Spring Fever

Anyone else impatiently awaiting the arrival of spring? Can’t be just me. We’ve actually had a fairly mild winter here in Ohio this year. Last year was terrible, but this year I really couldn’t complain. But it has draaaaaggged. Most of that probably had to do with my health. Some of you know this, some of you don’t, but I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer May 1, 2019. I underwent surgery in July and the histology revealed it was more invasive than the scans showed. Instead of stage I, I had stage III. I’m 37 years old TODAY. To say it was a shock is an understatement. I went in thinking I had Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Nope. Long story short - if something seems weird and it doesn’t go away, go get it checked. It could save your life. I’m here and not still wondering what the hell is wrong with me because I went to the doctor. But, enough of my soap box. I’m supposed to be talking about how glad I am this long-ass winter is finally coming to an end. :)

Going through the surgery and treatments meant that I didn’t get to do any of the things I wanted to last summer and fall. There were home improvement projects and trips that had to be postponed because of my diagnosis. I haven’t forgotten them, though. They have carried over to this year and multiplied. Most of the things on my list are home improvement projects. We’ve lived in our house nearly four years and have been steadily making some changes. We put in a fire pit out back and changed the flooring in the entryway and hallway. I want to change the flooring in the rest of the house still. Our entire house minus the kitchen and bathroom was carpeted. I hate carpet, particularly in front of a door, so that was the first to go. I want to get rid of it in the living room and at least the master bedroom. When we redid the hallway flooring, we discovered that the bedrooms all have hardwood floors. Who covers up hardwood? I don’t care if it is a bedroom. Throw down a rug! I know a lot of people like carpet, especially in bedrooms, but I am not one of those people. My dream house is a 19th century Victorian with hardwood floors and all the fancy moldings. When we lived in England, I was in heaven. Our house was built in 1850 and had all the things. I miss that house, even if it was drafty.

While I plan to rip up the carpet in the master bedroom this year when I repaint it, the living room floors will likely have to wait until next year. Our living room is gigantic - roughly 600 square feet. Any kind of flooring change in there is not going to be cheap. It, of course, does not have hardwood flooring beneath the carpet. The previous owners ripped all that out. Why, I don’t know. Maybe it was in bad shape. Maybe they just didn’t like it. Whatever the reason, their flooring choice will be rectified as soon as we save up the money.

My biggest project this year will be repainting. This house stood empty for years before it was finally put up for sale. The previous owners did a full renovation and put in a brand new kitchen and bathroom, as well as re-carpeted the house and painted every room. They had terrible taste in paint colors. I know they were going for neutrals, but they failed miserably. There was this awful brown in our hallway. It seriously looked like baby poop. The kitchen was a sage green that wasn’t terrible, but it was flat paint. WHY would you put flat paint in a kitchen? The bathroom was the same way and the color in there was this awful pea/puke green. The kids rooms were a puke green and a tan. We repainted their rooms right away, but the rest of the house had to wait. I did the kitchen and bathroom a couple years ago. I love the deep blue and bright white in my kitchen, but I’m thinking the bathroom needs an update. I liked the peach when I put it in there, but now I’m leaning towards a green. We’ll see.

As far as the master bedroom goes it is also puke green, but my husband and I don’t really spend much time in our room in the daylight, so it hasn’t been a high priority. It’s always been on my list to redo, though. When I get done with it, it will be a dark charcoal with white, teal, and copper accents. Our living room is a light gray, but it’s also flat paint and it is DARK, because none of the windows face the south. The flat, gray paint takes any light that we do get and just sucks it in. I abhor flat paint. It doesn’t reflect light and trying to clean off scuffs and spills - because kids - is nearly impossible. The room will be semi-gloss and white when I’m done, with pops of teal, blue, orange, and pink all around. Fresh and light and uplifting. :)

I’m also going to redo our front porch. The previous owners built a wooden deck over the concrete porch, but they didn’t stain it. Just left it unprotected to the elements. Shortly after we moved in, my son’s leukemia relapsed, so staining the porch went waaaayy down on the list of priorities. By the time I got around to it the next summer, it was weathered pretty badly. I cleaned it and applied a stain, but it didn’t last. It also needs a new railing. When the old owners built the porch, they didn’t put up a railing. Our home loan required one for safety reasons, so the owners slapped some 2x4s together and called it a day. I finally have the railing to replace it. So, that will go up along with a coat of paint on all of it. I just have to figure out what color. Our house is brown brick and all the trim is dark brown, so I’ll probably try to match it to that. I’d like to repaint the front door, too, and make it red. We’ll see. We have three cats, so I’ll have to find a way to keep them inside while it dries.

I’m hoping we can take a couple of mini-vacations this summer, as well. We have family and friends in Michigan, Texas, and Louisiana. My husband isn’t keen on Texas in the summer - he hates the heat - but I don’t care. Whether he wants to go or not, I’m piling the kids in the car and heading south this June. My aunt and uncle live just outside of Dallas and we have some friends from our military days who live about three hours from them, just over the border in Louisiana. We haven’t had a decent vacation in years, so I’m taking full advantage of it this year - so long as my scans in April come back clear. I’m hoping and praying they do. I’m tired of living in limbo, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I want both shoes to be firmly on the ground, so I can move forward.

So. Here’s to saying a heartfelt sayonara to winter and hello to all the fun warm weather ushers in. Bring it spring!