Christmas is Closed

It seems like this year, people are packing up the holiday spirit early.  Much like the Whos' in Who'sville with their umbrella Christmas trees; neighbors are bustling about, storage boxes and ladders teetering in the pacific nw mist.  A hint of "pragmatic determination" can be felt in the air. 

No more Christmas lights makes for very dreary January driving. That said; it's packing party time! 

Last year, the best gift to myself were organized "decorations in a box" totes. For this project, regular boxes also work fine.  Either way, rest assured there will be excessive use of packing tape and plastic wrap. 

[My name is Paranoid of Spider Infestation and Mouse Wee].    

Seriously, of all my Housewife Hair-brained ideas, the Christmas Packing Project succeeded   where many have failed.  Many.  Thank you, Phil Hartman, for the....inspiration?

The reality is: after years of purging and replenishing, there are approximately 7 or 8 pretty big totes of holiday cheer stored in the garage.

Well...if we're only talking about the inside stuff :)

 It can be a time-sucking, dusty chore!

Unpacking the Christmas Spirit should be joyful, not painful!   For moms, joyful is even more joyful when its all done in a day!  

[Or by itself.  Rarely does that happen. The process typically involves swearing.]

By taking a few extra steps in the January-ish tear-down, redecorating in November can be....Joyful!     

No dusty, musty smells and specifically, no critters. Everything looked like it was packed yesterday.  

Boxes are organized by categories, like signs, plates and plaques, ceramics and breakables, ornaments and bells.
   
Only materials required are cellophane-wrappy stuff, packing tape and a box.  A sharpie is always kind of fun, too :)

The totes were packed by category (stockings with stockings, lights with lights, etc.).  In November, unpacking is easier when you can quickly grab specific items.  This year, the tree came in after decorating the house.  Why bring out ornament boxes when there is no tree yet?  Manageable clutter :)

In the past,  all our decorations came out at the same time.  We'd spend a week navigating a path through half filled totes, with stray packing materials sticking to our feet.  The chaos slowly stripping away Mommys' joy :(       
When the time finally came to pack it up, my strategy began at one end of the room.  Working  my way down the wall (shelves, table tops, railings, etc.), the decorations are taken down.  Being a tiny bit compulsive, dusting / cleaning is inevitable.  It takes longer, but when it's done, it's DONE. At least for the moment.

Instead of heaping all the decorations on the kitchen table, sort like items together--breakables on the table and the rest can be organized into bins. for example; all our plush snow "people" are placed into bins first.   

Later (after everything is sorted and ready to put away), the wrapped delicate things are nestled in with the plush-ies, filling in gaps. Combining the two protects treasured items and distributes weight of each box. (Your back will thank you later. Especially if you're on a ladder!).  The extra packing effort pays off next year, too.

Here's my solution for keeping lights, garland and beads untangled:

 Niiiiice, Right?? 

A small piece of tape fastened at the end before wrapping saves time and frustration.

Longer wraps may be a bit bulky, 
but easily stack upright in boxes.

We love doing crafts, and foam ornament kits are fun and easy.  They also make great gifts for kiddos to give at Christmas, too.  I think we found these in the $1 buckets waiting in line at JoAnn's.  I like to put the date on the back, just because. 

Foam ornaments are not really made to last, but wrapping them in cellophane keeps them for at least one more year.  

Fold / roll the sections over, adding more with each fold. 

Repeat as needed.

Mom and Dad Get Angels :)

Our almost 7 year old is into creative penmanship, its pretty fun to watch.  If you're a sentimentalist, date the back.  What great memories 15 Christmases from now! 

                     [With your adult child. Yikes! Pausing to hyperventilate now..] 

Stockings, tree skirt and cotton batting are great packing materials, protecting treasured glass / ceramic keepsakes. 
Not sure this qualifies as re-purposing, but it's a lot less messy :)

If there are original boxes for ornaments / decorations, time to fill those, too!

