Monday, December 16, 2013
Pitter Patter
During the week of Thanksgiving, Hylie started taking a few steps. She still isn't walking around on her own, she mostly will only take steps when prompted and Mom and Dad are on the receiving end. I'm sure it will be just a matter of time before we can't catch up to her!
Thanksgiving 2013
We were so grateful to have had the opportunity to go to Pennsylvania to enjoy Thanksgiving together.
Hylie was a fantastic little trooper in the car. The only time she fussed was when she was trying to fall asleep!
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| Before we ate the amazing Thanksgiving Feast, Mom stood to announce that she was happy with how everything turned out! As she should have been, everything was PHENOMENAL! |
We enjoyed visiting with everyone but missed Grant, Rachel, Eli, Eric, and Morgan as well as Geoff's family.
Hylie certainly enjoyed all the food, but was so clingy during our entire stay. If she wasn't in her Mom or Dad's arms (or gobbling up Grandma's amazing grub), she was a little grouch! We hope she'll warm up while we're there for Christmas!
Music Nook
Okay, technically I shouldn't be blogging about this yet, because it's not completely finished...but I just can't help myself, I'm so excited with how well things are coming along!
One of the aspects we LOVE about this house is the amount of storage. There is a large clothing closet in the living room which was probably intended to be a coat closet--but since we have the mud room, we decided to convert this other closet into a "Music Nook". (I bet you won't be able to guess who's idea that was! ha ha!)
This little space needed a TON of TLC. So it took MUCH longer than I had anticipated, but I hope you'll agree all the work paid off.
There were nicks, gashes, holes, and globs that needed taken care of before we got painting.
None of these projects have been done without guidance from Dad. I usually email him picks and questions like this:
And then we get on the phone so he can explain away what all we get to do to solve our problems!
I wanted this nook to be a focal point for the room, so I looked into some painting ideas to give the wall a 'pop' and decided to go the stenciling route. I was too cheap to by a $50 stencil, so I decided to make my own for $2.50. Such a feat would NOT have been possible without Geoff. You know when you were sitting in Geometry class and wondering, "When am I ever going to use this stuff?"...well 20 years later, I can answer that question! I was so close to figuring out how to make a geometrical stencil that could be repeated over the surface of the wall, but no matter what I did, it never aligned correctly. I spent several hours on this problem before Geoff came home. When he arrived, I showed him the work I had done up to that point and expressed how frustrated I was in not knowing how to make it line up correctly. He literally looked at it for 20 seconds and said, "Oh, that's easy, all you have to do is shift the thickness of the trim over half the distance of the radius." What? Well, I won't go into an explanation, I'll just let you know: Geoff was 100% correct and I had a perfect template for my stencil.
I cut it out and took some advice from Pinterest on how to go about painting with a stencil. I think this idea saved me from a disaster:
Yes, I taped a level to the stencil to ensure I didn't get off and create an abstract mess.
When I started painting, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it or not. I decided to use a flat paint for the entire wall and then stencil with the same color in high gloss. After I stenciled a few patterns, it wasn't looking promising, but Geoff and I agreed to keep going and see how it looks when it's done.
So you're probably wondering what else needs to be done, right? We're going to mount my cello and add a music quote to the wall...hopefully we'll get that figured out sooner than later--but in the meantime, we'll just enjoy our pretty wall.
And here's the light fixture that caused our computer woes. Yes, it looks much nicer than what was there before, but I wish it wasn't such a costly install.
One of the aspects we LOVE about this house is the amount of storage. There is a large clothing closet in the living room which was probably intended to be a coat closet--but since we have the mud room, we decided to convert this other closet into a "Music Nook". (I bet you won't be able to guess who's idea that was! ha ha!)
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| BEFORE |
This little space needed a TON of TLC. So it took MUCH longer than I had anticipated, but I hope you'll agree all the work paid off.
There were nicks, gashes, holes, and globs that needed taken care of before we got painting.
None of these projects have been done without guidance from Dad. I usually email him picks and questions like this:
And then we get on the phone so he can explain away what all we get to do to solve our problems!
 |
| Isn't it amazing what a fresh coat of paint does for a space? |
I wanted this nook to be a focal point for the room, so I looked into some painting ideas to give the wall a 'pop' and decided to go the stenciling route. I was too cheap to by a $50 stencil, so I decided to make my own for $2.50. Such a feat would NOT have been possible without Geoff. You know when you were sitting in Geometry class and wondering, "When am I ever going to use this stuff?"...well 20 years later, I can answer that question! I was so close to figuring out how to make a geometrical stencil that could be repeated over the surface of the wall, but no matter what I did, it never aligned correctly. I spent several hours on this problem before Geoff came home. When he arrived, I showed him the work I had done up to that point and expressed how frustrated I was in not knowing how to make it line up correctly. He literally looked at it for 20 seconds and said, "Oh, that's easy, all you have to do is shift the thickness of the trim over half the distance of the radius." What? Well, I won't go into an explanation, I'll just let you know: Geoff was 100% correct and I had a perfect template for my stencil.
