More Toy Storage

We have too many toys. It's a sickness really. I'm pretty sure that they're breeding when we're not looking. And you know what's really scary: he turns one in a few weeks, and you know what that means. More toys!



Please don't tell my mom that you saw my house look like this. I think she might throw up a little.

I've been trying to come up with solutions for all my son's stuff. You already saw the barn toy box WIP last week. Did I finish it? Um, no. Not yet. But I am making some headway. Too bad it's coming out kind of pink though!



I bought some 75% off red plastic storage containers at Target during their after Christmas clearance sales. They were only $2.50 each! Woot, woot!



I also dismantled a large wooden three-panel screen that I used to have blocking the sump pump from view. I figured that was probably a death trap now that our son is mobile, so I took it down. Now two out of the three panels are hung on the wall for more toy storage.



This last one's not toy storage, but since I like it, I'm including it anyway. I'd had these old Coke bottle boxes sitting around the house for eons. When Joel was born, we had to attempt to clear out part of the closet in his room so that he could have a little space. We weren't very successful in removing all our junk from his closet, however we did remove the computer related stuff and moved it to the basement. (The computer itself moved to the basement when creating the nursery, so it made sense that the paper, ink, etc. would also come down to the basement).



I can't remember for sure, but I think the Coke boxes were flea market finds. The hardware to attach them to the wall was around twenty bucks at Lowes. Do you have any other creative solution ideas for me?

And don't forget, those messy living room shots are our dirty little secret! Mum's the word!

The Barn

As promised, here are some photos of the barn before I started repainting it. In case you missed it, my grandpa built this toy box for my dad when he was a little one.


I've used this toy box as Christmas storage, as you can see. My Christmas tree fits nicely in the top part, which is hinged. The bottom part's doors never did work very well. When my brother and I were little, the doors fell off all the time, and so I don't think I'll put the doors back up. I'm thinking a cute boyish, little fabric skirt.


My grandpa painted some cute little windows on the side. I don't know if I'll put more windows up or not. (Um, probably not). I'm thinking about decoupaging some firetrucks onto it with a bunch of free sample wallpapers.


As you can see, the barn is in bad shape. Four out of the eight trim pieces were broken and a serious hazard to the baby, so I removed them and replaced them. This one looks like my rabbit chewed it!

So there you have it. I'm going to go downstairs and get painting right now. I want to get this project done this weekend!

P.S. Who's turning 31 tomorrow?! This gal!

Snow!

Wordless Wednesday Friday



Ok, so I just can't do a wordless post. This actually isn't our latest snowfall- this was back a few days after Christmas. We got several inches (6 maybe?), so we can't take the kid out in it. We'd lose him in all the snow.

In other news, I've been busy transforming my dad's old "barn" toybox. My grandpa built it for my dad about 50 years ago. My brother used it to store all his cars and trucks, and now Joel will be using it! (For the better part of the past decade, the toy box has been used for my Christmas storage. So now the question is where in the world am I going to put all my Christmas decorations and the tree?!).

The barn unfortunately suffered water damage when the basement was having water problems, and over the years half of the trim pieces were broken off. I figured nails sticking out and sharp shards of wood probably aren't the safest thing in the world, and so I ripped them off and replaced them. The wood cost less than $4.50. (On a side note, while I was at Lowes, they were having an awesome clearance sale. I picked up four cuphooks for 88c and.... drumroll please... one of those chain thingies to put on the front door for 19c! The cuphooks are to hang up sippy cups in the kitchen).

I also was able to cover up some of the water damage with wood from the garage. Cost: Free! The paint I'm using is also free as it's coming from my stash. I promise pictures will come in a few days. I'm away visiting family for the weekend, but when I get back, I'll post some.

Stay warm!

Recapping 2009 in Photos

January- when did I become old?!


February- what a great Valentine's Day gift!


March- Joel is a month old already!


April- His first Easter


May- Maid of Honor in T-2's wedding


June was a bad month for my son's scalp, but he eventually got better!


July- Joel's first trip to the beach. See his little t-shirt? That started out life as a long sleeve shirt but I made it short sleeved since it fit him in the middle of summer.


