tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70383764011302587802024-02-22T02:12:13.638-05:00Ladybrook CrescentUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-67727336435172967572015-01-04T22:58:00.001-05:002015-01-04T22:59:43.385-05:002015 Organization Challenge<p>So cliché, right? A new year’s resolution to be better organized? But in my case at least it is definitely needed. 2014 was a good year in many ways but in lots of ways it kind of kicked my butt. I was pregnant for most of the year and had a newborn baby for the rest. We also tackled a big renovation project – putting a bathroom in the basement – and lots of smaller ones. Most of the time I was happy to get the bare minimum done and if there was energy left over, it went to my kids and husband, not the house. <br><br>So now that I’m starting to feel more like myself, I’m ready to tackle some of the areas that have really been bothering me. In fact I have already started. But then I came across <a href="http://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/organized-home.html">this</a> organization challenge that one of my friends shared on Facebook. I thought it was just the thing to get me going. The basic gist is that there is one organizational challenge each week for the whole year. Click through to read more details.<br><br> I’m trying to accept that there are more limitations on my time and energy right now so just doing one area per week seems just about right for my abilities. Plus sometimes I get so anxious to go at it that I burn myself out in a few days when I’ve completely ignored the rest of my responsibilities. So pacing myself will probably be a really good thing! <br><br>I’m going to start out following the schedule but I’m sure I will make adjustments based on my needs. Just skimming through, I can see that there are a few challenges that don’t really apply to me (I don’t have any pets!) and some that I imagine might take me more than a week to finish (I have 3 kids bedrooms to organize!). I also suspect that I will take on more than one project some weeks when something is just really bugging me and needs to be taken care of and that there will be weeks when I’ve got sick kids or we go out of town. <br><br>I’m excited to embark on this challenge and hope you will follow along! First up – kitchen counters and sink!</p> Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06260691779910980072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-7924518027204599342014-12-04T18:27:00.001-05:002014-12-04T18:32:11.151-05:00Hello againI’m back! Things have been (understandably) crazy since having a baby almost two months ago. But I’m ready to start getting back in the swing of things. Things are definitely still crazy but I’ll pretend I have it under control. :) For starters, I’d like you to meet Easton.<br /><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Jx3ada9tgXY/VIDtyANSWyI/AAAAAAAAIsE/8FvoZW4vvkA/s1600-h/IMG_7080%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_7080" border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-SQa4UKSMsVc/VIDty8kuXmI/AAAAAAAAIsM/7meOLh5wzMM/IMG_7080_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" height="400" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_7080" width="600" /></a><br />
Yes, that is boy #4 for us! When you make them this cute, no need to mess with a good thing! I’ve been indulging in lots of newborn cuddles and trying not to have too high expectations for myself. We haven’t worked on any projects at all the last couple months. I consider it a successful day if everyone gets dinner and has clean clothes to wear. But I’m itching to get going again on real life. I’m not sure how realistic it is when I’m not getting much sleep and holding a baby for most of the day but I’m gonna try! Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06260691779910980072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-17554933439408568832014-09-23T00:03:00.001-04:002014-09-23T00:03:01.110-04:00A pretty good place to start<p><br>We’ve chosen this time around to not really decorate the nursery at all. I know I could have done something gender neutral and added other things once the baby was born but I have a plan for what I’d like the room to look like in both cases and they are pretty different. So right now, the room is basically just a blank slate. For reference, <a href="http://ladybrookcrescent.blogspot.ca/2012/09/nursery.html" target="_blank">here</a> is where we started with the room. That is what it has looked like for the past two years. So what did I do?</p> <p>The first change was the paint color. I really wanted to lighten it up so I painted it my very favorite color, Benjamin Moore’s Lacey Pearl. It is a great warm light grey that I find really works with anything. It’s a great backdrop for the pops of color I plan on adding. <br><br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-o6uJH6RwrbE/VCDw1sV0bkI/AAAAAAAAIZ4/Hadg2dXpNLk/s1600-h/IMG_7021%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_7021" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_7021" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-juw7Lvmmh5Y/VCDw2ZteZvI/AAAAAAAAIaA/OpavpzZQzys/IMG_7021_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="320" height="480"></a><br>The next thing I did was to buy a new chair. I had used the yellow rocker for the past two children and while it worked ok, it was too low to the ground, making it kind of uncomfortable for me to get in and out of. I bought this glider second-hand for $25. It had already been painted and recovered which I thought would save me a lot of work. But once I got it into the room, I realized that the ‘white’ paint was much more creamy than I originally thought. So I gave it a quick little coat of paint. I didn’t spend too much time making it perfect either. And once I got that painted, I realized that I would rather just recover the cushions in a neutral right now, rather than waiting until after the baby is born and adding one more thing to my list. The previous recover job was ok, but it just didn’t match either design plan I have in my head. So there is my ‘If You Give a Moose a Muffin’ story. <br><br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-PYF3H1r1pB4/VCDw3FCsxuI/AAAAAAAAIaI/yoS5GL7xzyk/s1600-h/IMG_7015%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_7015" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_7015" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-oTGwlMqhRLo/VCDw4F7Sx_I/AAAAAAAAIaQ/aM-LpC8Ddpg/IMG_7015_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="317"></a><br>We removed the old closet doors when we renovated three years ago and have been meaning to replace them ever since but just haven’t got around to budgeting for that. It’s way down the priority list! So I found some fabric on clearance for $4.50/m and sewed some basic curtain panels to hide all the clutter. They were a pretty easy project. I just hemmed all four sides and used <a href="http://www.viewalongtheway.com/2012/06/tutorial-how-to-sew-lined-back-tab-curtains-drapes-curtain-panels-whatever/" target="_blank">this</a> method to make hidden tab curtains. I figure I can reuse them somewhere else once we finally get some doors. <br><br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-u4vrHUOnctE/VCDw40kEArI/AAAAAAAAIaY/GAj9eIqXYDM/s1600-h/IMG_7032%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_7032" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_7032" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Kh9XYj3JmrE/VCDw5uVzCTI/AAAAAAAAIag/7obUcBr8B9c/IMG_7032_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="320" height="480"></a><br>Lastly, I rearranged the furniture. I don’t know that it is necessarily more functional this way but I was itching for a change and I think it works well.<br><br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-CnP2IByNuxE/VCDw6Zxt4HI/AAAAAAAAIao/xYcah1pLMVg/s1600-h/IMG_7018%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_7018" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_7018" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-OvmgAVNivSc/VCDw7CIWw1I/AAAAAAAAIaw/goLPyOApnBE/IMG_7018_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><br>Now that we are (hopefully less than) two weeks away, I’ve even got some blankets and clothes in the dresser and stocked up the basket on top with tiny newborn diapers. Aren’t they just the cutest thing you have ever seen?<br><br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-zbkoj1auj_o/VCDw755na1I/AAAAAAAAIa4/bv-OeqrX-zs/s1600-h/IMG_7034%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_7034" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_7034" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-usTLtnBKEwM/VCDw8hgmTMI/AAAAAAAAIbA/_EBPMNL9WPo/IMG_7034_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a></p> Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06260691779910980072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-13030542063016365002014-09-17T15:04:00.001-04:002014-09-17T15:04:44.248-04:00The Simplest Baby Blankets<p>I’m waist deep in baby prep right now! I’ve finally finished all the other ‘necessary’ projects before baby comes and I’ve been able to concentrate on baby stuff. And it feels good. I’ve never had any pre-term labor scares and have never had a baby before my due date but it still feels really good to finally be ready for this little one to come. I guess I should clarify that – I’ve still got lots of things I’d like to do before this baby arrives but at least now it will have diapers and clean clothes and a bed to sleep in and I have a place to sit to feed it. It’s kinda funny how that definition of ‘ready’ changes from your first baby to your fourth. <br><br>Anyways, one of the projects on my list was some simple baby blankets. We didn’t find out the sex of this baby and we already have three boys so I knew I would need to prep a couple girl things just in case. My favorite blankets with my boys have been large single layer flannelette receiving blankets. They are lightweight, yet cozy and make a great swaddle. So while I obviously have a few boy blankets that are ready to be used again, I wanted to whip up a couple girl versions. <br><br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-OSYr9i7sB6o/VBnbIJ5Ln3I/AAAAAAAAIUk/gPmTNxzr7fg/s1600-h/IMG_69913.jpg"><img title="Simple Baby Blanket - Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Simple Baby Blanket - Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-rLa9QXXd8KQ/VBnbJNbM3WI/AAAAAAAAIUs/FGl6FNWffN4/IMG_6991_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><br>I found the flannelette on sale for around $3 a meter. I got 1 1/4 meters of each so that I could make them as large as possible. After I prewashed it, I laid it out on the floor and folded it on a diagonal to square it up. (This is way more than 1 1/4 meters. There was already a precut piece on the bolt and the lady just let me have it all.) I just used the width of the fabric as my sizing guide. It doesn’t really matter what size it is but I prefer them square and quite large. (The blanket in the picture above is folded over twice.)<br><br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-StyovLubmJI/VBnbKxb_W1I/AAAAAAAAIU0/vTFLAu5hYxo/s1600-h/2014-09-16-18.063.jpg"><img title="Simple Baby Blanket - Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Simple Baby Blanket - Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-KPOJ4DopJxo/VBnbLsysffI/AAAAAAAAIU8/jSNO6VIrcDg/2014-09-16-18.06_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="375"></a></p> <p>Then I just trimmed up the edges until they were straight and square.<br><br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-scLvGIc8DaM/VBnbMRD1JSI/AAAAAAAAIVE/wWWg8ZgsSMU/s1600-h/2014-09-16-18.073.jpg"><img title="Simple Baby Blanket - Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Simple Baby Blanket - Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-eE9mKSM1QK8/VBnbNHgfc7I/AAAAAAAAIVM/9ssPXayn3A0/2014-09-16-18.07_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="360" height="480"></a></p> <p>Then I folded the edges down 1/2” and ironed it. <br><br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-EcoMTtw5JWE/VBnbN3uZYdI/AAAAAAAAIVU/0ng8TjV05vk/s1600-h/2014-09-16-18.123.jpg"><img title="Simple Baby Blanket - Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Simple Baby Blanket - Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-P6nv1Jg3kE0/VBnbOhM8LPI/AAAAAAAAIVc/9kvF5xHNhdA/2014-09-16-18.12_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="360" height="480"></a></p> <p>I only folded over the edges once because I didn’t want the hem to be bulky at all. Then I set my sewing machine to a zigzag stitch and sewed around all four edges with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. This stitched right over that raw edge and will help to eliminate most of the fraying. I do still anticipate it fraying a little so I will just check them when I take them out of the dryer the next few times and trim any stray threads. It’s a little hard to see the white thread on the white fabric, but this gives you an idea of how the zigzag stitch just enclosed the raw edge.<br><br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rWiNkLh_kWI/VBnbPYnA-gI/AAAAAAAAIVk/c5LPh1omcak/s1600-h/IMG_7025%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="Simple Baby Blanket - Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Simple Baby Blanket - Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-9iuqH6zF3Vo/VBnbPwjTkDI/AAAAAAAAIVs/UU9v681Q64E/IMG_7025_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="324" height="480"></a><br>On the front, it is just a simple zigzag border. I think it would be super cute to use a contrasting thread color but I didn’t have anything on hand. <br><br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-JjN5wwzP4o0/VBnbQ1OPeII/AAAAAAAAIV0/Anw-vuBPNY0/s1600-h/IMG_7028%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="Simple Baby Blanket - Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Simple Baby Blanket - Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-XD19WPOZb4A/VBnbRZ_tWcI/AAAAAAAAIV4/0TgZ7vJzTrs/IMG_7028_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="334"></a><br><br>I’m so happy with how these turned out! And they only took me around 45 minutes to sew them both. Now we just need a baby to wrap up in them. And if we have another boy, they will make great (and inexpensive!) gifts!<br><br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-E_RufMGpBtE/VBnbSA18SwI/AAAAAAAAIWE/P5gY9zx34xY/s1600-h/IMG_70073.jpg"><img title="Simple Baby Blanket - Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Simple Baby Blanket - Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-u_C87THsNtM/VBnbSnrkK_I/AAAAAAAAIWI/LIexwjDFpNM/IMG_7007_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a></p> Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06260691779910980072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-40854245761341136112014-09-08T10:00:00.000-04:002014-09-08T10:00:00.159-04:00Every Superhero Needs a City to Defend<p><br>I’m back in Tyler and Landon’s room today, sharing a really really fun project with you. Please don’t let the terrible lighting detract from the awesomeness that it is. Unfortunately their room is in the basement with only one small window so these are just things we have to deal with. From the get-go when I was planning their room, I saw this idea on Pinterest and knew it would be so fun. It was one of the first projects that we did for the room and the other awesome thing was that it was so awesomely inexpensive. I bought one sample size of paint for the foreground color and I found a quart of mistinted paint for the background. (I was also able to reuse that on the <a href="http://ladybrookcrescent.blogspot.ca/2014/09/forward-facing-bookshelves.html" target="_blank">bookshelves</a> so that was super cheap!) The only other supplies I used were Scotch Blue painters tape, a small foam roller, and a few dollar store paint brushes.