Surprise!!!!

In addition to helping Nana celebrate last weekend, we (Tante, Ryan, Ben and I) also worked very hard on a special surprise for MeeMee.  She was away at Breckenridge and on a church retreat so we painted and furnished the secondary guest room/nursery while she was away.  She and Tante had started this project many many moons ago by removing wallpaper and choosing paint, but the room had become a craft and sewing catch-all and barely usable (only by inner-circle members of the Compound) second guest room.

In addition, Ben and his things had been taking up parts of 2 other rooms as it was always the goal that this room would house his crib and belongings both now and when we move to a home of our own.

We couldn't start the project until Friday evening as MeeMee was bopping in for a bit Friday afternoon.  By 745 PM Friday night we had sanded and taped and were ready to paint.  Ryan's help was crucial in watching Ben and in being the Photoshop master for Ben's early Mother's Day gift to MeeMee.  We rose early Saturday to apply a second and final coat of paint and start putting furniture into place.  We delayed Ben's nap just a bit on Sunday to hang the art and lights in case MeeMee arrived while he was asleep.

Shortly after MeeMee got home completely exhausted, her pup Oenghus started nosing into a Lowe's bag on the table and removed a switch plate that seemed particularly appetizing.  This clued her in as almost instantly Tante stated, "Mom, why don't you follow us upstairs?"  As she ascended the stairs MeeMee said, "You guys painted the nursery, didn't you? That's why you have switch plates?"  I think she was absolutely delighted and she stated time and again that her complete exhaustion from the weekend wouldn't allow her to thoroughly show her delight and excitement.

We've slowly gotten Ben's things moved in despite MeeMee's plan to paint the dresser and bed white sooner than later.  It feels great to have his things in one space and to have made a basically unusable space so functional again.  It also felt great to put my painting hat back on and really get into a home improvement project.  I have missed them since Ben came and since we have been in our current migratory pattern and without a home (sort of).  I'm very excited to help MeeMee some more as she will soon be done with work for the summer and can keep an eye on Ben, and also at the the thought of a whole new home of possibilities that will one day be ours.

the before:

 

TA DA:

 

MeeMee has been singing this song to Ben since he first joined our family:)

 

The lights were an afterthought but the color was perfect and Ben loves them.  Everything was re-purposed from this room's last life or elsewhere in the house except for paint, supplies, and Ben's gift.  The daybed needs some big pillows to make it more couch-like, and the walls a bit more art.  MeeMee has been planning to paint the furniture white for some time and I think it will look great.  There's also a great amount of floor space left that will be great for playing now and for years to 

come :).