Batchelors Way

Pirate Room Update - Built Ins Part 2

2012-02-12T16:58:00.000-08:00

I finally finished window wall built ins.

Yeahhh!!!

I really struggled with what colors to paint them.

Black seemed the obvious color for a pirate room,

but I didn't want it to be too predictable.

I also wanted to work in the wood tones from the shutters I have for the window.

(Show ya that latter!)

In the end I choose a dark grey called Knights Armor by Olympic.

Which I love!!!

(OK, truth be told I color matched this at Walmart with Glidden paint that had a built in primer.)

(I am a true believer in primer, so this was a risk for me.)

(So far it seems OK, we will see how it holds up!)

The top of the window seat was laminate that looked like wood,

that stuff is tough, tougher than any paint so I opted to leave it.

(Remember this is a BOYS room!)

I then painted the counters faux wood just like the closet doors.

(You can check those out here.)

The laminate and faux wood matched pretty darn good!

Then we put the top shelf unit on top and trimmed it out with some small cove trim!!

So exciting.

(Did I mention I built the top section?)

(Yeah baby!)

I like this building thing!!!

Remember those wooden decals I put on?

I painted them grey along with everything else and distressed them.

(I lightly distressed everything.)

(Let's face it, it's a boys bedroom and everything will soon look distressed.)

(This way it all looks good!!!)

I could barely wait until I got the crown moulding up!!

It made such a difference.

Now, is a good time to mention one of my screaming deals!!!

I purchased that crown molding at the Restore.

Total cost 20 cents for 11 feet.

Enough to do both sides of the room!!!

That's about $19 I saved!

Next, I turned my attention back to the window seat.

The drawers didn't have any handles just a finger pull under the drawer.

But boys little fingers are really going to muck up those drawers fast!!

Besides the handles add so much!!

You are thinking,

"Nine handles at $3 or more dollars a piece just for looks

is not the ~~cheap~~ Batchelors Way.

Silly you,

I only paid 10 cent each for those at the Restore.

I saved over $26 dollars!!!

That's the Batchelors Way!

(OK, I did have to clean them up a little.)

(Below-right is what they looked like when I bought them

and the left is after I cleaned them up with a little soap and scrubbing)

I like the gold and how they look kind of old!!

My husband told me my way of placing the handles was brilliant!

(NO, I didn't pay him to say that!)

Here's what I did.

I traced one of the drawer fronts on a piece of paper and cut it out.

Then I just folded it in half each way.

I then knew where the middle of the drawer was each way.

Then I just centered a handle and traced the tips and had a template.

(See above)

I taped that template to each drawer and drilled.

The handles lined up perfectly!!!

Now if your still with me, I'll show ya some more details.

We put a reading light mounted to the front.

Originally I planned on this fixture from Lowe's for $29.96.

Very Pirate like,

but when we went to purchase it,

it seemed a little to big.

But as fate would have it,

we found two smaller sconces in a clearance section.

$9 each and much more size appropriate.

(If your doing the math, we saved almost $42 on those babies!)

The next two pictures show the shelf brackets I bought at the Restore

eight for 80 cents.

(They would have cost at least $40)

I just painted them grey before I installed them.

Now we have adjustable shelves.

The above picture shows the edge of the shelves,

top is plain

bottom is with trim added.

I wanted a chunky shelf, so I added trim.

Much better don't you think?

I have two more things we did to these built ins.

Tell ya them latter!!

Total I saved by buying at the Restore or on clearance was $127!!

Used items make wonderful products!!

I can't wait to finish the whole room.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Random life at Batchelors

2012-01-26T19:51:00.000-08:00

Here's just some random things that give you a glimpse at what life is like at our house.

Pinterest has effected even my husband.

When I showed him these spaghetti hot dog things on Pinterest

he just had to make them with the little kids.

They had a lot of fun making them.

Here's another Family Home Evening craft activity.

Austin makes a killer friendship bracelet and decided for our activity this week to teach us all how to make one.

He added that we had to give it to someone who needed a friend.

As a side note,

Branden and Em picked kids at school who didn't have a lot of friends

and got a lot of grief from the other kids.

Things like,

"Why did you do that?"

"Do you like them?"

But they each stood their ground and helped make those left out kids happier.

I was so proud of them.

Doing something nice is not always easy when there's

peer pressure!!!!

We like to build stuff around here

but we often have to fix stuff too!

Like the other day I heard this weird noise from the kitchen.

