Category — Projects

Last Saturday as Jackson and I were walking into a local hardware store we were greeted with the familiar scent of wood and building supplies, a smell that brought back memories of when Dustin and I first moved into our house and put in lots of work to fix it up. It reminded me of that feeling of anticipation that something in our home will soon be more beautiful or more comfortable. I love that smell.

While we were choosing tile and grout we picked up some paint samples that we cut up to make a color matching game.

It’s been a couple years since we’ve experienced the satisfaction of that kind of home improvement project, but last week we were finally able to change an area that has been begging for improvement.

Before - A glimpse at our ugly wall and fireplace

We have very few “before” pictures since it was so hideous (though the picture of Corban as a baby makes it look much cuter). Missing from the picture is the mantel that was a piece of wood resting on brackets and the insulation that was visible across the top.

Work in progress

We got most of it done over the weekend, and then finished up in the evenings. (And, let me tell you, construction in the living room plus five young children running around equals fun, fun, fun!)

After

Aaah…Such a nice feeling to have it done! It’s just missing some nice art to hang over the mantel. It’s such an improvement that it lightens the mood of the whole house…something I especially need during the dreary winter days. Though it will likely be a while before we can do another big project, I have some ideas for some more budget-friendly decorating that I hope to get started on soon.

Do you have any projects you’re exited about?

I admit that I’ve been wrestling with whether to continue blogging. The exhaustion of pregnancy followed by the needs of a newborn have made it difficult to post regularly. And I’ve struggled with my blog not quite being what I want it to be. I’m a perfectionist, and technology and I are not good friends. I was feeling pretty down about it and was ready to give it up.

But then I remembered that it’s February…the month when the dreariness of winter takes its toll on my spirits, and I start feeling like I have no friends, every hair day is bad, nothing fits right, I’m failing my husband and children…you get the picture.

So, with that perspective in mind, I’ve decided to give it one more try. Though I don’t have amazing things to share, I do enjoy the writing. Though I have mostly family and old friends as readers, I still love keeping them updated on our lives. And I love reading your blogs, sharing ideas, and meeting new people through the blogging community.

I’ve made a decision to focus a little more on the simple joys that get me through the dreary days. I hope that by sharing them I can create in myself the habit of a more thankful heart, and I also hope to hear about your joys as well.

So, here’s my first one:

Walking in to check on Lily, and being greeted by the calm, sweet smile of a well-rested baby. My sleep-sensitive baby is finally starting to fall into a good schedule, which has added much more peace and calm to my day. (And that curl at the top of her head…oh, so precious!)

What simple joys lift your spirits during a dreary day?

image by oceans

There’s something about coming home from Christmas traveling that makes me want to start fresh and clean house! Maybe it’s the living out of a suitcase and among the clutter of new gifts, the week of rest from the usual routine, or simply the start of a new year…or maybe a combination of everything. But the first of January always has me clearing out closets and cabinets (sometimes simply to make room for new things!), rearranging, redecorating, and reorganizing.

Though I still get an itch to do the same in the spring and fall when the pleasant weather picks up my mood, this year I’m making an effort to really take advantage of this “cleaning energy”, to get our home ready for the “cocooning” during the cold days ahead, and maybe shake off a little of the gloom that comes in January and February.

So far I’ve cleaned out our art cabinet, organized our desk and paperwork that had spread to our dining room table, and started organizing closets. We also have a little decorating planned…yeah!

The winter can be a really hard time for me, and I know for many others too, but these projects actually have me looking forward to all the inside-time ahead.

Anyone else doing a little winter cleaning?

I don’t usually do a whole lot of nesting in the way that some women do, like frantically cleaning the bathroom floor with a toothbrush. But I did find myself completely cleaning out and reorganizing the boys’ room and closet after Jackson accidently dumped the fish bowl. I didn’t get a picture of the incident, but it looked something like this:

from the cover of the book No David

And his face looked something like this:

I was completely exhausted when I finished, but I’m glad I got it done.

It’s been cooler here lately, and the feel of fall has given me more energy to accomplish some of the little projects I’ve been wanting to do. And my mood has picked up as well. I love the fall.

But I’ve mostly been taking extra time to rest and relax. I’ve needed to disengage a little, which is why my posts have been scarce and my blogroll has over 200 unread. I look forward to catching up on everyone’s lives eventually after the baby comes, but for now my usual computer time has been taken with napping, crocheting, or just playing with my boys. I’ll be 38 weeks along on Saturday, which is how far along Jackson was when he was born. I’ll post some pictures soon of some of the things I’ve been making for baby (which is more my kind of nesting).

How have you been enjoying your fall?

We just returned from a week-long trip to see my family. My sister was in town from California, and we had a wonderful time with her family, as well as my parents, my two brothers, and their wives. I hope to have some pictures up soon…we have some great ones, including Corban’s first time fishing and first time bowling!

And for those of you who have been biting your nails in anticipation to see the painting I was working on, the wait is finally over!

Ta-da!

And the recipient?

Aww…. It was so worth it.

Lately I’ve been itching to paint, and this week I finally got started. It was a slow start, but I soon found myself working for hours, unable to stop. I stayed up way too late the first night, and I should have been exhausted the next day. Instead I’ve found more energy to do the everyday chores. The kitchen has been clean. The laundry is washed, folded and put away. The floor…well, my pregnant body could only do so much.

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I find that something as annoying as allergy season is much more bearable when you have something pretty to take care of those sniffles. I made a couple of these for a friend at Christmastime, and I was so pleased with them that I decided to make more for myself.

I love the idea of the old-fashioned handkerchief. So much softer on the nose, nicer to look at, and of course better than throwing away all that kleenex (or toilet paper in our house). I’ve even thought about dropping them for Dustin to pick up…but he’s not really into picking up things that I use to wipe my nose.

These are simply a square of colored flannel trimmed with a decorative stitch on my sewing machine, to keep the edges from fraying. (If you didn’t have an edging stitch, you could simply hem the edges.) They’re small–only about 6 inches square–so they fit into my pocket without being bulky.

It’s like having a little homemade kleenex in my pocket…it works for me!