How One Project Becomes Two

Our microwave quit working about a week ago. We took it to an appliance repair shop hoping for an inexpensive fix that would give us a couple more years, but that wasn't the case. So we spent part of Friday evening and Saturday afternoon looking for a new one. 

While we were out on Friday we did a few other things on our to-do list. Target was one of our stops, and  couple of new outdoor pillows found their way into my shopping cart. Today, I moved our small set of porch furniture from the back porch to the front, tossed on the new pillows, and decided the front door needs a new paint color. (We'll probably want some {more} furniture for the back porch eventually, too.

Porch furniture ca. 2004.  It's help up pretty well!  I like how the new pillows perk it up a bit!

I think the door will be a happy, peacock blue when A) it stops raining, and B) it's cool enough to leave a door open all day for paint to dry. 

And that is how one project quickly became two. (Never mind the imminent master bedroom makeover - I've got a few (small) new pieces on order of that room. They will be here in August, I hope!)

There's more than one way to load a dishwasher

My bloggy friend over at Grass Stains posted several days ago about the proper way to load a dishwasher. She was aghast to hear that not everyone uses the spindles on the top rack to keep cups and glasses in place. So, especially for Katherine, I'm taking you on a little tour of my dishwasher. Because apparently, jangling her nerves once was not enough.

Looking down on the bottom rack. These bowls do not nest well using the spindles, and actually take up more room that way. 

 


Glasses not on spindles. They don't move. But Katherine, I hear you on alternating glass-plastic-glass when possible.



























It's not necessary to keep the spoons in a separate compartment. Each utensil can have its own slot - see? No nesting (spooning?) going on here!


Katherine, these are just to unjangle your nerves. (But when I originally posted from my iPhone, "unjangle" autocorrected to "unhinge" so I must not be doing a very good job here.)



























Other things about my dishwasher that may "unhinge" you:

• The little spinner in the tip top of the dishwasher that's supposed to spray water more effectively?  That little 3-inch wide whirly thing?  It broke at the beginning of summer. The top rack actually rinses better now than before. 
• The detergent door doesn't stay closed anymore. Hasn't been a problem. But eventually I will probably need a new dishwasher and I will have to start all over figuring out how to load it.

You might also like to know that, as particular as I am about how my dishwasher is loaded,  this is also my least favorite chore around the house.  And while you're pondering that little tidbit, I probably need to send Katherine some chocolate and a diet coke.

Lighter

So many different meanings for this word - at least for me right now. 

Lighter.

Spring is turning into summer - the sun isn't setting so early.  It's still light outside when I run in the evenings.  It's still light outside when the kids go to bed.  After a cold winter with 6pm sunsets, I love this time of year.

Lighter.

I'm working on a whole-house de-cluttering and reorganization project.  Lightening the load for our home and for our spirits.  I am realizing just how much our 'stuff' weighs us down.  It's been a long process, beginning back when we were in Financial Peace University about three years ago and we took a tough look at our spending habits.  Then about a year ago, the work on the house began - slowly but surely.  I've had some great help from a friend, and just read some great inspiration from another friend today.  This isn't the only part of my life where these two women are allowing me to lean on and learn from them, either.  They are helping make life lighter for me.

Lighter.

After marriage and two babies, on whom I can no longer blame the baby weight, I'm trying to focus on myself a bit, too.  Yes, this is the literal version of 'lighter.'  I saw some nice results from the 5K training I began last fall, but I also realized that my eating habits still needed a change.  It's so hard, y'all.  I love food.  I just love all of the flavors and textures and aromas.  And I don't have very much willpower to curb those desires for more, more, more!  Sound familiar?  Yep, my house and I are both on a plan to lighten up.  Thanks again to a lovely, sweet, gentle, caring, meets-me-where-I-am friend, I am using Loseit.com to help me see the truth about how I eat.  Last weekend's results were not pretty - but that's ok.  Truth isn't always pretty.  It's how we react to it that's important.  So, I started Monday with a clean slate - and a bit of empowerment now that I can see where the calories come from every day.  I planned ahead for a dinner out one night, and stayed within my suggested calorie range - yeah!  I'm also able to track my exercise, which is a pretty big ego boost when you add that into the whole "net calories for the day" total!  I am patient but hopeful that I'll see some results - and feel the difference inside, too.

Lighter.

More, More, More!

Just a brief post tonight - it's late, and it's been a busy day! 

We recently celebrated Mister J's birthday, so I owe you a post about that.  And I wrapped up my 5K training with a run on Saturday morning.  Yes, both of those happened in the same weekend.  Also, while planning for said Very Busy Weekend, I decided that the front room (formerly the kid office, and originally intended for a dining room), needed to be painted before we put up the Christmas tree.  Does the 'birthday and then paint a room' thing sound familiar?

