How I Got Carried Away and Bought a Piano

How I Got Carried Away and Bought a Piano

• 4.09.2013

I got a little carried away over the past month decorating/redecorating my house.  One thing led to another... and well, it just snowballed.  The money I've been saving from my photography and violin lessons is GONE.  Bron even lent me some of his pay check to cover all the new changes around here.  But there are no regrets.  We like living in a home we can improve upon.  That's half the fun!

It all started with these:

I've been eyeing these vintage style window frames for a year now.  I finally broke down and bought them.  I'm happy I did because now we have pictures of my two favorite little boys on the wall!  The plant is new too.  Apparently it only needs to be watered about once a month, so I shouldn't be able to kill it.  We'll see!  I'm not very good at keeping plants alive.  That's Bron's department.  I keep children alive instead.  (Jed is a miracle compared with Ollie the cactus who lived a whopping month under my care.)

Well, after I got one wall looking snazzy, I felt compelled to move onto other parts of the house.  I hopped onto Craigslist and found a new office nook to replace our big ugly one... because every house needs a gathering place for mail and junk.  Except this little nook is small and dainty.  Theoretically, it can't hold as much stuff which means less clutter, right?  Right.  (Isn't it cute?  A part of me wants to paint it some bright color.)  

Then the boys and I took a quick trip to Home Depot one afternoon to buy cloth boxes for toy storage.  It's just a reality I've accepted: toys love my living room.  But I don't mind.  The living room is a central place where I can keep a watchful eye on my children.  And since we spend so much time there, we use the bottom shelves behind the couch as toy storage.  However, now the shelves are finally organized!  Woot!  Woot!

And the creme de la creme that I've been busting at the seams about: A PIANO!!!  It's not just any old piano, it's a player piano.  There's no need for any of us to play, it plays itself!   

Since we were first married, I dreamed of the day I would own a piano.  I found this baby on Craigslist too.  (It's a dangerous place, I tell you!)  I went to preview it and was instantly hooked.  The piano is in great condition, the keys are remarkably unchipped, and she has a beautiful tone (once it's tuned up a bit, of course).  I came home excited and giddy.  Bron asked if I'd regret not purchasing it.  The answer was a solid yes.  But I knew he'd eat it up too!

The woman I bought it from threw in something like 70 rolls of player music as well.  Bron and I spent our entire first evening with the piano exchanging rolls and listening to her play with big grins on our faces.  It's so stinkin' cool to watch the keys go up and down by themselves.  Plus, the fact that it's not digital just makes it that much more incredible.  Really, one just has to see it in action to catch my excitement.  It's old school at its finest.

Many of the rolls even have words to sing along!

And now I will leave you with a video of Jed "playing" the piano.  He's pretty good for two and a half, don't ya think?  We're having so much fun with our new toy!  Each morning I get up and just have to play a tune or two.