30 June 2008
It's done.
YYYYYEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
This 'little' project was definitely a bigger challenge than I thought. It's just painting, right? Well yeah, but the size and shape of this 'room' was really awkward, especially the stairwell... blech. So I feel like I accomplished something huge. And, I did it ALL BY MYSELF. I picked the color, bought the paint, mudded the holes, sanded, primed, taped the ceiling, and painted. Two coats. Myself. :)
So here's the color I chose. The lighting is awful in the after pics, so I looked it up online, and it's actually pretty close to the paint chip. I debated a while whether to faux finish it like stucco or something similar, like with those paints that have sand and grit in them, since the previous owners had attempted to patch the walls and did a HORRIBLE job (they pretty much slapped the mud on and didn't sand) and it looked absolutely terrible. In the end I picked regular paint in a flat enamel finish to help disguise the imperfections.
Here are the before shots.And AFTER!!
I painted in two sections and did two coats, so I finished it over 4 different days (not consecutive, mind you). I managed to get the last coat on before it got stupidly hot out, like it is today.
And the stairwell. Ugh. What a pain this was. Doing the edging at the ceiling was semi-dangerous; I had to use Jonah's potty stepstool in order to reach that high. On stairs. I managed not to fall, thank goodness. And I got quite the workout too... always up and down, up and down. Major, major pain.
Better late than never, but I got 'er done. I've already decided what my July OPAM will be, but I'll post that tomorrow.
Oh! Before I forget: my summer project, of cleaning out the basement? It's getting there... I'd say we're almost on the home stretch. Pictures will be coming soon.
26 June 2008
I came across these gems while trying to find photos for my Fruits of the Spirit brainwave. They were taken in Fort Steele, BC almost 3 years ago while on vacation. I had honestly forgotten about these... up until recently, if pictures weren't of the kids my eyes just skimmed over them and I didn't give them a second thought. It's interesting how learning more and more about photography has opened my eyes - almost literally - to see the world around me in a whole new way... even old pictures seem new and fresh to me. A little processing and voila!
Labels: nature
23 June 2008
A random theme for a photo project struck my brain and I am SOOOOO happy how it turned out. I thought at first that I would put these on my lovely, freshly painted hallway walls (yes, it's nearly finished!) but now I'm reconsidering hanging them in the living room, which means I'd be moving some artwork around... but hey, change is good.
I was largely inspired by
this amazing living room wall, and I followed her links to find some ttv shots to use in Flickr.
Here's the one I used. Choosing which photos to use was relatively easy (considering I have thousands!), as I wanted each virtue to be conveyed by the photo, and when I thought for a bit, a bunch sprang from my memory. The only difficult part was remembering in which folder I had filed them!! Now all I need is some frames and decide where in my house they shall live!
Labels: big boy, my girl
14 June 2008
Yesterday.
Jonah says to me: "Look Mommy! It's Papa!!"
Me, confused: "Where's Papa, Jonah?"
Jonah: "Right here!" And excitedly points to the guy in the cowboy hat of Weezer's 'Red Album'. (Who I *think* is Rivers Cuomo, I'm not sure, I'm really not big into Weezer.)
Me, laughing: "You think that's Papa?"
'Papa', my dad, has a moustache, and Jonah associates that with him, so anyone that has one looks just like Papa.
Jonah, still excited: "YEAH!"
Me, still laughing: "No, that's not Papa, silly. But he has a moustache, just like Papa does."
Just as I think to myself 'Ahh too funny. I should blog this', he then points to the guy on the far right and yells:
"And look Mommy! It's Uncle!!!"
My brother.
Labels: big boy
07 June 2008
Just a couple of quick shots from this morning. I ADORE the one of Jonah, crooked bangs and all.
And Anni has a new nickname: Polka Dot.
Labels: big boy, my girl
03 June 2008
So yeah. Didn't get the hallway painted.
But it wasn't for lack of trying. I was super jazzed and excited to get this painting project done... but May was a psycho crazy month with many unforseen (not to mention stupid) things thrown my way. Let's sum up:
Week 1: Chest pain acted up big time. Felt like crap. There was much hurt.
Week 2: Gone to visit family for a week.
Week 3: Picked up a nasty bug from somewhere. Had a sore throat for 9 agonizing days. Hurt so bad I hardly slept for 4 NIGHTS STRAIGHT. High winds blew a tree onto our fence, nearly taking it right down to the ground. Spent $$$ having a landscape company cut it down to save the fence. Took Goobie to the vet after he used the ENTIRE MAIN FLOOR as his litter box. Spent $$$ on special food and meds for him.
