Brainstorming....

As I mentioned previously, I sprained my ankle... so I am doing very little around here at all. Simple tasks, like sweeping the floor, and putting laundry away seem giant-like to me. I do them, and then I need to sit and rest my foot for awhile.... but while having lots of time to sit and elevate the ankle....I have been thinking and thinking about renovations.

I can tell I am getting somewhere when the creative juices start flowing.... and that "stuck" feeling goes away. The "stuck" feeling is not being sure exactly what direction to go in design wise. When my creativity becomes "unstuck", it's a great thing! lol! So, I haven't been thinking about the inside of my house, nope I've been pondering the outside. We have a larger farmhouse style home, and while the front is nicely landscaped (it was done by the previous owners), the side and back of the house have almost nothing done to them. Just that weedy grass with tons of bare dirt patches. ;-) And I wouldn't call that landscaped. But because of the size of the area to work with, it always seems overwhelming to me. I can't even begin to figure out what to do, or what to plant, or where to plant it, or how to get privacy, etc. etc. etc.

A few days ago a good friend, called me on my birthday. We had lots of fun catching up and it was good to laugh with her again! She was my neighbor in Pennsylvania, and we would pop over to visit each other's homes from time to time to look at our flower beds, or talk container plants or just hangout together. I told her of my gardening woes, that I had not a single container plant on my deck (which is not like me). And I mentioned to her in our conversation how good she was at working in little sections of her yard. She didn't need to have the entire thing done, but she worked a little here and a little there. Kind of like "putzing around the garden" as we say in PA. Anyway, I was thinking about that conversation today and some brainstorming began to take affect!

One thing dh and I know for sure is that we will be majorly cutting back those cottage roses this year. They are too large, and are not blooming as well. We'll do it in February, and hopefully we won't kill them, but we plan on pruning about 1/2 of each plant! I also plan on planting some begonias in the front to add color in different areas. While I liked the pansies that we planted, they really wilt in hot weather, and begonias are hardy right through fall!

I thought about the back of our house, as my mind looked at what the eye visualizes. You can see right under the deck, and I think I can remedy that with some lattice and some raised flower beds or maybe some climbing clematis. Also in front of a row of tall leyland cypress I would like to plant something else that would bring color to a row of green, and soften the line of the privacy hedge. There are also still a few areas that need privacy, so I think I would like to plant a few more evergreen in a corner of our property, and another leyland cypress.

I'm still pondering and dreaming... but breaking it down into manageable sections of our yard helped me to get "unstuck" and create the beginnings of a plan! So I have my flower and landscaping books out, and I'm just having a marvelous time brainstorming today!

Just a little break...

Well, it's been awhile since I posted anything here. About 3 weeks actually.... It will probably be a little while until I'm ready to post another update on our house. DH and I are in the process of adopting internationally, and right now all the funds that we have are going to that. So, we are taking a break from the house remodeling. We have some expensive items coming up like new faucets, lighting fixtures and bathroom hardware....plus we'd like to fix the window trim mold in the other parts of our house that we have finished. (Like the living room, and homeschool room). But it will have to wait a few months.

Besides that I sprained my ankle badly, and I don't really have it in me yet to begin a remodel. I could be painting the bathroom cabinets, but not quite yet. :-)

So, hopefully in a few weeks we'll be ready to begin a new project. See you then!

Getting Organized

I know this blog is mainly about remodeling....but I guess I consider organization of the home part of our remodeling. :-) And goodness knows we have organized around here since we moved in. I talked a little about how we re-did 3 closets since we moved in. No one can really notice that remodeling, as it is behind closed doors. But, it has made such a difference in where and how we store things. My boys bedroom closets is one example.

Anyway, this weekend I decided to tackle all the loose paper around our schoolroom/library, and if you homeschool, you know how this paper can accumulate! I sorted through, filed and threw out so much stuff! I re-registered with my Church related school for next year and updated my attendance and grades. I even have notebooks set up for next years filing of paperwork, etc for each boy. It took about 2 hours of uninterrupted work, but it's accomplished and I feel so much better! It was such a job to tackle!

From there I began to pull curriculum that was from previous grades, to box up and wait to be used in the future. I also pulled curriculum to sell at a future used curriculum sale. I threw out completed workbooks, that I was saving for who knows what! My dh said, "Throw them out!" So, out they went. I created quite a bit of room on all my bookshelves through this process, and I was able to shelf our curriculum for next year.... Yeah! And now I have room for the two boxes of curriculum that are coming soon!

