Urin-ation

One of the things I don’t like at all is something that is not often talked about. So we aren’t going to talk about it. But it starts with the letter “P”. And sounds like the letter “P”.

I just hate “it” and how often I am confronted by “it” as a mother. One night, back during the 3 months that we were dog-owners, 4 of the 5 little “people/animals'” in my house had “yellow spills” in one fateful night. I don’t blame any of the children in my family for the special moments I spend with “P”. In fact, read this story about my own childhood issues with “it” and rainbow brick walls, sisters, and garbage cans. http://www.seriouslyahomemaker.com/2011/01/block-head.html (It’s such a fun story to read!)

Which brings us to today’s tale: My sister Jess is here visiting with her husband and two boys, ages 3 and 1. They are just so cute! Charlie is loving having friends to play with. They are good, good boys. But let’s be honest, at times Charlie is struggling with having two playmates swirling around his house playing with his toys. And they never leave! (Actually they do, they are spending a lot of time site-seeing with mom and dad. However, Charlie has noticed that they keep coming back! Yay!)

Anyhow, one of the highlights of their visit so far was when the 3-year old went potty in the toilet while Charlie was watching from the tubby. It was soooo coool!

So just now, as I went to put Charlie down for his afternoon nap, I noticed that his diaper was bone dry. I thought- “I bet if I put Charlie on the toilet, he would pee right now!” So, I asked him if he wanted to try- you know, if he thought that would be “willy fun!” and he said “yeah!” and then he did his little giggle dance.

Off to the bathroom (which I had just cleaned an hour previously) to try this out! But, when we arrived in the bathroom, Mommy Dear had a sudden urge to go wee-wee too! I had taken off Charlie’s diaper, but I asked him, “Do you want to see how mommy does it first?!” (I am always striving to be a shining example to my children)

“Yeah!!!” (insert giggle dance)

Mommy sat down, and whilst sitting and “doing”, Charlie stood in front of mommy (we will talk in the third person now… seems less personal… like it wasn’t my reality 30 minutes ago) and began to “do” too!

What’s a mommy to do?! Mommy automatically stuck out a cupped hand and attempted to block, if not catch the “yellow spill”. She said, “stop, buddy!” And he did. And then he looked at Mommy in a confused little way, and started wee-weeing again.

“Mommy! I need a towel!” was all he could say 5.5 seconds later when the deed was done.

*This is how NOT to potty train your child.*

I picked him up, when we were both finished with our moments of relief and set him in the tub. I turned on the water, but didn’t realize that the shower was in fact engaged, and he got a sudden shock of cold water on his head.

He cried, I soothe him. I washed him up, wrapped him up in a towel, all the while talking about what had just happened and how it was really weird and not what we had planned! (Remember 3 minutes previous when I had seen the bone dry diaper and hatched my clever plan? Sheesh.)

As we walked past the toilet and the bathroom mirror on our way back to his room for naptime (and clean clothes and a fresh diaper) we stopped for a minute and looked at ourselves in the mirror. He was swaddled up like a baby, with his head resting on my shoulder and he said, “But, Mommy, I still want a go potty on da toilet!”

“I know. Later.”

Much, much, much later.

Do you guys dare me to finish a project by Friday? Stairs or Bar Stools? You pick.

Valentine Garlands

 I think you should have an arts and crafts hour. I really do. And you should make one of these:

I have never ever ever, not even once in my life owned or made a Valentine’s Day decoration. What a waste of time, people! I mean seriously, can’t we enjoy the gap between Christmas Decorations and… Halloween Decorations for just a little bit?!

Sheesh.

(I guess I don’t really decorate for any holidays except Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I just now realized that.)

Until now, though! This week, on January 24th, I decided to take down my Christmas Decorations! I know… I like to get a jump on the rest of you. Hate me.

(This task was easily postponed because I never did put up a Christmas Tree and our holiday décor was very minimal. It coordinated well with the colors and themes I already had going in the house, so yay! Life was simple this past Christmas in at least one way!)

But when I removed the Nativity and ornaments from the mantle (see what my mantle looked like yesterday morning here), I was left with a sudden urge to make a BIG Valentine’s Day garland. I did what any modern day crafty-pants would do and headed STRAIGHT for Pinterest. I entered the search term, “Valentines Garland” and boom! Look what I found:

(click here to see and follow the Pin Board I created)

Aren’t they delicious? Click on the images for direct links to their sources- many of them are sold by Etsy shops, so go buy! OR.. hold an impromptu arts and crafts hour with a BFF (like I did) and make your own imperfect specimen.

