Extreme Makeover, Shop Edition. . .

In order to fully appreciate the magnitude and scope of this project, feel free to read some history of the business here and here and here and here.

The business has always been a work in progress, obviously, but some days/years it has felt like one step forward, two (or three or four) steps back. Lately, it's finally beginning to feel like two steps forward, half step back. The fact that we made it through another winter still intact and are headed optimistically into spring gives me hope that the future of the business is bright.

The links above give a pretty good history of how/why we attained this second building but I don't think it mentions why this wall is blue and part of the ceiling tiles are black. . .

When we sub-rented 3/4 of this building last year, the tenant had high hopes of turning it into a showroom but obviously fell a little short. . .


When we were suddenly faced with the full rental price once again as well as everything that goes with that, we decided to make the best of it. . .


Kurt and Rob spent some time putting in a "conference room" off of the main "showroom" and then, for awhile, that was as far as we got. . .

Rob found himself with a little time on his hands a couple of weeks ago so he decided to tape and texture. Zach was a big help. . .

Once that was done, it was much easier to see the big picture of what this room could be so we all got to work finishing it up. Of course, the blue wall had to go. . .

Rob acquired a handy, dandy paint sprayer which just made everything easier. . .

Rob even color-matched one wall to the carpet making it a vibrant gold color. . .

The carpet was an auction purchase a few months ago and we ended up selling off enough of the extra remnant pieces that the final purchase price to us was. . . nothing. . .

We hired a professional crew to cut and seam the carpet to give it a nice, finished look but saved a few bucks by gluing it down ourselves. (By "ourselves", I mean Rob and Kurt!):

It turned out really nice. . .




Rob used to be in the door manufacturing business, so it made sense for him to machine and finish the door and all of the trim. . .

It took a few days to finish it up, but the main wall and the conference room walls all have crown moulding along the top and pine base around the bottom. . .



I love it !!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I'm sure it will continue to be a work in progress as we decide on the best way to put these rooms to use but for now it just feels really good to FINALLY look somewhat professional!!!

April Snow!?!?!?

Birdie at the Civic Center. . .

This deal we've had with the Civic Center has been pretty sweet as far as I'm concerned. Mostly because I don't have to do much and I get to show up and watch the events that interest me. Rob and Kurt put in plenty of hours and have had to deal with a few not-so-pleasant people but all things considered it's been a very good experience! The musical, Bye Bye Birdie, was at the center on Wednesday night and it was really good. It was put on by a national touring group and was very professionally done.





As much as I liked it, I have to say I enjoyed last month's local production of Seussical the Musical even more. . . Oh the thinks you can think . . .

Stephy's Youth Group Pics

The youth group at church has been planning a big party that will be held this Saturday night in the gym. . .

I sent my camera to youth group on Wednesday night with Steph to capture some of the excitement. . .

These are just a few of the pictures she took for me. . .

Thanks for taking pics for me, Steph!! It should be a fun party!!!

Potential??

I like to think so. . .

Birthdays and Basketball. . .

To celebrate my sister's birthday, we all met at my nephew Spencer's basketball game. . .

Even though I see him fairly often, I was surprised at how much older and taller he looked out there on the court. . .

I was very impressed at how well he played. . .

It reminded me of my own basketball playing days. . .

. . . Only I spent most of my time on the bench and he spent most of his on the court. . . !!!

We topped off the evening with dinner at Baja Fresh. . .

It was a nice break in my otherwise very busy week!!

I Won The Clothes Lottery . . .

My mother-in-law has a dear friend that recently lost a lot of weight taking her from a size 4-6 to a size 00. This same friend was obviously a good shopper (unlike me) and purchased very nice items that are obviously NOT from Walmart. Jeanie took me over to her house the other day to see if I could use any of the cast-off clothing and I ended up benefiting a great deal! It was well worth the 2 1/2 hours it took me to try everything on. I ended up with a slew of jeans, dressy blouses, colorful t-shirts, dresses with jackets, skirts, wool dress pants and even a pair of overalls!!! It's like winning the lottery!!!

I've never been much of a clothes person and feel the most comfortable in a pair of jeans and a dark colored t-shirt so I hope I can eventually put these clothes to good use. . .

Elsie. . .

It was so great to see Elsie while she was in town over Spring Break.

It was hard to say good-bye again but it was worth it!! These two girls have such a sweet friendship that I am assured they will see each other again. And again. And again. . .

Random

I've been too busy to blog much lately but, of course, I still take plenty of pictures! These are a few of the shots I've taken that really don't need much of an explanation, but I like 'em and it's my blog so I'm puttin' up here anyway!!




This is what Rob resorts to when the Playstation is broken:





Redneck landscaping:

This is a no parking sign in the middle of an abandoned field. It cracks me up:


Spring flowers: