In Process

There were two main spots in this house that we wanted to have improved.

We wanted to take out the wall b/t our kitchen and family room. There aren't windows in the kitchen (gasp!) because of an addition on the back.  The lack of a wall will allow more light into the kitchen.  There also wasn't a window in our dining room.  That former window became a doorway into a room that's part of the addition.  

Before: 

(family room looking into kitchen)

 (dark dining room)

Progress:

 (windows in)

(trimmed out opening to kitchen)

Things are mostly finished, even more so than these pics show.

The bay window is more and better than I expected, which is always nice.  It's our first time to have a big project like this done.  I was excited but trying to manage my expectations.  The window has proven to be so great (its much more elaborate than I thought it would be).  I hadn't planned it or anticipated it but I feel like with the bay, it reaches out to grab the light for us.  Surprisingly, it gets both morning AND afternoon sunlight!  

I am the painter for this job.  So I have plenty of work ahead of me, also involving caulking and priming.  There are now many rooms that need to painted (I started in on our room during this project.)  Surprisingly, I feel pretty relaxed about it.  When there is more room to spread out, it doesn't feel quite as urgent.  :)

DIY Sofa Recover

I started on this project the weekend after Christmas.  So its felt like the project that goes on and on.  I anticipated that there would be a little figuring it out as I went, but I didn't anticipate the amount of time it would take.  It was tedious but it's done!!!

We started off with the couch that I bought before kids (I would never have bought it after kids, had a known what I know now).  I paid $600 for it, I think.  I've been wanting to re-do our living room.  It just wasn't a room we could spend much time in because the furniture just wasn't comfortable and practical.  I splurged on some $300 "mini" chairs that I ordered on Cyber Monday.  

To avoid spending more money, I decided to just recover our current couch.  I picked out the most kid durable material they had.  I thought about having someone recover it for me, but the estimate came in at $450.  Which would make this all cost more than I paid for the couch, that isn't overly functional for our life in this season anyway.  So I decided to do it myself.
Here is where we started:
New chairs, ripped couch.

I just pulled off the reddish-pinky material, used plyers to remove all of the staples that held it on.  Then laid it out on the table, pinned it to the new material, and cut the new material in the same shape. 

Then pinned the new material on.

 I actually did this back section first and used our bottom-of- the-line stapler for this section.

It about killed me and would jam every 6 staples.  I borrowed a nicer one from a friend but then thought I had the wrong size staples so didn't work on it for a few days.  Come to find out, I was loading it wrong.  After I finally got it straight and it worked like a charm. 

I slowly did each section.

I had the brilliant idea to add extra batting to the bottom section.  I felt a little like I was dressing a wound or doing plastic surgery around the arms with getting it cut and laying right. :)

But then I forgot to cut the bottom material a little wider to accomodate for the new batting.  So I came up a little short in some places (bottom front left corner).  

Next came the hunt to find trim to cover the staples.  I didn't anticipate this would be a big deal.  But I ended up going to 3 stores before I could find anything that was at all a possibility!  I wanted something a little wider to cover my imperfect work.  I finally found something and to my surprise, the trim cost MORE than than material!!!  What on earth?!  

Again, it took me days to get all of that trim hot glued on.  But I finished yesterday!  It felt like the project that took so much longer than I thought it would but its done.  Mostly.  Mike has to finish repairing the springs on the bottom.  By the time we buy those supplies, it may have been the same price to just buy a new couch.  :)

Break

We've had a good break.  Mike's had to work this week (poor him) and I've been grumpy the last two days (poor him again!) but feel better today.  We went out to dinner with friends last night (sans kids)... that may have helped!  Its been nice to have both kids home during the day.  And to hear their little voices in the house.

We went out for some errands on NYE.

One was buying paint to have two rooms painted on NYD.

 More fun in the cart.. 

 This was the extent of our NYE fun.  We were lame this year.  

 My parents were very generous and came up to paint with Mike on NYD.  

Its my first time to pick a color this "pale".  It does look pretty in this pic.  It feels cooler (and less homey) but I think it will just take getting used to, and rehanging a few things on the wall. 

I'd made a deal with the kids that if we did "school" every day this week, that I'd take them to see Frozen on Friday.  We decided to redeem that early on Wednesday so I could get out of the paint fumes. 

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It was a lot of fun.  My cool kids...

Lily's been carrying around this purse (from Glenda) with her lip gloss and hair bows. :)

They have been good about doing school this week.  School with them is how I give myself a pep talk.  We've done journal drawings and sentences, sight words, reading practice, thank you notes, homework from when he was sick, counting, etc.

  Today I wanted to write one of those "dear younger me" letters but "Dear Mom to 3 year old Peter, who staggered down the hospital hall....  

Look at how he's rocking it as a 6 year old!!  His knights are fighting dragons!"

Meowy took a nap during school.

 There have been tea parties and lots of pretending.

Check out some of Peter's recent building projects here. 

Back to school and the routine next week!  It will be good, but we aren't looking forward to the early mornings!!