I cut it out and took some advice from Pinterest on how to go about painting with a stencil. I think this idea saved me from a disaster:
Yes, I taped a level to the stencil to ensure I didn't get off and create an abstract mess.
 |
| It's nice to have walls that haven't been painted yet, I was able to practice with the stencil in the dining room before I officially started painting the music nook. |
When I started painting, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it or not. I decided to use a flat paint for the entire wall and then stencil with the same color in high gloss. After I stenciled a few patterns, it wasn't looking promising, but Geoff and I agreed to keep going and see how it looks when it's done.
And boy, do we LOVE how it turned out!
Oh yea, we painted the stair risers, too!
So you're probably wondering what else needs to be done, right? We're going to mount my cello and add a music quote to the wall...hopefully we'll get that figured out sooner than later--but in the meantime, we'll just enjoy our pretty wall.
And here's the light fixture that caused our computer woes. Yes, it looks much nicer than what was there before, but I wish it wasn't such a costly install.
Linen Closet
Blogging has been a little sparse due to Miss "Bobbie" Villa, as Geoff likes to call me. Yes, as a result of my 'handy' pursuits, I killed our computer. I was changing a light fixture and turned off the main power to do so, and when I turned the power back on I heard one long, steady beep coming from our computer (which was in sleep mode, and NOT turned off when I flipped the breaker). Yes, our computer had flat-lined. Ugh. We're still not completely sure why it happened, but it unfortunately happened regardless as to whether or not we understand why. So Geoff was not only amazing in finding a replacement tower, he also figured out how to put our old hard drive in our new computer and recovered ALL of our info! This was not an easy task on Windows 8, but somehow he figured it out! Thanks, Geoff!
So now, after that lengthy explanation, on to our Linen Closet! We have a nice, big closet in our hallway, but it only had one shelf and a rod to hang clothes--we felt it would be much more useful as a linen closet, so we got to work.
When we were working on our Mud Room, we removed the shelving that was in place for shoe storage and re-used it here! We only had to purchase shelf supports which was a nice break for our wallet. We cut the shelves to size and eagerly hung away!
So now, after that lengthy explanation, on to our Linen Closet! We have a nice, big closet in our hallway, but it only had one shelf and a rod to hang clothes--we felt it would be much more useful as a linen closet, so we got to work.
Geoff removed the shelf, sanded down the walls, and then I got busy patching and painting.
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| Check out those guns! |
When we were working on our Mud Room, we removed the shelving that was in place for shoe storage and re-used it here! We only had to purchase shelf supports which was a nice break for our wallet. We cut the shelves to size and eagerly hung away!
Ah, what a site!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
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Thursday, November 14, 2013
Mud Room
The thing I'm learning about home improvement projects is that it is never wise to set a deadline for when you think your task should be complete. Life just happens. And not only does life happen, but you also find out about unexpected steps you need to add to your project as you realize what you've really gotten yourself into. Thank goodness for my patient husband who doesn't seem to mind how long areas are out of commission and in construction mode and also for my extremely skillful Dad who can diagnose a problem over the phone and explain how to fix it!
We recently completed the first phase of our mud room renovation. Because I took out the closet in the living room for a 'music nook', we needed a spot to hang our coats. So we sanded, patched and painted one of the walls in the mud room and got a much more attractive (and operable) light.
Thanks to Dad's amazing carpentry skills, he made us a wood mount so the light could be installed properly. I'm still in awe at how perfect the wood mount is and Dad wasn't even here to measure or look anything over! He asked a few questions and a few days later, his handy work appeared in the mail! Thanks so much, Dad!
And during this renovation, we even took the time to play in the fall leaves before our first snowfall!
We recently completed the first phase of our mud room renovation. Because I took out the closet in the living room for a 'music nook', we needed a spot to hang our coats. So we sanded, patched and painted one of the walls in the mud room and got a much more attractive (and operable) light.
drum roll please....