<br></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-YaK3F3W-EW4/VA0V0to9rLI/AAAAAAAAIPU/ViMTJocLW3E/s1600-h/IMG_6617%252520copy%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_6617 copy" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_6617 copy" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-73OvcHo_QqA/VA0V1jCASkI/AAAAAAAAIPc/SxNwLNJPX0E/IMG_6617%252520copy_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="329"></a><br>We debated a little at first on the best way to do it. I have had really bad experiences in the past with painters tape. I could never understand when I saw people using it because I have always, <em>always</em> had it bleed on me. I really hoped that didn’t happen this time around so I spent a little more on Scotch brand and made sure I pressed down really firmly. I had accepted that I would probably just have to touch it up after but there was no need. It was amazing! We got really crisp lines. The only spots where it bled was one area where I forgot to press it down really well and on a couple of the windows where the tape overlapped. <br><br>Anyways, back to the process. We used <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/196469602468793196/" target="_blank">this</a> image for inspiration (sorry, couldn’t find the original source). It really helped us have an idea of where things would go before we started. But then we just kinda eyeballed it. We did use a level to make sure our tape lines were straight but we didn’t measure anything. I don’t really think you can go too wrong. Then we taped off some windows and just rolled on the paint with a foam roller.<br><br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-UE4Y5c7pY_c/VA0V2qU4vXI/AAAAAAAAIPk/xcjAPju5yok/s1600-h/Superhero%252520Cityscape%2525201%252520-%252520Ladybrook%252520Crescent%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Superhero Cityscape 1 - Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Superhero Cityscape 1 - Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-sK37C7MV28U/VA0V3rbhpyI/AAAAAAAAIPs/qOhdygwgLZU/Superhero%252520Cityscape%2525201%252520-%252520Ladybrook%252520Crescent_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><br>It took 2 coats to get good coverage but I just did them one after another and we pulled the tape off when it was still wet.<br><br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Z9KuMdb5974/VA0V44T642I/AAAAAAAAIP0/XOtXBa30IMQ/s1600-h/Superhero%252520Cityscape%2525202%252520-%252520Ladybrook%252520Crescent%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Superhero Cityscape 2 - Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Superhero Cityscape 2 - Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-CaUzr7XPm30/VA0V5hOtLII/AAAAAAAAIP8/bJv8YzNo7II/Superhero%252520Cityscape%2525202%252520-%252520Ladybrook%252520Crescent_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><br>Here’s how it looked after the foreground was finished. <br><br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-k26tJJUgCOc/VA0V6TpTybI/AAAAAAAAIQE/cgCFGUHISVI/s1600-h/Superhero%252520Cityscape%2525203%252520-%252520Ladybrook%252520Crescent%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Superhero Cityscape 3 - Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Superhero Cityscape 3 - Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-l2n19euWcOA/VA0V7CrC6AI/AAAAAAAAIQM/3NBGx-msbZc/Superhero%252520Cityscape%2525203%252520-%252520Ladybrook%252520Crescent_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><br>We let that dry overnight (actually, I think it was two days before we got time to work on it again) and then moved onto the background. I forgot to get a picture of the background taped off before we started painting but here’s an idea of what it looked like. It was a little more time consuming to tape off, just because we had to tape around all of the foreground buildings too. But all things considered, it was still a relatively quick project. <br><br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Lcb1wWQ1z6E/VA0V8nqYmAI/AAAAAAAAIQU/tfxN22g-En8/s1600-h/Superhero%252520Cityscape%2525204%252520-%252520Ladybrook%252520Crescent%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Superhero Cityscape 4 - Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Superhero Cityscape 4 - Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MrkFfduW9Bw/VA0V9fcwIOI/AAAAAAAAIQc/J8voUsaBa9E/Superhero%252520Cityscape%2525204%252520-%252520Ladybrook%252520Crescent_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><br>Here it is with everything done except the bridge. <br><br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ia3QGG7ZOGQ/VA0V-ukY-zI/AAAAAAAAIQk/yqWpCll20fU/s1600-h/Superhero%252520Cityscape%2525205%252520-%252520Ladybrook%252520Crescent%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Superhero Cityscape 5 - Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Superhero Cityscape 5 - Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-cnLAYddCQu4/VA0V_m0v5MI/AAAAAAAAIQs/tCxZy7CVusk/Superhero%252520Cityscape%2525205%252520-%252520Ladybrook%252520Crescent_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="375"></a></p> <p>The bridge was not exactly easy but it wasn’t too bad either. We used a level and penciled in the main lines and then just freehanded the rest before we painted it. Up close it definitely isn’t perfect but my 5 year old is pretty enamored by it! It really was a fun project to do and made such a big impact!<br><br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-NtIi38reRPw/VA0WA7NhYHI/AAAAAAAAIQ0/1uYvL6y7mog/s1600-h/IMG_6617%252520copy%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_6617 copy" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_6617 copy" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-BrtePmsnCJ0/VA0WBqBE2SI/AAAAAAAAIQ8/r0wbzZ-dgp4/IMG_6617%252520copy_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="329"></a></p> Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06260691779910980072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-49409910586505443432014-09-04T10:00:00.000-04:002014-09-04T10:00:03.671-04:00DIY Superhero Canvases<p>Here we are, back in Tyler and Landon’s bedroom, AKA the superhero room. Of course, any superhero room needs superheroes! I thought for quite a while about how to best represent different superheroes, on a budget of course. There are some really awesome posters available on Etsy and I was so tempted. But after the cost of the posters plus frames for each, it was just more than I wanted to pay. So I finally decided on creating my own artwork. And of course I just decided to use symbols since they are super simple. <br><br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-XDiI7UA3qDI/VAPvPLbSMZI/AAAAAAAAILg/_5dCvhnInmg/s1600-h/6%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="DIY Superhero Canvases | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DIY Superhero Canvases | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-12fqoS3wT8Q/VAPvQHjduZI/AAAAAAAAILk/0xdCYpVgyRA/6_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="320" height="480"></a></p> <p>I started by having Landon pick which symbols he wanted, which sounds a lot easier than it actually was. He’s 4 after all. Then I picked up some 12x12 canvases from Michaels. They were about $25 for a pack of 7 and I had a 10% off coupon. But don’t be like me. If you can, wait until they are on sale or until you have a 40-50% off coupon. I live an hour away from Michaels though so I don’t really have the luxury of waiting until I get a good coupon to pop over. My husband was also able to bring home a projector from work, which really made this whole project possible. Seriously, I’m all for the hand painted look but I do not do free handing well. <br><br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9rrzPK-d9vI/VAPvRHPGUnI/AAAAAAAAILw/cp88m9fd8uc/s1600-h/1%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="DIY Superhero Canvases | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DIY Superhero Canvases | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-V3OQhXF7tqg/VAPvSAUdYeI/AAAAAAAAIL4/BJ7ketS4xk0/1_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="360" height="480"></a></p> <p>Here was our little set up. It’s a little hard to see but I rested the canvas on the baseboard and taped it up with a small piece of painters tape. Then I centered the image over the canvas and started tracing the outline. I just Googled the images to find ones I liked. This is what a traced image looked like. I just used pencil and it worked fairly well. Just keep in mind that it took a lot of coats of paint to cover with some colors.<br><br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-IqTfcd2UEnw/VAPvT5N4FhI/AAAAAAAAIMA/GddFMpx-ubo/s1600-h/2%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="DIY Superhero Canvases | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DIY Superhero Canvases | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-H-qhQTgZZRA/VAPvUs1NDYI/AAAAAAAAIMI/rW-V2zUQWGo/2_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><br>After they were all traced, I got to work painting. I worked in a bit of a haphazard manner. I tried to do as much of one color at a time if I could. Each color needed at least two coats in most places. I won’t lie, it wasn’t exactly a quick job. But I found it pretty relaxing and had fun doing it so it wasn’t too bad. It ended up taking me a couple days. I even did most of it while my kids were around. A couple times I had them take off their shirts and gave them some paintbrushes and cardboard so they could join me. <br><br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-J_H-TIgK-vk/VAPvWF6BUiI/AAAAAAAAIMQ/zVAwJCEm_a8/s1600-h/3%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="DIY Superhero Canvases | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DIY Superhero Canvases | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-OZ_sEYGl0FI/VAPvXDtl3tI/AAAAAAAAIMU/Ox_ZeAXMGHA/3_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a></p> <p>I used a combination of these brushes. They are all just from the dollar store but I really liked the paintbrushes with the straight edges. I found it gave a lot more control when doing the details. <br><br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-0JgceQcZyXo/VAPvYWCo_kI/AAAAAAAAIMg/SfWdJ_KUMI0/s1600-h/4%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="DIY Superhero Canvases | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DIY Superhero Canvases | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-jrriimCAlrU/VAPvZYyF9cI/AAAAAAAAIMo/gJNa4w66pu0/4_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="320" height="480"></a></p> <p>To me the most important part of the painting process was outlining each symbol in black. Wherever there was a transition from one color to the next, I painted a black line. I feel like this keeps it looking authentic and instantly makes it look neater. I used the smallest brush pictured above and it really helped me keep the lines uniform in size. Just for contrast here is what a canvas looked like without the black outline. <br><br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-L3xvxd-QT1o/VAPvaKjJjPI/AAAAAAAAIMw/vDskL6g9ID0/s1600-h/5%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="DIY Superhero Canvases | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DIY Superhero Canvases | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rAdXAEbcUZQ/VAPva9IA2iI/AAAAAAAAIM4/0Et0MhvfR-k/5_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a></p> <p>And again, here is the finished product. Once they were all dry, I took them outside and sprayed them with some clear gloss spray paint I’ve had for ages. This helps protect the canvases since the paint has a very flat finish and will easily scuff. Hopefully this also helps repel dust. I imagine you could use Mod Podge for this as well. <br><br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-R43Z4U6W_do/VAPvcGZpwnI/AAAAAAAAINA/9ckEy8Rrq8s/s1600-h/6%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="DIY Superhero Canvases | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DIY Superhero Canvases | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vZKKFr451fU/VAPvdO-qn1I/AAAAAAAAINI/YBjUtwe4jRo/6_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="320" height="480"></a></p> <p>I’m so pleased with how they turned out. And a certain son of mine is too. He was my sidekick the whole time I painted them, watching me closely and asking questions. And making sure that I knew which color went where. He also deliberated for quite some time over their arrangement. Luckily, they are just hanging up with a couple nails so he can easily rearrange them if he decides that they aren’t in the ‘right’ place. (And no, I didn’t paint the Hulk canvas in the middle. That was a Home Sense find that I thought was just too awesome to pass up!)<br><br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-S5k5R-CsKX0/VAPveBn5-3I/AAAAAAAAINQ/CCy_RJ9n6FE/s1600-h/7%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="DIY Superhero Canvases | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DIY Superhero Canvases | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-TFG0gauBTEg/VAPvfGEfROI/AAAAAAAAINY/lI475iSD_rM/7_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a></p> <p>I love that these were a really inexpensive way to add lots of personality and color to the space. And the great thing is that the idea can totally be adapted to paint whatever your hear desires!</p> Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06260691779910980072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-13673666635040178222014-09-01T10:00:00.000-04:002014-09-01T10:00:05.848-04:00Forward Facing Bookshelves<p>We are jumping next to our older boys shared bedroom for a quick project that I absolutely love! I haven’t shared much yet about their room but it is pretty fun! When we started shuffling their rooms, I was a little nervous to have our boys sleeping in the basement, away from us. But I was excited for the possibilities of making this room really fun. Our second son, Landon, just loves superheroes. And he wanted a superhero bedroom. So that’s what he’s got. We worked on a few bigger projects (sneak peak on the right of that picture below) but we really needed some functionality. When we moved the older boys downstairs, we left their bookshelf in their old room for Nash to use. I hung an old IKEA frame ledge beside each of their beds for them to place their bedtime reading and a drink but they still had a lot more books with no home.<br><br>Ever since I saw these forward facing bookshelves online, I knew they were something I wanted for their room. Especially because most of the books they are reading these days don’t have a substantial enough spine to tell what book it is. There were so many books that we just weren’t reading, simply because they forgot they were there. Enter this simple, but fantastically practical solution. <br><br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-InyAJaCuzvA/VAKgdBFuK1I/AAAAAAAAH-8/vcUUwUnR3DI/s1600-h/finished%252520shelves%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="Forward Facing Bookshelves | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Forward Facing Bookshelves | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-7p7R1_znYDA/VAKgeAtpZwI/AAAAAAAAH_A/Or2uCnFgY14/finished%252520shelves_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="320" height="480"></a><br>I basically followed Ana White’s <a href="http://ana-white.com/2010/10/plans/ten-dollar-ledges" target="_blank">tutorial</a>. I knew I didn’t want to spend much money so I went with basic pine boards. I used a 1 x 4 for the back and bottom of each shelf and a 1 x 2 for the front. Each shelf is 2 feet long so I was able to use the whole 8 foot board. They cost me less than $15 in wood and screws, which I was pretty happy with. I had them cut the boards down at the store but when I got home, I found they were pretty uneven so I used my miter saw to even them up. I gave them each a quick sand with my orbital sander, wiped them down and laid them out on my kitchen counter to paint. <br><br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6oU0FggJyZI/VAKgfd2XwEI/AAAAAAAAH_M/eD3YOAhvVP4/s1600-h/raw%252520wood%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="Forward Facing Bookshelves | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Forward Facing Bookshelves | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-r9YKxJCbqG0/VAKggGmH4oI/AAAAAAAAH_U/rzSrRYsMiPA/raw%252520wood_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><br>I painted them grey, an ‘oops’ color I had picked up for another project in their room and just gave all the boards one quick coat on each side. Since I was using cheaper wood, I knew I would never get a perfect finish and decided to embrace their rustic-ness. Besides, with two boys using them daily, they wouldn’t stay pristine for long. <br><br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-CNdCuZCXnXE/VAKgg_QCSqI/AAAAAAAAH_c/5Mu0ND3QmCo/s1600-h/painted%252520boards%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="Forward Facing Bookshelves | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Forward Facing Bookshelves | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-i89j1CWaJy0/VAKghs2VduI/AAAAAAAAH_k/peUlZJFd41o/painted%252520boards_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><br>After painting, I assembled them, following Ana’s directions. I predrilled and screwed the bottom board to the back with 1 1/2” screws and then used my brad nailer with 2” finishing nails for the front pieces. Then I figured out the placement I wanted (they ended up being 12” apart), found studs, and screwed right through the back of each shelf. <br><br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Me5T5rh1hdU/VAKgirtfNJI/AAAAAAAAH_s/H6Jf2UkMF2A/s1600-h/side%252520detail%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="Forward Facing Bookshelves | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Forward Facing Bookshelves | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KFfiW1Xw-9g/VAKgjYK6EbI/AAAAAAAAH_0/wfFG3EagjxQ/side%252520detail_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><br>I’m super happy with how they turned out! I did the whole project in less than a day, while doing all my regular mom duties with three kids around so they were definitely a quick and easy project. I love things that can be completed in one day! And my boys sure are pleased to see all those books they have forgotten about. Just the look on Tyler’s face was enough to make this project worth it. That boys loves his books!