My Extreme Home Makeover (sort of)

I've been restless. My house has essentially been unchanged since I moved in 3 years ago. So I've been doing my own version of Extreme (or not so extreme) Home Makeover.

My bedroom used to be blue. Very pretty and soothing.

Although, I also had my desk in my bedroom, which made for... um... a bit of a mess...

From a previous post, you may remember that I mentioned moving into a RED phase. I added a red bedspread and red art to the walls.

But my desk was still... um... a mess... When I mentioned the fact that my desk was in my bedroom to a feng shui artist she about had a heart attack. NO! Desks do not belong in bedrooms. Work should be separate from rest. Makes so much sense...

So... Voila! BIG shift this week!! I moved my desk, my files, my... um... mess... OUT of my bedroom! (Special thank you to helping hands!)

Now my bedroom is so clean and clear and simple and... Ahhhhhhh... I added a red throw to my "blue" chair, put more red accents and art in the space.

There is still more to do (I'm thinking chandelier...) but this is a HUGE step in a beautiful direction. I just love how the space feels in my bedroom now.

The next task is the desk space, which is now downstairs in the dining room. Still working on that. More to come... Stay tuned!

So Full of Thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving!! So much to be grateful for this year I could write a HUGE post to list it all. But I won't bore you. I'll just put a couple pictures of our celebration this year.

Here is my daughter all ready to dive into the yummy food!

Here is my son who packed away his whole plate in record time and then went back for more!

Here we are, ready to dive into the feast. We had a joint dinner at my kids' dad's house and his cousin (pictured) was in town. A good day!!

Soooo thankful for all of you!!

Stage Left

Another show! My daughter just finished a successful run of her first high school play.

She played Suzanne in the dark comedy, "Dearly Departed."

Lots of fun... though she's glad it's over... and she's ready for the next play!

Drumming

I've fallen in love with drums. Actually, it might be more correct to say that I've RE-fallen in love with drums. I've always loved drums... I just hadn't hit one for a while.

Then last Saturday I spent some time with friends in Santa Cruz on the cliffs just north of the lighthouse (surfing museum) and as the sun went down and the stars came out we drummed.

The beauty of drumming is that it doesn't take too much instruction or technique to get started. You just hit the thing! Granted, as you learn technique the sound gets better. :-) But in a matter of minutes you can feel your way around a drum and start to get a pretty awesome sound.

Not only is the sound booming out to the universe, but the sound beats inside of me too. When I took this drum (pictured above) to my preschool music class last Friday and I hit the drum dead on in the center with the palm of my hand... you should have seen the children's eyes!

"Did you feel that?" I asked. Because not only do you hear the sound but you really feel the vibrations in your body. Twenty little heads nodded and put a hand on their chests. They felt it.

I love the sound of the rhythm and the feel of the vibration of a drum. I get why human beings have been banging on these things for as far back as anyone can remember. Music fills us up and connects us to each other.

I think it's time to go drum...

Now Seating...

Funny story...

The beautiful dining table I currently have was the one I grew up eating around. My parents gave it to me when my family started growing and theirs was shrinking. Then my family stopped growing and now it's a very big table for just three people.

Now my parent's extended family is growing (all those grandkids!) So the beautiful dining table is going back to its original home and I found a table just our size. And it's pretty too!

One Book

I got through at least one book last month!

Forest Born - Shannon Hale - All you fans of The Goose Girl, Enna Burning, and River Secrets... here is the next one. It's just as marvelous as the others. I'd say it's most like Enna Burning with plenty of inner angst in the main character, who happens to be Razo's sister Rinna.

Oh yeah, I did read one other book... I re-read New Moon in preparation for the movie on November 20th!!

Halloween!

My trick-or-treaters are getting big! But they still love dressing up. (I do too!)
My son decided to be a hobo this year. It was an easy trip to Goodwill to find a costume.

Besides, he and his sister have a theory that hobos are actually saving Earth. They don't waste water, use too much electricity, drive poluting cars, etc. Athough we are well aware of the reality of these people's lives, there may be a lesson there too...

My daughter dressed up as Mother Nature. I guess you could say she was Planet Earth!

And a very pretty planet she is!

I finally finished a costume that has taken me 5 years to make! I found the pattern 5 years ago, bought the fabric 4 years ago, cut it out 3 years ago, bought the trim last year, and finally....

Finished it this year!

Happy Halloween!