A Chocolate Covered Cherry Bathroom!

Although I have a few things left to do to make it totally back in commission, I have the main part of my second bathroom project completed. I was very set on doing a chocolate brown and cherry pink combo and looked far and wide for material that I wanted to do the shower valance in. Since I loved the style of the valance in the other bathroom, I made a similar one for the shower. The accents are all silver/pewter (the wall ornaments and candle holder and soap dish, etc.) I love the color combo although due to the difficulty in finding the material I was searching for, I wonder if it isn't really fashionable, but I have never been one to really be "in style".

Jackpot!

Since I could see something sticking out from underneath the oven, I decided to investigate and removed the bottom tray/drawer to see what I could find. You can see in the picture all the things that were hiding underneath the oven! Connell thought that we hit the jackpot and immediately scooped up the clock and was saying, "I have a new toy!" You can tell how long it has been since I have cleaned under there by the fact that Connell didn't even remember that he had that clock before!

Sick Boys

I haven't posted in a week so I thought I better do a quick update. Both boys are sick and so it has been a boring week. Connell had a fever yesterday and so consequently we had to miss our Early Childhood class and didn't leave the house all day. Both boys have nasty productive coughs and I have been trying to teach Connell how to get some of the junk out, but he isn't really catching on.

Both of my reality shows are now done for the season and I was pleased with both winners -- David Cook as American Idol and Kristi Yamaguchi as Dancing With The Stars champion. Now that I have 3 of my weeknight evenings back, I plan to do some more redecorating in the house, walking in the evenings and perhaps getting back to reading.

Big Shoes to Fill

The boys like to walk around with either shoes belonging to Ray or myself. This morning they each found a pair of mine and were following each other around the living room. You might be wondering why Connell looks like he is dressed for the tropics and Liam for the North Pole. Since Connell's room faces straight west, he gets the sun in the evening and therefore his room is quite warm for sleeping. Liam's window faces straight east and has the opposite problem! So you will often find them in pjs from opposite seasons.

Redecorating the Bathroom

A few weeks ago, I got the bright idea to redo the 1/2 bathroom on our main level. Since I have only painted once in my life (about 4-5 years ago in helping Ray to paint the large rooms in our newly finished basement) and that painting was very limited (Ray did most of it), I really am a rookie to the whole concept. I started by picking out the fabric for the window treatment (as I have always made all the curtains, valances, etc. in our house even though I never paint the rooms that they go in) and then matching a "basketweave" paint color to go with them. I decided to capitalize on the dark blue and lime green colors in the fabric as accents in the bathroom. I also wanted a French theme so I emailed my good friend of 20 years in France and begged her to take some photos of her village/countryside for me. I got some enlarged and reprinted and then framed them in my painted frames (probably a little wild for those of you who are faint of heart). Overall I am happy with the result although you can truly see (in person) that the paint job is quite amateurish. I really hadn't researched the methods of painting before I undertook the job and so there are lots of minor problems. Good thing I started in our smallest room in the house. I have decided that this summer I also want to undertake redecorating one of the upstairs bathrooms as well just to have the opportunity to improve upon my painting technique. We'll see how that one goes...

Best Friends

Here is a photo that my friend Jackie took of her son Seth (middle of course - just turned 2 last week) and my two boys. They were sitting on the wooden toy chest in Seth's bedroom. I can't believe that all three boys actually smiled a little for the camera. The three boys play together once a week and have known each other since shortly after Seth and Liam were born.

Dreams of Sunflower Fields Shattered

Connell's little sunflower sprout has perished. I am not sure if I watered it too much or not enough or if it was too chilly on the window sill. It said to transplant when it reached 3 inches which it hadn't reached yet. Connell was a little bummed to find out about its demise although he had literally forgotten about the plant until I was taking a photo of it. When I told him that it had died, he looked at it and said, "Mom, I think you're right!"

The Boys Have a Loving Side...

Even though their bickering/fighting seems to be dominant, the boys do have a loving side. This morning they wanted to snuggle together on the couch while watching tv.

College Friends

Ray and I went to my college friend Krissy's wedding this afternoon. I was able to reconnect with 2 other friends - Tracy (left) and Catherine (right). Back at St. Kate's in the early 90s, the four of us did lots of things together (movies, Baker's Square runs, shopping, hanging out in the 3rd floor Whitby lounge, etc.) It was fun to get together after all these years.

My Little Artists

Since I dragged the boys to Joann's and Walmart with me this morning, I bought them each a $1. velvet picture with markers to color when we got home. Can you tell which one colored which? Slight difference between a 3 1/2 yr old and a 22 month old in the coloring department I guess.