Helena's New Bed

Here is a picture of Helena's new bed.  Someday, this will be a guest room.  I'm still on the look out for the perfect nightstands, dresser, and bench/chaise to complete the room.  For now, though, she is definitely the most spoiled girl out there!

Laundry Room Window

Here is what the laundry room window sill has looked like for the past 3 years.  For some reason, it became the catch all space while we were painting all the rest of the basement and it never got its own turn to be finished.  I decided that this fall I should work on finishing all those unfinished tasks around the house and this window was one of them.

Here is the window sill finished.  Man, what a difference!  I can't believe I left it to look so bad for so long!  Now I can start looking for some pretty plants to grow in the rocks outside the window next spring.

The object d'art in the window is some of my travel souvenirs.  The brown bear is from Steamboat Springs.  Whenever I go somewhere, I try to find an object I can display in the house that brings back a memory of that place.  This wooden statue reminds me of the baby bear we saw in the meadow below the gondola we rode to the top of the mountain.  I found the statue in one of the touristy shops lining the main street in town.  It had been carved by a Native American.  It is actually pretty heavy for its size.  I have no idea what kind of wood it is, but it must be hardwood based on its density.

The other object is sandstone from Zion National Park.  I bought it in the gift shop on our last trip there.  I think it is rather self explanatory.  It is a piece of the park and you can see rock formations like that there.

Every time we travel, I am always trying to keep to a tight budget.  But I always make myself buy one item worthy of display.  I have never been disappointed that I DID buy a piece.  I have only been disappointed when I did NOT bring home a memento.

Grass at last!

At least, in the back yard.

We were able to buy enough sod to cover the back yard (the part we wanted to be grass, that is) and it arrived today.  We spent a couple of hours laying this evening and it looks ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!  I finally feel like I'll be able to use my back yard again!  This is so exciting to me!  I even bought some party lights to string out back this summer for back yard BBQ parties.

I haven't had a usable back yard since 2008.

The front yard still looks ghetto, but it feels REALLY good to have some grass in the back!

Here are some before and after photos...

 

What did I do on Saturday?

Okay.  Have you ever had a mental block where you can't remember what you did just yesterday?

Yup.

Let me ask Bill...

Ah!

In the morning the whole family worked together to get some of the sprinkler line and sprinkler heads installed in the back yard.  Bill has been working on this off and on between work and bike rides and had planned on getting most of the yard done this weekend.  At least, that had been his plan before crashing on his bike Friday evening.  So, the kids and I rallied to get the job done!

After several hours of what I considered hard work (Bill was chuckling to himself at my lack of digging skills - but, really, there were a lot of stupid rocks in that dirt!) by everyone, we only got one station finished... out of the 7 stations planned.  Ugh.  Bill ended up calling an expert-who-is-a-friend, and got him to agree to come and finish the job.  He said he'd charge us 'gently' for his time.  Bill's words, not mine.  This expert friend, Kevin, will come by sometime next week.

I was really quite happy to have everyone working together on the yard!

After that, we all cleaned up and packed up for a fun afternoon with Erik and Deanna.  We stopped for lunch at Rubio's (where they brought up complimentary churros just 'cuz they like us... they were HEAVENLY!) and drove Pioneer Crossing out to Erik and Deanna's in Saratoga Springs.

Erik took us boating for a couple of hours.  Helena skied, Will knee-boarded, ...and I skied!  YES I DID!  I am 40 years old and I managed to pull myself up and water ski! Twice!!  I could have done more, but I didn't want to be too sore on Monday to go jogging, so I called it quits after my second crash.  But, oh, did I feel great!!  I was wall to wall grins for the rest of our time on the water!  Helena also got the chance to try out wake boarding on a boom Erik installed on the side of the boat.  She looked great!  Kris tried it, too, but couldn't quite manage it.  Bill stayed in the boat (obviously, since he has a gimpy fin), but I think he had lots of fun just being with us on the water.  At least, I hope he did.

After boating, we went back to Erik's house to have a BBQ and watch the Utes game.  The food was great, the Utes slaughtered their opponents, and we all had a great time!  We were so tired when it was time to head home at 10 pm!  But it was a great day!

Can you believe I forgot?!?

A 'Stream' in the backyard

Bill spent a large part of last Saturday working on the yard with heavy equipment.  He hauled in dirt and shifted rocks for a large part of that hot, hot day!  When he was ready to be done for the day, he needed to water settle the new dirt level in the back yard.  In the past he has simply put the sprinkler on it and let it run for several hours.  This time, he did something very fun!

