I did it. I tried to love it. I do like it. But it’s not enough.

So I’m changing my book page wall with some of this lovely wallpaper. It will look great, I feel certain. If we manage to hang it correctly.

That’s one big if.

Summer hasn’t been Jane’s favorite season. She doesn’t care for the sun shining in her eyes when she rides in the car. She doesn’t like the hot seat belt in her carseat. But this weekend, that all changed when she donned a bright pink tutu bathing suit and took a dip in a tiny pool.

 She’s a changed baby. I’m pretty sure if she could say it, she would be repeating “Pool? Pool? Pool?” all day long. She splashed and screamed and enjoyed watching her pink tutu swirl around her adorable pudgy little legs. Don’t you wish it was the same for adults? But nooooo.

 

 I’m beyond on love with these little curls.

 After Jane’s swim we had dinner. It’s not often that we sit down to an actual meal these days. They’re mostly on the run, or just Jane and me, and mostly while Jane yells “NOM NOM NOM” which is Jane-speak for “I SHOULD HAVE HAD DINNER 30 MINUTES AGO.”

But this meal was happy and peaceful.

And don’t forget those super fancy electric candles we put on the table. I’m pretty sure these are a fad, one that we’ll all look back on and snicker at for being so silly. But right now, when it’s 100 degrees and I have a baby pulling everything in reach onto the floor, they seem pretty wonderful.

Her favorite color is purple.

Her favorite sound is when I bray “eeeawww” like a donkey.

Yes. I realize the irony.

She loves cheese and cauliflower.

She likes to drop food on the floor and yell, “Uh Oh.”

She smiles every time she sees a dog.

She screams like a banshee when bath time is over.

She pats my face and says “Mama” when I rock her to sleep.

She is the sun to my universe.

Remember when I explained that the house-change-bug had bitten me? The downside is a winning lottery ticket hasn’t found its way into my pocket. But never mind that. I’ll find a way.

I’ve been working on a book page wall in the dining area. That wall has been screaming for something, and the new curtains just didn’t jive with the aqua paint. I used delapidated copies of King Arthur and Robinson Crusoe. Believe it or not, this wall only took a few nights to complete. I watched tv while I did it, which I find is essential to my happiness. If I’d had total silence, no tv, and just me and that wall… I might still be drooling into a cup.

But this was essentially a free project. No lottery tickets needed. And it’s not permanent.

My ultimate dream for this wall is this wallpaper. But at a billion dollars a roll, that’s never happening. So I’m trying this on for size. I just stuck the pages up with painters tape. If I like it, I’ll make it permanent. If not, I’ll move on to something else.

 

 I got an email question about these guys. They’re wooden boxes with tiny doors with glass hinged onto the front. I just love them. I put a couple of battery candles in them and it’s like instant sconces without the electrical bill.

 

 Wasabi peanuts…

… and battery operated candles.