13 years in the making!

This past week Mark and I flew to Austin Texas to see our son Thomas graduate from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX.  My MIL also flew in from NC and we all met in the airport. 

Southwestern is actually the first institute of higher learning in Texas, founded in 1840.  It is a beautiful campus in a wonderfully rejuvenated small town.  We drove around the town square multiple times and altho I was driving I was also salivating over all the cute shops and restaurants, but no shopping for me!  At least not that day! 

The graduation photos are on Mark's phone, so they will have to wait. But suffice to say it was a beautiful (hot) day and our buttons were almost popping off with pride at learning that Thomas graduated Magna Cum Laude with Honors.  Of the 59 students receiving their BS that day only 4 did the honors program. So it was 'big stuff' to us.  Thomas' paper will be bound and retained in the Southwestern library for generations ot come!

The day before heading to Texas I took a day off to get ready, do a doctor's appointment, and do a little home decor project that has been bugging me for 13 years!  Our home built in 1955 originally had a big lava rock wall surrounding the fireplace.  The next owners in the late 70's replaced that with cherry wood paneling.  Nice paneling - but still... (eyes rolling)  Not being a rustic kind of girl that wall has really bugged me.  I tried to get Mark to let me paint it when we repainted the living room in 'Parchment Paper' 3 years ago, to no avail.  To make matters worse the adjacent wall which goes up the stairs to the top level of the house I had painted in Ralph Lauren River Rock in a deep cherry color (trying to disguise the cherry elephant in the room).  So that wall had to be completely sanded to lose the rock texture before any painting could begin.

I hand sanded, taped, applied 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of paint and the wall was done!  I loved it!!!  I had the mantel decor back up before Mark got home and he loved it too!  Now we sit and wonder why we waited so long!  I guess I should have pushed harder all those years ago.  The almost white wall really opens up the space.  My next project is a family 'rogue's gallery' going up the stairs.  The frames are all purchased, just need to pull pictures and plan the layout - this might be a good task for next weekend when I have 3 days off!