Pretty in Pink

We've been planning to switch the office back to the bigger bedroom, so Mikey can keep all his guitars and amps and stuff in there too, and fix up the smaller bedroom really special for Britt. So that maybe Britt will actually sleep in there. So that Mikey and I can have our marital bed back.

Ahem.

Anyway, Bob took advantage of the three-day weekend to take Britt to Wichita for a visit. What better time for bedroom-switching and redecorating? I mean, can you imagine painting a room with a rambunctious three-year-old underfoot? I can, and it makes me shudder.

So, we got busy. First, furniture shopping! Unfortunately, Mikey didn't get home from work on Saturday until 6:30 so, after a nice dinner at Trapper's, we were only able to hit the two biggest furniture stores before closing time. And neither had anything good. The next day, after a nice lunch (it really was a holiday for me; no cooking all weekend!), we had to go to four more furniture stores to find what we wanted. I had no idea it would be that hard to find good-quality kids' furniture. Really, the selection was pitiful just about everywhere we went.

With a much lighter wallet, we hit Target next and found bedding, curtains and a lamp, and then we were off to buy paint. Mikey wanted pink, I wanted anything but pink. I lost. Then we went home and got busy. By this time, it was late Sunday evening, and Britt was due back Monday afternoon.

First, we had to clear the computer, books, videos and everything else out of the room. Fortunately (not so much for her) Bridgie dropped by, so we put her to work and the three of us managed that pretty quickly. And then, time to paint!



Mikey gave the ceiling a fresh coat of white and then me and Bridgie started on the walls. We could still see white through the pink, though, so I had to do a second coat. By myself, since Bridgie crapped out on us. Gah, it was only 3AM! What a lightweight!



Certain members of my family would call this Titty Pink. I call it Strawberry Shake. This is Titty Pink:



Okay, I may still be a little loopy. You know, fumes and all.

Mikey floored me with his suggestion to paint the woodwork white, which is something he wouldn't even consider in any other room we've decorated. Not the closet doors, though. He thought that would be too much white. So, what to do?



Hmmm...



The little shithead at the paint counter neglected to mention primer. It sure would have helped.



Because it took many coats to fully cover the wood. And each coat had to fully dry before the next was applied. I was up all night. Mikey slipped off to bed about 6:30 AM, and when he got up around 10:00, I still wasn't done.



Same with the back of the door. Many, many coats.



Eventually, the door will have Britt's handprints sprinkled across it in assorted colors. Not today, though. We're kind of painted out. Imagine that.



The switchplate was a lucky find. It was the last one in stock.



We were close to being done, but didn't manage to get the furniture in by the time Bob and Britt got back. Which was okay because Bob got to help lug stuff around and put it together instead of me.

(My old bookcase will sit against the wall on the right, as soon as Mikey finishes painting it.)



Then we hung the curtains.



And, once everything was as put together as it was going to get that day, we turned Britt loose.



And she loves it! She actually slept in her new bed last night. Until a thunderstorm woke her up and she came and crawled in bed with us.

We still need some little touch-ups on the trim, a new light fixture, and some cute knobs for the closet doors. Also, I'm supposed to paint a few flowers and butterflies randomly around the walls. But I think we did a pretty good job, considering that it was less than 24 hours from buying all the stuff to the "reveal."

What do you think?