Cue the choir

It's a well known "Part of Being Overseas" fact that you are never done dealing with plugs and voltage issues. So you get some transformers from the Embassy, and pony up for some of your own. And you may even get some 220V appliances.

Another well known fact is our love/(mostly) hate relationship with the good ol' Drexel Heritage. That curio cabinet with the built in lighting, conjuring visions of properly displaying your precious breakables? Yeah, it's a 110V plug.

Don't even get me started on the whole lighting issues. There is never enough light; whether it's in that weird, how-do-they-expect-me-to-use-this closet or under the cabinets in the kitchen.

Cue the choir. *ahhhh*

I found an amazing DIY tutorial and the simplest, why-didn't-I-think-of-that lighting solution. They made a corded lamp cordless using LED ribbon lighting and a 9V battery! It makes me mad when I think of all the floor lamps I left in storage or dumped when I got frustrated with plugging them into a transformer.

But it gets better.

On the Amazon product page for the reel of lighting, there are pictures of people using this for under cabinet lighting!! Definitely squeal-worthy! The pictures have notes and everything! (ok, time to tone down the exclamation points) The ribbon base has adhesive on it and the end goes right onto a battery (9 or 12V) so you really can plug and play. I'm still investigating the details of this project, but it looks pretty straightforward and dummy-proof. I'm ordering this ribbon lighting and putting it under my cabinets. I think I'll also put it in my cabinets, and in my closet, and in the entryway . . . oh, you're still reading. Quit reading and go get some ribbon lighting! I'll show y'all the results; whether they be good or disastrous.

Not my kitchen, just the amazon example

"O" is for October

"O" is for 'October' and 'October' is for 'Order'!

That's what my mantra is for this month. I have made it through almost a month of school. (yipee) A rhythm of life is beginning to emerge. We're still getting some of the extra-curricular activities nailed down, but things are pretty smooth. For the Mama at home, some days I can hardly keep my head above water, and others I actually have time to myself! I have many interests, goals and hobbies. I actually have my own "space" in this house. The problem is that "my space" is a disaster.
It is: my office (i have my own desk & computer)
the sewing room
craft central
resting place of my guitar
and the last refuge of anything that doesn't have a place.

If you break this last year down we have: August to mid-November: get to Bahrain, wait for our stuff; Mid-November: get our household goods & start a new job the same week; Mid-March: Evacuate to the U.S.; End of June: Get back to Bahrain; July & August: Keep 4 kids & 2 adults sane through the sweltering heat of a Persian Gulf summer. Lo and behold, here we are, one year later!

I have had to "re-find" things because I forgot where I put things when I unpacked. And then we come to my office and there are things that really haven't been unpacked. I wish I could get over my pride and show you a picture of the disaster that is "my space", but I can't. I can say that I am sick of rifling through piles of bags & boxes. I can't do anything until this space gets whipped into shape. So that is my goal for October; order.

What $13 gets you . . . .

This is what $13 at Deseret Industries get you. A whole lotta good!

Deseret Industries, or D.I. in local speak, is a tight-wad's dreamland. It's kind of like a Goodwill store. They are nonprofit and accept donations. When I was too lazy to organize a yard sale, this is where I took 6 van loads of "stuff", i.e. out-grown clothes, toys, and assorted junk. Junk to me, but treasure to someone else. You know the saying . . . I have fond memories of D.I., we bought our first couch there for $35. I got a pair of jeans there for $3 that lasted me 3 years.

I went to D.I. with a purpose; to find frames. I have a wall that is nothing but frames. My dream is to have a nice, unique collection of just frames. Actually, it's singular right now: frame. I saw this online at Ikea about a year ago.

I had such visions and daydreams about this frame. Such beauty and splendor would have a place of honor and nothing, n-o-t-h-i-n-g will be in it. This piece of art is the centerpiece. My wonderful sister-in-law, Chelsey, snagged it for my birthday last year. It was too cumbersome to ship and so it waited in her guest bedroom until we arrived in Virginia to collect it. And it was the sixth passenger in my van, carefully tucked out of the way of flailing feet. 'The Frame' was one of the first things hung up on the wall.



