A family wedding took us to northwest Ohio this past weekend, and bonus: We got some Gator rides from my dad in the back woods. He's now not only carved a number of trails, but also decorated the paths for the season. Ghosts, bats and skeletons abounded -- and he even took us on a night-time ride to up the spooky factor. But a Sunday morning ride before we left for home was my favorite, with the light shining on the falling leaves.
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| Old-timey cars dumped decades and decades ago. |
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| Spy the spider? |
Edith and Atticus have shared a bedroom for more than 7 years, since Atticus was a couple of months old. The room has made the transition from a crib plus a twin, to a toddler bed plus a twin, to two twins to -- finally -- bunk beds for the last couple of years. It's a huge room, and there's always been plenty of space to sleep and play.
But the kids started to get antsy a few months ago. Atticus complained that Edith talks to much at night, plus his bottom bunk gets hot in the summer since the ceiling fan doesn't much reach him. And Edith wants her own space to read or get away from the rest of us. (Hey, I do sometimes, too!)
So for the last month we've been getting Edith's new room ready. When we moved into the house, that room felt like the inside of a Pepto Bismol bottle -- window frames, trim and a chair rail that were all a dark pink, another shade of pink above the rail, and still another shade of pink below the rail. Even the window coverings were a dark pink, and the closet and back of the door were a light pink! I managed to paint the chair rail and trim white before our moving truck arrived way back when, but I still cringed every time I walked into the room. Luckily we used it only for guests and storage.
But now it's just lovely. The dark pink has been replaced by white. The walls are turquoise. The curtains are navy blue. Edith helped pick out a fun rug. There are three windows and so much light in the room! I still peak inside when I'm upstairs just because I'm so pleased with how it turned out.
We're not quite done. The bed frame and box springs are in her room, but her mattress has yet to be moved. My parents are delivering an antique dresser in a few weeks. But we've moved her books, toys and knick-knacks into her room, and she's already using it as her very own space.
Next up: Repainting Atticus's room.
Columbus Day: 15 years ago, it was the day we moved from Columbus to Brooklyn, N.Y. Monday's holiday was a little different.
It was a day to ourselves!
Paul had the day off and the kids were in school. That happens on a weekday ... never. Like, I actually can't remember a time it has ever happened.
We took advantage of the time. We went to a local nursery to choose a new tree to plant once our current maple is cut down. We went to lunch at our favorite brunch spot ALONE. We unfurled the rug and put together the twin frame in Edith's new room. All in all, it wasn't a super exciting day. But it was a pleasant one, and one I hope we'll be able to repeat more often ... or at least on Veterans Day next month!
Our front yard tree has a death warrant, and I'm sad.
We made the decision a few weeks ago to have our maple cut down. We agonized over it, but I feel content with the decision. Our arborist estimated it had only a few more years, but we see how it sheds branches during storms about every two or three years. Plus one of the giant branches would have had to be trimmed off anyway.
While I am not looking forward to it being gone, I do hope it is chopped sooner rather than later so we can get a new tree planted before the ground freezes. We've lived here almost a decade, but our house is almost a century old -- and the tree is only a little shy of that as well. We'll miss it.
