wasted summer days

For some reason I haven't felt like blogging much or maybe I just haven't had anything news worthy to post about. Even as I write this I feel like I'm grasping--so many scrambled up thoughts and not enough sleep to make them come out coherent. I've been having a hard time sleeping lately. Energy--life--comes at me in waves and right now I'm in a lull. Sometimes I wonder if I have cyclical depression, but I never care enough to get it checked out. Meh. Soon I'll feel myself again.

Usually I love watching the news, reading papers and generally staying afloat current events, but a while ago I started to feel it bringing me down and I needed to take a break. However, this article is the best thing I've read lately. It got me energized.

So, anyway, my three young 'uns and I have been having fun attending the "Summer movie clubhouse" at our local theater weekly and making beaded purses and snow cones. And, when I have "me" time, I will confess that, for the past couple weeks, I have been wasting my time reading this and this and watching this and doing this. Don't judge.

Maybe it's all the rain...

Nah, I just need some sleep.

before and after- master bedroom

Finally! I've been dreaming and planning about this day for a long time--the master bedroom is finished, yay!

So, when we first bought this house the MB had gosh-awful wallpaper on every wall and black lines underneath (much to our surprise after peeling off said wallpaper--I'll have to scrounge up an old photo and scan it in later). It was such a mess that we decided to replace all the sheetrock and insulation in the room (right before Emma was born--more than 5 years ago).

At the time I was in a "green" mood so I painted the room a sage green, except it didn't look that way once it got on the walls. Over the years I vacillated between doing a monochromatic scheme in sage and cream and, for about five minutes in the year 2005, a red french toile. Completely different, I know, but I never felt really passionate about either one, so our room sat day after day, year after year half done and undecorated and ugly.

Until a couple months ago when I'd had enough, so we decided to use Gene's bonus on the room. After about 6 weeks of shopping and gathering all supplies we started the month long project of remodeling our bedroom. Yours truly did all the mudding, sanding, priming, painting and decorating. Gene built the headboard and paid for everything. On the last day I kicked Gene out for hours so that it would be a surprise for him. He loved it! So, enjoy the pics--who doesn't like a good "before and after" reveal?

BEFORE (on a good day)

Our extremely boring room without headboard, nightstand or decor

(unless you can call clutter decor). This was the look for the last 6 years or so.

This was my grandmother's hope chest that she got as an anniversary present from grandpa. Isn't it lovely with the dusty t.v. and cleaning supplies on it?

I don't like closet doors as a rule and since we had limited space we decided to do cedar lining and a closet system including more clutter.

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DURING CONSTRUCTION

We decided to build a headboard that could also be used as a book shelf. This is in the early mudding stage.

Side view of the headboard constructed with 2x4's, a 2x10 on top and sheetrock.

During the primer stage, after many days of mudding and sanding! The cutout is to allow access to the outlet for our lamps, etc.

The first coat of color, also the headboard is about 10" deep.

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AFTER

I decided what I'm really passionate about is the contrast between dark woods and white, and I wanted something not too feminine and not too masculine.

The view of our room from the doorway.

Notice the organized and fixed closet and my first grown up night stand? I love it--found it at Target. Love Target.

I'd noticed this saying in a Deseret Book catalog and decided to display photos of us through out our 15 years together--from our first date, through our wedding to just last October.

The view from the nightstand looking out the door.

The view from the closet looking toward the window and hope chest, which looks a tad prettier like this and I hope grandma is pleased. We hope to hang the t.v. on the wall someday.

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DETAILS

A close up of the blue and brown checkered fabric that I used to sew the valance and runner on the hope chest.

The perfect reed diffuser for this room.

These Korean wedding ducks were a wedding gift from Gene's mission president. They symbolize fidelity since ducks mate for life.

Another Target purchase--loved that this mirror was beveled and solid wood.

beauty

I just had to post a couple photos of the beautiful flowers from my garden so far this year:

My pink peonies from the front yard (we have white ones too but they were done before I thought to put them in a vase). I LOVE peonies!!!

Our giant lilac bush was lovely and delicious smelling for weeks. A few years ago we planted many other lilac bushes along the fence to create a wall of lilacs and the new ones finally bloomed this year--I'm so excited for them to get bigger in the future.