Phew!

We instantly knew that these butterflies would be the perfect addition to Leah's room.

The lamp on the left influenced the bedding choice. Thankfully, they all coordinated with my original color scheme of green, purple, and white.

I should also mention that Leah LOVES her big girl room, so making the transition in a couple of months should go (relatively) smoothly.

I don't have a before picture, but here are some after of our master bedroom. The walls were originally a pale yellow. It was pretty, but it didn't really coordinate with the blue, brown, and white color scheme.

To say last week was busy would be an understatement. It was beyond busy, and that with Scott being gone!

My mother-in-law (Mel) and Grandma came down last Sunday to help me with Leah while Scott was in Haiti on a mission trip. Aside from wanting to paint (the master bedroom and Leah's big girl room; Scott had NO IDEA), we didn't really have plans. Ideally, it was a time for them to love on Leah. Or so we had thought.

Mel and Grandma arrived late Sunday night, a change from their original departure plan due to the impending NY weather. What a blessing that they did, though! Monday morning, they had a chance to play and love on Leah while I ran errands. By the time Leah's nap rolled around, we were ready to paint (and I didn't feel as if Mel had to choose between time with Leah and helping me). (Too bad Leah didn't cooperate; she was so excited about Grandma Teddy and Grandma Mel that she didn't nap on Monday OR Tuesday.) That night for dinner, I had a chance to go out for a couple of hours, and when I returned home, Mel was hard at work (again) painting, so I joined her. I'm not exactly sure how late we stayed up, but we were running on adrenaline and sheer determination. After all, we wanted at least one day to relax before they had to leave!

Tuesday was a day of painting... literally. Again, we had the chance to trade off time with Leah (she and I baked cookies that morning while Mel and Grandma painted. Then, after another failed nap, Leah spent time with the Grandmas while I worked). Thanks to Mel and Grandma, we managed to finish painting the master bedroom just in time for the guys to move the furniture back (thanks to all my friends who loaned me their hubbies!). Maybe because of how the master turned out, or maybe because we wanted to finish as quickly as possible, Mel started painting Leah's (big girl) room while I took care of the dinner dishes. I wasn't about to let her do all the cutting in on her own that night, so I grabbed a paintbrush and together we knocked out the room in no time. We were pleasantly surprised by how quickly it went (the master took forever and required two coats). Obviously the room size made a difference, and we can only surmise that the white walls meant the green paint covered more-readily.

Wednesday was soon upon us, but it was finally a chance for us to play. That morning was supposed to be Grandma's anniversary, so to help her through the ache of missing Grandpa, we went to breakfast at Panera. Then we headed over to Target to pick out bedding and accessories for Leah's room. We had so much fun! Leah had a say in her room decor, and it all started with a lamp. Soon we had the bedding, wall art, and curtain valance (which reminds me. That's something Scott can take care of!). We couldn't wait to get back to the house to put them to use! While Leah napped (finally!), Mel and Grandma finished painting her room. I think it took maybe all of an hour. By the time they had finished, the sheets/ bedding were washed and ready to be placed on the bed. Then it was just a matter of waiting for the paint to finish drying so that I could hang the art and the frames (I had purchased those previously). Thankfully, we had just enough time to hang the photos between the time Leah got up and the time we left for dinner with my parents.

Phew! Just thinking about those three days exhausts me still! Thursday and Friday were a bit less hectic, but not much. Thursday morning, Mel and Grandma left. It was so hard seeing them go, especially since we had had such a good time together! (And might I add, I am so blessed to call them my in-laws. I am so grateful for their desire to help me paint and care for Leah.) After they left, Leah and I just relaxed and took it easy. Considering how the week had been, that was a much needed rest. Granted, I still managed to clean the house (the new paint inspired me to do the cleaning a few days earlier than planned) and run a couple errands, but those were almost like time fillers than anything else.

So... here we are now. I don't think I've quite recovered yet from the pace of last week, but I'm getting there. And now that Scott's home, I can sleep better at night. Plus, seeing the freshly painted and decorated rooms, and hearing Leah ask for Grandma Teddy and Grandma Mel, make it all worth it.