Shelves and other updates

Having a whole new house to start from scratch with is simultaneously awesome and slightly overwhelming. That's one of the reasons I pushed so hard to get the master bedroom to a place where it felt "done enough" to me, so that at least one room in the house didn't prompt constant "should we move that? tweak that? paint that?" feelings every time I was in there. And it has totally been worth it.

The other rooms in the house? They are not quite as calming. But we are making progress little by little, and some things are just going to take time (like painting all the trim in the house with a fresh coat (or three) of white paint). I'm learning to enjoy the process and not rush things. Although I am sure our neighbors would appreciate if we "rushed" improving our yards a bit. :)

The last time we chatted about the kitchen (three months ago!) we had removed the cabinets and the soffit above them, and painted the walls. Since then, we've continued to work on little projects here and there. One of the projects that I am just wild about was adding some shelving to give us some storage (since we removed all the upper cabinets). Sometimes when I get the idea for a project, I can see it in my head, but the execution comes out less than stellar. This used to happen to me all the time when I drew a lot. I could see it in my head but could not make my fingers reproduce that on paper. But this project? It exceeded my expectations. Behold.



They're cute, right? I knew, pretty much from the moment that we took out the cabinets, that we'd put up some shelving between the window and the door. All it took was two pine boards from Home Depot (or was it Lowes?), six brackets from IKEA, and some stain, poly and paint. And there you have a functional and pretty little addition to our kitchen. Here's a picture from a little further back so you can see how it all plays together.



By the way, if anyone knows of a microwave that is cute to look at, I am all ears. I can't figure out anywhere else to put the darn thing, but it's just so... black and hulking. ANYWAYS. Redirect your attention to the cute shelves. One of my favorite details is the fact that I painted the bottoms of the shelves in a deep green. It was one of those off the cuff - hey let's try this!- kind of things, but I really like how it's slightly unexpected and brings in a bit of color.







So that is one completed project that I am loving. We have also, since May, replaced the seventies light with this classy and brassy chandelier.



It's a huge improvement over what was there, for sure. When we went out one night to pick this up (for $20 off Craigslist - hurray!), we obviously had the kids with us. So Javi asked "mommy, why we buyed this light?" and I told him it was because I didn't like the one that was hanging in the dining area. He thought about that for a long time, and then at lunchtime the next day we had the exact same conversation. He then proceeded to take me through the house and ask me if I liked every other light in the house. :)

Anyways, it's a huge improvement. There still feels like something is a bit off with it, (too gold? too white? too... much?) but it's so much better than what was there. And brighter too! I also hung up some curtains and found a really cool mirror at the thrift store so this side of the room is looking a bit fancier.



I really like the direction this room is heading - lots of visual interest from the brick wall, all the warm wood tones from the dining set and the shelves, and the deep greens and purples. Oh, and I also found these little hanging planters that are just like the ones my Grandma has hanging on either side of her sink. Although her plants are real, because her thumb is amazingly green. I have much less of a green thumb, and also three little babes to remember to take care of before I water plants, so my succulents are fake. :)



How much do you love my little herb tiles on the backsplash? They're kinda charming. I just wish that rosemary wasn't represented three times all within a foot of each other. But - cute. I'm searching for a new little light for over the sink to replace that fluorescent awesomeness. And I think some new knobs and hinges are in order for these cabinets, but I haven't totally made up my mind about that. The next project we'll be tackling in this space? Flooring. For reals. The carpet has seen better days and we have only lived here for four months. :)

And baby makes 5

Introducing...

Declan Oliver Kodanko

Declan joined us on the 7th of July, just three short (or long, depending on how you look at it) weeks ago. He is the sweetest, snuggliest little guy, and we are all in love. He came into the world happy and healthy, and we are all adjusting to life as a family of five.

Nightstands and Dressers and Jewelry... Oh My!

