Projects 3 and 4

On Tuesday of last week, mom finally sold their house that was next door to our old house.


This was an answered prayer. One less thing for mom to worry about.


But sad that one chapter in our lives in completely closed.


When I tell some people that I live next door to my parents, they think I just mean that we lived close to them. No we literally lived next door. Our street number was 3450 and theirs 3451.

 

Here is the walkway we made to connect our driveways.

 

Here we are coming out of mom and dad's house to Easter Egg Hunt and you can see a little of my old house. (The one with the red brick)

This was a great help with childcare. When the boys went down for a nap i would just take the monitors over and get out and run some errands.


At the same time once Wild Man understood how close JJ and Pop were, that became a challenge. I would tell Wild Man no and then he would try to get out of the house to go to JJ and Pops where he would get a yes.


One memory that came to mind of dad at the house was right after they moved in dad noticed that there was moisture under the house. When he went down to the crawl space he saw that there was quite a bit of water and NO drainage. So dad being the ever optimist thought "this is going to be fun! I get to play in the mud!" So for a couple of weeks he worked under the house to dig trentches to drain all the water to a subpump that he installed. He was so proud of his accomplishment.

 

 BTW, the reason there is tarp over the back of the house. If from the hail storm we had earlier that month. The back of their house looked like swiss cheese. Literally.

I am sure that it goes without saying. Tuesday I was kind of sad. 

So what do I do?

Well the title says so also... but 2 projects!

First one was the staircase. 

 

 

Here it is with the chalk mark for where the trim will go. 

Also here is Romeo's new trick. 

Yes he has climbed to the top like this.

Quick story.

Here is how I found out his new trick.

I was cooking dinner. 

The I hear this quiet.

"Mom....help....please"

 

He speaks in fragmented sentences.

It was not a desperate cry for help, just a simple one. 

Said in the same way when he asked me to hand him his water.

Since it didn't sound desperate. 

I told him to hold on just a minute while I finish doing what I was doing.

To which his reply was a simple OK.

So I minute later, I went looking for him.

So I called out for him to see what he needed help with.

I then found him hanging from the top of the staircase...feet dangling.

I went... "Oh My Goodness!!!!"

I grabbed him put him on the ground.

He turned around and says simply "Thanks....mom." and then runs on his merry way.

What the heck!!!

Anyways, back to the projects.

Here is the staircase/foyer after.

 

It will look so much better when I paint the top part with the Blonde color that I have in the den/kitchen.

Here is one reason we haven't done that yet.

 

 

Do you want to get up there?

I don't.

For the next project I moved into the kitchen.

 

The island to be exact.

Mr. Genius told me that we aren't going to spend anymore money on projects. So I had to use what I had.

I have always wanted an island in my kitchen and then put beadboard on it. 

Why... I don't know.

Some people dream of awesome vacations or meeting a celebrity... I dream of beadboard.

I live a sad existence.

Since we didn't have any beadboard and decided I needed to break the law again and pull out the beadboard wallpaper.

 

Then I painted it white...like I have done with everything else I have done.

Then there was a problem.

I didn't like it.

The white was too bright for the counter top.

I looked at going to Ikea and getting a new countertop.

But that would cost money.

So that was out.

So I found some glaze.

Thought...what the heck. Why not?

Brushed on the glaze, then whipped it off.

Here is the contrast.

It isn't a great picture. But I guess you get the idea of the difference between the door and the rest of the cabinet.

I am really happy with the results.

 

 

Like the little toys on the floor?

That would be the boys decorating touches.

To show that the boys have not been completely neglected with all these projects going on.

 

See they are still alive.

They are waiting for some more food.

Big surprise there.

When these boys are awake they are either running around or begging for food. It is a vicious cycle.

Do you see that random package on top of the stack of paper plates?

That is our new bribery technique.

I mean what is parenting without some form of bribery?

Wild Man has learned the art of disobeying.

Let me tell you, he is a pro at it.

He has also learned lying. But I think we killed that with a dose of hot sauce.

So we have told Wild Man if he obeys for 5 days in a row, he gets a new toy. 

But not just any toy.

A hot wheels toys.

And not just any hot wheels toy.

A Battle Force 5 hot wheels toy.

He admires and worships it until he gets to open it.

 

 

 After a month of talking about opening the car, hopefully tomorrow after supper he will be able to open it!

Fingers crossed.

But then what will the new bribery tool be?

A servant's heart

Right now our church as a whole is doing a study on how to be a servant.

God has called us all to be a servant to all people in His name.

My husband truly has a heart of a servant.

He loves the help people. Especially with computer stuff.

I am sure that it is no surprise that I use projects as a distraction.

Over 5 years ago, we had a miscarriage.

I was at work and I started bleeding.

I went home early.

Rather then sitting still...like most normal people would do.

I just couldn't sit still.

Since it was just a couple of days before Thanksgiving, I decided to decorate for Christmas.

I seriously didn't sit down til I went to bed 5 hours after I got home.

Yes, now I realize this wasn't the healthiest thing to do. But we also surprising found out we were expecting just 2 days prior.

We miscarried the next day.

I was only 8 weeks along. But it was still hard to go through.

Now I am still sad about missing dad.


It will be 11 weeks tomorrow since I have hugged him. 

So as a distraction I have been doing projects.

Well let me correct that.

Mr. Genius has been doing the projects, I have just been painting them.

Mr. Genius knows about my obsession with projects when I am sad. So therefore he has been doing them without much complaining.

He has done a great job too.

I am very blessed to have him.