I walk in the kitchen to find Les,

NOT ONE OF THE KIDS,

had ran into the cabinet door and broke it off.

I mean broke the door in two!!!

Luckily it was easy to fix with a little glue and some clamps!!!

This is a very common scene at our house.

I call it the Creative Curse!!

(We go through paper like you would not believe.)

Often there are kids sitting around the kitchen table drawing.

In fact as I'm typing this there are four kids drawing at the table.

Here's some of Austin's doodles,

he's applying to colleges and his sketch book seems to make lots of schools want him in their art department.

This particular night Jaysen was working on this picture of Elvis.

Can you say AMAZING!!!!!

So that's a glimpse of the

Batchelor Life,

lol!!!

Finished painting the built ins in the Pirate room,

post about it soon!!!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Pirate Room Update - Built Ins Part 1 and my new skills!!!

2012-01-22T16:18:00.000-08:00

I've been working daily on the Pirate room and getting so excited.

If you remember I planned on having a built in window seat and headboard shelves.

We started with this short dresser we found at DI for $45.

(We couldn't build all those drawers for that price.)

(It was well built and offered lots of storage.)

So we attached to the wall under the window.

Instant window seat!

Next, I helped Les build the bottom section of the headboards.

(We used 1/2 inch MDF for everything but the counter tops we used 3/4 inch MDF.)

This is where I put on my big girl panties and began to build without Les.

(Check out my last Post about my new inspiration)

I built the top section ALL BY MYSELF!!

(Definitely tackling my most daunting task!)

It's just a simple box which I cut out the front in the design I wanted.

I know, amazing huh?

(I know it doesn't really look that amazing yet, but I'm working on new ground here.)

Hardest thing by far in my new adventure is making all the decisions alone.

I just stop and think," I'll ask Les what he thinks",

then I have say to myself,

"Ronda just decide and do it or you'll never get done."

Oh, yeah back to my original post.

Let's see how I made that awesome cut out.

First, I drew lines where I wanted the edges to be.

Next I used my expensive curved template (a plate) on the the corners.

Once I had those lines set I used my fancy supports

(trash bucket, wind toy and some magazines)

to hold the piece as I cut out the inset.

Here's the top that I made, married to the bottom that Les made.

(Get it? Married!!)

(I just crack myself up!)

We have some lights that will be mounted to the front,

so Les who is still the electrician, added the light boxes.

I also added some wood decals on either side of the light boxes.

(See them held in place while the glue dries?)

After that I turned my attention to the ugly gap between the old and new.

That gap made it look like we took an old dresser and sandwiched it in between two book shelves.

(I know that's what I did, but I don't want it to look that way!)

I wanted it to look like one built in.

So, I ripped some left over bead-board down into two inch strips on the table saw.

(Yes, all by myself!)

I used the table saw and my chop saw to take out half the strip on the top half.

I was left with a L shaped piece that covers the gap perfectly.

(I know that doesn't make sense, so just look at the pictures.)

I've been busy wood putting and sanding getting ready to paint.

I'm making good progress.

I'm so glad I have such a supportive husband who puts up with me

as I attempt to do so much on my own.

I'm so glad that's his advice is only a phone call away.

I love you babe!!!

So how am I doing with my new adventure?

I could use some words of encouragement this is quite scary!

Thanks for stopping by!

Inspired!!

2012-01-14T12:27:00.000-08:00

In blog land and on Pinterest I think we all see pictures that we love,

that we wish we had,

and that inspire us with an idea of something to make.

I am no exception.

Just take a look at my pin boards full of ideas for every room in my house,

even outside and foods to make.

But sometimes blog land inspires us to do more than oooh and aah or think some day I'll do that.

That is exactly what happened to me.

I stumbled upon the blog Sawdust & Paperscraps and saw this master closet!!

(You have to go over and check out her blog!!)

Gorgeous!!

But what inspired me was that Sandra built the closet built-ins herself!

Let me back up just a little.

I have about a million projects on my list that I've had since

the day we moved into our house four years ago.

Most are finishing the basement and adding usable but pretty storage.

My husband and I are both pretty handy.

But I usually just assist Les with the building projects.

Which is good cause we make a good team and he is very talented,

but this is limiting because of his time.

I mean he has to do this thing called work for like 8 hours a day,

plus church callings,

and spend time attending our kids functions

and on and on.

Get the picture?

He is a busy man, and here's me going

"You want to work on the house now?"

So I have been thinking,

"How much can I do?

Can I do more by myself?"

