DIY Cat Litter Box

I've had such a time in the past with trying to find the right litterbox that my cats can't pee through ...  one of my boy cats kept peeing through the crack between the top of a 2-piece litterbox and the bottom of the box (apparently he aims quite high).  Yuck!!  Cat pee is THE worst!!

I came upon a link somewhere on the internet about making your own litterbox.  In doing so, then I can make it as big as I want (I have a pretty good size girl cat and a large boy cat, so the large size litter box + create-your-own-opening is a plus).   And my boy cat can't spray out the top of the box, although he comes close.  

First you start with the tote of your choice (purchased at your favorite local store):

Here's the size I used:

Then, you trace the opening you want and drill some holes in the corners so you can get your Skil Saw blade in:

Close up of drilling through:  (I used the biggest drill bit in the set and drilled two holes close together.)

Power Tools!!  This is the saw I used to cut the hole.  I cut on / near the black lines.  Setting on the saw = 6 (fast blade).  The plastic did not splinter (like I was worried about).

Ta da!  The hole is cut!  (Obviously I'm not anal about how straight the cuts are.)

The edges were rough, so I took a sanding pad and sanded them down on the front and back.  Here's a close up shot of the finished, sanded edges:

A shot of the finished bathroom/litter box room:

I have 4 cats and 3 large litter boxes.  I had 2, but had been meaning to add the 3rd for awhile.  The nice thing about this is that it is a Basement Bathroom, so we really don't use it much ~ it is pretty much the Cat's Bathroom.  With the litter boxes, we scoop every 2 days.  DH and I alternate.  This extra litterbox will be SO much nicer for the cats!!

In unrelated news ...

You may have seen this tidbit in the news this week ~ the book "The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven" is not fact, but fiction.  I read the book about 4-5 months ago and although it was tough to imagine that Alex Malarkey surviving and enduring what he did, I was comforted by the images of Heaven that he shared.  Like others, I want to know more about how awesome Heaven is.  It makes it seem more real to me, not just a "far off" place ... rather, a place where I can imagine my relatives and friends enjoying and being able to be in the presence of God.  Wow!!  How awesome that would be!

I didn't have the slightest inclination it could be false ~ it was similar to what was in the book "Heaven is for Real".  The tidbits in the news were about how Alex made things up and how his dad / book publishers ran with the story and created the book and promoted it.  I guess Alex's mom has a blog and was saying back in April 2014 how Alex said the whole things was false.  Regardless of how disappointed I am that this whole things was fabricated, I still believe in Heaven ~ I just wish for Alex's sake, his story was real.

Part of me feels like this still is a true account, though ... What are your thoughts on the subject?

Reading + 33 Words

Today, I caught Luke doing something that totally floored me and made me so happy and proud.  He was "reading" the cover of one of his books to himself ("My Book of Numbers").  He would use his pointer finger and start at the beginning with M, then say "mmmm", then move to the Y and say "iiiiii", then the B and say "beeeeeeee" and so on.  He did that for the whole title!  Then he turned the page and read the word "Contents" the same way.  Oh, how I wish I had that recorded!!

Luke has really loved learning all the A,B,C's and also has a love of animals.  His therapists have worked with him really well on harnessing his love for both during his therapy sessions.  We also read to him before nap time and bed time (I read all the titles to him in a similar way he is "reading", by running my finger below the words as I say them ~ so he figures out why I'm saying what I'm saying).

I am so happy and proud ~ Luke has been doing really great in the last few weeks in talking more, using more words and phrases, and even learning a new sign for "again" and repeating it, asking to read/do something "again."  I don't know exactly why things have been clicking, but I have a few ideas.  I asked Jesus at my Holy Hour to please help Luke learn to talk more and He is answering my prayers.  I also specifically asked Miss Courtney from Passionate Perseverance for her intercession in helping Luke talk.  My prayers began specifically in the first part of December in Holy Hour, where I finally "realized" that I have something to pray about.  Usually I am the one praying for another's intention, but for some reason the lightbulb went on and I realized I could "pray for myself and my family" too.  It was more like a (((facepalm))) moment.

