Project Log - Flowers

When we first bought our house and moved in in April, the patch of dirt in front of the house under the front windows was empty and boring. But that was a good thing!

Empty meant that I could shape it how I wanted and add the flowers I chose instead of having to remove anything I didn't want.

A fundraiser for flower bulbs at my son's school came right on time. I bought a hosta, day lilies and gladiolus, put them in the ground and waited.

We didn't have to wait long. The bulbs shot up quickly. We filled in the spaces with a few Home Depot purchases and some succulents bought at Costco. My husband spread in some seeds that were given to us by a friend. We thought they were gazania but the viney tendency and the round leaves show me otherwise, so it's a mystery plant for now until it flowers! She also gave us some ornamental garlic, we put in a jade plant (which doesn't seem to have grown a bit, weird!) and there are two mystery plants that came up that must have been planted by the former owners.

Since taking this we now have more open gladiolus on the right size too, a red & a yellow!

Gladiolus





Front of the house

We still desperately need some "charm" around these windows. I'd love little built-in pergolas or at the very least, shutters.

Unfortunately when we move to the back, not much is going on. We're all still dirt back there, nothing more to show.



We planted these and goofy-me, I didn't realize that when I bought these pots, they didn't have drainage holes!! These rotted out, booo!!! The succulents around the edge survived and the ornamental grass but the rest were a lost cause. Fortunately Home Depot has a great return policy and we were able to take them back and get replacements.



My husband is working with someone to get the backyard landscaped. We are considering artificial grass in the upper section so the kids can play on it and we won't have to worry about mowing or watering. We'll see, things are moving slowly in that area.

These roses were bought by my husband but it got me to thinking. Maybe we need some rosebushes!

Project Log - Hanging it up

Slowly, but surely we're getting the house decorated. I'm taking my time, choosing what I like and really thinking things through before just hanging things willy-nilly. I've been happy with the results so far. Here are a few projects.

I knew I wanted photos of the kids in water-themed shots for the bathroom.



These are three of my favorite photos of the kids and I love seeing them in frames everyday. The turquoise and white frames were on sale at Target for less than $4 each. I got the wooden flower frame there too but that one was a $9 splurge. I couldn't resist it, I love the worn, rustic edge and unique design.



The photo of The Boy makes me laugh every time I see it! It was taken about three years ago. My (future) husband was tossing the kids into the air and I adore this shot of him, gulping in a big breath of air before he hits the water.

The photo of The Girl was taken last summer on a beach excursion.

This one of the baby was taken last August at the Disneyland Hotel on a weekend trip.



I like the colors, a great mix of blue in each photo to coordinate with the frames. And I kept them in a theme, water, for the bathroom.

My other decoration project was our front door entrance, a tiny hallway. I'm standing in the kitchen when I took this shot. You can see a little bit of the front door that is open (an orangey-red on the outside). We have repurposed our dining room buffet to use in this space because 1). We don't have room in the dining room and 2). We need a place to set things by the front door. Inside the cabinets we have our oversized kitchen appliances, like the rice cooker and also cloth napkins, placemats and table cloths. That lamp is just there because I don't have any other place to put it...I don't even have an electrical outlet on that wall!



Left to right on the table top: A wedding photo, gray mail slot (from HomeGoods), glass dish for keys, real butterflies in frame (that I've had for 20+ years), basket to hold my purse, frame of the kids from our wedding day and a repurposed cupcake stand that holds little things that my husband uses every morning, like foot powder and cough drops (I'm thinking we could find a better landing place for those items besides this spot...perhaps the bathroom, honey?).



Left to right on the wall: A newborn photo of Baby D, a wooden plaque that says, "The Best Things in Life Aren't Things" (a motto I try to live by in a 1007 square foot home as a reminder to minimize and pare down to the necessities). Lastly, photos of the kids in my parent's tree that I took 4 years ago. I'm thinking we need to get a shot of Baby D sitting in the tree soon!

