our garden

i was going through the girls' photos and videos from their cameras.

came across this.

warning: it is taken by a six year old...  

our garden: by marryn

7.11.11

{to stop the blog music, scroll to the very very bottom...}

coat closet take two. and three.

One of my biggest gripes with our home is our coat closet.  It is a very crucial area for us and all we get is a dinky closet.

My dreams are filled with large mudrooms...

So last year I thought about what I could do to maximize space in our tiny closet.  

First and foremost, we took off the door.  Didn't help it's cause when within an hour or two of arriving in our home (before the movers even showed up) a nice little hole was punched into it from the door to the garage opening and hitting it.  Nice design there.  {To see our home's layout, scroll to the bottom of this post, although it's backwards, but you'll get the point of our awkward garage entry way.}   I never filled in the hinge holes though, just painted them...can't decide if it's worth it or not....  Then I took down the standard white wire hanging shelf (that was too high for the kids to reach so their coats were constantly lining the floor), and I created 2 hanging hook racks for one side and searched high and low for the perfect shelf for the other side.  Well, when the closet is only a little wider than the door frame itself, it was very difficult.  So I made do with our old shoe rack and a couple baskets (one for hats, gloves and other *extras* and the other for the kids shoes).  This design worked out alright.  The girls could hang up and get their own coats and backpacks, but it still seemed like it could be better...especially when the kids dumped the basket to find their shoes...

 {These were all taken in August, back before all the winter coats were pulled out.}

So again I contemplated what could be done.

And then I took the plunge.  When to Home Depot and had some boards cut to size.  Two 6 inchers for hanging racks, two 12 inchers for shoe shelves and four smaller 1x2s for the brackets or ledges that the shelves would rest on.  Now, I'm fairly bright.  I know that a 2x4 is not actually 2 inches by 4 inches.  But for some reason, I didn't think that that would apply to the 1x12.  So when I got home with my boards all cut and ready to go, I realized that my brackets were about an inch longer than the shelves they were going to support...  So I had to pullout my little handsaw and sawed off an inch on all those myself.  Lesson learned.  Next I pulled out some leftover primer and primed.  Then I just used some of our glossy white trim touch up paint and did 2 coats.  I also painted just the shelves with some Min-Wax protective stuff I picked up at Wal-mart on clearance.  These would see more action, so I wanted to be sure they held up.  For awhile at least.  For the hanging rod rack, I pulled off the hooks from my other racks and attached them (plus an extra for each one) to my new ones to give 5 hooks for each one.  Everything was ready to be hung.  Almost.  I wanted to paint the actual closet first.  Since it sits directly across from my light/aqua blue with a chartreuse-like green accented bathroom/laundry room, I wanted to coordinate it somehow.  So I was thinking a deep eggplant like purple...  I know the *rules*, don't paint small rooms dark, they'll just look smaller...well, this wasn't exactly a room...and I wanted a dark color to help hid scuffs...and the white of all the wood would stand out more...plus, it's just a closet...  So I took the risk and picked up a gallon of Behr Premium Plus Ultra paint plus primer.  Now I've mentioned before, I usually head to Sherwin Williams for my paint, but I couldn't pass this up.  Why?  This is why. :)

It didn't even say what the color was, just a sample of it on top, but it was what I was looking for.  (I constantly check the oops paints now;).)  And after painting, I loved it.  The paint itself was really nice to work with, was thick, and still low VOC, which is why I buy Sherwin Williams Harmony paint (no VOCs).  

So with the closet painted, everything was ready to go in.

   

 {I love looking at my little color scheme I've got now.}

Then I needed another basket for hats and whatnot...  I kept looking for a natural tall round one.  Finally found an oval one.  Didn't fit (but that was okay, because I found another use for it;).  Then I remembered buying this bag thing (half off) at World Market.  I loved it, but at the time didn't really know what to use if for (too small for our recycling).  Well, turned out it was the perfect color and size.  Plus it had some of that green accent on it.  Nice.  

Joe makes fun of me because my favorite room in the house is the smallest *room*.

Honestly, it's my favorite spot because it is the only room in the house that is completely finished.

And so far it's working out great.  Well, as great as a coat closet can serve as a mudroom for a family of 6;).  

And just a little extra tidbit for you...I'm the only one in the family who doesn't have a pair of Converse shoes...I didn't realize this until I lined up everyone's shoes (and Joe has 2 pairs, he just happened to be wearing them at the time).

a favorite find

Ever used this Shur-Line paint tray before?

No?

Okay then.  Continue on.

Everyone (okay, everyone on HGTV) always says, 

"Paint, it's the cheapest improvement you can make to your house."

Well, it may be the cheapest, but for me, it's still not cheap.  

Sure, I like to spent more on the Sherwin Williams Harmony paint, but that's not what this blog post is about...

One of the added expenses for me is a new paint tray.

I know, I know, if I just clean it out I can reuse it blah, blah, blah.  But I don't know about you, but I HATE cleaning out the paint tray.  It's such a mess and seems to take f-o-r-e-v-e-r and never really gets clean.  So one day while picking up again, another paint tray at Lowes I found this baby.  And it was like a dream come true.

Check this out: 

Is that not amazing!?!  

I know, I need to get a life;).

So you paint.  And you let the paint just dry up in the tray.

Then you peel it off.  It's quite fun.  My kids love to do it too.

If any little bits remain, just a quick wash in the sink and they're gone.

No mess.  No hassle.  No waste.

This is the 4th time I've used this sucker.

(But yes, I bought another, just in case.)

It is coated with Teflon, but we're not eating out of it, so no harm, right?

Wondering what I was painting?  Nothing too exciting, but I'll share soon.

some house projects

Well, as I mentioned awhile ago, I've been working a few little projects around the house.  I'm finding though that I am not so good at finishing what I start... 

Project 1: Hardware on our cabinets.

 

I started this in July, when Christian began to find interest in opening up our bottom cabinets and I needed to lock a few.  Instead of screwing locks onto the inside, I decided that I'd rather have some nice hardware with outside locks where needed.  {Only 2 are actually locked: under the sink (safety reasons) and our flour/sugar/oil one (mess reasons).}  I finished all the bottom ones that month and then the handles for the top cabinets sat in our garage until what, Febuary, when I finally pulled them out and finished.  I only had one major mess up-drilling into the wrong side of the cabinet...but I fixed it and you can barely tell.  (Thought Joey was going to shoot me though...)  And one is slightly crooked (dang it!)...but again, unless I point it out, nobody notices;).  And I kind of wish I would have gone with the longer handles.  They look really nice on the shorter bottom doors, but with our tall and skinny top cabinets, they're lookin' a little small...  Oh well.  They would have cost alot more and the ones I did go with were the largest that would fit in the little hardware-guide-thing I bought.

Project 2: Painting the Powder Bath and Laundry Room

Finally, some color in our house!  And then after I painted, I found some perfectly matching handtowels, with grey (my new favorite color;) and black at Marshalls.  I found the HIS and HERS prints at Michaels, but really struggled to find reasonable plain black and white frames that would fit them.  So I finally settled on these clearance ones.  Still have some work to do with the laundry part, but that's another day.  And another dollar (that we don't have;).  I even managed to get it all painted the day before our new washer and dryer arrived (of which I am lovin'!).  Of course Joe had a fit when he walked in on me standing on top of our old dryer trying to get parts of the ceiling painted.  What?  I was only, like, 8 months pregnant then;). 

Was hoping to post a few more projects, but am not finished yet.  Surprise, suprise. So close to being done with the girls' room.  And am finally adding some colorful touches to the living room.  Hopefully I'll finish up before the baby comes....  I really REALLY want to paint.  Everything.  Am just so tired of staring at our yellowish walls and ceilings (everything is painted an antique white).  I just don't know how to change the wall color to something cooler (like a light grey;) without painting the entire ceiling too.  And our banister.  Looking a little rough.  Want to paint (or stain) it black.  And refinish and add to our hardwood floors.  And knock out our little half wall dividing the dining and living room.  And put in some nicer light fixtures.  And put up some craftsman style moldings and built ins.  And...yeah, my list goes on and on and on.  I've got big dreams for our little house.  Big dreams with no money and no skill;). 

But for now, I guess I'll settle for the little projects I can do.       

oh happy day

I love tax season.  We usually get a pretty nice return. 

Which really means that we need to be claiming a little more...but it's just so nice to get a big sum at one time;). 

So what did we do with it this year? 

