Front Porch Flowers

Despite all of the rain we've been having, I was able to find a few dry moments to get our front porch pots planted.

You might remember a past post about the three key elements to an eye-catching arrangement.

Here is this year's forumula:

Thriller: Purple Fountain Grass

Filler: Coleus, several colors and varieties

Spiller: Sweet Potato Vine

I love the bold, contrasting colors, especially with the modern lines of the planter. I tend to choose plants with showy foliage, because I don't want to depend on constant blooming for a display of color.

I broke a few of my own rules this year. None of these plants are perennials - they'll all get composted at the end of the season, not transplanted to a new happy, permanent home in the backyard.

I was able to keep the expense minimal because the single Purple Fountain Grass in each planter (6 total) were the only 4" pots I bought. The rest are much smaller plants that came in 4-packs - more plants for less money! In past years, I've been too late to the nursery to score good colors in the smaller sizes. Smaller plants, yes, but watching them grow and taking the credit for it is a lot more fun than the instant gratification of bigger plants!

I was going to skip the other flower boxes for the time being, figuring our impending porch project would either destroy them, or leave them neglected. But the porch project has been put on hold for a little while, and I decided a little color would help us enjoy the porch as it is for now. Plus, I can hope that the flowers attract one's attention away from the peeling paint and warped floorboards... right?



The formula is the same, but with a few other colors of coleus. I especially like the deep red.



Two hanging ferns make it feel cozy.



And during naptime, we made another quick addition to the porch...



Still left to do out here:
powerwash the floor - take off as much paint as possible - before August does and eats it instead
new cushion covers - get rid of the faded ones
an area rug
two more ferns in tall planters

To-Do List Check-In

I haven't checked in for a while, but when I pulled up the blog this morning and re-read our To-Do list, I felt really good.


Babyproof - August is thisclose to crawling and is testing his pulling up abilities

Secured bookshelves to the wall in his room, moved around some toys and books, lowered his crib mattress, and drank the wine on the lower family room shelf! We're keeping a close eye on things and making changes where necessary as we go.

Change over the bed linens for spring and summer

Check! I love putting small task on a To-Do list, just so I can feel accomplished as I knock them off the list!

Wash the windows - HATE this job!

Haven't started, but I bought a pressurized sprayer that I'm hoping will make the job easier, and ::gasp:: more fun?!

Patio maintenance - sunken pavers need repaired

This is big... and it's done! (Writing "done" makes me think of my swim coach, who always said, "Cakes and cookies are done, people are always finished." It took me YEARS (mind you I was little when I first heard that phrase) to figure out what the heck he meant!

Spread all that mulch!

FINISHED!

Touch up the patio furniture with another coat of stain

This weekend... please no rain!

Maybe sew some new outdoor furniture covers?

Time consuming!

Maybe do new porch flooring and ceiling?

Expensive!

Go hiking at a Metro Park or State Park

Two parks in two weekends - Darby and Blacklick!

Get the bikes tuned up

Soon!

Looking back at before and after pictures is always a great reminder of how far we've come, even when there seems like there is so much left to do...

Our Patio...

Before:

After:

Bright Whites

Any guesses to what these are?



IKEA would have you believe they're oil and vinegar cruets. Yup, I have oil and vinegar cruets on my bathroom shelf - right next to the neti pot that looks like a creamer, and a sugar bowl that holds the neti pot salt.



Our oil and vinegar set holds his-and-her mouthwash. Whitening mouthwash on the left for the Handy Hunk, Act on the right for me. You can chalk this up to one of those small purchases that makes me endlessly happy! See, with open shelves in the bathroom, we keep only the bare essentials, and they have to look pretty. And, well, the giant mouthwash bottles of bright blue and green weren't so pretty. I much prefer the cohesive bright white and sleek accessories next to warm wood tones.



So after a couple of months of searching, I stumbled upon these in the most unlikely of places. Except was it really all that unlikely? I mean, IKEA never lets you down - they have a solution for everything - it's just that sometimes you have to think outside the box a little. Never fails, I go there with a list, a very specific list... and I come home with some of the things that were on the list, a bunch of things that weren't on the list, and a longer list!

Speaking of bright whites... look who has sprouted a couple of his own. The top ones are starting to come in... poor, poor guy is so ouchy!



And did you know that good dental health and oral hygeine are important heart disease prevention measures? Regular brushing and flossing and regular trips to the dentist reduce the amount of inflammatory bacteria in the mouth, which can enter the bloodstream, cause arterial plaques and swelling, and lead to the blockages that cause heart attacks and strokes.

Now if you'll excuse me... I'm off to make a dentist appointment!

Time Flies... An Update

So other than a quick post a couple of weeks ago, I've been MIA... well, in the blog world, at least! I wrote about our bathroom renovation on July 17, 2010 - that was eight months ago, and the day our baby was due to be born.

