Debating the Painting, and Too Many Mini Clothes

As with any move, unless you are really lucky, redecorating at least a few rooms is inevitable.

In our house, the word which best describes the decor is Borders. Every room except the kitchen and the main bedroom has a naff border of some kind. In our bedroom, its a nightmare of Laura Ashley flowers in green.

Now, I know a lot of 80s style is back, but unless hell freezes over I cannot live with the mad pattern and border combo for much longer. The ceilings have been artexed to within an inch of their life with crazy swirls, so that, plus the over active wallpaper, and the Axminister old lady carpet  is just head ache inducing. (How do I know its old lady carpet? My Nan has it in white).

As we have mad abstract  paintings with lots of colours, we usually paint the downstairs cream, with white woodwork. That way, none of the paintings clash.

Mini has picked her colour, and Littlest will have light blue- not because he has a say in it, just because he's a boy!

So, its not colours that are the problem.

It's who gets to paint.

*

Elder always does the painting. That's why, nine times out of ten, he paints just before we decide we actually hate the house and we then move, rendering the time and money spent entirely pointless. Yet for all my motivated spirit to grab a brush and get it done myself, he has banned me from decorating for ten years.

Why?

Well, when I was 18 and had just met Elder, I decided to redecorate my tiny flat by myself., and armed with paint that my neighbours kindly donated, I slapped paint here and there.

Granted, I "forgot" to put any covers on the furniture. Or the carpet. I also "forgot" to put masking tape around the light switch and window frames. Mainly because I didn't know what masking tape was.

Elder was not impressed. In fact, so unimpressed was he that he has used this minor oversight to ban me from even holding a dry brush since.

But this time I decided that having bought a tester pot for Mini's room, I'd see how well it covered the awful square bits on the wallpaper by doing a little square. 

The square got rather large, and I sneakily carried on until I'd finished the whole tester point.

Elder was not impressed, and moaned that I would end up messing the house up. He promised to get on with the painting. However, I argued my case. Well, I promised to only paint the middle of the walls and not near the skirting or ceiling, so he can do the fiddly cutting in bit.

I am now allowed to paint the whole of the upstairs (minus the hallway where guests will see) in the same fashion. Hurrah! Painting embrago lifted, I think I may try wallpapering next.....

Speaking of rooms, well, Mini now has all hers, bar the decorating, in place. And my God my daughter has too many bloody clothes.

Honestly, she has more clothes than, wait for it-

ELDER AND LITTLEST COMBINED!

Its my fault. I can't resist dressing her up as she looks so cute. Really, our new shopkeper gave her a double Milky Way for free two days ago. 

Elder was unsuprised when I told him I had come to this conclusion, saying I treat her like a dolly. Which I resent, merely for the fact I don't push her round in a pram or feed her plastic pretend food. 

She has 18 dresses, 12 pairs of jeans, 8 skirts, 5 pairs of shorts, 5 swimsuits and three large adult sized draws of tops.  That's without all her shoes, handbags (some of which are designer) and her sunglasses.

I don't spend silly amounts on her, although a lot of it is labels or upper High Street. I buy a lot from thrift shops or E Bay, and love a good bargain. 

I don't understand people who feel its hard to dress a child nicely with the amount of thrift shops there are these days, and many may stick their noses in the air over second hand clothing, (I always buy new shoes), but children wear clothes for such a short period, if at all, before out growing them, for a couple of pounds you can buy a good quality item which has plenty of life in it.

With that in mind, and Littlest having another major growth spurt, I will no longer buy her anything, but will spoil the boy instead! 

Elder can sort is own lack of clothes out! 

*Paint photo courtesy of Simon Howden/FreeDigitalPhotos.net (Portfolio)

Picture of Mini, Copyright of C.Curran, and may NOT be reproduced without permission.