Artichokes

So long (and good riddance) MINT.  Hello ARTICHOKE!

Here is sneak peak of kitchen painting project, which will be finished by Thanksgiving.  I'm too pleased the mint walls are finally getting covered to keep this project to myself.  The flash has made the color look a little more gray than it really is.  Artichoke is a much better complement to the counters than the mint.  Come to think of it, I'm fairly sure any color would be a better match to the counters than the mint.

Scott and I have already finished patched and painted the ceiling a brilliant white (which was made necessary because of a little flood in the upstairs bathroom caused by my darling Caroline).  I don't remember if I blogged about the water pouring out of the ceiling fixture in the kitchen or not, but that wasn't my favorite moment from the past year.  I can tell you, though, when a waterfall suddenly cascades from the ceiling, it isn't a happy feeling.

 Better, right?

Kitchen progress this weekend will be suspended while I take my Brownie troop camping.  These trips always seem like a good idea, until the weekend of the event arrives and I can think of approximately 142 other things I could be doing.  But I have such fond girl scout camping memories from my childhood, I really want my children to have those experiences as well.  So, camping we will go!   In full disclosure, this isn't "real" camping since we will be sleeping in heated lodges, but the sleeping will (hopefully) occur with twelve 8-year olds.  Wish us luck

Hark! It's the Carpet!!

This weekend we found Caroline's carpet!  If you'd seen her room of late, you would know that this was no small feat. Caroline is the keeper of all the teeny tiny toys in the house (e.g., Polly Pockets, Calico Critters, Pet Shop, Dollhouse, etc.).  Her room had become a giant jumble of little colored plastic things strewn in a thin layer over the entire floor.  Actually, I'm embarrassed to admit that her room had started spilling out into the hallway.

In the past, when we cleaned up her room, the cleaning consisted of putting one type of toy into a ziploc bag or box and then sticking the container either on the closet floor or around the perimeter of the room.  Even though her room was picked up, it didn't really feel clean. 

Perhaps fueled by the super fun doctor's visit on Friday or pent up energy from being stuck inside (but more likely from subliminal advertising on Clean House), I decided to tackle Caroline's room and find some sort of system of organization.  Target anticipated my need to declutter and kindly put their cubby storage system on sale this weekend (thanks Target!).

Caroline and Abby really got into helping me clean things up, especially when she saw the labels I made for the bin.  The labels, unfortuantely, aren't staying on too well with tape, so I'll have to break out the glue gun later to make this more permanent, but you get the idea.  There's one type of toy per bin.  They're easy to take out and easy to put away.  The real test will be to see whether this level of cleaness can be maintained for any period of time.

It's too bad I don't have a before and after shot, but I probably would have gotten a call from Social Services for the before shot anyway.  Here's the end result:    

   
AND this wasn't even the only home progress for the weekend!  Scott hung some blinds in the bathroom, so we no longer have a sheet over the window!  We're expecting calls from the neighbors later today expressing their thanks on this one.  :-)

Glamorous Home Project

Our big ticket home improvement project for 2010 (I hope, at least) was almost completed today. A brand new....drum roll....ROOF. Pretty exciting stuff. Although it was hard to pick among all the enticing shades of gray. I finally selected the very distinguished sounding color of "weathered wood" (gray with hints of brown and dark gray). Of course it was hard to give up "granite gray" (gray with hints of dark gray), "pewterwood" (gray with hints of light gray), "georgetown gray" (I swear the same as granite gray with cooler sounding name), and "slate blend" (gray with hints of brick). But, I have persevered.

Truth be told, I was surprised how nervous I was about selecting a roof color. It's tough basing an >$8000 purchase on a picture in a catalog that is exactly 3" x 3". I did drive around to a few local houses to see the roofs installed, which was helpful. But, since our home has gray siding I just didn't want the roof color to clash too badly because there is just no way to pay for this twice.

I must also say that roofers are a tough, tough lot. They worked outside all day on Friday starting at 7:15am when the temperature was 12F (wind chill 4F). I made a pot of coffee for the guys to warm their hands and put it outside with a cup of cream. The cream froze solid by the time I brought it back inside. Not an exaggeration. Completely solid.

1) I am grateful that I am not a roofer.

2) While I am definitely thankful to have a roof that no longer leaks, a roof purchase is just about the least exciting home improvement money I have ever spent -- even less exciting than white ceiling paint and significantly more expensive.

Construction and Robots

This weekend we built a new twin-sized bed for our middle daughter Caroline, who had been sleeping in a toddler-sized bed. I must admit, we (mostly me) spent an inordinate amount of time trying to find just the right bed and dresser combination. I always feel a little bad for Caroline who has hand-me-down everything. Even though this is completely a normal thing for a younger sibling, I thought this is the chance to find her something special that is just for her. I spent hours and hours looking at beds online, in catalogs, at stores, etc. etc., to find just the right furniture for her.

It turns out that furniture is surprisingly expensive, especially children's furniture, and a lot of it is kind of ugly. I wanted something with clean timeless lines, but still on the feminine side. I also wanted the furniture to not be too "kidsy" so I don't feel the need to replace it when she gets older. Although I almost bought some "real" (i.e., solid wood) furniture from a Young America dealer, I decided to go with the IKEA Hemnes line: a white daybed, double dresser, and dressing table.

After agonizing over the furniture decision, after all the shopping, and after the much-anticipated construction, I really thought Caroline would be excited about the new furniture. At the big unveiling Caroline was hysterical because Abby might touch her Polly Pockets, and "could I please get Ben out of my room". I wasn't expecting to be showered with thanks, but a little smile would have been nice. Oh well. Clearly after 7 years of parenting, my expectations are still too high. Back to teaching gratitude....

Although I still need to assemble the the dressing table, the bed and dresser are already in use. I may still replace the black stone knobs that come with the kit with some pink faux-crystal knobs to make it a little more "girly", but I liked how everything turned out and I really enjoyed the price.

As an aside, I must admit that love assembling IKEA furniture. There is something very satisfying about building things, even from a kit with pre-drilled holes. It was an extra challenging project since we got so much "help" sorting and re-arranging all the hardware from our kids.

Ben, our baby (at 2 1/2) happily received Caroline's toddler bed, and he was ecstatic about the some new robot-themed bedding. He was emphatic that he no longer wanted to sleep in the crib.
So, on Saturday night Ben slept in the "big boy robot bed" and the crib has been cast aside, just another piece of baby paraphernalia that we no longer need. I thought I would get a little teary about the idea of no longer having a baby, but that did not happen. I am happy to have an adorable little boy and not a baby. I like that he can talk to me and laugh with me and tell horrible knock-knock jokes. I love that he calls me a "sweetie pie" and "his favorite, favorite mommy in the whole wide world". I do not miss nighttime feedings and baby spoons and spit-up. I really like toddler-sized Ben.

(I am not ready to give up footed sleeper and sippy cups yet or board books and Little People toys, but perhaps the next milestone will be the end of diapers? Dare I hope?)