Some New Looks

My red hair was quite the great divider- those who liked it were effervesent in their praise, and those that didn't studiously avoided the subject all together. My mom was one in the latter camp- one who never spoke a word of it, but you could easily intimate her derisive feelings. So, when word reached her that I was ready for a change, she readily offered to pay for whatever would erase the ill-effects of my shot at individuality and self-expression, as a 30-year old woman.

So this was 2 weeks ago, a very faded version:

This is today. Darker, monochromatic, and shorter. I alternate between straight and wavy, but wavy wins more days because this is what it looks like when I do nothing. I take a shower, let it dry for  couple of hours and then add some product to reduce frizziness. Can't beat that!

Remember, I'm all about making laziness work for me.

 There have been a lot of other changes around the house in the last few months, and I thought I might finally document these. So first up will be the girl's room, which they now share. It is a small room, so because of the bold paint and the large furniture, I tried to keep the rest of it pretty simple and uncluttered.

This is my favorite part of the room- I found this mid-century reproduction (from the 80's) on Craigslist for $50. Of course, when I bought it is was oak, reeking of smoke, and had doors on either end. It took a lot of primer, sanding and paint, but I am smitten. I love it. Plus, it's over 6 feet long, so it holds a lot of clothes for 2 girls.

 

 (The view when you come in the door)

Love.

 

Above it is a collection of frames which includes various prints, both purchased and  printed for free, photos of my 3 girls and their favorite toys, and my favorite, a study of a wildebeest mid-chew. I took it at a Charlotte favorite family spot, the Lazy 5- Ranch, often referred to as the 'redneck zoo'. I loved the fine details of the hairs on his muzzle, the long string of spittle spanning his upper and lower jaws- I just love it. How many places can you display the giant maw of a wildebeest? Not many. Perhaps some would say none- but I love it. It's detail, it's whimsy.

This owl is another favorite- it was obviously a hideous production of the 70's when I found it at Goodwill, but armed with my trusty companion spray paint, voila! Beautiful.

Timm built bunk beds for the girls, and I outfitted them to be what I would have loved as a child. A perfect little personal cave that could hide you from the rest of the world, with all you need inside: books, a light, and a curtain to close around you.

Each bed has a bedside light, a small bookshelf, and a wire with clips for favorite artwork or photos.

 

I was able to sew and line both curtains all with fabric I had on hand. (I used 2 old green twin sheets for the linings)

  

I love me some pretty patchwork of vibrant fabrics.

We used a curtain hanging system from Ikea to hang them so they would pull all the way around the 2 open sides of the beds.

(Curtains closed)

 

(Curtains open)

 

(Cozy)

 

I love this little wall-hanging metal doohickey we use for their scriptures.

 

I used a Command hook on the side of their dresser that faces the wall so I could inconspicuously hang their cd books for nighttime listening.

 

And of course, this little pretty for their door. 

I am very pleased with the transformation of what used to be Fiona's nursery, and with their transition to sharing a room. That leaves what is now termed the play room, or Bella's former bedroom. 

The last few months have brought a few other improvements around here, which I hope to document shortly.

I love the team that Timm and I make- between both of our vision and know-how, we can really bust out quite a few projects- and now that he's home more with his new job, we've had the time. So more to come.

Machine Washable

I don't have a lot of 'nice' things. Don't get me wrong- I have cute things, they're just not usually very high quality. Anything nice that I do have is almost certainly a gift or a hand-me-down from my mom. I've always said that were it not for my benefactor, we'd have cinder block bookshelves and bed sheets stapled to the windows. Because of her, my home has never reflected how truly poor we might have been at the time. I was raised in a very nice home and was quite accustomed to fine things, but as I ventured out in a poorly disguised version of 'living on my own' I became more and more aware that my adult life would probably not mirror the example I had as a child. I was not raised in wealth, nor was I particularly spoiled, but I never had to go without and I could usually have what I needed. Our homes were not small, and they were always beautifully appointed. 

