Sunday, July 29, 2007

Coming along

The painting is going well. ‘Well’ should be pronounced ‘without major incident and/or outbreaks of severe bickering between the spouses’.

Blue Blue Blue

My husband the artist is going back in to ‘refine’ the curves and do the finish work after this last coat dries. He is handy that way. My ‘finish’ work, on the other hand, looks absolutely appalling. And also will never actually be finished, because every time I go in to touch up what I messed up last time, no matter HOW CAREFULLY I tape off, no matter HOW CAUTIOUSLY I approach the area to be fixed up with the tiniest brush we have delicately dipped in paint, I will somehow manage to get huge daubs of the stuff all over the other parts of the wall. And drips. And bubbles. And any other painting-related horror you can think of.

I am a painter’s worst nightmare. “Hello Bob the Builder, your assistant today will be Tama…” “NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

It occurred to us that really, it was about time to move Captain Adventure into a bed. He is, after all, three years old, no longer being imprisoned for an hour or two each day so mommy can sit down by herself for a minute taking naps, and hopefully about to start potty training.

It is time.

Given that we are putting waves on the walls, we got a case of the snickers and decided we would get this bed for him:

Sailing, Sailing, over the ocean bluuuue

I know. Cutesy-wootsie. But he is only three, so we figure we’ve got a good seven to ten years before he starts swooning from The Shame Which Is A Baby-Waby Beddie-Weddie. Also, it has a toy chest in the bow and a trundle bed under the hull (which if we took the trundle out is a massive drawer) (but we won’t, because we are constantly short on sleeping space when people visit – go figure), which makes it a pretty darned functional piece of fun kid furniture.

When I bought the bed, they gave me such a ridiculously fabulous price on a matching dresser that I said, Sure! They then offered me a nightstand and I said, Eh, naw! And a desk and I said, No thanks!

Because I have a solid oak desk that needs a new home, and perhaps also a new life. It is one of those pieces which you can’t damage, no matter how hard you try. Five thousand years from now, when they are excavating the ground on which the Den once stood, they will find this desk – INTACT! – and the lead archeologist will say, profoundly, “Geeable bizbliffem bak!” and everyone will nod wisely and say, “Ooogaahya…”

But that’s just a guess. I actually have no insight into how the language of the future will sound.

Anyway, after the kids are back in school and I can actually do such things during the week without a lot of “help”, I’ll be sanding the damaged bits off and repainting it with the lighter blue. Ordinarily I’m one of those ‘oh, don’t paint over that beautiful wood!’ people, but honestly? This desk? The wood is not so beautiful. It is at best ‘eh’ and at worst…ugly.

Paint! Paint! Paint! Paint!

Being indestructible, I doubt even Captain Adventure will be able to total it.

I just hope he likes it. He’s a funny little dude that way, actually – on the one hand, he tends to go with the flow (as long as mommy is there to cling to) and doesn’t get too bothered by disruptions like new school schedules or Go, Diego, Go! being on at 9:30 instead of 8:30. On the other, he will occasionally react to change the same way a fish yanked out of water does: Flopping wildly and doing everything in his power to get back into the water. And we’ll be jerking his chain a bit, because the paint won’t be dry so he won’t be allowed to explore it just yet, PLUS he will be camping out in his biggest sister’s room until his new furniture arrives on Friday…I dunno. It might be a little much for a kid to take, ya know?!

So wish us luck, people. We are messing around with our Lord and Master’s private chambers here…and disobedience will be most severely punished!!!

8 comments:

Jeanne said...

In the year 8007, there will be no verbal language, as all communication will be done via texting capabilities that have been biogenetically engineered as part of one's thumb.

That being said, I love the bed! How cool is that? My guess is, the shape will lend itself admirably (ha, nautical pun) to a reworking in the future to make it less ship-like and more... I dunno... like a race car or guitar pick or flip flop or whatever he comes up with. Either way, the room looks great.

Jeanne said...

Oh, silly me. 2+5=7, not 8. Make that the year 7007.

MadMad said...

I love that boat bed! Soooo darned cute; it's going to be a great room!

Anonymous said...

I am a similar painter, mess everywhere. My husband is also in charge of all cutting and finishing tasks. Love the bed!!

Yarnhog said...

It's looking great! Being a bad painter has its advantages--just ask my husband. He hasn't painted a d*mn thing in 8 years, because he is an impatient (read, horribly messy) painter, and I am a bit a of perfectionist (read, I don't like paint on the carpet, the furniture, or the drapes). So I have painted the entire house (including the ceilings and trim) at least three times, entirely by myself. (I'm also a little fickle and change my mind a lot.)

Anonymous said...

Lookin' good! And I absolutely love the boat-bed. My boys are probably a little too old for that now (11 and 15) but oh, how they would have loved it a few years ago! Paint is miracle stuff as far as I'm concerned. I painted the kids' rooms so many times in our last house that I think the actual room dimensions changed. :-) Are you going to put some fish in the waves?

Pirate Alice said...

That is the coolest bed ever. Any kid who would be embarrassed by that bed doesn't deserve to sleep.

Science PhD Mom said...

The beauty of two different paint colors is you CAN be a bit messy and well, that's ok! I am condemned to cutting in at the beginning of the day, and by the end of the day I don't care any more and DH takes over. He's sloppier overall but much better than I when I've spent all day painting.

At least you are not trying to paint baseboards in place...that is TRULY fun. Watching the paint rip off the boards with your painters tape and finding myriad spots where the paint bled underneath...yeah...yuck.

Hope Captain Adventure adapts well to the new living quarters!! I'll bet he will love it.