House Beautiful? We're Getting There

Big doings at our house today.

Remember the flood? Well, three weeks later, we have new floors! This means that in a matter of days, the Professor and I can stop sleeping on the pull-out couch in our Ugly Room (a.k.a. the Bonus Room, a.k.a. the converted garage) and move back into the master suite. Remember to interpret the term "master suite" generously. Remember that this house was built before the term "master suite" was birthed into the English language family. Like, when my dad was sporting long sideburns and wide fluorescent ties, if you can imagine that.

Our hallway at 8:15 a.m. today:

Our hallway and bedroom at 1:15 p.m., after the children and I spent the morning as refugees at the library ("I cannot IMAGINE how those flooring guys do their job without wearing earplugs," Ian remarked somewhat bitterly.)

It turns out, our entire room has to be re-painted. There's even a possibility that our entire bathroom will need re-tiling, because, oh so sad, one of the amazingly beautiful seafoam green floor tiles that you ONLY WISH you had in your own bathroom, broke during the drying process. And you cannot retile the floor without retiling the seafoam green walls and seafoam green shower surround. It simply cannot be done. (Or so says the contractor sent to us by our insurance, and who am I to argue? In fact who am I not to bake him a plate of exceptionally fudgy brownies?)

Here was my thought when I heard, "The whole room will be need to be repainted": "Hmmmmm ... we have made no noticeable renovations to this house in the past five years. Maybe this is my chance for a little change? Maybe I should go look at paint swatches? Maybe I should browse home-decorating websites for some inspiration? Maybe a new bedding piece or two is in order? Maybe I could paint a piece of furniture or two? Maybe our room will somehow become a lovely sanctuary?"

Here is what the Professor said when I broached the subject of new paint. Obviously, I didn't fling all those ideas at him, because he has a Y chromosome. Just the paint color issue.

"Why? I like the paint color the way it is."

Thud.

That was the sound of my decorating frenzy hitting the new wood-laminate floor.

But I'm happy to report that this floor is resilient, and my idea bounced. It refused to stay splayed out on the floor. It has returned for another dance in my brain. Because I have two X chromosomes, and that's the way it is.

I'll let you know how things play out.