Ch Ch Cha Changggeesss

And by chaos I mean total and complete disaster zone.  The basement renovations are coming along very nicely.  We're at the part of the renovation that is no fun for me though - plumbing, wiring, blah blah blah... I did however get to pick out the bathroom tile and grout today!!  So exciting!!  We're going with porcelain slate tiles.  So we'll have the look of natural slate, but the low-maintenance of porcelain.  And you know I'm all about some low-maintenance :)  The tile will look similar to this (but not exactly)-

Brandon is actually in the basement right this very moment making some crazy noises that I am 90% certain will wake at least one, if not two, sleeping babies up and let me make this clear - that would NOT be pretty.  Anyhoo - he said something about bull-nose.  If you're not sure what that means, let me fill you in - it's a round piece of plastic that you attach at the corners of the (unfinished) sheetrock, so that instead of a square, pointy corner, you will have a round smooth corner.  After the sheetrock is finished and painted, you're corners look like this (this is not our house, just a picture hacked from the internet):

I've been working on a stenciled wall in the boys' playroom too.  At first, the stencil was a breeze.  Easy Peasy.  Until I reached the corner.  Then my perfectly stenciled wall encountered it's first boo boo.  I discovered (through trial and error) that it's best to let the paint dry before you try to maneuver the stencil around to reach the corner.  I just ended up smudging the paint, so I stopped to let the paint dry.  That was on Saturday.  I have one more corner to do (plus a little touch-up work from my trial and error session) before I'll call this little project complete.  But as a mommy of two young boys (and a husband who is just as eager to finish his projects in the basement) it's super hard to knock out a simple little project without the help of a babysitter, a cook and someone to do my laundry ;)

So what's next?  The general to-do list looks something like this:  install tile in bathroom, paint a hallway, 4th bedroom and 3rd bathroom (and 3 closets), install trim and door moldings, install doors, hang the dropped ceiling, install lighting, and (finally) have carpet installed.

My personal to-do list is:

• Pick out paint colors for a hallway, a 4th bedroom, and a 3rd bathroom (and then paint them!)
• Pick out trim and door casings (and then paint them too!)
• Finish my stencil
• Paint the built-in bookcases in the playroom
• Paint the existing trim in the stairwell
• Paint the hand-rail in the stairwell
• Pick out our sink and toilet
• Pick out carpet
• and finally start decorating!! 

I'm guessing a few of you are anxious to see pictures.  I assure you that I am taking lots of pictures of our progress.  I really want to wait to show you our pictures until the big reveal :)  Believe me when I tell you that it is a HUGE mess right now.  Think dust, concrete, tools and paint cans....  that's what it looks like right now.  PLUS our playroom is a little eccentric and although I truly believe it will be AMAZING when it is finished, it's a little bit overwhelming right now ;)  Hang in there with me though.  I'm hoping that since we are finishing the major components now (plumbing, wiring) that the remaining parts will come together quickly soon!