Another room done!

The Before

I am finally getting the pics to Lilia's room up. It's been done for a week or more... Her room seemed to move much faster than Liam's room, probably because I didn't have to measure and level and measure and level the way I did with those stripes.  So Lilia's room was pink to begin with- not a bad thing for a little girls' room I suppose.  But, I didn't really care for that pink, and besides, Lilia's favorite color is purple.

My original plan was to do a blue sky, on the ceiling, with purple on the bottom that would have large ferns and the like.  Basically a combination of this, although I quickly decided against the pink stripe, and this, the framework around the window and the closet.  I did the (Cast a Spell) Blue, and then did the walls a darker (Dreams Come True) purple.  For the closet area, I went with a lighter (Moonlight Waltz) purple, and the molding was done in an even lighter (One Enchanted Evening) purple.  I then did a border of Tinker Bell Pixie Dust around the room, in the One Enchanted Evening purple.  In the center of some of the stars, I glued a some jewels, which I think was just a very cute touch. 

Stencil Border detail

Finishing touches were the curtains, which I made.  I still think I'll make a valence too.   Around the closet, I put on a cute vinyl flower and mirror butterfly set that I found at Target for $10.  The mirrors came with some sort of adhesive stickers, but those didn't work.  I ended up hot gluing those, and so far, so good.  I still need to find the proper curtain for the closet.

I think it just needs some shelves, and some paint on the inside of the closet.  Maybe a little art and perhaps at some point, a new comforter set.  Once the new rugs are in, the room will be perfect.

A pull out couch for Guests!

9-22-2001

Today is our ninth Wedding Anniversary. Nine years.  It seems much longer than that, and in essence, it is longer, because we have been together since 1998.  Nine years and it seems like we've hardly changed.  John is still my best friend, and life is perfect when he is there.  How lucky I am, to have such a guy in my life.  All the silly little things that society says are important may or may not be there.  Things get crazy, things slow down and feel dull, life is still an adventure, and there's only ever one person I want to be by my side.  It wasn't the most romantic anniversary, or the best, but in the end, I get to enjoy a quiet evening with a wonderful husband, and fall asleep next to him.  And that's all that matters.

What's in my garden?

It's time to play "What's growing in my garden?"  I'm going to be tilling the ground for the first time, and I really need to figure out if these things are anything I should keep.

So I have some things growing in my garden.  Things I have no clue what they are.  This is the first.  It looks like some sort of lettuce.  Arugula maybe, I just don't know.  It's very tangy tasting.

I didn't taste the second plant.   There's only a small patch of it, so it really could just be some weed.

So if you have any ideas on what these are, please let me know!  It would be fantastic to know what these were, and if I want to keep them.  If I don't find out soon, I'll probably just get rid of them completely.

It's my first product review!

Well, this is the first time I've ever done a product review, but since I love Liz, and what I got from her was totally adorable, I had to share.

Reusable and Super Cute from MyMoes Threads!

We all know I use cloth diapers, cloth feminine products and have been trying to move away from paper towels by using cloth towels and napkins.  In preparation of the school year, I started planning on making Lilia and Johns lunches (though it turned out Lilia wouldn't need lunch.) and started thinking about how many plastic baggies I waste.  That's when Liz from MyMoe's threads linked me to some food safe reusable food bags she makes.  I took it as a sign, and made an order.

From top left to right- Velcro bag, sandwich bag, zippered bag and napkin

 

 

 

 

I ordered 2 sets- which consists of a zippered pouch (I opted for a pocket to be added on), napkin, velcro pouch, and sandwich wrap, plus 2 additional zipper pouches.  Let me tell you how great these are.  Not only are the super cute, but they are really useful.  The velcro pouch is perfect for snacks like chips, vegetables and pretzels.  The sandwich wrap was great- it fit nicely around the over-sized bread we use.  The napkin is a nice feature- how many times would you just use a paper towel or napkin, or how many times would you think "Crap, I forgot something to wipe my hands with?"  Well, I know I do that a lot.  Finally, I just tossed everything in the zippered bag, along with some utensils, and voila!  A perfect way to carry a small lunch, without all the waste.

Zipper bags

 I also ordered the spare zipper bags, which are perfect for carrying around snacks for the kids.  Just toss in some Cheddar Bunnies or some Goldfish, and the kids have something to munch on, on-the-go.

