I Need A Project

Shortly after the dreaded "M" word, I traipsed into Clay's office one evening and declared "I need a project". I needed something to get my mind off of all the thoughts and feelings that were swirling around in my head. Clay grimaced because he knew this could only mean one thing...more construction which=more money. He reluctantly looked at me and asked, "what kind of project?". I thought, then looked around and said "this will do". "This" being his horrid office.

I've hated that office since the day we moved in. However, it was never on my priority list. I hate the horrible built in shelving, the solid door right in our entry way to greet our guests, and the mess. I haven't even taken the time to decorate it like I have the rest of the house. It was the last room we hung pictures in and when that didn't help, well, I kind of gave up on it. I decided about 5 weeks ago...'it's time to revisit this project'. So, being the wonderful husband he is, Clay agreed. Well, agreed might be a bit of a stretch, but let's just put it this way--he didn't tell me no. Which in our marital language is a 'yes'.

So on Monday February 9th our designer and contractor met at the cottage to discuss the plans. I sat back and listened to the ideas, the possible challenges, and what this little "project" of mine might entail. And it looks like it's going to go something like this--the door way widened with two french doors put in place, the shelving torn out, an outlet put in the closet to house all of the horrible cords,the hardwoods refinished, and some painting. To ensure Clay's privacy, (after all this is where he works), we are having custom curtains made for the doors, locks to keep Jack out, and a raised entry at the door to block outside noise.

The project is predicted to take about 2 weeks and we are set to start the last week of March. Not bad, except, once again this is where Clay works. So, in the mean time we will have to move him elsewhere. I suggested the basement, he suggested Panera Bread. And...that is where it gets a bit sticky. You see Clay may be calm right now, but I can already foresee some heated frustration on his part when he has to go without a work space for an entire 2 weeks. I'm going to have to be extra nice during this construction to soften the blow. But, in the end it will be so worth it--one less room I hate. And one less room that I hate has cut my list in half. The only one remaning is the master bath which will be a giant undertaking. (and Clay if you are reading this, I promise to spare you my "I need a project" comment for a while...at least until spring 2011...wink, wink)