<br><br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4LQNzOGxrX0/VAKgkK0m9BI/AAAAAAAAH_8/SjpRRXpXDfs/s1600-h/front%252520close%252520up%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="Forward Facing Bookshelves | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Forward Facing Bookshelves | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-hp0TuIqayoE/VAKgk4wl9OI/AAAAAAAAIAE/TB8UkfsCMFc/front%252520close%252520up_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a></p> <p>I can’t wait to share more projects in this fun superhero bedroom. Stay tuned!</p> Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06260691779910980072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-28112819244177742592014-08-30T10:41:00.001-04:002014-09-01T00:03:24.883-04:00Creating a Basketball Mural<p>Well, surprise! We’re having a baby! And we couldn’t be more excited. But that has meant some major changes around here in the past couple months. As you can see in my <a href="http://ladybrookcrescent.blogspot.ca/2014/08/a-birds-eye-viewmain-floor.html" target="_blank">floor plan</a> post, we have three fairly small bedrooms on the main floor and it has worked out great for us for the past 3 years. But with baby #4 on the way, there just wasn’t enough space any more. So we are switching things up. The oldest two boys are moving downstairs to a fun new room (that I can’t wait to share) and our third son is moving into the larger bedroom (Bedroom 1 on the floor plan) so we can prepare his nursery for the new baby.<br> <br>So let me tell you a little about this third son, Nash. He is 2 and he loves basketball. With a passion. At 18 months, we would go to my younger brother or nieces basketball games and he would sit on my lap and watch the whole thing. While his older brothers were running up and down the aisles and needing distractions in the form of snacks and my phone, he was enthralled. So when we asked him recently what he wanted in his new room, of course his answer was ba-ball. Now, I’m not usually one to dive into a theme-y type room but really, how can I resist that request? <br><br>Here is how the room started out. <br><br><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-3Vu7yKpsSt0/VAPnFEMtKAI/AAAAAAAAIJY/qtfIuogZSsg/s1600-h/Bedroom%252520before%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="Creating a Basketball Mural | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Creating a Basketball Mural | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-cFofJ7E7pZA/VAHid_7kRJI/AAAAAAAAIJg/2uaRJZN3e_E/Bedroom%252520before_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><br>Actually, the sad thing is that this picture was taken more than two years ago and really it hadn’t changed. I still hadn’t made those headboards I had planned and there was almost nothing on the walls. There was, however, quite a bit of damage (it’s amazing what two little boys can do to some walls in two years!). So our first order of business was clearing things out and getting a fresh start. We bought new bunk beds for the older boys and so we were able to just leave one of the beds in here. We disassembled the other one and stored it in the storage room. It will come in handy in a couple years when this baby is ready to graduate from his/her crib. <br><br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-RedsRgNoHEw/VAHie0CL5LI/AAAAAAAAIJo/Ffz9PF83xNg/s1600-h/Patching%252520walls%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="Creating a Basketball Mural | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="Creating a Basketball Mural | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-brhWgG3gQJ0/VAHif22hBeI/AAAAAAAAIJw/duvrQem6BlI/Patching%252520walls_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="375"></a></p> <p>Once we had all the walls patched up, I gave everything another coat of paint. I touched up the caulking, baseboards, window molding, door and walls. I told you, my kids are hard on this poor house!<br><br>And then the fun began. I have to preface this next part by saying that I am not artistic. Seriously, the first time Landon asked me to draw a cow for him, he laughed at it. He was two. So when I say that if I can do it, anyone can, I’m not joking.<br><br>First, I got the idea from <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/196469602464340795/" target="_blank">this</a> pin on Pinterest. But obviously baseball would not work here so I used a cute little t-shirt from Children’s Place as my inspiration. <br><br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9TeUU80oc6E/VAHig2paa1I/AAAAAAAAIJ4/7K7nj4CrHSA/s1600-h/shirt%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="Creating a Basketball Mural | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Creating a Basketball Mural | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ATlNXPL5CXc/VAHihzVyWGI/AAAAAAAAIKA/05b5Kp3Xc4A/shirt_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="360" height="480"></a></p> <p>Please excuse the wrinkles. I may or may not have pulled it straight from the laundry pile to take a picture for reference as I was working. <br><br>I started by making my outline. That part was fairly easy. I picked a center point and taped a piece of string to the wall. Instead of drawing it out right away, I just used some painters tape to get a general idea of size and location. I just kept playing around with it until I liked it. Here’s what I ended up with. <br><br><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-aqGQW5Z1bg4/VAHii03izxI/AAAAAAAAIKI/O02K3C6mOP4/s1600-h/Tape%252520line%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="Creating a Basketball Mural | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Creating a Basketball Mural | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-DZzENhAfPF4/VAHijspnfQI/AAAAAAAAIKQ/JgeMoaMJOoY/Tape%252520line_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="375"></a></p> <p>Then I used a pencil to actually draw an outline. And then came the fun part. I sketched in the other lines of the basketball. It wasn’t too hard but I definitely had to redo a few lines. For the record, a magic eraser is your friend when trying to remove pencil marks from walls. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of this part; the lines were too light to show up. <br><br>Next I used a sample pot of paint left over from another project to paint over those lines. This was the first draft.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2IOXs_BcgEg/VAHik7gN1LI/AAAAAAAAIKY/zD60-_Hw7V4/s1600-h/rough%252520draft%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="Creating a Basketball Mural | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Creating a Basketball Mural | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-8PWIzlBXmO8/VAHilt-UigI/AAAAAAAAIKg/B9XiUIjUogA/rough%252520draft_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="375"></a></p> <p>I was happy to see that it wasn’t totally skewed but it was also looking pretty rough so I started doing another coat. I just used a cheap foam brush. But, as you can see, the edges were still pretty rough so I went over some of those places with a smaller artists brush. <br><br><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-LXJ6IRdDIUk/VAHimtQM9LI/AAAAAAAAIKo/t2xcrH5Q-DQ/s1600-h/painting%252520closeup%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="Creating a Basketball Mural | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Creating a Basketball Mural | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-3BUn44aAJqM/VAHinhzgD_I/AAAAAAAAIKw/r0gzw6yEo0s/painting%252520closeup_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a></p> <p>It did take a few hours but it wasn’t too bad. I just turned on some music after the kids were in bed and went to work. And here is the finished product.<br><br><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-GonvFtRsxx8/VAHio9D57fI/AAAAAAAAIK4/J1YEYNKwWgc/s1600-h/final1%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="Creating a Basketball Mural | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Creating a Basketball Mural | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Eym5jXxf5lw/VAHipnRreTI/AAAAAAAAILA/dq2cFECLK4w/final1_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-1_2bse4ee-g/VAHiq08-b2I/AAAAAAAAILI/9CyIkofvsOU/s1600-h/final2%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="Creating a Basketball Mural | Ladybrook Crescent" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Creating a Basketball Mural | Ladybrook Crescent" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-kldiLPLt5mM/VAHisJeE8tI/AAAAAAAAILQ/aBW9wEFQn24/final2_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a></p> <p>Obviously, there is still a lot of work to be done in this space but we have one happy little guy to have a place just for him. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to chip away at it.</p> Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06260691779910980072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-53492167850384779552014-08-22T14:54:00.001-04:002014-08-22T14:54:29.004-04:00A bird’s eye view–Main floor<p><font size="2" face="Arial">I put together a floor plan of our main floor, just to give you an idea of what we are dealing with. To put things in perspective, our home is around 1200 sq ft so the rooms aren’t huge but it is just perfect for us right now! While we did renovate the entire main floor, we made hardly any modifications to the original floor plan. The first thing we did was to open things up in the kitchen/stairway area. This technically didn’t change the footprint of the walls but we were able to get the flow we wanted by opening things up a little. We also put in a wall that had been removed at some point between the Master bedroom and Bedroom 1. I’ll go into more detail on both of those in a later post. So without further delay, welcome to our home! I’ll try to get some before and current pictures up soon but I wanted to have this as a reference point. Next up will be the basement!<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-x5VdyWbniP0/U_eR3PKFQOI/AAAAAAAAH4Q/3TxvWIXLDQw/s1600-h/first-design%252520%2525281%252529%25255B18%25255D.jpg"><img title="first-design (1)" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="first-design (1)" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-cAA79LHyfwc/U_eR4vUTH1I/AAAAAAAAH4Y/50EMikhI4ag/first-design%252520%2525281%252529_thumb%25255B14%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="525"></a></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial"></font></p> Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06260691779910980072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-65358246208208560772013-07-27T20:38:00.001-04:002013-07-27T20:38:46.347-04:00Trial and Error: A floor plan story<p>Prepare yourselves for a gripping tale! Let me set the stage for you. When we bought our house, we spent the first two months renovating it, while living 30 minutes away in my parents’ basement apartment. It was nice, since we went quite a while without having a bathroom in our new house and even longer without a kitchen. But then my parents’ well started giving them trouble and there was suddenly no running water. So we started staying at our new house and hurried to finish up the little jobs so we could move our furniture in. And even though I had been thinking about it for months, when the time came, I still had no idea how we would arrange our furniture in our new living room. You see, it is a little bit of a difficult room. At least we originally thought it was. Here is the 19’x12’ space we had to work with.</p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyl1ohUXfaNPlaLRRb4E9sUVC1niwmLP2kDjZHSX8gqhyphenhyphenQiQlU3qPLRUY8x_EPeUlxf4olq50Ji1ERfyAEv5JG7OTjNAklgYL8td7zwAr4zXHmUqU0ee2WUJ_u1q18KoDwsCf9NpIDXUyB/s1600-h/lr-floorplan3.jpg"><img title="lr floorplan" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="lr floorplan" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRSgkjoTri6py5fb44o8aAJ-Z7Z6GHZFHgDCnLE3Fzf7HjFEzwrUsFexKiCXBkxD5rDpiYpYUIdoo6TpyVt271LNtO1s5uopHuEm-DJ1-wboCBhsrPfT_zV-lh1kXrok_0wbYjsfG6frd/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="339"></a></p> <p>It doesn’t look like much but it proved to be a little difficult with two different openings and an off center window. We also wanted to incorporate as much seating as possible along with a piano. We tried a few different configurations the night we moved in, but I soon began to get some dirty looks from my husband and brother-in-law when I started to suggest we try the piano on ‘that other wall.’ So we settled on what seemed to be the best option at the time and there it stayed for over a year. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZV7M77B2ySIj1egBf5ufsQQj4aRnqp9WFU2FlfdxniSgN3MAuCCfHuZNvwUMGOLs-PnsFFRZr6yFwQpD7g1a6Fl-XHMSHQiY5HSKgFjebhqk-Ff4TGMNICCR2Valk2LjYB6dwvmz99M0H/s1600-h/lr-floorplan-before8.jpg"><img title="lr floorplan before" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="lr floorplan before" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jjfcHP5eR_G1tM9dlyQHq4lYqgr7zCcKZ9-4i6UBn4lfaAGFyYgVrAaEeYyNblCAsKLvzYgc6r8SqVp5WEE4qJAHyvGXhrjXx6N2wUYG__zcqD5Rv6jWkM1n88_tCUtmFU9rXKSGRt2c/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA2q0_N0iyaydlHnLyNnUqDmAQEZcJ_Zis6GRFmpidLls4Q550oS31G2mqdraVIKOVMy65lVEXF-i5g2myd8n8y36jP3Hcr2Qwf_BPquAN4P1dlyHFj8fDyQIRZdRNsGiZq745_jlCoPbg/s1600-h/SAM_12553.jpg"><img title="SAM_1255" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="SAM_1255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Tg6_TId59WVnEABy05QYSWCe6Lj_-6LG4zKJGyfscEjoqJLNxowFUUu0porWiR0Ncar9xjfWcvUBT71syMq8sxTow2QtatCB67lva3sijfmz5OAkCgAroTvhcm9Q_bLCQUBx0vjzU6Yq/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG47bA7QGxSB8b8fxTjoj86Q_uFDKUwLmz26kTLAGeUA6aniSv9pU7a5AZfjVpx7IiEJRn5INcukZ2kxd2-vwQ47x7IuGPN76R4g67-rfzDkAUFLSjZVzGvM3V1mpKBpgDamJNprzUuCV4/s1600-h/SAM_12573.jpg"><img title="SAM_1257" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="SAM_1257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjqUFxNBkdf6dRqlVBsOUvXxFi1gwrqdi9gabj28GXpKii7nsuA16lPKrQ-R1lDIBbWcd1V4FQoL0ZtL_oBpaAiQnwiKYXQzJLO75PCGrYgkJ3qHpF-OzPz_5yHUVQ66iHXi7yies0QXP/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuWdAHnHFliURxiGCvV4NL-RQnticbm3Q86tx_ak-mAlN_yiKSoaQ9I1aOQYTZTKM51u8vSQbI-0DW2gY4dFhJns6GKwF8GE8-jK7w-fcfF8OIS2XEgkQrixPLhRHQo2X1P1abb7AP37Y/s1600-h/SAM_12603.jpg"><img title="SAM_1260" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="SAM_1260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjMWiCZIb_xhYm_FuZXe1smIUZ1VLiWqlggY-eflWn7cglNVepgupWGDbLP9AlkdJiq15MOxTThL3nsjlaqm5tEkHZKSyufrC9UoX1R7yftykWm5amOso4OtSBlCL1Y3aFoCC3KOfP8XA3/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfZ458J3NqXo1bPAWXOl7YPFStVO1rbC7GqOjS21VgM9gEZBVDtAMFtof7Rf0fvFIfvfumLdeLERPDTfgDDvn2GfGIqP9WfbI5luRMAQASKlZAgnXUfOfzlzzDSSEfXRWFDt02XVNeHE3/s1600-h/IMG_98373.jpg"><img title="IMG_9837" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_9837" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyDL9mWq3cXmLp61tJOLzC0-4ytfNM4v7Qt0kP2pKPIuEpBBqe92K5HxLzR0_kxonEI5gtIcctpVpw8LgL8a1tKVsRK6-xx06e66luy_a-II-AVYnm5tKOPxqHgqTGt0jSQ0mzEm6Q1HEy/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a></p> <p>It was ok but didn’t work great because: a) the couches were pretty close together in real life, b) there was a ton of wasted space in front of the piano, and c) I love my piano, but didn’t really want it to be the focal point when you walk in our front door. <br><br>So I thought and thought over a new solution and finally about a year and a half later, I decided enough was enough and it was time to figure it out. So my husband and I started moving things around. The only thing I was really sure of was that I wanted the piano just to the right of the window (where you see the loveseat above). Other than that, we just moved couches and chairs around for a while until things seemed to fit. And this is what we settled on.