Then last week I was invited to participate in Imagine the Impossiblities Challenge

by Linda at It All Started with Paint

I thought my most daunting project is building stuff without Les.

So back to Sandra from Sawdust and Paperscraps,

I watched her video of her closet building adventure.

(I hope she doesn't mind me showing this

it was on Youtube and the real source of my inspiration)

Are you just amazed and impressed!!!!

(Yes, I know you can't wait, go right now and check out her blog)

(Then come back here and finish reading my post.)

After I watched that I wanted to be just like her.

I couldn't stop thinking if she can do this so can I!

In my DIY world she was my new hero.

I've decided not to be intimidated any more.

I jumped in with both feet and already built the two boxes for the boys book shelves!!

(I'll show ya them later.)

I made my sister come over for moral support.

She thought I was crazy,

(but she always does.)

I think I was most worried I might mess up.

But I guess if I do I'll just have to fix it!

Anyways I'm sharing this to hopefully inspire others to reach a little farther,

to try a little more to reach beyond your comfort zone.

And find you can do more than you though you could.

This is in everything not just DIY skills!!

So everyone reach!!!

Thanks to Sandra for inspiring me,

(by the way isn't she just as pretty as she is talented?)

Look forward to my new skills and my new mistakes!

That's the Batchelor Way!!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Update on Pirate Room - Windows

2012-01-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

Yes, we are working on the Pirate Room.

Not as much as I would like but that's another post.

We just finished the window trim.

Nothing to spectacular, pretty straight forward.

(Except for small goofs)

But I'll point those out later

(I always do, hoping to spare some else of our mishaps)

We chose wood to trim out the window instead of MDF,

because we are attaching shutters and feel the wood is stronger for holding screws.

First, we had to make a sill.

We learned from our master bath project it was easiest to just make a template.

So we did out of cardboard.

(See below)

It fit like a glove.

Some how when we cut it out of wood and put it in place it fit well in front but was short in back!

Uggh!!

(I hate it when you go through such careful planning and it still doesn't work.)

We were about to go back to the store and buy a new piece of wood,

but then opted to just add a piece on the back.

We used wood glue and clamps.

Make sure the grain is going the same way on both pieces so it will blend in.

You can't see it at all from the top side.

After our fix it fit perfect everywhere.

(Yeah for us!!!)

We did have to notch out along the underside for the window clips.

Next I turned my attention to the ugly gap under the sill.

I went to the Restore and picked up some trim.

(20 cents each. That's 40 cents total)

(Love those prices)

I glued the two pieces together to build it up for the window apron.

This should have been an easy job,

but at last it was not!!

This trim was too tall to cut on my saw,

I had to call around to my neighbors

(yes, that's plural)

till I found one with a miter box,

(thanks Holly).

When I went to cut it in the miter box it was to tall to lay flat in the box.

So, I cut it vertically in the miter box.

Which worked OK except when cutting the small return pieces.

They were so small they kept breaking in half.

uggh!!!

(Don't worry, I finally succeeded with a lot of glue and patience.)

Now, I just have to paint the trim and attach the shutters.

Wish me luck!

I think it's looking pretty darn good.

I'll be back soon to show ya all that stuff we are building around the window!

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm Featured at Remodelaholic!

2012-01-07T19:30:00.000-08:00

OK one of my favorite blogs is Cassity's blog called Remodelaholic. I'm sure she's one you follow too. I was so thrilled when she wanted to feature my closet doors. Go on over and check it out. Go ahead and poke around her blog you will be glad you did. I'm never disappointed when I'm on her blog!!

Looking back and looking forward!

2012-01-03T10:38:00.000-08:00

I was looking back over the old blog posts to see just what we did last year,

and I was surprised to see so many things I had kinda forgotten.

I thought it would be fun to post the big things

or the things that get a lot of views according to Google Analytics.

So the first project of 2011 was finishing up our Master Bathroom Remodel.

It was quite the job but we love the results.

We were so honored to have it featured on many blogs and in two magazines.

Bathroom Reveal

My sister and I spend one day a week working on projects at my mom's,

Nana's Day.

We finished up her office remodel early in the year.

Nana's Office

Everything kinda came to a stand still this spring

when I was down in bed for 6 weeks after a tumor was removed from my ankle.

That was hard to be down for so long, but I'm so grateful that I am whole again and the good times I had with my family while they served me.

Tumor Removed

I did lots of small projects through the year but my beverage tray was one of the most popular according to Google Analytics.

