MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

Or in our families case Merry Chaosmas!!

From: The Rutledges

Jelly face boy trying to remove his shirt on his own,

underwear on head,

and toddlers first concert.

From our house to yours have a great holiday!

Army of Owls

I know, you thought I disappeared didn't you.  Well, the last couple of months have been up and down.

No excuse, right. 

My mother's cancer has become a bigger battle that we thought it would be.  Leave it to her to make something complicated.  Some of you might cringe at me saying that, but that's how we deal.  My family are a bunch of jokesters.  It's not that we aren't sypathetic, it's just that somebody needs to make the patient laugh.  When telling her story, my mother would say "Hey, at least they found I had a brain."  She's hanging in there right now.  We won't know if her brain tumors have shrunk until mid January.

In the shadow of all this, I've completed very few projects. However, I have been pinning many projects that I want to attempt on Pinterest! One of which was a gift for my son't teachers.  Only after the fact did I realize it wasn't very holiday like. But, he's teachers still liked them.



It says "Thank you for making me wiser."

 Brown paper bag, glue and scrapbook paper.  We traced my son's hands to use as the feet.  My owls didn't look near as mean as some of the one's I saw on Pinterest.  In fact, mine have a look of bewilderment in their eyes.  It reflects Liam's personality much better. 

Behind the blue door... it's not what you think.

The road of not so fun construction is really long and abnormally bumpy.  There are few bright spots when you are fixing things people don't see.  But, then you get one thing.... just one little bright spot in all the doom in gloom of rotten sub floor and beams... A new painted door!  Yes, it's a small thing.  One quart of paint to be exact.  But, it makes me happy.

Now you can see where I was going with the wreath color selections.  Hubby is a visual person, so I had to start warming him up to the color pallet.  Hmmm.. looks like the welcome mat that we got for a wedding gift is showing it's age.  Maybe 5 years old is the senior status for straw.  Time for a new one.

I tried not to get the over grown tree/bush, or the dead bushes in the picture.  You can see they had different ideas.  I'm blaming the loss of 3 bushes on the drought we had.  It is most definitely not a reflection of my distaste for taking care of vegetation.

I'm in love with the door color.  I tried to explain it to my mother.  My description made no sense to her...see if you get it.  "The color is aqua, but not 80's bridesmaids aqua.  More blue than green... more like nautical or Hampton's even."  It make total sense to me.  The actual color is peacock plume or something birdie like that.

I'm still alive, I promise!!

I know it's been a while.... a long while and I apologize.  Complete chaos has been swirling through my household.  For once, it doesn't have anything to do with my 2 year old, well not really anyway.

My house has been under construction.  It's not even the fun kind of construction.  It's just stupid old, "you were going to fall through the floor, but now you're not", kind of construction.  "The winter wind used to blow through the1/2" gap around your front and back door, but now it doesn't", "sitting on your toilet was like riding a bucking bronco, but now it doesn't move" kind of construction.

Did I mention that my house was built in the early 50's?  Some people by old houses because they love to fix them up.  I married into this house and should have made the hubby sell it.  Here I am, nearly 9 years later and I still hate this house.  It has a ton of potential, but I don't have the money to put into it.  Oh, and the other thing....no storage.  This place has 2 closets, well 3 if you include where the water heater is.

I'm ready for a little less maintenance! Like a place that just needs some paint you know!

Here's a little peek at what's been happening.

This is the laundry room.  New subfloor, new beams, and new door.  There was a hole straight through the subfloor by the door.  I'm going to miss the old sheet vinyl.  I always thought it looked like tile.

New subloor in the bathroom.  The house is pier and beam, because of the horrible drought the foundation is sinking causing all kinds of problem.

They installed the old toilet.... see all the wetness on the plywood.  That's how much water had been leaking causing some of the problems.  Sigh... why would you install it again? Boys!  Anyhoo, I made them get a new toilet and that problem was solved.

Stay tuned and you will get to see a picture of another toilet really soon.  Betcha can't wait.

Can you feel my heart beep?

TERRIBLE "TWO"SDAYS


Yeah I know it's not Tuesday.  My regular 7-5 job is kicking my a**.  I've been down and out for a week or so.  


So, today's "TWO"sday is not your typical 'pull your hair out, what did you do' story.  Prepare for your heart to be warmed by the thoughts of my little monster.


This month Liam is learning about service people in school (firemen, policemen, doctors).  Yesterday, they learned about doctors and used doctor kits.  When asked what he did in school he responded, "I put them in my ears, and I whistened to Major's heart beep. I whistened to Sopia's (Sophia)heart beep and my heart beep."


It cracked me up.  All the rest of the night he was talking about his heart beep.

Terrible "TWOsday"

My 2 year old miniature monster has at least one blog worthy moment a week.  So, I think he should have it out there for everyone to enjoy.  I'm not a selfish person and feel like everyone should hear what it's like to live with a 2 year old.

This week in lil' monster land (I mean that in the sweetest way possible) he figured out how to open the child gate.  We have one gate to keep him in the living room.  Before I realized that he was gone, I heard silence.  That's the sign of something gone a rye. 

I found him in the bathroom looking like this.

He must be worried about pre-mature wrinkles.  As you can see it's hard to be mad at that little face.  ESPECIALLY, because he knows how to say he's sorry.  He pats you on the arm and looks lovingly into your eyes and says,"I sorry". 

Not more than and hour later I found him covered in self tanner!  It's ok, he did not end up looking like Snookie.  He was just preparing to be and Umpa Lumpa for Halloween.

Flashback Thursday??

How's this name for the old projects section? Yeah I think it's kinda stolen from a local radio station, I guess that's why it sounds so good.



Let's take a look at an oldie but a goodie...  My first media room conversion.  I'll keep this simple and just put some before and after pictures up.  It was a loooonnng process.

Design concept

Before looking towards where the screen will go

Before looking the opposite direction where the bar will go

As you can see, this was a bowling alley of a space.  The owner wanted to have as many seating options as possible.

After

We ended up putting a velvet fabric valance and panels on the screen.  There's 3 rows of love seats and granite bars on either side.  I think that's a total 16.



After bar area

2 more bar seats at the kitchen area.  Above the kitchen area there was an LED night scene painted like a night sky. I loved the leather tufted door!

After another view

Probably the biggest project and overhaul that I've ever done.  I wish I had better after pictures.  I still love the faux finish in this room.  If the main goal wasn't to get as many people as possible in the theater, I would have eliminated one row of seating.  What do you think?