Moody Blues

Blergh-blah-blah-blah.

The above is my brain right now. The summer heat has finally fried it. Maybe that's why perusing snowy, Nordic-themed items has been so soothing. Also, taking a big step and changing the paint color in Grayson's room from this:

 

Apparently we dislike this color so much
we didn't even take a real "after" shot.

 

to this:

 

feels very cool and refreshing. (Also, sorry, these pictures are in no way "styled" and the lighting is terrible. We were in one of those "Just...take pictures! Get it done!" moods.)

It looks a little dark now, but we think that once we add some light, airy curtains and accent things, it'll lighten the feel of the room. 

We really lucked out with this paint, we grabbed it a few weekends ago when Ace Hardware had their "Buy one gallon, get one gallon free!" deal. (We also picked up the white we used to finish our Board and Batten)

It's the first time we've used a Clark & Kensington brand paint to do a room (we're usually Behr people. Aahh! Bear People!) and, while we did notice some differences, for the most part, we liked it. 

When we painted this room yellow a few months ago, we were painting over a pinky-beige that the sellers had used for every room in the house (we called it "band-aid beige"). Yellow over beige? No problem! Oh, how naive we were. It took us three coats, two whole gallons of paint and there were still spots where the beige showed through. But by that point we had already decided that we had chosen the wrong color and were not willing to invest in more of it just to finish. Neither were we willing to jump right in to painting it an entirely different color. So, the room stayed butter yellow for a few months while we saved to replenish our painting budget. 

Finding a new color was fairly easy. We had toyed around with the idea of a blue-green room before, but decided against it in favor of the brighter yellow. Well, this time we trusted our instinct and, when we got our free gallon from Ace, had them color match Plumage by Martha Stewart.
 

It looks a little washed out here, but on the walls, as you can see, it's quite bold. 

Clark & Kensington is not "no VOC" , only "low VOC" which we don't love (Behr is "no VOC") but the coverage of this paint was A-ma-zing. One gallon, two coats did....the entire room.
 

 

I did a dance. 

Aside: we left that ugly, jagged strip of unpainted wall around the ceiling on purpose. Experience has taught us that we are not the tidiest of painters (even with tape) around the ceiling and, since we will be putting up crown molding in here anyway, we opted to leave a little seam. Yes, it's tacky and unattractive, but we thought it was preferable to a smudgy ceiling. For us, anyway. Not recommending it as a "new look". 

In addition to new paint, we also have some awesome mood boards to share! 

My sister-in-law has really been helping to keep us inspired and energetic about Grayson's room. I'm so grateful. There are many days when I open the door and think, "Did the toys give birth to MORE toys last night while we slept? I will never conquer this room. Toys, you've won." 

But then I pull up these Mood Boards and I feel re-energized. 

 

The first two are kind of what we are going for now and the third one is updated a bit for when Alice is a little older and they're sharing a room. It's nice to see how the look can evolve. 

We have already made an Ikea run for those curtains and a sheepskin. And we are planning another - I need that duvet cover!  

It's exciting to see this room coming together. Grayson likes everyone spending so much time in his room and he also appreciates all the Frozen songs I sing while I'm in there. 

...Actually, that's a lie. 

He always (every time!) says: "I'm just Grayson and you're just Mamma and don't sing that song."

How long do you think it will be before we, as a society, can say "let it go" without bursting into song?

My money's on 1,000 years...

A Moment with Grayson




Grayson with a "drink drink".

  Our house has been busy with prepping for that moment when the new baby will arrive. We've still been doing some things around the house and we'll probably still share those things with you but the home improvement/blog side of things has been slowing down to allow us to focus on other areas. In fact, when the baby does come I can't promise we won't just take a week off.

I know Meredith usually posts these Grayson moments but I wanted to share one of my favorites.

The other day we were getting in the car and as usual I was buckling Grayson into his car seat. Meredith was sitting in the front flipping through radio stations trying to find some music he might like. As I set him in his seat he just looked towards Meredith and said, "I can lift you up. Show you where to be. Remember that?"

Huh?

Meredith looks over, flips the radio back a couple stations and what song is playing? Safe and Sound, by Capital Cities. He immediately started bobbing his head to the music and we both busted out laughing.

In case you're unfamiliar with the song, the lyrics go:

I could lift you up
I could show you what you want to see
And take you where you want to be
You could be my luck
Even if the sky is falling down
I know that we'll be safe and sound
We're safe and sound



What kind of plans do you have for the weekend? I've got some more painting to do and I might crawl under the house! More on that later.

O Grayson! My Grayson...

Happy Friday!

I am so incredibly pschyed out of my mind for this three-day weekend. After a week of not much on my end in the DIY/Home Improvement department, I'm looking forward to finishing up some projects that have been "in-progress" for a little too long. (If you're not actually making progress on something, does it still count as "in-progress"?) 

I feel the tide turning a little bit from "I must paint all the things!" to "Let's settle down a little bit and get ready to have this baby." But I'm not giving in yet! It's been wonderful to channel my nesting/nervous/excited energy into our home, I feel like it's made this pregnancy a very joyful, and quick, time. 

On that note, I wanted to share a cute moment from earlier this week. Monday we had our "home visit" from our midwives. (We are planning another Home Birth for this little one. We loved the experience we had with Grayson (even though, due to complications, we ended up going to the hospital; which is one of the things that makes us comfortable with a homebirth: if things get a little hairy, you have devoted, experienced, wonderful midwives focused only on you and your baby and they can say, "We need to go to the hospital.") and we are so excited to bring our little girl into the world in the home that we've put so much love and energy into over the past few months.)