We are creating a dry 'creek bed' in one of the planters as a bit of visual interest.  Bill laid out the heavy plastic that will go underneath the river rocks I plan to put there and weighted it down with some of the bigger rocks to keep it in place temporarily.  The plastic is to prevent weeds from growing in my 'creek'.

Well, to do the water settling this time, Bill wedged the hose into some of the big rocks piled at one end of my 'creek' and turned it on full blast!  The result was a rock waterfall fountain that fed my 'creek' and splashed down into the dirt that needed settling.  So, even though it will probably never happen again, for one evening I had a fully functioning water feature in my back yard!

Will and I stayed out in the yard enjoying the 'waterfall' and 'creek' until it got dark.

Someday there will be more visual interest with a bridge over the 'creek' just to the right of those stairs you see in the picture, and lots of plants, of course!

Flowers from Bill

Bill has been donating his time to other family members after work each evening this week. First he was at Crystal and Jeff's house helping them with their sprinkler system. Then he was at his mother's house tilling her garden.

He must have been feeling guilty about being gone. It is true that our sprinkler system is not in, yet; but our garden is tilled beautifully and awaiting the proper moment for planting... Thanks, hun! When he came home from his mother's he was carrying this bouquet of daffodils for me! They smell so nice! I have no flowers because my yard is entirely dirt. I am definitely going to plant some daffodils and grape hyacinths asap! And tulips, and roses, and ornamental grasses, and lace leaf maples....

Actually, I just planted 3 rose bushes, a raspberry bush, a blueberry bush, and a blackberry bush.

And so it begins.

My new China Hutch!

I have found another classified treasure!!!

I have had my Mom's old china for years now. And for all of those years it has been stored in an old cardboard box. I have been unhappy about that. It was always such a hassle to pull it out and clean it up to use for special occasions; then wash and pack back up immediately. In fact, I gave up using the china a few years back. But, oh, how I wanted to use it! I love that china!

Well, TA-DA! I found this like new hutch listed in the classifieds and snatched it up! It even lights up!

I think the china looks so grand displayed and I can't wait to be able to use it! Now I just have to get all the scrap booking stuff crated out of the dining room and off my table so we can eat in there again!

I can't tell you how fun it is to search the classifieds! I think it is so much more fun than just going shopping. I set a budget for what I am prepared to spend, then surf... sometimes for months until just the right item presents itself. How can you beat that?!

"Poor Daddy" and Will in Tight Spaces

This weekend Bill piped the irrigation ditch that runs in front of our house. The weather, of course, was frightful. As Helena and I watched from the comfort of the house, she commented about 'poor daddy' having to work in the freezing, blustery snow. I remarked that he always has to work in the nasty winter weather. We just tend to forget that fact when we are comfortably situated in our warm classrooms at work and school.

Will, meanwhile, was out in the freezing weather helping his dad! He put in a hard day's work and earned some $ for his efforts! The most important job he performed was to climb into the existing pipe under the neighbor's drive and clear out the debris before Bill could connect the new section of pipe to the old.

Will's feet in the pipe...and me discovering that he had his good, school jeans on!

From the other side of the pipe.

Will climbing back out of the pipe. He really is a long, string bean of a kid!

Further work to the back yard!

Here are some photos of more work done to the back yard. There is a second set of stairs that will eventually lead to the patio under the cherry tree. The black plastic stuff to the right is a liner for the dry creek we are creating (to prevent weeds from growing in it) in the flower bed. There will be a little Japanese arch bridge over the 'creek' between the stairs and the patio, with plantings of ornamental grass and a lace leaf maple. Someday, that is.

The ground level around the house is slowly being raised to improve drainage for the foundation. There will be rocks lining the edge of the doorstep patio, separating that area from the planting that will be behind the rocks. I can see it in my mind better than you can in this photo. Someday when I win the lottery, we will install a hot tub over there next to the fence, with trees and shrubs partially screening it from view. I guess I ought to actually buy a lottery ticket one of these days or I'll never win!

A really BIG tonka truck!

Yes, as boys get bigger, so do their toys!

Bill brought home another dump truck load of top soil and dropped it in front of the house in what used to be our front yard (and will be again, someday). He had to negotiate this enormous truck over the narrow 'bridge' of our driveway over the ditch, and between the weeping birch and the water meter... another narrow space! He did it, though, and made driving such a huge monster of a truck look easy.