<br><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2AlL7F4sIG32xYozMc77l4yRd5sYsXakB8v1MiGR8AepMMoK8biEMedmSgntMgWFHGDhIiRqQQtQVTwun-eW_H9icrCQur25ARobswh5MsVaGjKrRzXqBDykRJy2-1xg0ggdhkYaxKZD/s1600-h/lr%252520floorplan%252520after%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="lr floorplan after" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="lr floorplan after" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJh81YF_oBrMRlTp1S-WR2vPQAMQKAq7b04kD5J6x03PzzG0l9MAANKK6ll0DlzSVtwJpIXR0qNmTDC0y4_1AXih8YppSDEyFnkwgn7OStHEvwHW4vJZ8dTPwl2Whgqx3HBXsh2MHP8H8/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="337"></a></p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2k0qRHYyYBsA6zSNB-wTTJJc9IVa5sO96O7R7aZ8l-J9E5bMeTK3rI-ZgLf8cid4eFqbc8UeLgLpxVCt8LdbxV94LUmlf3TViyGWYSg3NURJZpWgWqyUIeB51cVgIZ-j0pPaUBtHvGY5-/s1600-h/SAM_2272%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="SAM_2272" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="SAM_2272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA90tCMhpmrwrm1I8k_lGGfkqjFRKb0xsNmY_MNBt2y-vdpjHewip_EpGVcS1c4j5-ufHVNeEkdLQz6cJ5HIat68z98-5h3-HDJBy1jOYgUrhmCOYu1BLG0HZmFlPe6kiTq_ziauxGBIND/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFwgFpUcRtkoq4_EeR1VoOHN9mL2HbqlP4gRA1tUgnBxYeZwXUKPo1LGNqh8fNQucqi7bfobGYH8kao0GhlIMWxN07SWpn1c14NQ6B_cmjThiTdbbgYWB-WioCDwpNzWwA47ZtBNDqKw2A/s1600-h/SAM_2273%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="SAM_2273" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="SAM_2273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXHYYF-ZNVCoOBf2pLJjQ357U729ScjpY2aYK1NKMUK5R9wzDc93-sd1CuPpDBXIoDKIgzPFVEL61T70aSCAYZwyEq-wKKNR426gzB7Qk0giYPRjr6cHVL0y_0gxvNob9vCkyjyAiWsR14/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC951n20Rax7wRfXnJ4nYL08gZn2wNtnk24_EDmZsuDY9HCri6_cdoUjDaHtwR9v89yJa3HBN53ZXUv9RzTALgMDeJAqk5FkXXxK0yh_aqwZvx8to1Buz2Z__H34YUV3k8CMt3ygazBlrW/s1600-h/SAM_2275%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="SAM_2275" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="SAM_2275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeaoeHi9Og6u9u8FrZieHIC26HaoRwG1I53LXTPTBiCbWlddtqWQeBtehrtMnQlJkyKL1F_Q5eE2Cn0tzTi0SOg14OBVa7vx2ogTlNgKmCqnzMVlc_tKrmYdrRxQ7Pl0CeXdUhE1tsNB9/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a></p> <p>The desk was a bit of an afterthought. Once we got everything else arranged, we had a big, empty space in that corner. I also had the problem of nowhere to work on my laptop. So this has been a perfect solution. I love when everything functions well! The whole layout just seems cozier and way more conducive to conversation. Of course this room is far from done. Still on the list is end tables, an ottoman or pouf, a new rug, possibly repaint, and change up the pillow covers. One day…</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-65442654978938353592013-07-19T14:33:00.001-04:002013-07-19T14:33:26.971-04:00Bringing back plastic<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZDWxVE6axMnl6eQeZcQEayGpUq7RmJ46w76Yce65PyfwQbihYs8fOaOKybgoLRVwuY8PbZByNsgkyGc8n6RBSPTFl7lO4kjg7AKwqo9wbbSJu4FP8DeH9rTPR0ozsNPCN97SFmhHO4__/s1600-h/Why%252520we%252520don%252527t%252520budget%252520with%252520cash%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="Why we don't budget with cash" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Why we don't budget with cash" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwtTbXHvRSmVJdKI08yUgwdFOoWdEzsxo36ApEBsjTYMaBS3aEVh-CioRRl6025AEGZZdTyrcSfVnA3br-qtTw7_4_a0ddLYCwoWRGJgUFYuwEJHqvy0y9rRtZgrAa8cTQcfINCSVfInZ/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a>We are budgeters. I have a <em>thing</em> for spreadsheets and numbers. Every day I open up that my beloved spreadsheet and enter things in and recalculate things and just bask in the <em>order</em> of it. The nerd in me really loves that it is one thing in life that is just numbers and equations. That part is easy (almost). But you know the hard part about budgeting, the part that everyone hates – actually sticking to it. Bleh.</p> <p>We’ve tried many things over the years. For a long time we just used our credit cards (paid off every month of course) and bought what we needed to buy. We checked in on the budget every week or so to make sure we were on track. But sometimes it was the end of the month, and the end of the money, but we just <em>needed</em> something. So we went ahead and bought it anyways. Now normally, this would put someone in debt really fast, but my husband earned strictly commission for years and would receive compensation in a few large lump sums over the course of the year so we almost always had a bunch of money in our bank account. Somehow we always made things work until we got paid again. <br><br>Then my husband got a “real” job. The kind that deposits a predetermined amount in our bank account every month. The kind that actually helped us to realize that we really needed to actually manage our money. Around that time, I jumped on the Dave Ramsey bandwagon. We didn’t have debt but I knew our budgeting could be a lot better. So I began to withdraw cash and put it in envelopes. It worked pretty good for me. It definitely was a lot harder for me to let go of cash than to just swipe my card but there were a few huge issues for us. <br></p> <p>The first is that my husband doesn’t like cash. For him, cash feels like “extra,” since that was the way we had kind of always treated it. With our previous ‘card-swiping’ system, cash always came out of our budget when with withdrew it so it was basically our blow money. If he had cash in his wallet, then it was slowly dwindled away on snacks or treats or who knows what else. We recognized that right away and so he started leaving the cash at home. But then we kept running into other issues. Like how he would pay for something if I asked him to stop at the store on the way home. Or if he needed to get some supplies for his class after school (he’s a teacher). So then he would end up using his credit card and when he got home we’d take out the cash and put it <em>another</em> envelope to be deposited <em>back</em> into our bank account to balance everything out. It was a pain. <br><br>But the other issue that really bothered me was that it was hard for us to both be on the same page. Jeff is really great at the big picture stuff. I work better with the little everyday details. So while we talk about our budget in general terms, he trusts me to do the math and figure out all the specifics. The problem with that was that it would often come down to him saying we needed something and me being the downer, always saying we can’t afford it. Because I knew exactly how much money I had left in my wallet but he had no idea. All in all, cash was just <em>not working!</em><br><br>But lest you think that this is just a sad tale, have hope. There’s a happy ending! After a couple months of struggling with cash to make it work (E<em>veryone says that cash is so easy! What’s wrong with us??)</em>, my husband suggested that we go back to using our credit cards. I was super hesitant and expressed that while that solved concern #1, it did nothing to alleviate concern #2 and even brought up another concern (being able to see at all times what was left in our budget). <br><br>And then my smarty of a husband said, “there must be an app for that.” And he was right. I quickly downloaded a budget app (<a href="http://https://www.eebacanhelp.com/">this</a> is the one we use) and it has literally changed our life. We fill our “envelopes” in our app twice a month and now both of us can use our smartphones and see at all times exactly how much money we have left at any given time. All we have to do is enter each transaction as it happens, which takes about 30 seconds. I know there will be those that disagree (I know this is practically blasphemy to the Dave Ramsey fans out there) but this solution has helped us big time!<br><br>So the moral of the story? Don’t give up! Just because one person (even if they are a finance guru!) claims that their method is the best, or only way, you don’t have to do it if it doesn’t work for you. Keep trying until you figure out something that does!<br><br><em>**Just for the record, I do still think the cash system is awesome and can be really useful for lots of people, especially people wanting to drastically change their spending habits. So if you are thinking of trying it, please do! And if you already use it and love it, carry on!</em></p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-50662843268542964162013-07-11T10:55:00.001-04:002013-07-11T14:44:46.502-04:00Cheap Family Fun: Fly a kite!<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-A3CYExIcV2E/Ud7HOHyMdcI/AAAAAAAAAYw/px8i1qlSXRA/s1600-h/go%252520fly%252520a%252520kite%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="go fly a kite" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="go fly a kite" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzME10OB5HXufpLP2tQEoU-bwPRneqV5zWXeRVt1pGz9eqFP083AfqZkYKoJslflruwd-LoK4BneY7fgxZruyed7HldOipNNIcfI5UrQiJMI4ynaRe3lwvzv7sgSzQ8qfNCl8w-jtXUD9/?imgmax=800" width="320" height="480"></a>We’re on a budget. Like a one-income-family, working-on-a-masters-degree budget. In many ways we are very blessed. We own a home, my husband has a secure job, we have no debt (other than our mortgage). But after financially horrific May (we spent over $2000 on car repairs and to buy a new lawnmower. Yikes!) we realized our savings account was seriously lacking. So priority number one for us right now is to build up that savings, which unfortunately does not leave us much for the “family expenses” category. So this summer we are looking for inexpensive ways to have fun together.<br><br>Last Saturday we didn’t have much going on. We enjoyed a lazy morning (it’s good to have those every once in a while!) but by the afternoon, we were going a little stir crazy. We talked about going swimming but the pool in our town in closed for renovations this year. And driving to the city (45 min away) not only equals more in gas, but usually leads to eating out and going to Costco and overall spending more money that we should. <br><br>So we settled for a walk to the park. We loaded the boys up in the wagon and walked down to a park that’s a few blocks away. Halfway there, I remembered a kite that I had purchased on clearance at the end of season last year. I ran back home to grab it and it turned out to be some of the best 50 cents I’ve ever spent. The boys had so much fun with it! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Eue4_YcUQF_0TILzSmCnqbXQItJ6OeDRhYsqsIXK0ObUoMQQapSOxGsfQNjI3JPHIghYfe8M5ChddHjXTg5YE2dpx-pZKcRN9zl1BuuEc0FBFW9JWlGPYjDlDlqoMM2raU1y-x-eRkp1/s1600-h/SAM_2210%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="SAM_2210" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="SAM_2210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0HOZgGDNopbt6dd-3IT2br2EORZZaNzoxJO9iOx5s7Pzf6yXl3i8asixCV7yymhEbwPLgAMPbvm_e5ioWUz3Br2rKJIsO1_sQibEGe-IfbMUC-NQ8z8pQlty449IqOLYnH-q1yKAeTIm/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_jghgVzNe1QKgaLx4LDC5MS8ewv5EluQ0Bm1mkxJUrnPIu60vRMWVGCQ5jSlHkg5DrePbi44jbRKjAsrjGwouVCwUS_cVZ7Qn09O2iiYOA_wfrlIAkOfPUL3TmRhsbwxrcpfS_w57zqG/s1600-h/SAM_2222%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="SAM_2222" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="SAM_2222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIpXSl20htRS_f7iPxw6wSL7GAfjvFy3mE7OGC0rYhf-2LhZowM7e7ANsPuvQqSwHsZ-zCyhh8D2zyLouySQAheQM8GIStfbDBRlTiI2BFMtaP4r-TYsUsLJcqmvyyfFjljPhf2fqlHU-/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0oSDN4-oz7Psp6HXO55nFakTfzGvWj9X0exAjUJoadFZ7qO9eaFn3wVjGBqAznrNfJjcHdsgLWKRYpHCscnY8RIw8HNTi8ez-5_TeQ1PeguF57AEfXfZFpLYkcWM0jAdyOBCtl1dv3Qm/s1600-h/SAM_2227%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="SAM_2227" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="SAM_2227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM-q1TdZz092kmBJ2C8Kq_4aISzIp5Is6ETBSoSC-9epPmRa5UuJ1cKdVXRVYW9v9lzLBGNxymES3jZ4BoHVNJmbs0eX-Z4zKvEbBlf09pwot_v8vem7Jl8cGzUE6yOukyOdCJeB0h3A0R/?imgmax=800" width="320" height="480"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvjGSY1kicbsaQXpgrP0oou8Lg4QSe4t0uWeQ05IXFFACDAxH3rgCJClirddY7tfWnNKD4VGGW5Nn46AiR9K0N0YyRP_iequ9w5HzQncBhy5BPc42wWX-qQjEK9n9CcGxW7bC-ipKW8In/s1600-h/SAM_2228%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="SAM_2228" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="SAM_2228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VWH-aNg9SHoT3LabJXcqTwFfcH9WOuM-hxtHZyfJADuVBvLnWn1fDwA_QRF6kxB7L2hGkRSvcx_TU2Y6ja_tfpMCxMLLW6tcbKltEcpJmIEoRFW2s2QQmJ8Cw0yq1_4H5W2Oj_kXkc7n/?imgmax=800" width="320" height="480"></a></p> <p>I’m always amazed at the benefits of thinking outside the box. Taking a trek into the city would have cost us upwards of $50. Flying a kite at the park down the street cost us a whopping 50 cents. And truthfully, it was way more fun!</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-76200184899602956492012-11-19T23:47:00.000-05:002013-07-27T20:41:05.715-04:00Living room gallery wallIt took me a really long time to get stuff on the walls of our house. It was partly due to the fact that we were more worried about things like flooring and kitchen cabinets and windows and doors and bathrooms and trim. And then once we finished that stuff, I was just way too big and pregnant and tired to even care. But things are finally starting to happen. The one big thing that I’ve had in mind the whole time for this house is a gallery wall. And not just any gallery wall, a massive one! I have always hated the fact that I take tons of pictures but they just end up stuck on the computer. I also really wanted to showcase not just the most recent pictures, but my favorites from over the years. And so from all of that, you get this!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpDvZSVe19suiGZuYe7moGIyxWM95UX4tuM-V8dVDQ5UZgltQ6G5bXR63As_3YwoCmdVJO5wDUMA6awzZWIeinzcivSgseMj55HRV1Gwc0NJF8SuUKdLxgM3pD5NZnaPf7O4iklg0r9lY/s1600-h/IMG_1362%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_1362" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMubxRaammu-8xbTlV2_3MG4cj6hOhD8cinbrfwQNHzXny6RwIINq0g1Lp9fQn-zsgWYA6NoCp8vaCQx-QWGwSLZx6vx1ykxTCu5VOdQbrF82a7aKNTi1EpnTUOXk0JziFKdvHr1lN3iPl/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_1362" width="500" /></a><br />
I wanted to use color pictures so I chose white frames to let the photographs shine. Most of the frames are thrifted and spray-painted white. The pictures are an assortment of the last seven and a half year. It was actually pretty difficult choosing pictures. I could have included a hundred more! Overall I’m fairly happy with how it turned out. There are still a few more things I would like to tweak though. But that’s one thing I love about this wall – it can constantly change and evolve with us. <br />
