project: Free Table

I found this table for FREE in the online classifieds. HURRAY!


A quick coat of red spay paint and it's sittin' pretty in my kitchen.

project: Bed Makeover

J found this headboard and foot board on KSL this winter. We had the girls with us and they were MAD when we went to look at it. After a QUICK look we decided to go for it and handed over our $20. You can't tell in our bad cell phone photos but it was pretty beat up. Here's the transformation

Primer

Krylon Bauhaus Gold. With black glaze. This was not pretty and not our style. WAY too orange.

Rustoleum Strawflower nice soft buttery yellow.

foster: Update

We are so lucky to be able to have continued contact with all 3 placements. We saw the twins a few weeks ago and they look so good, and BIG. For 6 1/2 month olds the are huge! I thought that they would be so different, but they're still "my girls". I was so happy to see S starting to push herself backwards. I really worried that the girls wouldn't get tummy time or the attention they needed because Mom C was trying to do so much by herself. To see S reach a developmental milestone gave me peace of mind that Mom and Dad can do this! Their permanency hearing is at the beginning of August.

Little Boy and Little Girl's permanency hearing has been pushed back. They are so attached to their foster parents and it's so good to see, especially Little Girl who was so resistant in our home. I hope the judge lets them stay where they are!

I'm sad we don't have a placement this summer. Last summer we were so busy with G and Lil G, and I really miss it. We are still waiting for the right call. This is the longest we've gone without a placement. We've received 2 calls from the adoption committee but neither were right for our family. It did cause a little crisis of faith in my abilities. I couldn't let go of the feeling of selfishness.

After our experience with Little Boy and Little Girl, I discovered how important it is for me to follow my instincts. I had to convince myself to take Little Boy and Little Girl and we eventually had them moved. I won't do that again. When I receive calls for children who have been severely abused, I know my capacity and skills will not be enough. When I say no, I instantly feel guilty. If I can't help abused children why am I doing foster care? Really, I don't know. I have to believe that there are more situations like G and Lil G or the twins where my capacity and skills can help, both the children and the parents. I do know that I love foster care. I love the children who have been in my home and I love the parents they have gone back to. I hope that I will have the opportunity to do it again. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

project: Bedroom

Well, I promised I wouldn't share any more bad cell phone pictures, but our good friend Anna couldn't wait. So here's our new, to us, bedroom.

I painted the walls Puritan Gray by Benjamin Moore, and our $20 headboard and foot board Strawflower by Rustoleum. I also hung our revamped nightstands above the bed for storage.

I found a chandelier perusing the free section of the classifieds and painted it black. Along with some $12 shades from JC Penny it works nicely above our bed. I LOVE our black and white "black out" curtains. They were a must have with the twins!

(I THINK the weird shadows on the walls are coming from the chandelier)

Last spring I painted our dresser black. I pulled the chair from the basement. Although, I'm thinking I may try to finish this one and put it up here instead. Unfortunately we couldn't squeeze a new TV into the budget, so we mounted a computer monitor and use a laptop to watch movies.

We're not done. I need to cover the cords, touch up paint, and find some fun art for the walls. Our room is small and cozy but for less then $100 I'm pretty happy with it.

foster: Responsible

I've subscribed to the blog Mama's On Call, and it's AWESOME! Loved the article "What Exactly IS A 'Responsible Parent" by Ellen Schrier. From it I gained this great guideline, "To be responsible means to respond appropriately." Here are some scenarios from her article.

What if … your 3-year-old has gotten hold of the pinking shears and is attempting to give her baby brother a hair cut? Should you let her? If you consider it for even a second you’ll realize that in order to respond appropriately you must say no and take away the sharp scissors before anyone gets hurt. She is unaware of the danger (or her limitations) and it’s your job to keep everyone safe.

What if … your eight-year-old is never hungry at dinner time because he likes to snack from the fridge throughout the day? It started years ago and has now become a habit. He seems to be growing okay and you hate to argue with him. Are you being responsible in letting the unsupervised grazing continue at the expense of eating a meal at the table with the family?

Well, just think: Is it part of your job as parent to make sure he gets his nutritional needs met? Yes, of course. Is it part of your job to teach him social skills and customs? Yes, again. So given your job description, what would the appropriate response be? It’s pretty obvious that you have to figure out a way to break the bad habit that has been established, right? That would be the responsible (appropriate, given your role as parent) thing to do.

What if … your seventh grader tells you that his science project is due tomorrow? He needs to get all the supplies and the project will take several hours to complete. He was given the assignment a couple weeks ago but ignored it. Now he is begging for your help. You know that his grade in science is hinging on whether he does well on this project. Should you cancel your own plans, roll up your sleeves, and get busy?

Well, consider for a moment — is it your job as parent to do your child’s work for him in order to keep moving things along or is it your job to help him learn about planning, making choices, managing his time and facing consequences even when they hurt? Once you make that determination you can figure out what kind of a response would be appropriate (and responsible), given your role.


Helpful right? This logic provides a formula I can use when working with Bio-Parents.

1. What is my role/job?
2. Based on my role/job what is the appropriate response.

The more I understand my role, the better I can respond in uncomfortable, even heated, situations.

This one liner is going in my repertoire.

To be responsible means to respond appropriately.

Tatertots and Jello Giveaway

I'm obsessed with Silhouettes. It was the first craft cutter I ever used and I instantly fell in LOVE! Unfortunately the $300 price tag has failed to fit into our budget and I continue to wait and want. Well, Tatertots and Jello is giving away a Silhouette. Go check it out and enter for your chance to win. You're going to LOVE the machine. Don't wait-GO!

project: Empty Space Utilized

My house does not lend itself to a mud room and I have grieved that loss the 4 years we've lived here. I told my friend Wednesday that I wanted to put some hooks behind my front door to hang my crap stuff. Stuff like a purse, maybe a cute coat or two, or a church bag. The kids rooms have hooks for those things already, so this would be just for me. I've seen board and batten done here and knew I wanted to use that. Check out these other cute ladies who had the same thought process.

Frugal Home Design

Recaptured Charm

Both used a small space of wall between doors to make a mudroom type space. I'm in LOVE!

Knowing what to do I started right away. I used graph paper printed from here to sketch my ideas and triple check my math.

Then we headed off to Home Depot. I found my wood (Primed MDF) and pushed the button for the guy to come make 8 cuts for me. While I'm waiting, what to my wondering eye should appear? THE CUT DISCARD PILE! A few seconds of searching and I found pieces that could be used for my vertical strips. COST $.50 for all my vertical pieces, TOTAL! I'm walking out of there spending only $6.00 ($5.50 of that for my horizontal pieces) and I'm soaring on my fabulous deal. I get home and PANIC! All of the sudden I worry that my vertical pieces are too BIG. But, hey, for $.50 I have to make it work, right?????

I primed and painted the wall and my pieces of discarded $.50 MDF.

I attached the MDF to the wall using liquid nails, a couple finishing nails and blue painters tape. I let that dry (or is the proper word cure?) for 24 hours.

(I know bad cell phone pictures, SORRY!)

Caulked ($2) and put on my final coat of paint Saturday.

I headed out for IKEA knowing they have the best price for wall hooks. The AS IS section had a grouping of 5 hooks for $2.99 TOTAL. Bringing my final bill for this project to $11

DID I MENTION LOVE!

project: Hard Water Stains

Ok so I have to tell you the best secret to window washing in Utah. We have hard water and my windows were all gunked up from the sprinklers hitting them. They were filmy and BAD. This spring I saw somewhere (maybe STUDIO 5?) to put jet dry, liquid dish soap and vinegar together in a squirt bottle and go at it. IT IS FABULOUS! I've used vinegar alone before but it never got the hard water stains off. This mixture is the BOMB. Plus, the jet dry works like it does in your dishwasher and the water just sheets off you windows. You want my version of the recipe? Here it is!

1 TBS liquid dish soap
4 TBS Vinegar
1 TSP Jet Dry or equivalent product
1 Liter of water

You may need to adjust the amounts to your needs.

Dump it all in a squirt bottle shake it up and start washing.

is it just me?

Is it just me, or does it take anyone else 6 months to write the correct date on your checks? Today I wrote 2010 without even thinking about it. First time all year. I'm so proud.

poject: MORE Inspiration

Well, my bedroom is mostly done. You wanna see it? I wanna show it to you. BUT J says I can't post cell phone pictures anymore, and I think he might be right. SOOOO until I can get a camera I'll just have to show you some more inspiration.

I didn't jump on the bird band wagon right away. Actually I didn't like the bird trend AT ALL, until the trend included bird cages. I've always loved bird cages. Now I want some cute little birdies for my bedroom with or without cages. I saw these in my Ballard Catalog. My favorite is the little baby birdie at the bottom. Isn't he soooo CUTE?!

Ballard $49 each

Ballard $119