You know how frustrating it is when you have a vision, and you know what you need, but you can't find it? That's my problem right now. So, I dove into the Frame & Picture section at D.I and resurfaced with this assortment. Some may stay in their natural beauty, others will be altered. And one or two may not even make the cut. But at $2 a piece, I can afford to be choosy! I got some spray paint and, if one is painted, it will be in burgundy, black or creme. I'll keep you posted on my progress. Tomorrow is Saturday, after all. Time for the Weekend Warriors to rise! After we sleep in . . .

Busy work: Done

Fortunately, this busy work has been productive. I have been toiling over my converted bookcase and I think that I can say, with confidence, that I am DONE! Having been foiled by weather, children and my own hurdles, it has taken almost 3 weeks. But I am finally DONE! Creatively, I had some issues with color and design that slowed me down a bit (my own fault) but I just HAD to finish. So now it sits in the garage until the smelly fumes of aerosol dissipate. The spray-painty hands and toiling in the cold garage are done.

And the other beauty I made this morning?



Courtesy of Super Saturday.** I really didn't feel like going, but I had already paid for the project, the time was set aside for it and I knew that it was something I would complete within the time frame allotted. Very, very pleased with the fruits of today's labors. Whew. I'm going to take a nap.


** Super Saturday**
For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, Super Saturday is where we women of the Relief Society get together and work on these personal projects, socialize and usually throw in a humanitarian project, like making quilts or hygiene kits (which we did today). And there's usually soup. On the posters reminding us women of the activity, it's usually spelled 'Souper Saturday'. But I thought that might be a bit confusing without the explanation.

Oh, the Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint. (LDS Church). Founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, the Relief Society is one of the oldest and largest women's organizations in the world, claiming more than 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories. (thanks to Wikipedia for the concise and easy definition)

Progress

How is it possibly Friday? This week has felt so short, but yet felt like an eternity at the same time. Grant has been improving day by day. He has been on a soft & liquid diet and since Wednesday, allowed soft & cut up food. It's like I have a baby again! Applesauce, yogurt, jell-o, cut up cheese, turkey, & bread. We're taking the wait and see approach with his two front teeth. The dentist wants to try and keep them around for as long as possible. So we're trying to enable that. Though he did say that from the x-rays, he could tell Grant has bumped these teeth many, many times. True dat.

The other progress I made this week: my sideways bookshelf. I was measuring some storage boxes and realized I could put in 3 shelves on the end sections! That extended the project a bit. But now they are all in. I'm spray painting it a textured multi-color black. Meaning the color is black with teeny tiny flecks of white and gray mixed in. As you can see from the sheet, I've started with the back; hiding any early screw-ups. It's not coming out exactly the way I want it to. I may have another run to the spray-paint store to try and remedy this. Don't worry, I'm motivated! There is a slight chance of precipitation Friday night. Though in Rexburg, that means, "Not a chance!" But that doesn't mean there won't be ice! I hate scraping!

A new project

While Spencer was home, we teamed up and conquered the garage. Lugging in box after box of junk (why do we have so much?), slowly clearing out the wreckage. We accomplished that and the first night we parked the car in the garage, it snowed! And hence, there wasn't any snow or ice for me to scrape in the morning! But then I started moving things into their permenant place inside the house and discovered a new project for me.

I have this huge, tall bookcase; one of those put it together yourself deals from WalMart. We've had it for a loooong time and since we've had mobile children, I haven't liked it. The only reason we have kept it around is because of the insane number of books we own. I would usually put it away in the corner of a room where children did not frequent. The strap that anchors it to the wall broke long ago and I haven't fixed it. I put it in my office due to said book overload and it's just too overbearing in my short-ceilinged house. Darn you, Egypt, getting me used to 12 foot ceilings. I was originally going to flip it on it's side, anchor the moveable shelves at even intervals and then divide each now vertical shelf in half and use it as a shoe bench in the garage for the kids. The only problem? It's too tall even when it's laying down. So, I'm going to do the same thing, except use it for my own uses (crap catcher) and pretty it up with some paint. My motivation? Get it done so I can park my car in there again!

Current projects

The top one is a "current project" and the bottom one is completed.

The granny square one was intended for someone else, but I just can't part with it. It took a lot longer than I thought and it matches the colors in Jacqueline's room perfectly. Soooo, yeah, it's mine.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to send the striped one to Spencer. I know he won't laugh at the uneven edges. The yellow strings in the middle are where I am TRYING to keep count. I always seem to add or drop a crochet somewhere along the way of 112 double crochets. It keeps me busy during the long, lonely nights.