Project-ed

It seems the one thing that husband and I are REALLY good at... is starting projects and not finishing them... Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of projects around our house that we HAVE completed and usually the hang-ups to completion are my two friends Time and Money.

However... if there's one thing we've got going for us it is elbow grease. We are both hard workers, just easily distracted (i.e. overwhelmed) by the busy-ness of life.

If there's one more thing we've got going for us, it's that having a third kiddo in our house in the next month (MONTH!!!!?!) will not take long to pose some space issues and the reality that we need to find an affordable home with more space is looming before us.... thus having this house prepared to be sold is going to be taking more of our attention...

Since I managed pretty well with my new year's resolution (one sewing project per month... I know I at least averaged out to that even if there wasn't one project completed each month) I thought I'd write a list of projects I'd like to see us work on. Obviously those time & money fools will play a part in how much of this list gets completed, but seeing us work through this list will also provide more motivation to complete the rest of it...

without further ado (i.e. blabbering)... and in no particular order...

1)finish master bath (counter & shower were tiled over Christmas break, need to do floors, walls, figure out mirror situation, install vent, paint woodwork, accesorize)

2)guest bath (new tub, tear out wood paneling, repaint walls, new vanity, new floor)

3)countertops in kitchen (just replace with something neutral, decent looking and affordable)

4)PUT UP SHED (this one has been a thorn in my side b/c we purchased this shed 19 months ago and it has been sitting in boxes in our garage ever since. meanwhile our lawn mower is currently sitting outside w/6 inches of snow on top of it. how does this make any sense?)

5)flooring (we replaced the carpet in the house about 2 years ago, but it is looking B-A-D. would LOVE to put some sort of wood- even fake- down through the kitchen, dining, living, & hallway. bedrooms will be fine as-is)

6)paint woodwork (this is one of those pie in the sky dreams for me. i think it would be time consuming but would go a long way in updating the look of the house.)

7)new garage doors... enough said

8)put up a screen door w/our backdoor (while it would be amazing too replace the sliding doors with french doors, it just isn't something i'm interested in putting money on)

9)make curtains (mistreatments) for living/dining room. the blinds are necessary but ugly. let's bring on the pretty

10)replace living room furniture (we've had handmedowns since we got married and it is time to be grown ups and buy some stinking furniture. one couch and one recliner. that's all i'm asking for... and maybe an entertainment center of some kind)

whew! that's it. that's my list. only 10 things... not too shabby. of course, some of those are pretty expensive projects and it is going to take some thinking on how we're going to be able to afford some of those projects BUT the goodnews is that we can do a lot of the work ourselves (along with help from knowledgeable family) and our goal with all of this is not to have a high dollar makeover but just to update our house so that it really is ready to sell.

... let's see where this list is in 2011!

One Thing

Mrs. Fussypants offered a challenge of choosing ONE THING to work on yourself for the week.  I probably should make mine 'remembering to exfoliate and moisterize' but instead I opted for "avoiding complaining"...  I think the opportunity to focus on how God has so graciously gifted me in my life will be a real mood lifter and day brightener, both for me and the rest of my family!

What will your ONE THING be?

p.s.  CK, I'm gettin' those pillows finished!  Don't give up on me!!!!!!

Summer is upon us

For me, summer doesn't mean much different from any other season. I go to work M-F, I help with our programs, I meet with clients, etc. etc.

For husband, it means being home most of the summer with our girls while fitting in 1)writing new lesson plans 2)preparing for CHWC, 3)attending a first aid/CPR course, 4)leading a week long (evening!) soccer camp, 5)being trained in 'care & prevention' (a sports injures class), & 6)a conference on using technology in the classroom. He's not exactly accustomed to his 'free' schedule yet. He's grown kind of used to a set plan for each day. He hasn't gotten to do much 'planning' for being a SAHD for the summer.

For my girls it means no daycare, fun times with daddy, and being at home.

For our family it means 1)not paying for daycare for 2 months (!!!!!!!) 2)coming up with free/inexpensive ways to spend their time 3)not draining our family's budget in the process.

Yesterday I put together a calendar for husband. It is color coded (green for zoo, blue for pool, purple & red for local libraries, black for other libraries) and lists the activities that are available this summer each day. Since our 'metropolitan library system' shares resources, many activities are duplicated from day to day, so I did my best to find the most age appropriate (not to mention most local and interesting) items for each day. They are offering TONS of great things to do (everything from plays, to storytime, toddler aerobics, art, music, movies) and most are free. A few required advanced registration, so for those I listed that information w/the phone number.

I made an additional page that includes the hours of operation for local pools (we do have access to some free pools, but since it will mostly be husband by himself, going to one that has a splash park or kiddie pool is the best option for him), indoor play areas, and libraries.

Finally listed on that page is a list of at home ideas. I divided it into two categories "indoor & outdoor" and tried to come up with a variety of ideas under each category.

