Bathtime Nonsense

Violet loves bath time. But not, apparently, her mommy.

Paint by Number

So I said I wanted to paint the bedroom over spring break. And success is ours! It only took two days and five different paint samples spread over three separate trips to Home Depot to fulfill this spring break promise of finally, finally painting our master bedroom. But all good things are worth the effort. Here's how it went down:

Our goal was a bluish-gray slatey color. Our original three samples colors (see below) were Arrowhead Lake (my original fav), Americana (in case Arrowhead dried too dark and ominous) and Regatta Bay (figured we'd hate it but wanted something really different to contrast).

Who names these things, anyway?

Well, it turned out that we did indeed hate Regatta Bay, Americana reminded us of a boy's nursery, and Arrowhead was just a little too purple. Sigh. Back to the drawing board. Perusing Home Depot's fine collection of color, I was a little freaked out by the purplish-ness of everything after our first failed attempt. Our previous samples had scarred me - I no longer trusted my own judgment. It didn't help that everything look so different once slapped on our walls. Every wall. Our bedroom was starting to resemble a crazy garage sale patchwork quilt, and not in a good way.

We grabbed English Channel, and on a whim, right before leaving the store, threw in a sample of Windsor Haze. Sure, this last one looked good. It seemed more gray than purple. Still had that dark, cozy feeling we were after. But I wasn't going to get my hopes up.

The winner? Windsor Haze, top left corner. Last paint purchased.

But darn it all, if it wasn't the very last paint we picked! After fifteen bucks in paint samples, we finally had our color. I hated spending the money, but it was worth it to try those little sample cans. (And now I have lots of leftover paint to play with should our next bambino be a boy! Someday. Not any time soon. Stop reading so much into things!)

Caution, wet paint!

I taped up the room one evening, and the next day we tackled the trim. It was during this very tedious task that I came to the disappointing conclusion that not only am I not very good at painting, I also don't really enjoy it. Matt echoed my sentiments completely. It was dull, painstaking work. One little shudder and you have blue paint all over the white trim - blerg!

Fortunately, once Violet took her afternoon nap, we tackled the walls with rollers. Now that is a painting method I can get behind! Much more fun! Matt manned the ladder while I loaded up the roller with paint and handed it up. We were so efficient, we got the entire room covered in the span of one nap! And once Violet was in bed for the night, we slapped up the second coat (while jamming out to the soothing tunes of Delila at Night - I've now met my lifetime Eric Clapton quota). And we actually had a good time while doing it, an extra bonus. My husband and I make a good team. There was no booing or hissing, no weeping or gnashing of teeth, and the only criticism came when my hubby sweetly informed me I was sporting a bit of plumber's butt.

Finished!

It's amazing how different the color can look in natural light versus interior light, near the window versus the darkest corner of the room. Even these pictures don't seem exactly like what you get in person. But regardless, I am quite pleased with the choice. And more importantly, I'm thrilled that we actually got done what we set out to do this spring break.

(As a side note you may notice that the lamp looks like an old electric meter - that's because it is one!  That's right, kids.  Once upon a time not everything was digital.  Here's the back story - my grandfather worked for many years at Ohio Power.  When he retired, in addition the gold watch & full pension (weren't THOSE the days!), they deemed it necessary to give him his desk (which is still, by the way, in use holding the very computer Kristine posts all these blogs with) as well as an electric meter refashioned into a lamp.  So, when we turn the lamp on the meter rotates & tells us how much power we're using.  Does it make me geeky to think this is insanely cool??).

Now the only problem is... a new bedroom leaves me wanting new furniture and bedding! And hopefully before next spring break! Matt and I took Violet out on a marathon shopping trip, hitting the mall plus four or five other stores, but to no avail. We have possibly found a bed, and at least figured out what look we want for the bedding, but actual purchases are still some ways away. Ah well, a girl can dream...

A little slap-happy from too many paint fumes. (Just kidding, no children were harmed in the painting of this bedroom.)

Hello? Anybody?

