living room :: revealed!

You've seen the RED dining room, our restful bedroom, the kids blue oasis, the sunny guest room ... but no living room. When I posted the original before pictures I didn't even include the picture of the living room. It's a small living room and isn't as impressive, in my opinion, as some of the other fun features of the house. In short: the living room was not a selling point. We still have work to do in the living room (a fireplace? shelves surrounding the big window with a window seat?), but it's better than it was. AND we have our sectional that we've been lusting after for years.

 

Spare Room :: Revealed

I wanted something bright and cheery with slight whimsy.
Sherwin Williams (we were quite frustrated with Benjamin Moore at this point) Optimistic Yellow fit the bill.
As you can tell it came across much darker in the room than on the swatch - which was my hope!
This is the sewing room (sewing?! What's that?!?)/guest room/spare playroom/greenhouse - an all purpose room :)

 

Our Bedroom :: revealed!

We always said we wanted a sage or grey/purple room.
Two rooms ago we had the sage, our last room we had grey/purple.
We were ready for sage again.
I thought I remembered it being Benjamin Moore's Saybrook Sage.
I was wrong.
But that's what on our walls and we're happy with the results.
I would like a slightly warmer green (I think this is too minty) but I don't dislike it enough to paint AGAIN!

 

What do you think?

dining room :: revealed!

Knowing from the walk through before moving to our house that the current wallpaper was busy and dark, I felt confident about a darker color in the south facing dining room.
We chose Benjamin Moore's Dinner Party which seemed like a perfect dining room name.



You know how when you buy a car and then start noticing that car everywhere (well, that hasn't happened with our scion xb, but you know what I mean), the same thing has happened with red dining rooms! Who knew? And I love how the color seems to go with EVERYTHING! I love it with the darker colored furniture and with every single thing we want to hang on the wall. I love this color so much - but with a healthy amount of self discipline I've resisted painting the entire house Dinner Party.

 

 

Painty Pants Be Gone!

 

Painty Pants have been through a lot with me. From the chicken coop, to the kids dressers and shelves (that we haven't used), to our original bedroom when we first moved, and every.room.in.our.new.house.
It was time.
To let go.
Say Goodbye.
So one last hurrah in the last room I painted - a picture to document the rips (many!) and the paint stains (even more!).
And then I hung them on the back of our bedroom door.
Because I'm not quite ready to say goodbye, apparently.


Internet update: still no internet.

to-do-lists - for you too!

I live by them.
With to-do list in hand I feel more focused and more accomplished.
Our closing for the new house is in less than ONE week.
Transition much?
Have I said it will be our 5th house in less than a year?
Well, this will be our 5th house in less than a year!

Since to-do lists help, I started one for the new house (mostly involving stripping wallpaper, painting, and other big projects)
But in the interest of creating rhythms/routines I think a general cleaning plan/to-do list might be beneficial ... and might actually make the cleaning happen ... because, if it's on the to-do list, ya gotta do it!
In case this is helpful for you, here's mine:

 

I made mine my desktop wallpaper (not that the desktop is usually visible, but at least I know it's findable).

And I've been planning out meals somewhat regularly on a weekly basis. The trouble is that Ren Man can walk into any kitchen and whip up gourmet. If I don't have a plan ahead of time I flounder, searching cookbooks until the feeling of hunger passes, and feeling overwhelmed I give up. So here's a general guideline (that still requires weekly fill-ins). So here's this (also on my desktop):

 

What's your favorite house organizing tool?

crafting

 

Part of my Happiness goals included starting Christmas gift projects now.

It's hard to make time, though, for things that you feel are enjoyable.

Gretchen, of The Happiness Project talks about this saying that you don't value things you enjoy ... in this family we enjoy reading so feel like the time we spend reading is "frivolous" and not really beneficial or bettering in any way.

Crafting is the same way (although it's more my domain, I think than Ren Man's).

And there is this perfection thing - my project isn't exactly perfect so I feel inhibited.

