Where the magic happens ...

It's still a work in progress, but at least it's down to the finishing touches. I still have to put in new plugs, plates and switches, find the right curtains and wait for the curtain hardware to be delivered; there are a few more pieces for the walls that I'll know are right when I see them. And the blinds have to go -- they are terrible.

Still, it's a massive improvement.

Before:

Inspection day, May 2010

August 2010. Unfortunately, it had been this way pretty much ever since.

And after a long Presidents Day weekend ...

Need to find the right ceiling fan 

... and a headboard

Gratuitous cat pictures!!!

A bedroom at last

I don't have pictures yet, but the House of Bich checked off a biggie on this year's to-do list over the weekend: Brooke painted the bedroom.

It finally looks like a room!

Amanda came over Saturday to help Brooke get a rich blue on the walls, and Rich rewarded us with porterhouses, baked potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts. And plenty of wine, of course.

On Sunday, Brooke tackled the trim. On Monday -- it's so nice to have Presidents Day off -- she tackled the ceiling, which is no longer home to the world's ugliest ceiling fan.

Pictures to come soon -- time to get some long-awaited photos and art on the walls first!

Color me

So this got me thinking a bit: How do people choose the paint they use in their homes?

This was a tough process for me, mostly because Rich said to do what I wanted -- ugh, decisions! -- and I had too much time to think about it. But in the end, I wanted the rooms to be different, but they needed to flow into each other; the house is simply too small to show a lot of contrast.

These are the colors that currently cover our walls (all Behr; we're big fans).

1. Cornmeal (living room, dining room, hall).

Does it evoke "cornmeal"? I guess so. I didn't pick based on names, though I'll admit it does make it a lot more fun when you're sorting through thousands of color cards ... so yes, I'm a victim of marketing. Sue me.

2. Twenty Karat (kitchen).

"Twenty karat"? Absolutely not. Bright as hell in the morning? Abso-freakin'-lutely. Come in with a hangover, and you'll blind yourself.

3. Apple Crisp (office).

Um ... we like orange?

4. Manila Tint (stairwell, upstairs alcove).

In no way whatsoever does this hallway say either "school folder" or "Philippines."

5. Maiden Voyage (the bathroom).

Thought process: I thought it was pretty. It also doesn't fit at all in the color scheme of the rest of the house, which is sort of what I was going for. It's bright, it's water-y, it makes white pop. Works for me.

6. Flint Smoke (guest bedroom).

Hmmm. Flint, smoke ... flint smoke. When we got the color on the walls, it surprised us by not being at all what we expected. I was going for a deep gray, but I got this sort of bluish gray, which is fine, but next time, I'll go for something named "Depression," perhaps, in order to get what I want.

And there is, of course, some Shale Grey waiting for our bedroom; we loved it so much in Edgewater, we wanted to use it again. Of course, it's now been a year, and our bedroom is still a muted vomit color. Same goes for the porch, but I'm not touching those walls until we get the windows replaced.

Girl with a drill

With Rich away, I've been actually getting things done -- including touching up the stairwell and painting the ceiling. Thank goodness for Renee coming over to help; I may never paint without her again.

That done, it was time to finally put up the shelves and photos that have been sitting in a box in the basement ever since we moved in.

As usual, I had plenty of ambition to start, and naturally assumed that this project will take no time at all (an assumption I make with every project despite the fact that I know it will take at least six times as long).

Edited to add: Just to highlight the difference, here's the stairwell before we even owned the house.

Inspection day, May 2010

I did have the patience to make brown-paper templates so I could properly place the shelves and photos, instead of the usual "let's nail it to the wall and see if it sticks and rip it down later if I realize I screwed up" mentality.

I mark my drill holes (yes, I went and bought my own drill; Rich will have to deal instead of borrow) ... and realize that my walls are Damn. Stubborn. We'll pretend there isn't a new hole in the wall. After an interminable amount of time screwing anchors into the wall with no progress, me getting mad and wondering how the hell I was going to finish this on my own, I took a break.

A little "Project Runway," some sauvignon blanc, and I got my courage back.

Oh, yeah.

Somehow I even had the luck of starting a drill hole into an already existing anchor. I almost laughed, and then I made that wall my prisoner.

I can be a little messy.

But, at last, success!

Little steps

Rich is away (and Brooke's plans were canceled by snow -- thanks a lot, weather), so Brooke will ... paint.

Once again, before and after:

Inspection day, May

December

A little primer and some paint, and we're in business.

The porch, and the second bedroom, Part Two

Before ...

At inspection

In July (and basically through November)

And after:

Here's the porch -- cleaned up at last. It's a really cute space, and someday, we'll replace the windows, paint, get new blinds and curtains (because now? Ew), and tile the floor. Until then, we're keeping it simple.

Woody, hanging out on his favorite chair.

Upstairs, the alcove is cleaned up, and a litter box is behind a screen. Benny couldn't help but be curious.

And while we haven't painted our bedroom yet, I figured I'd put up the curtains and get some books in their proper spot to make it cozier in the meantime.

And the progress on the second bedroom is, to be modest, amazing. Not that it would take much (getting up that pet-stained carpet was huge), but still, I'm thrilled.

Bed pieces are just waiting for a mattress.