Sun Room Redo

After several weeks of having various samples of yellow painted on the sun room wall, we (actually W) painted the room. The new Behr paint with primer in it is awesome.

This is the first wall that you see when you come into the house via the side entrance (the one everyone uses). Kinda blah even with the new yellow paint. Ignore the couch cushions that still need to be recovered.

I got 11 x 14 prints made of these photographs and hung them above the couch. This picture really doesn't capture how great they look. The two landscapes are from our trip to Kansas, and the flower is one we found on a walk behind our house. I love them. Isn't that what making a house into a home is all about?!

This Box

I had forgotten but quickly remembered why this box has been sitting in the office for the last two years.

It is full of photographs--random photographs. You know, those one or two photos that someone sends you after an event or school pictures of family members. Honestly, some of the pics could be tossed, like the ones of old boyfriends. I mean really, why do I need those?

What do I do with the rest of them? I could scan them in and toss the originals. I could scan them and keep the originals as is. I could put the photos in an album.

I even drug the box upstairs, so it would be in my sight. Sadly, I think it is just going to go back downstairs unresolved. It requires too much energy to deal with at this time. Lame, I know.

Entrances

Entrances to homes that is...should be clean and clutter free, right?

There are four major entrances to our home. Strange, I hadn't really thought about it until I started this project.

Entrance #1
Technically, this is the side entrance, but it is the one everyone uses. All those glass panes were what started this all. I have been wanting to clean them for some time now, so I did today...and swept, and convinced myself that what it really needs are some flowers and a welcome mat.

Entrance #2

This is the front door. Only delivery people and others who have never been to the house before use this entrance. It is really too bad because we have quite a nice front porch except that the spiders had totally taken over. They were none too happy when I whacked them down with the broom.

Entrance #3

Door from inside the garage to the house. This is the entrance that still needs the most work. I wish I had before pictures though because it was Much, Much worse.

Entrance #4
This is the back door. Many little fingerprints covered these glass panes, and the dirt loves to settle here by the door.

There you have it; at least for one day all four doors are clean.

Twelve Days and Counting

Twelve days until I go back to work.

I know about pregnancy nesting. There must be "going back to work" nesting as well.

So far today I have:

• wiped down door handles and door frames
• cleaned the glass in the patio door
• made bread with LM
• organized the spices
• cooked a new recipe
• added additional tags to photos

Yesterday I organized the kitchen utensil drawer and shredded a lot of old files.

New Mom Necessities

I have been writing this post in my head for the last eight weeks. The title New Mom Necessities is a bit of a misnomer, really. Obviously, the only absolutely necessary items for a baby are some type of covering and food.

These are things that I have found extremely helpful that may or may not be on the traditional baby check list.

In no particular order:

laptop/wireless--countless hours nursing, need I say more. Having the ability to work on photos, check email, and surf the web have kept me sane during numerous nights of nursing.

Shout--honestly this stuff is amazing. I have no idea how it works, but all I know is that it gets out every stain a newborn and active toddler throw at it. I could seriously do a commercial for it. I see also that they have introduced a Natural Stain Remover. I wonder if it works?

gas drops--I know there are some people who say that babies don't really have gas pains. Perhaps there is something I am missing, but what I can tell you is that with both LM and FH, these gas drops work, eliminating a writhing, crying baby in the middle of the night.

cloth diapers--not so much for diapering the baby but for everything else--wiping up spills, catching projectile vomiting, and removing disgusting boogies. When the babies are grown, they can be used for dusting and other household projects.

hand pump--This is probably TMI, but with both of my children, my milk came in very quickly. Let's just say that one's breast should not be rock solid. Thank goodness my sister knew what to do. She whipped out the hand pump and saved me from excruciating pain. I am eternally grateful.

dishwasher--We did not have a dishwasher when LM was born, so clearly this is something with which I could live without. However, sterilizing all of those bottles by boiling is just a pain in the a**. As FH sits in his bouncy chair sound asleep, the dishwasher apparently is quite a good white noisemaker as well.

bouncy chair--When we went to the beach (a six-hour trip), this was the only baby apparatus that we took. No play pen, no swing--but we had to have the bouncy chair.

