Boys Bedroom

Thank ya'll for your input on Facebook, emails and comments!  I've posted some pictures from all of your ideas of the type of look it would create.  One thing all these pictures have in common is how cozy the rooms feel.

After measuring my space, I do not think I have room to do a set of full over full bunks on the right wall AND a full size bed on the left wall.  It would only leave about 23 inches of floor space between beds and that seems like it would overwhelm the room completely.

I love the feel of the room in the above picture.  I like the idea of having a nightstand in between both beds that I could put two lamps on.  To me, that is such a warm, clean, cozy look.  I also like the idea of 2 full beds, side by side, because I can use flat Rubbermaid storage bins to store their stuff hidden underneath the bed.  Bed skirts would hide the storage.  That is part of my current problem.  We keep the beds clean underneath because there is no way to put a bed skirt on the bunks...but that is just wasted space.

I know the blue striped bed picture below is outdated looking, but I still like the overall feel of the room (two beds, side by side, lamps in middle and plenty of wall space above beds to customize look of room).  Bunk beds are very hard to make.  I dread changing the sheets.  Since two of our boys sleep together anyway, I am considering the 2 full size bed idea.

Again, another outdated picture, but it has a clean feel.  I also really like the idea of giving them the space above their beds to put what they like on the walls, in coordinating frames/colors.

The boys side room is the one room I never can get to feel warm, cozy and having a "put together" feel. 

Thanks again for your ideas.  As of right now, here is how my votes are standing...

• keep the twin over twin bunks and make them work
• sell one set of t/t bunks and add a full size bed to replace it
• sell both sets of t/t bunks and replace with 2 full size beds

My biggest problems with our current layout...

• beds are hard to make/sheets hard to change
• room never feels orderly and put together
• the room feels dark right now, want it to be a brighter space
• if we switch to full size beds, we can put storage underneath both beds
• lighting in bunks is not good for reading
• most of all, I want them to have a comfortable space they can retreat to for lounging and getting away

Decorating Dilemma

I have a decorating dilemma and would love your opinion.   Our boys share a bedroom.  Currently, we have 2 sets of twin over twin bunks.  We are considering getting 1 set of full over full bunks, and putting a free standing full size bed in the room as well.  The room would sort of have the feel of the picture below, except the beds on the right wall will be full over full bunks and the bed on the left wall will be a plain full (no bunk).  I'd put a nightstand in the middle of the beds with a cute lamp on it. 

My reason for upgrading the boys to full size beds is to give them more personal space to call their own.  It will take away floor space in their room, but they don't play on the floor of their room anyway.  Since our family is growing, I want them to each have a space they feel they can retreat to when they need to get away, or just want to sit and play or read.  I feel like each of them having a full size bed, even if they are sharing a room with their brothers, will give them each a personal space to lounge.  So, here is my question.

Do I let them each pick out separate bedding they each like, or do I pick out a uniform bedding for all three beds and let them customize their spaces by hanging pictures and posters above their beds?

Here are two examples of neutral sets I found from Wal-Mart.  The red rugby is sharp and clean lined.  If you click on this link, you can see the sheet set better. 

This one is a nice brown plaid, which I also thought would create a clean, orderly look in their room.  3 boys in one room can be a challenge.  I want the space to feel warm and cozy.  I want them to each have wall mounted lighting above their bed for reading.

The next picture is one that I absolutely LOVE.  Of course, we would not do pink and green, but I like the idea of them being able to decorate their side wall.  I even thought it would be cute to paint the boys names on big pieces of wood to hang on the wall.  They each want a poster that could hang at the head of the bed-they want Army, Batman Lego and Star Wars Lego.  I thought framed posters would be easy to change out when they outgrow them.

I included this last picture just for an idea of creative ways they could decorate the space by their beds.

I would love any input you have.  My biggest desires are:

• Each boy has a space to call their own that they are proud of
• Clean, orderly area
• I want it to be cute, but I also want them to be happy
• I need help deciding about the bedding issue-3 different sets or 1 uniform look?

The Best Kind Of Friday

This is the best kind of Friday. Lazy, lamplit, candle filled, coffee drinking, kids outside playing in the ice kind of good.  Here's a pic of my apple dumplings we ate last night.  I just can't tell you how good these things are.  They are buttery and wonderful and make the entire house smell like heaven.  We had mixed reviews over The Sound Of Music at our house, but of course I enjoyed the heck out of it.  It's the 1000 Gifts mixed with Pollyanna tendencies that live deep within me.  I just can't help it.

