Circle Time Mats

There are six of us who are participating in a preschool coop this year for our 4 year olds.  In preparation , I was given the task to create something that the kids could sit on during circle/story time. I finally decided to use place mats which are the perfect size for little buns. I picked them up at IKEA for $1.49 and  then attached their names.   I ironed HEAT 'n BOND to the back of my fabric, peeled off the paper and then ironed them onto the placemats. Now each child has a special spot just for him or her. Don't you think these would be cute around the dinner table too?

Hurricane Irene

Mean Irene was relatively nice when she visited our house.  Because we were on the left side of the hurricane we were just attacked with tons of rain and occasional gusts of very powerful wind.  The right side of the hurricane is where there is the most trouble, including tornadoes, thunderstorms, and increased flooding.  Yeah, we know a lot. We have become very well-versed in our natural disasters lately.  The rain and wind began about noon on Saturday and was completely gone by noon on Sunday.  We passed the time in the basement, where Atley was a nervous wreck and drove everyone crazy with his questions and anxiety. He kept saying, "I've never felt more alive." The next morning we found a very dirty pool and about half-a-million sticks and small limbs in our yard, but no damage.

We went for a ride to see how everyone else held up in the storm.  One of our neighbors had two large trees uprooted, one of which was lying in the road blocking one lane of the only entrance into our neighborhood.

Although we only lost power for about 30 seconds, there were many stoplights out all over town.

Of course, there was also a reporter on every corner.

We tried to make the most of our situation by burning a few of our sticks roasting wieners in the back yard.

Stay tuned next week where we expect pestilence and famine.

the bathroom

As you may recall, I posted on my plans for our (possible) future back yard space here, and some assorted interior decor ideas here. (And most recently I noted how my wallpaper ideas have evolved following my receipt of some samples here.)

It seems like as good a time as any to resume the redecorating planning posts, yes?

There are 1.5 baths. This is the only photo I have, of the full bath (obviously). As you see, it has a nice claw-foot bath. This also has a shower attachment. My DH hates it (he wants an enclosed shower and believes this one is unsafe); I, of course, love it. The sink appears to be a clam-shell one in this photo, but it actually isn't. The sink and toilet are new, but in a sort of older style, which I'm happy with. As you can probably tell, they redid it relatively recently - those are real hardwood floors (not my first choice for the bathroom, but they're in good shape so far), but of course not original to the house. So it doesn't need any major renovation or anything.

It is, however, very small, and maximizing space will be necessary. There's already a hotel-style towel rack behind the door (which of course is invisible in the picture). I think there should also be a cupboard or shelves over the toilet (outside the frame on the right-hand side). I also have a little bitty three-drawer chest that I use in our bathroom now. I may paint it a color that matches the new bathroom better (currently it's off-white), but that will help to hold toiletries and so forth.

I am still debating about the walls. I've been thinking about wallpaper, obviously. This was my absolute favorite print:

But the factory was out of stock and they won't even send me a sample. After I finished sulking, I decided it was just as well. I'm looking at one "accent" wall of wallpaper for the bedrooms (and all four walls above the chair rail for the dining room - but that will make a bigger impact, so I think it's worth it), but all four walls for the bathroom. Though the bathroom obviously is not large, I think that adds up to about ten rolls of wallpaper. The favorite print is about $28 per roll, but there are a number of prints in the $11-12 range, so I've decided to focus on some of those. (The one I got a sample of and hated was $11.) Currently I'm looking at this one:

Although it's a little bit fussy. I like damask, but I would prefer to go with a damask with cleaner lines for the bathroom (since the space is small and I don't want it to look overwrought). This one has much cleaner lines:

...but maybe it's too modern? And then there's this one:

A bit cleaner lines, not too modern, but the print is on a very large scale. I don't know whether that will look awesome or insane. (I have yet to order samples of these. Soon.)

