Surprise Renovations

Reviewing these photos, I suddenly and deeply remember why I've taken so long to post about our surprise renovations. It was a process, to say the least. Our washer and dryer are located in a large closet in the hallway on the 2nd floor. On March 9th, I noticed some water leaking in that closet and held off on doing laundry until our repairman could take a look at it. In the meantime, I gave the girls a bath in the huge master bath. When I drained the tub, all that water backed up in the closet, hallway, master bedroom, Liesel's bedroom and through the ceiling into the kitchen. Have I mentioned any and all crisis seems to happen in my life the same night as mutual? Yes, this happened right before I had to leave for mutual. 

Turns out we destroyed a couple of really nice towels trying to mop everything up which ended up being futile. As you can see, the water just gushed out into the carpet.

Whole chunks of tape were buckling and coming off the kitchen ceiling.

The ceiling had water dripping from multiple places as those nasty stains spread.

 The leak followed along the baseboards in the master...

 ...and in Liesel's room

 It's moments like this I'm incredibly grateful for good insurance (Amica) because I went from a panic attack to actually being excited about putting the house together. Our Claims Adjuster walked around like a fairy godmother breezily telling me what was covered (after our deductible, of course). The 2nd floor carpet was continuous? *BLING* They would replace every single room and not just the damaged parts. Some of the leak had gone down the kitchen walls? *BLING* Those would be repainted. 

A small section of the family room wall had to be removed? *BLING* That would be replaced and repainted! It appeared some water had gotten on the hardwood floors? *BLING* Those would eventually be sanded and restained.

The plumber had to take out a section of closet wall to double check the pipes? *BLING* That would be repaired and the whole closet repainted. Oh yes, I'm so grateful for good insurance!!!

The mitigation guys had sheet rock removed, high powered fans in place to thoroughly dry the subflooring, carpet removed and everything cleaned up in a matter of hours. We were so happy with their work, we wanted to stick with the same company for the restoration. In retrospect, I kind of regret that decision. The first Project Manager had turned in his 2 weeks notice so we never heard from him. Then the head honcho dude was out of town on Spring Break so we didn't hear from him either. We finally got a new Project Manager but he was dealing with a heavy work load from the last guy so it took a while to hear from him too.

In the meantime, I made a visit to the showroom to pick out paint colors, carpet, and grout. Previous owners had left 12" x 12" travertine tiles- the same stuff throughout much of the main floor. Instead of putting crappy vinyl flooring back into that closet, we were thrilled to make the house more cohesive while saving a bit of money. Of course, that savings was shot to shinola when we opted for the water-resistant padding for the new carpet. We weren't planning on replacing the carpet until the girls were older; potty trained and able to give deference to new, expensive flooring. However, the opportunity presented itself and we wanted to be smart since we won't be replacing the upstairs carpet for a very, very long time.

As I perused my options, I went straight for the most expensive stuff insurance allowed. The guy working the showroom told me about berber but I loved this thick, dense traditional carpet. As we talked, I kept petting it. Our old carpet was a very light grey with decades of built up stains. My options were only in brown tones so I chose the color that most closely corresponded with the stains we already had, reasoning any new stains would blend with the existing color a bit better.

Before visiting the showroom, I went to Ace Hardware and  grabbed absolutely every grey-beige-cream paint chip from the Benjamin Moore collection and then picked the one that most closely matched the cabinets. Previous owners had the kitchen walls painted a dark grey which was odd in a kitchen with brown toned granite counter-tops and beige-cream travertine floors. Cedar Key was the winner!

The family room had positively orange hardwood floors and walls painted a color that can only be described as sadness. Getting the hardwood floors taken care of was a major headache. Our Claims Adjuster (now on jury duty) didn't recall saying they would do anything with the hardwoods. Someone had to come out and look at them, then it had to be sent up to some supervisor, then approved by some committee before they would move forward on it. I was ready to tell them to just forget the floors, the hassle wasn't worth it when the approval finally came through. In keeping with the style and architecture of the house, I wanted the newly sanded floors to be ebony and the walls to be Traditional Yellow. Our contractors warned me the floors were maple which doesn't take stain well, and that ebony might turn out a little more on the grey side. Since grey is actually gaining serious popularity, I stuck with my guns and insisted on the ebony.