Question: I wonder what the ratio between "original box savers" to the tossers? "We" are savers, but it's more like, "Why is that in here?"  

Of course, packing popcorn is great for breakables; so are torn, mashed and unusable wrapping paper and gift bags!  Newspaper ink can stain, so protect that ceramic santa Grandma made when you were 10, by placing inside a plastic grocery bag first.  Out of the landfill and reusable for years.  Look at me, all green :) 

Once the bins are filled, cover top with sheets of cellophane wrap, leaving about 4-6" hanging over the edges.  Tuck the cellophane underneath the lip of the outer bin gently (so fingers don't poke holes when carrying).  

Seal with clear packing tape and you are done!

Yep, the festivities are over--in our house the antibiotics are aplenty.  This mom is taking one more day of rest before starting 2015 with her 1st Christmas present: critter free decorating next November(ish).  Happy New Year, everyone!

the coffee table reno (or the "look at these sweet paint pens! what can I do with these?) table

enough ranting (see last post)...wanna see my new project?  honestly, I'm like a puppy on a fresh pee pad!

sometimes my best source of inspiration is at garage sales and local charity resale shops.  this little table caught my attention immediately.  great bones and someone took the time to add a nice sized drawer below--ideal for crayons, markers, and paper.

yep, a very nice art table for kids!  the construction is solid, but the drawer sticks a bit and there's a nasty ding to contend with. if I'm lucky a good sanding and a candle may be all this gem needs to find a loving home.

did I mention $12? seriously.  this is going to be fun.

Had a funny thought run though my brain while taking a moment to breath, stretch and say "thank you" for all that is good in our lives.  As sappy (and truthfully quite awkward for me to say), as it sounds...it's what my experiences have brought me to at this point in life.

When I started this rag-tag blog that's more malfunction than functional, my top priority is to maintain my families privacy.  

Madeline in Yong Frankenstein

                 

For all that I'm out there for the world to see 

(channeling Lucille Ball and Madelin Kahn),

the rest of the household prefers to be supportive behind the scenes.  

With all that said, it's time to share a wee bit more of our story.  Only because many of my girlfriends--the majority, really-- are struggling.  Not just stay at home moms or single moms.  It's all encompassing. There's not necessarily a good guy or a bad guy.  It's called life and it can get very, very hard.  Marriages and families are struggling, crumbling and disintegrating for a various reasons.  100% of the majority of my friends has felt isolated, alone, bereft of emotion, stripped of dignity and self-worth.  We are emotionally and physically exhausted.  

So here I shout, loud and not quite so proud:  We are not a perfect family.  We have loud fights, say mean words, stacks stuff everywhere instead of putting it away, and I'm consistently late in spite of everyone's efforts.  We have hurt feelings and regrets.  There's drama at school and work and we wish we had more / better things.

In the last year, to compound all of life's little set backs, my husband became very ill.  The stay-in-the-hospital-for a week kind of ill.  The ambulance to the house kind of ill.  The mood altering and physically devastating kind of sickness.  

But he's here and we'd like to keep it that way.  So we go to great lengths to bite our tongues, use kind words, change our patterns of inappropriate behavior, for the sake of peace.  In doing so, we are becoming kinder and better humans.  There is more love, more easiness.  There are conversations, puzzles and board games.  And there are fights and tears and pain.  We are not perfect, but we're in our home, filled with food, clothing, heat and running water.  We are able to tithe and volunteer, helping out behind the scenes where we can.

Getting back to my original thought to share:  a little poem spoke in my head, and this is what is said...

Once I bent back to view the sky,

and there above me, flying high,

Was a bug of some kind.

Not a moth or a fly...

It's brain filled of thoughts of

where to dine (or be dined),

No sense of wonder, no other

worries in mind.

Not much of a life--

But at least he could fly.

~Yvette Elrod

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  Many blessing to all who burdened with life's struggles.  

