Extreme Makeover -- Revealed!

It was all worth it.

3 gallons of paint, two shopping trips, five days of sneaking around, a ton of seashells -- and this is what we got...

We had a nice family swim with my mom and dad. And it was great to see that my sister, her fiance, and my two nephews came too! We swam until about 8 and then we all packed up and headed to our place for cake and coffee. We took Curtis and my nephew Nick with us while mom and dad took Renee. We needed a 15 minute head start, just to put up a few things in the room before they got there.

When everyone arrived, Renee told us she just wasn't hungry for cake. LOL! I guess not -- she was very anxious for her gift. Earlier, Curtis and I had set up a treasure hunt to lead her to the room, so we gave her the first clue and away she went:

There were 6 clues, and after the fifth, I snuck downstairs to be in the room with my camera. I wanted to capture her expression when she opened the door. This is what we saw...

She just stood there, not saying anything, for at least a minute or two. I think she might have been a bit confused. When we asked her later, she thought we were showing her someone else's room. So we asked...."well?"

She kept saying "wow!', and "this is amazing!", and "so cool!" She wandered around her room slowly and just kept looking at everything.

This was my favorite pic:

The look on her face was priceless, and was worth every minute we spent working on this room. It was worth every penny we spent, and every fib I had to tell her to keep it a secret. She told us that this was the best birthday present she ever had seen and that it was the most amazing room she had ever seen anywhere. Yes, it was all worth it!

After we pried her out of her room, we went up and had cake. But it was hard to keep her upstairs -- all she wanted was to be down in her little personal paradise. Very easy to get her to bed last night!

What a great experience! Thanks for reading, and looking, and commenting all week. Now...next time...it will be Curtis' turn. Who knows when and where...but it will be when he leats expects it!

Extreme Makeover -- Day Five!

Well, the room is pretty much complete. We had a little setback, though. Last night two of the ceramic wall ornaments fell off the wall and one broke. It was just the adhesive on the command hooks that came off the wall. But I didn't leave them for an hour, so maybe that was the problem. This morning I reapplied the command hooks to the wall and left them there. I'll hang the ornament back on the wall later and hopefully (fingers crossed!) it will work.

I moved all of Renee's things back into her room too. Her bookshelf, her clothes, her special stuffed animals and keepsakes. I hung her cross back on her wall. And her autographed picture of Kurt Browning...LOL. I added another package of curtain clips and rearranged her fishing net. So everything is ready for her!

When we go to swimming lessons today, we will take a run to Jysk for a replacement fish ornament (thank goodness they were inexpensive!) and another set of seagrass baskets to use as shelves. We'll also stop by Superstore. They had a cool seagrass chest that would make a great laundry hamper!

So here's the plan...we're going to swimming lessons, then supper, then a family swim evening with my mom and dad. Afterward, we'll come back here for cake. Then I am going to send her on a birthday "treasure hunt" and the last clue will say that her gift is in her room. Meanwhile, I'll sneak downstairs into her room so that I can snap a pic when she opens the door. I can hardly wait!!

No pics today -- the room looks close to yesterday's. My next post will be her reaction!!

TTYL!

Extreme Makeover -- Day Four!!

How exciting! Today is the day we started assembling...and it is almost complete! There are a bunch of pictures today, because there is so much to see.

Before Mom came over this morning, I trimmed and put up the blinds. Trying to do that with a kitten around is a little complicated, but it worked. I also finished nailing in the baseboards and touched up the nails with paint.

Mom came over and we hung the curtains. These were easy. It was just one large, long panel we purchased at Jysk and split it lengthwise to make two panels that would fit on the window. We discovered that we needed more seashell curtain clips, but we can add those after Russ picks them up after work today. We washed down the bed and put the headboard back on, and added new drawer pulls we found at Home Depot. They are so pretty!

