Now I'm crying...

I managed to control my emotions while all the men were here (not easy for a pregnant woman), but now I'm crying. I cannot thank my family enough for all the sacrifces they've made this weekend to help us.

We never would've made our deadline, and now I think we can (the carpet is coming on Thurs).

Tyler is an engineer, and a woodworker/cabinetmaker extraordinare. He brought his favorite saw, and homemade little baseboard setting gadgets, and trimmed out the rooms. He also re-installed the door that Todd fussed with for over four hours, using a little technique that he learned in his own house last week.

Did I mention that he's trying to finish a room in his basement right now, too? And yet, he took a day to drive five hours and help me. His wife was home priming walls by herself.

Dad is one of the best painters I know. He didn't even use any tape while painting navy blue against a white ceiling. He just does it freehand. It's amazing to me. He also made MANY trips to the hardware store, puttied holes, sealed baseboards, and installed light fixtures. He was cussing at the fact that I chose three different colors of paint for the boys' room (four counting the ceiling and baseboards) but he did what I wanted anyway.

I don't even want to know how many hours of sleep he missed by coming, and I'm pretty sure he took a day off...not easy on a Saturday, especially with Easter coming. He is a bakery manager and often starts working in the wee hours of the morning and then keeps going to make sure the shelves are always stocked. There's no such thing as a 40 hour work week with Dad. He probably also missed out on a nice day to work on his yard.

My bro-in-law, Jon, is the tile man. I don't really know where he learned it, but I know he's worked construction, and has done plenty of tiling in his days. I hear rumor that this was his idea. He saw the list on my blog and called Tyler saying, "There's no way they're going to get done in time...we have to go."

Yeah, he's my sister's husband, the one who lost a car this week, and probably has all kinds of Physical Therapy notes to catch up on, but he was here instead.

Then there's my brother Ben. Yeah, I didn't mention in my last post that he was coming, because I didn't know. Nobody knew. I talked to him on Friday night on his cell phone while he was stuck in CA traffic. Turns out he was actually on his way here. He slept in his car, and knocked on my door at 8:00 AM. This is when I nearly cried. He drove 9 hours to be here.

I didn't even dare ask what he was missing. He's a PHD student, a professor, a piano teacher, and certainly had plenty he could've been doing. Thankfully he stayed over last night and got a decent nights sleep before heading home. His wife is filling in on the organ for him today, and planted strawberries by herself yesterday.

Ben cut the tile, and Jon laid it. Todd and I will have to figure out how to do the grout, but I can't tell you how relieved I am to have this part finished. I know there would've been blood, sweat, tears, and swearing if we'd had to tackle this ourselves.


Here's a sneak peak at the boys room. We still need to build shelves, a desk, and add the trim to the wall.
Ben and Jon each took a turn "coming out of the closet" and as you can imagine we had a great day working, talking, and laughing.


Tyler, Jon, and Dad left at 8:30 last night, to get home in the middle of the night, so Dad could get a few hours of sleep before his bishopric meeting this morning. Jon had to get up and make a 2 1/2 hour drive back to Idaho this morning so my sister could teach her Young Women's lesson. Ben left this morning, after staying up late playing the piano with the kids. They love to play with Uncle Ben.

Thank you to everyone who had a part in this, and for all your sacrifices in our behalf. It means so much to us. I hope we can do something to help all of you sometime.


PS- Ben, the boys found a dime on the piano bench this morning, and they're certain it's yours. I told them they could keep it, but they insist that it's yours. Would you like me to send it in the mail?

To keep myself sane list

When Todd was finishing his thesis, he took the biggest whiteboard we had and made a list of everything he needed to do to finish up...just so he could keep it all straight in his head.

With our basement project needing to be finished by April 1st, we've decided it's time for another "sane list". How convenient that blogger lets me put a list on the side of my blog where everyone in the world can see if I don't stay on task.

I'm sure Todd will add to it when he gets home, but for now I listed everything I can think of, and I'm going to start by opening a new box of girl scout cookies, and folding the mound of laundry on my couch.

Shoot. I forgot to add that to the list.

During

With baby on the way it has finally become a priority to finish a bedroom downstairs, and we decided to do the family room while we were at it. So far, Todd has done 90% of the work himself. My 10% has been mudding the walls.

I hate mudding. It's like decorating the biggest damn cake on the planet, and we all know how I feel about decorating cakes.

Hopefully in a few weeks I'll have some "before and after pictures"...but for now you get the "during" pics.

