Brown Yard = Red Door

Well whaddaya know. We woke up Sunday morning to absolute ugliness! The temperature jumped to 60 degrees and my snow melted, exposing our yucky, brown, leaf-covered yard. It was nice not having to bundle up for sub-twenty degree weather, but I still prefer the white stuff so that I can continue living in denial about my yard.

With the warm front, however, came a bit of motivation. Since last Sept (yes, almost 1.5 years ago!) we've had a new door installed and I've been meaning to paint it red,--- it was primed and ready to be painted, but I have always been able to find an excuse to not do it--- our spring doesn't last long enough to get around to it-- by the time summer hits, I don't want to leave the door open and let the cool air out of the house or let the bugs in, fall we are usually traveling to this that or the other place and the weeks in between are just spent playing catchup--not getting ahead on any home improvement projects. Then right around when we are done vacationing, the snow falls and it's too cold to paint an exterior door. Not to mention how is it possible to find a window of time in the day that I can paint a door without fearing my kids would get "creative" on me and I would find the paint on surfaces in my home I didn't even't know existed.

I made a verbal committment to myself that since I was given a warm day in January, I was going to make the most of it!

I decided to suffer through taking the kids to buy paint and groceries with me which was completely miserable considering Savannah was going on no morning nap (part of my strategy to get them to sleep at the same time in the afternoon so I could paint) and Cade had a different agenda for the day. Savannah hollered the entire time at the grocery store, while Cade insisted he had to go potty twice. He would conveniently let me know when I was in the very back of the store. The restroom was in the very front of the store. In that moment I wished silently to myself that he was not potty-trained and wearing a diaper so he could just take care of his business without adding another 12 minutes to our stay at the store. After our trips to the bathroom, I finally got what I needed (not everything, but mostly everything) and checked out, which took FOREVER because the cc machine kept rejecting my card. That was embarassing enough. I knew I had money in the bank, but of course the card had to be difficult for several swipes. In that moment I look up to see the mom of one of Cade's preschool friends checking out in line next to me. She's the one that puts us all to shame in the morning when we are dropping our kids off at preschool. You know the type-- always put together to a T-- hair, makeup, accessories--- she has it all together, no matter how early in the morning it is! I, on the other hand, was in my sweats wearing no make-up, and sporting the traditional mom-'do--- the pony-tail. I managed a wave and smile, feeling absolutely ugly and ready to lose my mind because I had run out of patience 30 minutes ago.

Heading to the car, (meanwhile making a mental note that it is time to move or start shopping elsewhere. Once I start running into people I know at a store, I decide it's time to change locations. When we first moved out here I loved being in unknown territory because I wouldn't have to worry about running into people I knew while out and about sporting the latest Mom Look: un-showered, sweats and a t-shirt, and no makeup!) I realized that Savannah had taken my phone and tossed it somewhere in the 40,00 square foot store. So I trudged back to the store with two screaming kids, Cade wailing on about how hungry he was, making me look like a rotten mom who wouldn't let her son eat.

Long story short, I found my phone and the chilluns did not die of starvation. I fed them lunch and put them down for their nap, meanwhile cramming the leftovers of Cade's lunch into my mouth because I forgot to eat breakfast--- again. Miraculously they fell asleep at the same time. I had to so badly fight the urge to jump in the shower or take care of the dirty dishes in covering the counters and sink in my kitchen. I knew if I didn't paint the door this afternoon it would never happen. So, thanks to spring-like weather in the middle of winter, I was able to accomplish something!!! Who would have thought I'd get to painting my front door in the middle of winter? Hooray. Granted, the rest of the house is a disaster and I didn't get a shower in today. But aren't showers optional anyway?

Painting the door gave me a sudden burst of energy and this evening I started stripping the wallpaper in our bathroom which has been on my to-do list ever since we walked through the house with our realtor when we were house-hunting. I am beginning to think being so ambitious today was a huge mistake. I had the exciting opportunity to discover the decades of decor that covered our walls. First the walls started out with a bright yellow (probably took place in the 70s), then the awesome peach days took over in the early 80s. In the late 80s a lovely angel wallpaper, then a light blue color was painted OVER the angel wallpaper (yes, over it!), then a butterfly wall-paper was applied on top of the blue. I just thought I was dealing with a butterfly border. Not the case. ARGH! Too bad There weren't more charming decades to uncover. Seriously. This house was built in the 40s --- uncovering stuff from that decade actually would have been interesting instead of annoying!

Next on the list--- painting trim around the front door, painting the bathroom, and repainting the upstairs. It's sad, we haven't been in the house very long, but the walls boast of their evidence that there are children living here--- hand prints, Cade's artistic touch with a ballpoint pen.... you get the idea.

This picture is my fantasy front door. We have a cottage-y house, but nothing screams Irish cottage like this entryway: