Something for the Road

A Thing of Beauty

The doors are finished! . . . . thanks to my friend and a lot of hard work.  They are beautiful.  I wish I was better at “before” pictures.  These doors have been scraped, sanded, caulked, and painted.  The door plate has been scraped and polished (they were painted) – the patina is actually better than I would imagine the original.  The door knobs are glass and have also been scraped clean of paint.  The only shame in this project is that all of my doors aren’t 5-paneled with glass knobs.  There are only 3 in our house.

This is just the beginning of my bedroom transformation . . . . I can’t wait to reveal it . . . .

Borrowed Talent

I am missing a lot of things lately – I’m kind of in “frantic” mode right now.  I am missing reading, playing, reading the blogs I follow, and blogging in general.  One thing I am not missing is all of my good friends and family because they are right there with me.  I am realizing the wonderfulness of having friends with such diverse talents from myself.  How marvelous that we can all help each other when one of us falls short.  This week Krissi stepped in to help with my home improvement.  This woman loves home improvement and that’s an understatement.  I like it, but I am also very sick of it.  So, we worked out a little trade.  She came to help restore my 100+ year old doors and knobs in my bedroom and help me with caulking, and when my house is finally listed I will be helping her with an organization project (something doable to me). 

Isn’t she cute? . . . and so productive. Those doors are now ready to paint, thanks to her. I have lots of friends including my sisters who pick up where I fall short – thank goodness!

Rosemarie and Tea Parties

We have a wonderful friend who was one of our first friends when we moved to Sandpoint, almost 7 years ago.  She makes the kids feel like they are celebrities when we visit and tries to reassure me that I’m on the right track as a mom.

Rosemarie’s table is always set with the best china, and you can count on treats and little sandwiches – a regular tea party.  My kids love these little parties and love to chat with Rosemarie.  They’ve also been able to learn and practice some good manners.  We love her stories and she always takes an interest in each child, which makes them feel so important.  How wonderful to have such an intelligent, well-travelled, caring woman in their lives.  I am fortunate to have all of my grandparents still living and they have a huge influence in the lives of my children.  She is like another grandparent to us and she makes a difference.

   

Thank goodness for all of the Rosemarie’s in the world.  What would we do without them?

Paint

I still have paint on the brain.  I spent a lot of time painting today.  As we’ve re-done our house, we have used just a few paint colors, and they are my favorites.  Here they are:

 

Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue

Benjamin Moore Standish White

Sherwin Williams Grassland

Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan

Paint is the cheapest way to make the biggest change in your home.  The great thing is if you hate it after you put it up, you can change it pretty easily.  I think picking colors that work and that you love is the hardest part.  Almost all of the colors in our home have changed from the original colors and of these paint colors are colors that I saw in another setting.  I think that’s the best way to choose what will really stick and you will love it. 

My advice:  Don’t be afraid to get a quart of color and just swipe it on the wall – it will commit you to the project, and you’ll be able to see if you really like the color in the setting where it will be used.  Paint on!

Drowning

. . . . in drywall and paint, of course.  I realized that last week I looked pretty organized, but you should see me this week.  Where has the time gone?

I am still organizing – cleaning out closets and drawers and trying to find a home for my food storage.  And, we’ve had the project of finishing Caleb’s room this week.  Mike has spent a lot of time mudding, sanding, and applying texture – and today I took over my responsibility – priming and painting walls and ceiling.

So, in case anyone has missed my little posts . . . I’m still here – treading water . . . . .

Scribbles

. . . . not as in drawing, but as in this adorable little mouse.  That’s his name, and a very talented friend made him for me.  It’s amazing how cheery crafted felt can be.

The great thing about these pictures is not only how cute the mouse is, but how great the photography is.  Check out these cuties . . . .

   

 

Jenee’s talking about a blog displaying her patterns, I’ll keep you updated.

Ski Bunny

Ski lessons started today.  I am not a skier – I tried to be once upon a time, but cold and speed are not my favorite things.  But, Jessamyne has a great desire to ski.  Each of our kids gets to choose one extracurricular activity every year, and she was determined to do this one.  We found this great opportunity with other homeschoolers where they meet on Friday mornings, for 6 weeks.  The cost includes a lift ticket and 1 hour lesson.  She had a blast, and Nora and I had fun in the lodge, reading books and drinking hot chocolate.

Here are the pictures Nora took while she was waiting.  She was very intrigued with the “swings” (chairlift) and kept begging for a ride.  Notice the gorgeous lake in the background – we truly live in a beautiful place.

 

Actually, she would make a pretty good little skier, don’t you think?