When we moved out here, we were determined to buy new, and not become Craigslist addicts again. The determination lasted us through three trips to big box furniture stores, after which we determined that we were still, in fact, going to use Craig and his list. Yes, there is time and money involved in making over our secondhand finds, but when compared to the cost of purchasing new... well, we just couldn't do it. The time spent refinishing things is well worth the savings. So - you could say we are back to our old ways. :)

Throughout our months at the apartment, Lover and my nightstands consisted of a cardboard box and a rubbermaid tote. Although the aesthetics were lacking, they served the intended purpose just fine, and surprisingly reminded me a little of our newlywed days when we owned one nightstand, a janky dresser and a "couch" made out of twin mattress, six rubbermaid totes and a bunch of pillows. Ah, nostalgia.

Anyways, I was on a mission to get us some nightstands before the baby came, so when a set of two nightstands and a small dresser turned up on CL for $25, I was sold. We trekked out that night and loaded up the van with our finds, after making small talk for a few minutes with the gentleman who was selling the furniture. He wished us good luck with "that" with an awkward gesture towards my very pregnant belly, which kept us laughing all the way home.


So these nightstands are just a simple pressboard construction, nothing particularly fancy or special about them. Someone had previously slapped a coat of burgundy paint on them and, how do I say this nicely, they had done a ... subpar job of it.



See how there is just one uneven, gloppy coat on there? Yeah. Not so special. So I set to work making these babies prettier. I wiped everything down with some hot water and vinegar, and then put a quick coat of primer on all of the surfaces. With primer your goal is not to get complete opaque coverage, but rather a consistent coat that will help your paint adhere to the previous surface. It looks weird, but it gets the job done.



Then I did two coats of gray paint (same stuff we used on our walls) with a third touchup coat in a few little spots. I purchased a small foam roller for this project and it worked really well, making the job go much faster and I got really smooth, even coverage with it.

Being in Colorado means that there is a lot less humidity, and so paint cures much quicker and harder than it did in Rochester. But I still waited several days after everything was dry to make sure the paint was really curing well before I brought them inside. There's nothing I hate more than finishing a piece and bringing it in to use it, just for it to flake or chip or stick to something. So I exerted all my willpower and made myself wait - even though I was chomping at the bit to get them in the room.



Because there wasn't really anything interesting about these nightstands, I went with a fun knob for the drawers. Hobby Lobby makes so many cool knobs for under $5 a piece - I think these were $3.99 each and were probably on sale for half off, since most of their store is usually on sale. :) These little chalkboard thought bubbles were fun and tied in the turquoise. I used a chalk marker to write "MR" on Lover's side and MRS on mine.I still need to find a basket that fits better on my side since I don't have a shelf like Lover does.



Then I turned my attention to finding a dresser for our room. I had a few criteria - long versus tall, light wood, and not requiring a ton of work, since I was about a month from my due date at this point.

After a few weeks of (im)patient searching, I found just the right thing. Long, light stain, and the price was right at $50. It looked to be in pretty good condition too. We drove down to pick it up, and the seller even let me have it for $40. Hurray! When I'm buying dressers secondhand, I've learned to look for a few things - solid wood wherever possible, since dressers take a lot of abuse, functioning drawers and overall condition. If it's covered in stickers or goop or something, it's probably not worth my time to fix it up, unless it's dirt cheap. Thankfully this dresser was only slightly worn on the top, and after looking it over I determined that I could refinish the top pretty easily.



I purchased an orbital sander for this project, and oh my goodness, how did I not know what I was missing out on? This baby is awesome for a quick, even sanding. I loved it. I used various grits of sandpaper to take out all the stains and scuffs in the finish on the top of the dresser, and finished with a high grit to smooth everything back out. This probably took me about half an hour - simple and easy.


I ended up having to take the top back down to the bare wood to get all the stains out. Which meant I needed to whitewash the top to get it to match the finish on the rest of the dresser. I put about a tablespoon of white paint in a cup and mixed it with about a cup of water, and then brushed it over the top in long strokes. Because the paint is so transparent, any touch up strokes are really visible, so try to avoid that when possible.



The kids also worked hard here painting a scrap board we had on hand. They loved it and it kept them busy for quite a while. Here's what the top looked like after the whitewash. Pretty darn close match, right?



I finished the process up with three coats of poly, sanding between coats to get a really smooth finish. Then Lover and a friend brought it upstairs to our room since apparently its not a good idea to carry super heavy furniture when you're preggers.



