Hadley's Bedroom Makeover

 Hadley's bedroom makeover is done!

Before

After having the same bedroom for 7 years, Hadley was ready for a change. She requested a purple and turquoise color scheme and selected the unicorn bedding below. We painted her bedroom light lavender and added unicorn wall art. We reused the furniture, curtains, and rug, as well as reused/repainted some accessories, including the lamps and monogram art. Hadley loves her updated bedroom that reflects her current interests!

We painted Hadley's monogram purple to coordinate with her bedding.

In Hadley's desk area, we painted Hadley's name purple and spray painted the lamp turquoise. Hadley also displayed some recent family photos.

I painted Hadley's dresser drawer fronts lavender (the same color as the walls), as well as painted the wooden knobs purple. Above Hadley's dresser, I framed three unicorn printables from Etsy.

Sources:

Wall color (Silver Peony by Sherwin Williams)

Unicorn bedding (Belk)

Dot sheets (Belk)

Juliette tufted headboard (Target)

Lamps (Target)

Vivan curtains (Ikea)

Pink shag rug (Rugs USA)

Love bookends (Homegoods)

Photo memo board (Etsy)

Custom monogram above bed (Etsy)

Wooden name art above desk (Etsy)

Unicorn printables above dresser (Etsy)

Christmas 2021: Part 2

On Christmas Day, our family celebrated the holiday at home instead of traveling. We enjoyed sleeping until 9:30 A.M., opening presents, and watching movies. The girls baked monkey bread, while Tal made turkey and sides for lunch. At night, we drove around and looked at the Christmas lights. It was a relaxing family day!

Monkey Bread

Savannah received and put together this Lego set with nearly 500 pieces.

Christmas 2021: Part 1

On December 23-24, the four of us celebrated Christmas with our family in Salter Path. We enjoyed seeing our family and opening presents, as well as eating oysters and low country boil. We are blessed!

Hadley added her five little ponies to Grandma Barbara's nativity set. Hadley wanted them to see baby Jesus. So cute!

Cousin sleepover at Grandma Barbara's house

Hadley (7), Harper (8), and Savannah (12)

Savannah and Hadley were blessed with many gifts, including clothes, shoes, puzzles, art supplies, craft projects, and gift cards. 

Hadley and Tal

For Gran and Grandma Barbara, I created a 2022 calendar that included some of our favorite family photos from 2021.

Jingle and Hadley

Everyday Moments

 Random phone photos from everyday life.

For Christmas, the girls wrote thank you notes to their 14 teachers/bus drivers and gave them each a Starbucks gift card. 

A couple weeks ago, Tal and I started Hadley's bedroom makeover. Hadley requested a purple and turquoise color scheme and selected the unicorn bedding below.

I'm going to paint Hadley's bedroom light lavender over Christmas break, so we removed the curtains, decor, outlet covers, and dresser hardware.

Then, Hadley and I used magic erasers to remove the artwork she drew on her walls as a toddler. 

It was 70 degrees this weekend, so I spray painted Hadley's three bedroom lamps turquoise and painted her dresser drawer fronts lavender (the same color as the walls).

Before

After

Tooth Fairy

 Hadley lost her front tooth! This is tooth #5. Hadley was so excited when the tooth fairy left $5 under her pillow. 

Day at the Park

 Yesterday was 72 degrees...an ideal December day in NC and perfect for playing at the park. 

National Boards

Today I learned that I successfully renewed my National Boards certification for five more years. Yay! In June 2021, I submitted my online portfolio during one of the most stressful and exhausting school years in my 23 years of teaching due to the Covid-19 pandemic. My portfolio included two written commentaries, artifacts, and a lesson video that demonstrated how I have used my professional growth experiences to improve student learning over the last 10 years. In 2025-2026, I will go through the National Boards renewal process again (for the last time) before I retire from teaching in 7 years or so.

Tis the Season

This weekend our family enjoyed having Grandma Barbara visit us and take us Christmas shopping at a local mall. 

We also set up five Christmas inflatables in our front yard. Tis the season!

December Day

 A December day at the park in our neighborhood

Parade of Homes

On October 2 and 16, the girls and I (along with Grandma Barbara) toured 9 homes on the Parade of Homes. Due to Covid and supply chain issues, some homes were unfinished, but the Parade of Homes continues to be one of our favorite (and free) annual events. We noticed some 2021 housing trends, including black and white exteriors, light wood floors, custom hood vents, as well as patterned floor tile, custom wall treatments, and marble porcelain tile. 

This bathroom had a hidden room: