Projects :)

Nothing makes me happier than a project...except, possibly, multiple projects :)

I love to work with my hands.  I love when my fingernails are black with dirt from my garden, when my hands have have flecks of wood stain or paint on them that won't come off no matter how many times I wash them, when I can barely breath because I'm choking on sawdust.  

Most of all I love walking away from something that I created - knowing that the work I've done has resulted in a tangible accomplishment.  I'm sure that's a result of the cyclical nature of a mothers job...everything I do today will need to be done again tomorrow.  

Sometimes it's nice to do a job and have it finished.

This time of year I'm really itching to get outside - fertilize my lawn, break up the soil, and always, always, build something new.  We went to the home show last weekend with Becki and Colby, and now I have all kinds of fun idea's for Summer projects...

Unfortunately, being outside right now is not an option.  The weather lately is ridiculous.  Below normal temperatures and late snowstorms...I'm close to crazy.

We had a few days of warmth, melted a bunch of snow, then a quick round of snowstorms. Then another short warm up, more melting, and then earlier this week another nasty snowstorm. Today was fairly nice.  

It's supposed to snow again on Sunday.

I think my Spring fever is worse every year.  It feels like it.

Anyway - back to my projects :)

Since I have to be inside right now, I decided it was time to redecorate Asher's bedroom.  He's ready for a big boy bed!

I've been working on it for just over a week, and I'm close to done!

For now, I have pictures of his Before room for you.

We moved into our home on July 27th, 2006.  Asher was born on August 1.

He was almost a month early, but I had felt he was coming, so all weekend I worked at a fever pitch to get everything put together.  (I'm sure that had nothing to do with my pre-term labor!)

When Tessa was a baby I redecorated her nursery several times.  I loved doing that, but it was expensive, and (more importantly) people made fun of me for it.

I wanted something for Asher that I wouldn't feel the need to change constantly.  Something with elements that could evolve when I did decide to change things.

I considered a safari theme, a sports theme, a cowboy theme...and ended up deciding on Fire Trucks.  I bought almost everything - which is rare for me, I usually make a lot of what I use - but we were in the process of moving, most of my stuff was packed up, I was on bedrest, and Matt 'put his foot down' - insisting that I buy it all even though I wasn't really sure that it was what I wanted.

He doesn't do that to me often, he's really more the indulgent type. He listens when I debate the pro's and con's of a decor without rolling his eyes, he looks at dozens of pictures in magazines and online, nodding and 'mm-hmm' ing at the appropriate times, he'll even choose one fabric sample over another (though I'm pretty sure it's an arbitrary choice.)

With Asher's bedding he said "I really like this.  Let's buy it.  Now."

It was more than I wanted to spend, and I was still enjoying the internal decor debate - but he insisted, and so we bought it.  And he was right, I've loved it.

Best of all, it's lasted 2 1/2 years!  And many of the elements are proving to be perfect for his new room.

I'll have After pictures for you soon - but in the meantime, this was Asher's bedroom as it looked when we brought him home.  I loved this nursery!  I feel nostalgic.

FYI - these pictures were photoshopped, I liked the hard light effect.  My house isn't actually this sharp and contrast-y.