I'm also planning to post about some neat things we've done with the kids during this 'season of giving' - things that I hope we will continue throughout the year.  And - there's a giveaway coming really soon!  (As excited as I want everyone to be, it's limited to locals only - sorry!  But it'll be part of a really neat post I have about something we did with the kids - so please read anyway!)  (ETA neat thing #1 and neat thing #2/giveaway)

And, besides the promised blog posts, what does this week hold?  Well, tonight we had to pick up the last boxes of Boy Scout Popcorn and go to the official "end of 5K training" celebration.  Tomorrow my boys will be going to a skating party with the Cub Scouts.  I'll also be shopping around for new light fixtures tomorrow and picking up a paint roller (as in purchasing, and as in using...).  Oh, and it's dance day for my sweet girl.  Wednesday - Christmas get-together.  Thursday - I'm going to the launch party for this cool blog!  And Mister J has a school project due on Friday.  After that - rest?  I'm committed to spending the weekend with my family.  Just the four of us, nothing scheduled.  It's COLD here this week, so maybe we'll just snuggle up on the couch and watch movies/nap.  That would be nice, eh?  Note to self: find a good crock-pot recipe before your next grocery run (which comes right after you clean out the fridge...).

Have a great week, everyone!

A little bloggy help

I mentioned, through a blog comment earlier this evening, that I am currently looking for some new casual dinnerware.  I even went so far as to lay out my specs:  ivory with a pattern (but no extra color), non-rimmed bowls, mugs instead of cup/saucer.  Five hours later, what should I find in my inbox but a list of suggestions with links from my bloggy friend!  And?  She totally hit the mark.  I think I found my favorite - now I just have to start saving up! 

It's very similar in design to some dinnerware that I found earlier in the year at one of the big box stores - which I bought, brought home, then found that about half of the boxed items were flawed.  I have continued searching, however I'm not a big 'shopper' so it's been a slow process.  But now?  I just may have the answer!

Oh, you want to see the design?  It's Antique Bead from Ballard Designs. 

There were a couple of other suggestions, including this one, which I also like:

Primvere, also by Ballard Designs, and also at the top of my list. 

So, what's next?  Well, I'll run these photos by Big J, and see what he thinks.  If we find one that we both like, then we'll just start saving up.  Getting excited!!!

It's Been Quiet Around Here...

Hey there!  So glad you popped in!  I haven't been around much lately, either.  I'm trying to make the most of the last couple of weeks of summer, my mom came for a long weekend (in addition to visiting, shopping, and cooking, we also straightened up my pantry), and Big J took on a yard-improvement project (the rest of us pitched in a bit, but he did most of the work - it looks great!).

I've got a few posts in mind, but I hope you'll be patient with me as we enjoy the end of summer and get into our new school routine.  So, for now, I'll leave you with this little bit of excitement - I got a little link love over at Mama's Laundry Talk today, where "Mama" is highlighting laundry room makeovers!  Ours isn't complete, but it's sure nice to have the virtual pat-on-the-back to inspire me to wrap it up with the finishing touches.

There's nothing like a few small projects to make your space (indoor or outdoor) a more enjoyable place to spend your time - even if it's just laundry time!  As much as I want to tackle some more projects around here - small and not-so-small - I think I owe it to the little ones to set aside my grand plans for a few days.  "Fun" is the order of the next several days - I'll do a bit of mobile blogging as time allows.  Thanks for sticking it out with me during the quiet times!

Makeover!

So, it occurred to me that I never told you about everything we did during our Very Busy Weekend.  I wrote a post about Miss M's birthday.  I taught you how to ship a motorcycle cross-country.  But I didn't tell you that our washing machine broke, and that we decided to replace our nearly-12-year-old washer/dryer pair on Sunday afternoon.  We ordered a new set that would arrive on Monday (yes, the very next day!) and on the way home, decided to head on over to Lowe's and buy some paint. Here's what happened after we got home (and shipped a motorcycle, and put the kids to bed)....

Took down switch and outlet covers, removed shelving, and taped off cabinetry, moulding, window frame, and shelving hardware.  Cut in corners, ceiling, and around moulding (my favorite part of the job).

Rolled walls (Big J's specialty).

Admire re-freshed laundry room.  Marvel at the fact that two people, working in a small space around a washer and dryer, in the late night and wee hours of the morning, didn't paint anything that wasn't meant to be painted - including the floor or each other.

The kids woke up Monday morning to the surprise of a freshly-painted laundry room.  They knew it was being repainted, and had seen the color, but we did all of the painting after they'd gone to sleep. 


And that afternoon, we all got to ooh and aah over the new washer and dryer. 

I still can't believe we repainted a room with about a half-second of time spent decision-making.  It took us longer to pick out the paint color!  (Valspar Brisk Olive, by the way)

After the washer and dryer we in, we decided not to re-hang the shelving (brackets are to the right in the top photo), so we are on the hunt for a narrow table (perhaps a re-purposed sofa table) to use for folding.  Yes - we painted around the hardware, then decided not to re-hang the shelving.  There are no photos of the spackling, sanding, and repainting of those two walls.  I'm also hoping to find a window treatment to dress up the space (after I re-hang the blinds). 

I love the update, and I'm so glad with our decision to eliminate the shelving.  It'll feel less like a closet in there, and more like a real room.  I'm so happy with the results that I'm already thinking about two other projects I'd like to take on - a guest/toy room makeover, and a master bedroom makeover!  I hope to complete at least one of these by the end of the year.