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One thing I’d like to try is to eliminate all of the mats in the frames. I almost think there is a little too much white going on so I may try some enlarged pictures and see how I like it. I’m also not sure of a couple of my frames up there. The one on the top right is always crooked and some of them are not in too great shape or a very different white color. I’ll keep you updated as I move things around. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-1000789679460355582012-11-10T15:31:00.001-05:002013-07-27T20:40:52.714-04:00DIY Growth ChartThis is one of those projects that seemed to carry on and on forever. Actually it didn’t just seem like it, it was more than two years from the time I bought the materials until it was actually hanging on our wall. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5b-OhoetWMnCRxUV9cxV4yM-D6RQLUjIeSRmtdP2umV5PyGBePER3DSDcnTYIFkdcR_0ROX2c1EnD4-koji2-t0f3h3IqIzu6Zq9q1tjhuzXHDbSUb8xuIVf1DW2r2xXtRcYNCvZusWvc/s1600-h/IMG_1360%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_1360" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTldLDMzBFUeCW3F6cOdapgqD3MsSX9dMgwuA69k7ohlwmmUWOyCRcc7kZaRlBj2rVNzHXQViqRTgdTwqAn9dj-JdhvLfRdprH7pGJ6zHSw1IotaUUXLycoW2UJjBSYQ10yS-oNf6GHfmL/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_1360" width="257" /></a><br />
I love the idea of recording our kids’ heights but I had a few criteria when designing mine:<br />- I wanted to be able to move it around if needed<br />-I wanted to be able to record each child’s height separately<br />- I wanted some form with all that function<br />
I started out with three pieces of pine tongue-in-groove paneling from Home Depot. This style had two small panels on one side and one large one on the back. After acclimating in our garage for a few months (totally not a needed step, just my way of saying I procrastinated a whole lot!), I first cut them to length (about 5') and then I glued them together with wood glue. I flipped the middle piece around so that instead of two skinny panels, it had one wide one. I cut off the tongue piece on the right with my circular saw but I left the groove on the left, in case we have more than four children and I want to add another piece of paneling.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuyuB_5GilNjimTvFYPDllt6sf9pwLSkMLeWsL1Rw2P6M7NDYAkK03Ah0u_expeFvbZ8Mdpk219hXe9M43hi5eD_XMKfPm3dWd1lRELPV34YPB3vd5-TapzISryt9T7fq02l2GtE_hVh0/s1600-h/IMG_6985%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_6985" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj485FLawsAOxRXdi22Xa1opoh6xY1ZoOMuAUIyK8N-l0AAyWYWqk-NmeNPw-MTs_aCQr0UNzKBWFHhvG49a1INOZ9FfKLr0eg8wZtH3-g9OoHZYZa4EqgfoZbosAFV30VP_lD0WvHEWT4q/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_6985" width="320" /></a><br />
Then it was primed and painted white – just some leftover semi-gloss that I had on hand. Now, I know this next part could be done a lot more easily with vinyl but I am not a patient person and I just wanted to get this done so I used a bit of a different technique. I overlapped two pieces of painters tape on a scrap piece of 2x4. Then I printed off the words in the font and size I wanted and taped it over the tape. Then it was just a matter of tracing around the letters with my exacto knife, making sure I was getting all the way through the paper and the tape. After that it was just a matter of peeling off the tape and sticking it to my already painted board. It is definitely not perfect but it worked good enough for me!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1k3KB6hjy1Q-Rcy3-r9AJAQtDMz_gf2Gt9d2Lll0inDVTq8GeExNOFOqokyeunGcGi7wa_-ky1uQA17xR-XNmT_Hxc0Ad2DBOzp6COKjzROJTbUJiOo3j67J-gK3aNZY68IdHU3Cy5Lb/s1600-h/IMG_7004%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_7004" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdbdy0fYPoRHWRRhXxp3o4ZtEpT0ob9B3WVpF1UMHtwgvtiZ_upC1YxXIek5rcFA6HwLd4pKLwhd8amLzjEJothAnjLT0VmXE9gSkNdjCbypIw9tE5Q5ZThIMyGciFYVOi6nlOiHrE95we/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_7004" width="320" /></a><br />
Once I filled in all of my stencils with a light grey paint (I just mixed a little bit of black acrylic craft paint into the white semi-gloss), I did the same thing with the numbers and filled them in with a darker grey paint. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8IimhADRfnhnGXnzHBDcxIEAZa4z3B0bQJrxtqxfeqJK50jm12GNAsTQjK1o3B8s7Ut029wBUFHAxUiRryC4yv71DuYJoXtkb_FIyFyEGUTUy2IHuPUomFDA7fuZKuPXqiZq-Ibv2dEf9/s1600-h/IMG_7014%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_7014" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-w2k92zlv6CwGSrXYwDMUz-gOj09x1c3ZspA9Nopw3h1-UxREIypUtw5Nkv_xsAWZEfJM18O5Z0HH6MHSrEk_DRjN40Bh91SdVuOAsUGI-YQMJ2YcnJJxrdKMl-LkaLTNX94WeXTZ6Xe/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_7014" width="320" /></a><br />
Then it was just a matter of adding the measurement lines and I was done!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20GVmQPHw4XwZ6SsdHGoBOGglgaj6wQurKz329IHSqzFmlrZpvnFMDscIhTp6Zb6wcEHrNJTyqE0e-RfS6atEY_SIiU2Z_a-PNU-poPzpngxVV0tcArh8tgm6nL6pVNHkRZrWfCH5B5iz/s1600-h/IMG_7030%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_7030" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOe0UxOyIFIhsOfTQtG5NNC6VNPyF0FpQBlr9qT5srOtqMB-TQOZeoTd-ysvGzUdhJwcMPobHm2YLKMFkeq8wEa8qxTs4tn830Iw7dNmrRsZI_FO3SrAQQa1gr53zNSYxfrl2UiUkFyOJH/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_7030" width="320" /></a><br />
But by this time, we were about ready to list our house so I didn’t hang it up at the time. Then we moved and renovated and everything else that last year entailed. When we pulled it our at our new house, the paint had been scratched up and it wasn’t looking too hot so it still didn’t get hung up. So then finally this weekend I found a spot for it and figured out how to hang it up. Then it just took a little bit of touch up paint and it looks awesome! You might notice that I still have to add another name to the top but I’m giving myself a little time since that boy is still a few months away from being able to stand on his own!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-79802881413283849642012-09-17T09:04:00.000-04:002013-07-27T20:40:30.511-04:00NurseryThe baby’s room is finally at a point that I can call it done (for now!). It still needs some more small touches but all of the big things are done. And now it’s a fun, simple room, perfect for baby Nash. But first, lets travel back in time a year and check out what it used to be. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumqpkSNJnSvcfURrzOMf6te1zoBesLhYO-tZSZ_WV7pV-18POlaosP5rmvwB4bJEJIQ427rHkXHZ_RaSpxJhnPpc-71oKJuMiPz7BCkbV0DhP95wCQ37AGncPFrqPccwCPwD6ol1T6T6g/s1600-h/SAM_0928%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0928" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-pUaNgDthO5DZE2qfYFbggFfwzO4DcjPnSsAXyMgGaN_tkIMDUs0TpEC5vKjy-PMFyB7cOWc02kzqFlgrDTh84l0phwX57sbL4QMafOpXlpyHjvETLMAU1ilGfVhKMS5Rshhacelvx2o/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0928" width="500" /></a>I’m not sure exactly what this room was used for but it was an elderly lady that lived here so I’m guessing this room was used for some type of physiotherapy or stretching? Your guess is as good as mine. Either way, it wasn’t very inviting with linoleum floors and those giant metal bars. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxL1ce2EXQ4XOnICwzxnk_j9f8NWVH37n1clgCMMzncTdX7twHc0Hv2BP875amQTP2539R2x3uA4-uRTZVvzVPJH39wRL54LsEcnwD08s28JLFdGgI6CcPSS7VmkLPLtj5ho8v4FhsVpY/s1600-h/SAM_0929%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0929" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeRGENHmULflgB7ltsqVyh-CO722tts19R3h-oKDkyWSHMmQuLsFVzb8hZpMq8X2RZM69paaanCfKFONtF-mhcByNmPTVl6_RI0FJ1JekYbeOhOTYl3XtjNU_tCJw4s-hjO0uUF04_a66/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0929" width="500" /></a>But even though it looks quite different now, this is probably the room that got close to the least amount of changes. First, we tore up the linoleum and extra subfloor, which was a total beast! I actually have my grandparents to thank for that because they got most of that job done. We also, of course, ripped off all of the wallpaper, trim and the closet doors. Next it got a coat of paint and a new window! Those big bay windows were kinda cool in their own way but totally not the look we were going for. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8fL9yEPQ7vN2aIvrqTcjYG3tN6GA5XYaA-9XsMGmmntiC344DXm_H5L_lvobgMzl-Y0lDg3xHqXHSRhCl1dGwvDsQql8O4UYAk6fwWI0c1HzdyaASq3SoF2fZg-8k5Ydr3coRKKw2jLgG/s1600-h/IMG_9163%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_9163" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEn2bSqCbKoGYVTY3NEcsDE9KGEAPqs31add3b6_KaaDxgli2sK_Cn9UyrI2W8v5ZQW8MBuGS9zEVmSmsZVbRpnvOMHSeHkFvaeXkpI3oiKVrjsqAhX3nqruLSMSgZ4f-pkcZ5P0ijfpkt/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_9163" width="500" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6drZDVo1DnG3VoHQcG5XHzVSbigUg6oaT5QUElU3zGLgdTh-exLK38pm2t_f7pwM4tgA47XTXb30uZ9A0gXrQnQ45KPs6SI05RaUXjTd1-GAih7jdKcksK_wjsw_yV7sycqPZks67s0l/s1600-h/IMG_9167%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_9167" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqDo9voh2n1CiJNJQyRSgZLzgBYYjOzB7maEY1PRxQE94VlzSg3jYrc0Om2VvEqlF49RjofYan2qyDw3HghTNX5qgk83z6-OAm6pf2yDAqLjw2Hw2UvRsp3ZOsCvOtzfevMp5V61BquQG/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_9167" width="500" /></a><br />
After some new trim and flooring, here it is today:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9W-UMK3cTVn9jfukki8LeokJrJL6cCpl_FIeAQIzKUjcNxO9MLohZARNB_boF0_0qONEvw1zYIGSvZP8UtWxV0HMsOy4oDCSzydc2KyCWGfewYfmj_wAKFokR34rur_Dbwt5ikU7oK5n/s1600-h/SAM_1243%252520copy%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_1243 copy" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6nr93Lf_tGSUE9-JcrzXAjN0AxxVNQOxtbAsxMc_FbRplBMGw1TP7sNo9Zs1D7BWHce-27EgavOtDirXG5mcyHIfrbIVqqqGJQ3tk0Kg8JtJqpDNFqKj9Mfldet4_YsnebGyYiLKrvPp/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_1243 copy" width="500" /></a>Poor Nash, the third child that he is. We really didn’t do much for his nursery other than set up all the furniture that was in Landon’s nursery. But I do love that we were able to give the room a whole different look without much effort or money spent. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ogwsiWmX4aqnacnwFpBBcCiOoglF8tQXD6v2Fv3DA0BMlzd5FMpEIpd_3Qbnw5CVSTUxU_DCu2XCQmvO7LvpPKnXqnLlQWthssS_1hXa6O27TeeHV6Mw30iyP-7yo8zBUR5a6kHZV5uz/s1600-h/SAM_1241%252520copy%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_1241 copy" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zuvIgTebC2iAhYwirt7gajHUYdP-lseaz2eC8njtX1baRGtpUvQJ6Mwre9IWBesx92UD4ZUEIZz7jUIFGa2b4cgYwoLC8ZCchDz1l6ucnunr89tP7GI-zSKR-KxZkZkdEQ7aAmpLG7LV/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_1241 copy" width="500" /></a>I knew I didn’t want to go all out with the crib bedding so I chose instead to order some fabric and make him a fun crib sheet. I really love the pop of color in the crib! I would like to have a crib skirt but I’ve done without one for this long, I don’t think I’ll make the effort now. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLOvi9ux8zOGHhsgNNSxU_l5MUGeGBCAmzNMLw6N5EHFWM64T8GJTDEAJhsWKB3m5UdKtrGP5xM5OUaQ4mynisjErCCXtxRKaX0fnJ-NJ0xFiJmPPV92qxaZTewdAQIohy0JRdChjiBoEh/s1600-h/IMG_1055%252520copy%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_1055 copy" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShU0lw1fYRP4MnFq4l1ilQTCfO_rFwOtQwOX6NhmZZDXl4v1fad2Mz4Dpov7yYG1mVo1pZ1JYPgSqoN88aApwB4lHSuDIKuo5yRafu6quoE51cY1Jnfn7qc3xtp_7UyxLwStDqZA7bdrj/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_1055 copy" width="500" /></a>The crib and mobile were both bought before Tyler was born. It is kinda fun to have things that we’ve used with all three boys. I made the dinosaur art and then had it printed at Costco and popped them into dollar store frames. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZGJhOoE8p5YQSBndk1-baZrEV0oy0L_DEwTJERmSVSsuxqPI5SXQBPl8uXemtPSfAEhP5boNXbpIpSjGhEIRr-0cRuuq4QnCdflK8zGKjnnvMd9NRDhmtoEysUwjbbckETtil6CWj6kd/s1600-h/IMG_1048%252520copy%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_1048 copy" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQ1Q9K3HS2PwxyCe6QdcNN-F1q4l3WJuCQxoS6ZzPmiHkMIiurfeMUd_TW5v_YTnPH8venZdari14zYsmmWTNAEdtHyAe1XI4val_8gDkNOfwFtt4QjBWU3-vKoYtFvwmnF65T3gZwuP_/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_1048 copy" width="500" /></a><br /><br />The “Nash” sign was made by adapting an idea I found on Pinterest. It was kind of a fun project and Jeff actually helped me a lot by pounding most of the nails and even doing some of the string. I actually snapped this picture the morning before Nash was born. The boys were watching a show, Jeff was finishing up the sign and I was sitting in the chair having contractions. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoS4su4DSAlrdtfgLEb_lr0fBlTmjGUyho-vXJBgErw6suYNlkWcODKRfOVSqhM347jm6uhczzJj1D38mHXfvkx2dybTsK-338iT7I_aHuHZRnmEl6-BtA5aTnTQuWgxvbmcOXik_OOoQN/s1600-h/IMAG0143%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMAG0143" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yN74L1_siD69Rl6A5Ck5vGLIS93e48jAcQD8gJIbGJBpZpqDA5E5_fnEk8lCcZ_Y3j8XOmcMbUdzg608SGctnyzwkf4Z1ijJMtMgn2ZVGQWhE0X5uIe_7Jmz7xRrox01F6-FWxGOrBOL/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMAG0143" width="287" /></a><br />I think it’s a fun, unexpected element to a little boy’s room!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtkPKazI2QkT6jbbTG91ATtmYANquWBEkmTKoftjHpoh_dQ8X3ZUkeJSiuQHWXl94YBqIS8xKHWXW1dZY061sfjJgYqYjVMQP_9MzG7ug27QyYIWugo9xKHPO0NUR3VzbzfFpOXuUUV4I/s1600-h/IMG_1053%252520copy%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="IMG_1053 copy" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYxOPpUmbVgJAJBkNqtkzlos9pWudP7Pext-6Sg5FV-luxTeDuWFLZsZReuMqUGO2AHq8-VVfl_SG_K73sj9fOhvZx7fLn__E1voNgxLPvOLLhC_jb3X4iry8GqjhNMfLkXBz8WOPKfQx/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="IMG_1053 copy" width="500" /></a><br />The chair and night stand, I recovered/refinished before Landon was born but I recently whipped up that fun pillow to add a bit of color to that side of the room. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLh0JcdYJjrW6fEOoaSOTC9DZe2T5MvIdNl4Ao1wl-kUB7ocwZ1uSuzstkjowzxI9tOcswpZ0XtGCS8GlpkLO04zvWLjuMj2a0tw6sYxUosUgJy_5mbFIX1xUsWgNybpMa3yZGo0w9S9MB/s1600-h/SAM_1242%252520copy%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_1242 copy" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcnvAGf8b2SuhjPgVxH16kRDDJB38PQO92ZFOY552l6nUDFAv0Io0JHY-ut7I7KeSvxe6bMc1KaQFG__jZcX3AcIoRTiKDeqkuF2FZ8pmrZBHZWdCl8v7Ows1pVMORNlufDTaKospm8BE/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_1242 copy" width="500" /></a><br />
I’m really happy with where we are at with his room right now. It definitely needs some more finishing touches but I’m happy enough with it right now that I can move on to some other projects in our house that are in more desperate need of my attention!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-33077287006287888642012-09-12T23:22:00.001-04:002013-07-27T20:41:41.991-04:00A Bed Upgrade<br />You see, we had this bed. We bought it about a year after we were married and I think it was our first big furniture purchase. We felt all grown up buying this big, dark four poster bed. And it’s been well loved for the past 6 years. And it was still in pretty decent shape, despite several moves and years of wear and tear. But we were just itching for something different. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7J-v6Q35hUY0INUF71gaDO9c-OrrzZeV3e_YP30yDbdFG5MRvUwCLrsWCiRGLeH9X714ITCZvXbhKDA7YNeCBJkhy-_bTV1Pb9lrO4pPzBZAunEdTtrwgo3AAk1VfNN6jvNvryacmjlBW/s1600-h/SAM_1070%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_1070" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzIM-xsefXL7LxhXMtT1PCFMZfSBCPC0pWnDP5J4Gwb82j12EdaApFo-KejAsHAgagXM0yUd_aGhyphenhyphenaQstpRfmRJvTW_AKqZjH10dNbF9jugRK9pwbdKc22x5Pt3d-PS6C4i7CMYEETwaG/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_1070" width="500" /></a>It all started with the idea of hacking off the posts. I think a four poster bed can be great, but we just don’t have a big enough room to pull it off. It really made the space feel closed in. The hubby was on board with that so we disassembled the bed to haul the posts out to our miter saw and give them a little trim. And while we had the bed taken apart, I decided that there was no time like the present to give it a little facelift. You see, in addition to those posts really closing off the space, the dark color was really heavy and I just wasn’t feeling the leather anymore. So we took all the pieces down to our basement where they sat for the last 5 months. I wish I was joking. In the meantime, our room looked like this. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zLv7Il-dcicSrN07WrpDcwG340bdf7RVBp4-4BR2rWUetTWsQb54eg6Pu7IYFTrtEtKBr50wpyzP-ksQViEGQIv3xFXBwgnadigH8hxh6JEmCRSjWem72mJIoDA4d7P9dhAb3GfwAcvd/s1600-h/SAM_1116%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_1116" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCc3_Ms1bazOxns8u3fwzc73X-UpuMuwMasLKtfPxKOhYrKdsAMquX9U7Wmch8ZeELQFNnroLHM4iq30GNYRF61SUB2MmSqBM738S_-CHOQwYkZLdrEARm8-xbW_v0IwCBtC4qr1EPd1H/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_1116" width="500" /></a>Nothing like sleeping on the floor to keep you feeling young! And then finally with summer winding down and me getting the bug to get the house in order, I finally got around to finishing it up these last few weeks. It was a fairly simple process, although it did take a bit of time (stretched out over quite a few days) to prime and paint all of the pieces. The old leather pieces were just screwed into place from the back so updating that part was fairly simple. I cut a piece of plywood to size and then upholstered it in batting and fabric and screwed it back in. I’m loving our new bed. It feels so fresh! I can hardly believe it is the same piece of furniture. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirVwVoyvdz8zRLjh3S9tcFsGbxpOlRrPBb0YOksM_Q_d4p849rkc3sOY5kWtNYIMM8lidePgGJq4UoV9UDGJqUt6qvqXuEBNMQ9uMr1l6NdRYFPb1ylhipcZTXX3bSkq6cQOXDk5HtbHBQ/s1600-h/SAM_1239%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_1239" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg10A5UoFLO9v6TZjEiqqryGQNDLoQWKEv_sX0Wxh7B5yFQ9ETmS4dnv1rqEOADpD57UJeXUsQlg8M528vTunFDn5uRrxyoEi3kkANZU9c8wKNVrsMcD_iThhwJKU7pdFeY0HrqTMGcQtW4/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_1239" width="500" /></a><br />
