Fun and Frolic With Long-Term Love

OMG today is crazypants. Honestly, there is so much to do, I don't even know where to start.

My budget is whackadoo. I woke up early this morning, so I decided to start getting my numbers for the month in order. That is actually looking good, though now that I have done the adding up, I now have to plan the subtracting. :) I need to go to the bank later and actually transfer some balances around so I have cash in the shared account to spend.

I need to go pay for the appraisal, but I don't know if it makes sense to go do that before or after talking to the realtor. My appointment with her is at 2, and then I need to take my daughter to work. The kittens need to be at the vet by 3. By the time I get out of the vet, it might be too late...maybe I will have PunkRock take the kittens, and then I will have time in the afternoon to run around more.

I need to contact my son, because he has gotten fatter and needs new shirts. I swear - he was here on Sunday and he had parts sticking out everywhere. I'm like, dude, WTF? and he was like, my clothes have gotten smaller! No, you just keep eating junk. He's 6'3" tall and he is freaking huge. Anyway, I am grabbing some of his cash this month and making him go to JCPenney sometime today with me to get new shirts. I think he's been in a 2XLT, but he is definitely at least a size up from that. I think he works until 2 pm, so again, I would need time in the afternoon to take him out. I am his rep payee, so that's what I mean by grabbing his cash - he doesn't have access unless I let him, to his social security account. And buying new shirts has become a priority. I need to text him this morning. Maybe a little less early. :)

Christmas shopping! I am done with my oldest son and daughter, but I have purchased nothing for my youngest, or PunkRock, or DarkKnight. I still have to buy my mom and my sister a gift as well. Those last two though, I will get those when I am in NY, as they want gift cards to places local to them. At the moment, I have no idea what I am buying my youngest or my loves. Better get on that, huh?

Oh shit, I need to wrap PunkRock's birthday present as well. He also asked me to wrap my oldest daughter's gifts from him today - we need to get those in the pile I am taking to NY later this month. I think the wrapping is the next thing I am going to do this morning, and then I will shower.

I still haven't sent my nephew his birthday present. I have GOT to assemble that this morning. Really, that's why I started up early - that was going to be left out of my schedule yet again, but I seriously need to get moving on that and get it in the mail.
 
Ok, well, my day got mixed up. lol

I fell back asleep and was snoozing until 11, and now I am having lunch. Lately, this is happening almost every day - I wake up between 4-5 am, and then around 9, I go and sleep for an hour or so. Why, I have no idea. Stupid body.

Anyway, I'm showered and eating and currently researching a title company. I'm supposed to choose and I have no idea how to do it. According to the internet, they are all the same, but yet if you pick the wrong one they can screw you over; the prices are the same, but you should definitely not go with the cheapest - only, the cheaper they are, the more trustworthy they are.

Whatever. My real estate agent recommended one and more than likely I am going to pick that. I believe the seller's concessions are paying for these services anyway. My head hurts looking at all this.

Edited to add:

I don't know if I mentioned about the deed and the title. We decided that since DarkKnight is the only one on the deed (the mortgage note) then he will also be the only one on the title. What happens to the house after his death will be covered in his will, and in the documents we're going to have the attorney draw up for us. It was easier, and didn't involve getting the mortgage lender all up in our business. I actually have an email out right now, with a legal firm, and hopefully they will get back to me about making the structure of all of this more legal. :)
 
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Bluebird said:
I don't know if I mentioned about the deed and the title. We decided that since DarkKnight is the only one on the deed (the mortgage note) then he will also be the only one on the title. What happens to the house after his death will be covered in his will, and in the documents we're going to have the attorney draw up for us. It was easier, and didn't involve getting the mortgage lender all up in our business. I actually have an email out right now, with a legal firm, and hopefully they will get back to me about making the structure of all of this more legal. :)
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Definitely check with an attorney about this. I know many people who have their home in a living trust have to change the title to Individuals to do a re-finance and then change the title back to the trust once the re-fi is complete. If he has a "house" don't just let it be covered in a will - at least set up a living trust or such, with a clear succession of trustees. Having to deal with the courts and probate really SUCKS and is extremely expensive and time consuming.
 
I can recommend a title company in Rockville if you'd like. I worked there before moving out of state.

You can create a trust and deed the the property into the trust. If your lender won't alllow you to do that at the initial closing you can do it right after your purchase deed is recorded.
 
Oh cool...home improvement porn...love it. Congrats!

