This weekend when I was not at school doing play-stuff, I decided to get cracking on my spring-cleaning list. It was cold or rainy, so it was all inside work, but still it needed to be done! First thing was to organize the kitchen cupboard. It took me a while to get everything out, clean out the shelves, and decide on a better way to organize it. The problem is that they are very deep, so eventually I want to get something on rollers so that they can come out from the cupboard and storing things far back won't be such a problem. For now, they are less cluttered so things are easier to grab.
First the chalkboard needed some Spring-ing up! This weekend when I was not at school doing play-stuff, I decided to get cracking on my spring-cleaning list. It was cold or rainy, so it was all inside work, but still it needed to be done! First thing was to organize the kitchen cupboard. It took me a while to get everything out, clean out the shelves, and decide on a better way to organize it. The problem is that they are very deep, so eventually I want to get something on rollers so that they can come out from the cupboard and storing things far back won't be such a problem. For now, they are less cluttered so things are easier to grab. Before After Next was the cleaning out of the linen closet, which was on my spring free project to-do list. It doesn't look much different, just more organized and tidy. It's the little things... Before After After (the other side) Close-up (wow I have a lot of unused towels...) Close-up (other side - found out I need to buy TP soon!)
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Yesterday I went to the funeral for my great-uncle John (on my mom's side). He was ill for quite a few years, and it was for the best because now he is with his wife, Irene, and daughter, Patricia. I remember going to his cottage when I was little, and his Scottie dog, Maggie, and playing in the water while Paul and Jillian told me there were water snakes which scared me half to death. It was small and cozy, and always filled with people, my family. Rest in peace, uncle John, you will be dearly missed. In July 2010, at my Jack and Jill family wedding shower
Was just waiting for this to be created on the MadeByGirl site, as there has been a lot of demand for it since the coffee version appeared. It's really cute, and I think I might try a DIY version myself and frame it! Speaking of tea, next week Matt's cousin Joni is having a tea party shower, and I was organizing some things that I am going to bring, such as cake and cupcake stands (and red velvet cupcakes), and of course, teapots, creamers, and sugar bowls! Cupcake stand purchased from Home Sense last year for $20 (great find), cake stand from The Bay that we got as a wedding gift, along with the English Country Rose Royal Albert classic cake and tea set was also a wedding gift Oh yeah, and of course I have our wedding china tea service! I also went through all my tea when I was sorting out a cupboard, and realized I'm a bit obsessed with tea. I think I buy a new one every time I go to the grocery store, although I want to start getting some loose leaf instead of bagged. I threw out the ones that were years old and stale, and this is what was left: Red rose orange pekoe is a favourite on the weekends - it reminds me of my mom,
and pure peppermint in the evenings if I need to wind down This week we finished up the last of the songs - there are a LOT of them - I think about 32! I am so proud of my students - they have really worked their butt off since we started in November. Now comes the more stressful part - putting it all together into a two-act play on the big stage! They have had blocking rehearsals throughout, but of course some of the songs and acting they haven't practiced in a long time, so it's going to be rough. The next 3 weeks are going to be really busy, really stressful, and hopefully really fun! The props and costumes are slowing coming together, and I can't wait to see the final result!
If you want to come see Seussical the Musical - the shows are Thursday, May 3rd, Friday, May 4th, and Saturday May 5th at 7pm in Ajax - and I will save you some tickets. We also have two practice opportunities on the 1st and 2nd during the day for elementary school performances. Easter weekend we were up at the cottage and getting ready to leave, and wanted a few pictures of me and Matt together, so we asked his mom to do a quick photo-shoot (here's when the auto settings are a great help). Here are a few of the pictures we took together (and no, we didn't mean to match, lol, but it ended up looking great in the pictures when I noticed afterward). We got engaged 3 years ago at the cottage on Easter, so this was just a fun reminder of that weekend together.
This past weekend was great for so many reasons - Matt came home from Vancouver for a long weekend, we went to the cottage, we were with family, we ate good food, and had such nice weather - it couldn't have been better! I picked Matt up late Thursday night from the airport and went straight to the cottage. After sleeping in, Matt and I went for a run - I ran 6km followed by a 3km walk (while Matt ran the other 6km) - I think 6km is the most I've ever run without walking breaks in between, and it was very hilly - I was so proud! After that we did a lot of relaxing and reading, and had dinner with the family. Friday afternoon - the brief period before Tabby tries to bike Matt... Friday sunset - cottage weekends are BACK! Saturday the boys went golfing, and us girls went for a walk - this one had more hills and was probably a bad idea considering how badly my legs hurt from Friday, but over 6km later we felt great (sort of - I also was staggering and a bit sunburnt on the face, but at least we could eat Easter dinner without guilt). We spent the afternoon baking (Meg, and Martha Stewart helped) - made carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and little "nests" on top (toasted coconut and mini-eggs). I was very proud of them - they turned out great! After some photo shoots outside, dinner was good - family and wine and food = perfection. That night we used the "night sky" app to see what constellations were out in the very starry sky. Table set for Easter dinner - Matt's mom made this centerpiece! Carrot cupcake "nests" with cream cheese frosting Matt set a big fire - he watched it all afternoon Sun-facing pictures = squinty... Like father, like son, with equally awkward smiles The matriarch - Momma Meg and Jeff Cream cheese, pesto, sundried tomatoes, pine nuts = delicious! Evil Tabby Meglet creeping through the window Conner is getting so big! Copper-green flames within the fire Matt's artsy-photography moment Jeff's idea of photography is taking 100 pictures in rapid succession...this was the only half-decent one Cute and smiley! Playing yahtzee with cards - they were pretty hardcore about this game... Such a nice day! The love wood is still there after the winter! Reds of fall mixing with the greens of spring New dock in progress! Almost time to go! But first a few more pictures... I was NOT going to climb onto that wood pile...even for a good picture Sunday was the 3rd sleep-in (felt so good), nice family breakfast, and relaxing. We left that afternoon and headed to my parents' house. Had a small gathering of my parents and grandpa, watched the end of the masters, and caught up with everyone. Grandpa watching golf Mother & daughter on Easter Lilac for Easter dinner New "Mad Men" inspired lights in the living room More cupcakes for dessert! Today Matt left really early, and I slept in for the 4th day (and last day for a while). Did some marking and school work, sorted through my pictures, cleaned up the house, and relaxed. It was such a nice day, and I should have gone outside, but instead I lounged in my PJs and drank tea. Excellent weekend!