Next project, something over the living room sofa. I'm thinking about one of these wooden letters along with some photos, what do you think?

Project Log - Backyard Adventures

Because our new house is small and rather warm when the oven is on, we have summer plans to eat outside quite a bit. We initially purchased this patio set from Sears but then also bought a set of wooden patio chairs & tables from a local guy who handcrafts them. Danny thought the Sears set was thus redundant and returned it. I'm a little crabby about that because we lost a table and now have to balance our plates on our knees to eat, which I hate. I'm going to lobby for a picnic table, at the very least.

Our first outdoor dinner, sitting around the table we no longer have, hmph!

New patio set

We do get a lovely breeze out here.



I am loving these melamine plates from Target and after about 8 trips to 3 different stores (not joking) I finally found a total of 12. I much prefer a solid plate over paper plates any day. I was also able to get four bowls and a set of tiny bowls. The pattern is so pretty and it matches the rather bright plastic cups we bought on a whim at Costco. I don't know what I was thinking, the glasses are soooo bright but fortunately they coordinate with the plates and the colors all make sense now.

We have ideas that we've been tossing around in regards to the backyard but nothing in the process. Danny would like to sell the palm tree and have it removed from the lower section of the lot. He also would like to pull out the cypress and one of the tiny fruit trees that appears to be fruitless and not in the best of shape.



We really still need a fence to block off the ledge that separates the upper and lower yards and a gate across the "stairs". Well we used to have stairs (crummy round concrete blocks and gravel, not really stairs at all). When Danny borrowed the Bobcat he had to pull out all the block to make a graded path for the equipment, so the stairs are gone now.



This is our covered patio, where we've set the furniture set.



This is the patch in front of the patio on the right side of the yard.



This is the left side of the yard, next to the patio. Danny has removed all the bark and in the next few months we'll be putting in some planters along the edges and grass in the center.



The Bobcat accidentally hooked on the neighbor's fence and tore it out...oops!

Next up in the plans, a barbeque!

Project Log - Bathroom Organization

We have a tiny house, just over 1000 square feet. With five of us here, things are tight. But I've been putting to good use all of my baskets and bins and have been aquiring new organizing tools to keep things in place.

The house is small but we don't want it to look cluttered or feel cramped. We are making good use of the garage, storing items that aren't needed frequently. Extra diapers, wipes and toilet paper rolls (thank you very much, Costco) are kept in a cabinet in the garage as are our shoes and the kids' backpacks. We have donated so much to the thrift store lately in the hopes of being able to live spartanly and keep clutter at bay but still keep the house looking warm and inviting. We hung two pieces of art work this week, that helped give the walls a bit of character. More to come...I have ideas!

The bathrooms were one of the first areas I had to work on. We have two small bathrooms in the home. The guest bath (or the "kid's" bathroom) is slightly bigger than ours with a deeper sink and a bathtub.


Guest bath

The shower curtain, towels and floor mat came from the apartment. I have extra towels rolled up nicely in a basket next to the toilet because inevitably one of the kids forgets the towel they keep in their bedroom.


Making use of my basket collection

The only thing I purchased for this space was three plastic baskets for under the sink from the Container Store, green for The Boy, pink for The Girl and blue for Baby D. We keep a plastic drinking cup, their toothpaste, toothbrush and mouthwash inside. They know to pull out their own things and put them away after each use and so far, it's keeping the counter clean and everything under the sink looks organized. And the bins are plastic, so they can be washed out very easily.








My little "helper"

In our bathroom, I did have to purchase a new shower curtain liner and will be making a shower curtain for this space. I found this pretty lacy looking wastebasket at Bed Bath & Beyond, along with the tiny bath mat. A wire basket from Target holds extra toilet paper. Under the sink in here is a two-tiered pull out drawer from the Container Store that holds Danny's shaving stuff and my hair things. I also have a large basket for ahem, feminine products and my make-up bag. Toothbrushes and paste stay on the counter. I would like to have some shelving put up on the wall next to the toilet for extra storage.