Looking good, right? It fits really nicely on that wall, and gave us tons of room for clothes. A couple of the drawers are actually empty. :) As you can see, the dresser came with a big old heavy mirror which fills up that wall nicely. And lastly, I hung up all my jewelry on the wall. I love having it hung up as "art" and when it's on display like this I tend to wear it all more.



So that's the story of how we are living like grownups again with our clothes in dressers and nightstands next to our bed. :) Our bedroom feels comfortable and functional, and the rest (art, little personal touches, etc) will come with time. It's a good start!

The Beginnings of the Master

So, I just had a baby. Hurray for the end of pregnancy and a snuggly, perfect little baby! All those details to come, but for now we're going to talk about the master bedroom. Where, ironically, we've been spending a lot of time recovering and snuggling and sometimes even sleeping. Although there has been very little sleeping. :)

I tend to wait to post pictures of rooms until I feel they are done, but I'm trying to change that with this house. I'm trying to share more of the process, the planning behind the scenes, and the evolution of the rooms as we figure out what works best in each case. So,, expect to see more posts here with lots of ideas and plans and inspiration, as we slowly figure out what this house wants to be. Overall, our approach is very different in this house. We're trying to pace ourselves, not live the house, and tackle things one at a time. So far we've focused on making the kitchen work for us (and adding some pretty in there), making the downstairs guest friendly, and getting our master bedroom done enough that it was relaxing and clean and somewhere I wanted to spend time.



This is what we started with when we closed. The view from the hallway was the big window that overlooks the backyard, and some dingy white walls. Oh and a dated ceiling fan.



To the right is the big master closet - not a walk in but huge none the less. We've actually talked about adding a washer/dryer in this closet to have first floor laundry - it's that big. Note the gor-ge-ous fabric decoupaged onto the closet doors. Seriously, it's actually pretty cool fabric, with peacock feathers and butterflies. I'm not saying we're keeping it long term, but I don't hate it. Behind those lovely pink silk panels is another skinny window. (Both of the windows in this room really need to be replaced with modern, functional ones that don't sound like an 18 wheeler is rumbling by when you want to close them)


And, if you stand right in that corner by the skinny window, this is the other view of the room. The doorway all the way on the right is the master bathroom - I love having a bathroom in our room. It's super convenient (and definitely, definitely got our money's worth out of it during the last months of pregnancy!) and someday we'll freshen things up in there and make it all cute. Until then, everything works and that's great.

So - while we were still in the apartment, I found a bedspread that I really, really loved. It's gray and white and turquoise, and so pretty. And then we bought light turquoise curtains from IKEA that went so nicely with the bedspread.


and I already told you that when we moved into Amherst we bought the perfect neutral gray (Ralph Lauren's Saltaire)  to paint all of the rooms with to start. So that is where we started - gray walls, pretty comforter and turquoise curtains. Then I decided that I wanted to experiment with some high contrast color in our room. At Wendhurst we pretty much went with light, neutral and classic colors throughout, so I'm really excited to try out some color and drama in this house. That's when I started thinking about navy blue walls in the bedroom. I've seen pictures of rooms painted in Benjamin Moore's Hale Navy for years, and I've always loved the color.

libbylangdon.com

So, I talked to Lover about it, and he was on board - sort of. He was concerned about the room being too dark if we did all the walls in the navy, so we settled on just two of them. Then we headed to Home Depot to get some paint! Of course, HD doesn't sell Benjamin Moore paint, so we just looked for a deep true navy that would work well with our comforter. The closest we could find that we liked was a Behr Marquee paint called Mirage. It was a deep blue with some green undertones that played so nicely with the grays and turquoises. We went up to the counter to have it color matched (because Behr Marque paint is upwards of $50/gallon) and as it turns out, Behr puts some kind of magic in their marquee paint to make it impossible to color match it. Darn the bad luck! I was seriously irritated. At that point I was ready to scrap the whole "accent wall" idea, since it was turning into a headache, and we really wanted to get our bedroom and the kids room painted before moving in. But - in a stroke of divine providence, we walked past the "oops" paints, and lo and behold, a nice deep navy was on the rack for $9! The only catch - it was a semi-gloss finish. I always, always buy eggshell - it has the slightest bit of sheen to it and therefore is quite cleanable, but it is not shiny. BUT - this paint was only NINE DOLLARS, and would let us try out a new, crazy idea for not a lot of moolah. So, into the cart it went. And up on the walls it went. Ta da!

