Home Goals 2011

Ah... another list. I am the perpetual list maker around here. I thrive on lists.

Main Floor:

New flooring-

When we bought this house the flooring on the main floor was non-existent. Plywood. We painted it, but it was rough and hard to keep clean. When Dylan came along I convinced Bruce to put down real floors. We wanted hardwood, but we just bought a house, just had a baby and were living on one income. Hardwood wasn't in the budget. Laminate was. We bought cheap laminate to tide us over until we could afford to do something else. 5 years, 2 kids and a dog later, the floors are just a little worse for wear. OK they're a lot worse for wear. They are scratched, worn, and in places the finish is coming off. When Pepper was still learning the art of house training she somehow confused Dylan's room with outside. His floor was torn up and is back to plywood. Enter new bamboo flooring.

Master Bedroom:

I showed you a plan for my master bedroom a couple days ago... not sure that's the way we are going to go quite yet... the black and white ticking stripe bedding is wonderful... but we have to take into account the 2 boys and the black dog...

1. New Bed- 4 poster
2. Repaint? The gray is depressing me. It is the wrong gray, prison cellish gray. I have tried to make it work, tried different color combinations and different bedding, and I can't make it work. (Note: it currently looks nothing like this picture except the color is still the same)

3. Bedding

Family Room:

My goal is to have the family room be a space for all of us. It's a rather large room, and it has to be multifunctional. A place to play, to relax, to watch TV, use the computer, ride tricycles... 

1. finish fireplace
2. build bookcases- like this:

3. trim on windows
4. box in posts
5. curtains (they are being hemmed, or sitting in the to-do pile at my seamstress... aka my Mom)

6. art work
7. decor
8. coffee table?

Guest Room 

My guest room has had many lives. It was a guest room/ storage room, then my sister lived with us for awhile and it was her room. It became an office for the business we had for awhile, then it became a combination office/guest room again, then a playroom,then my brother moved in for a bit and it was his room and now it is back to just a guest room. It is still the same colors I painted for the playroom though... and there may be Thomas the train stickers on the wall. I sleep in there when Bruce snores. Let me tell you it is anything but calm and serene to wake up to! 

No wonder my brother moved out! I have no inspiration for this room, except that queen size headboard in the master bedroom that is too small for the bed will be moving downstairs. I may or may not change the white vinyl to something else... depends on how much gumption I have left when I get to it! I seem to have trouble with bedrooms...

Yard- No more MUD!!

Frame art- I bought my keep calm poster a year ago, it still isn't framed! Normally I frame everything in black, but this white washed barnboard is just so nice!!

have kids... will decorate

 

Living Room Lowdown

• Choose durable upholstery that looks better at it ages. Leather is easy to care for and never goes out of fashion.
• Create different seating areas. Coffee-table seating is perfect for games and coloring; wide sofas are better for reading.
• Use wipe-clean paint. Grubby hands needn’t be a bother, even on pale walls, if you use a finish, such as eggshell, then most stains can be removed from.
• Go for washable slipcovers -- a must for a family room and perfect when the fun spills over. 

Living Room: Kids' Rules

• We want lots of room to play, so make sure you keep all your stuff out of the way. Built-in storage units and shelves keep the floor free for us to play on.
• The floor is for rolling on, eating on, and trying out our train track on. So get a patterned rug as it’s better for hiding crumbs and stains, and can be cleaned more easily than carpet.

Tip: Coffee tables are a great height for kids to play on, so buy one tough enough to withstand everyday knocks.

Cozy Bedroom

• Pick machine-washable bedding. You need to be able to chuck it in the washer if breakfast gets spilt.
• Get a bed with storage baskets as they are perfect for keeping bed linens in -- and toys, so the kids can amuse themselves while you relax.
• Buy a separate headboard so when you want a fresh look, you can replace or repaint it without having to buy a new bed.
• Add soft-cornered storage, such as this upholstered ottoman. The padded lid and rounded edges aren’t going to cause injury if kids bump into them.
• Edge a plain blind with patterned fabric so when little hands grab the bottom of it, no grubby prints will show.
• Find a clever storage unit that will hide away a home office. The computer monitor is great for watching DVDs in bed, too. 

