Fit for Life - My Great Day has Begun!

This week the "bones" were all installed in my Studio (aka: sewing room). Paint on the walls. Furniture in place. Storage cubbies repaired and hung. One furniture thing remains... to replace a broken piece of glass in a hutch... but I can unpack around that.

So, this morning, I started unpacking my boxes. I have a little fabric put away, cutting mats out and sewing machines up. Still need two machine cords, iron & mat, notions. BUT... it's starting to look and feel like a usable space! YEAH!!!

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A few days ago I mentioned that all my summer clothes were still in boxes *somewhere* in the garage. Of course I knew the general area, they were in the "MSTR" section, but that's behind/past the "KIT", "LR/FR", "LIBrary", "SEW", and "BOYS" sections AND the aisles' I've created are being clogged up with things from Tom and the boys! So, I dreaded going out there for the summer things. Well, two days later, Tom surprised me with two boxes of my Summer things. Yesterday I unpacked 37 shirts (sleeveless and short-sleeve) and today I tried on the "bottoms". I was kinda dreading that part, because, as you know, over the Winter I gained 25 pounds. It was a surprise to me when I realized it in February, and since March I've been doing things to remedy the situation. In March and April I went to the gym, since then, I've been VERY active preparing to move, painting, moving, unpacking, doing yard work, sports-camp and such.

Well, today I tried on my summer "bottoms"... six pair of capri's, 4 skirts, and 2 dresses. In February I bought size 16 to fit comfortably, today, the 14's were loose and half of the 12's fit a little snug while the other 12's were *just right*! I'm so happy to have worked myself back down to where I was last summer. Now, to get them all so they are loose this summer, and then next year, I think I'll make a trip in June to Arizona (14th = Aunt's B-Day, Father's Day Weekend = my Brother's Annual Gaming Convention). During that trip, I'll plan to shop for size 10 or maybe even 8 clothes! 10 is my goal, if I could ever see 8 again I would be so flabbergasted! Anyway, I am very happy right now to have gone down 2 sizes in four months!

I'm especially tickled because I haven't been to the gym in 2 months, or measured myself in 2-3 months, but, I have been aware of what I'm doing and eating. Now... to work on my baby-belly. Time for some serious ab work! ... Uh... how do I do "serious ab work"? Besides sit-ups and crunches; I don't know. What's worked for you?

Sixteen, no make that Seventeen Colors with Five to go!

There were a few questions about how one could/would put sixteen colors in one house. I guess first of all, it should be mentioned that both my hubby and I like color. Whenever we would go into a home with a lot of color we always said “we like this!” We lived at Sh---r Station five years. We added one new color per year. I was very slow and cautious about it. I would always pick “the lightest” color on the light paint chips, and Tom would pick the darkest. Always, we settled on the middle color – and loved it!

With this home, I knew I wanted it painted and it would have to be done before we moved or it just wouldn’t get done. I spent at least four hours, in the house, while it was under construction, with piles and piles of paint chips. I came on cloudy days and on sunny ones. I came with a few chips at first, then would “need a different shade or color” and would come back with more.

So, on Memorial Day (FYI: Home Depot has a Behr sale every year on Memorial Day weekend) we bought paint. Lots and lots of paint! I actually have a spreadsheet (surprise!) with the paint colors, numbers, how many square feet they needed to cover, sheen, and gallons needed. The paint people said I was “the most organized person they’ve seen” (BIG surprise!) I’ve also got all my paint chips punched (with a 3-hole punch) and on little rings so I can take it with me places.

As we painted, I realized the green the boys choose was just too NEON, for the hills I planned to paint. So, I went back and found a darker green. Of all the colors we put on the walls, I didn’t like the way one color sat with it’s neighbors… the blue in my sewing room. Today I remedied that. I picked out a new color, one that matched the sky, and painted over the first color. I’m MUCH happier with the new color.

Oh yes. One other thing. Most rooms have two or three colors in them. The boys, because of the cloudy sky, has seven total colors, but they are in three hues. So. Here are some sample pictures of the paint on our walls, as well as the paint chip names and colors (in case you’re interested in them.)

We started with this color EVERYWHERE (but the trim and doors)

700C-3, Pecan Sandie – the walls were kinda like this color. It’s nice on it’s own, but everywhere, it feels like dried mud or coffee with cream. It feels dreary and like we’re in a cave. So. Enter color!

Here is the collection of Behr paint chips I’ve actually bought for the house:

Except the top left color, that’s the brown we started with.

