Be Our Guest

I just want to warn you, this isn't your usual fab unveiling and chipper post.  This is a lament.  I know we used to get a lot of laments here on the Lowe Down (check the side bar for a few to get you warmed up for this one if needed), but I started to feel like all I ever did was lament and that would be too close to real life!  And this is blogland, right?  I only have to tell you about things I want to tell you about, and I can angle the camera just so I crop out the cat condo and you don't see the clothes piled up in the chair.

Not today, kids.  Today I tell the tale of the guest bedroom.

Most of you faithful readers are single or married with no kids.  You are comfortable in your 3 bedroom homes, and why shouldn't you be?  You have a bedroom to yourself, plus two extra bedrooms to do whatever you want with.  Gym, gameroom, man cave, craft room, office, whatever.  Even if you want to have a devoted guest suite, you still have another room to house your junk.

Not so once you have those babies you long for, my friends!  Say goodbye to your plethora of space!  Your guest suite and workout room!  Your sanity!

See, kids generally get their own room.  And then, you only have one room to work with it your cozy 3 bedroomer.  And it has to serve nearly every purpose:  office, guest room, pet area.

I think a picture is worth a thousand words, but before I launch a photo session, here's the prequel.  I repainted this room a mossy green about a year ago and got a new bedspread from Overstock.com with a pretty, graphic white print.  We added a desk in the corner for our computers.  Oh, and most importantly, this room mainly belongs to Queen Lola and Crazy Ginny.  You'll see what I mean.

So there's the desk, complete with a hot pink chair I got at Hob Lob on clearance, and some a dresser from my great aunt that I repainted a few years ago.  It was her wedding furniture, so it's 50+ years old and was in great shape.  Not exactly my style, but definitely a freebie that I am so grateful for (it along with the bed served as the master bedroom furniture for the first 3 years of our marriage), and sometimes you gotta work with what you got!!

I think a nice touch in any guest bedroom is framed pictures of your guests - and since my parents and sister are our most frequent guests, they stay in the frames year round.  But if I love you, know you're coming, and make the time to do so, expect to see yourself in the frames too.  I just got those new curtains - the previous set was hung far too low.  I think I have an addiction: white 95" sailcloth panels from Tarjay.  Sisters of these beauties in the kitchen.

Oh, and those are cat food bowls.  Seriously.  I move them out when people come.  But yeah.  Drives me insane.  And yes, see the window sill?  Thanks, baby Landry.

Here's a shot of the bed - I do love the bedding.  And above the bed is my absolute favorite shot of Marilyn Monroe.  Gorgeous.  But alas, there are no nightstands.  No bedside lamps.  Nothing.  What?  I'm working on it.  I should probably DIY a headboard in there - the current one isn't really cutting it from a focal standpoint.  But really, why work on a room overrun with cats?  Help motivate me.

Oh, why yes, that IS a cat litter box on one side of the bed.  Thanks for asking!  You tell me where else to put it in this tiny little house and I'll try it.  Seriously.  Same goes for the bowls.  I'm taking suggestions.

Pride and joy right here.  I wondered to myself at what point you become a crazy cat lady.  And when I walked out of Petsmart with this and I was excited about it, I realized I was at that point.

So that's that.  Do any of you have pet problems?  How do you keep a showroom perfect guest room with four pets?  Or do I need to resign myself that I'm always going to have to deep clean that room and move my cat crap out of it before anyone arrives?  On the list for the next house: cat room.  They should make those.  And maybe a special little litterbox closet.  And a pristine guest room with a closed door to keep the animals out.  A girl can dream.

The Hizzle Dizzle

Drumroll, please!  The master bathroom is officially painted!  Oh, sure, I have a touchup or two to do on the ceiling.  And yes, I need to order new artwork.  Just three pieces though.  And I eternally question what one is to do with a tiny frosted window next to a toilet.  But maybe, just maybe, by the end of this week, I will declare it officially done.

Aren't you proud of me?  Just a few days after I griped about myself, I semi-finished a project!  And I made Ryan patch the wall where he put a hole in it hanging new cabinets in our laundry room, so as soon as he sands that, I can paint it too.  AND I painted over the stripes of sample paint in the living room and the guest bedroom.  I have a love-hate relationship with our living room color.  It's a spectacular teal with red and gold accents.

So I go back and forth with repainting this room a more toned down version of the teal about every other month or so, but then realize that I love it as is as soon as I try to pick out a new color.  Also, I regularly toy with changing up our master bedroom.  I find it to be a bit masculine and dark for me.

So I think that will be the next project - a complete overhaul.  I don't even know what I am considering in that room.  Sometimes, I think baby blue and deep purple, and others I think a more green and blue scheme.  I think I'll have to wait for that right inspiration to hit me.  Also, we're planning to darken the guest bedroom as soon as I find the right green.  The last green I tested turned a putrid puke color in the sunlight, so back to the drawing board.  Here it is right now (that's Ginger on the bed, it's her favorite spot):

I think that's the room that looks the most incomplete.  It needs curtains, another lamp, and some more wall art.  And could probably use a bigger nicer bed, but who wants to spend money on a guest bed?  So we'll probably darken the whole thing, once I find the right green, get some curtains, and call it a day.

So those are my current musings on my house.  By the time I get it just about perfect, I think it will probably be time to move again.  Oh well...that's the fun, right?