I don't know if your state has this, but we have something referred to as a Lady Bird deed here. It allows the deed holder to name a persons or persons to leave the deed to in case of death. It can also be set up so the owner can't sell the property without the permission of the named person(s). That might solve your problem with no tax consequences, other than the owner being liable for all the taxes.
 
We have a lot of different options to look at! Thank you for all of your suggestions! The lawyer got back to me but we've decided to hold off until we actually purchase the house and we've closed. $200 an hour to just discuss hypotheticals makes me feel ill! I'd rather discuss and then have him draw up the paperwork and get it done. I don't want to do the talking now and then not do anything until February - I may have forgotten something important between now and then. It was good to locate someone who was not phased by the polygamy side of things. It's probably all pretty much the same as three unrelated people to the attorney, I suppose.

Today I have spent most of my morning falling down the rabbit hole that is Pinterest, and buying Christmas presents off of Amazon. I went and picked up some stuff for my daughter last night - DarkKnight and I had a date and went to Mango Grill before doing some Christmas shopping. I am all done with my 3 kids now, and DarkKnight. I did some shopping for PunkRock but I have to decide on something specific for him in the next couple of days. I was going to get him this red Battlefoam bag he really wanted but with shipping it ended up being almost $200 and it wouldn't arrive til mid January. So that was a nope. The $40 shipping for an empty suitcase (basically) pissed me off. So I have to come up with another idea.

Today I have grocery shopping to do, and DarkKnight and I are going to go look at paint colors for his new office and bedroom.
 
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Well today was busy but it wasn't stressful. I pretty much spent the entire day with DarkKnight. We went to Home Depot and talked a lot about the new house. We walked around and looked at all sorts of things, and left with a lot of paint chips. :) My entire evening was looking at these paint colors and trying to decide what color combinations looked the best. I also spent a great deal of time drawing elevations on graph paper of the different layouts we would have in our new living room. This is fun to do. :) The part that is taking a lot of time is that PunkRock, DarkKnight and I want to make the house very cat-friendly, and one of the ways we plan to do that is to build highways throughout the main rooms in the house. If you do a google search, I am sure you can understand what's i mean by that. Anyway, it's fun to figure out different elevations and connections and how we are going to make it look awesome but also not cartoony.

PunkRock went out tonight to play Infinity with his friend at the game store, and DarkKnight and I stayed in and ordered pizza from Papa John's. I highly recommend their honey chipotle wings. I always order an 8 pack so I can split it and have 4 with DarkKnight, but ZOMG that isn't enough. Lol I decided to sleepover with PunkRock tonight since I hadn't seen him all day and this way I will be able to time things so I have a sleepover on his birthday. DarkKnight was amiable to the idea, so that worked out.

When PunkRock came home, I caught him up to speed about the choices DarkKnight and I had made, and decisions we were sticking on that needed his input. He had favorable thoughts on our color choices, and he was VERY helpful on the parts where we needed ideas. :) I am glad that I am married to an artist! He and I also sat down and discussed the timing on the basement renovation, which led to me making a full list of everything we wanted to complete after we close on the new house while we are still living in the rental house. Which should be February-April 1. So two months. The list is daunting! I organized it by room and then we discussed briefly a timeline, to make sure it gets done before move in day. The next step will be to assign a cost guesstimate to each of these tasks and then try to firm up a better, real budget. I think it should all be do-able. Time wise we then will want to write out a firmer schedule.
 
OMG today is nutters. I made a post on Facebook about my foster kittens and now 3 have homes. Two will be traveling to Long Island on the 20th, and PunkRock agreed to drive them up with me. Biscuit is being adopted next sunday. So I had lots of business surrounding kitty cats today. Tomorrow I have to go in to the shelter and pick up all the paperwork and vouchers for their spay/neuter appointments coming up.

PunkRock and I went to lunch at 5 Guys today, and did some grocery shopping. He is snoring down the hall right now. We are celebrating his birthday today in about an hour. There will be cheesecake. I have him his present earlier today because I thought he might want to set it up and use it this afternoon but apparently sleep won the battle. :) I got him this lightbox kit for taking photos of his painted miniatures. It came with the box, a couple lights, a tripod for his phone camera. It's pretty sweet and it was on his wishlist, so I know he wants it. Lol

I just had a long text conversation with a friend whose daughter is bisexual and decided that she wants a poly relationship with a married couple. In that, she doesn't have anyone in mind but wants to go looking. I gave my friend the More Than Two website link and encouraged her daughter to do a lot of reading on secondary rights so she doesn't go blindly into this sort of thing.