(Apperently it was burning a hole in our my pocket...;)

A.  The Napa Table from World Market (with 2 chairs and 2 benches)

B. An All-Natural Latex and Organic Mattress by Savvy Rest at The Natural Sleep Store

or

C.  A Samsung Washer and Dryer

Well, here's a hint;).

Oh happy day!!!

***Just to clarify, we ONLY got the washer and dryer;)***

a single mom

Yes. That is what I've been feeling like lately.

Joe's been swamped at work. It's the end of a big financial...thingy(?), he's still somewhat training a new hire and his most recent boss left a few weeks ago for another job. So, getting home around 8pm if not later has been the norm lately. But I've been managing everything fine. Well fine if you agree that that means lots of take out, piles and piles of laundry (oh laundry...don't let me get started on that!) and stacks of dirty dishes;) It's not my ideal way of life, but I understand. Joe's job is important. It is what provides for our family. The good news: Joe has earned a promotion.

Yippee!

But with a promotion comes a price. A price in more time. But we're excited for this new opportunity for him. We know that this is a blessing from Heavenly Father. So, I better settle into my new role as a single mom. At least he's home to brush their teeth and put them in bed before we start watching Friends reruns;)

Well, what has a *single mom* and her family been up to lately besides that never ending mountain of laundry and running kids to and from school? Lets see...

***

Painted the girls' room while Joey was gone for the week in Cali and Kansas. Not quite the color I was envisioning, even Marryn said it looked "gold." But I think I'm liking it. (Hopefully I'll get the shelves and *stuff* put up soon-then we can really tell if it looks good.)

***
Went to World Market with my 25% off coupon. Proceeded to stare at this table.

Bought some oil jars and left.

***
Finally finished the backyard. Well, finished for this season. All that dirt is just waiting for some plants.

***

Marryn had her 5 year check-up and 5 booster shots. 38 lbs - 50%, 44 inches - 75%

***

Christian had his 15 month check-up with only 4 shots. 21.10 lbs - 25%, 31 inches - 55% (at least he's getting a little taller...Joey's really worried he's going to get my short genes...)

***

Put up some Halloween decorations.

***

Got hit with some pretty cold frost and a little bit of snow.

***

Eating lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Vegan approved for Joey.

***

Had to get Marryn a new pair of school shoes. Her $10 Target brand maryjanes are just not holding up. Trying to find a solid white pair of sneakers was not easy. Nor pretty. She loves her no-tie curly q's though;)

***

my 'handy' hubs

I was raised by a "handyman." I have 3 brothers who are handy. I have grandpas and uncles and the such who are handy. In our family, if something broke or needed fixed, whatever it may be, we (and by we I mean "the men") just fixed it. Even if they didn't know how, they managed to figure it out. And always, ALWAYS, did an impeccable job at it.

Well, my dear sweet hubby is not such a handy man. Although his dad and brothers are, he spent most his time growing up with his mom and didn't quite learn those kind of skills. But every once in awhile, he surprises me and makes me so proud!

Since we moved into our home in May, we have had to deal with lukewarm showers. The bathtub and sinks get hot, but not our shower. Throughout the summer it wasn't so big of a deal. But these past months have been rough. So the other morning I woke up to find a toolbox on our bed. Joey had had enough! He took apart our shower handle and adjusted the safety clip thing to allow for hotter water to come through. YeeHa! I have had some of the best showers lately!

And then there was last fall. Just before Thanksgiving Joey hit a deer. In Fort Collins. In front of a gas station. Fortunately he was in the Yukon that has the big grill on the front of it (this was my parents car, they had put the grill on it just for this purpose when they lived on the Western Slope aka "Deer Country"). So the damage to the car was small, but it did break the headlight. But unfortunately, because this was my parents car still (about a month later the title was transferred to us...), so was the insurance and we (my parents included) were a little apprehensive to go through them for repairs... Estimates to fix the car were about $2500. So for a mere $200, Joey bought a new headlight and installed it himself. He installed a headlight. On a car. And it is still working! In addition, he even managed to fix some of the bend hood.

(Before)

(After)

Now, as handy as my husband has proven to be, I probably won't be getting him to do some of my other "projects" I want done, such as put on a porch railing and re-tile the fireplace (yes, that is the same tile on the fireplace that is in our bathroom....). His handiness is more out of a necessity, not want;) That and we really don't have a budget for that kind of stuff....

i hate carpet

I hate carpet. I really do. If I had a little (ok, more like a lot) of extra money, I'd rip out every square inch of carpet and replace it with hardwood. I'd get a couple of nice thick wool rugs and throw those down in the living room and bedrooms. But no wall to wall carpet. And no carpet on the stairs.

