It is difficult to come back here, but I know it’s what we need to do. Our house still stands, and it needs to be maintained. For those of you who do not read my main blog or other areas of this site, our youngest daughter Lily passed away from SUDC on February 16th. Our last post to this blog was just two days before that. We had no idea that our lives were about to be turned upside down.

Our last project was William’s room. We painted, bought a new valance and quilt, and gave him a TV/DVD combo. Here’s how it turned out:

(Click here to see more photos.)

When we got home after the funeral, I couldn’t handle sleeping in our room. I did not want to be back in the place where I was when Lily passed, and the thought of it set me into a deep panic. Someone suggested that we should make some changes to the room, to make it cheery and different. We got to work, and came up with a a sky blue and spring green color scheme. The end result:

(Click here to see more photos.)

Two months have gone by, and this house is finally feeling like something other than the place where our worst nightmare turned into reality. I could not bear the thought of touching anything in Lily’s room, until it hit me one day that she would never come back for any of it. It was devastating to see all of her toys collecting dust, and clothes hanging in the closet that she would never grow into. We slowly began the process of neatly packing up her things into storage bins. We donated all of her furniture, but kept everything else. We weren’t sure how to feel. Again, someone suggested making changes. We painted the walls in silence. It was unlike any home improvement project we ever started. There was no reward in it; just desperation for a feeling of peace. We bought a dresser and chair so that it wouldn’t feel so empty. My parents bought us a rug to absorb the haunting echo in the room.

(Click here to see more photos.)

(Click here to see photos of Lily’s room as we remember it.)

I have begun to call this our “peace room”. We found some special wall hangings with angels and bible verses on them. We placed a pot of lilies, which my sister sent to us, near the window. The room is now a place where we can pray and talk to Lily. It is no longer a painful reminder that she passed there.

We have set up little memorials for Lily throughout the house. There is a dedication in the entryway, and a shelf of trinkets in our bedroom. We also filled a basket with all of her favorite stuffed animals, and placed it on our dresser. Outside, we planted a magnolia tree for her. It is in the back yard, close to the swing set. It appears to be ready to bloom:

We have reluctantly started on the usual spring projects. The gate had nearly fallen apart. Two pickets fell off about a year ago, and no adhesive and clamps on earth could put them back. Our PVC fencing was discontinued, and most stores stopped selling similar products. Buying another gate didn’t seem to be an option. The dog kept jumping through the gap and running into the neighbor’s yard! That settled it. We had to do something about the gate.

I’m not proud to say it, but I finally pieced everything back together with white duct tape! I found one of the missing pickets, and pulled another from a small leftover section in the garage.

I cleared our garden in the front yard while the kids played on the driveway.

I will start planting annuals there soon. Micah reseeded the hill by the front door. Barney is our first dog, and we had no idea what his urine would do to our lawn. Live and learn, I guess. We hope to see new grass sprouting up before our families visit in a few weeks.

We’ve done a few other minor things in the last month or so. We replaced the ugly $19.00 light fixture in the kitchen. I have touched up paint in a few areas. We still hope to install a window in the living room (on the east side of the house) so that we can have proper circulation with our giant air conditioner. That may happen in a few months. In the meantime, our focus (on the home front, anyway), is yard work. Micah bought a cordless rechargeable edge trimmer over winter, so that should make things easier. I hope we can get back into what needs to be done.

William has been asking us to make some changes to his room since we bought a bunk bed for Molly and Mia. His favorite color is green, so Micah got to work on Will’s great green room.

The color looks yellow here, but it’s actually a bit darker.

We had to bring swatches to Target to match them with Circo’s Backyard Friends collection. I found the quilt on eBay at half price, but it hasn’t arrived yet.

Mia spotted the matching wall decals for $3.88! I’m proud of her for shopping end caps. I’ve trained her well!

The last item (I hope I don’t regret this) was a TV. Molly and Mia have one in their room for “movie nights”, so it seemed like it was time for Will to have one of his own. We got a 19″ TV with a built-in DVD player for under $100 (another eBay find). We mounted it on the wall, which he thinks is so cool. I guess birthday presents are showing up early this year.

We also had to replace the track lighting in the living room. I was so disappointed that it burnt out, and even more disappointed to learn that no one sells Valo sets anymore. I re-wired the new set to plug it in. I had to tack down and paint the cord, and then, I added a dimmer.

The shades match the fixture in the entryway, as well as the decor in the living room. I was finishing up when one of the pendants in the kitchen broke (another Valo set). That meant yet another trip to Home Depot, which resulted in an impulsive purchase. The $19.00 clearance sticker was a welcomed sight, and I brought the brushed nickel G-shaped track fixture home. The installation was easy, but the fixture looks hideous. I keep picturing mauve carpets and black lacquer furniture, because that is the only place where this thing would belong. I think I’ll have to cut my losses and buy something else, but I need a break first.