As you can see, there is still quite a bit of work to do in our room. And when I say quite a bit, I pretty much mean that I haven’t done anything else. Except the lamps. Next up on the agenda: pillows, things on the wall, a new dresser and some closet organization. And when I say next on the agenda, I pretty much mean hopefully sometime in the next year!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-52193416160181447082012-01-12T14:58:00.001-05:002013-07-27T20:41:57.917-04:00A roof over our headsOne of the very first projects on the agenda for our new house was our roof. It had a few issues.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSteHSRTnCGWIZLcaQMwNP8uRdNcjqaIwNYbo-PHweBkpcrh_arwoAN9dDxut6W7eip6a_EsMl9rdW4ZLtwZbcsHmGaWhxO6UWaXZ0521xLQt3gQkKx9MDOc7f3W6r7UvxMxKEsBV2zJv-/s1600-h/SAM_0907%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0907" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3wGV-6hIVTAm4aai9_4X6cmsA2UH2pCcB7hL_0dO4RLNrTDUD8q5vnpnu_Rl4gV3Sv4z4Ky_98cHm7y1hX8tuUrAz3spv8j-IS4SGNO_9u94TdgVU4UjFKZVU6ZqatGCpUGijm29EOfD/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0907" width="500" /></a><br />
The first issue was that the shingles were old and wearing and needed to be replaced. Simple enough. The second issue was that the roof sagged a bit over the garage. (The garage was an addition and was built with homemade rafters that obviously were not as sturdy as manufactured ones). The third issue was that it was boring! But luckily we were able to find a fix for all of those things!<br /><br />So first of all was to fix the structural things. Luckily, our inspector told us that the garage was still structurally sound and that it looked like the garage would not continue to sag. A cosmetic fix was all that would be needed. Great news! Next on the agenda was to hire a contractor who could add some interest to the contour of the roof. My husband came up with the idea of the peak and we hired a friend of ours to put it up and to also fix the spot over the garage. We were really excited how it turned out! It adds so much to the house and just looks great!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhabjNYJkjapfuE4l0Hy2NVIa38GYf6dCJNwa4sIAljmwx0FtJuSIew-XElwjdOXO5yROTHNaSv6xjf4ahn7DETrrR3LECssgK6rndUn0OrRLABGrOlX1vkXE9jRoiM81AadmKqHOmJUis/s1600-h/SAM_0950%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0950" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_7ElLrrbJJBsrNfZGSYDgxRN3yilZ0zJ8Jl8YflSbWyamt2nzYruRSCTL8kgtsKPKANXNzi5gVT-J797SRoPtHQkr4H4NvMsGm5GufWBP7OMGrKfaQXjcaKZdn9I8X3yp4J9ky3kJM01/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0950" width="500" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuBu8q3EI_FfczZerWWmQpC_wFnWffytbEFMHze933js9lQJB14t4dyr0Ng-zqFnxAH_XGNJGdHm83NJ_6YqEslbL01cHjePRnpt-mTumakxDCt6tQf-n7x_ePKqqPmy2boghHDCMyuM5/s1600-h/SAM_0949%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0949" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXTIeG1bdhWN3oKZiP8S_Vs9bg2KLTb-l1SGjoirk__9M6u4CERKgGa_-JzhiAzm6rz-AWvxJt_A2V6Edw3QhZC2Ob0skr07OcrKQ74HAxjnow_EtYPHA8ZHIQDRu1WDRM_519FdpkI7a/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0949" width="500" /></a><br />
So now that the bones were in place, we could start shingling. We chose to do the roof ourselves (like pretty much everything else in the house). My husband’s cousin, who roofs for a living, was able to come help us. We also had lots of help from our family and neighbors. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmzLDwevu4jqwgQ7QgUvh_Atan6NaJzUYmovrC-Ac2yvVZxyNf626oNaBifGukoiK23Ox_aRLP2Nb4w2YhsWrE-TRVMs7zDgTgm7wUN4VoIUrVeqroEWBVsrZjUn8y3SIrwwubOH5XQpi/s1600-h/SAM_0951%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0951" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSb5gbVCoBynOqmYbfBqiJp2AOdONoDFZmjxYDdNV_nOu9-8Y0BAL0igpQtsBsiQmRJz-1YiJ3na26Cdd2Oq8UW8_eNu6KK9jH3uCrNJanSTzHQrUYax-_a-VrRchAtJ1mT_R5xZv4l_tw/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0951" width="500" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4F4Gw6lH3X0EpioNkF6Qxt_039uQ0vePxr76aHPeZb-7DsCUU3u4OnFuMIO7ps4e9CUV6fjr-Esz88Mhz5vHwlxybylW1L9slIGAgYgiEeJmuCEwoT1Lj0K0uYmCb8WdjKXSMHJ1GKte/s1600-h/SAM_0955%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0955" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOM9m6G5XyBDm8wa3PgYu1tffxKd9_YBNl3A5pgReiytlbQHsspID_zyLWoC_utJiXR75GLEIGfowZYV5rksIhsgQ7DWT2QF09qEUqS6jU_UXgpbrh3uhqka2Cg0sKxOuSFGSm2R9Z4Jh/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0955" width="500" /></a><br />
We somehow chose one of the hottest days of the year so we definitely owe everyone who came to help. It took us a day and a half but now it looks awesome! After pictures to come!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-43776676717166333982012-01-11T23:10:00.001-05:002013-07-27T20:42:27.577-04:00Demo!!Well, we are all moved in and mostly settled but before I show you current pictures, I need to bring you up to speed on all that has happened. I didn’t take a ton of pictures during the whole renovation process because, lets face it, I was working! This reno process has seriously been brutal! I don’t know if we would do it again if given the choice. But, man am I happy with how things turned out!<br /><br />Onto the goods!<br /><br />All of these pictures were taken one week after we took possession. It’s amazing how quick you can make changes with demo. I almost typed <em>its amazing how quick demo goes</em> but then I remembered that it felt like we were doing demo for-ev-er. If you need some before pictures to reference, check out <a href="http://ladybrookcrescent.blogspot.com/2011/09/we-bought-house.html">this</a> post.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqM6-SwK6pUei0es7qr8bX_QO4Em9E0_5jI8BceKw6FM8LcU-yWyL90dA8nrpu0pbK4Y6Gr4pXIFLSlp3OOLpsNnWQFQYBUTA7ipBhWcNoDokxCl3HWa_Tu52qjzK5KHxiixYVpmAIySAi/s1600-h/SAM_0937%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0937" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBzwJnjVx9NNvfRLVVJRLTDjW6mhlXRKRqQQw45AtvkLQMDysyi_MEfcbF47-or3Tgh8qNh99gdcWpPfUR_26heFBAyufvU0yDBYJHyv4b_FfkjpJGPNxy_8xjG-_8P0CQzr9ug1K10pR/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0937" width="500" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CEPEQAjj0RRWv7B7jLWGBF4yBGGM7WFBOylUNKB1BDJw1-49TixxEcW1ZjUt8t-0bZmkcNu-sZimMveHyvYfie7jFXA_0y90hOigDUK7IaAgU6YGtUaIyKi4oRC0kfWVH86Arfl0pjUb/s1600-h/SAM_0938%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0938" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAo5ACCK-oa0yNIF_jgPYLXMCflnqyeTMVc9zqFZOkxpakMW37c4jTmjbe6RsUJsJXFUcLwK-w2U_L-J6PaQ1xcz2L4Fh_M0zbf81FyW54smHG13RjqQzMHFfkRhebSTy6VoyBOToU9GaV/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0938" width="500" /></a>So at this point we had ripped out almost all of the carpet and stripped most of the wallpaper.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxc-SZ7WXKy9J2Wjifg2CesQYiK6Cv-DGKb-611mwF8Vw2IC5yaOmKowDjGemMX1gQuBYGNp8hNo-H0i4lMo4gSqOZ6ZRmikSpZ8PBIQ9eLZTbLc9lTwjBt-j0IkqBohVG_3i4GKqW6_TK/s1600-h/SAM_0936%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0936" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk56UWNCUnBD8iXrxLgQ5FXWErwWDgRjAsV6phhLiwmjJdCXd9_CreNa2pW8hAR-ca38RdVn2BlsJKali8JTD3tI0f8KzkGC-LespK4vHml642NDf5SxbqS6LdPKD2H6YoxHNSLHvHvhZ6/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0936" width="320" /></a>We also knocked a huge hole in the wall. We took out the door to the basement and opened up the half wall to the stairways. We have a huge basement and I really wanted to utilize it, not for it to be this dark, dingy place. I think it really helps it join the floors together and help it to feel like living space. This was kind of a big project but now that it is completed, I’m so happy we did it! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHCc9RUEyJcqU1KpiGjIFu7FvC15z-ZIydDEofFU1hih1hZ-EC2smfKLp54Z7gh0xs4W0jJWfJwlmNfhynCQ5DZTY-1liUAbpOpEMtY2-Iwo4Mloub5dL9CuiNGl6lsodJp-XAVQzGQ2Y/s1600-h/SAM_0939%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0939" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinlCH2IZXjrN55BFf8ZE10M8_6qkpzHLJ9if-FQWuMDiQS1m5lwXbVWWzoiQPxvjpy_Iy4ReB-2H1I0kLp4ZeJk5J4GJChNDidYUZhpy8FUaoPhqSrnP3VY1urpHMXSbWuSt-i6QVVb0Ju/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0939" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMKoaYrh6gNFdU6wMKRpw78_qaAXxUr9D6SLkq2eC0HL-Dj8v_R7MtevrDqq0HqXAp7InyrkK1q_O7z4BDWjjlEeaEA1L5AQ3XOT8vRN9bVoo8VufNlK2rzYpQkdi9cnZvEbpbEeTFHWo/s1600-h/SAM_0941%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0941" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPo8QClTzEU1_nhxn64VYp4HdB8axn9AULjebOpEVXZMEjUFQo34oa7rUZ6lp4IFsyq8RsIutQVl0X_EZJQmGfSbnQ6pPpKHwungiU8pLd-Ap4gC1FeBNJ7DEUPUP6JZvRmwg1O8v-htS/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0941" width="500" /></a><br />And, speaking of big projects, we totally gutted our kitchen…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnwQaYy2f6rIKSAxWCcX-tS1TJ6xlfoJY1tc6SosM2wijD0PJd4lyijFJUE91tcJxSUJDdadYcYksqxA3BnEAs8_FXkj0PxqHakG2HlwFsUlzmCxqu0MRBzpPAMq_bpguZzOU0Gjt04ak/s1600-h/SAM_0942%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0942" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifxER0RMt146h7WHjSzxpfiRpes-4OaJFxrU4znbn39sLUyymVpxp2-mMir5ZCTqTotEY4eGCY45eLe-jKvHo_ymyEVX1crUWPecgW0Tup-lThw6SSs-AA7DK7KnPHb4hhXOwMpbWeDlzR/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0942" width="320" /></a><br />…and our bathrooms.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSEJqV3faUuTldjljFRC5vUUVIaOX1HzQyRfjM34Y8ismbDFoqH3hml536dvm1IdCgFQtOUP5HyblkiXISt7096E3kPVKPnLhElLk1xpujlAYXDxj0kJJyPs_ONvjRe3BUbrJFhwxkPFt/s1600-h/SAM_0946%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0946" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE8GKHt25nJrp70MYfANnXh9R0O6ZkA3a1MPj4d5xozT2kzZCs0SZ-t76-VdWAmZwEVInTqJHQJBOXlsZff9x3uCd79jTy-Lhvf7ztj6nrRjmTu9sDoEHUailuVGt-F34L24l4PqcIo3nM/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0946" width="320" /></a><br />It was really nice to not have to live here so we could go ahead and just demo everything at once. Although, it was a little inconvenient to not have a toilet while we were there working. Luckily my sister lives about a block and a half away!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_HyJcf94qC2NRdP6YcERN5VMkk69qqiNomokRy3YxUA_tO9jNE4UN_3rNivIajZaybtCacd_4NSn1xAD0v40dfSG45mql16nlWZHJtSW1Q3ZZG3C3I2ght8RXyFcr69zkIETBRRL5tj8/s1600-h/SAM_0944%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0944" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wzbMfIDX4-kQT6z8Hg8pE_-sQK_pxTrZ76CNiXGRAPZxyrJj4mJror0xPGMFnUKIrAABJzxdS-cig0GmQTmVXApH219hNvZTIHpYH5587H3U_xS9217VPcVZyn3NGule6iR3iFij9wiX/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0944" width="500" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEEM8fSM79KhsJeyHwublOrCm5JSOY0UBidv7jYHmJTnE-xhHRrku0Nkc5E-DNVRGjN5GoUDchw44s3pMr1iYjum-0HO1LuLEtz78lAwRDcnFHEl5PMK8bu5hS7TD20SFGmwzuUy94lNWs/s1600-h/SAM_0945%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0945" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GkBLX-Ao1Oyk_9sAF88zmGmQiEKDZwRfmxoIGmoMLGLAX6E2PnJ7MrmANGvlTN271dgGJPno2foPPzWP77MFW6eZX0uXLoth_ldVHkfUbCfigartKXWr79Ub5SBh7LtHL6BPC-WaWOuE/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0945" width="500" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzRyLIGu6yEWoCnQg8IlaxmlkaBx13p72Qu26I0VM39KQYXVom3BeqQcxluz-TAOm6DsNzbci9Aa88KrV-cEcu_3GbUIrn6NHOKuCVt9rxYKbwzkixE6Vnfnpxj7BAt4bx32tKKMKBs-m/s1600-h/SAM_0947%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0947" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9yf8Bn1Duf4YsIP2yp6t_Dr6tCCEzHVEnlqk9H8Ov6ELT9hroMHOYuQ5_tXoOjasD2VQgr7hZC0GYeQLKYSzrfU_Fs9Dn3C2FQnLU3VnF6KT5Kd4rl-1c5A3Sje4tNJVeO8D3wvnDeQJ/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0947" width="500" /></a><br />
The bedrooms eventually got stripped of their flooring and carpet too. I don’t have pictures of the bare bones of the house but to give you the gist of it, here is a run down of all the demo that we did:<br />
<ul>
<li>tore out all of the flooring in the main floor (including all of the linoleum and subfloors under it)</li>
<li>stripped wallpaper in pretty much every room in the house</li>
<li>completely gutted the kitchen, including removing some of the drywall, since we discovered lots of it needed to be rewired</li>
<li>tore down the door to the basement and half of the wall beside the stairs</li>
<li>completely gutted (down to studs in some places) both bathrooms</li>
</ul>
Demo was <em>a lot</em> of work! And the thing I hated most about it was that the harder you worked, the more mess you made. It just seemed like a never ending cycle. But luckily, once the demo was done, we got to start putting things back together! That part is a little more rewarding!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-44819509653294103192011-09-20T00:20:00.001-04:002013-07-27T20:42:46.061-04:00We bought a house!!!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapqYV0c2SVMlPWg_9QEce8qvDDBWYgTO02fyeHwSTTUsiI0G4-VlvOl-w_-ElZJtOUTuxolVhkUrUuFik5kChGhirCxQU8daQehkXH6M3aAcorSX5g-1XamnJKf4rVgMDLMV1vjIFR92A/s1600-h/SAM_090711.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0907" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zQG4tfwxZ_F7XMZhwkeHy4dvkNPCDkD27klLOgkgux0BbBB9jiKn1xxcC51d262iCnMQ5cuBrSTA73sC5YzelGLJqMYQmKzMZy1ncCOlDiNa5zsgXUYmF5rMMjr8Jzv61aNAzCC1iSg4/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0907" width="500" /></a>It’s a beauty, I tell you! We took possession on September 2. The past two and a half weeks have consisted mainly of one thing – demolition. But before I get into any of that, I’d like to show you around a little! As you can see from the outside, it is a ranch style modular home, complete with awesome bay windows of the ‘80s. Gotta love that! It is also a “wonderful” light peach color. It also comes complete with old curling shingles and a nifty wheelchair ramp. Needless to say, we were a little underwhelmed when we first pulled up to view it. <br /><br /><img alt="SAM_0918" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIjOSChDgSULXdzRItWGgQQ2UwSlPQXFKVxCt4Ec5vVQHcgBmwUb-kKmXN6_0YSkuWThLdA57e7hNsm-Vr720iE02R4Cz44SEfjb4qD8X053OKob1TDVKQJ4J3dUFgF_yYi60U_1PW8Ym/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0918" width="320" />Here is the view from the front door. Straight ahead is the kitchen (obviously), to the right is the living room and to the left is the hallway.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZ0qKnMVL9ABQ6LSBDrp71ynwAXXgdCX_6VF-zYhOKDxiXMMLLCdyzyLamTWuc6H1QDbprEsp-JXj2yaQGuQpDvdmiMfv3NuenlIjX-MTDY0AvFJJgrRccs-JIUn9Ro-4Ofd7H-KVmsN3/s1600-h/SAM_09091.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0909" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWaOSVPjNk92uhofm0pyeOy_ambONPm4kNZ2F1F2yUr7X06m3XvaXU8bde_RrV_OQKlxeFfg-OQMBMMjxJP02buNsgrJ_OrzgNCXq1LPGt5-3RfZCOSUiJ6dIa3WuFe2eseST9QqT0Rd44/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0909" width="500" /></a>The view of the living room from the entryway. I bet you are jealous of our wallpaper and curtains. It’s ok to admit it. To the left there is the dining room.