It is still being used everyday.

beverage tray

Nana's day is fun for us, but we had a lot of hired help this time and were able finished two more rooms at Nana's this year.

Nana's Mater Bedroom

Nana's Bathroom

We started our planning of the boys Pirate Room early this year but didn't actually make progress until this fall.

We framed, insulated, dry walled, installed paneling, painted, added a creative light fixture and built the closets inside and out.

The faux finish on the closet doors really grabbed some attention.

Who knew?

closet doors

So that's a quick review of last years projects,

what's up this next year?

Well, the same list I seem to have each year.

This year I'm going to share my list in hopes that it helps me get more done on it.

1. First up, finish the Pirate Room!

2. Decorate Mater bedroom

(Yes, we have never got around to that the four years we have lived in this house.)

(Sadly, I have almost all the supplies, crown molding, curtain material, decorations.)

3. Laundry Room

(We do lots of laundry, 8 people, and need a more efficient laundry room and it could be pretty too!)

4. Decorate Em's Room

5. Decorate Ash's Room

6. Finish the Basement

(Family room/craft/ music room)

I know that's a huge list,

and it's the same list as last year minus two things.

But,

I'm determined to knock off as much as we can so we can enjoy our house before the kids leave!

lol

Usually Life (6 kids) gets in our way!

But my most important calling is that of wife to my husband and

mommy to these six beautiful kids!

So, wish me luck in tackling my list in and around Life!

Thanks for stopping by and all your comments.

Every Day I'm Shufflin

2011-12-30T21:47:00.000-08:00

I hope every one's Christmas was great.

Ours was!

I've been busy hanging out with my kids and family.

One night my teens had a video party.

While waiting for all the guest we got to dancing,

or the kids tried to teach us how to Shuffle!

So we just shuffled every new guest into the front door.

Then they had to join us as the next guest arrived.

Here's Les showing off his new dance moves!!

lol

Our final version!

I know we are too weird!!!

The family that Shufflin together stays together!!!!

I'm excited for the new year!

Happy New Year to You!!!

Update on Pirate Room - Faux beam

2011-12-20T16:43:00.000-08:00

Here's a small project in the Pirate Room we some how squeezed in.
I have to back up a little, there was a thick plumbing stack running down the wall in this room.
Our two options were:
Option 1
Build 2x6 wall to accommodate the thick pipe and have the clean out show.
Option 2
Build a regular 2x4 wall and cover it some how.

After our plumber said we didn't really need access to the clean out. We decided on option 2.
And we decided to to cover it with a fake beam.
So let me tell ya how we did that.
First we attached 1x2's to the 2x4 studs on either side of the pipe.
Then we finished the wall with the 1x2 sticking out.

Then we built a fake beam with two 1x4s and a 1x6 glued together in a 'u' shape.

We slid it into place, a perfect fit.

(Les is so awesome.)

After our trial fit,

I beat the edges with the hammer and screwdriver handle and made scratches down it.

I also poked clusters of small hole in it with a wire.

After it was all beat up, I stained it with Minwax Red Mahogany stain.

Which looked good , but I wanted it darker,

so I then added Valspar Duramax Satin Finish stain tinted black.

(I don't know the exact color as it was left over that my mother had.)

(That's how I roll, use what I have or my family has.)

After she was all dry, Les put her in place and screwed her in from the sides.

(We can still access the pipe by unscrewing the beam.)

So here is before and after.

It looks like an old beam, you would never know it was fake.

Here is an up close view.

Love it.

I would love some of these on the ceiling in our family room!

Well what do you think?

Does it look like it's been around forever?

We have pretty much come to a stand still in this room till after Christmas!

But hope to really finisher her up fast after the first of the year.

Thanks for stopping by!

Did I mention my talented son?

2011-12-15T14:32:00.000-08:00

OK, it's time to brag on my kids again.

Here's Austin in the high school musical Guys and Dolls.

He played Benny Southstreet.

He was so funny!

Here's the pics.

He looks so cute in that green suit.

Did I mention how good he is?

So here's some videos

(My sister shot these video's, did I mention I need a new camera?)

I think these high school boys did awesome with this dance.
(I don't think any have any real dance experience.)
Austin's the one in the light green suite and my nephew is the giant in the blue suit.

He also played a second smaller part of the waiter.
It was such a small part but he made it hilarious,
he a talent for make every part wonderful.
Every one was laughing so hard.
Here's a few pictures.

