Bathroom Makeover

So, I have finally finished the downstairs bathroom. Here's a view of the work that I did.

The original bathroom had a dark, wood-grain wallpaper with golf phrases and had a contrasting border. The trim was painted dark green. The wallpaper wasn't in great shape and had started to peel away from the wall on its own.

The project began by removing the wallpaper, which was no problem after Dad taught me how to do that during the upstairs bathroom make-over. The walls were painted tan, the vanity and cabinets, originally a wood veneer, were painted a light sage green and the trim was painted white.

This the the bathroom after the initial painting was complete. Originally, this was the end of the make-over. However, I was truly dissatisfied with the way everything looked. After some additional thought, I decided to add stenciling.

Mom was an amazing help with the stenciling. Despite the fact that both of the homes I lived in when I grew up were covered floor to ceiling in stenciling, I never helped her with them.

I had a plan, but she helped to put it into action and taught me how to stencil. Over a weekend, we got the majority of the stenciling complete. It was a lot of fun and absolutely transformed the bland background.

In addition to the stenciling, I removed the large mirror and replaced it with a small, framed mirror. The change also dramatically altered the appearance of the room.

The completed project! I am so pleased. Thanks, Mom, for your help with this project.

Relief

Finally some relief from the heat! The boys enjoyed a nice time outside tonight. Otis really enjoyed chasing all of the grasshoppers. He may have eaten a few. Oh well, at least they're more digestible than bra straps. Speaking of...they came out the other end last night. Woo hoo! But dang, that took a long time - two weeks? Who wants to join in the count-down until his insurance kicks in on August 1st? One more week!

I was talking to my grandma about him and she thinks I should find him another home. If I did that, do you think I should warn the new owners of his tendencies? It would only be fair, I guess. Don't worry, though, he's not going anywhere but here! We love him, despite his quirks.

Isn't he adorable?

Hannah's Book

If you don't recall, I was in charge of a craft project for my cousin, Sarah's, baby shower in April. The project has finally come to an end, so I want to share the final results with you!

This is a cloth picture book filled with pictures and notes from the extended family members who were celebrating at the baby shower.

As guests arrived, each chose a child's toy and had her picture taken.

While we ate dinner and opened gifts, we had Sarah's husband develop the photos at a one-hour photo store.

In addition to the picture pocket, there is a detachable fabric note that was given to each guest. Using a fabric marker, she wrote a sentence that included her name and described the toy she were holding.

This book is interactive in several ways. Each note has a Velcro attachment. Some notes are folded and tuck away in pockets.

I used several bright, coordinating fabrics and ribbon embellishments. The book closes with a pink ribbon.

I prepared everything prior to the shower (except the cover) so we were able to give Sarah the completed book at the end as one of her gifts.

The front of the book was personalized after baby, Hannah Elizabeth, was born so that I could add her name!

Although it was a lot of work, I thought this was a great idea for a shower! It really turned out beautifully and I will look forward to doing again.

Bathroom Helper

Otis is very curious and has been my consistent helper during the downstairs bathroom remodel.

Clam Bake

Here a few memories to share from our day at Zach's grandparents' house for the annual clam bake earlier this month.

Picking Up Where I Left Off

So, I finally got home yesterday, but found myself leavning soon after to join Zach and his parents for an evening dinner and entertainment at Nissley Vineyards. It was a fun time and the weather was fabulous. As the night turned dark, I was feeling exhausted, and we left just before the band finished. When we got home and I walked in the door, I quickly threw on my pajamas and fell straight to sleep, comforted by my familiar bed and soft pillow. The boys piled up around me and my husband slept by my side. It was sweet.

I took today nice and slow. I think I woke up around 9am, but lounged in bed, watching So You Think You Can Dance on Hulu. I love that show. If you have not watched it, you should. Fabulous dancers, dances, and decent entertainment from the host and judges.

When I finally decided to pull myself out of bed, grab a shower, and start my day, I believe the clock read 3:30pm. Ahh...it was good! I ran some errands, stopped to say hello to my husband who had to work all day, and returned home to get some cleaning done. My car (inside and out!) and the master bathroom are squeaky clean. I transitioned from those projects and got back into the thick of it in the downstairs bathroom. If you recall, I left things on a slightly disappointing note. I was not pleased with the painting I had done on the bathroom vanity and cabinet. So, I began repainting those items and throwing some primer on the trim. I'll let things dry overnight and I should be able to get another coat (maybe even two) before work tomorrow. I think the choices I'm making now will make me happier. We'll see! I promise pictures when the job's complete, which still might be a while longer, since I do plan to stencil, too!