And then, as before mentioned, I am still thinking about just keeping it simple and painting -something like this color:

So that leaves textiles, which make for fairly dominant decor in the bathroom, I think. To balance my eye-catching wallpaper, I plan to go simple there. I have white fluffy bath and hand towels. And I recently bought super-pile white cotton bath mats:

And I am (have I mentioned this before?) kind of oddly in love with this shower curtain:

I don't know why, I just think it's completely awesome. It's designer, so it's way too expensive, and also, my husband hates it. But I do also like this one:

I think in view of the fact that I showed him the octopus first, he said that the tree is not so bad. I know, contemporary design is not usually my cup of tea. But I just find them charming. And I think it's reasonable to buy a few textiles with a more contemporary bent, since they wear out so quickly - the more durable things will be more traditional. I originally found the tree on houzz.com (love!), but it's available here.

And then I had a brilliant inspiration: the clawfoot tub requires two shower curtains to go all the way around. I can put the tree one on the back most of the time. On the front I can put something plainer - I just bought this on clearance:

(Mine is white.) And then when I'm feeling a bit more whimsical, I can switch the tree to the front. I also bought these shower curtain rings (that's chrome):

OK. I think I'm pretty well squared away here. Maybe more of a rainshower head for the bath, but that's about it.

your awesomeness

This morning I stepped out of the shower, with 20 minutes to check out of my hotel room and meet some colleagues to drive to the airport. I wouldn't usually answer the phone when I was in a hurry, and I never answer 800 numbers, but for some reason I did - towel in hand, dripping all over the carpet. It was my buddy at the VA, who told me that he was waiving all the conditions of the appraisal. Not pending verification that we made all the improvements as soon as we moved in - just waiving them, period.

Now, of course we are going to take good care of this house. Of course we are going to make sure it is in good repair, and make sure there's no water in the basement, and fix all the peeling paint, and resurface the roof, and repaint the eaves before winter. Of course. But, as he pointed out, all the issues identified as conditions were very small things, and the house is substantially sound, and they were saying it was unsafe on account of these little issues! God bless him.

We're not out of the woods yet - we still have more paperwork to do (even before closing), and wretched BoA still has not responded to our request regarding the appraisal price (not even to say no. They just haven't responded, in an entire week. And they know closing was scheduled for tomorrow). So who knows how that will go. But this time yesterday, I thought this deal was all over but the crying. And now it really looks like this could still happen.

(Also, as my DH points out, moving during a hurricane would be other than ideal. So maybe the date change will work out for the best.)

And I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. Even with little things like a house, I'm not that good at praying for myself...maybe I do a little...but I have a hard time believing. And you guys are hoping for me, and invested for me, and praying for me (even though this is just a house, and not the life-and-death situations that affect a lot of the other bloggy ladies), and I can't tell you how grateful I am for that.

Trash to Treasure

About two months ago at a neighborhood yard sale I bought an IKEA coffee table for $5.  It had a light wood stain and not only looked cheap but also didn't really go with the rest of my house. I wanted to do something to give it new life but couldn't decide what, so we used it anyway to eat dinner and to put our feet up. 

Then, another neighbor started remodeling.  Truth be told, when a big dumpster gets delivered to anyone in our neighborhood I get a little thrill of excitement.  I seriously might be mentally ill. Soon I noticed an interior door lying on the top of that dumpster and under the cover of night we went dumpster diving.  Scott kept asking, "Why are we doing this?" I had no answers, but I knew I wanted the door for something.  It sat in our garage for a few weeks until I had an epiphany-Use the door to prettify the coffee table.   

1.  The door was too long so I sawed off the bottom with a circular saw.

2. I painted the door blue along with the legs and sides of the IKEA table.

3. After it dried I distressed it just a little with sand paper.

4. We couldn't find the door knob in the dumpster so I went to the local hardware store and bought a crystal looking and very brassy knob. 

5. I spray painted the ugly gold with an antique rust spray and attached it along with the hinges to the door.

6.  Finally, I screwed it onto the coffee table. 

7. Total price $11.93

With the bottom of the door I had to saw off I made this Love At Home Planter, by painting it blue, adding the phrase and finally putting greenery in the hollowed out door bottom.