He has worked a lot on his art skills this year preparing for college.

He actually got the Sterling Scholar Art Award at his school!!!

Anyways here's a pair of shoes he did for a girl to wear under her wedding dress!!

Too funny.

These shoes are very cool.

Last of all he was able to do two skis for a charity auction.

All artwork was with ski items.

He ended up drawing all these lions and modge podging them onto a ski.

It looked really good.

He did one other and the two of them auctioned for more than $600.

I'm so proud of him.

One day you wake up and your little boy is taller than you

and preparing to go out into the wold.

Sort of sad,

but happy knowing he has some skills and talent to take with him.

Thanks for stopping by, be back soon with an up date on the pirate room.

It's Weird Around Here

2011-12-06T13:01:00.000-08:00

I must admit we are a little weird.

We love to dress up around here.

I have a costume closet that's maybe a little extreme.

lol

When the kids need/want to dress up for something we usually can accommodate them.

And they do quite often.

Like when there was a church dance with a western theme

and they encouraged the kids to dress western.

Austin took it to the extreme.

Or should I say Clint Eastwood?

(That's the Batchelors Way!)

Or how about when Jaysen was asked to dress up like a fortune teller for Home Coming.

Again extreme!

After growing up with a mom who kinda goes to extremes with costumes and make-up Jaysen often practices make on his siblings.

He is very talented now.

Here's Quinton after Jaysen aged him.

(He had way to much fun running around the neighborhood with that make up on.)

(Just imagine people watching an old man suddenly breaking dancing.)

Or how about the little kids on crazy hair day.

The girls loved their alien heads.

(It's a paper cup inside their pony tails.)

Yes, others might think we are a little strange.

But we have fun and my kids have great memories.

( No wonder my kids are such hams.)

So does your family dress up as much as ours?

Thanks for stopping by.

I hope to post an update on the Pirate Room this week.

Update on Pirate Room - Faux Closet Doors

2011-11-23T11:56:00.000-08:00

At last an update on the Pirate Room!!!

We have finally finished Pimping out the closet doors.

(Don't judge me on how long we spent on the closet doors!)

(Crazy I know, but it's all in the details)

Here's our inspiration picture.

source info

I'm going to share how we did ours and what we learned in the process.

(That implies we made some mistakes.)

(I call it the Learning curve.)

So, last we talked these were the boys doors.

Plain white!

Boring!!

Not very good for a Pirate!

Step one,

(Stick with me this is a long post)

I painted the doors a chocolate brown color.

I wasn't very picky on the color,

so I just went with some left over opps paint my sister had.

That made the first step FREE!

(I love free.)

It was flat paint but was only the base coat for the faux finish so it didn't matter.

When done the doors looked like giant Hershey bars.

(I know I think too much about chocolate.)

After they dried really well I prepped them for the next step.

I used painters tape and taped off the middle, top and bottom sections.

(see below)

For the next step I used the following products:

Black and Brown craft paint

Valspar Clear Mixing Glaze

Wood graining tool

Then I just dumped a lot of brown craft paint and a little black

(cause I wanted it darker)

and some glaze into an ice cream bucket.

I'm not very scientific about it

but I took a picture so you could get and idea of how much of each I used.

(If its not right just dump more accordingly)

Then mix it up and your ready to start faux painting.

I just painted on the glaze in a section then I pulled the graining tool through the glaze,

gently rocking it as I went.

The grain needs to go the direction it would on a real wood door.

Below the red shows which direction I did the graining in each section.

The green numbers are the order I went in.

The blue is where I put the painters tape while doing glazing step one through three.

(This gives you a straight edge and looks nice.)

Take the tape off before you glaze sections #4.

Here's where I made my first mistake.

(I know you can't believe I make any mistakes!! lol )

After removing the tape I tried taping it over what I had glazed.

Don't do this,

unless you want to have to go back and touch up where the tape rips off your new faux finish.

(And yes, I waited for it to dry!)

(Maybe if you waited a day it would work, but I'm too impatient for that.)

So, just use a steady hand on section four.

Here's what I had when I finished this step.

(see below)

And here's some tips I learned by trial and error.

1. Make long gentle rocks.

My first doors I just rocked it quickly which just made the door look fake with way to many knots.

(If you want to fix this like I may have done, just reglaze it and rock again.)

2. Don't apply too much pressure.

You want a lot more of the glazed and small amounts of the base coat peeking through.