The calendar is hung above our family calendar, with the extra list to the side where husband can glance when its been raining for 3 days straight, he needs an indoor activity, and shipping them into the playroom or putting on a dvd has gotten old.

This was the best way I could think of to contribute and prepare our family for the summer. I'm looking forward to finding a few more ideas, though!

a few little things i've been up to...

remember that whole "new years resolution" thing? well, i've managed to keep up with one of them... the one about sewing at least one thing a month. boy do i love having a sewing machine! (not to mention do i love you, dear reader, for not getting on my case about my current disdain towards capital letters, since we know they slow me down)...

but i digress...

i triple pink puffy heart my sewing machine!!!!!!!

(here we are on christmas morning)

so (or sew) first i made a quilt front as a gift for a woman here at work (sidenote: 3 women in my building have been diagnosed with breast cancer in the last 9 months. CHECK YOUR BOOBIES!)... when it is finished it will be a prayer quilt. another woman here at work is going to do the back and whatnot, and then individual threads will be pulled through where each of the corners meet up and the quilt will be taken around our building and indviduals will tie a knot in the thread while saying a prayer for her.

next, i made her some burp cloths (she is 8 months pregnant) as a shower gift (i think they turned out pretty cute)

and finally, another friend is having her 30th birthday this weekend and recently started as a counselor, so these throw pillows are to cheer up her drab and handmedown furniture office...

so... fun stuff!

Inspiration!

I don't know about most of you, but getting into February gives me those "when will Winter be over" blues. While I do have my birthday and valentine's day to cheer me up as we make our way through the last of the potentially really cold months, I still look soooo forward to spring.

One website that I've found recently giving me a lot of inspiration for both outside our home and inside is: http://www.remodelingguy.net/. This guy has tons of great resources and ideas along with ENCOURAGEMENT! Woohoo. So definitely go check him out.

Oh, and we got one of those project guides from Lowe's last summer and I've had this picture on my fridge ever since:

Husband and I have big plans to do this on our side yard. I'm scouring craigslist daily to see when someone is offering soem free gravel that we can use to get this project started (did you know people are offering that all the time?!)... additionally, since Santa brought us some outdoor toys for our backyard, we want to create a play area (something like the one below, which is just a picture I found online) to keep mud and grass to a minimum and fun at a maximum. Our local 4H group offers free mulch every spring, so I just need to wait to see them post the sign and husband will be on his way over for a few truckloads...

... its nice to get the projects out of my head and down somewhere to give me a little hope for warmer weather to come! Got any big projects coming?

Holiday Recap

Well, I took a short blogging break in order to make it through my time off... yup, my work (and husband's school) gave us 2 weeks off! Today's my first day back in the office. Boy is it hard to concentrate when your mind has basically been in free fall for 2 straight weeks....

so, here's a recap of our time:
23rd- got off at noon-ish and went shopping for the last minute stuff

24th- got up and went to my sister's house for Christmas w/her family and my mom & stepdad... the only picture i got was this: my mom opening the book that i got her (it's called 'my granny's purse' and it is TOO cute!)

left my sister's and drove to husband's home town for a little Christmas eve-ing at the in-laws (attn: booderbean's mom... your dad was great as santa yet again!), drove home that evening

santa came to our house too!

25th got up and did the presents and breakfast thing

(who's excited that santa brought her a new dora sippy cup in her stocking?)

(santa brought me my first sewing machine! ROCK!)

went to church

ate lunch at a flipping CHINESE RESTAURANT!!! (fa ra ra ra ra)
went to my dad's for more presents and dinner

26th went to oldest daughters godparents house for a little visiting... oldest daughter got some of her money out when we went to target that day and purchased a cake mix to make cupcakes for her godparents (isn't that the sweetest?)

27th went to a play place w/oldest daughter's godparents' grandchildren

28th went to my aunt's for a fierce game of dirty santa (i won an awesome coffee press!) and a fabulous gingerbread house decorating contest (for those of you looking for an activity for a post-christmas party, you can usually buy the kits for half off and they are quite a bit of fun... hopefully i'll have pictures of my team's winning house soon)

29th cleaned the house all the live long day so that husband's best friend from grade school could come down and stay with us

30th drove back to husband's home town for some delicious mexican food and some quality time w/friends and grandparents

31st youngest daughter came down w/ a nasty diaper rash and fever due to teething so we canceled our babysitter and our plans... had a somewhat quiet evening watching friend's son.

1st woohoo happy new year! friend's girlfriend got food poisoning. big fat bummer. avoid nachos at the cox convention center during flaming lips concert. went to church- feast of Mary the Mother of God (woot woot!!)

2nd got the girls out of the house so husband could get caught up on grading, then went out w/my mom and sister that evening and saw 7 pounds... it was FAB-U-LOUS!!!!

