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