CATCHING UP ON WINTER

I have so much to blog about right now.

There is a lot of really great things happening everyday in our house. Barrett's school really celebrates its seniors and there has been a lot of events and pictures. I KNOW what they are doing. They are wearing us parents out with so many things, so that when our babies finally walk across that stage at graduation we will be so happy the whole thing is finally over there will be no reason for tears.

Yep, that is what they are doing, wearing us out.

Either way, this spring has really flown by.

Since this is basically my family scrapbook, I need to take care of February and March first, before going forward.



I was so depressed that we had not had any "snow days" when February rolled around. With my last child at home being a senior, I really wanted a few just so we could have a few pajama/TV/tea/chili days. Is there anything better than waking up finding out that there is no school because the roads are covered with ice?  Well, even though the rest of the country was blanketed with snow storm after snow storm, we had been left out. Just when we finally conceded  that Raleigh, NC was not going to see any winter weather, we were hit with three snow and ice storms late in the season. (If you want to see something funny, come to North Carolina and watch us react and deal with a little ice on the road!)

One night a big winter storm was in the forecast. We were so excited when it started to snow and sleet that night.

We were giddy when they actually closed schools before we went to bed!

We woke to this beautiful sight:

But discovered that some of our large anchoring landscaping didn't make it through the heavy ice.

We lost three major shrubs around our house.  

Charlie and Lola love a good snow day. It is seriously like having little kiddos in the house again. 

Barrett had a lot help building her snow fort. 

(She was totally appeasing me by playing in the snow!)

I tossed Lola toys when we were outside....constantly.

She is like the Energizer Bunny.

But, they were both tuckered out when we went inside. 

I got so tired of washing doggie faces and paws! I don't know why, but my dogs dig in the snow-which ultimately means they end up digging in the mud. I think there are moles that start moving around under the cold snow because my dogs act like they hear things underneath the snow by doing that silly head turning thing with their eyes popping out of their head as they stare at the ground. Then they really go to town as if digging to China.  

Our lounging around snow days were short lived. We had plans to have the inside of our house painted and our painter showed come hail, sleet, snow or ice promptly at 8AM. We had all but our kitchen and family room painted downstairs and all but two rooms painted upstairs. Our painter did not paint one room and then move on to the next. He was an all or nothing kind of guy. Our house looked like a construction zone. Actually it looked like a scene in Dexter because he hung plastic on all of the walls and doorways. He even took over our garage to paint the cabinet doors which meant we had to park outside of the garage. 

In the end, I am so glad to get rid of all of the colors I had in my house. Gone are the golds, reds, greens and black and brown dramatic (outdated) ceilings! In are the beige, treys and creamy whites!

The only place I put a color is in the laundry room - a blue grey color. 

(the foyer for two weeks)

garage

master bath

(from dark brown to light grey)

TV room

from cranberry red with black "dramatic" movie theater-ish ceilings

(yuck)

to a pretty smokey grey and creamy white palette 

a bedroom went from celery green to one of the most popular colors Ben Moore has:

 Revere Pewter

one of the girl's baths went from a pale lime green to Owl Grey by Ben Moore

YES that is a catbox in the dining room!

Thank goodness I have a very smart easy going cat!

He was moved out of the laundry room for several days!

  dining room complete

(except for lampshades)

I only hung a few things back on the wall and windows, the rest we Good Willed. I have a lot of bare plain rooms right now. I am going to take my time finding window treatments and wall decor. 

In the middle of all of this Brooke and I had birthdays. She turned 24 and I did not.

Mr. E came from DC with her to celebrate.

We went to our favorite french restaurant, Saint-Jacques.

And then came home and played Guitar Hero on Wii.

(yes, Brooke is sitting in an ab lounger)

...and then we played some other games.

Exciting times at the Odom house!