Quack

Way back in August I decided to redecorate Andrew's bathroom incorporating a yellow ducky theme after I had these pictures taken . . .
This is what his bathroom looked like at the time. And really, there was nothing wrong with it in it's current condition, but it just wasn't very kid friendly.

It took a bit of shopping, and finally some online shopping and ordering, but I finally acquired all of the accessories, towels, and shower curtain. Let's just say that it wasn't exactly one stop shopping, and it took Macy's a couple of tries to get the right things sent out. Then it took a while longer for me to decide on just the right color blue paint for the walls. And that was all the easy part! It was much harder to find a block of time to just get it done. I'm pleased to say that the transformation occurred last weekend!

I really like the shower curtain. It's cotton and the ducks and dots are both chenille so there's a really nice texture to it.

I think Andrew's pictures perfectly complete the decor.

I'm sure that by the time he is old enough to realize that's his naked behind on the wall it will be time for me to take it down. Until then, it stays!

All in all, I'm completely thrilled with how nice the bathroom turned out. It is really a happy and cheerful place to be now, and I'm sure Andrew will like it too. I just realized that he hasn't even seen it! Right now he is still taking his baths in my bathroom because it is just plain easier for me. I guess for his next bath we will have to break in his bathroom!

Nesting

This weekend we finally managed to get another room of the house painted. We have an upstairs bedroom that we plan to use for a real live baby one day. Since we moved in there has always been at least a twin bed in the room. Why? Because when we moved into this 5 bedroom home we had just 2 beds, so my parents gave us an extra twin bed and dresser that they no longer needed. At one point we even had a crib in the room. No, we didn't jump the gun and buy one! My friend gave me hers when she was done with it. We set it up and bought a really cute crib bedding set from Pottery Barn Kids that coordinated well with the Hawaiian themed comforter and curtains already in the room. We thought that until we needed the room for a RLB (real live baby) that Ashley (and other vertically challenged guests) could make use of it whenever they were here visiting. Well, play in the room she does! She knows where all of the toys and dress-up clothes are, but she has always refused to sleep in the room. Oh, and she also dubbed it the "Fishy Room" because of the giant, stuffed Nemo fish that hangs out on the bed. (And why do we have a giant, stuffed Nemo fish? Well, that's another story that goes back to the night we got engaged so it will have to wait.)

Exactly a year ago, after finding out about my miscarriage, the crib was unceremoniously unassembled and put out to pasture. I quickly filled in the space with all of my scrapbooking stuff. And now, a year later, it was time for this room to look a little more put together and not quite so transient. It was almost sad how the room looked like it was waiting for something. Well, I guess technically it is waiting for something . . . but anyway, it needed paint, and personality, as well as a purpose, in a very gender-neutral sort of way. Because while I do believe from the bottom of my heart that our child will one day reside in this room, it does feel an awful lot like a dream. That said, this room will never take on the appearance of a baby room until after there is actually a RLB residing legally in the house. And look, now I'm getting sidetracked by something that really is a post for another day

OK, I'm really trying to stay focused here but I'm sort of all over the place. For that, I apologize. Anywho . . . yesterday we emptied the room, except for the bed, painted it, and put it all back together again. Humpty-Dumpty's men weren't as busy as we were yesterday. And to be honest, there were a few moments of panic yesterday once the full depth of the color became apparent. I mean, at one point it really looked like someone (oh, that would be ME) had painted the room with a pack of yellow hightlighters. I actually feared that the brightness of the room would induce seizures in whoever was sentenced to spend time in the room. However, after getting it all put together it really does look great. And lively. And full of personality. And able to be transformed into the room of a RLB in about 30 minutes flat.

So now, take a peek at the room and have a little look around . . .

Well, what do you think?

