“Okay, it’s done.” He says, wiping the back of one hand across his brow.
Leaning on his toes, knees bent low, neck craned high, he surveys this work of heart.
The edge of his shirt and the tip of his fingers are paint smudged – Tiffany blue and chalkboard black. A fine layer of glitter covers his arms.
His eyes are tired, yes. But mostly, they’re soft. ”I hope they like it,” he says.
I plant myself by his side, my favorite way, but before a single love note passes from my lips to his heart, the girls bound in. One set of bare feet following the other, their favorite way.
They pause. And then, they twirl.
Making all of “our,” by which I mean “Jason’s,” work so, so very worth it.
When the girls announced that they were ready to redo their room this summer, our first answer was no.
Too expensive.
Too messy.
Too much.
But they changed our minds with paint samples.
Yes, paint samples.
Because they laid on their tummies side by side, hair grazing each other’s shoulders, feet crossed at the ankles.
Windows open, music playing, paint samples polka dotting the carpet.
And the way that they talked and planned and laughed, whispered together and ready and BigIsn’tSoBad, so we willingly traded in baby pinks for Tiffany blues.
And their room? Is fabulous.
Inspired by their sweet-as-pie friends, the girls saved all of their birthday and gift money and bought their bunk bed themselves.
We sold their twin beds and mattresses and let them use that money for new bedding.
And we bought the dresser for them because ohmygoodness friends, two girls sharing one bedroom need a dresser. Don’t judge.
After all of the selling and buying and building and organizing, came the frosting.
A glitter painted valance.
Chalkboard closet doors.
Glittery circles gracing the windows (and ceiling!) made by my sweet friend, Keely.
And a personalized Signazon wall decal.
This little reminder of the sister-ness of this all warms my heart over everysingletime I see it.
We’ve closed the door on days of Kayli pressed against Chloe’s crib on her tippy-toes, nightgown grazing knees, a retrieved nuk passed between one set of tiny fingers to another.
And that tugs at my Mothering Heart. How could it not?
But we’ve started a new chapter, filled with dance parties and books read by flashlight well past bedtime and whispered secrets told by the light of the moon.
And this new space? Fits just right.
***
- Alison and I will be giving away a Signazon product of your choice in this month’s Memories Captured! Signazon also offers window decals, yard signs, car magnet signs, and congratulations banners, so mark your calendar for October 15th, and make one of these, yours!
- Buy a book, fight cancer. Find out about Write for the Fight here.
***
Disclosure: I was given the Signazon sign above for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Omigosh, I love it, it’s perfect!
What is it about Tiffany blue? And glitter and omigosh-chalkboard-closet-doors?
LOVE that! I think there’s something really special about siblings sharing a room, AND about kids getting to make their space their own.
Fantastic! I remember when we changed Tech’s baby blue to a more mature blue with a fencing theme. It was quite a moment. I love that your girls share their room and pour over magazines together. What a blessing! L’shana Tovah.
I love it Galit! And oh my heart your words, again, are so special. I adore making house changes and doing as much as I can on my own. Those glitter circles are precious. The girls look so happy and big! It is amazing how fast they grow up.
Speaking of growing up, finally Sophia is 6! So maybe she can be a part of your next artistic search
That’s really an awesome room. I love that they saved all their own money for the beds. Those are expensive, so they must have worked REALLY hard. AWESOME.
I just love this so much. I shared a room with one of my sisters the whole time I was growing up. Although it wasn’t always rainbows I remember it fondly and I appreciate being so close to my sisters while I was sleeping.
I like that the girls teamed up to make this decision! And I really like the way you let them. What better way to teach them to take matters into their own hands and “make” their life into what it is?
oh my goodness, I LOVE It. I love their room but mostly I love the way you write about your family, about the nooks and crannies of your life and how you share it with us, you invite us in.
I am head over heels for everything you did, BUNK BEDS…maybe would get Jacob out of my bed??? and the closet as a chalkboard…be still my heart.
Oh Galit, it’s simply perfect and the words you used to tell us about it, were just as perfect too.
wow.
love.
xoxoxo
I love it! It’s such a beautiful room!
My girls want to paint their rooms but I just can’t seem to let them do it! Multiple bright colors…. my thought is what if we move! I’ll have to repaint it all!
We’ve been thinking about doing Julia’s room over. I think you’ve just inspired me for the winter. I love the idea of Glitter paint and I know she will too!
Thanks for this post and inspiration. I’m going to the Lowes today!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your writing. So descriptive and so heart warming!! The girls have a beautiful room. I can’t wait to do that for my daughter someday! She is still too young to make that decision, but her brother’s room is so BOY, i think a girl room would be so fun!!