3. Stand back and look at it often and adjust your technique.

4. Start on the back where it won't be as visible till you really get your technique down.

5. On the edges and hard to reached parts I used the comb part of the tool.

Since these parts would show the cross cut of the grain on a real wood door.

After you stand back and admire your work for awhile, let this dry for a few days.

Then your ready to put on the clear coat to protect it.

I use Minwax Polycrylic Protective finish in satin sheen.

Now we come to the part of the story that made me cry and curse!

The Clear Coat!

That sounds easy right?

Not!!!!!!

I painted the first coat with some leftover product I had from my bathroom.

It looked fine.

But the can suggest three coats.

I decided I would do two.

I ran out just after I started the second coat on the first door.

So off to the store I went so I could finish them that Saturday night.

I went to Walmart and purchased a new can for $16.22.

I came home and did the last coat.

After it dried it was freaking glossy.

It looked like crap!

I was so upset that I had done the second coat.

Then I realized that the section I had done with the first can was a nice satin finish.

I decided that I had purchased a can that had been mislabled!

I had just put a high gloss finish on all that hard work and it looked terrible.

I was so mad and decided to call the manufacture and demand justice.

I mean all that work and now I would have to sand off that shinny finish to apply a new one and probably screw up the faux paint finish.

I just knew I would have to start all over.

But that was Saturday and I had to wait until Monday to call.

All weekend every piece of wood I saw taunted me with,

"Look I have a nice satin finish!"

(I know your worrried that I'm talking to wood!)

Monday morning finally came and I made that fateful call to Minwax.

In case your in tears now, don't worry the Minwax people helped fix my problems.

It turns out the only difference between gloss and satin finish is a flattening agent.

That agent tends to sink to the bottom.

You need to stir it well and often to get it off the bottom.

(Stir don't shake, that produces bubbles.)

(Ok it says right on the can to stir and I had. Maybe not for three to five minutes like the lady on the phone said but I had stirred it!)

I also found out that I had purchased a can that was four years old!!

(You can image how settled that flattening agent was.)

She also taught me how to read the date code on the top of the can.

I also learned

(can't believe how much I learned in one phone call)

that you don't have to sand the gloss finish off.

The last coat applied is the one that reflects the light.

Armed with all my new knowledge I returned to Walmart,

returned my can,

found a new can on the shelf with a newer date,

and purchased it.

I then did a light sanding like you should between coats,

and stirred my new product for 5 minutes

(Yes, I timed it!)

I then repainted the doors and waited for it to dry.

Success!!!!!

If you are still reading this novel,

I hope this story saves you some heartache!!

Moral of the story STIR when it says stir!!!

So after much ado, here they are.

That could be the happy ending to our door story,

but we still have the iron studds to put on.

You can buy real iron studs from $1.50 to $3 per stud.

I needed 16 studs per door and I have four doors.

That's 64 studs.

OK do the math,

that's about $90-192 for just the studs.

Not in our budget!!!

Here's what we did.

We purchased 1inch wood plugs or buttons.

They came in bags of 6 at Lowe's.

They cost about $20 for all 64.

That saved me about $70 to $170.

Then Les sanded about 30 flat spots on each head with a belt sander.

(He's just as crazy as I am.)

(That's one of the reasons I love him so much.)

Next he sprayed them black and hand painted each one with a coat of stirred satin clear coat.

(I know I'm pictured slaving away painting those cute little buttons,)

( but I only painted like two. Les painted over 60!)

Here's what they looked like out of the package, sanded, and finished.

This was totally Les' project.

He makes me so proud.

Next Les marked the door with his high tech gauge

(Scrap wood and a nail.)

Then he drilled the holes.

(Yes, this is scary making huge holes in your lovely new doors.)

We had a little learning curve here also.

Pay attention when drilling.

Our last door Les got a little use to it and didn't realize the tip had pierced the backside of the door.

(Touch up! Its a lovely thing.)

Les then used his thumb to clean up the fuzzies around the holes.

He used his fingers to apply the glue and popped them into place.

(Make sure you wipe up the excess glue before it dries.)

Last step was to add the handles.

We used gate handles.

They worked great except we had to use lag screws to attache them and then paint the heads.

So finally here's our Pirate closet doors.

Close ups.

What do you think?

I would love to hear if you can sympathize with my learning curves

and if they are of any help to any one.

Well now for my favorite part.

How much did I save?

According to the guy at Lowe's all four doors would have cost me $800 to $2000.

(depending on if they were solid wood or not)

How much did it cost us.