First thing you see in the Living Area (couches, dining, kitchen):

#1 – Ceiling – 310C-1, Kansas Grain
#2 – Walls – 280C-2, Serene Peach (we’ve had this in three homes for the past four years. We REALLY like living with this subdued, calming, cheerful color.)
#3 – Accent – 220D-5, Nectarina (I think of this as Terra Cotta or Sedona Red.)

Downstairs is CALM and SERENE with a Southwestern feel. As you go up the stairs, you will quickly see that the upper floor is going to be BRIGHT and CHEERFUL! While walking up, and looking up, you see our laundry room:

#4 – Ceiling – 360B-6, Flame Yellow

#5 – Walls – 370A-2, Pale Daffodil (I chose three yellow paint chips, and Tom instinctively choose this one… it’s the same one that we had in our kitchen at Sh---r Station!)

Walk around the corner into the boys’ room. Here’s where A LOT of colors went, but like I said, they are all blue, yellow, or green.

#5 – Ceiling – 370A-2, Pale Daffodil (same as laundry room)

#6, 7, & 8 – Sky – Color Washing Faux Finish

Base Coat, FF88-1, Debonair Blue (like 580C-1, Diamond Light)

Top Coat, FF88-2, Beautiful Fountain (like 580C-3, Impressionist Sky)

Top Coat, FF88-3, Parisian Sky (like 580D-4, Skysail Blue)

#9 – Hills – 450B-7, Green Grass (quite a fitting name, no?)

#10 – Window Sill & Closet – 420B-6, New Green (Skrek, Nickelodeon Green. Tom HATES this color. The boys LOVE IT!)

#11 – Accent Walls – 550B-5, Windjammer (I think this set s off the NEON green well. It reminds me of Smurfs. I think I’ll paint a few Smurfs on the hills behind the door. Any suggestions of which Smurfs I should paint? I was thinking of one per family member, so, OBVIOUSLY I would be Smurfette, but which ones to paint for the boys and Tom?)

I still have some detail work to do on the hills in here. Some darker lines and roads and train tracks. Then, they will have wall stickers that are re-positionable, so, as their interests change, they can change them.

Right beside the Boys’ Room is my Studio (sewing, quilting, and such). Here was the first draft:

The blue didn’t feel “heavy” enough. It was too light. This morning I went in search of a blue the same color as the sky’s I’ve been waking up to. Here is the amazing solution I found:


This new color looks blue when it’s by purple and it looks purple when it’s by blue. Even on the same wall, at the same time, in the shadows and the sun it will look like two different colors.

#12 – Ceiling - 760A-1, Crème Angels

#13 – Walls, Top – 240A-2, Sunkissed Peach (this is a brighter, clearer peach than the one downstairs.)

#14 – Walls, Bottom, Original – 520A-2, Ice Flower

#15 – Walls, Bottom, Better Color – 570B-5, Gulf Stream

I’ve never been “a purple person”, but after enjoying Behr's Chateau Rose (a light purple with a pink hue) in our halls for the past three years, we decided to try a crisp, clear purple in our bedroom.

#12 – Ceiling - 760A-1, Crème Angels

#16 – Walls – 640A-1, Soft Iris

#17 – Accent – 640D-4, Canyon Mist

So. There you have it. That’s how we put 16+ colors on the walls, with a few more to go.

What do you think?

We have the following areas still left to Paint:

#12 – Hall to stairs, Upper Landing, ½ bath, and Main bath – 760A-1, Crème Angels (same as ceiling in Studio and Master bedroom.)

#18 – Stairwell – 280C-1, Champagne Ice (this is a lighter color from the same paint chip as our favorite Serene Peach.)

#4 – Boys’ Room, Sun – 360B-6, Flame Yellow (same as ceiling in Laundry Room.)

#19 – Master Bath, Ceiling – 380C-a, Sun Glint (pale yellow)

#20 – Master Bath, Walls – 500C-2, Aqua Pura (light, watery color)

#21 – Master Bath, Accent – 500A-2, Refreshing Pool (I was just unpacking and found the paint chips I’d planned for my Master bath in Arizona, this is the same blue that I’d picked out there!)

#22 – Tom’s Closet will be 440E-2, Herbal Mist (light, minty green)

My closet – Some leftover color(s)

Mural in ½ bath, Sonoran Desert Scene

We are very happy with these colors and our enjoying our bright, cheerful home! :D

Floor Plans

In response to a great many requests, here are the floor plans of our new home.

Downstairs:

The living room is carpeted, except for a 3'x4' area right by the front door.

