Ughhhh...

Fluish yuckiness: 1 Me:0

It's been a week and it doesn't seem to feel like leaving yet. Yuck.

Happy Valentine's Day

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
love,
j&j&b

Feast or famine...

Well, it's sometimes a long time between posts, but when I post, I post a lot! :) Today it's three posts to catch up from all the stuff we had going on last weekend (including bathroom pics... see below).

This weekend has been about catching up on to-dos. I spent yesterday cleaning and organizing closets, we ran errands, did taxes (yuck!!), and took J's poor computer in to see if there is any way to fix it. (It's 4 years old, so its days are numbered, but we hold out some hope... Cross your fingers for us!) Today is more errands, hockey, and putting the top protective coat on the walls in the bathroom (see two posts down for pictures) to protect it from water.

While we were at Home Depot yesterday, I was stunned by the orchids they had! Normally they have some that look okay, but they had just gotten a new shipment in and they were all stunning. Even though I/we have successfully killed every plant we've owned in a very short period of time (except the bamboo, Colene-- that's still alive!), we thought for $10 we'd give the orchid a shot in hopes of breaking our streak. Here's the one we picked out:


Any orchid-rearing advice is VERY welcome! We need all the help we can get. :)

The frog prince and Superbowl!

Last weekend was a busy one for us! I spent Saturday with two of my most favorite people, Colene and Maureen. We had a great time at lunch and then spent a few hours shopping. It was great to see you girls! :) Colene and I picked Maureen up, which gave us the opportunity to see Miss Madeline, and for me to give her a little something I got back in November (yikes! We have to make sure it's not that long before we see each other again!) Click here to see Maddy and the frog that led Mom, M and me on a bit of a chase through Ikea. :) He was well worth the hunt!

Friday night, Saturday morning, and spare moments between these two events were spent working on our little project... (see post below)

On Sunday, we had Paul, Brian, and Tara over for the Superbowl. It was great to see Paul (it's been way too long since he was in town last!) and was the first time we got to meet Tara. We all had a great time, complete with a Giants win! (Not that it really mattered to most of us, but I asked J when the game started who we were rooting for, and he informed me that we were rooting AGAINST the Patriots. Guess he's still holding a grudge from XXXVI. :) And yes, I had to look that up...)

What's a Superbowl party without themed dessert covered in football and helmet shaped sprinkles?
Paul and Bailey hanging out before the game

Unfortunately, when the game began we forgot about the camera, so I don't have any pictures of Brian, Tara, or the rest of the food. :) So much fun guys! Can't wait to have Paul back in town again, and maybe next time McKenna can meet Bailey! :)

Hall Bathroom

As we approached last weekend, I wasn't sure if we'd have time (or energy, for that matter) to finish the bathroom project. But, at the last minute, the Martha Stewart in me came out, and I decided I was not hosting a party with an awful-looking bathroom. And any one who knows me knows that once I decide something is happening, there isn't really much that can stop me. :) Fortunately for J, I did not impose my craziness on him, and though he was a very dedicated wallpaper stripper, he provided the moral support while I finished off the project. Everything was done and up before anyone got here on Sunday.

Bathroom before:
The hall bathroom had recently been renovated (new vanity, fixtures, toilet, tile) in nice neutrals, but the butterfly/dragonfly wallpaper had to go.

Bathroom picture taken at our inspection

Sadly I didn't get any real "bathroom during" pictures... the walls were a little depressing after the wallpaper removal. Rather than a weekend of mudding, sanding, and vacuuming dust, we decided to go with a Venetian plaster technique.

Bathroom After
Still to do: top coat over the plaster to waterproof (there wasn't time for that before the Superbowl party :D), and as we come across them: something for the wall, rug, new non-Vegas-looking light fixture. (It may be a while before that last one happens!)

Overall, the bathroom was not in bad shape, but needed some aesthetic updates, and we wanted to keep this project cheap:
Materials for walls: $40
Mirror: $4o
Everything else we already had
Total cost: $80 (and what a difference!)

Here's a close-up of the texture:
(The above pictures are a bit more true to color except it doesn't have that pinkish tint... and this picture is darker than the walls appear in the room. Click for greater detail)

Still pretty busy...

...but that's no big surprise. :)
Recent random goings on:

• It's snowing!! :) Bailey isn't a big fan of snow, but the first exciting romp in each snowstorm is adorable (until he realizes that it's cold and wet, and runs as fast as he can back inside!)
  
• We took down the wallpaper in the front bathroom a couple of weekends ago... and still haven't done anything else. (We're planing a minor aesthetic overhaul. No major work involved-- the vanity and fixtures are new.) That's on the list of upcoming plans... (apologies in advance to those coming over this weekend who get to see the lovely paperless walls...) I promise pictures when we get it done. :)
  
• J started another semester at school and is lovin' every minute. This semester: Oscar Wilde, American Spiritual Writing, and Chaucer.
  
• Last weekend we saw Katy's cheerleading competition (Yea Kate!!)and went to a benefit where we saw (among other bands) a folksy country band whose lead singer is a Willie Nelson look-alike. I swear, he was his twin. And, Sarah and I amused ourselves by taking bets on when the back-up guitarist would pass out. :) Good times.
  

And, because I thought it was interesting, an article I read today. :)

Anyone still there?

Okay, so we've taken a bit of a blog hiatus... it's been a BUSY past few weeks; I'm working about 50 hours/week on average and that doesn't leave a ton of time for anything else.

Here are some pictures of the other bedrooms in the house to make up for it :)

Here's bedroom number 2 (Before):

Now it's J's study:

(It may be a lot fuller now, but it's a study all to himself,
and what PhD student wouldn't love that?)

Bedroom number 3 (Before):
Now it's the guest room/where we have my desk: