Life with 5 Monsters!

First day of school (for 3 monsters)

2011-08-16T10:39:00.002-05:00

We now have a 1st grader, a 6th grader, and an 8th grader. Tomorrow the older kids start and we will have a senior and 2 juniors. The summer went by way too fast. Miss Brainy spent all of June in college classes, went on a trip to St. Loius, to Mahoney State park and the Ozarks with her boyfriend's family. The Boss, Chatterbox, and Badgerboy went on vacation in Colorado with their paternal Aunts and Uncles. With theatre, swim lessons, trips to the pool everyday, jobs, and friends taking up most of their free time it seems like we did not have time to do anything as a family.

My baby's not a baby anymore

2011-07-29T00:01:00.001-05:00

My baby turns 6 today.

It feels like just last week that he was this sweet tiny baby.

My only blue eyed blonde.

Loved to be cuddled and still does.

Didn't sleep through the night until he was 3 yr. old.

Always a happy guy.

Rarely cried and still doesn't shed a tear even if he gets hurt.

Battled all sorts of lung problems this first year, a couple hospital stays and ER visits.

Found out he is allergic to Peanuts right before this picture was taken (18 months)

Luckily we have had no serious reactions since.

Very shy and quiet.

Potty trained by 2 1/2.

Loved anything Lightning McQueen and Hotwheels.

Started preschool.

Learned his ABC's.

Took gymnastic/tumbling classes.

Loves Legos!

Started preschool and speech therapy.

Played t-ball and soccer.

Started kindergarten.

Made so many new friends (and had his first crush).

Overcame his fear of heights.

Started going to AWANAS.

Can read.

Loves math.

Still loves legos.

Obsessed with the XBox.

Loves to shop and buy new shoes.

Swam in the ocean for the first time.

Passed his swim test.

Wanted to see both Cars 2 and Transformers.

Still holds my hand. Gives me hugs and kisses.

"New" Furniture for the bedroom

2011-07-26T08:33:00.003-05:00

As well as spending hours painting the bedroom and working on the drywall I have spent a couple hours getting our old furniture ready. I still need to add the hardware but so far I love the way they turned out.

Happy Birthday to my other half

2011-07-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

I love a man who argues when needed, loves unconditionally, and thinks of others before himself. He is a wonderful father, step-dad, dude, and husband.

Blue...Green...

2011-07-24T11:03:00.002-05:00

If I am given a choice my favorite always lands in this area. Whether it be turquoise or robins egg blue, teal or aqua I simply love it. I have at least one item in every room of my house this color. Both my husband and Little Buddy are blue/green color blind though. My husband is in denial but we have had arguments over whether something is blue or green. Little Buddy's is much more obvious, he calls most blue/green/gray colors dark and when given the color blind test he was unable to see any shapes or numbers.

My birthday present this year is this beautiful Coach purse. Love everything about it!

When we are finally out of the minivan stage I will have one of these!

Here is a link to an online color blind test.

http://www.colour-blindness.com/colour-blindness-tests/ishihara-colour-test-plates/

When Little Buddy took this test it showed he was Red/Green color blind.

Girls Room

2011-07-23T09:52:00.004-05:00

The girl's room will be done in Navy and Raspberry. This will work great since The Boss asked for blue and Chatterbox loves loves loves pink. I will be trying to make it more of a teen room, staying away from anything too babyish. I will be painting their bed frames navy blue, their side table raspberry and their dresser may get a fun treatment if all turns out the way I hope.I will be keeping the furniture and accessories to the minimum since these two have MAJOR problems with keeping it picked up. I will be adding storage under their beds and they will have a ton (for a victorian) of closet space.

The progress in these rooms would be much quicker if the previous owners would have fixed things correctly instead of putting a patch over things just to sell the house. When we moved in we did not know that the girl's room (what will be our room) would leak, but as we have started fixing this room we now know that they knew this. Not only did they not disclose this at the time of the sale, they also tried to cover it up. The chimney runs up the wall in this bedroom and we found out about 6 months after we moved in that the flashing on the roof around the chimney was loose and the rain would run down the chimney and rotted out the ceiling and drywall. We have since removed the chimney at the roof level, cover the hole, and roofed over it so that it would no longer leak. Their fix was to add another layer of drywall over this rotted area and call it good. Seriously who does this?!! We live in a small town were our children go to school together and my daughter and their children are all in children's theater. As much as I would like to call them out on it, 6 years has gone by and I should probably just let it go.

Who loves Harry Potter?

2011-07-17T15:22:00.002-05:00

My girls does!

Miss Brainy and a couple friends waiting in line from 6 am-12 am for the opening night of Deathly Hollows part 2. They had their table and chairs, games, and all the books to keep them busy. She skipped school to get in line for Deathly Hollows part 1, sitting in the freezing cold and this time she skipped vacation with her aunts and uncles to sit out in the hot humid sun.
The Boss, ChatterBox, and Badger Boy are gone to Colorado with their aunts and uncles (on their dad's side).

Bedroom Makeover

2011-07-15T08:05:00.005-05:00

Let me show the pretty first...

My girls are off on vacation with their aunts and uncles so I am diving into another makeover project. This one involves moving our room into their previous little girls room. We have pulled up carpet, replaced some of the floor boards, and started to remove wallpaper. Today I will tackle sanding the floors and painting them, they will get a coat of white paint with cream stripes. Next up is adding trim, replacing drywall, painting, painting, and more painting.

Future layout of what will be the "master" bedroom.
Here is their room before:

They had royal blue carpet and lovely wallpaper (that was horribly done). We had already moved their closet door over and split the closet that is in the other bedroom. Previous owners left a closet door, that lead into a very small crawl space, with no closet to speak of.

Little Buddy's perspective

2011-07-15T08:01:00.000-05:00

Ten Things Children with Food Allergies Want You to Know
©2011 Gina Clowes

1. I long to be included.

I would like to look, act and eat like everyone else. I’d like to buy my lunch and sit wherever I want. I know I can’t, but I’m happy when someone cares enough to provide a safe potato chip, cookie, or Popsicle® for me. It’s nice when I can have something similar to what the other kids are eating and I love it when I can eat the same thing as everyone else. Whenever it’s possible, please think to include me!

2. I’m scared I could die from my food allergies.

I’ve heard my parents and teachers mention “life-threatening” food allergies and I remember having some reactions where I felt very sick and really scared. I saw how frightened my parents were too. Sometimes, I could use a little reassurance that I will be okay.

3. I feel like I’m the only one sometimes.

If you have a support group or know another way for me to meet other children who have food allergies, I would really like that. It would be nice to know that I’m not the only kid who has food allergies. Having another friend with food allergies in my classroom or to eat with me at lunch would help me too.

4. I get confused when grown-ups offer me food.

I know I’m supposed to be polite and listen to grown-ups, but my parents have told me I should only take food from them. When you offer food to me (especially candy), I’d like to take it but I’m unsure and don’t know what I should do.

5. If grown-ups kiss me, right after they’ve eaten something I’m allergic to, I’ll get itchy spots.

If your dog licks me, I’ll get itchy spots too. I don’t feel quite brave enough or know how to tell you this, but I’m hoping you will remember; if you’ve just eaten something that I’m allergic to and then kiss me, I may get hives. So please don’t kiss me right after you’ve eaten that particular food.

6. I’m embarrassed when people fuss over what I’m eating.

I know I have to eat my own safe food, but it’s easier for me when I’m not singled out. Sometimes, I feel very embarrassed when grown-ups ask me a lot of questions. More than anything, I just want to fit in.

7. I hear all adult conversations about my food allergies.

My ears perk up when I hear grown-ups mention my name or my food allergies. Please don’t pity me or act terrified because that will cause me to feel frightened. Food allergies are just one part of me. Instead, let me overhear you list all the wonderful things about me!

8. Sometimes I’m sad about having food allergies.

It’s hard to be the only kid in the class not having a birthday cupcake and having to eat something different from my box of “safe treats.” What makes it worse is knowing this will happen a lot throughout the year because there are 20 or more other birthdays in my class. I know it’s not the end of the world, but from my perspective, it’s pretty tough at times.

9. I’m watching you! You may think that I’m too little to notice, but I know when you forget my epinephrine auto-injector and return home to get it.

