Upcycling, My Way

My story begins with this cardboard box. It contained 8--48 oz. packages of spaghetti, and I purchased 5 boxes. I've already done the math for you. (Though you just might want to double check...) That's 40 --48 oz. packages of spaghetti, or 160--12 oz. portions. Just the size to feed my little, but growing family. (By growing, I mean aging...no announcements here.) I'd say that's a respectable dent in my food storage for one trip to the grocery store. While I'm stoked to have just upped my food storage by 50%, that's not the purpose of this post, nor the real purpose for the purchase in the first place.

No, that little cardboard box is actually the star of the show!

You see, with all this purging going on at my house, I literally stumbled into a mess of papers and paintings and macaroni art that I'd stuffed away with the intent of sorting through after kids went to bed, so as not to cause any meltdowns when I chucked 95% of it. Of course, the last thing I wanted to do at the end of the day was pull out another mess when I already had 15 others to attend to, so it has all piled up on me over the last few years. I needed a better way of keeping their "treasures" organized, but with funds pretty much non-existent, I had to get creative. Enter Mr. Box, Mrs. Box and the whole rest of the Box Family. They are the perfect size to fit neatly side-by-side on the big black shelf in Dixon's new room.

How convenient that I have just recently discovered the miracle that is Mod Podge, because Bridget, Dixon and I made a little jaunt to the fabric store to purchase the perfect fabric to cover the Box Family for only $8.00. Here's the result...



I love how these turned out! Seriously! I admittedly hate crafty stuff that looks totally crafty, but I think these look like I bought them that way. And let's be honest, there's no way you could find these 5 boxes for $8. Anywhere. Thank you, Box Family. I shall enjoy looking at you everyday.

Restoration Project #1

So, I mentioned a little restoration project in my resolutions post, so I thought I'd post some before and after shots of the dresser. This was my Grandma Martindale's. After she passed away, it ended up with my Uncle Kim. Then it got passed on to his daughter Courtney and sometime last year she no longer had room for it, so she called and asked if I wanted it and the matching vanity. HECK YEAH! I'm kind of nostalgic, so I was thrilled to get something that belonged to Grandma.

I think I've been blessed to be able to see potential. Some people would look at the sorry state this thing was in and banish it to a life of servitude in a hidden closet somewhere full of other forgotten stuff. Or maybe to a landfill, or the woodpile...but not I! No, I knew from the moment I got this little diamond in the rough, that it was destined for greatness. It's taken it's place in that hidden closet full of forgotten stuff until this week, when I finally got the gumption to rescue it from its anonymity. I haven't quite made it to the vanity yet--now that I know how much work it is, I'll make sure I have nothing else to do for 3 days before starting on it. Also, better ventilation. I'm pretty sure I've been high for the last week--which wasn't altogether horrible until the headaches started...but I digress.
This was the result of the stripper I put on it. Nasty stuff I tell ya. Oh, and just so ya know. It burns. Bad. I had to use a toothpick and a needle to scrape everything out from between those little ridges.

This was after the first coat of stripper. I got down to the original finish which was very exciting!

This is after I got all the original varnish off and sanded it down to reveal the natural wood veneer. I was surprised to find the pattern on the drawer faces. I thought it was beautiful!


And of course, the (almost) finished product. Originally the drawers had no knobs, but after many reincarnations, holes were drilled to accommodate some. Now I need to do a little searching for ones I think are just right and will do the dresser justice.

Through this process I learned some valuable lessons:

1. You have to see the end from the beginning, even if the picture isn't entirely clear.
2. Restoration is a difficult process. It requires attention to detail which is especially hard for me.
3. There are no shortcuts if you want to truly restore something.
4. There are always surprises along the way. Good and bad.
5. The more prepared you are, the smoother the process will be.
6. What was truly restored surpassed my capacity to envision initially.
7. The result is worth the effort.

I Have Read the Book of Mormon

We did it! It took us two full years, but we were able to finish reading the Book of Mormon as a family on December 31st. What a great feeling of accomplishment! It was difficult to figure out what exactly would work best for our family, at first. We tried reading at night before family prayer and bedtime--that was a disaster. Kids were either way too tired or too wound up to sit still enough to get a verse out, let alone a chapter. We also tried getting up early to read before school/work. The kids already have to get up at 6:00 to be ready in time for their carpool, so between their exhaustion and my eyes not focusing yet, plus morning gym visits for both Mike and I, early mornings didn't quite work either. What we ended up doing was getting the girls all settled in for breakfast, then postponing ours until after they were out the door. Mike and I would take turns reading the chapter as the kids ate. It was perfect! They were a captive audience who were too busy eating (and let's be honest--tired)to talk & be disruptive. It only took us two years to get it all figured out, but it was worth it to read that last verse together in Moroni Chapter 10. Now as we begin the new year with 1 Nephi, Chapter 1, Verse 1, we ought to be able to finish it for the second time in a lot less than two years! Here's hoping!

