Whooped Pup

That's what I feel like. My body is tired, but I'm not sleepy. Go figure.

I've been working on CJ's room. He wanted his room redone...for Christmas. So we bought the paint and stuff to do it but haven't actually done anything about it.

Yes, I realize it is the end of February and Christmas was 2 months ago. Procrastinate much? Why yes, I do.

Anyway, I got the urge to tackle it this week. And tackle may be a bit of an understatement!

First I had to rip off the wallpaper...ugh! I was very grateful for the parts that came off in big sheets. The rest well, not so much.

I decided it would be good for CJ to come in and help with this task. My hope is that if he has any idea the work that goes into it, that he may appreciate it and take care of his room longer...we'll see!

Finally, wallpaper was off and then came the monumental job of patching all the holes, dings and nicks. His walls looked like they had some sort of disease - they were that bad! Once all that was done, the walls needed to be sanded. Oh.What.Fun! Thankfully, I had the help of a palm sander, but once I was done I couldn't hear or breathe and my hair looked much greyer than it already is!

I was really hoping to skip the next step - priming the walls. I tested a small area. It was looking good and I was so happy that I could get by without the extra work.

Once it dried, I heard CJ ask, "Mom, why is the paint peeling off my wall?" Ugh. I went to check. It was only peeling where he had SCRAPED it with his FINGERNAIL! (And I'm hoping he will take care of his "new" room?) I realized though that it wasn't going to take much at all for this paint to be ruined.

So today I started the fun job of priming. Not only the walls but also the trim, baseboards and doors. Then came the first coat of paint. Paint that I'm not at all thrilled with.

You see, I decided to let CJ determine the color and decor of his bedroom. After all, he is almost 14 and his room has been done my way (for the most part) all his life. So I figured it was time to let him make the choices - as difficult as that is for me.

He decided he wanted and "outdoorsy" room. And he wanted the walls green. DARK brownish-green. When I poured the paint into the tray it looked much like strained peas...and what comes out of a baby after eating strained peas. Oh dear. But HE likes it, and that's what matters, right?

Two coats later and guess what? It's growing on me! It's more brown than green, but has a definite green hue to it.

I mentioned that I primed the trim, baseboards and doors. All the trim/doors in this house were stained an ugly dark brown. We have gradually painted almost all of it white. And I like it so much better. CJ's room had not been touched though.

Let me tell you, he was none too thrilled when I told him all of that was going to be white like the rest of the house. He did not think it would look good. I explained to him that since he chose such a dark paint color, that the room really needed the white to break it up a little and add a little bit of brightness and crisp, freshness to the room.

He did not agree.

Now that the room is painted and the trim is white from the primer, he admits it's not awful. But he still wants it painted brown. Not the same brown as it was, but still brown.

I REALLY like the white. I'm not crazy about the idea of all that being dark. I'm afraid his room will look like a cave. (Which would be fine to him.) So now we have to make a decision. Chip has not weighed in on it yet, as he went to bed early and has not seen the paint on all the walls yet. I guess we will make that decision tomorrow.

Any predictions on how that's going to go?

Anyway, now my body is tired and achy but I'm quite restless and not ready to sleep. Plus, Ruthi isn't feeling too well, and I have a feeling it's going to be a LONG night. Hopefully the medicine I gave her will help her sleep.

I was going to post pictures, but this has turned into a really long post, so I'm not going to do that now. I will try again tomorrow. And I'll have before and after pics of CJ's room coming soon too!

Good night! (Or should I say morning, seeing how it's likely no one will actually read this tonight, since it actually is morning now!)