Before and After – Sea Glass Buffet

Tags

before and after, buffet, milk paint, miss mustard seed milk paint

I haven’t posted anything for a while, so I’ll come back to blogging with an easy before and after post. I’ll apologize now for the blurry photos. My Littles were playing with my tripod not long ago, and they seem to have misplaced the part that lets me attach my camera to the tripod. So low light from a rainy day and my not-so-steady hand produced no-so-crisp photos.

I found this sweet two-drawer buffet at one of my favorite second hand shops.

So pretty, but the finish was in pretty rough shape. I knew immediately what I wanted it to look like, and it was the perfect chance for me to try my new Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint that I just received from Robyn Story Designs with free shipping (I love free shipping).

I mixed one part Kitchen Scale to 3 parts Ironstone to get the pale greenish blue that I imagined. 

I used the bonding agent on the sides because they were already pretty distressed with damaged veneer. I didn’t want the milk paint to chip off and make the sides look more distressed. For the drawer fronts, I just mixed Ironstone into the cup that still had a bit of leftover paint from the main color. Sorry, no color formula, just winging it. The details are highlighted with Ironstone. A fun bit of milk paint chemistry occurred when I painted the drawer fronts. A bit of the previous finish lifted and mixed with the milk paint, changing my color to an even more greenish hue and giving a beautiful washed look.

The piece turned out even better than I expected. The colors remind me of sea glass. I priced it at $175 and it’s now for sale at the School House Antique Mall.

Nemo, or Another (Winter) Day in Maine

I’m not 100% certain what the official snowfall total was for our area. Certainly less than the 3 feet seen by some places in Connecticut. I think we got between 20 and 24 inches of snow. Now, don’t get me wrong, that’s a lot of snow for one storm. But when I look outside my window it all seems so… right. This is Maine, after all. And this is winter. So we’re supposed to have snow on the ground. The odd thing to me, is that the snow we just got, is the only snow on the ground.

We fully expected to lose power, and we were completely prepared for that. But we are so very thankful that we didn’t. It’s so much nicer to watch a blizzard when your lights are on and your toilet flushes. (I can handle not having lights, but toilets that don’t flush, that’s another story. Maybe I was scarred a bit when we lost power for 2 days only 1 day after Silas was born. Flushing was a luxury I was desperate for, and lifting the 5 gallon bucket to fill the toilet 24 hours after giving birth is off limits, but my pride insisted on taking care of things myself. But you really didn’t need to know that.)

But this storm, oh, this one was perfect in it’s peacefulness. Because power never went out, my husband wasn’t called in to work. We just sat and watched the snow fall. And we made popcorn, and watched the snow fall. And I knitted, and watched the snow fall. And we played games, and watched the snow fall. It was, I think, exactly what we’re supposed to do sometimes. Taking time out from the very busy schedules we make for ourselves.
Maybe because we don’t know how to stop on our own and pause, God sends us a reason every now and then.

After the storm, then sun dawned bright and even more glorious than usual. Maybe it was because of the reflection on all the pristine, glittery white with the brilliant blue sky as the backdrop. Maybe it was because the intensity of the storm made us appreciate the brightness of the light so much more. Whatever it was, it seems to me that everyone steps out a little more gingerly than before.
Taking extra time to add extra layers.
Setting about the work to be done to shovel out.

Focusing on the task at hand instead of on a myriad of details that really aren’t important.

Greeting the world a little at a time instead of all at once. Perhaps this is the rhythm of winter that we’re missing. This bit of hibernation that gives us a chance to reset. The news headlines said the storm paralyzed New England. From my point of view, I think it refreshed us.

Reclaiming

My husband has low expectations of me. Not that he doesn’t think I can’t do things, but he doesn’t expect me to do things. Since all the kids (except one, but his time is coming) have had the flu lately, and my hands and lap have been very busy, I haven’t gotten much done around the house lately. I made banana muffins for lunch the other day (making muffins was much easier than trying to find something everyone would eat), and I made a double batch (I have five children at home. I always make a double batch.) My husband pronounced me most amazing for baking when all kids were sick. How did I ever find the time? (See? Low expectations.)

I spent the afternoon reclaiming some valuable real estate today. The counter top in our kitchen is a catchall. It’s the first thing you see when you walk in the door (unless you walk in the front door, but who uses the front door?). It sets the tone for the rest of the house. Lately, the counter top has been collecting paint brushes, tools, medicines and dispensers, and cell phone chargers. Which may not be too bad if you have a large counter top, but ours is only about 5 feet long. Really. And the kettle, french press and dish drain board take up permanent residence. So today I cleaned it all off. It didn’t take me too long, but it made a very big difference. That and picking up the toys that littered the living room floor and running the vacuum were my accomplishments for the day. In a Very Small House filled with a lot of people, it’s the little things that make a big difference.

