Topsy-turvy, upsy-daisy, wrecking-ball sort of day

My girls were about this size when we moved into this house. For awhile they shared a very large bedroom. Somewhere along the line, we I decided we should build a wall down the middle of the room to create two separate spaces.

That was when I decided to rip up the forest green carpet. It offends my sensibilities and clashes with just about everything I own. Or at least I perceive that it does. (Room by room I’ve been removing that green carpet … but that’s a  tale for another day.)

The great wall of sisters. Farmboy came along nine months after we moved here. Somehow, he ended up with the largest bedroom in the house … but the sisters didn’t care because they each had their own room.

Over the last six months or so I’ve heard rumblings of distress, consternation and disdain for those separate spaces. Somehow, they’ve decided they should move in together. Again. Now that they’re older.

For some incomprehensible reason … I gave in today. Today I tore up three bedrooms and turned the upstairs into a disaster zone that rivals Hurricane Katrina, minus the water.

Farmboy is thrilled. Perhaps because now he’s even closer to the top of the stairs. It won’t be so far to walk when he gets out of his bed umpteen times a night before falling asleep. (I’ve tried it all SuperNanny … I’ve even taken notes from your show. He gets up, consequences or no.)

Here’s the room after we cleared the girlie stuff:

(Imagine it with green carpet. See what I mean?)

I was worried about the fairies. You see, sister #2 loves them. “Do you reeeeeally want to leave them?” I asked. Then, just to be sure, I handed them a scraper and the bottle of DIF. If they could commit to peeling away their early childhood, then they were old enough to decide to move in together. Right?

They weren’t as traumatized as their mother. I had carefully selected these charming fairies for my sweet little then three-year-old’s room. And now they’re gone.

Have you heard of Wallies? They are wallpaper cut-outs. They’re perfect for people like me who want to dress up a wall, but can’t commit to an entire room full of wallpaper. And bonus: they’re small enough that you can enlist child labor for removal.

Bye-bye fairies. I will miss you forever, just like the sweet green, cream, yellow and pink Peter Rabbit wall border in my baby girl’s room back in 2000. But that was another house. My first love house.

Excuse me while I get a tissue …

So basically, the house is a wreck. But I did make progress in the former fairy hideaway, turned cowboy bunkhouse. Want to see?

First I pulled out my handy-dandy black spray paint. Of course. I can’t redecorate without painting something black. It’s an addiction. And I’m fully committed to it.

I bought this bed at a used furniture store last November, when it was time for the little man of the house to have a big-boy bed. It was too cold to paint then, and I’ve been meaning to take things apart and do it all summer.

Good things come when those who wait

and wait 

and wait 

finally get their rear in gear!

The bed looks MUCH better now.

I knew it would! Isn’t it great when your dreams are realized?

Please pardon my bedskirt. It fits a queen-sized bed, but I couldn’t pass up such a fabulous $2 bargain at Goodwill!

This red dresser/basket thing-a-ma-bob came from a yard sale. It’s actually a nursery dresser — see the little balls on top? Those used to be pink, blue and white and the dresser was a blonde wood stain. The door was already missing. I just slapped on some red paint, found baskets to fit the shelves and ta-dah, perfection for $20.

And then there’s this dresser. Someone stripped it, then rubbed on some blue paint and wiped it off. Or something.  Whatever the case, it’s the color of your favorite faded Wranglers or Levi’s, and it’s my favorite.

I want to be honest about something, though. This room doesn’t really look like this. Two seconds after I took this photo, that bucket of toys was all over the floor, the bed had been jumped on and 50,000 marbles rolled under the bed.

But for one moment in time, it was perfectly photogenic.

And Farmboy has a room to sleep in tonight.

I can’t say the same for his sisters.

I still have to ”renovate” the old Farmboy room. Translated, that means I have to rip up some green carpet. Don’t tell FarmGuy. It’s best if these things occur when he’s not around.

He can’t ever envision my visions, but usually he likes the end result.

Usually …