The driveway 'bridge' is not taking the weight of the dump truck very well, however. These photos show that the bridge is slowly breaking apart under the crushing weight. The cones are there so that I can negotiate between them with the cars. Yes, he still drives the dump truck right over it despite its sorry condition. I hope it holds out just a little longer! We planned to replace it once the driveway gets paved.

The patios

The stones are laid and set for both patios (as you could probably tell, since we had our 'virgin' fire in the fire pit already). It was back breaking work and I really appreciate that Bill was willing to do it!

The next stage is to bring in dirt to raise up the garden level to where it was originally. Eight years ago, Bill removed tons of dirt from the garden to lower it to the same level as the lower part of the yard, then put gated pipes under the fence to enable the flood irrigation to reach the garden. It worked very well.

Now, however, we are no longer allowed to use flood irrigation because the city piped and pressurized the irrigation system. So, he is raising the garden level again. This will give us more tillable square footage.

After that, the rest of the stones will be put in place and the remaining dirt to raise up the yard elevation next to the house (for improved drainage). Then the sprinkler system can be installed, along with a 'stream' so that there is a water feature to listen to. All of this work is being done by Bill, so it is costing very little just to buy materials.

The pergola

Here is the first view of the new pergola on the back of the house, and the red door with dark brown trim. I love the colors and the pergola makes the back yard feel like a very different place! As you can see, I still have to finish painting the trim on the bathroom window and the basement windows. Next step is to lay down the flagstones on the patio. I need to start looking at plants to start deciding what I want growing in this yard, too. I think I am going to keep an eye out for cool pots to place next to the outside posts so I can plant a climbing something or other on the pergola. I also need to watch for screaming sales on lawn furniture, now.

Finally the fence guy shows up!

GOOD GRIEF!

I have been waiting all day!

Don't you just hate waiting for a contractor because they just can't give you a specific time they will be at your house? I have to go work on my classroom today, but haven't been able to set out because I have been waiting, and waiting, and waiting!

Hopefully he'll be able to get the work done quickly so I can get out to my classroom soon!

To be honest, though, there is not much that I need to do to have my classroom ready. Just a little more tidying and some paperwork and I'm all set!

I am gong to pick up the red paint today and paint the doors tomorrow. Soon I'll have some pictures to post for you. The pergola is done and looks great! Can't wait to show you!

new trim!

Our house is a 1927 Bungalow. The windows have been this pale, washed out cream the entire time we have lived here. I decided to paint them DARK! The strong contrast in color is more in keeping with the period. AND I LOVE IT!

Did I say I was done?

You should never, NEVER, look at the classifieds unless you are ready to go out and get the treasures you find!

I went to the 'advanced search' and typed in 'mission' under 'furniture'.

BINGO!

I found a set of 6 mission style chairs being sold by the same woman who sold me the other two!

It turns out that she is looking for chairs for her kitchen table, found this set on ksl, and brought them home from Layton only to discover that they wouldn't work! Something about being too wide to slide under. That was probably the case with the other two, as well!

Anyway, she listed the 6 chairs for $120, but told me that one was damaged, so she would sell them to me for $100. That is $20 per chair (for the undamaged ones, the damaged one was free). Since it is well under my $50 budget, I jumped in and bought them yesterday. I think they look fabulous!

Bill didn't know about them and found out when he got home. He isn't sure he likes how wide in the seat they are, but truthfully doesn't really care. He's just glad I am happy. He is wonderful that way!

So now I am truly done and will not be looking at the classifieds for some time. No, I hate window shopping, so I will stay away for fear of temptation. 'If you aren't shopping, don't look' is my motto!

Back yard update

Here is a current view of the back yard. Bill has been working hard on it! We are hoping to pour concrete on that raised part, around the fire pit. It will make a much larger and more usable back patio. Eventually the lower part will be grass instead of dirt. The stairs are amazing! I can't believe how lucky I am to have such a talented husband! It would cost a fortune to pay someone to make it look as good.

Shopping the KSL classifieds

We needed furniture badly. We didn't have much money to buy it. We WON'T go into debt for furniture!!!

What's a person to do, then?

Shop the classifieds, of course! ksl.com has an extremely comprehensive classified section where everyone is selling everything! I have spent the past week searching for just the right things to go into my house. I have driven all over the Wasatch Front looking at and collecting furniture.

