Sneak Peek - Kid's Rooms

I'm getting super excited about the move!  I can't wait live in my dream house!  Well, this is the last sneak peek, as these all look alike and I'm going to include them all in one post.  The bedrooms in this house are not over large, with the basement bedroom being the exception, but all have at least one large closet and large windows.  These, I think, are the most essential features in a functional bedroom, don't you!  We're still unsure how we're going to allot the bedrooms to the kids, we may have to experiment a little bit!

Basement bedroom: two large closets, two large windows, 9 foot ceilings and quite large!

Back bedroom: two large closets, one very large window, faces north, kind of dark, but cozy with the angled ceiling... 

West Bedroom: tons of light in the evening, one large closet and windows, as you see.

East Bedroom: looks out over the back yard, one large closet, and windows as you see.

Sneak Peek - Front Room

I'm very excited about the move, now that we have a place to move to!  Packing is in earnest and the POD is being stuffed as full as it can get.  We're signing the lease this week and going to measure the rooms precisely, and I'll plan furniture layouts in the evenings after the chillens are in bed, resting from their long days of forced labor carrying boxes and washing walls!  So, I thought I'd do the last two sneak peeks this week... and here is the first, the Front Room...

We had thought to put the TV in the Family Room, or Great Room, or whatever we're gonna call it... but I've decided to put it in here, out of the way of daily activities.  This room will have a couch, love seat, armchair, and piano, as well as the tv and video equipment and surround sound speakers.  Teal and gold and bronze will be the color scheme for now,  because that's what I've got!  Again, those floors are just so amazing, and those window sills are just perfect for house plants... this room faces west, so it'll need some good drapes.  Also, a round coffee table seems appropriate.

Tortured Soul, plus a Sneak Peek, Master Bath

Can you believe we still haven't gotten word about the house! I have been really patient, trying not to count my eggs before they're hatched. Well, that is over, my friends. I am counting eggs. I am completely emotionally invested in this house now. I want it bad. So, now that I've shared my idolatry with the world... here's a Sneak Peek of the Master Bath, and my pretty friend.

I know what you're thinking.... Oooooooh, toilet paper roll! No, wait. Big two person garden tub! Separate sinks! There's a tiled shower on your right with a rainfall showerhead. I'm not sure yet what to do for a window treatment in here... I want to see the view and get all the sun I can in the morning... but I don't want people to see me, if you know what I mean.... maybe roman shades? The light in this room is perfect for plants... ferns, orchids maybe. Up for daylight, down at night... If you turn around you'll see the awesome walk in closet... oh, no that's the next sneak peek!

Sorry!

Another couch Pic

The kids wanted to "snuddle" (snuggle) on the couch... and Baby says "I tode!" (cold) I love the button detail on the end of the arms... I think for comfort sake, it'll need a couple of throw cushions; what do you think of bolsters? Two, that could go horizontally across the back or laterally against the arms?

What's That!?!!

Look at this beautiful picture from my new favorite Color Blog House of Turquoise. I adore this room and totally want to absorb this vibe for my own great room. I love the light walls, the light, casual curtains, the view outdoors, the turquoise.... I have been thinking of recovering my flowery $75 garage sale couch in orange and copying this room, sort of... but my friend Joy always says you should check Craigslist first... so I did. She should know, too, she's made slipcovers for her couches, they're these awesome red denim slipcovers that really look like she bought them straight from Pottery Barn... like her whole house, which is awesome... no A- WE- SOME! And lots of it came from Craigslist.

Today I asked my husband and another very nice man to shove this into my Suburban... it was a close fit, I almost had to leave the kids there. Also, it's a sleeper sofa, so it's, you know, HEAVY! But my man is studly and we wrestled this thing out of a lovely lady's house and into my own back room to await it's new home with the other lovely things we have no room for. It's not exactly luxury upholstery... I mean it's that fakey velvet that lasts forever and wipes clean with a damp cloth... kind of like Teflon. My orange Teflon couch is great and the best thing is... I won't feel mad at my beloved children when they rough house on it, because I didn't spend hours and hours making a slipcover... so with no further ado, the $75, retro mod, orange couch:

Sorry for the pic quality... I'll post a daylight pic tomorrow... but I just had to share!