Scott uses miles and miles of electrical wire at work and so he always has these giant spools rolling around in the back of his truck.  I thought they would make perfect candle stands so with a little spray paint that is what they became.

Earthquake Story

Okay, we have been ridiculed and demeaned over the last two days about our OVERreaction to the earthquake.  So, before I tell our story you need to realize that when you hear a loud rumbling and the earth starts shaking in D.C. your first reaction is not earthquake.  The alternative is sometimes even more terrifying.  I also want all of you west coast earthquake experts to observe us over the next few days as we sit idly by in our homes while Hurricane Irene pummels us.  I wonder what your reaction would be in a hurricane.  I am guessing similar to our reaction to our baby earthquake.  That being said here is our somewhat hilarious story.

By chance, on the afternoon of August 23rd we ended up about 20 minutes from home at my friend Jill's house.  We were sitting in the living room watching the kids play.  All the kids except Atley who was in the bathroom taking care of business.  Suddenly, we heard a low rumble that was mildly shaking the windows.  I looked at my friend and said, "What is that sound?"  Her reply, "I think it is just a truck going by."  Afterall, they do live near a busy street.  Quickly the sound increased as did the intensity of the shaking. Jill and I looked at each other and yelled, "EARTHQUAKE!" at the same time. Instinctively we found ourselves on the floor of the living room with all the children rushing towards us.  I will never forget the look on Atley's face as he ran to us from the bathroom-white as a ghost and still trying to pull up his pants.  One of the kids yelled, "I don't want to die."  I heard Atley say, "Is this gonna be like Haiti all over again?" Harley, well, she just giggled incessantly.  Like mother birds with our babies wrapped around us in our nest, Jill said a prayer.  Impressive right? She thinks to pray while my first instinct was to profane! We heard breaking glass and things crashing throughout the house. I began pulling the cushions off the couch thinking maybe we should try to get under them. About the time I pulled off the last cushion the shaking stopped.  After we were sure it was over and that it wasn't coming back the kids went on a scouting mission to investigate the damage.  Boxes of Lego's fell off of a shelf as did a few nicknack's, books, a cup of water on a night stand and a dish of change.  Nothing major but for us first time earthquakers a little unnerving.  We tried to call the husbands who work together. Jill was able to reach her husband, but I couldn't get through to Scott for a few hours.  He had been evacuated from the museum where he was working.  He was in the basement working on a computer console when the unit started shaking.  He said he thought it was one of his guys shaking it to irritate him until he heard things falling and people running in the hall.  Although, he said he wasn't terrified,  he definitely felt the desire to get out of that basement quickly before he had the entire American History Museum on top of him.  Traffic was horrendous for several hours as the entire city made an exodus to the suburbs.  I stayed at Jill's until the rush died down and we watched the kids have an occasional earthquake drill.  They even built a panic room, full of pillows and blankets.

That is our story, more of an adventure than anything else and maybe a lesson on what to do next time.  I love this picture from a local blogger, who was soliciting help for the victims of the D.C. Earthquake of 2011.  Just look at the clean up we are left to face all while the world focuses on such minor issues as Libya and unemployment.

Bank of America can kiss my @$$

So you know this house we're supposed to close on this Friday, and move into on Saturday? No. No, we're not. It's a long story. It exhausts me emotionally. Here is the short version (really): after all the insanity and the six months since our offer and assorted nonsense, we were scheduled to move and had done all our inspections. Thursday last, we got the appraisal report. Came in $10,000 under the contract price. I was surprised, since the contract price was about $40,000 under the tax assessment. We asked the sellers' lender (BoA) to take $10,000 off the price. Have they answered? No, of course not. Why do that?



Worse, the appraisal came with all sorts of "conditions" - things that must be fixed or the VA will not guarantee our loan, as these conditions make the property unsafe, unsound, or unsanitary. Take a moment and think of conditions that you think would rise to that level. Keep thinking. No, really, come up with a few really good examples.



Did peeling exterior paint make your list? No? Really?