Let's begin the tour:

This stairway has been completely nasty since the day we moved in (and probably for at least 25 years before that). The walls were covered in dirty handprints that wouldn't wash off, and cobwebs that I couldn't reach--even with a broom. Todd primed it this week and I tell ya it's just amazing. I like to stand and stare at the clean walls in all my spare time. It's the little things in life...

The problem has been that it's very difficult for me to get up and down the stairs this week :o)

This is the family room:

We are hoping to texture the ceilings tonight and do the last layer of mud on the walls tomorrow. We got a temporary storage unit to store all the big stuff while we remodel, but everything else has been shoved into the bathroom, storage room, quilting room, kitchen, and our master bedroom. I'm feeling very claustrophobic and CANNOT WAIT to get my house back in order.

Once this project is complete, everything that doesn't have a "place"...is going to the DUMP!


Here's the storage room. It's good that the kids are skinny because they can fit around the ladder on the stairs, and slither through this path to get a can of soup when we need it.

I found a coffee table at DI that I think will be perfect for the family room (I love the big baskets underneath)...but it's sure in the way right now.

This is Brayden and Caleb's future room. That wooden chair [frame] has been mighty *helpful* throughout the process. I'm sure glad it's still kickin' around. *sarcasmHave I mentioned I can't wait until this project is done?

And more mess:

Preparing for winter

Today we harvested the rest of our potatoes,

and the carrots from the kid's garden...

...pulled the dead flowers out of the window boxes, and decorated for fall...

...and started our wood pile.

Can anyone tell me what's wrong with this picture?

Apple Days

When I left Cache Valley a couple weeks ago, Grandma Great sent me home with a large box of apples from her tree. Thanks Grandma! I was able to add them to the few apples that survived the birds on our one apple branch.

Vanessa and I have spent the better part of two days peeling, coring, dicing, and canning 25 quarts of apple pie filling. Then I dehydrated some apples...and made apple turnovers...and a small pie...and some carmeled apples.

Thankfully, I am finished with apples for this year, but Vanessa still has a huge laundry hamper full. I wish her luck with the rest...

The Command Center

Well, I had hoped to completely finish my organizational wall before posting pictures, but if I did that, I'd lose my status as a 95%er. It truly wouldn't be "my house" if there wasn't an unfinished project displayed somewhere.

My "stud" of a husband built me all these pieces for our anniversary. I designed it, and he built it, and I am in love (both with him AND the wall).

My goal was to try to find a home for the clutter in my silverware drawer, on my counter, and on the fridge.

At the top, we put chicken wire in a frame, and added some mini-clothespins to hold all the little stuff that cluttered up the fridge. Things like post it notes, addresses, checks to deposit, the monthly visiting teaching message cards (yeah, I know tomorrow is the last day but I'll get 'em delivered...), etc.

On the left is a magazine rack with a spot for "To Do" and "To File". Inside there are folders for each kid, and one for the massive amount of papers that the school sends home.

In the middle, there is a magnet board. The magnetic containers are for box tops, magnets, and miscellaneous screws, nails, staples, etc. I made a bunch of magnets to display a very general weekly schedule, reminding me who has library/scouts/soccer/etc. on which day. Next to that, is my shopping list.

Under the magnet board is a towel bar, with tin buckets to hold crayons, and pens/pencils. If anyone out there who has access to more than one craft store can find me a third bucket for my wall I would be ever so grateful! I bought these two at Wal-Mart a couple years ago, but they don't carry them any more. My buckets are 4" high, and the diameter of the opening is 4 1/2". (I know that one of my buckets is "naked" but I'll eventually get a ribbon around it...)

On the right side, I have a shelf for whatever floats my boat, and a cubby for scissors, a calculator attached to a string (my calculator tends to be just as elusive as my glue guns), and that piece of scrapbook paper will soon be mod-podged onto a notebook where I can jot down all my idea's and lists. You know how I love a good list...

I want to have a black vinyl letter "G" cut (help Melanie!) to put in front of the scissors and to the left of the keys, but I'm searching for the perfect font. Also, I need to get back to Hobby Lobby for another piece of black/cream toile scrapbook paper to line the space under the shelf.

Oh, and I can't forget about the hooks for glasses. One person in our family (and it's not me) tends to leave his glasses laying around where they could get broken, so I'm particularly excited to have a place for them.