<br /><br /><img alt="SAM_0910" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmfF2iZzlFuDma8jeG2KjDnwhRtAFM2_B6uYf8vA0H7eAEdGm-iTOv9ad0EZUFYsk-hsVqHWBUNK-cvcoI1ZAfwWiQRjDD1P1BCI-nUQdXN8-JYdnaOU0pqDDaJQdFJF7i7hmqUn0ylIR/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0910" width="500" />This is the dining room. To the left of it is back into the kitchen and straight ahead is our lovely sunroom. More pics of that in a minute!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKOUW7CPoA042qsV0OLo6r8KA7qGLOWaHhjaLXiGfjup9evagZDf6ftXDB07J8YxlgUoo27W3S0RSOe-5xbv4Ljrz-2OBBkiMy5XTjL00RqX-QlN5MBYKbI6iGsvHJnuAmgZttZRInuB4/s1600-h/SAM_0911%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0911" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jnnHoa3rHVjl5AsyNFZPSqaQQ0vV5UBZdXW0b3YnI7uBQ2DfJZkZ8vfTkZex0Wig747jtEz2KIaxq-YIMso4Bt_RRK0uCh78iWe48HknbZkr9ynU9sQkqp5P4FuD5k_Rm3D3uGcpupmK/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0911" width="500" /></a>Here is the view from the living room, looking back toward the entryway.<br /><br /><img alt="SAM_0912" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJiGVgzaLzIfSEP-5PwOrXeTaTUZj2ImXljjpz-DHN6UqwiUscJAv_Y-1x4Ci5lelB2_-l4bp9YQ_x862icFMmsB_9YutKpZFwDs3Tt8oUGSHZHrAsYoygRuo12scFrvdBiG1e9sALqnV/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0912" width="500" />Another view of those gorgeous curtains from the dining room.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchSGxxNr43FjLBn7sydrmX3RPXZETQotD3fKj9AWxCakh98uxddmBSqGqiSr9rDSCccFsOwE7FaocoMWkBZ2Loymj5ZxjeUvejXKYR734JLi1rpYddDaF3mR_ksE3GJ-rz5vJTiS4BW9t/s1600-h/SAM_0913%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0913" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguL0qawT6fyu7xURAra5dxml4WDhabXq1m2gIjQQ9pMmbPyTsZ70Nao9HEA2BQArtGwuNLSqWeSQxCw0MqB_4nWB13zO2Ha0HS737S41jgLlRunUbX7Tk-NnOul1BJbwDqUiqo_0qHlMQ6/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0913" width="500" /></a>Our strange little sunroom.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1njT3n9OaRtlc_nU8xauTluepaztjVEhVMPnCmXj_kYI1J2IXl1SWCvxKkW3n1IDiNsDw5WjhOFhjOBfwQhyuFY_iLTSf3cqr_KL7rWXQDjAOxAvuBBk4YP-7orkS8nRrUzf-CTLZoAZF/s1600-h/SAM_0914%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0914" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSMqtFbbm-gbDCfuxymn9ZI7adVl-Du1egHbHC55xH1wrn-Orjk6kFX6VMFeZ6ch4Fqdrt98Tyhqi3Dn6I8OS7IeAzr2qHbt5V4WbNZcwa8VNrDhCejX4lJZIhZ40EwKVVQVs-g8dC8uy/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0914" width="500" /></a>Hopefully one day we figure out something useful to do with this room. In Alberta, we get a lot more cold weather than warm so we’ll have to see how useable it will be in the fall and winter. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxH1DMhNZA-DsOPvP7knWzKwppsYpYTo-lgcMrNeQinDqJZpRROjFgRpqks3qfW7ZWy626_F51KLpuusmLNVPWg2QL86P3e-0OdYgXCfSFaEm9VxCvgfJF4TJ1ySSmdRr3kVt87JrKZjh/s1600-h/SAM_0917%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0917" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcnrjr-56LFjBz1dgZXWy9sdb3WxO1uRxlncPsok0qVfGXSSWpjRL3UjdFBGZI01gplThw8WVF0KnirKWHv_KTFUdihQTE1nkpeuDuDKBy-CbJ7-jjScpNe7ZLcyC89ATxgT3WFzKJ11on/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0917" width="500" /></a>So here is our fantastic kitchen. The cabinets were actually in not too bad shape but there were definitely some things that weren’t working for us…<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyYg_PE9UHoAkDNRTZrYKb4NHcrFHp6Dqr5vsq8IUd2y8WKa-nwnddRmZR-QpX7TlE5zHHrQf5ZvYgj-qOZlU_oM4iryDoneVnlb4cHCAisrdGA6sltdWJNGraNp4GMKsaQwQowjTTYd4o/s1600-h/SAM_0919%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0919" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQ4gYzloA1MBR1cKvjBRA-eExHPALwVH1Ny98D00ZJXIgBuyHhZ1IdSGlW408CiEVh1slqnVcbWJxAPsx0WgKq0bvnpotlBln0tmA-UpGJJ1lbY9a0C406m3P7vBDmDsIkU2Jmnk8T_Go/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0919" width="500" /></a>… like this. I love the idea of having a desk in the kitchen but not when it compromises so much useable counter space. Plus that bulkhead is just nasty and fake!<br />
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<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQteG-0ChYyy8TrNJtvzFjCUo8Y0p8DYyXLZTWuhwNO2rRPpcORH9UL3PmNyskNDlof59WM_51GY76To7VZJqqJyEGgbgs1I4qmfMuuwLUouZGHJ3UFuRji9FM2zGngMiBleOZ5VZRHOt4/s1600-h/SAM_0920%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0920" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIbupnci-ue5uH0jTOkQA7hIAI1ReGpyTlNXl1Ue3-cwngadyyKfBB5S-jh80x-HnwJmPoYPo2OYS23hBACaXfY2mx3TjxNO9eJH_9hFLv9J6HO6jpFx_Yfl8kvjICt3OhCIo7Z2NR4JN/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0920" width="500" /></a>This is the view from the dining room through the kitchen. That little half door is a huge pantry. Off to the right is the laundry nook and the stairs to the basement.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtON0GS5NhN3Jf5hFCT1FaIaoZ2h001yEKEeBnYeJCqrCZ5qrhY9pnCEjXxs7UmGEj0VDs44M-r6fYtLhsglPHEouMbpZtD7cq_U0k8xe2EsUix7KYu2Cg19qRYXQUIWcbkdegVwJ5RYF/s1600-h/SAM_0921%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0921" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1c5Wp5hEK4a8JaktqhKzbw2rDj3y6ei8U9z6HrnlePbBB1517NTCL_jkfnVygyA4kgODS8o_fWp16cBtZ-G4sADP6vYI0l-sNa0XNIqkNYPISKAwqRoAWQq1n5ReLKCIBcAGilcnY3Ut/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0921" width="320" /></a>Here you can see the laundry nook and the door to the basement.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4awN6keJ14ajy867uuyZnA55xL5U78tjFc2fQrn_LZELcBNZVry6wUKwwUidaDkJzpYALR7zP8GEINFcNGKkks2pRDRWVfouphLAuKmwgPZfycMUqMvuimWFcL7IPNS_8MsU-iU7f4Ex/s1600-h/SAM_0923%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0923" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTc2GUAverO12SrkJBteRqO3umYuQdfD7KpsskzvNNRQ0gfcM2Nvp54aVlPeY2odv7POM6BsGjnef8uab7QUmAsrlkGJw3cZ9L5tYMG-hOoyA44_Wc789fnNaQiixC-Elm3ihbpIRihCGE/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0923" width="320" /></a>Coming full circle, here we are at the front door again. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihid1xTAYHKjO9Z9HcZ7QcUew22O-Yz7vQg7vkNes4S4i65LYTRQUy3jt0Lk6L_v0Xowd7tuFNhyphenhyphenMMicgeTwLK-nohQfMBW7d8J8kuisW99YjFhJZwRnLZKX9B7wlZ89p0EdxK1yh8_VAX/s1600-h/SAM_0924%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0924" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSEjTcfKIkw6kCMm6wE2WQsMfY1cWzLa8nuITJn7bEVTXtJ4BgO0I4r0nq2l2IqCHFptuxRTRmbZ7l9fhdupZhBz1izauWy4l3NGY04mqpZ5ivtNKufUo8wrwflMSuRU2T_blMeq6gavf/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0924" width="320" /></a>Just a plain old hallway with some giant mirrors at the end and some handy railings all the way down it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiqxNJYwV41Qn1a-aUAfMwqD24sTsVbXp0zojaLPgDJOwKBgzTRjSmKJcEt7fBmKnLKa7YvEols7GXcuw6NiaLzgZivmNmknp_KpORWLo8CpafaeeQTQ7EbHNJVuD0cBDaO10rOObNieiG/s1600-h/SAM_0925%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0925" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwRxTip33-QaNUYD6f0AuLfRYmi4Ds6zqeB2o6iylHKiHvleeiOsPBryw4Z6Y5WFRr9fWqWfVCxTTtXKhDl3LD1kwJM62HXWuDmm64JwVj8syTpQQa9dBFJewB_M30T43GmockXWvcNDWC/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0925" width="320" /></a>Here is our main bathroom. Nothing too exciting to see in here. Which is kinda the problem.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Jfgo1NDL5WDWVoQlvflP8R8tU0y-1L55NYHzmd02BtKnjnufEA86XVf9xLl-HsI5Joquk11s6_rjKF-SKHxgdaeZ-8iXIOfiVKoO5U9lEvmamBHMVO6UETmsq9bIewS0as6DmoRxoRKu/s1600-h/SAM_0926%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0926" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1uq8n4x0AQJ5Gp7SY_1ixaDcOW1sJztdxK2BbzBSchpmquCwiHt32TRwQzO52a17wt1bGnt7K9IM8GMTMCiPOAc6AlSHSyHh9b7L6hLVo62kDlb_v-1TvMb9TMvKO7JKMBSMHINPhssqD/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0926" width="320" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMa2wUFLvZkh38fpGTRKO84hom0gSEtHKlxDELZeodSKHBsksLb5NPP7D-XfhTBg6IMaBQQtRD6oX65RGaOx2PbidPdvtfj-liUQHZzF8LOtTnsQeMO3yCKKELg0bzhizWc1duRtpu8hq3/s1600-h/SAM_0927%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0927" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6s3eC0zjI94VNQGxWki_0tmwzL6GHq2PKyy6UCxmFvTcZYT6Ydhm7jB2QofbMNKZ1_YLAA-aIqh5N-NIjHs_Iw8KE8liczpYg721Dw6gG5Q_Js2B6uvN-zUP9TZoLt0lQiZBN8r5YIZj/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0927" width="320" /></a>Here is the first bedroom. It’s a little on the small side, but in my opinion kids don’t need a huge space so it will work just fine. And luckily it came equipped with some linoleum and exercise bars. Just what every kids’ room needs!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAUytpAMrefvGMc2fmi20_ZNUYTMr9sKhJFTxIDAujvMaW_z_lD_XDqWa7FbxLRgVPDdXskWtvIK5pgDtZXgRKxamrkxNXEv645a8tkXG3kz-j4L-grVDi-Bl3t0ad7dK6rODGFb1DMj_/s1600-h/SAM_0929%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0929" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqafT_Dz9wcKQNpskKQxDYXA95lh0yqaNPAkKoPCJAUfMfXF4rOMRXk7wIrYInk9ZzSMDY0NbxDo1Ih__0i8hNtIyx1EGqvkQfKHQUfI0qGAKkQgmuLfJpU4KhqD75WD-7vLVJ-0ww-BNB/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0929" width="500" /></a>Although Landon looks pretty pleased with it!<br /><br /><img alt="SAM_0930" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-P22UsO8McxFbHaaCfSjLTtl8U4P0d5Dv3pxtKj0TAkjsUm65ijz3t_XnyDzTdqy5TQu2njynFxQ7Gfaqt3BxlJ20K83NjHl9RkDkSBkMzZQars14xbCZ_t68D2JzKedFQNRPSP4iTZIp/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0930" width="500" />Here is our lovely master bedroom. This is the view from the hallway.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpkF-y6EdSg9gi3HsmgnSmTh38-2vDdu44pnt388DWmz4K6rL8ZXWWmEGpLnXJzWHUEdYG8D2vxDNnonIsf5Km8cy7hljDaGcEimTyCNKsVwHEKIr8Q_eEU93CDUaX6RuT9FfJuGeh2j9/s1600-h/SAM_0931%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0931" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlWAOV5nKSO0F9Wkyqna-7losWLtxcl80U8MWX2S0ZR4igoFTPo1wBJLfE7VZyZV04o5u9qQ1rwVr9JepHh40AcGCNtBuc5lE2mcNKYK9ueSlyMVcaARJR9v_pOXHMnYUdbzO3ezY7F_X/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0931" width="500" /></a>The master actually used to be two smaller bedrooms so it is quite large. We are excited to have a nice little sitting area in our room too.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhTHUmya2gFIR-UVwUCQuam-pb6ykzwlNeAGEYO9PKhHlkHYOLjS72TdwzcFMLqRKjkiWfFPwoOJOUpDOzxlSBCR768RqV1UA7QFX7QwFoJJ0LR5-TNpBc0uJDTN21jFz3-_kxDTmdQs5/s1600-h/SAM_0932%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0932" border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-BA45lQh_1P-BMJ4-PlsSA9FFbwUYdT0mWBnfL5K1tJaoEzGs2wvTnAE-YIrvpU3msmd3iwmXbyyR4jRYLg7WjVlQC_uMSqoiUmc7oukqRSxGPCPTovKA0TbFnxd_tDj9BqYnmeScqUf6/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0932" width="500" /></a>Just another angle of that lovely blue carpet!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNHiINaDEt1_eLf_t28u_uPmBn2ClxexgWtMAGC_zaB28BTXf4INYOXzinlFbKacKjYaFdJCiWMSHb_ACTZKWZvmcJRgMW_IXigCS_IjjNXlmGcpo-O37tgPKm068nQuc6jNghxco5S_A/s1600-h/SAM_0935%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img alt="SAM_0935" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ubRrdqv8eQdxBft-Bw4o9_CA7AJkZR6-sVQpHKUwqtV759TIhRDTBiSVyz2urJn2h20ZDHvoIxfgDPoAZI3bN7iBJEljZb0D39YfSs6JkuoJLvnmn7NugvFpKhc3v61Rno54FMoXLMUY/?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="SAM_0935" width="320" /></a>And last, but not least, is our ensuite. Isn’t it lovely??<br />
So there you have it. Our house in all it’s 80s glory. An spoiler alert – there is not one room in the house that still looks the same. Awesome eh? Although looking at these pictures, I kind of just miss having flooring and a toilet!<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-15986500545249710012011-06-16T14:47:00.001-04:002011-06-16T14:48:11.847-04:00Packing<p> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p>I thought I’d share a little bit of what we did to ensure all of our stuff arrives to it’s destination in good condition. Although, now I’m worried I’m jinxing myself since our things have only taken a little ride across town to a storage unit. And that’s basically nothing compared to the 3500 km trek we’ll be taking in a few weeks. I guess I’ll just have to call myself a liar then if anything gets broken!</p> <p> <p><br><br>First things first – I started packing more than a month before we moved. I know that may seem a little excessive to some people but I’ll tell you one big thing I’ve learned since becoming a parent – don’t try to rush things! </p> <p> <p> <p><br><br>Case in point: Before having kids, I would plan grocery shopping for the hour in between when I got off work and when we had dinner. That included getting ready, driving, shopping, driving, unloading and putting away. When my oldest came along, I had to remember to give myself an extra half hour to make sure his diaper was clean, the diaper bag was packed just in case, and to baby talk to him as I walked the aisles. Now that I have two little munchkins, I just plan for the whole morning. This accounts for finding shoes, packing cheerios, water and fruit snacks so they don’t go crazy the second I sit them in the cart, coaxing them to get in the car and dealing with the tears once they realize we aren’t going for a walk to the park, picking up my list after my youngest throws it on the floor a hundred times, telling them we are not buying candy two dozen times, breaking up a few fights in the cart, and then making them lunch before I can put all of the groceries away because they are <em>starving!!</em> </p> <p> <p> <p> <p>Wow. Sorry for the tangent. And the run on sentences. Back to business!<br><br>Anyways, I figured if I was going to handle all of this extra work on my own in addition to all of the regular things I do, I was going to need a lot of time to keep myself and my children sane. (In case you were wondering, I do have an incredibly supportive and helpful husband who just so happens to have a job that requires a lot of time and travel in May and June. Which didn’t leave him a lot of time at home, period, let alone to pack.) <br><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmiwk-z05MV2mwsgNuo4tmA2UBcjPfR-ynt9INO1ZVohNy61w18rADjp9cSk1wk31-itFGHy1evCnUAhI0yq4_zb94Es3Jyj43zEWlQvX7tXcDvU_APHWXJGVau0uGn8QrHHyxXN9E-aT/s1600-h/IMG_7957%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_7957" border="0" alt="IMG_7957" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0ydTjB6qz-yhfwSdbkRAJEdP6jU1XH1CJhPKPYxBQaLhV7tvqaH9cL68UW1pbLqFl3LXee8Ii9leP3TE7LFr1TrZFpIt6inp2NZSVHdqEx-2ViX0fgfrLqP-YrgzBHlCjyLTMXMYNROY/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><br>The first thing I did was cleared out our basement. It was only about half finished down there and we basically used it for watching TV and as my husband’s “office.” So we packed away the big screen and brought our little TV up to the main floor so we wouldn’t need the basement anymore for living space. Then I started going through all the stuff that was down there. I went through every box that was down there already – baby & maternity clothes, a box of keepsakes, picture frames and décor items, out of rotation toys. Stuff like that. I started boxing things up for good and also created an area in the storage room for things to sell at a garage sale. I also listed almost all of the basement furniture on Kijiji since we didn’t want to take it with us and well, any extra cash helps! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8XkvioPVfUZN84LnOwiZ4GPWZt0WEKsEXDfaQZfqwXyz9LMLwy7OnQmcOF9yMGKg0dinvQ8vssZLA6yUwOREU2O1atcXYOOWIzo3qDDZqBkZO9UYxO4AHT3cqxEuQ4uLSijgnZL_QlcA/s1600-h/IMG_7951%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><br><br><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_7951" border="0" alt="IMG_7951" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0P5J4VenBzJbLZ0KCBGf2vxFSx0vqCrvX8jVwNDSvBhKZD6cUe_DnE7IPflibhCnCs-RR9heltaj-UDXiEim8sMbauJopFN4-_9oCyzo7v8-4EkQ1wPOXjOVMeWDewVIOTBm5cni_22Ss/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a></p> <p> </p> <p> <p><br>Then we just started stacking things! It was really nice to have all of the ‘ready to go’ boxes out of the way so we weren’t living in <em>total</em> chaos.