We found some seagrass baskets and a seagrass drawer unit (at Jysk) for her nightstand. Mom arranged some of the shells and other things in the baskets for her headboard on her bed:

The little strand of mini lights (which was 1.97 at Jysk!) lights up and looks fantastic at night:Mom created Renee her own personal "beach" with sand, shells, a candle (for decorative purposes only!!) and some other treasures. I think I am going to tuck a little framed pic of her on the beach inside the glass:

We found white ceramic ornaments (again, at Jysk) that we hung on the wall beside the window. They are quite large and fit perfectly.I love this -- it's a fisherman's net from Michael's (40% off coupon!). We hung it using 3M command hooks and just draped it in the corner. Then we tucked a variety of seashells inside. I think I might do some more arranging. It doesn't look quite the way I want it to...but that's the beauty of hanging with hooks...I can rearrange it until it looks exactly like I want it to.This is the print that started it all...I kind of knew what I wanted, but when I found this print at Micheal's (40% off coupon!) I knew I could pick all the colours from the print and have something that is reminiscent of the ocean. The quote on the bottom says "...to each his own personal paradise..." which is exactly how I want the room to feel for Renee. The frame is plain wood, painted and crackled using white and sandy-brown. It looks all weathered and wonderful, and it is hanging right above Renee's bed.Mom altered a wooden paddle for her door...of course, we couldn't hang it because she'd see. But I plan to hang it on the outside of her door after she sees the room. This is amazing...it has real shells and sand on it -- just lovely!So here's a bigger view of the room right now...it needs a few finishing touches and one more larger project, but we are almost there!Of course, Mom and I had a ton of help today...just look at this hard-working supervisor! LOLWell...until tomorrow -- thanks for looking!

Extreme Makeover -- Day Three!

Today went well. As it turns out, I had to touch up the paint in several spots, so Curtis ran around the room and found the spots while I went behind him with a roller. We let that dry and then I cleaned up the baseboards, which had been sitting under the stairs for about a year, and placed them in. Curtis and I put the closet organizer back together again. (That little guy is such a good worker!)

When Russ came home, he put in the hardware for the blinds and hung the curtain rod -- check it out, the ends look like waves!

He also put up two out of the four corner shelves. Light switch plates are back on too.

Jack sat and watched the whole time...wouldn't it be great to be a cat??

Bit by bit it is coming together. Today I have to trim the blinds to fit and put them up...finish nailing baseboards on...vacuum the carpet well (and maybe even steam it in a few places)...put the headboard back on the bed... and puzzle over the post I picked up from my friend's house yesterday. I know what I want to do with it, but I'm not quite sure how to go about it yet. I think I might need my dad for that! I'm going to see if my mom wants to come over...we can probably put the bedding together and hang the curtains...and I might need help with some of the other stuff. Trying to get it all done when she is in school is a bit of a challenge, because I have to be all cleaned up and everything back to normal when she gets off the bus.

One more thing...last night at supper, she asked when we were planning to paint her room. We told her paint was super expensive and that we were thinking to paint in summer. I suggested if she save her allowance, maybe we could paint over Easter. She was a little disappointed when I said summer, but perked up about painting at Easter. I just know she is going to be beyond excited when we give her room back to her on Friday night!!!!

Extreme Makeover -- Day Two!

I am just beat!! We spent the whole day looking at this:

I wish you could see this colour IRL. It is the most beautiful deep aqua-green, and it is going to look fabulous with the rest of the room when it is complete.

We began at 9 am sharp and painted until 2:30. Clean-up and just enough time to post the progress before Renee comes home from school. My mom is such a sweetheart -- she spent the whole day painting with me. My DD is lucky to have such a super grandma. :)

The good news was Home Depot messed up -- but it worked! I asked for a 25% tinted primer, because we were covering a different tone. But they tinted it 100%...so we only needed one coat of primer and one coat of paint to cover the walls.

Now comes the assembly -- which, if we are lucky, will start tonight. Baseboards, closet organizer, and blinds.

Halfway there!!

Extreme Makeover -- Day One

OK, so I am finished for today! And it's only one o'clock. That's a bonus, because I expected to be at it all day...and I have a Just Cre8 March kit calling my name.



Everything is packed up and hidden. Here's the progress:

Now, we're just waiting for the walls to be ready. Our friend said that it needs one more coat and sand, so we will be ready for primer first thing tomorrow morning. Woohoo!