Thanks to Dad's amazing carpentry skills, he made us a wood mount so the light could be installed properly. I'm still in awe at how perfect the wood mount is and Dad wasn't even here to measure or look anything over! He asked a few questions and a few days later, his handy work appeared in the mail! Thanks so much, Dad!
Yes, that is a piece of Styrofoam shoved in the bottom of the light to try to get it to straighten out!
When I picked up the hooks for the wall, Geoff was confused why I wanted to mount more than three hooks. I used the argument we would need hooks for guests...in reality, we need hooks for all of my coats, jackets and vests. One day Geoff will realize that women truly need twice as many things as a man ever will...but don't worry, we still have a few empty hooks, so please feel free to visit us any time!
And during this renovation, we even took the time to play in the fall leaves before our first snowfall!
I love how Hylie kept her right leg elevated...just like she did when she sat in grass for the first time. Ha ha!
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Happy Halloween!
This year we decided to dress Hylie up as a Cabbage Patch Kid. I did quite a few searches on how to make a wig and found there was very little help out there, but after reading one semi-helpful post on the interwebs, I decided to just give it a try. It turned out to be such an easy task! I wound the yarn around a shoe box, cut it down the middle so I had a bunch of yarn laying horizontally one way, then laid the yarn along a beanie, sewed a seam down the center and then sewed some bangs across the front! Once I had the yarn wound around the box, the wig took me literally less than five minutes to do! I wish that was the case for getting Hylie to actually WEAR it! Ha ha! Luckily, I made the wig at the beginning of October because it took some time to get Hylie warmed up to the idea of having this mop on her head. The first time I showed it to her, she cried. I put it on my head to show her what it was for, she screamed and pulled it off of me. Off to a great start, right? After a few days of absolutely NO success, I thought to put the wig on one of her dolls. After she saw me hugging the doll, she started snuggling with it too, and then after a few days, she let us put the wig on her! The funniest part is she really gets excited to wear it if you tell her how pretty she is in it! Ha ha! Do we have a girl on our hands or what?
We're looking forward to taking Hylie on her first Trick-or-Treating adventure!
Monday, October 14, 2013
Chicago Boat Tour
Geoff planned a wonderful outing for us in Downtown Chicago. We got to go on a river boat tour! The overcast weather was perfect, we didn't have to squint when looking up at the tall buildings and the rain held out until after our boat tour was done. We learned a little bit about Chicago's history and architecture and enjoyed our fun get-away. Thanks, Geoff, for planning such a great date!
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| The Sears Tower |
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| This tall black building was one of Geoff's favorites--the Leo Bunett Building |
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| Along Navy Pier |
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Sportin' the Spoon
So Hylie has been getting better and better with using her hands to get into anything she can. Recently, she has been figuring out how to put her spoon into her mouth and gets REALLY excited if it actually still has food on it! Last night at dinner, whenever food would be successfully delivered to her mouth via a utensil instead of her fist, she would get super excited and clap with us. Here's a short clip of the action:
To help hone her skills, I decided to let her try a spoon with oatmeal this morning. Of course, a sticky mess accompanied this adventure, but I was pretty impressed with how much food actually made it to her mouth.
In other Hylie news, she still loves walking around with her toy walkers and holding on to Mom and Dad--but the minute you let go, those knees bend and she is back to crawling. It's okay, she's easier to chase when she's on all fours.
Her movement isn't limited to the ground either, unfortunately. Diaper changes have gotten pretty eventful with hands going where they shouldn't go and her body twisting when things shouldn't be twisted. Every once in a while we're thankfully able to distract her with a good read while we finish the needed business down below.
To help hone her skills, I decided to let her try a spoon with oatmeal this morning. Of course, a sticky mess accompanied this adventure, but I was pretty impressed with how much food actually made it to her mouth.
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| Don't let her fool ya, she still got a lot of grub by fistin' it in! |
In other Hylie news, she still loves walking around with her toy walkers and holding on to Mom and Dad--but the minute you let go, those knees bend and she is back to crawling. It's okay, she's easier to chase when she's on all fours.
Her movement isn't limited to the ground either, unfortunately. Diaper changes have gotten pretty eventful with hands going where they shouldn't go and her body twisting when things shouldn't be twisted. Every once in a while we're thankfully able to distract her with a good read while we finish the needed business down below.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Front Door & Laundry Room
I love "Before & After" pictures. Not just because you can see what amazing progress was made, but because if there's an "After" picture, that means a project is DONE! Geoff and I have been slow and steady in getting projects done around the house, and boy does it feel good to be checking things off our list and feeling so excited about how things are turning out!
