The Time Has Come...

The other weekend I hit my limit. I feel like every weekend is spent cleaning, with no fun involved at all. And Cameron is right there with me. Yes, we get so tired during the weekend, that things do fall by the way side and have to wait for the weekend, but this time my frustrated focus landed on London. She loves to be a good helper - yet when I asked for her help by picking up her room and her toys/clothes in the family room, I was met with a perfect "No". 

At work on Monday, I mentioned my frustration to a co-worker, who mentions that her daughter got behind such chores only when she had a list to check off or when she earned money toward a fun Dollar Tree toy. And so to Pinterest I turned. And inspiration struck. 

I'd get a magnetic board and print out some graphic magnets. The board would have London's name on it and a "To Do" column and a "Done" column. At the end of each week, where she was a good helper, she'd get a little treat or we'd go do something fun on the weekend when time allows. 

We headed to JoAnn's that very night. All I needed to complete the project was a magnetic board and magnet sheets of paper. I had sticker paper for printing the words and placing on the board back at home. $7.50 and a 1/2 hour later, I had what I needed and set to work that night. The cost was so low thanks to the surprisingly large selection of reasonably priced magnet boards, in all kinds of colors, at JoAnn's and some great coupons on their App - one for 50% one regular-price item and another for 40% off. Our total was actually less than the board cost alone, at full price. And instead of magnetic sheets for printing, I found business-card sized magnets with a sticky side - so the graphics just needed to be printed on regular paper and cut out and stuck on. 

A before of all the supplies: 

And an after: 

Basically, all I did was cut out the words for the board on sticker paper and stuck them on there. Someday I'll get a Silhouette Cameo which can do all the letter cutting for me, including all the middles : ). I cruised the web for the images that would work for what I need London's help on. I found some great ones and threw in a few I know she likes to help out with, including feeding the dogs and helping empty the dishwasher. Some of her current chores are: 

• Flush the Toilet
• Get up on Time
• Put Away the Laundry
• Help unload the dishwasher
• Be a good listener and do as your told
• Say Please
• Say Thank you
• Water Plants - this will come in handy after we get some "treats". London has requested a Flower garden this year. 
• Put Away Books
• Clean up the Bedroom
• Clean up Toys

This past weekend, the girls spent with their Grammy, which meant I was able to get a lot of cleaning done, including cleaning London's room. When she got home Sunday night and saw, she actually said "Thank you Mommy for cleaning my room". It was a perfect time to introduce her to the chore chart and move some of the "to dos" over to the "done" side of the board. The best part is London was very receptive to this and excited about it even Monday morning, when I told her she could move the "Getting up on time" over to start her day.

Supplies Needed: 

• Magnetic Board
• Magnets
• Chore Graphics
• Sticker Paper
• Scissors

London’s New Room Update: She's moved in!!!!!!!

First night in her Big Girl Bed!

There is a light at the end of the tunnel! Finally! I may even have the loft back in functioning form by the time my mom heads home! This is in large part thanks to my dad, who spent Monday afternoon completing the painting of London's room and then Tuesday building her bed. As soon as I got home from work, my mom and I set about to making London's bed with all the pillows, sheets and blankets and then I spent the next hour moving her personal items from Sydney's room, and clothes, and putting them away in the new room.

All Made Up With the Pillows. The bedspread is currently folded up at the foot of the bed. It's still too hot for a comforter these days. Sunday its expected to be 96 degrees!

London was quite excited about her new bed, particularly jumping on it while we were trying to make it up! And she went down better than I expected. To be honest, the transition has been pretty smooth, which makes me feel like she was quite ready for the switch. This eases my mind and has me hoping the addition of Sydney will go better than I expect.

Every night before bed, I sit or lay down with London in her bed and read her a book or two (or like last night try to read her a book 3x!). Then we turn on her Twilight Ladybug, turn the lamp off, turn on her Lamb which makes wave sounds for 45 minutes and her seahorse that plays lullabies. When I leave she is usually crying for me to stay but within 15 to 20 minutes there is no noise from her room. I sneak a peak when I head to bed, and I have found her under covers with her head on the pillow, holding her Minnie Mouse close and the seahorse and lamb nearby - which is funny cause I keep putting it at the foot of the bed!