I also fielded a lot of messages today about my Christmas charity which I have been not paying attention to recently. I finally made the spreadsheet and did some pricing. We are only sponsoring one family this year but it's a family of 6 and the gift list is EXTENSIVE. I am tired just thinking about it. I will be shopping for these guys on the 16th.

I am currently laying on DarkKnight's bed and he is sleeping next to me, but I need to go downstairs and start prepping things for PunkRock's birthday dinner. Tomorrow we won't have time for a party because he works til 5 pm and the monthly film league that we joined meets at 6 pm.
 
Last night I went over the renovation list with DarkKnight, the list I had made with PunkRock a day or so ago, everything we need to do within the first two months after closing on the new house. He had a couple of comments but overall, he thought it was accurate and good. So, after a bit I went down to the basement to go over it again with PunkRock, only this time figuring out how many days/hours each project would take, and what tools and what materials we'd need to purchase to complete each task. That was a fun conversation and though the list still seems daunting, it's a relief to me to start getting a handle on things.

My next step is to draw up a master supply list of purchases needed, a list of tasks that require more input (like, we need to build 6 shelves of varying lengths, but we don't know exactly how long they will be), and then to scratch out the actual calendar now that I have notes on how long each job might take.

Then, I will need to follow up on all the tasks needing more measurements, and get that information. I also will need to actually visit Lowes or Home Depot and then get a price list started so I can have an accurate budget for these projects. Like, it's all well and good to say I need 8 sheets of drywall for one wall in the basement, but I need to know how much that is going to cost! Also, some of these projects require special tools I have never heard of or priced out before (ramset gun?) and multiple jobs could be made easier if we purchase a specific thing (chopsaw).

We also have some family and friends who have skills that we could utilize for a certain task, but we don't want to take advantage and drag people over to our place every weekend, so having a calendar will be helpful in pinpointing exact days where we need assistance.

I love planning projects and making lists, so as time consuming as all of this is, I am super excited to get things moving!

Today we should hear back from our realtor if the sellers are wanting to make some repairs prior to the appraiser coming in and doing their thing, or if they want to wait for the official lender list before making any repairs. If they wait, we are guaranteed to have to pay an additional $50 for a revisit after the fixes are complete, so we are hoping they choose to do some things now!
 
I don't recall if the pricing that you see on line is specific to picking a store, but I think it is.... so I would think that looking the store website for pricing might be a lot easier than having to take a list to the actual store and wander around, right? That way if you forget something, or who knows what, you don't have to make multiple trips. Plus, you can just do it all while sitting down and making notes instead of wandering with a note pad or a phone list, which seems like it would take FOREVER!
 
I don't recall if the pricing that you see on line is specific to picking a store, but I think it is.... so I would think that looking the store website for pricing might be a lot easier than having to take a list to the actual store and wander around, right? That way if you forget something, or who knows what, you don't have to make multiple trips. Plus, you can just do it all while sitting down and making notes instead of wandering with a note pad or a phone list, which seems like it would take FOREVER!
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True - much of it can be, and will be, done online. However, some of this stuff, I really need to talk to someone about the specs prior to researching. Like, if there are 3 different chop saws with all these different features - how do I know which ones are needed and which ones are just stuff I won't use ever? With the ramset gun, those range in price from $30 to $200. Which do I really need? I have no fucking clue.

Also for example, I need 3 light fixtures for bedroom closets. I'd rather see and touch those in person. Some of the stuff online could be chintzy. I am tactile and need to paw at the stuff to make sure it's good. lol I am still picking paint colors as well. I forgot that I have a hallway and a bonus bedroom. D'oh!

Maybe most important, PunkRockAwesomesauce works at a big box hardware store. I wanna go visit. :)
 
When we purchased our new home we did something similar.

We measured and picked things out. Some we purchased as it came on sale. We also had a flooring store go out of business and purchased our flooring.

A lot of specialty fools can be rented.
 
Right now I don't have anything on the list that I would consider renting - all the big tools we either own already or they make sense to purchase because we will use them multiple times. That was a great suggestion though - when we look into having our floors refinished, that stuff will definitely rented!

Good on you for getting a sale on the flooring! :) Thankfully, we don't have much of that which needs to be replaced, since all the main rooms are hardwood under the nasty carpet. We will get new kitchen floors, and new floors in both bathrooms, but that is further along this year and next. The basement kitchen floor needs to be completely removed, and that is a big question mark because we are not sure if there is asbestos in it or not. It's a single sheet of linoleum, so we shouldn't have to break it into pieces to pull it out, at least. I need to do more reading about where we can take it and dispose of it safely. After we do that, the cement subfloor needs to be releveled, and that is the most we are doing in that room until the rest of the basement is updated.