We decided to paint the two walls that do not have windows the dark blue, and leave the window walls gray.

Surprisingly, the semi gloss doesn't bother me too much. I think I would still prefer it in either eggshell or even a flat finish, but the gloss adds a bit of reflection and sparkle that is pretty cool. In another post I will show you the other walls, along with some details about the nightstands and dresser I refinished for this room, but let's talk about the bed wall for a minute. So - a few things I have been thinking about. This room seriously needs some personal art to make it ours. Our bed is from IKEA, and let me tell you why I love it. The mattress rests on the combination bed frame/boxspring/storage space, and that sits directly on the floor. We had the option to buy legs, but I didn't because, and here is my stroke of genius, you never have to clean under the bed. It isn't the place where lost socks go to die, or little newborn diapers roll underneath never to be heard from again... it's amazing. I love it very, very much.

So, we need a headboard of some sort, and some awesome art above the bed. I think I have figured out what I want for the art, and now I need to sort out a headboard. I think the headboard needs to be white, to provide some contrast with the dark blue wall. This means that the headboard needs to somehow be washable - because I guarantee it will get dirty. I would also like it to be fairly deep, so that we can access the plug that is directly behind the center of the bed. That would be nice for plugging in lamps and our phones at night. Eventually we will need to pay for an electrician to rewire that plug, since it is currently on the wall switch and we are therefore unable to have a light on a switch and our phones charging overnight. #firstworldproblems



The other thing I keep seriously considering is painting the door trim and the door to the en suite bathroom the same blue color. On the one hand it sounds crazy, but on the other hand, I think it would make this wall feel bigger and less choppy. The doors are decently solid and nice, but are still just hollow core doors from the 70s. So I don't think it would be a great loss to paint them. Or at least that one.



On this wall, there is still a whole lot of crazy going on. Ironically, the little "I love u" art I hung up kind of ties in with the colors of the fabric on those doors, which I still don't hate. But, that fabric does clash with the rest of the room. I could paint the doors blue, recover the doors in a different fabric or, I don't know, come up with something else brilliant for this wall. I like the I <3 u that I made, but I think it needs to go somewhere else, it's too small for that wall. I think I want to hang a few pictures of Lover and I on this wall instead.

So - that is the story of how we painted a couple of walls really dark in the master bedroom. Hopefully you can see where I am going with this room- a little contrast, some pretty wood tones, a calm and relaxing place to retire to at the end of the day. Little by little we are getting there!

Due Date

It's such a weird feeling to finally hit my due date. (It was Thursday) It's over! Sort of. :) I've hit my due date with each of my three pregnancies, without a hint of going early, so I had absolutely no expectation of going early this time either, and that's proven true. Here I sit, 40 weeks pregnant, only slightly dying of expectation and anticipation to meet this little one we've been waiting for.

So now the official waiting game begins. When will this little babe decide to make an appearance? We're hoping for tomorrow, since then this will be our little firecracker baby, and every year from now on they will have fireworks and parade in their honor. How cool is that? :)

Overall, this has been my easiest pregnancy. Part of that is experience - I know what works and what doesn't work for me when I am pregnant. (Works - Lots of waterlogged fruits and vegetables. Doesn't work - drinking plain water) I immediately started my heartburn medicine once we discovered we were pregnant again, and my new midwife was a true lifesaver in prescribing an anti-nausea medicine at 19 weeks that totally improved my quality of life. I went from total exhaustion and barely able to eat anything to a much more varied diet and much more energy. Midwives FTW! :)



It's been interesting to follow what's been the same throughout this pregnancy, as opposed to the other two. I still can't drink water, but I made a lot fewer sacrifices to the porcelain throne this time around. Foods I haven't liked or haven't been able to eat this pregnancy: meat in general, and specifically bacon. WHAT KIND OF TRAVESTY IS THIS? With Javi it was mushrooms, with Keilana it was broccoli (no great loss there), but with this one - bacon? Come on! :) On the other hand, I'm obsessed with fresh fruits like blueberries, grapes and most of all cherries. And they have all been dirt cheap lately, so that has been awesome. With Javi I was obsessed with watermelon, and with Keilana it was... mocha frappes from Burger King. And Klondike bars. :) So fresh fruit is definitely a better thing to be craving all the time!