The sectional (which will have a leather ottoman) was bought direct from the factory in West Jordan. The maker let us pick the fabric/leather and whether the cushions would be attached or detached (detached!). He told us it would take two weeks to build. However, when we made our selections, he told us there was one already built to those exact specs in the back! Someone else had ordered it, then couldn't come up with the money to pay. Their loss was our gain! That is why we have the sectional, but not the ottoman. It is still being built.

It cost a bit more to order brand new, but couches can be a scary thing to buy used, you know? And we saved about $1,000 by going directly to the maker!

The table and chair set came from Spanish Fork. A young couple there bought it, put it together, then discovered it was too small for their family! They never even used it! Brand new table and 6 chairs for $300!

Not pictured is my new dining room table. It is a 6' solid oak mission style table with an additional 17" leaf extension. $100!!! A lady in Bountiful was downscaling in the aftermath of a divorce. I also collected two gorgeous dining chairs from a lady in Pleasant Grove ($60 for both). She never did say why she no longer wanted them. They look very nice with the table. I plan to create an eclectic collection of dining chairs over time. It should be fun to wait and hunt for perfect pieces that fit my budget ($50 or less per chair).

I am done shopping the classifieds, for now. Other than the chair collecting, of course. That could take some time.

The rock invasion, part 2

Here are more photos of the work Bill did on the window wells and back yard on Saturday. As you can tell, I am very excited whenever something new happens around here! These are shots of Helena's window. It is hard to get a scale on it, but the window is 5 feet tall and the rocks come almost all the way to the top of the window. It is right next to the driveway, so Bill has built the well higher than the driveway to create a planter/buffer between the well and the drive. Hopefully, that way, no one will end up IN the well instead of NEXT to it!

Oh, my wonderful husband!

Yesterday, Will, his friend, Dallan, and I watched a side dump truck pull up in front of our house and dump an entire load of large rocks onto my front yard. It was Bill driving the truck! Then, Bill drove off; only to return a little later with a trailer full of equipment behind his regular work truck. Today, Bill spent the entire day shuffling and manipulating those rocks into window wells for the kids' windows and the laundry room. The extra rocks he took to the back yard and began the back yard remodel as well.

Watching Bill operate the equipment is simply amazing! It seems as if the machine becomes an extension of his own arm! There is a finesse there that makes it entertaining to watch. I watched him casually pick up huge boulders and inspect them from all angles, just to fling them aside to choose another, more promising one.

Bill had to move the two small fruit trees in the back yard in order to work back there. He doesn't think they will survive the move. He didn't think he got enough of the root ball, and it is the wrong time of year to move trees. Well, if they don't make it, we'll just have to get new ones. Maybe a pear instead of the apple, but definitely another nectarine! Fresh homegrown nectarines are amazing!

The kids (especially Helena) are thrilled with the window wells. SO AM I! Instead of ugly metal, they will each have their own rock garden to tend. Hopefully next week I will be able to help the kids pick out and plant their gardens to keep the soil around the rocks from eroding. I expect that Helena will make her garden bloom. I'm not as confident with Will, but time will tell.

Finally! I have a dining room again!

Today we moved my bedroom ensemble out of the dining room! For 9+ months, Bill and I have been making do with a temporary 'bedroom' while the basement was finished. Previous to the remodel, the 'master bedroom' was the only finished room in the basement while the kids enjoyed the main floor rooms. Now that the kids are moved into their new rooms, and their old rooms have been cleared out, we are able to move into the larger of the two main floor rooms to serve as a long-term temporary master bedroom. I hope some day to finish my remodelling plans and convert the two rooms and bathroom there into a master bedroom suite.

Speaking of cleaning out the rooms on the main floor; you never realize how much junk your kids have squirreled away until you start shovelling it out yourself!!! Helena gave 3 garbage sacks full of clothes to her cousin! All of it too small, but beautiful and in wonderful condition. Many toys were also discovered and given away. We filled the back of the Expedition and hauled what didn't go to family to Deseret Industries.

When I moved Helena's bed frame (which she no longer wants), I found a patch of mold growing on the floor! MOLD!?! I should state now that the kids are not allowed food or drinks in their rooms... which roughly translates to kids sneaking food and drink into their room, and mom and dad screaming about it when discovered.

Of course, she was shocked about the mold patch and couldn't imagine how in the world it could have come to exist. I made sure that she got the privilege of cleaning it up, though!