Our living room coffee table has a slate top surrounded by wood. The finish was uneven, and it looked dirty. Since we already had the sander ready to refinish a few stair treads, I figured it would be a good time to sand and stain the coffee table. I knew it wasn’t solid wood, but I had no idea that it had an incredibly thin veneer. It was a mess. We had to paint it instead.

I chose this color by Behr:

It’s a nice earth tone that compliments the slate nicely. I am glad we were able to fix the problem. Here’s the end result:

The work on the entryway is done. I never want to paint or even think about that space again! The flooring was great, and we didn’t run into any problems.

Damage to the old floor:

There were two layers to remove. This one was paper thin, and I’m guessing it was from the early 80s:

The paint color I mentioned previously was a disaster. The person at the paint desk used the wrong base. She was training, and her boss claimed the formula had changed since the swatches were printed. I was skeptical, and continued to doubt that it was right. I finished the first coat, and Micah encouraged me to continue because it would look different when it was dry. It was one of the ugliest colors I’ve ever seen. It was some sort of yellow/golden brown that I can’t imagine anyone deliberately using, and it was very uneven. Two days later, I bought Behr’s Brown Teepee, and that was perfect. It is similar to Valspar’s Faint Maple, which we have in the kitchen, but a bit darker. It gives just enough contrast to the Wheat Bread color without being too dark for the downstairs flooring. Oh, who am I kidding? I don’t even care anymore. It is done!

We have enough to keep us busy. Christmas is 16 days away, and we just got through the biggest snowstorm we’ve ever seen. The Syracuse area got over 40 inches of snow. It started to snow on Saturday morning, and it continued almost nonstop until Wednesday night. We had a lot of fun digging tunnels and pathways around the backyard with the twins and Will.

The fence is almost completely buried!

Things need to slow down a bit. We still haven’t wrapped any presents!

The garage is organized! We still have extension cords running/hanging everywhere for the Christmas lights, and there is a cluster of things on the right side which will fit in the closet once all the boxes of Christmas presents move into the house. Otherwise, it’s done.

The entryway needs a bit of work. The flooring (Micah says it’s VCT) has been chipped in various places. It was installed by a PO, and years of kids throwing toys down the stairs have taken their toll. I started out looking at tile, but once again the commitment phobe in me wanted to go with something easy to replace later. It also seems like a better option because we have all of these crazy children (and their toys) flying up and down the stairs all the time. We chose TrafficMaster Allure flooring in Ashlar because the colors tie in with the chandelier, the hardwoods and the flooring in the downstairs hallway. We also chose Behr’s Cliff Rock to add a little contrast from all the upstairs rooms (Behr’s Wheat Bread) and the downstairs playroom (Behr’s Castle Path).

The “platform” as we call it (the small entry area between the front door and stairs) is just over 4 x 6, so this won’t be a very big project. I am hoping to get it done before Christmas.

When we moved in, the kid’s bathroom was a bit too cheery. Almost everything was sunshine yellow, including the shower tile. We replaced the old tile flooring and sink top, and then someone told me it would be safe to paint the tile with kitchen and bath paint. It looked good at first, so we painted the tile in the master bathroom too. That turned out to be a disaster, which forced us to have it re-tiled. The kid’s bathroom held out longer, though. That shower never gets used, since the kids still take baths. Recently, the tiles started to bulge, and the paint was chipping away.

Demo complete:

New backer board:

Work-in-progress:

Ready to grout:

The finished product:

More photos of the completed bathroom are located here.

What we used:

Behr Paint:

Wall Tile – Marazzi Montagna Lugano 12 In. x 12 In. Glazed Porcelain (The Home Depot)

Mosaic Tile Accent – Premium Mosaics Smoky Mountain 1 In. x 1 In. (The Home Depot)

Shower Curtain – Canopy Waffle Weave, Artic White (Walmart)

In case you didn’t notice, recent posts contain links to previous, relevant posts from this blog. These links give you a better look at the before-and-after, as well as related projects. Check them out!

It started with the hallway flooring shortly after we bought the house. Two years later, we built a wall to divide our giant family room into two rooms. Later, we did a sort of overhaul of those rooms to create a fourth bedroom for Molly and Mia. To complete our budget-friendly renovation of the lower level, we are moving into the bathroom.

Before:

After:

More updated photos of the bathroom are located here.

We were left with bare concrete when the old cabinet came out, and I couldn’t find the name of the flooring to order more. The opening in the wall is two inches wider than the vanity, and some space is also visible in the front. We decided to go with glass mosaic tile (we’ve been in love with mosaic ever since we did the kitchen backsplash). The colors blend nicely.

