One before & after...7 to go....

Whew...well...I'm home!! My trip to Colorado to help my daughter and son-in-law get their new home ready to move in was very, very productive and REALLY quite fun...even considering I put in 12 to 15 hour days...it was exhilarating! I mean REALLY..what else should you do when you are going through menopause... I can't sleep much more than 3 to 5 hour stretches at a time not to mention I seem to sweat at the drop of a hat!! With me I seem to be experiencing a nervous energy that if not used...turns itself into too much self-doubt, worrying, restlessness, crying spells or complete fatigue (if that makes any sense, I imagine the fatigue comes from the constant struggle to be NORMAL again...ummm whatever THAT means!) But seriously I don't think I have had so much energy in quite a while!! Not to mention I DID NOT have ONE...yes you read that right...ONE "hot flash" while I was away...I can not explain it...but I will not try...it was quite a relief.I also slept very, very well...it could be b/c I had worked so incredibly hard each day, but the weather was perfect, too...and that always makes for better sleeping...for me anyway! The weather was picture perfect there...actually the day my friend and I arrived (Sunday) it was rather cool...and windy...we were both concerned we did not bring enough winterized clothing...but the next day and the rest of the week were perfect...not too hot...not too cold...I wanted to bottle that bit of heaven and bring it home with me...but realized when I stepped out of the terminal at the airport there was not a bottle big enough to come up against the Texas humidity that hung in the air...yes folks...I could almost see the air it was so thick with humidity....but I can tell you...it is great to be home...b/c I missed a lot of things...while I was away...including blogging...I did not have access to a computer the WHOLE time I was away...can you imangine...geez...what DID people do 10 to 20 years ago...????

Now for the house...it is a great house for these 2 love birds...it is a home where they have plenty of room to grow...or not...whatever they decide...but it is also going to be a great home to entertain friends and family...it has a great back yard with a very nice large deck...my SIL already has plans for improvements on the deck...and of course my daughter is looking into kitchen remodeling...her kitchen is good now...but as you all know...a better kitchen makes a better cook...RIGHT?? It is a 4 bedroom 3 bath 2 car garage home...with a living room, dining room, kitchen breakfast area, and den...not to mention storage in the basement that houses the washer and dryer...along with a ton of space for storing important things...like Christmas decorations and such! Too fab for words!

Anyhoo...these pictures are just a few of the many I took...but I didn't want "new house overload syndrome" to bore any of you...so I started with the den on the second level...it was originally just a beigy/creamy/pinky color...well...with my daughters wonderful eye for color we chose all of her colors in a family of colors...so they will flow well from one room to the next...in this room we used a darker brown/green/taupey color...the trim is the same color as the new ceiling color..which is 75% of the color we used above the chair rail....that particular color is called "Greenwich" by Ralph Lauren ( and really it's not green...but does have hints of it here/there...depending on lighting) is the main color used in the house...we painted 3 of the walls in the living room, dining room, the upstairs hallway and of course this den in that color...we used a darker version of it as an accent wall in the living room, dining room, and kitchen....along with the "lady of the houses" bathroom...it is a great color...but I can't remember it...we also painted the kitchen a lovely green...Ralph Lauren called it "khaki"...but folks it was not khaki...it was more of a "pea green" in a good kind of way...!! It really gave the kitchen a "cheery" look...and it totally transformed that area. Previously the kitchen and 3 baths plus the basement bedroom had wallpaper border...so we got rid of that right away! Daughter didn't much care for border and certainly not her taste as far as designs and color. Basically we painted 8 of the 12 rooms in the home...they only have their 2 studies/bedrooms and the guest bedroom along with the master bath to paint...sounds like a lot...but considering we painted every other room along with the kids painting the ceilings....they have very little left..I also re-did the cabinets in the guest bath...that room looks totally different...and I don't think I have good after pictures...darn it!!...I will post more before and afters later...but for now...just know I am home and missed all of my blogging buddies. It will take me days to read up...but I'll manage! Thanks for the sweet posts while I was away!

Also, I could have never done so much painting, with so much energy and fun...if I hadn't had my very dear friend Toni with me...the woman is a machine...and we had fun...plus she is starting this whole menopause thing, too...so she wasn't sleeping much either...so we just plugged away at painting, repairing and restoring, till almost midnight most nights...and woke up early and started over again...Toni said it kind of reminded her of the movie "Ground Hog Day"...we wore the same paint clothes everyday (but we did bathe)...we ate the same breakfast, we listened to the same radio stations every day...we joked about some of the same things (mainly the previous owners lack of painting skills and how they loved to caulk around everything, so we spent time digging caulk out...EVERY DAY)..you get the picture! ... BUT...we were so happy to have been able to do this...for it truly was a blessing to see the faces of my daughter and SIL everyday when they came to work and paint after working all day! They would just light up the room with their smiles...and they couldn't believe how much we could accomplish every day...actually I was a bit surprised...but I know the Lord was present, he made each day go so well...and he blessed us all to the very last day with energy, joy, talent, and gratitude! I don't think my daughter and son-in-law will ever know how happy it made me to do this for them...I know they were happy...and that was my ultimate goal! Thanks again...Toni...you are the best...

Also, on a very sad note...and I hate to bring this up...but would like for you guys to remember those involved in your prayers and concerns...the night we arrived at their home...my daughter and I were in the living room painting...and someone rang the doorbell...we just figured it was a neighbor welcoming them to the neighborhood. Turns out it was Fox Channel 2 news...looking for the family of a young man who was killed in a car accident early Sat. morning...my daughter explained that the family that had lived in this home only had one daughter and no other children...however, the reporter was insistent and showed my daughter the list...Folks...there were 3 teenagers killed that night in a devastating accident...sadly one of the 2 girls killed in the wreck was the daughter of the woman who had lived in the house. Turns out she and her friend along with a couple of other friends were on their way home...a little past midnight...the girl that had lived in my daughters new home was spending the night w/the other girl...the other girl had just called her dad and told him they were just a couple of blocks from home and would be there in less than 5 minutes...sadly, as they pulled out they were broadsided by a 40 ft. refrigerated truck...then wrapped around a light pole...the girl died instantly, her friend died in route to the hospital and one of the young men died later that night, the driver survived and was listed in good condition and expected to make a full recovery...along with the driver of the truck. I can't tell you all what a sadness that brought to all of us...thinking of all those involved, knowing that the previous owner had just lost her only child...not to mention the other lives that were forever changed that night. My heart breaks for them...I think too, it is a little sad and a bit eerie for my daughter...b/c she had a nice conversation after buying the house about the girl with her mom...and how proud her mom was of her...how she was a gifted artist but wanted to become a veterinarian...my daughter had planned to turn the girls former room into her office and studio...I think she still will...but I know she wants to change a lot of things before doing so...we did manage to get the wallpaper border down and hopefully prepped well enough for them to paint, soon...I know this is a sad way to end my blog...I just wanted all my friends and prayer buddies to pray for comfort for all of these folks that were touched by this terrible tragedy and that my daughter is able to let go of any uneasy feelings she may have due to this. I DO also know God will bless this home for them and all who enter!