It wasn’t much, but my husband thinks I’m a goddess now. I think it even made up for the fact that we didn’t have supper until 7:00. Because even goddesses need to nap when they have the flu. Right? Maybe I should turn off all the lights so he won’t see the laundry I didn’t get folded. I could pretend the power went out.

Doing

With all the nursing and holding and snuggling I’ve been doing lately, my hands have been itching to make something. I don’t do well at doing nothing, and while I don’t think that holding a sick little one is by any means ‘nothing’ it certainly isn’t ‘doing’. And doing makes me happy.

So I dug out my yarn stash, found a couple of knitting needles in the same size (that took a bit of searching, let me tell you), pulled up a couple of knitting videos to watch as a refresher course, and started.

My grandmother taught me how to knit when I was little. I don’t think I ever got past scarf making, and I wasn’t very prolific, but I know that my Dad still has a scarf I made for him when I was 10 or 11. I’ve made a couple of simple things since then, but it’s been a while since I’ve tried. I had forgotten how calming the motions of knitting can be. And the rhythmic clicking of the needles is certain to bring one of the little ones to see what Mama’s doing. Right now I’m just trying to remember the basics, which is about as far as I ever got with my knitting, but I am enjoying it more than I thought I would.

February

Tags

seasons, weather, Winter in Maine

Let’s just call this the craziest winter in Maine I’ve ever seen. Last week, temperatures were below zero and the windchill was even colder. I think I remember hearing someone say that exposed skin could freeze within 20 minutes. Yep. It was that cold.

Fast forward one week. We had sunny and warmer (yes, 28 degrees is definitely warmer), and then rainy and windy and even warmer. My goodness, it was 55 degrees out yesterday! We had to open the windows because it was too hot inside. I think I checked the calendar at least a dozen times. Yep. Still January.

But really, looking outside, today, the first day of February, is just, well, strange. Our temperature has cooled to a much more seasonal temperature, but there isn’t any snow in the yard. And the grass is green. And the sky is blue. Shouldn’t I be outside planting something or pruning something or cleaning out a bed? I think some serious garden planning needs to be done. And maybe I’ll try planting something in the sunny window soon, just because.

But for now, I still have a sick Little one. He’s mending, but not as quickly as I’d like. So I’m spending a lot of time sitting and holding him and looking outside, dreaming of the garden season to come, which now seems not as far away as it did only a week ago. The days are noticeably longer, and the shadows are changing a bit. Soon these winter colds will be nothing but a distant memory and the beds we cleared last year will, I hope, be full of plants and berries. And maybe a tree or two.

Welcome, February. So glad you are here.

Taking Turns, Two Down

Poor little Silas was up most of the night. Between the low grade fever and the stuffy nose, he was pretty miserable. I tried to nurse him through his fitful almost-but-not-quite-awake cranky moments throughout the night, but the stuffy nose interfered with even this most basic Mama and baby time. In the wee hours of the morning, Papa took over, walking him across the floor, keeping him upright, until he was able to breathe, and sleep, again (and giving me a brief respite and nap). And then it was my turn again and my nursling and I spent the rest of the night sitting up on the sofa, as sitting up was the only way Silas was able to keep the stuffy nose (mostly) at bay and breathe. And just as I started to doze off, Emma had a bad dream, the results of which woke Sophie. Both of them were quite happy to spend the rest of the night close to me on the sofa.

With such a restless night, I expected the worst from the day. But the brightly shining sun beckoned.

Jackets were quickly put on and we spent some wonderful time outside in the warm sun.

(Warm is, of course, a relative term. I checked the temperature later and found that it was only 28 degrees. But warm compared to our sub-zero and single digit temperatures last week, yes?)

Sandbox time, follow the leader, tag, exploring, drinking much needed coffee.

Exactly what we needed.

And a good thing we spent time in the sun while we could. Later afternoon brought an unusual nap for Emma and the development of a not so little fever. She slept off and on most of the afternoon and evening.

Mid-supper, Silas returned to his favorite spot to rest, in Mama’s arms, and promptly fell asleep. Two down. Hoping and praying it stops there.

Keeping warm

Tags

Living

In the middle of a bit of a cold spell (it was -8 when I checked this morning), we’ve been working at keeping warm. For me, that means keeping the wood stove filled and burning hot, providing hot meals and making lots of tea for all. For the children, it means keeping the woodbox full (a daily chore for the Middles) and maybe wearing a hat during school time. The Littles spend a lot of time playing in the living room and sitting under blankets.

The Littlest Little is contributing in his own way. He’s working hard at keeping us moving. How you ask? Well, this is how he spends his time lately.Yes, that’s a dresser he’s climbing on.

And of course, once you’re on, you need to get off, so to the edge he scoots, knowing that someone’s hands will catch him before he falls off. (We always caught him.)

Oh, but climbing on the dresser gets so boring once it’s been conquered. So he found higher mountains to climb.

