Curtain Call

I have been deliberating for some time on whether or not to get curtains in my room. PRO: more purple in room always good; darken room for better sleeping; visually aesthetically pleasing (one hopes). CON: cost (one curtain is often over $40); not easy to install; have to buy rods.

When I was out at a Bed, Bath, & Beyond, they had a nifty curtain rod for only $20 (black brushed metal with square/cube nobby ends). And with my 20% off coupon, I felt compelled to buy it. This purchase topped the waffling list and meant I was not committed to buying curtains. However, all the purple curtains I saw were still quite costly. Well, one fortunate day in a walk to Old Navy (why drive when you can make a 10 minute walk there), I passed a TJ Max store. Its crazy store with lots of random things for very good prices. Seemed like the perfect place to find cheap curtains. And I was right! In the chaotic pile of rejected and unsold curtains, I found two matching purple curtains, each for $10. However, they are not opaque, instead being a very see-through material. So then I thought about returning them to find light-blocking curtains. Actually, TJ Max had a matching pair of these, but they were mossy green, which were not hideous, but certainly not purple.

I felt inspired to quickly put up one curtain and test it out. Here is my test attempt. Held up by one rod hook and about 5 pushpins.

I continued to wonder was it really worth it to have curtains up if they did not actually block out the light? Then Danielle, my roommate, had a great idea. I could buy some cloth and attach it to the backside of the curtain either with a cloth tape or some other method. Especially sweet because I have a gift certificate to Joannas. Perfect!

This convinced me and last Sunday, I went all out (while watching Cinderella). Screwed in the six screws for the three rod hooks by using my elbow muscle while standing on my bouncy bed (super sore the next day because of this). Fiddled with rod itself to get it all lined up right and the curtains had to be on it before all of its screws could be put in proper place. And then up it went on the wall. Below are some photos. They are not great quality because I used my iPhone, which just doesn't handle indoors and dark lighting well.

All in all, it was a good experience and I am very glad that I did it.


P.S. I would like to note, that nearly every time I wrote curtains above, I first misspelled it as curatins. *sigh*

With Zephaniah Isa Kent Richey!

Yay for baby Zeph and Amanda for successful entrance to the world. So great to meet him, and can't wait to cuddle more. (born 5-10-2010, 81bs 4.5oz and 20 inches)

For some past reflections, here is a picture of me with Camdyn the day after she was born (June 30, 2008, 7lbs 2oz and 22 inches).

Belated Bday Update

*This post was supposed to auto-publish on May 8th (two months after my bday, but I guess I didn't do it right. So here it is a few days late.*

I turned 30 this year and if I had been on top of this blog, I would have posted something about it. Instead, two months late will have to do. Here are some of the fabulous celebrations of the big 3-0.

Rainbow cupcakes baked by Amanda.

Okay, this new way to edit posts is causing me some confusion. So I'll just explain the rest of the pictures from top/left to bottom/right. The next two pictures were taken by Amanda. We had our first ladies hangout (meaning no kiddos) as my special birthday treat. First we had a mini sundae at Cheesecake Factory and then red velvet cake at CA Pizza Kitchen. Next, is the photo of the flowers my parents sent to me. Aren't they pretty? I carried them around the apartment, from the living room to the bathroom to my bedroom. Next is the cake that Gina baked for me. Isn't it awesome?!!??! She baked each individual layer and then put it all together. Finally is the cake my dad baked for me, which was an orange cream cake. Yummy!

Other special celebrations included dinner with a few colleagues at the Wheel of Life, a thai vegetarian restaurant (it was delicious) and dinner + karaoke with some of my small group friends (total blast, maybe add video clips for this later).

I posted on Facebook that I was looking at birthdays from a different perspective this year. I am viewing them as inclusive. So not only am I now 30 years old, but I am still 18 years old, 6 years, 12, 16, 25, 9, and so on. Every birthday is a part of who I am.