Magnets

Hopefully I'm never stuck in bed for so long again, but after spending so much time in there, I'm officially on the prowl for a new piece of art for our bedroom.

Just this year Robert and I splurged on some special frames for our horde of magnets we've been collecting on our travels (and a handful we've had since we were kids).  We bought some sheet metal and had it framed so it could hold the weight of the magnets.  We started with three frames, two for our entryway and one for the bedroom.  One of the frames in the entryway is a work-in-progress.  So three was the right move.  We can also change them up every now and then. 

 

The one in the bedroom has been a delight this past month as I've been recuperating.  There are so many favorites.  In two of the corners are what I fondly think of as the scrambled egg ladies.  They've graced the refrigerators of my youth, college apartments, the refrigerator of my first home with Robert.  

This is the last fridge Robert and I owned that could hold magnets.  I was a nanny for several years, so I always had a gaggle of kids with me, thus the magnet letters and beautiful artwork.  The first time we put a magnet on a fridge that couldn't hold them, and we watched it sadly zoom to the floor, we were completely aghast.  And momentarily lost.  

We both had metal pegboards/tool chests in our offices, so for a while they lived in clumps here and there in places that were hard to enjoy them.

Robert and I both have identical KC Pizza Hut magnets from our childhood, which is unusual because I did not grow up in KC.  I think mine came from my uncle.  I used to stare at it and think about how people in movies would order pizza (Home Alone comes immediately to mind).  I thought it only happened in movies.  It certainly did not happen in the rural area where I grew up.  When I found out Robert had the same exact magnet, I told him this and he said he didn't really know why they had the magnet, because Pizza Hut delivery (any delivery) was too expensive for him and his mom.  So we have the same magnet and the same longing.  Two kids whose big dream when they grew up was to order pizza and have it delivered right to their door.  Dreams do come true!

My favorite magnet is from the Catacombs of Paris.  It's a little book!

Prior to taking a tour of the Catacombs of Paris, I only wanted to be there and learn more about it.  But then we found out they have concerts, and now I think about how much I would love to attend a concert there every time I see the magnet.  I think it's tragic the bodies were buried in such a way, their remains now a cautionary tale, constantly gawked at and often disrespected, but I'd like to think that the music that stirs them every so often is mending in some way.  I don't care what happens to my body when I die.  Whatever is the least burden to the earth.  But if there was the possibility of music near my remains, and there wasn't the option of reincarnation, and I could politely haunt , I would choose the music.  No matter the ridicule or disrespect.  Even if it was Zydeco or classic rock, I would still pick that over the absence of music.

squishy messy slimy nesting

We've been slowly replacing our rugs.

I've totally captured your attention with that first line, haven't I?

With the exception of our living room rug, which is too big, we have been purchasing Ruggable rugs and are loving them so far.  My hope is they last a good ten years, but with dogs, who knows what will happen.

Please pardon our mess!  We got the dining room rug right before we left for vacation.  So we weren't even completely unpacked before we were ripping open the Ruggable box.  Margo also enjoys sharing her drool, so there are some lovely slime spots here and there.  Any time we turn on the lights, it looks like we've been slimed.  

While I was looking for rugs I quickly realized 90% of the rugs I was adding to my favorites list were orange and/or teal, which is no surprise because I love both of these colors.  Robert helped narrow the choices down even more, and we only have one more rug to go for downstairs!  The best part is that our front door is actually a teal color too.  Initially, I thought the color was "Classy Smurf," but thankfully the door mellowed its Smurfness.

In one of the pictures you can see a little bit of all the rugs.  We purchased two entryway rugs because Margo, the poor dear, made it very clear she needs a runner between the living room rug and the entryway rug.  Wood floors are no joke for paws!  Our living room rug is actually my favorite.  I did not want a solid rug for either the dining room or living room.  Not my cup of tea.  So I tried to do that thing all the smart design people talk about, which is to take two different patterns and make sure they are scaled differently.  What a great excuse to buy a rug with mega citrus fruit on it, right?  I'm thinking it will go with everything.   