Almost a year ago now, I'd posted about how Luke had his initial speech analysis appointment on April 3rd, 2014 (one day after he turned 2), as he wasn't saying anything that even resembled a word (other than "ticka-ticka-ticka") and stringing enough syllables together to form a sentence or a conversation.  If he wanted something, he either grunted/whined, screamed or pointed his arm in that general direction and DH and I would have to figure out just what he wanted.  We were (and still are) pretty good at reading his non-verbal cues, but when others would post about all the cute things their kids were saying and they were about the same age, I knew in the back of my mind that something was up.

Fast forward to almost 9 months later, Luke goes to see Emily on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 30 minutes each, he sees Jill & Colleen once a month for an hour, and he participates in a Toddler Group with 3 other little boys his age once a month for an hour (all have similar developmental problems).  DH and I also have been working with Luke at home in repeating words, more animated gestures, and the like, all while encouraging Luke to look at our mouths as we say and form words ... so he will get the idea.  Now Luke is really good at observing and mimicking what others are doing - especially his favorite TV shows and movies.  He has learned several new words that way.

We stopped at the local Children's Museum in town and had some fun together on Saturday.  This video shows how much he is saying and interacting now ... some of his words are still jibber jabber, but he has the "bear" and the "hop, hop, hop" down, as well as his version of the sign for "all done".  It is such a blessing that his communication is improving!  It means much less stress for everyone involved.

http://youtu.be/IdEnaCjfv7k


33 Words Luke is Saying as of Today:  (more for a mom-record, than anything):
- door (doaaah) (thanks to "Bo on the Go" for that!)
- key (kiii) (another thanks to "Bo")
- red (-ed)
- green (gee)
- blue (boo)
- pink (piik)
- up (up)
- down (dow)
- more (mooooooar)
- two (tooo)
- one (won)
- toot toot (what he calls all trains)
- cow (mooooo)
- alligator (a-di-gogadagogadagogada-tohr)
- horse (neigh)
- bear (beaaah)
- pig (piiii)
- tiger (tiiigahhh)
- O the Owl (from Daniel Tiger) - a loud yell of "OH!"
- poo (pooo)
- hi - (hi ma!    hi da!   hi kiiiii (hi kitty) ... he will wave to us when he says it!)
- bye - (bye ma!   bye da!   bye kiiii (bye kitty ... he will wave bye as well)
- no - (no ma!   no da!)
- Here you are (heeee 'ya ahhhh)
- go (go)
- moon (mooon)
- star (staahhh)
- car (caaaahh)
- mad (maaahh)
- want (wahhh) (he has said "wahhh  i-Pahhh" for "want iPad" several times now)
- oh no!  (oh no!)
- oh man!  (oh mahh)
- tape (pete) (he says it backwards I think ... we read it in the book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" and the mouse asks for Scotch Tape.  Luke then started saying "pete" instead of tape.  :-)

A Special Anniversary

It has been a pretty low-key day.  Church this morning, then lunch, taking down the Christmas decorations, a nap for Luke (which means blogging time for me!), but then I fell asleep for an hour in Luke's room.  Oh well ~ best laid plans ...  :-)

The kitties are being lazy with me. 

It has been a good start to the new year so far ~ I have had off work since Wednesday.  It is going to be hard to go back after a 2 day weekend, let alone 5 days.  But I've enjoyed my time off.  I needed it.  DH and I started to hang curtains in our living room, and we got as far as one window before his back hurt pretty bad, so I finished the remainder of installing the rods and curtains (girl power!).  I love the curtains!!  They add more personality to the house and gives a more finished look than just the blinds themselves (plus they were on Sale!).  This "new look" is a drastic change from the ugly that was the living room when we bought the house.  Couldn't do anything BUT make it look better.  Haha!!

DH and I celebrated our 10 year dating Anniversary on December 31, 2014.  We met 10 years ago on New Years Eve 2004 after mutual friends of ours (who were dating at the time) set us up together.  We were the "single" people they each knew, and my friend Suzanne knew that DH met my "height" requirement (gotta be as tall / taller than me (I'm 6'1")), so they planned to go out with us on a double date to Grisanti's Italian Restaurant.  

