My New Room!

Dear Michael,

Here is my new room! It was a lot of fun to put it all together and have it turn out so amazing. It really feels like a place for me to be me now. I loved it before, but I just needed a change. I needed to not think of you every time I walked in the room. For now... someday maybe I can handle putting pictures back up in there. But it is really nice to have a little safe haven, although I still fall asleep thinking of you most nights. But its a little easier during nap time when I don't see things everywhere I look that remind me what is missing next to me. However, there are still elements throughout the room that remind me you in a happy way, and I feel like you would love it too.

First I am going to post some before pictures. Do you remember when we went on our shopping spree after we first got married and decided we needed an "adult" room? We went to walmart and got the bedspread, picture frames, a curtain and rod, a rug (that's now on your desk in the man cave. It was kind of a grass oriental rug), and a tv entertainment center (ziggy pop sits on that now). Then you got all excited and ordered a cool oriental chess set with jade pieces and little painted tiles for the squares. It was so excited to put the whole thing together and look around at our first real project together. We were so proud of ourselves and it was so us! I remember just looking at it with you, holding hands in the doorway of our room. What a wonderful moment. It felt like all the world was ours for the taking!

The bedspread is so fun, although it has seen quite a bit of wear over the years with all the baby spit up that I have had to wash off of it. It is going to go down to the guest room now along with many of the other decorations. The two fans were from when we went to the collage for a performance of the Chinese circus. We were both in awe of the amazing acrobatics and the crazy contortionists. Then we went out and bought those fans to remind us of that night, and because we knew they would go well with our other decorations. You got a very manly fan with a golden king on it, I got a flowery one that felt so dainty in my hands that I couldn't resist it. I remember the man telling us the story written on your fan, but I can't remember the story anymore, just that it was about an old king. Maybe someday I can find someone to translate it for me. Little E sure has been hard to keep away from those fans, I was always having to remind her not to try to pull them off the wall because there were pins that would hurt her holding them up. She also loved the curtain behind our bed. She was always pulling on it and hiding behind it. She even pulled the top screw out of the wall once, remember? We always meant to fix it, but never got around to it. Well, Lori and I fixed it when we painted.

I love the paint! It really is such a clean and soothing color. :) We really did great when we picked it. And I love the color scheme. Green has been so wonderful, after all its one of the most soothing colors, but blue is my favorite. I grew up in a blue and yellow room (part of the reason we painted Little E's those colors) but blue and brown is very grown up and comfortable for me. Although Little E doesn't like it. She keeps yelling at me, "I don't like this room! Make it green!" I have to tell her that the downstairs room is going to be the green one. I will have to get it done soon so she will be appeased.

Well, enough talking time for the pictures. :)

Bedroom before. The fans are from the Chinese circus, the left hand top screw is the one Little E pulled out, the right hand decoration is what our pet Scooge used to hang out on in our living room.

The picture frame you picked out and the picture you chose to put in it. That was such a wonderful day.

Dresser before. The little picture thing on the left was a gift from you for our first Christmas together. I remember you hiding in our office at the time telling me I couldn't come in while you were making it. You cut out all the pictures, assembled it and colored a big heart on the back. :) It was the perfect gift! The bowl on the right is a wooden bowl made by my neighbor growing up. He had a wood working shop where he made amazing things. We called him Grandpa because he was like family. I hope you have gotten to meet him. He is amazing too.     

Bedroom after! I love how the pattern on the curtain looks like fish scales. It reminds me of all the times you would go out fishing and I would pray you wouldn't catch anything for me to have to cook! lol Sorry honey, I am probably the reason for all your bad luck on the river. ;)

I had to sew these valences from longer curtains because they didn't sell the matching valences. I hope to use some of the leftover fabric to make a cover for my bed-stand.

Dresser after. On top is the jewelry box you gave me for christmas the year before we had Little E.

I saw these decorations from across the store and loved them instantly! They are mother of pearl which reminds me of the last gift you gave me (a little humming bird necklace you bought in Alaska. It has a mother of pearl stomach.) I love the way they look in the room!

The new room really accents the light fixture you picked out and installed in our room! I have had several people ask if I changed that out during this week, but its just that the new room really makes it look great. :) I love it.

My napping companion. He keeps me company when I am lonely. He even came over and cuddled me last night while I cried while sorting laundry.  Love you Trek!

I hope you like it. :) I am pretty proud!
Love,
Jenny