Finally, I moved on to another paper mess. We are in the process of adopting internationally, and I had all the paperwork in various places...file folders and piles in and around my desk. It wasn't very organized and I don't think anyone other than me could locate a single document if they needed it. And while we had 3 ring binders for housing this stuff, we were not using them..... So, I tackled this project as well. Every important paper is stored in clear sheet protectors. It looks so much better, and I was able to empty two huge file folders! Now, all the documents are in their place, and should we need to pull them for something, it's easily found. I love the feeling being organized gives me! (Yes, I know I'm probably weird...) :-)

We have an art closet in our homeschool room as well. It has 3 doors. One is for my curriculum manipulatives, like games, flashcards, etc. The other two are for craft supplies. They are a Mess!! The boys pull out art supplies and crafts to do any number of projects whenever they feel like it. And while I LOVE their spontaneity and creativity, the disaster they leave behind isn't much fun. Thankfully they are old enough to put their crafts away, but they kind of put it in any old place they can find. So, from time to time I have to clean that out as well. It's been a LONG time since I did that. I'm waiting to get up the energy.... lol!

Anyway, aside from the art closet the room looks much better....I have a friend, who has on her blog... "Tackle it Tuesday." That's what I felt like this weekend... even though it wasn't a Tuesday.... I sure did tackle a lot!

Finally! Pictures of $10 Bookcase

I was away for a few days...so I am finally able to post some pictures of the bookcase, and some cute things I found at Hobby Lobby, to decorate it with! I went into Hobby Lobby as one of my last stops last Wednesday evening. It was about 20 minutes before they closed. I came across some awesome accents for my boys room. Very unique, vintage with a scrapbook kind of a feel. So, I picked them up not even caring what they cost. (I can do this impulse thing, it isn't often, but when I see something I love, and it isn't real expensive, then I'll probably get it). Anyway, it wasn't until I got home that I noticed that every single item I bought was 50% off! WOW!!! It's funny because when the cashier told me the price I momentarily thought, that wasn't bad....but because they were closing I was in a hurry to get out of there. So...another great deal!

Here are a few photos of the bookcase and the accents I put on them. The space in the middle of the top of the bookcase is left for some lamp that I have yet to find. I decided since I found all this cool sport accent stuff, that I will not do the lamp in a sport motif.... too much.....and will just get it in a solid color to go along with the quilts. Doesn't the finish on the bookcase come awfully close to the finish on the headboard? That is hard to find...

Here are some closeups of the sports balls and picture frames. My kids photos are not in there yet....and it will probably take me several months to get that done.... lol!

This one is my favorite baseball photo frame. Now if I could just snap a picture of my son diving to catch the ball like that! Maybe I could leave it in there and we could pretend it was him!! :o)

One final picture of the grouping and the bookcase. I want to add some books and of course the lamp...but I am happy with it for now. This room has become one of my favorite rooms in our house. I love to walk by in the morning and just admire our handiwork. (I know I'm probably weird). :o)

We also replaced the ceiling fan with one from our downstairs family room. It works so well up there. the only thing that is a problem is when it is one a high speed it rocks rather badly. It is definitely a balance issue and so we will have to research how to solve that problem. It did this even in the family room (though not to the degree). Here is a photo of the fan (before and after).

Now doesn't that look better?

The final things for the room to finish it off... are pictures for the walls. I have a few, and I have some baseball jerseys to hang if I like the look.... I guess I'll get to those last finishes when I feel like it. Pulling the finishing touches together is not my forte, and so it rarely gets done. I am proud I was able to pull together what I did, and if those pictures go up, I'll be really impressed!

Our next project that we are anticipating starting in a few weeks is the boys bathroom. It's currently painted a bright dark aqua blue and the cabinets are just a very worn oak. The light fixtures are round globes from the 80's and the sink faucets are also 80's. There is a linoleum in the bathroom that I don't care for, but I have seen dh replace linoleum before and it did not go well. So this one I may have to leave alone and just cover it up. I'm planning on painting the boys cabinets creamy white, which will be a lot of work. So, come along on the next project starting soon!

Nightstand/Bookcase!