Extreme Makeover -- Here We Go!

OK, here is where it all started. Four years ago, when we were finishing our basement, we decided to build all three of our bedrooms downstairs. Renee, our DD, was turning four, and she wanted her very own "Princess Pink" room. SO we framed, boarded, painted, and now we have three very nice bedrooms -- including Renee's very very very pink room complete with the beautiful bed that Russ and my dad built for her.

When we were renovating, we had to rewire the whole basement...so we did. Except for ONE wire. In her room. This past December, she went to bed one Friday night, and when we went to tuck her in, there was a funny smell. Like burning. OMG! After a thorough look around, we discovered that the one single wire we did not replace was melting in her wall. Yup...close call!

We had to rip out the drywall in several places and rewire. She, of course, was a little upset because her nice room now looked like a construction zone. Not to mention all of her personal belongings were semi-packed up and shoved in the corner to make room for working. However, she did suggest that, when we decide to repaint, she'd like a green room because her favorite colour is now green and she loves dolphins.

We told her we'd think about it. And promptly started planning a makeover. :) It is Renee's birthday a week from today. And my parents and us are chipping in to makeover her room into her own personal ocean green paradise.

Mom and I spent the day shopping yesterday. We bought paint, bedding, curtains, accessories, shelving, and a bunch of other things to really personalize her room in the colours she loves.

And this is our version of Extreme Makeover, Renee's Birthday Edition! Enjoy!

This is what we are starting with:

Yes, it is disorganized and messy...but that is soon to change. We have some great plans for this room. And we have one week. We are hoping to have the family over for cake on Saturday and reveal the room to Renee that afternoon.

I told Renee this morning that the friend who is mudding and taping the seams of the new drywall needs the room unoccupied for a week, so she has to move into the playroom. Other than that, she thinks we are going to be repainting this summer. She has no idea what is going on. All the work we are doing has to be accomplished either while she is in school or when she is asleep. If we need some extra time, I have friends who might just ask her to come play. She's going to be a very busy girl this week, I hope!

So, today's goals: For me, I have to pack up her things into boxes and hide them out in the garage. That means her toys, her clothes, everything. And then get her walls ready for painting. All the posters have to come down and the walls need to be wiped down. Our friend is coming to finish up the mudding today sometime. I also need to disassemble the closet organizer and remove the handles off her drawers in her bed. This evening, I have to go to a friend's house and haul a weathered post out of her garage...I have an awesome plan for it! Today, my mom is busy getting the curtains ready. We bought one large panel, and she will be dividing it in half and hemming them. She is also painting some accessories: the sign for her door, a frame for a beautiful print we found, a couple of ornaments, some shelves, and probably a few other things she has planned. Hopefully tomorrow we will be ready to prime and paint.

Stay tuned!

The Handsomest Man

I just have to share...Russ bought me a Nikon D40 DSLR camera...and it rocks!

I took this picture of my 5 yo son, Curtis, with my new camera. I just love my little man!

TFL!!

Til Death Do Us Part

I'm just going to get up on my little soapbox here for a moment, so bear with me for a few moments.

Marriage is not easy. And anyone who thinks being married is easy is out to lunch.

Getting married, however, is a cakewalk. The dresses, the colours, the party favours -- that's all fun and games. Sure, making these little decisions are a part of The Big Day, but if you are getting married for the right reasons, the colour of your napkins or the car that you drive to the church in are not going to really matter 40 years down the road.

Some people get so involved in getting ready for The Big Day that they forget about getting ready for the Marriage. A wedding is a party, an event, a ceremony with family and friends. But marriage is not. It's not about the party. It's not about the event. It is not about the family and friends. It is about you and him and the promise you make to commit to each other for the rest of your lives. Let me repeat that -- for the rest of your lives.

A wedding is the cake, the dress, the tux, the fun, the dancing, the flowers, the pictures, and all of that fun stuff.

A marriage is the commitment, the decisions, the communication, the goals, the disagreements, the compromises, the finances, the compassion, and so very much more. There is a reason we commit, in marriage, to "in sickness and in health" and "for richer or for poorer". Vows say you will always stay together through the best and through the worst. And the best parts are easy -- it's the worst parts that challenge you to hold on to the commitment you make on your wedding day. So think long and hard before you plan the party.