So, during the "fun part" of our appointment (listening to the baby's heartbeat, feeling what position she's in) Joseph, myself and the midwives were in the bedroom and something (I wish I could remember what it was!) made us all cheer.

Yay!

Grayson: (comes running in from the living room, arms raised) She popped out! 

Oh, I wish. 

Though, I'm sure when she's ready and does "pop out" there will be cheering. I hope Grayson is just as excited to really meet his little sister as he is about the idea of her. (He'll probably be interested for about five seconds before remembering the very important game he was playing with his Nana (my mom, who is also attending our birth so that Grayson has someone "just for him" to meet his needs in case Joseph or I can't.) 

Grayson, the budding photographer, took this pregnancy portrait.

 

Well, that took kind of a different turn. Hope it wasn't too off-track. I just thought the Grayson bit was so cute I wanted to share it and, of course, I didn't know how without also doing some potential over-sharing. I promise we will return to our regularly scheduled painting/mulching/whatever-silly-thing-we-decide-to-tackle-next blog A.S.A.P. 

Speaking of which, anyone have any good tips for dealing with a popcorn ceiling? We've looked at how to take it off, but it seems very messy and like a lot of neck-breaking work. (Which we're not against.) I was wondering if anyone had ever heard of covering it? Or just had any tips about taking it down? 

Have a lovely (long!) weekend!

A Grayson Moment

So, I guess this is becoming a thing.

Maybe it's a cheap way to get a post up on a Friday. 

Maybe it's because we just think he's cute and so gosh darn amusing and we just can't resist the impulse to share him with the world. (The World = our family and indulgent friends who read this to make us feel good. We love you. Please keep it up.) 

But you can't have him, he's ours.

Daddy leans over to kiss Mamma 'goodbye' before going to work.

Grayson: (puts a hand over Mamma's mouth) No! I want to keep her!

***

Playing around on an old caboose at the Richmond Railway Museum (link).

Grayson: (showing Mamma the handrail mounted on the wall beside the seat.) These are for you to hold cause it's bumpy and you have to hold it or you might fall out the window. And fall on to the train tracks and then you would go, "Aaaahhh!!"

***

Well, I hope he makes you chuckle. He makes me chuckle. And buy him cupcakes. (Oh, Joseph will tell you, I'm not kidding.) 

Have a lovely Friday and a fantastic weekend! (Especially all the new homeowners we know. Please share how you're settling in and making your new space feel like "yours".) I think our plans include hauling some mulch, painting our bedroom (the last room to get some paint before this baby gets here), some more chainsawing action on Joseph's part (can't wait for that post) and spiffying up an awesome Goodwill find I can't wait to share! 

A(nother) Moment with Grayson

Grayson, our two-and-a-half-year-old, never ceases to amuse us. (Sometimes we wish he would so that we can tell him with a straight face why splatter painting with cottage cheese or picking up milk with your fingers isn't always a good idea. I mean, there's a time and a place for everything...usually, for activities like these, it would be after Mommy and Daddy have had their coffee....and also won the lottery.)

So, because it's Friday, I thought I would share with you a couple of moments from this week that made us smile. 

Grayson and Mamma, sitting in the car in Nana's driveway.

Mamma: (turning around to face Grayson) Boo!

Grayson: (overcome with laughter) What??

Mamma: (ditto) Boo! 

Grayson: (dissolving in hysterics. I'm just that funny.) What??!

Mamma: (feeling very silly, does this again)

Grayson: Wha....Wha....What's wrong with you?

*****

Grayson, Mamma and Daddy, driving down the road, listening to a Top 40 Station. (Grayson likes dance music, or anything with a good beat.) A song with some suggestive lyrics comes on. 

Mamma and Daddy sit awkwardly, each wondering if we should change it or if that would cause an issue.

We sit for another minute. 

This song really is terrible. 

Grayson: I don't like this song.

Mamma and Daddy laugh so hard we almost have to pull over. 

****

I hope that made you chuckle. And, if it didn't, lie and tell me that it did. 

Have a happy Friday and a lovely weekend! We've got some mulch to spread, some dead plants to haul, a table to paint and some shelves to install. 

Sounds like a good time. 

A Grayson Moment

And now, because it's Friday and occasionally it's a good idea to take a break from all the house stuff, we pause and bring you: A Moment with Grayson.

Grayson is our two and a half year-old and he is constantly reminding helping us to take a step back and just enjoy how wonderful the little, everyday things are. Which is so very good for me. 

Here is a moment from yesterday that made us smile:

Grayson, standing in the doorway of the kitchen, running his fingers over his chin slowly.

Mama: Grayson, are you okay?

Grayson: Yeah, I am. *pause* I'm just itching my beard. 

Oh, that boy....he cracks us up. 

Does anybody have any fun DIY plans for this weekend? Or just fun plans in general? Tell us so we can copy you! Haha! I'm kidding. 

I think our plans involve finally (finally!) digging up that last, sad, monster of a bush in front of our house. (Then we can share our bush whacking adventures! Oh, joy!) and maybe some more painting. Is there anything a fresh coat of paint can't fix? Oh! And we're on a quest! (Goody! I love quests!) A quest for dining chairs.  

So, happy Friday and have a lovely weekend!