Blinded.

Removing the old (broken and stained) roller shades in the master bedroom and installing blinds should have been a simple project. Except that the brackets holding the roller shades were nailed into the window frames instead of using screws. And like everything else in the house that's nailed in, someone used 5" nails - they were so difficult to pull out I toppled over on the step ladder (seriously I have a bruise as evidence). And while I love the big window casings, they have a downside - it made it very difficult to install the blinds. It was impossible to fit the drill inside in the corner. And the thick, solid (quality!) wood made it so difficult to hand screw everything in with a screw driver that I had to give up and interrupt Mike's electrical work. When even Mike struggled with the screws, I felt a little better.

Now I know vinyl blinds are making any design conscious person reading (you?) gag. But we're on a really tight budget at this point and the price was right. Plus I like the functionality (privacy!) and versatility of blinds - someday I would like to upgrade to something more stylish, but for now I'd rather put the effort towards other more important things.

Curtains have been postponed. The hardware/brackets for the rods aren't deep enough for the huge window casings. I want the curtains to hang outside the casings to showcase the beautiful trim instead of hiding it, so I need bigger rods. Now I have to repair the walls and get over to IKEA... a trip we've been putting off.