Well - I have been getting irritated lately at going to people's blogs and not finding any updates - and realized I have not posted in quite a while either - so shame on me!!!
We have been so busy - Stephen moved out of home 2 weeks ago into an apartment with a friend, tonight will be our first dinner with Stephen and Charlie will also join us, so we can get to know him better. They have been game playing friends for years and both were looking to be 'liberated' from home at the same time so this worked out great. They have a nice 2 bedroom in a building on my way home from work so we can do dinner or whatever after work - we'll see...since he's been gone two weeks and this is our first dinner I don't think he's missing me yet!
Diane and the girls are driving from NC to be with us for the holiday (Glenn will fly up Christmas eve)so we have been redecorating Stephen's room into a guest room and what a big job it ended up being! I decided after the primer was on that the walls really needed to be skim coated. They are old plaster and had gotten damaged in wallpaper removal from previous owners. So my one day paint project turned into 3 days and by the time we got back into the next work week progress really slowed down! The colors were all inspired by a hand stitched Jacobean style pillow I got at a local high end furniture store outlet at a price too good to reveal!!! The walls are a nice deep tan called Peanut Shell, we kept white trim on the windows and baseboards. The draperies will be floor length deep red and the rug is a shag area rug with sage, ivory and the peanut shell color blended together. I love it! We are keeping the day bed and trundle in the room, covering it in sage linens and an ivory matelasse spread and skirt and shams with sage microfiber toss pillows and the inspirational pillow. I am adding in a restored treadle sewing machine that was a gift from Mike and Jean my in-laws. It's very special as it was Jean's mother's machine and restored after getting it from the lodge in northern WI that her father had. It has beautiful carved filigree and iron work. I'll add in lamps and art and that's about it. Not sure on art yet, but am thinking of moving all the cross stitch I did for Stephen as a baby into a collage grouping on one wall - since this was his room! I've also been working on a modern quilted wallhanging that may end up in the room also - I'll have to try it after I get it finished - I am at the binding stage tonight! The colors and decor are a big change from the turquoise walls and black carpet of Stephen's residence, but I think it's more us and will last a long time.
We had good news from Diane that her house here in IL finally sold, they are closing soon, so we are thinking ahead with all our home projects and trying to go 'neutral' for the day we put ours on the market. We're in no rush and are enjoying the space by ourselves, but eventually we will downsize I guess.
So for the holidays we will be in IL with Diane and family and Mike and Jean this year, Fred will be in Seattle with his family then go to see mom on the 28th and Grandma Sharon will be on her own in NC. We hate that, but it's hard to juggle a family with so many parts!
Mom and I will be heading to WNY in early January for a secret trip that I'll have to come back and tell you about later!
In the meantime - whoever you are, where ever you are, what ever you celebrate this season, I wish you glad tidings, be safe, be warm and check back in next year! Hug - Toby
