house stuff and another practice photoshoot

Well, the house is in a constant state of disrepair, but here and there, there are signs that it wont be like that much longer. My dad is coming to help us paint next week, and hopefully we'll be able to knock out the downstairs. After that comes the fun of ripping out that white formica counterrop and installing (drum roll please......) granite tile. Deciding on a counter top was insane. Alex and I have the same sorts of ideas about things but arriving at a design decision is always hard becuase a countertop needs to last for about 10 or 15 years. Paint can be temporary, but a counter top is almost forever. We havent ordered the tile yet, but its called New Venetian Gold.
Almost completed dining room. We finished the painting and have since relegated the room to hold all the other stuff we're moving out of the other downstairs areas while we paint. And we arent 100% sure its staying this color. we might paint it the grey color we picked for the piano room and entry hall.

Beginnings of the kitchen color. We picked a color called Misty Lake for the living room/Kitchen areas. It's the color as close as we could get to Silver Sage from Restoration Hardware. We didnt feel like paying $34 a gallon for paint, so we went to Lowes and found nearly the same color for half the price. The rest of the kitchen is still reeling from the dishwasher excitement- thats why there's no baseboards under the cabinets (which arent staying that way) and the bottom grill isnt on the refrigerator

The Baby Room. The next big project after the downstairs is done. There isnt really a plan yet except a general theme and a paint color. I was aiming for woodsy nature, but I couldn't find anything cool that didnt involve rediculous quantities of barnyard animals, which arent even woodsy. So we settled on a travel/adventure/quasi safari scheme. Right now, the plan involves a space painted with chalkboard paint and a map where we can label the places where all the people we come to know and love live- birth family, adoptive family, friends- that sort of thing. I'm kind of hoping we'll match with someone who'd like to be involved in choosing other parts of the "decor".

All our apples have this pattern in them. Alex thinks its just the sugar content. But it's cool, huh?


And finally, I took pictures of my good friend N. and her baby C. I've never shot indoors before and most of the pictures were pretty blah, but not because the subjects were. But these are 2 of about 20 or so that will be cool. N. is always completely calm about things and I appreciate that about her especially after these last 3 months with all our adoption adventures. I've felt slightly stretched, and she has prayed faithfully for me to remain constant, and the Lord has really answered that prayer. I'm really thankful for that an for her faithful prayer.