Be Our Guest

Our house guests left a week ago.  We miss them already.



And I'm not typing that just because my mother-in-law reads this blog.  I'm being honest and serious.






 Also, I can finally share what our guest room looks like.  I hadn't wanted to post it on the blog until after they arrived, since, well, she does read it.  And we wanted it to be a surprise for them.  Not because it was really a surprise, but well, we didn't want them to know quite what to expect.  And they were going to be our first guests, so it felt only right that they got to see it first, before anyone else.  Aside from my friend, A.  Texting pictures to her shouldn't count.



I'm fairly certain we mentioned once to my in-laws it would be map themed.  Originally, it was going to have numbers bedding, as we fell in love with mathematically themed bedding from The Land of Nod, but that was back when there was a chance the office and guest room would be combined, depending on the house we bought.  We lucked out with this house and my map and travel obsession grew.  I finally had even more of an excuse to purchase travel themed items.  Not that I ever really cared about an excuse before.  I'm drawn to maps, globes, and anything European.



By the way, we love to travel.



I couldn't have come up with a better theme or design for our guest room.  The cat thinks it's her room, but we would like our guests to think otherwise.

I know this won't be hard to believe, but it was so tough to give up that light switch cover.

Home Depot likes to call this color perfect taupe.  I can see why.  I also used part of this gallon of paint for the office closet before we added shelving.  And I still have some left for any future touch-ups.

When painting, I wouldn't recommend doing it when you have bronchitis, but I do this weird thing when I'm sick.  I decide to do a million things, just to test my body.  It's also as though I'm nesting.  Mister Man was on a business trip when I painted this room, otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten away with it.

So....not only was this room white, but it once had some pink.  And before that some mustard yellowish/ olive green color.  Wallpaper was also seen in this room.  I feel for those poor walls.  They've been through a lot.

Once I had the walls finished, I had to finally start working on my decor.  I bought that asperand months prior on clearance from the Hobby Lobbyists.  Unfortunately, hot pink with peace signs just didn't go with my decor.  A little paint to the rescue.  For $1.60, I didn't mind putting some paint on it.

I'd had an idea for a gallery wall for quite some time.  The challenge and concern was if everything I owned or wanted to own would fit.  Also, this is how I discovered that wrapping paper is a great tool for such a project.  It's thin enough for easy cutting and light enough for taping.

 The paper I used also had the lines on the back.  I wish I had used this in the living room when I did that gallery wall, rather than leftover cardboard pieces.  Oh well.

 I had so much fun putting it together.  And it's still unfinished, as I did such an awesome job with placement, I have the room for future things, just as I had hoped.  However, I still haven't found the frames I want for framing foreign currency and postcards leftover from past trips.  These things take time.  I can relish in what's already on the wall, and look forward to watching it evolve.

I love everything about it.  

I also added little touches.  I put photos of the grandparents in a couple frames I was going to use for the room, just to see if anyone would notice.  And to make them feel like they belonged.  The photos are from our trip with them in Florida last spring.  That suitcase was a curb find.  True story.  The little ladder I put it on was found inside our other house when we first bought it.  I also had painted it eleven years ago, mixing the paint color myself.

Making the bed seemed to be the hardest part in getting the guest room ready.  A certain little feline thought she needed to assist me.  This is why I waited to do this just mere hours before they arrived.

I put some goodies together for them.  I'm not going to list everything, because well, that's between them...and us.  And I wouldn't necessarily do these same things for all guests.  But they had freshly laundered brand new towels.  And I put sunscreen in the basket because I didn't trust my father-in-law would bring some.  He didn't.  And he did use it.  Every single day.

I saved that out of the newspaper from a while back.  I thought it was awesome.

I also put their key there.  When we first talked about moving and having a space for guests, I knew we'd have a guest key, because I didn't want to worry about anyone feeling like they needed to worry about our schedules.  Nor did I want to worry about the same.  Because I will.

I also waited to put these items out until shortly before they arrived because I do not trust our pets.

Any wrinkles in the bed kept appearing, no thanks to a wee cat.