She isn't completely moved in, and may not be for a while, as my energy levels are drastically reducing day by day, but once her daddy is home, we can work on more of the final touches and get her closer. For the most part, this to-do list is done!:

Someday a dresser will be seen from this angle. I've since moved in her bedside table and lamp.

The dresser is coming along slowly. While I was able to prime the dresser last week, I did have a few nights where I lacked any and all energy and therefore didn’t start the actual painting until Friday night. And I can currently only do one color at a time due to my design plan. 

Didn't have time to get the curtains up Tuesday night as well. We got them up Wednesday.

Plus, because of the brightness of the colors I picked, it takes several coats to get it to look right. Oh well, it will be done soon enough, I am sure. For the time being, I have some shelves in the closet that is enough hold her clean clothes while we wait. Half of the reason the project is dragging is the waiting for the paint to dry between coats.

Once I have the good camera back (and the room is more pulled together) I will take some true after shots of the room. Until then,you'll have to deal with my phone's camera.
And with London out of Sydney's room, my mom has been able to get all the washing of clothes done for Sydney. Last night I spent a good 30 minutes putting most of them away and even set aside an outfit for her to come home in. I'm hoping to have some energy tomorrow to really tackle the Loft and Sydney's room, so that I can feel we are ready for her. There are a few things I need to pick up at Babies R Us and Target still too, which will likely happen tomorrow. I'm sure my mom will be ready to get out of the house more than just taking London to the park.

And London, Tulley and I are definitely looking forward to Cameron's return. I can tell both are missing him as much as I am at this point. Too bad its only for a week.

~ Sarah

London’s New Room Update

It may not be painted yet, but London’s new room also doesn’t have a resident lizard any longer. On Saturday, when our friends gathered at Matt & Lynde’s for a BBQ to celebrate Sydney’s pending arrival, Cameron brought the guys over to our house for 20 minutes to move Spaz and his abode to his new spot downstairs, and move the boxes containing London’s new bed upstairs. I can’t thank the guys enough for their muscle!

Of course, Spaz wasn’t too thrilled about the ride he took and proceeded to be a grumpy lizard the rest of the weekend. But with his move, and Cameron moving everything out minus the printer and a file cabinet, the room is empty. Plus, he vacuumed and I have been able to cleam the blinds and prep the entire room for painting. Cameron hopes to get in some good time tonight getting the paint up. Hopefully its all done by the time he leaves for Canada on Thursday. We definitely lost a bit of momentum last week with him gone in Chicago and then both of us being exhuasted this weekend.
On Friday, the knobs I ordered for the dresser arrived, and on Saturday morning Cameron got the drill out so we could complete the coat rack with two of them! Whoo Hoo!

Speaking of the dresser, a little progress has been made on that front.

Saturday morning I began removing the drawer liner to the last drawer! I almost met my goal of removing the liner from a drawer per night but Wednesday, we were obviously busy celebrating Cameron's new job and Friday I was just too tired.

Unfortunately, the liner on this last one didn’t want to budge, either. I wasn’t able to finish it until Saturday evening. On Sunday I was able to get all the sanding done, but lacked the energy to get the coat of primer on.

I’ve hit that point in this pregnancy that I have less energy than I need, which means projects will be slow going from here on out. It will all get done, though. And it helps knowing that Sydney will be in our room the first two months, so I will have some time to complete her room once she is here. And she won't know whether she has a stocking at Christmas or not.

There won’t be an update on Prepping for Sydney this week. My lack of energy is the reason for this. All the clothes have been organized, folded and put away in plastic bins, and I have moved those bins into her closet, but there is still a huge pile of clothes that need to be washed and put away, which won't get put away until London has vacated the room. Plus, there are still a few bins of newborn gear I need to go through and put away. And again, I need a room to put that gear in!

So I really haven’t wanted to focus on any of those to dos as well. Maybe this weekend or next week. Only time and energy will tell.

