I realized I never posted about this wall in our kitchen.  I never liked the wall because it has faux brick and we just have not gotten around to removing it.  It was a sore spot for me until I added a few photo frames filled with artwork made by my children. I like it so much more now and I look forward to filling up the space even more.  I do change the artwork as seasons change or more frame-worthy artwork is done!

Sorry, it’s not the best picture, but you get the idea.

It started out innocently enough.  I took down the kitchen curtains to wash them.  I decided to put up some valances I had in the linen closet that I had picked up from Target on clearance for only $3 each.  The valances alone made the kitchen brighter, no easy feat since there is a Florida room off the kitchen that blocks and diffuses much of the light coming into the kitchen.  I did not take proper before pictures of the “project” but this will give you an idea of what was before.  Cafe curtains with upper valances and bottom curtains. Off topic - is that not the biggest hydrangea bloom ever?  Why are they all no longer white?  Now they are all greenish.  Still pretty but not white.

So anyway…I put up the new valances and the light just poured in.  And then I could see the dirty windows in all their, ahem,  glory.  So I cleaned the windows, inside and out and in between.  Not easy.  Especially since these old windows don’t open up all the way.  I have good leverage under the window by the door but it must have been quite the site to see me feet in the sink, trying to pry open the window enough to get at the storm windows.  Between standing on a stool over the sink and standing in the sink I was able to lower and raise the storms, I couldn’t pull them out.  So now the view out the window looks like this.

If you look closely out the windows by the storage canisters you can see the tippy tops of our garbage cans.  Nice view.  So again, no “before” picture.  You’re just going to have to trust me that it wasn’t pretty.

So that’s what I was working on yesterday.  I ran to Home Depot to get ideas only.  I have no budget for this and was just going to move what I had planted on the other side of the fence in the side garden over to this spot, but I knew eventually I’d like to add some height.  I had one Pieris (Japonica) bush that was in the side garden that will grow to about 5 feet tall.  I thought an Arborvitae or 3 would be perfect for hiding the garbage cans and the fence but wanted to see what else would work in this area.  I get part sun in this area, a lot of the day it is shaded.  I hit the jackpot at Home Depot as many of their prices were slashed.  I picked up a very small Arborvitae for $5.99 and a small Azalea for $6.99 and two tiny garden Mum plants for $19.

I cleared the section where the garbage cans were and carved out an area for the garden.  I then  removed the Hostas and Pieris bush from the other side of the fence/gate (on the side of the house) and replanted them in the yard, along with the new plants.  It took about 3 hours total and I am so happy with the results.  You still have to pass the garbage cans if you walk through the gangway to the backyard but we rarely do.  We mostly enter the yard through the kitchen door and I spend a lot of time at the sink doing dishes and looking out that window.  The view is so much better now.

As you can see from this side angle, the garbage cans are on the other side of the fence.  I can’t see them though, from my kitchen window.  I think I’ll slat the fence or plant something that vines over it to block the view until the plants grow into their own.  everything is teeny tiny but if you use your imagination, you can see how it will fill in.  As things grow I’ll have to move some of the Hostas, but I love using them as “place holders” - it looks pretty and helps keep the weeds down.  I still need to add mulch.

Far left you can see the Arborvatie and in the back corner is the Pieris.  Once they grow it will fill in that area nicely.  The Azalea is the lime green plant just behind and to the right of the white potted annual plant.  They say it will get between 3 to 6 feet tall and just as wide.  We’ll see.  The mums are the really tiny purple plants to the right of the picture.  I may need to move those as they might need more sun.  I bought them because I love mums and couldn’t bring myself to buy two big pots of mums yet.  I can’t mix them with the annuals - it looks funny to me and I’m not ready to lose the potted annuals yet.

I’m so happy with how this looks.  Such a small change that makes such a big difference.  And super budget friendly.  And, since this is such a hodgepodge of how one small project went astray I’ll post another example of how things lead from one to another.  As I was outside taking photos, I noticed some ripe tomatoes in the garden and so I walked over to pluck those.  Here is todays tomato haul.

Mmm. Off to make Caprese salad.

While I did this…..

Ross did that……

I finally put down tile on the floor by the basement and back door.  Ross had other home improvements in mind.  As I was working, he asked me if he could have a peephole in his door so he could look out.  I told him to ask his dad.  A short time later I heard a scratching noise.  When I looked in his room he had a toy screwdriver and was scraping around the marker line on his door.  He had drawn a large rectangle on his door and was trying to break through.  I explained to him that this wasn’t a peephole and that considering how large he was trying to make it, he could surely see out but we could also see in very well. See the blue above it?  A piece of construction paper so he could cover the hole and you couldn’t see in.  Least he’s got a plan.

I am constantly looking for ideas to incorporate in Ross and Francesca’s rooms and I love the look of Pottery Barn and Land of Nod. Mainstream, I know, but cute none-the-less.  I was looking at the Land of Nod website and just now realized they offer wallpaper. Could have been that way for a while - I just never realized it before.  I like the idea of Land of Nod offering wallpaper, as I like their asthetic. These two are kind of cute and can be found here http://www.landofnod.com/wallpaper/kids/1.

I’d like the alphabet better if it wasn’t the Greek alphabet and if it was offered in more color choices.  The frame one is cute but a little to busy for my purposes.  What I especially like is this one below.  At first glance it’s nothing special, but as you read what it is - PRESTO.  It’s textured to look as if it’s bead board, and it’s paintable.  Super cool.

I’d love to see Land of Nod offer more prints, maybe some cute florals.  I would also love to see what Pottery Barn would do with a wallpaper line - for kids and adults.  I think that would be awesome!  I know the design purists would probably cringe at the thought but for those of us who like the look of these stores, it would be an easy solution to a design dilemma.