I just got a call from our realtor that the sellers have responded to our pushback on the home inspection. They have agreed to go replace the electrical in the kitchen and bathrooms with GFCI outlets prior to the appraisal, and not count that cost toward the total we asked for as lender requested repairs. So that will be happening in the next few days, and we will then be able to schedule the official appraisal by the end of the week. Things are moving along.

That said, they did refuse to fix the broken windows and the heating/cooling unit in the garage, though our realtor said they are going to take a look at the garage unit and see if they can tinker with it - they thought it worked. I'm not really concerned, because we are fairly certain that these things WILL be listed in the appraisal, and then they will all be fixed.
 
OMG I am so tired tonight. I am waiting for PunkRock to come home from work though, as we are going to our town's Film League again this month. I am exhausted, and I am hoping I keep my eyes open!

I was planning on getting my hair cut today, but I spent the entire time completing other errands. Tomorrow is another day though, and hopefully I can make time to put that at the top of the list! My walk in closet is currently just a closet, however, so hanging stuff up is going to be a priority as well. :)

Today I received an email from our lender, saying that they need W2s for PunkRock. I just turned in the last two years' worth of taxes, but apparently those weren't attached. That makes me want to cry because my paperwork desk is a big ol' heap of crazy. I haven't filed anything in months. Sigh. I knew this time was coming, but I don't want it to be this week! (Cue me whining.)

I did accomplish stuff today. My daughter and I had lunch together and then did the window shopping and price checking at the hardware store. We saw some homeschooling family friends there, and they helped us pick some more paint swatches. We priced the tools I wanted to look at.


Gah - PunkRock just got home so I will have to finish this later!
 
So yeah, I got a lot accomplished yesterday, including shopping for my own personal donation to the Christmas charity I am involved with. I bought pajamas for two of the kids, and some Hot Wheels cars for a 7 year old boy, and a pair of yoga pants requested by his 15 year old sister. My youngest actually wanted to buy another gift - she had already donated a robotic cat, so she ended up buying a Shopkins playset. I love that my children are so giving.

I am sorry if lately my journal here has turned into a home improvement blog, but buying a house is paramount in my life at the moment! I've gotten a couple of messages from peeps saying they like hearing about the process, so I am glad of that, since that's what I have been focusing on lately!

Today I will be searching for those w2s and sorting paperwork for a good hour or so, I am sure. I have 3 or 4 of those black plastic filing boxes and 8 or so big stacks of forms and receipts. I think rather than sit at the desk and slog through them, I am going to relocate a stack at a time to another room and just attack the papers one at a time. I won't want them to stay in piles in other parts of my house, so I am more likely to finish that way!

I am also going to grade some quizzes from my Astronomy kiddos and hopefully get at least a couple of transcripts in the mail. I need to request addresses. I've received several payments and deposits in PayPal the last couple of days for my Biology class, so I need to see who has yet to forward payment and send reminders. My deadline is Friday for deposits, so I can order dissection specimens next week. I can't really remember what I planned to use my profits on this time - I need to make a budget through to April 1 and see where it would be best spent. I have an idea of what I would like to do with it, but it's frivolous, and I will probably use it toward the stupid chop saw, channel locks, sawhorses and various other tools we are deficient in at the moment.

Yesterday I got some things nailed down for my foster kittens - two of their names got changed officially, I picked up their spay/neuter vouchers (the two boys go to the vet tomorrow), I now have all of their original paperwork and blank adoption forms, and I grabbed a cardboard carrier from the shelter. (Biscuit will be spayed on Friday and her new family is coming to get her on Sunday, and they don't own a regular carrier.) oh! Sunday is going to be busy - not only do I have Biscuit's adoption appointment, but I need to transport her sister Waffles and mom, Cookie, to PetSmart for an adoption event. It's also PunkRock's company Christmas party that night.

I think tomorrow I will go get my hair cut finally, and go shopping for a new outfit for that party then too. Maybe de-stress afterword by painting my toenails. Yeah, tomorrow will be a pampering day. Today is all business - I'm going to stay home, wear raggedy-ass clothes and get shit accomplished in the house!
 
