sounds like our house. When we built a new house last year, my wife and I were picking out stuff for the interior and exterior, and our 3 kids were with us. We set them up with the paint samples, and had them each pick the color of their room completely on their own. We wound up with plum blossom, electric lime, and sporty blue. Not the norm, but it's easily changed if necessary. The amazing thing was each color matched the bedding they already had!

Oddly enough, the kids want their new rooms to be the same color as their rooms at Grammy and Pappy's house. My son's will be "Blue Boy" (or maybe a shade darker blue per his request) and my daughter's will be "Iced Violet". Thankfully their grandmother still had the paint samples. These colors will coordinate well with the carpet that is already in their rooms.

I have absolutely no clue as to the color to chose for my living room. Thankfully I have a mother and two sisters to help with that.

I hope to start working on patching and prepping their rooms for paint later this week and this weekend. I am looking forward to working on this house.

A few years ago I purchased a dual paint tray at Sherwin Williams that helped simplify faux painting. I chose a very light taupe (almost beige) and a darker taupe. When rolled over together it gives a great marbling effect and it is really easy. Despite the best efforts of 8 grandkids it is still looking great. It probably has all kinds of stuff on it, but who cares as long as I can't see it!?

My appraisal is back, my commitment letter is done, my rate is locked (20 year fixed!), just waiting on the title search to come back and I can close!!!! Excited, happy, nervous, anxious, scared, relieved - who would have thought all of these emotions would be possible at once? Trying to remember to breathe.......

I feel better about starting to work on the place now. Each time I go there it feels more like home. I have used it as a place to escape to several times the past week or so when things got to be too much. When I am there, I see my future - when I am at my current house all I can do is relive the pain of the past.

I will be in my new house for Thanksgiving and Christmas!!!

AWESOME!!!!!!!!! Am seriously so happy for you!

That is so wonderful. Smooth sailing ahead, TJ! Can't you see it now..sitting in the family room with the kids looking at the Christmas tree and playing games, watching Christmas movies, drinking hot chocolate. It will be GREAT!!

So, any news on the house to report? I still haven't seen any pics!!! When is moving day?

I am just waiting for the title search to come back, should be any day, then we can schedule the closing. I am going to be working there this weekend painting and cleaning - I will be sure to take before/after pics.

Yay! C'mon title search!

I would wait until she was out some night and go take the carpeting.

Peepers, you made me LOL!

Give me a call. I will help you take out the carpeting. We're both in PA so I shouldn't have far to drive. LOL. Sounds like a fun time. Maybe we could take the washer/dryer too. You're going to need one right?

Hey TJ...if I can build a house (single female), you can remodel one...have fun with it..what a great diversion from the rest of the drama!

TJ how did the painting go this weekend? Did you get done? We're waiting for pictures.

I didn't get as much done as I would have liked, spent some quality time with my son though. I did get a lot of the supplies I needed - paint and associated items, new doors for their rooms and closets, some moulding that I wanted to replace in my daughter's room, and a microwave. I had a 10% off coupon that expired on Saturday and I wanted to take advantage of it. I did patch all of the nail holes in their rooms - there were literally hundreds of them! My parents helped me by wiping down the walls and ceilings in their rooms so they are ready to paint. I am planning on taking a few days off this week to actually paint. I have a ton of vacation time to use.

I found a deal on a washer and dryer plus I have another 10% coupon!

I have my camera there, so I will be taking pictures (wish I would have gotten some of the holes in the walls!) before I paint.

Why were there do many nail holes? Sounds like you are progressing nicely though. Good luck with the painting. We have helped our daughter get two houses ready to move into and it is a lot of work.

I have no idea why all the nails - they were teenage boys and I think they needed a hobby... The worst part was that some of them were really big nails - why do you need a 3 inch nail to hang a picture? Why would you drive 5 roofing nails within a 6 inch circle? I can't imagine. When I was a kid if I had done that I would have been in big trouble!

I did some other minor repairs while I was there over the weekend, and it was kind of nice to be working on something that is (or will be soon) mine.

Heck, I wasn't even allowed to put tape on the wall when I was a kid.

My sister was looking for a house about 10 years ago. We looked at one and the house could have been nice; however the elderly woman that lived there collected EVERYTHING! There had to have been hundreds of nail holes in every room - including the basement. Ugh! Obviously my sister kept going.

Thankfully, the kids rooms were the worst ones by far. Everything else is just here and there. For a short time I installed and finished drywall for a living so it's not that much of a big deal.

I actually think if the people who I am buying the house from had spent about $1,000 or so dollars making these minor repairs and painting that the house could have sold for a lot more. I don't mind the work and know when I am done that the house is going to be much nicer.

You might check with the Post Office. I pretty sure that their "Change of Address" packet you can pick up there comes with 10% of Lowe's coupon. One can't ever have enough 10% of Lowe's coupons!

That is where I got the two I have now - I also have a $10 off one...

I am so excited for you TJ!!! I keep thinking about the this phrase everytime I read a post from you... That which doesn't break us only makes us stronger! With each post I read from you...I see you just getting stronger and stronger and stronger! Hang in there buddy!!!! We are praying you along the way!

My closing is scheduled for Friday at 10:30. I have all the utilities, and insurance taken care of. I painted ceilings in the kids rooms yesterday and the walls in my daughter's room. My parents were going over today to paint the walls in my son's room. A new washer and dryer will be delivered on Monday, my cable, Internet and phone will be hooked up Monday too. I am hoping to get wood work and doors painted for the kids rooms this weekend. There is lots of painting still to be done. I need to find beds for the kids, a computer, and some furniture for the living room.

It's been over and hour since Tom posted thsi and no one's responded?!?!?

YAHOOOOO!!!!! Way to go for another BOLer victory!!! Out with the negative and in with the AWESOME! I am SO happy for you!

So hwo excited are the kids?

Sorry - been busy on an audit. Congrats Thomas. Can't wait to see updated pictures.