There is a small closet under the "landing" of the stairs. This is the boys' closet right now, and will eventually hold their arts & crafts as well as school books/papers. It's just over 4' high, and they LOVE playing in it. They're little wooden table and chairs are right beside the closet, under the window.

The pantry is under the stairs, at the end of the hall off of the kitchen.

Across from the pantry is a closet with the water heater and HVAC units. Interesting to me, because in my previous homes these units were in the garage (as opposed to taking up valuable floor space inside the home). I'll bet they are inside though so they stay above freezing temperatures.

Upstairs:

Linoleum is upstairs in the bathrooms and laundry room. Otherwise, the stairs, bedrooms, and landing are all carpeted.

The room at the top of the stairs in the laundry room. It's very nice to only need to go up/down stairs with kitchen linens. All the rest of the things we use every day are on the same level as the machines, which saves stair time carrying loads of laundry!

The landing at the top of the stairs feels very spacious because of all the 1/2 walls (shown in gray). You can see down the stairs and across the space. You'll also note there is a 1/2 wall between the kitchen sink and Tom's green recliner.

The Master Suite has "Jack & Jill" Walk-In Closets, one for each. Tom wound up with the larger closet (6 more square feet) with the most rod space (19 extra inches) because he liked the door swinging in and I preferred the door swinging out. So, after four days in the house, we traded closets. :D

I'll have you know that these two "simple" floor plan views took me FOUR HOURS today! Of course, it was four hours that my body just needed rest. I'm SO WIPED OUT from the past weeks, no, make that MONTHS of running! It's nice to finally be able to just SIT!

We are still kicking around names for the house. In addition to the previous list:

• Sage Sh---r - because it's on Blue Sage Way.
• Sh---r Pit-Stop - Frank's submission.
• Sh---r Stop
• Sh---r Speedway - because we can see the freeway from our upper back windows.
• Sweet Sh---r Spot - because of the county we live in.
• Sweet Spot - shorter version

We've come up with these additional ideas:

• Shadona (a combination of our name and Sedona, which is the color of "red" on our Living Room accent walls).
• Shodona (another combination of our name and Sedona).
• Sh---r Central (train reference, this is going to be another busy home!)
• Shadonia (a silly name)
• Sholatopia
• Sholinator

The top two contenders though are:

• Shadona Speedway
• Shadona Central

I'm thinking of combining them into the mouthful "Shadona Central Speedway" which I expect will be shortened to "Shadona".

Next up for your viewing pleasure, taking and publishing pictures of the paint on the walls and maybe even the whole rooms!


POST SCRIPT: I meant to credit the source of the floor plans in this post. I made them using the free, online tools at Floor Planner.

Back Online

Just a quick note to say we just got the internet hooked back up. Work to do. More later!

Don't try this at home...

16 Behr paint colors

22 gallons paint
5 gallons primer

20 pan liners
23 rollers
1 broken roller rod

4 paint brushes
2 "handy paint buckets"

7 extra trips to Home Depot

2 parents
2 kids
4 head colds

4 friends

5 soaking baths
24 tylenol
5 hydrocodone tablets
1 bottle Nyquil
1 box Dayquil Gelcaps
1 box Alka-Seltzer Cold Tablets

completed:
laundry room
25 x 25 living space (living room, dining room, kitchen)
3 bedrooms

90 "man hours"
3 days

pain. everywhere. SO SORE!

Wiped Out

I thought you might like to see some of our new home.


We have spent two LONG days painting it. So that, what started yesterday as this...


(can you see the Mocha brown walls? They are EVERYWHERE. They are dreary and made us feel like we were in a cave.)

Now. We have this...


I know. The lighting's bad. It's the end of the day. Actually, I'm VERY good about know intuitively what time it is. So good, that I seldom wear a watch. Tonight I thought it was "6:30 or 7" and when I looked at a clock, realized it was 8:22. I am rarely more than 10-15 minutes off of a time, so I was surprised to realize that we'd been at the house working for twelve hours today! So, it's no surprise what's happened in the corner...


Crashed! Hard. I drug him to his feet and made him walk to the car and up to the apartment. When I went in his room, his shoes were by his bunk-bed ladder, and he was asleep in bed. It's not without reason though. I addition to helping us at the house, as much as we'll allow the boys to help, they are also delighted with the neighborhood gang they've discovered. Yesterday and today there were at least 9-12 kids playing outside most of the day. The ages range from 2-14. Yesterday I only let the boys out when we were watching them, but the kids keep coming and checking if it's okay to do this or that with the boys. Also, other parents are nearby frequently. It's so out of character for me, but today, they were outside a lot while Tom and I worked inside.