Kitchen Facelift

When I moved into my first apartment I didn't have a kitchen table set. I made do with a card table and chairs while I shopped around. My budget was extremely limited and I sure didn't like anything that I could afford. One day my friend Laurie and I were passing time and driving around Los Angeles, Hollywood and Beverly Hills. It was late in the afternoon and we were trying to find our way back to the freeway when we happened upon an "estate sale" on the edge of Beverly Hills. The homeowners were getting ready to haul back inside a kitchen table and 4 chairs. While talking to them I found out that the set dated back to the 30's and that they had refinished and reupholstered the table and chairs. We settled on a price, half what they wanted, but all of what I had on me at the moment. We hauled it back to my apartment and Laurie was a really good sport about giving up quite a bit of personal comfort on our way back to Orange County. The table set served me quite well, as it was, through 4 apartments and finally to my townhouse.

Eventually I had to take it to an antique refinisher to have the chairs re-glued. They were horrified by how dated the entire set looked. So, I decided to have the table top refinished and to have the sides, legs and chairs painted a brick red color and distressed. Then I recovered the chair seats. I liked the look so much that I had my china cabinet (which I acquired off the curb at my parent's neighbor's house) painted the same brick red color and distressed. I must say that I really liked it and my friends always commented about how "Pottery Barn" it looked. Well, in our current house the china cabinet is in our dining room with the big dining room table and the little red table and chairs have been in the kitchen.

Anyhow, this is what it looked like. You may have noticed that there were only 3 chairs. Basically, certain family members (who shall remain nameless) demonstrated extreme difficulty, repeatedly, in being able to stand up without knocking over the chair upon which they were seated. It soon became unrealistic to continue sending chairs back to California to be repaired.

So, I bought new, much heavier and sturdier chairs. Black chairs. And today I painted the table sides and legs black, leaving the original table top. What you can't really see in the picture is that the table top has an inlaid wood border that is really dark, almost black. I'm quite pleased with the finished project and it really quite nicely ties together the entire kitchen.
So? What do you think? And please don't forget to check on the latest poll!

A New Approach

I shared this picture of our baby room several months ago. In light of recent developments I have changed my mind about the whole Field of Dreams "If you build it they will come" plan. Yup, the crib has been taken apart and removed from the room and all of the baby stuff packed up. C'est la vie. It seems best this way. So, while I may have given up my baby space, I have claimed scrapbooking space! I now have room to spread out all of my stuff and get comfortable. I can leave projects laying out for hours or days without fear of things getting lost or spilled on. I also have a gorgeous view of the Estrella Mountains outside of my favorite window in the house. And if I suddenly get really sleepy there is still a bed in the room if I am too tired to walk down the hall to my bedroom.

And when the day comes I will happily pack up all of my stuff again and make room for baby.

Bedroom - Before and After

Here are a couple of "before" pictures of our bedroom, taken right after we moved into the house 2 years ago. Shortly after these pictures were taken we did put up all of the drapes and real blinds. We also bought a big comfy chair for the corner.

You might remember that I prepared the bedroom for painting the day before I found out I was pregnant. Which meant that Brian was going to have to paint the bedroom when he returned from Chicago. Let me tell you, it wasn't nearly as easy as all that! First of all, Brian was not happy about having to paint. He is good at many things, but home improvement projects don't rank high on that list. However, after a horrid day, with many mishaps (that I won't go into in order to protect the guilty), we finally got it finished. Yes, I said "we". I had quite a bit of touch up to do that day, as well as the next day. Now that we are on the other side of the project I can say that it was all worth it! The room looks fantastic and I am very happy with it. Now it looks like we plan to stay a while.

And did you notice the naughty beagle curled up on the bed? She seems to think it is hers and she allows us to sleep there at night.

And now this weekend we get to finish this project by painting our bathroom to match . . .

Home Improvement Project #1

We have been in our house now for two years and haven't painted a thing. Not one little thing. We didn't paint as we were moving in because our move was so quick that there just wasn't time. Then we didn't know what color we wanted to paint and so we decided to wait until we had our new living room furniture and drapes. Well, by the time that was accomplished we had been in the house for almost a year and we still hadn't settled on an exact color. Besides, I was just too busy with school to even worry about it. When school let out last summer the excuse was that it was way too hot to paint anyhow. So, I decided to tackle the project in all of my free time since I wasn't going to be working this year. You know what happened to that. Foiled again, mightily this time. Like any other perfectly rational person, I headed to the paint store last week after my negative pregnancy test. And bought paint for the kitchen before informing Brian that he was going to spend the weekend painting. This is what my kitchen looked like on Saturday morning before we got started.

