I had to bid $196 to get it up there and my husband walked by and said what the H@ll are you thinking bidding on a rock! Don't you know we have income tax to pay, blah blah, lol. I let him rant for a few minutes then told him what we were doing and he turned all red and apologized and will be sending a donation next week himself, lol. He knows what its like since all our dogs have something wrong with them and he knows how much it costs to treat all of them. I will be auctioning off something myself next year to pay for a hip replacement on the puppy when she is fully grown. All our dogs limp either from arthritis or bone problems and my bird only has one leg. I bet the fish in the tank even swim sideways, lol.

What a great opportunity you had to give her the snow globe! Even though we lived fairly close to both sets of grandparents and I loved them all, I didn't interact with them much in elementary years or as a teen; but had "snow globe moments" with them from time to time. My mom occasionally mentioned my maternal grandma wondered if I didn't like her because I usually went off to read a book. I just didn't know what to say to her. When I was 12 we moved next door to my paternal grandma to be where we could help her. I never felt close to her really. She tended to be critical and to compare me to, well, pretty much everyone, but she meant well. In college I moved into my mat. grandparents basement apartment to be closer to campus. In my whole life they had never tried to correct me (something I feel is always best left to the parents!). While I lived there they just visited with me, asked me about school and work, told me amusing stories, etc. Never once did I use the kitchen downstairs. I always ate with Gramm and Gramp and they always acted amazed that I would do all the dishes when I "should be studying" or that I could carry my book bag with so many big textbooks. They were delightful and brilliant and the least judgemental people I know! They met my husband long before the rest of my family did and made him feel welcome, too. He feels as close to them as I do. Gramm's been gone nearly 20 yrs now, Gramp has been gone for 11. I still miss them both with all my heart! I think you're wonderful for wanting a close relationship with your family! Just keep loving your little one and be patient. Don't push the relationship. Love her mom, too. Grandparents can be a safe haven when the time is right! Wishing you all the best! Kay

PP offered some great tips! Your girls are going to love the room. I had a couple suggestions I haven't seen mentioned yet. For wall art: I love etsy.com for handmade art or budget-friendly photos. I have some great prints for my 2 girls' rooms. They also have vinyl adhesive quotes or you can order your girls' names. They can be pricey, so I ended just hand painting a two-tone pink cherry blossom tree. Not as fancy as this, but decent enough considering it only cost me a few quarts of paint. This decal from easy is $86. For your windows: I agree with the PP worried about window safety. With those windows, I would invest in plantation shutters (too heavy for a 2 or 3 year old to unlock and swing open) or buy a metal window gate to ensure your kids can't open the window. Then you can buy some pretty sheers to soften the look of plantation shutters. I got some from Pottery Barn Kids that are embroidered with pink and green butterflies to cover my daughter's shutters. It offers a light whimsical look. They're both sleeping now so I can't take photos. I can't copy the image here, but I see one on eBay now with lavender butterflies for $35 per 84" panel. Post photos when you finish the playroom!

My inclination would be to paint the walls bright white and let the rest of the accents be the color players. White is the backdrop I've often seen, or been drawn to, when I look up bohemian pictures. I'd also put a really large area rug in the room that only left a few inches of bare floor around the perimeter of the room. This way, no matter which way the room is arranged, the rug is always the right size. If your daughter is anything like I was, the room will be rearranged many times during her teen years! : ) You could still layer her little rug over the large rug for her reading nook. You might like to plug the room into homestyler.com for working on the layout. Your kitties might be disappointed, but muscles with thank you. : ) If you save a snapshot of the homestyler layout to your computer, you can upload it onto here using the photo link. That would allow us to see the plan overview, and will make it easier for us to help with the arrangement.