<br><br><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2A7uM7DRMt9KdHmb6ent9I629RIN57w4vi6-rtDnA4JU0kyKswNIxWGs1EsGeiJCtbGMAIjtf0O56vjD3d-C7UjrfMWMiOtF8g3F7B8qr8GjR_lgup6rnG6YIQg4PAyK0wokI3SzQ1v0/s1600-h/IMG_7955%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 5px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_7955" border="0" alt="IMG_7955" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72I8JnQ4R0-Qez45MdYUCdSanlz2uVaOSJ2EuwnPeglhkBWbfgY5O9AhUljlsW6W8f2R8crRMl1Y5xBwA4s0doFxzMBTR1t_BcxYIzCqYjdiNmsZyz0nE69a8aB-5HnSbRKRK7w-pqH4g/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a><br>One thing I wanted to be sure of is that I could find anything I needed. Since we are not immediately moving into a new house, it will be essential to discern what boxes need to be unpacked and which can just go straight to storage for the next few months. Since many of the boxes are used and have lots written on them, I decided the easiest way to label them would be just a plain sheet of paper and some packing tape. Every single box has a big label like this. Hopefully they will last for the whole journey – hubby had some doubts about that. I guess we’ll see. <br><br>Well, this post is getting pretty long so check back soon to see our secret weapon for packing all of our furniture!!</p> <p> <p> <p><br> </p> <p> <p> <p> <p> </p> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p><br>Ok, just kidding. I have one more thing to say. The best thing we ever did was to let my in-laws take the kids for the last few days before we moved. That way we had no distractions when it was actually crunch time, especially while loading the trucks!<br><br>Ok. Now I really am done. See ya soon!</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-80688157807335228792011-05-28T22:30:00.001-04:002011-05-28T22:31:59.206-04:00Moving tips: Get Organized!<p> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p> <p>Well, it is officially official! The money is in our account and we are no longer homeowners. I’m just a little sad but we’re trying to look forward to the great things ahead! So far this has been the least stressful move we’ve had, despite being the biggest by far. I’ve done my fair share of packing and moving in the past few years and like to think I’ve learned at least a thing or two. To me, the most important part of moving is the organization. There’s nothing worse than arriving at your new house only to be tearing apart box after box looking for a can opener or the remote control. Or missing a payment on your credit card because you forgot to advise them of your new address. Or staying up all night the week of your move just to get it all done. Or… well, let’s face it, when you are moving, there are so many things that could go wrong. And most likely something will. But as long as you are in control of the situation, you can take each setback in stride. We got through the first half of the move with minimal stress – and I’m sure it is all due to the fact that I am organized!</p> <p> <p><br> </p> <p> <p> <p> </p> <p> <p> <p> <p><br>It all started when <a href="http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/">Jen</a> started talking about her <a href="http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/search/label/Household%20Binder">Household Binder</a>. I was super excited about the idea but initially put it off, thinking it would be best to create a binder once we were settled into our new home. Then it dawned on me that the move was one of the main reasons I needed a binder. How else was I going to keep track of all the things I had to do to prepare for and during our move? So I started putting together a binder and just added a “Moving” section. It is mostly just blank lined paper for making lists and plans and I added a pocket divider to hold any moving receipts or important papers. <br clear="all"><br clear="all">Then came the fun part. I had to decide what it is that needed to be organized. And for me, there were three main areas of focus. <br><br>1. Budget: Moving can be expensive! Especially if you are moving long distance and/or buying or selling a house. But even if you are just moving across the street, it is still important to write down exactly what you expect to spend. I just made a quick little list of all of our anticipated expenses. I made sure to include things like packing materials, rental equipment, moving companies, storage, travel expenses (gas, meals, hotels), and closing costs.<br><br>2. Change of address (and discontinuation of services): About 2 months before we moved, I started taking note of every single piece of mail that we received. I just created a simple list of every one of those companies. Then, since I do receive many bills online, I went through every bill that I pay in a month and listed those companies too. This is when you start freaking out because you have a list a mile long. But the process was relatively painless. I just started making a phone call or two each day until I had every company on my list crossed off. I found that this worked well since some companies require more notice than others. For instance, some magazines are printed and labeled a month or two in advance so it could take up to two months for an address change to come into effect. Also, many utility and cable companies require 30 days notice for discontinuation of services. Banks, credit cards, schools, work, government, insurance etc. don’t usually require as much notice so they were left to the bottom of my list.</p> <p> <p><br><br>3. Getting us (and our stuff) from point A to point B: For us this was kind of huge since we are moving across the country. And cross country moves can be really, really expensive! I called around to a bunch of different moving companies for quotes but all of them were ridiculously out of our price range. In the end we decided to rent a U-Haul and make the 4 day drive ourselves. **Now I just have to insert a disclaimer here. We are in no way fans of U-Haul. Yeah, you read that right. We have booked two one-way rentals with them before and both have been disasters. So why are we doing it again??? Because the stress and problems that could occur in that one week are nothing compared to saving three, four, or five thousand dollars. So we’ve just mentally prepared ourselves for things to not go as planned and not set any strict timelines, just in case. </p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-70028606522850635462011-05-01T13:58:00.001-04:002011-05-01T14:00:16.082-04:00Packing<p><br clear="all">Anyone know if there is a way to just skip over the next few months?? We begun packing this week and I’m already sick of it! We have only 27 days until we have to hand over the keys to our house. And how on earth do we have this much stuff?? I am in no way a hoarder and we don’t shop a ton so I have no idea how we have all of these things. Luckily, I have no problem getting rid of things I haven’t used in years. (Wedding gifts that are still unused? Goodbye!). <br clear="all"><br clear="all">Unfortunately, in addition to all the useless things we’ve been storing, there is so much other stuff that we use frequently or will need in the future. Why do babies need so many gadgets? I’m so tempted to just get rid of our baby stuff and buy new when we have another kid just so I don’t have to store all those awkwardly shaped things. But we all know how expensive baby stuff is so I’ll probably continue to hang on to it.</p> <p><br clear="all"><br clear="all">One other thing I’m realizing is that much of the things that I’m now saying goodbye to are things we received from other people that I didn’t necessarily need or love but thought we should take just because it was free. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful here because there are many generous gifts we’ve received from friends and family members over the years that we absolutely love and use all the time. But I’m beginning to realize that if I don’t love it, I won’t use it. And then I’ll just end up storing it for a few years until I realize that I didn’t need it in the first place and finally get rid of it. I think my new rule should be that I can’t bring it home unless it is something I’d be willing to spend money on. In some ways it is a blessing that we are moving into a small 2 bedroom apartment because I simply cannot afford to keep stuff.<br clear="all"><br clear="all">But as much as there is left to do, I’ve already taped up a few boxes and every time I do, we get closer and closer to getting it all done. Here’s to a month of hopefully minimal chaos! I’ll breath again in July when have arrived in Alberta with all of our things!</p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-46401261634824752502011-02-24T15:09:00.001-05:002011-02-24T15:10:15.949-05:00Rewind: Outside Update<p> </p> <p>One of the last things we did for our house was to update the exterior. It all started when we replaced the Master bedroom window (the upstairs window in the picture below.) </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjudo0l9ZUcwcAUHZ6I4dUWs6b9J-YTAY_OzJN_WsQN0hnBgvlAtV4IOhP_AS-O7Pkjz1Isgpxqe2CtOuPglFzUMtPbnpXfCprgnYmY7rfLfHHg5AHC5Fc6HwJ-tzAUkOihipXbztSBMy7T/s1600-h/3858%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="3858" border="0" alt="3858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7Rb4D38_Hm0Jo0Jr8t4wP-C8GEfWruy2CoBG4acc8ohyphenhyphen45nZI3IKjtTtyRHuU4U7ZoZXQHMpyKGGAGNovRdcPXYd4y_vqegT0-2A7zRWzQkzlRXvH1k4CPshjE9U2UemG6610pOTfI1G/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a></p> <p>It is difficult to tell in the pictures but all of the green trim around our house was really peeling and flaking. Our original plan was to sand it down a bit and then just repaint it. But things aren’t quite so easy. As my husband and a friend were ripping out the window, they took a closer look at those boards and found that they were in fact rotting away. So a mere paint job progressed into replacing all of the boards and then painting. That’s a lot of work!</p> <p>That’s when we started to consider installing vinyl siding. We also realized at this time that our soffits and fascia could use some help too. So we got a couple quotes and approached our neighbors, who were totally on board.</p> <p>Then came the hard part – picking the colors. As you can see, we were stuck with a really awful color of brick. Seriously, who uses pink brick on a house?? It’s only saving grace was that there was a fair amount of gray in the brick too, which is a color I love for exteriors. The other part of our dilemma was the roof that we had just replaced about a year before. We chose a medium brown color because that was what was there before and we really weren’t even considering changing the other colors of the house. So that is what we had to work with – pink/gray brick and a brown roof.</p> <p> After much debate and a major <em>oh-no-what-have-we-done</em> freak out when the installation started, I’m happy to say that we are more than pleased with the finished results. </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09JUJole2ITDgRz-rI8NMB6StKoXE8bMRLMh9iQGmIEdghA9Ic5po5BnNgPGUdxCrJRv9rnmPElh6mNwGs_FvaFw3tQhR1RQTwevXgIquagcQc8d3r8f9-iNTD_4P9CorgVGj1J4b8H5r/s1600-h/2785%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="2785" border="0" alt="2785" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3phjzH_ExUE77ht0DZewp45zgUiga32gZ7xqSaR8roTqWSOzKnl9JN5uNCRrSJh2BJpjPVwvcnWFsHZmjuS1cMLz7IsmUrnscIwt3PqmNNfxsla55QJoCpqBm73nFzYblgrtmSSZ5oCUI/?imgmax=800" width="500" height="333"></a></p> <p>We decided to go with a grey siding, white soffits, and dark brown fascia and eaves. We also had the color matched some dark brown paint and just painted our garage doors. We are so pleased with the modern updates and now instead our house being one of the most run down looking on the street, we are definitely the most modern looking. It’s amazing the transformation that can happen in a week. The other advantage was that we gained ventilation in the attic, which was sorely needed.</p> <p>So while we didn’t touch a single thing during this outside transformation process (except our checkbook), we are proud of the finished product and think it was definitely money well spent! </p> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-34787971895188294902011-02-19T13:39:00.002-05:002011-02-19T13:40:37.875-05:00SOLD!<div align="center"><img height="240" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ_RE5HW7hCBQ1LDUzD4l7cGDZIdjGKNNGvdveRcNaAhjxzT-pd" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="176" /><br clear="all" /><a href="http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.stressfreefastpropertysales.co.uk/sold%2520sign.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.stressfreefastpropertysales.co.uk/sell%2520%26%2520rent%2520back.html&usg=__K2NaCoOXDcxewXeqKnQoZ4nLi5c=&h=1446&w=1047&sz=264&hl=en&start=24&sig2=d2CpHak0RnlPFpZuQSRDeQ&zoom=1&tbnid=GtsPzHPPH2d4vM:&tbnh=132&tbnw=85&ei=9gtgTampAcX7lwfSopXeCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsold%2Bsign%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7SNNT%26biw%3D620%26bih%3D550%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=174&vpy=123&dur=2871&hovh=264&hovw=191&tx=62&ty=281&oei=4wtgTcwggqvwBsarmOYL&page=3&ndsp=13&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:24"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">source</span></a></div>We sold our house!!! I cannot begin to explain what a relief it is! I suppose if any of you have sold a house with kids then you might have an idea. It is so ridiculous to keep a house clean when there are two people running around after you making a mess. But luckily after only 3 days of showings, we had an offer. And now a week later, all the conditions have been removed and we have officially SOLD!<br />
I consider us so blessed to have sold our home so quickly and to get near our asking price. It is such a weight lifted. Now I can focus on all the other things that need attention in my life. Like my boys. Sadly they have been a little neglected the past few weeks!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7038376401130258780.post-5597178534880557482011-02-11T22:25:00.002-05:002011-02-19T13:42:38.824-05:00The ups and downs of selling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzCqtvvUiAzoSyDs5TS7IfzaTV2sT5J4yRNDG1nkSPEfxRPVBM6xab5CW5HuakD-OPb2ECrnlWMz5YA8cDFY1TgaHpZw8yjKpCJYrj0K4CCoANAGs0Ub7F2qVgsj1Fr22F1xECwWPWL3F/s1600/listing+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzCqtvvUiAzoSyDs5TS7IfzaTV2sT5J4yRNDG1nkSPEfxRPVBM6xab5CW5HuakD-OPb2ECrnlWMz5YA8cDFY1TgaHpZw8yjKpCJYrj0K4CCoANAGs0Ub7F2qVgsj1Fr22F1xECwWPWL3F/s320/listing+copy.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So we finally listed our home this week. I was kind of relieved when I finished all of the cleaning and touch ups but I didn’t really think about the fact that it would be just as stressful to have constant showings. Here’s a little recap of what’s been happening in the last week.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Our neighbors had a bunch of showings last Thursday and Friday and got an offer that was finalized by Sunday. And now they have a “SOLD” sticker on their sign so I’m guessing everything went well with the inspection and financing. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is great because: their house is now off the market and therefore no longer competition; we know that there is demand for our type of home in our area at our price.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is not so great because: they were really motivated to sell (they had an offer on another house) and we think they have accepted an offer that is a little lower than we want to go (which will probably make it harder to get the price we think we deserve); after viewing their house, I think ours shows better and probably would have had an advantage over theirs if ours were on the market at the same time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the end though, we can’t change anything that has happened with their house so we just have to hope we will have similar luck!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We’ve now had 3 showings and have 5 more booked for the next three days. I’m excited that there is some interest but it sure is tiring having to clean our house non-stop and having to be out of the house at nap/bed time. And just because my kids don’t think I have enough to worry about, they are doing their best to make sure I have lots of toys to pick up, food to clean up, beds to make and diaper cream to clean out of the carpet (yeah, don’t ask!).</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Let’s just hope this whole thing is over with soon!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0