Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Paint Camp

This game has ridiculously tiny pieces.
Whew! I just spent the entire morning cleaning up for the bug man -- moving furniture away from walls, vacuuming, picking up the small toys and game pieces (I'm looking at you, RISK) that insist on making their home where the floor meets the wall. And then I managed to make the pile in the utility room even higher -- I threw on top of it all the junk Larry had piled up by the walls in there.  It looks a tad precarious right now, but things should be okay if we don't make any sudden movements.  Or until the washer starts its spin cycle...

Please tell me other people have to do this before the exterminator shows up.

Or, maybe not.  Maybe I should just accept that we live like pigs.  Self-acceptance can be a beautiful thing.

In other news, Brian is attending painting camp this summer, right here at home.  Back when we moved in -- oh, 5 years ago -- Larry slapped some paint on the walls that really needed it (for some reason, he didn't WANT a bright pink bedroom) and even painted the entire living room-dining room-front hall area that Christmas (it took us the 6 months between move-in and December to agree on a paint color).  He assumed, you see, that he would, sometime in the near future, find time for the details -- the baseboards and doors and window trim and the metal railings along the stairs, all of which were supposed to be bright white but looked rather dingy.

5 years....

Granted, we've been busy.  Children will do that to you, you know.  But, really, things had gotten to the point where something just had to be done.  So I ventured to the paint store earlier this month (43 dollars for a gallon of paint - really?) to pick up the requisite supplies, gave Brian a painter's cap, masked the proper areas, and let him have at it.  Really, it doesn't look too bad.  I'm eyeing the kitchen cabinets for next.  And look at all the money I'm saving on a real camp!  Not to mention a professional painter...

So what do you think Larry owes me?  Aside from his undying love and devotion, of course...



[Risk image: ScreenRant]

10 comments:

  1. We try never to let people into our house without at least a days warning, to hide the piles. All of our friends with kids understand this, so I think it must be a phase all parents go through :-)

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  2. Paint camp? I like the way you think, Lady!

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  3. Isn't hilarious that we all clean for the bug guy (or the HVAC/cable/plumber guy)?

    Your camp idea is phenomenal! We are going to start laundry camp and dog poop pick up camp tomorrow! Thank you!

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  4. I'm holding 'moving camp' here in three weeks. Wonder if I can get people to pay to send their kids and husbands...?

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  5. I think I'm doing something wrong: my son is painting houses for Habitat for Humanity while my walls remain neglected. I think I could also host a local cleaning camp.

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  6. I clean the house and move the clutter around so it doesn't look as cluttered before we leave on vacation. I say it's because I like to come home to a clean house. But really, it's so the pet sitter doesn't send our name and address to the producers of Hoarders.

    (ok. it's not really that bad.)

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  7. AnonymousJuly 11, 2012

    Painting is DANGEROUS. Once you get one room painted, you can't seem to quit. Trust me on this. Heck, this spring I even painted a FLOOR.

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    1. That thought occurred to me this morning, as I masked around the cabinets and then started around the kitchen door frame and then began considering painting the french doors between the kitchen and the dining room. And isn't the refrigerator looking a tad dingy now? Can I paint that?

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    2. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser will make your fridge look like new again. Then you will go on a spree about the house, scrubbing door jams and light switches. It's an unstoppable obsession.

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  8. You have more trust in your son than I have in mine. That said, my 2 oldest boys are house-sitting for grandma and grandpa this month, and while they are there, they are supposed to be painting the baseboards. Key phrase: "supposed to be painting".
    My 16yo is about to attend laundry camp -- that kid waits 3 days to gather up his dirty clothing and put them in the hamper! Grrrrr....

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