We're Ready!

Our "dutch daughter" arrives tomorrow!  Her room is finally ready.  Again.

I had "the pink room" ready for her a couple of months ago but we decided to move the little girls into that room instead and we moved Fenna to the white bedroom. Lexie and Charlie have the green room. Keith and I stay put in the master.  The white room is downstairs, the master,  pink and green rooms are upstairs. I painted the pink room two summers ago, and the green room last year. I think... or maybe it was three and two years ago, anyway, I painted them and not the bedroom downstairs. It was still the white paint that was slapped on in every room of this house when the house was built twenty years ago or so.

Lexie wanted the green room, so we moved the little girls to the pink room and put Fenna downstairs in the white room.  But, the white room was just too ugly.  We've been working on painting our house one room  at a time and we've been in no hurry to get the whole thing done.  Since we would be emptying the downstairs bedroom to rearrange furniture and things for Fenna, we might as well paint it while it's empty.

The week before she arrives we finally got it painted! It is now a cream color like the rest of the main floor (except the living room, it is still on the waiting list). The room turned out beautifully! It is just amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do. I really wanted to get it done but time slipped by too quickly until I finally felt like the clock was running out.  I had a chance to paint it while I had help with the kids, so I did it. I painted it at night, in the dark, while drinking a beer.

I thought I did a great job, but in the morning, it looked like I had painted the room in the dark while drinking a beer. I told my husband, we'll just hang lots of pictures. He shook his head and told me to get my paintbrush. He was right, the second coat of paint went on very smoothly and the drywall wasn't sucking it up like it had a great thirst. Painting in the daylight also served me well. Much better! I put all the furniture back up against the walls, and then ran the rug doctor over the carpet.

The girls and I picked out some bedding, turquoise bedskirt, polka dot sheets and a pink striped blanket. We laid down a pink fuzzy rug. It sort of matches in a confetti sort of way. And then I remembered the girls had a throw blanket with the high school logo on it. Perfect!  I tossed it on the bed. The school colors are red and black and I had a pink and blue thing going on already. Oy, not a good combination. But, all bright cheerful colors so I just left it as is.

I have a dream-catcher in every bedroom but I decided to trade dream catchers in this room with the little girls' room. At the moment that I took the photos, the dream-catcher was not up. It's there now; we can't have her sleeping without a dream-catcher on her window!

We put in a desk, chair and small bookcase for her study space. I gathered up a dictionary, thesaurus, and an MLA handbook too. I think I'll add my American Literature Anthology to the room too. I am going to print a picture of her family and put it in a frame. The router, printer and the house phone are in her room because that is where the wiring for these things happens to be located.

Here is her room, bouncing little sisters and all.  I am excited that this seemingly empty room will soon be occupied by an excited teenager!