Yeah, it made our list of conditions. So did adding a handrail to the service stairs (because they're missing a step, so that first one's a seam-splitter). But those stairs are redundant - there is a main staircase. Also, there's some water in the basement...and the eaves need repainting...and the roof needs resealing. And they think we need a handrail on the front porch stairs (I disagree). But here's the kicker: in a normal sale, the seller would get all these things done quick-fast so the sale could go through. In this (SHORT!) sale, the seller has no money; the approving bank (the aforementioned Bank of America that can kiss my @$$) is not going to pay for it; and I am not going to pay for repairs to the place until I live there, because before that it is not my house, and I do not undertake repairs to other people's property. For the record, there's a potentially serious liability issue there - do not do this.



So we requested a waiver from the VA...they denied it in two hours, but we didn't hear for three days...today I called and heard that they had not denied (or even received) it and I don't understand this news; we've extended our current lease a month; we're scrambling to get estimates for these repairs; I've re-submitted the waiver request to the VA; everything we have is in boxes. I've absolutely had it - I was at the limits of my patience before the latest round of drama started. I don't even want a house any more; I just want all the people connected to this transaction to be repeatedly run over by a truck at low speed.



And then my realtor told me that Bank of America has, on previous occasions, charged buyers $100 a day for delaying closing. (They can't do so here, because as the closing date approaches, they haven't even responded to our request to drop the price and therefore as of yesterday our contract is technically void. Nice job, geniuses at Bank of America. You have an entire legal department; I have a senile realtor and no experience in real estate law. NOT IMPRESSIVE.) I have heard that BoA recently lost an outrageous amount of money in what even I think was sort of a frivolous lawsuit on behalf of foreclosed-on homeowners in the Pacific Northwest. Good.



At this point I am open to renting until we move out of the DC area altogether and take up teleworking from an island off the coast of Maine (I would also consider an island in the Chesapeake. I'm very open-minded).



Moving this post to a lighter note, I am also courting small disasters in the shape of the foiling of some of my home decor plans. You may recall my endless wallpaper debates, and, as I mentioned, I've actually started ordering samples. They finally arrived - quite a few of them. Some are winners; some, not so much.



Let's see...for our bedroom, I've been set on this for ages and ages:





It totally doesn't work in person. I want something very crisp - sharp edges, with solid, even color - and this is almost "painterly," with watery color and feathered edges. Plus it's not as greenish/turquoise as it appears on the screen. It's out. Unfortunately, hours and hours of searching through wallpaper images have not revealed to me a worthy substitute. Woe.



I had intended this for the upstairs bathroom:





In addition to being a great price, I loved that the print was relatively simple and clean for a damask. I also thought that it was a faint gray-on-gray. Tragically, no. While the sample had the crispest printing anyone could ask for, it is a horrendous beige-on-beige. With apologies to anyone who feels the opposite, I loathe beige for home decor applications. A really resonant ivory seems appropriate to me in some circumstances, but beige I cannot countenance. And this one is a shiny, almost pearlescent, beige on matte beige. It's truly horrible.



Almost as long-standing as my (now abandoned) choice for our bedroom is my preference for the dining room:





That had one flaw that was foreseeable even from the on-screen version - namely, the background color had a parchment-y tone, rather than completely even color. And I absolutely loathe faux finishes on wallpaper - cloudy prints, "aged" finishes, any kind of thing that's supposed to look like bricks or wood or whatever. And sure enough, in person, it's parchment-y...but not really moreso than it appeared online. And from a distance of even a few feet, I don't think that would really be visible. And I think it's still a great choice to go above white wainscoting. So, I'm sticking with it. One room down.



For the second bedroom, I ordered a sample of this:





I loved that it had insects. That really said "Victorian grotesque" to me. I was concerned about the luridness of the background color. Again, the sample was a surprise in person. The background color was very toned-down and totally workable. The print was also much larger than I realized. Some of those flowers are the size of saucers. I think maybe the scale alone makes the print seem more modern, and that troubles me. I still love all the bugs. And I love the greeen. And I love all the different intense colors in the flowers - it would make it easy to bring in other colors in the room as accents. But...now I'm second-guessing whether it has the feel I want. I want wallpaper with a really historic sensibility, without making it look like the house is inhabited by 90-year-olds. I know that to most people's eyes, any wallpaper automatically reads nonogenarian, and I'm OK with that - I just have to get it to read artistic and interesting, rather than "museum," from my point of view.