By that point in my dating life (I was 23), I'd had several awkward dates.  There was one creepy guy who told me, "I like your hairy arms" (say what??!!??  yes - he truly did say that!  Who compliments a girl on her arm hair?!), there was another where we didn't have anything really to talk about (thanks, Yahoo Personals - you did a great job on compatibility there) and there was one guy I met who seemed like he was trouble in every sense of the word, so that ended rather quickly.  I wasn't the person who dated just so I wasn't single.  I was pretty choosy about who I liked and often they either didn't like me back or were unattainable (thinking of you, Josh-Hartnett-in-Pearl-Harbor!!).  

For that reason, I didn't want to really meet this "new guy" and took my time in getting to my friends apartment to meet DH.  I remember walking in and he was sitting on the couch and I saw that he had a beard.  I didn't know if I could like a guy with a beard.  That made him seem old.  (Ironically, DH is 1.5 years younger than me.)  Other than noticing his beard, I can't really recall what his face looked like at that moment.  I know he wore a dark blue sweater and jeans and had a "leather" coat (I thought "wow, this guy's rich! LOL!!).  We made small talk and then we all got in my car to drive into town to the restaurant.  Everything was going fine on the drive to the restaurant ~ I was open to the possibility of getting to know DH better ~ so at the restaurant, I was talking to him and asking him questions.  DH never directly answered my questions.  He only answered my questions while looking at my friend, Suzanne, or his friend, Blake.  Not to me.  At all.  

This was pretty weird, and I was getting frustrated towards the end of the meal (not showing it of course), but I wondered what I had done for him to ignore me.  Did I have something in my teeth?  Was there a big zit on my face somewhere?  Did I look goofy when I smiled?  Bad breath?  Was I annoying?

I figured he just didn't like me that way (no one had so far, so it was no big surprise, just a disappointment).  I remember driving back to my friend's apartment with DH in the front seat and our friends in the back seat.  I was fiddling with the radio station and remember thinking that this was such a crappy date.  He didn't like me.  He didn't talk to me.  What was the point?  I wanted the night to be over.

We got back to Suzanne's apartment and hung out a bit more.  My sister came over and we all started playing games.  DH started looking at me when he was playing and actually ended up talking TO me and made some funny jokes.  I started to think, maybe he's not such a bad guy.  He's kind of cute ... :-)  As the night wore on, everyone went to bed, but DH and I turned a movie on (The Italian Job).  During the movie, I remember thinking that I didn't want the date to end.  DH seemed like a really nice guy and I wanted to get to know him better.  

Before DH and his friend drove back to Kansas the next day (January 1, 2005), we made plans to talk via Messenger.  So that's what we did for a few weeks.  Then it became phone calls.  Then a few months later, it became a $650 cell phone bill because I was over my phone minutes.  One of our record phone calls was 5 hours and 43 minutes (DH wrote it down.  I don't think he had ever talked to a "girl" that long.)  

By April / May 2005, I knew DH was "The One," so I began exploring job opportunities in Kansas.  One of us was driving each weekend to see the other (it was 4 hours one way).  I moved to Kansas in June 2005.  I "begged" DH to let me know when he was going to propose to me (I couldn't wait ~ I wanted the "rest of my life" to begin "right now").  DH proposed to me on October 30, 2005 and we were married on August 5, 2006.  

DH and I were reminiscing on our "10 Year Anniversary Date" this past Friday, and we were recounting our "First Date" story again, and I learned something new that I had never known before.  DH told me his thought from 10 years ago was that the restaurant part of our date (where he didn't talk to me) actually went really well!!! :-)  LOL!!!

DH posing with our yummy food! 

(Note the address ... 1010.  10 years for each of us!  We realized that later after DH's brother pointed it out to us.)

Rediscovering Myself

This feels kinda weird ... it has been August since my last post.  =)

I have wanted to pop in to let you know what has been happening in the meantime, but honestly, I've been in a funk this past year and that is part of the reason for the lack of blogging, as well as the lack of reading blogs.

So today, I got the urge to update the 'ol blog a little ... new colors and a design that feels like "me" right now.  And also updating my blog title too.  That feels like more "me" too.  Before, I have felt that the title "All in His Perfect Timing" was just about my infertility journey and anytime I blogged about Luke or other "mom stuff", I was doing a dis-service to those still waiting.

Guilt.  That was another reason I realized today about why I've kind of checked out this last year.  Guilt that I am a mom and I still pray for my friends still waiting.  Guilt that I left my old job and my friend (and co-worker) almost two years ago pretty suddenly.  I'm a sensitive person who cares too much about what others think of me and that holds me back in some ways, I guess.