August- Joel's first vacation (Chattanooga & Lynchburg, TN)


September- Joel's getting to be a big boy!


October- Joel's first trip to the pumpkin patch.
He's wearing a completely thrifted outfit!


November- Hubby turned 30 this year too. I baked him a sweet cake! And I bought him a sweet thrifted birthday sign :)


December- Joel's first Christmas

Quit with the Free Mayo Already

Dear Kroger,

While I am deeply grateful that you send me coupons in the mail, several of which are for completely free items, I do not think I can handle another free jar of mayonnaise. Your past two mailings have included coupons for free jars of Miracle Whip. The problem is, all of your jars of mayo expire in March. I waited. I kept returning to your store to check the expiration dates on your mayo. March 2010. March 2010. March 2010. How do you expect me to use up two large jars of mayo in the next two or three months?

In your next mailing, feel free to include a free coupon on something like cheese or bread. I go through these items quickly. Mayo- not so much. Today, in an effort to use up some of Mayo Jar #1, I whipped up some tuna salad and some tartar sauce. Said tartar sauce went beautifully with the $1.99 tilapia I purchased at your store during my last visit. I also have several jars of pickles from a recent grocery trip when I went a little nutso got excited at your pickles on clearance. Too bad hubby doesn't eat pickles. He also doesn't eat fish or seafood. Looks like I'll be eating lots of tuna salad and tartar sauce while my dear husband starves to death.

Please, for the sake of my marriage, do not send me another Miracle Whip coupon. You know I have a special weakness for all things free and would not be able to turn it down. You know I hate wastefulness and so I would be stuck trying to use up yet another jar of mayo. A girl can only eat so much mayo.

Sincerely,

Sewing-Chick

P.S. It would also be helpful if in your next mailer you were able to include some delicious recipes using said Miracle Whip. It would be even better if those recipes did not involve pickles or seafood so that my husband doesn't wither away to nothing. I have heard about cake recipes that utilize mayo- this I am willing to try (for my husband of course). Also, baconnaise is a new concept to me that I just might have to give a whirl. If you have any outstanding recipes like these, please send them my way. Thank you.

P.P.S. Happy New Year!

Don't Suck on the Toilet Seat

Yeah, the wee tot actually did that. And unfortunately he did it before we cleaned the bathroom. *Sigh*

Remember these magnets?

Speaking of toilets and sighing... we had to have Mr. Rooter come out the other day because we noticed water had been leaking down into the basement closet. Sadly, among several other things, a Columbus Blue Jackets (my husband's beloved hockey team) autographed calendar got ruined from the water damage. As if this wasn't bad enough...

Mr. Rooter then knocks us out with a $1000 repair bill. They said the toilet was leaking (um, raw sewage dripping into the basement?) because the previous homeowner is an ignoramus... half-assed home improvement moron...

The home-improvementally-challenged-previous-homeowner stacked four flanges on top of each other instead of putting in a longer PVC pipe. This apparently was a no-no, and I got to pay to have it fixed the right way. I swear if I ever run into him, I'm giving him a swirlie.

Please Pray

My husband's father's family has suffered two tremendous losses today. Bob, my father-in-law's step-dad and the man who raised him, lost both his grandson Bryan and his wife today, on Christmas Eve. Bryan was my husband's cousin and was our age- early 30s. He went into the hospital a couple weeks ago for what everyone thought would be routine back surgery and never left the hospital. One complication after another, including H1N1, led to his being taken off life support this morning and passing away within 15 minutes. Bryan leaves behind his parents, siblings, a long-time girlfriend and an elementary-school-aged daughter. In an unrelated event, Grandpa Bob's wife passed away about an hour later.

Please pray to ease the pain and suffering of this family. While my husband isn't super-close with his dad's family like he is with his mom's family and therefore I didn't know them very well, I still feel their pain. I cannot imagine losing not one, but two relatives on the day before Christmas. Sometimes it is difficult to understand why God chooses to do what he does, however hopefully they can find comfort in the fact that this was part of God's master plan. They are both at peace in the arms of the Lord.