But then I think about the purpose of the project. Even if the seams aren't perfectly lined up, the project still meets its end goal ... so I keep crafting, creating, making.

The project pictured above, being a Christmas present and all ... no more info is safely shared, unfortunately. But it's making progress!

I did pause to start working on a monumental project that I've ignored for a long time and want DONE before we move.
This monumental project is harassing my perfectionist tendencies (that Ren Man does not believe I have!).
But again, the purpose is to have all the pictures in albums in somewhat the right order ... but more importantly that they are in albums and not loose prints.
So I'll keep stuffing the album .... then get back to the more fun project pictured above!

Mother Earth News

 

Mother Earth News
I love this publication.
It was fun to discover when we were in Providence.
I'm not sure how I stumbled across it.
I happened to mention it to my dad as this great resource I found.
He said he's been subscribing on and off since the '70s.

So now he brings us the latest issue whenever he's done with one (pretty much every time we see him).
I love this publication.
Have I said that already?

Every issue is incredible - cover-to-cover.
I have a random issue next to me with cover stories like:

Build an Easy Hoop House to Grow More Food (very excited about this - won't work with our snow load, but still exciting to read about)
How to Get the Best Firewood for Clean Energy (yay for wood heat and some wooded acres that need thinning!)
Five Low Cost Outdoor Root Cellars (my dad is more excited about this than me because I'm hoping we can use the basement as a root cellar and not have to dig through snow to find our diy root cellar)
Create Better Soil with Cover Crops
The Astonishing Story of Real Milk

All exciting stuff combined with a joint interest with my dad is pretty awesome.
Ren Man purchased a dvd of 40 years of lots of Mother Earth News goodness.
This publication has been vital in our day to day life as we did as much "farming" as we could in our urban rental - how much more so now that we're farming "for real".

What's your favorite farming-related magazine?

deodorant making

I first made deodorant with friends in RI after talking about how we all wanted a natural deodorant that actually worked.
Then someone suggested this recipe.
Everyone came over one night and we I made deodorant. I didn't look at the recipe before having everyone over beyond getting the necessary ingredients (and asking people to bring oils, corn starch, and baking powder). It was so easy to make and wasn't really a multi-person job so instead we had a fun excuse to get together and send people home with deodorant pucks.
I am this close to running out of my beloved deodorant that I've been using for about a year now.
So time to make some more.
This time, rather sadly, it was a rushed affair with no fun chatting.
Never-the-less, the result was more beloved deodorant.

 

The whole process: ingredients, dry ingredients mixed, butters added, everything melted and mixed, and the resulting pucks after freezing in muffin tins.

There are only three pucks because I scrounged up a used deodorant dispenser and put the rest in there - and it works! So much easier than the pucks.


Note to self: purchase more shea butter before sometime next year or maybe the year after as you finished the shea butter you had making this batch.

ps I would love to re-post the recipe but I haven't asked Angry Chicken and I really want her to get all the credit for this awesome recipe. I should comment on her blog though thanking her profusely ... but the comments are closed on that blog entry.

climbing walls {Christmas Gift}

My brother loves rock climbing.
He always wants stuff to decorate his walls.
Thus:

 

inspired by this.

I wasn't sure how I felt about how it turned out.
I was thinking of repainting and doing something totally different.
It remained propped up for all to see as it dried and I decided what to do with it.
Everyone who saw it loved it.
Maybe I had stared at it too long.
The next day it did look pretty cool.
Wrapped and gifted to one lucky brother.

Christmas Gifting

Every year I think Ren Man is the Grinch.
It's the gifting that drives him crazy.
I ask for his input and try to get all gifting organized and purchased before December 1st (not this year).
So it's months of harassing Ren Man for ideas for his family. I could pick things, I could, and have. But then that gives Ren Man the ability to complain about decisions I've already made.
So I ask for his help.
This year has been ... well, you know.
So there's been panic and last minute ... and Ren Man avoiding making decisions and disagreements over any decisions made.
So we're really feeling the Christmas spirit.