Doors(two from the Restore)...............................$20

Doors(two damaged doors from Lowe's)...........$57

Paint and clear coat..............................................$24

Handles................................................................$20

Wood buttons.......................................................$20

Misc. and door framing wood .............................$40

Grand Total for all four doors

$181

Got to love it!

I think they turned out pretty good.

Tell me what do ya think.

I need some comments after such an ordeal!!

Thanks for stopping by.

I'm linking up:

My advice and while the boys are away the girls will play!

2011-11-17T13:19:00.000-08:00

My great cousin Kelli wrote a great article

for She Knows Parenting about tips for displaying kid's art work.

She interviewed three moms,

Kate from Censational Girl,

Melissa from 320 Sycamore,

and little old me.

(Wow what great company to be in.)

It's a good read so click on over and read it!!!

Tips for Displaying Kid's Artwork

I'm still behind in posting, but oh well.

Here's a summer activity for you to enjoy this fall.

Les and all the boys went on a Fathers and Sons Camp out late this summer.

So while the boys were gone we girls played.

First we went out to dinner and then I tried to take a group shot with my long arms.

(It only took me four tries to get a everyone in the shot.)

(But it sure was fun trying)

Next we did glitter toes.

(O.K. we loved our sparkle toes. You just never get to old to love some glitter.)

Did I mention how sparkly they were?

Did I mention how much we liked them?

Sorry I got off on a tangent.

Next morning the girls wanted a How to Make-up Lesson.

(Not that I'm a pro or even close to that, but 10 year olds still think that I know everything.)

(Besides they aren't allowed to wear it yet, just a prep class!)

Love this mother daughter shot.

My girls are so pretty I don't think they need any make up!

After we got all glamed up the girls wanted to go to garage sales.

You don't have to ask me twice.

Here's what we got, lots of shirts for 25 cents each, a back pack for $1, candy dish for $1, brand new shoes for Em for $1, and a pillow for 50 cents (for the Pirate room) and a jewelry ring box thing for a nickel.

Here's what I did with my nickel purchase.

In my jewelry drawer I had this clear hand ring holder,

but it didn't hold all my rings,

(My collection keeps growing.)

So, I cut the foam ring pad from the box above and fit it in between my metal trays.

I love it.

It's so custom,

uses all the space well

and I have way more space to add to my ring collection!

(That's a hint for Christmas! lol)

I love it when organization is so functional and so pretty!!!!

Don't ya love it?

I had so much fun girl time with my girls and so grateful to have them!

Can't wait to post the boys pirate closet doors soon.

Sorry it's taking so long, but lets just say

learning curve!

I'll explain latter.

Thanks for stopping by!

Bye Bye Birdie

2011-11-14T20:12:00.000-08:00

I know it seems like all I do lately is brag on my kids.

What can I say?

I'm a mom and my kids are just so important to me.

So here goes another post on my great kids.

Jaysen and Quinton just finished the Junior High musical.

This year they put on Bye Bye Birdie!

Quinton played a teenage boy and a TV crew man.

Jaysen played Conrad Birdie.

(Who is kinda based off of Elvis.)

I did Jaysen's hair and make-up every night as well as many other cast members.

It was a lot of fun.

Here's Quinton just before the show one night.

(You think he would look happier surrounded by girls.)

Here are some pics of Quinton.

(Way to go Quinton)

Tons of girls screaming at your son and giant pictures of him can be a little weird.

But I got over it.

(Really those posters were like 2 feet by 3 or 4 feet.)

He did such a good job of acting.

The story is that he's a famous Teen Heart throb that's getting drafted.

And he is suppose to kiss a girl chosen at random from his fans before he goes in the army.

(He was a supporting lead.)

I loved this scene where he comes out for breakfast with all these girls watching him.

He just comes out and opens a can,

it sprays everywhere,

he drinks,

and burps.

(Nice robe!)

At the end he sneaks out in a dress and fur coat.

Wow he doesn't look half bad in a dress.

He did a really good job and all the ladies (old and young) wanted a picture with him.

And boy were we surprised with how well Jaysen sang.

(I mean he's only 15.)

So here's a video of his first song he does when he arrives at Sweet Apple.

I love it, his voice and his dancing.

Here's another song he sings before he kisses the chosen girl.

(He looks an awful lot like the real Elvis in this one.)

(Watch closely Quinton is the crew man holding the microphone.)

We are so proud of Jaysen.

He has worked hard this past two months with the Haunted House and this musical.