Teeny-tiny master bath


The not-so-grand Master bathroom...I had to stand in the shower to take this picture!

So, bathrooms...organized but still a work in progess. Still to do, a shower curtain for the master bath, some shelving and hang some art. But still, organized and pretty much clutter-free, yay!!

Project Log - 2 weeks in the new house

So we've been in the house for 14 days.

The first night Danny rolled over in bed and said, "Feels like we're on vacation".

I agreed. I had the same feeling. Like this wasn't our usual routine, something was different. Manuvering in the dark is weird, like I'm worried I'm going to stub my toe or knock over a lamp because things are in unfamiliar positions.

It doesn't help that there are floor to ceiling mirrored sliding doors in 4 places throughout this tiny house. I keep catching glimpses of myself as I unpack, not necessarily a pleasant sight after a day of housework. I don't need to see myself head to toe walking down the hall, hanging up clothes, sweeping the floor, etc. At the very least, the mirrors in the hallway need to go. I'd prefer accordian doors or even just plain sliders, even though that still seems odd, sliding doors in the hall. Maybe chalkboard paint and make an entire art wall?

You know who likes the mirrors?

The baby of course. He's been hamming it up all week, posing in front of them, giggling at the sight of himself, positioning his toys in front of the mirrors so he can watch himself and playing peek-a-boo...with himself. I spent the weekend wiping all his little handprints off and of course, they were all back on again by the evening.

I found my camera cord while unpacking...finally! Something is up though and my photos aren't uploading directly to my Pictures file so I had to make do and create a collage in Picasa as that was the only thing that would work. Need to get my computer-minded brother on the job, I guess...he'll figure it out.

But here is a quick collage of what we've been doing.

Danny and The Boy spent a good part of last weekend cleaning the yard. They edged the lawn, mowed it, removed a ton of rocks from the backyard "grass" (weeds, actually) and mowed back there as well. There was some citrus tree trimming and dead-fruit removing too. Things definitely look more polished in the yard. Next up, patio furniture!

Unfortunately we forgot trash day and didn't set out the cans so the green waste container is totally stuffed and they can't do any more yard work until there's a place to put the clippings.

I was inside, unpacking and arranging The Girl's room. She has quite a lovely space now, except for the pile of Dad's clothes on the desk that he's yet to find a home for (don't think you're going to find it in the closet, that's already a tight fit...sorry, honey!). The Boy doesn't have any of his things unpacked yet as he is sharing a room with Baby D and well, there just isn't any space yet! My idea is to put a plywood sheet on the top bunk, top with a layer of carpet squares and put up some shelving so The Boy has a safe place for Legos and things without Baby D pulling a "Godzilla" on all his stuff.

My bedroom is coming along nicely. Spent Saturday morning with Baby D at The Container Store buying stuff to organize. I had lots of ideas but seemed to flake out and couldn't make a lot of decisions once I got there! I think I got overwhelmed with possibility, I love that store! I did pick up colored bins for the kids to store their soaps, toothbrushes, mouthwash and a drinking glass under the sink. I also found a two-tiered sliding mesh rack for under my bathroom sink. I hate a cluttered bathroom counter! At some point we'll have some shelving installed in our little bathroom too.

As I am the Queen of Baskets, I have tons of them that I'm using to store items throughout the house. And canvas bins, they are holding everything from toys to linens to extra diapers and wipes in every closet. At The Container Store I bought inexpensive boxes to hold extra shoes in the garage. So much better than seeing shoes piled up on shelves and falling on the floor.

So we are facing another weekend. Next on the project list is a fence for the retaining wall in the backyard so Baby D doesn't take the 4' drop off the edge. One of the sprinklers is broken and needs replacing as it's leaking water down the driveway. And cable needs rewiring so we can move the desk to its proper location next to the dining room table and the TV can be mounted to the wall.

Exciting stuff. Any projects going on for you this weekend?