Love it! And may I just complement you on your choice of a Hemnes Dresser. I love to see furniture from my place of business in people’s homes–job security
.
We just redid my boys’ room at the end of the summer. I too broke down and bought some things I said were too expensive. One of these days there will be a blog post it it!
I really liked learning about the resourcefulness of your girls and how they saved up for their own bunkbed. This new room sounds like the stuff of dreams.
Oh, it’s so gorgeous!! SO perfect for your girls. I love the line “work of heart”…melts mine
I love, love the Tiffany Blue!! I want to do that color and grey in our master bedroom when we move.
Oh my gosh, I’m in LOVE with this room. It’s so adorable that they laid next to each other and picked out paint colors. What a fun memory for all.
One word. Amazing. All of this. All of it. All of YOU and your hubby. And your whole dern family.(ok ok – so I couldn’t stop at one word).
It’s gorgeous just like your girls, Galit! I absolutely love that they changed your mind not by fighting you or wearing you down, but instead by indirectly showing you how much joy it would bring them
what sweeties!
Ah, I love it! Your girls are adorbs, and who can resist Tiffany blue?! And the chalkboard closet doors? Awesome! Getting ready to do a chalkboard kitchen cabinet… it’s the best invention!
My mom is here and this made us both giggle – the vision of your girls pouring over paint samples.
It *would* be terribly hard to say ‘no’ to all of that sisterly love indeed! The room turned out fabulous and it looks like they are totally proud of the planning (and work) they did to make it happen.
Beautiful, beautiful room for two beautiful, beautiful girls.
Loved this. And I teared up at the idea of no longer having my girls loving the baby pinks. I don’t think I’m ever ready for my girls to get there!
This is so awesome, and sweet, and just right.
It’s so hard to see them grow up! But what a fun way to make that transition a little easier. Amazing what a coat of paint can do.
Sandy
Work of heart…love. Just love.
Love this. My tween has been being to redo her room. She has come up with an idea board and she doesn’t have a Pinterest account yet. Or I think she doesn’t. You are good parents to tackle that job. And it is a job. Love the choice of color and the window decorations. I had beads hanging down from my bedroom into the bath. Those sure are two happy girls.
I love the color they chose. What cool room!
So awesome! And I love that they envisioned this themselves, and how great is it that they bought the bed? Amazing. You should be proud – of all of you. xx
That tugs at my mothering heart too. It’s gorgeous.
Love everything about this! The whole process and the end result – so perfect and beautiful. You are an amazing mama to some amazing littles.
I love it. Love the room. Love their relationship. Love you watching it happen.
LOOOOOVE!!!! Can you hear me squealing from over there? How sweet! How creative! What a worthy project.
Gor-GEOUS!!! The room, your hearts, your girls. Oh, how I loved this. All of it.
How fun!
We just finished painting my oldest’s room. She wanted dark red and black but we compromised with dark purple and lavender.
THAT is a girl’s dream come true!!! I am swooning!! I just showed my own girlies and they are in love too! What a great job and oh, those smiles…even Brody’s. Too cute!!
Oh I love it so much!!!!
Beautiful. My girls are asking for a “new” room, too, and I’m inspired.
Beautiful room!! Whats it about glitter that you cant avoid falling in love?
I love the way your heart writes about your family too
What a stunning room. Perfect for two growing girls.
I love that the purchased the bed themselves.
Oh, they are SO precious together and so blessed to have a sister and best friend! And sharing a room too! Well… I’m just jealous. I always wanted a sister to share with!
LOVE the circles in the window and the color and their bunk beds and well, ALL OF IT!!
What a beautiful room. I love, love, love that they planned it and worked for it themselves. Every kid should be able to have a say in how their room is decorated.
What an awesome family effort to redo the girls’ room! Love that they contributed so much to the effort and made such a happy space to enjoy! :>
Love that they saved, and designed and styled and worked as a team xxxx
Love EVERYTHING about this post, HGTV may be calling you to start a new series for them…
OMG, it’s BEAUTIFUL!!!! What a great job you both did. And the looks on their faces shows you they love it, too
What a wonderful feeling that must be.
Judge you for the dresser you treated your girls to? Absolutely NOT! I’m so proud of all the values you are showing them at such a young age. Working hard and saving their earnings are things they’ll carry with them always. Be so proud of the job you and Jason are doing as parents!
Oh, Galit, I LOVE this room! It is perfect in a not too little girly, not too teenish way. It’s perfectly tween but the colors can grow with them so that as teens it’ll still fit. And I happen to like it too because we have that dresser and the same bedding. So there. Good taste all around.