This little guy is just... just... a handful, playful, mischievous, cuddly, funny, already "in-demand" among the neighborhood with children coming over saying "can Jack come out and play."


See how he's looking over his shoulder to the front door?


It's going to be hard to keep the boys in now! We couldn't be happier. It feels so good and exciting that we've found this spot where they will be able to be outside and be "BOYS!"

We bought it!

Our new house on Blue Sage Way... which, by the way we're still trying to decide on a name for.

• Sh---r Station - was our first house in Arizona.
• Sh---r Siding - is our apartment in Wyoming.

Now, we need a new name for our new place. We have thought of:

• Sage Sh---r - because it's on Blue Sage Way.
• Sh---r Pit-Stop - Frank's submission.
• Sh---r Stop
• Sh---r Speedway - because we can see the freeway from our upper back windows.
• Sweet Sh---r Spot - because of the county we live in.
• Sweet Spot - shorter version

What ideas do you have? I'd be interested to hear them.

Anyway, we closed at 4 yesterday and funding will happen on Monday. The seller allowed us access (even though it technically won't be final until Monday.) Yesterday, he even let me in, while we were waiting to close, to start prepping for painting. I was able to mask the whole house yesterday. So, now we're headed over to remove fixtures and switch-plates and start painting! I even have a friends 13 yo son who wants to come help (to earn some summer cash!) Gotta run!

Oh yeah... we're ALL sick now, but not feeling terrible, just with head colds. :P

Just Our Luck

As luck would have it. In addition to being overwhelmed, overworked, and generally exhausted.

• Tuesday afternoon/night - Frank developed a runny nose.
• Wednesday night - Jack developed a runny nose.
• Thursday evening - Jack added a slight fever to the mix.
• Thursday evening - Tom crashed early, "feeling terrible" with a sore throat and fever.

I've been tired, but taking regular time out to rest... like yesterday afternoon, I put both boys down (Jack slept, Frank rested until his radio music turned off (a "quiet" timer I use for nap-times), and I slept for 90 minutes. I've been trying to relax and take it one-step-at-a-time, but, it is hard to keep all these balls in the air!

Our 9:00am closing on the house Friday? We're still suppose to close on Friday, but we "just need to be flexible" and PATIENT with when it will happen. The bank is STILL waiting on ONE piece of paper from the VA. Our last lender didn't send in the paperwork to show our previous VA loan as paid off. So, even though the credit reports show the loan paid off, the Veteran's Administration must send a special paper over. Even though we already gave them a Certificate of Eligibility. What's most frustrating is that we applied for the loan over two months ago, and now, at the moment of closing, they still don't have all the pieces in place. In the past week, we've had AT LEAST SEVEN things that the loan officer needed "right now". I've been very confused by all the last minute running about. I guess my loan officers in Arizona really knew there stuff, because with them, I seem to remember getting a list, brining everything in, and being done with it.

Anyway. Positive thoughts for today. We'll close by lunch-time so I can start masking and painting the house... with a whole bunch of people who are feeling GREAT! :D

My Helpers and My CRAZY Schedule

Lately I've been enforcing the fact that the boys help with the dishes. Usually, Frank washes after breakfast while Jack rinses, and then they switch at lunch. Today, they mixed it up, but the results were the same... after quite a while I had clean dishes, a clean counter (flooded is more like it), and a floor ready to be mopped (and thus kept clean too!)

Jack doesn't like his clothes wet. As you can see...


...not liking wet clothes, and being a 3-year-old assigned to dish duty can be problematic. Well not problematic for the 3-year-old, he just rips another shirt off the hanger (usually breaking the hanger) and throws the wet one on the floor. It's problematic for the laundry washer and folder (ie: ME!) I've been thinking of making him a waterproof smock. I actually found some great Lightening McQueen tablecloth fabric at JoAnn's this weekend, and now that I'm home, I really don't know why I didn't buy it. I could have made him a water-resistant smock, I've been wanting too... why didn't I buy the material? Could it be that I'm just exhausted and so, since I didn't remember how much fabric I needed, I didn't buy anything. I guess so.

Here's my schedule for the next little bit:

• Wednesday and Thursday - finish packing, set up utilities, wash at Laundromat FOR THE LAST TIME!!!
• Friday - Close on house, mask and trim for painting
• Saturday - Painting Party... EVERYONE's INVITED! We are planning to repaint the ENTIRE 1800 square foot house!
  
