Thursday, October 02, 2008

Ta Da! What I Did On My Summer Vacation...

It was a busy summer. One minute I was wiping away tears (joy & sadness) at my trio's high school graduation and the next I was tool belt deep in Bullet Hole's version of Home Improvement in the Heartland. I 'made over' five rooms in my home. The triplets' bedrooms, a room that used to be a formal dining room and the room that used to be the dining room before the formal dining room. Clear as latex caulk, right?

Ah, well. Not to fear. I come bearing pictures of what my family has termed, 'Mom's Magnificent Obsession'. And while we're not quite there yet, I thought I'd share some snapshots of what I've been up to that has kept me from being as active online as I normally am--and what's sent me off to work more mornings than not with paint in my hair. Indigo Batik Blue is SO not my color...

Our HIHT (Home Improvement in the Heartland Tour) begins in one of the triplet's bedrooms. Since they are next to each other, I decided to go with the same color scheme in both rooms. One room was a gun-metal gray while the other's walls were a 'bleah' yellow. The rooms were repainted with a nice off-whitish color on the top and a tan on the bottom. Chair rail (stained and varnished by yours truly) separates the colors. Here is a picture of one of the room's corners so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about.
Didn't know ol' Bullet Hole had it in her, did ya? Next we move to a room just off the kitchen that was added as a formal dining room along with extra bedroom sometime after the house was built to accommodate a growing family. Originally, the dining room had been off the living room (one of those 'L-shaped' numbers) and when we moved to this home, we used the formal dining room as a dining room. The picture below shows what the dining room looked like when we moved in.
However, those of you with teens know that the time spent at the dining table is basically on an 'eat and run' basis and we found we weren't utilizing the space much at all. So, when the rec room downstairs got flooded out for the third time, I decided it was time to reevaluate the situation. Since there was a perfectly good dining area off the living room, I decided that's what I'd use it for again. So, we turned the dining room into a nice, cozy, TV/Video Game room. Here's the end result:











Of course, this meant that the used-to-be-now-once-again dining area had to be updated. Naturally.
So, more paint, more chair rail, and lots of 'blue hair' later, that room was updated. Here's what it looks like now:
















And there you have it. What Bullet Hole Bacus did on her summer vacation. I still need to hang pictures in all of the rooms and get knick-knacks in place, but we're getting there.

Now my agent tells me I really need to get back to writing. Uh, don't tell her, but I've got my eye on my kitchen and bathroom next.

Speaking of writing, the reviews for ANCHORS AWEIGH are starting to trickle in and I'll share some of those plus some foreign rights news of my own.

~Bullet Hole who has met the miter saw on the field of battle and bested the beast!~

17 comments:

Jenyfer Matthews said...

Beautiful job! And just to let you know, if you run out of rooms in your own home, I have lots of white walls that could use a face lift!

Kathy Bacus said...

Thanks, Jenyfer! If I don't get back to writing, I may be looking to hire out for some home improvement projects...

~Bullet Hole~

Anonymous said...

Kathy,
You did a great job. Now that Horse show season is over my husband and I can start on our "projects". You would think being married to an Architect things would get done. Wrong. But since the basement keeps getting flooded, we have to do something with it. Have fun doing the rest of your house. Those paint fumes get under your skin LOL
Linda

Kathy Bacus said...

Frankly, Linda, I'd rather be showing horses!

And you're right about the fumes. I ended up doing all the staining and varnishing in my garage to keep from inhaling the fumes.

I feel your pain about the basement flooding. I've battled that since I moved here. The city assures me the problem will be resolved by next year.

We'll see...

Good luck on your projects!

~Bullet Hole~

Anonymous said...

Everything looks great. Good job!

Isn't it amazing how finishing one project seems to just naturally lead into another?

I've been doing much the same thing in my house. I credit audio books with making the work pass a whole lot faster ;-) even the stuff I hate doing.

Now it is time for you to set aside time for your writing and then do it whether or not the current house project needs just 5 more minutes.

Thanks for sharing the pictures and good luck on getting back to your writing.

TerryS

Kathy Bacus said...

Your writing advice sounds like just what the agent ordered, TerryS! I will resist further home projects until I've finished my next book! Do you hear me, world????

My kids are snickering. Darned cheeky brats... ;)

~Bullet Hole~

Gemma Halliday said...

Wow, I'm so impressed, Kathy!
Hmmm... I've got a bathroom that needs repainting... you busy this weekend? ;)

~Gemma

Kathy Bacus said...

Uh, er, ah, I'd like to help you out there, Trigger Happy, but I simply MUST write this weekend.
Otherwise, I'd like so be there...

;)

~Bullet Hole--

Estella said...

What a great job!

Christie Craig said...

Hey,

Looks great. I agree with Gemma, you seem better at these kind of chores that my hubby, so how much do you charge?

CC

Maureen said...

Five rooms is amazing. We are working on our family room and it seems to be taking forever.

Kathy Bacus said...

Thanks, Estella!

And Crime Scene--you so couldn't afford me...

Hehe!

~Bullet Hole~

Kathy Bacus said...

I confess, Maureen. I didn't get much else done other than my 'real job' and homework for college coursework while doing my stint on Heartland Home Improvement.

I more than ready to sit back now and enjoy the fruits of my labors!

Good luck on your family room project!

~Bullet Hole~

Keri Ford said...

It looks fabulous! Great job. I'd say time well spent...even if it wasn't spent writing.

Kathy Bacus said...

Thanks, Keri! Guess I don't have any more excuses now not to get back to the book!

~Bullet Hole~

Terri Osburn said...

A bit late but wanted to say Yay for the renovations! And Yay for the pictures. I've never taken on this kind of task which is good since I'm finding myself overwhelmed by having empty walls to fill in my new apartment. LOL!

Who'd a thought having a blank slate could be so...overwhelming? Kind of like a blank page. LOL!

Heather said...

It looks great, Kathy--awesome job!