He decided to wait five days longer...

August Dylan Johnson was born at home on July 22, 2010 at 2:56pm. He was 10 lbs and 21 inches. Labor and birth was fast, and dare I say, painless! Under the amazing care of our CHOICE midwives, Abby and Jill, we couldn't have had a more perfect and beautiful experience!








Eight months later, August is a happy, smiley baby, full of personality. It's been so fun to watch him grow and change. Everyone says it... blah, blah, blah... but's it's true... they grow up so fast!




In the last eight months, we've changed a lot of these...


Our favorites are FuzziBunz One Size, but we also have some BumGenius 3.0, and we started with organic cotton prefolds and Thirsties covers when he was little.


We've done a lot of this...


And we worked HARD for it too - three different lacation consultants, four appointments with the last one, several hundred dollars, many many tears, a push to supplement with formula from the pediatrition, and dozens of obsessive (on my part) weight checks. Alison Hazelbaker helped relieve some minor torticollis and improve his suck with CranioSacral Therapy. I had never heard of such a thing, but I was so stubborn and determined to make breastfeeding work that I was willing to try anything - quitting wasn't an option. We are so grateful for finding Alison - not only did she help us through the physical aspects of breastfeeding, but she validated my instincts as a mother at a time when I could not have been full of so much doubt in myself. I'm proud that August has been 100% breastfed, nursing and taking bottles of pumped milk - not only because I know it's what is best, but also because the nursing relationship is priceless, and it represents perseverance and success and the great lengths that parents go to for their child.


I went back to work, training my loyal clients, about six weeks after August was born. We're so fortunate to have a fabulous work/baby balance, accomodating bosses, and family willing to help out. I go to work early, Ben brings August to Move Your Mind where he hangs in the playroom until I'm done working late morning. Three days a week, Grandma and August get to hang out while I go to F.A.N. Club for Nationwide Children's Hospital.


We took a vacation...




August visited his first National Park, The Great Smoky Mountains, at 2.5 months old.


The holidays came, and quickly went...




August was spoiled rotten - and it wasn't by his parents!


We took swim lessons...


Because this swimmin' mama would love to have a little Speedo-clad fish on a swim team someday! (And it gave us a reason to get out of the house on cold winter Sundays!)


I organized the basement...


Because we had to make room for more boxes - boxes like these...




I've done a lot of cooking...


Much of it for a certain someone. Sweet potatoes are definitely his favorite!



We're eager for spring around here. This weekend, Ben got some maintenance done on the patio, we cleared a few flower beds, the mulch got delivered, and we took the Radio Flyer for its first spin. Now if only it would warm up just a little!

We have many more projects ahead. Yesterday we made list:

- babyproof - August is thisclose to crawling and is testing his pulling up abilities

- change over the bed linens for spring and summer

- wash the windows - HATE this job!

- patio maintenance - sunken pavers need repaired

- spread all that mulch!

- touch up the patio furniture with another coat of stain

- maybe sew some new outdoor furniture covers?

- maybe do new porch flooring and ceiling?

- go hiking at a Metro Park or State Park

- get the bikes tuned up

Ah, so much to do, so much to do! We'll get there - it just won't be as fast as our projects happened pre-Gus!

Scrumptious

Those thighs - I could eat them up!

7-Month Stats: 22 pounds 29.5 inches

Yes, this might mean a return to blogging... no promises! If someone could send along a few extra hours in a day, that'd be great...

Bathroom Renovation - Before & After ... Form & Function

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

I could stop there - the before and after photos tell quite a story! Looking back, I'm not sure why we lived with the old bathroom for as long as we did. It was disgusting, and I can't believe we actually thought we were getting clean in there!

Or I could entertain you with the stories and play-by-play of all of the events and drama that surrounded this project - its expanding scope, the dirty demolition, the sledge hammer that went through the wall, the hacked up floor joists that needed total reinforcement, the oddly sloping floors, ceiling, and plumbing, the fired tile guy, the suddenly-soured relationship with the contractor, the leaky ceiling, the long working weekends, the sleepness nights, the stress... Trust me - there are so many stories to tell that it would take as long as the renovation itself (two months)!

But instead I'll focus on the positive - it's DONE! Everything looks and works great, and we love our design and the functionality of every detail we chose! I'll highlight our favorite features, detail our decisions, and explain why this tiny little space works for us...

Slate Tile
This is an incredibly affordable option at Lowe's. Stock tile, right off the shelf at less than $2 a square foot. We love it's natural look and the dark color and uneven texture hide a lot. Plus, there's radiant heat under there - a programmable thermostat should make it an inviting place to wake up to this winter!