I had just posted to the ladies in my homeschool support group that I went yard saleing this weekend and it was a total bust.... not a nightstand or bookcase to be found. I went to a TON too! So, I intended to stop at the antique mall on Sunday afternoon and see what I could find. I had been visiting the antique mall, about 2x a week for the last 3 weeks. So, I wasn't optimistic. It's a large store with lots of vendors, and I typically start out walking the entire thing, row by row, right to left. As I am going I am looking at prices for things that I don't necessarily love. You know things, I could re-do to make work... $125, $85, $75 and one $65. I wanted to pay around $40 for a nightstand or bookcase. So, as I am walking around the store I am talking to the Lord.. "Lord, I will be patient as long as you want. You know I don't want to spend a lot of money on this, and I don't really want to settle on something I don't like and pay more for it. I've been checking every week.... here, goodwill, thrift stores..... please help me to find a nightstand or bookcase."

I was heading around to the very last row, at the back of the store. And there was a booth that was almost completely empty. The dealer of that booth had everything 50% off for 2 weeks, and he must not have been renewing his contract. Now everything was gone, except for the three bookcases he displayed things on! Two were not real wood, and were a little small, but one was just about perfect.... it looked to be the same finish wood as the boys beds and dressers (red/brown maple/very hard to find). It was just a little wider in depth than a bookcase, and had several layered shelves that I could use to display things on. It was high enough to still place a lamp on top, and just wide enough to fit nicely between the two beds. Really I couldn't ask for more....not even the price. $10.00!! I took the post it note and walked right up to the front, thinking as I was walking and looking at furniture still... "Jackie, what are you still looking for?? That piece is so obviously yours". :o) So, I'm thanking the Lord for His provision! I never get tired of seeing how He works in the big things and small....

P.S. When I gather some things to put on the bookcase, I'll snap a picture!

The room is finished for now.... :o)

Well, the boys are back in their room. The finishing touches are not there yet, and I have no nightstand, but their beds and dressers are back in, and it looks nice with the wall color. Special thanks to Susan for her help with both the spot on the comforter and the link for the carpet patch. Dh did the patch and it worked very well! Saved us much money, and he now knows for future reference how to do that.... :o)

Here are a few photos of the room...before and after. I wish I had pictures on the walls etc, but you get the idea of what it might look like.

Just a few pictures....

Here are a few pictures of the closets...before and after....

These are the old closets before dh moved them over... Also notice the old thinner baseboard.

These are the new closets painted white with the new wall color. The baseboard is about 3 inches thicker as well. (Notice the carpet patch is not done yet...) :o)

Here are photos of the windows. I can't get a good after shot... the lighting wouldn't cooperate. I'll try to get a better picture this weekend. I thought I had a before shot of the whole window, but I don't.

Anyway, I guess the thing that strikes me about the new trim is that it looks more custom made than the old. Notice how the window apron (under the sill) comes out to meet the side trim. Dh did a good job!

Here is what we have left to do: install the carpet patch, replace the ceiling fan. Thanks to Susan for the hydrogen peroxide info. That small blood stain is almost all out of the quilt. It is hardly noticeable. It must have really been set in because it took me 4 hours with a small Q-tip just soaking on the spot to get it to where you would hardly notice it. Now I'll know for future reference what to do, so I can get the stain out as soon as I see it!

I still haven't found the nightstand. I even went to a local thrift shop. I've been checking ebay frequently too. Craigs list as well. I'm sure I'll find the right one at the right price eventually. :o) Once the room is put back together this Saturday, I'll take finished photos. I may not have everything I want on the walls yet, but the main work will be done, just the decorating finishes will be left. But, I finally feel like another room in the house is "ours" and not the previous owners. Yeah! (I redid an office into a homeschool room when we first moved in, and that one is definitely "ours" as well as our family room.)

That having been said, I am already excited about the next project. It's not big at all... and it's all outside. Dh needs to fix a few things that have not worked or have been broken recently due to our landscaping. Our lamppost has never worked, the power supply to it must have been cut prior to our purchasing the house. So dh is going to run electric back out to it, and we will be sprucing that thing up. Right now it has a very small lamp on it that is tilted when it was accidently hit by the mower. It's looking quite sad. I'm glad we'll be replacing it, as it was never quite to scale for the post/mailbox. Dh is going to trim some bushes back and generally shape up the landscape. I'm going to be potting flowers in lots of planters that I have. I never got them out last year, so I will be working on some hanging baskets and deck planters for the front porch and back deck. The back of our house could certainly use some color. I'll be sure to take before pictures of that as well. :-)

I'll leave you with one beautiful photo of our raised flower garden that we had before we moved. I wish I had raised beds like that here too, they are so easy to work with!

"Closing in on it".....

