Before and After Paint Pictures!!!

LIVING ROOM BEFORE:

When we first moved in we didn't mind the color, so we stuck with it for a little while. Unfortunately the old owners liked flat paint and so everything started to look pretty dingy and it couldn't be cleaned because the paint would come off.


We *HATED* this mirror, but were dreading taking it down, thinking it would be very difficult. It was actually very easy! It was held on by clips and a few adhesive strips! We put contact paper on top just in case it shattered so that it would stick to the contact paper and not go everywhere. In the end, one tiny little piece broke off, but we have a whole mirror sitting in the basement. It was one of the easiest demos we've done in this house! Behind the mirror were two holes where sconces had originally been. I bought a patch kit and patched them and you can't even tell!


LIVING ROOM AFTER:
*We love how it came out! What we are still planning on doing in this room: hanging a painting over the fireplace, buying a large area rug (the other one was too small so we moved it upstairs to another room), and replacing our couches with dark brown leather.


See how nice that wall looks without a mirror! It will look great with a painting (or set of 3 collage paintings).



DINING ROOM BEFORE:
We *HATED* the paint color. BUT It was so much better than the ugly blue that they had in the dining room so we were living with it because it did make the room a lot brighter. We just didn't like the green. We originally wanted tan, but the tan we chose didn't match the tan in the living room and we didn't plan on paining the living room after we moved in, so we went with the green we had chosen for the kitchen (it didn't look right in the kitchen so we just had it left over). We lived with it until we painted the living room and then realized how badly we wanted to change the dining room.


For some reason this picture showed up dark:


DINING ROOM AFTER:
*What we still want to do in this room: get a clock for above the piano that is very large and has a golden yellow face to pull in the yellows from the living room, add more to the curtains (they look a little sparse right now), and change the chandelier (we hate the one that is up). And I'd like to add some more accents to this room. We are also going to hang something on the stair walls.



Again, this picture (as with the before) came out very dark. The paint is lighter than it looks. This picture does show how badly I need to finish the curtains though!

It was a lot of work! The trim took a long time (especially the spindles on the stairs!) but I'm happy with how everything turned out!

If you have any questions on how I did anything please feel free to ask!

Just you wait...

Painting pictures coming very soon! I am just finishing up the trim in the dining room, which is the last room I have to do. It looks fantastic. (That and I can not wait to have my house put back together!)

Interesting, but not so interesting, painting story: when I paint I have to have something on TV. I am not the biggest fan of painting, but if something is on TV I don't mind painting because I listen to it. I put on a lot of movies when I am painting and if you point to a spot in the room, I can remember what I was watching when I was painting. It even dates back to our apartment. I can remember what was on TV when I was at certain parts in the apartment. Oh goodness I'm a nerd. :P

How is it fair?

It is so hard to see two people struggle with pregnancy loss this last week and then to sign on and read someone announce they are pregnant with their 5th child. Life really isn't fair. Infertility sucks.

Painting Fever

Can you guess what I've been up to lately based on my title? Painting I painted the living room and the dining room (twice). Once all of the trim is done I will post pictures, but until then you will have to hang in suspense. Believe me, you will love it. :)

In other news, I start subbing again on January 26th (unless they get me in the 21st or 22nd)! So I need to enjoy my last week and a half off. And I will. Once I'm done painting I plan on reading... a lot. I will also be starting grad classes the week of the 26th. Fun.

A Decade in Review

I saw this done on another blog and thought it was really neat so I wanted to do it. This is my life, in a few pictures, from 2000-2010.

2000:
2000-2001 I was a junior in high school. This was our family picture that year. I was 16 and got my license! (Sorry, I don't have a picture online of my first car.)


I was also the Queen of Hearts in the play Alice in Wonderland and I was in the musical our school put on.

2001:

I met my husband in August of 2001! I was a senior in high school at the end of 2001 and I had just returned from studying abroad in Germany. I turned 17 this year.

2002:Jeff and I both graduated from high school this year! Before graduation I performed in my high school's dance/music show. We put on Carmina Burana and we also did a musical review. I also turned 18 and enrolled in the first college I attended... which I hated and transferred to a school near home at the end of the semester.

2003-2004


2003-2004 Sophomore in college, not the best year and I don't have many pictures. Here is one with me and my cousins outside of a teahouse. Jeff and I went to Kentucky the summer of 2003, but I don't have pictures online.


This was also the year that we had a hurricane in PA and I went outside to play in the mud during the hurricane with some friends.

2004-2005


2004-2005 I was a junior in college. Jeff transferred to campus and ended up living in the same dorm on the same floor as I did! We had a blast!


This was also the summer he and I traveled to Maine. One of our stops was to the Desert of Maine... it is a real desert! Check it out!


2005 I was a senior in college! We lived in an apartment with his roommate from college, who we are still good friends with today! We had frequent poker nights with his roommate and his roommate's then girlfriend.


We also went kayaking for the first time in the summer of 2005. Here is a picture of our first time out! We now have our own kayaks (which are currently collecting dust in the garage).


2006- I graduated college!!! (Although it ended being pretty much all for naught because there were no jobs in my degree). Jeff and I moved into our own place this year. We went on vacation to Virginia with his parents this year.


Oh and something else happened this year... WE GOT ENGAGED! After 5 years of dating he finally proposed!

I also had an impossible time trying to find a job and took a job with the college I had just graduated from as a secretary while I tried to find a job in my field... although later I changed my mind about the field I wanted to be in.

2007 rocked for the most part!


Jeff graduated from college after 6 years of being in school!

I unfortunately had my first kidney stone surgery to remove a stone that completely blocked my left kidney and even killed a part of it. It was very painful and I was very sick. :(

I also decided to back to school during this time for elementary education and applied to graduate school for both my post-bacc certification and Master's of Ed in Elementary ed. I was accepted for the Jan 2008 semester!


In September of 2007 we were married!!!!!!


We went on a cruise to Key West, Cozumel, and Belize for our honeymoon.

2008 was a year of illness and fun.

It started off with a bang... I had surgery in January to blast a kidney stone, surgery less than a month later to remove a piece of stone that had gotten stuck, and pneumonia in March!


In March of 2008 we signed to buy our first house (the day I was diagnosed with pneumonia!) and in June 2008 we settled and moved in!


In July we adopted these two rascals. They had some health issues the first few months we had them but after that they have really GROWN and are so precious!

In August I had a miscarriage.


In August we also traveled to Massachusetts to go to our first home game of the New England Patriots!!! It was a blast and now I would like to go to one during the regular season!


In October I became and aunt and welcomed my first niece into the world.

2009: It wasn't the greatest year either and I couldn't wait to say goodbye to it, although it did have some positive parts.


June- Jeff and I went to Disney! It was my 3rd time and Jeff's 1st!

We spent the summer doing a lot of golfing, which I am thrilled about. It is now an obsession!

July- We bought our first brand new car!

December- my brother got married.

December I finished my post-bacc certification and am officially a teacher! Now for the job hunt and to finish my Master's...



And this was how I rang in the New Year and new decade... bowling with my husband and his family and then going back to his uncle's house for a small party!

Somewhere in the last 10 years I also went to South Carolina and Ocean City MD with Jeff's family, but I can't remember what years!

I hope the next 10 years is even better! I can't wait to see what is in store!

I saw this on another blog...

I saw this posted on another blog, who saw it posted on another blog, and I really wanted to post it for you. I know I could use some encouragement these days!

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;

forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, alterior motives;

be kind anyway.

If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies;

succeed anyway.

If you are honest people may cheat you;

be honest anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the end, it is between you and God;

it was never between you and them anyway.

~ Mother Teresa ~