You'll also notice we finally got pendant lights for the kitchen.  It was not an easy task, because we had a strong idea of what we wanted and a very specific size too.  It was nearly impossible, but it finally happened.  We also finally bought a mirror for the downstairs guest bath but are now having anxiety about drilling into the tile (stay tuned for pictures in oh, about five years or so).  We have another mirror to install in a guest bathroom upstairs and lights for three of the four bathrooms that have been on back order for months.  Seriously!  But we are getting close to being mostly done.  This doesn't mean I don't have a mile-long wish list (new porch furniture and some additional landscaping in our front yard) and that we aren't already having some small issues (we need to do some touch-up painting for example).  But I'm sure by the time we have it figured out, I will have finally convinced Robert we are really RV/apartment people. 😆

progress!

We have a new driveway! And a walkway too!

Josie is showing off the lovely gravel that was put down prior to the concrete (and also a stuffed toy that's seen the washing machine half a dozen times since she arrived).

And if you look close, you can see that Ella approves of the walkway.

And yes, our yard is even more of a wreck than it was prior to the driveway.  We'll be able to finish the sprinkler system soon (depending on what the foot doctor says) and then maybe grass?

big things are happening

Yesterday was Rachel's first day of school!  She is officially a senior.  Not only that but she has already been accepted by her number one college choice.

We are also getting a new driveway put in, which also means we can finish putting in the sprinkler system!

This is turning out to be a very big week for all of us!

long, perfect weekend

Last weekend was crazy and incredibly fun.  I played tennis early Saturday morning, had a sewing machine lesson immediately afterwards and then...my first official crafting party at our house.  Seven people came and there was enough space for everyone, Robert and Rachel chopped up a thousand fruits and veggies and made all the food, and everyone had a swell time.

We went back to school shopping Saturday night and managed to get nearly everything on Rachel's list plus a dress with parrots on it for me (because you know a gal can never have too many birdy dresses).

Sunday morning I played some more tennis and then we took off for the Ozarks to visit with my dad.  It was an AWESOME visit with lots of joking, thrift shopping, and chatting.  On Monday, dad and Lisa had a doctor appointment, so while they were at their appointment Robert, Rachel, and I went to Ha Ha Tonka, which is one of the places I've been wanting to take Rachel to.  We watched a family of beavers frolic in the spring, climbed all of those steps, visited the now fenced off castle, and soaked up enough serenity and sunshine to get us through this week.

It was such a wonderful weekend!

Mitsy is up!

A couple huge things are happening with our remodel right now.  After three years of much chaos and madness, we are in the process of putting in a sprinkler system and planting grass (pictures coming soon), hanging things around the house including our first light fixture, including...

Mitsy, who is officially on the wall of our living room.

Here is a close-up of the lighting fixture:

paradise

The master bathroom has come a loooong way.

Believe it or not the picture above morphed into this: 

Paradise.  

The tub is a fancy schmancy air tub.  It's pretty darn relaxing.  In the master bath we still have a handful of things to do - some small cabinet flaws, light fixtures, and a vanity mirror.  We are also going to put in a magazine rack, because the tub is the best place to read them.  Today, while I was doing yoga upstairs, there was a terrible racket going on downstairs.  A terrible, wonderful racket because when I peeked in the downstairs bathrooms there were newly-installed towel racks and toilet paper holders.

I am a stress writer/reader.  I retreat into words whenever I am feeling overwhelmed.  When I am feeling ok with the world I take all the books off the shelves, clean everything, flip through my favorite books, make a stack of ones to reread, and then put everything back on the shelves in a new way.  It's fair to say I live in books and they live in me.   

Recently, Robert asked for his own shelf so that he doesn't have to dig too much to find his library books.  But he doesn't have a lot of library books checked out currently so I gave his shelf a little bit of love - one of his beloved stuffed animals (we're never too old for soft and squishy things), a few of his airplane books, and his propeller.  

I also gave the family bibles a new spot next to a bit of humor and some of my favorite books that give me peace.  If you look closely you will see our doggy camera.  It's a little camera that allows us to talk to them when we are away (and also tell them to get off the couch).    

I gave the gnome and his monster foes to my children's books.

And tonight, this tiny bat flew into my favorite teacup and made himself at home.   

Happy Mole Day!

We've been very busy with home stuff.  Both our master closet and mudroom are finished!  As soon as the master bath is done we will finally be able to move all of our clothes and toiletries downstairs. We're crossing our fingers that the master bath is finished this weekend.  And because we're hopeful, we moved quite a bit of stuff down today (after another backbreaking round of thorough cleaning).

This is the entryway to the mudroom!  

And here is my side of the closet!

