Renovations are underway

As if we didn't have anything else going on, yesterday began the renovations of the shower in our bath and tub in the hall bath. Our bath is up first and the shower has been completely removed. I am SO glad to see that wooden beast gone. And, I will certainly be glad to have 2 working bathrooms after who knows when. It always makes me so nervous to spend such a large chunk of money at one time, but I know it's for the best - it has been thought out and planned for a while now. I suppose it is a better investment than putting it into our IRA right about this time. Uncle Sam will be happy anyway....our tax return and economic stimulus check hard at work. We usually put our tax return into our IRA accounts, but this year something told me maybe we shouldn't. Glad I listened to the little voice! :)
It's so amazing to look back and see all that we have done to our house since we first bought it in the summer of 2005. We have certainly made it our own and given it a much needed face lift. Here's a list of things we have done or had done since moving in:

Knowing our limits and paying someone else to do it!:
- Tile and carpet removed and new tile laid in living, dining, kitchen, hallway, and both bathrooms
- New toilets in both bathrooms
- Removal and renovation of old shower in master bath
- Removal and renovation of tub and wall tile in hall bath

DIY Projects - in no particular order:
- Removal of carpet and tack board in all 4 bedrooms
- Removal of wall paper border (I'm convinced that stuff is from the devil!)
- Removal of hardwood paneling - Groovy!
- Laying wood laminate flooring in back 3 bedrooms
- Painting every wall in the house at least once - with the exception of 2 closets
- Scraping falling popcorn ceiling and then re-popcorning and painting (that was a messy job!)
- Removing old cabinets/vanities in both bathrooms
- Installing new vanities, medicine cabinets/light fixtures, counter tops and fixtures in both bathrooms
- New ceiling fans and dining light fixture
- New closet doors in back 3 bedrooms
- Baseboards in living, dining, hall, and back three bedrooms
- New interior doors and hardware (handles)- 5 down four more doors to go
- Replacing all outlets and light switches - Nick still has three rooms left to go

I don't know what in the world we will do with ourselves once the bathrooms have been completed. That's the final thing on our list! We love our house, and are glad we looked past all the cosmetics when we purchased. The important things were in place - good layout, room to grow (The "room to grow" will commence shortly when we bring Natalie Shea home!), brand new roof right before we moved in, new AC 1 year before we moved in, nice neighborhood, and good structure.
We have certainly learn much, survived some heated moments :), and grown together as husband and wife. It's very gratifying to look back and reflect just how far we've come and things we've accomplished we thought we could never do.