The Room is FINALLY Transformed

Thank Goodness for a gentle, patient daughter.
Sierra has been asking me for 2 years to paint her bedroom. We finally did it. This past weekend was our weekend of projects. Monday was Brazilian Independence Day, so we had a 3-Day weekend. It was overcast and chilly all weekend, so no beach. I have worked a lot on my patience lately, so I was able to let the kids help without getting too frustrated. Actually, I didn't get frustrated at all. I found myself smiling pretty much the entire day. Here are the pictures to chronicle our hard work.

The walls were all white when we started. Sierra had hung several tweener posters on the walls in attempts at decorating, but she quickly removed them the night we brought home the paint.

Sierra, Leticia, and I started with the green wall...

And finished with the details around the corners of the pink sides...Then we had to wait until Sunday because the green needed to be "completamente secou" (totally dry).

Phase One Complete...good night...until tomorrow.

The girls started phase two by taking the paint we bought and mixing it with other leftover paint I had to create the colors they wanted to use for the balls.

Then, I outlined the balls on the wall, created the pattern, while the girls determined who would use which color. They were so organized and cooperative. It was fantastic to work all together.

I added some final touches and made sure edges were evenly coated...

And the magical bouncing balls made there way to Sierra's room.

Space and Stuff

We all simply occupy space with our stuff. It seems like we all have too much stuff and not enough space. When I decided to move to Brazil three years ago, I looked around my fully furnished home and asked, "Man, what am I going to do with all this? I worked really hard to get all this."

In about 30 seconds I replied, "It's just SPACE and STUFF."

And so the adventure to Rio de Janeiro from Cambridge, MN began. For three years, I've done relatively well at keeping the amount of stuff to a minimum. I live in a modest apartment with modest furnishing, and I am continuously passing on my stuff to someone else who wants it, needs it, would use it, appreciates it.

But something happened this weekend that slightly shifted my reference to my stuff. For the first time since living in Brazil I actually had the thought: I don't want to leave "that" behind. I'll take it with me where ever I end up going.

What is it? You may ask (assuming anyone is actually reading this post now).

This is the thing that prompted that thought last weekend. A table and two chairs. The table and two chairs that sit on the veranda of my apartment. The table and two chairs where we have our breakfast, lunch and dinner. The table and two chairs where I drink my morning coffee. The table and two chairs that have listened to hours of me playing the guitar. The table and two chairs that have supported numorous backgammon games. This table and chairs that was was a hand-me-down from my friends Jennifer and Valdir two years ago.

This table and chairs moved to the top of the container list should a move ever happen because last weekend this table and chairs got a little facelift. I unfortunately do not have a before picture; this photo is the after shot. A fresh coat of stain and it's new again.

But the important thing that it taught me: stuff is always stuff. I would liquidate my house all over again for the right move. It's the memory I now hold on to of sanding and cleaning and then painting them with great company on a lazy, dreary, cloudy Saturday afternoon that I get to hold on to forever. Whether the table and chairs make it into the container or not.