Updates, progress, and paint

I can't decide if it's awesome or sad that out of the rooms we have made the most progress on, Nelly's has gone the fastest.

Last weekend, Joe, a "sister" and I took a field trip to ACE Hardware with the main goal to pick up the hardware we needed for the crib, and a secondary goal to look at paint.  As usual, I went with the idea that we weren't going to find "the one" that particular day.

Of course they would be having a sale on paint.  Of COURSE we would find the sweetest sales associate, who was more than happy to pull out all her books of paint swatches and helped us find the perfect one.  We went with a light pale green (specifically "Vintage Bazaar" in Valspar), which I think will contrast perfectly with the white trim, gauzy curtains and natural wood floors and crib.  Plus when Nelly does arrive (and gets his/her actual name!), we can add pops of pink and dark brown for a girl, or blue and dark brown for a boy.

I wish I could draw architecture as well as I could write.  I'd just lay it all out for you guys.

Anyway, it's going to be sweet and gorgeous, AND be something we can work with down the road.  Go Team Nelson!

Joe has been working hard on demolishing the outdated 70s styling.  We went from this

to this

It's already SO much better.

See that nice, long weird looking patch?  That's where the owners before us (I assume) removed the original windows and replaced them with "smaller" metal double-paned windows.  I assume this was with the intent to decrease heat loss.  It just makes me sad.  I keep flip-flopping between the idea of replacing the metal windows with something of similar size to the original windows (bringing back the original look), or going double-wide, but not as long.  Either way, that's still a good five years down the road.

I also *gulp* got up close and personal with the one really, really scary part of the upstairs.

It turns out it's not as scary as it looks.  There was some water damage (I hope it was water) at one point, which stained the wall, rusted the pipe, and badly damaged the wallpaper.  What I thought was damaged pipe was actually just peeling paint.  YES, that is a rusted rag wrapped around the pipe.  I want Joe and my brother-in-law to get even up closer and personal-er than I did to determine if the pipe is still actually in use.  We THINK it's a vent for the septic system.  And by we, I mean Joe.  I'll be quite honest: I know nothing about plumbing.  To me it looks like it is part of an old (no longer used) steam heating system.

I know nothing.  I admit this!  I'll stick to interior design.

Scary as it looks, it does not have a smell, there is no visible mold and there no suggestion that there is additional damage that could compromise our ability to safely house our bundle of joy in this room.  A bit of elbow grease, some repairs, and some fresh Killz primer should spiffy this up to looking like a regular eyesore.  Thankfully it's in the closet.  Guests never look in closets!

I was hoping (itching) to get in there and paint this weekend since the sun is out and we could get away with leaving the windows open overnight, but Joe talked me into mudding the walls to even out the wallpaper lines.  I'm so glad he did: this photo shows it rough, but, again, so much better!!

I know it's kind of dark; my bounce flash needs new batteries.

Week 26 Team Green update: nothing much is new this week.  We finalized names (YIPPIE!) and I fulfilled my urge to go through all the cloth diapers we own and decide what to keep and what to sell.  I'm getting rid of about $140 worth of stuff we won't use, and keeping 48 OS pocket diapers, 3 dozen prefolds, 3 dozen newborn fitteds, 5 newborn covers and pockets, 2 Snappis and more inserts than I care to count.  The only things (diapering wise) we still need are wipes and a hanging wets bag.  MAYBE a changing pad.  This is another thing I keep going back and forth on, seeing as I conducted the vast majority of the boys' diaper changes on the floor.  It's so much easier, especially when they reach the "roll over and run for it" stage.