Maintenance.

This should be titled "Maintenance and Miscellaneous," because that's what our weekends have consisted of.  I can't believe the projects we have been able to tackle with this beautiful weather, including cleaning the garage this weekend.  Last year at this time we would have ignored the mess knowing that once you start cleaning the garage you HAVE to finish...even if we couldn't feel our fingers.  Cleaning the garage is one of those jobs that gets worse before it gets better, and we treat the garage like the armpit of the house.  We store the garbage, dirty shoes, dog food, flower pots and power tools along with anything else that is on it's way "out."  I seem to always have a tote intended for Goodwill hanging out in my garage and once it's filled, we make our donation.  I do the same thing in our closet - we keep a tote, when you come across something you no longer love or can squeeze into it goes in the tote...it really helps with regular maintenance and purging your house becomes more of a routine than a weekend long chore. 

This winter I picked up a nasty sinus infection, a virus and what I think was a touch of the flu.  Yuck!  It hung on for weeks and would literally wake me in the middle of the night breathless.  Fun, right?  Combine the restlessness, constant drippy nose, sinus headaches and sore throat and ears with the constant bathroom trips that come with pregnancy and I was one grumpy chick.  Exhausted was not even an adequate word to describe the weeks I went round the clock with boxes of Kleenex, Tylenol, cough drops, Mucinex, Benadryl and Sudafed...and yes, taking all that junk just to feel "functional."  Yuck!

Being the clean freak that I am, anytime my house gets out of order I get extra neurotic, and our home was looking less than perfect.  I felt like my home was infested with my own germs and figured if I wasn't going to clean, I would just Lysol everything.  Folding laundry and household maintenance became the last thing on my "to do" list, right behind sleep and fixing that chippy polish on my toes which seem to grow farther and farther away from me as I breeze through my second trimester.   

With me not feeling well, our dogs also got a little crazy looking.  They definitely were over due for an appointment with the groomer.  First we were waiting to take a Christmas picture with them with their long "winter hair," but that obviously didn't happen.  Then in the middle of my weeks of sickness, I didn't have the energy to take on anything extra in my day.  The one time we had an appointment set up we realized that we, uhm...forgot a dog.  An appointment was set up for Biscuit, (as was routine) but not poor Minnie.  What a horrible pet-mom!  I took on the task of making sure Biscuit was brushed out really well each week, since he was an afro from nose to tail...their coats are a lot of maintenance.  I personally like a fluffy poodle (not the prissy brushed-and-fluffed type) and think the shaved look is ugly but here are some pictures of our puppies fresh from the beauty shop.

Their "looking into the distance" pose...

Minnie's "Curious" pose...

I call this "Busted."

Yes, they do this often...

This really highlights their big beady eyes...hahaha they look better about a week after a haircut.

We also did work maintaining the walls in our home.  We had been rearranging pictures and painting and left some holes in the walls that needed patches and paint.  It's amazing how many dings and scratches you don't notice until you start touch ups.  I felt like my house was a beat up dump!  

Last weekend Aaron's parents, Scott and Lisa visited and brought us our "baby shower gift."  The bow was huge, and I think their intention was to deliver it so we wouldn't have to haul it home with a car full of presents after our baby shower, which was well appreciated!  It was the stroller we were in LOVE with (yes, when you are expecting a baby you will fall "in love" with monitors, blankets, strollers, cribs, carseats and a bunch of other things you never cared about pre-pregnancy) and we were so excited!  We spent the day showing them the changes in the house and purchases made for baby before going out for a nice dinner.  This doesn't quite fall under "maintenance," but Aaron constructed the stroller the next afternoon. 

Pretty slick, right?!

 The seat comes off...

...and you can turn it around, like a buggy.  

The seat reclines to all different angles, lays flat and is completely removable.  There is also a piece to attach to the stroller which will hold your carseat.  AWESOME!!!  It is "jogger" which was only important because I don't like regular strollers for things like Arts in the Park or anything which involves leaving perfectly flat pavement.  It also has a huge basket underneath, two cup holders and folds up very easily.  I can't wait to put some miles on this stroller!

