Glitter and Grass: This Old House

Lest you think we haven't gotten anything accomplished in the past few weeks due to my lack of documenting everything via blog, think again!

Since I posted this update, the house has really started to transform. Josh has finished insulating and drywalling the third bedroom upstairs; he's patched drywall in a number of other spots; and he tore apart the front entrance area to open things up a little more. I get regular picture texts from him on days when he is working at the house with updates and questions about what I think.. On Monday during the mini-blizzard, I got a text proclaiming, "I'm saving the farm!"

Oh good. I was worried.

A few weekends ago I gathered both sides of parents for a work day...my dad did a number on the garage while my mom, Josh's mom, and I primed the kitchen, cupboards, and the first upstairs bedroom. The next day Jamie, her friend Natalina, my friend Andrea, and I set to work and got the upstairs landing, stairway, and second bedroom primed. When things start looking great, staying motivated is a little easier. I met Josh's mom at the farm last Monday and we were able to prime the entire Parlor in one night (this is a LOT when you're priming everything from the trim to the walls to the ceiling)!

Today Josh is mudding the new drywall upstairs and starting on the BIG room we have left. The cracks and some drywall need to be patched in the living and dining room, and it's the only room where we haven't made any progress (since ripping out the carpet back in October). I've decided I'm going to force people to start calling it 'The Great Room'...this house is so big and there are so many rooms, people get confused about which room I'm talking about...seriously!

I've learned in the past month that it's not very profitable for me to go out to the farm on week nights. Once I get done with work and cheer practice, I only have an hour or two available to work. Hauling all the paint and supplies and dirtying brushes isn't really worth it if I'm only able to devote a few hours to painting. I like long working weekends where I can make a lot of progress (with help from friends and family!) in order to stay caught up to everything Josh is accomplishing during the week days. His list is quite a bit longer than mine...all that's left for me is a frenzy of painting and cleaning!

Josh has been great about balancing all the different parts of his life that are requiring a lot of the "hard work." He's finished fertilizing and started preparing for snow removal...BLC, check! He's started clearing out and organizing our garage to make sure our 'new' car will fit, along with leaf blowing and mulching...422 13th St, check! And he's prioritized everything that needs to happen with the farm and is gradually crossing things off our long list...Farmhouse, check!

Here are some 'before' and 'after' pictures of some of the spaces where I feel confident enough to start taking pictures. The rest of the 'before' pictures I have will shock you...but I'm saving those until I have 'after' pictures to compare them to...