That's dh's saying and it is so true for our boys room! Almost all the painting is done. Dh and I found a trim for around the windows that we liked, and it is up and painted and looks GREAT! We both used the word to describe it..."It makes the window look more substantial". I think that the trim looks so good, it's like a piece of art in the room. I will not be putting up any curtains, as it is too pretty to cover. The window has plantation blinds, so privacy will not be an issue.

Dh still needs to patch the carpet, and we decided we will be replacing the ceiling fan. I found one at Lowe's that I like...and it has more of an antique feel to it. I'm not sure if I mentioned why I decided to replace the fan, instead of painting it. The main reason is that it sounds quite sick at a low speed. I turned the fan on one evening and switched it to low...when I heard the sound, I thought, "why am I going to waste my time repainting a fan that isn't even quiet?" So, we will be replacing it this week. And I'll be on the hunt for a nightstand/bookcase for the room. Dh still needs to build some type of shelves/cubbies/trophy case for each boy. But we'll do that after they are back in the room. I also found an old baseball glove of dh's when he was a kid, and I think I might display it on the wall with a baseball and old bat. Very cool vintage.

I hope that dh will be done with the final trim painting, so I can post pictures sometime tomorrow. (At least of the window and closets). I'm excited to show off this new window moulding. lol! It's the little things isn't it?

Door trim, window trim and quilts...

Today I ran to Lowe's after the ballgame to get some wood trim for the boys bedroom. Now remember, I wanted that cottage trim so badly..., however when dh put it up around all the doors and window, I just didn't like it. It looked like someone had tacked scrap pieces of wood around. It also didn't compliment the crown moulding very well. SO, I decided that we will just use the trim that was originally around the doors. I don't mind it too terribly, and it will save us much money in the long run, as we won't have to replace it throughout the house. The window trim will be a different trim, and that is proving to be a tougher decision. It was the window trim that dh and I have never really liked, so we will be redoing this (once I find what I like). I may have to post pictures of each trim, so that I can get opinions.

I promised dh that I would make a decision by the weekend, so that he can finish the room. He just wants to "get it done", as he said to me yesterday. I completely understand, I want that room finished too. Feels like we've been working on it forever. I can't wait to be able to pull the finished room together, even if I don't have a nightstand yet. And speaking of finished rooms, I have two quilts for the boys beds....I have had them on a rocking chair in the spare bedroom that the boys currently occupy. When I grabbed a quilt to check colors in the room etc, I noticed a small drop of blood right in the center. It's pretty small, about the size of an eraser on the end of a pencil. I'm sure it's from one of the many scrapes they get playing football, or biking, skateboarding whatever... It's right in the middle, of a cream swatch of the fabric. Any suggestions for getting blood out without ruining, fading or bleaching the colors? It's got some red quilt squares and I wouldn't want the red to run and turn the quilt pink. It would have to be right smack in the middle of the quilt, which lays right in the middle of the bed, so you'd be sure to notice it. And even if you didn't notice it..... I would notice it. So, I have to try to get it out. Any ideas?

Still working.....

I haven't had an update to post in a couple of days.... we've actually been focused on the outside of our house lately. Trimming back the cottage roses, and weeding around the pansies and daylilies. The liriope is doing okay, but I probably should have trimmed it back again after that April cold snap. The crape myrtles are also slowly coming back with new growth. We still need to mulch everywhere...so many projects so little time. ;-)

My friend Jeannie asked what our next project is after the boys room. Well, I've been thinking about that. We have some maintenance issues to deal with concerning our landscaping. So we will have to handle some outside things first, but then I was considering renovating the boys bathroom. This should be a good before and after. The wall color is bright blue, and the cabinets are a worn oak, that have seen better days. I was originally thinking of painting the cabinets creamy white, but then I saw some painted black, and I thought it looked rather sharp. I may paint mine black and the boys the white. Dh says we need to hold off on our bathroom, as replacing the fixtures will be expensive. We will start the boys bathroom, and I plan on pricing some fixtures I saw at Southeastern Salvage. Hopefully I'll find a great deal!

We are still working on the trim around the boys room. Dh has cut it all, and it is primed. He has it on the wall (tacked up) so I could take a look at it... I'm not sure I love it. That's not a very good first reaction if you remember from my previous post. It's really simple, and while I do like that, our house just doesn't lend itself to that much of an era change. I think we will try to add a little more detailed trim on top of each header. I saw some doors and window trim in an old Home magazine I have (from 2004), and we may try to mimick it. What am I doing with a Home magazine from 2004? I pretty much save all home decorating and remodeling magazines.... unless they are way out of style. I have some from 2001 still. :-) I found some vintage suitcases a few years ago that are the perfect storage spot for my magazines.

