Marching on!

I sort of took the weekend off from working on the bedroom project. I did some but not enough laundry, bought groceries, made a peach cobbler and Italian pork roast and just chilled a little. Jacob and Mom got home safe and sound, Benjie had a blast playing with his friend Matthew at his house, Jonah had a blast playing with Cody at our house, Lynn had quite the adventure with his co-worker/sort of friend Jason floating the river and fishing, and I did laundry and made a peach cobbler!!

This week, I plan to finish the bedroom, finish the boys' closet and maybe move on to the boys' bathroom. OK, if I finish our bedroom, I'll be happy!

Later!
Cathy

Just in Case You're Interested...

The bedroom project is going well! I am in the clearing/cleaning stage right now...this is really the first week I've had to work on it. I had to get Bible School over with before I could fully focus on it.

I spent the day yesterday cleaning out the closet. My brother, Michael has lost a ton of weight-about 50 pounds at last count-and has given Lynn a bunch of clothes that no longer fit him. No one likes a smarty pants, Michael. But thanks for the clothes, anyway. So, I had to clean out some stuff to make room for the new stuff. Now I have a wonderfully clean closet-we actually have a floor in there! Wow-who knew! But, I have a terribly cluttered bedroom! I am sorting things to go to storage (winter clothes), an upcoming yard sale, and the trash. So far it's still in the floor, but this weekend I should be able to move all out to it's new, if temporary, home-the storage shed in the back yard.

Today I worked on the linen closet in the boys' bathroom. It still needs some help, but it's better. My goal is to clear it out totally and give each boy their own section-it's divided into three shelves with separate doors. Lynn is going to make a shelf in each section, so that each boy will have a shelf for towels and washclothes, and a shelf for toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, Q-tips and cotton balls, mouthwash and deodrant. Or little cars and trucks, depending on which one's section it is.

Tomorrow, it's on to the boys' closet. That has to be done asap. I've just discovered that they keep mixing up clean and dirty clothes and I keep washing the same things over and over. No wonder I can't get the laundry done! So, I'll take the time tomorrow to get them straightened out (well, their clothes anyway) and then back to my project on Saturday.

Friday is grocery shopping day, so I that will take some time. Jacob and Mom will be home Saturday afternoon sometime, Benjie is spending the day with a friend, Jonah has a friend spending the day with him, and Lynn is going fishing.

That's about it for today. Almost time to get ready for Bunco tonight! Yea!!!

Later!

Cathy

Grocery Shopping Challenge

Ginger has an interesting idea over at her lovely blog, Month by Month. She is trying to cut her grocery bill by at least 25%, hopefully more over the next few months. I think she's on to something!

I need to do this as well. Lynn and I have discussed this very topic over the weekend-I literally leave the grocery store sick to my stomach every Friday or Saturday, after dropping a minimum of $150 each week for groceries. I buy store brands, I compare prices, we eat a lot of dry beans, hamburger and chicken...and it's still outrageous. So, I'm jumping in with Ginger in an effort to cut this part of our budget and get a grip.

While we were preparing for Josh and Delaney's wedding, we shopped at Sam's Club, using Michael's corporate card. I was impressed with the prices...it's been a long time since I'd been there. Yes, I know there are problems with Wal-Mart and Sam's regarding their corporate policies, but frankly, we have no other options for warehouse shopping that I'm aware of. And, Wal-Mart is just the bottom line cheapest grocery store in town-I compare prices, remember? And, if another store has an item on sale cheaper than WM, they price-match, so I don't have to run all over town, wasting $4/gallon gas. I know that's trying to justify things, but honestly, it's the truth!

So, I told Ginger that I'd join her on her grocery odyssey...in an effort to get my usual grocery bill of way too much down to just too much! Visit Ginger's blog to see what her plans are...I'm following the same basic plan, just altering it to fit our family of 5-including 3 boys! I need to fine-tune it, then I'll post it here.

Speaking of three boys...Jacob has been gone since last Thursday, and it's been amazing to realize how much a skinny 15 year old boy can eat! LOL! I miss him and my mom, though. They are in Washington, Pennsylvania on a mission trip called City Reach. There are 250 high school students, grades 9-12 and adult sponsors working in the community of Washington to spread the glorious news of Jesus Christ! I'm very proud of Jacob for going, and my mom as well. She's a good role model for the young women she'll be working with this week. You go, Mom!

Ok, I've got to get busy on my housework...I'd rather blog, but Lynn would prefer that I beat a path through the junk!

Oh, by the way...over at Pumpkins and Reindeer, my Christmas planning blog, I've listed a month's worth of projects for Christmas in July. Check it out!!

Later!
Cathy

Cute clipboards

Over at Magical Holiday Home Ginger is hosting a month long "Christmas in July" Extravaganza! She has great threads going on the message boards about cookies of the week, crafts and other fun things to do in our continuing effort to get ready for Christmas before the holidays hit, so that we can actually ENJOY the holidays. Novel thought, isn't it? I have actually tried to do this for many years, but recently, since I've discovered Organized Christmas and then with the creation of MHH, I've gotten much better. However, I still can't hold a candle to most of those Christmas crazies! Some of them are actually done with their holiday shopping. FOR 2008!! My hat goes off to those who on the ball! I actually don't like to begin my prep until June or July, and begin shopping in earnest in late August, after school starts back. The sales are great then, and I have a better idea of what the kids want that year, plus most of our birthdays are over by then. I do pick up things all year long for gifts, but I really don't get serious until school starts back.

