Bookcases Revealed

Earlier this month I wrote about a new word I had learned and my goal to get this place organized after moving in right before Christmas and the New Year.  One of my projects was a place for the books.  There must be a place for the books, right?  Well, here you go!  This is what it looks like today!  It covers almost the entire wall between my son's bedroom door and the entryway.  








To my chagrin, I couldn't center everything because of the thermostat box.  However, I thought I was pretty clever to do the measurements and cut an opening for it to stick through the back.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself here.  Upon putting them against the wall, I rediscovered the wonkiness of our floors.  Not only were they not level, but they wouldn't sit side by side without gaps between.  My husband attached them to each other.  The units became one, so to speak, and I was able to attach the trim pieces.


I painted the inside backs a pretty, bright blue.  Made cutouts for the thermostat and electrical outlets on either side.  In the meantime, I had begun the process of sorting and bringing over books from the other house.  There are years and years of schoolbooks to sort, keep, or giveaway!  Not to mention, the other books we need. (And I do mean need!)

^ The picture above is before trim pieces.

< Here's a shot of the trim piece I attached to the tops of the bookshelves.  I just used Liquid Nails to do the job.  I attached plain trim at the center of the units to make it look more like one piece rather than two.  Also, I put thin molding at the base to make the unit appear more uniform since the bottom edges of the tall and short cases were different.

The left side is for

school books,

music,

and some old favorites....

On the right side are Bibles, reference books, study guides, non-fiction, and the grandkids books and toys.

Just so you know, this isn't all my books.  But I didn't really want the shelves in the main room to be overflowing.  There will be more upstairs in my room when I get another shelf put together.  My dad and I are working on a knock-off of one I saw in World Market that turns like a lazy susan with a full-length mirror on one side and shelves on the other!  I am super-excited about that one!!

This beautiful glass handmade candleholder is a housewarming gift from my sister-in-law.

Isn't it lovely?  One of her friend makes these.

Thanks for visiting today and have a lovely week!

I am linking to....

 

Bookcases and Other Stuff

This post could easily be titled "Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, Part 2," but decided against it.  


Some of you may have noticed that I haven't posted in a couple weeks.  I had every intention of doing so last week, because I have been working on my bookshelves and am excited to show them to you.  Here they are just after arranging and painting the backs.  I have added some simple decorative trim and filled them up!  More on that in the next day or two.

However, we received some difficult news last week that required travel, lots of family time, and time for me to process.  I wasn't sure if I would talk about it in this space or not.  I mean, I know I can write about whatever I want, but I just wasn't sure how personal I wanted to get on this blog.  


Let me just say that during this extremely trying time, the Lord has been evident.  Things that needed to be taken care of were accomplished with relative ease and we were guided by some very understanding and helpful people wherever we went.  Our family is comforted and we are making adjustments.  The Lord is near.

If you are a pray-er, we welcome your prayers.  And thank you in advance.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes....

The last week flew by in a flurry of activity.  

Isn't it funny how life's rhythm beats chaotically at times,

 carrying us along almost against our will.  

The "must do's" overtaking the "want to do's."  

Last week I had to do something difficult.  For the last decade, I have been involved with an arts organization as an actress, singer, stage manager, assistant director, writer and office manager.  It was my privilege to work with and be taught by some extremely talented people in the process.  We performed in churches, on streets, in homeless shelters, libraries, nursing homes, schools and a couple show seasons in an historic movie theatre.

Last week, we had to close.  The board of the organization decided to shut it down.  It was a shock -- but not.  Finances were tough.  Worse than tough.  Years of accumulation had to be packed and moved, or displayed to be sold.  

For those of us deeply involved in this organization it was an extremely emotional task.  How do you just stop doing something all of a sudden and move on when you've been doing it for so long?

My friend, mentor, and our fearless leader said that it feels like she'll never do theatre again.  My response was that "never" is a very long time.  