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So tired! I have already been to the vet this morning to drop off two kittens, and I made a quick trip to the grocery store to grab more cat food and some roses for each of my husbands. It's not fair that they always buy me flowers - sometimes I like to buy them flowers!

I am going to go get my hair cut today, and a new outfit to wear to PunkRock's company Christmas party. Everything opens at 10 am though, so I am back home at the moment. I keep sneezing like a mofo and I don't know what is up with that. I really am exhausted and would like to just curl up on the couch all afternoon and snooze. Honestly, I think I might after I get my other two errands finished. Fuck everything else for now.
 
I spent a little less than $200 on new clothes yesterday - I got about 6 pieces and most were on sale, so I feel like that was a job well done. I bought a new dress and a black sweater to wear over it to PunkRock's Christmas party, and my hair is now short again, with bangs. :) DarkKnight was saying, "Jinkies!" to me a few times last night, because I totally look like Velma from Scooby Doo, as I always do, with this sort of haircut.

I took a four hour nap in the afternoon yesterday and I would have slept for longer, if DarkKnight hadn't woken me up. I was just exhausted all day. Of course, here I am awake early again. Last night was a sleepover with PunkRock and he has today off. He mentioned maybe going to a new thrift store in town, but I have other priorities. I still haven't cleaned off my desk and filed any of my piles of paperwork, there is laundry to do, and I want to paint my toenails. Oh, and we bought a new battery for my car earlier this week and we couldn't get it into the engine compartment due to a bolt problem. PunkRock needs to address that today!

Let's see - house update as of right now: our realtor forwarded the sellers' official answer to our fix-it request that was sent earlier this week, in regard to the home inspection. They said they would replace all of the required outlets in the kitchen and bathroom and outside with GFI outlets. Which is what we had discussed, so no issue there. It is being done outside of the $500 lender-required repairs they had agreed to handle in the contract, so that leaves that amount intact for when we have the appraisal next week. The sellers' are going to do all this work this weekend, and our realtor is going to check it on Monday. Then we can order the appraisal. DarkKnight had to sign a form about it.

I also let our loan officer know that we had chosen a title company, and that we want to lock in our rate as soon as possible. She told me we can only lock 45 days from closing, so that will be next week. Which is kind of a bummer, because I have been reading a lot online and the consensus that I have found is that the rates are going to go up on the 15th, and probably a bit more after Trump is sworn in.

As far as setting up a trust, our wills and such, I let the lawyer know that we don't want to do anything yet but I will talk to him after the holidays.

This morning I woke up and decided that I want to learn how to do some carpentry things so I can build furniture. I am sure this won't be easy because I am traditionally no good at anything involving using my hands to create. I didn't learn how to tie my shoes until 4th grade and I couldn't braid hair until I was in high school. Seriously, there's like this fumbling sort of block that I have. But I am confident I can do this if I try. Now it is just a matter of having the time!

Edited to add - I have been logging into Zillow every morning to check on the status of our house there. Today it finally updated to say "Pending." That feels so exciting, but I am not sure why. lol I was also looking at the comps that Zillow links to in the listing, and there are 2 houses that have sold recently for the same amount, and there are 7 that look really similar to ours that sold for $10,000 to $20,000 more that were either 600 square feet smaller and/or had one less bathroom or a half bath less. So that makes me encouraged about the upcoming appraisal. Those houses were already renovated though, but I think we will end up spending that amount on our redo as well. So that should be good, right? Sigh.
 
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Bluebird, I saw this today and I thought of you and your upcoming renovations. I don't recall what you are planning for the kitchen, but I thought I'd pass this along onto you in case it interests you. I wish I'd have seen this sooner!

Free pool table = DIY slate countertops

I get a kick out of her and she has some really innovative ideas. :)
 
Up early today. I need to take our momma cat and her two baby girls to the vet for their spay at 7:30. Last night the last of the kittens managed to snag herself a new family, so only the mom will be without a placement. I'm taking her to PetSmart on Sunday though, so I will keep my fingers crossed! The two female kittens will go to their new homes on Sunday, and then PunkRock and I will be transporting the two boys up to Long Island on the 20th.

The next couple of weeks are going to be a whirlwind!

Today though, I'm dropping the foster kitties at the vet, and then I really need to come home and focus on my upcoming Biology class. I have received payments and deposits from all but two parents, but today is the deadline and I know I will hear from both of them, so I am not worried. I need to get my syllabus printed with dates, and get the binder material printed, sorted and hole punched. I need to schedule the safety class before Christmas, and that may be a little tricky - I am going to send an email out and shoot for next Tuesday. I also need to order all of the specimens. I won't do that until I have the last two deposits though - my class is currently over full by one student, and if one doesn't pay, then I can save a little by ordering less stuff.

