jael has her own room complete with all her toys. the boys are jealous. i try to explain to them that they have the whole toy room, but it is not as cozy. they are sad.
jael on the other hand is ecstatic. her room has been under construction for weeks, all while being used as a greenhouse on the side. so when i kicked out the tomatoes, rolled out the rug and pulled everything together she was surprised.
she spent the afternoon buzzing back and forth between her bed and her kitchen and her tea set. i am glad she likes it, since it was such a long time coming. and it’s not even done (but we will overlook that).
this is the kitchen my mother found on craigslist for her birthday. you can see in the bottom the fun food tins i’ve been collecting. they (curious small people) seem to like anything with lids.
and the wonderful schylling tea set was from aunt meggie. the box of real silverware from aunt natalie. (violence often ensues with butter knives.)
the flower table was from my mother who found it on craigslist. it’s coated in primer right now as i still haven’t decided what to do with it. white or a mellow acorn squash orange?
the changing table i found on craigslist for $10. the hardest part was changing out the pulls on the sliding doors. and then of course i had to paint everything. (i always have to paint everything. it’s a disease.) the vintage embroidery my mother found at a thrift store.
my new drawer pull. there is nothing like successfully getting your husband to install new cabinet hardware to improve your outlook on life. ah, the satisfaction.
speaking of hardware, my mother heisted these glass knobs out of an abandoned house. that woman is always on the sly, i tell you. in fact, she found me this dresser at a yard sale for $7 when gideon was born. and i found the prints hanging above it at a yard sale for $5. which ended up setting the trajectory for the whole room. which i hope can go boy or girl if it has to.
yay for yard sales.
and, as you might guess, this doll bunk bed also came from a yard sale. for the shocking price of $5. the finish is in bad shape so it needs stripped/stained or painted. i can’t decide. i also need to make new mattresses for it.
jael sporting her new get-up from happy green bee. i would buy all her clothes there if i could. plus her new minky. custom designed for her new room, of course. cuz i was thinking ahead.
and best of all, her lovely ikea rug that i had a friend in seattle buy for me. she packed it to moscow, passed it on to another friend who passed it on to my mother who then drove it over to me. and that’s how you have to roll if you ever want to buy anything from ikea. because the jerks won’t sell anything online. yes, just ask me what i think about that.
the princess girl herself.
her new crib from my mother-in-law. who also bought her the matching bedding. and the popcorn blanket crocheted by aunt becca out of some lovely lambswool. which she actually made for gideon when he was a baby and it’s doing the rounds again.
oh yes, and the blocks on the floor are from aunt meggie too. which ended up matching like crazy. i love it. (and i’m insane. i make my kids coordinate their jammies. that’s how i like it.)
here she is demanding to be tucked in.
oh how we love her.
but that’s mostly just because we’re related.
