ALL the painting is done for now....

Well it took two week to get all the painting done that was scheduled. Three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, upstairs hallway and a touch up downstairs in a hallway. I happy to report that it looks GREAT! I love the colors I picked out for each of the rooms. Now all I have to do is to decorate the bedrooms. I have no idea in what I am looking for to decorate. I am sure when I see it I will know for sure. I think I will start with looking for window treatments for two of the bedrooms. I would love to be able to furnish the two bedrooms but, that will have to wait for the time being. I think I will move some furniture I have around to the different rooms. I am hoping that the rooms can be furnished by the time Christmas rolls around this year. I didn't take any before pictures of the two bedrooms that were just painted but, I did take the after pictures when it was done. Like I mentioned earlier the rooms look GREAT!

I am sure it doesn't look as good in the pictures as it does in person! I have a lot of work a head of me this weekend in getting my house back in to some type of order.

Hallway Bathroom the "Frog" Bathroom

My bathroom in the hallway turned out great. The guys are doing an awesome job painting. This bathroom was finished last week. Here are the before and after pictures that I took.

Before and After Painting in the Master Bedroom

In my last post I mentioned that I was having some painting done in my house. Well, here are some before and after pictures of the master bedroom. It looks like I have a brand new room in my house.

Before Pictures.....

After pictures.....

The colors are Merlot and Bermuda Sand

I love the way it turned out....the next step is getting wall decor.

Road Trip

I am leaving to go to Cape Girardeau, Missouri today. I will be taking a road trip with my daughter and her boyfriend. It will be a 6 1/2 hour drive. I look forward to taking this trip with my daughter. The reason for the trip is to take a look at Cape Girardeau, as my daughter maybe moving there in the future. As, she has the chance for advancement at the company she works for. I have mixed feelings about her moving. A part of me says no don't go, and the other part says I understand, I love you and wish you the best. I wont know for sure until sometime in February. If she does go, I will spend as much time as I can with her. Visits to Missouri, even though it is a 6 1/2 drive, will be few and far between. 

Adding Color to my Home

After being in my home for six years, I am adding more colors to rooms in my home. If you don't know me, picking out colors is hard for me. This was a difficult task for me but, after my husband put pressure on me to pick out colors, I finally did. If you go to Pittsburgh Paints  http://www.ppgpittsburghpaints.com/our_colors/interactive-palette.htm and select the color palettes you can find the colors I am talking about. For the master bedroom I picked out the colors Merlot (435-7) and Bermuda Sand (420-3). For the Master bathroom I am also using the Bermuda Sand color. For our guest bathroom, which I like the call the "Frog" bathroom I have chosen Sweet Dreams (149-3) and Summer Rain (308-1). For the powder room down stairs the colors that were picked were Glistening Gray (545-4) and Snowbank (545-1). Going up the stairs to the second floor and hallway the color will be Stone Harbor (420-2). Bedroom number 2 will be Emerald Pool (456-7) and Mild Mint (456-1). Finally for the last bedroom the colors will be Derby Brown (525-6) and Country Beige (525-2). The painters come next week. I will post pictures of the rooms when done. I look forward to the transformation of my house. Once those rooms are done, there will be only two rooms left - the kitchen and T.V. room. Thank goodness I don't have to pick out colors for those two rooms, that will be left up to my husband.

My Dad and the "Duke" Room

My dad past away on November 13, 2010. My mom had cleaned out items that belonged to my dad. At Christmas time when I was in Florida with my mom, she had given me some items that belonged in my dad's bedroom.

 

I have turned my middle bedroom into the "Duke" room. My dad was a huge John Wayne fan, as well as I. It was something we had in common. We both liked watching the "Duke." 

My mom had bought these plates from the Bradford Exchange for my dad. Larry just put the plates on the wall for me the other day. 

My mom had also given me to photos of the "Duke" that were given to my dad as gifts. Those too are also on the wall.

I am so excited that I have these items. Whenever I walk into that room, I think of my dad. I miss my dad dearly.

My dad was a wise, gentle and caring man. This photo was taken in September 2010 just two months before he passed away. I love you dad and miss you so much! You are always in my heart and my memories!

Christmas with my Kids 2011

I was able to spend the last day for 2011 with my kids. We had our Christmas get together on December 31, 2011. It made this last day in December a very special one. 

We all met up at Angi's and Matt's in the morning for breakfast. I made breakfast for my kids, which I haven't done in a very long time. I made 2 pounds of bacon, 1 pound of sausage links and use an entire loaf of bread and a dozen eggs to make french toast. Breakfast turned out good.

Not only did I get to spend the day with my kids, I got to spend it with their significant others and some very good friends. Christine (my oldest daughter) and Damian, her step-son. Chuck (my son) with his girlfriend Ashley and Anthony (Chuck's step-son). Angi (my youngest) with her boyfriend Matt. Some very cool friends Scott and Noel and Ernesto.

After breakfast we were all joined into the living room to open up gifts. The most precious thing I observed was watching Damian and Anthony open their gifts. It made my heart melt.

I was able to get plenty of photos of everyone. I wish and hope that my kids will remember this day forever. I know I will cherish this day forever!

Christmas with Mom 2011

This year I had the opportunity to spend Christmas with my mom in Florida. It may have been for just a few days but, I was able to spend it with mom. I am so thankful that I have such a great mom.

Before leaving Illinois to go to Florida, I told my mom that she didn't have to worry about making Christmas dinner. Larry and I were going to cook for her this year. So I asked mom what should would like for dinner on Christmas. Mom's reply was simply "steak". So this year we didn't have a traditional Christmas dinner, instead we had rib eye steak, asparagus, and mushrooms that were grilled along with baked potatoes. Let me tell you that is was delicious! Oh yeah, lets not forget desert....pecan pie.

Christmas is not about what you get, but what you can give. Christmas is about spending time with the ones you love. I may not have gotten to spend Christmas with my entire family this year but, I am working on that for Christmas 2012!