Eventually... and I mean EVENTUALLY, when the work was all done, we were thrilled with the results. Everything felt brighter and happier. The repaint of the kitchen included wall repairs to the many holes left from previous owners. The carpet upstairs is a bit darker than I anticipated which only highlights how darkly painted the walls are. In the two bedrooms where we were able to repaint before the new carpet installation, it looks gorgeous and luxurious and walking on it is heaven. I have plans to tackle some more painting projects but for now it will just have to wait.

I purposely took this picture before it was too light outside to show how much brighter the whole room looks with that cheerful yellow color on the walls.

I couldn't wait to clean everything from top to bottom and get our lives back in order. Brigitta in particular struggled with the mayhem. She didn't want to walk on the subflooring upstairs so I was lugging her around every morning and night. Ireland's bed was in our room while the washer and dryer filled the spot for Ireland's bed in their room. The two oldest slept in the guest room downstairs which made me uncomfortable since I couldn't hear or see them easily. The girls knew all the guys from the reconstruction crew. They'd chat with them every morning, ask for their opinions on what they were wearing to school, invite them over for playdates... I'm telling you, the whole thing was a process. After months and months, it looked like we were in the clear when I did a load of laundry... and we had another leak.

Apparently a drain something-or-other hadn't been properly secured into another drain something-or-other so we went through round 2 of renovations. Fortunately, this wasn't nearly as major and was fixed within about a week. When I finally signed off on everything, I know the Project Manager and I were both happy to know we would no longer be seeing each other.

When we bought this house, we knew it needed a lot of love. Some parts of it just needed attention while others would need more of a monetary investment. I could see the possibilities, but I knew I'd have to be patient. Brent and I agreed we'd fix things up as our budget would allow so we've focused on things that don't cost any money. The insurance coverage from this major leak gave our home a huge boost that would have taken us years and years to do on our own. Although it didn't generate the fondest memories of my life, I'm grateful for the results!

Asthma- AGAIN!

Ireland was hit with a double virus (enterovirus and rhinovirus) that her asthma-prone body couldn't handle. She was seriously retracting and I could hear her wheezing from across the room. Even though we started her on steroids and neb treatments at home, we just couldn't get ahead of it, so off to the ER we went. Annie took the little girls while Brent rushed home to meet Liesel's bus. Looking back at these pictures, it appears pretty traumatic but in all honesty, this isn't our first time at the rodeo, unfortunately. 

I grabbed Ireland's medical binder and a soft blanket from home. Hospital blankets are kind of an oxymoron and I hoped the familiar smell would quell her nerves. This is the first time Ireland has had an IV and she handled it like a champ. As we moved from the ER to the Peds Unit, word of her bravery spread. No kidding, she was better at getting an IV than I ever was! They pumped her little body full of drugs. Damn I hate needles! Somehow seeing her courage made it even worse for me. Children really are so very resilient. I may be scarred for life, but Ireland was just fine.

After a couple of hours, we were off for x-rays. I thought the "street signs" were rather clever.

Our radiology tech was very cool. I loved his tattoos and thought they were so perfect for someone who works in a hospital. He graciously let me take a pic. Films showed a touch of pneumonia and since they didn't know if it was viral or bacterial, they put her on antibiotics just in case and she was put in isolation. Again, that sounds really dramatic but just means anyone coming into the room had to wear gloves and a mask.

It didn't take long for Ireland to get sick of the poking and prodding and constant questions (which were all the same). She was happy to have cable and the Disney Channel was basically her best friend for 3 days. I spent my time giving friends and family updates, writing down which Dr was on rotation and what medicines she was being given, ordering meals, keeping the room tidy, taping up pictures, closing the blinds when she seemed sleepy, cuddling with her while trying to avoid all the tubes... just being her mom really. The first night of sleep was anything but. Anytime Ireland rolled around (which she does A LOT), it would tug on the pulse oximeter and sound an alarm. If I didn't get to her fast enough, it would alert the nurse's station. She had to have neb treatments every couple of hours which the Dr insisted on even when I requested they skip one to let her rest.

