Out with the old - In with the new

We have lived in this house almost 10 years and our front door has not closed even once without having to be slammed, pushed, leaned on and manipulated. We all hated it. It was one of the most common heard phrases around here -- "go close the front door good", uttered to one of the kids whenever a visitor would come over. I have found that people really don't like to slam a door unless it's their own, even when they are told, "you have to slam it hard or it won't close."

We finally decided to replace the door. It wasn't a matter of money - although doors are certainly not cheap. It wasn't a matter of know-how since they are fairly simple to do. It was a matter of just doing it. Biting the bullet so to speak and working with Bill to get one out and another one in. The genius who built our house poured the concrete in such a manner that it had to be busted to get the new door in. The board under the door had to be cut out and replaced because it had rotted. The door frame had to be heightened a couple of inches by cutting through the house frame. This of course meant drywall dust and saw dust are floating through the house, resulting in the need for a thorough cleaning. The new heavy door had to be lifted in an out at least 10 times for fitting. THESE are among the reasons it hadn't been done yet.

But now it is. The outside is blue - because it matches the shutters, not to mention I love blue. This morning Jacob and I put on a kickplate, house numbers and installed a new light. I painted the inside of the door is red. This is probably my next favorite color for my house. It is darker than it looks in the picture - more of a barn red like my kitchen. I'm not going to think about how many hours I spent putting 6 coats of paint on the inside and 3 coats on the outside of this door. But I can tell you that this door is here to stay as long as we are. You can close it with one fingertip. It is wonderful.


Yes, things have certainly changed around here. Now one of the most common phrases heard is "DON'T SLAM THE DOOR!"