Last week, after many months of a blogging hiatus, I jotted a few blog posts about an addition we are adding on to our existing home. Until now, instead of blogging about it, I have been keeping a daily journal of my own to look back on one day when the project is finished. I was not sure if discussing it on my blog was the thing to do, but I suppose since that is what blogs are about - to write and publish whatever you choose - then I guess I can keep posting about our Addition Adventure. Perhaps someone else considering the same undertaking will find something helpful in what they read here.
Right now we are very close to being done. Close to what I consider the fun part of this whole thing is, which is finally preparing to decorate in anticipation of moving everything into the addition. With a few exceptions, we are not going out and buying bunches of new stuff, but instead using furniture and decorations we already have. For what we do need outside of that, I will probably find on sale at my favorite store and really the only place I ever shop, TJ Maxx. And also some cool consignments shops for the larger items, such as some furniture pieces for my youngest son's new room, which I will make a few road trips to Sarasota for. They have awesome consignment shops, and as a bonus my sister lives there, so we hunt for deals together and have a girl's weekend in the process, which makes it more fun.
I am also choosing paint colors, some the painter will paint, and some I will do myself - partly because I love to paint, and partly to save a little money for elsewhere. Two of our three kids will be moving to new rooms, and all three will be getting a room makeover, which includes new paint and flooring. So far we have a pretty good balance of what both they and I have in mind for color/decorating schemes. My youngest son bounced between bright green or bright orange walls or carpet, (because his big sister chose bright green and blue walls to go with her bright, sour-apple green carpet), before finally asking me if maybe I could just help him choose something nautical. Which I was happy and relieved to do. My oldest son, at 14, just wants something fairly simple, such as something the "color of sand". Easy enough.
So although this road of renovation has been fairly smooth so far, I am glad to see the project starting to reach completion. And our family is having fun anticipating the finished product as well, each one doing something to make their mark on the new place. Including my sister's awesome shell art, of which a favorite decorated mirror that she made for me will hang in our bonus room bathroom, over the vanity sink. Seeing the end in sight is a good reinforcement that this was the right thing to do, for any of those days I may have had my doubts.