~ Sarah

London’s New Room Update

This last weekend was quite successful in completing projects for London’s new room, starting on Friday. The 3 of us spent Friday evening running quick errands, and that included a trip to Michael’s where I got the last of what I needed for London’s room. Gotta love coupons too, as I saved 15% on the total purchase, even if it wasn’t a large purchase.

All I got were the shelves, the back of the coat rack and the stand for the letters project. Looking at the list of to dos now, there isn’t much more to do other than move her in and finish the shelves (which all I need to do is seal them along with the bedstand - this will be done this weekend). Of course, I have added to the list again, as well, with the final steps:

By Sunday night, the letters stand and coat rack were painted and sealed. And London’s letters were also painted and sealed, so I got my trusty glue gun out and created the final product. What do you think?



Sorry for the poor qualilty photo - it's off of my phone from this morning. I forgot to take a picture when I finished the project in the kitchen and for safe keeping, these are now stored in the cluttered loft



My plan is to place this near the dresser.

The coat rack will have to wait until this weekend to be completed. And that’s only because I need the drawer knobs for the dresser to arrive, which should be Friday, according to my tracking info. Two of the knobs will go on the coat rack. After a few quick drill holes and the spinning of a screwdriver, it will be done.
And who knows, maybe I’ll be able to hang the coat rack up by the end of the weekend! All that depends on whether we manage to get London's room emptied of Cameron's office equipment and painted. Cameron's making great progress to, as tonight I plan to be cleaning the blinds and window and prepping it for paint.

In reality, once the room is ready for moving in, I think I can have London’s new room setup and ready to go in an afternoon.

As planned I did get to London’s dresser, but I was not able to devote as much time as I would have liked on it this weekend. You will see why tomorrow when I show you what I did to the loft.

I also didn’t expect to spend an hour trying to remove the doors and hardware from it. I thought it would only take 5 minutes. When I set to work on the dresser Sunday afternoon while London napped, I discovered that the person who painted it last, painted over the hardware, covering the screw heads.

I literally had to chisel the paint away to get a screwdriver into turn the screws. And I ended up stripping each screw along the way, making it even more difficult. But this did help me decide that we definitely need to get new doors, and hardware, for the dresser.

But...Cameron and I also agreed that if new doors were necessary, they can wait a while so we won’t be ordering any doors any time soon. I set aside one of the old doors for when we do, for measurement and matching design purposes.

The other more time-consuming process was removing the back. While the back panel itself basically disintegrated in my hands, the nails did not. And where the nails were, the back panel decided to stay and not disintegrate!

Once I did get the parts of back panel left around the nails removed, the nail heads would bend when I would try to remove them with the hammer, making the hammer slip right off.

Eventually, I was able to get them all removed. I also decided that we need to replace the back, especially if we are going to go without doors for a while. Luckily, I have the backing to Cameron and my dressers as we felt ours didn’t need backs when we built them, so I already have the material on hand.

Between the nails and the hinge hardware, I’m surprised I still had time to scrub down the frame of the dresser before London woke up from her nap.

I also was not able to get to the 6 drawers on Sunday. I've been trying to tackle one drawer a night. So far, i have been able to remove the old liner and scrub down 3 of the 6 drawers. I figure if I can get to one a night, I’ll be in good shape for sanding, priming and maybe painting by the weekend. We’ll see.

If London has to live with clothes in boxes or on the floor for a while, so be it. I’m definitely feeling my body slowing down due to the pregnancy. And given that we don’t want Sydney to arrive early, I have to listen to it and not push myself. At the same time, that is a tall order for me these days as I can’t seem to sit still for very long when I am at home. I sit at work all day so when I get home I want to get things done.
At least I have some energy, even if it is diminishing, versus the no energy I had in July thanks to my colds.

~ Sarah

London’s Room Update

While my main projects for London’s room are mostly complete, I took a step back and have now made NEW To Do Lists, incorporating some of the wish list items I wanted to get done originally but wasn't sure I had time for.

And I made a To Do list for just the dresser alone. Now it seems there is so much more to do! And I thought I was so close to being finished!

I can drive myself crazy sometimes. But if I get this all done, London's new room will be even more pulled together when we move her in.

