An Afternoon Redo and a Thrifted Treasure

Summertime always brings a bunch of weeks single -Momming- it because of being married to a youth pastor:) It brings trips for both the Jr High Ministry and the Sr High ministry. I have to say though, this has been the most mild summer for trips. Early on in our ministry life, I really struggled with all the time Matt was away, and my heart certainly took some time to soften to it and not be frustrated by the responsibilies of his job. It was also due to being a new mom and not being quite confident in my "new position" as well. I was a pretty weepy mama a lot of the time when he was gone, but the Lord has helped to bring a peace, a strength, and actually a joy or anticipation to these times 12 years later! Not a joy that Matt is gone:)-I still deeply miss my husband when he is away ,and, there is nothing that can replace him being home at the end of the day, but I have come to appreciate elements of the solitude when he is not home, that help to get through those times. The kids an I lay pretty low when he is gone, although as they are getting older, there are still things on the schedule for the older kids, it is a bit different from having all babes that need no outside activity nessasarily to nuture their own growth during these weeks. But when dad is gone for awhile, I usually take the time to dig into some projects that cannot be done during a regular week with deadlines and the precious time OF Matt being home, that I do not want to sacrifice. It is a great time to pull things out that will not need to be put away until they are done.

So this week, I had one BIG surprise project for my husband that I still cannot reveal because the little stinker may be reading my blog and facebook while he is away but I will share that on Saturday when he gets home!! But I do have a project I can share. I was able to work on and finish this afternoon while the kids swam in the pool(or lake more accurately-the summer has been so wet that our pool looks more like a mudhole than a pool-no matter how hard I work to keep it clean). I have talked about the small space issues in our house before. I am learning to appreciate the challenges it brings in function and decorating-darn-I am just going to have to be creative! One of the best solutions for us has been to "hutch" many many of our dressers, adding space for organization and decoration where we may have not been able to do so before. Well -I have had one dresser in our kitchen that sits by the back door in a small nook. It is a very narrow dresser though so it has taken me years to find a hutch that fit it. But finally, a few weeks ago, I did!!! And again-it was a thrifted treasure with a fabulous price tag!! $5.00! So here is the before and after-I am very happy!

I will really enjoy having my cookbooks out and accessible as well as some of my favorite blue dishes. I just love how it fit so snug in the little nook that otherwise would be useless!

What To Do With Vintage Bed Linens-#4

Spring is coming! I think!? We have had quite the tease here in the Midwest-do I wear shorts or my winter coat today!? None the less, I feel the fever coming on for sunshine, gardening, and days in the pool! So, feeling so inspired, I thought it would be nice to sew up a few reminders of the springtime blooms we are awaiting. If you have paid any attention the the bed linens of the 60's and 70's, they all tend to scream flower power!! Pretty fun if you some color in you day. And, they are not to difficult to coordinate! So many of them seem like they were meant for one another!

So, in preparation for ball games, days at the beach, summer camp, garage sales, and parades, simple totes make a perfect project for vintage bed linens. They make wonderful book bags, just throw in your favorite book, journal, pen, and of course you camera and have it ready for the unexpected moments of inspiration. Or, bring it to the hospital full of goodies for a friend who needs some cheer.
















Happy sewing from one bag lady to the next!!

Update On Demo

Matt finished working on the shower around 1 am last night-ouch! He was able to get the shower far enough along so that we could use it today. Unfortunately we forgot to turn the hot water up before we went to bed, so we were unable to all enjoy a hot shower in the morning. Matt and Cole made it to church spit spot and I spent the day getting the rest of the bunch squeaky clean . Noah needing it the most since he had decided to wear his plate, full of syrup, as a hat when he had finished his pancakes yesterday!

We still have a bit of finishing up to do-we are going to trim the edges with a row of tile, which will be fun to pick out. The window also needs to be sealed and caulked, hence the lovely garbage bag decorating the shower! It is nice to be done with the work that ruled our time with no choice. We are thankful that no major or unexpected disasters occured, and thankful for the help and fun encouragement helping us to get through it with a sense of humor! And we are so very ready for our day of rest tomorrow!






Here are a few more pics from along the way.

Noah was happy to pitch in and would be ever so offended every time we would remove him from the bathroom.






















Around 12:30am I propped some tension rods up to help seal the surround to the wall. I thought it may be a better plan than making Matt stand there for hours. I think he appreciated it. And I was also able to clean up the tub to get it ready for today. Oh how good my pillow felt!

Update On the Forced Bathroom Demo

2:30pm and we are in good shape! Praise the Lord! We may just show up to church all showered tomorrow! And for all of the youth-you should pray for that because Pastor Matt doesn't function all to well without a shower!:)

Our blessed plumber was here and gone before lunch, having saved us from disaster! What an amazing blessing! He was able to replace the tub drain perfectly and we saved the ugly tub! YEAH! No more leaks-no more buckets-no more towels-and finally a lower water bill!

Now it is simply putting in the new surround and fixtures. Still a ways away from the finish line but we can definately see the finish line with victory in sight.

Cole has been Matt's sidekick in the project and Madi happily keeps Dad company on all the trips to Menards! Hey-it is shopping!! That is all that matters. Joslyn and Bell are busy bees playing and Noah even took a nap amazingly(his crib is right against the bathroom wall) Other than the extra dust, the loud sawing and pounding, and mass potty breaks, life is pretty normal and we are all still getting along!!! And..... I am NOT cooking today!