ellyn's bedroom {guest blog}

my mom asked me to "guest blog" about my bedroom makeover that i got as part of our new addition/remodel. i don't have very good before pictures, because our house/lives were pretty chaotic when they tore into my room. here are some snapshots of my bedroom over the past couple years:

the paint color was Dancing Green from Sherwin-Williams, which was my wall color for the past six years.
& i had carpet, which collected a lot of animal hair from all those lovely pooches.
another thing i didn't like about my old bedroom, was that not very many colors looked good in it--mostly just pink or green.

but now...

i have this:

my new color is Mesa Tan from Sherwin-Williams.
& i have lovely wood floors!!
now i don't have to worry when my dog pukes, or when my friends come over & would like their clothes to stay pet-fur-free. it is w o n d e r f u l.

<-- some little things i love, including an elephant my Nana won at a Bingo party & a box my mom brought back from New Mexico that holds roses from my uncle's funeral.

<--jewelry box my Uncle Jason gave me, & framed wallpaper from my mom's room growing up.

all of my furniture came from Target's Shabby Chic line about six years ago.
but i still love it.
the old telephone was from my Gramma & Grandpa's house.

the photo wall has been there for a few years. i just switched out a couple of the pictures, & some really need to be replaced still. (the middle one of me... yikes, i still had braces.)
& the tissue paper balls i made. you can get directions on how to make them here.
the ladder is from JBknacker. the store is full of old junk. its like a dream (i really like old things, if you can't tell:)  i painted the ladder aqua.

my dad & i made the peg board. i picked out knobs that i liked, or extras that we had laying around the house, mixed some paint together & painted the board, & he screwed the knobs in. thanks dad!

the framed fabric was my Great- Grandma's.
this wall is still in progress. i have several black picture frames waiting to be hung up. the wall will revolve around this picture:

the quilt is not new, but i'm too in love with it to ever part.
& the oval frame is from JBknacker, & then painted aqua.
i've been wanting to make some kind of fabric headboard, kind of like this one here.
but we'll see if i ever get to that...

the wire basket & the green table are also both from JBknacker.
& i made the hat box.

these are closet dividers that i made because... well i guess because i felt like being crafty!! but aren't they cute? i think my mom thought i was crazy for making them. i used cheap wooden picture frames, painted them, cut out scrapbook paper for the front, & Mod-Podged it on. i made six of them. if you wanted to make these for a real purpose, you could use them for a baby closet & put stickers on the divider to separate all the different sizes. or you could sort by color. or you could just put them in there to separate your sweaters from your t-shirts like i did. :)

now my project for this snow day is to make a bounty banner like the ones here.
i don't know where i'll put it, but what else is there to do? & i've ALWAYS loved the look.

now go drink a cup of hot chocolate & snuggle up with your dog.
its cold outside!
-ellyn

Kitchen Island

We knew when we designed our kitchen that we would want a small island or table in the middle. I wanted to shop around a bit, since I was pretty sure I didn't want the island/table to match the cabinets and countertops around the perimeter of the kitchen. I wanted the look of an antique table and was hoping to find something to purchase that was just the right look. I also wanted something portable, because I know of kitchen islands that are in the way sometimes.

At some point in our remodel process, we were forced to have our dining table in the middle of the kitchen. I quickly realized that a standard-height table makes a poor work surface. It is too low to work at standing up.

I met with our kitchen coordinator and ordered a small island in the style of a table, in quarter-sawn oak. It is the same height as the cabinets, so it is a very comfortable work surface.  I paid extra for them to distress it, so that it would look old -- Why does that always seem backwards?

The island was delivered last week, just in time for Thanksgiving food preparation. I decided on soapstone for the countertop and bought a remnant since it just needed a small piece.

The island has been a great addition to the kitchen and we use it constantly. The soapstone gets oiled with mineral oil--more frequently in the beginning. I love the look and function!

A final remodel photo...

One of the final, but most beautiful touches to our remodel project was the fireplace mantle. I wanted something that looked like an antique. I found a picture I loved and our builder made something new, and then he made it look old. (i.e. He scraped and beat and poked it with various tools and such)
It is exactly what I wanted...except the television hanging above it. I'd much rather have some pretties there.

House Remodel Update--almost finished!

The last couple of weeks have been very busy with finishing touches to our house project.

We are almost finished and are enjoying the comfort of a space that feels like a home again.

This week we had The Lighthouse Gathering for the first time this school year and the first time in the new space. Lighthouse is a meal for high school kids from all the local churches. They come eat together and then head off to their churches for youth group. We served about 20 people on Wednesday evening.
It worked so much nicer than the past two years in our smaller kitchen/dining room.

