Sunday, January 22, 2012

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Hello out there!  We have had a very busy week here.  I will start with today though, because it was a special day!  Our daughter Erika was baptized this morning at church.   We sat in the third row, right behind her, but I took my photos of the big screen above so that I wouldn't have anyone else's head in the photos.  Which was kind of hard to do, because I was trying to watch her with my natural eye, while taking photos, and then the tears began too.
Here she is, just as she is about to go under the water.  Pastor is talking to her.  I love the look on her face.
And then, under she goes, washed anew.
 And here she is, all smiles, after the service.  Her best friends, Mike and Laura came out to share this with her, as well as her good friend Amy. 
 Here she is with her Dad and I.
 We are very proud of you Erika!  After church this morning, we stopped at Home Depot for my trim paint.  I got home and prepped the trim, taping everything off, but before I got started, my Mom and Nana came over and brought us sandwiches from a favorite deli in Gardena ( near Los Angeles ) that my family has been going to since my parents were in high school.  We had delicious sandwiches while watching the football game, and had a nice visit with my Mom and Nana.
Get ready to drool!!
Oh they were so good!  Thank you Mom!!  After my Mom left, I got busy on my painting.  I finished painting the walls yesterday, and did the baseboards today.  But I ran out of daylight and will have to do the trim around the closet later.  What a job this room was!  Probably the worst home project I have tackled to date.  But it looks so much better with a nice fresh coat of paint on it.   There are still lots of things to do in there.  I really should have Greg rehang this rod.  He put it up for me, but I didn't tell him that the  brackets should be two inches outside the outer edge of the window.   This was hung a while ago, and we will be changing it.  Maybe "manana."  A friend of ours told us that "manana" doesn't necessarily mean tomorrow, it just means, NOT TODAY!!  This picture would be much prettier if I had waited until tomorrow in the daylight, with the window blinds open.   I will do more later though.  I still have lots to do in that room.
The next thing I am looking for in this room is a new comforter.  And fabric to make a dust ruffle, and recover the antique hope chest I keep at the foot of the bed that belonged to my Dad's sister, my favorite Aunt Connie.
This is the new chaise lounge I recently bought.  It is soooo comfortable!!!  I am sitting in it right now as I write this post.  That  afghan is almost done.  I will finish it before I start on anything else!
The telly is in this armoire in the corner of the room.  But the prettiest part of this piece of furniture never gets to be seen because we never close the doors.  So I reluctantly arranged the piece so that the doors were opened up all of the way, allowing for the optimal viewing of the t.v., and we do without the outside of the pretty doors showing.  : (
I took that photo before I had finished putting pictures back onto the shelves.  These are two favorite photos of mine.  The one on the left is of my best friend Jae and I golfing. I look huge in that picture, but in my defense, my friend Jae is very little.   And the other one is of our son Drew and his best buddy Brian when they were in high school.  I took it right after they had both come in off the court. 
On the high boy dresser sits some special things too.  This is a very favorite picture of our grand girls, Hannah and Claire.  And in the fern is the hummingbird nest I snipped out of one of the orange trees a couple of weeks ago when we were pruning.  The large hawk feather is one that I found while jogging up at Bass Lake a few summers ago.  And then a photo of my husband golfing, and some of his favorite golfing books.  The bronze colored candle holder with the beads was a Goodwill find a few weeks back.
On the wall next to the dresser is a very old oar that belonged to my Dad.  I am not sure of it's origin, but we were always a boating family, so I am sure that it is one that we used at one time.  Below the oar is a picture we bought up at Bass Lake a few summers ago.   It always make me think of some of our happiest of times.  And also on the wall is a snapshot keeper that holds miscellaneous photos of our family.  I need to update that soon.
On another wall sits a child sized table and chairs that I bought at my Vintage & Thrift, and painted in a creamy white.  The chairs are very old wood and metal school chairs.   I have it set for a tea party because tomorrow morning my grand girls are coming over for a couple of hours.  The china tea set and linens all fit in that cute wicker basket.  I bought it at an antique fair a couple of  summers ago.
Also on that wall is the little play kitchen set that our two daughters had when they were little girls.  When they outgrew it, I boxed all of the play foods, and the whole kitchen up and wrapped it all in plastic to save for one day when I had grandchildren.  When our three grandkids play with this set, I remember all of the great times that our girls had playing with it, so many years ago. 
Other than the fact that it is missing two knobs on the front, and the kitchen sink sprayer, it is in nearly perfect condition. Not bad for being nearly 30 years old!!   I am so glad that I saved it!
The quilt rack that hangs above the chaise lounge is holding a quilt that I made many years ago.  I need to make one in the colors that I am doing in this room.  On the shelf above the quilt are more favorite photos, and a photo of Greg's favorite golfer Ernie Els, that a good friend of mine who is a photographer, took last year at Pebble Beach for us.   I bought the quilt rack at a cabin sale up in Big Bear a couple of years ago, a few cabins up from my Mom's place.
The basket that is holding the yarn is also a Goodwill find.  I love it because it has a wire base and is very sturdy. 
This is the largest bedroom in our house.   Even bigger than our bedroom, but without the attached bathroom.  So it works out very well for a guest bedroom that doubles as a playroom/den for us.  When I find the comforter I want, I will be changing and adding some things on the walls.  But for now, after working very hard on the wallpaper removal, wall repair and retexture, then painting, I am done for now. 
Before wrapping it up.  I am enclosing a picture from " Bar Night" the other night.  This is not all of us, just the one's I could fit into this frame.
My little brother and his family weren't there, so this is a light turn out.  Some of us were sitting at the bar on the opposite side. 
Oh and one last thing.  Last night Geeps and I went to the movies with our girls.  Just Genny, Erika and us.  It was fun.  Then we went to dinner at Panera.  I thoroughly enjoyed the evening!  We saw that movie with Tom Hanks, Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close.  We all four thought it was outstanding!  Sad, touching, thought provoking, and very well written and acted.  Do go see it if you get the chance!
Well, I think that is about it from here.  It has been a busy time, and there is still a lot going on for us.  Good stuff.  Good times.  We are blessed!!!
XO  Kris

23 comments:

Lauri said...