Now for some miscellaneous...

I was looking for a little shelf or dresser to put in our main bath.

We found this little junker at Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

It was water stained, scratched and well loved.

As long as a piece isn't rotten or horribly cracked up, we always prefer using solid wood.  

Solid wood is much more predictable than plywood and MDF, is easier to patch and takes paint and stain MUCH BETTER.

 I had Aaron add trim and corner pieces to spice it up.

We also decided not to paint the shelves...it would not only save time, but also add character.

 

Cute, right?

  

I love the tone of the stain.

 

 I tried to "distress" it and messed up the paint finish.  

Just an FYI, if you intend to "distress" a project that uses a paint finish other than flat, be prepared to do touch ups. 

The sand paper I used took off the satin finish in some spots, so I have some work to do.

Cost of the shelf: $10

Pint of BHG paint: $10 (there's a lot left)

Trim and corners pieces from H4H ReStore: maybe $3??

This project was simple and quick and turned out perfect for our space!  We also had a funky old fan from Aaron's office that looked a little too junky.  Aaron loves vintage industrial type items and had admired the old fans they dig out of garages and basements on Pickers.  I saw them on different websites and in different stores with crazy prices...some reproductions and some were antiques.  The lowest priced fan I found was $50, and I kind of gave up my search.  Then I randomly went to a flea market and picked this up for $3.  Yay!

 

We cut off the tattered cord gave it a few coats of high gloss silver metallic paint.

Much better!

 Metallic is difficult to photograph, but it looks pretty sharp!  

It reminds me of the spunky accessories from PB and Restoration Hardware, but without the high price.

Most importantly, Aaron loves it!

The cold winter months usually turn us into hermits, but we have enjoyed being out and about in this gorgeous weather.  It makes me wonder why we live in South Dakota...

What activities have you enjoyed during this mild winter?  What extra projects have you tackled?  

Noelle

Change.

I haven't blogged since November?  Weird!  I must admit, a big reason I haven't blogged is the weather.  We have taken advantage of every opportunity to be out and about since we are usually hermits once the snow flies.  I have enjoyed and appreciated every single day that we have had ice-free sidewalks and frost free windshields!  The best part is that Aaron has had wonderful weather for commuting to Sioux Falls and I haven't had to worry about him!  AWESOME!

Finding myself at a loss for blog topics, I scrolled through pictures on my computer.  I couldn't even remember what I've blogged about specifically or what topics I have left untouched (blame it on "pregnancy brain").  There are tons of photos, but no subjects were jumping out at me.  What I was surprised to see, was that my album labeled "2011" contained many pictures of our home from this summer - almost everything has changed!  We have quickly and happily moved things around for baby, I just didn't realize HOW MUCH had changed.  Our guestroom has become a nursery, and our office has become a guest/craft/office music room and there are small changed in every part of our house.  Our kitchen is very nice, but not very large, and I remember calling Aaron at work and exclaiming "I've found room for baby bottles!!!"  It was the highlite of my day.  It's strange how quickly a home can become very small...

And then there was Christmas.

Bacon and eggs :)

All our holiday goodies!

About half of the gifts I wrapped...

 Christmas lights without snow are so weird!

But I'm not complaining.... 

 ...and neither are the chickens.

When we returned home from our familial holiday gatherings, we had an abundance of wonderful gifts.  What a BLESSING!!!  Uhm, where the hell am I going to put all these blessings?  :) 


Lucky for us, I am an expert organizer.

Did you ever notice that when you chose items wisely, they will fit into your home with little effort?  My Mother in Law, Lisa, and my boss, Missy, spoiled me with some AMAZING kitchen items (among many other things).  I love the ZAK line of products and Rachel Ray, and I received new utensils, servingware and mixing bowls that I had admired for quite a while on Amazon.  When we returned home with our gifts, I tore apart my kitchen, and did some reorganizing.  We donated a few items to Goodwill that hadn't seen much use, and all my new items fit easily into my cupboards.  I finally feel like my kitchen is "complete."  :)

Some of my goodies!  :) 

We were actually very well spoiled by all of our family and friends this year at Christmas, and received everything on our wishlists AND THEN SOME!  I hate to sound materialistic, but it was AWESOME!  We must have been on the "Nice List!"  We had a lot of fun shopping for gifts this year (as you can see from the picture above of all the gifts I wrapped!) and even more fun watching the gifts being opened.  Jesus is the reason for the season, but gifts don't hurt!  :)

I can't write a blog about Christmas without including some of my DIY Christmas projects...here's a peek at one!