Grass.  Not a familiar term when speaking of my back yard.  At least not until now.  We have grass.  Lots and lots of grass.  This may not be a big deal to you but to me WE HAVE GRASS!!!!  For years two huginormousbig trees dominated the backyard.  That and dirt. Oh and weeds too.  Last summer the trees came down.  We had the yard tilled and added seed.  And more seed.  And more seed.

We are still lacking foundation plantings, which will be coming soon for at least along the back fence.  But for now…we have grass.  The kids have been enjoying the back yard, for the first time they can really run around without the danger of being hurt or being filthy!  The temporary fence we had put up to keep our dog from the back while we were seeding came down.  Moose ran around like a puppy and was rolling in the grass.  So everyone is happy.  See, it’s the little things.

Endless Summer Hydrangea

Not much to look at now but you just wait!

Above, from Left to Right Front - Aglo Rhododendron (Rhododendron Agle”) many Hostas  - 2nd row,- 3Endless Summer The Original Hydrangeas (Hydrangea Macrophylla “Bailmer”) - one on either side and one in the middle, blooming (bought bigger) - climbing clematis - not sure of type as those and Hostas have been here forever.   The Hostas are so big you can barely see the Hydrangea but in a few years that will change.  I thought the Rhododendron had died because shortly after I planted it all the beautiful flowers died.  But look at this next photo - all the green is new growth so I’m sure it’s just fine.  Maybe transplant shock or the bloom time was just over.

Rhododendron

See - looks like it will thrive next year.

Lilac

Common Lilac ((Syringa Vulgaris) planted in the corner next to my neighbors yard.  They have 3 lilac trees on the other side of the fence so this will fill an empty space niceley and make a bigger impact when viewed as a whole.

Viburnum

I thought I had a full size shot of this Raspberry Tart Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum  “Rastzam) but I only have this closeup.  It’s a little bigger than the Rhododendrum right now, it’s supposed to get “showy Raspberry-red fall foliage”.  Should be pretty.    Right now it has these pretty white clusters.

Here are my munchkins enjoying the sunshine and the yard.  I have a lot of work to do still in the back yard - the area with the Hydrangeas needs to be cleaned up and mulched.  I also need to dig out the weeds in  the garden bed along the back fence and in the vegetable patch (not pictured because right now it’s just nasty).  I’ll share some photos of what’s blooming along the back in my next post.  Hope you enjoyed the backyard tour.  Oh and hey, did I mention?  We have GRASS!!

Cov-et :   verb    2. to crave

I covet these lamps from Crate and Barrel, here http://www.crateandbarrel.com/table-lamps/home-accessories/1 and they are very reasonably priced.  I need to see them in person though as they re oval and so is the shade - not sure why but I’m thinking it might be weird.  Or not.  Love the base though.

I seem to be all over the place with wanting things for the house and I seem to be jumping from room to room.  I’m trying to focus on Francesca’s room right now, but I got the Crate and Barrel catalog and fell in love with these lamps.  They also have one in blue that would look so pretty in our bedroom….. okay focus, focus…. although maybe I need to look at the dimensions and see if they’ll be the right size for the living room.  I need to stop looking at catalogs.  Or perhaps I need to land another client for a new project so I can fund some of the items on my “to buy” list.  It’s getting longer and longer.

With Francesca in her own room now and sleeping in the toddler bed it was time to take the crib down from Ross’ room.   I hadn’t realized how sad this would make me.  All this time I’ve been talking the change up to  the kids  - telling them how they’ll each have their own room, Francesca will be in a toddler bed in her new room and Ross will have room for a reading nook once the crib was gone.  I prepared them but I wasn’t prepared at my reaction.   It hit me how quickly they were growing up and that we didn’t need a crib anymore in our house.  In reality, we probably don’t need the toddler bed and the bunk beds either since every one sleeps in my bed anyway, but that’s besides the point.

So now the crib is down and Ross’ room seems much more spacious.  In reality it’s a small room but with the crib gone it looks much bigger.  We moved things around a little and although there are a few more touches I’d like to add - like adding shelves to the wall where the “Ross” painting is, the room looks cute.

The ladder for the top bunk has been removed for now, since Francesca sees it only as a challenge.  When Ross does sleep in his bed, he sleeps on the bottom bunk anyway.  All in all, it looks much more like a big boy room.  I’m sure as he gets older he’ll appreciate the privacy.  For now I think we’re all mourning the intimacy a little.

Oh how I love a bargain - especially when it’s on something I have to buy anyway.  I went to our local shopping area specifically to look for a toddler bed.  This particular area has a large baby store and a large mass retailer directly next to each other so I thought  I might be able to price compare and save a few bucks.  I was wrong, instead - I saved a TON.

I’ve priced toddler beds online and they ranged from $55 to several hundred dollars.  I was looking for a plain white one since I’d rather put the money into Francesca’s big girl bed later one.  The large mass retailer had a white sleigh bed at what looked like an inventory reduction price of $27.50.  It was the only white one there - score!  When I got up to the register it rang up at $13.50.  I think my mouth dropped open and hit the floor because the cashier reiterated the price and then asked if there were any more.  I’d be lucky to pay that for a used one at a garage sale but this is brand new.  I love it when things like that happen.  It’s not that often, but when it does it sure is nice.

I put the bed together with Ross’ help and it’s cute.  I can’t wait to get the room painted and prettied up.  Here is the new toddler bed….

And here it is today - being used for the first time at nap time!

Now I need to get some new bedding - which I am sure will cost more than the bed itself!  I’m good with the sheets since it’s the same crib mattress but now I need some bigger blankets - ones that are NOT character licensed.  So much more work to do in Francesca’s room but it’s coming along.