I watch you every time, when you’re reading the list of ingredients on my bag of candy. You are my role model and I’m learning how to manage my food allergies from you!

10. I will do about as well as you do.

My parents and other grown-ups “can-do” attitude will help me cope with the challenges of living with allergies and ensure that food allergies don’t stop me from being everything I was meant to be!

borrowed from: http://thisanaphylacticlife.blogspot.com who adapted it from: Adapted from the eBook Ten Things Children with Food Allergies Want You to Know.

Happy 13th Birthday ChatterBox

2011-07-14T22:55:00.003-05:00

How can it be that I now have 4 teenagers in the house?! Oh the hormones that rage here everyday!

I know these cakes are all over blogland, but I wanted to try one out. It was the perfect little cake for our family and it matches Chatterbox's bright, colorful personality perfectly.

Antique Booth

2011-07-04T17:27:00.005-05:00

The antique booth has been going great! Lots of items in and lots of items out. I have spent quite a few days at auctions and garage sales making some great finds and a few days spent painting up some new pieces. I have decided on a name for this "business", Past Present. I love the idea of bringing the items of the past back to life and I really love presents!

Here's a cute little side table I picked up at a garage sale and gave a fresh coat of white paint. I just took it in today.
I now have two booths. One is the things that I love and would keep in my house if I had the room. It is mostly shabby chic with a few primitives thrown in.

I have most of my porcelain and milk glass in this booth. I also like to pick up pieces of silver and anything white to go in this booth.The other is everything else. I do love a few of these pieces but for the most part these are items that I don't care to hold on to.

Take me out to ballgame

2011-06-27T11:33:00.002-05:00

For Father's day we decided to take Bryan to KC to see the Cubs play. All the kids were able to go except Miss Brainy who now has a real job. This was the first major league baseball game for all the kids. The weather was beautiful, but the game wasn't quite so great. Cubs ended up losing 3-6, but we had a great time.

Afterwards we stopped to pick up some fireworks and then headed to my mom's to see the flooding. It is unbelievable to see the flooding first hand. To see roads that we normally drive on to get to their house completely under water. So many houses and farms completely under water with the water still rising.

On the way home we ran into a big thunderstorm and had to pull over under a gas station to get away from the hail. Doesn't seem fair that some are dealing with devastating floods while others in the same state are suffering from a drought.

Lots of yardwork to be done

2011-06-27T11:14:00.003-05:00

I finally got the truckload of mulch for the flowerbeds and the new playground area. I will take a few days to get all of this spread out but it will be so worth it.

The playground that once sat here...
Is being relocated to the area behind the garage. I spent the day tearing apart the old swingset, which was held together with nails, and moving the sand/mulch to the new area. We will be redoing the swingset, using screws and new braces. I will also be adding a small patio and fire pit to this area.

The gardens and containers are doing wonderful, with all the cool weather and rain I haven't had to do much watering. I'm not very good at remembering to water all of them so they may begin to suffer as the hot months settle in.

I spent an afternoon/evening cleaning out this flower bed, removing the vines that had taken over the wall and trees.

Working in the antique store has allowed me to grab up some pretty cool containers for the garden. One of my favorites is the old chicken water/feeder.

The raised beds look awesome. After coming home from vacation to find them invaded by weeds we have cleaned them out and are finally getting some fruits from our labor. The strawberries are suppose to be the kids' responsibilities (I'm allergic) but it looks like I might need to remind them to pick them.

The tomato plants have really grown, just a couple inches shorter than the sunflowers, they aren't giving any ripe fruit quite yet but they are about 4 feet tall. We have had some onions, jalapenos, and wax peppers on the grill already.

I noticed about 10 cherry tomatoes just turning this morning.

'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!

2011-06-24T22:23:00.002-05:00

The Chatterbox has done Children's Theatre the past 3 years and could not wait to try out for this years production of Alice in Wonderland. Imagine our surprise when she was cast as.......

ALICE!!!

I am so proud of her and can't wait to see her on stage again.

The Rest of the story

2011-06-20T12:20:00.005-05:00

I have been meaning to post the rest of the vacation pics but blogger has been extremely difficult. So here is the rest of the vacation in one post.

We visited my brother in law's boat (submarine) and got to take a tour. He had been deployed for 7 months and returned home the day we arrived in San Diego. I don't know how they can live in such tight quarters for so long. After that we toured the USS Midway, which is an aircraft carrier turned into a museum.

Next we headed to a small shopping area and ate supper. Then kids had a chance to do a little shopping.

The next day was spent hanging out at Jaci and Jeff's.

We had an amazing bbq, with ribs, shrimp n bacon, pepper poppers and...

Jaci suprised me with an ice cream cake for my birthday.

We spent one day at the pier.

I also went to the Sub Ball to take some pictures of Jeff and Jaci and a couple they were with.

We spent another day at the beach and some of us headed down towards the Mexican border to visit the awesome outlet stores.

We also had a day that we were going to go to Old Towne San Diego, but after driving around for 45 minutes trying to find parking we headed back to the hotel for a nap.

We headed home on day 12. We drove back through Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

We made one stop at the Meteor Crater outside of Winslow Arizona. I would have loved to have gotten off of the interstate to travel on Route 66, but we were following Bryan's parents and they needed to get home.

Day 6

2011-06-12T14:56:00.006-05:00

On day 6 we headed out to the tide pools. When we arrived we saw that we were a little late, since the tide was headed back in. We were able to find a few sea "creatures" in the pools and the kids had fun climbing on the rocks.

Next we headed to Cabrillo National Monument and The Old Point Loma Lighthouse.

The kids (and big Kid) had the chance to try on the armor and chain mail.

Afterwards we met up with Jeff, Jaci and the girls, headed to the NEX to pick up supper.

Vacation Day 5

2011-06-12T14:03:00.004-05:00

We headed to Coronado Island for a little shopping and lunch before heading to the beach.

D wanted this for his souvenir, but it wouldn't fit in the van.

We spent the afternoon on the beach. The older kids braved the cold water and actually swam for about an hour. While the little ones and adults played in the sand.
We had fun burying Badger Boy and Jeff. I also buried the girls and made them into mermaids.

Day 4

2011-06-12T13:59:00.002-05:00

After spending a little time driving the strip and getting souvenirs we hit the road for San Diego. I can say that I will never find myself wanting to live in the desert. I longed for green grass and trees. It was depressing driving by houses with no yard to speak of.

We finally arrived at Jeff and Jaci's at about 6pm and enjoyed a little time playing in the park and visiting.

Vacation Day 3

2011-06-12T13:20:00.004-05:00

On day 3 we headed out to the Grand Canyon. I am thankful that I had the chance to view this beautiful place but have no desire to ever return. I learned that I am indeed still afraid of heights and my children running around only magnifies that fear by 100%.

This is where I prefer to take in the view.
The passengers of the party van!

Next we headed to Zion National Park
We all hiked to the waterfalls, with a few going a little further. We couldn't have asked for better weather, slightly cloudy and 70 degrees.

After Zion we headed to Vegas. We arrived late (11:30 p.m.) and had to check into our hotel (Hard Rock), drag 7 sleepy kids through a busy casino, get showers taken, sleeping arrangements settled, and Bryan still wanted to take a trip down to see the strip.
The next morning we woke up and decided to head out to a breakfast buffet, only to find out it closed 15 minutes before we got there. Bryan, John, and I each put $1 in the slot machines. John and I walked out -$1 but Bryan left $100 richer.

Vacation Day 2

2011-06-02T17:37:00.005-05:00

We spent the night in Green River Utah and headed out the next morning for Bryce Canyon. As I was just getting onto the interstate I noticed my wedding ring was missing. I knew I had put it in my camera bag and when we looked down at the bag the zipper was wide open. To say I freaked out is putting it mildly. I whipped a U-ey on the interstate and headed back to the hotel. Bry and I spent about 30 minutes searching the hotel and parking lot, but we didn't find it. I felt horrible and thought the day was ruined, but after about 30 more minutes driving Bryan notices the ring on my keychain!! I'm not sure how it got there, as neither Bryan or I remembers putting it there. I asked Bryan if he was testing me to see if I really loved him by how I reacted if I thought I lost it. He said he wasn't but that I passed.

As we drove on I noticed a strange noise coming from the back whenever I turned a sharp corner. We decided it must be the brakes and worried about traveling up into the mountains. But just as sudden as the noise started it stopped.

We decided to take scenic Hwy 12 to Bryce Canyon, which resulted in Teresa and my anxiety levels to reach dangerous levels. No one warned us that we would be driving across the peak of a mountain with no gaurd rails and only enough room for two cars.

Bertus and Carin left for San Diego after Bryce Canyon, and the rest of us traveled on to Kanab for night.

Vacation Day 1

2011-06-02T12:53:00.005-05:00

We took off on May 21, headed through Colorado and into Utah. We had a few days to hang out in Utah before Jeff's boat came in so we decided to visit some of the national parks.

Heading through Colorado we ran into a little snow, but Bryan and I were the only ones to brave the 30 degree weather to play in it.

The first stop was Arches National Park, which the kids loved. Gorgeous location and wonderful weather.

Seven of the nine kids posing in front of one of the arches we hiked to.

2011-06-02T11:32:00.000-05:00

My 33rd year

2011-05-27T00:01:00.001-05:00

accepted Christ as my Savior

sent my baby off to kindergarten

moved my studio twice (and closed the doors to the business)

remodeled the kitchen

remodeled the stairway and foyer (almost)

welcomed another wonderful child into our home

taught my 15 year old to drive

opened a booth at the antique mall and started working there part time

traveled across country to California with Bryan's family

Sweet Sixteen

2011-05-18T12:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Miss Brainy!!

Ever since she picked up her first book, I think it was in 3rd grade, she has been obsessed with Harry Potter. Her box set is worn and tattered from repeatedly reading them. Last fall I allowed her to skip school to sit in the freezing cold waiting for the release of the 7th movie. It was only fitting that her birthday cake be Harry Potter themed. It took me a couple days to make, since it was my first attempt with fondant and gum paste and I could only work on it while she was at work or school. She seemed to like it and I guess that is all that matters.

Sleep

2011-05-10T13:35:00.000-05:00

This kid can sleep anywhere, so long as he has his ipod!

End of school+beautiful weather= neglected blog

2011-05-07T21:12:00.001-05:00

The end of the school year is always a super busy time for us. With a birthday, music programs, acedemic and music banquets, field trips and track meets, we rarely have a free evening. On top of that the weather has been wonderful for working in the garden.

You said what?

2011-04-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

"Hey Mom I'm getting high!"

Little Buddy yells to me from the other room as he is climbing the ladder I left out from painting.

Badger Boy to D-"You used to play basketball?"

"Did you play for the NFL?"

Guess we need to brush up on our sports knowledge.

Me: "Wash your ears"

LB: "I can't!!" sounding a little worried

Me: "Why not?"

LB: "I don't know if I should use soap or shampoo!"

We gave the washing machine box to the kids to play in.

While they were playing spaceship in it I hear one of them fart very loudly.

Then I hear laughter and LB says: "You know astronauts fart too"

Me: "It's almost 8 get ready for bed."

LB: "Is that am or pm"

No Child left on their behind

2011-04-20T09:22:00.003-05:00

Our public schools got the most wonderful idea this year,

"Hey lets see if we can give parents more work to do...maybe give kindergartners pedometers and have their parents keep track of their daily steps...that's not enough, hmmm lets charge them $7 if their 5 year old loses the pedometer."

"It's April and those suckers have been keeping track of those dreadful step counters, let's give them another fun activity"

"Hmmm let's offer the kids "A Grand Prize" if they walk to school"

"Yeah, then those slob parents will have to get off their butts and walk their 5 year old to school"

Just for the record Little Buddy and I walked and Badger Boy rode his bike. It isn't a bad walk, all of about 15 blocks. I've walked it many times in the 6 years we have lived here and the kids have been in that school. The kids walk or ride their bikes to and from school once they are old enough.

The problem I see is that the children (and parents) I saw walking are the same parents I see every other day doing the same thing. Did I see any of the heavier kids walking? No, I did not. What are we teaching the kids if walking to school 1 day out of the school year earns you a prize? I guess it wasn't worth it to most of them whose parents were dropping them off. The school did set up a walking route for those who rode the bus to earn the prize. It consisted of walking around the school, 4 blocks!

The school has all but taken away recess. My 5th grader gets 1 recess a day and PE a couple times a week. In jr. high they have PE for 1 semester, the other is spent vegging out? So you know what I say "Practice what you preach" if the school wants children to be more active then they should offer more times during the 8 hour day to do so. Healthy lifestyles should be a journey not a destination.

Its amazing what can be accomplished in a day

2011-04-18T11:08:00.003-05:00

The weather was beautiful yesterday so we tackled the huge project of removing the vine and brush that had swallowed up our fence and flower bed. I forgot to take a "before" shot but here's a "during" shot. About 25 feet of the fence, the tree and the flower bed was totally overgrown. The vine/bush was like one messy carpet, which made it tough to remove. It took us over 4 hours to pull out all of the vines and we even had the kids helping.

After the viney mess was removed we tilled up the area. We still need to fill the boxes, lay landscape fabric and rocks between the boxes, and install landscape timber. We will also have plenty of work ahead when we start planting. I also did a little work in the shade gardens. I added a few columbine, day lily, and bleeding hearts.

Garden plans

2011-04-15T13:45:00.002-05:00

I have been very busy working in the shade garden, digging up and transplanting all the hostas from the front yard. I was able to take what was 7 very large hostas and divide then into over 45 smaller plants. My husband and I also spent one day hauling away all the yard debris and edging the sidewalks.

This weekend Bryan will be putting in 4 raised vegetable gardens. The kids are very excited to help and harvest. My strange children love garden fresh veggies, I'm not sure where they got that from.

We plan to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, sunflowers, corn, and the kids will have their own strawberry patch. I am extremely allergic to strawberry plants, so they will be responsible for taking care of that garden. I will also have some marigolds, cosmos, and lavender added in for color.

I had fun playing with Better Homes and Gardens' garden planning software. Although it only allows you to add a few garden structures and a handful of flowers are listed it is fun to play with.

Garden Path- extended

2011-04-06T13:31:00.002-05:00

My daughter, The Boss, and I finished up the garden path before I left for the conference, which was wonderful. I still need to get more rocks to edge the path with but for now it is finished.

Seriously who breaks their arm sanding a door?

2011-04-06T12:56:00.003-05:00

Yep you read that right, sanding this door ended with a trip to the Urgent Care Center and a pretty red splint.

(I had plans to paint this door to match the rest of the trim)

This weekend was beautiful so I decided to do some of the dirty work outside. I sanded this door that we picked up at the Antique Salvage and began sawing the trim for the front entryway.(the grain is so pretty that I am rethinking the paint and I may stain it to match the stairs)

I left the door propped up against the railing which turns out to be a really stupid decision. As I was cutting the trim a gust of wind blew the door over and it landed on my arm. It hurt like the dickens but after a little ice and ibuprofen I finished cutting and installing the trim.

(here is the trim work, this will continue up the stairs)

It really only hurt a little but it did bruise and swell up. I figured it wasn't to serious if I was able to use my hand. The next morning I couldn't move my wrist and my fingers were tingly so I made a trip to the Urgent Care. Sure enough I had cracked the bone in my forearm. I have a pretty splint that I get to wear for 10 days and hopefully I will be all better.

I am leaving for a weekend photography conference and luckily I can still hold my camera, so after a little relaxation and fun I should be back to working on the entryway next week.

I blinked

2011-04-04T15:08:00.000-05:00

Everyone tells you to enjoy your children because in a blink of an eye they will be grown.

Well I blinked.

My oldest child, my baby, the tiny little girl who made me a mom is SEVENTEEN! How did it happen? Where did the years go? From the time she was born and we were told she would never walk, that she would endure many surgeries and struggles she has thrown life a curve ball. She is AMAZING...amazingly beautiful, amazingly smart, an amazing cook, and some times an amazing pain in the butt! We love her for everything she is.

Progress in the shade garden

2011-04-02T13:39:00.003-05:00

I had already put in the path, but it was difficult to walk on the rocks so yesterday I decided to add the stepping stones and smaller pea gravel. It looks much better and for only $35 it makes a huge improvement to the shade garden. Now I am just waiting to see the rest of the plants come up so that I can begin filling in the bare spots.

I am also using a little child labor to get the fence painted.

