We are here - in a construction zone

Let it be known that the boys and I arrived in Utah safely almost four weeks ago now, and Tyson followed safely a week later. Our belongings are in storage and we have been working diligently on the remodeling of our condo. I have lots of good "before" and "during" posts, as well as cute pictures of the kids. However, I can't put my time toward blogging right now. I have to spend it working! (And on Pinterest getting and pinning ideas - http://pinterest.com/venusv/). We spent the last few weeks staying at Tyson's parents' house, which is 25 minutes away from our house. Since Sunday night we have been staying here at our house (now that the carpet is installed in two bedrooms). We are sleeping on air mattresses and camping pads and eating our meals in the garage, where we have set up a makeshift kitchen. I've been painting a couple hours a day while I try to keep the kids occupied with a movie on my computer. We've had generous help from family, especially painting help from my dad and my sister Kara, and associated child care help from my mom and Tyson's mom. Tyson's dad has pitched in on some projects, as have my sister Krista and her husband Chris, and Tyson's younger brothers.

My mom is watching my kids for the next two nights...so I better get back to work while I have the (uninterrupted) chance!

Here is a list of what we've done so far (a lot of stuff), and what we still have to do (a lot more stuff!). This should be sufficient explanation for my absence from blogging.

Done:
Measure to get an idea of flooring costs
Choose main floor and bedroom paint colors
Choose carpet
Order carpet
Choose wood laminate
Purchase wood laminate
Remove outlet/switch covers
Remove nails, drapery hardware, etc.
Remove doorknobs
Clean bedroom walls
Prep bedroom walls
Rip out carpet and pad
Haul to dump
Rip out staples
Demo tile
Demo nook wall
Reinstall electric work from nook wall
Sheetrock and mud nook wall
Remove island
Add crown molding to cabinets
Move up cabinets
Rebuild pie steps
Paint orange wall blue in boys’ room
Touchup white walls in boys’ room
Paint closet in boys’ room
Paint nursery walls blue
Paint trim in nursery
Paint ceiling in nursery
Paint ceiling on landing and stairs
Paint walls on landing and stairs
Paint master ceiling

x Make sure carpet installers will bring extra tack strip and metal pieces for junctions

Boys’ Room
x Check/decide if boys’ closet needs second coat of paint
Buy and install beadboard or other wood/covering for boys’ closet nook “floor” – paint if necessary

Nursery
bleh - Second coat on nursery ceiling
x Touch-ups on nursery trim
x Touch-ups on nursery walls
x Touch-ups on nursery ceiling
x Prep nursery closet
x Paint nursery closet
x Prep nursery window frame
x Paint nursery window frame

Landing/stairs
x Prep linen closet
x Paint shelves in linen closet
x Paint walls in linen closet
x Decide how to paint wood banisters
x Buy paint for banisters
Prep banisters
Paint banisters
x Paint rest of trim/doors in landing
x Paint trim on stairs
Check stairway ceiling for touchups
x Paint octagon window wall gray
Paint octagon window frame white
Paint banister white
Decide what color to paint hardware
Spray paint banister hardware
Reinstall banister

X Have carpet installed

Things to do before wood floors:

Master bedroom/bathroom
Touchup ceiling paint
x Double-check trim prep
x Paint trim white
Finish prepping walls
Paint bedroom walls gray
Paint commode and closet walls white (for now?)
Decide what color to paint vanity (darker gray? Stain dark brown?)
Prep and paint vanity

Living/Dining
x Decide about fireplace niche
x Demo fireplace
x Build out fireplace
x Sheetrock fireplace
Buy/build mantel for fireplace
Buy/install piece of cultured marble for threshold
Prep/clean ceilings, walls, and trim
Paint ceiling
in progress - Paint trim
in progress - Paint walls

Kitchen
Replace can shields
Decide about installing pendant over sink
Remove fluorescent bar fixture
Clean/prep walls, ceiling, and trim
Paint ceiling
Paint trim
Paint walls
x Buy Rustoleum “Cabinet transformations”
Prep cabinets (remove doors, etc.)
Paint cabinets

Other things to do:

Choose and install light fixture for nursery
Choose and install light fixture for master bedroom
Choose and install fixtures in bathrooms (or spray temporarily)
Choose and install light fixtures for stairs and landing (or spray temporarily)
Choose and install light fixtures for living and dining (or spray temporarily)
Choose and install kitchen over-island fixture
Install flooring in master
Install flooring downstairs
x Figure out about island
Build/buy island
Prep and paint upstairs bathroom ceiling, trim, floors
Prep and paint laundry and powder room ceiling, trim, floors
Insulate garage
Prep and paint garage
Paint inside and outside of front door
Choose and install open shelving in kitchen
x Hang extra cabinets in laundry room or hall bath
Paint laundry cabinets?
Install dimmer switches
in progress - Reinstall switch plates and outlet covers

“Future” list:
Replace kitchen counters
New flooring in laundry/powder/hall bath
New appliances?
Replace all bathroom counters

Whew!

Talk to you again in a few weeks!