2010

I love lists. Ask Mike. Ask the girls. Everything important, or even unimportant, always begins with a list.

What do I need at the store? Let's make a list!
What should we plant in the garden? Let's make a list!
Who has ideas for Family Home Evening? Let's make a list!
What projects need to be done around the house? Lets make a list!
What should I do today? You guessed it...Let's make a list!

I'm NOT exaggerating.

Unfortunately, just like Danielle, I'm a great starter, but a lousy finisher. I think that's why I felt so drawn to her notion of New Year's resolutions. No lists. (gasp!) Nothing to fail to check off...yet again. Just a simple theme. A way to live rather than living by specific details that tend to be overwhelming, at least for me. Perfect. Now, what should this theme be? What do I really want to accomplish this year, and how do I embody the intent of my resolutions for 2010 in one word?

I started looking for inspiration in some of the changes we (our family) and I have been diligently trying to make over the last couple of months.

Just like last year, Mike's work has slowed to a halt during the holidays, so we've really been feeling the pressure of having no income other than the mortuary since before Thanksgiving. I went through my couple of days of deep depression, and plead with the Lord for some direction. The next day, Mike came home from a sweet lady's house with a book in-hand. Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey. I'd heard of him. I'd heard great things about him. But I had never taken the time to listen to him or read his book. I sat on my "spot" on the couch and proceeded to read the entire thing in one fell swoop. It was like drinking water after crawling through Death Valley. I knew this guy knew what he was talking about and I knew we had to follow his program if we wanted our life to change at all. Once again, I felt impressed that we should sell the Expedition. Up until this point, I had rationalized keeping it every time I got that impression. This time was different. We immediately cleaned it up and put it up for sale. It was gone within 2 days. The timing was impeccable because the kids were out of school, so I didn't have to worry about carpool for a while. We've figured out that the truck will do until next month when we get our tax return and we'll buy an old used van for a few hundred bucks. (Fingers crossed it will not turn out to be a lemon...)

Our next step was to start selling stuff. We've been taking an inventory of the things we own and have realized we simply don't need it all. KSL.com has become my new best friend and everything I've posted has sold within a day. Providential? I think so. Even without an income, we've been able to meet our financial obligations thus far.

The old addage, "Fix it up, wear it out, make it do or do without," has become somewhat of a mantra for me as I've reorganized, purged and cleaned with a fierceness I haven't felt before. Dixon's crib has gone from girly white to a deep espresso that looks fantastic against his newly painted sage green walls. My Grandma Martindale's dresser and vanity have become a labor of love as I've stripped and sanded and scraped and stained and varnished for 3 days to get them back to their former 40's/50's glory, and it can now be passed on to my children and their children as a kind of heirloom.

Not only have we been giving ourselves a financial makeover, but Mike and I have resumed our morning gym visits and are overhauling our meal choices. We're certainly feeling better because of it.

So, with lots of time spent away from the internet over the last couple of weeks, I've pondered deeply what kind of life I want to lead in 2010. I really couldn't have encapsulated what I envision my year to be like any better than this:

res⋅to⋅ra⋅tion

1. the act of restoring; renewal, revival, or reestablishment.
2. the state or fact of being restored.
3. a return of something to a former, original, normal, or unimpaired condition.
4. restitution of something taken away or lost.
5. something that is restored, as by renovating.
6. a putting back into a former position, dignity, etc.

I will live a life of restoration this year, and I can't wait.

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009

Our Homemade Christmas was a complete and utter success!

Christmas Eve was spent cleaning up the house a bit, grocery shopping a bit, and finishing up last minute projects (Mike). We had our traditional finger foods for dinner, and the girls absolutely adored getting to eat with toothpicks! We had a hard time convincing them that each morsel of food did not need its very own stick, so we went through half a box of the things. However, since no one poked an eye out or punctured anything important, we'll call that a success.

After dinner we pulled out some fabric scraps and the girls dressed up to tell the story in Luke Chapter 2. Of course, the star of the show was Baby Jesus, aka Dixon, who commanded everyone's attention when he refused to lay quietly in the manger (car seat). He had Mary (Brooke), Joseph (Maggie), a Wise Man (Katie) and a Shepherd (Bridget) abandoning their posts in order to offer their own kind of comfort to the crying babe. It was loud and chaotic, but in hindsight, very sweet and lovely.

We ended the night singing carols in the glow of the Christmas tree lights, and sent the kiddos off to experience visions of sugar plums. Mike and I were up until midnight, taking care of all of Santa's work, finishing up last minute projects (Mike), wrapping the remaining gifts, and getting cinnamon rolls ready to pop into the oven come morning. Of course, that came awfully quickly when Dixon decided to start his day at 4:30. The first of the little ones crept upstairs around 5, so we began the festivities!

