We're adding on

We're adding on to our little house.

I've loved the coziness of our home, having the kids always in earshot, piling on top of each other in the the living room for movie nights, squeezing the seven of us around our little table for meals and conversations; but I've also learned a few things living in such close quarters that has left us all longing for more space.

We've shared one bathroom for four years and when we first moved in it wasn't such a big deal.  All the kids were eleven and under with the youngest two in diapers.  The bathroom was a place they all wanted to avoid.  Now we have a teenage daughter and another one hot on her tail and often we have to stand in line behind two or three other people waiting...and waiting for our turn.  And let's not even discuss the getting ready for bed routine.  Ugh.

Onto the sleeping arrangements.  Having four girls and one boy and only three bedrooms presents a bit of a logistics problem.  The two big girls who are into clothes and hair and reading and painting really aren't to interested in sharing their room with two little girls and their Barbie's and baby dolls and legos (curse those legos!!)  They've shared their room in the past but with all their diverse interests and stuff, their bedroom began to overflow chaotically into the rest of the house.  The three older kids share one extremely overloaded clothes rod upstairs and all of the little girls clothes are in my closet and armoire and a bunch of Jeff's clothes are on a portable clothes rod upstairs.  Everyone's socks are in a basket in my room and coats, shoes, boots and mud are everywhere...you just can't tame that beast on a farm this time of year!

For now Isaiah and Evelyn are sharing a room along with all of the little kid toys while Sophie is in a toddler bed next to me.  This arrangement isn't going to work forever.  Soon Isaiah's going to need to have a place to get away from all the girls and their dolls, princes dresses, and mountains of play food that they're constantly trying to shove down the poor boys throat; and as much as Jeff and I love snuggling with our four year old "baby" (in our bedroom right next to the busiest bathroom on the planet!) we could use a little more privacy too.

Another issue that has popped its head up more and more lately is entertaining or more importantly, hospitality. Even with all the other issues I've mentioned that support adding on, this is the one that really pushed us to make that decision.  When we first moved to a smaller house I was actually glad to have to limit my accessibility to others.  I was buried under a pile of small children and babies and was more or less in survival mode.  I loved it and I really didn't have the time or energy for anything else but things are shifting now.  I haven't been pregnant or nursing a baby for over two years and while I occasionally miss those things, more often than not, I'm secretly giggling on the inside like a kid playing hooky and getting away with it.

Anyway, back to hospitality.   The most we've crammed (and I do mean crammed) into our house is 14 or 15 people on a handful of occasions.  It's not comfortable.  Our kitchen, dining and living room is a little under 20' by 22' so when the house is that full there's barely enough room to turn around, and if you're lucky enough to get a comfortable seat, you'd better not get up from that seat or you'll risk losing it!  It will be so nice to have a little more breathing room and a few more people over.  I miss having big family get togethers with all my relatives and it won't be too much longer before my own kids start bringing home spousal contestants and before you know it they're all married off and filling my house with grand-babies!!  I need room for that.  (It might sound a bit premature, but I can't wait to have a house full of grand-babies!  Ha!)

So, we're doubling the size of our house which will make it about average sized.  We'll be adding a master bedroom and bathroom, a living room (our current living area will become the dining room) as well as a mud/laundry room and a real stairwell, but we'll still keep the ladder too because it's fun!  We'll also have a bonus room upstairs that can work as a guest room or play room for the kids.

We've only just begun so we have a long way to go but we're all working on it together, even me!  I've always been pregnant during every other major project so this is the most physically involved I've ever been. It's hard work (but easier than being pregnant) and I'm sure it will make for some fun memories for our entire family.  As you can see, Madison and Grace are already becoming expert masons!

Galvanized corrugated metal shower surround Q & A

This post is way past due.  I've continued to receive lots of emails and a lot more visits to my piddly blog because of this one thing than I otherwise ever would have.  Jeff is no longer surprised when I call him at work for the answers to the questions people have for us and I'm very glad to do it because sometimes a tutorial just isn't enough and goodness knows I'm not the best tutorial maker/writer.

I'll go over the most common questions that people continue to ask about our galvanized corrugated metal shower surround (boy, that was a mouthful!)  The most common one is "How's it holding up?"

It's holding up great and we haven't had one single issue with the functionality of it.  The metal is galvanized and the screws are stainless steel so there's zero rust and the flashing and channeling are working like they should.  And remember, it's been our only shower for over three and a half years and there are seven of us so it gets used more than the average shower.

We have well water that is very hard and leaves mineral deposits on everything it touches if it isn't wiped up before it dries and I'm no Martha so my shower does gather mineral deposits...among other things.  The nice thing about the galvanized metal is it already has a mottled finish to it which does help conceal some of my inept housekeeping skills. 

When it was brand new it had a very shiny, mirror-like quality to it which is a bit more subtle now. (To see what it looked like over three years ago click here and here.)   However, it still looks good in my opinion.

This is what it looks like today.  This is the best I can do for a picture right now.  I've been crazy sick these last few days and the whole bathroom needs a good cleaning but I'm just too tired to and felt like blogging about it anyway.