(Sometimes my buddy-ol’-pal Dori stops by to chat for a “half hour.” I end up talking her into doing either housework or crafts with me, because I have an aversion to a) sitting down* and b) just chatting. There must be movement. Mustn’t there?)

Her garland was much smaller and cuter and was made to simply drape over the passageway between her dining room and kitchen. I'll insert a picture of it after I barge into her house with my camera and take one, then run out quickly before her husband know what the flip I am up to.

Here is mine:

It’s kinda humongous.

Ok, so what are you waiting for? Go staple and sew paper to a string of yarn and then stand on half-painted barstools (without properly attached seats)** and reach up really high. Don’t die, though. I didn’t! (phew)

*Who are we kidding here? I am opposed to sitting down ~unless~ it is in front of a computer.

** Notice that I made the garland instead of finishing the paint job on the stools. Also notice that I made the garland instead of working on the staircase remodel. Oh, Angie…

I am linking to Beth's Valentine's Mantel Linky Party, K? Does this count as a mantel? I think SO!

The End of the World

The end of the world is here. Two reasons:

1. My dishwasher broke.

2. Picnik is being KILLED by Google.

These two losses shall forever change my life. At least until:

1. I buy a new dishwasher, which may be a while, because I have decided not to use credit for ANYTHING and we just made a large extra payment on our debt. Like- just a few days ago. (shoot!/yay!) So… now I have the world’s biggest drying rack on which to dry all the dirty dishes that we had accumulated before we realized that the dishwasher was truly dead.
Also, I’d like to introduce my family to: paper plates, plastic cups and cheap plastic utensils. Also: pizza. (They they weren’t familiar with the delivery man before! Ha!) I will be spending the next week stalking Craiglist and drooling over entire 4-piece stainless steel appliance sets that I should NOT be thinking about buying.

Secondly, my world is forever saddened and changed by an email I received from Picnik on Saturday night. I read it while lying in bed. Picnik is closing on April 19th! I gasped loudly. The Manchild sympathetically asked, “What’s wrong?” I told him the news. He and I both mourned together. I stewed. I tossed and turned. I had a horrible night’s sleep. See? The World: It’s never going to be the same… until?:
2. I decide to give in to the unknown world of Google+. Here’s the deal: I use Picnik.com EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Usually I use Picnik to edit my photos for the blog:

Sometimes I use Picnik to edit photos to print:

Sometimes I use Picnik to create word art and printables:

This week my son and I used Picnik to create a poster for his 3rd grade non-fiction book report on falcons.

I USE PICNIK EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!!

But Google, who bought Picnik 2 years ago, is getting rid of Picnik and putting all of it’s photo editing goodies into the Google+ world. I do have a Google+ account, but I have never ever used it. I might have, like 4 friends on there. Google+ is Google’s attempt at a social media tool- like Facebook or Twitter. Except that: HELLO! Facebook and Twitter (and Pinterest!) are incredibly awesome and well-run. They are well-used, slick and forward thinking. Even though many of us have Google accounts and love Google for all it does in our lives (electronically), we just don’t need or want to use Google+ because we are getting along just fine with Facebook and Twitter (and any other social media/networking sites that people happily use). Many feel like Google is PUSHING people into using Google+. Closing down Picnik is one of those mean tricks that they are employing in order to get us there.

So here I am, wondering if Google+ has a role in my digital life. Should I dive in to it? Throw up my hands and say, “Fine! I’m in!” ?? Maybe I will. (sick taste in my mouth)

But it doesn’t matter either way, because the world has come to an end. My dishwasher is dead and Picnik is dying.

Is this a good reason to eat more cheese? Possibly.

Chalk Paint Failure

Let’s talk about failures.

Some failures are significant. For instance, Failure to Launch. Or Failure to Thrive. Both bad.

Failure to make your own chalk paint is not such a big deal. 

Do you know what chalk paint is? Not “chalk board paint,” but Chalk Paint. See it here. See that it is very expensive. See how this lady and this lady decided to make their own versions of chalk paint with great success.

See how I tried the same thing with great failure:

The chalk in the paint turned the nice rusty red color (Valspar’s Bangkok Rust) into MAUVE. Well, technically it wasn’t mauve after I applied the paint, but the texture was rough and grainy, so I had to sand it down, which gave me mauve. I wonder if after I applied a polyurethane coating to it, it might not be so mauvey, but who knows. I hated it all together.