On the bottom left (and right) I have these 3 ring clip boards that Todd made with minimal swearing, to hold my menu planner, my weekly schedule that I fill out every Sunday night, School Reading Charts, the bright pink school lunch menu (I love that it's hidden but still easily accessible), box top charts, etc. The right side has our family calendar, and my quilting schedule behind it.

The frame in the middle has a spot for two pictures, and the middle is our "white board", but it is actually plexi-glass and we use a wet-erase marker. I debated putting a chalkboard there, but I hate touching chalk, so plexi-glass won. If you zoom in, you'll notice that some clever person has already drawn glasses and a mustache on Dillon...ahh, the love.

And, at the very bottom, I have new hooks that are deeper and farther apart than my last set, so I'm very excited that we can now walk through the door and down to the basement without knocking all the coats off.

If I'd had electricty on this wall, I would've included a spot for charging cell phones, and a digital picture frame.

So, this is how I've spent my last week, and how Todd has spent his last TWO weeks, and now it is time to clean up all the glue, paint, paper, and tools, and actually BE organized.

Sneak Peak

I've spent the last few days working on an organizational wall by my back door. Hopefully it will be finished and ready for pictures tomorrow, but for now I'll give you a sneak peak of the topiary I just made.

How to make your own topiary:

After buying some "fluff" at your favorite (or ONLY) craft store, sneak into your kids' box of "special things" and steal that smokey the bear styrofoam antenna ball that they got at the last parade.

Take a small nail, and poke holes about 1/4" apart all over the ball. (hint: try not to let your 4 yr. old watch you poke smokey's eyes out with a nail).

Cut up your "fluff" into 1 1/2"-2" sections with a stem part at the bottom. Go downstairs and look for your glue gun. Go out to the shed to look for your glue gun. Notice the tub sealer that is always so conveniently in it's place and briefly consider using it. Settle for tacky glue. It will take longer to dry, but will be faster than finding one of your glue guns.

Dip each stem into tacky glue, and then stick it into the holes in your styrofoam ball one at a time until it's full. Go outside to your favorite tree and find a nice straight branch and stick it in the antenna hole.

Get your stud-finder, and find yourself a stud who would be willing to cut some wood in a circle and drill a hole in it (the size of your branch).

If you're nice to him, he may even take a picture of it for future blog fodder. Glue your "stand" into whatever pot you might have laying around your house, and paint it the color of your choice (or the color of your 70's countertops).

Put it all together, tie a ribbon around the branch, and add some moss to cover your stand.

Screamin' hot deals at Albertson's

My sister and my friend/college roommate, Melanie, have gotten me hooked on coupons.

This is my third time doing this, but every time I've gotten more food for less money.

Here's what I got tonight: Grand total (after I get my $20 rebate in the mail):

$75.82

I saved $165

I do have to say, however, that I EARNED that $165 because it took forever and it was kind of a pain in the checkout line. I had to make 5 different transactions, with a trip to the car in the middle, and I spent at least 2 hours printing and cutting coupons, and then matching them up with the sale ad...only to get to Albertson's and find that they were out of some of the things I wanted so I had to re-figure in the store.

Luckily I went without kids or I think I would have given up. I probably spent a total of seven hours on this grocery trip, if you include the prep time, the travel time, and the store time, but with the amount I saved I was "earning" $23.50 an hour so I still think it was worth it.

Here's the breakdown:
13 boxes of cereal (Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cookie Crisp, and Kix)
4 boxes of Quaker something or others for a breakfast on the go
2 cake mixes
1 triple chocolate brownie mix
1 blueberry muffin mix
10 hamburger helpers
5 Skippy peanut butters
4 gallons of milk
8 pints of Breyers ice cream
10 Ragu's (spaghetti and alfredo)
2 Bertoli spahgetti sauce
2 boxes lipton soup mix
2 cans progresso chicken noodle soup
2 frozen pizza's (and they're not tony's)
3 cans frosting
2 boxes fruit snacks
4 bags chips ahoy
4 Old Orchard juice concentrates
20 Yoplait yogurts
and a Ty beanie baby for Dillon (shh, don't tell, I'm saving it for Christmas)

Pinewood Derby

Brayden had his first Pinewood Derby last Thursday night, and boy am I glad it's over!

I was in charge of the "Kid Zone" where we had tables set up with coloring, playdough, car-painting, a car mat, and noodle collages. It worked great...we managed to avoid the chaos from bored siblings (and even scouts) running around the gym.

Brayden designed the car himself...down to every color.

Todd used a pattern from a book that Brayden got for Christmas to cut it out.