I chose this week's winner based on the loudness of Matt's laugh when he read them all. And it was a tough call. Several of you had him cracking up. Second place (despite how wrong it is) would definitely have to be "Babies Gone Wild!! Spring Break 2011 - Panama City Beach, FL :-)" contributed by the lovely Joanna.

And because I linked to FB, many of you commented there are well, which I copied and pasted for you into the blog comments (since you guys are too freakin' lazy to do it yourselves! Shame. You know how I crave followers. But I digress.)

The ultimate winner is posted below. Again, so wrong. But Shelly has the distinct advantage of knowing us all too well. Thanks for playing, ya'll! It was fun!

"Is happy hour almost finished?" - Shelly

Flower vs. Dead Leaf

All those beautiful flowers, and all Violet wants to examine is the dead leaf!

Look at those chubby thighs!

My nature girl, all pretty in pink.

Spouting eloquent about the wonders of that darn dead leaf again!

Title Me Tuesday

It's baa-aack! Got a clever caption? Post it in the comments!

A little background... thanks to Mike and Sabine for the functional yet fabulous stair gate. Here's hoping my husband doesn't get too mad at me for posting this picture (he has a legitimate issue with Violet appearing naked on the internet where fifteen years from now her friends can find her - hopefully the censoring will help). The spot you see on Violet's back is a crazy birthmark that showed up a couple weeks after she was born and should disappear over time (they tell me). Now, have at! Bring on the wit!

Serenbe

 Have you ever heard of Serenbe? Maybe not. Probably not, in fact. So allow me to introduce you. Serenbe is this amazing little community just south of Atlanta, quite near where I grew up, actually. It holds homes, an Inn, some amazing restaurants, galleries, shops and studios. And all of it is built under a model of balanced development and sustainability. Eco-friendly. Reclaimed goods. Organic. All those hippy words. But stop rolling your eyes, it is actually an amazing place.

The Inn at Serenbe

I went to one of the restaurants, The Hil, for a birthday dinner a few years ago. The menu changes as the seasons change because most of the ingredients are harvested from the farm that surrounds the community. It was delicious. In fact, to quote myself... [my birthday scoop of] ice cream must have been made from the sweetest cream from the richest milk from the happiest cow, who was probably hanging out behind the restaurant contentedly star-gazing as we sat inside. So good. I'm already scheming of ways to get Matt to take me back there (and it's conveniently located to the Grandma's Free Babysitting Service of Peachtree City!)

Well, the scheming has succeeded, because we are taking advantage of Spring Break by sneaking off to Serenbe for a night! I am so excited! I'm really looking forward to exploring the community, indulging in some delicious food, and taking some time to focus on being something other than a mother. Don't get me wrong, it's the best job in the world. But Matt and I need some time to focus on ourselves as a couple, and I'm so ready!

all photos property of Serenbe

Photos and first hand accounts will be provided once we return, but for now, I encourage you to take some time and explore Serenbe for yourself. It's okay, I know you're jealous.

Signs of Spring

So I was going to do an elegant post with nothing but pictures, letting you, my reader, interpret the photo and meaning as you like... But darn it, I just like to talk so much, I couldn't do it. Besides, one of these pictures deserves an explanation. So since I've ruined my wordless post, I might as well go all out, right?

At  school the students and I have been discussing the idea of nature detectives. What does a nature detective look for? What could you find? If you were a nature detective trying to find out if spring has come, what are some clues you would look for?

Well, around our house, we have quite a few good leads. First of all, our cherry tree is busting out all over. And our other blooms are even more vivid and colorful. But most exciting of all, a robin has decided to build a nest inside the wreath on our front door! We discovered it the other day when we opened the door and startled poor mama bird into flying away. A quick peak revealed four delicate blue eggs, and I'm hoping we can follow their journey as they hatch and learn to fly. Although it might mean barring the front door from future use for a while, it's totally worth it (not to mention the right thing to do).

My sweet girl is loving the warm weather. I see lots of dresses and short sleeves in our future!