Today I was trying to vacuum my stairs. For the first time since we moved in. (I've done a few stairs, only where the crappy hose-thing would reach from the bottom....) Well, the vacuum fell over and hit my arm really hard (yes, I know, I'm kind of a wuss, blah blah blah, Joey...). But it really did hurt and I can even feel the knot on my arm. I couldn't even cut up my french toast Joey made for us (it was my right arm that got hit). I felt retarded as he leaned over the table to cut up my food. It was like an assembly line; Reganne on one end, then me, then Marryn on the other end.... My arm does feel better now, but still. And my stairs aren't even half vacuumed! If they were wood, all I'd have to do is take a damp rag and wipe. That's it. My kitchen and dining room floors are so much cleaner than the rest of the house and all because they are easier/quicker to clean. Then there is that whole asthma and allergy problem our family is doomed to face.... Anyhow. I'm just complaining. It's not just a so-called "need", I really just like the look of hardwood floors.

Don't they look so nice. And the girls look pretty cute too;)

two weeks

Well, it's been officially 2 weeks since we moved into our new home. Things went really well. LSI, Joey's company was relocating him, so they paid for almost everything (realtor fees, closing costs, points on our new mortgage, moving expenses, etc...). It really was an incredible blessing for us. And I really liked having movers not only move our stuff, but pack it all as well. The three packers showed up at about 8am on the Tues before our move and were done, packing all our stuff by noon. It would have taken me a week to do what they did. Of course they were not as picky about "where" stuff was packed. Our basement stuff is that biggest mess. We haven't unpacked it yet, but have had to open just about every box looking for odd things we needed. Then on Wed, the movers moved everything out into a big semi truck. Joey and the girls slept on the floor that night, while I bunked over at Brian and Brandony's on their futon. It was the best sleep I've had in a long time! Then that next morning, Thursday, Marryn went to her last day of Preschool and we started finishing up last minute cleaning when the rain came. Then the wind. And hail. We didn't have a clue what was going on until Brian called us (to ask us to check on Brandony because she had left her phone in his car). Tornadoes. A tornado had just ripped through Windsor. And other tornadoes were touching down around us. We were suppose to be at our house's closing, but with the storm, couldn't get our cars loaded up. So we just sat tight. Later we discovered that the cell that hit Windsor went right over us (explains the marble and golf ball hail we got), but no tornado touched down on us. We did see big trees ripped up and power lines down around us, but nothing too major. Although Joey did witness a wreck at a downed stop light. But we made it out alright and by that night were in Colorado Springs. We stayed in a pretty crappy hotel (we thought we'd have to pay for it, so we went on the cheap; turned out the relocation was covering it...too bad). They tried to stick us in a smoking room, and as Joey tried to explain that he did NOT ask for it, the receptionist kept arguing that he requested it! With his pregnant wife and 2 young kids with him. They moved us, right next to the smoking rooms...oh well, it was only for the night. The next morning we did our final walk through of the house and then went on to the closing. Things went smooth and our movers showed up with our stuff that afternoon. Only a couple things were broke; the girls small white table and 2 plastic tubs. Not bad. We'll get reimbursed for them. I secretly wish more stuff was broken though...I don't know what it is about a new house, but it just doesn't look right to put old, run down furniture in it. Although last night we did go buy a new TV. Nothing too huge (40inch), but definitely nicer then what we had (24inch). Now we need a new entertainment center because it's too big to fit into the niche....

Well, slowly but surely things are getting unpacked and put away. I've only got 5 more weeks before the baby comes, so I really need to get a move on. This house isn't really too much bigger than our last one, but we sure do have more room! I just love it! There are a few quirks here and there (our master bath doesn't have an exhaust fan, only a window; our garage entry door into our home has already put a hole into the neighboring coat closet door; my free washer is really small; etc) but overall, every night I sit down and look around, just so amazed that we live here! The house is so beautiful! I never imagined I'd live in a house so nice so soon. I dream about my dream home all the time, but it was always just a far off dream. This isn't my dream home, but it sure is a dream come true!