::: i'll be coming home :::

One of my favorite memories as a child is returning home from camp to find that my mother had lovingly redecorated my home, removing the beloved but outgrown Scooby Doo wallpaper, cleaning and organizing, and installing a new corkboard wall to see me into my teen years. The Baby and Sweetheart have spent the last three weeks away with their grandparents, aunts and uncles in far-off Illinois, and while they were gone, spurred on by this contest, Bo and I played remodeling fairies, painting, cleaning, organizing and redecorating. Using paint we already had, elements from around the house, some bed frames we'd had in storage that we put a fresh coat of paint on, a gallon of floor paint from Lowe's, an inexpensive area rug, some fun finds from My Favorite Thrift Store, and a whole lot of elbow grease, we spent those three weeks creating a new, cleaner, less cluttered environment for the girls. All said and done, the whole project cost less than $75. I'm expecting them to pull into the driveway with Grandma and Grandpa any minute. I can't wait to see what they think!