We were so proud of Brayden. His car lost EVERY race, and he handled it so well. During one of the races, his car and the other car crashed at the bottom, and the other car lost a wheel. He said, "My car isn't good at winning, but it's good at crashing!"

One of the wheels on his car was crooked, due to the cut in the block of wood he got. Todd looked up the rules and found that you HAVE to use the original cut, so they did. I'm just glad that Brayden was okay with the results.

Some of the competition:

We *almost* have another bathroom!

Todd took this past week off to work on our bathroom downstairs. It took the ENTIRE week (from 7:30 AM 'til 12:00 or 1:00 AM most days) but we are SO close to being finished.

I'm so glad my Mom took these "before" pics when she was visiting last Fall, because we didn't have ANY pictures from before.

When we moved in, there was only a toilet. No walls, no door, and no sink. Here it was:


Todd started framing it last October.

It still needs a major cleaning job, but here it is now:
I do not care if we ever do mudding and taping again. We hired a plumber to fix one leak that we couldn't fix, and an electrician to help us hook up and vent the fan/heater in the ceiling. Other than that, we did EVERYTHING ourselves.

We still have to caulk the shower, put a baseboard below it, and install a heater (it's backordered). We also need to figure out how to get the toilet hooked up, since the bolts are not high enough with the new floor.

We also still need to paint the shelves, and get a part to hook up the sink drain. The mirror came with our house (on the back of a 70's headboard. My dad got the light fixture at DI a few years ago.

I may even look forward to laundry now!

This was our best find. We got this heater/vent/light at DI for $10. It was still in the packaging. We looked it up online and found it for $135.

my weekend

Well, I spoke to soon on Friday morning, 'cause after I blogged that I felt better, I opened my cupboard to put away a dish, and the world started spinning again.

Saturday, however, was much better. I've spent so much time lying around, that I was dying for a project and I dove into a BIG one. I've hated my kitchen cabinets since we moved in. They are cheap, plain, and worn out in some places. I'm not a huge fan of painting cabinets...I would much prefer new ones, but that is not an option, and in this case I think painting can only improve the stituation.

I decided awhile back to do them one section at a time, so it wouldn't be so overwhelming. It still took me the ENTIRE day to sand, prime, paint three coats, and then finish with a clear coat. Here's the first section:

Someday I may add some framed beadboard, or a decorative moulding to the front of my PLAIN cabinets...but today is not that day, so for now I'm going to add interest by hanging pictures on the three doors that you actually see when you walk in the room.

About 4 years ago, my friend gave me three chicken/rooster pictures from a calendar she had, and I STILL have them! (thanks Nicole!) When I moved here, I was glad I already had a chicken theme going 'cause it works with my "oh so orange" countertops.

I'm just waiting on Todd to make the last frame...and I am welcoming any opinions on what color I should paint them. I'm going to hang them from ribbon so I don't have to put a nail hole on the front.

I also did a little crafting this weekend. I took a couple packages of these dollar store eggs on a stick, pulled off the cheap ribbon, painted a few of them, and then covered them in mod-podge and glitter.

Then I took one of the flowered plastic cups that came with our house, and spray painted it cream. I added a piece of ribbon from my stash, and a $1.79 piece of greenery from Tai Pan......and now I have an easter bouquet!
I told Todd that I had taken these dollar store eggs, and brought them "up" to at least a Target level :o)

Last week, I took some ugly painted styrofoam eggs, and mod-podged some fabric on them, before covering them with glitter. Todd mentioned that he's a bit tired of all the glitter around, and I told him I'm a bit tired of all the testosterone around. He got the message...
I keep finding these wooden candlesticks at DI. I guess I'm the only one who wants them :o) I painted them cream, and I'm searching for the perfect ribbon. There's a shortage of cute ribbon where I live (among other things...)

While I had my mod-podge out, I took a piece of fabric that I love, and mod-podged it to the back of a clear plate to hang in our bedroom. I think I just found a new obsession.

And now it's time to start the spring cleaning...

My bench!

This is the bench that Todd made me for Christmas. I love it! I'm going to make new liners for the baskets below, whenever I find the perfect fabric. One will hold gloves, and the other will hold library/bookmobile books. Those are two things that have never had a "place" at our house, and I am SO excited to have a home for them.

I'm hoping that my mom will "help" me make a cushion for it... :o) The piping and the zipper are just too much for my meager sewing skills...and I have no idea where I'd find the foam around here.