Here are a few things I plan on doing around the house in the next few months that will not cost me a penny! 1. Organize the linen closet - it's a bit disorganized. When we first added the shelving and painting there wasn't much in it, now we have found a lot more use for it, so it needs to be reorganized. I have lots of extra baskets, so I won't have to buy anything to help me out. We also have hooks already that we could use, so all free! Closet last summer Closet today - needs some work... 2. Stain the TV unit - I already have the stain from doing the picture frame in the living room, and Matt already added a piece on the front of it that got ripped off (he literally ripped off a door when we lived in the condo) and stained it, so it really just needs to be sanded down and stained again. Have the sander, have the stain - all is free! Just a bit of stain to make it new again 3. Clean the front porch - my pretty chairs and table in the front are really dirty from the winter, and so is the porch. So I'm going to scrub and wash all of it, along with the windows and railings and stairs, and sweep the walkway and add some curb appeal that way, because my garden is definitely not doing it at this point. Porch last summer (geez, porch still pretty gross) Marmalade view of dirty chairs and deck last week 4. Organize the basement bookshelf - when we first built it, it was in the winter, and since it's colour coded (which by the way looks pretty, but is a pain in the a$$ to find the book you are looking for), it was organized based on the number of books we had at the time. In the summer or when we go on trips (and actually have time to read), we tend to rack up a lot more books, and in the past year we have accumulated a lot. Most of these books tend to have white or black spines, so those sections of the bookshelves are jam-packed. It's not quite working anymore, so I'll have to reorganize it. Bookshelf last year White books (behind the frame and first row there are a million more) *sorry for the bad picture quality, just taking quick shots* 5. Sew pillowcases - when we put the drapes down in the basement, we had a lot of extra fabric, so I decided to make matching pillowcases for some pillows that didn't really match the basement decor. So that still hasn't happened. I have the pillows, have the fabric, have a needle and thread. Just need to get on it! Fabric draped on the pillows...but not really a pillowcase yet...
So last week I looked back on "THE LIST" of house projects, and the post I did just before 2012 for the upcoming year - check that out here. I have not done a single one of them...although I knew a lot of them would happen in the summer when I was off. There is also an issue of budget - we are really trying to save as much money as possible so we can up our mortgage payments and have more of a nest egg, so the spending we did in 2011 for the house will not be happening in 2012. So after considering all of that, painting is the most realistic goal for the spring/summer, as it will really freshen up the house, and is always a good investment if you choose the right colours. Hallways: The hallways of our house are beige. I want them not to be beige. Specifically, I want they grey - I have considered Benjamin Moore's "Moonshine" which is what is in our basement, but now I think I might want something slightly more grey (it can look almost white in some lights - specifically unnatural light). The next darker on that same colour palette is "Gray Horse". I have also re-considered using "Revere Pewter", which Sabrina recommended last year as an alternative to Moonshine, as a friend of mine just painted her house in this colour, and it looks great. You can check out her house here. Our hallways do not get a lot of natural light, so I'll have to test a few colours to make sure none of them look to white or blue or beige. I love our bedroom colour, but it is just too dark for the hallways. Our current hallways (this is both up and downstairs) BM's Moonshine Via Young House Love BM's Gray Horse via Pinterest BM's Revere Pewter via Veronika's Blushing Guest Bedroom: I'm not loving the sea-foam green it is right now, but surprisingly enough, a lot of people that see this room say they like the colour. Perhaps they really mean it or are just being nice, but I can't stand it. I wasn't really sure WHAT to do with this room, and I don't want to spend a lot money on it since it is really only used for me doing my makeup and getting ready in the morning and the very occasional overnight guest. There is wainscoting in this room that I am going to do in Cloud White, as the rest of our house is in terms of trim, and then I was considering either matching the red or brown in the bedding. I decided the brown would be better in terms of resale, and I think I would get sick of the red really quickly. Now there are lighter shades of brown in the bedding that are hard to see, which is what I would use to match. Anyone have any great brown paint recommendations? I also may paint or stain the dressers if I can find a good way to do it - Ikea furniture is tricky. The sea-foam green guest bedroom Brown wall inspiration Probably closer to the colour I want, with wainscotting too Kitchen: The colour actually goes pretty well in the kitchen right now, but it has a lot of holes to be filled from the last owner, and it really just needs to be freshened up. I think we will probably paint it the same colour as whatever we choose the hallway to be, because eventually in a perfect world the kitchen would be completely redone, so no point choosing the perfect colour as I want all the backsplash, counters, appliances and cupboards to be changed. A grey colour will go with the flecks of grey in the counter top anyway. Ohhhh if only I could win the lottery and have a beautiful tiny perfect kitchen. Current kitchen - a dark greige colour
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