Brent was able to stop by a couple of times so he could give her a blessing and boost her spirits. Thankfully he was there when they placed the second IV so I could step out of the room. Her initial IV had closed up so when they tried to flush the vein with saline solution, it created a huge lump in the crook of her little arm. That was probably the most painful part of the whole stay for her. Again, she handled it like a champ.

The mix of medications gave Ireland a UTI so we spent a fair amount of time in the bathroom. The poor girl was SO uncomfortable! I could tell she was getting frustrated with the tubes we had to manage. This sign on the back of the door made me laugh. Don't fall, and don't do the high jump or limbo either!

By the second and third day, Ireland was a pro at working her own nasal cannula. The last time she was hospitalized, she kept knocking it out so we had to settle for putting a mask near her face to get her the oxygen she needed. This might sound silly, but I was crazy proud she mastered it. I was hoping we could go home after the first night but her saturation levels kept dropping below 90% so we had to settle for very slowly weaning her off. She slept the second night without any oxygen and was able to keep her saturation levels up.

They covered up her second IV with gauze and we joked it was her Michael Jackson glove. My ultra-Michael-Jackson-fan sister Reagan said he wore it to symbolize the suffering of children... something like that.

The two times Brent visited, he brought fresh clothes and underwear for us, food, toys, books, pictures and well-wishes from the girls. He brought Brigitta's cape. He said she asked him to take it to Ireland so it would give her super powers to be healed. When I later told Whitney, she said she had actually gotten the pattern from a woman who makes these capes for the Seattle Children's Hospital. It was so perfect because it covered up her little bum where the gown opened. Here she was looking out the window (she was SO ready to go home!) and the air conditioning was blowing the cape a bit. She really is my little hero for her wonderful attitude during our time in the hospital!

At one point the wiry but cheerful chaplain stopped by to say a prayer with us. He prayed for Ireland, he prayed for me, he prayed for the doctors and he prayed for healing. I loved listening to his accent and when he finished I asked where he was from and he said Nigeria. As luck would have it, I was reading a book my mother edited while they served their mission in South Africa so we talked about that and the beauties of Africa. When the chaplain heard they were missionaries, he lit up and told me during his prayer he felt he should pray for "this missionary mom" but stopped himself. As he left our room, he shook his finger at me and laughed, "I KNEW you were a missionary!"

We were completely inundated with well-wishes for little Ireland. Although it wasn't an ideal situation, it really brought out how very loved and adored this little girl is. The Rogers sent her a pink puppy which she immediately dubbed "Pinkie" and goes with her just about everywhere. As I posted these pictures on Instagram and in text messages, I received so many sweet comments in return. When Sunday rolled around, we kept Ireland home. She was doing just fine-she literally skipped out of the hospital-but we wanted to be sure. We had already planned to have a Sunday Sundae party with a few friends that evening and honestly, we needed to bring some laughter and joy back into the house so we went ahead with it. Ireland's friend Brook snuck upstairs, gave Ireland this note from their Sunday School teachers the Miccolises and gave her a mini-lesson so she wouldn't miss out. By the end of the night, most of the kids had made their way onto her bed and were happily chatting away.

Phew! I'm so glad this latest episode is over. I'm grateful asthma is something Ireland will eventually grow out of and that it's so easily treatable. I'm grateful for Ireland's positive attitude and her strength. I'm grateful for such loving and supportive friends and family- especially those who watched the other girls and brought a meal so Brent could come when we needed him. If it had to happen, I'm glad it happened the way it did. We are seriously so blessed.

Mulching

 Thanks to the generosity of a local member, the youth do a mulching project to raise funds for girls camp, scout camp, high adventures and activities throughout the year. Of course we wanted to support the youth but I was also dying to build up the flowerbeds in front of the house. They were so worn down, the tarps were badly exposed, staying on top of the weeds was getting more and more cumbersome and they just looked sad. When the 5 yards of mulch was dumped in our driveway, I couldn't wait to get started and spent two whole days moving and spreading mulch.

Originally we had huge, overgrown bushes which were ugly, obscured the house and just attracted creatures and trapped dead leaves against the house. I decided to cut them down and see if they could survive as small, decorative bushes. If they did, great, that's what I wanted. If not, I had no qualms about ripping them out and replacing them with something else.

