High Places

While it was snowing outside, Tal and I were busy painting our entry way, stairway, and living room. It was definitely our hardest and most exhausting day of painting. (It took 9 hours!)

Tal spent most of the day climbing up and down the extension ladder and painting our 18 feet walls. I handed Tal roller and edger refills, as well as painted the lower areas.

Our entryway, hallways, and living room are fresh and updated with the new cream color. The cream color is lighter than we expected, but it's also neutral and timeless. Plus, it's too much work to repaint! :-)

White Christmas

On Christmas day, Tal and I drove back from Salter Path (a day earlier than we'd planned) because of the forecasted snow storm. We're glad we made the decision to come home early because snow started falling two hours after we arrived home. By noon the next day, there were 6-8 inches of snow on the ground. For the first time in over 50 years, we had a white Christmas in our part of NC!

Holiday Happenings

Tal and I celebrated Christmas in Salter Path with Tal's family. We enjoyed eating good food, playing with Savannah, and relaxing with family. Savannah was showered with Christmas gifts:

1.  Savannah received this cute and creative T-shirt that Benny and EJ customized:

2. Savannah loves putting the correct shapes and letters in the school bus:

3. Savannah is fascinated with babies and loves saying, "baby, baby." In the pictures below, you can see how much Savannah loves giving her new baby a bottle and pacifier. The baby even cries!

4. Recently, Savannah has become interested in puzzles--like this one in which the cow "moos" and the pigs "oink."

5. Savannah's favorite Christmas gift is the kitchen that Barbara gave her. She loves opening and closing the doors, pushing the buttons on the microwave, and making coffee for Grandaddy.

Put a Ring on It!

On December 23, Tal's brother Benny proposed to his girlfriend EJ (short for Elicia Joy) of 1.5 years. Benny proposed at El's, the site of their first date. EJ was very surprised!

Two weeks ago, Benny informed us that he was going to ask EJ to marry him. We were thrilled! Months ago, Tal, Barbara, and I predicted that Benny would propose by Christmas. In fact, Barbara and Savannah helped Benny pick out EJ's ring. We all like EJ and couldn't be happier that she'll be joining our family in 2011.

Bonus Points

Last week, Tal and I painted our bonus room a light gray. We like the color--although it's lighter than we expected. In the future, Tal and I plan to add some NC State memorabilia to dress up Tal's man cave.



Below is the sofa that's supposed to go into our bonus room. On Christmas day, Tal and I carried it into the house and upstairs. However, I'm not strong enough to help Tal finagle it through the bonus room door. So, for now, the sofa is staying put in our upstairs loft area.  :-)

Tickled Pink

A month ago, the walls in Savannah's room were painted with a Peter Cottontail mural:

Before

Today Tal and I are tickled pink with the new paint color in Savannah's room. It's the lightest pink hue I could find--a sweet pastel pink--without any purple, peach, gray, or brown undertones.

Obviously, Savannah's room is bare now. However, within the next year, Savannah will graduate from her crib to a big girl bed.  At that time, I'll add bedding, curtains, and accessories that coordinate with the pink wall color.

After

Wash and Dry

Tal painted our laundry room blue-green before our new washer and dryer were delivered on December 20.  (Our old pair stayed in the rental house.) After waiting three weeks for our washer and dryer to arrivie, I couldn't wait to do laundry!

Before

After

By the way, Tal and I love the big, deep sink in our laundry room. It came in very handy when we were washing paint rollers, brushes, and edgers every day!

Merry Christmas!

Rented!

Tal and I are thankful that our renters moved into our former house last weekend.

After doing background and credit checks, we're hopeful that our tenants will pay their rent, take care of the property, and stick around for awhile.

At this point, Tal and I are planning to keep our rental house as a long-term investment, but we'll see what happens.

22 Months Old!

I am 22 months old!

I'm adjusting very well to my new home and bedroom.

Last night, I slept through the night for the first time

since we moved into our new home.

I love having lots of space to run around.

I love hiding in the empty cupboards.

I love sitting on the kitchen counter and coloring

while Mommy fixes dinner.

Even though we live farther away,

I still attend the same school.

However, now Mommy takes me to school...

...and picks me up.

I'm looking forward to staying with

Grandma Barbara during my Christmas break. 

Grandma and I are best buds!

Primed for Success

Thanks to Tal's mom and brother who helped us prime SIX rooms on Saturday and Sunday:

1. In Savannah's bedroom, we applied two coats of primer to cover the Peter Cottontail mural:

2. In the office/guest bedroom, it took two coats of Kilz to hide the forest mural and tire tracks around the room:

3. In the other guest bedroom, Tal's mom Barbara spent about five hours on Saturday removing the border before we primed the room:

4. In the half bathroom, Tal applied an oil-based primer to hide the palm tree wallpaper:

5. Last week, Tal spent 3 evenings/9 hours removing the wallpaper from one wall in the kitchen. After that, we decided it was easier and faster to paint over the wallpaper. On Sunday, Tal, Barbara, and I covered the green striped wallpaper in the kitchen with an oil-based primer:

6. In the bonus room, Tal filled LOTS of holes and sanded before we primed the room: