So much work, so little time

Feeling a bit overwhelmed this week with so many things on the "to do" list. My mom is such a trooper. Her and I have been working hard the last few days cleaning up the downstairs foyer and family room of the new house. It's no secret, we both enjoy house projects and we make a great team. It's been fun working together and I look forward to being closer in location.

With all this manual labor....I am looking forward to a little girl time! I've been sporting my grubby clothes and messy hair (which btw is showcasing several colors from the new paint palette).

On a sad note, the last few weeks I've had a chance to spend a lot more time with my parents. I had no idea how much my father's health and mental capacity has deteriorated. He was diagnosed severe dementia a year ago, and since then he's slipped quite a bit. At this point his Parkinson's symptoms look meek in comparison to his cognitive abilities. Being closer and quality time with my dad is priceless these days. We're not sure how much longer he'll still resemble himself :(

1950's fireplace wall

Now you can see a before photo. The piano movers are the end of the week to move the piano so we can rip up the carpets, tear down the popcorn ceiling, and the wood paneling. Underneath the carpets is solid birch floors that have been covered for 50+ years. The fireplace may have to wait, as we have budget constraints and time limits. Either way, that fireplace it nasty and the drapes are coming down right away.

My quest to reface the fireplace has been narrowed down. I need to consult with a contractor and most likely we'll be adding a gas insert as well.

I have my vision for the upstairs as very much clean lines, nuetral colors and airy. The photo above, represents many of the elements I want in the room. Though, I'm not a huge fan of the blue sofas (I like them, just not sure if that's the color scheme for me). I do however already own an offwhite tailored slipcovered sofa, similar to what is shown, add the piano back in and I just need a few more items to finish off the space.

This weekend, we'll be moving everything out for the estate sale and starting demo!!!

Kitchen Pain in the @ss

We have no sink, no dishwasher and half of the kitchen looks like a scene from CSI. Totally a pain in the butt!

There is some good news, the mold wasn't a as bad as first though, though looks like the contractors may have to rip out a small section of our exterior kitchen wall. At this point, I don't really care what they do, just get it done.