I've also been on the hunt for some type of night table or small bookcase to place between my children's beds. I haven't found what I am looking for yet though. I know I could find it at a new furniture store, but I refuse to pay a high price for it. I went today to a furniture outlet and saw a very simple one with a price tag of $175! Yikes!! I'm on the hunt for something around $40 or less. Where we used to live, they had an awesome furniture consignment store, and I would always find stuff for the house there. Maybe I'll find some furniture items at a yard sale.....I plan on making this a regular activity soon!

As promised updated pics....

Well, I can't say that I'm feeling a lot better.... but maybe a little. My stomach seems to be gurgling less, and I managed to eat two pieces of toast and 12 oz of Gatorade. I truly hope by tomorrow I will feel more like myself. I did manage to take pictures of the boys room...and what we have done so far. There is no trim on any doors or windows yet, and the baseboard trim, (which I love), is just cut. We still need to paint it and install it.

Here is the first shot of the closets, shelves and all. It's hard to see, but above the top dowel rod of clothes are two more additional shelves that run the width of the closet. These will come in handy for storage. Of course I had to take a picture of the closets now, as their is no guarantee that it will look this neat when I turn it over to the boys!

These photos are of each side of the closet, and the last photo is of the bins I was talking about.

They can be labeled, and should hold all of the boys treasures that are currently being stored in the bottom drawers of their dressers.

We'll have some space cleared out now for clothes, which... surprise, surprise.... is what a dresser should hold!

A bin for all

stuffed animals...

The photo to the right is a pretty good picture of the color of the room. It will look great with the cottage trim around the doors and windows. Dh also replaced all the switch plates and outlets with white to go with the white trim.... Can't wait until I can pull the whole room together!

Finally- a color I love!

Yes, it is true I found a paint color for the boys room. But I'll get to that in a minute. Let me rewind just a day or so. Dh and I had a date night and had a lovely dinner out by ourselves. After dinner, I wasn't feeling quite right, but we ventured on anyway. We planned on going antiquing afterward, but the antique center was closed. So we headed to return the bins I mentioned in the previous post. Now, I have to tell you, I'm at this point not feeling very well. Not a good thing for date night and the start of our weekend. We pick up the boys and head home and I head to bed. I wake up Saturday, nauseous and not feeling real well. It's some kind of stomach virus. Gurgling stomach the works. I am not hungry, although I tried to eat a little toast etc late in the day. So it's now Sunday late afternoon, I've been in bed all weekend long with a stomach bug, and my stomach is still literally gurgling as I type. So not fun!

That being said, how could I possibly have picked a paint color? Because I have an awesome dh! He went down to get every beige brown color strip of Benjamin Moore at our local hardware store. He brought them up to our room and we each picked the ones we liked. He told me I need to go with a darker color, so I listened to him. We narrowed it down to two colors. He then drove back to the hardware store, got samples and came home to paint them on the walls. We each liked a different color, so we called the boys in and they chose the one they liked the best. (Mine) :0 Within the 1/2 hour dh was back down at the hardware store picking up a gallon and while I slept he painted the room. (He is a great man!)

Late Saturday evening, I went in to check the color with the quilt I bought for the beds. I heard something fall, but didn't pay too much attention.... when I went to leave not a few minutes later... a whole quart of white paint had fallen and spilled onto the middle of the carpeted floor!!!! Sick or not, I ran downstairs to get dh to do something. He was not his normal optimistic self, which did not bode well for the carpet. His immediate response was, "We'll have to replace the carpet." What?!?!? The carpet I was going to patch to save us a whole lot of money? Nu uh, not if I have anything to say about it. So, dh cleaned all of the top spill off with a paint spatula, and the he told me to go get the steam cleaner with warm water. I did and we went to work. I went online to to find out how to get large paint spills out of a carpet. We were doing everything we could, except we should steam the whole room, so there wouldn't be a light spot. So, we had to move everything out of the room (tons of all his tools, it looked like the garage). When that was complete, I told dh to go watch his movie, I'll finish the room.... he had done enough for the day as it was. We left the fan on and the windows open and you can not tell that a whole quart of white paint spilled on the carpet at all! Dh gave me a great compliment on how well I did cleaning it up. ( I was steam cleaning for over an hour). ;o)

So, now everything is out of the room, the carpet is clean, the closets are done, the paint is on the wall....and we are "closing in on it", as dh likes to say. Not a bad accomplishment for a totally sick weekend. I promise I will take pictures as soon as I feel better.