We had enough mulch to not only fill the bed, but to build it up quite a bit so the foundation is completely covered!

The spiders are gone and believe it or not, those bushes have already come back quite nicely. There are a few weeds here and there in the flowerbeds but I can take care of them in an afternoon, nothing like before. 

The mulch also helps to keep the suckers growing at the base of our trees down. I know there is still some dirt on the pathway in the picture below, but trust me it looks SO much better than it did! I could barely move for a few days from all the shoveling, heavy lifting and stooping I did. The little girls were thrilled to get extra playtime outside while I worked.

Our plan is to mulch the backyard next year and then alternate front and back yards after that. I'm so excited with what a difference the mulch made this year, I can't wait to tackle our jungle of a backyard next year!

Spring Photos!

I know they are cheesy and not always the best quality, but school photos are still a record so I always flip for them. It's so interesting to see how much the girls change in the course of a school year. I rather enjoy choosing a background with the girls- they give such thoughtful input! Without further ado, here are Liesel and Ireland surrounded by (fake) flora and fauna.

Ireland's Room Makeover

There was so much ado surrounding Liesel's baptism, I didn't want Ireland's birthday two weeks earlier to get lost in the shuffle. After watching one too many episodes of Fixer Upper, I decided to tackle her bedroom. Brigitta and Ireland share the bedroom above the garage and was by far the ugliest place in the whole house. 

The horribly color-blocked walls were done with an unsteady hand and made it boxy and awkward. There wasn't one inch of wall they didn't nail a hole into and the patch job was just awful. They had clearly smeared Spackle, then just painted over it without sanding or smoothing. Where we had situated Ireland's bed was particularly cold in the winter and at night it just felt creepy. It was time to give this room some serious love, starting with a fresh coat of paint.

Ha, ha, ha! On Fixer Upper when the Gaineses show clients these dilapidated homes Joanna breezily says, "We'll give this room a fresh coat of paint, really lighten up the walls..." as if it's that simple. Oh my friends, it's not simple at all, especially when the walls look like this:

Please don't ever treat your walls like this! They deserve better! They keep you warm and help hold the roof over your head! I'm convinced the previous owner's son had a bad breakup and then went to town on these walls with a nail gun. No lie, I patched at least 1,000 holes. I sanded off the painted over Spackle until I could get down to the actual wall, and then I repaired some more. Finally I washed down the walls to prepare for priming. The room needed a fresh start so I wanted to go completely white and there was just a lot of color... BAD color that needed to be covered. I figured I would be thorough and do two coats of primer. Well, this is what two coats of primer looked like:

That paint just ate up the primer and it looked like I had taken a giant piece of chalk and shaded the walls a bit. In the end it took FOUR coats to completely cover all that horrible color! Not to toot my own horn, but I primed those walls but good. In the process, all those holes and patches started to blend and then disappear all together.

Just when I was about to move onto paint, I noticed the ceiling was a distinct shade of yellow compared to that raw primer.

I was going for a cool white on the walls and that yellow ceiling just wouldn't look right, so now I needed to prime and paint the ceiling. Hat's off to Michelangelo... priming and painting the ceiling was probably the most physically taxing two days of this whole project. Going up and down ladders and then bending backwards, reaching every which direction, and occasionally getting a splatter right in my eye... yeah, I won't miss that. Truly it had to happen though, and I'm much happier with the ceiling.

Turns out there are pretty much a million shades of white. I spent hours and hours looking at options. I knew I wanted to go with Benjamin Moore paint so I was on their website quite a bit. When I clicked on "Decorator's White" and saw the colors they suggested to use to coordinate, I knew I found my color. Two shades lighter was "Super White" which would be my ceiling and baseboards. It was finally time to start painting!!! This was the fun part.

The room went from this:

To this:

I fell in love with my paint choice because it positively glows. At dusk the rosy hues come into the window and it feels clean and cozy--just what I'd been hoping for. The room looks bigger, fresher, and just HAPPIER!!! No more boxy, patchy, cheap colors. The clean palate that was so desperately needed breathed new life into those walls.