I've been going to Holy Hour Adoration weekly since Thanksgiving (in God's providence, I "coincidentally" have the same day and time that I did when I went in Kansas ~ it is meant to be).  I am reading the book "Rediscover Catholicism" by Matthew Kelly.  The last paragraph of the current chapter I'm in says the following, "If you want your future to be different from your past, there is only one way:  Change your habits.  Our lives change when our habits change."  

I've had some pretty bad habits during the last few years and I want to change that.  The human side of me (the side of least resistance and the "self-destructive" side) has won out.  I've been neglectful of many things that I want to change.  Blogging is just one of them.  I'd like to engage more and I miss reading about your lives and having the opportunity to pray for you.

Wishing you a Blessed "Best-Version-of Yourself" New Year!!

Outdoor Projects

This summer, I've been working on outdoor projects to add some curb appeal to the front of our home.  Here's a picture of what the house looked like when we bought it last year:

There were no flowers or personality anywhere and the grass was pretty dead.  In June, I enlisted DH's help to put in some flowerbeds in the front yard.  It was nice to not have to dig up any flowers/shrubs/small gravel in order to put in the flowers (we've done that before!).  

Below are the "After" Pictures of the house with the flowerbeds added.  In addition, I painted the porch railings and the ceiling of the porch as it had all flaked off once I sprayed it with water to clean the dirt off (oops!).  So began my painting project that took several weekends to complete.

Here is a view of the side of the house.  We added border blocks that I'd gotten from my dad who was getting rid of his and thankfully they went all the way around where I wanted to put flower beds!  The flower bed area was mostly dirt anyway, so there wasn't too much grass to dig up.  We did end up getting a tiller for the soil prior to planting the flowers and then added about 50 bags of dirt (the cheap bags! ha!) in the flowerbeds so we had dirt for the flowers as well as slope the dirt away from the house.  We have tall grasses that really took off, as well as the other flowers in front of them.  In front of the porch railing, there are some lilies that never really bloomed (but are still alive) and a few other plants as well.  I'd have to look up names of what the plants actually are.  I'm not that great of a gardner.  

These are the plants in front of the porch.  I have hostas in between some "Celosia" annuals that are yellow, red and orange.  There is an open spot on the corner as I killed that plant, so I might move my pink hydrangea there.  I planted it behind the tall grasses on the other side, so you definitely can't see it.  Trial and error.  :)  I'm not sure if I like the "Celosia" as they aren't very bright in color.  I mostly just see green overall, so I want to find another annual next year with more color.

Here are my flower pots.  I really loved how they turned out!!  I got the containers from Mena.rds and added some Begonia flowers (orange, white and a purple one that accidentally got in my flower packet), some tall grass and some vine plants.  I've kept them watered and they are really filling out!  I've had begonias in hanging baskets before, but they always seemed half dead, although I watered them daily.  These pots are much easier to care for.  Thanks Lucky at Sunshine for your recommendations on what to plant!!  :-D

We installed a new porch light that we got off of a garage sale last year and I painted the star black.  I hope to paint the door itself black too and leave the orange trim detail around the window ... I'm just waiting for a day that isn't hot as I'd have to leave the door open for awhile to paint it.  If you have another idea for the door color, please let me know!  I was thinking an orange (like the color in the flower pots, but I'm not sure if that "goes."  I also was thinking purple, like the color of the flower pots, but not so sure about that either.  Your ideas are welcome!!

Well friends ... that's it for now!  I'm off to start some indoor projects like painting the foyer, finding curtains for the living room and figuring out what theme to do in Luke's room.  Goodbye white walls!!

The Month of May

Let me first say that it is SO hard to post without one of my cats wanting to come up and sit on my lap where my keyboard is.  I have one persistant kitty that I've managed to make sit so he is not on top of the keyboard and so I can type.  Now he rubs his chin on the top of my hand.....   :-D

It has been a busy month for us!  DH has finished his training to work from home about 2 weeks ago. He works for the "fruit" computer company and takes calls from across the US and Canada to help people trouble shoot the problems they have with their phones and ipads.  We needed to do something, as we were always in the hole every month and eating into savings.  DH searched the internet one weekend and applied and was one of the 2% of applicants who got hired.  He then began a 6 week training course online, here at home, while my mom watched Luke throughout the day.  (kitty is now headbutting me for petting... oh dear!)  He is able to work nights and weekends when I am off work so that we don't have to find a babysitter or ask my mom to watch him.  I love her to pieces, but I really don't know how we survived as children.  Either that, or she's gotten worse as she's aged - I'm glad Luke is as self-sufficient as he is, or we would have gone another route.

