One Crazy Family - Welcome to Our World!

3.24.2007

Ongoing Renovations.

I cannot believe that we got a call this morning from Home Depot - our kitchen is in!

Can you believe it? More than one week ahead of schedule. How does that happen? Everything is in except for some of the cherry end panels, that wouldn't go on until the end anyway. And we are still not even ready with the plumbing in there anywhere.

This may mean that within two weeks my house could be back to normal! Is this true??? Am I dreaming???

Here are a few pictures of the (almost) completed family room. Thanks, Dad, for all of the hard work. He did the ceiling, built the bookcases, painted them (and the walls and trim) and scrubbed the floor over and over and over for us (hint: never put in a new floor before everything is finished!).

Labels: family, family life, house, remodeling

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2.02.2007

I am the Crafty One!

Sometimes - I , well, I just amaze myself.

Doodles would say that I watch too many HGTV and TLC Home Decorating shows, but you know what? Sometimes, the great ideas just pay off.

I bought the following lamp base (2 of them) for $4.99 each, and then I found the lamp shades elsewhere for $7.99 each. I wasn't sure how they would look together, so I shopped for some trim to try and dress them up.

What do you think?

The final result:

I wonder what else needs some trimming. Just give me a hot glue gun and watch out!

I am thinking that I need a mirror above the fireplace - ooh, which we finished in black granite. Maybe I can trim that...LOL.

Oh - what about my new drapes? I made the tie backs with tassels myself!

Labels: family, family life, friends. housework, house, remodeling, shopping, Teri, women, work

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1.05.2007

Holiday Dining Room.

A few of you have asked for some pictures of the quick dining room we threw together before the Holidays.

I like the neutral colors, and the light fixture.

I need to get window treatments (blinds & curtains) and a real dining room set. We are just using what we had and painted a hutch black for now. Ooh - and I would like some wide crown moldings installed by the ceiling. And I want to turn the closet into a vent-free fireplace - forgot about that too.

Labels: family, family life, remodeling, work

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11.15.2006

Can I Decorate Just One Room, Please?

Just one room.

It is all I ask.

The dining room. I have never had a formal dining room. It was always part of the family room.

I had the idea, and we are moving on it fast.

I could rant and rave and go on and on. But I just want one room for myself. Seeing as most of my other ideas for the house got vetoed. Can't I just have this one???

Labels: husbands, life, remodeling, Teri

link | posted by editor at 9:28 PM
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11.12.2006

Not Another Project - TODAY!

I woke up with an idea.

Let's get the dining room ready in time to have a house full over for Joey's Birthday Thanksgiving weekend.

Let's see - that will give us just under 2 weeks.

And all we really need to do is move all the furniture out, get the floor done, paint, put in a new light fixture, move the china cupboard out of the old dining room into this one, paint that, build a faux fireplace/mantle into the old closet, and buy a table and chairs. Oh, wait - I can probably use the table I have - just refinish it to match the corner cupboard I am going to move in there and throw some fancy holiday tablecloth on it for now.

Simple.

Not a problem.

To Jeff that means - we need to start today. Not today - please, not today. It is better to get it done when the kids are at school, and we have some other man figure to help move everything out and upstairs. Please - not, today.

Guess what?

We started it today.

Luckily for Jeff, he married a woman of substance. I just totally helped move a bedroom armoire out of the room and up the stairs.

I am STRONG - Like Bull!

Nice.

Even though I didn't want to do this today.

Labels: family, family life, husbands, life, remodeling, Teri, women

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11.03.2006

Johnny's Room.

Johnny's room deserves it's own post.

It started last year when we stayed at The Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World. We had a room overlooking the Savannah, where giraffes would actually come within reach of our balcony. The inside of the rooms were made to look as much as the outside. The beds were made out of logs, and everything was Africa themed, very Safari-like.

This is where Johnny came up with the idea.

So Jeff & I hunted for the perfect border, and Johnny (thankfully)loved our first choice. We painted the bottom of the wall to match the tan background in the border, and the chair rail to match the green grass in the border.

Johnny wanted a tree. So daddy painted him a tree.

He wanted his bed to be made out of logs. We couldn't find the right sized logs, but we found horse fence posts, so daddy & Mike constructed it out of that. And honestly, it turned out better then any of us had planned.

We just couldn't find the right objects for the large wall spaces by his t.v..

One afternoon, I came home and when I asked where daddy was, Johnny stated that he was up painting his giraffe. I thought to myself, what the hell did he buy now. Was I ever shocked to find him painting a giraffe (with my makeup brushes) by just looking at the giraffe in the border. WOW! He followed that with an elephant for the other side.

The rest of the room came together with different safari/animal/Africa themed objects that we pick up here and there. And the old luggage idea came from Johnny - he felt he could fill them up and take everything with him for his real Safari - in his mind, I guess.

Johnny loves his room, and we are very happy with the way it turned out too.

Now, if we can only get him to come down from there every now and then, that would be great. Oh, and teach him that it is okay to sleep in his own bed, and not have to use Joey's spare bed almost every night, you know, to keep Joey company. I so knew that was going to happen!

Labels: boys, family, family life, house, husbands, remodeling, son

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10.26.2006

Gotta Get it Done.

While my husband is outside helping to get the siding on the house -FINALLY- I should be grateful that he wants to pitch in and get it done before the snow flies.

But of course, I had to piss him off and complain.

But...
IT. IS. NOT. THE. RIGHT. COLOR.

You see, I picked out the color a few months ago. And he decided the beginning of the week that it should be sided - by the weekend. And because my color is a "special order" he went with the next closest thing - and really, yes he really did think that I would not notice. Not notice that it is a much lighter shade than I selected. Or that the boxes somehow say Clay on them instead of Driftwood.

But my hubby - gotta love him and his forever attempt to get things done and NOW!

ARGHHH!

Labels: family, family life, house, husbands, life, remodeling

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10.22.2006

Sunday - Sunday - Sunday!

Sunday.

What a wonderful day.

A day with the family.

A day to hang around. Go nowhere. Stay in jammies 'til noon.

Fun!

Ugh - the phone rings. The conversation between hubby and caller goes somewhat like this...

"Excellent!".
"When?".
"No problem. See you then.".

I asked him who it was, and he said friends were on their way over to see the house. Now.

I yelled up to the kids to get their rooms spotless and pronto!

Hubby took care of the downstairs, I went up to help make the beds, as Joe-Joe and Jon-Jon try, but they haven't perfected that just yet. But they picked up their rooms mighty fast.

I realized I was still in my pj's/sweats. Ran to get a bra on, it was the least I could do, and grabbed the vacuum on the way up. As I was finishing up, I noticed them at the bottom of the stairs.

Geez - could they have not heard the vacuum and admired my new laundry room / mud room / entrance way / office on their way in? And how 'bout the $2500 washer and dryer - now that takes some admiring. But seems they were none too impressed, and just wanted to see the upstairs.

So, hubby gave them the 10 cent tour, and they were here for a whole total of 20 minutes.

They liked it. They were especially impressed by hubby's freehand artwork on the kids walls. Which, hey, it is impressive. But what about my new washer and dryer? They noticed that on the way out - to which the wife wanted to go shop for a new pair as soon as they left.

Anyway - they were gone.

Phew - can I get back to my Sunday now?

Maybe it will teach us that we shouldn't answer the phone on Sunday! Now there is an idea!

Labels: family, family life, friends. housework, house, life, remodeling

link | posted by editor at 1:56 PM
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