New growth....

Just a little update, I still have not ventured to look for a paint color. Not quite ready to do that yet..... :o) However, the closets are almost together. Dh is putting the final coat on the shelves this evening, and then he will spray them with a clear enamel protectant tomorrow. The dowel rods are up and I actually have clothes on them. (yes, I'm a happy camper!) This evening, dh and I will be exchanging some bins that will go on the closet shelves, and tomorrow evening our closets should be d-o-n-e done. Yeah!

We still have the paint color to select and the trim to do. Perhaps we'll find a color this evening. I'm not as rushed to move the kids back into that room, as I want to take my time and get it right. Today we plan to go look a night table...at an antique center nearby. The boys enjoy to go there and check out all the old stuff. I love that they are developing an interest in old things and history. I hope to post updated photos when the paint color is finalized.

Finally, I have some good news! (Small really in the scheme of things, but good none the less).... our crape myrtles that I was so concerned about after that cold snap...are finally showing new growth! What a joy to see that every time I drive by! Unfortunately the lace leaf dwarf maple, has begun to look even more pitiful than the picture I posted a few weeks ago. So, I'll be reading up on what to do to help that little tree out. Overall, while we don't have the splendid spring we were originally on track for.... it won't be a total loss either. Our daylilies have begun to bloom (those hardy things), and I think the cottage roses will soon boast some new blooms as well. I'll take some pictures in a few weeks when they really flower out!

UGH...The paint saga continues.....

I just wanted to blog one thing tonight.... I'm so discouraged. The paint I chose for the walls is the wrong color. I'm quite frustrated with myself, not only for the work it took to paint it...but the money I spent. The color is too red...it has a red/pink undertone. It was just a square and you would think I would remember my lesson about that from my kitchen cabinets. UGH! If there is a square(paint chip) and there is no "family of paint colors with it", always always always ask for the color tints that make up that paint chip. So I am back to square one, and the white I chose for the trim was also too bright.... (dayglo white).

I'm just going to let it sit for a few days and come back to this room when I have a clearer head, and perspective. Let this be a lesson for friends, I am not good at picking paint!

Slow and Steady.....

I have to remind myself....slow and steady wins the race. Not like we are trying to win a race or anything. It's just I forget when we are remodeling, that it affects almost every part of the house. I don't know why this is...but when things are in different locations, different rooms, thrown anywhere, I become more overwhelmed. I know people who have remodeled know what I am talking about. It's like you have one room in the house that is tidy, for me it's our homeschool room. It's good for me to visit this room often for my own sanity. Almost every other room becomes a holding place for either remodeling stuff, or a temporary holding place for the things that will go in the remodeled room. Ack!

Good news, we returned some things that we did not need for the room. Some bins that I bought for the shelves were not the correct color (too red). I bought some smaller bins for the kiddos to store their treasures and keepsakes. It will be a good thing! I bought the paint (Antique by Waverly) and also the white trim paint for all the trim work and the closet. We begin painting this evening, and will hopefully be done with the closet tonight. Perhaps Monday I can begin to hang clothes and set up shelves. Dh and I still need to purchase all the trim from Home depot. I guess the trim work will be a project for next weekend. We are replacing the window sill as well. Our windows originally had no trim at all. We think the previous owner added this pre-made trim, and as you can see from the pictures it doesn't meet the window sill. That sticking out bit is in every room, and it's gonna go.

This has been one of the biggest projects for us,(in our new home) and we aren't through yet! After we get the trim up, dh will be making wall cubbies w/hooks to house their sports trophies and their ballcaps. I was hoping to get to some yard sales today to search for a night stand or book shelf in wood to place between the twin beds. And, I have to re-do their ceiling fan. I'm still not sure if I am going to paint it and buy new blades, or just find one on sale somewhere. It's almost easier to do the latter, but if the cost is significantly different, then I'll be painting it.... Here's a photo:

Progress....

The shelves are up in the closet! Woohoo! This is big stuff, and it has been quite a lot of work for dh. We have to prime and paint them white next, so they won't stick out like a sore thumb, when you look in the closet. But they are built, and dh is quite pleased with himself. (As well he should be). I think it helps that he is an engineer and he actually likes to draw to scale, figure out measurements on paper, then mark the wall or wood and measure 3-4 more times and then cut...etc. That would drive me crazy, I have no patience for that kind of detail work. So, I am definitely grateful for his talent in this area.

