Holding Down the Fort

I feel crummy. I was hoping it was allergies, and maybe it still is...but I feel sick either way. It just sucks because I am holding down the fort over here by myself for a few days while Chris is in Denver.
I miss him, and miss all the fun times they seem to be having; though I would not be partaking in any of it due to a fussy toddler, small baby, and now, my sore throat and stuffy nose. I do wish they would schedule every other get together more "in the area" but I suppose that is neither here, nor there at this point.

Though I have been feeling yucky, I have been able to keep the girls happy about 70% of the time. We have achieved a bath (yes, singular, Addy fell asleep by the time it was her turn and there was no way I was waking her), 2 healthy dinners of LEL-approved food, and most importantly: 90% done in kitchen priming. Of course, I still have the actually painting to do, and the finishing coat...but I am looking on the bright side.

Now I have 2 nights and 1 full day to soldier through until Chris returns; I know Lorelai (and Phoebe) miss him terribly. Ok, ok, I do too, but it kind of breaks my heart a bit when Lorelai asks "Where dad?" several times a day. I know she looks forward to playing with him in the evenings, and she is confused why he doesn't come home for dinner. Every noise outside around 5-6pm she shoots up all excited "Dad home!", and I then have to explain again why he isn't coming home for awhile. Her smile fades and she goes back to what she was doing...still confused. God forbid she will never have to experience this for more than just a weekend or so. At least Chris knows he is loved. ;)

Let's just hope these kiddos don't start feeling under the weather as well.


M.LEWIS

Dirty Laundry...Room.

While I still have to finish my kitchen makeover before I start another project, I have already been planning and researching online what I want to do with...the laundry room! And you thought I ran out of things to do, didn't you?

Our laundry room is the first place you enter when coming through the garage, and since we come and go through the garage 99.9% of the time, it is essentially, our foyer...so to speak.

Right now it is a dingy white with "touch up" spots from the previous owners who couldn't match the existing color of their lives depended on it. The floor is decent, but the shelving is not pretty. There is wasted space around the washer and dryer, and above the 2 current shelves.  The room becomes a collecting ground for leaves and dirt from the garage, Phoebe's useless dog items, and things I don't know what to do with.
I would love to turn the room into something more versatile, clean, pretty, and organized. The room is small, so I can't do anything drastic, but it is the perfect opportunity to try something a bit more bold in the paint department...not in color, but in pattern.

Here is a few pictures that get me excited:

I am really loving the idea of gray stripes, but I have a feeling that is going to be an interesting application. I figure, even if things go terribly wrong, I can just paint the whole room instead. I am not sure what my options are on wall shelving, but getting a unit to sit between my washer and dryer sounds good and useful. I'll have to wait and see once I am ready to mess with it...Fall maybe? My goal is to finish my kitchen by the end of summer, so when ever I am done with that.

Meanwhile, my updates around the house have consisted of adding hardware to my bathroom cabinets. I also need to order a over-the-toilet shelf for the master and now a new laundry bin for our closet. Darn thing has broken on me for the last time! :P Anyone have a pretty laundry room? Or maybe a good thing to incorporate into the room?

M.LEWIS 

Silence is Golden- and Rare.

This week has been...well, long.

Cranky kids, napless days, crying/screaming- things that should be simple and quick, end up taking three times as long as they should and usually take place while someone is crying in the background.
Not that I am ignoring my kids, they have just had those days where nothing makes them happy- mainly Lorelai.

I decided to go to the grocery store today and not wait for the weekend with Chris' help. It is Father's Day weekend, and wanted to eliminate some chores.
I did accept my mom's offer to shop with us though. It went well until departure. Refusal to hold hands, losing shoes, carrying LEL to the car like a sack of potatoes, crying the whole way home, Addy joining in...can you tell we were hitting nap time? This carried on through putting away the food, getting Lorelai to bed, and attempting to feed Addy.
A hour or so later, I finally get to sit and regain my composure. Just another day with the little Lewis girls.

People have been asking me if I will be traveling to a family event in a couple weeks...this is why my answer is "no." Could it be done? Yes. Would anyone be having fun? No. At this point with my kids, schedules and being close to home are essential. Car rides past 5mins usually end up with Addy screaming, Lorelai only eats half of 3 items (never consistently), both kids have to nap/sleep in certain rooms at certain times, Addy is slowly starting to eat closer to 3 hours as apposed to 2, and there is still Phoebe's eyes to watch. So, sorry guys who want me to travel/visit them; unless you live close by or are willing to come to us, seeing you all will have to wait. Hopefully by the end of summer they will be a bit more flexible. Forcing them to be so now, is not worth it. As it is, every time Lorelai leaves the house she whines and cries "Hot. Hot. Hhhhhhooooottttt." I feel her there.

