I'm back!

I know I know. I committed the cardinal crime of blogs--not posting! Well, good news. I'm back in full force and I have a lot of projects in the pipeline, so we're back in business!

This summer, I am painting and landscaping the outside of the house (all by my lonesome.) and I have a mid-century bathroom renovation to plan. I'll be posting more soon.

Bean room photos...

Here's a photo of our latest finished projects--The bean room and the Elvis Bath. The Elvi bath is still set to get some new soap and towel racks, and a new mirror and lighting scheme around the sink. But, the big work- the floor, toilet and sink are finished. Hopefully there won't be too much time before more work gets done around the house. Although, taking care of the new baby bean is pretty all consuming right now. I'm hoping things will calm down a little more with time!

The baby bean has arrived

Well, we finally did it. The new baby Bean (Raymond, after my grandpa who died last March) arrived April 1 at 7 a.m. after only 25 hours of labor. Phew. There is a reason they call it labor and not tickle party.

We've been home from the hospital for 3 days. Everyone seems to be in good health so far. Although, mommy and daddy are exhausted. I knew it would be hard, but I didn't know it'd be quite this hard.

No sleep, constant feeding, crying. Seems like the little guy is either passed out asleep or if he is awake, screaming his lungs out. I'm hoping that's just a phase. He is after all, brand new and the world must seem pretty overwhelming.

Of course, I'll post some new photos of the completed baby room soon. It looks fabulous. But first... I have to go run and change a diaper. Of course...

Elvis bath finally has a sink...

It only took me a year to buy a sink and vanity for the Elvis bathroom. But at least I've finally done it right?
It's harder than it sounds. First, vanities are WAY overpriced. The less-expensive ones look like bland icky stuff you'd see in a crappy rental, not a rad ranch. And, I spent many weekends looking for a vintage 1950s sink to put in that room. Add in that my bathroom is incredibly small, and my searching was all for naught.

On a whim, I popped by Home Depot Sunday during the Superbowl. (It's always good to shop when everyone else is watching a game!) And there it was. The perfect vanity. Mod. Good looking. And even better. ON SALE. and not normal sale. It's a $269 vanity on clearance for $99. Sold!

(Sorry for the tiny pic. it's the only one I could find.)

Sadly, faucets cost more than that as I discovered while shopping. Geesh, why do they cost so much? I finally settled on a $98 chrome faucet. And that was the cheapy one. Oh well. It means the Elvis bath, by the end of the week, will finally be a fully functioning half bathroom. No more handwashing in the kitchen sink. Now, I just need more Elvises...

Elvis bathroom STILL under construction

It's been exactly one year since I ripped the sink, toilet, and floor out of the "Elvis" bathroom. This is the half bathroom off of our kitchen. In the past year, I've put in a new floor, new toilet, and dashed on some paint. Still no sink. I know. Pathetic.

At first, I was just waiting to find the perfect vintage 1950s sink. After combing every salvage yard within 100 miles, nothing! So I'm about the break down and head to Lowe's and buy something off the shelf. (boo.)

I also just put the third coat on the two accent walls today. Once that dries, I'll be able to hang up our ever-growing collection of Elvis art and get the ball rolling. (The photo is of a homemade plaster bust of Elvis my best pal Jenny picked up for me at a thrift store in Memphis. How rad is that?)

Half baths are perfect for themed rooms and to show off weird collections. Usually, they're so small you can get away with being pretty bold in decorating them. Although I wouldn't reccommend taking a year to finish yours!