Not a super "Christmasy" project, but it has evergreens!

Not the best picture, but in real life it's very cute!  I picked up the iron basket with greenery and the wicker balls for $15, I loved it!  I wasn't quite sure what to do with it.  There were mounting brackets, but I didn't want to drill anything into our siding, so it sat in our garage for a few weeks while I gave it more thought.  

For a while I had been admiring firewood baskets, and wanted to incorporate that rustic look into some aspect of our home.  I came up with the idea for a little rustic bench, and had Aaron construct it with about $4 of scrapwood.  I did a quick stain job, and voila!  Total project time was maybe a half hour.  Wood that would have been junk, was changed into something I love.  What a great husband, right?!

Since September, we have been busy working on our nursery, and spending lots of time reading reviews on strollers, swings, highchairs and play yards that are compact, multi-use, sturdy and reasonably priced.  A big challenge is keeping items neutral, but not themed...there are so many product lines that are jungle, Winnie the Pooh, monkey, etc.  No thanks.  We have such a small space, but we are bound and determined to make the most of it and still LIKE IT! 

Today we spent a while at Lowe's trying to figure out the best method of maximizing and organizing baby's closet.  After price comparing items from aisle to aisle and changing our plans 3 times, we came up with a brilliant plan, that would cost half the money we were planning on spending.  AWESOME!  I can't wait to share all of our great nursery decorative and organizational ideas, but you will have to wait until May!  :)

On a different note, it's amazing how many things you don't know you will need.  Butt paste, maternity underwear, booger suckers, burps rags, NIPPLE CREAM?!?!?!?!  Weird!  As much as I know about kids, I have had to learn a lot about babies and being "mommy."  I have been blessed with great advice from great mothers, but it always makes me laugh how many people just want to tell you how awful it will be. 

Your nipples will hurt!

Be ready to be tired!

Kiss your social life goodbye!

Just wait until you get kankles!

Yet these same people have small herds of children, so it must not all be so bad.  :)  I can't wait to experience it all!  The good, the bad and the ugly.  Every change is welcome, even changing a diaper. 

Noelle 

Thankful.

Thanksgiving is just 4 days away?  When the heck did that happen?!?  I guess when you hibernate, go to work...and repeat time can pass pretty quickly!  I can't complain about being pregnant; no morning sickness, no weight gain (yet) and a healthy growing baby.  Going to work at noon allows me the luxury of relaxing or taking a nap in the AM and enjoying a nice quiet morning of puttering around the house before heading off to work (that whole sentence is worth being thankful for!).  By the time I get home I am exhausted and usually fall asleep on the couch by 9:30.  So yes, I feel like a big hibernating bear (occasionally I even growl at people) but I figure I better stock up on sleep now, because in a few short months it will be in short supply.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday, and I get it.  Be thankful; for freedom, for family, for friends, for food and for having a warm dry place to call home.  I am always reminding the kids that there are many people in the world who have none of those things, so be thankful for all your blessings - even if you don't quite know how to appreciate them just yet.  Aside from that mushy stuff, one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving (besides Roxie's green bean casserole) is the day after - Black Friday.

Two years ago we ventured out to pick up a few sale items.  We browsed a few fliers, and headed out well past 10 AM and casually shopped alongside the zombies who had risen at 3 AM.  A few sale items came home with us, but nothing too exciting....AMATEURS!!!!  Last year, we initiated ourselves into the "crazy-4 AM-shop-in-your-jammies-after-a-Thanksgiving-food-coma" club.