Things that I have found to be totally worthless or at best not helpful:

baby bathtub--We used one of these for the first couple of weeks with LM, but it was terrible. He was so slick and wet, it was difficult to keep him in place, and the thing was bulky in our tiny house. We ended up just putting a hand towel in the bottom of the tub and running a smidge of water. Worked much better.

wipe warmer--maybe I am cold-hearted, but this just seems like overkill. I don't think five seconds of a cold wipe is going to cause any lasting damage.

baby monitor--With both kids, they slept in a bassinet next to our bed until they would no longer fit into it. In both houses, our room and the kids' room are extremely close to each other. I find the white noise of the monitor extremely annoying when trying to sleep. I hear the slightest thing anyway, so we ended up stopping using it with LM.

TV Volume

All I can say is "it is about time."

SRA Develops TV-Volume Leveler. I absolutely hate watching commercials, and I cannot stand how much louder they are than the television program.

Also, why is it that all of the channels go to commercial at the same time? We have 100+ channels, and all of them seem to be on a commercial simultaneously. What's up with that?

In popular culture, I know it is the man who is stereotyped as being a channel changer--not in our house. If I am watching TV, I am following at least two shows if not three or four.

W and I have been together 15 years. In those fifteen years, I have never understood how he can just sit through a commercial. He just sits there calmly like there is nothing wrong in the world. I, on the other hand, am literally twitching to change the channel.

Very rarely do we watch TV together (big surprise). Actually, very rarely do we watch much TV at all. If it wasn't for the sporting events, I think we could cancel the cable subscription.

Emergency Preparedness Kit

First, let me say that I never expected this task to take so long. I thought I could just go to a few sites and get what we needed. Nor did I expect this post to be so long either.

Along with getting our financial house in order, I have had on the "to do" list for ages the task of preparing or purchasing an emergency preparedness kit for the house.

It is amazing (and a bit overwhelming) how many kits are available online. Starting out on the Red Cross site, I spent several hours last night surfing around looking at all of the options. Two days and many hours later spent surfing...

There are small one-person kits like this one, and huge multi-person cases like this one. I didn't even really get into all of the survival sites where people stock up a year or more worth of food and supplies.

By the end of the night, I was totally confused about what we should get.

So, this morning I regrouped and asked:

First question: What is the purpose of the kit?

I am not an alarmist and am realistic enough to realize that in the face of a catastrophic emergency, think terrorist attack or nuclear bomb, no matter what I did would be insufficient.

Ok, when exactly do I think this kit would be used, and why do I feel a compelling need to have one?

In our part of the world, the most realistic emergency would be the extended loss of power due to snow or other inclement weather. In our case, loss of electricity means no lights, no water since the pump on the well is electric, no heat, and no cooking on the electric stove.

No lights--we already have a camp light and numerous flashlights as well as candles.

Tasks: Check the battery on the camp light

Find the flashlight that belongs underneath the sink and return it

No water--not much we can do to run the well without electricity

Tasks: Get an emergency supply of water (done 9/10)

Get water purification tablets (done 9/10)

No heat--we have tons of blankets and two fireplaces with plenty of wood. The laundry room trash always has lint in it for a starter, and the matches are in the kitchen cabinet.

Task: None

No cooking--we have a camping stove with extra fuel as well as a gas grill and a manual can opener. We always have some canned food on hand.

Task: None

No communication--the cell phones would last only so long, but we have a generator so we are ok there.

Task: Find the hand crank radio and return it to under the sink

Other items: We have a lot of tools for whatever might be needed, games and cards for entertainment, a four-wheel drive vehicle, and I would like to think two resourceful adults. W also has a lot of his Army gear, such as heavy-duty rope and a ruck sack.

Task: Get a more complete First Aid kit (done 9/10)

It seems like we would fair fairly well if we were stuck in our house for several days without electricity. Anything beyond a week or so, we would probably start to run out of water, food, and gasoline for the generator.

The other issue would be an evacuation due to a forest fire around our house. In this case, we would simply go to a nearby relative's house. I don't foresee having to camp out in a shelter or some other makeshift lodging.

SO....if we would be OK at home, it seems that the emergency preparedness kit would likely be used more in an evacuation-type situation--getting us from the emergency to safety.

Second question: In an ideal kit what would our family need?