Week 4: This was Weeko Stupido.
~ Monday: Took Munchkin to the doctor about her rash. Got referred to a specialist.
~ Tuesday: Drove 5 hours to see said specialist. This excursion deserves its own entry, but the abridged version is that this specialist was a complete and utter hag, and diagnosed Munchkin with exzema WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT HER or listening to anything I had to say. Oh and after getting home, I promptly went to the ER and was told my throat looked 'perfect' (I was incredulous; I thought I had either tonsillitis or strep) and was hastily given an Rx and sent on my way. It was a very very long day.
~ Wednesday: Woke up with an excruciating migraine, thought I was literally going to die. Fortunately my parents took pity on me and drove all the way up to help me out for the rest of the week.
~ Thursday: This was the one bright day of the week. My meds took effect and my throat pain finally disappeared. Had the first uninterrupted full night's rest in over a week.
~ Friday: Woke up to more cat poop all over the house. Said goodbye to Goobie. My heart broke. My will broke from sheer stress.
~ Saturday: Laid Goobie to rest in the backyard under the lilac bush. I planted a columbine flower to mark his grave. Many tears were shed.
******
So yeah. That's that.
I'm okay now, but I didn't think I was going to be. I'm leaving it all behind and moving on.
And. I'm still going to finish the project. Watch for after shots by June 30.
Labels: my girl
02 June 2008
After 11 years of companionship and awesome snuggles, my Goobie is gone. He had been sick off and on for about 3 years, and last week we were faced with a tough decision: either put him on medication for the rest of his life, or put him to sleep. There were a bunch of factors to take into account (none of which I really feel on elaborating right now), and in the end we decided it would be best to relieve his suffering.
I feel a bit guilty about... essentially being his executioner, but he really was not happy for the last few months or so, and in many ways I can justify that decision. I will definitely not miss cleaning up his almost daily messes on the floor and pilling him 6 times a day. But I will miss his cuddles on the couch in the evening, the sound of his purr and his 'gushing' when he was happy, his incessant squawking every morning to be fed.
I know you're at peace now, Goobs. You are loved.
April 30, 1997 - May 30, 2008
30 June 2008
It's done.
YYYYYEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
This 'little' project was definitely a bigger challenge than I thought. It's just painting, right? Well yeah, but the size and shape of this 'room' was really awkward, especially the stairwell... blech. So I feel like I accomplished something huge. And, I did it ALL BY MYSELF. I picked the color, bought the paint, mudded the holes, sanded, primed, taped the ceiling, and painted. Two coats. Myself. :)
So here's the color I chose. The lighting is awful in the after pics, so I looked it up online, and it's actually pretty close to the paint chip. I debated a while whether to faux finish it like stucco or something similar, like with those paints that have sand and grit in them, since the previous owners had attempted to patch the walls and did a HORRIBLE job (they pretty much slapped the mud on and didn't sand) and it looked absolutely terrible. In the end I picked regular paint in a flat enamel finish to help disguise the imperfections.
Here are the before shots.And AFTER!!
I painted in two sections and did two coats, so I finished it over 4 different days (not consecutive, mind you). I managed to get the last coat on before it got stupidly hot out, like it is today.
And the stairwell. Ugh. What a pain this was. Doing the edging at the ceiling was semi-dangerous; I had to use Jonah's potty stepstool in order to reach that high. On stairs. I managed not to fall, thank goodness. And I got quite the workout too... always up and down, up and down. Major, major pain.
Better late than never, but I got 'er done. I've already decided what my July OPAM will be, but I'll post that tomorrow.
Oh! Before I forget: my summer project, of cleaning out the basement? It's getting there... I'd say we're almost on the home stretch. Pictures will be coming soon.
26 June 2008
I came across these gems while trying to find photos for my Fruits of the Spirit brainwave. They were taken in Fort Steele, BC almost 3 years ago while on vacation. I had honestly forgotten about these... up until recently, if pictures weren't of the kids my eyes just skimmed over them and I didn't give them a second thought. It's interesting how learning more and more about photography has opened my eyes - almost literally - to see the world around me in a whole new way... even old pictures seem new and fresh to me. A little processing and voila!
Labels: nature
23 June 2008
A random theme for a photo project struck my brain and I am SOOOOO happy how it turned out. I thought at first that I would put these on my lovely, freshly painted hallway walls (yes, it's nearly finished!) but now I'm reconsidering hanging them in the living room, which means I'd be moving some artwork around... but hey, change is good.