Thank you Mr. Genius for helping me by doing all the projects! You have done an amazing job!

Thank you Lord for putting Mr. Genius in my life... and tell dad that I love him and miss him so much my heart hurts.

Well our gift cards from Home Depot are gone and so is Mr. Genius' energy.

Understandably so.

So now I have to find something else to distract me.

Does anyone know how to reupholster furniture?

Shaken not stirred

Last night...well really early this morning around 4 am. We experienced our first earthquake.


Seriously!


I was sound asleep.


I remember that I was dreaming, but I do not remember what I was dreaming about.


I bed started shaking hard and a really loud and low rumbling sound woke me up.


Maybe instead of saying "woke me up" I should say jolting me on top of my husband, screaming "What is that?! What is that?!"


Mr. Genius, being the ever protecting husband that he is, jumped out of bed and stood ready to pounce in any direction.


Me on the other hand failed miserable when it comes to how to react in a crisis.


I stayed frozen in the bed... hugging it.


I guess I felt like I was trying to hold the bed still, like that was the only thing I could control.


I think it has been establish that I am a control freak,

and that I am not the one to rely on in a crisis.


The epicenter of the earthquake was about 20 miles from our house. The quake was first reported as a 4.3 but now they are saying that is was a 3.8.

Not a big one, but the most unnerving 15 to 20 seconds I have ever experienced.


But compared to what Haiti felt, Mr. Genius read it was 1,600 times more powerful then what we felt!

I swear we don't talk that way!

Today I dropped Wild Man off at his preschool, which he loves by the way!

It is amazing how free you feel when you have one less child.

So Romeo and I ran some errands.

Since Wild Man's school only goes from 8:30 -11:30. I don't go back home, it just seems easier to stay out running errands or like today going as many places as I can to make a scene.

I decided to go to Goodwill. Because the Goodwill here is AWESOME!

Romeo agrees with me.

While I was comtemplated buying a accent chair for our bedroom for $13, Romeo found a big fire truck to play with.

This thing was HUGE. If Romeo laid down on the floor it would have been as long as him.

Romeo loved this truck and he drove it around the whole store while I shopped.

When it was time to go I tried to find creative ways for us to leave the big truck behind without a fight.

Unfortunately my creative juices have been used up with the projects on the house, so I failed at avoiding a meltdown.

Now let me tell you that Romeo has many talents. He is great at giving people hugs and kisses, he can unload the dryer faster then anyone, and he can know exactly how to get under he big brother's skin. But bless his little heart, speaking is not one of his specialties.

I am his mother and I do realize that I maybe the only person on this planet that can understand what he is saying sometimes. Because he may think he is saying the word hot dog but unfortunately it sounds more like he is asking for dodo bird then a hot dog.

So with this speaking impairment he can not pronounce the tr in truck he makes an f sounds instead of the tr sound.

So yes when my sweet precious son is asking for a truck, he is actually saying f*@k.

Lovely.

Also another very unfortunate thing about this is that although most every other word he says in not very articulate the word is says for truck is VERY articulate.

There is no doubt what he is saying.

So back to when we were in Goodwill today.

I tried my ever loving best to get him to park the truck under a table, in a "tunnel" of clothes, even in a big box of teddy bears.

Nothing worked.

So I did what I thought was the next logical thing.

Just put the truck up, pick up my son, and walk out the store.

So what does my little Romeo do.

Why he starts to scream f*@k over, and over, and over at the top of his lungs!

I am pretty sure that if everyone in the store didn't know that we were in the store before, they knew us as we were leaving.

A glimpse in the future?

Wild Man had his four year check up.


He again surpasses his mom and dad by being in the 75th percentile in his height.


We are so proud.


But after the Dr. left is when I had a big surprise.


Wild Man turned to me with a big smile on his sweet little face and said, "Hey mom, you know what my favorite part of seeing the Dr. was?"


Me: "No honey, what was your favorite part?"


Then with an even bigger smile on his face, my precious son that Christ showed his loving mercy by dying on the cross for said:

"When she took off my pants."


WHAT!!!!!


Can I tell you that it took every bone in my body to not react to that! I simply told him to put his shoes and coat on and then turned around and let out a silent scream.


I have now added to my daily prayer list that Wild Man will have a pure heart and that I will not become a grandmother before I am 50.

Project Dos of 20 10 is complete!

I am on a roll!

So here is the mantel and the wall before

Here is the during

And here is the after

Me likey.

Yes I know that those pictures are not of Matt or my boys. I am searching on the internet to find something to put in those.

I will leave you with a little closer look.

Happy Martin Luther King Day, Y'all! 

Project Uno for 20 10 is completed.

Whoo Hoo!


Here is what the cabinets looked like before.

We got our consultation from The Lettered Cottage.

Then after some illegal beadboard wallpaper, some new shelves, white paint, and some new hardware. We now have this...

I am really happy with the results, but am having trouble trying to arrange things on the shelves. I just can't seem to get it right.


I am trying to go the cheap route by using things around the house. Mainly because I having found a place like Old Time Pottery here.



This weekend we are about to start Project Numero Dos.

I got all the apothcary jars through out the house to put on the mantel, now I have to figure out what to put in them.

I got some of them from my bathroom. They were full of Q-tips and cotton balls. Which is sensible for the bathroom, not so much for the den. I could fill one up with hot wheel cars, then my boys will think it was cool.

Click here and look at the first fireplace. Run your curser over the picture and see the square pattern over the mantle, that is my plan over this fireplace.

We don't think it would be too hard.

I know, famous last words.