Thursday Thoughts

2011-03-31T08:55:00.002-05:00

The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid? ~Psalms 27:1

My husband and I have been wrestling with a few major decisions for ourselves, our family, and our business. We have had our discussions, I have prayed for the knowledge to understand, and somehow I had not been able to find the peace I was looking for. After Bible study this week I had lunch with one of the ladies and what she told me has somehow soothed my mind and allowed me to see what needs to be done.

I told her of my fears of others thinking I was giving up or thinking of me as a failure. About how much stress I was feeling because even though it was not my intention the business was coming before my family. How dealing with some difficult people had ruined my passion for photography.

She told me, before everything else bring this to God. Allow him to be in control. To not allow my pride and worries of what everyone may think rule my decisions, to only look at how God looks at me. I left her house feeling so many emotions, but above all there was a PEACE that everything would be fine.

Darn you Jerusalem Star

2011-03-30T15:10:00.005-05:00

These may look like cute little flowers but they have been nothing but a thorn in my gardening side for the 5 years we have lived here. They are biennials that reseed themselves. To remove them you have to dig up the grass like foliage including all the bulbs. Some of these bulbs are the size of an onion, but most are pea size and smaller. I have spent the afternoon cleaning them out of my shade garden and will work on the other garden this weekend. Here is a large patch in my shade garden. Each one of these bunches has a large bulb and 10-20 smaller bulbs that need to be removed.

It is actually pretty easy to dig them up, most of the bulbs are clumped together and very close to the surface. Some do require a little digging, usually 8-10 inches deep to remove the bulbs.

I read that to keep the star of Jerusalem from becoming invasive in your garden, clip the seed heads from the plant before they ripen. This has not worked so far, but hopefully once I get them thinned out they will be easier to control.

I have to say that they are very beautiful when they all bloom, which I allow in one large area of the yard. After they are done blooming we just mow them off. Here is my niece Miss AllieCat a couple years ago in the large patch of Jerusalem Star.

Garden Shed

2011-03-28T11:11:00.007-05:00

Here we have the most uninteresting corner of my yard. You can see all the neighbors houses, the alley, and our ugly fences. We will be installing privacy fence, hopefully this summer. I would also like to include a cute little garden shed in this corner. Big enough to house our push mower and gardening tools. My only requests are for it to have a covered front porch, windows on each side and a big old door, other than that I am open to what ever my husband can put together.

I was able to pull together some inspiration images for him to go off of...

Tendonitis

2011-03-27T09:52:00.003-05:00

After almost a week of living with the pain and swelling in his wrist I finally talked Bryan into going to urgent care. The doctor diagnosed him with tendonitis and he is now wearing a splint. Treatment is fortunately very inexpensive, ice, ibuprofen, and rest. Hopefully after 7-10 days he will be back to normal. The more I have read the more it sounds like it was using the sawsall that did the damage.

Sometimes the tendons become inflamed for a variety of reasons, and the action of pulling the muscle becomes irritating. If the normal smooth gliding motion of your tendon is impaired, the tendon will become inflamed and movement will become painful. This is called tendonitis, and literally means inflammation of the tendon. Performing repetitive finger and wrist motions or using vibrating equipment also heightens your risk of developing tendonitis in that area.

Finally finished with the Fireplace

2011-03-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

I am so happy to be done with this project. It has taken almost 3 years from start to finish. I am waiting for a day with a little more available light to get some good shots, but here she is. Still a little naked until I can find the right accessories to dress her up, but she is beautiful.

Can you see the hutch on the left of the first image and peeking out on the right of the second image? That's right I painted that with a gorgeous robin's egg blue color. I still need to distress and add the glaze but she is already stunning.

My current project is scrapping the popcorn texture from the ceiling in the entryway. I will then give it a new skim coat of plaster and a coat of white paint. It really is a simple process but oh so messy. After that we can install the yet to be purchased light fixture. We still have not come to an agreement on which style we will be getting.

My dear hubby has been nursing an injured arm all week so he hasn't been able to help out on any projects. At first we thought he strained it while cutting out all the shrubs and the tree on Sunday. As the week progressed it became more swollen and he is not able to make a fist or grasp objects with it. I have tried to get him to go to the dr. but he keeps holding out. We'll see how the weekend goes, but if he can play the Xbox I'm almost certain it isn't broken!

Stocking the antique store

2011-03-23T12:12:00.004-05:00

I moved into my booth at the antique store on 17th and I received a phone call yesterday that I really needed to bring in more items. It seems I sold a ton of things over the weekend! I wasn't quite ready to bring in more items, since I had only been to two auctions (one was a complete bust) and hadn't made it to any of the goodwills. I rushed around yesterday finishing up a few projects and priced enough items to take today.

This old bakers rack is definitely not an antique, but with a little bit of sheet music pulled from an antique hymnal it will look great on display.

This cute little plant stand was from an auction. It got a coat of white spray paint, then dry brushed blue, with a little distressing and wax it looks much better than before. Which reminds me to make sure to take those before shots.
I've seen these all over the web and I finally found a set of croquet mallets so that I could make one. It turned out to be a bigger project than originally thought. We broke off a drill bit and 2 screws before we were finished.

I'll try to take a picture of the booth today when I am out restocking.

Spring cleaning

2011-03-21T18:52:00.004-05:00

The first day of spring was the perfect day for cleaning out the flower beds, which turned into removing the bushes and tree from the front yard.

After a little bit of this...

Some of this...
Lots of this...
Even more of this....

The front yard went from this...

To this...

We still need to pull out the stumps but that will wait until we can borrow a truck. I can't wait to redo the front garden.

While raking out the gardens we uncovered these!!

Nothing says SPRING more than new crocus popping up!

Flower Bike

2011-03-20T00:01:00.003-05:00

I'm on the look out for an old bike for my front shade garden. I love the look of the trailing plants and big beautiful blooms next to the old beat up rusty bikes.

Welcome Spring

2011-03-20T00:01:00.002-05:00

I am so ready for spring. Although I am new to the whole gardening chore, I have found that if I am willing to get my hands dirty and not be afraid to experiment I enjoy the task. When we first moved into this house it had beautiful shrubs and hostas in the front, but the rest of the landscaping left a lot to be desired. I have since put in two large shade gardens, a wildflower patch, and tried my hand at a container garden. Two winters ago we had a severe ice storm that broke off all the upper branches on the shrubs that were so beautiful when we first moved into the house. Since they have not recovered we will be removing them. The hostas will also be transplanted. I have been researching what type of plant would do well in the early morning sun and afternoon/evening shade. To my delight I found that one of my favorite plants, the Hydrangea, fits into that category perfectly. I planted a hydrangea bush two summers ago but it hardly bloomed at all last year. I couldn't figure out why until I stumbled upon this amazing website

http://hydrangeashydrangeas.com/

I had planted the bush in my shade garden where it barely got any sunlight. I look forward to moving it and purchasing more for the front landscaping.
This is the Blue Mophead variety that I will be hopefully purchasing for our garden. I still have researching to do but this is probably my favorite.

Six Years of Wedded Bliss

2011-03-19T00:01:00.003-05:00

Today Dude and I celebrate our 6 year anniversary. He is the man of my dreams...the one who makes me laugh and holds me when I cry. The one who I can spend hours with and it feels like only minutes have passed. He is the one that I know I can trust and that he will never hurt me. Until we met 8 years ago I feared I would never experience the feeling of true love. Thank you Bryan for being what a I needed and showing me what a real relationship is based upon... Trust, Honesty, Friendship, and Love.

Here I am with the then man of the house, the sweet little boy who walked me down the aisle and gave his mom away to be married.

Love you Badger Boy! How many men do you know of that would open their heart to a single mom with four kids?

I know just how lucky I am to have him in our lives.
He is the type of father that plays soccer and catch out in the yard, goes to all the kids activities, helps with homework, disciplines and loves at the same time, and above all he does this without complaint or the feeling of resentment. He is what a Father and Husband is suppose to be.

Our house in the middle of the street

2011-03-15T16:43:00.003-05:00

“It always amazes me to think that every house on every street is full of so many stories; so many triumphs and tragedies, and all we see are yards and driveways.” -Glenn Close

I would love to know all the secrets this house holds. To know the people who lived here and the memories of this house.