They gave us that map themed dresser, so it only seemed appropriate that it was in their room.  I also left the bottom two drawers empty.  They're not large drawers, but I wanted them to feel like they had some space and weren't just invading ours.  Because they weren't.  The top drawer had California tourist information that we had collected.

I made these using a California geophysical wall decal set I bought from Pottery Barn Kids last year.  Mister Man hadn't even found the house yet, so I had to send it to his office.  The decals have a wallpaper like paste on the back and you have to get the backs wet.  That was tougher than I had expected.  I used canvases from Michael's.  Eyelets from the 99 Cent Store.  And rope I had used for a banner.  I was so proud of how it turned out.

 What's in the gift bag isn't important.  What is important is that it's map themed.  I almost danced a jig when I found it at Tuesday Morning.  This is a small room, so I had to use the space quite wisely.  I also use this room for crafting, so I gain space by pushing the queen sized bed against the wall.  But for our guests, I wanted them both to be able to access their sides of the bed easily.  This table was given to me from my aunt and uncle.  My Uncle K had refinished this piece, a table that had been passed down through the family.  I didn't know where it would go, and I often have guilt that I use it as a sewing table, but you know, it sort of makes sense.  In this case though, I left it out, blocking the crafting side of the closet.  (I left part of the closet available for hanging some clothes.)  I figured there was a chance they might get some use from it and it saved me from shoving it out in the garage.  I also left out the Entertainment Books for San Francisco and Sacramento in case they could use them.

But my favorite part was still MY wall.  A special thanks to Mister Man for putting all of the art up.  He was especially fond of my TRAVEL I cut out of an old map and placed inside a Dollar Tree frame.  He also liked my five pound British note I framed.  The stuffed bear was from his childhood, a worn toy with many patches, a toy that once traveled across the country multiple times with him during his youth.  A toy that we still have, only because The Redhead has insisted.

 The mints are almost a long running joke.

My mother-in-law also happened to be flying in on her birthday.  Could you imagine? A long flight on your birthday?!

So we made sure we had some gluten-free cupcakes from Trader Joe's waiting for her.

My mother-in-law discovered my hidden surprises in a drawer.  I couldn't resist leaving some literature.  Because I like adding little touches.  It's what I do.  Please forgive my terrible picture, and my lengthy descriptions.  I hope they felt comfortable while they were here.  It can be terrifying staying with someone.  It can also be worrisome when someone's staying with you.  I wanted to alleviate as much of that as possible.  I thought by giving them just a little space that maybe it would help them feel as though they were welcome.  It also helped ease my mind.  I think that would be my advice to anyone.  It doesn't matter what the room looks like or how large it is.  It's about creating as much comfort with as little as you have.  Giving up a bit of space in the cabinet.  Picking up some of their groceries.  Putting out a few pamphlets or business cards of local joints.  I believe those things mean far more than designer bedding.  Although I'm glad we went with a bed and not a couch.

I love our guest space and it's waiting for them when they eventually return.  Which can be anytime, really.  Because we miss them.  Already.

That time I had to do ALL the Laundry

ALL of it.

At least the laundry in our bedroom closet.  The ones in the dresser were fine, fortunately.  The clean towels piled in a basket, however, were not fine.  And also need washed.  Again.

But I now have four stacks of laundry.  At least.  And each stack is not just one load.  Oh no.  Not at all.  And then after it is all washed, it will of course, need put away.  Joy. So.much.joy.

Did I mention my in laws are coming on Tuesday to stay with us?





I know I'm not the only one that pushes themselves to get a ton of things done, including things that no one cares about, all in anticipation of guests.  And this is the first time we're having guests staying with us for a period of time.  It has little to do with them, but more so that feeling you get where you want to make sure everything is as perfect as you think it should be.  And just as I thought maybe, just maybe I would get everything done, this happened.




