Renovating

For the past five months, Isaac have been spending a majority of our time in what I dubbed "the hospital."  We had white carpet, white walls, white ceilings, and white hospital-like light.  It was making me crazy.  Actually, a lot of things were contributing to my mental issues, but I truly believe that this was one of them.

It just didn't feel like home.

Mama-Lynn came out for my last chemotherapy treatment (YAY to both!!!!) and I was feeling exponentially better than I had for any of the treatments before.  Thank you, thank you to all of you who prayed that this one would be easier.  I appreciate it so much, and it WAS!

Because I was feeling so fantastic, Mama-Lynn and I spent a good chunk of Thursday painting the longest wall in Isaac and I's apartment this lovely green color.  The problem was, it wasn't the shade of green a person (other than my dad) would want to live in.  It was a slightly muted version of John Deere Green.

I miss the tractors and such, but not enough to have our living room that color.

We hadn't anticipated this problem, so we'd purchased four gallons of color, planning to paint the entire living room this color.  Thank goodness I belong to a merciful God who knows we're trying to keep our expenses down and who is also aware that sometimes I'm an idiot.

Mama-Lynn and I went back to Lowe's and they refunded us all but one bucket (the one we had used) and even were kind enough to exchange the ones that we brought back for much lovelier shades.

That sweet, sweet, lady at the paint counter.  She worked a miracle for us.  We went in with John Deere Green and came out with "Covered Wagon," "Earthy Cane," and "Willow Tree."  Colors that were MUCH easier to work with--and they matched the rug I'd found on sale the week before!

The rug that started it all :)

We gave up Thursday night and Friday morning spend the ENTIRE day taping and painting.  We learned quite a few tricks--but hopefully neither of us will be needing to utilize them again in the very near future.  I'm still a little high off the fumes.

The goal was to turn our giant "hospital" room into a room that was kind of split into two, but not definitively.  We created a beautiful workspace for Isaac and got him a comfortable office chair and mounted a corkboard on the wall for him so he can stick all his notes and such into it (until now, things have just been getting pinned directly into the wall).  His workspace is also close to the kitchen table, which is lovely, because when he gets tired of his desk, he likes to switch it up and study at the table sometimes.

Already putting it to good use....

The most dramatic change was in the living room.  We now have an area rug that breaks up all the white-ness of the carpet, we invested in an entertainment center/electric fireplace that is a piece of "Iowa home" for me, and we re-arranged the furniture that we already had to create this cozy little nook.  Mana-Lynn and I spent probably a good two hours trying to assemble the silly thing... but in the end it was worth it because not only do we have this cool-looking fake fire, now we actually have a REAL entertainment stand, which means that my coffee table (what we'd been using) was now free to actually use as a coffee table!!

It was also fun to finally be able to pull out of storage all of the little candles and wall decorations I'd kept away, simply because before, they'd have looked awfully funny on our white walls.

Where I will probably spend a lot of my time from now on.

I feel like I live here now.  Like... I live here, with my husband, and it is our home.  Not a hotel room that we're renting for an extended period of time.

God bless the man who invented paint and fake fire.  They does wonders.