Curtains and Other Projects

So no baby yet, and I'm getting quite impatient (read annoyed, sore, uncomfortable, etc).  Don't whine.  Don't whine.  Don't whine...

While waiting, I've been working away on a few little projects, the type that make me smile.  Today I whipped up a curtain for the kitchen window.  Is this the exact same curtain I made three years ago in Peoria but with different fabric?  Yes.  I know what I like.

While in Peoria, my living area was mostly greens, reds, and goldy-yellows.  In the new house, I'm getting crazy and going for turquoise.  I'm thinking of something bold like turquoise damask for drapes in the dining area.  Oh, I do love to look at fabric!

Today's sewing success has overcome yesterday's paint mishaps.  I went to Lowe's to get samples of the perfect shade of light spa blue/gray/green.  You know the one?  It's all over decorating shows and magazines right now.  I have in mind the first one, and below is what I came up with.  I hate them all.  I am so bad at paint.  I suppose I will try again.  How many samples does a girl have to buy?

Here's to another week of waiting (for a glider and a baby)!

Sewing Room

I've been waiting to post pictures of my sewing room. It's been painted and mostly done for awhile now, but I finally found two new chairs that were the finishing touch. Before it was a cluttered white room. Here it is finished, my very own sewing room and guest room. It's a great space, and I love it. The walls are light tan, just a little darker than the dining room and hallway. There's also space for other things that make it my own. I made the bulletin boards above the sewing tables. They're just frames with wire line stretched across. I spray-painted clothespins brown, and now it's the perfect place to hang cards and pictures. Another one of my room favorites is a photograph Double G took while traveling in the southwest. It features a donkey with a sign reading Burro Jim Motel. I can't help but smile when I see it above the bed. Another treasured possession in this room is an embroidered donkey. This was a Goodwill find, and I love it. Joshua can't stand it. (Although you may be seeing a pattern of donkeys, please do not think I am a collector of all things donkey. I do not want to start receiving a bunch of knick-knacks to put around my house. Thanks for the thought anyway.)

First Guests

Yesterday was our first friends gathering at our new home, which was very exciting. The day wasn't looking good when we woke up in the morning; we had no power, along with thousands of others in central Illinois. Luckily, we were able to take most of our refrigerator food over to Vanilla Bean Counter's house. Besides worrying about the food, the temperature rose to 90 yesterday, making an evening of entertaining not much fun to think about. We waited all day for the power to come back on, but no luck. When we left for dinner at 5:00, still no power. Throughout the Peoria Chief's baseball game (surprisingly fun!), we were wondering if there would be lights on at our house when we got there. After turning into our subdivision, I was so relieved to see all the silly lampposts glowing down the street. The evening was a success. We played Wii, and it was nice to be able to make a little noise without worrying about waking apartment neighbors. It was great! Joshua and I agreed this morning that despite all of the problems we've encountered with the house-buying process, last night made it all worth it. We love our house, and we're anxiously awaiting the new closing date, July 10, may it arrive soon with no more problems arising.

House Chores

Since moving into the new house, we've been very busy. Yesterday Joshua took charge and ditched our out-of-town lender. He was completely worthless and one of the main reasons why we haven't closed on the house yet. Too many mistakes, so we got rid of him. The funny thing is, when Josh told him, he said it was probably a good idea to use someone else. Strange. Okay, so we went to Busey bank. They seemed very competent, returned our phone calls, and answered our questions. We will be closing on the 19th at the soonest, the next week at the latest. Woohoo! So, that was Joshua's big accomplishment from yesterday.

Our chore for today was mowing. I hate gas mowers. The smell, hassle, and difficulty starting them were enough to convince me that an electric mower was the way to go. It just so happened that Grandpa Joe had one around the farm that he got at the sale barn some time ago. Josh started with the front yard. He was a good sport, but he wasn't great at managing the cord. It's important to work away from the outlet, but he was too focused on going around all the obstacles to begin with. Within the first five minutes, Mr. Erickson (an elderly gentleman with a thick Swedish accent) was over offering us his gas mower to use. He was quite skeptical when I told he we wanted to use the electric mower. Ten minutes after that, Josh was still struggling with the cord when he started chatting with the neighbors. It just so happens that their 16-year-old son likes to mow yards for money. Josh was quite ready to sign us up for $20 a week. I don't think so. I took over the mowing, and really it wasn't a big deal. The only minor issue was the back outlet not working. I'm sure there's a switch somewhere, but I couldn't find it. I just plugged it in inside. Kind of funny. Now I have a guilt-free $20 a week to spend on what I want. I'll just pay myself what Joshua wanted to pay the neighbor.
Tomorrow we're off to Wisconsin for a week. Should be fun!

Our First Cottage

Last Saturday, Joshua and I again made the trip to Peoria to look for houses. I was getting a little discouraged. Some were nice, but didn't feel like home, until we looked at this little cottage in West Peoria.I loved it instantly. It's not enormous, but it's perfect for us. Here are some of the best features.

1. wood floors (Swiffer stick!)
2. attic room, my sewing tower
3. partially finished basement, Joshua is really excited
4. decent sized bedrooms, complete with double closets in the larger bedroom
5. fenced yard, if I ever get over my fear of dog ownership
6. two-car garage
7. small yard
8. quiet neighborhood that seems to have relatively low crime by Peoria's standards. Looks like we'll just have our stuff damaged instead of being murdered. That's nice.
9. nice neighbors. Joshua already made friends. I'm choosing to believe their names are Jim and Florence, a lovely older couple with a golden retriever.
10. Newer air, furnace, water heater, windows, and roof make for reasonable utilities

It's ours! Closing is May 18, and I'm so excited. It's a fantastic first home, and I can't wait to move in. Now I just have to figure out what to do about paint colors. I'm very bad at picking things out. Good thing Vanilla Bean Counter is in town. She is great and can do it for me. Until then, I just keep getting paint samples from the various home improvement stores. It's funny how much time you can spend wandering are them when you're going to be a homeowner.I also picked up some kitchen counter samples. Although I'm convinced this is the perfect house for us, the kitchen does need some help. Orange and yellow cabinets with 1950s counters don't really agree with me. More discussion on that project to come later.Other fun news for this week, I was offered a job! Woohoo! I don't have the details about the school in which I would be working. I'll find out next week. Cross your fingers for Bartonville.