What were we thinking?!

This whole remodel job started with this wall. We were eating dinner one night, Clay said he would like to sheet rock this kitchen wall. The only thing on this wall was some wood paneling that had been painted white.

So the next morning, bright and early, we start tearing the paneling off. There was a sheet rocked wall behind it! Not in great condition but it surprised us. The condition wasn't the best so we decided to take the sheet rock off and re do it. Now, Aunt Bev, just a warning to you. There is an "M" word coming up so hurry and scroll past this next little part!

OK I warned you! We found a mouse skull in the wall. Totally gross but totally cool at the same time! We took it to school and showed all the kids. They were excited.

Why stop at the kitchen wall? Before we knew it the decision had been made to remodel the back bathroom as well. Huge change for Clay. The back bathroom is like his sanctuary. The one place little girls and a very talkative wife can't go! I'm pretty sure this remodel job is going to get done in a timely matter. I think Clay is already tired of sharing the only bathroom in the house with a bunch of girls!

My poor husband, he tirelessly chipped up all the tile in the shower and all the floor linoleum. He was a real trooper. The end of that first day we were both thinking to ourselves...... What The Heck Were We Thinking???

I actually loved the demolition part. I even enjoyed the cleaning up part. I loved working side by side with hubby. Not very often do we get to do that. I think it made the job a little easier having his own personal cleaning service follow him around on the job. I hope it made it more enjoyable, now maybe we'll get the front bathroom done soon, and the kitchen, and the porch and the carpeting and the........

After filling our dumpster with junk, we filled the truck too! Then it was off to the dump. The kids had never been to the dump so this was quite the adventure for them. The noise, the surroundings, the SMELL. Oh boy! The dump was ripe that day, not to mention a dead skunk within smelling distance sitting in the sun. Yeah, they don't want to go back to the dump anytime soon.

They were excited to be able to walk straight from the kitchen into Dad's bathroom. They thought it was the coolest thing. They were awesome little girls. They kept themselves fully entertained through all of the demolition. I think they were the most happy when we ate Burger King for dinner because Mom was too tired and sore to cook!

Then the shower and toilet went bye bye. Alex got up the next day, "yep, it's still gone", she says. Ha Ha, I have no idea what she thought would happen over night but......

Then after countless, not to mention long, trips to Home Depot, we were finally ready to start remodeling. The girls now associate Home Depot with LONG waits, touching everything in sight, measuring things with a tape measure, waiting for dad, getting tired, playing with sliding doors, playing games with mom in the isles while getting sympathetic looks from other kids and women, and getting to eat out for being so good in the store!

This is Alex's favorite part of the whole thing. Her favorite color is purple, so having a purple kitchen is a dream come true. Now she gets up in the morning, checks the kitchen wall and we hear, "yep, still purple", or "I love our purple kitchen". I think when I do repaint, I'm going to do it after she's in bed so she can be surprised with a magic color changing wall in the morning.

So here is what the wall looks like now. Taped, it will be textured soon, then it's off to Home Depot to get some paint! I'm contemplating colors while Clay contemplates what to put back in the bathroom. He has very good taste so I'm not worried! A huge thanks to Mark and Brad for teaching him a lot about remodeling, home building, and everything else he learned from you guys! We wouldn't have attempted this job otherwise!! Also, thanks to my Dad for all the electrical and plumbing help! What a blessing it is to have a Dad that knows everything about anything. Here is one adventure from the last two weeks. Keep checking back to see our progress, and if you see us anywhere but at the house or Home Depot, tell us to get home and get to work!!