Curtains and Buttons

Today I finally got the curtains sewed with the exception of where I turned them inside-out... but that won't take long at all. I also found buttons that I wanted! I had to have 16 of the same one, so I had to go with the burgandy color, but it didn't matter since I am covering them. I have done one of them and was very pleased with how it turned out! The two pics below are the curtains, which don't have the buttons on the tabs yet, and two buttons - one original and one covered with the fabric. Hope you like!

I have wondered a time or two if this is too much work... and the answer is probably so. But to me it's worth it to have something unique and knowing that I made it. I know that nobody else

will have a room quite like ours! And lastly, it's cheaper for the most part. I know to some people it would be worth the money to pay somebody else to do it. There are few things that I'm willing to pay somebody else to do... who am I kidding, I (we) only pay for things that we cannot do ourselves! haha! If William and/or I can do it ourselves, we will. If you want to pay us to do it for you, we will! haha!

Sneak Peak

So, I have finally begun on projects for our bedroom. Evn though this past week was very busy! I have started the curtains, which are duvet covers from IKEA that I am cutting up into panels. I also decided that I wanted to add red tabs with buttons on them... both of which are more work. I now think that I'm going to cover buttons with the red and white fabric to match. I keep adding to my work load, but hopefully it will all be worth it in the end!

This first picture gives you a glimpse of the room colors. The red pillow is part of a quilt and sham set that we bought with some wedding money. It was originally in the guest room, but I decided I wanted it in our room. The blue/teal pillow is one that I made this past week and I will make a matching one to go along. The color of the walls will be just a bit lighter than that pillow. And lastly, the red and white fabric will be the curtains and maybe a throw pillow or two.
Below is a picture or my "workspace" and the duvet that I was cutting up.

Here are all 16 tabs that I made the other day... they took a while, especially when turning them inside out!

Other projects on my "bedroom redo" list include:

*painting or stripping our rocking chair

*painting picture frams

*making a seat cushion for the rocking chair

*finishing more pillows for the bed/chair

*painting the room!

*either find baskets or cover boxes for our nightstands

*etc...

On another note, yesterday we had our family's annual "Cousin's Day" on my dad's side. We went to Boone, NC for the day and had a great time visiting with everybody! Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures up there, but I did capture this pic of Katie sleeping on the ride back. She was out like a light the entire ride!

Home, Sweet Home

So we are finally home, back in South Carolina. It's so nice to be able to drive to our destinations, have our own bathrooms back, live life at a slower pace, and most importantly, have HGTV on my tv! With this being said, we did have a wonderful time in Washington. I'm so glad that we went and learned more about our nation's history. It was neat to actually see all of the things we grow up seeing in school or on tv in real life.

I did forget to write about one other thing from Thursday though - seeing the President's helicopters. When going back to the White House to take a picture, we heard a helicopter. It acted as if it was going to land and then it took off to the left. A second one came in and acted as if it was going to land as well and then took off to the right. Finally, a third one came and really landed... we couldn't see the landing though. It was a sight to see!

Now it is time to get back to the "real world". I've already gone to the grocery store, washed 2 loads of laundry, and unpacked our suitcases! No time for a break! I plan to start on our next project, our bedroom, this week. I have most all of the items I need and I will give a sneak peek when I get a chance. I'm soooo excited about this and it's hard for me to be patient. I thought this would be done by the first of summer... but it seems I always have something to do. Which is a good thing!

If you have actually been reading this throughout our trip, we truly hope that you have enjoyed it!

T.G.I.F.

Well, it's finally Friday! (By the way, this is William. Bonnie has challenged me to write tonight's post, so here it goes!) Today we decided to drive to Annapolis, Maryland, which is the state's capitol city.

Our first stop was the U.S. Naval Academy. We arrived just in time for the next walking tour, so off we went.

Students at the Naval Academy receive free tuition, but in return they have to give back five years of service in the navy, effective after their graduation.

The picture below was taken just inside the entrance of the USNA's single dorm, Bancroft Hall. Bancroft hall houses all 4,000 students during the school year. It is the the second largest dormitory in the entire world. 1st place goes to a dorm in Moscow, Russia. There definitely weren't any dorms this nice at Clemson! Next we visited their chapel. Students are not allowed to marry, so after graduation they have droves of couples getting hitched in this chapel. They have as many as five weddings in one day during peak wedding season! Before we left the chapel the organist showed up for some practice, so we enjoyed a little preview before leaving. This is a view of the Annapolis harbor. Annapolis is said to be one of the most popular sailing destinations in the US, so this was a very common sight.Downtown Annapolis...lot's of specialty stores, but not for us. We spent all our money parking my truck at the hotel in washington ($30 per day!...they have no mercy here). Below is the capitol building. It is said to be the oldest functioning state capitol building in the U.S. It was used by the Continental Congress in the mid 1700's before our nation's capitol was developed and constructed. It was also in this building that George Washington resigned from the Continental Congress so that he could retire to Mt. Vernon. Two years later he was elected the first president of the US. Well, we have had a great time and are still trying to digest everything that we've seen this week. However, our feet are tired and we're ready to get back to the slower paced life in the south. See you soon!

Have we seen it all yet?!?!

So we spent today covering the rest of DC that we were interesting in seeing on this trip.

First thing this morning, we went to Ford's Theater, where Lincoln was assassinated. This was one of my favorite things on this entire trip. I learned a good bit about what all went down the day he was shot and more about Booth's background. Below you will see a picture of the theater, the gun that was used, and the house that Lincoln was taken to across the street, where he died. There is some construction going on, so it's a little hard to make out.

Next is a picture of what Lincoln's box at the theater would have looked like at the time. After his death, the gov't bought the theater and turned it into offices and then storage. Finally, it was restored back to how is was when Lincoln was shot. It was decorated with the flags b/c the Civil War had just ended.