Even with the setbacks, I'd given myself ample time to finish this for Ireland's birthday and I was right on schedule when I put the last coat on the baseboards. However, a major leak in the laundry closet turned this room into temporary storage for the washer and dryer. After living with a hole in the kitchen ceiling and walking around on sub-flooring upstairs for weeks on end, it felt like I'd never be able to put Ireland's room together. Eventually and all at once, it happened. We'd never planned on new carpet but the original was so badly damaged it had to be replaced.

I worked my tail off while the girls were at school to get the room back into livable shape. Liesel and Ireland had been sleeping in the dining room and I begged Brent to help me get the beds upstairs. Slicked in sweat, we were able to take care of it before he left for work. I washed sheets and ironed bed skirts and put together the green chair Ireland had picked out from World Market over a month before. My concept for a headboard ended up taking a lot longer than I thought it would and after calculating and recalculating and then confirming my measurements with Brent, I had to drag the two little girls to Home Depot to get it right. Despite all my efforts, the room just wasn't ready when Ireland came home from school. I commanded her to stay downstairs while I put the finishing touches in place and after a couple of hours, it was finally ready.

The coldest, creepiest corner of the house was now preciously girly and comfortable.

Ireland immediately did what I'd been dying to do, which is just cuddle into that bed covered with the fluffiest of duvets. That sucker is going to keep her toasty warm even on the coldest Chicago winter night. I wanted to do something with the slanted ceiling to accentuate the bed, and I adore how the canopy turned out! It adds visual interest when laying in bed and draws the eye upward making the room feel taller. Just opposite the bed is the mirrored sliding doors to the closet which reflects this adorable spot where my darling girl slumbers.

Personally I think this nook is the sweetest corner of the whole house. Ireland picked out the chair and I just love that it is green! The baby quilt was made by Katrina and ties in all the colors I wanted to use in the room. The photo is one Reagan took of her playing in my wedding dress with her striped purple pajamas showing underneath. It's the perfect picture to have right next to the closet. The brand-new carpets are thick and soft, which adds to the warmth of the room.

Eventually we will need to expand the closet-- one side of it has an odd angle taking up valuable space. I have my eye on some wrought iron beds to really anchor all the frilly girlishness going on. I threw away the horrid curtains and those really need to be replaced. The window is pretty hashed as is the door. Oh how I yearn for solid oak doors! I'd love to split the HVAC in our bedroom to put floor vents by Ireland's bed so it gets the air flow it really needs. I want to get matching desks and vanity chairs by the window where the girls can get ready in the morning and do their homework at night. Eventually, the room will be completely completed. But for now, this is enough and I couldn't be more thrilled with the results!

Sydney's Room Makeover

Knowing the carpets were going to be replaced on the entire 2nd floor motivated me to tackle a couple of projects. First was our sleigh bed. Back when Brent and I were young and foolish, we used to drape our wet towels over the footboard. It wasn't until the varnish was ruined from all the moisture, we realized that was probably not the best idea. Moving from rental to rental, it always bugged me but I just didn't have the time or means to fix it. Now I did.

Initially I asked BJ for help in just moving the mattress and box spring. Being an avid DIYer himself, he stuck around to help me with the sanding, staining, and finishing. I think the whole thing took 30 minutes start to finish. It went from this:

To this:

And this:

To this:

It looks brand-new again! The spatters of stain on the carpet were actually leftover from the previous owners. Back when we bought the house and did our final walk-through, all the furniture was gone but there was a rug right in the middle of the room. Our savvy realtor rolled that up right away. On the one hand I was curious who would varnish over carpet, on the other I was thoroughly bothered they'd tried to hide it from us. Anyway, when our claim adjuster told me we'd be getting all new carpet upstairs, my mind went directly to the varnish stains under that ugly rug.

Painting Brigitta and Ireland's room was such an ordeal, I wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to pull out the paint brushes again. Don't get me wrong, I planned to repaint many a room, but I'd always assumed that could only happen once all the kids were in school full-time. Knowing I could paint and not have to worry about dripping on the carpet really motivated me to take on another room or two. Like Brigitta and Ireland's room, Sydney's room was color-blocked, but hers was in an awful blue and chocolate brown combination.

WHAT were they thinking? Although Sydney has the smallest bedroom in the house, it's still a decent size and was clearly built to be a nursery. Unfortunately, it was hard to appreciate the charm of the room with all the choppiness and soul-sucking darkness going on in there.

