It Happened on Valentine's Day

Back in February I decided that I would see if Valentine's Day was easier if I spent it in Idaho. We planned some fun things including all of Mom's favorites. We also enlisted the help of my Aunties and Grandma with a project. See, we had saved some of Mom's clothes that I had planned on making into quilts. What I didn't plan on was how hard it would be to cut into those clothes.

(My little buddy Cooper...I luff him!)

So we gathered together for a birthday party out at Aunt Peggy's to cut and sew and tie. It was hard at first. But since we were together, we just ignored the feelings (getting pretty good at that) and started in. 

(I did say we tried to avoid it)

We got all the kids (that we trusted with scissors) in on it too. There were a lot of jeans and shirts to cut.

And cut we did :) A few tears were shed, but mostly we giggled.

Some of my sweet cousins showed up to help as well. They were so appreciated. I have a very talented family.

Brook got some squares to lay out. She and Great-Grandma make a pretty good team.

Cy wanted to help too. She didn't do to bad.

 The tying was the fastest and easiest part of the whole day. We made Kevin help us with it since it was his quilt. Grandma came in a few times to supervise. I can't even count the number of quilts she has made in her life time. 

This awesome kid didn't complain. She is so sweet. I love you, Lace.

Kev pretended to sleep so he could be done for the day. I am SO thankful for my family that was able to come and help us. Aunt Pam took most of them home with her and finished them for me. She is a rock star!!

This is the one we made for Jo. I would bet it was her favorite graduation gift. She uses it every night. I love the memories we made during that trip. While it was nice to be near my sisters on Valentine's Day...it really wasn't any easier. Oh well. We'll always have next year :)

So Close to Finished

Let's remember where we came from, shall we? This was Jo's room in August. Such a proud moment for me.

Now that you have all thrown up in your mouths....lets look at some after pictures. The purple paint was easier to cover than I thought it would be. Covering the gray with the yellow however was a nightmare!!

If you are my facebook friend you will know that I disassembled that queen size captains bed, carried it downstairs and set it up ALL BY MYSELF. Yes...rock star moment. That sucker is HEAVY. The drawers weren't too bad, but the headboard was another thing. I may or may not have been pinned against the wall by the headboard for a few minutes. But that is another story for another day. 

I am so excited to have this room mostly finished. Now I will just keep my eyes open for the finishing touches....and figure out how to get my Mom's cedar chest to my house. I found the bedding on sale at Kohl's. Happy dance ensued. I bought the curtains from a lovely gal on etsy. She is a genius.

I have a few things I would like to do to the room. A cute little chandelier would make me swoon here. I am also on the hunt for something to go over the dresser. 

Hobby Lobby will have some things for super cheap after the holidays. Just have to see if I can be patient until then.

I made a pillow cover from a tutorial I found on Pinterest. Now I just need to make a few more. I loved how easy it was. 
So, that is our new guest room. Wouldn't you LOVE to come visit me now?? 

Fall

I went to MN for the weekend expecting to see all the reds and yellows and oranges of fall on the leaves. What I found was nothing. They have already lost their leaves. Sad for me. But when I came home I got to see this beauty in my back yard. Looks like Fall beat me home. I love the cooler temps (especially after the stinking hot summer we just had) and the beautiful colors. This tree never fails to deliver. Perfect way to end my perfect weekend. I got to spend lots of time with Jo. We had so much fun. We stayed up until 3:00 a.m. talking!! I have missed our conversations. She is such a good listener. My heart squeezes just thinking about it. Then I went to a yoga retreat with my friends HH and Nae and Salena. It was a great way to reconnect with each other. It was fun and funny all at the same time. I had such a wonderful weekend. I hope you did too!!

Thanks!

This is a page from the notebook I used for my To-Do list. I turned to find this wonderful message today. It made me smile. I have no idea who wrote it...but the hand writing would suggest maybe Michelle? I just wanted to say thank you to my mystery note writer. It gave me a much needed pick-me-up.

Update:
Thank you HH....you made my day. I love you. You ALWAYS show up when I need you.

Another Peek

I can hardly wait for the new carpet to go in next week!! Then I can get the furniture and new bedding in and show you the whole room. I am loving the light gray/beige color. I think the downstairs bathroom will get a fresh coat of that soon. Stay tuned....Next week you will get to see the whole transformation!!