Little Tidbits - Painting and More

Pink! Did I Ever Think I Would Use this Colour?

I said I wasn't going to show you much until the video was updated. But I did say I would give you a hint of my room.

The Boys Room Patching Holes Before It Becomes a Girl's Room

Me Painting Trim in My Lovely Painter Clothes

Your Hint of Colour (I bet you thought I'd use blue, right? LOL)

(Cassidy scrubbing paint off the floor.)

Today was a rather annoying day. Yesterday, Ray drove an hour north of us to pick up the 2 beds, dresser, and night table for the girls. Trust me, before I chose this bed I did *painstaking* research to get exactly what I wanted!!!

Things have changed over the years. God has blessed us in the last 2 years. Funny enough, He blessed us just previous to us deciding to adopt. Interesting timing!! *smile* In years past, having a big family meant that our boys had cast down or makeshift beds. When we built this house we were blessed with being able to buy new beds for those that needed it. A real treat. Not only that we got new living room furniture.

Ever since we decided to adopt and stepped out in faith, (intending to spend money we *didn't have*, *knowing* that God would provide since He gave us the vision,) He has met our every need. Not only that, He has made sure that we have had more than enough for this adoption!!! It is inspiring enought to do it all again!! *laugh* Scared some of you there, didn't I?! Well, God has led us to do it in the past, who knows the future!!!

So we were able to buy the girls a nice bedroom set. The one I chose had to fit in with a clean, crisp colour scheme. It had to be white. Do you know how hard it is to find a nice white bedroom set?! Well, I found one. Stark white.

Then last night, Ray calls me from the store. "The bedroom set is not stark white. It's cream. It looks kind of like an antique."

WHAT?!! I decided to have him bring it home and I would check it out and make my decision from there.

An hour or two later, he arrived and the truck bed was full.

P.J. Boy Unloading Boxes

(When I took his picture in his PJ's and told him it was going on my blog, he said, "What I'll do for my sisters!" Said with an attitude of pleasure that he has sisters to do things for. *smile*)

There was no chance I would be returning it in my van!! It was way too big to fit! That would mean another wasted $50 in gas to take it back if Ray returned it for me. Great! I quickly ripped open a box to see how bad the colour was.

It didn't seem too bad in the outside light. Hopeful, we carried the headboard upstairs and then looked at it again, against my crisp white walls - Yep, it was cream. No mistaking it.

So now I had a decision to make. Keep it cream; return it and begin my hunt all over again - even knowing I have company of five people arriving in a week; or my third choice - paint it!

My dad, the genius, would be able to help me. He is an antique refinisher and he would know if I could paint this and how I could do it so it looked store bought. The next day, Ray drove to my dad's with a bed leg, and my dad told him what to buy, how to do it and home Ray came with sponge rollers, sandpaper and more.

So guess what I began doing at 5:00 pm today?! Painting beds, dressers, and night tables, Oh JOY!! Man, I just finished the first coat and it is nearly 11:00 pm!!! But it looks GOOD!!! So now I will show you a few things from the room. *smile*

Headboards and Footboards

As I am working in the room it is almost surreal. Our girls are coming home. I really can't believe it. They are so close I can almost touch them. We got the most precious video the other day of our girls. I really feel I know a bit about them.

Gadisae is a cute, spunky, funny little girl. She loves the camera and will do anything to be the centre of the picture. She is smart!! So smart. She can say, Mummy and Daddy in English. How do I know? Because I saw a video where a friend asked her to say, Mum. And she responded by saying, "Mummy, Daddy". Then when it was a little friend's turn to answer (and she didn't respond), Gadisae could be heard speaking beside her, "Mummy, Daddy." So adorable!! After this the children noticed the LCD on the camcorder and my friend, Rob, turned it around so the kids could see themselves. Well, that was the funniest thing. They just laughed! Then Gadisae and another little girl started making funny faces at themselves. So now we know she is a ham!!