At a minimum, the Red Cross recommends the following:

• water
• food
• flashlight
• extra batteries
• first aid kit
• medications
• multi-purpose tool
• sanitation and personal hygiene items
• copies of personal documents
• cell phone with charger
• family and emergency contact information
• extra cash
• emergency blanket
• map of the area

Seems like a good place to start. Since we have two small children and a dog, the following additional items are suggested:

• baby supplies (food, diapers, etc.)
• games and activities for children
• pet supplies (leash, food, carrier, bowl)

Additional suggested supplies include:

• two-way radios
• extra set of car and house keys
• manual can opener
• whistle
• surgical masks
• matches
• rain gear
• towels
• work gloves
• extra clothing
• plastic sheeting
• duct tape
• scissors
• liquid bleach
• blankets or sleeping bag

Third question: To build one myself or purchase one? Should each individual have their own kit, or should the family's be all together? Should we go the backpack route or a waterproof bin?

You can buy these kits for four people, but I think it makes sense to have two bags--one for each adult with additional supplies added for the kids. I went back and forth on this. It finally came down to cost. I budgeted $100.00 this month for this expense and wanted to stick to that. I ended up getting one 3-day adult bag and adding some additional items. Depending on what it looks like when it arrives in the mail, I might get another one at a later date. I figured that if the purpose is to give us a few supplies to keep us until we get to safety, we can split up the food and water meant to cover one person over a three-day period.

Depending on how much extra space there is in the bag, I will likely get another empty backpack and split up everything between the two, including items for the kids and the dog.

After much deliberation and comparison, I narrowed the selection down to these four kits, realizing that none of them had exactly what I needed:

1. Red Cross Deluxe Emergency Preparedness Kit (Adult, 3-Day)--$69.95
2. Lifesecure Grab-and-Go 1-Person 3-Day Complete Emergency Kit--$69.95
3. LifeGear Wings of Life Survival Backpack--$67.74
4. Survival Gear Source 2 Person Essentials Survival Kit--$73.50

I wanted to get a kit that had as many of the Red Cross recommended items in it as well as some additional "survival" components, such as waterproof matches, a compass, and fishing hooks. (I know these items totally go against the whole purpose of the kit for us, which is a grab-and-go to safety thing rather than living out in the woods with Bear Grylls. I just felt like a disaster kit just wasn't complete without these types of items.)

I really wanted to support the Red Cross, but after comparison, the only thing the RC kit had that the Lifesecure one did not was a hygiene kit. On the other hand and for the same price, the Lifesecure kit has a multipurpose tool, LED safety signal light, notepad, pen, waterproof document pouch, water purification tablets, biohazard bags, and toilet paper.

The LifeGear kit had a drinking water pouch, hygiene kit, compass, thermometer, and signaling mirror, which the Lifesecure one did not. However, the LifeGear kit was missing: plastic sheeting, duct tape, radio, flashlight, light sticks, purification tablets, biohazard bags, and toilet paper.

The 2-person Essential Survival Kit available from Survival Gear Source came the closest to having everything. I decided not to order from them though because I just couldn't tell the quality of the items from the website. The price almost seemed a little bit too low.

I went with the kit from Lifesecure and for added the following items from Wal-Mart to make it work for four people and our family:

• cloth diapers
• safety pins
• 46-piece survival kit (compass, fishing hooks, poncho, etc.)
• hygiene kit (toothbrush, toothpaste, tampons, shampoo, deodorant, baby soap, mouthwash)
• 2 rain ponchos
• 2 emergency blankets
• 2 whistles
• Advil
• miniature coloring book with stickers

These items cost $59.50 with the survival kit at $14.88 and the diapers at $11.00 being the most expensive items.

Fourth question: So what do kids need that is different than an adult? Does it make sense to buy a kit specifically for kids or should I get a two-adult bag and add a few kid things.

There are emergency kits specifically for kids here ($33.95), here ($33.99), here ($44.95), and here ($57.95).

The kits for kids had a few things that were different from an adults kit, but not much:

• rechargeable squeeze flashlight
• children's poncho
• activity book and crayons
• toys--jump rope, paddle with ball, and jacks set
• cup
• child-sized backpack
• food kids recognize--hot chocolate, jelly, fruit cup, raisins, fruit roll up, etc.

In addition, this article includes the following for kids:

• extra clothes
• a favorite toy, doll, or stuffed animal
• paper with home address, phone number and parents' names
• $20 in small bills and coins

I am just going to add a few thing for the kids rather than buy them a specific kid-friendly bag. They don't seem worth the money.