Status Report

Hello, Dear Readers,

I know that you all hearing me say over and over again that my current status is "packing" is not all that interesting. So, I thought I'd give you photographic proof, and also let you in on a deal I snagged yesterday. I found these lovely, buttermilk colored pieces on Craigslist day before yesterday. I can't wait to see them in the Little Woman's room. They're short enough for a 4 year old to access, and they're small and divided to help a little person keep everything in its place. My 4 year old is a "cleany" by nature and I've been hampering that tendency by not making her storage spaces accessible for her, hence...

It's a great piece, and it's suitable for a sideboard or sofa table, as well, I think. It was advertised with a matching end table or bedside table, below, but the dear, sweet, gracious lady threw in this midcentury modern piece as well, which, I have to say, made my day! It just so happens that it matches another dresser we purchased in Colorado Springs years ago, and it will make a great set!

And...

Status: Packing

Sneek Peak - Master Bedroom

OK, this is not the best pic, ever... I admit it. Still, you can see the big windows, the floors, the light, the double door entry, and my Hubs. Eat your heart out ladies!

He thinks he wants to install a fan... I asked him to wait till summer to see if I want a fan, because, I've always wanted a big curtained bed with a chandelier... These things are made impossible by a large ceiling fan.

I have also been looking at design blogs, and I found... the Mother Lode of inspiration for myself. It's called House of Turquoise... and wow, I mean, wow, this chic gets me... well, at least my obsession with color. Here are her posts on turquoise and orange, lots of which I would love to have in my own home. And here's a big, curtained bed that's really waaay more modern than I would go, but still, it's magnificent. Oh, wait, this is the one I want!

Sneak Peek - Family Room

Look, more distressed hickory, just yards and yards of it! Yay! And I love the ceiling fans, too. I love the extra tall windows, but I know I'll have to open those windows on the top not the bottom, or you know SOMEONE would fall right out and down 15 feet to the ground outside! I love the trim on the fireplace, too. Stephanie, any ideas on a floor plan? Any free advice?! I think it's this room that will be the main quiet activity place... movies, school, read alouds, the library will be mostly in here, and family worship will probably take place here, too, so it should seat eight at a minimum comfortably.

Knitting Post, so if you're not a fiber or color addict, you may want to catch the next post!

Well, knitting is continuing, though I've packed up the sewing equipment, and even most of the yarn... though I did keep out some projects to keep me busy between packing, cooking, laundry, and school. I have been garden planning, too, but I really can't do much till we're in the new house, except do a little mail ordering. Party month is coming... February is coming and there will be gifts to order and wrap and days of fun to declare. My head is full of thankfulness for God's Grace and provision and blessings, none of which I deserve, and all of which seem completely unearned, or even the opposite of what I should have. Also swimming around in my head is decorating ideas for our new home. That's my favorite part of moving: the anticipation of nesting. I keep having to remind myself that we need to just get the basics unpacked and then get the garden planted and a fence built to house Fang the beef steer more permanently than our back yard fence.

So, as this is a knitting post, on to the works in progress:

Another cushion cover, in a honeycomb pattern, with colorwork. Leftover Knit Picks Shine Sport from my babydoll tunic. This will be a rather large throw cushion, to coordinate with the Williamsburg cushion and the green cushion already made.

Beautiful, beautiful variegated Socks that Rock in the Crabby Mc Happypants colorway... a pair of lace stockings, or at least knee socks! Usually, I do not like lace in variegated yarn... but, I want a pair of lace socks, long ones, so.... there you go!

A stole... Eunny Jang's Print o' the Wave, practically free Knit Picks kettle dyed Shadow in Pacific colorway (a shade of turquoise green or blue that I'm quite fond of). I'm rather excited about this project, as it's my first real lace weight pattern to work, and it's working up very quickly. It's a simple, short pattern repeat, with all purl rows on the wrong side, so it's a good first lace shawl pattern, I think.... not to mention a good gift idea, for someone who might love beautiful, delicate handwork.

And finally, a cardigan to go with one of my winter skirts. I have a very pretty tan wool skirt, bias cut, A-line... with orange and chocolate and cream, and I've been looking for years for a suitable cardigan for it... I'm attempting to make one, finally. Mother Daughter Knits Grey Cardigan is the pattern. Lion Brand Fisherman's wool in brown... smells very nicely of lanolin.

Sneak Peek - Dining Room

Oh, be still my heart, I love this room soooo much... I do believe this is the first house we saw that I didn't automatically think... "we'll have to change the light fixtures!" I really like these... can you see the chandelier swathed in netting for summer? This room is big enough for our table, a good thing, and wide enough for the buffet and I love it.

Another Orange Post... Shocker!

