Mom's Back

Did I finish my mom's room in time for her return? Yes and no. I refinished her ceiling, primed it, and gave it two coats of flat Behr "Frost"; I gave the window sill and wall and door trimming a good sanding and two coats of semi-gloss "Frost"; and I rolled on THREE coats of flat enamel "California Poppy" on the walls. Even then, the color looks a bit uneven. I should have used a tinted primer, but I didn't think of it while I was at the store. Anyhow, I think another coat or two will even it out...

I was really hoping to get all the painting done and have everything placed neatly back in her room, but I just didn't have enough time. Turns out that was a good thing though because my dad volunteered my to put hardwood floors in her room too! The layout of this room is much simpler at least, so I don't think it will take nearly as long to complete as my room did.

Despite not completing everything I wanted to compete, I felt really accomplished, and I think my mom was quite surprised (or shocked?).

Also, the night before she came back, I stayed up til 3am cleaning downstairs. I thought it was looking real good. But Mom's response when asked about the cleanliness, "Wasn't it this clean when I left?" HAH! Oh well at least I tried. Now it's time to get back to MY room! Up next: base boards...and possibly some crown moulding?

Done painting

...almost. I did 2 coats on all my walls, including the hallway and closet interiors, but I still need to do the window sills and the door trim. I think it looks pretty darn good.

In the hall and closets, all the carpet, foam, and staples have been removed. Last night, Brian helped me move all my boxes into the hall, and now the foam and nails will be ripped up from the main part of the room. I'm so excited! Hopefully my floors will be installed by the end of the week. At this rate, I think it's quite a realistic goal.

Progress!

After living out of boxes for two months, I got worked up enough to work on my room again. Next up was priming my hall and closets, which I completed (with the help of my mom) earlier this week.

Today after work, I met up with Brian on the shore in Hercules to watch him fish. He just bought a new saltwater fishing rod and is determined to catch a fish. This being his second time out, he has yet to reel one in, but he came close; all he got was the fish's lower lip... :/

I was feeling rather lazy after sitting out in the sun for so long, just...sitting...watching Brian cast...again...and again...so to shake it off, I went home, grabbed my roller, and began painting! FINALLY! Some color on my walls! The back walls of my two closets are now Seafoam Pearl, a light greenish blue, and the walls of my hall are Sparrow, a light grey. So far it looks great, and tomorrow will be the second coat.

I'm pushing really hard to finish my room, at least all the painting, by the end of next week. You see, my Mom is leaving for China on Sunday, and she'll be gone for almost three weeks. I want to surprise her by not only finishing my room, but also giving her spare room a nice pick-me-up. I want to remove the popcorn ceiling, replace it with a smooth one like mine, then paint it all a nice shade of red. She said wistfully the other day that she has no room that's truly hers, so I want to make this room her space. Hopefully having a hard deadline will make me work faster!

I'm a loser

I lost my bet to Scott. Hopefully I'll finish by the end of April. Typical me, procrastinating...sigh. Currently: painting / priming walls.

Room Update

So...I thought I had a lot of time to finish my room. I have a bet with my friend Scott that I'll finish by the end of the month. As he says, "You always start stuff like this and never finish!" So I'm going to prove him wrong. Sure, I haven't done anything for the last 3 or 4 weeks, but not all is lost! Over the last couple of days, I covered up all my walls with plastic drop cloths and primed my entire ceiling (Brian helped a little with both). Tonight we'll be texturizing the ceiling, tomorrow we'll prime it, and Friday we'll paint it! Next week, the walls. There is still so much to do, and it's almost overwhelming. I'm glad I'm not doing it all by myself!

Maui Wowie

Brian and I just got back from a five-day trip to Maui. It was everything that a Hawaiian vacation is supposed to be--warm weather, cold drinks, cruisin', beaches, and lots of food. Our favorite dining experience was at a sushi bar called Koiso. They had really fresh fish and the best uni I've ever tasted. It may be because I like uni more every time I have it, but I think it's mostly because these little guys were freshly plucked off the nearby ocean floors. Second fave goes to the ahi poke from this little place called Eskimo Candy. What is poke? It's cubes of fresh ahi tuna in a soy sauce-based mixture. This place has a few varieties, including a Wasabi Poke with sesame seeds and green onions, and a Spicy Tuna Poke with tobiko and a creamy sauce. I am already in withdrawl!

Our five days there passed more slowly than I had expected, but I could easily have stayed longer. Some non-culinary highlights: learning how to surf, whale watching, and driving (or rather, being a passenger on) the road to Hana.

Game Plan

Brian and I are both engineers, but we'd both agree that he is more "engineer-y" than I. He likes to have a plan letting him know exactly what's happening now and what's happening next. Since I enlisted his help on this project, I decided to compile a plan for him, broken down in phases, subject to change.

Phase 1 - Throw out/donate unwanted items; organize
Phase 2 - Pack up everything into boxes
Phase 3 - Area B: move boxes to staging area 1; scrape off popcorn ceiling; refinish ceiling; prime and paint walls; install hardwood floors and molding; wash windows
Phase 4 - Area A: move boxes to staging area 2; scrape off popcorn ceiling; refinish ceiling; prime and paint walls; install hardwood floors and molding; wash windows
Phase 5 - Install finishes (lighting, switch plates)
Phase 6 - Purchase and assemble furniture: IKEA PAX closet system, EXPEDIT shelves, and more
Phase 7 - Load up closets and shelves
Phase 8 - Hang decorations

Floor plan of room: