Cashing in on an I.O.U.

So I spent last Friday cleaning up projectile vomit off of myself/my kid/my cabinets, running PTA errands, shuffling kids to/from school, doctor's appointments, the pharmacy, grocery store, etc. Meanwhile, trying to clean my house and prep for my first live Jamberry party. When my husband didn't show up at his usual arrival time from work, I frantically threw my kids in the car and tossed them a slice of pizza so I could rush them off to evening activities, silently counting the lost minutes that I needed to prep for my party. Turns out it was the typical "couldn't get out of the meeting" situation for him (and one of the big reasons why it would be so hard for us to both work full-time!). So I was ready to just write it off as a crap day and move on. But the hubbie came home from work stating that he owed me after leaving me high and dry that evening. Who was I to hurt his feelings and not take him up on this offer? ;)

Little did he know that I had a project that was just waiting for the perfect opportunity. So this weekend we accomplished the fun task of painting the 2 story stairwell. He wasn't nearly as excited about this as I was:) Nothing exciting, but so glad to have the dirty builder-grade paint covered up and the upstairs hallways complete. I typically like to do as many of the painting projects as I can on my own, but unfortunately this one required two people. The front 2-story foyer will require a professional to complete the job, but I was able to get all surfaces that could be reached done first.

One thing that bothered me for years was how to fill the large spaces on your upstairs hallway walls. In my last house, I decided to put up this tree. It is a sticker decal that I found on Etsy. Kind of pricey, but exactly what I was looking for. Moving it to the new house was a painstakingly long process, but I managed to salvage it. Hung from the branches are pictures of each of our family at about the 18 months to 2 years old range. I bought the frames for fairly inexpensive at a craft store, then added the ribbons to hang them. The picture in the background is an awesome painting of my kids done by my very talented friend, Monica Hoke. Again, this is another place where I was incorporate my beach memories. We took the picture on a beach vacation and then I passed it on to her to replicate into a painting. I may still add a few large pictures or artwork leading down the back stairwell, but for now it seems more complete and homey.