That leads me to another common question, "How do you clean it?"  Because of the hard water I've used CLR on it several times which is pretty harsh stuff but said to be fine for occasional use on galvanized metal but my favorite cleaner (surprisingly to me) has become a half and half mixture of white vinegar and palm olive.  I fill a dish scrubber just like this one with the solution.  (Thank you pinterest and whoever came up with this brilliant idea in the first place!)

I have found it's best to clean it just after someone has use the shower, while the surround is still wet, rather than while I'm taking one, because it gives the vinegar more time to work on the mineral deposits before I rinse it off.

And the last question people commonly ask is, "Would you do it again?"  The answer is yes.  It's a unique look that we don't see everywhere, it would be so extremely easy to change if we ever get tired of it, and it was very affordable and easy to install.

Those are the most common questions I get and thought it was worth sharing.  If anyone ever has more questions don't hesitate to leave it in the comments or email me.

   

Vintage looking pillowcases

I've been working on some pillowcases that have a colorful vintage flare to them.  I saw some recently on pinterest and just had to give them a try.

They're so simple to make using french seams to give them a more professional feel and then adding crochet trim to give them a sweet homemade touch.  These are just three of about fifteen (I went a little crazy at the fabric store as usual.)  They're fun and add so much cheer to the beds.  

I've got enough for more than I need and thought I might sell some on etsy but as each one comes together I decide I can't part with them!  Ha, ha!  I've always got to fight the hoarder within.  All the girls are begging for a stack of them too because one just isn't enough.

The girls are so close to being done redecorating their room.  They just need me to help them with bed skirts and I think I've finally come up with an easy plan that will work.  Once it's finished and cleaned up I'll try to get some decent pictures to share.  One side of the room is a little on the messy side...Madison's an artist and you can tell it by the way her side of the room looks, bless her heart.  Grace is a crafter extraordinaire and a seamstress so she has supplies stashes coming out her ears but usually manages to keep her side pretty clean. Growing up, my poor sister had to put up with my messes too while she was always super neat.  Sorry, Jen!   

Plank wall makeover

The kitchen did not get done over the weekend but we're so close now I can feel it!  I ran out of paint yesterday in the home stretch of repainting the walls.  The timing couldn't have been better though because I could use a little break.  We've been working hard for over three weeks.

The walls look so much better!  I love the pine planks walls but the knots showing through the paint were finally starting to bug me.  I covered and filled them and the nail holes with sheetrock putty.  Jeff prefers it over wood filler.  He says it's easier to work with.  I then repainted the walls with Valspar's zero voc paint and primer in Garlic Clove (an Olympic color).  It's white with a hint of warmness.  It's been my go to white for the past eight or nine years and I still love it.

Here are before and after pictures.

I covered literally thousands of nail holes!  You can see the yellow knots and knot holes and some of the planks have cracks running through them.

Here it is after filling the holes and knots.

So, so, so much better!  It has a crisper, cleaner look now.  Next, we need to tackle the ceiling.  I'm sure that'll be loads of fun!

One of the nice thing about using sheetrock putty is there's no dusty sanding.  If it needs to be sanded after it dries just use a damp sponge or rag and wipe it smooth.  No mess!


We're getting into our new fall schedule (even though it's still summer...grrr) which includes getting up at 5:30 every morning to milk the cow.  It's not necessary to do it that early but the girls still need Jeff's help at this point and he's got to leave for work around 6:30.  Once Bonnie (the cow) learns the routine well enough to get to the stall pretty much on her own they'll push it back to 7am or so.  I can't wait.  I'm so sleepy all the time!

Yesterday was Evelyn's 6th birthday.  Normally I'd cancel school for the day but since it was only the second day and she still looks forward to school I gifted her with a little extra school work.  She loved it! She also helped Gracie bake sugar cookies which all the kids had fun decorating.

These are the very best sugar cookies in the world, by the way!  Way, way better than store bought.  I've had the recipe so long I don't remember where I got it but I think it might be my cousin's grandma Lil's recipe.  I hear they were legendary.

Cookies or cupcakes are how we celebrate actual birthday's when the party doesn't fall on the same day and it rarely does.  It's a tradition the kids always look forward to since we don't eat a lot of sweets around here.

We also decided at the last minute to pull out Jeff's great aunt Jewel's fine china and wrinkled bunting and fabric scraps and have a "tea" party with milk.  As you can see by Evie's face (the one with the heart on her shirt) she's feeling pretty proud.  It's fun that it takes so little to make a kids day.

Sugar cookies:
1 c. softened butter (no substitute)
3/4 c. white sugar
1 egg
2 T. milk
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
3 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
Cream butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl then beat in the egg, milk and vanilla.  In a separate mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture.  Chill dough for one hour or until easy to handle.  On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8th inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters.  Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.  Bake at 375 degrees for 5 to 8 minutes until just slightly beginning to lightly brown.  Cool before frosting.

Frosting:
1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla or almond extract
1/4 t. salt
1 to 2 T. milk
food coloring, optional

Mix all ingredients well in a medium bowl and frost right away.  (It will begin to get dry and crumbly if you wait too long to use it.)

*Update:  TODAY is Evie's birthday!!!  not yesterday...  I guess we'll be making cookies again.  Am I a bad mother because I mix up birthday dates?  I don't think she'll be disappointed when I tell her.  Jeff and I have on more than one occasion celebrated our wedding anniversary on the wrong day.  I blame it on the aluminum in my deoderant.