 

My pretty new garbage can--no glitter allowed!

Great Find at Goodwill!  Funny how random things come together sometimes.  As any homeowner will tell you, there are always projects.  This improvement is fun, fast and 'furbished :)

A short while back, in a mad bathroom cleaning frenzy, I wiped down the garbage can.  Really yucky job.  This one is super special, as it's the 1st (of 3) ivory plastic scalloped numbers from 1980 something.                                            

Why, Right?

The why became apparent in a short trip to the local Freddie”s: pretty garbage cans are pretty expensive!  The idea was immediately back-burner-ed.  Until the halloween / goodwill trip last month, that is!

My find: a solid, plain beechwood garbage “can”. I could hear it screaming, “Look at me!  The possibilities are endless!”  Easily retailing for around $40, and here it is for $6.99!

Sadly, it was not green tag day,

so no additional discount.

Yes indeedy, the possibilities are endless. However, I knew exactly what this little guy needed—fresh stain and tile embellishments. (Leftovers from the last bathroom project, yippee!).  

I should warn everyone that many, many, many of my projects are not done with the proper tools and sometimes not with a lot of forethought.  More often than not, my projects a learning experience.

This is not a tutorial or advice!  Just another day in my life :)

The waste basket (it’s not really a can or a box so we’re going with basket), is in great shape. No yucky stuff on the bottom to clean thank goodness. That could've been a deal breaker. 

However, a light sanding with a fine grit and quick coat of stain will make it like new.  This oil based stain is one of several colors on the garage shelf, Golden Pecan. It'll give the lighter beech wood a more rich tone.

Side Note:  The stain took quite a while to dry--over a week!  2 possible

contributing factors:

• The temps dropped just after applying the stain. Most poly’s / paint labels  advise not to use products below 50 degrees. Even though it was applied in the mid ‘50’s range (give or take a degree), drying time was compromised.

• Sanding with a deeper grit and graduating to a fine grit would have removed a deeper layer, exposing more bare wood for the product to adhere.

Back on track, I pulled out 3 left over tiles and the caulking gun. 

The tiles are a bit big against the basket laid out flat.  However, layering them creates a nice visual interest! Luckily, there are tubes of brown and grey tone caulk here, which easily blends if one were searching for caulk lines.  Really, just a smidge will do; a line about the size of your finger running criss cross.   I took care to trim the grid backing on the tiles, so not to be seen from front or side :)

Another Side Note: The 4 mini tiled square was a bit flimsy on two corners, as it had nothing to attach against.  To resolve the issue, dissect another separate 4 mini tile and slip 2 mini tiles between the basket and exposed / hanging tiles.  

Don’t panic if the caulking smudges the wood, it wipes away with a damp cloth. The stones may be trickier to clean.  Not that I would have experience with that.

Once the tiles “set” overnight, I finished it off with a quick spray of clear satin poly over entire project.  The colored tiles immediately popped, turning the dusty slate grey into striking gun metal--almost navy blue--rich color!  Love!

I feel that my work here is done.  Yay, Pretty New, Garbage Basket! Thanks for reading, hope you like my project. Feel free to comment, if the comment button is working, that is. Enjoy your Thanksgiving Holiday, folks. And please don't spit on anyone just to get closer in your Black Friday line. Honestly! Many Blessings ~Yvette

Dani Duck: Artist Obscure: New Illustrations!

Dani Duck: Artist Obscure: New Illustrations!

Jewelry Board

Howdy!  In the spirit of Mother's Day, I started (and finished) a nagging project. 

Frankly, the project in question is not worth writing about.  However, the jewelry board is fun-nish and a great reason to take a break :)

Several years ago, in twisted necklace-induced desperation and zero budget frenzy; meet the temporary solution (12 years later):

Once again, my weird passion for quilting material comes in handy! When I came across this rustic pattern, the rich look of leather struck a cord. It's a beautiful backing for a new jewelry board. $10 for a cork board, tea cup hooks and thumbtacks (thank you Big Lots).