I've also eaten a lifetime's worth of boxed mac n cheese. But we won't talk about that.



We're not sure if this is our last kid or not (we promised NOT to make that decision while I am pregnant, because when I am pregnant I never, ever, EVER want to be pregnant again) but either way, I've been super excited from the get go about adding another little one to our family. I love watching the interaction between Javi and KK, and even though they are in a terrible phase of fighting and hitting and tantrums and disobedience, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I can't wait to see KK as a big sister, and I know Javi will just love having another baby around. He already talks about "When da baby is born, I will hold him and I will pick him up when he is crying." Melts my heart. :)



In general this entire pregnancy has flown by. I found out I was pregnant just weeks after we moved out here to Denver, and so much has happened in these nine months! We moved into an apartment, found a church, set up life here, looked at ALL OF THE HOUSES, purchased a house, traveled back to New York and to Spain, and all of the other day to day life stuff that fills up the minutes. It's been hectic, but it's kept my mind off of obsessing about things that I have no control over (for the most part).

So hopefully this little babe will soon make their appearance, and we can start adjusting to being a family of five! I'm excited about what the future holds, and I've just about run out of things to obsessively clean and nest for, so baby better make an appearance soon!

Life Round These Here Parts

Life has been pretty laid back for the last couple of weeks, since returning from our big trip back to Rochester and my trip to Spain for my little brother's wedding. I'm so glad I was able to be there, I had a great time and I can't believe Ben is a married man now!



We haven't had much going on, but we've been working hard to settle into the house, get ready for baby, and just enjoy our time together as a family again. This has entailed a lot of Craiglist shopping, some gallons of paint, and a certain happy guy with a chainsaw taking down about a dozen bushes in our front and back yards. So.Much.Better!





All of the bushes in this picture with the exception of one are now gone. And by gone, I mean that Lover cut them down and then we dragged them over to the other side of the yard where we will slowly cut them up and burn them in our fireplaces. About half of the bushes were dead, and the other half were so old and overgrown that it was better to just cut them down. We're big fans, especially in the back yard, of a big open grassy space where everyone can just play, so that's what we are working towards. That planter right in the front of the bushes is also on its way out.



Our front yard is also a hot mess. Maybe more so than the back. Because you and the neighbors and everyone that drives by see it every day, you know? Lover dug out the bushes that were just to the left of the steps, so you no longer get groped by their poky branches every time you enter the house. Again, they were overgrown and half dead, and then the movers broke one in half when they brought in our furniture. The little tree all the way to the left had pretty hot pink flowers when we moved in, so for now it's staying. We just trimmed it up quite a bit.  The bush just to the right is gone now, along with the two big ugly bushes in front of the basement window. My thought is that we will make gardens everywhere you see mulch and then eventually get rid of the grassy area and at least one of the big trees and put in some more gardens and xeriscaping. One of the big trees belongs to the city, but it's dead so I put in a call to have it removed. We're debating on whether or not to take out the other tree. We decided to wait at least til the end of summer to see if we prefer it shading the house. :)



The kids have been having fun watching Daddy wield the chainsaw, and just generally being goofs. Peanut is really growing up, our trip was so good for her - it really pushed her out of her comfort zone (me and only me) and she's been a lot more independent lately. Javi had a blast with all his cousins in Rochester, and is never happier than when we are hanging out with lots of friends here.



We spent Saturday prepping and then painting all of the paneling and walls in the basement (above the orange paneling - that's staying for now). It was a long, tiring day, but it looks loads better now. And see how much light pours in those windows now without those dark bushes?