Since the goal of this remodel was more space for cooking and entertaining, we are happy that it performed well.

Here are some new pics:

Addition/Remodel Update -- week 18

Last week our house project turned a big corner. Just when I thought I might lose my mind trying to keep up with our family's life in the middle of this construction project, suddenly all the painting got done and the flooring went in. Byron and Brandon (plus Ryan and Meggan, when necessary) spent Labor Day weekend installing wood floor. Putting wood floor over the yucky plywood made this place feel like a home again.

The dining room flooring was finished first, and we were able to move our table into it and eat a meal in the proper place. It felt great to have some space around the table, since the table has been in the middle of the kitchen for the past month (where a small island will eventually go). In the kitchen, we could only seat 5 around the table, so any extras sat at the bar. Having the table in the kitchen made it easy to serve food, since I could transfer food from stove to table without taking a single step. We could also load the dishwasher without getting out of our seats...assuming no one was sitting in the way of the dishwasher door. Having the table in the kitchen has been VERY cozy...a little too cozy...but it did help me get a feel for what size island will be appropriate.

Ellyn and I painted her bedroom while flooring was being installed in another area of the house. It was nice to paint without worry of keeping the floor protected.  Her bedroom gets wood floor as well, mostly due to the fact that we don't plan for it to be a bedroom once kids leave home. (I'm claiming it as my space for sewing, scrapbooking, digital photography, and general creativity in the long-term plan.) In the short term, the wood floor will make it easier to deal with dog hair, since Mandie sleeps with Ellyn. Her wood floor will start going in today. (note to self: 1000 sq. feet of wood floor takes more than a 3-day weekend to install)

Speaking of Ellyn's bedroom... it got new painted trim, new wall paint, and the new wood flooring. It hasn't been able to be occupied for the past 2 weeks. We moved everything out, pulled out her carpet, tried to find a place to put all of her stuff, and set up beds elsewhere. We have a friend's daughter staying with us for the foreseeable future, and all three girls have been sharing Meggan's bedroom. Like the kitchen... it's been VERY cozy. (and cluttered, and grouchy, and tiring for all the girls in this house.) In spite of this, I believe that it will be remembered as a fun time--three twin beds along one wall, just a foot of walking space in between. You gotta love it! (We are all glad it is a temporary arrangement.) Meggan has mostly slept on a couch elsewhere, since the other two girls get up early for school and 7:30 am marching band practice. It works much better to have Meggan in another room. However, don't think that one bed is left empty--Mandie gets her own twin bed. What a spoiled rotten dog!

Last night we sat in the dining room, with all 7 of us around the table, for supper and banana splits for dessert. It was the first time to be around one table together. It was wonderful and I decided that we might survive this remodel after all. I can already tell how much we are going to love the extra space it will provide. The end of the project is finally in view, and I am sleeping much better because of it.

Music to My Ears

I have been missing my piano terribly and I can't wait for its return, but there is a different "music" in my house this weekend. The sound of progress!

On Saturday morning as I stood in my kitchen making a "working man's" breakfast*, I could hear nail guns from two different areas, hammering, drilling, and the sound of sawing from two different locations. The siding is going up outside and the wood floor is going in inside.

I wish I could hear my beautiful piano, but for now, this is the music of our house. (Thankfully our ipods can fill in during the absence of the piano.)

We are definitely celebrating Labor Day weekend with LABOR. I will post a full update in a few days. Right now...back to work!

*this weekend's "working man" breakfast was oatmeal pancakes and sausage cooked in my iron skillet (I am loving my gas cook top!)
 Look for the pancake recipe in RECIPES in the Labels section along the right hand margin.

Addition remodel update -- week 17

All the trim is up, columns built, nail holes filled, caulking done, and lots and lots of sanding finished.
Everything looks great now, but I can't wait to see it with paint in just a few days!

This is what my kitchen counter looks like every day--covered with tools, sawdust, etc.

I am trying to be patient, but I am sick of living in a construction site.  I will be so glad to have things clean, even if everything isn't finished yet. We will love the extra space when it is all finished, but it is a challenge right now to keep a good attitude about the living conditions.  Praying for perseverance!

Addition/Remodel update -- weeks 15-16

New deck...much smaller than before.