I spoke with a man who grew up in this house as a teenager just this weekend at an auction. I asked him a few questions about the house, but he only vaguely remembers. He does remember his step-mom stripping the paint from the staircase, which means that someone in the last 15 years repainted it. He also thought that the trim and mouldings were still here then. I always wondered what made someone think it wise to remove the beautiful trim around all the windows and doors.
We have also been told that our house was once a "nursing home". With elderly women living on the lower level and a family upstairs. I haven't been able to find any record of this.

And Behind Door # 1

2011-03-15T11:11:00.003-05:00

Here is what our front door currently looks like. I hate it! The color, the small half circle window, the dings and dents all drive me crazy. I had thought about just repainting it but I think it has to many flaws to live with. I would like to find an old victorian style wooden door, but I may have to settle for a new energy saving wooden door. The one thing that is great about it is since it is metal Little Buddy can put his magnetic cars and alphabet on it.

Here are a few images I pulled from the web to show Bryan what should be on an old house like this.

Let there be light

2011-03-15T10:40:00.004-05:00

The next project in the entry is scraping the popcorn texture off and moving the light fixture. For some reason the previous owners placed the ugly fixture off center. We will be moving it over and installing a new light.

This is what we have been living with for almost 6 years! UUUUUUU-gly

This is where Bryan and I disagree. I would like one that is semi-flush with some ornate detail, so that it goes with the rest of the house.

Bryan would like the cheapest flush mount you can find.

I know when to back down and when to stick to my guns, because what I really want is a big chandelier!

What do you think would look best in this old Victorian?

Happy Anniversary to us

2011-03-14T10:39:00.002-05:00

Bryan and I will celebrate our wedding anniversary this weekend, but our gift to each other couldn't wait any longer. Our old and overused washing machine bit the dust! We were without a washer for 4 days, FOUR DAYS!! Do you know how much dirty clothing a family of 8 produces in 4 DAYS!!?? It was getting a little crazy around here, kids running around with holey jeans, yelling that they were down to their last pair of clean underwear, I was almost ready to head to the laundry mat! Many years ago I did our family of 6's laundry at a laundry mat every week for a full year, and that is not a chore I would ever like to repeat!!

So we headed off in search for a some what matching washer to the dryer that croaked on us last summer.

Here she is!! What a woman, she was able to get caught up on all the laundry in just 2 days!!

My wonderful husband also decided I needed some roses!

Building a built-in

2011-03-14T10:21:00.002-05:00

I always felt that our entryway was lacking, missing that something to give it the Victorian Era charm it deserves. The staircase and stained glass window are a good start but it feels like it should be even more dressed up. I convinced my husband of this and he began building the built-in bench that I designed. The bench is in this little corner in front of the the second set of stairs. I wanted to move the duct work and grate off the floor and into the bench, and he didn't disappoint. Next to the grate is an area to add baskets for storage. The next step is for me to add the boards for the seat, trim it out and paint it up. I am reusing as much of the wood and trim work as possible. The top of the bench will be made from the planks that were once the landings on the staircase. We had to remove them once we realized that there was no sub floor under them, they were supported by one 2x4 in the middle and much smaller boards on the sides. They are not made of oak, but much softer pine, so it didn't take much discussion before I agreed to allow Bryan to replace the landings also.

The stairs and landings were covered with layers of glue, linoleum, and gunk, which I sanded off.

Before the sanding:

After sanding:

I love the distressed patina of the wood and will be leaving it.

Heart Attack on a Plate

2011-03-12T00:01:00.002-06:00

My husband has the metabolism (and energy) of a humming bird. It seems he can eat anything and never gain a pound. It is not unusual for him to eat 3 or 4 hamburgers and a couple hotdogs everytime we grill out. He also had a french toast eating contest with The Boss a couple years ago, eating over 2 loaves of bread between the two of them. Only stopping when we ran out of bread.

It is scary sometimes what he decides to be a good idea after watching the food network. He once watched an episode on competitive eating and was convinced he could enter one of those contests. So he started stretching his stomach by eating tons of salad. Fortunately that phase ended pretty quickly.

This week he watched an episode on a restaraunt that offers a 5lb cheeseburger and 5 lbs of fries, with the person who is able to eat it all getting the meal for free and having it named after them. He decided that he would try to make one of these hamburgers at home, on the stove of all places, greeeeaaasy!!! Luckily after all the kids had eaten there was only enough meat for 4 patties.

I wanted to be a writer once

2011-03-10T11:14:00.000-06:00

When I was in Jr. High I decided that I was going to be a famous writer. Why? Well because I had a love of reading and thought it would be easy. I wrote poems and my one and only novel. This novel sits in a box in my basement and I secretly hope my children never find it. It is more a diary than a novel, the main character has many of my experiences only she is able to do the things I could never had imagined possible for me to do. I quickly learned that my horrible grammar and the inability to put my thoughts down on paper were not going to launch me into a life as an author and I would never see my name on the Best Seller list. I am now trying my hand at being a Blogger. I am finding my inabilities are again holding me back. I want write the blog posts that make you laugh. I want to share my family experiences with you. I want to write what is on my heart, but I find it more difficult every time I sit down at the computer. I read blogs posts that make me laugh out loud, some that make me cry, and then others that make me want to do the projects or activities they write about. I want to be one of those Bloggers.

New White Coat

2011-03-09T09:49:00.003-06:00

The finish line is in sight!! It feels like I have been working on the fireplace since the day we moved in. The trim is all installed, I have caulked and puttied, and now everything is getting a pretty new coat of white paint. I am in love with this mantle, the hand carved details are amazing.

When ever I am in the middle of a project and have to stop I cover the paint tray with Press 'n Seal. It fits perfectly and sticks to the edges even if there is a little bit of paint there. Seals it up tight even for a few days.

Banana Sour Cream Bread

2011-03-07T21:22:00.012-06:00

This is one of the best banana bread recipes I have found. It is dense, moist and oh so yummy. My daughter thought it was gingerbread since the cinnamon and cloves give it a bit of spice.

You can add nuts to this recipe but with our nut/peanut allergies we do not.

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease 4 loaf pans.
In a small bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with sugar mixture.

1/4 c butter
1/2 c applesauce
3 cups white sugar or substitute Splenda
3 eggs
6 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 container sour cream (16 ounces)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
In a large bowl, cream butter and 3 cups sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda and flour. Divide into prepared pans.

Topping: (optional)

I'm sure you will regret it if you do not add make it!
1/4 c flour
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoons butter
Mix flour, sugars, and butter. Sprinkle over batter.

Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

New Endeavor

2011-03-06T10:38:00.005-06:00

I have always had a love of thrifting (or junking) and flea markets. My husband, well not so much. He has been very accommodating of my hobby and collections, but I had so much stuff I didn't know what to do with it. I have decided to simplify my decorating but I hated to have a garage sale and basically give my collections away. I also have a fear of becoming the crazy hoarder lady and be buried alive by my stuff. When I saw that a local antique store had a few open booths I decided to bite the bullet and make an inquiry. The price is right and a new business has arose. I officially move in on the 10th but I have been pricing items for the last week. My photography studio will be closing it's doors, as I begin to offer on-location sessions only. I will be selling many of those items on ebay and the antique prop items at my booth.

Here is just a sampling of some of the items I will offer.

I have also been thrifting quite a bit, looking for pieces to fill in the booth space. My favorite find is this Tootsie toy miniature toilet. I bought a grab bag for $3 at a goodwill that held many many adorable little pieces but this one is my favorite. Especially after I did a little googling to see what it might be worth.

Century old barn board bench

2011-03-05T08:21:00.005-06:00

One of my first purchases for our new kitchen http://5monsters.blogspot.com/2010/07/99-complete.html was this bench. I fell in love with it when I first saw it at a local antique store (the same store I am now renting a booth in). I didn't think there was a place for it in our house so I passed it up. When I got home I noticed this empty spot in the kitchen, where all our shoes seemed to land. I measured the wall and rushed back to pick it up. This bench now has the perfect spot, great to sit down on to take your shoes off. It also sits under our Grand Central Station board, so it works great for Little Buddy to stand on when drawing on the chalk board.

I love how the boards are weathered and cracked.
Old nail holes!
Beautiful patina. I'm linking up to

Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special

To Do List:

2011-03-03T13:02:00.002-06:00

We have quite a list of items to fix or remodel this year. When we bought this house my husband said it would take us 5 years to renovate and then we could sell. We are now at 5 1/2 years and probably not even 1/2 done. I'm not sure that I will want to sell it once we have it finished, but I know my husband is looking forward to buying a house that does not need to have everything fixed or replaced.

*fix front porches

*remodel upstairs bathroom

*add shower to downstairs bathroom

*new floor in upstairs hall

*finish the remodel of attic including replace old windows

*fix ceiling in dining room

*makeover back entry

*replace back door

*insulate and install drop ceiling in basement

Oh the joys of a remodel!

2011-03-02T11:55:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

2011-03-02T11:41:00.003-06:00

Some of my favorite quotes come from Dr. Seuss or Theodor Seuss Geisel.

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

March 2 is National Read Across America Day in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday. The kids' elementary school has been celebrating all week with fun activities. Today the kids were able to dress funny for Wacky Wednesday. Little Buddy really got into it, wearing his shirt backwards, and shorts over his pj's. Badger Boy is sporting a faux hawk and a backwards shirt.

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”

What my camera does at work

2011-02-27T10:20:00.004-06:00

My camera has a pretty cushy life... it gets to photograph beautiful babies and then when I actually get around to working on a project it takes before and after shots.

Flea Market Finds

2011-02-26T18:17:00.006-06:00

Little Buddy and I went to the Flea Market in Lincoln together. He did very good, until we got to the booth with Hotwheels and toys. I told him I would give him $2 to buy a Hotwheels car if he was good and let me finish looking around. I was able to squeeze about 30 more minutes out of him before that money just about burnt a hole in his pocket and he was begging to go back to get his hotwheel.

I found a few treasures. My favorite being this little wooden box.

Inside of the box was all of this old furniture hardware. I was lucky enough to get the box for $20. The cool $2 silver tray came from a goodwill we stopped at after lunch.
This box held almost 40 drawer pulls, over 20 brass plates and key plates, 10 locks/levers, and a few items that I do not recognize.

I was able to pick up these 2 doorknob sets for $8, they are in working order and have matching doorplates. A little bit of cleaning and these babies will be beautiful.
I have a project in mind for these metal tags but haven't been able to find them locally. I almost purchased some for $5 a piece online a couple days ago. I'm so glad I waited since these were only $1 each. The dealer threw the keys in for free!

I'm not sure of the age of these little canisters since they have plastic inserts but for $3 I couldn't pass them up.

While I was taking pictures of my loot Little Buddy asked me to take some of his treasures.

Honey I love you but...

2011-02-26T18:14:00.003-06:00

48 boxes of $.10 clearance chocolates does not make up for you not getting me anything on Valentines Day.

Homemade Chicken and Noodles

2011-02-24T20:24:00.006-06:00

With this last snow storm came the need for a little warm comfort food. Chicken and Noodles to me is the ultimate comfort food, maybe that is because everyone in my family loves it and because my mom use to make it.

This is one of the only recipes that I can make from scratch, no recipe needed.

Broth:

chicken thighs

onion (I use dehydrated)

grated carrots

salt

garlic powder

pepper to taste

bouillon cubes

Boil chicken in stock, remove from bone, and continue to simmer while you prepare the noodles.

Noodles:

Flour

Salt

Eggs

Water

I was never taught how to make these noodles but learned from watching my mom. I have no recipe (sorry) but I have found that it is pretty much foolproof.

I normally mix everything directly on my counter. Making a well in the flour (I start out with 2-4 cups depending on how big a batch I'm making), add 2-3 eggs. Add water (slowly) until you have a nice lump of dough.

Since I make it on my counter it is already covered in flour, but if you use a bowl, flour your counter/cutting board.

Roll your dough out. I like mine pretty thin since they will puff up while cooking. The first couple times I made this I ended up with Dumplings because I made my noodles too thick/large.

I cut my noodles directly on my counter using a rocking motion. It doesn't take much pressure so I don't worry about cutting or scratching the counter tops. I then leave the noodles to dry a little, usually about 15 minutes, this makes them easier to handle.

Drop your noodles into your boiling broth.

Around here we eat them on top of home made mashed potatoes and sweet corn.

Grand Central Station

2011-02-24T19:29:00.006-06:00

One of my additions to the kitchen was a Memo/Chalkboard. Luckily my handy dandy husband was able to build me exactly what I wanted. I finished it off with trim and the same paint/glaze treatment that is on all the new cabinets . The chalkboard is a real piece of slate that I believe my mom got from an old school. This has become one of the best organizational items in our house, since we actually use it. We use the cork board to hold school papers and the kids chore list. The chalkboard is where I leave the kids notes or lists of chores that need to be done. The kids use it to draw on, it is always covered with doodles or teen graffiti.

Now that there are 4 teenagers (well one is preteen) in the house it has become apparent that I can harness all that teen energy. Each child (except 5 yr. old Little Buddy) now has a day to do their laundry. We will be starting this next week so hopefully it works as well as I hope.

The main chores are highlighted.

Pink-Dishes

Yellow-Laundry

Green-Dog Duty

The other chores include wiping off the table and sweeping for the two younger ones. The older 3 have cleaning the bathrooms and sweeping other areas on their list.

Badger Boy also has trash duty. The list also includes items that everyone will be expected to help with.
I'll leave you with Little Buddy's 100 day of school artwork.

When I am 100 years old...I will have a job.

Retail Therapy

2011-02-23T15:41:00.006-06:00

Most women head to the mall or some boutique when they need a little retail therapy, but not me, I hit the antique stores and thrift stores. I had a great little shopping trip and I only went to two places. The first items aren't really from my shopping excursion I actually picked them up off the curb. They are currently getting a nice coat of black spray paint.

These are also getting a new coat of paint. I scored these for $4 at the local Salvation Army.

Matching serving plates for $.25 a piece. They need a little cleaning but will look great in my china hutch.

I picked up the cute little galvanized drawer for $6, the hymnals for $1 each, and a folding ruler for $3. Also not shown was 10 wooden pant hangers for $.25 each.

This great little hymnal held a few surprises for me. All the writing is in German, but the lyrics to the hymns are in English. The binding (which is falling off) is made of old classified ads. The listings are for cars made in the 60's.

The last two items are my favorite finds. I was able to get this wooden drawer for $10.

I believe this is a foot pedal for an antique treadle sewing machine. This $7 treasure has taken up residence in my fireplace.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-23T10:06:00.001-06:00

One last table post

2011-02-22T20:32:00.001-06:00

This is my first attempt at building without any help from my husband. The table is pieced together with some leftover bead board, legs salvaged from a curb side coffee table, an old window, and scrap wood . I probably will never make a living at furniture building but it makes me smile. I have been slowing acquiring the old letterpress blocks and will hopefully be able to finish the top by the end of summer and flea market season.

Forgiveness

2011-02-22T19:53:00.002-06:00

I have recently joined a Bible study group. This has been a huge step, but it seemed simple until this last week when we discussed Forgiveness. I struggle with wanting to forgive, but my stubborn and grudge holding side is finding this a very difficult task. I did some searching for quotes to help in my forgiving journey.

"Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future"

-Paul Boese

"Never forget the three powerful resources you have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness."

-H. Jackson Brown

"Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting."

-William Arthur Ward

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong."

-Mahatma Gandhi

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Colossians 3:13

This table measures up

2011-02-19T09:09:00.005-06:00

I forgot to take any before shots of this table, but the after shots are pretty sweet if I do say so myself. I loved this $20 table when I saw it at one of my favorite junk spots. The metal "chicken wire" on the sides are icing on the cake.
I had purchased a bunch of old (and not so old) rulers at a shop for $.25 a piece and had this idea floating around for a while. When I did some measuring I found out that this table was the perfect size. My math head husband figured out what sizes to cut the rulers. I only had 11 rulers and I wanted some to run the full length but didn't want to have more than 2 cuts per ruler. I glued the rulers down, added brad nails, and 3 coats of poly. A little white paint, distressing, and some glaze/paint really shows off the pretty woodwork.

My favorite part is that since the rulers were purchased at a local antique store they are all from this area.

Mis-Matchy endtables

2011-02-18T11:03:00.009-06:00

Before:

After:

I did not know how lovely the top of this table was until after I stripped and sanded off the ugly stain. I think this is one of my favorite pieces in my living room now.
This one has a beautiful inlay pattern on the drawer. I stripped and sanded the wood, stained it with dark walnut, painted and distressed, and then applied paste wax.

I have one more end table to share with you but it deserves its own post.

You know your drawn towards something when...

2011-02-17T15:10:00.003-06:00

You are looking through your inspiration files and see that you have the same image saved 3 times! I love the look of the floors and may have to convince my husband that they would look awesome in the front entry!

Putting it back together

2011-02-17T13:07:00.003-06:00

The walls and trim have received a fresh coat of paint so now I can start putting the Living Room back together. I still need to find lamps, make the curtains, and finish decorating but I already love how it is coming together. The lamp on the table will probably stay, it is one of the few items I was able to get at the auction of my long time neighbors. The glider was a hand-me-down from Bryan's grandma and I made a slipcover for it from canvas drop cloth. The tables all came from the curb, they have great bones and cleaned up beautifully.

The weather has been in the 60's all week and is expected to reach 70 today so I am taking advantage of it by airing the house out. I would like to wash all the bed clothes, I think I will ask my neighbor if I can use her clothes line for the afternoon.

Guess they didn't own a level

2011-02-16T13:08:00.001-06:00

The previous owners tried to cut corners in pretty much every thing they did to the house. So while they made some "improvements" most of them are very poorly done or done on the cheap side. This window in the front room is prime example on how NOT to hang windows!

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-14T14:41:00.001-06:00

Always more than one project going at once

2011-02-09T09:17:00.003-06:00

While we are still busy working on the foyer/stairway project, I decided the living room needed to be updated. The paint is 4 1/2 years old and worn away, chipped, and just not the color I want anymore. Since my husband is manager of the paint area we decided to try out the new paints they are carrying. The color is Natural Wicker from Glidden. It went on very light and I was a little worried that it would be too close to the white of the trim. Luckily it did darken up and I love it. I still need to give it another coat but it already looks brighter in here.

~Before~
~After~

While trying to remove some trim in the foyer we uncovered the original oak floor! It needs to be refinished but what a great discovery.

What's your thing?

2011-02-05T09:21:00.004-06:00

Yesterday while looking around at a few of my favorite antique stores I noticed the different items other shoppers were drawn towards. Yes I've noticed a wide variety of items and always wondered who it was that would be interested in old soda bottles, small little pieces of jewelry, full sets of china, or old records. These items hold absolutely no interest for me, but to someone I assume they love them. So while I did my shopping I tried to notice what it is that catches my attention and the items I have a hard time walking away from.

I don't know what it is about tiny little baby shoes but they almost always come home with me. I have plans for them, but haven't grown my collection quite big enough yet. I remember trying to get my mom to buy these shoes for my dolls at flea markets when I was a kid.

My obsession for kids chairs started when I first opened my photography studio. I love having a bunch of options when it comes to photographing children and nothing holds their attention more than giving them a fun kid size chair to climb on. I really have no need for extra chairs at the studio but I have a horrible time walking away from a sturdy little kids chair.

I am still on the look out for an antique trencher bowl but haven't found one yet. I have seen reproduction pieces but they all seem on the small size and are a little more than I want to spend on a reproduction. My brother in law brought a wood bowl home with him when he visited his family in Namibia and I wish I would have asked him to bring me one too.

I love architectural pieces...doors, corbels, posts, old wood trim, doorknobs, you name it.
I actually picked up 3 big corbels yesterday for $28.

I have way too many of these mason jars, but something about the color and those zinc lids scream out to me and I almost always bring at least one jar home from each trip.

I love old baskets. I rarely buy them but I love to admire the handy work that went in to each piece. I took a class on basket weaving as a kid and got pretty good at making pine needle baskets in high school. If I could find the long pine needles around here I would love to give making baskets another try.

So what's your thing?

Darn you cheap masking tape!

2011-02-03T12:46:00.004-06:00

I am currently working on some projects to finish up my "get the kids and all their toys and video games out of my living room" makeover. I put some masking tape on the newly painted table (yes it was fully dry, 3 days worth of drying) so that I could do the polyurethane on the top of the table. When I pulled off the tape most of the new paint came with it, yes I know I should have primed it but I did sand it so I thought the paint had adhered. I was planning on distressing the paint but this was not what I had in mind!

How do you organize your inspiration files and links?

2011-02-02T09:17:00.002-06:00

I have all my inspiration photos grouped into folders (kitchen, living room, painted furniture, etc..) and the files have appropriate names ( blogs or websites I pulled them from + a title). The problem I have is trying to find that one specific image if I can't remember where I found it on the web. I would love to hear your tips on how to organize these files. My other problem is searching for specific links to ideas or posts. I hate when I find a tutorial but don't have the time to work on that project, how do you remember where you saw it?

The kids ventured outside yesterday, but the below zero winds and blowing snow sent them back inside about 15 minutes later.

Note: The mailbox is about to fall off the post! We have a bus stop right in front of our house, but none of my kids ride it. One of the little neighbor boys keeps hanging from it and has all but broke all the bars that connect it to the post. I have plans to replace the post and mailbox this spring so hopefully it holds on until then!

I think I'm in love with a piece of furniture

2011-01-31T14:33:00.002-06:00

Yikes $1299!!!

If I were more handy with power tools I just might attempt to make a knock off version.

The storms a coming

2011-01-31T11:10:00.002-06:00

I love a good snowstorm just as much as a big Nebraska thunderstorm in the summer. Here's to hoping everyone is able to enjoy the coming weather! The predicted power outages and blizzard conditions make me a little nervous though. If you can, stay inside, curl up with a cup of coffee, and a good book. Unless your like me, I cleaned out my basement yesterday so I could bring in some of the smaller pieces of furniture from the garage. I plan on spending this storm painting.

Ottoman makeover and a reason to organize my hard drives

2011-01-31T09:22:00.002-06:00

I did a quick recover and paint makeover on this $5 thrift store ottoman over the weekend. The paint is leftover oops paint with a dark walnut stain rubbed over the top and the fabric is canvas drop cloth, 3 yards of trim from Joann's (1/2 off) and a small box of decorative brads. Total price is probably less than $10 including the original price of the ottoman.

I know I have a before picture to show off the ugly yellow and orange plaid fabric and orange finish, but after spending over 2 hours searching I have come up empty handed. I do have a new project to do...clean up and organize my 3 external hard drives!

Paint color

2011-01-30T15:10:00.003-06:00

We have been living with paint chips on our stairway walls for a couple of weeks trying to decide on a color. I believe we will go with Sandstone Cove by Behr. That is subject to change if when we get it on the walls it is too dark. At first I was leaning towards the Cozy Cottage, but decided I wanted a gray instead of a creamy white. The walls have been a very bright sunflower yellow since we moved in 5 years ago and although I am dreading painting I am looking forward to have a new color.

Just a couple current projects

2011-01-28T20:16:00.002-06:00

A fun silhouette project for the upstairs hallway.

Recovering an old ottoman.
And...of course working on the staircase.

Snowball

2011-01-27T14:06:00.003-06:00

Both of my high school girls got all dolled up and went to Snowball this year. Snowball is our town's winter formal, it is more important than Prom. The kids wear formal gowns and tuxedos, but they do not dress formal for Prom. Let me tell you that finding a formal/prom gown in December proves to be one of the most difficult and most expensive activities on earth. We have plans to purchase next years dresses this year as soon as Prom season is over. It is always held the weekend before the kids start school after Christmas break. They both looked pretty darn amazing if I do say so myself!

Why is it so hard to hit the BUY button

2011-01-27T09:49:00.002-06:00

We need to purchase nails for the flooring, but not just any common nail, no I had to request special nails. 3" square head nails that can only be purchased online! Why is it so hard to hit the BUY button to purchase 50 pounds of these nails? The $170.00 price tag would be the reason!! Well at least we get free shipping!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-26T13:32:00.001-06:00

Dust Corners

2011-01-25T18:50:00.004-06:00

Have you ever heard of dust corners? Supposedly they will make sweeping the stairs easier since dirt can't get into the corners on the steps. If you have them in your house I would love to hear if they actually work or if they are just for decoration.