But this year
I get it.
I get what Ren Man has been talking about all these years.
Why give gifts just to say you did?
It seems so empty.
Why not get something for someone in July when you see something that makes you think of them.
My problem is that it's often an x-coworker, or my second grade teacher, random people that I think of.

So this year, in the middle of all the stress (and holidy-inducing-nervous-break-down) I'm trying to think through gifts. I think I've always been thoughtful in gift giving but this year it feels different. If I can't think of something for someone I don't want to just pick any random thing ... but then to think I could think of NOTHING that someone important enough to gift wouldn't want ...
So I'm trying to think more homemade, more meaningful.
Apple pie.
Homemade candy.
Play dough.
A draw string bag with a homemade game.
And this:

 

A magnetic spice rack for the side of our fridge. We have SOOO many spices and it's so frustrating seeing if we have what we need or finding what we need. Spice racks are never big enough and the openings to the containers aren't always large enough for a tablespoon to fit in. So this is my solution. A gift to Ren Man. I think he'll be so excited. And because he never reads my blog I don't have to wait until AFTER Christmas to share (but maybe I'll resist sharing the link on facebook).

 

The awesome thing about this is that we could fill the whole side of the refrigerator. If the side of the refrigerator doesn't work in the future we can get a metal back splash and fill under the cabinets. So exciting! And I've only done 14 so far ... I need to go get more magnets!


And just for a fun comparison ... this is the current state of our spice cupboard ... or the part you can see when you open the cupboard door. Ugh. Can't wait for Christmas!

 

Painting, painting!

We're busy.
Moving, moving, moving.
We sold our couch, have no more bed frame, got rid of all of our shelves but two (one we still want to sell, one we don't), sold our dining room table ... so the house is leaking furniture and it's starting to echo.

Six more days until the move.

To add to the hectic I've been painting, painting. Both kid's dressers match and are the same color as the bunk bed I painted back in February when we were at our "new house" for a couple of weeks. I also discovered pallet shelves on Ana White's site so these are partially done (all the pieces are painted - they just need the bottoms attached) - one for each kid. I also cut and painted pieces to be a bin for toys - a small bin that will fit their animals. But that needs to be screwed together too and the drill part makes me nervous. Hopefully it all gets made before we move.

So days filled with packing, playgroup meet ups, and playgroup dinners. Only one more trip to the library, I think - just to return books. It will be hard not to take any out!

room-in-waiting

 

Our room to be.
Ren Man painted the yellow version in college (without consulting me ... he argues that he didn't anticipate us sharing this room in the future ... I don't see why he'd need to anticipate that before consulting me).
So I chose a color and painted the room.
And now we'll finally have a sage green bedroom ... something we've been dreaming of since second semester senior year in college when we discovered the color.

Please note: no matter what color our bedroom is we seem set on having clutter in the picture.
Also worth noting: this is not our bedding, our bedding is currently in RI with us because we thought we might still want it for sleeping with before moving.

The Rug Project

Do you have old sheets?
I've been asking everyone.
To add to the monstrous rug that is taking shape.
A big crochet project.
Ren Man is doubtful.
I'm hopeful.
The kids are playful - and the rug is part of their plan!

Chocolate Covered Candy Canes

Continuing with our crazy Christmas gift making spree ...
While the peppermint bark fiasco was taking place it seemed sensible to do some chocolate covered pretzels for another male family member (when in doubt - gift food).
Originally I wanted full candy canes but...
did you know?
Did you know how fragile these candies are?!?

 

 

95% broke while the wrapper was being removed

 

all the broken pieces were used to do a proper peppermint bark to replace the peppermint bark fail(having said that, we were gifted peppermint bark from at least 2 different friends and my "proper" peppermint bark was definitely not as good as it could have been!)