I believe it was the day we moved in that Brigitta got into my GlamGlow and spread it all over her legs... and the carpet. The carpet in Sydney's room was the nicest in the house and we could not get that stuff out. Over time the stains just deepened so again, I was elated to find out the whole upstairs was getting new carpet.

That's $69 worth of product folks (and a gift). If memory serves, I actually cried over that one because I'd only used it once and it was just gone. Brigitta's legs and hands were ultra-hydrated and silky smooth for days though!

As if the walls of the room weren't bad enough, the inside of the closet was the same horrid blue. Even the ceiling wasn't spared. Personally I think closet interiors should be pure white- it's the best way to clearly see what you have!

As luck would have it, Jim and Vanessa were in town for a visit. They insisted they just wanted to hang out; Jim had a business trip and Vanessa would be doing plenty of sight-seeing in the days to come, so they really had no agenda. Vanessa asked me what I wanted to do and I cringed when I told her I just wanted to get Sydney's room primed and painted. She didn't even hesitate- she just grabbed a brush and away we went.

Jim and Vanessa worked like galley slaves and in 1 day we accomplished what would have taken me 5 on my own. They didn't exactly bring work clothes, but didn't worry or complain that their regular clothes were getting splattered.  I'm forever grateful for Brent and Jim who had to get HIGH on that ladder to prime the vaulted ceiling. With brothers on either side, they had it done lickety split. It was hard to see because of the chocolate brown on the walls, but the ceiling was actually a pretty dark tan. 

I had to laugh when I saw the message Vanessa left on our chalkboard. For the record, I didn't make her paint, she volunteered. She'd been struggling with serious back pain and there she was, painting any part of the wall she could reach from her spot on the floor. It almost became her project too and she wanted to see it finished, but we needed to leave some drying time. She kept me company while I braved that ladder to paint the ceiling. Every time I look at that ceiling I'll remember how she chatted away, held the ladder steady, and encouraged me while I worked. Sometimes you just need someone to be there, ya know?

By the time Jim and Vanessa headed out, I was confident I could finish by Friday, which is when the carpet guys were coming. On Tuesday afternoon I received a call from our Project Manager and--SURPRISE-- they wanted to start laying carpet at 8 AM the next morning. Wasn't it great they were ready to go early? Aye de mi! I called Brent at work and begged him to come home early. Then I contacted my counselors and asked them to handle Mutual without me. Brent and I worked like fiends until midnight.

I was so exhausted, achy, and bruised from climbing up and down that ladder, I just wanted to quit. But the most important part of the whole room simply had to be painted last- the baseboards. I'd learned from doing Brigitta and Sydney's room how it would be nigh impossible to do a good job on the baseboards without ruining new carpet. Brent and I continued working and our conversation turned into that nonsensical kind when you are operating beyond exhaustion. We finally ran out of painter's tape, and had to quit for the night.

The next morning I was that crazy lady fogging up the glass on the front doors of Home Depot at 6 AM. I bought the last of the painter's tape we needed and raced home to finish. Brent went in to work a tad later so he could help with the girls, and I finished up just as the carpet guys arrived. We shut the door, turned on the fan and hung a sign instructing them to carpet Sydney's room last. I still can't believe we did it- and it never would have happened if Jim and Vanessa hadn't been there.

Sydney's room went from this:

To this:

The closet went from this:

To this:

As with Brigitta and Ireland's room, it looks bigger, happier, and the color (Benjamin Moore's Just Peachy) absolutely glows any time of the day or night. It coordinates beautifully with either a blue-based pink or a yellow-based pink. When the girls saw the new color, they oohed and aahed. Logically I know a pink room is not the best for resale, but having 4 daughters gives me the right to one pink room! The fresh, white ceiling makes a huge difference as the room suddenly feels clean and light.

We threw open the windows to air everything out but there's still a hint of fresh paint and that new carpet smell. It has gone from the room Sydney sleeps in, to the room I don't mind spending some time in, because it's so pretty and inviting. Initially I'd hoped to finish Sydney's room mid-week and quickly paint the hallway, but I was out of time and out of energy. Someday I'll take care of that- probably when all the kids are in school full-time!