Hi! Look, I'm making this pretty cushion cover out of my special Williamsburg yarn... I think it'll be perfect to bring the color in my curtains onto the couch without trying to get back the giant burnt orange velveteen couch that my husband's grandparents passed down to us and that I used to hate, but now wish I had again. I've been dreaming of recovering my couch, well, since I bought it for $75 at a garage sale, but I can't decide what color to cover it with. Charcoal? Navy denim? Brown? I can't decide. Whatever it is, it has to be washable, because my kids can be easily compared to hurricanes.

Anyway, the fabric is a little experiment by me... I checked out Barbara Walker's stitch encyclopedia and first tried the wool in a gorgeous, intricate ogee lace pattern... not good. The wool is just too slubby and variable in gauge to look pretty... then I thought of a beautiful fabric knitted in silk I saw once, and I turned to the section on twisted stitch patterns, found the twisted purl stitch, and came up with this:

I cast on 70 stitches, and just started up. The stitch is a good for a mindless knitting project. It would make a really nice pair of gloves in a very fine gauge, or a coat in a nice worsted... as the fabric is dense and firm... I think this stich is perfect for the varied tonality of this yarn, and see, it's gonna look great with my curtains!

Some Sewing

Well, I've been enthralled by this wonderful book that I purchased recently: Weekend Sewing. If you're interested in her blog, take a look at Weekend by Heather Ross. She recently had a really cool contest where people made sort of "Show and Tell" boards for their ideas for a summer wardrobe using the patterns from her book.

Here is the Oh, So, Cute wrap skirt I made (like the one on the cover of the book)... Of course, it's too small for me... so I may have to sell it or something, or use it for an apron, or something... This photo is a two-fer, because in the background you see my latest home improvement project, the Workroom! It used to be the guest room, but I decided a school/project room is in order since we only have one living area and it already does triple duty, without it being a schoolroom.

Here is a detail of the hand sewn rolled edge hem. I'm very proud of that!

Our latest school handiwork project is a memory quilt of all our firsts here on the farm. I remembered this great article on applique in an old Martha Stewart Baby magazine and got it out for inspiration. We're going to make blocks for all sorts of things, but the first is a block with little hens in the colors of our flock. The second is a block inspired by my square foot vegetable garden. I picked up a few fat quarters at a local fabric store in appropriate colors and got started:

Here's our first chicken:

I can't wait to see it finished!

Spring is Springing

Have you noticed? It's a big thing for me, you know... We have a follower to the blog! Yay! If you want to follow and be alerted whenever I post anew or whatever, just scroll all the way to the bottom and click "Follow This Blog". School is just humming along right now... of course, I have totally dropped Latin. But otherwise, we're running on all cylinders right now. We should be done with the 3 R's sometime in May, and then, boy howdy, we're gonna farm like we've never farmed before! I'm soooo excited for the garden this year. Not just the food, either, I'm excited for the daffodils and tulips I planted, and the herbs, and lilies, and roses, and lavender I bought for the children. We were planning on some feeder calves, but haven't yet obtained any, and we're putting out feelers for a family cow, but that's not falling into place, either, so we're just focusing on what we CAN do... We can garden. We can tend our little flock of chickens. We can make things at home...

Speaking of that: I've been sewing. I bought some patterns for simple, classic clothes (Common Sense Patterns) for the Prairie Princess. She is such a Luddite. I've finished (except for buttons and holes) a very pretty ruffled collar, long sleeved blouse for her in white cotton with printed golden orangey and metallic silver polka dots. She tried it on after the sleeves were attached to talk about buttons with me:

"Oh, Mommy! I just love it! Especially since it's handmade!" the Prairie Princess gushes, and when I say gush, I mean it.

She's very gratifying to make things for. Really. She talks like she's Anne of Green Gables most of the time. I mean she speaks with all the emotion and emphasis and vocabulary. But she's not really a talkative person. She can't be when she's got two little sisters with "tongues hung in the middle."

Speaking of orange, again... I bought the fabric for my living room curtains. I know, I said I'd let you all give your input, but I couldn't wait. Orange, again. Shocking.

Creative and Organized, is it Possible?

I was perusing Blue Yonder today and lo and behold, she linked HERE

I'm blown away. How could someone have such beautiful artistic sensibilities and still have such a clean, organized space?! It's as though her aesthetic and art have melded into a cohesive whole that I previously thought impossible. It makes me want to just go through everything and organize it beautifully... but perhaps washing the dishes should come first? Geninne's Art Blog is absolutely, fabulously, wonderfully inspiring, and can I just say that I love that she has a homeschool/studio.... That's what I need! I could just chuck the guest room and make that the school room instead of making it share space with the living room and dining room. I'll have to think on that one. I love her mixture of the orangey tones with the blue and brown, too.