Mesai has a sweet, gentle, calm spirit. She is a little reserved but a happy little girl. Mesai did not speak for the camera, but we did hear her utter a little, "Yes", twice. It is amazing how you *hang* on that little word. I know her exact accent. Very sweet! I can't wait to hear them speak for real!

Here are some room pictures for you now:

This is Their Closet

(The closet will be painted pink and white inside to match the room.) I just *had* to hang their clothes in the closet, so I could see all that pink hanging somewhere! I was thrilled to find out that Mary Jane shoes are back in fashion!! Yeah, I bought sizes 12-2, cause they didn't have tinier ones. The lady at the store has told me she will send me the sizes 9-11 when they come in. I have to have them!! LOL!

Pink and White Done

Painting Trim

Room With Trim and Bed Boxes

My Own Personal Carpenter Putting Up Colonial Rectangles

Now a story. I was NOT happy on day two of this painting day. This story has actually taken 3 days to complete. Day 1: bought furniture and began painting. Day 2: painting furniture and repairing damage hubby did. Day 3: painting furniture and repairing damage hubby did. (again)

Day 2 was NOT a good day!

So, Day 1, Ray and I were working side by side. I was painting my furniture and he was doing the trim. He was doing a fabulous job, as usual. I see he has put up one of his Colonial rectangles and moved onto the next one. There is dripping glue all around his rectangle. I ask him if he needs to wipe the glue? No, it just peels off later, he says. Great! We continue to work. The room is looking better by the minute.

Day 2: I discover my camera will not upload pictures. My computer freezes as soon as I plug in the camera. Brand new camera. Nothing I do stops this problem. I have a year end baseball tournament to photograph for three sons today, plus all our decorating pics, not to mention our upcoming Africa trip. I was not impressed! Oh, and I misplaced my receipt, so could I even take the camera back!!! ARRRGGHH

Next, as I am blow-drying my hair my dryer starts sparking and getting red! It nearly caught fire!!! Great and I have to go out in public!!! You should see my hair when I don't dry it! I NEED a blow dryer. Strike 2 on my day! grimace.

Don't forget I am *still* repainting this furniture (after how many hours???) that was a mistaken order due to the website misadvertising. Double grimace! (Do you know how many grooves there are??? And NO I could NOT accept it was cream. It would wreck my planned room. *wry grin*)

Okay, so back onto my afternoon. It is now after the ballgames, and Ray and I are back on the room, and he is building the bed, and I am helping. I notice the stuff on the walls. It has not 'peeled off'. It is not 'picking off'. It is not 'pick axing off'. It is NOT coming off!!!!

So what did I have to do???? Get out the electric SANDER. Can you imagine??? I have these beautiful walls that are DONE, FINISHED, COMPLETE, and I have to sand blast them to remove this furniture glue!!! Triple ARRGGHHH!!

Ohhh, but it gets better. As I am using this thing on the first rectangle (and we have glue on about 3 or 4 of them), it starts making noises. I turn it off and show my husband. He in his Tim the Tool-Man Taylor mode checks it over, figures 'whatever', shrugs, and hands it back to me.

I turn it on and it resumes its odd noise - and I resume my sanding and then BANG, POP, BLOWOUT and it nearly catches fire!!!! I nearly throw the thing at my poor husband and burst out in frustration, "You are supposed to protect me!" (Visualizing a Knight in Shining Armour saving me from dangerous items, robbers, bandits and such) and he looks at me like I am nuts and innocently says, "From what?"

"From exploding sand blasters, that's what!!" I stalk from the room complaining about computers not working, hair dryers catching fire, blowing up sanders, and repainting furniture that was supposed to be white!

I head downstairs and burn off my adrenaline with the fastest broom in the west, followed by the fastest mop in the east! In 30 minutes the downstairs was spotless and I was a little cooler. Meanwhile, my ever-patient, long-suffering husband quietly feeds the kids and removes the rest of the caked on yellow "concrete" glue from the walls and then puts drywall mud on the damage.

The calm resumes in the house. But I am still left with frizzy hair and no hookup for my camera to download to my computer!

What a day!