I am off to order my grab-and-go bag...can't wait to see what it is like...

Things left to do: (will this project every end?!)

• make copies of documents
• find a hold flashlight for kids
• buy small bottles of alcohol
• make a "to grab if time" list
• buy two child ponchos
• pack some kid-specific items
• find the under-the-sink flashlight
• get small bills and coins
• find long-lasting gluten-free food
• consider gathering up items for an inhome emergency (candles, matches, flashlight, first aid kit, water purification, lint, etc.)
• get a map of the area
• put together a emergency contact card
• get pet supplies together
• add the travel sewing kit
• check the battery on the camp light
• find the flashlight that belongs underneath the sink and return it
• find the hand crank radio and return it to under the sink
• pack everything up

Habitat ReStore Rocks

Seriously, Adam and Dennis from the Winchester Habitat for Humanity ReStore just made me day...maybe even my week.

I called to see if they would be interested in having the cabinets that have been taking up the ENTIRE garage for over a MONTH. He said, "I'll be there in fifteen minutes." Are you kidding...fifteen minutes.

They also took the toilet that had been sitting in our side yard. Yes, a toilet. How much more white trash can you get than a toilet sitting in your yard.

AND, they also took all of the countertops that were also occupying much space in the garage.

Just goes to show that making one phone call and asking for some assistance rather than doing everything yourself can be wonderful.

Habitat Rocks. I feel like doing cartwheels, jumping around to Hey Ya, and screaming Thank Heavens! I cannot tell you how glad I am to get that stuff out of the garage.

Nursing a newborn is a tremendously time consuming task.  Thankfully, a laptop and many trips to the library for books help me utilize this time.  

I have recently branched out and added the following blogs to my blogroll:

• Economist Mom
  
• Escape from Cubicle Nation
  
• Frugal Dad
  
• Wall Street Journal: Digits
  
• Wall Street Journal: The Wallet
  

A couple of articles caught my eye:

Is It Over-Sharing To Post Fetal Ultrasounds on Facebook?

The Juggle, July 22, 2009, 1:58 AM ET, By Marisa Wong

I say yes, but I tend to be a more private person and have a really like/find it fascinating/think it is weird relationship with Facebook.  Personally, I did not post much about my pregnancy on Facebook although I certainly know people that do/have.  I did post an announcement about his birth, but didn't include anything that wouldn't have been in a regular print birth announcement. 

Tri-Level Emergency Fund

Frugal Dad recommends keeping some cash on hand (around $500), about $1,000 at a local bank, and the largest bulk of the emergency fund in an online account or other savings account. 

I had certainly heard of having cash on hand and having a large emergency fund for unexpected issues.  However, I had not thought of having money in a local bank.  For families like us whose bank does not have bricks and mortar branches this makes even more sense.  In some kind of disaster we could not get at the bulk of our asset easily.  I am not a doom and gloom person, but it is something worth thinking about.

Student Loan

Yippee!!!

One student loan paid off!!  (one to go)

After some deliberation about six months ago, we decided to get really aggressive with our student loan payments.  After years and years of paying, we were just sick and tired of having these payments.

We actually reduced the amount of money being withdrawn into my retirement account and have redirected that to the loans.

I know some advisors would advise against this, saying that the money earned in interest in the retirement account is greater than the money paid in interest to the loans.

However, for us, it made sense.

1. Psychologically it was just depressing to have these payments.  We have both been out of school for some time
2. I think debt, in general, is not a good thing
3. I pay the student loan immediately once the funds are available, so we do not use that money for other things.  This is key.

Get the Look

Washington Post, July 23, 2009, Terri Sapienza

• White floors create a nice foundation for furniture to rest on
• Paint different rooms in variations of one color
• Freshen rooms with painted furniture
• Stay away from formal, fussy fabrics
• Group like items together
• In the kitchen, leave bare wall space for found objects
• When arranging furniture, start with one large, quality investment
• Avoid a neutral palette that is flat and dull by using different shades of beige and by picking fabrics and finishes with varying textures
• Affordable doesn't mean unstylish
• Replace fussy, old china with simple white ironstone
• Grandfather clocks can be very serious and very boring.  But Swedish grandfather clocks are nice because they are whimsical and can be an architectural element

Decisions, Decisions

Because what you need to do days before having a baby is to decide to paint every interior wall in the house.  