Ok, having said all of that...one of the fun crafts that will be offered in July is altered cllpboards. I actually did some of these for end-of-the-year teacher gifts for the boys' teachers. I had a good time doing it! Here's a picture of the finished product. The ziplock bags are filled with Hershey's Hugs and Hershey's Kisses...what else!!



I'll be making more...coming to a stocking near year this Christmas!!

Later!
Cathy

Vision, Part 3

Ok, I think this project is coming together! I am getting excited about it. My mom had a 4 yard lenth of red and cream checked fabric that matches the red in the toile and in the quilt perfectly. I have a length of solid red that also matches, so I'm set for fabric. I am going to paint the walls a soft topaz (yellowish/goldish color) and glaze it with a translucent topaz colored glaze, then rag it off to create a faux finish. I'll be using the red fabric to create a bedskirt under the cream colored Battenburg lace one, the using the quilt on top. I'll use the toile fabric to make window panels and pillows for the bed, and the checked for valances and pillows as well. The mini blinds are coming down and I'm going to put a lace blind up there...it'll filter the light, but still allow some. I also am looking for gifted and thrifted finds to complete the look.

Next week is Bible school at our church, plus Jacob and Mom are leaving Thursday for a mission trip to Pennsylvania, then Lynn, Benjie, Jonah and I are going to the lake for the weekend, so it'll be a week or so before I start. Believe me, nothing gets done during Bible School week but that! The first week will most likely be a cleaning, clearing decluttering week, then on to the fun stuff!!

Don't worry, I'll be posting pictures as I go...but not until after a little cleaning session, lol!!

Later!
Cathy

Pardon the mess...

..but I've changed my template again. Everytime I logged in, that green background just set my teeth on edge...so, I changed it!

I'll get to Vision, pt 3 later tonight...I do have a Vision now!! And fabric!! Yay!! Thanks, Mom!!

Vision, Part 2

It's coming together! I am getting that all important Vision regarding our bedroom. As I've mentioned before, it's kind of important to use as much of the things I already have, and then fill in the bare spots as I find treasures. Yesterday I was in Catos exchanging a skirt for the third time (each one smaller! Yay!!) and I found some gold candlesticks that I really like. I didn't buy them, but I will this weekend. They totally fit the Vision I'm developing for this space.

I took a look at our room yesterday with a critical eye...trying to decide what I could/wanted to keep and what had to go. Here's the beginning of that list!

Keep:
*the furnture, but repaint it-we have the paint. Consider new hardware
*the quilt that is my "bedspread" right now. I absolutely love it, the colors are perfect. I need to add a new foofified bedskirt and pillows to make it work.
*the cream and red toile fabric I am using as valances. They match the quilt and I love the fabric...they also need some foofifing, and I do know what I want to do with them.
*the floor lamp...again, foofified
*two cream colored throws-one that my Granny crocheted for me, the other one that was my other grandmothers. I had actually given it to her for Christmas...it has a gold "M" embrodered on it...so I got it when we cleaned out her house after she died.

Has to go:
*the junk
*the clutter
Enough said!

coming soon...Vision, part 3!

Later!
Cathy

Vision

I have accomplished exactly nothing on my bedroom project. And, it's not just because I'm lazy, either...it's even worse than that. It's because I have not gotten A Vision in my mind of what I want to do in there. Every project I complete successfully starts with A Vision. I get it in my mind first...I usually can picture something long before I can complete it. On this project, I have no Vision. I can't see it yet. I will...it'll come...just not yet. I want this to be a total overhaul, so I'm not rushing into it. We've lived in it like it is for several years, a few more weeks won't make much difference!!

Here's a few things I KNOW that I want to incorporate in the room:

I want it to be comfortable, first and foremost. I want a new mattress for our bed, or at the very least one of those feather bed mattress covers. That would work. I want to elevate the bed a few inches, making it seem much larger than it really is...plus giving me much needed storage space underneath. I want luxurious bedding on it...fine sheets, my well worn and loved quilts, layered bedskirts and a down-filled comforter. I want window treatments dripping with beaded trim, lace and lux fabrics. I want a comfortable chair where I can sit and put my feet up to read, watch tv or just relax in a quite spot. It must have a good lamp, but it must be a good, pretty lamp...the one I have in there will work with some jazzing up. I want painted floors with beautiful rugs on it. I want special, personalized art work...wall art that says things like "Always kiss me goodnight" and "happily ever after" and mushy things like that. I want the satellite receiver in there to actually work. I want a stereo system that can play more than one cd at a time. I want big, soft, fluffy pillows to sink into on the bed and in the reading chair...

I really like this look.

And I like this

And I like this...

Well! Maybe I do have a bit of a vision after all. I'm going to spend some more time thinking about this, then I'll try to make a budget and an action plan. This was a good brainstorming session!!