While DH was in training, and Luke went to my moms during the day, this was also the time that he began speech therapy at Rite-Care (which is a division of the Masons, I think).  It is something that he qualifies for, so he and Miss Emily have fun playing together for about 45 minutes once a week.  He has been pretty good about it all, as she works with him through playing.  He is looking up at us now more when he talks to see how our mouths form words than he did before.  Luke still won't sign "more," "milk," "eat," and a few other common signs that we've been trying to use since he was 18 months old.  He just won't do it.  He'll let you help him do it, but doesn't have the desire to do it himself.  He *once* said and signed "more" when I was at my parents house picking him up after work.  We were dosing him with Motrin for a cold he had at the time, and as I was talking to mom & dad asking how things were, he reached into his bag and pulled out the Motrin bottle.  He said AND signed "more, more."  I about died!  I was so happy and so proud of him!!!  But he hasn't done it since.  I guess I feel a little better that he can do it - we just need to work on the desire to do it.  His biological brother, E, didn't want to talk / couldn't talk at his age, but now at 3-1/2, he is talking ok.

We are also working with a second group of people at the Early Intervention program with the Public Schools.  He had 2 ladies come out to evaluate him and they agreed that he was developmentally delayed in the speech department and a little in the motor skills department (i.e. blowing bubbles, pointing to pictures in the book, pointing in general, shaking head yes or no, etc).  He has had one session with them so far - I think there will be 2 per month.  We are also trying to print out pictures of things he "knows" are his (like "blanket", "milk", "juice,") or things he does (like "walk", "bath", "swing.") to help him a little as well.

We will keep trying and keep signing and try and get through this hurdle.  This is not the worst thing in the world, but it is frustrating to watch him be so frustrated!  And it is hard seeing other little kids do things he can't (they are littler than him), say "hi", "bye", wave to people and converse with words and phrases.  I think it would be so much easier for him to tell us what he needs rather than flop on the floor and throw things.

(Same cat is now lying on my left arm so I cannot move it. ... it makes typing anything with the letters "z, x, and c" very hard to do ... and also use the left "shift" key.  But he's now all stretched out and about to fade off to sleep  :-D)

I'm off to check on what all YOU have been doing these last few weeks!

Infertility Awareness Week

This past week was Infertility Awareness Week. There are so many couples who face infertility that suffer silently and feel so alone. While DH and I now have a son through adoption, infertility will always be with us, never to be forgotten. Those feelings and that struggle will always be within me. It is a hard cross to carry and a hard cross for others to identify with. 
If you are struggling with infertility, this article will provide resources and support, so you know you are not alone on this journey. 
If someone you love is struggling with infertility, this is a great article to read, so you to find out how to walk beside them on their journey.

Click on the picture or HERE to read the article.

Luke's 2nd Birthday (PIC Post)

How did my newborn Luke go from this tiny little baby ...

to this smiley little 2 year old boy?

We planned a Daniel Tiger themed birthday party for Luke.  He just loves that show!  On the door, we put the sign (on the mirror) that said "Welcome to Luke's Neighborhood!"  We also put pictures around the house in frames that said "Happy Birthday, Luke!"

We decorated the house with $1 twirlies that our friends at Wally World provide.  It wasn't a big party, but we had family over to eat lunch and spend the afternoon with Luke.  It was fun to get the good dishes out and have people over - to really celebrate God's blessing of Luke in our lives.

This is the view into the Living Room and all the fun party decor.  We were just waiting for company ... 

