The Money Pit

Last New Year’s Eve, we assembled a handful of close friends, stood in the freezing cold den, and gleefully toasted to the next year when we would come together again to party in a heated, fully restored and decorated space.

HA!

Well, next year is here, and when we attempt to host a NYE party at The Money Pit tomorrow night, we will, indeed, be warm. But the house will NOT be fully restored, nor will it be decorated. Unfortunately this NYE is going to resemble more college kegger than sophisticated soiree.

Guests will perch on a hodge-podge array of wicker and upholstered cast-offs while they sip from plastic Solo cups, and we’ll likely be frantically unpacking kitchen supplies to cook hors d’oeuvres as the first guests arrive.

The house still looks unfinished, too. The doorway and window trim throughout sports its original flaking paint. The dining room paneling needs another round of sanding, and the living room still looks like a 1970’s man cave. Walls stand devoid of art, some still wanting paint. Windows scream for curtains, floors cry for rugs and most rooms echo for lack of furniture.

I guess I should look on the bright side. We do have 2.5 fully functional bathrooms. Not a single stud wall in sight. Multiple layers of linoleum flooring and hideous wallpaper have given way to checkerboard tile, polished hardwoods and warm paint tones. The kitchen sink, stove, oven, microwave, and refrigerator work. The master bedroom is fully furnished, replete with blinds, curtains, bedding and dressers. Have I mentioned lately that the master bath tile is done?!?!?!?! The fire-engine orange-red has been eradicated from the kitchen walls, and the cabinets are no longer covered in NOLA Saints gold.

Best of all, the house will be filled with a bevy of good friends, a table full of food and plenty of bubbly to toast to 2011. That’s what really counts!

And maybe next year we’ll entertain in the fully restored and decorated space that we envisioned, filled with real furniture, draperies and art on the walls. Honestly, as long as our friends show up … I don’t really care.

Happy New Year, everyone!!!!