So many things to comment on...
Congratulations to Erica on her baptism. It's so nice to have your children embrace something that is so dear to you.

I love your chaise lounge. Really love it. I have been thinking that I would like to have one too. Where did you find it?

You've been busy with that guest room of yours. You'll enjoy having that finished.

Katie and I were talking about some of your yummy recipes. She tried your pulled pork the other night and said it was delish. I was looking for your shepherds pie but couldn't find it so I tried to make it from memory. It was much better last time when I made t exactly. You're a great cook!

Enjoy your week!

Lauri said...

One more thing...you look darling in your very dress and yellow sweater.

Teresa Kasner said...

You are sure right that you are busy! Congrats to your daughter! That's neat that you finally getting that room done. I wish I had your energy. You're so lucky to have your GDs nearby. Hugs, T

Grammy Staffy said...

congrats to your daughter. I am sure that today was a very special day for all of you.
I love the way your newly redone room looks. It is so pretty. I wish I had the energy to redo a couple of mine... but I don't so I will just have to enjoy looking at yours.

Have a great week. Lets meet for lunch before too long. Hugs, Lura

Holly said...

How great for Erika, it reminds me so much of when my kids were baptised about 8 years ago. That room is huge and it looks great. I'm in the middle of re-doing our guest room since Katie moved out. It's tiny, like 11x11. At least it's already painted with no wallpaper. I now know who to call if I need wallpaper removed though.

mynestofyarnandbuttons said...

Oh my gosh, you did all that in one weekend! You are super woman! Your daughter looks so cute and innocent, lovely celebration! Your room looks so fabulous. I love the treasured kiddy toys and display. Already for playtime. That hoagie looked amazing and to have it with your mom and gran, how great.
Now what will you do this week......recup? or carry on.
xoRobin❤

Katie said...

Congratulations Erika, Welcome to the Body of Christ!

Katie said...

Congratulations Erika, Welcome to the Body of Christ!

Unknown said...

You are indeed super woman...what a week! Love that afghan! Pretty colors. I have wanted to do that pattern for ages.
Great job on the den. Enjoy.

Nicolle said...

Oh, I love that you saved the old toys that your girls used to play with. That is so sweet and so special.

Yes, the sandwich looks SO good!

The pictures of all of you at church are fantastic, and I'm so happy for Erika. What a blessing.

xo.

Dawn said...

Congrats on the baptism!!! You sound way to busy girl. The sandwich looks divine. Can't wait to see the new comforter and all the painting you are doing..

Sunny Simple Life said...

You are busy busy. I love that photo of your daughter too. I am sure you were all moved by that. When my last daughter decided to be baptized and I wasn't there for it I almost cried.

Pam said...

I think the room is looking fantastic - nice job on the walls! I love seeing all of your favorite photos. I think it's great you & your husband took your girls to the movie. So sweet!

deb said...

what a special day...what church is that???
I wished I had saved my kids stuff for my grandkids....just wasnt thinking I guess,or it seemed so far away, now it seems like yesterday...where does time go!!!

Janna said...

Yay for Erica! and yay for that afghan:)

DaCraftyLady said...

congrats to your daughter and her baptism.. and great on the afghan, room looks great,that sandwich had my stomach growling!! Debb

Genn said...

You got some great pics of Erika!
Loved those.
And the one with you and dad and her. You look SO pretty Mom.
I'm sad we missed bar night. It looks like fun. Maybe next one.

corners of my life said...

It would be such fun to be at that tea party!

Kerri said...

Genn's comment made me a little teary! I am such a sap! Congratulations to Erika on her baptism! So great that you guys were able to go to the movies with just your girls...I bet that doesn't happen very often!

Stephanie said...

I used to work with youth girls at our church and I remember the first time I got to baptize one of them...it was life changing. I can't wait to see my daughter get baptized, although she's only three. : ) Something to look forward too for sure!

P.S. I just started my first afghan...I'm doing granny squares and it's taking forever! But I'm determined to have it done for my daughter's birthday this spring!

NanaNor's said...

Hi there, Loved seeing all the changes and of course seeing your girl baptized-how incredible.
Hey we are going to the movies today to see the Tom Hanks one, what did you think of it?
Have a great afternoon.
Hugs, Noreen

Linda said...

Congrats to Erika...what a special day for you all! You look very pretty in the picture there...but then I think you always look pretty! The little tea set is so cute...I saved a few things from my boys when they were little...not enough room for all tht I would have liked to save! Have a great day!!

Whosyergurl said...

Kris, Love the photo of you and hubs and daughter. You are too, too adorable! I want to see that movie. I cry everytime I see the trailer.
xo, Cheryl