Changing Things Up

Hello, all! Just because I'm a crazy goob, I've decided to move LoLo Life over to Wordpress. I can't give you a really compelling reason for this switch, other than that I feel like I will have a little more control over the technical aspects of the blog...and I like a good challenge. I'm trying to simplify, and consolidate...and switch to a URL that better describes my blog.

If you would like to come along with me, please re-direct your attention to the new space:

www.LoLoLife.wordpress.com

LoLo Lodge: Master Bedroom (work in progress)

Would you like to see the master bedroom? In all its glory? All done up and pretty?

There it is. That is the extent of it. My dresser top. We found the rusty picture frames at Pottery Barn on clearance, and the starfish are from a shop in Seaside, Oregon. Some day I will even print out pictures to go in the frames. The woven basket is a souvenir from a trip to Hawaii when I was a little girl, and the brick was found in the yard of my Connecticut home, prior to moving to LoLo Lodge. It has “CONN” imprinted on the side, so I decided to keep it. You know, to remember our time in CONNecticut.

I have plans for the room, though. I’m feeling a kind of Beachy Chic for the master, and I want to start with a headboard that sets the tone.

Like this.

And I want to build it myself. (Plans here.) (Actually, I think there will be a Group Building Day. At least two of my girlfriends want to build their own headboards, and one of those girls is a WHIZ with power tools and makes her own furniture all the time. Folks, hold me to this – I NEED to make this happen.)

Oh, and a new bedspread. The current one is pretty, but the colors are too dark for my taste. All golden wheat and inky black. I’m kind of loving this palette, though…

(Bedspread found here)
Of course, now that I look at it…it’s still golden wheat, but now it’s grey! Much lighter than black! *facepalm*

Ugh. Sometimes I wish I understood my decision processes better! It’s not that I don’t like the golden wheat color, but I need something brighter…more like dandelion, you know? And, of course, I want to make it myself…so I’ll be trolling the local fabric store for inspiration. (Oh, who am I kidding. I only quilt with thrifted bed linens. It’s a nod to the quilts my great-grandmother made, out of clothes that could no longer be worn, and it saves tons of money. So, I’ll be keeping my eyes out for fun prints and colors at the local thrift shops!)

Anyhow, there ya go. The LoLo Lodge master suite. In all its un-finished (and indecisive and planned for!) glory. Because making plans is easy. Way too easy.

Cousin Camp

 

For the first time in Ming Wai’s shy little life, I sent her away, with strangers, on a regular basis. She attended Kids Camp, put on by a friend’s offspring, with her cousin Ernie. For five days, they spent two hours a day building bows and arrows, jumping on trampolines, searching for treasure and keeping out of the way of the rougher, older kids. They LOVED it. She came home exhausted, and happy, every day. She and Ernie are already looking forward to Kids Camp 2012!

 

To try to minimize the disruption to the younger siblings, my sister and I created Cousin Camp. Each morning, around 10, Myrnie would roll up in her Mama Mobile and the kids would tumble out. After playing for about half an hour, we’d feed all the kids lunch and then put the two year olds down for naps. Myrnie would settle down for lunch with her littlest while I loaded the two big girls into the car and drove them to their camp. Two hours later, I drove back to pick them up. The kids played for an hour or so, and then Myrnie took her brood home to feed them and put them to bed. And in the morning, we’d do it all over again.

 

Hello, Summer, you gorgeous thing. I’m so happy you are here.

 

PS – And a very happy Independence Day to you, my fellow Yankees. May your day be filled with all things relaxing and happy.

LoLo Castle: A New Front Garden

A few weeks ago, we spent some time tearing out our DREADFUL lawn, and replacing it with something…not dreadful.

I can’t even tell you how relieved our neighbors were. Heh. It started months ago when my neighbor casually asked me if we had fired our gardener? Because the yard was not looking as spiffy as it had before?

 

Why yes. Yes, we had.

 

Then we got the great idea to replace the lawn with…something else. Anything else besides dead grass and moss. So I cut a 12” strip out along the driveway, and planted half a dozen “steppable” ground covers.

As it turns out, the 12” strip next to my driveway is REALLY really wet. And the plants didn’t do well. And there was still dead grass and moss.

So we went to Costco, and bought Plants. Hydrangea, carnations, azalea, more ground cover. I plopped those pots down on the grass, to see how the set up would look. We went to Lowe’s and bought more plants (knock out roses, little daisies). I put stuff in the greenhouse, and waited for it to be ready to plant (lavender).

And I left them there. For at least a month. (That’s how I make decisions, you see – try it on, see how it feels…and wait. A long time. Until it feels natural. Then I get someone else to do the hard work. Heh.)

We arranged a work party, and some fabulous dudes (hi Dad! hi, J!) showed up and WORKED. The sod was ripped out, holes were dug, plants were planted, bark was spread and pavers were placed.

 

And, finally, our front garden was done. Ming Wai calls it Stepping Stone Path, and she and her cousins run around and around the loop of paths, much more than they ever ran on the grass. I love it because it attracts bees, and I feel like I’m doing my part to help them.

Oh, and our house finally has a name. Welcome, y’all, to LoLo Lodge.