White Subway Tile
Again, another affordable option at Lowe's and Home Depot. We had to get a little creative with the bullnose pieces, and it required a special order, but all of that tile cost us less than $350! And we tiled every wall, floor to ceiling! We did this because we were tired of dealing with the peeling paint and mold, even though our new bathroom fan/light should solve that problem. But now cleaning is a breeze - all of the walls can simply be wiped down.

Cedar Planking Ceiling
The ceiling was covered with a tongue-and-groove planking that we stained with Minwax Golden Oak (two coats) and Sikkens (two coats), an outdoor, waterproofing stain. This should give it a durable finish that will resist and moisture issues. Plus we love the spa-like feel that it lends to the bathroom.



Deep Soaker Tub
Our old tub was the original cast iron tub. It was scratched and chipped, and while it is possible to recoat them, we were advised that it never lasts very long. Plus, we wanted to remove the plastic bath surround from the walls, and figured if we were going to go that far, we might as well take it down to the studs, ensure that there were no moisture issues, and start from scratch. And if we were going to start from scratch, than we were going to do things right - a 22" deep soaker tub! The drop-in style tub is framed in, and the front edge provides a great place to sit.



Price Pfister Ashfield Tub/Shower Kit
I fell in love with the country pump style and the rustic pewter color of this bath collection a long time ago. And then one day I stumbled upon it on clearance and it was gone. But it's always worth asking, and the Lowe's employee offered me the store model off the wall for $25 (originally about $200)! It was especially worth it when I found out that a few of the defective parts could be replaced under warranty for free!



IKEA Lillangen Vanity & Sink and Price Pfister Ashfield Faucet
Of course one of my favorite home stores would carry a vanity just perfect for our space! Our bathroom is small, and square footage is at a premium. So when we found a vanity just 16" in depth, we were thrilled - this thing doesn't protrude into the doorway like the old one did. Plus it's 36" tall and up on legs, which allows you to belly right up to it without stubbing your toes or having to hunch over. The clean lines, and clutter-discouraging trough design fit perfectly with the modern, yet natural and rustic country style that we were going for.

You would think that those wooden boxes were made to fit inside those nooks, but they were actually in the garden section at IKEA. We stained them so they would resist water and moisture, and they allow us to separate all of our bathroom necessities by function. Need to brush your teeth - everything you need is in a devoted box! Contact lenses - that's another box! And there are twelve of them!

Kohler Reve Toilet

Ok, so go ahead and make the square butt remark! While we thought this toilet was really cool-looking, we actually splurged on it for different reasons. Its design is called a concealed trap - you don't see all the drain piping on the side of the toilet, or those silly screws that stick up. Which means there's no place for dust and hair to gather, and wiping down the smooth sides is a breeze. We're all about making cleaning easier! It is also flush (pun intended) with the wall, eliminating those oh-so-fun behind-the-toilet cleaning adventures! Plus it's a dual flush - yup, number one and number two buttons! (In case you were wondering, the buttons aren't labeled, one is just politely larger than the other)! It uses just .9 gallons for a small flush and 1.6 gallons for a large flush, much less than your average 3 or more gallon flush on old standard toilets. So this thing is estimated to save us $100 a year! And it hasn't clogged yet (knock on wood)!

Storage and Harbor Breeze Bath Fan/Light

Much of our storage is open, which discourages clutter, and we make sure everything has its place. The towel bars and wall shelf are from IKEA, stained in Sikkens for waterproofness. The mirror is also from IKEA and has a small ledge to perch things on while getting ready in the morning.

We were fortunate enough to work with a contractor willing to make any of my crazy ideas work. So he built the open shelves in the corner out of red oak to my specifications. He also built us a bench under the shelves. It's tiled on the front for a continuous look with the tub, but it has a wood lid that lifts up to reveal a wood-lined box for toilet paper and paper towel storage, and plumbing access should we ever need to get under there.

Finally, instead of having shelves that protrude into the shower, I wanted nooks recessed into the shower wall. Pre-fab boxes were anchored into the new drywall and studs and then tiled around for a clean look.

Also shown in the final picture is a new bath fan/light. It adds a great amount of light behind the shower curtain, but also sucks out all the moisture too! It's nice and quiet, and the bathroom doesn't steam up at all - no more drippy walls and mildew, just nice dry, clean walls and mirror!

Once we started the project, we quickly realized that our old bathroom was a ticking time bomb. It's a wonder that our old cast iron tub didn't fall into our dining room - once we realized how bad the supporting floor joists were, we're glad they're fixed now! And the mildew on the walls was a health hazard for our growing family - we removed every last bit of moldy plaster walls. While asthetics was important too, every decision we made regarding this tiny little bathroom was well thought out. We think we've created a space with the perfect balance of form and function!