You see, I was going for a bright red. Two months ago I primed all my barstools with a spray paint primer. Then, I went ahead and began painting the chairs with red spray paint. Then I ran out of time to paint the other chairs on this spray paint craziness day. But, it’s a good thing I didn’t waste any more time on that spray paint job, because the red paint began chipping off badly within the first day.

(Duh. I didn’t sand at all. I was lazy. Hmmm… I got bad results because of laziness??? Why didn’t anybody ever tell me that if I take the easy, lazy route, I wouldn't get great results?!)

You know what somebody DID tell me? To sand it all down at that point and start over. OR to try chalk paint, which isn’t supposed to require any sanding or priming at all! This great a wise and seasoned advice came from a blogging friend Cassie at Primitive and Proper. I met her at a blogger brunch and love everything about her. You should follow her blog, okay?

Cassie is truly a professional furniture re-finisher/painter and she told me maybe I could try the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint route. This route could also be coined the “rich lazy man’s technique.” DELETE “rich”, INSERT “ambitious” and we’ve got Angie making her OWN version of chalk paint.

And we also have Angie failing. It’s okay. I am alright. I am moving on.

I am going back to what I know is true and right in the world.

Have I told you about my favorite paint ever? It is called “Benjamin Moore Wood and Metal Enamel.” Enamel is the perfect word for it. It is better than paint. It dries like a slick rock. Go ahead, try to scratch it off. I dare ya! Remember this jewelry holder frame thingy that I showed you a peek of before Christmas?

I painted that open frame in a turquoise color, then proceeded to wrap it with a copper wire. I was not gentle. There isn’t a hint of scratch anywhere on that frame. See? It’s tough.

Anyway, am headed over to Benjamin Moore to get my hands on some RED Wood and Metal Enamel. It isn’t cheap. But here’s what I know: It won’t need a primer. It doesn’t need a polyurethane coat. It will make my chairs tough. It will make me happy. I WILL finish this home goal.

I am excited to finish the bar stools and then show you the finished product. Did I tell you that I reupholstered them in a “laminated” fabric? Which means they are WIPEABLE! More on that genius product later, friends.

See you soon! Go paint something or go read about Cassie painting something.

Or just go do something else. I don’t even care. Whatever.

Barn Wood Head Board with Built-in Lamp

My parents are here visiting for a couple of days. THEY HAVE ARRIVED. My sister and her family will arrive tonight and stay 10 days. THEY WILL ARRIVE.

But more importantly, above all else, I realized this morning that WE HAVE ARRIVED. We are official. We are the real deal. Perhaps… I could even say that we have grown up!

Why? How? Because we have an actual guest bedroom with real guest bed. Not only that, but somehow we have 3 vehicles. So, technically, WE HAVE A GUEST CAR TOO!

I don’t really know why it took us so long to get to this point of maturity. Oh, wait, yes I do! Because for the first 10 years of our marriage we were poor students with a growing family and moved 14 times. Seriously!

Anyhow, I had lots of fun snazzing up the guest room for our visitors. (Mostly I just painted the walls and made this lighted head board). Here are the inspiration photos that I used to create my plan:

These bed images are from here and here.

I toyed with painting the wood and then chipping/sanding it off like in the first photo, but I decided that the wood was beautiful and aged and gray enough as it. (Ok, really, I was just scared to mess it up and hate it!)

Shall we just use pictures to describe the rest? Yes:

I should have installed it behind the boards and cut a hole similar to the outlet hole…

but I didn’t. This is all hidden by the mattress anyway.

And that is how I did it! If you buy me some Diet Coke and make me laugh (and let me sleep in your guest room) I’ll come over and help you build one too!

Price Breakdown:

11 pieces of old wood from Habitat for Humanity ReStore: $22

Lamp on clearance rack at Lowe’s or HD: $10

Lamp Cord Kit: $6

Dimma Switch from Ikea: $8

Box of Screws: $10

TOTAL COST: $56

And remember? I got the bed for only $50! Suh-weet!

If you have any questions, ask me in the comments.

New here? See how I hid our flatscreen's cords INSIDE some fancy trim work here:

And my kids' room's make-overs here:

(Sam's Turquoise Room)

And here:

(Holly and Logan's Room)

These days I am working on staining and painting our stairs. But I am REALLY good at distracting myself with silly craft projects instead of finishing!

Stay tuned for the stair project reveal soon!

{smooches!} -Angie

Angie’s 2012 Home Goals

I know you are all chomping at the bit to see my finished Barn Wood Head Board for the Guest Room, but you have to waaaaaait! Unless of course you “LIKE” SeriouslyAHomemaker on facebook. Then you’ve seen it!