Before

Don't get me wrong, I love my kitchen, it was just really boring with all white walls and I wanted it to feel warmer and cozier. My dad came over to help supervise and to enjoy the show. Actually, there wasn't much to see. All we accomplished Saturday was to remove stuff from the walls, clutter from counters, and tape everything. Some of the enthusiasm was wearing off by Sunday morning, but we brought my dad over to supervise again. By 5:00 we had all but the refrigerator wall and stove nook painted. I took my dad home then stopped at the grocery store and when I got home Brian had finished the wall that the refrigerator is on. After dinner I got to work on the stove nook. After that I tackled touch ups and clean up and it was just after midnight when I hit the shower. Now you can see our final result!

After

Isn't that much better? I love it! It's a little hard to make out, but the stove nook is painted a deep brick red color. What you also can't see is that we painted the hallway on the left that leads to the closet, laundry room and garage. Now that we know we like the tan color it is going on almost every wall in the house, except for an accent wall and the upstairs bedrooms. My next project will be painting the two bathrooms and our next project will be painting our bedroom and the master bathroom. Oh, and to call the painter man to come paint the living room and dining room and upstairs hallway, as I'm not about to tackle 20 foot ceilings and I'm not about to let Brian do it either! Maybe I'll have the painter man do the family room as well . . .

Prayers and Positive Thinking

When we moved into the house we put an old twin bed and dresser and bookshelf in our front upstairs bedroom and decorated it with a Hawaiian theme because Brian didn't want anything too frilly and it's just plain fun. Brian's Grandma and other short folks stay in this room when visiting.

Well, over a year ago my long time friend Connie gave me her son's crib since she thought I would need it before she ever would. For a long time it was stashed under a bed in another room and left its mark on many toes. We would set it up for Ashley downstairs when she was here, but frankly, it was always in the way and Brian was getting tired of taking it apart and putting it together.

So, in a huge leap of faith and positive thinking, and at the risk of people thinking that I had completely lost my mind, I asked made Brian assemble said crib on the other side of the Hawaiian bedroom. And what exactly does any right-minded, self-respecting infertile do? Heads to Pottery Barn to buy a coordinating set of Hawaiian print bedding. For months I explained to people that it was for when Ashley was here. However, about a day after we set it up she figured out how to escape from her crib. Did I take it down? No. Why? Because we all know I didn't put it up just for Ashley. It is there because one day Baby Mayer will occupy it. There, I have finally come clean about the matter. (However, the toys in the corner really are for her to play with!) And, while some may see it as a daily reminder of what I don't have, I choose to see it as a daily reminder of what is to be. Maybe not this month, but it will be.

Each evening I stop in this room, and while enjoying the dark and the solitude, I pray for God to give us the blessing of a child to occupy this bright and cheery part of our lives and home.

On another note, after months of praying for patience I have been blessed with a small helping. I still have a few days to go before finding out if this last IUI worked, but the infamously horrid two week wait hasn't been horrid at all. I have been relaxed and calm and I feel deep in my heart that Baby Mayer will come into our lives. Again, maybe not this month, but it will happen. Of that I am sure. Please continue sending prayers our way, I feel it and it helps.

Where the Bloggin' Happens

I thought that some of you might like to see where all of this bloggin' takes place. Well, it's right here on the island in my kitchen. I can take my laptop anywhere, but this is where I always wind up. Brian always teases me that I just can't do only one thing at a time, and by setting up shop in the kitchen I can usually work on a couple of things at a time. This is the view turning around and looking the other way. Notice the naughty beagle in the background. That's another reason for working in the kitchen, I can keep an eye on her. Don't get all excited about seeing the high chair by the table. Ashley used it on her last visit. It's now out in the garage.

A Christmas Home Tour

Well, I have finally found my Christmas Cheer and thought I would share it with all of you. So, in that spirit, I would like to invite you on a Christmas tour of our home, brought to you especially for those who won't be making the trek to Arizona to visit us. Come on in, and enjoy your visit.

