Caution: Slippery when you put socks on

So, I sealed the floor and it looks A-mazing. The paneling doesn't have the greatest caulking job between the joints, but it'll do.

Before and after:

Well, it's not the best job, but the lines look a little lighter and actually blend in better in person. Some areas need more caulk but I didn't want to open a new tube of caulk until I could get the rest of it done so as to not waste any of it. Once I put in trim the bottom and corners will look better, too.



The other walls caulked. I like walls.

The top photo: sealed floor. And it works. I left the windows open to help it dry. I did a walk through 24 hours later and it was dry. Then, I noticed that there were water droplets on the floor. It had rained earlier that day. Apparently, hard enough to come through the screened window and on to the floor. Nothing seeped into the concrete, so I did a good job sealing it. Easy wipe up! Love that.

Then, I moved my sewing table in, and another table for the serger and ironing board so I could get back to sewing. It's enough to get me started. I have a feeling that as time goes by I will be moving in more fabric and notions until the ceiling and rest of the walls are complete. I can't help it, I like things to be together. But, that's what boxes are for. I can pack it up and move it out of the way, and then organize it when the studio is 100% complete. Good idea, Me!

I had three repairs to do and one ironing project to finish up another project. It was so nice to be able to do these minor projects in my own space. Also, I like to work without shoes on. I noticed that a sealed floor is slightly slippery in stocking feet. Something to remember. The sealant also makes it easy to sweep. The dirt just slides across the floor.

Projects in the works and coming soon!

I...am not Tom Silva

Please tell me you know who Tom Silva is. Anyway, it's been a while since I posted about my studio construction, and I have an update. Yea!!!

Unrelated side note...when did being excited and saying "yea" change to "yay"? "Yay" is not correct. It's just not. And every time I see it I want to take a red pen and mark all over the offending persons post (as I see this online the most). It's "YEA" people! Yea.

Ok, back to my update...
My semi-coworker friend and his wife came over to the house to help put insulation in the ceiling and hang some paneling. Thanks Ryan and Anna!

And it looks great so far!
The insulation definitely helps with keeping the hot air out of the room. Such a nice improvement.
Ryan finished the long wall with no windows because it required cutting out for sockets and I didn't have the tool to do it. (I had hung three pieces prior because they didn't require cutting). Then, he came back on Saturday and finished the short wall by the door, and hung some more insulation as there was only a little bit left to do when we stopped working Friday night.

On Tuesday, my day off and kid daycare day, I did the window wall and the other short wall, all by myself. And it shows. I mean, it's not pretty, but it's not the worst. I am not Tom Silva, you know. But I do rank myself above what Lucy and Ethel would have done.

Here's how we rank:
Tom Silva (the best)
Me (not the greatest, but I could be useful on a work site)
Lucy and Ethel (well, you've seen their work on tv)

My measuring and cutting skills need improvement. I didn't ruin anything, so that's a win. A little caulk, some trim, and it will look even better.

I cleaned up the studio so I can seal the floor. I wiped down the walls to remove lots of dust from cutting, and swept the floor. I need to mop to remove the fine dust and spot clean some areas that need a little more help. There are some gray marks on the wall from using the circular saw and I am really hoping that a magic eraser will remove those marks.

Mostly clean! I had put down some plastic on the floor for protection from scraps from ladders, dust from cutting paneling, and from tracking in dirt from the outside. It looks so nice all cleaned up and wiped down. I plan on mopping the floor this weekend before sealing it, and caulking between the panels to help them blend in better.

Once I get that done I can move some things in and get my crafting and sewing on. I won't completely move in until the entire room is complete so I don't have to move too many things around to actually finish the studio.

And that's the update. I am looking forward to the actual construction completion so I can get to the decorating and organizing of the studio (my forte...much more so than construction).

Father's Day

Shoot! Meant to post this on Sunday. Oh well, better late than never.
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My kids are pretty lucky to have a good dad in their lives. I'm not sure they really appreciate him yet, but I hope they will one day, soon. He takes care of them, reads to them, takes them to Target, makes sure they get outdoor time, plays with them, makes up silly songs for them.

Not all kids get to grow up with a dad like that, or even a dad at all. I want to make sure my kids know that they are loved by lots of people in their lives, but the love that comes from their dad is so much more than anything they can ever know at this point.

So here's to dads, granddads, uncles, and the other special men involved in the lives of children. We love you and appreciate the time you spend with the kids.