I know that many people the last several years have been faced with losing a job, having to change careers, or been forced into a life-change for one reason or another.  Questions about the future dominate the thoughts.  It appears dark.

While considering these things, my reading last night took me to Psalm 112.  Verse four reads, in part:

Light arises in the darkness for the upright....

Light arises.  The dawn comes.  His mercies are new.  The Light.  Jesus.  God's Word.

There is hope.  We are not alone in this journey.

For this fact I am truly grateful.

How have you been encouraged to carry on when the future seems dark?

2012 Goal - Bundobust!

While playing Balderdash with friends on New Years' Eve I learned a new word - bundobust.

It is a noun meaning to have one's affairs in order, well organized, arrangement, preparation, a system or discipline.

Fitting, wouldn't you say?  At least it is for me at the moment.  Oh my goodness, when I look around and see all the projects before me I'm tempted to just go back to bed.  Yikes!  Not to mention the personal, work, and spiritual goals I have set for myself.  

There's the remodeling list which includes the projects I've spoken about before including (but not limited to) installing floor tile where the dining room wall was removed, painting various rooms that are still white (kitchen, bathrooms, laundry, hallway), and attaching decorative tile to the backsplash.

I'm actually kind of excited to be able to call it bundobust rather than organize or discipline or routine.

Makes it feel like I'm setting brand new goals rather than new versions 

of the same old goals!

For instance, I intend to bundobust my collection of books by setting up bookcases along this wall:

My closet will be nicely bundobusted when I get more shelving, as well.

The laundry room could use a bit of bundobusting, don't you think?

See?  Isn't it fun?

A personal goal I have for 2012 is to get better at playing the piano.  I will accomplish this with a bundobust including regular practice times, committing to learn a new song or two each week, and using skill building exercises to strengthen my fingers encouraging speed and accuracy.

My spiritual bundobust will continue to include regular Bible study, prayer, and journalling.

I pray your efforts to bundobust your lives and homes 

are fueled with inspiration and met with great success!

What will YOU bundobust this year?

Recovery and Looking Ahead

Our family Christmas celebration in the new house was grand!

Monday morning arrived and I moved from my bed to the kitchen for coffee then to the couch for the TV.  That is where I stayed pretty much the rest of the day.  I think with all the pressures lifted of remodeling, packing, moving, unpacking, and getting ready for Christmas my body said, "All done."  


After a couple days of rest I'm ready to go again.  I think I'll take alittle slower pace now that we're moved.  


Last night I looked at the jacuzzi tub in my bathroom and thought to myself how nice it would be to use it, so I got online to find out how to clean out the jets.  The article said to use one cup bleach and one-eighth cup dish soap.  Fill the tub with hot water and run the jets for 15 minutes.  Drain, then run another time or two with clear water.  I wasn't so sure about adding the dish soap, but that's what it said to do.  So,.....

This was only after about eight minutes.  A little longer and it would have run out onto the floor!  I drained the tub early then ran it again with water and bleach only - no soap!  All clean!  Bubble bath, here I come!


As usual, now I am thinking about goals for the year.  These are still in the process mode and will be shared in a day or two.  


What I do know at the moment is that the my well isn't dry, there's still water down there, but the pump definitely needs to be primed.  I'm in desperate need of some quiet time alone with my Bible, my notebook, my thankful list, and worship music.  Time to get the wellsprings bursting forth; I'm feeling just a bit dry at the moment.

The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water 

when you are dry and restoring your strength.  

You will be like a well-watered garden, 

like an ever-flowing spring.

Isaiah 58:11 NLT

Yep - time to prime the pump.

Also in the thought processes are projects!  Besides the various remodeling projects still on the board, we are looking at bookshelves and creative ways to store things in this old house that is short on extra closet space.  Here are just a few of my inspirations....

Source

The stacked benches are just too much fun!

Source

The tutorial for this wall of bookshelves can be found at Centsational Girl.  Isn't it cool?  We're going to do something similar.