Our front door was a piece of work. There were stickers on the window, finger prints and smudges all over the place and some type of stain splattered all over the bottom. I was anxious to give this puppy a nice makeover. So Geoff and I marched down to Home Depot (with Hylie in tow) and picked out some paint colors. We sure love having this beautiful door being one of the first sights visitors see when coming to our home!
Because the previous tenants took all (and we mean ALL) the shelving in the laundry room, we had our work cut out for us to get this room storage-ready. It cost us a pretty penny, but it feels good to have a fresh coat of (non-yellow) paint and rows of shelving so we could actually unpack the basement boxes! We sure are loving our home!
Where's Waldo?
Our church youth group had an activity called "Where's Waldo" and asked Geoff to participate. The fact that I never realized how much he actually looks like Waldo blows me away.
We had one day to scrounge up a costume--what a fun little event it was!
Gone Campin'
For Geoff's birthday we decided to join some families from our ward on a quick camping adventure. It was a beautiful weekend and we thoroughly enjoyed the family time (and being away from house projects for a little while!)
Geoff wanted a chocolate cake to celebrate. At first I was planning on trying to go dutch oven style...but since I've never really experimented with cooking cake over a fire, I decided to play it safe and bring an "Ooey-Gooey Chocolate Cake". Boy was it delicious! Geoff had quite the chorus singing the birthday song to him!
There were 17 children in our group and only 2 were boys! That night all the girls danced and sang songs together. Geoff was laughing at the sight and commented how NONE of his camping trips had such activities like this. Gotta love girl power! Ha ha!
That night Hylie didn't do too bad. She slept for a few hours in the tent, but when she awoke crying, I didn't want to disturb the entire camp, so Geoff helped me grab blankets and get set up in the car. Hylie slept until about 5:00 AM in my arms...I wish I could say the same. I was in and out of consciousness, but mostly "in". I enjoyed the beautiful sunrise though! Around 6:00 AM Geoff joined us in the car so he could warm up from the 48 degree night.
It was a beautiful day to be near the water. We played along Lake Michigan before we headed back home. Happy Birthday, Geoff! You are such an amazing husband and father. We enjoy each and every day with you and are so blessed to have you in our lives.
We decided to strut our "Team Woodhouse" gear for the trip.
Geoff wanted a chocolate cake to celebrate. At first I was planning on trying to go dutch oven style...but since I've never really experimented with cooking cake over a fire, I decided to play it safe and bring an "Ooey-Gooey Chocolate Cake". Boy was it delicious! Geoff had quite the chorus singing the birthday song to him!
There were 17 children in our group and only 2 were boys! That night all the girls danced and sang songs together. Geoff was laughing at the sight and commented how NONE of his camping trips had such activities like this. Gotta love girl power! Ha ha!
That night Hylie didn't do too bad. She slept for a few hours in the tent, but when she awoke crying, I didn't want to disturb the entire camp, so Geoff helped me grab blankets and get set up in the car. Hylie slept until about 5:00 AM in my arms...I wish I could say the same. I was in and out of consciousness, but mostly "in". I enjoyed the beautiful sunrise though! Around 6:00 AM Geoff joined us in the car so he could warm up from the 48 degree night.
Hylie LOVED being in the great outdoors. She explored anywhere we would let her.
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| Our fearless (and filthy) explorer |
It was a beautiful day to be near the water. We played along Lake Michigan before we headed back home. Happy Birthday, Geoff! You are such an amazing husband and father. We enjoy each and every day with you and are so blessed to have you in our lives.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Hylie Highlights
As we continue to work on house projects and squeeze in a few get-aways while the weather is still nice, Hylie keeps herself busy with a few things like:
Some friends let us borrow this toy and for several weeks Hylie wouldn't even let us put her near it--she showed absolutely NO desire for walking. Just this past week she started warming up to the idea of walking with it and now it's one of her favorite past-times! It will be just a matter of time that we hear the pitter-patter of her little feet running around instead of her little hands slapping the floor as she crawls.
Finding her belly-button
Playing in moonsand.
(Moonsand = eight cups of flour + one cup of baby oil)
(Moonsand = eight cups of flour + one cup of baby oil)
And strutting her stuff with this Winnie-the-Pooh walker.
Some friends let us borrow this toy and for several weeks Hylie wouldn't even let us put her near it--she showed absolutely NO desire for walking. Just this past week she started warming up to the idea of walking with it and now it's one of her favorite past-times! It will be just a matter of time that we hear the pitter-patter of her little feet running around instead of her little hands slapping the floor as she crawls.
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