When you step through our front view this is what you see, the living room and dining room, with just a glimpse into the family room. Pretty much just the living room and front bathroom are decorated because of our naughty little beagle. She gets into everything. In fact, if you look closely you can see the baby gate between the dining room and family room, so that she can't get into trouble with the Christmas stuff in the front of the house.

If you were to look up from here you would see a 20 foot ceiling and lots of windows. However, if you turn to the right you see our tree. Our fake tree. I had to give up the whole fresh tree thing upon moving to the desert. It is just too dry here and we would be left with nothing but a pile of brown needles long before the man in the red suit showed up.

Our tree is decorated in an eclectic mix of Brian's ornaments and my ornaments, as well as "our" ornaments given to us by family and friends and collected by us while visiting different places. Below you will see an example of Brian's ornaments.

Can you believe this one?!?!?! I believe I deserve a prize for even allowing this on my tree!

This one is a pretty good indication of what you can expect to see on our tree. This is just one of many unusual creatures that you will see on our tree.

I think this one is Brian's favorite ornament of all time. It is called "Holy Mackeral".

Nope, this one isn't one of Brian's. We are on to some of the ornaments that I contributed to your tree.

This is one of my all time favorite ornaments because it reminds me so much of my beloved Billy kitty who is no longer with us.

We have gotten so many ornaments celebrating our couplehood, and I love them all!

We picked up this next ornament while honeymooning in Maui. We (well, better make that "I") love to buy ornaments whenever we visit a new place. We have quite the collection going!

The one thing that our house doesn't have is a fireplace. Normally not a problem for Arizona, however it presents a dilemna at Christmas time. Where to hang the stockings? So we hang them from this little buffet cabinet that we move between the living room windows and make the best of it. And of course, the stocking in the middle is for Molly. She will find treats from Santa on Christmas Day.

We have our downstairs bathroom decorated with snowmen and cactus, just because it is fun.

That's pretty much it for the tour. The kitchen and family room aren't really decked out with too much Christmas stuff, though I do have few festive touches like poinsettias, candles, and singing snowmen and penguins scattered about. Besides, I am tired of trying to load pictures here! So, I do believe I will head to my favorite quiet spot in the house before our houseguests arrive. This is a corner of my bedroom and the most comfy spot in the house. I love sinking into this chair and covering up with a cozy blanket while reading, which usually turns to snoozing, but that's ok too.

I hope you have enjoyed this holiday tour of our home. Please stop in to see us sometime!

A Bright New Morning

It is about 7am and I'm out on the patio enjoying the morning. I know, I know, what is there to enjoy about 7am in the morning? Well, on this morning there are a few things. First of all, it isn't even 80 degrees yet and there is also a cool breeze and a bright blue sky with just a few clouds. Also, I am still in my pajamas and I don't have to go to work today. So, while sitting here with my computer I have come up with a few things that I am grateful for today.

1) My Dad is feeling better
2) My dear, sweet hubby has been absolutely indescribably wonderful
3) My Mom is doing a great job
4) My Aunt Sharon has been taking fantastic care of my family
5) Molly seems to be feeling a bit better
6) Friends have been so wonderfully supportive offering prayers and kind words

I could go on and on, but the dogs are ready to play now, and that seems like a pretty good thing to do this morning.

Arizona Summer

As crazy as it seems, summer is actually pretty neat here in Arizona. Sure, it is hot, but like they say, it is a dry heat! Last summer the heat didn't bother me nearly as much as I thought it would, and amazingly enough, this summer has been even better. We don't spend much time outside in the middle of the day unless we are in the pool and we are downright cold when we get out. The best part of summer, hands down, is monsoon season. Every night is an amazing sunset. The sun setting at the Pacific is a wonder, but these sunsets here are even more brilliant. And, we love the storms! Watching the clouds roll in over the mountains is so cool. I can deal with the thunder, and I don't mind lightning if it is far away, and the warm rain is great. Just last week Brian and I and Molly spent nearly an hour watching the light show and the accompanying rain from one of the upstairs bedrooms. There doesn't seem to be as much rain as last summer, and I keep hoping that things will pick up before monsoon season ends.