The Redecorating Bug

I think it started with the joy at finally finishing decorating Cami's room (weeelll, I do want to get a rug & this cute ladybug beanbag chair still, and maybe something for her nightstand that she won't destroy, but for all intensive purposes, it is finished), or maybe it is the desire for creativity or control when I am in a crazy house with kids all day, but either way, I have been bit by a major redecorating bug!

Here is Cami's room, complete with her new crib & all:

(New crib, why would you get a new crib for a two-year old? Let's just say the cute little toddler bed that Daddy painted wasn't containing her so well for nap time, and Cami after two weeks without naps was driving Mommy crazy! So I went to Toy's R Us and bought the cheapest crib I could find, but at least the white matches... Needless to say, she learned to crawl out of the crib in about 24 hours, just like she learned how to get out of the pack and play, but she will still stay in it most of the time, so it hasn't been a total loss.)

Here are some letters I did for one of her walls - I now have an abiding love for Modge-Podge sealer!

So I just love these vinyl flowers! Target has all of these decals & they are great - you can move & reposition them, and they're really cheap for all the space they cover - maybe they aren't for everyone, but they are for me! (I can tell my lens is dirty- little fingers...) FYI, she has lots of toys in her room - the organizer is on the other wall - and she rarely keeps it this clean.

So on to the point: I have caught the redecorating bug! The only unfortunate piece of the puzzle here is that I have neither tons of spare time or tons of spare cash to work my magic (or what I envision my magic would be, based on looking through all of my Mom's "Better Homes & Garden's" magazines). I know in the grand scheme of things, home decor is pretty inconsequential, but after being in this house for almost 2 1/2 years, I just want to put my own stamp on it & paint a wall or two! So while Chris was out of town this last week, I had a small triumph. Most of the light fixtures in this house look like this: Not terrible, functions, but not really my preferred style. Needless to say, the enormous brass chandelier in the living room was not my favorite, and though I did fail to get a before picture, so you'll have to settle for the after, it was exactly the shiny gold color of this one above.

Well, my sister Becky discovered this glorious metallic resurfacer (basically, craft paint with flair) that does wonders to old light fixtures. I had already used it in my bathroom with oil-rubbed bronze-esque results, so I knew it worked, but it takes great patience to make cover a large surface, as well as some time. Two nights, five hours of work, and two dirty paint brushes later, the results:

So it would be nice to have a trendy centerpiece, great to have fabulous curtains, but instead of just okay, I now actually like my chandelier! (If anyone has any other free or low-cost decor ideas, feel free to drop me a line...)

More of the kids

So I am trying to keep posting a little more often, and since kids is what I am usually doing, here they are! First some updates on Josh. He is holding his head up really high now, and can roll over front to back in both directions (he is still working on back to tummy & he grunts with discontent when he tries & fails). Most of the time he is cool as a cucumber - just very content. When he cries, I can usually be sure he is just hungry or tired - this is nice.

He is a little smiler - smiles at us, smiles at his toys - you get the picture. Also, he is 10 1/2 weeks now & most of his 0-3 clothes are getting a little snug - many of the onsies no longer fit. I failed to post his 2 month doctor's appt. stats, but here they are:

weight: 12 lbs. 15 oz. - 80th %

height: 24 3/4 inches - 95%

So as you can see, he is a big boy!

Here is Cami in her big sister pj's, sent by her Great Aunt Leslie - very cute (ingnore the laundry on the steps please :)).

This picture proves it is better to catch candid smiles, rather than asking for one - nice.