MICKI BARE Advertisement

It began in the spring. Well, that's when the construction part began. The actual beginning of the project dates back to 2005 when I first sketched an addition on graph paper I borrowed from one of my kids. The plans changed quite a bit over three years, but we finally refinanced and broke ground six months ago.

Now, after a couple of grueling months sleeping on the floor in the living room and half a year with most of our belongings crammed in the living room and kitchen, the addition is complete. Hubby and I are moved into our new master bedroom, all three boys have their own rooms and I have my very own office, in which I can now write the great American novel.

Or, at the very least, escape to under the guise of needing time and space to work on a perpetual manuscript that has no chance of being completed before my future grandchildren graduate from medical school.

Now that we've moved all our clutter out of the living room and kitchen, it's hard not to notice all the home projects we now face in the old part of the house to bring it up-to-snuff with our chic new addition.

When I mentioned this dilemma to my dad, he chuckled and likened it to buying a new dress. You can't purchase a fancy new dress without needing new shoes, a new purse, a new hat and some jewelry, he explained. The twinkling in his eyes gave away the fact that he had been through it a few times and was happy to pass the torch on to his children.

Then again, Dad can't paint a living room without thinking it needs a new TV. Then he realizes he needs a new TV stand. The TV and stand usually require a new movie-playing system of some sort -- this year, he's adding a high-definition DVD player that also plays video games and interfaces with the Internet. He is all set should he ever have the need to check e-mail while playing "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" and watching the latest Indiana Jones flick. And I believe he earned the Best Grandpa Ever award from my kids this year, as well.

But I digress. This is not about Dad's new toys, but rather the fact that along with end-of-construction euphoria, there is the anti-climactic realization that we now need to update our old bathrooms, paint the old bedrooms and install new appliances in our old kitchen.

It's not just Hubby and me feeling like the work has only just begun. The kids have picked out paint colors for their rooms. They have given us decorating suggestions for the bathrooms. They even mentioned how a new faucet in the kitchen would be a relatively inexpensive way to update the look of the room.

No, wait, that was a weird dream I had in which my kids appeared on an HGTV show. It's a great channel for home decorating tips, but clearly I've been watching it too much.

My kids really did pick out colors for their rooms. My middle child picked out what he calls Maryland red. I call it NC State red. Either way, now that it is on all four walls, it is a little bright for human eyes. There should be a warning posted on his door: Danger -- do not look directly at the walls; direct exposure could cause migraines, seizures and blindness in adults.

Teens seem to have no problem handling the bright walls. My son and his friends are able to withstand the red for hours. I have to hand it to him -- red is the wall color to go with if you are a teen trying to keep your parents out of your room.

The youngest originally chose olive green. However, after helping paint the red room, he decided to go with Carolina Panthers blue. Another bold, bright color, but at least it's not red. Plus, the Best Grandpa Ever seems to think Carolina Panther blue is a great choice.

The oldest is going for a deep, dark, midnight blue. His room has been powder blue since we first moved in. He is ready for change. And with all the paint brushes flying around lately, he knew the time had come. He actually did all the prep work in his room and is now ready to pitch in as soon as we purchase the paint.

While we certainly will buy paint over the next few weeks, the rest of our projects will have to wait until our stressed budget can handle the pressure. In the meantime, new shower curtains in the bathrooms and a new table cloth in the kitchen will have to do.

Funny, I kept picturing a finished product once the construction was done. All the excitement brought about by sawdust and dry wall made me completely forget the cardinal rule of home ownership: Something always needs to be fixed, repaired or replaced once you sign the mortgage papers.

Micki Bare is a columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau and the Courier-Tribune in Asheboro, N.C., and author of the book, "Relative Expressions." She lives in Asheboro with her husband and three children. Her e-mail address is mickibare@inspiredscribe.com.