Spring Break Adventures

Here in Huntsville we just got off our week of Spring Break. And it's snowing. Lovely.

However, spring break week wasn't too bad! It was a bit cold and gray where we were, but we had a good time nonetheless. When we left, there was an extra dog in our backyard.  Our own dogs, Baxter and Ellie, weren't sure what to make of the little fella. We named him Carlos, from the movie "The Hangover", which my husband and I had just watched before the dog came to stay a while. My husband ended up having to work the week of spring break, so he stayed home. This turned out to be a good thing, because he was able to put out a sign for the found dog, and Carlos (a.k.a. Buddy) was able to get back to his owners!

Another good reason for my husband to stay home was because he got going on our bathroom project. We decided to redecorate the kids bathroom. Here's the before shot :

I really loathe this room. When we moved in 3 years ago, the walls were painted a dark burgundy, which made the room look like a cave or something horribly sinister. That just won't do for a kids bathroom, so I tried to lighten things up a bit with a bright aqua color! Yes, well, it's still no good.

Here's how it looked when the kids and I left for spring break:

Ahhh....just taking off that hideous counter and getting a nice neutral on the walls did wonders, I think! *Does that uneven, unmatched towel bother anyone but me???* Whiel we were gone doing fun things like this--

--my sweet husband, with the help of a borrowed tile saw from a friend, and the assistance of my self-sacrificing BIL, was able to get the room to look more like THIS:

Oh joy and jubilation! There are still a few small details to work out, such as installing the toilet, putting in the new shower curtain, changing the cabinet hardware, and replacing the crown moulding. *And getting matching towels!* But, I'm so pleased with the outcome thus far.

My dear, sweet husband worked so hard, and the rest of us got to play. Here are some more shots of what we got to do during the week...

These pics were taken from the Albright Grove trail near Gatlinburg, TN. The trees there (tuliptree and silverbells) were more than impressive! My Dad is starring in the last shot and I think that helps give the right perspective of how large these things were. The one up above with the kids and me was taken at Laurel Falls, also in Gatlinburg.