Jason's Crowning Weekend Achievement

I guess I DO have time for a quick blog post this week!  Jason has been busy this weekend finishing up the trim for our cabinetry.  

Hurray, all the crown molding is finished!  We've lived with it unfinished for almost 10 months, so it was about time we finished it!  Here is a before, in case you don't remember.

We hired someone who actually knows how to do this to put up the crown molding back in April, but we were one piece short so he couldn't finish.  Jason thought he ordered the extra piece a long time ago, but when we decided to finally tackle this project last weekend it was nowhere to be found, so this week he ordered the extra piece and it arrived on Friday.  To have the guy come back and set up his fancy tools would have cost $150, plus the labor, so Jason decided to try it himself.  Of course, we had to buy a new blade for his saw to make these kind of cuts.  Every project warrants a new tool purchase!   Since Jason could see how the guy did it, he was able to figure out how to do it himself.  He also finished trim pieces along the baseboards.  He was really nervous about doing this project, but he is super proud of himself and so am I!  

Since we lugged the air compressor upstairs, Jason also took the opportunity to repair some facing and door frame trim.  He is so productive! 

Here are the back splash tile choices I've collected.  I originally thought I'd like a glass mosaic tile that is so trendy right now, but it looked pretty busy with the countertop and it is also expensive.  We thought something more classic like a subway tile would look better.  We've decided on the dark brown one in the middle against the wall.  The kitchen is nearing completion!  We have this tile project, and we have this strange situation.  

I really wouldn't mind this pipe coming out of the wall at all if there wasn't a gaping hole behind it.  I'm wondering if we could just fill it in with joint compound a million times, but if that doesn't work we'll have a big gooey mess to paint over and no solution.  Mike suggested building a little shelf or something to hide it, and that might work well.

We're hoping to get these last projects finished up before the baby comes, because who knows when we'll have time to do them then? 

Bliss in the Bedroom at Last

We have been living without night stands in our bedroom ever since we moved upstairs.  We do have perfectly good night stands in our guest room, but I don't like them anymore.  Well, they don't go with my romantic/relaxing vision of our bedroom decor.  I made the decision that I'd rather live without night stands than with night stands I don't like.  Jason has been unhappy about this decision because he doesn't really care what the night stands look like, but he would like to have one because he sleeps on the far side of the room.  Usually, I make it into bed first, and he has has to turn off the light and stumble around the bed in the dark, since without end tables, we are also without bedside lamps.  I acknowledge this is totally unfair to Jason, and I've been looking for suitable replacements.  Of course, I want something specific, something a bit more slight since our bedroom is pretty small as it is.  Everything I find that I like is at least $200 apiece, and I'm way too cheap to spend that much on bedroom furniture.  There are almost no night stands on craigslist either, so this has been a long search.  So it was pretty exciting when I saw two MATCHING (that is another prerequisite of said new night stands) night stands that I did NOT hate!  I called to Jason yesterday from the office about them, and he was really excited before he even saw them.  "How much are they?  $30 for both?  Let's go get them!"  He insisted we drive downtown on Sunday, even though not all the roads had been plowed yet after Saturday's big dump, because he was that excited.  

 Pretty simple I know, but we're both happy now and that is all that matters!  Not bad for $30, don't you think? Now I need to find lamp shades for these lamps, since I no longer like these either!  I suppose I can live with them for a while...

That lump in the bed is my new body pillow, and I LOVE it!  I don't know how to make the bed with it, however.  It looks like someone is sleeping under there, or maybe I'm hiding a pile of dirty clothes.  Jason loves it too, and sometimes steals it from me while we sleep.  I think he should get his own!  I don't think you have to be pregnant to enjoy the wonders of sleep with a full body pillow. 

I have other things I'd like to blog about, but I know it will be a couple of weeks most likely before I blog again.  This week, there is scheduling difficulties at the store, which will mean many hours of overtime for us both, and next week we are both playing in the pit of a college musical.  Free time should be non existent. 

A Ball in Chicago

Jon and Roberta visited us for Thanksgiving and took us on a wonderful trip to Chicago!  First, we had the official Thanksgiving dinner at our house.

We thought it would be fun to tell them our big news in person, so we painfully waited until they arrived.  In my family, the tradition is to give the future Grandfather a bottle of Old Grand-dad Whiskey.  We continued the tradition by giving a bottle to Jon for his birthday, which is conveniently in November.  The surprise on their faces was priceless and I'm glad we had someone to tell in person! 

Tradition is tasty.  So I'm told, I couldn't have any :(

Then we drove to Chicago together!  What a great skyline!  Don't let those peaceful blue skies fool you, it was bitterly cold that weekend.  

Here we are standing in line for the Shedd Aquarium.  Apparently, everyone else thinks that Thanksgiving weekend is a good time to go sightseeing also!  I'm not sure how long we waited in line, but it seemed like quite a long time.  

When we finally made it inside, there were people everywhere, swarming every display.  A few times, I took my gaze upward to admire the beautiful building.  Even the light fixtures reminded me of sea creatures! 

We really enjoyed the Aquarium, but all the walking around really wore me out.  I've had a pretty easy 1st trimester I think, but I was tired quite easily.  Because of it, I didn't enjoy the Symphony concert that night as much as I would have liked.  I thought the music was excellent, but it is hard to concentrate when you are fighting sleep!  In anticipation of another potentially draining day, I only spent an hour at the Chicago Art Museum and spent the rest of the day resting in the hotel room while Jon and Roberta traipsed around town.  I did NOT want to miss a thing at the Lyric Opera, and it was worth it!  

It was a fabulous opera, and I'm so glad we were able to make a great memory together enjoying the finer things in life!