I went through a series of progressive adjustments once I left the comparative luxury of my parent's home and became accustomed to the fact that I would lead a simpler lifestyle. My lack of expensive things originated from the lack of money necessitated to buy high quality things, but fortunately for me it has also become a choice of lifestyle. I have definite opinions, styles, and preferences, but I have found that they can almost always be accommodated without spending a lot of money. Because I was fortunate enough to be raised in  beautiful and creative environments I learned to create those spaces myself. There are times when something may warrant spending as much as you can afford, when you are buying an investment piece or something substantial where cheap just won't do, but many more times when it is just not expedient to spend exorbitant amounts of money unnecessarily.

I'm also very casual. I don't own or even want china. I don't care about a formal dining room. I don't care much for anything formal in fact. And clothes? Getting dressed up and accessorized once a week for church is fulfilling enough for me. The rest of the week I am usually happy in jeans or even stretchy pants unless an occasion warrants otherwise.  Sometimes I work hard and sweat profusely, staining my clothes. I get down on my hands and knees and get to work, in whatever I'm wearing. I have to scrub toilets and bathtubs. I clean litter boxes and wipe bums. I need clothes I can move in, and that will not cost me an arm and leg to repeatedly throw in the washer and dryer- or worse, dry cleaning! (the horror) And sometimes I drip ice cream down my front, or more often I drop food into my cavernous cleavage. Sometimes I don't find it until I change my clothes at night when it falls out of my bra.

I also have kids. As a new mother I was aghast to find dry clean-only baby clothes! I don't want silk covered chairs that I have to cover, again, when they are in use to protect the silk. I don't want fabrics that will stain and ruin with the very threat of little fingers approaching and that will stain once again as I try to clean them. I don't want delicate drapes that will tear the first time one of my errant children plays in them despite my repeated threats of bodily harm if they should do so. I want something I can repeatedly throw in the wash and know it will come out alright.  I want a clean home as well, and feel satisfied by washing something and then drying it in high temperatures, erasing and killing whatever may be there, real or unreal, seen or unseen.

A long time ago as I was washing my living room pillows for the umpteenth time, I realized that I live a 'machine washable life', and I like it. I think you could aptly describe my whole life with that term: Machine Washable. Sensible, practical, durable, affordable, but still cute. Something that might get dirty frequently because you really use it, sharing it with people in your life, but is easily remedied, coming out clean again and again- if not a little worse for the wear.

That's me- Machine Washable. My person, my home,  my lifestyle.

Pop Quiz:

Which dresser is mine?

The one that houses just a few decorative elements and the necessary bedside items? (in this case, glasses, oft-worn jewelry, perfume, Carmex, and a stack of books-)

Or-

-the one that's contents are pushed to the very limits of the dresser in order to keep a modicum of tidiness and reveal just a bit of clean surface?

Was it the perfume that gave it away?

Note, also, the boxes in front of his dresser. Now and then when I can't take the various piles about the house, I resort to filling boxes with all of the miscellany for him to deal with later, so that at least it is condensed. I don't know that this is actually effective, since the boxes seem to remain untouched for weeks, if not months. Every morning I also find at least one article of clothing on the floor. It does not escape my notice that the clothing, haphazardly dropped on the floor, is within 1-2 feet if the dresser, the closet, and the hamper, all. Take your pick.
And thus, I will never be out of work as a housekeeper.
Just a minute detail of my job.

We Live Here

While fixing Bella lunch today, I had the impulse to photograph and document our kitchen, as it is. No staging, cleaning up, just a glimpse of this corner of our house, amidst our daily routine. (Fiona was down for a much-needed early nap-) So, this is our home today. And most days. So glad.

