ambitious renovations

Why do I do this to myself? It is so much easier to paint a room when there is nothing in it and no floor to worry about messing up with paint drops...soooooo I decided that now was a great time to paint the office. The color in there was fine but it was pretty dark and I have always intended to paint it the same color as our bedroom, a very soft butter color. My half day at work today made it possible to get in 2 full coat! Some shots so you can see the progress...First is Dominic last night getting those tack strips up...nails in concrete is a tough job (please notice the old paint color)

Primer always goes fast because it doesn't need to be perfect, can you see the room is already lighter?

the other side of the room

Once Dominic got home and saw my technique he was laughing...I make a mess when I paint and this technique allows for the easiest clean up.

Here is the finished color...hard to tell it's not white because it's so dark outside

It's a bit easier to see it with the white closet doors.My wonderful hubby cleaning up the paintbrushes.

Whew..thank goodness that's done! Well really I need one more quick coat tomorrow or friday but I'm on call tomorrow and inductions make for unpredictability, as does this change in weather that's coming...uhhh what have I started??

Back to the renovations

We've been putting off doing our floors for an awfully long time and I finally realized I was just finding excuses because it meant doing work...I don't like procrastination so this weekend we bit the bullet and bought the pergo we've liked for 4+ months. I was able to get them to take an extra 10% off everything which really helped us stretch the budget (hey, every little bit counts). Since I was off today and I want to maximize our time this coming weekend I took it upon myself to do most of the prep work. Here are our before pics and after my prep.Does anyone notice the ode to Dominic there on the wall?? I'm quite proud of my hubby and if having a football helmet in the living room and lifesized picture on the wall doesn't prove it I'm not sure what does.Here is the first strip of carpet G-O-N-E it was at this point that I noticed that the floors seemed to be in great shape and I was thinking quite level but wasn't counting my chickens just yet.I bet you're wondering why I hadn't moved that last dresser?? Well my friends I'm quite resourceful and will attempt just about anything on my own..but it's times like these that call for a strong husband. Dominic was so kind as to come home for lunch and move it for me...sorry but a HEAVY tv that high up was bound to hurt either me or eclair, god forbid it was eclair!I can hardly believe I'm posting this but she sat for this shot all on her own...I'm sure she's not responsible for everyone one of those as the previous owners had 2 small dogs but certainly she's responsible for most of them...and this was a HUGE reason for getting new hard surface flooring.

Now, as anyone who has done renovations knows...it must get worse before it gets better, here is our living and dining rooms. See all those boxes on the left...that's my NEW FLOOR!and the final after shot. That lamp is the only light in the room so it must stay. Now for the real question...should I paint the room before we get the floors in?? Oh, just realized we need to switch out the outlets too...good thing we have those in the garage already.

Ode to US

Lookie what I got! Our wedding portrait came months ago and we've been wanting to get it framed since then. 2 weekends ago we finally had time and Aaron Brother's didn't have a line so we took the plunge...I LOVE it. The picture is big but it's what came with our package. It's an art photo, which basically means the picture is made to look like it was painted, and it's on canvas...absolutely stunning if you ask me! I took some shots in different light because it's hard in this house to photograph anything without shadows. There is glass on the print it's just made to not look like it's there.

I'm in L-O-V-E, thanks Tasha (that's our photog, Tasha Owen, we'll be seeing her again in July when Cindy gets married and I can't wait for some more shots)

fashion starts at a young age...at least for those with style

Nancy do NOT read any further or you'll spoil your gift :)

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how cute will her little man be in a tie?? Handsome as hell! Maybe I should make her one that says....mother's lock up your daughters now! And yes I made this with only an iron. I'm holding onto the rest for a bit just incase I might be needing a few myself ;)

Mommy's visit

Last weekend my mom came to visit...probably because she loves us so much...and maybe a little because it's quieter here at our place ;) We had a great weekend just laying low, mostly shopping and playing games....Do you think we look alike? (this is dinner at BJ's)and Quiddler, which you HAVE to get if you've never played. This game is easy but hard, teaches spelling and math and ANYONE who can spell at least 2 letter words can play.
and of course Dominic was our chef for the weekend...thanks babe!I'm trying to convince her that a laptop is the way to go...wouldn't you love sitting infront of the tv AND enjoying a little HP at the same time???? Thanks for coming mom, I know traveling isn't that much fun but we can't wait until you come again!

Our fall decor

Disclaimer: this post involves whining and a bit of frustration

I would like to announce that I have just missed 2 deliveries in a row...yes TWO. The first was in no way my fault. The pt arrived complete and delivered within several minutes. The second wasn't ENTIRELY my fault. The nurse says, "she just went from 6 to complete so quickly" um yeah, she said she took quite a bit of cohosh...who knows what she's going to do...plus this isn't her first baby...uhhhh! What is a midwife to do with these nurses. I had called 1.5 hrs prior and was told the pt wasn't really contracting and would probably need pitocin and then this....GRRRR.

And now on to our regularly scheduled fall decor:
Up first a few outdoor shots (we have a cute little flag as well but it was too dark to see it well)

can you spy the little dachshund shoe scraper hiding behind the pumpkins?
and a few up close shots of the indoor decor:


Now for the full effect:


Did anyone notice the white cable in that shot above?? ONLY allowable during football season!Here's the hubs not really understanding WHY we need to interrupt the evening tv programing for shots of the decor...oh babe just humor me. (ps, this is a typical pose for him)

Before I go. I realize that if I had just stayed at the hospital the entire time my patient was there I wouldn't have missed that second delivery. This patient had frustrated me quite a bit earlier in the day and I wasn't really looking forward to hanging out with her, if you know what I mean. I do however find it ironic that I called just a bit before to check on her (intuition) and was told everything was A OK and not to worry she wasn't doing much of anything...lession learned, trust MY instinct and don't listen to those nurses from afar!

I LOVE FALL

For the past 2 weeks I have been wanting it to be fall here in California. Last weekend the weather finally cooperated just in time for my mom to come visit, more on that later! We picked our first pumpkin out just after we completed the cornmaze for our anniversary (we haven't carved it yet because I want it to last) and have been adding to our collection ever since. I will get shots of the house tonight (if my pregnant ladies allow) so you can see all our new decorations for both fall and halloween. In the mean time check out these gorgeous ideas from Martha, Cottage, BHG, Allrecipes.com, Pattiewack, Flickr, Domino, Country Home, and Country Living!