This is an idea I found on Pinterest, which is the best thing ever as far as internet and social media go.

This is not an original idea by me. See here.

We did a few other crafts I found on Pinterest (link to my boards) as well. We made a tin can bird feeder, painted by the kids. Some coloring pages and all about dad sheets. Check out my Family, Coloring, and Crafts boards for those pins, as I don't have photos because I had to hide them for the time being.

You know, being a parent has it's difficult moments, and I think those start at around 18 months of age and well, it hasn't really gotten any easier now that the kids can communicate, walk, feed themselves, and use the bathroom by themselves. You'd think it would make life go a little smoother when they can do things for themselves, and sometimes it does, but then other things pop up that you didn't give any time to think about. Sibling squabbling, I mean, I knew it would occur I just didn't realize it would happen so soon. They do enjoy each other but it can deescalate fairly quickly.

We have been working on listening the first time and following directions. It baffles me that they don't do this consistently. We have been learning Bible verses and talking about why it is important to do what Mommy and Daddy say, but, oh it's trying.

So, we try our best and keep at it. One day we will see the benefits of all of the hard work that goes into raising children to become responsible adults. (Won't we? We will, right? Say yes!)

Photos from here and here.

That's us! We're like a Superhero Child Raising Team doing the most okayest job we can. Go Team! *high five*cheers*

Happy Father's Day!

Life Review

I am back at work, which means I have extra time on my hands during the day. Twelve hours is hard to fill sometimes. (Especially since I got word that new grants won't be considered for funding until the government does something about something. Some decision has to be made about money, and funding to the states, sequestration...blah, blah blah.)

So, I put a post together about stuff that took place since my last post about coming home from visiting my twin in Texas.

Here's what we have been up to:

My travel mate:

Splish splash in Texas...

Fabulous fabric I brought back home...

Some chevron love^^^                                                                                              All of it^^^

4K graduation...

I hope to recreate these photos when he graduates high school.

Play time at home. And our Summer activity...gymnastics classes.

 The boy had mentioned that he wanted to learn how to do a cartwheel and the girl twirls and dances around the house all the time, so I thought this would be a good activity for them to do.

(I apologize for the fuzzy pics, cell phones don't always take wonderful photos, mine never does)



I think I might keep the girl enrolled after the Summer.

I am looking forward to summer this year. I noticed yesterday that I was antsy and wanting to do something. Mostly it is due to the fact that I feel much better than I did earlier this year. My three-week cold has lost its hold on me. My lungs feel stronger after two bouts of pneumonia.

It's been raining a lot and that makes for good sewing weather, if my studio was finished. (See fabric photo above). I have things I want to do with it.

I want to go for walks again, without the rain, for exercise. I have activities I want to do with the kiddos; some fun, some learning, some Kindergarten prep. It'll be a full summer for sure!

Good to be Home

Wow! I sure missed a bunch of blog posts while I was away. I mean, it was only four days but so much has happened in blogland. So, where did I go? The boy and me went to Texas to visit my twin. It's been about two years (?) since we have seen each other and spent any kind of quality time together. We had a good time visiting, shopping, wandering around, playing, and seeing a concert (George Strait on his Cowboy Rides Away Tour). Decent show. We didn't stay the whole time because the babysitter had to go home at some point.

My son really enjoyed spending time with his cousin. My son is not happy about coming back home and not being able to spend time with said cousin. He wants to go back to Texas.

Besides not being to play with his cousin, my son was a fairly decent travel companion. He got to fly on his first airplane, there were 4 total. He didn't complain about it taking too long, or waiting too long, or walking too much. He had plenty of stuff to keep himself occupied, and snacks to eat. He wasn't obnoxious or bothersome to the other passengers on the planes and was fine with sitting still for long periods of time. I think we might do more traveling together, aside from not being happy about leaving playmates behind. Poor kiddo.

It is nice to be home though. Seeing my girl. Playing with both kiddos. Checking on my pumpkin plants, which enjoyed the down pour of rain we got on Sunday. Even doing chores-grocery shopping, vacuuming, laundry, and dishes. Making lunches and dinner. Hearing my kids laugh. Making them a bubble bath and letting them eat a popsicle at the same time. Easy cleanup that way. The only non-enjoyable thing about the day, besides the kids being less than agreeable with each other, is my head hurting and pestering me. Nothing can destroy a good day or a good mood like a headache.

It is so good to be home.