Updates

Last weekend my parents took the kids to the river house... so fun.

Mike and I enjoyed a weekend to ourselves.  We went out to dinner both nights and I did little projects around the house.  Mike helped me hang a new shelf in the bathroom.  I painted our bath near the end of the winter after I painted our bedroom.  There was one wall left that needed something on it.  So I added a white shelf and the frame I painted.   

 I feel like that finishes up the updates to our bedroom and bathroom that I started in the winter.

Other parts that I don't think I posted... 

I'd also hung new curtains in the spring.

I used the drill all by myself for the first time!  Woohoo.  I have a new appreciation for why Mike kinda groans when I ask him to drill something for me... its just tedious... measuring, switching out bits and the screw driver part, etc.  Mom was here when I did it for back up.  ;)

 I found these curtain panels at PBK on clearance.  Yay!

And a cute green lamp from Target

 Our Moroccan lantern back in place.  I really LOVE the color its painted.  Its been 6 months or so and I still feel happy to see the change after a DARK blue room for 5 years!

 And here is the finished pink frame in Lily's room.  

We also added hooks for her to hang things on.  :)

We moved Lily's kitchen upstairs a while ago and put it in her dormer window area to make room for her doll house.  So I hung Grandma's sign over her kitchen there.  :)

 I re-painted half of our laundry room floor (terra cotta-ish) and found this fun rug at Target.

 And organized our bins a little.  That room can't be helped but so much... right, Mom?!?

 So fun to have a little extra time to do fun projects :)  

Paint Update

This was the winter to paint our bedroom!  Yay!

(2011 was the dining room)

(2010 was the family room)

Before:

The crown molding was even a different color from the rest of the trim.  :P  I chose the most painful part first and did all of the trim to match the other "updated" white trim.  I am down to only two remaining rooms after this that need fresh trim paint... yea!  I had been thinking for a while that I'd do a gray on the walls.  I wanted something sorta neutral and calm but different, not a color we already had in another room.  I ended up trying 5 sample colors... the walls were a big mess.  I narrowed it down to two of those samples and then got "votes"... everyone picked the darker of the two... "French Silver".

 Lily Bug and I went to the store to pick up the paint last week while P was at preschool

 Lily found this paint card and told me, "I just love these little puppies!"  How sweet is she!

I came home and worked and worked on it...

I asked Mike if he thought I could convince Behr to sponsor my blog  (!!!) since their paint covered my dark blue walls with ONE coat... I had to do two to edge it in, but only roll ONE. 

 I still have to re-hang things on the wall so I'll leave it with just pics of the painted walls...I do like the way it turned out.  Its darker than I was initially thinking but its good.  It has been good for my sanity too. :)

dining room makeover

I didn't get great before pics (I didn't even think of it til after I'd started taking it apart to paint).

I'm a girl who likes pink and was thrilled when we bought this house and the dining room was pink.  Mike would never have allowed ME to paint it pink.  So I enjoyed it for 4 years (and even looking at these pics, I did like it, it was fun) but I'd decided I was just done with dark pink.  It felt too overstimulating in a time of life when I could use more of a calming effect.  I've debated for years about what color to change it to but never could really come up with anything. Then I found curtains at a consignment shop near the river house and decided to use them for my inspiration and starting point.  The curtains looked great with the wall color of the main room at the river house (Benjamin Moore Bleeker Beige), so I kept it simple and went with that.

BEFORE:

My parents came to my rescue last Wednesday.  After Tuesday went down in the crazy way it did (a whole other story), I just needed them!  So they came early Wed morning.  I went back to bed after they got here.  My dad got busy to work, finishing my dining room.  It was 3/4th painted so he finished that and then hung my curtain rods (I had no idea that takes so long!).  Mom ironed and hung my curtains.  I was proud of myself b/c the curtains are made with a "rod pocket" at the top but I don't really love that pleated look so I bought rod clips and used those instead for a neater look.  (And you don't really notice the rod pocket stitching from afar.)

AFTER:

I'd been wanting a white mirror for that room to make it brighter.  Mom found this one at a consignment shop in L'ville ($30) and painted it white for me.

We moved the kids table to a different corner and hung green ribbon on the wall for Peter's art work :)!  I love it!  (I might paint the kids' table and chairs at some point?) 

We also moved this piece of furniture to a different corner against the kitchen wall (Mom's idea).  I never would have thought it would work there and always had it on an "outside" wall.  I love it in this corner b/c its size is sorta hidden and so the room feels more open.

final corner close up:

Here's the whole room...

(I might eventually do something to the chandelier (white or bronze, like the curtain rods) but for now, I'm done.

Here's the price rundown...

One set of curtains: $45 at consignment shop (they were NEW)

Second set of curtains: $5 (!!!) on ebay, $10 shipping (also NEW)

Rods and clips: $25 per window from WalMart

Can of paint: $30-35 (?)

New Mirror: $30 (Mom paid)

Total: $140