Juliet's 1st Hair Cut!

Juliet has this really long strand of hair that grows from the top of her beautiful little head down past her longest curls. It's her baby hair. The cute little piece of hair that has been growing since she was about 9 months old. She was nearly bald up till then. I have been wanting to cut this strand of hair for a really long time now. It looks like a little duck tail. When I put her hair in pig tails, one is always longer than the other due to that strand of hair. I have been putting off cutting it though, because that's her baby hair....she's my last baby....so I was just trying to keep her that way! Well, when we wash her hair, it's so thing and that strand always tangles horribly bad! So I did it! I finally cut it! I hated doing it too. When I was done, She said, " I have big girl hair now like Tesley." (that's what she calls Presley since she can't pronounce the "P-r" together) I just wanted to sob! But I have that strand forever!!!!!! It now hangs on the side of my fridge so I can see it every day!

I had to give Presley a hair cut to. Just so Piper would know how it is done. I want to get Presley back in my little mommy's hair cutting chair soon. I think it needs to be a bit shorter and I might need to watch some U-tube videos to see how to make her hair curl a little more. Maybe layers.....

Anyways, Presley's hair cut was easy. As always, she was terrific! Piper on the other hand....ewww....everytime I went to snip, she'd turn around and say, "What are you doing Tonga?" "What was that Mommy?" " I am getting big girl hair!" It was trying, if her hair were straight, I am sure it would be REALLY crooked! But it looks healthier now. So does Presley's. And again, Piper's little baby duck tail is gone and hanging on my fridge!

Presley, Before...

Loves getting the "Princess" cut

Presley, After....

Juliet, Before...

I mean Jewels. When I call her Piper, Juliet, Pipes, Pipey, or any name like that, she says, "Call me Jewels!"

The duck tail...see it?????

Jewels, After....

Loving the "big girl" hair cut!

No more baby hair....sniff sniff!

Maggie is in the middle of a yawn in the background....she isn't really trying to bite off Piper's arm. LOL

School (work) is Cool!

I have had Presley doing school work since she was 2 1/2 years old. Prepping her for school I suppose.

When people would ask her, "Are you in school? "

She'd answer back, " yes I do all of my work at home."

I was always so proud of that.

But lately...blame it on the move and that darn pod, I have seriously slacked up on the school work and she'll be starting "real" school this year and poor Piper hasn't even had an ounce of what I have done for Presley. I have some major catching up to do!

So today, I found an old math workbook of Presley's that we bought her when we were living in the hotel. And for Piper, I drew a bunch of shapes for her to practice saying what they are. I sat the girls down at the table for a couple of hours today and that's what they did. Presley did addition and Piper did shapes! It feels really good to slowly but surely be getting back on track!

I also went back to do again what I use to do with the girls. READ a bedtime story to them! It's been a while since I've read them a bedtime story. So I started up our ritual again tonight. I don't know who enjoyed it more, me or them, with all the silly voices and stuff! You have to have a voice for each character and there are alot of characters in Winnie The Pooh.

I am achieving my new year's resolution of being a better mom to my kids. So happy!

Lost and Found

I came across an old memory card stick that had some precious pictures on it.

These are of Presley before Juliet came along. Piper is arguing with me that these are of her and not of her sister. Anyways, thought I'd share...

And my sweet sweet Lucky kitty!

And here are some on the same card of a brand new Juliet. All 8.8 pounds of her.

Juliet's 1st car ride from the hospital to the house.

And Presley's 1st Barbies. I gave her two Barbies out of my collection. Those are about 15 years old. So glad they are getting used now. It took me that long to realize they wouldn't put my kids through college. Wishful thinking I suppose. hahaha

Up Goes The Mirror & Down Come The Lights....

So we have run into a couple of problems with the mirror and lights. The existing light fixtures that are in there are too long for the mirror to go up! AND there is no way to shorten them. So we spent all day yesterday at Ikea and Home Depot and Lowes trying to find an affordable and cheap alternative!

I hadn't ever priced those suckers before. They are quite pricey! Like $50 bucks a light for a cheap one. But we found one at Ikea for $10....BUT it plugs in. So John would have to cut and the cord and wire it into the box in the ceiling. Then we'd have to buy a ceiling kit to go with that. And hope we know what we are doing. So we bought it. Then went to Home Depot and bought everything that we needed to mount it.

While we were at Home Depot we bought the hoses and P-trap for the sink. Got home and it didn't fit! So John had to run up to Lowes and he took the old P-trap with him to show the guys what he needed. Found out that our house isn't filled with residential plumbing stuff! It's commercial plumbing stuff...like that they put in buildings! Why I have no idea. But he was able to find the stuff we needed and make it work. And while he was there he found some adjustable lights for the bathroom that he wouldn't have to cut and make work.