3rd husband decked our attic (or part of it) so that there is a GOOD (i.e. not the garage) place to store our christmas decorations, etc. went out w/husband that night at pf changs (at spicy sauce spilled all over my dress... booo! but cleaned it up pretty well) got free dinner, went to see 4 Christmases (pretty funny)

4th family slept in and we spent the day un-decorating (my house looks so bare!)

5th back here at work!

A well worn apron

http://www.conversiondiary.com/2008/08/well-worn-apron.html


So, my challenge for you today is to set a goal like this... think of life backwards think of where you want to be and what it will mean for you and then comment me/blog about what that will look like, what a symbol of that could be, etc. Be thinking about your goal and come back here on Monday and we'll discuss. Maybe if I can figure it out I'll put together a little Mr. Linky so that you can all post your links to your blogs with your goal... so be thinkin'...

Winners!

Congrats to lfamily5 and jessica g for being the winners of the soapnuts! Thanks to everyone who entered my little contest. MANY thanks to Lisa of Laundry Tree for generously offering to give each of you a free sample. See the comments section of the contest post for more info!

Have a great weekend! Got any plans?

Husband and I will be:

building this:

and fixing this:

JOY!!!

Weekend plans... Maybe.

So here's how the weekend is going to shape up... Friday leave work and head to husband's home town for a family reunion (which takes place during the day Saturday). That evening we will be eating at the most fabulous Mexican restaurant, one I haven't been to in oh... probably 7 months... I can taste the HOMEMADE chips and guacamole right now! I can't remember if they sell beer/margaritas but if they do, I will totally be having one (or three) because that's what my week has been like. Saturday morning it will be out to breakfast at this totally cool quaint breakfast place and then taking the girls to see prairie dogs before the reunion. Sunday we will go to Church and probably have lunch with his family before heading home. (Cannot wait for this! Not that I won't have a good time at the reunion, but to be on the other side of it and at home and able to rest and do stuff I want to do is sounding really good)

So, Sunday evening/Monday & Tuesday (our daycare is closed all of next week- its a home daycare- so I'm watching the girls Tuesday) I plan to: finish painting a bookshelf that I MADE for oldest daughter. It is going to match a little desk that my dad built for her for Christmas. I also plan to paint my old rocking chair (which I gave her the previous Christmas) so that it will all match. Maybe. Maybe it needs to not match. Once I get the shelf finished I will see if the chair needs to match or not.

here she is sitting on it, Christmas morning... our first Christmas in our own Home!

My sister also gave me some of those little ledge-shelf-moulding thingys. Two of them that are an awful light oak color but I am painting them black. I've already painted the first one and it looks great but my spray paint ran out so the other one is still waiting. Maybe I'll be really cool and take a picture of the one that isn't painted and a picture of the one that is painted so that you all can come back and see them and oooh and ahhh over how fabulously I spray painted them and at how genius my decorating choice to paint them is/was. Maybe.

I've also decided to get to work (this will involve putting husband to work, so it will probably have to be on Sunday when he is home)on finally rearranging the living room. IF I post pictures of the 'after' (I won't post pictures of the 'before' because really its too horrendous to even admit to anonymously) you all have to promise not to laugh at how stained and horrid my couch is. Because, see, we are living frugally which means keeping this danged handmedown couch, and honestly, the Nester says I have to love my stained couch because its evidence that we live in our house. (well she put it more eloquently than that.) So... when we rearrange the living room I will be 1)hanging a really cool and funky quilt that my grandmother made on a wall (I tried to google and find an example of said quilt but alas, didn't find anything like it) and 2) trying to talk husband into 'letting' me paint this old door we have sitting in our garage in the way to hang as art. The Nester and another blog I can't remember right now did this and it is so cool. This is a plain (structurally) door so I will be doing it more like the other one. I think it is the blog on my list over there --> called silver circles. Anywho, hers was really cool because she painted it brown and then painted 1 Corinthians 13 in FRENCH on it in cream and then glazed it w/ gold! How cool is that?! I totally love the idea of putting words on my flat plain door, so I'll be brainstorming today and tomorrow for the perfect thing to write.

Speaking of which, isn't french just beautfiul? I could put my grocery list in french up and it would look LOVELY. I took 3 years of French in high school which culminated in me reading The Little Prince in french which was a TRIP! Did you know that Baobab in french is Baobab?! So, I guess not all things translate into something mysterious huh? Oh, and did you know when I googled Baobab to see how to spell it, that they are real things?! Here's a picture....

Isn't it interesting the way my 'to do' list seems so huge and totally not do-able? Kind of like the way tending the Baobabs in The Little Prince (or Le Petit Prince if you are cool like me ; ) seemed like too much? (isn't that the story line? at least for that part of the book?... yeah, I got a C my 3rd year of French which is why there wasn't a 4th year.)

Finally, my next post (Maybe.) will have lots of pictures. Yay!


Maybe.