Don't laugh

Okay, you can laugh.  Even roll your eyes.  I sure have at this latest project.  I've put off posting it because I am still undecided of what I think.   It all started months ago when I found a post on Addicted2Decorating blog.

Addicted 2 Decorating.com

I loved it and thought it would be an easy project for our new entryway wall.  Just wooden shims hot glued together in a pattern to create a circle frame for a mirror.

So last June I started her up.

1. Got a few wooden shims from Lowe's that were the perfect size.   Played with the pattern a little and loved it.
2. Moved. And our new Lowe's didn't carry the same shims. Only plastic kinds.
3.  Shopped Home Depot who had 6 inch ones (too small) or the ones I chose.  Big but I thought just fine.
4. Just started gluing sections together without really fitting the whole circle together.

By the time I had about half of the sections glued together, Aaron came over and commented how big the circle was really going to be.  I thought, Big is good.  I like big and making a statement.

Little did I realize just how big it was truly going to be.  Once I started gluing the wood sections together, it hit me. 

Oh. my. goodness. 

This monster was not going to fit on the front entry wall liked I planned.  This giant wasn't even not going to fit above either of our fireplaces. 

Every time I passed it on our dining room table. I just laughed.  It literally was supposed to be half the size it turned out.  This is so me.  Just dive in and go.  Not really measuring.  Just figuring it out as I go.  So this type of thing happens with all us creative types.  :)

So after getting over my laughter and realizing I was too far invested to start over,  Aaron gave me oodles of help to figure out how to secure this sucker together, how to get the circle mirror from falling off the frame and then how to get this baby on the wall without bringing the whole thing down.

It's finally up.

Yep. It's ginormous.  I even hate that word but there really is no other way to describe it. 

I thought about painting or staining it, but I ended up just liking the plain wood.  I put a couple coats of clear lacquer on it and called it good.

I ended up buying an 18" round mirror to try and balance the larger frame but then decided I liked the smaller mirror better.

We hung it up in our family room.  I know I would like a smaller one better but it looks good.  I am going to be reupholstering that chair in the corner.  That was one of my very first projects about 9 years ago.  But I want new fabric to fit in our family room since our new "taupe" couch really is more moss green than anything.

I also painted the walls white.  Yep. White.  That's one reason I left the warm wood of the frame instead of painting it. It looks a little stark in this picture but the other side warms the room all up.  I'll post pictures of that makeover soon.  Don't tell Aaron but I have a big project planned for the walls in here.  After the holidays.  And if Santa brings the power tools I asked for.  :)

Yes,  my life is quite uncomplicated right now.  I have no PTA, very little volunteering in middle school, no busy calling (Go, Cubscouts!), almost no friends and only one little boy who still takes great naps at home during the day.   Plus with a new house to play with, it's a perfect storm.  So I love my projects, even when they don't turn out right, and it's a creative outlet for me.  

Board and battan here I come!

My antidepressant

I can't be sad when I am around this kid.  One round of rescuing Baby Jesus off the stable roof or the daddy train teaching his baby train how to use the potty, and I can't help but smile. Everything in his life is fun.  Whether we're running errands, going visiting teaching or to the vet, he always replies, "That sounds like fun!"

He talks to himself in his car seat and cracks himself up, sending him into a fit of George McFly-esque forced guffaws.

He always interrupts by pointing up his finger and stating, "I have an idea!" Or "Mom, I have a question!" But when asked to elaborate, he's got nothing. No idea. No question. Just wanted to interrupt.

He loves to sing.  Especially "Nephi's Courage" (which has become our family anthem because we sing it for every FHE since we always ask Jonah to pick :) and to the Dragon Tales CD we have in the car.  He'll sing even when he doesn't know the song and just make it up as he goes along.  Hymns in sacrament meeting, the radio or commercials on TV.  He just loves to sing.

He was started crying in the bathtub one night. Not knowing what happened, I of course asked him. He sobbed, "I just freaking out, Mom!  I just FREAKING out!"  He then calmed down and went about his bathtub business.  Never found out what else was bothering him, just that he was freaking out about it. 

Yesterday he was playing with all the Christmas tree ornaments when I told him it was time to read and go down for a nap.  He gives me "the hand" and simply states, "I will be there in a moment, please."  I look at him waiting and he states again, "Go. I will be right there. I need to finish here."  I wonder where he's heard that one before?

Food is always an issue. Me casually trying to get him to try new things and he automatically yelling, "I can't like it!" or "I can't want peanut butter!"  Even though he loves peanut butter, instead he'll put on his "I'm an angel" face and plead, "I ne-ee-ed chips!"  That boy's obsession for Cool Ranch Doritos baffles even me. 