So, here are some pictures from the boys raking leaves the day before the ice hit.

And...here is today.  Now that I am lazier wiser in my old age, I am realizing there is no harm in sending them out to play while I sit in the warm comfort of the inside.  It took me how long to figure this out?  Would you just look at those rosy red cheeks?!

 

Right now we have more ice than snow.  They don't care.  You can throw an ice ball just as good as a snow ball, apparently.  They are happier than larks out there playing as freezing rain falls from the sky.  And mommy and daddy are happier than larks sitting inside enjoying old people kind of things like electricity.  We lazed around this morning under the covers until noon.  Now that's what I'm talkin' about.

 

The heater is on in the bathroom and extra hot water is heating on the stove to add to the Jacuzzi for the de-frostbite-if-i-cation process when they decide to come in.  And on the back burner, a tea kettle filled with the warm water for hot cocoa.

And on the agenda for tonight? A Mexican food fiesta.  My mom's recipe for Chicken Enchiladas, nacho night for the boys who hate on enchiladas, and homemade salsa.  Dear Lord, please let the lights stay on!!!

Now if I can just stop yodeling.  We're going on a week strong of high on a hill was a lonely goat herd...this is the reason I can't buy the soundtrack.  If I had it in my possession the yodeling would never end.

Ice Ice Baby

We are gearing up for Ice-A-Palooza 2013...it looks like it is going to get nasty.  The meteorologist in me is a little wound up over the weather models right now.  I love a good snow but a good ice?  That is a huge bummer.  There is nothing fun about sitting in a cold, dark house waiting for the power to come back on.

The fireplace people fixed our fireplace today.  The very first thing my boys did when Mr. Fixthefireplace Man left was pull down their pants to warm their biscuits!  I was like, boys, at least let him get out of the driveway before we start warming the biscuits!!!  For the love...

If we loose power it won't work, but I was so happy to get it fixed in time for our event tonight.  We've been on the waiting list for a month.  There are some things around the house that need fixing and we let them go.  The fireplace isn't one of those things-we are serious about our fireplace.  It is part of the family.  We use it all the time. 

We've got a little one who is very sick with a double ear infection.  His cough is horrible, he can't catch a breath to stop and get relief.  Thankfully, we got him in to see the doctor this morning and I have all his medicines now.  He's the one I worry about-him and my Mamaw.  We asked my Mamaw if she wanted to come stay with us and she said she guessed she better not.  Between me and you, we don't get QVC at our house and she does, so I think that explains it.

I've spent the day trying to get us prepared in the event we loose power.  All the phones are charging, cars filled with gas, the laundry is going, we rounded up all the Cuddle Duds for the kids, pulled down the sleeping bags that are warm, and stocked up on peanut butter, bread, bananas, cereal, milk, water, and our traditional movies we watch during bad weather-the Love Come Softly series.  My hope is always that we can have a tree lit few days of snow with good food and movies, but if we're in the dark eating cereal, then we'll try to make lemonade and I'll try not to whine too much.  Oh, and just for the record yesterday we hit a record high of 77 degrees.  My boys raked and filled 11 bags of leaves.  Today, below freezing.  Until next time...

This hills are alive, with the sound of music...

The Sound Of Music (Apple Dumpling Recipe)

Come on Thursday night, would you get here already?  We are super excited about the LIVE production of The Sound Of Music tomorrow night on TV.

The Menu

 

Wiener Schnitzel

German Fries

Crisp Apple Strudel

We are making an evening of it.  Musicals are my all time favorite.  I grew up singing.  From the time my sister and I were little, we sang in a little group.  As I got older, I had the privilege of singing with All-Region Choirs, All-State Choirs, Symphony's...I went to college on a music scholarship...I love music.  My all time favorite music is musicals.

We've seen Phantom of the Opera at the Orpheum in Memphis and Les Miserable on Broadway in New York.  Musically, my favorite is My Fair Lady, I love the songs.  The Sound of Music is in my top 5 though and that is why I am so super excited to see it LIVE tomorrow evening.

So, let me tell you about the menu and share a recipe with you.