DH is hoping to have the closet done and the dowel rods up by this weekend. I sure am hoping too, because NOW the clothes are not just in that temporary closet. Since that is a mess, and packed full, the kiddos have begun to use the air hockey table as the place for all clothes that won't fit in the closet. (Now I really don't like to go in that playroom!) Oh how hopeful I am to be able to hang their clothes back up into their closets this weekend.

I have a humorous story to share about my paint selection. As you know I sent dh to the store with the two samples of paint that I liked so we could "audition" them. Those went up on the wall a week ago, and I thought they were a bit dark and they were also very close in color. This evening I took one of the quilts that will go in the room, and went to try to find another paint to audition. I found two that I thought might work. One I felt was pretty close, (Antique by Waverly) and the other I thought, might be dark...but I wanted to see it on the wall anyway...(Khaki by Waverly). So I put the antique on the wall and I ask dh what he thinks. He says, "it looks.... it looks really close to the other colors you have on the wall." Good grief I think.... these ladies are not going to believe that I picked another color so close to the other two! So, as I'm closing up the small paint can, and placing it on the shelf next to the others, I take a look at all my colors so far. Yes, there is Hotel wheat......I remember that one well...and what's this one?..... Antique by Waverly....oh yes, that's what I just put on the wall.... and what's this one...I forget what I picked....? Ummm..... Antique by Waverly? What? I picked the same color twice? LOL! No wonder the color looked so close. I had no idea that I picked the same audition tonight that I had dh get a sample of last week. Can you guess which one we are leaning toward? I guess the one I liked enough to pick twice! Anyway, here are some pictures for you of the closet with shelves and the 3 paint samples. Which one do you like?

Here is a good look at the three colors. One is hotel wheat, one is khaki and one is antique....can you tell which is which? Note the Mountain Dew, dh's favorite drink.


The picture to the right shows a piece of our new wide baseboard molding.






Here is the closet, the wood sticks out like a sore thumb to me when I look at this. But it will all blend nicely, when it is painted. Also the frame and closet doors are not up. The shelves will hardly stick out at all once those pieces are up. Right now they look out of proportion to the closet, but they'll look better when the doors are up. I sure hope I can post a picture of a finished closet soon!

A quiet rain....

What a lovely day. About mid-morning the already grey skies began to quietly rain. Not your hard, wind swept storm that blows in and out quickly. No this was a gentle rain, that all the plants and grass outside desperately needed. It's the kind that sinks into the ground, leaving very little for run off. This is the kind of rain, that I like to listen to.... perhaps open a window to my bedroom, or sit on my front porch and watch the birds search for worms that have made their way up to the surface. Everything seems to slow down here when it rains....and I find that I like it. I have a moment of quiet as the kiddos are at their Tuesday activity. I think I'll take a moment, sip some coffee and watch the rain. These days don't come around too often for me...and I'd like to enjoy it.

Paint- A love/hate relationship.

(I use that title tongue in cheek, as I guess re-reading my post, I really do have that kind of relationship with paint. lol!)

The walls have been primed! Yippee! I have both colors "auditioned" on the wall. Do you think they work? Really.... given my track record... that would be a "NO". I wonder if I am just no good at picking paint. I know I've been called color sensitive .... but you would think I would be so sensitive that I would be able to "see with my eyes" what paint chip color would work, instead of having to audition thousands! (Okay, thousands is a slight exaggeration, perhaps 5....but still!!) I think the color I chose for the walls is too dark. I actually chose two colors, and when I put them up, they look almost identical. LOL! I thought... good grief why did I bother. lol! So, I'm headed back to Lowe's tomorrow to look at some more color chips. Something in like a light brown sugar color would be great.

We selected our baseboard height. Dh brought home a sample and I absolutely love it. Now that is a good thing, because when I remodel, I can have three reactions, "love it", "can't stand it", and "unsure of it" (which is my most dreaded). The fact that I love the baseboard is great. I don't usually waver at all when I give that reaction. It's when I have an "unsure of it" reaction, that dh knows it's gonna probably change. We looked for window and door trim today, but not seeing what we needed, dh said he might have to build it himself. (I didn't even have to tell him). He really does like to build things. :-)

So while dh and I were painting the walls in the kids room, and I said, "I love the smell of paint, it's intoxicating." Dh said, "Yes, the smell of paint means progress". LOL! Oh how true, and he hit the nail right on the head. I guess dh is right, it signals progress on our remodeling. But it also brings a sense of comfort to me, as I think about all the wonderful memories we have made renovating our home.

Spring Flowers....