The other day I was putting on a movie for some quiet time and it was a library DVD that was having issues.  I couldn't get the main menu up and the screen went blank for a few minutes.  Jonah waited patiently while I kept fiddling with it to work.  About 4-5 minutes of a black screen, all of a sudden the menu came on and blared music.  And in a voice just like Dr. Frankenstein and both arms raised to the ceiling, Jonah yells "It's alive!"

NO idea where he learned that one.

He is quick to kiss and cuddle and love on me. He won't hold my hand in the parking lot but he gives great hugs complete with mewing sounds and a sappy, emotional "I LOVE you!" 

I know.  The stories themselves aren't that funny.  But when I am with him, I smile every time.  Not to say his day doesn't have its tantrums and monumental whining, but more often I find myself marveling at every new word, expression, & new trick, and feeling joy in his joy.  And this kid is filled with joy and loves life.  It can't help but be contagious. 

I love being a mom!

Lots to be thankful for

We, Williams (well, 3 out of the 4 families), gathered in the Northwest for a very wetThanksgiving.  Aaron's mom and dad flew up from Provo and Brant and the kids drove down from Vancover.  We had a full house for four fun, rainy days.

I must admit it was my best turkey yet.  And I'm not really a big fan of turkey.  I think it had to do with it being free, after taking advantage of some sale by Fred Meyer.  Who could complain about a 21 lb free turkey?

Cotton didn't. Too bad the kid never got any.

The long weekend was low key and relaxing, as always.

Kids played card games, watched movies and battled in video games.

The little boys tried battling with light sabors but  one would be whacked in the face and in tears within seconds.   They tried playing trains but one would knock down the bridge so the other would gather all the trains to take to another room.  They tried playing with the castle but one  would lock the other boy's knight in the dungeon and a tantrum would ensue.   Cooperative play was not their forte this time around.  Give it some time and they'll be best of friends.

Dad got some "backyard birding" in, along with one quick trip to the pond down the street.

We went for a walk the one afternoon it wasn't raining.  Jonah protected us from all the attacking trees.

Let him out and this kid's happy.

Mother & son.

My cute, kissy face.

This boy will never hold your hand, like Lucas always did.  He must be free & unencumbered!

The kids made place cards with glitter, stickers, markers and whatever else they would find...

...while Jonah wrangled dinosaurs.

The girls convinced Grandma, Lucas and I to go Black Friday shopping.  We convinced them to wait at least until 6am to leave.  Target here we come!

We took some family pictures but none of them turned out too swell.  For whatever reason, Lucas never quite looks like himself.  It's so goofy. He gets it from his mother.  Sorry, honey.  Do I really look like that?!

Brant and the kids.  Can you tell who was not in the mood to get his picture taken?  He cracks me up.

By Saturday, we all retired to our own corners for some quiet time.  Mom and Dad flew home and Brant & Co. went back north.

I am always sad when holidays end and I get in a funk.  Luckily Christmas is right around the corner and we'll be off to Arizona in no time.  I'm halfway done with my Christmas shopping, the tree is up and Polar Express Radio is playing on Pandora.

Happy Holidays!

If at first you don't succeed...

...try, try, and try again.  And in some cases, try yet again.  In my mind these next few house projects were going to go a lot smoother than they actually did.   I mean, I just wanted to paint, stencil (which I already knew how to do) a wall and stain just a few pieces of wood. 

Anything that could go wrong, did and everything I could mess up, I did.

Here is the before...taken from the MSL listing.  Nice, but too dark for me.  

 
Step one, I painted the front wall white and then stenciled over with grey.  In the first attempt my stencil paint wasn't covering well and they all came out uneven.  About 3 stencil sections in, I just repainted with white, bought a little higher grade paint, due to a great sale, and started over.  But this time about 4-5 sections done, I realized I was off kilter and slanting sideways.  If I kept going, my pattern would be completely off by the time I crossed the wall.
Yep, repainted again. A third time I re-stenciled, straight and as thick as I could without the paint bleeding under the stencil.  But as I got going, I realized I just wasn't going to get good coverage over the white paint.  So, I ended up HAND painting each quatrafoil by hand.  I just went over what I had painted with the foam roller with a small paintbrush. Yep, by hand.  Each and every one. Tedious?  Long?  Yes.  But I also have to admit, I ended up finding is calming and meditative.  I would paint while Jonah was down for his nap or the kids had gone to bed and it was a slow and nice mindless activity.  I would just let my mind wander, or listen to conference talks or Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me on my phone.  I found myself really enjoying the monotony and quiet time.

So, a few attempts and a few weeks later, I ended up with what was supposed to be a simple and easy wall.  I keep telling myself it was worth it.

Next I wanted to tackle the banister.  The light oak is nice but not the look I was going for.  And again, I thought this was going to be straight forward and simple.