More of a walkway to the patio, which is how we always used the deck anyway.

 looking toward the front porch and new piano room:

hallway with the wood floor getting removed:

Remodel/addition update weeks 12-14

 Things are moving along with our addition, although not nearly as quickly as we would like! We are basically done tearing things out (still some wood floor left to remove), which means we've turned a corner. Now most of the time is spent building the new. The house is the most torn up that it has been during this whole process. We are trying to be patient!
week 12-13: demolition of walls, new walls framed; all light switches, electrical outlets, canned lights installed
tearing out my old kitchen--it used to be blue...then red

week 14: Foam insulation finished in new family room, fireplace installed, heating/cooling finished, deck built, ready to begin drywall

new family room:

new piano room:

new dining room:

We have no furniture in the main living area now. When you walk in the door, you have to go downstairs to have a place to sit down. Our table is squeezed into the kitchen, so we don't all sit down around it. I am pretty sure that it will be about a week until we can get it back into a normal location. We will still have plywood floors, but at least then we will be able sit down at the table to eat as a family.

My new kitchen is fully functioning, except it has no flooring or under cabinet lighting. I love the abundant cabinet storage and counter space. I am still planning to add a small island, but I haven't decided what I want yet.

I love my new appliances and how they function; I hate the stainless steel and how dirty or smeared it looks almost all the time. I am still learning how to clean it and have been surprised that spraying and wiping don't seem to be enough! I do think the stainless appliances look nice with my cream cabinets (when they are clean!).

I LOVE the Electrolux duel fuel/double oven range. The two ovens are electric (each controlled separately) and the cook top is gas. It is an amazing work horse! One night I baked salmon, asparagus, and two pans of brownies in less than an hour. I have not had any trouble transitioning from electric to gas for the cook top. It has been a pleasure to use my iron skillets again!

My baby is going bye-bye...

my baby grand piano, that is.

When I was 16, I used the money I had saved for a car to buy a baby grand piano. I found this piano in a music store in Independence, Missouri. I loved the stained wood and the unique double legs. It looked like an antique, which I preferred over a glossy, black, modern look. It had been owned by a little old lady, and I knew I would likely never see another one like it.

I used it to teach piano lessons through high school, college, and after I quit teaching and became a stay-at-home mom. It has been moved from my parents' home in northern Missouri to our tiny apartment on the campus of Iowa State University, then to an old farm house we rented, next to our first home purchased in Ames, and finally to this house in Huxley. Sometimes we moved it ourselves, but as we got smarter and had a little more money to spare, we hired someone to move it.

Due to our remodeling project, the piano needed a safer place to stay for a few weeks. Some very nice men came to get it today. They treated it very carefully and had all the right equipment to move it appropriately. It will stay in an air conditioned office until it is safe to come back home. I was so sad to see it go.

Dear piano... we will miss you. When you come back home, we will dust you and tune you and tickle your ivory keys. I hope the time that you are away from us goes very quickly. Our home won't be the same without your beautiful music.

Remodel/Addition Update--weeks 7-11

I am behind on updates for our remodeling project. Life got in the way of blogging as we gave Meggan a bedroom makeover, went on vacation and worked at Worship Arts Camp at our church. My schedule is open today, so I am catching up on some things.

progress summary
weeks 7-8:  electrical in the new kitchen, cabinets installed, appliances delivered, Meg's room makeover
weeks 9-10:  counter top installation, building/framing the new family room on back, wood floor delivered (vacation/work at church)
week 11:  new family room shingled and windows installed, trim delivered, appliances and sink working, old kitchen cabinets removed, wall between piano room and dining room removed

Addition/Remodel update -- week 6

I had lots of fun watching my kitchen progress last week.
We painted the walls Camelback from Sherwin-Williams. Most of my house is painted a color off of that paint strip.
The cabinets are all in now and the counter top measure is today.

My mudroom looked like this last week:

My mudroom has two closets--the one you see above and a second one that has been a pantry for the past 15 years.
Since my new pantries for the kitchen were installed, I was able to move things into them.  This emptied the  mudroom pantry and freed it up for mudroom things like shoes and gym bags.  It was a relief to tame the mudroom clutter and get the stuff behind closed doors.  It still has a lot of tools and construction equipment in it, but we can walk through a little more easily now.
The past weekend was rainy, so we spent Saturday vacuuming out cabinets and putting in the shelves.
Here's a look at the new pantry:

We have a delivery date next week for the appliances and a date for the countertop installation the following week.  The kitchen is nearing completion. It should be mostly finished by the end of June.
Then I can brace myself for the rest of the remodel/addition process.

Addition/Remodel update -- week 5

The new kitchen has drywall up.

The cabinets got delivered this past week!  I can't wait to fill them up with my kitchen goodies.

Remodel/Addition Update--week 4

Demolition of existing dining room:  deck is gone, wood flooring being removed, trim removed:

This is the new ceiling framework for the new kitchen/old family room.  It was an angled tray ceiling, so it got changed to a straight tray to accommodate canned lights.  Ceiling fan will go in the center.

This is the view from the mudroom doorway.  The big window is gone and the new opening is for the window that will be above the sink: