Ocean Air

Last Monday, I was lucky enough to have a full day to myself. No kids. So in true parent fashion, I went out for brunch, downed a mimosa, then came home and got to work painting our TV room.

Can you tell I have an issue with beige paint? Beige paint and I have a complicated relationship. I know the whole idea is that messes blend in better, but I hate thinking there are fingerprints and little bits of grime hiding in those walls. When something is white, I know it's dirty, I clean it. With beige, everything is just so unpredictable.

For example, Alice apparently squished one of the tomatoes on our windowsill against a wall, and I had NO clue until I went to paint the wall! At any rate, beige is not for me.

Here is a picture from the house listing for comparison.

Beige really is such a nice, warm color. I immediately felt colder after the new paint was on the walls. BUUUUUT then I realized this was because I forgot to turn the heater on. Go figure.

Isn't this the cutest rainbow artwork Everett made? I love how his smiley faces always look just a little insane.

So now we have a happy color that makes the room a little brighter. Alice is disappointed that we didn't paint the room purple. Maybe next time sweetie.

I chose the color like I always do. I sit and stare at it for weeks before committing. It's a lot of work to paint something a color you don't love. We landed on Ocean Air by Benjamin Moore, mixed by Sherwin Williams in the Harmony paint.

We have artwork for the room, but I just need to take the time and $ to get it professionally framed. For now, Everett wanted to collect some leaves from the yard and frame them. I love how his little brain already recognizes space. He is asking if we can make a third frame to fill the space between the other two. I only had these two frames, and we just used the nails there from the previous owners. Ha!

Novice Quilter

So obviously one of my bigger accomplishments of 2014 was finishing my first quilt.

I saw the pattern on Craftsy one dreary day, and decided I needed a little color in my life. The colors were chosen for me, as they came in a precut roll. Buying precut saved me a few good hours.

Quilting is a little addicting. I'm hoping to make another blanket for Everett's big boy bed (when he's ready). The workers at Spokane's premier quilting shop made me feel like my sewing machine was a little inferior for the task, so I did not try anything too fancy in the actual quilting phase. I simply did standard squares "in the ditch" of the existing fabric patterns.

To start, I "basted" the fabric together by layering everything on the floor. Using basting pins from Joann's, I pinned all the pieces together, then went for it on the machine. Some people pay for these final steps to be done by a professional, but I was on a budget and wanted to call this whole project my own.

I definitely felt like my sewing machine's ability was stretched in this step. I had to do a lot of pushing to get that heavy fabric to move, even with a brand new walking presser foot (a foot that supposedly "walks" the top layer of fabric, while the "feet" built into the machine move the bottom layer of fabric).

The final step is binding the quilt, which I did with the help of this gal and this gal. I guess you can say I combined their methods and did whatever seemed least confusing to me.

Is my quilt perfect? No. Does it bring our family great joy? YES.

Weekenders {Holiday Edition}

Spokane has a lot to offer during the holidays. Our favorite tradition is driving to Lake Coeur d' Alene to watch the bald eagles. 

Yesterday was the perfect day for this. It has been unseasonably warm, but it was still frigid by the waters. Good thing I finished my quilt! Seriously, we would have been dying without it. I had to keep Everett in the Ergo for extra warmth, and to restrain him from attempting to jump in the water (he kept asking if he could).

Everett loved watching the eagles swoop down toward the water. You can catch a glimpse of one from afar in this photo! This is a pretty remarkable thing we get to witness every year at this time.

Our usual routine is to round out our evenings in CDA by visiting the ornament shop and the Irish store, then enjoying a cup of hot chocolate at the resort while looking at the lights on the boardwalk. 

And for one weekend only, Riverside State Park strings up lights at the Bowl and Pitcher. Even the suspension bridge is decorated, which is pretty terrifying - yet special. It is good the weather has been so warm, or the whole experience in the park would have been treacherous. My dad and step-mom met us down there for the festivities.

It's a good thing I take so many pictures, because the next day I realized how insufficient Everett's winter wardrobe is. I ran by REI after church and spent $50+ on wool socks alone to get us through the winter. I realize this is a lot to spend on a kid's underwear, but his comfort means we have more outdoor time this winter, and he certainly appreciated the warm feet and legs the following day in Coeur d' Alene. Next on the list is a new (longer) pair of jeans. The kid tears hats off his head in seconds, so I've lost that battle for now.

Despite the cold, we all had a fantastic time. There were plenty of activities for kids of all ages, including a hay ride, visits with Santa, bonfires, warm beverages, and real life owls. Here's what went down when E got to meet Santa for the first time:

"Yeeeeeah...this is effed."

"Grandpa, please save me!"

"If I must."

His hair was so crazy because he kept tearing off his hat.

Everett was most impressed with the bonfires they had around the park. A log would crack, sparks would fly, and he would yell, "It's snowing!"

He is so lucky to have Grandparents who love spending time with him. And check it out: the three most important men in my life, all in one picture.

Time Traveling

Invitations for Everett's 2nd birthday party have officially gone in the mail. I have a list of to-dos for the big day, and many daunting chores need completing before we have a house full of company. My most challenging task will be finishing this dang quilt!

Its contents are taking up much needed space in the house. This beast has been months in the making, but I think the results will be worth the effort.

This picture was taken before all the rows were joined. Now the only thing I have left to do is the actual quilting/binding. Many people get nervous about this process, but I've done research on a few techniques and feel confident in my abilities. However, just to be safe, please wish me ALL the luck. The quilt is roughly the size of a twin comforter, so there is a lot of potential for error. I will be armed with wine and Gilmore Girls!

I find it hard to believe it has almost been 2 years since our sweet little guy was born. Where does the time go?