Oh, don’t be fooled. Yes, a sofa is pretty safe. Close to the ground. Soft. But the seat was not the summit he was aiming for.  Oh, this little one had much more in mind.

The top of the sofa back offers, of course, the best view. Why, from here, a little one can see so much more. So proud of himself, and with a giggle as one of us raced to the his side knowing fully the next step he’d take (oh yes, we’ve done this before), the boy did the only thing you can do when you’ve reached the top.  Jump. 

And once he was safely on the floor again, he laughs, turns around and does it again. Oh, yes, he certainly did his part to make sure we kept moving to stay warm.  I am a little worried about what will happen when he realizes we have a balcony overlooking the living room.

Moments

There are moments when everything becomes crystal clear. Moments when all the clutter falls away.

Moments when little sisters play perfectly together, making forts in the living room.
When a jewelry making Middle finds the perfect beads to make her latest creation.
When a Middle boy sits in the kitchen practicing his cello, which he reluctantly started playing just a few short months ago, but enthusiastically and passionately continues.
When the youngest Little walks through singing a song only he can understand.
When a new video is posted from the school our oldest son attends.
When my husband embraces me in a sweet and tender hug while we watch a recording of our son playing live in a concert we were able to watch in person miles away and months ago.
When our oldest calls because our grand baby wants to say hi to Bumpa and Babcia.

These are the moments when it is crystal clear that the best investment any parent can make is an investment in our children. It isn’t about how much stuff you give them, or how big or well decorated your house is. It’s about giving them time, energy and love to grow into exactly what was intended from the beginning.

And sometimes, like in the photo at the top, it’s about letting them stay in their pajamas all day, with a silly little hand knit hat for warmth (that just barely fits, but is still loved). Watching the littlest Little push the biggest Middle around the house on the little red flyer scooter. Another Moment.

After the frenzy

The Christmas frenzy has pretty much come to an end. The brown paper packages tied up with string (red and white baker’s twine) have all been opened. Most of the new gifts and goodies have found their place among the old. We still have some cleanup and sorting and place finding to do, but we have now entered into the Peace part of the season.

A quiet joy of discovering has entered our home. Drawing, writing, creating, imagining is the theme of the quiet moments of our days.

We still have a couple of unopened gifts tucked away. I had planned on pulling them out during the quiet of Christmas Day, but that never came. I thought about waiting until the 12th day of Christmas, but I don’t know if that’s a tradition of gift giving that I want to begin. So one of them, the ginormous set of gel pens you see in the photo above, made an appearance tonight, accompanied by some very detailed coloring books for those moments when you want to be creative but don’t have the time or energy to create.

My family gave me great photo editing software, and I’d love to be able to show you my amazing photography skills, but I need to develop them first. (Get it… Develop my photography skills? Sorry.) But perhaps at some point all the planets will align and my camera will meet my subjects and will line up with time to edit, upload and blog my pictures. Or maybe little blog elves will come in at night and take care of things for me.

Our little cottage is being tucked in with a blanket of snow. All day today and all night tonight the snow is falling. The quiet from the snow, the warmth from the wood stove, the full bellies from the last of the Christmas feast, the creative and imaginative mood that has fallen on our children. The quiet that comes when all the Littles are tucked into bed. For these things I am thankful.

Inspiring people

I love reading about people who make their dreams come true.

Photo from PinkSlipInspirations Etsy Shop

When my daughter was browsing Etsy she stumbled on a shop selling stockings she liked (she was looking for a stocking design for me to make for her). When she saw the number of sales made so far, over 1700 she was pretty impressed. When we looked to see how long the shop had been opened we were pretty shocked, opened for only 4 months. So I did a quick search for her shop and found an article written about her success.

I looked at her page, read the article, looked at her page again, and thought, “I could do that.” And maybe I COULD do that. Maybe I could sew like that. Maybe I could have a successful etsy shop like that. But do you know what the different is between the owner of Pink Slip Inspirations and me (besides my 7 children and homeschooling ways)? It’s the same difference between someone doing something you could do, and you. The difference is that they are DOING it.

Christmas is coming pretty quickly and the wrapped gifts under our tree are growing every day. But there’s one thing that isn’t there. A gift from me, to me. A gift of a dream. Not a pair of sparkly shoes or a new camera. Not a sweater or a cookbook. A dream. All wrapped up, just waiting to be opened. Do you have one? A dream that might still be a little fuzzy, and maybe all you know is the direction you DON’T want to be heading. When you allow yourself to think about your perfect day, what do you see yourself doing?

I think I’m going to write one of my dreams down and wrap it up and tie it with a bow and put it under my tree. My dream. From me, to me. I’d love if you joined me in this. It’s more than a New Year’s resolution. It’s a gift you can give yourself.

What dream will you put under your tree? A gift for you, from you.