{Coup de Croupe}

Coup de Croupe (pronunciation:  koo de kroop)

Coup:(koo) (noun) a violent or sudden seize of power or a notable/successful stroke or move.
In which a mother has all other activities taken away and the power to be mobile in any area of life is successfully halted and taken on by the snuggliest babies in the house.  No eating, no drinking, no potty breaks, no showers, and no sleep without permission from the 20 lb. warlord.

Croupe: (kroop) (also a noun) loud cough that sounds like the barking of a seal
The method through which the Coup took place in our house.  A successful and sudden burst of racket heard from a small child which guarantees an immediate response of sympathy and moments of panic from the childs mother.  Requires endless hours of vaporization ( of the air, not the baby), hot steam baths, and co-sleeping.  Footy pajamas are optional, altho comfortable ones are not.  Must be dealt with by wearing the cinnamony scent of Arbonne's Vapor Rub, multiple bottles of juice, doses of tylenol and a very patient mother, along with a daddy who is only guaranteed one square foot of the bed at night as baby flops about over the bed. 

And so normal life has now been subjected to the coup de croupe, and all social activites have ceased and housewifey things set to the side as we nurse the baby back to health.  A few of his siblings have been subjected to a fever as well.  Finally, after almost a week, the barking seal is seeing some light from under the dark blue sea, so to speak.  He's sleeping better and the cough isn't making me jump out of my skin as often.  But, goodness, I sure could use a vacation.  Anyone have a free timeshare in the Caribbean they're not using?  (Just notice Caribbean looks like a mix of Caribou and bean.  Weird, huh?  Now my mind has wondered off to Caribou coffee, which makes me think I haven't had my cup of Master's Touch yet this morning.  Perhaps that will solve my cranky)

*I have, for the most part, thoroughly enjoyed the snuggling and holding of the wee lamb.  He's getting to the stage of wanting independence and so I know that these days are quite fleeting.  Enjoying the sound of his breathing and baby breath as he's snuggled up close is pure joy.  I have also leaned quite heavily on The One Who Created him during the long night hours.  A long bout of sickness has not been in vain.  :)

JO

{Master Bedroom}

I'm in a season where I've got more ideas running around in my head, than I have time or resources to fill.  Sometimes I feel a bit like a crazyac trying to contain all my thoughts in my head until I can bring them to pass or at least be at peace with it just being a creative thought and not actually something that HAS to be done.  I may drive my husband loopy, or I may just keep his life exciting...I don't know.  I do know that he has voiced numerous times about his fear of walking in the door and something else has changed...again.  Poor man.

We did some painting in the master bedroom about 2 years ago.  About the same time we were doing the whole kitchen project.  {See, I told you I've got seasons}  The floor in the master had mold under it, and I was in denial that anything needed to be done until it was just too obvious it was spreading.  The former owners had allowed the window unit AC to drip inside the window and the water had gone under the floor boards and started a process of mold and rot. Because I firmly believe in this We tore into this project and painted the room black at the same time since it used to be just so green (scroll down).  We added a white "upside down chair rail" to the top of the wall and we're working on finishing the trim yet.  Good grief it takes us long to get things done.

 (See where we need trim above the windows and under the "chair rail"? Or the light chord that's tacked up to our bed post?  I'm also in a bit of a funk over curtains and/or shades.  Any suggestions?)

 A couple weeks ago I had an itch to make a change to the wall behind our headboard.  It had been a black wall, but I wanted a little more light in the room, so I painted it the same color as the trim and added some handwriting.

Super fun project, and Myron loved it, so a homerun.  He likes to say it often now, with some dry humor, "you know, I will always love you".

I measured off every 4" for a penciled line to write on, and then freehanded it with a permanent marker.  Paint and a fine tip paint brush were my first choice, but the marker was so much easier to handle and I rather adore how it isn't in your face but just a subtle accent.  And freehand writing makes it so personal.  I'm sure you could make it pop a bit more and it would be fabulous in its own way.

*I feel like I should add this disclaimer:  I started this blog to post pictures of our house project.  Gotta be honest, the pictures and process haven't been recorded as well as I had originally thought.  I think I get too stuck in my own head.  I absolutely adore perusing blogs, websites, what have you to stir my creative juices, but I also know the limits of time, resources, etc that so many of us run into.  There's always the competitive or inferior feeling that jumps up in even the best of us and I've hesitated to blog about house things, knowing that some just don't have that "knack" or the budget for it.  I feel super blessed to live in such an amazing old house and I do want to share it with you.  Just know, that my best project are almost always the ones that are tight on money.  Some of my favorite paint colors in this house were a mix of what I had on hand, or my projects have evolved out of what was found laying around in the basement or other foreign corners.  I'm also a sucker for the curb...and the freebies it contains.  (I will admit to slight annoyance when my kids noticed a big ole free pile across the street from us a few times over the last year.  But they've learned from the best, I guess).  So go be awesome with what ya got, and hopefully I'll have the chance to share more of my form of awesome with you more in the future.

JO

{Inherited Treasure}

I wanted to share a few treasures with you.
I'm not usually a terribly sentimental person (ask any of my family members, and  they will give you an adamant nod of the head).  It's not always a good thing, and I don't know if it's personality or life that has made me become that way.  I will, however, insert a clause.  I am in love with my house...whenever Myron hints at building a new one someday, I flinch and cringe and whine a little.

For whatever reasons tho, I have "inherited" a few treasures that have probably made my house evolve into the space that it is.  A little eclectic, vintage, etc.  I couldn't even begin to imagine a brand new house with brand new things, since mine is so full of worn and well used.

So here are a few of my treasures:

 {The tin bucket was my grandmother's on my mom's side.  It's got a worn piece of tape with her name on it on the backside.  And the coke box is from my dad's parents...they used to run a small orchard/country store and I have faint memories of sneaking candy out from behind the cash register}

 {This old tin lunch box was my dad's when he was a kid.}

 {The valentine's belonged to Myron's aunts.  There are probably 50 or so of them.  And some of them would be off-the-charts inappropriate today, but back when they were just cute sayings.}

 {The trunk on the top was Myron's grandfather's.  I think I may have payed an arm and a leg for it at his auction, but I love it.  The bottom one was a free cast off from an old house we cleaned out.  It's a garment trunk, with wooden hangers that slide on a track and it meant to be set upright.}

 {This gorgeous couch was rescued from a house my dad gutted and remodeled.  It is a real beauty and if I was participating here, this would be my "cold, dead fingers" piece.  The sofa was reupholstered and restored.  The sheepskin was a yardsale find and I have get to figure out a good way to clean it well.  It's a lot larger than it looks here.}

 {This quilt is a smidge ugly, and I had a huge debate in my head over leaving in my house.  The green grew on me, but the lavendar-not so much.  I mean, who does that...those colors?  The quilting on it amazing and it was my great grandmothers}

{And lastly, this old flag.  I remember this flying from the front porch of a house my parents bought when I was like 3.  I remember thinking it looked so stately, and couldn't figure out why it had to come down...totally not getting why a Mennonite wouldn't want the flag hanging from their porch.  We resurrected it from the archives last year when the kids were studying American history}.

What about you?  Are you a treasure-hoarder?  What are some of your favorite treasures?

JO