Sping Break

Timm's home for the entire next week for Spring Break. One of the benefits of a poorly paid teaching position-regularly scheduled breaks. And just so he doesn't get carried away or spoiled or anything, he'll still be working his other 2 jobs. Red Robin a couple of nights this week and swim lessons on Saturday. Can't let the boy get soft, now can we?
Our agenda for the week is yard work. Woohoo! Since Timm works the aforementioned jobs, he only has one day off a week, Sunday, which leaves us zero time for projects of any sort. We lack the Saturday that the majority of Americans rely on for their lawn mowing, odd jobs, and slovenly indulgences. Well, he lacks that- I don't. I'm just tending to diapers, spit ups and tantrums rather than tasks with more empirical evidence.
Anyway, we are using the small amount of our tax refund that did not go to our credit card and other bills to fund this venture. It's pretty basic since we lack the money to fully realize our vision and we have done very little since we bought the place.
As with all projects I undertake, even if only in my mind, I have quickly become obsessed. My waking (and some sleeping) hours are spent dreaming of shutters, paint colors, window planters, exterior lights and perennials. Damn that money hindrance again. Oh well, for now we will rake up the front beds, till, fertilize, trim, plant a few things and remove a thing or two. Baby steps. That still leaves the back yard (a bigger project in every sense on the word-), the sides, the physical exterior of the house itself. Maybe if mom and dad are feeling like another service-oriented birthday gift I could propose a few things.
And for the record, mulch, fertilizer and a few basic yard and garden tools add up amazingly fast. Here's to hoping that one day my house is not blue, our lawn does not have a 50/50 grass to weeds ratio, and maybe, just maybe someday soon it could even look like the inviting and cozy refuge it feels like inside.
Progress reports to come. I fear my own contributions may not be quite equitable to Timm's, due to the little 6 month Fi and the limitations she imposes. She's worth it. That's what I tell myself when the daily mundane tasks of domesticity seem to mount around me, anyway.

Comfy and Cozy

I just love this sight, this feeling, this night.

Luxury Accommodations

Although I very much appreciate Michelle's flattering post about my home, she failed to highlight the best parts of both my house and her stay: the accommodations I had for her! In our sprawling 1500 square foot, 3-bedroom house, we are conspicuously lacking in any sort of guest room, or even guest space. Timm partially dismantled and rearranged the nursery so that we could at least fit our queen size air mattress for all of our guests: first my parents, then Shell, and soon to be Nana.
It is a small room to begin with, so Timm had to take the crib apart and push all the remaining furniture against the walls to leave enough space for the air mattress and a small path to walk on one side of it. This also necessitated stacking high piles of nursery belongings, making the sparse room for guest belongings nonexistent. Thus, the need for guests like Michelle to stow their things on the floor for inconvenient rifling through.
The air mattress, while large, tends to lose air throughout the day so that we need to refill it every night with a very loud pump. If you fail to refill it even once, it results in a very uncomfortable water bed-like consistency. The pump is impossibly loud and fortunately it takes a long time to replenish the lost air, but somehow Bella slept through it each time, as we usually forgot to do it until after she was in bed.
Despite all this, at least it is a 'guest room' with a door that closes and even locks, providing privacy.
Oh, but the best part- the best part of our accommodations was a well-timed and very selective power-outage. The day after Shell arrived the power went out, only in her room and bathroom. Nothing else in the entire house, save the doorbell, was affected. What in the world? The weird thing is that the outlets all have power, but the switches won't work. Feeling like a schmuck, at first I lamely gave Michelle my book light for illumination. Eventually we figured out that the outlets worked and we were at least able to provide her a lamp for more adequate lighting. The bathroom however, was a different story. Despite my insistence that she use our bathroom, she would leave the hall light on and do what she could by that light. Sometimes she used our shower, and other times, fearing she would 'disturb' me, she showered in the dark. Awesome.
So should you come to visit us in the near future, this is the kind of stay you can expect. (Lucky Nana- the next visitor we expect.) However, if you schedule a visit sometime after the next couple of months it will be the couch for you, as Fiona should be sleeping soundly in the nursery by then. So come one, come all! We are equipped to greet you in luxury, comfort, and style!

And Then There Were Three

I was struck by this sight on Friday night- I filled all of our water bottles before bed, in preparation for Timm's arrival home in the morning. At last, 3 water bottles for 3 people who make this family whole, all under one roof again. It was a long 2 weeks. It's been a long summer. It's good to be together again.