You don’t have to wait long though- just until the end of this post! That could be a very, very long time, depending on how wordy I get. And also how picture-y. At this rate, you better just scroll to the bottom and then come back up to talk about my 2012 Home Goals!

(I’ll wait here for you to peek and then we’ll go…)

As it turns out, I always have a project list for my home. It helps me not go crazy with plans in my mind. If I write out a list of projects that are half-finished, half-planned, and/or half-funded then when I get anxious, over-whelmed, or just plain cranky (this is typically due to too much planning and thinking and crossing my eyes when I look at a room so that it begins to look the way I want it to…) I can simply look at the list, pick a project, and get to work.

image source Small Notebook

Do you know what else is nice about a home projects list besides it’s ability to calm my nerves? It’s nice and neat-o bonito to look at the long list and realize that some of those things are DONE! Crossing off feelz goooood!

In September, just before the kids went back to school, I was bursting with big hopes for my post-Labor Day “free time” (how much free time do I really get with a 2-year old boy in tow??) and so I quickly jotted down a “projects to tackle” list and stuck it to the fridge. This fancy schmancy list has been on said fridge since that fateful day. But today, January 18th, the “project to tackle” list is magically turning into the “2012 Home Goals” list.

SEE?:

Look, Mom! I’ve finished painting the bathroom, hung the shower rod, installed new lights in the hallway upstairs, and recovered the kitchen barstools in only 4 month’s time! That’s not very muuuuch…

Wait, some of the projects on the list are not home-related! (It was appear that whilst the “project to tackle list” was making it’s way between the fridge and the scanner somebody got their hands on a brown Sharpie and made some adjustments.) Weird…

Shall we talk about these goals a bit? Yes.

A. Paint the Hallway: We already painted it. But it needs a final coat in some areas and we (read “HE”) never got around to cutting in around the new light fixtures. How hard can this job be? I should do it,  like tomorrow! (But I won’t.)

B. Make Beds for Kids: Not, like straighten their blankets- more like, build actual beds for the girls’ mattresses to rest on. I pinned some photos of my house on Pinterest the other day. This whole pinboard could be very misleading. As in: NONE OF THE KIDS’ ROOMS LOOK LIKE THEY DID IN MAY 2011 (when the kids rooms were both finished and decorated and sooo cute). Charlie is out of his “bathroom/bedroom now.” He shares a room with Logan. Holly moved in with Sam.

Hello, my name is Angie and I have 44 kids. Our girls bedroom DOES NOT really look like this:



The girl's beds fit EXACTLY end to end along the back wall of their room. But the room is super small for 2 kids and we need some streamlined storage. So?:


I need to build them a big, long storage day bed. (And also repaint the room… shhhh… you know I love turquoise, but I think this shade is too much in this room. Plus the neighbors can see it from outside and it scares them.)

Moving on…

C. Hire a Free Maid: Self-explanatory.

D. Decorate Kid’s Rooms: We no longer have this going on either:



Now that Charlie’s crib is in here, everything is off-kilter. I need to hang some new art and re-hang the lights in better places. This should only take a couple days when I get down and focus on it!

E. Paint Wood Rails and Posts: We have some support beams between the kitchen and family room that I have always wanted to paint white. The railings on the stairs and also at our “landing” at the top of the stairs also are begging to be white. This is their year! (exciting)

F. Paint and Stain the Stairs: HELLO! I am elbow deep in this one right now! Look at how it looked last night at 2 a.m. when I put down the first layer of black stain:


Does that look like stain to you? No? Me neither. It is so thick and opaque that it might as well be paint. I just now put on the first coat of Polyurethane. It looks like the treads will be done when my sister and her family get here on Friday night, but the white risers (and sides) will have to wait until later. Still, these stairs are on my first set of 2012 mini-goals, so they will be done by the end of February!

G. Tummy Tuck: Self Explanatory. Not really happening this year. Or maybe ever. Or maybe it will. Or maybe it won’t…

H. Curtains in the Kitchen: I have the fabric. I’ve had it for 2 years. But if I don’t get around to actually making the curtains (and replacing these crappy mini-blinds with faux wood blinds soon) then I am going to lose interest in the fabric and have to re-think the whole thing!


I. I recovered the barstools in November (with my trusty new Sister-in-Law Sarah) and meant to have the barstools painted within a week of that… but the paint did NOT hold up when I did my trial run. So? I am making my own paint that will cure all ills and change my life forever. It is called “Chalk Paint.” NO! Not “chalkboard paint”… chalk paint. It is paint with “chalk” mixed in. AKA “plaster of paris.” AKA… it DOESN’T REQUIRE SANDING OR PRIMING! Even on laminated wood products. And it HOLDS LIKE A CHAMP! Annie Sloan invented it and it is very expensive to purchase. I shall make my own RED sample of chalk paint and paint the barstools. I shall.