This being that time Mister Man decided to choose the Tuesday before his parents came to sand our bedroom walls, the walls that used to have wood paneling on them, until he randomly decided one day to remove it, the walls that have had that nasty vomit-like glue stuck on them for months and months.  Those walls.  And on Tuesday, he decided to sand them.  However, he did not cover anything.  ANYTHING.  Or close our bathroom door.  Or close our closet door.  Or move anything out of the room.  So anything in there or opened has felt the aftermath of that sanding.  An inch or two of white powdery dust occupying every tiny little space and belonging in our room.  And our bathroom.  And most importantly, our closet.  Where all of our clothes are.

I have waited until he was finished with this disaster before I would finally start washing everything.  It feels like we moved again.  Things are ruined.  Forever.  Things need washed.  And I'll be cleaning and dusting and breathing funny for an incredibly long time.  I also have to wipe down every single hanger of ours.  I know he feels bad about it.  But it doesn't change the fact I have a lot of work to do.  A lot of work I didn't originally have to do.  Work that is now added to my massive to-do list.





To top that stress off and all the laundry, I have a rash, only on my left arm and hand, as well as infected cuts all over my hand, from some evil weed I killed out last night while gardening.  Its toxic revenge has worked quickly and my left side aches.  So of course, that's not helping make this any easier.



That, and it took over an hour just to separate all the clothes for washing.

I have so much work ahead of me and so much laundry.  But I know somewhere there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  There has to be.  We have guests coming on Tuesday.  And I know me.  Even if other people will doubt me,  I know what I'm capable of.  It's going to get done.  But it doesn't mean I don't get to grumble about it.  Or laugh.  Or bring this moment up in the future.

Stripes Be Gone

When Mister Man sent me pictures of the house he bid on, the stripes were the very first thing I noticed.  He claimed they weren't bad, but I disagreed.  When we finally arrived to the house he bought, I still couldn't get over the stripes, but I knew paint could do wonders.  Without a doubt, I would be painting this house.  I didn't have a choice.  The stripes had to go.



I think for a lot of the neighbors, it's the fecal brown paint that really gets them.  Most of them didn't even realize what I meant by "stripes."  But I personally believe if the house was all fecal brown, it wouldn't be nearly the eyesore that it is.  It's the stark contrast of the stripes that I feel draws your eyes in.  And perhaps I'm wrong, but I feel like if it had all been one color, no matter how bad the color, it wouldn't have been nearly as aesthetically displeasing as it was with stripes.



And just as I said I would do this spring, April or May, and well, it happened in the latter, I slapped some paint on the front.  I started with only one gallon of paint to "test" the color, and well, after all that work, there was no way I was repainting it.  And luckily, I really love that color.  I wanted to make sure I wasn't stealing a neighbor's color, so I went around matching paint swatches to their houses before I ever bought any paint.  A bit on the awkward side, but I worry about people thinking I'm copying them; I'm unsure as to why.



While many people have said they're not sure what possessed anyone to use that brown, another neighbor shared with me that the husband who had died 25 years earlier had chosen those colors, and the lady kept the house sort of as a shrine to him.  And even when she had it repainted, she kept those colors.  That helped me understand the thought process because I've met two extremes in people after a loss, especially with widows.  You have those who keep everything the same, and then you have people who change everything as though the person never existed.  They remove every trace of them.  Obviously, we know which extreme the 85 year old lady fit in.  And that's understandable.



But it's my house now, and I have no reason to keep it striped.  I started this project last Tuesday, and since, I've spoken with more people in the neighborhood than I have since we bought the house.  Strangers drive by slowly.  People who walk by just stand there and stare while I'm painting.  I'm not sure if it's the paint or the short grey paint shorts I wear, but I'm really hoping it's just the difference that some paint can make.  And what a difference it makes.  We still have some work left to do, as other than Saturday, it's been a solo act.  (Mister Man was a huge help though and a lot was accomplished that day.)  The details on the front have taken me forever, all of those nooks and crannies, while the stucco sides are much easier to paint. Also, I've been doing all of this with just a paintbrush and high grade rollers.  Fantastic workout, but a lot of hard work.  And while it is still unfinished, many neighbors have let me know that it already looks so much better.  Yes, paint truly can make a difference.