Peek A Boo

Peek A BOO! The upstairs is completed in the sanding process and the floors look beautiful. I know once the poly goes down it will only look even better. So now we are living behind a sheet, getting ready for the downstairs to be started. Think this weekends birthday party for Damien may be interesting ....indoor picnic party sound good?

Floors

The best way to describe our home right now is a work zone. Unexpected surprises that come with an older home, like needing a generator to run the sander or the option to not have any other thing turned on. There has been lots of entertaining the little ones. Coloring on large sheets of paper, playing dress up with make up, and shadow silhouettes. Working on the kids rooms first, there are a large number of beds in the master bedroom - along with clothing, toys, and randomness. 

We are hanging up new paint chips in the hallway and getting excited to see the after. That may take awhile, as we are very much in the before right now. In the middle of all this, I keep having this thought of sewing a quilt. Something new. So far it's just a thought. Think I can keep it there? Just for now?

Double Digits

Damien. I can't believe he turned 10 yesterday! I know dear hubby is feeling the same mixed feelings - so proud of who he is becoming with a wee bit of sadness that it's happening so fast. His actual party won't be for a little bit. Mostly because he wants a friend to sleep over and we are in the middle of house projects, that won't be done in time anyways. That was wishful thinking on my part. 

So last night, while everyone was picking out candy, roses, and cards for their sweethearts I was getting an ice cream cake. A small little surprise for the birthday boy. The smile was worth every penny.

Today we are celebrating Valentine's day, with small little tokens. I left out some candy and small presents for the kids this morning, and dear hubby got me roses and chocolates. It's the small things that really sometimes mean the most. 

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Winterwoods Sampler Finished

With nothing but time this weekend, I finished the Winterwoods Cross Stitch Sampler. Seemed rather fitting with all the snow. The next day I knew the exact frame to put it in and got to work. The feeling of finishing a project and finding it absolutely perfect in every way, is pure joy. Even the back stitches! The only thing missing is the big comfy chair for the corner - soon. 

Surprises

This week was full of surprises, both good and bad. We ripped up the carpet in the hallway, up the stairs, and in the boys room. Bad surprise - the very old orange carpet padding had turned into a crumbly stuck on powdery mess that was turning our socks/feet orange. At first I tried to maybe get it wet and see if maybe I could mop it up - nope. Then we turned to hand scraping it into large piles of dusty mess and then sweeping. This got the most of it but there is still some there. Not a pretty site. Good surprise - when we ripped up the boys carpet and padding we found an old calendar from 1945. It's in rough shape, but still perfect for the scrapbook. Another small piece of our houses history. 

Soon the house will be a buzz with projects. I'm looking forward to getting the dining room fireplace in working order, all the hardwood floors refinished, and furniture! After much debate I decided to not stain the hardwood floors but simply leave them in their most natural historic state. It was this lovely post that sealed the deal. Crossing our fingers that our hardwood have just as much natural variation as these. While we are still waiting for quotes on all the work, I've been looking dreaming of furniture. Simplifying our move we got rid of anything we didn't absolutely love or need, that was in need of repair, or just hand me downs. While in theory that was great and did make for a pretty simple move, it's been a nightmare for organization and storage. There is a small part of me doing cartwheels and cheering that soon I will be able to take a picture of a room that is fully furnished and completely renovated!

Now we hunkering down this weekend as another surprise - a blizzard of 2 feet or more of snow is blowing in. Dear hubby stopped at the grocery store and picked up some goodies this morning. In his words it looked more like zombies were coming than snow. Cans of food were actually on aisle floors, like a mob of people just ran through. With all the snow, we were lucky to get an adult snow day, making our weekend a long 4 day one. If that wasn't a nice enough surprise, to be able to snuggle inside with the family, dear hubby got me flowers. My favorite - white daisies. Sometimes he just gets me. 

Getting Inspired

Lately everything seemed lack luster. Nothing to take pictures of, nothing of interest, and everyday feeling the same. It wasn't, but just uninspiring. I dislike that. It feels like I have no motivation to even pick up the camera or finish a project, never mind start one. Which tends to lead to a very quiet place here.
Then I start to think of all the fun things coming up. A couple more birthdays to plan, home improvement projects, ideas of stitching colorful threads, and visiting vintage shops for much needed furniture (btw still haven't found a good local thrifting spot). Add in some Mumford & Sons music and a couple lit candles - the inspiration comes back, like finding an old friend.
Rooms here that haven't gotten their fair share behind the lens, start to get their turn. Whole food menus get prepared and planned. Thoughts get scribbled down. Toes get painted. New plants, add new life. All it took was a little coaxing.