To the MAN Cave!

So, for about a year now, Mike and I have been talking about when the right time would be to put our house up for sale and move. After weighing out the pros and cons, we've decided to stay put until either we have to sleep in a tent in the yard because we completely ran out of room to live, or until J starts school. I'm guessing it will be the latter which means we have a few more years there.

Our house is great. I really love it! There are some things I would definitely change but it is a nice place to live. I felt like we were already busting at the seams though because we were only living in half of the house. We have a full finished basement that we hardly ever use! The only time we go down there is to tend to the cats, or one of us will go down there to watch TV if we can't agree on what to watch. Each time I go down in the basement, I cringe. I don't like it. It's not scary or anything, it's really nice! The thing is, it's a "Man Cave". A cold, cluttered, man cave. When we moved into our house, I said I didn't care about the basement. I didn't care what color it was or what was in it. I was wrong! I haven't liked it for the three years we have lived there. Sooooo, I am re-doing it :o) I'm saying bye bye to the white walls, fluorescent ceiling lighting, and the movie posters. I'm bringing in some warmer colors (I hate blue) and getting rid of the massive entertainment center. Don't think I am some overpowered wife that wants her husband to have no happiness or a place to call his own. That's not true! Although, I am a HUGE fan of Kate's ;o) I have made sacrifices too. My once scrapbook room is now storage. We are a growing group and need to spread out. Mike doesn't use the basement as much as he used to pre-kids, so it will now be a family room for all of us to share! No more sharp cornered furniture for little girls to fall into. No more random clutter collecting dust. My extreme makeover will be well worth it!

The other room we never use is the living room. This room is the very first room you walk into when you come in our front door. It is basically a glorified foyer. What I don't like is the odd layout and the mismatched picture frames (yeah, easy to fix!). It's a gorgeous room with a real hardwood floor and bay window. I like the furniture we picked for that room. It just doesn't seem finished. Again, when we moved there, I didn't repaint that room because it was tolerable. It's just so flat... it needs help. After the basement, I plan on making the living room more livable. I'm so glad Mike doesn't read my blog :o) He would probably have a couple more gray hairs pop out if he knew of my plans for the living room. Even if he could handle two rooms...

After the living room, my third project is our "master" bathroom. This bathroom is TINY! It has a toilet, sink, and a small makeup vanity. If Mike and I are in it at the same time, we are constantly bumping into each other. Obviously I can't do much on my own to change the size of it, but I CAN make it LOOK bigger! Right now I am using the window sill for my lotion, body spray, and nail polish. I still have my outdated Caboodle with my makeup in it. The rug in front of the sink and the toilet seat cover are from my very first apartment I had with Shane. They have been in four bathrooms now and they need to GO!

Mike may never understand my need for change every now and then, but he puts up with it. You would have thought I was suggesting a complete rebuild they very first time I asked him to help me rearrange our bedroom furniture in our apartment. If you knew me when I lived at my parents' house, you already know that both of my bedrooms (another blog, another day) were repainted once (more than that if I had my way) and rearranged about every other week. There's just something about moved furniture that makes my heart melt! AND, I love doing it all by myself! Last night when I had Mike come down in the basement to see the first coat of new paint on the fireplace, he said to me, "sorry I'm not helping you." Truth is, I would rather have it that way. I like that he doesn't care what I do. He trusts me to make it look good! Either that or he knows he would lose if he offered a different suggestion ;o)

So, Extreme Makeover: Basement Edition is underway! I'm hoping to have it completed by next weekend! Then, for those of you concerned about Mike's black hair turning gray, I'll let that redo sink in for a couple of weeks before I spring the next project on him :o)