Plus, I’ve made a To Do list for Sydney, and while it looks longer than London’s, it doesn’t seem so daunting. Stay tuned for Sydney To Do Updates tomorrow.

Here are those lists:

Currently our kitchen looks more like a craft room, as I have the bed stand on the island for easier painting access. It’s actually almost done, just a coat or two of a clear, glossy sealer, which will likely move the project to the garage for better ventilation tonight.

I also have started the painting process of the letters and frames which are taking up residence on the kitchen table. A quick trip to Michaels should get me the few supplies I still need to complete the letters project once the letters are ready. That trip to Michaels should also result in getting the back for the coat rack and shelves, which I will then paint (I don't have any room to start painting them now any way).

Looking at it, while I feel like I have a lot to do, all of it is in progress already and they are smaller projects to begin with. It just takes time, particularly waiting for paint to dry! It has helped to pick up more foam paint brushes, since I am dealing with 5 different colors. That was I can at least get a coat of paint a night done.

As for the dresser, I hope to tackle that this weekend and get a lot of the to dos crossed off so I am painting it next week. I may need to order the doors, which could take some time to come in, but we can live without the doors for a while if need be.
I did order the knobs I spied on Target.com for the dresser, and hopefully, those ship soon, as I will need a few of them for the coat rack.

Aren't they cute?

Wish me luck!

~ Sarah

London’s New Room Update

Jake supervised the entire process and was quick to test out the pillows even before London!

The decorative pillows for London’s new bed are done. I’m so glad I had energy all week to work on them in the evenings as I was able to finish them just after our Saturday nap. London’s gave the pillows her seal of approval:

After finishing the pillows I pretty much took the rest of the day off from crafts and London’s room. I think I was due for a break anyhow.

As for the dresser, we haven’t picked it up yet. We forgot that we are headed to Chico labor day weekend for visits with old friends and dove season opener. It just doesn’t make sense to go two weekends in a row, so we postponed the dresser pick-up. Good thing too, as Cameron came down with a nasty cold Wednesday night that he actually had to see a doctor for on Monday.

I have, however, come up with the paint design for the dresser and purchased the paints as well as the painting supplies.

Sunday was a shopping day for London’s room. We secured all the sheets and mattress pads, and the paints like I mentioned, plus I found a great lamp at Target that was just too perfect for her room as well. So all the “needs” for her room have been purchased or acquired, and after the dresser is painted, all the To Dos will be done, which means I get to move on to the “wish list” and “hope to dos”! Since most of those are small, I’ve actually already ordered for the London Letters project I have in mind.

This week I do want to get London’s nightstand painted, which shouldn’t be too hard. And I have a few other little things I can do to get ready for moving into her room, so I am not empty handed while I wait for the dresser.

Of course, September is almost here, which means I am also shifting my focus onto Sydney more and more. I have a few projects I want to accomplish for her room, as well as her stocking, but otherwise, my focus will involved prepping all of London’s old clothes and room and getting all the newborn gear out of storage and organized. I did start on her stocking Saturday night, finally! I wonder how far I will get by the end of September? My goal is to spend at least 3 nights a week for at least an hour on it. It doesn’t look like much yet but it definitely is fun to see if come together.

~ Sarah

Pelmet Box Tutorial

I’m an organized person, so when I start with a project, there are sketches and measurements taken several times before even the first piece of material is purchased. To start on the Pelmet box for London’s new room, I took the measurements of the window. Here they are:

From there, I came up with a design for the pelmet box, resulting in:

Also before I can start a project, I like to have all the necessary materials available and ready – in some cases purchased. This time around it involved:

• 2 foam core science project boards
• Masking or duct tape
• ½” square wood dowel, 1 yard in length
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• Batting
• Fabric
• Trim
• Ruler
• Exacto Knife
• Pen
• Cutting Board
• Stapler and staples
• Measuring tape

Step 1: Measuring and Cutting

Starting with one piece of the science board, foam core board, I turned it side ways and measured my widths and lengths for half of the overall pelmet box. I always measure twice, to avoid miscuts. I use what I call a quilter’s ruler to measure, draw straight lines with a pen as well as to make the straight cuts. I also always place the ruler on the side of board I will be using so any miscut goes on to the spare. It’s also key to cut slowly, and with foam core board, you need to make several passes with the Exacto knife to get through completely. If you try to force the board apart, you end up with ragged or worse, torn edges. Always start with a new blade on the Exacto knife as well.