IT WAS WONDERFUL!!!!

It really wasn't THAT crazy.  We weren't the people waiting out in the cold to stampede in through the doors and run around like an animal...we showed up a little while after those people.  Last year was a great learning experience.  We had a goal of replacing a TV in our home, and found one for $190 in the Wal-Mart sale flier.  What we didn't realize was that you have to get to a certain area of the store depending on what size of TV you are after.  Ours happened to be in the dairy section, and a familiar face was at the head of the line.  I asked her what in the world is going on, and she said you have to have a coupon and get in line and they would release the TVs in an hour.  She had JUST given her extra coupon away to a stranger, and they were out of tickets so we went on our merry way.  We proceeded to load our cart with $2 DVDs and I don't remember what else.

We knew Lowes and Runnings were also opening early, so we hit up Lowes for a Maglite (reg $29, sale $9) and I also pointed out an air compressor/nail gun combo (reg $189, sale $58) for our little projects.  It is wonderful!!!  Then we ran over to Runnings for a shop stool (reg $58, sale $19) Aaron had been eying and also got our nephew, Taet, a "heavy duty trike" complete with a hitch (reg $100, sale $39 with an $8 instant rebate).

It was probably about 6 AM when we finished up at Runnings, and we decided to pack up our car and doing a little shopping in Sioux Falls before heading to Dakota Dunes for Morford Thanksgiving.  We stopped at Pier 1 for a few gifts, and popped into Old Navy (which was a nut house!) and were quickly on our way to Sioux City.  I can't remember if we slept first or headed out first, but I think we hit up Target and Kohl's and wrapped up our morning of shopping and took a long afternoon nap.  The day was crazy and exhausting but it was a really great adventure!

This year we have plans of going after a TV again, some toys, baby items and of course DVDs - they are the best stocking stuffer!  Wal-Mart is opening their doors at $10 pm, so we will probably show up around 11.  We were at the mall in Sioux Falls yesterday, and it was so crazy that I wouldn't dream of going to their midnight sale, but more power to the brave shoppers who do!  I am usually half done with Christmas shopping by now, but I haven't been very successful with making a shopping list this year.  It really is true that it gets harder and harder every year to buy for everyone!

The weekend after Thanksgiving, we always try to decorate our house for Christmas.  We turn on Christmas movies and cover the house in ribbons, ornaments and glitter.  Does anyone else have this tradition?  With the first snow this weekend, we actually pitched our pumpkins and gourds, took down the exterior Thanksgiving decorations and put up the garland and Christmas wreath.  Just in case we got more snow or ice this week, I wanted to be done with anything that involved ladders and climbing on the roof, but next weekend we will have to put out the deer lawn ornaments and light it all up! 

I am excited for the glow of Christmas lights as I drive home each night.  Our neighborhood is well lit, and there is even a crazy Griswold style house with a special aneurysm display in the backyard.  Several times a week I would stop my car in the middle of the road and stare at the lights blinking all over their yard, trying to figure out if there was a pattern to the madness.  There wasn't, and there was something new added to the display almost daily.  To top it all off, the front yard was lined with milk jug luminaries.  It's super entertaining, and I was thankful for the opportunity to smile at the silliness of the display every evening!

A warm and beautiful home, lots of family and friends, good jobs, happy pets, clothes on our backs, a growing baby and my amazing husband - what more can I ask for?  Did I mention that Aaron is currently making a dinner of glazed ham, mashed potatoes, green beans and gravy?!!?  Wow!!!  I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, and there are hundreds of things I am thankful for everyday.  What are you thankful for?

Noelle

Rearrange.

What a nice and busy weekend!  On Friday we attended the Salvage Art Fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity.  We had donated 3 projects and (with the help of Christina Castillo bidding up 1 of the projects and buying another) were able to make a little contribution to their cause.  It was nice to get ideas for next year (I'm thinking a beautiful chime and some paintings) and there was some great people watching.  :)

Then we went out to have dinner at Applebees and we had the privilege of eating with a Veteran (Nick Castillo) on Veteran's Day.  He even got his meal for free, it's nice to see so many businesses doing promotions for Veterans!  It's a nice gesture for a service and dedication that "Thank You" just doesn't cover.  We headed downtown for a birthday (11/11/11 at 11:11 PM) and made our super special 11:11 wishes before heading home exhausted.

