Basking in the glow of (our) Copper Harbor

I have an ongoing love affair with my house...something that those who are close to me know well. I love that it shelters my family from the frigid, howling wind we can hear whistling in the attic when the winter comes, and that Grace can always find a cool spot in the basement to lye on during the hottest summer days. I feel sad when I see an old broken copper pipe go or when our toilet starts growling...and I rejoice when an odd tulip pops up someplace unexpected.

Inside, I obsess over paint colors, pillow covers, shelf paper, lamp shades, finding the perfect grip strips to keep your little wool rug from turning into a surf board the minute you step on it....

This week, my good friend Ashley and I were perusing the PB spring lines and were so inspired by the brilliant yellows and oranges that we decided to do a little painting. Fortunately, Ash (who has just moved into her new home) found several cans of leftover paint from the previous owners in her basement, and was generous enough to lend me a gallon, making this the best no-money makeover yet!

The walls of the dining room are now a lovely coral color called Copper Harbor by Sherwin Williams. Although I lucked into it, I still got stuck playing with the Sherwin Williams paint color visualizer for an hour or so the other day-- how fun!

We had the original hardwood trim which I also (gasp) painted white. I had to have a glass of wine first. I have been trying to fight the urge to do this for three years, hearing that the trim was so valuable bla bla. I'm over it. And thrilled with the results :) One thing led to another and the hallways got painted as well.

Have a look! And then come visit to see it yourself!

Baby it's cold outside

Mr. Will is on the road this week, and I am up to my eyeballs in high profile WaMu branch morphs at work-- pure joy, I tell you :) After a long day, I came home and played with Gracie in the snow before my nose was running so uncontrollably we had to come in (it's 3 below here). I chased her around the garage, threw her red ball into the flower beds, and just took some time to really enjoy her. As I watched her wriggle on her back-- snow powdered legs poking at the sky, I remembered a great story Will and I saw on CBS Sunday Morning last week about an odd animal couple-- two buds that found friendship in a strange place.

Check it out--
The Animal Odd Couple

Keep cozy everybody!

My mom, the superhero

Some of you may know my mom. She's a witty, loving, incredibly talented woman, and I've spent my whole 27 years looking up to her. Most people think their mom is great, and I'm no exception. Until yesterday afternoon, however, I never knew how many people shared my view.

Because of the recent financial crisis, my mother was let go from her 12-year position at Xpedex yesterday. I got a call. And then I got a note from her boss, telling of the news. Somehow, he CC'd all 400 folks in her address book, rather than BCC'ing them, and the flood gates opened wide. All day emails poured in to Gary touting her skill and good work. Writing that they'd miss her dearly. All day! Someone even blogged about her departure, which you can read here: http://makeseriously.com/2009/01/re-cindy-wingo/

In part, he writes, "...this is like (sort of…) cutting out the Barista at Starbucks (at least if your experience is like mine here downtown at the Conseco store). Where before you came in to people who knew your name and preferences and who could recommend new drinks or new styles of your favorite drinks, now you just get a person at the register who tells your order to another person without any of your input. You don’t know whether that Americano is a double or triple shot. You don’t know if that Vanilla Latte is using 1% or whole. You don’t know if you’re getting bold or regular. And, not only that, but you don’t know if there are new drinks and there’s no one to ask. What’s the point? I can get that service at the gas station for $.99."

Wow. I don't post this because I'd like to create more buzz or make any more racket than has been made. I do it because I am so proud of the role model I've got. I am proud that I inherited her excitement for life and hope to gain a bit of her incredible attitude. I'm proud that she isn't the type of lady that heads for a dark corner when life goes sour, but faces her fear head on and with courage and the confidence that all she has is all she needs.

Michael Beckwith says that crisis really means crossroads. By letting the world as you know it come to an end, we make room for a new world to be born-- one that is more fulfilling, and leads to a greater reality and purpose always.

No doubt that this next chapter in her life will be a blessing. Thank you all for your prayers and loving support.

Grace Playdate

Would ya look at that face? Who wouldn't want a big slobbery kiss from this little booger? Will and I felt so guilty for kenneling Gracie over New Years (as though she knew the difference), but I kept picturing her all alone in her kennel, wearing a Happy 2009 bandana, holding a noise maker in her mouth, watching Dick Clark on the TV in her puppy suite, and sadly lapping a little sparkling water as the folks in Time Square cheered and kissed. So we pledged to spend some quality time with her yesterday and today. What a joy. We took her to the dog dog park and for a romp in neighboring Broad Ripple Park this morning. She found every mud puddle and rolled in it (her specialty), ate old sticks, stole my mitten (another signature move), and gave us little trouble while we scrubbed her in the tub-- removing leaves and turf from her fur. We love this dog and her sweet spirit. Here are some shots from our dog date.

Feelin' fine in 2009!

Happy 2009! I know, I said it in the last post, but this post actually includes NYE picts! We headed up the wintery road to beautiful Lafayette, Indiana to share the ball drop with some of our dearest friends. There was plenty of laughter and champagne (yes, those are raisons in my nose)- good times had by all :)

Moppin' up the holiday cheer

Happy New Year! And what a year it's been. We had a great holiday jam packed with activities and a little much-needed time away from work. Spent the last couple days putting away decorations, vacuuming an endless trail of pine needles, eating endless amounts of leftovers, getting thank-you notes in the mail and trying not to think about all the email I have waiting for me Monday morning. More pictures are a-comin', but in the meantime, here's a little flavor of what we've been up to-- four Christmases (three at our place), a houseguest (KT), dates with Kate and mom including one particularly delicious one at South Bend Chocolate Company, a fierce wii Brain Game Academy tourny that Will and I played nightly (for hours) after the crowds had gone, and the dishes were soaking. No wonder we have had so little sleep. Gracie, however, had no problem pawing the snooze button until Noon. :)