House Update

As requested, here are a few picture updates of the house and decor- always left in a better state after a trip from my parents than before their arrival. Besides my new KitchenAid, my newest and favorite acquisition, courtesy of my mom and dad of course, is my newly recovered arm chairs! My mom bought the fabric and had this done for me to complete the color scheme in my living room. Now I have furniture, curtains, and accessories all making the green and aqua pallet complete, mostly courtesy of my parent's generosity. (My swan song until I die, most likely...)I will have to take some close-ups of those chairs because the light does not do it justice-especially the brightness of the green one! My favorite color. Next on the list of household to-dos is to paint the coffee table cream. (Possibly on Timm's spring break? We do have beautiful weather here now.)
Another ingenious idea from my mother- an egg tree fashioned from an enormous backyard branch, strung with over-sized polka-dot and striped eggs on string. So cute- again, the lighting doesn't really show the true beauty of this sight. (Note: the pillars in the background have finally been completed, immensely improving the impact of the kitchen.)

Just a happy little corner.

So here is the before of the kitchen. Pretty dismal. It's small, has mismatched dated appliances, a hideous metal paper towel holder affixed to the wall, and what stand out most, is the ultra dated cheap 'dirty disgusting oak'. ( The latter being Timm's assessment.)
Besides the hard wood floor which isn't my favorite color, there's not much to praise in this kitchen. Until...

Boo-Yah!!

Now what- now what?! That's right- completely made-over. That is, within the reach of new paint and accessories only. My next reasonable improvement is to paint a checkerboard floor on the diagonal. I haven't decided what color to do yet, as I want one of the colors to be the wood as it is. If we had infinite funds, matching stainless appliances would be next on task. In regards to home-improvement, as with most things I am finding that with money you can do anything. Too bad. Someday, someday. Soon I will have exterior updates as well as the cutest Easter pictures, with the cutest Easter dress-courtesy of, my mom.

I got this idea from Jill when she posted about her studio. (Which, due to my 'virus', I just read.) I wanted to do a video format and in my first try, which I thought was pretty hurried and condensed, it was 3 minutes long. Thus, completely un-uploadable. So I redid it on a 30 second format. This did not leave any room for descriptions, so if there is a question, ask it and I will answer it. This is my space.

What I've Been Up To

So- here it is, almost a month later. What do I have to show for myself? Excess weight, strained finances, and evolving home decor. I have mostly been keeping myself busy continuing to feather our very little, but charming nest. Outcast from my closet due to some space-saving changes, are piles of clothes that I am too fat to now wear. Oh my clothes... my cute, cute clothes. I miss you my darlings, as well as my old, retrospectively cute body.Here is Bella's room, basically finished. All that is lacking is some curtains, which I will acquire some way or another. She doesn't actually sleep in this room yet, as she still has not attempted to climb out of her crib. I am milking that blessing for all it's worth until a. she finally climbs out, or b. we have a baby who will oust her from it. All of her toys and clothes etc are in here though.

This is one of my favorite little nooks right now. It is our entry- I use the term loosely. More accurately, 'this is next to our front door.' I arranged this after Christmas, since a lot of this was then- acquired. 99% of these things were given to me as some time by, who else... my mom! Of all of this, I can claim only a small nest. The rest, from my benefactor.
This is our fantastic new tv, courtesy of mom and dad on our recently-painted aqua sideboard. Also, I bought that oval mirror at a yard sale for $1!!
One of those weird 'architectural' features in a home that I never know what to do with- this is in the vaulted ceiling in our living room, above the aforementioned sideboard-tv combo. Cool gold frames courtesy of.... my mom.
This little arrangement is under the bar in the living room. Surprisingly, all of it is from my mom except for the small blue saucer I bought at Goodwill. OH- and the photograph of lightening over Israel is Timm's.

My awesome $40 D.I. find- the table I bought before I left. I've since painted it white and distressed it, plus one of three chairs I have accumulated. Also, my beloved sewing machine and I have reunited and resumed a passionate affair. We've brought in a third partner- felt. More to come on that.
So as you can see, I am a pathetic girly-man who cannot sustain a cute or fashionable existence were it not for my benefactress mother. I am not completely inept in the design department, I am merely completely without funds to support the deceptively comfortable surroundings I enjoy. Luckily, I have accepted this and try to do my part by not asking too much and being the ever-grateful recipient that I am.
More updates to come on Christmas, creativity, and Craps.
Ok, not really the Craps. Just liked that alliteration I had going on.