A Bed for a Princess

Several weeks ago, Mrs. Noot found this crown for me on one of her shopping sprees.  She knew I was looking for something like it to hang over Olivia’s bed.

Of course it had to get a little brighter to match the girls’ room!

It took me a while, but I finally got around to finishing it!  Here it is painted, scuffed a little, then hung over Olivia’s bed.

I had an extra picture which I was still wondering where to hang.  For now, it seems just right on the wall behind the bed.

                                    

 

Olivia is thrilled with her special new space.  And she tried several poses for me while I took a few pictures of the crown and lace panels.

                                         Presenting it!

                             

Reading under it…

        

                                                         Sleeping (?) under it…

                                                

I thought it might be kind of neat to have the gold show through in places under the white, so I used a piece of sand paper and gently rubbed the raised places.

Mrs. Noot generously gave me a long lace panel she thought would look good with the crown.  So I cut it into two pieces, serged the cut ends, stitched ribbons about every 6 inches or so across the ends, and tied the ribbons to the frame of the crown.

 

                      

                                                         Voila!

          

I realized I haven’t shown pictures of the girls’ room for a while, so I thought you might enjoy seeing what we’re doing there, little bit by little bit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

See you soon!

Girls, Toys, Dress-up Clothes, Messes,

A couple of weeks ago we had a family reunion at the Worley House. Since it is not far from here, several family members who hadn’t been out to Kenilworth yet rode over to take a look. I was very glad to have them and excited that they were even interested in seeing what we’ve been doing  - however the next time I invite a bunch of people over, I think it might be a good idea to give the house a once-over beforehand. 

I don’t think the girls’ rooms have ever looked so messy!  I hadn’t been upstairs at all that morning since I was preparing food for the reunion.

I swallowed hard when we walked into the little girls’ room. Oh my! It looked like 10 little girls lived in that room and were never allowed out!

But I’m sure it was a good lesson in humility – yes, I’m sure it was.

Of course I didn’t take a picture that day, but I’m sure it’s not hard to find one as a substitute… let’s see.. Oh yes – here’s one!  Nothing near so bad as that particular day of the reunion, but I think it works.  (excluding the little cuties who are always adorable! Focus on the room!)

              

And one more…

I learned a few years ago, that my penchant for tidiness was going to be challenged in a fun way.  I think God knew I was a little too.. unbending, a tad bit too….determined in my desire for orderliness.  So bit by bit, day by day, year by year, I have become much more “forgiving” of messes.  What a relief!  (for everybody!)  Don’t get me wrong – He also designed me in a way so that I thrive in a tidy environment, it just soothes me somehow.  But, when it comes to the kids’ rooms, I have tried to find a balance between teaching them to be good stewards of what they’ve been given, and the reality that sometimes the events of our day mean we go to bed at night, or leave the house for a while, with stuff strewn about.  And it’s ok.

Of course, it’s always a little more gratifying if the times we left things strewn about didn’t coincide with the times we have company. 

Well, like I said, it’s humbling.  And that’s always good. 

Fall Days

We’ve been busy here… doing.  Lots of things, like putting up trim around doors, making curtains, hanging mirrors, school, painting curtain rods, ballet, family reunions, laundry…
I’ve been meaning to post a couple of pictures, but not finding time to do it.  Today Colleen gave me a nudge, so here are a few shots Luke took last week of the girls having fun in the yard.
        
We’ve never lived somewhere that required us to rake leaves in the fall!  So we are all enjoying it – especially Alix and the twins.
       
Because of course having leaves to rake means having a leaf pile to jump into!  And dried, crunchy leaves to glory in!
This is Sophia!  I hardly recognized her when I first saw this picture! 
      

And Isabella with her twinkly eyes…

Although she didn’t want to jump in the leaves, Olivia had fun watching the girls.
   

Here is a look down the road – Luke got the picture just hours before the farmer came and harvested the corn!
              
I’d love to show you some of the things we’ve been working on – give me a day or so to get the pictures ready.