Hidden Value

We have been busy busy at our home making some major changes in our living spaces.  We knew our major purchase of 2011 would be big girl furniture for the girls.  I have always planned for them to share a room and Ella who is 3 1/2 was begging for a big girl bed.  Needless to say it was time.  I am so not for rushing to put kids in a big bed until they are ready.  Ella is totally the child that this decision could have been major work and drama.  She did escape from her crib one night around the age of two, but thankfully some firm discipline kept this from happening again.  She has been a good sleeper, so I felt no need to rock the boat. 

I knew in my mind what kind of beds of wanted and I have looked and looked on craigslist, on-line and dreamed through my pottery barn magazines.  A few days after Christmas we were walking around Costco and we found just what I had in mind.  Two beautiful white twin beds and two adorable dressers.  Now we were planning on this being a later in the year purchase, and so we weren't really ready to buy them right after Christmas.  Plus we knew that this transition was going to require a ton of work and re-arranging of  several rooms. 

I put my request in to my personal finance guy...(Kev) and maybe mentioned a few times how much I really liked them.  I think Kev has learned in our almost 8 years of marriage that I know what I like and I am willing to wait and work to get it.  So we started thinking.  Three years ago Kevin received a super nice Cartier watch from work as a reward for his years of top sales to his company.  We knew it was a nice watch a worth a lot, but seriously it had sat in our playroom closet for 3 years.  My husband is not a Cartier watch kinda wearing guy.  He has a hardd enough time keeping up with his fossil watch.  I started researching and knew this might be our answer to the furniture.  We took it to a local shop that buys Cartier and before Kevin went in we discussed the amount that we would be willing to sell it for.  I stayed in the car with the girls and Kevin walked out with the exact amount we said we would take.  Needless to say we headed to Costco and bought it that day.  To think we'd had that value sitting in our closet and never really knew it!!!

So we have been working like dogs moving the office downstairs, turning Eliza's room into a super fun playroom with a toy closet that might just be my answer to toy mania, painting and then and moving both girls into our old playroom.  It has been a ton of work, but I am loving the end result.  It almost feels like we have a new house.  Two nights down and sharing a room has gone great!!  I will post pics soon!