Saturday morning we did our usual errands and met Nick and Christina at a craft show at the Swiftel center.  It's such a great place to buy "local" goods and get DIY ideas!  Then we spent the day crafting, constructing and exhausting ourselves in general.  We spent a big chunk of Sunday finishing up projects and cleaning the house, (how is my house ALWAYS needing to be tidied?) rearranging furniture, organizing drawers and closets, running more errands and finishing odds and ends.  Aaron, and everyone else in our neighborhood, took advantage of the beautiful weather and got the Christmas lights up...I hate having them up before Thanksgiving, but freezing conditions and ice are nooo fun!  I will add garland and Christmasify our planters in a few weeks, but for now we will enjoy pumpkins, scarecrows AND Christmas lights.  We had LED lights last year (they glowed blue...I had no idea you could buy them in "warm" and they glow more whitish yellow just FYI) and I didn't care for the look of them, so at the after Christmas sale last year we bought icicle twinkle lights and they look gorgeous!  Aaron did a great job putting them up! 

By the end of the weekend, we had constructed and stained a little table for outdoors, painted and revamped a new shelf for the bathroom, hemmed lace curtains, painted a few little projects and I spent hours constructing rosette headbands and pretty jewelry.  I read something last week about how it's important to "stretch" before you craft...I thought it was hysterical but WOW, I should have taken that advice!  My neck and shoulders are so stiff from jewelry making, but I'm sure it won't compare to how sore Aaron's whole body will be from weaseling around the roof to do Christmas lights. 

Last week, I promised a blog on the wreath that graces my front door.  Two of last weeks projects involved rearranging items we already possessed.  The wreath was so easy to make!  I used flowers leftover from my wedding, ribbon, little decorative balls, and a monogram that Aaron made out of scrap plywood we tore off the back of a dresser.  I also used paint and my glue gun (which I already had) and the only expense was buying the wreath at Wal-Mart ($3.50).

Pretty Pretty!!!

The template for the "M" is just another monogram I had in my house.  

Aaron traced it onto plywood, cut it out with a box cutter and chisel, and sanded the edges.  

You could also print a letter on the computer, or buy a wood letter at Wal-Mart (I didn't like the font of their letters).

I had no great ideas for attaching the ribbon.  

I didn't want it glue directly to the wreath because wanted it removable so I could also tie it in our Christmas wreath.  

The plywood veneer was too thin for hardware, so my solution was hot gluing small ribbons to the back.

Pictures don't do it justice!

 

The wreath and flowers are almost too pretty to cover up with the monogram!  It's so pretty in person! 

 

Remember my pile of fleece and buttons?

 

We made some monsters!  They are inspired by the Uglydolls, so ugly they're cute! 

They aren't perfect, but I have enough fleece to make dozens of them.  :)

 

Here is my boring wall.  It is in the kitchen by my bedroom door.  

It's an awkward spot for decorations, so it was just holding a pinboard.

This is just a frame with scrapbook paper.  

You can use whiteboard marker on it for a cute message board, fun right?

The monogram found a new home, too!  This wll was all about rearranging!  The 2 small pin boards cost $1 a piece, they are covered in burlap and super cute!  I have a few items I am still looking for (mail organizer, pencil holder) so this wall will remain a work-in-progress, but an improvement no less!

With a baby on the way, my whole house has been subject to rearranging lately and the change is nice.  Sometimes a piece of furniture or a picture doesn't work in one room, but looks incredible in another.  If you have furniture and decorations you love, you can always make them work!  What parts of your house could benefit from rearranging?  Have you ever made-over a whole room with items you already own?

Noelle

Behind.