I still have not closed out the year for Astronomy - I need to grade the last set of quizzes, and I have two students who still owe me retakes. I set the deadline for that, for Sunday. So, I figure I will make Monday a focus day for that.

So yeah - today is vet stuff, Biology class prep work and I still need to locate PunkRock's W2s for the last two years. Tomorrow will be vet stuff and DarkKnight has a choral concert that I will be attending. Sunday is PunkRock's company Christmas party and then Monday will be my Astronomy transcript day. Tuesday will hopefully be the Biology safety class, and Wednesday is my run around like a crazy person day - as Thursday morning at ass o'clock I will be leaving for upstate New York until the following Sunday for my extended family Christmas. My youngest and my oldest are driving up with me this time. (My middle kiddo lives up there!) While I am there, I will be shopping for the Christmas charity that I am still a part of, too. Coming home Sunday, recovering Monday, and then PunkRock and I will be going to Long Island on Tuesday.

I am going to stop there, but my schedule won't. Lol The appraisal on the house is supposed to happen next week and I have major anxiety kicking up because of that. However, I don't have much I can do about that!
 
Gah! Today is just dragging. I did get the kittens to the vet on time, and then I came home and slept until a little after 11 am. I then went downstairs and was lazy on the couch, looking up fireplaces and what I want mine to look like in the new house. Then PunkRock came home, and he went to bed, and then DarkKnight got off of work, and he went to bed. We're a bunch of people who need their naps lately! Since I am up by myself (my youngest is at work) I scheduled my safety class and sent out emails to the Biology class parents. Then I printed out all 13 weeks worth of homework sheets.

So, I am now bored. Sure, there are things I could do and should do, but fuck it. Instead, here is my latest entry in Bluebird's Blog of Home Decorating Ideas for a House She Doesn't Own Yet:

So, this is the current end of the living room in the new house, showing off the fireplace.

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Ugly AF, amirite? Here are the plans so far:

1. Tear off the mantle, shelving unit & gross brassy cover.
2. Remove the gas insert and make the fireplace wood-burning again. (We need to hire a plumber to safety remove the piping.)
3. Frame out and build in the awkward left side recess, so the wall behind the fireplace is at one depth all the way across.
4. No curtains.
5. Paint the walls a soft blue-gray, and the existing trim white. Paint the firebox black and the brick itself dark gray.
6. Rip out the carpets to show off the fabulous wood floors.

Ok. So all of that is relatively easy and inexpensive, and hopefully we will end up with a couple of things to sell (the mantle, shelving unit & gas insert). The next step is more difficult.

I want to extend the fireplace brick up to the ceiling. It's a low ceiling, about 8 feet. I have done some googling on how to do this, and every site I have found is very vague. Apparently there is a product where I can just buy sheets of fake brick to glue up? Since I am painting the existing brick, nothing needs to match. However, I can also buy a thin-cut real brick to put up with mortar? I don't know. I am confused and uncertain. It will happen, one way or another, before I move in. If anyone has any help with this part of things, I would be grateful!

After we get that all done, we will be mounting shelves across the entire wall - and both adjoining walls - to build a "cat highway." So, our cats can be up high, and traverse the room without actually being down in the room. PunkRock and I are really excited about this. Here is an inspiration photo:

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The shelves will all be white, and spaced apart to fit the room. Of course, there will also not be a bunch of stuff on the walkways. lol We are doing a mid-century modern theme for the house, so I think the shelving aesthetic will look amazeballs.

Here is my graph paper work in progress:

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And the right side adjoining wall -

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That isn't the entire right wall, but I stopped at the archway into the kitchen because I ran out of paper. The other side of the room is going to be our movie library and some additional seating. And yes, we are planning to do a little porthole into the hallway on the other side of the wall, so the cats can walk through while up high.

Now, I have seen lots of cat highways, and I am not planning to do these in bright, obnoxious colors. It's just going to be painted white shelving that PunkRock and I build out of plywood, fronted with some nice simple, straight molding. And when I say PunkRock and I, I really do hope I am able to assist him. We've found a really great tutorial and we hope to be able to knock out all the shelving in this one room in about a week.

Oh! The tops of the shelves will have a gray carpet stapled on, so the cats have something to grip onto when they jump up and down, and travel along the walkways.
 
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