Checking things off the Big List!

As happens all too often, I started writing this post on Monday. . . and now here it is Weds Thurs. . . but the good news about that is that I have not had a chance to blog about the stuff I need to do because I have actually been doing stuff!

Well, that and watching Antiques Roadshow on Netflix Instant.  (If that's not a sign of latent, desperate clinging to unproductiveness then I don't know what is.)

But still, YAY! 

I still want to share my list, and hope you will share your plans--and accomplishments!--with me too. 

But I also want to share some more stories with you all.  Because so many of the items on my latest To-Do List represent so much more meaning or emotion than the simple words could ever convey.  Some of the things on my list are/have been a very big deal to me in some way, and it feels like doing them and crossing them off will be a huge accomplishment.  Part of the fun in accomplishing will be sharing the stories with you!

For example, one of the things I just today crossed off my list was "buy bed."  Those words are so innocent--but they represent a full year of dreaming, and several months now of serious research, imagining, planning, sketching.  You see, I think we have finally decided on what kind of bunks we will be making for the kids' bedroom.  I say we, but really I mean my Dear Husband.  As some of you know by now, I am an ideas person, so I can really have fun trying to creatively solve a logistical problem set before me.  That has been the case with these bunks.  Here were the starting parameters for the beds:

--The beds have to take up as little room as possible in what is officially considered a "half-bedroom."  The size of a nice walk-in closet. This is why we could not just go buy some bunk beds and call it a day. No, these babies were destined to be custom-built from the start.
--There should be four separate sleeping spaces.
--The design has to be something we can do ourselves, with our fairly basic abilities.
--It has to be something made with materials that are easy to work with, and readily available.
--It can't be too expensive to make.
--Both DH and I have to like the plan.
--And of course, I want them to look great--and even cool. : )  Esp. I wanted them to lend some kind of vintage feel to the room, and work well with the other vintage things we have in there.

That does not sound too hard, right?

But those of you who know me, and my Dear Husband, are already rolling your eyes and chuckling.  (Susan, I'm looking at you.)  You see, we were starting from nothing.  No materials in mind, no overall look--which started out really exciting (oh, the possibilities!  We're doing this from scratch, so we can do anything we can dream up!).  But starting with nothing in mind meant I felt like I had to think through ALL the possibilities, so I make sure to pick the best one.  That was really fun at first, just going nuts imaging so many wondering possibilities, but it quickly became so frustrating for me, because my DH can't see all the Pin-worthy ideas in my head, and so it was hard to get him to see my visions, and even harder to sell him on one.  He does not outright trust my instincts and excitement on home projects, which is overall good, so I don't run with the first idea that gets me going and we together make sure it's a good idea before we invest in it--but also means I have to do a lot of work to plan an idea just to present it to him, but then if he does not like it I'm back to the drawing board.  So I have spent this whole summer gathering ideas, working through logistics, presenting the ideas to him, waiting while he processes the ideas (can take weeks), and then finally realizing he does not like the ideas, and having to start all over with new ideas.

I confess to at least one moment of despair.  But I just focused on the end goal--the beds for our kids, which they need.  Like, last year. And so I persevered and DH and I were really good about listening to the other, trying to find the things we both liked and agreed upon, etc.  The design phase has taken much more time and effort than I would have expected, but we have been good partners throughout, and I think that is ultimately more important. 

And finally. FINALLY. I think we have a starting point for our design.

During the annual Week Without Children, DH and I took advantage of our freedom to visit local salvage lots and antique stores getting ideas.  And while at one local antique store that specializes in reclaimed antique furniture and salvaged decorative house parts (Crawford's Antiques, for my local friends), I saw the bedrails from an antique rope bed.  And fell immediately in love.

This is not that same bed, but just one on eBay I found a picture of so I could show you some idea of what I'm talking about.  The long bedrails that first caught my eye look just like the 4"x4" piece with the wooden knobs running along the bottom of that headboard, but are the long pieces that would make the sides of the bed.  Immediately I starting designing in my head bunks that would use these antique bed rails. . .

And then upon inquiry, we found out the rails were part of an old wooden bed from possibly the early 1800's, from Pennsylvania.  Roughly similar to the one in the above photo, but with a much plainer headboard.  So cool.  But there went my idea, since it would be sacrilegious to cut down an antique bed to make bunk beds from it.

Or. . . not. . . ?

The next day or so, I just could not get the idea out of my head.  If we used an antique bed for our starting materials for the bunks, we would have lovely carved wooden bits to lend a wonderful vintage feel to the project, which is one thing I wanted.  And the bed the rails belong to was languishing in unlove in the "half-price" room of the antique store.  The bed itself is nifty--I love to imagine the hands that crafted such things--but not that pretty.  It was $150.  And still, nobody wanted it.  From all my Antiques Roadshow viewing recently, I can say with authority that old and really neat do not automatically mean valuable.  Also, pieces that don't fit modern ways of living don't tend to be valuable--this bed we liked was a rope bed, and a 3/4 size at that, which means nobody could use it as-is.  Most likely whoever bought it would discard those beautiful side rails and just use the headboard and footboard with a modern twin metal bedframe.  So, to be used and appreciated, somebody was probably going to have to alter it from its original state.  Why is it worse to modify it heavily than modify it a little?  The end is the same--an old bed no longer in its original state, which makes it less valuable.  But yet, it is only as valuable as it is useful!  And I figure it is more of a waste for this bed to stay intact but remain disused and unappreciated than for us to buy it and hack it apart and turn it into something that will hopefully be used for years and years.  (And might even end up a fond heirloom of its own in our family!)

I hope I reassured you of the rational thought behind this idea, and no one is upset at my initial premise.  Because either DH caught the vision, or he decided to make me happy--whatever happened, this past weekend he agreed to the idea.  Yipee!

And today I went and bought the bed!  And having bought the bed, the official process of building the beds has begun!

Now, of course that is just the first step--but I really do believe it was the hardest.  Now we have to take the bed apart and measure and figure out how to make the pieces do what I hope they will do.  But DH has the tools and ability to work with wood, and we can just go buy wood pieces to fill in all the extras we would need, which is not that expensive.  We can do it.  I'm so excited!

Another thing on the list I also need to do ASAP--research windows.  Because I am trying to convince DH that we need to put in two new windows there on the wall in the bedroom, so that a) the kids will have emergency egress from each level of bunks, and b) the bottom bunks have natural light.  He is really loathe to do it, because of all the permit mess I explained in a previous post.  But it seems like one of those things in which the benefits will greatly outweigh the negatives, so I am hoping to convince him.  But once again, I have to do a lot of research and planning and vision casting, and we'll see. . . .

So, I'll let you know as things progress.  But for now, here is the

Big List of Things I'm Getting Done:

This past weekend I:
--bought new fabric, trim, padding and tacks for re-upholstering bench in living room
--researched and ordered tool for finishing re-upholstery job on bench
--ordered Smiley's b-day gift
--set date for Happy's birthday adventure (pottery painting with her friend Mini-Rosa--thanks to my Mother for the gift certificate!)
--finished organizing large storage items under house
--reorganized book/homeschool storage under house
--went to hardware store for chalkboard paint

This week so far I have:
--cleaned items to donate to pregnancy resource center for auction, and delivered them
--made Target run to buy a couple more plastic bins for books/magazines
--bought thread needed to mend things in overflowing mending bag
--started getting classes and events on the calendar for Fall
--watched documentary for discussion (another story behind this one--more on this later!)
--bought bed (!!!)

Still need/hope to:
--research housing code for new windows with emergency egress
--research possible windows
--get other necessary materials to finish bench
--take out all excess staples on bench so it is ready for fixing & upholstery
--sort and organize homeschool cupboard
--finish organizing homeschool/books to be stored in bins under house
--prepare last boxes of plums for freezing
--clean all the sorted bins off of deck and get organized back under house
--finish putting new bedding plants into garden

Know I won't get to this week, but will soon need to:
--list and deliver more freecycle
--order bottom sheet for box springs
--put new coat of paint on school chalkboards
--figure out best way to contact friend in England for long-overdue catch-up
--find ukulele teacher for Happy for this year
--plan Sunny's pioneer birthday adventure
--make pie with Sunny from the berries she collected from the backyard all summer and froze

That's all stuff that has been in my mind, that I want to get done and get out from under.  There's one more "little" thing--cleaning the whole house top to bottom. I need to prepare for a friend staying at our house while we are away in Chico at a family reunion.  Oh, and I have less than a week to do it. ; ) 

But I'm telling myself I have plenty of time.  Before I turn my attention to a Big Clean I want to get a few more things done on this list--so we shall see what this weekend allows.

And hey--blogging about all this has been one of the things on my mental to-do list this week as well!  So, whoo-hoo!

Please do share your successes and goals with me in the comments, if you are similarly mindful of getting things done this week. : )  I would love to hear them!