Wiener Schnitzel

 

Traditionally, Wiener Schnitzel is a breaded thin cutlet of veal.  I'm not your animal activist friend, but even I won't eat veal. For our Wiender Schnitzel's, we are going with the Oscar Meyer all beef frankfurter. 

German Fries

 

I am hoping the French don't mind if we change the name of their fry for one evening.  I cook these a few minutes longer than the directions say because it makes them extra crispy.

Crisp Apple Strudel

 

I'm Southern, so the way I translate Crisp Apple Strudel is to make a pan of my Apple Dumplings.  When the boys helped me unload the groceries, they immediately spied the 20oz bottle of Mountain Dew and cheers broke forth in the garage..."Yay!!!!  Apple Dumplings!!!"  They know what a bag of Granny Smith's and a bottle of Mountain Dew means...here is my recipe.

• 2 (8 count) cans crescent rolls
• 3 -4 granny smith apples
• 1 1/2 cups sugar (sometimes I use a little less)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 (12 ounce) cans Mountain Dew soda

 Directions:

1. Spray a 13x9 baking dish or pan.
2. Peel and slice apples into 16 pieces.
3. Roll each apple slice in 1 section of crescent roll.
4. Place rolled slices in pan in two rows, put extras along side.
5. Melt butter, add sugar and cinnamon and pour over apples.
6. Pour can of Mountain Dew over all.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

 

The Getting Dressed Experiment

So I was reading a book on the disciplines of the beautiful woman.  It was a funny little read because it was written in the 1970's.  Anne, the author, recommends things like "creaming your hands" before bed.  We call it putting on lotion.  She encourages you to plan your shampoos so you don't end up at the grocery store in your hair curlers.  As you can see, the book was filled with sound advice.

I'm joking around about it, but it really did get my wheels turning on practicing some new routines in the beauty department.  I can say this with certainty.  It is easy to get frumpy fast when you are at home with nowhere to go.  Every once in awhile I fall off the fashion wagon and when I fall I fall hard.

A couple weeks ago I knew I had fallen off the wagon again.  It was the day that all we had on the agenda was a trip inside the bank for some business.  I sure as heck wasn't about to shower and put on make-up just to go to the bank.  While I was perusing my closet for something to wear, I landed on a bleach stained pair of non-maternity velour pants paired with my Banana Republic yard sale sweatshirt that is so worn it is getting a hole in it.  I know.  I know.  It is worse than you imagined.  And yes my rear is about 3 sizes too big to be wearing non-maternity pants and yes the front rolled down under my belly like an accordion window shade.  I'm telling you, it was bad.  For some reason I threw on a silver stud earring to complete the look.  As if that was going to salvage the outfit.

You will be proud to know that I in recovery.  Today I am on Day 16 of getting up and getting showered and dressed with clothes, shoes, jewelry and make-up.  I have allowed myself 2 pajama days in this run and today I am still in my gown because...well...it is cloudy and I felt like it.  My hair and make-up are fixed though!  My mom stopped by for a surprise visit but I think me in my dragonfly gown surprised her even more.  Lesson:  Being dressed allows for drop in visitors!

So another part of the experiment included being ready by 8am each morning.  Yeah.  About that.  I don't know what I was smoking.  Ya'll, I'm just not a morning person.  I'm having to take this experiment in bite size pieces so for now, that has landed with getting presentable the minute my feet hit the floor in the morning.  Shower, face, hair, clothes, jewelry, shoes. 

The first morning I came out of my room all dressed I created a disturbance.  The menfolk of the house were all piled on the couch peacefully reading.

But when they saw me dressed and ready for the day?

WHOA!!

WHERE YA' GOING MOM???

WHY ARE YOU DRESSED UP?

Oy.  It was so funny.

Here is what I have learned from my experiment of getting dressed each day.  Some of my finds annoyed me.  I suspected they'd be true but hoped I was wrong.

• Being ready for the day gave me more energy.  So frustrating to me for some reason.  I want to have energy without getting ready for the day dadgumit.  Is that too much to ask?  It did make me feel much more productive to be dressed and ready. 