I miss the flowers that we would normally see about now in this part of the country. After that record setting cold snap here a few weeks ago, everything out in my yard is dead or dying. The poor azaleas are brown, and we'll have to cut back the bushes to save them. The weeping cherry was flowering a beautiful pink before the weather turned. The liriope has turned brown, but it may be coming back to life, as it's quite hard to kill that stuff. My cottage roses are even affected and while they aren't too bad, if I don't see some blooms open in the next week or so, I'm going to prune them as well. The laceleaf maple that was vibrant red is now orange brown, and wilted. I've driven around the neighborhood and all of these miniature trees look like this. But the saddest sight to see has to be my 4 crape myrtle trees. The were pushing forth light green foliage and looking healthy and fresh in the springtime. Now their leaves are shriveled up and brown, hanging limply from twigs that seem to also be drying out. I'm concerned about them, and not sure if I should cut them back, or leave them be. I've read advice to wait a few weeks and new growth should begin to show. I guess I'll wait a couple more weeks and see what happens....so sad. The only thing that looks bright and vibrant in my front yard are my yellow and purple pansies. They didn't seem to be bothered by the cold at all. They stand out amongst all the dreary damaged plants as if cheerfully saying, "We may be small, but that cold didn't bother us a bit!" Notice the sad looking laceleaf maple behind them.

So, I guess this spring is done as far as blooming, and it will be a season of waiting and watching to see what recovers. Since I missed a prolonged bloom time, it has gotten me thinking about container plants. I need a good shot of colorful blooms, so I'm posting some pretty petal pictures for you. I also have a great website that has helped me with my container planting. It shows you a picture of the planted flower container, and then shows you a diagram of each plant and where to plant it. I still use this to get ideas on how to make an outdoor planting arrangement look good. :-)

http://www.fernlea.com/samples/containers/container1.htm

Aren't these flowers gorgeous? I love the old buckets they are arranged in.

Those would look lovely in a few rooms in my house.

The blue and white flowers in the window box are stunning! Can you tell what types of flowers I prefer? All these are beautiful, makes me want to hang some window boxes... eventually.

I think the yellow flowers are coreopsis, or some sort of daisy. I'm not sure and my big book of flowers is not with me at the moment to lo0k them up.

Drywall, Trim, and Closets.... an update.

Well, it's official I have a full fledged cold. UGH! Nothing special to report on the remodeling front. DH is continuing to mud the drywall in the room, and even said we would be ready to paint by the weekend. Shocker! Sure hope the color looks right. We have to prime the walls first, as the color is a darker blue. I haven't even tested my auditions yet. We also plan on replacing the trim, room by room in the house, as we can afford it. Since this room is already disassembled, dh plans of taking off the baseboard molding, and door and window trim before he paints this weekend. I have to go to Lowe's or Home Depot to check out the trim again. I may even have to find a lumber store. Perhaps they have specialty trims that you don't readily find at the big home improvement centers. (I think he may actually have to build the trim for the windows and doors....but I'm not going to share that with him until I know for sure.) Eek! Here's a picture of the new closet position drywalled. Just waiting for the last few coats of mud...and then primer.

One thing you will find as you read about our remodeling......I design it and dh builds it. Can I tell you how blessed I am that this man likes to remodel, and basically will try to build whatever I design? He is truly gifted in getting things done, and while I may have the vision, it is he who helps me bring it to fruition.

So, speaking of design, I have also begun to design the boys closets. I had a brainstorm take hold yesterday... there is a small wall space between the closets. On the inside I am going to have dh build shelves, which I will have made to measure for those canvas fabric bins. This will hold some of their toys animals etc. Then next to the shelves we will double hang dowels rods for their clothes. It will be good to utilize all the closet space we have, leaving very little as wasted space.

It's funny because of all the remodeling we have done since we moved into this house, we remodeled 3 closets this far! You can't really see our progress, as it is all behind closed doors. But this is what I think.... for me, it's gotta be an organized, workable space. This is especially true for closets. I don't know why, but if your closet is workable, then most of your stuff around your house will go to a proper place and the whole house will feel less cluttered. I can't stand to open a closet and have everything be falling out all over the place. I guess I'm a little weird... Currently their clothes are being hung in one closet in the playroom. Their clothes are stuffed in tight, with hangers sticking out all over the place! I somehow have grown into this more organized person over the years, and that closet in there is killing me! I don't even want to look at it! So, the faster the new closets get up and running the better for my sanity! LOL! Here's a photo of the temporary closet! Yikes!