J. Artwork in the Entry: It needs it bad. (note: when I am “elbow-deep in a DIY remodeling project I make big messes.) See this photo for two reasons: a) to see the art need in the entryway… and b) to see the mess that I am tolerating whilst staining the stairs.


K. Lots of New Shoes: Self Explanatory

L. Gallery Wall in Front Room/Office: I’m thinking floor-to-ceiling frames choc full of art, photos, and GREAT quotes:



M. Light Switches and Outlet Covers: It was probably a year ago that my mom and dad and I commenced updating all of our switches, outlets, and cover plates. But… Look. I am a loser. I will finish all of these off it’s the last thing I ever do!!!!!!



Wow, that’s a lot to do, but this whole list excites me! It is doable! And, as I’ve said before, I am taking everything in min-chunks. On 2-month time-tables I can get a lot done. What about you? What are your goals for you home this year? If you don’t have any… come help me with mine?

You should be aware that I fell asleep about 9 times whilst fishing this blog post. LOL! I just did it again, and the sleeping caused me to write, “fishing” instead of finishing :-)

Which leads me to my next topic:

Thanks to the coat of poly that I just put on the stairs, I am heading down to the basement to sleep in OUR NEW GUEST BED….

What do you THINK?! Pin it, baby! Pin away! (Dear Grandma, Pinterest is awesome.)

Details on this head board are on their way, of course.

I am happily linking this post up with The Nester’s 2012 Home Goals Link Party. I am excited to read and see a bajillion other blog-writers’ homes and goals for this year too at this party. Join me?

Progress Report 2.0: Guest Room (and Stairs)

“Progress Reports” on the “Guest Room” feel sorta like misnomers, I’ll admit, because other than paint and lighting, the only thing I am doing in the guest room is building a barn wood headboard. I don’t have any big plans for artwork or other furniture in the room (for now), so don’t get too excited! (As soon as I wrote that my mind bulged with ideas for artwork and pillows… thanks a lot!)

You are allowed to get excited for the headboard. It excites me. It excites all of us.(Actually, it doesn’t excite all of us, I am pretending that it does to make myself feel better about all the time I have put into it and all of the huge holes I have drilled into my walls.)

I am soooo close to being done with the headboard, peeps! The wood is all installed and the wiring for the light is complete. (THANKS TO WENDY, TAWNY, STEPHANIE, AND DORI who each beckoned my call for help and have pitched in on the project!) I have painted the lamp YELLOW (because I like to make things different and difficult), but I don’t like the bright finish of the paint and my mission today is to tone it down. Sanding? A wipe-on stain? A product called “rub ‘n buff”?

I hang my lamps from trees to paint them. Don’t you?

Look at this chandelier that Melissa from 320 Sycamore refinished for her daughter’s room:


I like that the paint is chippy and has a patina to it. I want mine to be more mustard colored when done, but this is the look I am “scratching” for.

Other than that, I am only going to show you a little sneak peek of the head board. I don’t want to reveal the whole thing until I have the light installed on a dimmer. That shall be our big reveal moment and we shall exhale in a grand ‘siiighhhh’ together. (Wednesday?)

Are you feelin’ it too?

Other than that… guess what! The Manchild and I spent all day Saturday sanding down our stairs and prepping them for stain and paint! THEY ARE READY! 


Unfortunately, as I picked up the can of stain I had purchased and began to read the application instructions yesterday I saw LOUD AND CLEAR at the very top: “This product not recommended for floors.”

And that’s the way things go for me. So, back to home depot to return it. I think I’ll stop by Benjamin Moore today to look for a gel stain. Speaking of, I want you to know that I am following Kate @ CentsationalGirl’s tips on how she re-did her stairs. Look at this before and after shot:


Now look at this sample test she did of various stains. I want my stairs to be stained black, like on the far right, but I want to use a gel stain like the second from the left. Help?


Anyway, what a successful week we had last week! Now if only I could finish up these projects (Despite the fact that my kids have no school today and a half day on Wednesday) and dust THE ENTIRE HOUSE (thanks to the fantastic sanding job of one certain Manchild) then we will be ready for company! (T-minus 4 days until they arrive?!) We ain’t gonna make it, Marge!)

Have fun, stay warm, cover your mouth when you sneeze! {mwah!}