Valentines

I tell you, working with children is just the best thing ever. They constantly do things that surprise me and touch me.

Last week we were completing a project for valentine's day where the students write compliments for each other and I put them into a book. I'd been having a particularly cranky week and was busy throwing myself a pity party about how much life can suck, how nothing seems to be easy or go my way, blah, blah, blah... When I send the kids to go wash up for snack, a student (who I am constantly on to be more on task) comes up and hands me this:

For those of you not fluent in first grade, allow me to translate: "Mrs Jewart. Happy Valentine's Day. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Anthony" Entirely on his own, he took an extra copy of the paper and came up with this note to hand me on the way out the door. My eyes were so teary that I couldn't see to tell him to stop running in the hall.

Living Room Transformed

So I haven't posted construction pictures in awhile. Mostly because there has been no progress to show you! But this month, Eric & I decided to take back control of OUR house. We warned our GC that we were going to hire our own subs unless he got to work right now. He never responded, so we went ahead and hired new people and did some work ourselves too. The result is that our front room is livable again! There are the finishing touches to do still...curtains, pictures, some new pieces of furniture we'd like to add, but it is so pleasant to be welcomed home by a room that doesn't scream CONSTRUCTION ZONE! Enjoy the progression photos :) I tried to photograph from roughly the same location each time. I also searched for a good shot of the 'old' living room, but it was so small that there are no images to share of the room in entirety! The closest I came was this group shot and this of it empty.

Wall to master bedroom & closets taken out. Ceiling removed.

Insulation in place and ceiling ready for blueboard.

Blueboard installed.

Plaster complete.

Base coat of paint. Some trim installed.

Trim complete, including crown molding. Lights installed. Floor patched.

Faux finish applied. Furniture arranged. Room is livable again!