Because Rachel joined the International Baccalaureate this year, she is spending way way way more time studying.  She's doing an amazing job, and we are so incredibly proud of her. We have noticed that she is easily distracted however, and really needs her own place to study. We were originally going to set up a desk in her room but there were two problems with that.  First, she needs a place to get away from it all and sleep. Also, her room is upstairs and her homework help hangs out downstairs.  So we talked with Rachel about the idea of setting up a desk area in the guest bedroom, which is on the first floor, and she loved the idea.  Robert and I flew through ikea last Monday, and Robert put all the furniture together at lightning fast speed.  Really.  He was a beast! Last night we revealed the space to her, and she seemed quite pleased!

Today is also Mole Day!!  So what the heck does that mean? The Mole is a unit of measurement and Mole Day commemorates Avogadro's Number, which is 6.02 x 10^23 (Avogadro is a famous, very dead scientist). Rachel has been preparing for this day for awhile.  Last year she participated in Mole day, and this year, as a Junior, she helped organize it. Because the party started at 6:02 AM, she was out of the house before I was even awake!  

Here's this year's Mole Day shirt:



So yes, there has been much excitement here as we nest a little more in our house that's so very close to being finished.  And I'm so hopeful Rachel loves her study space.  She is already doing awesome things in there. Like her self portrait.



Amazing, huh?

good stuff

Have I mentioned that we have two functioning potties downstairs now?  Yep, all four bathrooms officially have toilets, and soon we will have showers and tubs as well.  Eventually there will be so many bathrooms to clean I may not have time to use them.     

Robert is covering the entire garage in slatwall, which looks pretty great.  I'm excited there's going to be a spot for everything.  And my dear step ladder, which I use often, will be on a hook right by the door so I don't even have to walk into the garage to get it.    

Robert's grandma is regaining her strength in a rehabilitation center that's nearby.  So she is doing much better.  

And Rachel started school yesterday.  She reported that she likes all of her teachers and her assigned parking spot is an end spot.  

Life is good.  

Robert's Surprise

Tonight, after a busy day of at the library, I came home to a big and slightly invisible surprise. Robert has been busily making our home a smarty home, and all sorts of nerdy things (talking doorbells, lights changing according to the time of day etc.) have been happening.

Today, Robert preformed his nerdy magic and my itunes music is now available throughout the house, and most importantly, my office.  All my carefully compiled lists suddenly available.  Wow.

I immediately moved my chair to the painting section of my desk, and for the first time in my office, brushed a bit paint onto a wooden canvas.

After much organizing I discovered my desk has enough room for painting, journaling, writing, and collaging stations that don't have to be packed up unless I'm done.  I can just move my chair from station to station and work on everything at the same time if I like.  I've been waiting for the right moment to paint though, and after Robert's surprise I promptly sat down, chose my playlist, and started painting.   

ready to teach my bike a lesson

Robert has been building shelves in the garage (nothing has fallen yet!) and also fancy bike hangy things.  

And Rose and Ella and I have been... Well, we've been taking it easy.  



With my hip problem on one side and a bum knee on the other, I took several days off, but am hoping that I can outwalk a couple geriatric golden retrievers here in a few days. And maybe try to stay on my bike this time.

toilets soon!

The remodel is still happening.  Slowly but surely.

Tile is mostly done everywhere.  Other important bathroom things should be happening to our two downstairs bathrooms soon.  Like toilets.

Drying racks were installed in my office.  Now I just need to remind myself not to clunk my head on them when I do yoga.  Although it looks like our common area upstairs is going to be our workout area, which will be nice to have that separated from my work space.  Robert found a squishy interlocking mat for the workout area and covered the whole room in it.  The room officially has a rowing machine (not exciting enough for pictures), and more will be added later.  Like maybe my yoga stuff once I clunk my head on the awesome drying racks. 

Picture rails were also added to my workspace.  My current plan is to cover the entire house in these so I can rotate out our ever-growing art collection, and maybe display some of my stuff too.  

We finally have a bannister, which hopefully means no more falling down the stairs when we fumble our way up and down the stairs to potty in the middle of the night.  And hopefully soon we will have at least one toilet on the first floor.

If someone told me I would spend almost a year without a bathroom on the first floor my spoiled ears wouldn't have believed them.

rocking chairs

There's still much decorating to do, plus the porch needs to be painted, but Robert and I splurged and bought the rockers we've always wanted.

The other morning he put one of them together and I happily claimed it and was almost late for work!

* Yes, that is the cone of shame.  Ella has an ear infection.  