Oh, I forgot to mention the latest items Otis decided to eat. Yes, eat. I mentioned how tired I was coming home last night. Well, as I changed from my clothes into my pajamas, I just threw things on the floor and did not put anything away. I was too tired to realize that part of that pile included my bra, with tasty little straps that Otis has an affinity for. So, yes, this morning I woek up and the majority of both straps had been consumed by the little devil. As I picked things up, I also noticed he found a rubber cord wrap for the computer and he had consumed about five inches of that as well. I'm not sure when he found that particularly tasty treat, though. It could have been anytime this week since I was gone. So far, he's doing fine, eating and quite playful. Hopefully he chewed things up into small enough pieces that will pass right on through. I really don't want a repeat of his last episode. Tomorrow I'm calling VPI to get him some health insurance coverage. Never a dull moment...

Missing Home

I am definitely missing my home, my cats, and my husband this week while I'm house sitting two homes, three dogs and three cats. I am sure there are more flowers in bloom in my gardens and I am crossing my fingers that the automatic watering was appropriate for the heat we had earlier this week. Zach usually does OK with the cats while I'm away, but they do not receive the amount of attention that I give them and I miss their crazy antics (even when it includes chewing my shirt - Otis!). I have been able to talk to Zach, so it's a little easier to get through the week when we can catch up on the phone. However, my hopes to meet him for dinner on Friday got shot down since I work, and he will be at his parents' house on Saturday when I return home. I will have to wait until Saturday night when I head to Nissley vineyard to meet up with him and his parents to enjoy one of their summer concerts. It's just one more day, but I'm getting really anxious to be home again!!

Bouquet #6 - Variety

Weekend Pictures

Here was our Fourth of July / early anniversary celebration with my parents.

The seriously massive spread of food!

Red (Pink), White and Blue (Purple) Bouquet #5

The man enjoys his (rare) steak!

Relaxin'

Happy Anniversay, Mom and Dad!

FlavorFest

Some pictures from FlavorFest, taken over the Memorial Day holiday.

Mom and Zach got turkey legs!

Turkey and beer makes my man happy!

Ramblings

These past couple days have been busy, but productive. I haven't been home on a weekend for a couple weeks and I'll be gone for the next two weekends, so I wanted to make use of the upcoming holiday weekend.

Unfortunately things started out less than ideal on Wednesday when I attempted to leave work and found my car uncooperative. Two days later, I found out it was just a dead battery. Thankful it was nothing more, Zach and I are considering a new, used car to replace my trusty Saturn. Not something I really want to do, especially since the Saturn is paid off. Oh well...life goes on.

Saturday began with a busy morning at work, but I was still motivated to begin work on the downstairs bathroom. The golf phrase wallpaper came down easily, thank goodness. It was just hideous. For the next two days I painted - the walls, cabinet and vanity. I enjoy painting, but I'm starting to tire of it. I have one more coat on the walls yet to do (hopefully tonight) and then I'll be done. After that, it's putting everything back up on the walls. I'm really considering stenciling the vanity and cabinet and even the mirror. Pictures will be posted once everything is complete!

Sunday started with church and I played the piano for the first time in public since I can remember. I was so nervous, but was thankful that my preparation proved successful. It turned out really nice! I'm proud of myself ;) Later that afternoon, Zach and I went to my parents to share a fabulous meal with them to celebrate their anniversary. Zach made a great steak dinner and we also got to enjoy some fresh veggies for sides. We ate a little bit late in the evening....dinner at 8:30, dessert at 10:00 ;)

Zach helped me get started with the string trimmer today and I had the opportunity to attack the weeds near the stream. Love it! Next step is killing the yellow jackets in the grass out back. I was stung last weekend after running over their nest with the lawn mower. The sting hurt like the dickens and I still have a huge swollen, itchy area that is driving me nuts. How long does this reaction last?

I have a few pictures to post, but don't have the time now...stay tuned.