OK, so news here is that I've finished baby Ava's matinee jacket and bonnet and am knitting away on the second bootie to finish off the layette. I think that if I was comissioned to make this layette I'd charge $250. It was fun, and the color is a joy to work with; bright, cheerful, and beautiful. But lace in fingering weight wool is VERY time consuming. Still, it's beautiful! See!

Also, I've decided to put up curtains in the living room. I bought cafe rods and ring clips, so now I just have to pick a fabric. I'm sort of waffling between blue and brown and orange... and green.

Finally, don't tell my husband, because he thinks it's silly, but I want to build a birdcage... I mean, not NECESSARILY for birds to live in... I could put plants in it, even fake birds, or a bird mobile, or some paper cranes or something... but I want a birdcage. Not the kind that has bars and scrollwork, but a nice, big one, with a wooden frame painted a color I like with window screening on it... maybe with grass planted on the floor.... Hmmmmmmm.... I'll have to mull over that one a bit more... I'll post pics of the living room and you all can give me opinions about what color curtains to put up, or whether it should be a solid or a print, geometric? and bold or subtle.... Of course, I'll do just what I want to, but I'd love your ideas, anyway!

Ode to Orange

I've been a little in love with orange for a bit. It makes me happy, it looks really fetching with my favorite blue color, and it's a natural foil for my greens. Plus I happen to be one of those people who actually looks good in orange... so ha! I found this fabulous tea set at a garage sale for five dollars along with my harvest basket and a cute pair of froggy salt and pepper shakers. This is shot against the fabric I made my apron in. My orange, my blue, and oh, so beautiful to me.

And this is an after shot of my bathroom from grungy blog fame. My orange, my blue, and oh, so beautiful to me, too! I think it's an amazing shade, warm, wakeful, energizing, and perfect for my house and my family and my life. I still need to do the trim, I've been waiting till I could get the wall color up before I did the trim, which needs to be done really badly, as the previous painter did a not so thorough job of it.

Have a good day!

Dining Room

Well, the wall color is done in the Dining Room, and I think it turned out really well! I still have to paint the trim, but I can do that little by little, if I want to. Pictured here is the moldy corner. We washed it, scraped it, and primed it with Zinsser and then painted when it got dry. I've never primed the whole wall before when painting, but I think I may start doing it! The paint really covered better in here, I only used one gallon on the whole room! Plus, primer is cheaper than paint.

Kitchen Redo

Well, the floor still needs some scrubbing with a brush and a degreaser, I scrubbed about a third of the floor and just mopped the rest, as I was totally exhausted... but here it is!

I think those blue knobs are too cute. The floor, it turns out, is pale blue, so it looks perfect with the blue knobs.

My Room

What's this? As my friend Joy mentioned, my readers had not yet seen any upstairs rooms in the farmhouse! Well here's a sneak peek at the Master not suite... just a bedroom, really. But it has four, again I say FOUR, closets! May I point out that is three more than I have now. Two are the sort you see in this pic, under the eaves, and long, but without much head room. As this house has no basement, this is where Christmas decorations, off season clothes, and hand me downs will go. Oh, I can't forget the boxes of baseball cards my husband lugs around, and the "memories" stuff, old letters, wedding dresses, yearbooks, etc., that we cart from house to house without a thought. Our kids may want to pilfer through this stuff after we die and before they throw it all out!

I was going to paper this in blue, but looked up how to paper and decided it was WAAAAAY too much trouble. Painting is much easier! I still need to get the carpet cleaned, but it's got a lot of potential!

Kitchen's first Coat

Well, here it is, first coat complete:

I really like the Lowe's paint, Valspar. It covers nicely, has little odor, and I think gives you a lot of bang for your buck.

Somebody's excited!

A Good Start

Well, we've started on the farmhouse decorating. We went this past week and bought paint and a few dust masks and got started! Here we've started taking off that terrible wood grain wallpaper. There was some black mold under one corner under the upstairs bathroom. I'll have to see about the best way to deal with that. Any ideas?





And here we've begun painting the kitchen leaf bud green. When it was wet it was a little more yellowey than I had hoped, but I think it will mellow as it dries. I hope.