The Pretty Stuff...an update

While I haven't tackled any major projects, we are doing a few things to personalize our home.
Ist up, the entry way...

I found a good deal on a rug for the dining room, and on a whim, purchased it online without seeing it in person. We needed something a particular size, and that would work with the colors in the two rugs in the entry. Its plush, which may not be best for food messes, but I think it actually goes with the other rugs better than I hoped (although Christian isn't convinced). Whatever--it was a good deal and it works, and definitely helps the space feel more "finished"...although we still need curtains and something on the walls.

What do you think...does it work?

When Christian was out of town, I decided to keep busy by painting the girls room. It started off dark brown (it used to be a boys' room). I painted it a silvery gray (Stonington Gray, Candice Olson-approved), and started bringing up a few pretty things I've had for a while to make the room pretty, and hopefully it will become something the girls will love as they grow up. The plan is to make a pretty, neutral background to work with the pink and purple quilts I made each girl years ago, and add some fun, colorful accessories. I want the room to be light and happy and fun, and easy to change and update as they grow.

While working on the room, I let the girls have their own space. Rachel camped out the pink-glitter room (the guest room)...

 and Hannah stayed in the other empty room (right off the front door, supposed to be an office). They both loved having their own space, even just for a few days, and lost no time personalizing their temporary rooms.

 This room is still very much "in progress." I plan on making some canvas art (like I did for Natalie) for each girl to hang over their bed, and put shelves over the cube bookshelves so each girl can personalize their half of the room.

 Here's my question..I bought the white ruffle curtains a while ago, thinking they would be perfect, but when I put them up they were a bit bland. So I bought the teal curtains, hoping they would work, and I'm not sure they do. Are they too dark? Too heavy? The trick with this room is planning colors around the pink and purple quilts I made the girls years ago---and we have no intention of replacing those, since we put some much into making them!

The next step for me is to touch up the white trim all over the house. After lusting after white trim for years, I'm now faced with the reality that it scuffs easily. I plan on caulking and painting through the main level. 

The winner is...

The yellow curtains won my informal survey by a landslide :)

Honestly, I liked them best but worried they were too trendy--plus I didn't think Christian would like them. Turns out, we all agreed that our basement needed a cheerful hit of color, and I love them!

(Plus, I never could find a 4th set of the navy curtains. I guess a lot of other people liked them, too)

Nashville Easter...and Rachel's birthday (Happy 9th birthday!)

Last fall my sister-in-law, Marcy, called me up and asked what our plans were for Spring Break. Having no plans (and, as it turned out, having no Spring Break), I told her so and she suggested we plan on visiting her and her new baby.

With the move to Pittsburgh, we are now about 9 hours from her home in Nashville, but we're used to driving to visit family. Jonathan and DeAnn thought they'd like to tag along, too, which is great since Marc and Marcy's kids don't know many of their Green cousins. My kids only had 2 days off for "Easter weekend" (what kind of school district doesn't take a real Spring Break?!), so we drove out on Thursday, stayed in a hotel that night, and arrived in Nashville for lunch on Friday. (Brilliant, on our part, since Jonathan and DeAnn did the whole drive on Friday and got stuck for hours in traffic) 

It was a fun, and essentially simple weekend. Our main goal was to see baby Ella and let the cousins play, and we happened to squeeze in an Easter egg hunt at a local church (free rides, free eggs, free cotton candy...and no mess or hassle for us. I like it!), a trip to the recreated Parthenon at Centennial Park (and some frisbee), and a birthday celebration for Jonathan and Rachel, who both have April Fool's birthdays. 

We drove back on Monday, with a lunch stop at Red Robin, where the waiters sang and Rachel got free ice cream. We also gave her a Kindle reader for her birthday, which she didn't think we'd ever do.

The egg hunt:

The cousins:

 
 The Parthenon:

 I just like this picture, because it looks like DeAnn has a bunny tail :)

 Happy Easter!

Things you don't want to hear from your daughter...

"Hey, Mom, I lost my virtue...Can you help me find it?"

Yeah, my 10 year old said that. And I couldn't quite explain why it was so funny.

We were at Activity Days (semi-weekly activities for young girls in our church), assembling a puzzle of the 13th Article of Faith, but Hannah had a hard time keeping track of all her words. Thankfully, we found the word and her virtue was restored.

(Pictured with the words "virtuous" because we lost her virtue again before we left and didn't take the time to find it again)

Show Off

I'm showing off Aaron's latest creation.

We are attempting home preschool/kindergarten, since Aaron really should have started kindergarten last fall. Unfortunately, he isn't really into it. This letter to grandpa marks the first time he has ever, on his own, grabbed paper, sat down with a pen, and asked how to write something he wanted to say. This was completely un-prompted, from the picture labels, to the "from Aaron." We sent it off to Grandpa right away, since it was so important to Aaron.

Hannah Time

It took us a while to find a new orthodontist for Hannah, but when we finally went, he surprised us by saying Hannah was done with braces for now. She got them off that day. On the other hand, he gave her a mouth guard to help her teeth stay in place, and to help the new ones grow in correctly. Hannah hates it. She had to wear it to school for a week, and she couldn't talk at all, and it made her slobber all the time. We laughed at her all the time, like good parents should. On the plus side, her teeth are really pretty and straight.

Help me out!

Hello, blogland...
Does anyone still read this?

I am in the process of fixing up my basement and the girls' bedroom, and I have a quick question...
We just painted the flesh-colored walls a pretty, Candice Olson-approved gray (Stonington Gray). Now, I want some happy, colorful curtains since this space will be where the kids do most of their playing and I do most of my crafting.

Which of these two do you like best?

(both curtains from Target)
(the gray in the 1st picture is more accurate)

I may or may not take your advice. And Christian is currently out of town, so he still needs to add his opinion. I have a favorite, but it changes from time to time.

Since the end product is probably miles away, I'll post an update as soon as I pick the curtains.