The first of two foam core science boards



The clear ruler is what I call a quilter's ruler. Note the cutting board underneath - don't want to risk cutting the carpet.

Step 2: Measuring & Cutting the Arch

To make the arch that reflects the arch in London’s actual window, I tied a piece of string to a pencil, measured it to be 1 1/2 feet and holding the end of the string at the lower corner of my foam core piece, drew my quarter circle. I made several passes with the pencil to get a defined arch. Then I cut very, very slowly.

 

You can see my faint pencil line that created the arch

Safely cut out

The blue tape is where the foam core science board had a slit cut into it so it could stand up. I didn't want this one to move so the tape is to secure it and take away its flexibility.

Step 3: Mirroring my first piece

This is where the measuring went out the window. For the second piece for the front, I simply flipped the first piece over, drew the necessary cut lines and then used the quilting ruler to cut straight lines. Viola, the two front pieces are done.

Given the second piece was just a mirror image of the first, I flipped the first over and traced its outline for the second

See?

Step 4: Sides

Given the sides of the box are simple rectangles, it was pretty easy, following my measurements again.

Step 5: Back panels.

The back panels were also rectangles. I originally planned to have the back panels only 1” wide, but decided this was too thin so I went with 1 ½” wide. Sometimes plans need to be deviated once you start to see it visually. The only reason for this panel is to affix the box to the wall.

The front, side and back pieces

Step 6: Connecting the pieces

While on Sydney’s Pelment box, I used duct tape to connect all the pieces together, I couldn’t find it this time. But I did have a new roll of painters tape on hand after having taped off the windows in the new office so Cameron could get painting started. Excluding scotch tape, any thick width, strong tape will work as the connections will further be strengthened by the wood dowel pieces, batting and fabric. One thing I learned later in the project is it may be better to consider using thick masking tape if you have a light colored fabric.

All together now

So you can see some of the securing of the inside

And more of the outside

Step 7: Strengthening 90 degree angles

With the wood dowel, I used a hand saw to cut the yard length down to about 2” pieces. I then used my glue gun to secure these small pieces to the various 90 degree angles on the inside of the pelmet box to strengthen the connections and angles.

The wood dowels in the inside 90-degree angles

Step 8: Batting

I laid the batting out flat on the floor and placed the pelmet box front side face down and cut a size of batting that would cover the front and the sides only. No need for it on top, as no one will see it. I then used the glue gun again to affix the batting to the front of the pelmet box, pulling it tight as I went. The key is to work one end to the next and in small portions. Then I cut any excess batting off.

  

First I cut a piece just over the size I would need

Gluing time

Then cut off the excess.

Step 9: Covering the box with Fabric

Being that I needed to purchase the fabric in advance of this project, I already knew I needed a piece that was 80” long. The fabric was 43” wide, which would cover top to bottom of the box. The 80” length would go from side to side, starting from the inside, so that the back/wall panel was covered as well. The total length to cover the box this way was 78”, but I like to add a little extra just to be on the safe side, so that’s how I came up with the 80” number.

I like using foam core board because to adhere the fabric I can use your run-of-the-mill desk stapler. Laying the fabric facedown on the floor, I then put the pelmet box facedown over the fabric. I stapled on one side, pulled the fabric tight and stapled the other side. Then I did the bottom, pulled tight again and did the top.

For the arch, there was cutting involved. First, I cut out the bulk of the middle, then every 3 to 4 inches cut a slat so I could fold the fabric to the back easily. Just make sure not to cut the slat up to the board.

Just when I thought I was done and was getting ready to take a picture, I discovered why thick masking tape may have been better to use than blue painters tape or duct tape, at least when using light colored fabric. I could see the blue painters tape!