 

And So it Begins

Yes, I am running another race.  No, it’s not a marathon.  I’m training for the Windermere Half Marathon in May.  I’m actually excited about it, although a little nervous about the training.  I started my 18-week training schedule by FIRST this week.  Their theme is, “Run less, run faster.”  I like it.  I hope I can live up to the schedule.

So, countdown begins.  If you want to follow my progress, you can read all about it in my Running Journal.

Now is the perfect time to find a race and start a schedule.  My theory:  anyone who follows a race schedule can complete any race.  Whether you’re a beginner or advanced or even a couch potato, there is a plan for you.  Take it from me, running is good for the body and soul.  And, it’s a great thing to do with friends and family.  I’m excited to run this race with some good friends. 

So, if any of you are anti-running, think again.  You may be missing something really great.

. . . . . . . . . .or not, but you’ll never know until you try (said with a smile).

Organization: Kids’ Artwork and Schoolwork

I am not a very sentimental person.  It is true.  I don’t like to hang on to objects – no thing ever affects me in such a way that I have to hold on to it forever.  My poor kids.  They like to hold on to everything – candy bar wrappers, old cans, teeny mementos which bring back a flood of memories and emotions not to be ignored.  I try to hold back and let them keep some things, but really it does overtake us sometimes and we have to clean out.

The thing that I have the toughest time finding a “happy medium” with are their school papers and artwork.  I have to admit, we throw a lot of them away.  But, there is always that artwork and those special little essays that we of course want to keep “forever.”  So, here’s how we handle that situation.

Every year, I fill a file folder full of any artwork or papers under 12” x 12” for each child.  The 3D projects and the larger masterpieces, we take a photograph of and put it in the file.  Here’s one that Caleb brought home the other day:

 
“Playground” by Caleb Campbell, 3rd Grade

At the end of the year, we take one of these 12”x12” craft keeper envelopes, and label it with the child’s name and grade and fill it full.  Then it is put away in a box to be sorted through later, where I am sure there will be much reminiscing.  So, the idea is that they have one envelope for every grade.  That can be a lot of envelopes with 4 kids, I admit.  Obviously, there is a lot more to keep from their earlier years, but the idea is that as they get older they can go through each grade and keep only the “best” papers.

Jessamyne is just now reaching the age that she can start going through her mementos and downsize a little, and by the time she leaves for college the hope is that she’ll have one, maybe two, special boxes filled with memories.  We’ll have to schedule a special day for that sorting, because knowing her, she’ll reminisce about every single piece of paper because unlike her mother she is very sentimental.  That’s one of the things I love about her . . . . .

Organization: Home Management Notebook

I suppose you’re thinking at this point, that I’ve totally lost it. . . or, maybe you think I have an obsession with notebooks.  Those thoughts might both be true, but I am still feeling a strong urge to organize all of my paper, so here is my favorite idea, yet.

 

A Home Management Notebook is where all of the info you need on a daily basis is stored . . . all in one place.  I love it!  I took 2 binders and one magazine holder and combined them into one notebook where everything could be easily accessed.  I used to have a wall where menus, job schedule and charts and emergency notebooks were kept.  I liked that system, but now that I’m working on staging my home, it doesn’t work.  So, now it’s in The Notebook.  I used to keep all the info the kids bring home from school in a separate accordion folder, filed by the child’s name.  Now it’s in The Notebook.  Before, I kept menus in the “junk drawer,” and coupons in a separate envelope in my desk.  Now it’s in The Notebook.  Well, you get the idea . . . .

I was the victim of good marketing, and after I saw a commercial for these Post-It Tabs,  I stopped in at my local office supply store and bought some – well worth the investment.  Plastic pages are super nice when organizing notebooks, but it’s difficult to find divider tabs that you can actually see.  These are perfect . . . .

So, the possibilities with this notebook are endless – I think the key is to tailor it to your family’s needs.  Here are the tabs I used in mine:

• Pencil Pouch (so there’s no searching for a pencil)
• Phone Lists (including emergency phone numbers, first)
• Menu (my monthly dinner menu)
• Coupons
• Food Storage (inventory checklist)
• Jobs (weekly schedule and kids’ charts)
• Take-Out (local restaurant menus)
• A tab for each Kid (school news, team schedules, etc.)
• Ideas (any articles that grab me, or more ideas for projects)

The possibilities are endless – there are probably a million things I could put in The Notebook; however, with all of the software and online tools we have at our fingertips, I say store as much as you can on your computer – just remember to back it up!

I’m not quite satisfied with the title, Home Management Notebook, though.  That sounds a little too boring and stuffy.  I’m still working on a title for it, but for now it becomes The Notebook.  Now, I just need to clean out my drawer so it fits nicely beside my phone book.  Hmmm, . . . .  I guess drawer and cupboard organization is on the schedule for next week?