iPod Songs: One Love

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The story behind the song...


Every time "One Love" pops up on my iPod, I am immediately transported back to Washington, DC. Here's what I'm seeing in my mind:

It's the day before Obama's historic Inauguration, and we're walking along the National Mall, near the Smithsonian Castle. It's very chilly but intermittently sunny, and as we stroll, we're marveling at the endless rows of port-a-pottys. There are thousands of bundled up people around us, who have traveled here from all over America, and even from other countries.

We've just finished a delicious snack inside the warm and bustling Castle, after triumphantly finding our way to the Mall on the crowded Metro. After eating, we feel refreshed and begin scoping out where we hope we'll stand during the big event (we didn't end up standing there - see the Inauguration posts to find out why).

At regular intervals along the Mall, we see crazy big trucks with massive TV screens, which we hear others call "Jumbotrons." Next to each screen is a tall crane, dangling sets of 16 huge speakers all connected to each other.

On the Jumbotrons and speakers we see and hear the special event that had taken place at the Lincoln Memorial the day before...speeches, songs, etc. Soon, someone appeared on the screen (I learned later that it was an entertainer named will.i.am.) singing a Bob Marley song that went like this:

One love. One heart.

Let's get together and feel alright.

When this song began, people all around us started singing, and if they didn't know the words, they started dancing together. We hugged, and tried to learn the words. It was such a beautiful moment of group happiness...I can't remember another time in my life when I've been in a similar situation - thousands of people all happy at the exact same moment and sharing that feeling with everyone around them. I know it sounds corny, but the moment made me cry because it was so beautiful.

So, when "One Love" pops up on my iPod, back I go to Washington, with a smile of happiness on my lips. As my daughter and her friends say, "Good times."
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Living Room Makeover - Completed!

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Okay, here are the promised before and after shots of our recent remodel...

First, a caveat - I accidentally deleted my ENTIRE file of Before shots when I was organizing my photos recently. These lost photos showed the room with all of the furniture in place, pictures on the walls, etc. But, I do have a few that survived in a different folder, and a few scattered about from different events or posts. So, those will have to do.

Here is a quick look at 3 of the 4 sides of the room, so you can get a glimpse of the updated room.

And, here's a view of the Before and After, including the details of the changes we made in each shot.

BEFORE: ......................AFTER:

To make this fabulous transformation, we:

• Got rid of that busy wallpaper, varnish and all.
• Then, we used our lovely new green paint on the walls (it's a Ralph Lauren color, but the paint can only features the color formula and not the name, so I don't know what it's called).
• Painted the trim Vermont Cream, and the ceiling bright white instead of the old dingy beige.
• Got rid of the busy silver mirror and substituted a sleek off-white one with beveled edges (gotta love Home Goods).
• Put in all new white ceramic switch plates and outlet covers, and got rid of the 1960s dingy ones.
• Re-arranged the ENTIRE room layout, so all furniture is now in a new spot, including the leopard chair.
  
  BEFORE: ..................................AFTER:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

This wall is probably the most dramatically different. For this transformation, we:

• Moved the sofa to the opposite wall, so it's now under the big picture window which is across the room from where the sofa is in the above photo.
• Moved the very large entertainment center out of it's dark corner next to the big picture window, and centered it on this large wall, where it seems MUCH less bulky and imposing.
• Pulled two bookcases from another room and flanked the wood cabinet with them.
• Brought our favorite books from another room for the shelves, along with the photos that were scattered about the living room, and a basket from one of the bedrooms.
• Found two fabulous abstract prints (Home Goods) that were a great color match, and also brought in the theme of movies...now we just need an Oscar statuette for one of the shelves!
• Found a fantastic faux movie camera (Home Goods) for the top of the right-hand shelf.
• Bought very inexpensive mood lighting at Home Depot - one lamp for each shelf - lots of symmetry going on here!

Isn't is an amazing difference!!!

BEFORE: ..................................AFTER:

This corner also shows the marked difference in the look and feel of the room. What was once so busy and fussy is now calm, orderly and serene. To me, this hardly looks like the same house.

We're donating the huge couch and chair to a single mom who really needs them, and are waiting for the delivery of two brown loveseats that we found on huge clearance. We're also donating the huge and heavy glass and brass coffee table and will purchase some type of wood side tables and coffee table once the remodeling coffers refill! And, she'll also get the fussy tasseled lamps, but we're keeping the vase of curly willow, which is now moved to the next corner of the room near the picture window. Once the loveseats come in, I'll post a before and after of the window side of the room (I also have to figure out what's going on those windows - right now, we're curtain-less and living in a fish bowl!).

Overall, we're just so pleased with our new room and love spending time in it. It was well worth all of the hard work.
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Lotsa Cooks in the Kitchen

Hurrah - the living room painting was finished in time for Easter, and the furniture moved back into the room. We were quite pleased with the results and had plenty of oohs and ahs from guests.

There will be a before and after post on the remodel coming soon (although I inadvertently deleted the entire before photo folder, and have only a few shots of the original room scattered through other folders). It was a fairly big and time-consuming project, but we're so glad it's done and really like the end result.

Having the living room put back in order also meant the dining room was back to normal so the Easter buffet could be set up as we usually do. (The dining room had served as our temporary living room during this whole process.)

And, as mentioned in the Easter Brunch post, guests were invited to make their own omelets. We simply set out all the ingredients and let them do their thing. Eveyone seemed to like this option quite a bit, and just about everyone made one, kids included (and no mishaps of any kind!).

PS Flipping an omelet is much harder than one might imagine.
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