I undid all my staples (all I had to do was get a finger nail under it and pull – love foam core board!) except for the staples that lined the fabric around the arch. I added another layer of batting and for added protection, a layer of masking tape! Then I restapled!

  

Lay the fabric flat on the floor, face down.

Then staple tight

Fabric is on - now just the trim

Step 10: Trim Time!

As an added finishing touch, I wanted to add some trim. Thinking I was going to find a trim that could go up into the arch, I ended up going to Joanns for 5 1/2 yards of whatever I found. When I found this sparkly trim I loved it but walked away a few times because I wasn't sure how it would do in the arch. But, it was all I liked or could find, so I bought the 5 1/2 yards. By the time I got home (I bought it on my trip to Chico) I knew I wouldn't need the full 5 1/2 yards, as I decided not to try it in the arch and just line the top and bottom of the pelmet box.

I have plans for the extra, though, so it won't go to waste. As for adhering the trim, it was done quickly with my trusty glue gun. Even Cameron mentioned how it added a little something extra.

 

The final product from afar - if you look closely you can still see tape. Maybe white duct tape next time?



Close-up of the trim

 So there you have it, my DIY Pelmet Box. Now to just get the room ready for decorating!

~ Sarah

London’s New Room Update

While progress on the office remodel and Cameron moving into it is definitely moving at a slower pace than I would like or am currently comfortable with, progress on projects for London’s room are proceeding.

This past weekend, I managed to get the curtains completed. I even asked London if she liked them when I was done and she said yes and asked if they were hers! You’ll have to wait and see them when her room is pulled together and revealed. Cross your fingers that this is sooner rather than later.

Last week, after searching the web, and in the stores of HomeGoods and Tuesday Morning, I finally found the kind of comforter I was envisioning. I wanted it to be blue as that is London’s current favorite color. And guess where I found it. Ikea.com.

But it wasn’t that easy – of course not, not after all the searching I had done. The comforter wasn’t available for online orders and it seemed the twin/full size version wasn’t in stock in Sacramento, Emeryville or Palo Alto. There wasn’t even an expected in stock prognosis date available online or through store phone systems. By the way, try to avoid ever calling an Ikea’s phone system when they open. I have done this twice now and find if very aggravating – the system is either not own, or at least the stock prognosis line is not on until a good hour after the store has opened. This happened with both the Sacramento and Tempe, AZ stores.

Speaking of the Tempe, AZ store, online it showed they did have the comforter in the right size in stock. I called my mom for help. I asked if she and my dad could plan a visit to the Tempe store? My mom did one better and took her neighbor Barb with her this morning! Had she waited for my dad, they wouldn’t have been able to go until Thursday at the earliest. A quick call to my mom by 11 AM this morning and she already had the comforter in her bag, along with the recommended pillow to go inside the included, matching pillow sham as well as a few other special treats for London.

Here’s a picture of the comforter:

I completed the curtains by Sunday afternoon which meant I had the time to sit down and take measurements of the pillows for London’s bed and come up with designs for them. With the comforter coming with one matching pillow sham, I decided I only needed two large pillows to complement it, the curtains and the pelmet box and I wanted the design to be the same. Here is what I came up with, but image the solid orange to be a polka dot orange:

Recently, London received a package from my parents. In it was a cute vintage print Hawaiian dress, a turtle shirt from Hawaii, some PJs that I’ve been using as regular clothes (you cannot tell they are meant to be PJs and I think she should be on the beach combing for shells when she wears them) some socks, and some quilters squares for me to use in her room. There was solid orange, solid pink and then matching polka dot versions. The colors were spot on with the rest of the fabric and the orange is really going to help break up some of the pink!

The two smaller decorative pillows I wanted to be different. Here’s the design for the first one:

It will include the satin turquoise ribbon I used on the curtain as well as some of the left over trim on the pelmet box.

Here is the second:

I know this one will be a bit time consuming, but I think I will be able to get all these done by the end of the week. Wish me luck. All are going to have a sleeve back that have an inch over-lap at the slip so I can slip the covers on and off the pillows easily.

Here are the updated lists:

~ Sarah