We have so much stuff to return to Ikea and Home Depot!

So, here's our new medicine cabinet with the lights that are too long! We are just going to save them and use them in our bathroom.

And the mirror is up...lights are down. And that light is the new one going up. Can't wait! It'll look really nice!

Goals for tonight:

* put up lights

* fix leak in sink (seal gasket)

* stock medicine cabinet

* measure how much trim is needed in linen closet

* measure how much tiny molding is needed on the ceiling

Pretty profound for a 5 year old..

Last night at dinner Presley asked John and I, "What if every day was the same day?"
She's such a deep thinker! We asked if everyday was the same day, what day would it be? She said, "Christmas."

Day 7...

And we are still working on that bathroom. But I have to say, this is the absolute quickest we've ever worked! Our last master took almost 8 months to finish. That's why are terrified to rip out that tub at the moment! We'll just try hiding it for now. When we start getting our stuff out of storage, I am going to make a long white shower curtain that will go all the way down to the floor and cover every inch of that ivory color. It'll be nice when it is complete.

Oh, we looked into just resurfacing the tub, they sell this 2 part epoxy stuff, but that would end up costing us $70. We can get a standard tub for $100. So we are definitely waiting to get a new tub!

I was up till 5 in the morning working on that wainscoting (I started painting on it about 2 in the morning)! 3 coats of shiny white paint! Whew!!! I nearly went blind starting at that stuff for so long! And I touched up a few other areas on the other wall.

This is our new toilet seat...isn't the best! It has a potty seat built into the lid! I love it! Piper not so much..but I love it! She misses her cushy princess potty seat!

Up...

Down...

John installing the sink!!!!!!!! Yay! It's perfect!

So pretty!

The cutest faucet!

These suckers are coming down in the next few days to get a nice coat of white spray paint then they'll be rehung.

And John's nice new trim he did! He's brilliant!

I'm loving this room! We are beginning to like this house....it's starting to take on a little of our personality. Sweeeeet...........

I painted the girls playroom's concrete floor green tonight. Just to make it feel a little cleaner. After the bathroom, we'll start working in here again. We are texturing and painting it yellow and putting in a new ceiling fan.....oh and putting up crown molding. It's gonna be bright and cheery. And later, John and Meagan are going to come thru and paint a mural or something neat on the walls. Maybe the scene in the end of Astro Boy when Zog appears. I loved those colors!

But for now, the girls can play tic-tac-toe and hop scotch in the playroom.

I painted the ceiling and half the wall (where the texture is ready) the other day. Looks great with that lamp! Another great clearance deal from Home Depot. $12 regular $50!

So, that's what we've done so far. We still have some touching up to do in the bathroom, so I better scram!

BTW, just incase your wondering the cost so far....

Sink $40

Toilet seat $35

Flooring $30

Paint for walls $30 (shared with laundry room)

Paint for wainscot and trim $30

Faucet $25

Wainscot $40

All trim for it $30

Other door trim $20

Toilet paper holder $15

Medicine cabinet $60

This doesn't include nails, plumbing pipes, caulk, and etc.

Bathroom Is Almost Done!!!

So yesterday the girls and I went and picked up some carpet samples then went to the mall for a couple of hours to kill some time till John got off of work.

BUT before all of that I painted two coats of paint on the wainscot. It's looking good! I think, though, that it needs one more coat. And it needs some caulk around the seams.

When John got home, we ate dinner at Sweet Tomatoes then ran to Home Depot to get a few things we needed to put the toilet back in place. So we really didn't get to start back working on things till almost 10 at night.

We did reinstall the toilet! Well, he did. It was kinda funny too. We haven't the slightest idea what we are doing...kinda making it up as we go along with the help of Goggle. We called our plumber a few days ago to see how much it wold be reset a toilet and it was almost $90. We said "NO WAY! We'll figure out how to do it ourselves!"

So we did....the picture below cracks me up since this was John's way of installing the toilet.
I think it's just hysterical. I dunno...maybe you just had to of been there.
hahaha

Our toilet and toilet paper holder. It's so cute! I love it! I found it on clearance at Home Depot!

After the toilet, we removed the mirror. Nice hole, huh! There must have been a previous medicine cabinet there. I can honestly say that we are getting to know this old house very very well!

So now all we need is a little texture and some more turquoise paint and we'll be good to go to hang the new medicine cabinet!

We are going to reuse the old square mirror somewhere else in the house. We'll just frame it and hang it!

That's about all we got done last night in the bathroom. We quit about midnight then spent the next couple of hours playing Cafe' World and freakin' Farmville! Oh, and I fell asleep watching the Soloist.