I made little stickers for the $1 party hats we bought at the same famous "W Place" that had Daniel Tiger on them.  I also got creative and made the "Daniel Tiger" cake ... but it doesn't quality as a Pinterest success story.  I'm not sure I'll ever try and decorate another cake again ... at least not with the frosting tools I used.  Maybe one of those fancy things you buy really is worth it.  At least it tasted good.  :-D

We made Luke a shirt (iron on transfer + googling Daniel Tiger images + Powerpoint) for him to wear.  Just turn your head a little.  LOL

Luke loved "blowing" out his candle!  He never really did blow it out, but mom breathing its way would cause the flame to flicker and he would squeal in delight.  It was so cute!  We re-lit the candle quite a few times and he got mad when we took it away.  

A picture of the three of us:

Plastic easter eggs and blowing bubbles are a HUGE hit for a 2 year old.  Just learned that this year.  Oh ... and a slinky!  Here Luke is with DH's parents.  I would blow and blow and blow bubbles (maybe 30 minutes) and he would look up and squeal in delight.  He was just so excited!

Here is Luke with my parents and brother (left corner).  They had given him some magnetic alphabet letters (also a huge hit!) and he loved getting them all out.  His favorite things right now include saying his ABC's (what that means is mommy and daddy say them), so hopefully he will actually say them soon.

Here is Luke with a picture of his train set from Mommy Becca, Basil and his brother Eli.  It came with the Gordon train + coal car and he gets the biggest kick out of it!  Whenever we come home from anywhere, he will run and lay down in front of it and watch it go 'round and 'round and 'round.  

Luke loves his train set so much that Mommy Becca got him an expanded kit of tracks and scenery and a Thomas train.  Now the trains can zoom around the tracks.  DH and I have quite a fun time re-designing all the options for the tracks ... we need to buy just a few more pieces and it will be perfect (can you say addicted?!?  Hi ... I'm over 30 and want some Thomas the Train tracks for my birthday.  LOL!)

Aside from Luke's party on March 30th with our families, we went back to Kansas the first weekend of April to see Becca and her family, my friend and old co-worker Amber and DH's Grandma (who will be 95 this Wednesday).  We did something else the weekend of the 12th/13th (can't remember ... that's crazy!) and Easter was last weekend, so we headed over to both our parents' houses to spend one of the two weekend days.

Life is going good for us at the moment ... DH has a new part time job, we purchased a new "used" swing set for Luke and moved that in this past week and Luke has started speech therapy (once a week sessions for the last 3 weeks), my weight loss goals and journey ... so more topics to cover in depth in future posts.  I hope to catch up on your lives as well as get you caught up on mine.  

Kitchen Progress Pics

This is where I'm at with the kitchen. Progress has kind of stalled. We are waiting for our electrician / my coworker to come back over (it's been 2 weeks since his last visit ... That's about average) and hook up our other pendants, add a hanging light over our table area and do under cabinet lighting and hook up a few more outlets.  I plan on tiling the backsplash, but painted it for now so it doesn't look quite so unfinished.  We also have a new window and trim to install, but right now, the kitchen is 75% done ... And it has only taken 3 months!! 

I'll post more pics once the rest of the lights, etc are hung.  It has just been sloooow going. 

Cluttered

It seems I average about a blog post a month, huh?  That certainly wasn't my goal ... sigh.  Sometimes I feel overwhelmed and just can't figure out time management in my downtime ... which is nap time on the weekends and after 8 pm on the weekdays.  I am NOT motivated in the evenings, lets put it that way.

In the mornings, while I'm getting ready for the day, I think of all the things I could do that day that would be productive ... like organize x,y or z at home (I have LOTS of areas I want to tackle).  Or I think of things that are good for me to do ... like exercise.  

I usually don't accomplish much other than work, come home and hang out with the hubs and play with Luke - all of these I love to do (ok ... maybe I don't love work).  Today, I got a wild hair and decided to tackle the computer room / spare bedroom / former pantry and kitchen / don't-know-where-to-put-it-and-this-room-is-already-lookin'-crappy-so-why-not-add-it-to-the-pile-room.  

I took the pictures below AFTER I had already hauled out a floor to ceiling storage rack that sat right below the fan and held our food/dishes/odds and ends since mid-August.  So it looked much more cramped, if you can imagine.  The computer was in there, and I hated to get online and blog or do bills.  Not a good atmosphere at all.  

I spent about 2-3 hours taking all the stuff out that didn't make sense to have in there and spread it out in the living room/kitchen and put back what I needed.  I am figuring out where to store things and how best to organize things, which sometimes takes time ... but after moving and not using a few things for about 11 months, I know what I need and what I don't need.  