The girls, ready to open up the boots and tights Santa left them. (Not homemade, but necessary nonetheless.)

Dixon, scrutinizing the wrapping paper before attempting to eat it.

Our little candy cane thief.

One of the advantages of not spending Christmas with extended family (though we love them dearly and have a blast when we do) is that we get to take our time opening our gifts. We let the girls hand out the gifts they made, then watch as their presents were opened. What a great way to teach them how wonderful it is to give--I think they had just as much fun watching as they did opening! So much so, that they all decided they wanted to make their gifts from now on. Guess I'll be spending the next 12 months coming up with new ideas!
Here are the ones from this year:


Apparently Mike overheard me telling my parents that I wanted to get all my recipes organized into the computer and compiled into one Master Book, because I was shocked to open a binder full of my recipes alphabetized! The girls helped him punch holes in the paper and decorate it by gluing on different images and icons. The hours he spent on this project are immeasurable and I really couldn't have asked for a nicer gift for Christmas!


After racking our brains, trying to come up with something we could make for Dad, we discovered that men are very hard to make things for! Maybe I'll consult with a few more men next year about what they'd like because this was the best we could come up with:Since Mike had been rummaging through my lotions and complaining that all mine were too "girly" for him, I found a kit at a craft store, and we proceeded to concoct our own body wash and lotion that smelled a bit more "manly." This was a really fun project! The girls got to choose their scent and color, then add some extras, like Vitamin E, aloe, and shea butter. Their favorite part was no doubt naming their very own product, and putting the labels on the bottles. They were even a hit with Mike!


As you'll remember from a previous post, Maggie's gifts were skirts I helped her make, and they turned out beautifully! Little did Maggie know that her mother would spend Christmas Eve Eve making her one as well!


Not only did Brooke make those cute bracelets I posted earlier, but she also made some of these adorable earrings. They turned out very nicely and I may even take a turn at borrowing them. Of course, she squealed with delight when she realized I made her these little blue ones with a matching bracelet to go with the skirt Mag made her.


Katie's hair accessories also went over really well with everyone. We especially liked this headband she made for Brooke. And yes, I made some for Katie as well!

The girls all thought it was a great idea to make ties for Dixon this year. Because it's only two tiny little straight passes on the sewing machine, I let them do it and they thought that was the best! Our little man is even more handsome now!

Grandma Barbara even got in on the homemade action and made these sweet little necklaces for the girls out of scrabble tiles w/ the first letter of their name. They have been wearing these nonstop!
And the highlight of the homemade parade was no doubt the My Little Pony Stable, Mike made for the girls out of scrap lumber. I Mod Podged some leftover material from the girls' skirts onto the insides and now they have a new-found desire to play with their ponies! He's planning to make little gates for the outsides. We'll see when that will actually happen. Until then, it's a favorite of us all!

And of course, all the while presents were being torn into, our cinnamon rolls were filling the air with their alluring scent while they baked in the oven, begging us to devour them. No Christmas would be complete without this traditional breakfast.

Jealous, huh?

That concludes Christmas for another year.
Can't wait to see what kinds of things our imaginations come up with for 2010!
Merry Christmas to all!

Merry Christmas

By now, most of you have received a Christmas card from us, and those of you who have not, I probably don't have an address for you..hint, hint. Some of you may be visiting this blog for the first time, so to you I say, WELCOME! Here you'll find updates on the Stringhams, some of our favorite recipes, all sorts of fun projects, an occasional rant or two...or three, spiritual musings, and pictures galore, documenting the life of our little (in size, not number) family.

2009 Recap

• We're still working for the mortuary, and Mike is still running Handy Mike's. I'm still running carpool and taking care of things on the home-front. Sometimes successfully.
  
• We spent a lot of time preparing and working in our 900 sq. ft. garden. We are becoming better gardeners because of it!
• In June we welcomed Dixon into our family and have been loving almost every minute of his precious little life. The minutes we don't love so much are the ones that come at 2 and 3 in the morning.
• Summer was full of reunions, swimming and ice cream...of course.
• In August, our Maggie turned 8 and was baptized on the same day Dixon was blessed.
• The end of summer brought back to school (enter choir of angels here), and canning madness. You're jealous of our peaches, I know.
• We spent our Thanksgiving at Mike's parents' house, while they were away at his brother's, giving them a bathroom makeover to surprise them for Christmas. It worked!
• In December, we sold our Expedition. *Sigh* With much food storage packed away, we've begun to get our financial ducks in a row as well, which included downgrading vehicles. So far, we've seen the hand of the Lord many times in the process of preparing, and it's been truly a miracle. We can't wait to see what else He has in store for us!
  

We are so grateful that each of you is a part of our life. We have been blessed beyond measure in family and friends, and want to wish you all the sincerest of Merry Christmases! May God bless your lives as abundantly as He has ours, and may we remember the gift He and His Son gave to us all.