At least both kids are napping right now, and hopefully for the next half an hour. Ahhh, silence. An encouraging note though: All this craziness is making me lose baby weight at a decent clip. Already in pre-Adalaide shorts...and they are a bit loose. Now for pre-Lorelai. Ha. ;)

Love.

M.LEWIS

The Kitchen Remodel Pt. 2: The Backsplash

Ok, my latest improvement! A tile backsplash for my kitchen. One area behind my stove, the other behind the sink.

I am not a fan of tile...the process of applying it, that is, but I do like the finished look. I combined elements that both I and Christopher liked to get our final design.

I still need to grout the tile behind the sink, but I have enough done I feel good sharing my project progress. All together the project only cost me about $115. All purchased at Lowe's.  I wanted subway tiles, but I didn't want to spend $$$ on ceramic tile. I looked for vinyl subway styles, but found out quickly they don't make them. So, I decided to make my own. I found a nice "luxury tile" in the vinyl area ($2.16 for a 12x24 tile) and cut it up into 6x3 tiles, making 16 tiles out of one large tile. I needed about 6 large tiles. The steel tiles were self-adhesive in a 12x12 sheet. I needed 2 sheets. The glass/stone mosaic tiles came in a mesh square, I had to cut them up into strips, again, I needed 2. Both were $10.00 for a 12x12 square. Then there is the adhesive for the tiles, the grout, and the tools involved.

I loved I could achieve this look for around $100 and needed no power tools! :)

M.LEWIS

The Kitchen Remodel Pt. 1: The Countertops

Most of my home improvements are relatively small, but I do have some big ones. Paint, new light fixtures, replacing faucets...all easy, affordable, and quick. A few projects graduate to a larger scale. I remodeled the master bathroom last summer...that one was pretty extensive. My last big project is the kitchen.

I knew early on I wanted to jazz it up, make it more my style; but I need 2 things: time and money. With some research and some creativity, I have begun my journey to a new, pretty kitchen.
First step: update countertops.

It is clean, the old caulking is stained.

Yes, I have a Hello Kitty toaster. It toasts a cute little face on the bread.

This wall will have a backsplash install before the remodel is finished.

They are just white laminate. Not bad, but not great. My vision for my new kitchen will involve white cabinets, and the white countertops were going to be a bit too much white for my taste; not to mention white laminate stains way too easily.

So. My options? Well, a lot, frankly. The cheapest option was to order new laminate, but that still was going to cost hundreds, not to mention the fact it would involve workmen taking over my house and causing a ruckus.

I did what I do best- find an inexpensive, DIY option. The plan was to buy a granite-patterned adhesive laminate roll and recover the existing laminate. Luckily, this lovely product is available at many stores and costs next-to-nothing. In fact, it's probably already in your house...contact paper.

Yep, I learned that laminate countertops are a plywood structure with an industrial version of a contact paper coating the top (along with a heavy sealant). You can cover the countertop with contact paper and apply sealant and caulking, and you have a very comparable finish to store-ordered laminate. The only downside? Seams. But, if you are handy and pick the right pattern, you can hide them without much effort.

Here are my supplies:

Contact paper less than $6 a roll. I need 2.

Close up on the pattern, beige granite.

I used about 8 oz, for about $10.

I used a smaller amount than pictured; a 3 oz tube (no caulk gun needed) at about $5.

With scissors, a small box cutter, and a hard, flat surface tool (I used a clipboard), I embarked on my adventure.

I cleared off each counter area, cleaned and dried the area thoroughly, and applied the contact paper slowly and precisely. Some areas I measured and cut before applying, other areas I just let the paper unroll for easier maneuvering. The clipboard helped smooth out the paper and getting rid of those pesky air bubbles. This takes some practice. You get the feel for it after awhile, and pick up some tricks, this makes the process easier as time goes on. I carefully lined up seams and cut away excess paper around the edges of the counter.

After all the paper was applied, I then sealed it with at least 2 coats of the ploycrylic sealant.  It dries fast (recoating in 2 hours), is waterproof, and leaves a glossy, hard finish. Pay special attention to seams, this ensures the paper will not peel up in time.

