"We dare not stop or waste a drop so let the paint be spread!"

Anyone know that song?  Am I on a disney kick with my titles, or what?

Greta is still very sick and that has kept me busy and home-bound.  She hasn't eaten now for days and right now she is taking her first nap since Saturday.  Hopefully that means she is on the up and up.  We're keeping all appendages crossed that that is the case.

So, needless to say there have been no new projects going on here, but I am happy to report--there IS something in the works.  Are you ready for this....it's a PAINTING PROJECT.  And no, I am not referring to that one for our bedroom (although that is still in the works, too).  We're talking about painting the walls of this place!  I know what you are thinking, "But...but, you guys are renters."  Well, you are absolutely right about that one, but we happen to be pretty dang good renters.

I think there is something to be said about being a good tenant while renting.  Not only do you gain the trust of your landlord, but you also get perks (i.e. painting the walls).  Some things that we do to keep our "good neighbor" tenant status sky-high are:

• Pay our rent on time or early every month
• Don't bother our landlord excessively
• Keep the noise level down
• Get out and shovel those snowy walkways (high-five to my Chris-baby for that one)
• Slip his mail under the door daily
• Bring him dinner when we have lots of leftovers
• Offer to watch his chickens when he is out of town (we even got to keep all of the eggs!)
• Be friendly
• Send "thank-you" e-mails
• Rent for more than one year (we have been in our place for almost 16 months)
• Take pride in our apartment and keep it neat and clean

Hi Paul,

I wanted to send a quick email about something we were thinking. My wife has been really getting into projects and home decor things; she's done a great job of making the apartment down here feel like home and we love it. The thought we had is this: the wall color in Greta's room is different from the rest of the apartment and we think it really adds to the feel down here. We were wondering if you'd be willing to let us paint the bedroom we sleep in. We would purchase the paint, and approve the color through you of course (a cool, neutral color). We've just noticed that the paint on the back wall of our room is chipping a little, and now might be a good opportunity to freshen it up a bit (Jules is really good at stuff like that- choosing colors etc.). 

Let me know your thoughts, Paul. Of course if you'd rather keep it the same, that's not a problem. We just wanted to make the offer.

Thanks!

Chris 

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Chris,

You are welcome to do anything you want with paint, I trust you both will do a good job. How is the ceiling in the baby's room looking?

Paul 

We feel so thankful and like the luckiest tenants out there!  There may be some of you that are wondering why we would spend money and effort painting a place that technically isn't ours.  Well, it is our home right now.  You have to feel happy and at peace with where you live; it should be a sanctuary from the outside world.  That's what all of these projects are about--making this space ours.

 So now we get to pick out paint colors, and maybe revisit some paint colors that we liked last year.  Because we live in a basement apartment, we are thinking something light, cool, contemporary and neutral.  Perhaps something a little warmer in the bedroom.  Who knows at this point.  We are excited to hit up home depot once again and get crackin'!  And for you other renters out there, we're sending good painting vibes your way--could there be colored walls in your future?