After removing the frame from cork board, it was fairly easy to wrap the material over the front and tack down in back.

The teacup hooks are a bit sharp at the tip of the screw; working like a needle on the material. Careful not to press to hard. Gently twist into the cork until flush with board. Hint: 2 hooks 2" apart are perfect for bracelets & headbands!

Silence: Mommy's Best Defense

Tonight I put my money where my mouth is, and smacked down some vintage G-ma Clara parenting moves. No sissies stuff like whoopins.  Something more risky--ending a play date.  (Insert "Oh, No You Didn't" here).

On the trip over, we ran down the Good Choice Bullet List (backseat eye roll here): no excluding, hogging, bossing, lying or waiting to go potty. Expectations: be polite, share, go potty, and eat protein before sugar (yeah, right).

Side note: One sure way to avoid a meltdown in our house is by staying on top of protein / sugar ratios.  The best offense and all that.  Anything to avoid feral behavior, right?

In order to emphasize the seriousness of The Bullet List; my mouth decided to go all with  "Or We'll Be Going Home". My brain, (focused on driving), snapped out of auto pilot, screaming, "Noooooooooooo!" But it was too late.

It's a classic parenting fail.   Avoid ultimatums that impede on adult fun! Now, the chances of my leaving with a rabid child possessed by the spirit of IHateYouMom, have increased 50%.

Once said, no takebacks; so I threw out a quick "pretty please" prayer for peace.

The late Friday afternoon sunshine was motivating; neighbors bustled about mowing, cleaning gutters and planting spring flowers.  Children's shrieks of laughter rocketed off white vinyl fencing.  

What a treat for country critters like us! Rural living can be lonely for kids.  Moms, too.  The opportunity to hang out on a street full of friends--young and old-- is like a day at the fair.  It's just plain fun!

I could feel the breeze from my own To Do list waving in the backyard of my mind.  Sunny days are hard to come by in the PNW, and my [weed] gardens were beckoning from afar.

Well, our fun lasted about an hour.  The offense itself was not horrible and could have been completely avoided had the truth been told from the start.   (It wasn't even worth lying about...therein lies the button pushing.  No kid can resist!!).   Boy, was she surprised when we started driving down the road!

Quite frankly, my button was busted.  Honestly, helping kids navigate through situations by making smart choices can be emotionally draining.  Most times.  Really, almost all the time.  *Sigh*

The car ride home was amazingly quiet.  Surprisingly difficult? Holding back ALL the words of wisdom I felt needed to be imparted.  When did I get so "naggy"?

A strange resolution settled on my heart and mind.  I've been asking Him for help a lot lately, especially in the parenting department.   Something told me to keep my mouth shut.

Pulling into our driveway,  there is an air of calm understanding in the car. Pointing to the broom, the penance determined: sweeping sidewalks and emptying the garbage. (That's right, check 2 off my list).

Here's where it gets interesting: Miss SassMouth is completely respectful! Oh, she was mad, don't get me wrong. However, in a completely unforeseen outcome, there came a load of "Yes Ma'am's, hugs and little trinket offerings to please me!

Yep, I soaked that all up like a nasty, hard yellow & green kitchen sponge.   Sadly there are days when being a Mom is very much like that sponge. It's either soggy with dirty spills or left in the sink to hopefully soak up the nasty business around the drain.

(Personally, my sponge starts crumbling about an hour before bedtime). That's the not so great portion of motherhood.

While I wasn't able to set sail with Capt. Morgan and a few good friends (more than 2 drinks is a hangover anyway), my gem of a daughter and I tackled 2 big projects at home.  Hee Heee!   It may have taken three or four inspections before setting the child free, but nary a complaint could be heard.  The whole experience was refreshing, like ripping the cellophane off a brand new kitchen sponge.