Marriage is a choice. Each day after your wedding day, you wake up in the morning and choose marriage. You choose to love your spouse that day. Even if your spouse is crabby and you can't stand them. Even if your spouse hurts your feelings. Even if your spouse is being so stubborn that you can't stand it. Even if they drive you crazy.

I guess what I want to say is this: just because you have a wonderful wedding, doesn't mean you will have a wonderful marriage. Divorce lawyers are hard and fast proof of this.

Having a wonderful marriage means that you love each other so much that you talk and you listen, you compromise, you love unconditionally, and you try to seek out what your spouse needs before they need it. And if both of you are doing this, then you can't go wrong. If two people are willing to put their whole selves into marriage, completely unselfishly, then those have found their soulmates and life partners.

It is not about the wedding. It is about the relationship. And who you marry is one of the most critical decisions of your whole life.

Just one more disclaimer, for those who may be suddenly worried about me: DH and I are heading for our 10th anniversary this summer, and it has been wonderful. We've had stretches of rocky road and we are not perfect, but there is no doubt in my mind that we are meant to be together. Forever. Our marriage is solid -- more than I could have ever imagined. I am blessed to have my DH. I just posted this little rant because some of the things I have seen and heard in the last little while have caused me some concern. I am hoping and praying, for all those I know who are married or are about to be married, that they be blessed too.

Cruisin' Las Vegas Style :)

Well, we are home, and what a trip! It was a whirlwind five days, full of sights and busyness and shows and shopping. Now I need a vacation!

I want to share some pics with you that I took on the trip, so here's the play-by-play:

Monday

We left Saskatoon on Monday evening. Flights were uneventful, which was just fine by me! We arrived in Vegas at about 9pm, and had just enough time to check into our hotel and peek around the strip for a bit. We stayed at the Treasure Island hotel, which was very nice. Not too fancy and not seedy at all. We had a very nice room on the 28th floor.

Tuesday

We were traveling with my parents, and another couple, Vinnie & Christine. Tuesday morning, the guys went to the "World of Concrete" convention (which, I guess, was the real reason for our trip!) so we girls popped over to the mall next to our hotel, the Fashion Show Center. There, they had a shoppers' shuttle over to the Fashion Show Outlet in Primm, Nevada. So we took that shuttle and did some MAJOR shopping. Christine introduced us to Dippin' Dots...little bits of ice cream that froze your tongue and tasted soooooo good!

Tuesday night, we all went out for supper and then we went to Freemont Street. From what I heard, Freemont Street is the old "Strip". It's a street full of older casinos, shops, and restaurants. It has a huge, long domed screen over the entire length of the strip. Every hour on the hour, they shut the casino lights off and there is a light show on this screen. It doesn't sound exciting, but it is really incredible. We were mesmerized as we watched it. If you ever go to Vegas, you HAVE to check this out!!

Wednesday

Wednesday was such a fun day! In the morning, Mom, Dad, and I went to pick up all our show tickets. But first we went scrapbook shopping! We found a store called Majestic Memories. It was a bit of a drive, but well worth it. Mom and I shopped while Dad (what a sweetie!) patiently slept in the van. Russ wasn't with us because -- ahem -- he was jumping out of a plane. Yep, you heard that right. He went skydiving that morning. Which is why I had to shop to keep my mind off of the idea of him crashing to the ground from 15,000 feet. LOL We stopped at the Bellagio to pick up Cirque tickets and at the Excalibur to pick up Tournament of Kings tickets. Aren't my parents cute??

We all met up, even Russ the crazy skydiver, and went for lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. Then everyone else went to the convention and Mom and I took the tram to the MGM Grand Hotel. We started there and put $10 in the penny machines at every casino we had time for. We stopped off at the M&M Factory, which was soooooooo neat! And we gambled our way up the Strip. We played at the MGM Grand, New York New York, the Flamingo, Bally's, Harrah's, and then back to Treasure Island. We didn't win big, but we pretty much broke even -- and we had a blast laughing, hanging out, and just enjoying our time together.

We capped off the night with the Tournament of Kings medieval feast at the Excalibur Hotel. That was an awesome show, full of audience participation. And I've never cheered so hard and loud! After that, Mom and Dad went back to the hotel while the rest of us wandered down the other end of the strip. We checked out the Luxor and Mandalay Bay, which were very neat to see.

Thursday

Thursday was a more relaxed day for us. We went on a bus tour with Grand Canyon Adventures. We met the tour bus, and rode all over Las Vegas. We stopped at the Ethel M's Chocolate Factory -- my FAVORITE part of the day. We sampled some divine chocolates, and I couldn't help but bring some home! Then we went down to Lake Mead on the bus, and took a tour of the lake on the Desert Princess, an old-fashioned paddle-wheeler. We had lunch on the boat and toured the lake all the way down to Hoover Dam. Back to the bus, and we drove to the Hoover Dam Tourist Center. Mom and I checked out the gift shop and the scenery while the rest took a tour of the power plant inside the dam.

Thursday evening, we saw Cirque de Soliel's "O" at the Bellagio. WOW!!! That's pretty much all I can say. It left me speechless. It was incredible. If I ever have the opportunity to see another Cirque show, I will absolutely be there. After Cirque, mom and I hit the penny slots and played until we were done for the night. Our last night in Vegas, we had to!!!

Friday

Friday morning was basically packing and getting ready to go. We had had so much fun, I almost didn't want to leave. But I missed the kids, and the noise was enough. So going home, while a bit sad, was a relief.

But before we left, Russ and I took a walk down the strip and I took some photos of Caesar's Palace during the day. They have incredible architecture there. Carved statues, marble columns, and everything. It was one of those things I just had to do before we went to the airport.

And as we checked through security at the airport, we saw huge billowing clouds of smoke coming from the Strip area. We heard the Monte Carlo hotel was on fire! Thank goodness no one was very seriously hurt -- and that we got away from the Strip area in time to not get caught in traffic. I can only imagine what it was like down there.

So, we came, we saw, and we loved it. It was a memorable trip -- and I am so glad we went. There were so many things we saw that I didn't mention here, but how could I? Vegas is a place you can't really describe. It's an experience.

Viva Las Vegas!

Guess what! Only seven more sleeps, and I will be in:

That's right, we're going to Vegas. Mom and Dad are heading to World of Concrete convention, and one of the couples they were traveling with couldn't go. So they asked us to take the tickets!

We're staying at the Treasure Island Hotel and seeing a few shows. Cirque Du Soliel's "O", a medieval feast, and a full-day Hoover Dam tour on a riverboat. Mom and I are going shopping while the guys check out the tradeshow.

Will Monday ever come?

Ow!

It's really amazing, the things you learn from your kids.

Downhill skiing has always scared the jeepers out of me. I had visions of tumbling down the hill, breaking every bone in my body or freezing my feet until my toes fell off. Somehow, strapping two skinny boards to my feet and hurtling down a mountain out of control didn't really appeal to me. Gee -- I wonder why. (insert sarcasm here)

But Russ took me skiing about two years ago, because I finally got up enough nerve to try it. I enjoyed it, but I was very tense and afraid. I fell a lot. I got cold. But I did go up and down the bunny hill a few times without killing myself. That was a good thing. I guess I must have enjoyed it enough to try it again, because when he asked me to go this year I agreed.

I see how confident Russ is when he does certain things, like kneeboarding or skiing. He just jumps in and does things like that without even worrying about how badly he could hurt himself. I'm not like that. Why? Because I'm a big chicken, that's why. I don't want my kids to be afraid of trying new things, like I am. So I want them to try things when they are young -- so they don't know enough to be afraid.

So we went skiing yesterday at Table Mountain. And we took the kids with us.

We thought an afternoon would be enough. And I wanted everyone to take lessons, for safety's sake, you know. And I packed books & etc just in case the kids and I ended up in the lodge passing the time while Russ finished up playing around on the hill. But we were wrong.

After a few minutes of instruction, Russ took Curtis down the hill. He loved it. Then Russ took Renee down the hill. She loved it. After the first time down the hill, Renee was off on her own, up and down as fast as she could. Curtis went up and down too -- he only needed help when he fell down, which was not too often. By the end of the afternoon, with only one snack and bathroom break for all of us, Renee was tucking to get more speed and she hadn't fell down even once. Curtis was starting to control his skis so he could turn at the bottom of the hill.

And, honestly, I had so much fun watching them that I forgot to be afraid. I loosened up and really felt in control down the hill. I didn't fall down. I didn't break any bones. I actually enjoyed it -- and can't wait to go again! If a 7-year-old can handle downhill skiing, so can I. And I did handle it, thanks to the inspiration of my two young peanuts.

Here's a pic of my three skiiers at the top of the hill at Table Mountain:

One more thing I did learn? Ouch! I have muscles in my legs, and they are used while skiing. It'll take a few days for the soreness to wear off. But it was worth it!

Happy New Year!

Well goodbye to 2007, hello 2008!

This year has so much to offer! Already this year is exciting!

We just found out that we are going to Las Vegas -- in two weeks! We are going with my mom and dad. I just can't wait for this trip. We've never taken a vacation with my parents without the kids. A real, honest to goodness, big-person vacation! Wow, what a concept! My wonderful, generous friend Gisele has offered to adopt my kids for a week so we can go. I was completely overwhelmed by her unselfish offer -- and she didn't even hesitate to offer. If there were more people in the world like Gisele, this world would be an amazing place.


I am looking forward to a couple of new scrapping projects -- but these ones are a little bit different.

The first one starts on Monday: the 2008 Scripture Challenge at FaithSisters. Each week, you are challenged to find a scripture from the Bible that is close to your heart, and scrapbook it in some kind of way. This is just a vague description, I know, but I will know more about it on Monday when it starts. You can find the details here.

And the other is a scrapbooking project that will help you discover your faith and strengthen your relationship with God: the 2008 Faith Discovery Challenge at FaithSisters. You can find the details of this one here.

And, of course, I am waiting for the February Just Cre8 kit to hit my mailbox -- maybe it will be here today!! Mel has a great challenge up for January already -- I'll be taking that one to JSI tonight to do! And for those of you who like Sketch Challenges, you should try the Just Cre8 January sketch challenge -- you could win a gift certificate to the store!

I wish you all the most joyous, most prosporous, most cre8ive year in 2008!

Gifting Scraps!

I think one of the best things you can give someone at Christmas is a gift of scrapbooking. Right now, I am busy working on a few little Christmas gifts for some very special people.

I am making someone a calendar, using about 50 photos from the last few years. I chose 3-4 photos that reflected each month's activities and events, and scrapped a simple layout. From one of my totally favorite stores, Just Scrap It, I bought a blank, coil-bound, 12x12 calendar and pasted the layouts for each month. Then all you do is add the month titles, the numbers, and voila! A beautiful, personalized calendar. I'm going to be finishing it up tomorrow night at JSI -- my "bad girl" scrap buds and I are having a Christmas potluck, scrapping get-together there. If you are coming to crop at JSI tomorrow night, be warned...there will be some yummy smells coming from the back room!

I've got something cooked up for my hubby...and another project for someone else...but I can't say. Some of them I can't reveal yet...you never know who is looking at your blog! ;)

I was in to JSI yesterday -- I just love that place! It's like Cheers -- you know -- "where everybody knows your name". Anyhoo, they had some beautiful new papers there -- even a kewl black and white "Nice & Naughty" list for scrapping your Christmas. Hmmm....my name was on there, Janet's name was on there, and Laura's name was on there. So was it a nice list? Or a naughty list? I guess we'll find out on Christmas. LOL

So much to do and so little time. I just realized that we have only two -- TWO! -- free evenings until December 21st. That's pure craziness, isn't it? Parties, meetings, get-togethers, lessons, concerts, activities -- just nutz. And all I want to do is hide out away from this cold nasty weather and scrap. Is it possible to call in sick when you are a stay-at-home mom? :( I didn't think so. I guess I'll have to get creative about finding my time!