All I wanted for my birthday was free labor...

All I wanted for my birthday was free labor. I needed help to paint our great room area allllllll the way down the hall and back to the bathroom. It was too much painting for one person, or even two. (Especially because I don't really like to paint) But 9 people who may or may not like to paint but don't mind giving up some time for my birthday present? Easy as pie, it turned out.

This is my magic tree! Jordan got it for me for my birthday. From the package: "Color Buds appear in 1-2 hours. The fun is watching its growing. You will have more fun when you grow the flowers by yourself."

I ignored that last sentence and started my magic tree growing at 9 a.m. so it would be done by 3 p.m. at which time it would be in full "bloom" according to the package. 3 p.m. was also the time the party was scheduled to end.
Of note: Blue tape all along the edges of the kitchen. I taped a bit every night for the last week and then Matt and I finished taping last night. Matt also removed all the light switch covers and electrical outlet covers. My goal was to have all the prep done so people could walk in, grab a paintbrush and start painting.

Tara and Jo, who along with Julie (who doesn't like having her picture taken and successfully avoided me in such a smooth manner that I just realized she isn't in any pictures) were the contingent from my work who came to paint with me.
Mom brought food and a lot of painting supplies. She was very helpful, and manged to be helpful in a way that meant she didn't have to pick up a paintbrush. Good job, mom! You can see that the first coat of paint has gone up on the walls behind her.
Chris and Jan getting the first coat on the kitchen.
The magic tree has begun to bloom. Behind it are the real flowers that Sabrina brought me for my birthday, which Mom helpfully put in a vase after I became overwhelmed with the "what to do with the flowers" equation.
Sabrina combining the eating and the painting of the hall. Sadly, I did not take a picture of the food table. Very sadly, because the food was good. I'll tell you about it. Hummus, Feta, Baba Ganoosh, Pita chips (plain and spicy) a whole lot of chopped vegetables and Olives. Those were my creations. We all were happy to discover how easy it is to make pita chips yourself. Mom brought Greek Meatballs, a Greek rice dish with spinach and the lovely philo cheese triangles which everyone adored.
It turned out we should have had some people start painting in the back of the house and work their way forward, as it got a bit crowded. People did a good job of working around one another as Matt attests. The first coat went on amazingly quickly. We took a break and snacked after less than two hours.
The magic tree after the first coat has been put on.
Ramon painting the worst spot in the whole house. It's about a half inch. He ended up using a q-tip for part of it. Good job Ramon!
Eventually I just climbed up on the refrigerator to get this nook.
If the first coat went on amazingly quickly, the second coat went on at the speed of light. Here is the magic tree after the second coat went on. At this point we are cleaning up and putting away the food because everyone has left and because we are done and it isn't even three o'clock yet.
Matt and Ramon relax with some post-painting video games. The wall behind Matt's head will be painted orange in the near future. Right now it is the original white.
The magic tree in full bloom.
And that, my friends is a great example of how an odious task becomes so much easier when people come to help. Thanks everyone! It was the best communal birthday present ever.