Happy Birthday to Me

How could you ask for more than to be greeted at the door, on your birthday, with a peppermint martini?  My birthday is the day after Christmas.  But before you start feeling sorry for me, consider this--I have a twin.  Her birthday is the day after Christmas as well. Then, there's my mom.  Her birthday is December 22nd.  Oh, and the wonderful older sister who made the martinis?  Her birthday is December 7.   My twin's husband's birthday is December 15.  Our December is just one, big ole birthday party.  This year we gathered at my parent's house with our husbands and children for a chicken satay feast.  My dad, who was quite ill, rallied a bit later in the evening and was able to join us for awhile.  

As my birthday approached, I let El Professor know there was one thing I wanted for my birthday....PAINT.   

To tackle this AWFUL space--our 'study'.  The room used to have two cedar paneled walls, but I painted one a few years ago.  The room has one north facing window and the cedar acts like a light-sucking vortex.  Plus, it's just ugly.  

The result?   The room is SO MUCH LIGHTER.  It's amazing.  Those light walls shoot the light right back at you.  The fireplace, however, 'pops' as a ghastly, outdated, ugly feature.  We're working on that.  I'm not sure we can 'pull it out of the fire' as a decorating miracle, but we're planning to paint the bricks and to fashion a new mantle.  In the meantime, I totally rearranged the location/organizaton of the bookshelves and was able to create an organized, light 'study'.  

Lastly, this was my birthday shopping spree....off to the building material recycling yard for some old, wooden windows to hang on the 'now light walls'.  Someday the room really needs new windows to bring in more light, but for now these will hang on the walls.