 

melted chocolate:

 

evidently when taking pictures of our project it didn't seem necessary to take one of the finished candy canes. Let's just say I was feeling as brittle as a candy cane by the end.
Here is the successful (relatively) peppermint bark cooling:

 

Peppermint Bark = Fail

Pre- Christmas was too busy to get more pictures up of Christmas gift preparations.
We (meaning "I") decided peppermint bark would work for Uncle Shawn. Ark Boy LOVED hammering the candycanes to bits (maybe too tiny bits?)

 

melting the white chocolate chips

 

After adding the candy cane pieces I think they melted too funny and so the concotion wouldn't spread.

eta: the non spreading mess picture accidently deleted... Ugh! And that was the grand finale of this post!! - I found a copy online but cant resize. You're smart though, you'll get it.


It sat in the fridge for a while and I snacked on it before it was converted to pepperming white chocolate cookies.
If you want to see the somewhat successful bark scroll to the end of this post.

Ironing

 

What? You're kids don't iron?

 

During the holiday gift making rush we all came down with stuffiness. It wasn't fun and was a reminder AGAIN that we needed more hankies! So we finally whipped some up from an old sheet that had lost it's elastic.

 

The kids were very excited to help with the ironing. Ark Boy even tried his hand (or more foot?) at sewing by pushing the pedal. When he tried doing the sewing entirely by himself I realized that straight lines are something I'm a little ocd (understandably, I'd argue!) about so we may wait a bit longer before hands get in on the sewing action. I'm thinking about drawing straight lines on paper and having Ark Boy sew without thread to show him how to do a straight line.

 

tutu

 

One tutu per kid. Easy easy no-sew tutus that are cute cute cute.
They go along with the fairy wings the kids are also getting.
Now just trying to figure out how to wrap the tutus.
Suggestions?!?!

Farm Girl's Backpack

More in the series of How to Decrease your Sanity through High Pressure Gift Making

 

Farm Girl has been begging for a backpack.
I was putting off making this for a long time but it wasn't THAT bad to make - took about 3 hours. The only kicker is that I didn't have D Rings handy so we'll see how my strap-tying-plan works.

In a similar vein I made her a hooded towel - so easy and I'm SUPER excited about it! SO excited that I wrapped it before getting a picture of it. Making the hooded towel was hands down the easiest gift this year!

Beeswax fun

In an effort to increase the likelihood that I will become certifiably crazy I made a rule a couple of years ago that our children must give their aunts, uncles, and grandparents Christmas gifts.
And that these gifts must be homemade.
The reasoning was that everyone increased their gift giving as we increased our family.
The homemade part just felt right.
In reality this means that This Mom spends frantic hours brainstorming ideas and then creating gifts. If she's lucky she can think of a way to incorporate the kids into the actual process. Actually, that may or may not be lucky.
Don't worry
Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents are the only people who are gifted homemade.
But approximately 75% of them read the blog from time to time so this is a taste of the homemade stress goodness.
This is for Ren Man.
He doesn't read the blog unless instructed to listen as it is read to him.
So I think I'm safe in sharing this concoction.
The problem is that he gets congested.
Constantly.
It's a cold.
Or it's allergies.
Or it's both.
All.the.time!
I see people who procreate and think: don't they see that they have mental illness in both sides of their families or diabetes or, or or...
Well, no one is perfect.
Ren Man brings congestion to the gene pool (which I think Ark Boy has taken it upon himself to continue in that same goopy-snottiness).
So a chest rub seemed like a good idea for him.
First step: find appropriate glassware to hold said rub.

 

Next soak jar to remove label.

 

Clean jar

 

I chose to use sesame oil as a carrier for the eucalyptus, peppermint, and rosemary essential oils.

 

heating up the oils to mix with the heated beeswax

 

heated beeswax (this was purchased with the intention of making beeswax candles that was a big f.a.i.l - seemed like a good way to use some of the beeswax was to make a rub).

 

The beeswax/oil mixture cooling in the jar.

 

Gets creamier in color as it cools.

 

Ren Man is impossibly hard around gift giving/receiving. I think this one will be a hit given the usefulness and the fact that we had a lot of the supplies already on hand.