All I needed to do was sand down the wood and then stain or paint it.  The tops of the railing and the banister, I sanded down clear to the bare wood so it would take a stain and the rest I just sanded down to prime and paint. Simple enough. Except for all the curving parts and little areas I couldn't get with the electric sander. T.e.d.i.o.u.s. Then once I finally sanded everything down and stained, the results came out blotchy and uneven.  Not the look I was going for.  So, I sanded down again and used a wood conditioner to help even out the tone. And again, a blotchy, uneven finish. 
I must admit there were a few times I had to walk away, take a break for a few days, a week and then go back to tackle it.  My frustration level was high especially after the stenciled wall.  Plus, the stain kept running down the spindles of the banister, so I would have to clean that up, and in many spots, sand it down, prime and repaint it.  Finally after my third try of sanding everything down to bare wood, I just said good enough. 

And now that's it's done, I really like it.  It looks so different from the before.

I need to sand down a few parts of this front part and repaint but I'm just being picky now.

The stain came out pretty even the third time around, even though I wanted it slightly darker.  But I got what I got and I am not doing it again. :)  I slapped on a few coats of lacquer and called it good.

And in true Natalie form, I still have some stuff to do before I can label this project finished.  We still need to borrow a super tall ladder from our neighbor to get the high stuff, but I'm waiting for Aaron to take charge of that.   :)

I just keep my eyes low and bask in what I what I have finished.

Before...

 
After...

Next comes wall hangings.  But right now I need a break from the entryway.  I'm finishing up the painting of the family room today and another project will be hanging on the wall before the week is out.  One that makes me laugh every time I walk by it.  Stay tuned...

11.7.11

Amazing week in Arizona.  Not only did I get 5 days of sun, 5 days of being with family, but I got to be with my Amanda and Geoff at the birth of their second daughter.

My little sister was originally due on Oct 31st, which is a little uncanny because their first daughter was born on Oct 31st four years earlier.  (We have a holiday thing going on. My sister Amanda was born on Christmas, my sister Genet was born on the 4th of July, and my niece Katherine was born on Halloween. And last and maybe least, I was born on May 19th. The date that sometimes falls on Arbor Day, for those not in the know:)

I was coming out on Nov 5th to help with the recovery and basically to play with the new baby.  But the kid was determined to wait for me to come.  I arrived on November 5th with still no baby.  So Sunday the 6th, Amanda went in to get slowly induced.  But when she got to hospital Sunday night, she was already underway.  Things progressed faster than she thought and so Monday morning we got a call saying my mom and I had better get our little selves down to the hospital cause this baby was a comin'.   We dropped Jonah and Katherine at a friend's home and off we went.  Running from the parking lot, we made it to the birth with ten minutes to spare. 

I have to admit, I 've never been at a birth from that angle before.  Aah-mazing.  And moving.  And a miracle. And awful.  Truly there is no dignity in child birth.  But Amanda was strong and beautiful even though the birth was much more difficult than her last.  Thank you for letting be there!!

After an hour of pushing and coming out face up, little baby Genevieve arrived looking like she had been in a street fight. 

November 7, 2011
9:37 am, 7lbs 13 oz and 21.5 in

Proud papa of two beautiful girls.

So much dark hair!

Katherine, Amanda and Geoff's 4 year old, was anxiously waiting for news of her new baby.   I called to let the sitter know all was well and when we would be coming to get the kids.  Cristen said as soon as she told Katherine her baby sister had arrived, she knelt on the floor and bawled.  What a sweetie!
Now Katherine might look innocent in these pictures, but she was quite possessive of her "Baby Genevieve."  She had many rules...no, laws for those who wanted to even think about approaching her baby.  At four years old, this girl knows she is The Big Sister and wants to be in charge of everything Genevieve related.  Amanda had to remind her many times who the mother actually was in this family.

She will teach Genevieve all things princess in no time.

Jonah said the baby was, "SO cute!"  But quickly lost interest in favor of the rubber gloves found on the wall in the recovery room. 

Once she was home, he would whisper to her and want to hold her.  Of course, all by himself. And got mad at me if I tried to save her head from falling backwards and that I had the audacity to actually touch the baby while she was in her arms. 

Amanda was doing great, sore and tired, but hanging in there and just so excited to be blessed with this perfect, new child after 4 years of trying.

Aren't those lips amazing?

She actually looks close to a smile.

Yes. I took almost over 100 pictures of the week together.  I couldn't help myself. :)

Genevieve looks exactly like Katherine.  Those girls are definitely sisters.

I know I was there to help clean and cook and help with Katherine, but I just couldn't help myself from snuggling with this sweet girl for hours on end.  She comforts a place in me that aches from not being able to have more babies of my own.  I love being an aunt and claiming that adorable baby as part mine!  Thanks for sharing, Katherine!  I know it was difficult. :)

I can't wait to go back at Christmas time and see how much she has grown.