Monarch Sanctuary

Last month we visited the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in Pacific Grove. The little garden is quite a special place, and its neat to learn about all of the special characteristics about the Monterey Peninsula that bring over 10,000 monarchs to the area, like a mild temperature that is neither too cold (freezing temps kill them) or too warm (the warmer the weather the harder they have to work to fly), and an abundance of eucalyptus trees that bloom in the winter, providing them with a food source. All monarchs west of the Rockies come to various locations on the California coast in the winter, but Pacific Grove is one of the largest overwintering sites. Its really quite neat!

At first glance it might not seem like there's much to see at this park, but if you look closely you'll see hundreds of butterflies nesting in the trees, and almost routinely, they'll come together and sweep and swirl overhead. Magical, I tell ya.

We had a great time visiting a special locale on the Monterey peninsula and watching Curran enjoy all of the beautiful monarchs----

The Blue Piano

Its been jussssssst about a year since we did this project, and we're not even in the same house (or state, for that matter) anymore, but I've been meaning to share it this whole time because I just love it to pieces---what's not to love about a bright, happy, colorful piano?

So. This right here, is our piano. We found the listing and accompanying photo on Craigslist the week we moved in to our Washington home. I don't play and Joey hasn't in a long time, but we want our kids to have the option later down the road, and you can't beat a free piano--seriously! FREE! I was so nervous it was going to arrive with no keys or something. But as far as the actual piano part goes, it was in great shape; she just needed a little makeover.

We used this chalk paint tutorial, and I can truly say it went on like a dream. I definitely recommend it if you're going to refinish furniture, especially with minimal-to-no sanding.

The gold accents were actually an afterthought to the initial all over blue. I was nervous it would be a little too liberace for our suburban home, but I'm so glad we went with it. It really finished the piece, and even just last night Joey and I were sitting on the couch talking about how much we love it and can't believe we almost left it plain.

I reupholstered the bench as well with some funky tone on tone zebra twill I snagged in the clearance section and like the gold paint, is one of my favorite details too. 

Curran's quite a bit older now but his love for tickling those ivories hasn't changed a bit, except that now he can lift the cover all by himself and play away whenever he is so moved. Hopefully that interest will stick around as he gets older! 

So there you have it, folks. Our floors have changed and the top is styled differently, but our piano is as cheerful as ever. A year later and we are as in love with it as you can be with furniture. If your home needs an oversize dose of happiness and joy, I wholeheartedly recommend a colorful piano for you too.