Me – “Ginger, how do you like your playhouse?”
Ginger – “That’s not a playhouse, it’s just a bunch of wood!”
Technically, she’s correct, but we were hoping to see a little more enthusiasm(!) along the way. On the other hand, Chloe is already really pumped up about it.
Healthy skepticism
We need walls here...and here...and here!
Ready for "tracking" (which we think means 'trek' or 'explore')
All in all, I’m really happy with where we ended up this week, considering only six days were spent painting…virtually all solo. Unfortunately, I have to go back to work tomorrow, which will slow things tremendously. Other than a handful of areas that need additional repairs, all of the ground floor body has been painted!
Front, with the foundation painted
Porch ceiling
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (and Ginger)
Body color all done on west side
The sprayer came out today for the foundation and the porch ceiling. The foundation needed to be sprayed, since most of it is an incredibly rough texture that couldn’t possibly be brushed or rolled, and the porch ceiling would have been too much of a PITA to brush, not to mention dangerous without scaffolding. So I thought this was a good time to break out the new-in-box sprayer that we had bought off ebay 7 years ago when we were all jazzed up about some painting projects that we ended up doing by hand anyway. It’s been dragged along to three different houses in the hopes that we might one day actually use it.
So today was the day, and we were happy to find that it worked. But then I remembered what a pain it is to mask for spraying. It takes hours and hours and makes the spraying kind of anticlimatic. I’ve really been enjoying the straightforward simplicity of brushing…no masking tape, no paper, no plastic…just pick up a brush and start painting!
In addition to the foundation and porch ceiling, Stephanie was able to paint most of the back of the ground floor today. I forgot to grab a picture before the sun set, so I’ll add it later.
Porch
Freshly painted foundation. Look for the bonus Ginger image.
I've had to redecorate this room so many times, I'm getting dizzy.
Our Christmas tree has been up now for about a week and a half. In that time, I have had to redecorate the bottom third of it no less than four dozen times. Our littlest one, who turned one in August, is completely entranced by the tree. She calls all of ornaments that are in any way anthropomorphic (snowmen, animals, elves, Santas, etc.) “babies” and insists on pulling them all off - one by one - to give them kisses, leaving a pile of destruction in her wake.
Several times a day, our tree is pretty much naked from about 30 inches above the floor on down. I know what you’re thinking. I’m thinking it too. “Where is the supervision?”
Ginger's room
Ginger has finally moved into her room, just in time for her first birthday! It’s not *quite* finished as it still needs closet doors and a wall sconce, but it’s definitely functional. I’m a bit frustrated by my attempts to photograph it, however. It looks so cramped and weird in the photo but it’s actually quite cozy in real life and doesn’t feel cramped at all!
When she gets a little bigger and moves into a ‘big girl’ bed, we’ll remove the crib and changing table and relocate the rocking chair to playroom. I suspect when that happens, the room will feel positively palatial!
One of my favorite blogs is ikeahacker. It’s both entertaining and inspiring. Sure, a few of the hacks are “whack,” but that’s half the fun!
Not being handy myself (Julio is power tool god in this house – I tend to avoid motorized tools at all costs. I’m actually quite accident prone – to the point that even electric can openers freak me out. “That’s right doctor. I severed my finger trying to open a can of soup.” But I digress.) Where was I? Oh yeah. Not being handy myself, I especially enjoy “hackeasâ€: simple IKEA hacks you can do in 30 minutes or less. They are right up my alley!
In a previous post, we discussed our own hackea involving IKEA’s Deka curtain rod. Today I plan to wow you with my startling transformation of the Skimra lampshade. OK – maybe not so startling, but pretty cute, I think!
The Skimra lampshade before:
and my post-hack Skimra lampshade:
And its twin:
in Chloe and Ginger’s playroom:
Crafty, eh?
A year ago today marked my the end of my fifth week of “house arrest” (otherwise known as bed rest.)
Chloe, the older of our two daughters, was born prematurely and spent roughly six weeks in the hospital. So last May, when baby number two threatened to make an appearance two months ahead of schedule, I was advised to stay off my feet for SIX LONG WEEKS.
Being confined to bed rest in your third trimester is excruciating. Not in terms of physical discomfort (although there is a bit of that.) Rather, it’s the psychological distress that’s unbearable. Not only are you steeped in worry over your unborn child, but you’re locked in this perverse battle of wanting – or perhaps more accurately, NEEDING – to give in to the all-consuming “nesting instinct,” yet you know that your baby’s health depends on ignoring that desire/need. Ultimately, you end up glued to the couch for a month and a half, obsessing about everything that isn’t getting done. Click to continue »
Ginger was born early Friday morning. This project, completed in just a little over 9 months, is one of the top two that we’ve tackled. The other project, of course, is the infamous Project Chloe. Here is a photo of the final product. For obvious reasons, we do not have a “before” picture for this one.