Nesting Part 2

BEFORE

The pantry before was driving me nuts. It actually doesn't look that bad in the photo, but, again, things had just been thrown in there, and some things needed to be tossed.

LOVE IT

Everything has a place

Nesting

Haven't posted in ages but have been busy. Here are is one of the "nesting" projects:

BEFORE

This photo of the laundry honestly doesn't capture the true mess of the room.

Things had just been thrown in, and I can't tell you how long that blue jacket on the dryer had been there.

Ah, Serenity
Seriously, I could just stand in this room when the rest of the house is a mess and feel much calmer.

LM and I sorted everything and put all "like" objects together.

Scrubbed the washer and dryer and swept the floor.

Water Pressure

Water Pressure....

something you don't really put much thought into until it is gone.

After about a week of standing flat up against the wall of the shower to have enough water to rinse out our hair, we figured out what was going on with the water pressure and were able to fix it for no cost.

In fact, we fixed it so well that now the drain in the shower cannot keep up with the water output.

Ah, the joys of home ownership....

Organizing Toys

From this...


To this....



and this...
Inspired by some blog reading lately on organizing and simplifying, LM and I tackled his toys yesterday. We drug them all into one place and sorted them by like types. The big, bulky items ended up in the toy box, and the smaller items (mainly cars, trains, automobiles) went into baskets under his bed. Not bad if I say so myself.

Pep Up

I have been feeling rather depressed and overwhelmed lately. To shake the funk, I forced myself to be productive today. For pepping up sake, I am ignoring the disasters that consume most of the house and am focusing on all the positive things completed so far today:

1. Got up early (I count 7:00 on a Saturday early, don't you?)
2. Shredded old files, making room for some of the paperwork that was all over the counter
3. Entered all receipts for January and balanced all of the accounts
4. Made homemade split pea soup (side note: I have eaten the strangest things today: 2 dill pickles, beans with Miracle Whip, 2 bowls of aforementioned soup, and an entire pitcher of Kool-Aid. oh, and 2 pieces of French toast.)
5. Ordered husband's Valentine's Day present
6. Did two loads of laundry
7. Loaded and started the dishwasher
8. Wrapped a present for a small friend
9. Finished making stepmother's bday present and got it wrapped
10. Took a walk in the glorious fresh air and sunshine

Holiday House Tour

We went on the Holiday House Tour of Winchester, VA today. We saw the public rooms of six historic houses, including the bedroom were Daniel Morgan died. Cold wind about blew us away, but it was neat to see the inside of the houses we have passed by so many times.

It was interesting to see how the people furnished and decorated the spaces.

Most, if not all of them, had:

• a grandfather clock
• smallish kitchens
• furniture of all styles and periods mixed together
• a print--A View of Winchester
• formal dining rooms
• original paintings
• beautiful drapes
  

It struck me how understated many of the houses were. "Old money" vs the ostentatious display of new wealth.

The houses were also filled with items of meaning--things the owners had clearly picked because they loved them, and they were interesting items even though, in many cases, they didn't match.

Food for thought as I look around our house.

Fill your house and life with people and things you love and bring you joy and have meaning--get rid of the rest.

Now off to the storage room....

Home Inventory

Inspired by a new (to me) blog SmallNotebook, I finished our home inventory today. Yippee. I had started this project months ago, but the house was never clean enough, or things were not organized enough to finish it.

Who cares, I finally said, and finished taking the pics of all the rooms in the house. I used the Home Inventory software that came with Quicken. You set up rooms, and then add information about all of the items in each room. Now I just have to get a copy to the safe deposit box......

Receiving Blanket Curtains

We are in the process of switching out LM's bedroom from a baby's room to a little boy's room. I'm actually not too sad about this. Every age has brought something different and fun, so I'm looking forward to whatever the future brings.

We took down the crib about two weeks ago and got him a bunk bed. Right now we just put up the bottom bed, and he seems to have adjusted without any problems at all. I found some new bedding this weekend--tropical fish, and I am in the process of making some new curtains.

I had actually forgotten that I made his baby room curtains until I took them down today. I wish I had taken a picture of them because they were really cute.

Take two receiving blankets, and cut one of them in half.
Sew the two half pieces onto the sides of the uncut receiving blanket.

Fold the long piece in half, so the right sides are facing out.


Sew a 1" pocket along the entire top for the curtain rod. That's it.