Here’s a list of everything we used:

Behr Paint:

Mosaic Tile – MS International 3/4 In. x 3/4 In. Ivory Iridescent (The Home Depot)

Medicine Cabinet – American Classics White 15 in. W (The Home Depot)

Faucet – Price Pfister Brushed Nickel Double-Handle (Lowe’s)

Vanity – allen + roth 28″ White Wynn Combo with Granite Top (Lowe’s)

Shower Curtain – Essential Home Bamboo Leaves (Kmart)

This was one of our biggest projects. We had already started the framework when we built a wall to divide the playroom. We had no idea that, less than a year later, we’d have baby #4 on the way and would need to add a 4th bedroom! These rooms were getting pretty bad, actually. I had done my best to repair the walls when I removed all the paneling and wallpaper, but I had no idea what I was doing. Micah’s friend through work is a professional when it comes to drywall, so he helped us. I can’t believe the transformation. When that was done, and the walls were painted, the next step was to remove the nasty old carpeting and add laminate flooring. It seemed like the best choice for the lower level. We went with DuPont’s Montreal Gunstock (Real Touch Elite line) with premium underlayment.

I am embarrassed to show this, but here’s a glance at the walls and carpet that once dominated these rooms:

Ick!

A quick preview of the rooms after:

The rest of the photos are in the slideshows for Molly and Mia’s room and playroom.

The girls got a “new” dresser, mirror and nightstand (a craigslist find – $100 total!) and the baby will get their old dresser. We also found a full size bed for $100 on craigslist, which we set up in the baby’s room.

Up next: The baby’s room!

I procrastinated for over three years to paint the doors and trim in this house. Sort of. There were a few doors that were still that awesome 70s dark wood when we moved in. I painted those almost immediately. I also had the bedroom doors painted white from the inside. Beyond that, I just left it alone. They were dingy, dirty, and some sort of yellow-white color. A few nights ago, after the kids went to bed, I headed downstairs (armed with a $9.44 can of Color Place flat white paint). I started painting one door… and then its frame. It looked so great that I kept going. Before I knew it, the clock read 2:00 in the morning, and every door and frame in the house were covered in a fresh coat of white paint. You can see the contrast here, as I had not painted the doors yet but just started the trim:

Yeah, they were that bad. Here’s a washed-out-by-flash hallway shot after I (finally) finished:

I also painted the window sills.

I browsed Rate My Space today for the first time in at least a year. That site really baffles me. I mean, anyone can pay a contractor tens of thousands of dollars, and point to what they want. It does take a sense of style, but let’s face it… Those of us who are working on a shoestring budget and an older house can’t design their dream house. We have to come up with creative ways to work with what we have. That was the motivation behind our glass cabinet inserts in the kitchen and a few dozen other projects we’ve finished here.

I also don’t understand why you can’t get a top rating unless everything is high-end. I am a total commitment phobe when it comes to remodeling. I’d rather get some higher grade vinyl flooring or laminate countertops that I can change out in 10ish years, than spend a life savings (which we don’t have) on a dream kitchen or bathroom. For those of us who did not pay a fortune for their house (ahem, $100k, ahem), it just doesn’t make sense to break the bank.

Just sayin’. Lighten up, Rate My Space.

Lastly, I discovered Hobby Lobby this week. I could drop a fortune in that place. The decor selection is lovely, along with the seasonal departments. I found myself drooling over all sorts of fabrics, wishing I could sew. Oh, the things I would make if I could just sew! I need to add that to the list, right after cooking elaborate meals that everyone will eat!

I’m sure I’ll get over that soon. I recently read from a blogger who used many samples to pick that perfect shade. She is right. I have painted every room in this house, only to decide after a year or two that it wasn’t “What I was going for”. This drives my husband crazy, but I can finally say that our large “open concept” area upstairs flows together well. It was very difficult. There is only one wall separating the kitchen from the living room, which flows into the dining room.

I ended up painting the kitchen. I liked the pumpkin color, but it was too bold for the rest of the house. I tend to lean toward neutrals, and I have decided to stick with that. I tried using Wheat Bread (Behr) in the kitchen, but it looked terrible. Everything in that room called for something darker, but I didn’t want it to be too dark. I went with Valspar’s Faint Maple, which turned out lighter than the swatch. It is perfect, though. It is the lightest color I could have used that still works (matching with the backsplash was tricky as well).

When all of that was done, I did some work outside. The paint on the shutters had chipped in a few places. It had been annoying me since winter, so I finally dragged out the ladder and re-painted them (same color). After that, I touched up the foundation wherever it was needed, and washed all of the windows. Windex Outdor Multi-Surface is a great product. It attaches to the hose and makes it a lot easier to clean windows from the outside.

I will take a break for a while. I think being home with the kids all the time has made me kind of stir crazy!

By the way, photos of the aforementioned rooms are here.