Source

The kitchen cabinet uppers turned storage bench is just genius!  I can think of at least two places where I could put one of these.

Thanks for stopping by today!

All Moved (Mostly) and Slightly Decorated

Moving Day was a beautiful Saturday considering it was mid-December in the Midwest.  The awful cold I'd had during the packing marathon subsided just in the nick of time.

Forgot to take pics -- oh, well.  :-)

On Tuesday, enough of the clutter had been cleared away to get the Christmas tree set up.  It had been raining for two days, so it was soaked, but I think we got the last, best tree on the lot (for half off, too)!

It was so cold and wet the guy in the little tent in the garden center called someone from inside the store to cut and bag our tree.  He barely stuck his hand out to beep our other purchases.  He was not budging from his precious tent!

With Polar Express playing in the background we opened the containers that hold our collection of ornaments and started in.

  

Our Christmas tree is like the old crazy quilt my Grandma made.  The crazy quilt that my mom used to wrap us in when we were sick.  The crazy quilt I used to rub the velvet  pieces of fabric and trace the patterns of fancy embroidery with my fingers feeling ever so comforted and warm.  

(I could have used that crazy quilt last week.)

Our Christmas tree is full of all the random ornaments from ages past and just yesterday.

Sitting in our new living room with the tree glowing and the cats sniffing around was as soothing as being wrapped in the love embroidered into the quilt.

I wonder if Mary took a special quilt with her on their journey to Bethlehem.  I wonder if she took comfort in the years and tradition it caused her to remember.  I wonder if it gave her a sense of the familiar in her new surroundings.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father,

who has loved us and given us eternal comfort 

and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen 

your hearts in every good work and word.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Linking up with Funky Junk Interiors: Sat Nite Special

Cabinets and Kitties

The long-awaited cabinet update is here!

When I posted last I had stripped and restained the lower cabinets

and was ready to tackle some doors to see if they would match.

Well, they didn't.  Take a look.

Three doors.  Three colors. Three kinds of splotchy.

As you can see from the door on the far left, they seemed to strip down fine, 

but they didn't take the stain uniformly.

My son-in-law, a cabinet maker, said that since they weren't protected

with a clear coat they've had years of fingerprints, grease splatters and

spilled water, etc. that could affect how they receive the stain.

I moved on to Plan C and bought this.

Source

I chose the Dark Color Kit in Cabernet.

Here's my workspace.  

Every door and drawer cover was laid out so I could do them all at once.  

It was a long process with multiple steps, but it wasn't hard and I love the results.

And you ready for the big reveal?

Here's a reminder of how it looked before.....

And today it looks like this....

Ta Da!

I love the richness and depth of the color.

Another great thing is that you can still see the texture of the woodgrain.

The glaze that is applied after the bond coat adds variety to the finished color.

I am extremely happy with the results of this kit and would call it

the next best thing to stained wood.

The kitchen is still a work in progress.  I will be adding a backsplash and we need to paint,

but I think we'll move in and have Christmas first.  :-)  

Here's a couple more fun things that happened this week.

The new outdoor kitties moved in.  They are staying in the loft of the shed.

Isn't this a handsome little guy?  His name is Clyde.

The little girl kitty wouldn't sit still for a portrait, so we caught her in action.

She is Bonnie.  (You saw that coming, didn't you?)

Pretty soon Clyde discovered the opening in the bass drum.

It didn't take them long to decide it would make a cozy nest for them to sleep.

Nighty, night Bonnie and Clyde.

Silas has started working on their little outdoor house.

Yesterday, I had the piano movers out to pick up & deliver our old upright grand.

This was given to me by my Grandma and Grandpa.  

It was in the house they purchased in the early 1940's.

Mom tells me it used to be painted black, but Grandpa refinished it.

It was built in 1903 (or was it 1905?), and I can't remember the manufacturer.

At any rate, it is a treasure to me and my family.

That's the latest!

Moving Day tomorrow.  I need to get packin'!

Have a wonderfully blessed weekend!