Here is a very sloppy rendering of what I am hoping the stairs will look like in the next couple weeks. We still need to strip a small section of banister, install the trim, construct the built in bench, install the flooring in the entry, stain and poly the stairs and flooring and then paint.

Here's to wanting a fair and just world

2011-01-25T13:42:00.003-06:00

My heart is aching. My momma bear claws are showing. One of my cubs has been bullied and picked on, for different reasons throughout his years in elementary school. Only when he lashes out the school has decided that now they want to do something, but not to help my son, no they want to punish him for what I believe was a reaction from years of bullying. He is in trouble for what he said (and I won't go into details) both at home and at school, but the students (and teachers) who have bullied or degraded him receive no punishment. How I wish for a world where the blind eye is not turned and actions are met by consequences.

New landings and some hidden treasures

2011-01-24T09:38:00.003-06:00

My amazing husband spent his 4 days off this last week working on the stairway project. He was able to get all of the stair treads, some of the risers, and the landings replaced. We used 3/4 inch oak plywood cut into 4" planks nailed down with antique square head nails for the landings, same as what we will install in the upstairs hallway and front entry. The squeaky, creaky, and splinter ridden boards are no longer. Even though I balked at the idea of replacing them I do love the way everything is coming together.

While removing the old boards we were able to uncover some very special treasures under the staircase. We found some pictures, although they were all curled up, very dark, and dirty, they are now something that I will proudly showcase in the new stairway gallery.
We also found a wedding invitation from 1896 and a baby card.
Here is the best treasure that we uncovered. It shows our house in its glory days. I have tried unsuccessfully to scan the image in and clean it up a bit, but if you look closely you can see a woman and two small children in front of the porch. It also gives us an idea of how the original woodwork looked on the lower porch and the windows that have been closed off. We also know now that the bay window in the dining room was an addition.

Inspiration

2011-01-22T15:53:00.003-06:00

We are discussing whether or not to put either board and batten or faux wainscoting in the stairway. I love the look of the chair rail and trim in this first image.

This is what we have settled on for our banister and trim. The posts and handrail will be stained dark with the trim and balusters staying white.
We purchased the oak plywood to create wide plank floors in the foyer, upstairs hallway, and on the landings. The idea came from this http://quarryorchard.blogspot.com/2010/12/plywood-to-plank-flooring-tutorial.html creative couples blog. We will also be painting the walls a soft gray, which is yet to be chosen. The stairway will also boast a gallery wall with different sized frames all painted black.

Stairway paint decisions

2011-01-21T11:34:00.004-06:00

I found this link http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/superneutral-decorating-ideas#slide_1 on http://newlyweddiaries.blogspot.com/ for this amazing color scheme. It is exactly what I wanted but didn't know it.

New Stair Treads

2011-01-19T18:36:00.002-06:00

The new treads are going in, a few risers have to be replaced that were damaged while removing the original treads. The toe kick will need to be replaced also since some of them have been damaged. My hubby has taken off the weekend to replace the lower 4 treads and the landings.

I have to admit that even though I did not want to replace them it does look 100 times better.

This is taken from the 1st landing looking up to second set of stairs.This is taken from the 2nd landing looking down.

Goodwill Hunting

2011-01-15T17:23:00.003-06:00

Gotta love finding a $40 couch that is in such great shape!!

Stereo Cabinet/Entertainment Center makeover

2011-01-14T10:37:00.004-06:00

I picked up this stereo cabinet at an antique store for $20. It needed some TLC, I added sides to the drawer which once held a record player and added a shelf in the upper portion. The top was sanded down and then stained. The rest was sanded and painted (oops paint), then lightly distressed. I added the burlap to the doors, which allows me to hide the Wii, the cable box and the Xbox and still be able to use the remotes. The Xbox seems to end up sitting on the floor more often than not, I'm not quite sure why.

Before:

Foyer/Stairway Project Day 14

2011-01-09T20:33:00.002-06:00

The stripping is coming along well, taking a little longer since I decided to strip the trim on the bottom also. I think someone before me attempted to strip the lower banister and quit. This left no varnish between the wood and the paint, which has made it difficult to get all the paint off. It took me twice as long to do the lower banister and post than it did to do the complete upper portion. All I have left is the areas that I will have to use a ladder, I left my least favorite for last. I have also started using Klean-Strip k-s3 premium stripper. It smells a lot worse than the CitriStrip but works at least twice as fast.

We have decided to replace the treads since they are very creaky and many of them have large cracks. I will be doing some shopping for those and the trim needed this next week.

The Lighting Display that caused our neighbors to call 911

2010-12-30T22:03:00.003-06:00

Let me start out by saying we do have some decent neighbors, the ones who called 911 are not them! Bryan and I have been known to pull practical jokes on each other and the kids, it is all in good fun and most people are able to appreciate that. We hung our "lights" and about 3 hours later I see someone on our front porch. When I go out to investigate I find it is a police officer!! See our wonderful (yet very nosey) neighbors called 911. They did not walk over and check to see if the "person" was ok they instead stood at the end of their driveway on their cellphone until the police showed up. The ambulance and firetruck were fortunately called off by the police officer, who did not find the humor in our light display.

Now seriously if you saw what you thought was your neighbor dangling upside down by one string of lights don't you think you might walk up to them to see if they needed help!!

Stripping on the Stairs

2010-12-29T13:37:00.006-06:00

My newest project has been ripping out the old/disgusting carpet on the stairs and stripping the handrail and newel posts. After removing the 627 nails, tacks and staples, I will sand down the treads and paint them. The railing and posts will require quite a few hours of stripping and elbow grease to get them ready for staining.

Step 1: Before

Note the head start my kids got on chipping away the paint, also the reason why I decided to work on this project. Apply a thick coat of Citristrip and wait 15 minutes. The directions say to wait 30 minutes, but I found it easier to scrape before it started drying out.

Step 2:

Scrap first layer of paint off with scraper. Apply another layer of Citristrip. Use scraper and coarse steel wool.

Step 3:

Apply another layer to get the rest of the residue and stubborn paint/stain. Use medium and fine steel wool to remove stuck on paint. Wipe with Mineral Spirits.

I still have quite a bit of paint to remove in all the cracks and crevices, but I feel it is more than what the Citristrip is capable of doing.

Our Christmas card

2010-12-20T13:02:00.001-06:00

Have a Joyful Holiday!

Have you checked your Carbon Monoxide Detector lately?

2010-11-05T12:27:00.002-05:00

12 years ago today, my daughters and I almost lost our lives to the odorless gas Carbon Monoxide, thankfully the Lord was watching over us. We had an unseasonably warm fall and we had yet to turn on the furnace. My (then) husband lit the furnace and left to do some raccoon hunting. I went about our normal evening routine. Girls and I got ready for bed, and since I felt like I was getting sick I went to bed early. I now know that the symptoms I was having were probably due to the CO, which causes headaches, vertigo, and flu-like effects. On a normal night Jason may have stayed out until way after midnight, but on this night he caught a very large coon and brought it home to show me. When he arrived at home he found our 2nd daughter having a seizure and was not able to wake the rest of us. He carried us out of the house and called 911. Luckily we were recovered in the hospital with oxygen therapy. Please check your CO Detectors and if you do not have one please invest $30, it can save your life.

99% complete

2010-07-04T10:26:00.007-05:00

We have been working on our kitchen for almost 3 years...3 YEARS!!! That is 1095 days, give or take a few, that we have lived in a messy, dusty, construction zone! I am so very happy to say that we are almost done. Here is a before image, notice the beautiful mustard colored beat up oven, stove, and sink, disgusting chipped up backsplash and counter top, and the equally gross discolored ceilings. We also had huge island (wrap around bar) with carpet on the sides to contend with smack dab in the center of the room.

We still have some floor tile to regrout, finish grouting and sealing the backsplash, outlet covers and drawer pulls to install, and window coverings to make. I have also been enjoying hunting Flea markets and Antique stores for the perfect accessories.
Here's a couple old posts with images.
http://5monsters.blogspot.com/2010/05/were-getting-there.html

http://5monsters.blogspot.com/2008/12/progress-in-kitchen.html

We're getting there

2010-05-20T15:34:00.002-05:00

Tile backsplash is almost complete...All the cabinets except the upper desk cabinets are in...countertop is in....beadboard is going up