• Sunday - Finish Painting
• Monday - Appliance Delivery
• Tuesday - Moving Day, local High School boys are helping (for cash)
• Wednesday - I don't know. I can't think that far ahead.
• Saturday, 7 June - Last day of apartment, turn over to new occupants who are taking over our lease.
  

Nope. No reason for me to be tired. None at all!

Anyway, here's Jack in his third shirt of the day (he wore four shirts and three pair of pants today, all because he helped with dishes twice).


I'm not sure what the fourth shirt was all about. I think he just wanted a different shirt on. :P

After the Lunch-Time Washing Fiasco, Frank was all about helping! He even labeled a box with their names and "BOX 1 OF TOYS! OH YEAH"...


They are good helpers. They are also young kids and interject a lot of... surprise and mischief into my life! I love my boys.

Make New Friends, but Keep the Old.

One is Silver,
and the Other Gold.

That's a song we use to sing in the Girl Scouts.

Today I am SO EXCITED that I am LITERALLY jumping for joy!

Yesterday I made two new friends. Roxie I met at the laundromat, only to discover that she just moved into my apartment complex (in fact, I have her moving boxes from beside the dumpster!) She has two boys, ages 2 & 4.

Amy I met online yesterday and in person today. Her 5yo son is actually over playing with my boys. We hit it off SO WELL! AND... while giving her a private, 2-hour-tour of Rock Springs, she loved the houses for sale on our street. She took her hubby over, and, well, they are writing a contract with the developer in about two hours! I've actually called the developer and left a message... I'm going to ask him for a Referral / Finder's Fee... I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

It is just SO COOL to be making new friends! I now have four great lady friends here in Rock Springs with a total of eight kiddos (5 girls and 2 boys) to hang out with me and my 2 boys... hey, we've got a balance of genders now! I've also met several other ladies, but I can see that I'll be getting together with these ladies A LOT!!!

Oh yeah! Amy, who's buying a house just down the street, has been homeschooling her oldest for two years, and our 5yo's are both going to be in Kindergarten this year. We're already talking about sharing teaching responsibilities. I'm just SO EXCITED and I HAD TO SHARE it with you!

Also, I mailed off my Summer Sassy Apron Swap items today. So, that's a relief! I had fun making them and hope she enjoys them.

:D

Sassy Packing

So. Today I stopped doing this packing long enough to do this:


In this day of rotary cutting, I always am surprised at how good it feels to lay out fabric (on the floor) and put the tissue down, with a few pins, then grab an actual pair of scissors to cut through it all. It's always so... so... exciting?, no.... I can't put my finger on the word. There's just a certain joy and anticipation in cutting through the fabric and tissue, knowing you're about to CREATE something. It will be something new and different and "YOU" or rather "ME", because it's entirely my creation! Anyway, I always enjoy doing that... cutting out the carefully chosen fabric with the pattern that speaks to you.

I also started the required "embellishment" phase of the give-away apron. While I was waiting to have my fabric cut, Tom actually found some ADORABLE little appliqué flowers. I ironed them on to the pockets and one of the back shoulders. Tomorrow, I'll top stitch them, then put ric-rac on some of the pockets before starting the garment sewing. It's gonna be SO STINKIN' CUTE!!! :D

What do you do...

Throughout the year, I take care of the finances, but at the end of the year, my hubby does the taxes. I give him the folder with all the documents I've gathered and he files them. Somehow, for us, it balances out. Tom prints out a hard copy for our file and keeps an electronic copy on the computer.

Last year, in April we decided to move. For whatever reason, Tom still had the Taxes file folder on his computer desk... instead of back in my filing cabinet. We've just realized this in the past week as we prepare to file our taxes. I've gone to my filing cabinet (in storage) and found my taxes from 1991-2002. 2003-2006 are in the manilla folder which Tom had on the desk. Apparently, that file folder got packed with the desk contents instead of returned to the folder... which means, it could be ANYWHERE within a 10'x15'x8' storage unit which is COMPLETELY packed! :P

Never fear! We have an electronic copy... right? No. Tom installed an update of Windows a few months ago which wound up CRASHING our hard drive and formating a good number of files... including our electronic tax records. :P

Foiled again.

So. What do you do? Tom even tried looking back (online) at our banking records, since we received our refunds electronically, but, they only keep the past six months online.

One other thing... it's been delightful that Tom always does our taxes in February... but, if you'll recall, Tom spent most of February on prescription pain-killers... so, doing taxes was out of the question.

Anyway, if you have any ideas about how I can recover the records of my previous rebate, so I can pay taxes on a refund that I've already been taxed on, please, let me know!

Thanks.