The Guest Bathroom - Day 5

Today was pretty fun. The girls and I stayed at home and worked around the house. We played Lego's and play-doh this morning then before lunch we painted a hopscotch game on the painted concrete. Now instead of running down the hall, the girls are hopscotching down it. :) I also painted a couple of flowers outside of their playroom door. I think I might make it look like an area rug.

When whomever lives here after us goes to replace the flooring, their are gonna be like," What the heck were those people thinking!".

Girls love it!

The girls have been really big into making their own lunches this week. I am all for it! Love auto pilot! I just kinda hang back and keep an eye on the two. They come up with some pretty creative sandwiches. They have their daddy's tastes...they'll throw anything that they can together to make something.

And after dinner, we popped some popcorn that I found in a box from our camping trip that was cut short last year. It actually popped on our crappy stove top! And it didn't burn!

Then this evening when John was done working, we started in the bathroom again! The sheet rock is up!

The wainscot behind the toilet and sink is up!

John is VERY proud of his holes!

The chair rail...the final touch. Looks so pretty. We are a lil' closer to liking this house.

Tomorrow, is FRIDAY!!! YAY!!! TGIF!!!!

Goals for tomorrow:

* Pick up carpet samples

* Paint wainscot white

* re-install the toilet

* install pedestal sink

* finish putting up the wainscot on the opposite wall, take down the old mirror

* texture & paint wall that was behind the old mirror

* Put up new medicine cabinet/mirror

Then the girls bathroom should be pretty done except for some minor touches!

Here Comes The Flooring!!!!

The girls bathroom is looking so good guys! I cannot wait till it is totally finished! The only thing that throws it off is that darned almond colored tub! That won't be replaced for about a year or so.

Today, I painted the ceiling, caulked around the outside of the tub, touched up the turquoise paint, painted the linen closet, prep the floor for the flooring, painted hall way ceiling, painted the concrete (makes the house feel cleaner!), painted the shelves for the linen closet, removed old trim from around doors, filled holes on concrete with plaster stuff.

Man, that was a lot of stuff!

New bathroom ceiling....pretty!

Floor is prepped for when John gets home. See that ugly tub!

John is so tired, he finished laying the entire floor tonight!

Painted shelves and newly painted concrete. I think I am going to paint a hop scotch game on it for the girls until we get carpet.

Painted linen closet

Our new floor!!!! It only cost us about $35!

This room is one step closer to liking this old house!

Making Progress

Tonight we continued to work in the bathroom. We never found the water shut off valve thingy in our yard, so he had to turn off the water by the city's valve.

So tonight we removed the toilet, finished getting the old tile off the floor, John replaced the valves on the toilet and the hot and cold water, painted the linen closet walls, and got an idea of how we wanted to lay the tile.

I found a better picture of the bathroom before.

John assessing the situation...

John plugging the pipes with bread. :)

Me getting old tile glue off the concrete.

New fake hardwoods. :) It was super cheap!!!!!!!

Goal for tomorrow:

* put up sheet rock

* put up bead board

* prep concrete with latex paint for better adhesion

* lay flooring

* place 2X4 in the wall for pedestal sink
* put up pedestal sink

We should be able to accomplish all of that in one night....right????

Also over the weekend I started working in the laundry room.
I found this picture of a laundry room that I really liked. It was bright and cheery and won't make me run from doing laundry! Anyways, here is my inspirational picture...

I love the turquoise with white & black & chrome accents!

Before picture of the laundry room

Paint up and trim from behind the washer and dryer are out! Almost ready for bead board! When we were reading the directions, we learned that that wood has to stay flat for 72 hours before getting put up. So for now, the laundry is still not finished.

Me taking off the rest of that trim.

I let the girls draw on the walls were it would be covered by the wainscot. Presley was calling it her secret drawings that were going to be hidden.

Juliet helped her daddy out cutting the new trim that goes around the doors.

Old trim...I'll post a pic of the new trim when it is in place.

Bye Bye old trim!

So far, that's what we have done in the laundry room. I cannot wait for it to be done!

And on Saturday, Carl came over to help John finish up the girls bedroom. It isn't complete yet, but they did spend the day taping and bedding and putting up all of the sheet rock!

Carl....Master of taping and bedding!

Girls drawing in the walls again! They loved this part! Their art will always be apart of this house now!

John working on the outlets. I am so glad he is soooo handy!!!!

The room is looking more and more like a room!!!!

Here's the Monster stuff from Target that I liked.

So it's either going to be that or Yo Gabba Gabba!!!!!

Then we could all sing..."There's a party in Potty...."

Okey doke...it's late and I am sleepy.

Sweet dreams all!