I realize this weekend was Hobo Days, but holy cow did we have a LOT to catch up on at home.  Aaron was sick in bed all day last Sunday, and I was very busy (watching movies) so we had a pile of laundry, projects and cleaning waiting for us this weekend.  Naturally, that meant we also had to add about 47 projects to the "to do" list because, afterall, we wouldn't want to get bored.

It's also no secret that we are kind of hobbits when the weather gets chilly (snow blows).  It's not that I don't appreciate the current weather (it has been a beautiful fall!) but it was SOOO WINDY this weekend, yuck!  Hobo Days kinda scares me too, and for good reason!  On Friday night alone, we were almost hit by 3 different cars.  Fun, right?  Whether it was an "out of towner", someone drunk or a Grandma in dreamland - I don't know, but after our hit and run incident downtown this summer we would rather avoid downtown when idiots are abundant.  We did however, take the backroads around town and picked up supplies for some projects we wanted to start/finish, and stopped downtown after the parade was over (2 pm after kegs and eggs...I wonder how much of Brookings was taking a nap?) to stop at a few shops.



So rewind 2 weeks, remember the dressers?  Those wild and CRAZY what-was-she-thinking BRIGHTLY colored dressers?

 Yeah, those.

The SDSU themed dressers...the pain-in-my-ass to paint dressers....the crayola crayon colored dressers...

the hopefully-they-turn-out -okay-or-else-I will cry dressers... 

After a week of letting the paint "set" in the house, I am happy to report that they turned out GREAT!!!  I haven't really decided what decorations will adorn the tops of each dresser, but here are the photos I promised 2 weeks ago.

Can you see where I brushed stain into the grain of the wood?  

It's such a subtle effect,  but it was the difference between this looking like a piece that belongs in a preschool and one 

that adds some excitement to a room.

The color looks powder blue in this photo, but it's brighter than it appears in this photo.

This photo represents the true color better, but WOW I need to put some decorations on it.

This chest was intended for the bathroom, but we thought it fit much better in the hallway.  

It was a little too wide for our bathroom and made it feel small.

It compliments the art really well.  

The photo above and below give you a closer look at the stain effect, I had a difficult 

time capturing it on my camera and I'm afraid I didn't nearly do it justice.

They are kind of obnoxious, but if we can't have fun and take chances with decorating then what's the point?

This weekend we tackled a big mess in our garage, dumping the potted plants, organizing our spare room, sewing projects (coming soon), repainting a bunch of old frames and our bird house, hanging photos and pin boards, constructing a fall wreath (for $3.50) and the usual laundry, cleaning, cooking and organizing.  Phew!!!  That's a lot, and it feels so good to be caught up on our "to do" list.

 

Here is a "sneak peek" at some of our weekend projects.

Wonder what this is all about?  Stay tuned.

Pinterest.com has really captured my interest!

Picture frame + scrapbook paper + dry erase marker = my new menu board.

This is part of my "organization wall."  Stay tuned!

 

I found 4 PB wall mount vases at the ReStore for $2 a piece, so out of pure curiosity I purchased all 4 of them.

We have never been able to have fresh flowers or plants in our home, because Tinkerbell destroys and eats them.  

Whenever I receive flowers, I have to hide them in my bathroom.

Maybe these will solve my problem?  

Stay tuned...

 

This mirror has been a PAIN to repaint!  So many nooks and crannies!

We bought this double vanity at the ReStore for $50.  Thank goodness, because 

after 2 monthes of looking our patience was running out!  We almost bought new cabinets at Lowes.

It's a great work bench/storage and finally our garage is back in order!

Being behind in my housework is not a feeling I enjoy.  I thrive in an organized and clean environment, so disorder can really stress me out!  Supper just finished cooking in the crock pot, so now I look forward to a lovely Sunday evening of relaxing with Aaron on the couch.  What projects are you behind on in your house?  Are there any fun projects on your "to do" list?

Noelle

P.S. My next blog will be about my wreath for $3.50.  The cost is low because I reused a lot of items from my home.  I challenge you to create something beautiful for under $5, and email me the project or tag me on FB.  Use paint, glue, sticks, rocks, flowers, doilies, crayons, fake fruit, or WHATEVER!!  Get creative!