I was largely inspired by
this amazing living room wall, and I followed her links to find some ttv shots to use in Flickr.
Here's the one I used. Choosing which photos to use was relatively easy (considering I have thousands!), as I wanted each virtue to be conveyed by the photo, and when I thought for a bit, a bunch sprang from my memory. The only difficult part was remembering in which folder I had filed them!! Now all I need is some frames and decide where in my house they shall live!
Labels: big boy, my girl
14 June 2008
Yesterday.
Jonah says to me: "Look Mommy! It's Papa!!"
Me, confused: "Where's Papa, Jonah?"
Jonah: "Right here!" And excitedly points to the guy in the cowboy hat of Weezer's 'Red Album'. (Who I *think* is Rivers Cuomo, I'm not sure, I'm really not big into Weezer.)
Me, laughing: "You think that's Papa?"
'Papa', my dad, has a moustache, and Jonah associates that with him, so anyone that has one looks just like Papa.
Jonah, still excited: "YEAH!"
Me, still laughing: "No, that's not Papa, silly. But he has a moustache, just like Papa does."
Just as I think to myself 'Ahh too funny. I should blog this', he then points to the guy on the far right and yells:
"And look Mommy! It's Uncle!!!"
My brother.
Labels: big boy
07 June 2008
Just a couple of quick shots from this morning. I ADORE the one of Jonah, crooked bangs and all.
And Anni has a new nickname: Polka Dot.
Labels: big boy, my girl
03 June 2008
So yeah. Didn't get the hallway painted.
But it wasn't for lack of trying. I was super jazzed and excited to get this painting project done... but May was a psycho crazy month with many unforseen (not to mention stupid) things thrown my way. Let's sum up:
Week 1: Chest pain acted up big time. Felt like crap. There was much hurt.
Week 2: Gone to visit family for a week.
Week 3: Picked up a nasty bug from somewhere. Had a sore throat for 9 agonizing days. Hurt so bad I hardly slept for 4 NIGHTS STRAIGHT. High winds blew a tree onto our fence, nearly taking it right down to the ground. Spent $$$ having a landscape company cut it down to save the fence. Took Goobie to the vet after he used the ENTIRE MAIN FLOOR as his litter box. Spent $$$ on special food and meds for him.
Week 4: This was Weeko Stupido.
~ Monday: Took Munchkin to the doctor about her rash. Got referred to a specialist.
~ Tuesday: Drove 5 hours to see said specialist. This excursion deserves its own entry, but the abridged version is that this specialist was a complete and utter hag, and diagnosed Munchkin with exzema WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT HER or listening to anything I had to say. Oh and after getting home, I promptly went to the ER and was told my throat looked 'perfect' (I was incredulous; I thought I had either tonsillitis or strep) and was hastily given an Rx and sent on my way. It was a very very long day.
~ Wednesday: Woke up with an excruciating migraine, thought I was literally going to die. Fortunately my parents took pity on me and drove all the way up to help me out for the rest of the week.
~ Thursday: This was the one bright day of the week. My meds took effect and my throat pain finally disappeared. Had the first uninterrupted full night's rest in over a week.
~ Friday: Woke up to more cat poop all over the house. Said goodbye to Goobie. My heart broke. My will broke from sheer stress.
~ Saturday: Laid Goobie to rest in the backyard under the lilac bush. I planted a columbine flower to mark his grave. Many tears were shed.
******
So yeah. That's that.
I'm okay now, but I didn't think I was going to be. I'm leaving it all behind and moving on.
And. I'm still going to finish the project. Watch for after shots by June 30.
Labels: my girl
02 June 2008
After 11 years of companionship and awesome snuggles, my Goobie is gone. He had been sick off and on for about 3 years, and last week we were faced with a tough decision: either put him on medication for the rest of his life, or put him to sleep. There were a bunch of factors to take into account (none of which I really feel on elaborating right now), and in the end we decided it would be best to relieve his suffering.
I feel a bit guilty about... essentially being his executioner, but he really was not happy for the last few months or so, and in many ways I can justify that decision. I will definitely not miss cleaning up his almost daily messes on the floor and pilling him 6 times a day. But I will miss his cuddles on the couch in the evening, the sound of his purr and his 'gushing' when he was happy, his incessant squawking every morning to be fed.
I know you're at peace now, Goobs. You are loved.
April 30, 1997 - May 30, 2008
said... How the heck do you find these sites? So often I am so frustrated searching the net for decorating ideas, but you seem to have the hang of it. Love it Melissa, absolutely love it. -- June 25, 2008 12:57 AM
