rooms, rooms, and more rooms.

Here we are, I finally got my pictures downloaded for all those who have been waiting to see what I've been doing since we got our first home. I painted one wall a dark espresso chocolate and I adore it! I have missed my Manhatten leather sleeper sofa! It's been in storage since after we lived in Connecticut. Taking it up 3 flights were we used to live was not an option. We hardly ever use this room as we are mostly in the family room. I have since put pictures up over the couch and I am looking for espresso drapes that have grommets on top and a white pin stripe. If you come across it please let me know. The dresser that houses the "funeral" looking lamps I repainted and changed the hardware to have a more updated modern feel to it. it was given to me by my friend who inherited it when she moved into her home. A while later I went into Downeast Outfitters Home and they had one similar only in white with the same harware on it asking for $400.00 which was a steal of a price and I got mine for $0. I call that some good luck and made me happy.
Abbey's room is called the "pink" room for obvious reasons. One of my friends helped paint and stripe the wall. I absolutely LOVE it. I got her bedset on KSL for cheap, my friends, it was what I wanted. The artwork of course is done by me for that personal touch.



I hung her blessing dress as well as Courtney's blessing outfit. I love to see them and remember her baby blessing and to look at how small she and Courtney used to be.I LOVE our family room! It's nice and roomy to have a great party. It goes right into the dining and kitchen. Off of the Kitchen is a little reading nook. Whenever someone calls me it takes me a while just to get my phone. I love the space!!!

Eventually I want to add crown molding to our cabinet tops and stain them a dark espresso chocolate and paint the walls a blue/grey much like the color of the ocean water when it's grey and cloudy, this way the couch will pop and stand out. I want to recover the "pleather" blue chairs that were given to us to a black and white toile or a real leather?? ideas are welcome on that one. Last but not least we are going to get med/dark wood floors put in throughout from the entry clear through to the kitchen area. Lot's to do but it will be so fun!
In our bedroom I wanted to mix colors and styles as I'm definitely what I would call eclectic in my style. The quilt hung over our bed is a baby quilt that my Grandma Gross made for my dad when he was a baby. So years ago I had it framed and I'm so happy I'm able to enjoy this piece of artwork everyday. The basket of quilts at the foot of the bed are all from both grandma's and one of them is called "Boston Commons" made from my Grandma Delila. When I was getting ready to get married she asked me if I wanted her to make a new quilt for me and I said no I wanted something she had already done and then she pulled out the quilt and said what the name was and I said "sold" obviously going on a mission to Boston and then living there I chose the "Boston commons" quilt. The chair by the desk I found at the DI for $5 bucks and I loved the yellow and I just spray painted the metal part white to freshen it up. I want to paint our room (wallpaper is out of the question as I had to remove it from Abbey's room and I made an oath after that , that I would NEVER get wallpaper on my walls.) I'm thinking a blue for the walls, I don't know give me your ideas??
So there you have it. There is a full basement that's bigger than the whole upstairs but unfinished. I just got a wicker couch from my sister-in-law gave me, that I put down stairs so that we can chill out and the kids can go bonkers and I want to be able to do more paintings so I won't have to worry about getting anything on the carpet at least for now. The downstairs will have 2 bedrooms, 1 full bathroom, exercise room, movie theater room, game room, food storage, I'm going to have under the stairs be a play room for the kids with windows on both sides of the wall. Lot's of possibilities.

Random thoughts

I just had to blog about something that I take for granted and that I'm extremely thankful for and that's the Priesthood. Yesterday Andrew came down with a high fever & didn't want to eat anything. When Courtney came home I was glad that I could ask at any moment and I knew he would be worthy to give him a blessing. Andrew was given a priesthood blessing through the power of Jesus Christ that he would be healed quickly and by the morning he was.

I know that it was through faith in our Savior Jesus Christ that Andrew was healed and it made me think of all the other blessings, healings, tender mercies we are given every day and sometimes I look past it and think it was a coincidence but deep down I know Christ is there and He LIVES, He really does live and he loves us all so much that he's just waiting for us to ask and to remember him.

I guess I've been thinking a lot about this due to the loss of loved ones. I remember when I first met Courtney and we were on a blind date and I had no clue about his family life or anything and when he kept talking about him and his dad I thought that maybe his mom and dad were divorced so when I asked him about his mom he told me that she died in a car wreck when he was 15 yrs old.

Most often when people tell me of those whose loved ones have passed on I feel sorrow for them but when he told me about his mom I felt like I had known her and I just heard the news about her tragic death. It hit me so hard I had a huge lump in my throat and tears welling up in my eyes and all the while I'm thinking "Annemarie, do not cry!"

The next thing that Courtney told me was something I had been looking for in the person I wanted to marry it was FAITH and a lot of it. He said, " I know I'll see my mom again" and at that moment I honestly felt her presence in the car and my thought was I wonder if she is helping us get together because I honestly didn't have any feelings for Courtney at this time, I mean we had fun but no electricity to speak of..... not until the 3 date that is. :)

I find it fascinating how your testimony will either build or dwindle if we let it. One example I have of a testimony builder of the gospel of Jesus Christ was when I really LOVED Courtney and it was after our 4th date and the "electricity" finally hit me. I was waiting for him to call me and I called him to ask him out on a date to go to the E Center to watch a hockey game and he basically told me he had plans and I thought ... "Oh crap! he has a date" which I was right and so I became sooo depressed I knew he was the right man for me to marry and I thought we totally clicked. It had been 3 weeks about by this time.

So I as I was driving to meet my sister Dana I was talking to Heavenly Father about his predicament I was in. All of a sudden their was a strong feeling of peace and comfort and the words entered my mind from my right ear (it sounds bizarre but that's how it happened) it said "Do not worry, he will call you tonight!) at that moment my depression totally left, it was beyond having faith it felt like absolute knowledge that he will in fact call me tonight. So I didn't think about it at all the rest of the day. For the first time I was able to go about my life and be happy. That night I was at the house of the Dr. I worked for to meet his animals as I was going to stay there while he and his family went for a vacation. It was 9:30pm and All of a sudden I remembered what the voice told me and I jumped up and said I have to go home Courtney called me! I'm sure Dr. A. thought I was a bit much but oh well.

I got home and I looked at the message board my mom had and there was nothing written and I didn't panic or worry because I knew he would call because that's what I was told. I went into the living room and started talking to my mom about what I would be doing at Dr. A's and all of a sudden she said "Did you know Courtney called" and I flew out of my seat and said No why didn't you tell me and she said well I thought you would have looked at the caller ID and I said well I thought you would have written it up on the message board seeing how I've been so anxious to hear from him. Regardless, I called and we set up our 5th date which was the date that sealed it for him, it was our first kiss!

I've been blessed to have several experiences like that throughout my life and I know Heavenly Father is there and that Christ Lives and loves us all regardless of what we may think or do in our lives. He's perfect so he will be perfectly patient in waiting for us to come back or come closer to him.

In writing all of this I had the thought that maybe it was Elaine, Courtney's mom who wispered to me that day to not worry, that he would call me? just a thought.

It's funny how a sick child can provok you to think about your past and how you become who you are at this point in time.

I think for me it's all about perseverence and making those course corrections in your life to keep you connected to Christ and the truth.