They are also easy to wash.  So far I've just had to use wet cloth to wipe down the inside, and then hung it up to dry.  But the nice thing is they are washable is need be.

Liz has a cute variety of fabric, and there are some customizable options.  (With or Without a pocket, with or without a button) and it's all affordable.  So if you are looking for something different, or looking for a way to reduce a little waste- stop by her etsy shoppe, or her website and I'm sure she can whip you up a little something!

Good Ol' Blue and Gold

I debated almost the entire summer on how to handle Liam's room.  This is a little bit earlier than when we did Lilia's Sesame Street room.  She was almost 22 months by the time we did that.  Liam, so far, hasn't really shown the love that Lilia showed for Sesame Street, probably because unlike Lilia, he gets more "cartoon" kid shows.  Kai-Lan, The Backyardigans, Blue's Clues, Mickey Mouse, The WonderPets...he loves these shows, and despite feeling guilty for exposing him to so much TV, I allow it.  Now that Lilia has returned to school, and moreso when I'm not busting my butt unpacking and decorating, I'm giving him more Sesame Street time.

The "original" look

Whoa, totally going off course here...but because he doesn't watch as much Sesame Street as Lilia did, I was hard pressed to decide on going full out "Sesame Street" room for him.  I went back and forth between Sesame Street room, Sporty feeling room, generic "baby boy" style, and I even contemplated an Ocean looking room.  But...none of it felt right.  What I decided to do was Buffalo Sabres Blue and Gold.  This made sense for a number of reasons.  The primary reason being, it easily goes with the Sesame Street theme- so I could do the painting, and then decorate it for a temporary look with Sesame Street decals.  When he outgrows that, we can easily switch to a more "grown up" look.

Never again!

I started with painting the ceiling and slanted sides white.  Then I had a lot of fun trying to eye where I'd do the Gold stripe.  Eying is never a good idea, so the laser level was broke out, and after several hours of measuring, leveling, more measuring and more leveling, we had the lines drawn, taped off, and ready for a coat of Gold.  After that, the work was simple- once the Gold dried, more tape, and then the Blue.  At least second, I decided to do the built in shelves, which I think turned out fantastic.

Curtains and a new rug will complete the look.

I think the paint came out really well.  We need to do some last minute touches on the ceiling, and then after that, the paint is done.  After that, it's all the little tiny things that make a room feel cozy- curtains, new fixtures, new outlet and switch covers, pictures and a new rug.  Seriously, the rug needs to go.  I contemplated painting the wardrobe and drawers to match, but decided that was going to far.  Oh, and the couch in there will be moved out, so he has more room to play.

Built in shelves are a nice bonus.

So that's the first room we did in the new house.  It really was a fun job, even if it were a tad exhausting (and mentally taxing, damn math skills.)  I definitely think it's something that can grow with Liam- it'll be exciting to put some Buffalo Sabres decals on the walls.  Who knows, maybe I'll invest in a fat head Ryan Miller for the wall!

I'm a Home Owner!

Opening the door for the first time!

We finally got the house on August 30th.  Since then, it's been a whirlwind of chaos- moving stuff, unpacking, sorting, organizing, trashing stuff, painting, cleaning...all on top of the normal every stuff.  It's been fun.

Home ownership was something I was unsure if I'd ever get.  It's a very weird feeling after renting my entire life.  But it's an awesome feeling, knowing that I can fix anything that needs to be fixed, or change anything I want to change, as long as I have the financial means, of course.

And we even had the fun of having to do "home owner" type things the very first night.  Our hot water heater pilot light was out, and it was supposed to be lit the day we closed.  However, it wasn't (after being told it was) so when I went to take a hot bath that night, there was no hot water.  So, we sucked it up, and lit the pilot light ourselves.  It was a success!

White and Pink Rose

Name that plant!

I think it's a Yellow Camelia

Unpacking is slow, decorating and painting is slow too.  But I now have fun things to update my blog with, so I hope you all will look forward to that.  (Next update will be Liam's awesome Blue and Gold Bedroom!)  For now, I leave you with some awesome things from my newly acquired garden.  It's a lot of fun trying to figure all the different plant growing in the garden.