• Shower first.  It was surprisingly easy to make this transition.  The minute I get up, I am getting in the shower.  If you wear make-up, put it on when you get out.  If not, moisturize your face, fix your hair and get your clothes on.  This is my biggest daily battle {the putting on real clothes part}.  Gosh.  I love my pajamas so much.  I always want to get ready and then put my pajamas back on.  Before my experiment, I had my Bible reading time first thing in the morning but then I never wanted to take the time to get ready after.  Switching the order of shower and reading has made ALL the difference in the world for me.  Who wants to get ready?  No one!  That is why it is best to get it over with first thing.  Plus, Anne suggested that maybe God gets tired of facing all those millions of hair rollers and old robes each morning.  {insert chuckle here}

• Make the bed.  This is where you really start feeling good about where things are heading.  You are up, dressed, ready, your bed is made and you are off to a great start.

After I make my bed, I get my coffee and let the boys know we are one hour away from starting school.  This is their time to finish their playing and prepare for school and it is my time to spend with Jesus. 

I ditched the alarm clock for  now.  There is a place somewhere between discipline and grace and that is where I want to live.  There are sacrifices to staying home but there are also some great benefits.  Freedom in your routines is one of them.

I also discovered that I'm not so much concerned with a schedule as I am with establishing strong routines.  A schedule, in my mind, is structured with the clock.  If you get off schedule you are behind.  A routine is a flow of the day.  It creates a rhythm.  Both a schedule and a routine do something great for children.  They create expectation.

So there you have it.  My experiment I've been working on.  She is getting up and getting ready for the day and it is making her more productive. 

My next mission in the beauty department is thinking through my clothes and personal style.  This one will be a few months in the making but for now I'm people watching to think about what looks I like the best.

My Holiday Planner

I have found it works out really well for me to get most of my planning and shopping for Christmas taken care of in the first week of December. My goal is to have everything bought and wrapped by the first Saturday (which would be this weekend) of December.  This frees me up to focus on other things we enjoy-things like opening our home to family and friends, watching Christmas movies, looking at lights and drinking hot cocoa.

We did end up doing some shopping on Black Friday after all (much of it online).  Today I wanted to show you my festive holiday planner.  I like to refer to it as Grand Central Station.  As you can see, it is a lovely spiral notebook.  My cover is actually blue because I pulled it from the school room.

This little notebook is where I keep track of all the gifts we've purchased and what we still need to purchase.  It keeps my grocery lists for the month.  Today I am spending some time in my office thinking through menu's for the month.  I am also including snacks/desserts/fun drinks in my menu planning.  I want to be prepared for last minute drop-in's or those spur of the moment evenings when we want to invite someone over for coffee and dessert.

Here are a few tips on planning and shopping for the holiday season:

• Keep it simple.  Sometimes this is easier said than done.  Have you considered the three gift idea?  Something they want, something they need, something to read?  We are using this as our baseline this year and I can already tell it has relieved pressure on me to create the perfect Christmas morning experience.  Because I know me, I'll supplement some more fun things to unwrap.  Things like this metallic coloring book.  Our boys LOVE these things.  They are super cool!

• Plan.  For some this comes easy, for some it will feel like the death of you.  There is a huge amount of value in spending a few minutes thinking through your priorities for the month.  Include menus, gift lists, events you'd like participate in or create, and people you'd like to have over for dinner or dessert.  Last year we took the weekend before Christmas and went to Branson.  We took our own food, our Christmas books, candles, games and fun snacks and just got away as a family for part of our gift to each other.  I can't tell you what a blast we had.  We did not turn on the T.V. in the condo.  We spent the time being intentional.  Because we planned a little, we were able to make it happen.  Planning can reap huge harvests of blessings!

• Set some deadlines.  If you enjoy going out on Christmas Eve for last minute shopping then do it!  But if you'd rather spend it sitting by the fire and playing games, then that will require getting your act together early.  The longer I have to accomplish something, the longer it is going to take me.  This is why I have the goal of completing my shopping the first week in December.  This week I will shop online as much as possible and Friday I will spend the day wrapping up loose ends-making sure I have wrapping paper, tape, bows, stocking stuffers. 

• Take advantage of online shopping.  Amazon is one of our best friends this time of year.  You can get better or comparable deals and it ships in the perfect box.  All you have to do is wrap it!

• Pray over the details.  Pray for creativity in shopping and gift giving.  Ask God to lead you to the right stores, websites and sales.  Ask for Him to stretch your dollars.  I even wrote out a little prayer at the top of my gift giving page.  "LORD, please lead and guide us, help us keep you at the center and focus of our shopping."