that can cause discord between people, in our case it's always the little things that make us both smile and provide confirmation that we were meant for each other!

About 3 weeks ago we finally made the return trip to Home Depot and purchased the paint and believe me, its a lot of paint - 22 gallons! My only "condition" I had for this project was that I would do it a little at a time and only when I felt the urge to do so. Rebecca is always more than willing to do the painting but despite my lack of love for painting I don't like to share the work with her although I am more than willing to let her help with all the trim and doors this time! Last weekend I finally got the itch to start painting and decided to start with the room I disliked painting the most 10 years ago - the master bathroom. I love the color red and convinced Rebecca that our bathroom would look good with such a bold color.

I will admit, when I started putting it on the wall I was a little worried I had made a big mistake but once it dried it made our ordinary loo into a cheery addition to our daily routine. This weekend I decided to start working on Ariel's room. I started by going out and purchasing her a full bedroom set. She is no longer a little girl and we decided that she was ready for some decent furniture that would last a lifetime if taken care of. During the week I patched any holes and blemishes in the wall and last night after a final sanding I put the first coat of paint on the wall. Tonight I put the second coat on and once again the transformation is amazing.

Tomorrow I am planning on putting a fresh coat of paint on the ceilings in both rooms and hopefully paint the trim and doors later this week. I will post pictures of Ariel's room when it is finished and her new furniture arrives which is scheduled for the first week of October. I am looking forward to the remaining colors which despite not being as bold as these two were will fill our house with cheer in a calming shade of yellow, our favorite slate blue and a light shade of green to finish welcome you upon entering through the front door.

In 10 years so much has changed, my marriage to Rebecca has grown stronger and stronger year after year, our babies have grown into an amazing young people. Our house has never been a show piece but is has always been a "home." A place you felt welcome, a place you could relax and feel comfortable staying whether is was for a quick visit or an overnight stay. I can look back on the past 10 years and say without a doubt that I am blessed! I look forward to seeing what the next 10 years has in store for me and can only imagine how much our family will have transformed next time I have to paint!