Around the wall and edges apply caulking. I used a product that involved no gun, just a point and squeeze. I wiped away excess caulking with just a swipe of a finger.

Before sealant and caulking.

Before sealant and caulking.

Before sealant and caulking...we just wanted to make sure we liked the over-all look.

After sealant and caulking.

After sealant and caulking...so shiny and pretty.

I really do love the look, I think it will look great with white cabinets and the new backsplash I want to install. All achieved for a grand total of around $27. That's right, for less than $30, and a few days work, I have pretty new countertops. Not bad, not bad at all. ;) Stay tuned for more updates!

M.LEWIS

   

Eye of the Storm

This week has definitely kept me on my toes. Mainly because of Phoebe.
If you recall, Phoebe suffered from eye ulcers about 8 months ago. We got them cleared up after a serious round of antibiotic eye drops...and now they are back.
For a few weeks now, I have noticed her eyes looking red and irritated. I would give her allergy medication and a couple of the left-over eye drops and it would take care of itself...only to have it come back in a few days. Monday night, I knew my usual treatment would not cut it.
Early Tuesday morning, swollen, pathetic-looking Phoebe and myself went to the vet. Thank God for a vet with walk-in hours. Seriously. Thank you. (My mom watched my girlies...there was no way I was going to take on that chaos by myself.)
After sitting next to some crazy lady with her over-weight, wall-eyed chihuahua- "Truffles", we were seen by the vet.
A dry eye test showed Phoebe does not produce enough tears, causing natural irritants to aggravate her eyes more severely- and poof: eye ulcers.
The ulcer was small, so he held off on antibiotics, but told me I would have to start giving her over-the-counter eye drops 3 times a day. Forever. *sigh*
I have since accepted this, but her eye is still not right, and now her other eye is looking red. I have asked Chris to take her in again tomorrow. Yes. This vet has walk-in hours, even on Saturday.
I worry about my little pup. I just want her to be healthy and pain-free. I know her eye problems are beyond my control, but I still feel guilty.

All of this happened on a week that had bad weather, a cute terror named Lorelai (who now has a weird rash again), a restless baby (eating every 2 hours!), home "remodel" frustrations (more on that later), and some major sleep deprivation.

Give me another few weeks and this one won't seem that hectic...but today is still Friday, so I am not there yet.
The 3-day weekend should help. (Happy Memorial Day!)

Oh, and I know she's a dog, but please send her your thoughts and prayers on a speedy recovery. We love that little stinker.


M.LEWIS

The Little Ones

Rolling right along with life here, busy, but normal.

Monday Adalaide turned 2 months old. Her pediatrician said she was perfect, and I agree. He's good that way, making you feel like your child is the perfect version of themselves...which you already knew. 10 lbs and 23 ins long; that's 35% and 75% respectively. Sounding a lot like her big sister, though her stats are the only similarities I see so far.

Adalaide at 2 months

Lorelai at 2 months

Along with looking quite different, their personalities are also significantly different. Lorelai disliked being cuddled and was a difficult nurser. By this time with Lorelai, I was supplementing at least once a day with 2oz+ of formula.
Adalaide on the other hand, loves to be held and does pretty well with breast feeding. I only supplement on rare occasions...even then she much prefers mom. Plastic nipples are not her favorite.

She naps deeply for about 2-3 hours during the day, collectively; the rest of the day is filled up with observing and cat-naps. She soundly sleeping by 10pm every night and most nights she wakes up twice during the night to eat. She still needs some time to get back to sleep at night, but we are making progress. She still has funky nights and days where she throws me off doing something completely different, but in a weird way I expect that unexpectedness. It's the way of the baby, right?

Lorelai is also unexpected with her toddler-way. Nap, no nap; eat, no eating; happy, no-wait- unhappy. Her day is a constant game of opposites. I know if things are going to well they will soon fall apart, and vice versa. She is still a picky, picky eater, but we have made some baby steps in the right direction. Chicken strips and eggs have been added to the list of "things Lorelai will allow to touch her lips."
We also have started the very early beginnings of potty-training. She has been pretty resistant though...I think that task will take awhile.
She has added more and more words to her vocabulary, and she can hold a conversation...with those who understand her best. She kicks butt at identifying colors, most numbers, and about half the letters. She know shapes very well, and can give you any animal sound you ask for. She is one smart cookie.

My girls, being pals

So, apparently, this entry is about my two leading ladies. More updates on different topics coming soon. ;)


M.LEWIS