For the third bedroom, as you may recall, I am working from this inspiration photo - I want three walls in this apricot color:





And then the fourth wall will be some wallpaper in the right color. And as I've mentioned, my point of inspiration is this paper (I need to find an affordable version, in a lighter shade):





I ordered two different shades of what seemed like a likely print, figuring they were both approximately apricot and I would pick the better one. One was ivory and the other was metallic gold. I'm not sure how that happened. My exhaustive search for a replacement has been largely unsuccessful, but tomorrow I am going to order this:





I think it has potential. HOWEVER. It also turned out to be a portent of disaster. You see, it's made by Pierre Deux, which company makes some of my very favoritest home decor prints. Wonderful things. And it is going out of business. It looks like there is still some stock in a lot of the papers available to buy - but only for a short time. So I was thinking that maybe I should look harder at Pierre Deux prints for the rooms as to which I'm still undecided, but I haven't really had much success with that.



My husband likes this print:





And I see where he's coming from, but it's very dark, too dark for a house with little rooms. And I love this print:





But I think it would be too much for our bedroom, and I want something with a lot of green for the second bedroom. So I am torn.



I have settled on a few other things. I want a warm, light-to-medium, yellowy-gray color for the living room. I'm not going to use wallpaper in that room at all. It has the uneven plaster that would be difficult to paper, and I want to use a lot of different vibrant colors of vintage velvet-upholstered furniture, and I need a neutral background.



I'm also thinking that I might just need to paint the upstairs bath the color of my Platonic Bathroom (and skip wallpaper there altogether - sad though that makes me):

I've got some ideas on specific paint colors, but still working on it.



And, in answer to your obvious question, if we don't get the house, I am just going to break into someone else's home and repaint and paper their walls.

Beachy Keen!

Before we left for the beach I said a little prayer that we would have a memorable day, perhaps I should have rephrased my prayer.  About 40 minutes into our drive Nash threw up all over the van.  Too late to turn back!  We suffered with the smell of vomit and the nervous anticipation of more to come for two more hours before we arrived. We had a great three hours on the beach before they made us leave because of impending thunderstorms. After some time on the boardwalk, we drove home in the most horrendous rain I have ever seen.  We have to cross Bay Bridge in Annapolis to get home.  Bay Bridge is considered the 3rd scariest bridge in the world.  I am pretty sure that last night it was the scariest bridge in the world with the flashes of lightning and buckets of rain.  Needless to say it was a memorable day.

Nash felt better as soon as he caught a glimpse of the ocean and as soon as Harley got over calling the sand, "NATY," (a.k.a. nasty), she was in love with the beach.  I thought about editing away her black eye and bruises before posting but that just isn't Harley. She is a rough and tumble little girl, who will have no problem holding her own with the big brothers.

Joseph Smith & The Plates of Gold

Last week for Family Home Evening we went to a special screening of a new movie about Joseph Smith.  Usually movies like this open up in Utah and then eventually trickle out to the rest of the United States, but fortunately for us, the producer decided to release this film opposite that trend.  I highly recommend it to any one of our faith and even those who are not. The actor playing Joseph was there and answered questions at the end which was also really interesting.  Even the children were well-behaved throughout the nearly 3 hour event.  Not that good behavior is surprising! Just look at those angelic faces. No mischief on their minds.

Making Goals & Reaching Some of Them!

We had three very important goals this summer: 

1. Both boys should learn to swim...

Done!

2. Nash needed to learn to ride his bike without training wheels...

Mission accomplished and yes, he even does tricks!

3.  We wanted Harley to survive the summer with little damage.  Judging from the bruises on her face sustained from a tumble down the stairs and a bike wreck with mommy, we are learning to be content with only accomplishing 2 of our 3 goals.

I am sorry baby, but remember what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.  Although I doubt you need any extra advice on being tough with Atley and Nash for brothers.