good day

this weekend we didn't have a lot going on, which was actually a pretty nice change of pace. we had plenty of time to be at home and be together and just hang out.  there was a touch of chill in the air - not enough to warrant turning on the heat - but just enough to open the windows and doors and let the awesome breeze blow through and circulate all the dust and cat hair it could find.  

sunday just felt like a really good day. alex had a friend sleep over on saturday night, and i loved sipping my coffee on sunday morning to the sounds of their ornery giggles in the next room.  i really cherish those moments when we can just be in our home.  it was relatively clean, dinner was mostly planned and we had nowhere in the world to go.  i didn't think it could get any better, but then, out of nowhere, my friend emily dropped by with two insane floral arrangements for us to enjoy.  and you know how i feel about flowers;  i completely freaked out and proceeded to do a leg kick that hasn't seen the light of day in a good 12-13 years.  but for the rest of the day i was annoyingly giddy anytime i walked into that room.

at one point in the day, alex was working with evan on a project and she started typing with her fingers on home row.  we were kind of flabbergasted by this and it made me realize all the things that kids learn and do in those minutes and hours when we are away from them. even when there are a million other things going on, these little amazing things are happening whether i have the time to notice them or not.  it wasn't a huge thing, but it was this skill that she has now and it really struck a chord with me.  sometimes all you need is a little break in the madness to stop moving and take in everything that is going on around you. 

in the words of ice cube, i gotta say, today was a good day.  
i may or may not have pulled a hamstring, but that's neither here nor there. 

how was your weekend?  i hope it was as relaxing and refreshing as ours. 

the secret room

if you frequent our blog and happened to catch our little feature in ink magazine earlier this month, (the same one that reappeared sunday in the kansas city star), you may have noticed several projects around the house that we have yet to highlight.  because of the timing of things, the reveal on many of these projects happened before we had a chance to detail them for you... so we thought we would go back in time a little and talk about a few of them.

first up:   alex's secret room.  we started talking about the facelift that was happening in this post, but didn't go into a lot of details.  if you caught that post and guessed that we were working on the little closet under the stairs - you were correct!

now, let's get one thing out of the way:  we feel really bad about how long it took us to get to this project.  mainly because we eyed this little nook as the perfect playroom/secret hideaway nearly three years ago when we bought the house and alex was quite a bit shorter.  we knew that with a few hours work we could turn it into a pretty kick-ass clubhouse for people under 4 foot tall.

since then, it has mainly served as the space in the house where all vacuums, outdoor toys, winter coats and other cold weather paraphernalia go to hibernate.  but we finally got our act together and made something happen in this virtually unused-for-anything-awesome space.

here is a quick look at the before:

and the difference a little paint, some fluffy carpet, some repurposed paper decor and a few adorbs details can make:

i mean, winter coats and roller skates, you're cool and all, but you do not deserve a space this rad.  i would have eaten every last vegetable on my plate and thought twice about cutting down the neighbor's rose bush to make a parade float - had there been any chance of attaining a secret hideout like this when i was seven. 

it's the perfect spot for reading, chalk-boarding and dreaming up all the things we want to be when we grow up.  it's also another testament to the simplicity and power of a little paint.  paint people - you gotta try it.  it is the easiest and most affordable way to transform a room, a space or a piece of furniture.  

the secret is out.  she loves it.  we love it.  and we're glad we finally got around to making it complete.

did you have a secret hideout when you were a kid?  tell us about it...