With respect to my son’s new status as a ladykiller (see Knockout), it was time for another room remodel. He’s already gone from the Spiderman themed decor to a simple red and blue theme (see Tianguis), but he was ready for something more adult.
BEFORE the remodel
The first thing to go was the red paint. He chose a cream color to go with the rest of the house. OK, two coats and that was done. The blue trim around the windows and door stayed though as an accent color.
Then there was the bed. We had purchased the bed with a four-year-old in mind. It was only about a foot from the floor which allowed him to easily get in and out on his own. Well, my son has grown since then, so the bed was no longer at a comfortable height. There was also the issue of the two center bars having broken off. So now, when he would lay in the bed, the sides of the mattress would bow up, enveloping him in a cushioned cocoon.
As my husband had made our bed stand, he said he’d make another one for our son although he’s far from proficient in carpentry. This involved cutting and drilling and quite the afternoon project. Myrtle even lent a hand with the power inverter. Finally, it was done and the bed in place.
My son also wanted new sheets. I had brought Spiderman sheets from the States oh so long ago, and although they were still in good condition, he wanted something more grown up. I dug around in my things and found a cream sheet set. Looking good!
His blanket had disintegrated this past winter, so he needed a new one. I dug around some more and found enough material to make a blanket for his bed on my treadle sewing machine (See Seamstress). While I was at it, I made a bed skirt, pillow case, throw pillows, and matching curtains.
Everything came out of his room and was carefully approved before reentry. That gave him quite a bit more space. His armoire was bursting at the seams, so I set about searching out a chest of drawers to complete his new room. The first week was a total bust as I had forgotten that Moroleon stores traditionally close Thursday afternoons. Ni modo. (Nothing more to be done) I’d have to come back.
I found a lovely handcrafted set of drawers, but when I asked the price, I nearly fainted. 6,500 pesos! Well, as that was almost the cost of 5 windows for our second floor, it wasn’t going to happen. We found another set of drawers at Coppel for about $1,500 pesos, but the workmanship was just awful. We finally found a set of drawers at a roadside tent outside of Valle de Santiago. It was also $1,500 pesos and real wood. That’s the ticket!
Then there was that matter of a new headboard. The black metal headboard from his old bed was too short. The guy doing our windows (See Window Installation) gave us a headboard, but my son didn’t like it. So we took a trip to San Pedro, which is where we usually stop on the way back from immigration stuff in San Miguel Allende. We checked out several furniture stores. One store had one we were interested in, but the muchacho (boy) who was running the joint was down the street at his mother’s buffet. We waited a bit but then left. On the way back, we stopped at a carpinteria (carpenter shop) to ask about prices. We didn’t really like any of the models that he had available, so we went to the guy who did our interior doors. My son sketched out what he wanted, and the guy said he could do it for $500 pesos with delivery in 2 weeks. Trato hecho (It’s a done deal!)
Then since every growing boy needs a mirror to admire himself in and to do his hair, we set out on our quest for a mirror. Again, we were frustrated with the quality and availability. It took several months, but finally, one of my students happened to be remodeling as well and had a metal framed mirror that didn’t match the new decor. Said student’s mom offered me the mirror and I snatched it up. We brought it home and oops, the wind knocked it over before we had it hung and the mirror shattered. So now with 7 years of bad luck, we had the glass replaced and hung it up right away. With repairs, it ended up costing $500 pesos, but my son was happy with it.
His room is still the freshest in the house and now mostly uncluttered too. Of course, the uncluttered part didn’t last long. You know teenagers.
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