This is old.

A few days ago, Robert surprised me with glass inserts for our top shelves, which means that I can start opening up our keepsakes and decorating a little.

It felt like unpacking pieces of my soul.  I don't give a wazoo how corny that sounds.  Even though it's been two years I could tell what the wrapped pieces were just by their weight and shape.  

As I unwrapped everything I thought, oh here's the glass snail.  Here's my grandma's porcelain flower basket.  

I also found my butterfly tin that my dad gave me. Inside were pictures of my dad that my Aunt Lil gave me.  I'm hoping to start rounding up all my dad's pictures and scan them so I can share them with my brothers.  I can only hope they'll do the same for me with the pictures they have *hint hint*. Finding the pictures was a nice surprise as I often put them in "safe" places that I rarely find again.  

My dad is on the left wearing black socks with brown shoes.  He's going to be displeased that I'm not mentioning what kind of car they're standing on.  

Hopefully this cheers ol' dad up : )

Yep, that's me, making a getaway on an old yellow ambulance.  It's pretty obvious I'm his daughter ; ).

Every treasure I unpacked today has a story!  So many memories!

Robert's mom recently gave him a picture of his two favorite childhood stuffed animals, Blue Bear and Yuckaduck.  To me, it's a little terrifying to look at, but to him, I'm sure the picture is a comfort. And really, once I get past the terrifying stares of two very grimy stuffed animals that are falling apart it's obvious they were loved into that condition. 



I have a few pieces that belonged to my granny, whom I have many memories of, though she passed away when I was just shy of 12.  After she passed away in 1997, my mom and grandpa went to Arizona to settle her estate.  I have a handful of stories from that trip alone. My grandpa, who had cerebral palsy and was wheelchair-bound, was a tough man to shave.  He shook constantly, so it took both my mom and grandma to keep his face still any time they went after it with an electric razor.  While my mom and grandpa were in Arizona, my mom struggled to shave him on her own, until she put her hands just so, and presto, success.  That's when my mom noticed a funny noise coming from grandpa.  With utter horror, and a little bit of humor too, she realized she had her hand clamped over his mouth and nose and was suffocating him.  Naturally, I heard this story many times, my mom doing all the talking and my grandpa sitting there, laughing his gravelly "heh heh heh" as she told it.

Another wild thing that happened on their trip is the amount of toilet paper my great granny left behind.  Closets and closets of it.  It lasted us years and it was all different colors and styles.  And no, I have not kept any of that toilet paper as a keepsake, though some of it was disturbingly pretty.  

While my grandpa and mom were packing up my granny's things something beautiful and amazing happened to them that had nothing to do with shaving or toilet paper.  Before my granny died, she left little notes on everything, usually on the bottom of things and often intriguingly short.  My mom talked reverently about this for years, and though I wasn't there to experience it, I still get goosebumps thinking about how healing it must have been to pack up granny's belongings with notes here and there.  And how it must have felt like she was right there talking with my mom and grandpa.  

When I unpacked one of my granny's pieces today, I sat for a long time holding it, occasionally flipping it over to reread its note still attached after twenty years, the china so thin I'm sure I'll be able to see right through it at some point during my lifetime.

Every time I look at my granny's pieces the funny stories come back and I can hear everyone's laughter and voices just as clear as they were back in 1997.

Each piece I unpacked has a story, sometimes many, and I recognize I should not be so attached to things that could leave my life at any moment.  Heck, two years was much too long.

So I'm taking pictures of everything, writing down the memories that go with each picture and creating yet another journal... That will need to be digitalized. But recollection is such a huge chunk of any experience, and I'd argue that at some point, we spend more time recollecting our experiences than we do living them.  

A few more pieces of my soul's puzzle found their way back to me today, and that silly picture of Blue Bear and Yuckaduck might just be a new piece that's slowly haunting it's way into my happy heart.

the strange connection between grout and hope

I have never been this excited to see grout in my life.



Yes, the tile in our master bathroom is being grouted.  That's the good news.  Unfortunately our tile whisperer is in Europe for the next month so our master bathroom progress is on hold.

But we're sooo close to having a bathroom on the first floor.  Sooo close to getting our clothes out of their cardboard closets and putting them in real closets.

Looks like the only thing to do is sit back and admire this grout and wait some more.  We're getting to be experts at this patience stuff.  

It does appear that my office will be done soon. We're just waiting for some touch-up work.  

Before

Almost After : )