After grabbing some lunch, we headed to the Holocaust Museum. This was very interesting, but rather long. You really need to be in the mood to read if you go here or not have a short attention span like me! It really made you think though about what a horrible thing this was and how sad it all was. We weren't allowed to take photos so that is why there are no pictures. Inside they had items such as belongings from the people who went to the concentration camps (shoes, combs, silverware, etc), outfits worn at the camps, beds, and a train car that carried the people.

Next, we visited the World War II memorial. Following is just one of the pics that we took and another of me dipping my feet in the water.

Last, we went back to get a picture of the White House since we couldn't take our camera during the tour. In the first picture, if you look to the right and on top of the house you will see the "spotter".

Today was also our last day taking the metro. I can't say that I will miss it, but it was a good experience. I look forward to having my car back!

A Few More Tidbits from Wed.

There were a few things that I forgot to add to the Wed. post.

William was upset that I forgot to include this next photo. Apparently, they have a memorial to Claire and the old "grocery getter" at the Smithsonian!

We also got to see a live protest going on outside of the Capitol building. We never really understood what they were protesting, but it was interesting to see this in action.

We ended the evening at Union Station, where you will find most of your shopping here. We grabbed a bit to eat before coming back to the hotel.

Capitol Building and Museums

Today, we started off by touring the capitol building. This was a very neat tour because everybody in your group got headphones and could only hear your assigned tour guide. We were also very impressed with the building itself and all it's detail! The first picture is William and me at the back of the building. The following picture is the front of the building, including the security, which William found so interesting. One guy was carrying this huge gun and I do believe William was jealous!Before we left the capitol building, we ate at their food court. The food we got was priced by the ounce and we weren't really thinking it sounded that expensive... boy, were we wrong! William's plate of Chinese food rang up... (Mollie, don't faint)... $19 and some change!!!! I about threw up!

After the capitol building, we went to the National Archives where we saw the original Declaration of Indepence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. We also got to see the Articles of Confederation and items from the Louisiana Purchase, which all are things I taught in the 4th grade.

This afternoon we finished touring the Museum of American History. It's been really neat seeing things that shaped our country's history. Below is a picture of Lincoln's top hat that he was wearing when he was assassinated. Hard to believe, huh!?



Last, we toured the Museum of Natural History. Here we got to see the Hope Diamond, dinosaur skeletons, and much more.

Here is a picture of Willie doing what he does best... answering some emails! I can't complain though, because at least he has a job and he does a great job at his work!

First thing this morning, we went to the White House! We don't have any pictures because you aren't allowed to take in a camera. We will have to go back and get one of the just the house another time. The tour was neat, but rather short. We got to see a few rooms where some meetings and conferences are held. President Obama was going to be in one of the rooms that we saw this afternoon. I think the coolest part of the White House is the gaurds that they have everywhere. There was even a guy on the roof looking through a scope. They don't play around up there!

Next, we went to see Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. We got to tour his plantation as well as his house. I loved seeing the paint colors on the walls because they were so bright and nothing like we put on walls today. It was also interesting learning more about George and Martha.

Here is us infront of the house:

Here is the back of the house that faces the Potomac River... beautiful view!

Us sitting on the back porch:

G. Washington's tomb as well as his wife's and other family members':

Last, we went to Arlington Cemetary. It was amazing how many tombstones were out there. They were designed so that from any view, they are in a straight line.

We got to see the changing of the guards at the tomb of the unknown soldiers. This was quite sombering and pretty intense.

Here you see the Arlington House. This was the home of Washington's step grandson and then later, Robert E. Lee who married Washington's step great-granddaughter.

We also saw the burial places of John F. Kennedy and his wife and family. Here is the eternal flame.

Was that the president?

I forgot a major part of the day and William keeps mentioning it. We think, emphasize "think", that we may have seen the president go by. While waiting in line for tickets to the Washington Monument, we heard a bunch of sirens. Then about 4-5 police motorcycles go by, along with 2-3 police cars, 2 limos, and a few black suburbans. William tried to take a picture, but there were a few tress in the way. We heard somebody else say they thought it was the president too. Whoever it was though, was a lot more important than us apparently!

Monday (Post #2)

This is the 2nd post from Monday, so please go below to see the first part!

The Vietnam Memorial:


The Washington Monument:

We also went twice to the National Museum of American History and we still aren't finished! We got to see the Star Spangled Banner which was really neat. I also enjoyed the parts that focused on the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and other 4th grade standard items! haha! I was even able to teach William a thing or two about it! My other favorite part here was the dresses of the first ladies.

Here is a picture of an outfit G. Washington really wore... so hard to fathom!

And here is a picture of Michelle Obama's inauguration dress.

So Much Done, Yet So Much More to Go!

I know some may be thinking, "Why do I care about their every move during thier vacation?!" I'm writing this mostly for our sake. I want to remember all we do and see and this is much better and easier than writing it down for me. It won't hurt my feelings if you don't want to read it!

Wow! Today, we have seen sooo much! We left the hotel this morning at 7:30 and headed to get tickets to the Federal Bureau Engraving and Printing (where they make money) and then to get tickets to the Washington Monument. At 10:15 we toured the Fed. Bureau and learned how paper money is printed. It was pretty interesting. Here is Willie with the million we are letting them use for display!

Afterwards, we walked (and I mean walked) around looking at different monuments and memorials. They were all very neat and I enjoyed seeingg them, but it got extremely hot and muggy at one point. Those of you who know me well are probably glad that William was stuck with me and not yourself.

These are from the Jefferson Memorial:

These are from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial:

The Lincold Memorial:

Will post the rest of today (Monday) in another post!