Primer lightened things up quite a bit, and then once we got the actual paint up - so much better! Now I'm working on curtains and decorations to pull it all together. It's getting there! No more pictures till we're closer to the finished product! :)



I'd say nesting is in full swing, although it's looking different in this house than with the other two. This time it's been about organizing, putting systems into place, unpacking those last few boxes, and settling in. Making sure we have all the necessary stuff for the baby, who should be here in about three weeks! I'm nervous and excited and anxious and patient all at the same time. :)


And these little goofballs make me laugh every day. They keep me on my toes and I can't wait till there's another one running around with them.


So that's what life is looking like these days. Hopefully this baby will make an appearance sooner rather than later! :)

In Christ Alone {How ISIS won't win}

Last Sunday, as we drove up to Broomfield after church to buy a couch, Lover spent a good long while listening to me as I bawled my eyes out about all the things that were breaking my heart. Number one on that list? The women and children affected by ISIS' unbending regime. Our church encouraged people to wear orange to church in support of Christians being executed by ISIS, and we spent quite a while talking about the trials the Church is facing over there during our Sunday morning service.

This came on the heels of reading Ann Voskamp's posts about her trip to Iraq recently, where she sat on the floor of shipping containers with women who had been widowed, then fled their homes with their children, trying to escape ISIS. They are powerful posts, and wonderfully written, but only read them if you are prepared for some heart wrenching images and thoughts. It will not easily leave your mind.

All of this left me just absolutely shattered. It didn't shake my belief in God or anything, but it just truly broke my heart that for some reason these women and children have to suffer so much. How was it fair that I get to live in my beautiful, spacious home in Colorado, and sleep peacefully through the night? That I get to  raise my children without any real concern that someone will harm them, or deliver my new baby in a clean, sterile hospital where it is an expectation that, not a question of if,  my baby will live? When women over in Iraq are literally choosing which children they will flee with and which they will leave behind?



Like I said, it just reduced me to tears. I couldn't fathom how you walk through that, how God can carry you through a trial like that. How can you live in such an environment of fear, destruction, of death? How do you see God in the midst of all of that?

Yesterday, during the praise and prayer part of our service, the worship leader talked about the heart wrenching pain that God experienced when He gave up His only begotten Son. I wrote a little bit about this before Easter, but from the perspective of the Son - forsaken by his Father. But I didn't really spend any time thinking about it from the Father's perspective.

And in that moment of reflection, I knew that God understands. That He knows what it is like to lose His very precious child, to make a choice that results in losing them. He sees those beautiful women, making impossible choices. He's there when they have to choose which children they will leave behind, when their daughters are taken by ISIS, when their infants die hours or days after birth because of the conditions into which they are born. He knows their pain, because He's suffered through it. And they can find comfort in knowing that He understands them, and that He's holding them close. They are NOT forgotten or abandoned. He knows their names, the names of their children, He sees their pain. As Second Corinthinans 9 says, they are persecuted, but not forgotten, cast down but not destroyed. 



And then we sang one of my favorite songs "In Christ Alone." This song brings me to tears every time I sing it - the message is so powerful. In Christ alone, my hope is found...firm through the fiercest drought and storm...my Comforter, my all in all...

The last verse spoke to me in particular.

No guilt in life, no fear in death, (you, fellow Christians, executed for your faith)

this is the power of Christ in me,

from life's first cry, to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny. (He sees them, he hasn't lost control)

No power of hell, no scheme of man, (ISIS can scheme all they want, they won't prevail in the end)

can ever pluck me from His hand. (He's holding them, they won't be lost)

Till He returns, or calls me home, (Whether they survive this trial or not)

here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

I can't express how much comfort this brings me. The idea that Christians a world away can feel God's presence walking through the valley of the shadow of death with them, holding them in His hands, hiding them in the shadow of His wings. And it helps me to know how to better pray for them - that God would show Himself so real to them as they walk through this fiery trial.

And I'll thank God that He has not chosen me to walk through this trial, and I'll be all the more grateful for the ways in which He has chosen to bless me.