Bedroom: Kids’ Rules

• We love to bounce on the beds, so stay clear of white bedding! Pick an easy-care finish and add a splash of color or pattern on pillowcases.
• Best get a slightly patterned carpet. If we spill your breakfast orange juice on the floor, a plain one would show stains.

Tip: Clutter-free surfaces and round-edged furniture mean it’s safe for fun and games.

Durable Dining Room

• Go for practical dining chairs that’ll stay pristine. Leather just needs a quick wipe down to stay looking smart.
• Choose inexpensive curtains.With kids likely to pull or wrap themselves up in them, they’ll need replacing before long.
• Protect walls with paneling. It’ll create a cozy feel in the dining room, and also means scuffed areas can be easily retouched without repainting an entire wall.
• Use sleek furniture without protruding handles that children might catch themselves on.
• Select smart flooring, such as laminate, that will withstand tricycles as well as dropped food and drink. 

Dining Room: Kids’ Rules

• If you don’t want us to play with your pretty things, keep them out of our reach on a high shelf.
• Keep your china and glass safe in a sideboard.
• We love to play at the table, so choose an aged-wood design, so that marks won’t stand out.

Tip: Oilcloth adds a fun touch during the daytime and protects the table from spills.

Marie Nichols, Ideal Home

It’s been decided…

My house usually looks dishevelled and disorganized. There is evidence everywhere that boys live here, big boys and little ones. There is no place in this house that is untouched by the messiness of those boys. I find cars and trucks on the counter, balls under the couch, peanut butter left out, tractors on the end tables. Toothpaste gummed to the bathroom sink and spray on the mirror. There are dog toys and boy toys littering the yard, there are dumptrucks under my bed. The male species who live here are all a little like Pigpen!

OK, that’s not to say that I am not a little at fault too… I may have a pile (or 10) of magazines around the house… is there a Magazines Anonymous? I may, or may not, have piles of paper around that need to be filed, I may, or may not, leave dishes in the sink on occasion. The laundry is piled on top of the drier as I write this, waiting for someone (me) to find the motivation to put it away. My bed is not made, in fact the room was one of the messiest in the house. Many things that don’t belong have a tendency to congregate there. It drives me crazy. The kids are not usually allowed in there, so it becomes the stashing space for everything we don’t want them to touch.  Christmas did a number on the room, presents were stored in the closet, wrapping paper littered the floor, tags, tape, rubbermaid containers… you get the picture right?

I spend my days surrounded by all their stuff everywhere, I shouldn’t spend my nights that way too. It should be a refuge, a sanctuary, a place of rest and relaxation. The room is not very inviting, it’s grey and cold and the furniture doesn’t match (and not in that nice eclectic unmatchy way). We splurged on a king size bed a few months back, which does help with the sleeping space but sadly the headboard is the one from our queen bed, just sitting there behind a bed that is much bigger. Winter makes me want to nest. Makes me want to break out the warm blankets and cosy pillows. Makes me crave a makeover.

The boys have real beds. Made out of wood. Not steel bedframes with one size too small headboards. They have real beds, that weren’t exactly um cheap… so why can’t we have a real bed in our bedroom? Well, it’s finally been decided that we can… 4 poster lovey here I come!

Wheatons

Ethan Allen Barrett Bed

And as much as I love the Pottery Barn Farmhouse bed… they don’t ship to Canada. Poo poo on you Pottery Barn, cause I would go for broke at your store!

That beautiful master bedroom at the HGTV 2011 Dream Home has me inspired… and I have to admit I spent the day searching for black and white ticking stripe bedding…

Ethan Allen… you cost too much!

Enter ebay, and Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams- similar look less $$$

http://cgi.ebay.com/MITCHELL-GOLD-BOB-WILLIAMS-GOODNIGHT-DENIM-KING-DUVET-/260715256608

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mitchell-Gold-Bob-Williams-Goodnight-Denim-King-Bed-Set-/380304535823?pt=US_Duvet_Covers&hash=item588beab10f

I can’t decide if I will add the red yet or not, I do have a soft spot for red…  and the throw… well I might just add a little Canadiana into the mix.

