26 November 2007

My Bathroom Project

In an earlier post I mentioned that I was working on the downstairs full bathroom. It's done except for a few details and I thought I would post some before and after pictures of my fine work! I painted the entire bathroom a color called Firecracker and I love it. I also painted the vanity white, it was black before and I painted the medicine cabinet, trim, and door the same white. I hung new fixtures for hand towels and our daily towels and I ripped up the brown carpet that was in the bathroom to expose the while tile with silver flecks and put down white rugs to compliment the rest of the while details and the new bright walls. Let me know what you think!

Please note that the items you see in the before pictures are from the previous owner and she left much of it when she moved out. While country can be nice, too much of it is more than I can handle.

The bathroom before:















The bathroom after:





You can see I still have a few details left to finish. The light fixture you see is still from the previous owner since I haven't decided what style I would like yet. I also have to finish painting the doors to the vanity and installing the new hardware I purchased. I have a picture to frame and hang, but for the most part I am proud of my work and feel more confident to take on future projects.

21 November 2007

Happy (Early) Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow! My in-laws arrived yesterday afternoon and my parents are coming tomorrow. I will be cooking my first full thanksgiving dinner for all of us and I am excited! I printed out my recipes on Monday and made my grocery list. Monday night I was off to the store to do all of the shopping. It was an experience.

I plan on getting up to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with the little man and whoever else would like to join us. I have vivid memories of watching the parade with my grandfather when I was growing up so it means a lot to share that with my son.

My other favorite Thanksgiving treat is the newspaper with all of the Black Friday ads! Last year I went out at 5am to take advantage of some deals. It was the first time I had ever done that before, but I figured everyone had to experience it at least once, right? I am planning on going out again this year if there are some good deals. I like the time to shop by myself even if it is in the wee hours of the morning.

So I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. May you all be blessed with plentiful food, good football games, and long naps!

16 November 2007

ABCs and 123s

Last Thursday the Fairport Public Library held a Preschool Fair. We thought it would be great to take advantage of so many preschools in one room and it would be easier to talk and gather information. So the boys stayed home (I wanted to be able to talk with the individuals instead of chasing a two year old around a small conference room) and I went.

A very nice woman from the library greeted me at the door and inside were at least 20different preschools with tables set up and information everywhere. I took my time and went table to table talking to everyone and gathering any information they had. It was a bit warm in the library so after visiting each table I made a run for the fresh air outside. When I got home and had put the little man to bed, we then looked through all the pamphlets, brochures, and papers that I collected. I never knew there were so many different types of preschools out there!

One of particular interest is a preschool at the Strong Museum. This would be wonderful opportunity for the little man and I could easily drop him off on my way to work. Another that really peaked my interest was the Pittsford Cooperative Nursery School. The Pittsford Nursery School (PSN) is a coop run entirely by parents. Parents help out in the classroom about once a month and the more you help out the cheaper the tuition is. The parents also play an important role in the direction the school goes in and the hiring of teachers and assistants for the classroom. They also offer enrichment programs one day a week where they teach music, art, and drama. The little man would absolutely love this! There are a few other preschools that I liked as well among all those that we have looked at.

It dawned on my one night that applying to preschool was much like applying to college. The little man is only two years old! As parents we gather information to look at the many options and want to make the best decision for our child so they start off their education on the right foot. You have to apply be sending in an application and there are application and registration fees along with tuition if you are accepted. We want to make appointments for a tour at each place so we can watch classes in action and see how the little man reacts to each classroom.

I have to laugh at this whole process when we are only choosing a preschool...I can't imagine what it will be like in another 15 years when we choose a college for him!