I hate clutter.  Growing up, my parents house was always cluttered - there were piles of papers sitting on the kitchen counters, as my mom would (still does) write things down she hears on the radio, watches on tv, etc to "remember".  But she ends up with a bunch of stuff that she never goes through.  I understand she has to write it down to remember it (I'm that way too), but there has got to be a time limit of how long to hold onto things.   

There were piles of laundry that remained consistently on our floor from maybe age 8-16.  We simply rooted through the dirty laundry piles to find our uniforms or something that wasn't too dirty to re-wear instead of waiting for it to be washed.  My mom had to personally scrub every piece of clothing ON every stain with Lava soap.  We didn't just throw the clothes in the Washer.  

Needless to say, I have a ton more examples of how clutter drives me nuts, but the bottom line is ... it drives me absolutely insane after living in disarray for 11 months!  As I type this post, I am sitting in the clean office/guest bedroom where I am thoroughly enjoying the clean space  -- and I have a few cats who are enjoying it too, all curled up on the bed.  

BEFORE - Look at all that crap piled everywhere!  Now imagine a a floor to ceiling storage rack that sat right below the fan whose length came out to the cardboard boxes on the right and that would be the complete picture.

BEFORE - We had a pile of stuff just inside the doorway on my cedar chest - and look how little stuff is in the rack in the closet!  Gah!  

AFTER - I apologize for the shimmery texture on the walls - that is the globe of the (new) ceiling fan causing it.  It makes the walls shimmery, which is kinda cool instead of it being just boring white paint.  My brother found the ceiling fan for $30 and it is a much more updated style, along with the fact that it doesn't rock when you turn it on, so a definite upgrade.  Hoping to sell the old fan on a local buy-sell-trade site, so maybe a $0 upgrade out of pocket!  (fingers crossed)

AFTER - Desk is cleaned off, pictures hung above on a horseshoe picture frame my youngest sister made for us for Christmas.  As you can see, the closet is stocked now - more things out of the actual room!

AFTER - Two of my four kitties enjoying the spacious new room!

(Pirate on the left (my girl cat) and Biker on the right (my boy cat).  

Hardware & Lighting

The most daunting choices (for me) is Cabinet Hardware & Lighting.  It makes a statement.  I have a hard time sometimes helping others select what they want (well, it is a little easier when it isn't yourself).  But ... after much deliberation, I have narrowed it down to three choices that I like the best.  

Here are the my THREE choices.  

CHOICE #1 (far left), CHOICE #2 (middle), CHOICE #3 (far right)

Despite the finishes shown, I will do them all in a Satin/Brushed Nickel finish (silver, non-chrome).  I am looking for mainly a style choice.  I have decided I like the hardware standing out from the dark Cabinets, therefore I chose the Satin/Brushed Nickel.

Choice #3 (left) .... Choice #2 (right)

Choice #1 (shown in silver on left & grey on right)

CHOICE #1:

CHOICE #2:

CHOICE #3:

*****  *****  *****  *****  *****

***** NOW FOR LIGHTING *****

*****  *****  *****  *****  *****

CHOICE 1:  

This is DH's favorite and is starting to grow on me.  The hardware style I would pick is in the bottom left hand corner of the picture.  Please ignore the poor photoshop job ... but you get the idea.  :-)  The table with light above will go in front of the louvered bi-fold doors in this area (centered between the four recessed can lights in the ceiling will be the light above the table.  Lots of door/window openings in this area!!)

CHOICE 2:

I like the style of hardware (bottom left corner), but I think this may be too fancy?  It has to go by all those doors/windows in the picture above ... would I be crazy for putting fancy in that area?

CHOICE 3:

Similar to choice 2, but a little different.  You can see a trend.  :-)

CHOICE 4:

I wasn't even going to post this, but decided I wanted to document the process.  I think the pendants are a little dark & blend in ... as well as maybe won't go so well with the Stainless Cabinet Pulls.  

*****  *****  *****  *****  *****

That's it ... you now know I'm CRAZY and OBSESSED about these little things.  My poor DH ... I overanalyze and talk things to death!!  :-)  What do you think?  What would YOU do?