We’ll see.

Dreamin’ in Vermont

Ok, no I’m not actually in Vermont… but my dreamy space is…

HGTV’s Dream Home 2011

 

 

 

 

Downstairs Tomorrow!

Just had to share...

I got my boys these great leather jackets (for $49.99) for their birthdays in February... (they wanted Harley Coats) Can't beat that deal considering they retail for $165.00

Check them out here!
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Knuckleheads-Sample-Sale-Leather-jacket-lined-/130464244429?pt=US_Baby_Toddler_Boys_Clothes&var=&hash=item641eb055d0

Where's the easy button? And why I am not organized...

I keep coming back to the same stresses, no matter that I was supposed to be more disciplined this year. My life is disorganized, my house is cluttered and messy and that makes me feel messy and my brain feels cluttered. I used to be so good at organizing things, a place for everything and everything in it's place. The kind of life where you don't lose your glasses or keys or those important papers. The kind of life where things are where they are supposed to be so you don't waste minutes, hours, or days looking for them. The kind of life where you don't forget important appointments or forget to file your taxes on time. I used to be disciplined, I used to be organized, I used to be sane! I am now overworked, underpaid, overwhelmed, and at the brink of insanity.
 
Now I find tools on the bathroom sink, or the top shelf of the coat closet, dinky cars and batteries, and cell phone chargers, and magazines, and just plain junk amidst the piles of mail that has gathered on the kitchen counter for months. Bills that might have been paid on time if my memory served me well. I find toothpaste in the buffet, plates and cups hide out under couches (the cups are always filled with chocolate milk that has soured by the time we find them). Getting ready to go anywhere is a chore, there are about 5 places that shoes and coats congregate in our house (one of those being the dog's bed of course) so I run around like a mad woman searching for coats and matching shoes and the ball cap someone has lost. There are toys everywhere, laundry piled up on the washer and drier waiting to be put away, dishes in the sink, disorganized, cluttered, mess everywhere. Every morning the newspaper is left on the dining table. Inevitably over the course of the day, there are coats hung on backs of chairs, toys and play dough collected on the table, a magazine, a computer, a box of crayons, maybe a box of nails or a screwdriver or hammer too, so that where it is time for dinner we gather the entire pile and shove it someplace else. Not very disciplined huh?


My day is consumed with diverting disasters and cleaning the chaos of the moment, there is no time for the piles and misplaced items that need attention. I'm lucky if I get to unloading the dishwasher before the nights supper dishes need to be loaded again. I could clean all day and accomplish nothing, because behind me are two little boys that leave a mess in their wake, tornadoes in jeans. A puppy that steals clothing from the hamper, chews shoes, and anything else she can get her paws on. A husband who is a little (OK maybe a lot) like his sons. And a Mom who can't juggle it all.

 "Cleaning your house while your children are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing." -Phylis Diller

Like the time Bruce took the boys for the day and I spent the entire day cleaning and organizing the family room/play room, only to have my glorious 2 1/2 year old son dump the entire ash bucket all over the room the very next day. The ashes from the wood stove that were supposed to be dumped the week before by a certain someone {who is not me} I might add.

5 minutes. 5 minutes he was out of my sight, 5 minutes he was left to his own devices, whilst I cleaned another of the messes he had made upstairs in the bathroom. This is one of those messes that will take a LONG time to clean up. Ashes make A LOT of dust. Dust everywhere. And not just in the family room, nope it traveled all over the house. See why I have no time to get organized?

Coat Rack Inspiration

The mudroom progress is coming along, but the closet that is there probably isn't usable as a coat closet (there is no back wall, and the plumbing is in the way to put one in). So, we need a place to hang coats...

I love the vintage look, and think that's the way to go. I will probably wind up building it myself but there provide some great inspiration! Hubs would love the deer antlers and the kids think the horse shoes are pretty cool! Me, I'm loving the tin shelves from Black Canyon but they don't give prices just a range Prices range from $50 - $795. Um $795 for a coat rack? I don't think so!!