But he excelled in both!

We love you Jaysen!

Do I sound too proud?

I'm just having so much fun watching my kids find and develop new talents.

Thanks for stopping by.

Up Dated on Pirate Room - Closet insides

2011-11-09T14:26:00.000-08:00

We actually finished this step about a month ago,

but "The Eagle Project" kept me to busy to post.

But here it is now in all it's glory.

I love organized spaces,

so I totally get into planning closet spaces.

I think through what they need to store and draw up a plan.

Then Les and I set to building it.

I wanted towers, tall hanging space and short hanging space for each boy.

First we cut out all the pieces for the towers and spaced them out to be painted.

I like to paint them first, because it's way to hard to paint the small cubbies after it's built.

Painting "before" makes a smoother paint job.

I put each little shelf piece on a wood block so I can paint the edges easily.

One coat of primer and two coats of paint on each side, and let it dry good before assembling.

I used my son's skateboard to sit on while painting.

I just rolled down each row of boards while painting.

(Totally brilliant for my old body!!)

Here's Les putting all the pieces together.

(What a builder guy I have!!!)

Then I filled in the holes and touched up the paint on the sides.

And here is the final product.

Beautiful and functional!!

(There will be more brown baskets in the tower.)

What do you think?

I like custom closets much better.

Next I'll show ya the closet doors.

It's a pirate room,

no white doors for pirates.

Halloween Was Great!

2011-11-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Halloween has come and gone!

And what a beautiful day it was.

Now it's cold and snowy.

Anyway here some way cute pictures of the kids in their Halloween costumes.

First up our own Indian.

(And yes we cut his hair into a Mohawk just for Halloween!)

(I actually made this costume few years back for Jaysen)

Too cute!

Next up our own Water Fairy.

(She had wings we forgot to put on before the pictures.)

(This was an old dress I had and dyed it blue and added some trim I had.)

How about a cute 50's girl?

(Yes, she now has glasses, Grandma)

(We borrowed a dress from Nana and added the Poodle)

Total cost for Halloween Costumes ZERO!

Sweet!!

Here's all of them, my nephew joined us.

We had way too much fun taking pictures.

(Love this one, reminds me of a musical)

Here's our Jack-O-lanterns, we were so excited that they all came from our garden!

And last of all we wrapped up Halloween night with the last night of Jaysen's Haunted house.

It was a huge success!

Here's a few more pics.

Jaysen did his own make-up job.

He and Austin walked around entertaining the people waiting in line.

(We had a steady line for 2 hours plus almost every night.)

Austin went by "Mr. Bones"

He was so funny and very few people recognized him.

(Yours truly made the coat and cane!)

Anyways I tried to get a video, I captured it but it's very dark and sideways.

(I can't get it to edit.)

So, you may just want to listen, he was very entertaining.

Here is a small tour of the haunted house.

First room was the Zombie Room

(I got to played a dead person for two nights,)

(Quinton took my spot the other nights, you can see him being drug by the zombies.)

Third room was the clown room.

Love how the pictures glowed in the black lights.

Two more characters, their contacts glowed in the dark!

How about this crazy guy in his small room or the creepy girl in the Doll Room!

And at the end, this almost 7 foot freak would chase you out with his chain saw.

Big fun!!!

The Boy Scouts said he had to raise 1,500 cans of food to fulfill his requirement.

He raised, drum-roll......

2,477 cans.

The food bank was very pleased.

We were also very pleased.

Jaysen worked hard and did well.

We have spent the last week taking it down.

(I admit it was a little sad.)

(But I'm glad to get my life back.)

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share!!!

Last Night to Scream!!

2011-10-31T15:36:00.000-07:00

If you are local and haven't come to Jaysen's Haunted House tonight is the last night!!

It is super awesome.

Check out this link in the Magna times online.

It's rumored that some of the new stations might be coming tonight.

Here are some new pictures!

This is Austin as "Mr. Bones"

Here's Jaysen.

Here's the spooky girl who lives in the doll room.

Zombies,

The clown in the clown room.

We are having so much fun!

Come on down.

Welcome to "The Darkness Within"

2011-10-27T21:29:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to show ya pictures from my son's Eagle Project.

This is his haunted house.

(It only takes two cans of food to get in)

This is the front mural that Jaysen and Austin painted with spray paint.

(They are so talented.)

The mural alone is enough to get people in the door, but there's more.

This is the entrance.

(I must say I did the painted bricks and cut out the arch.)

Are ya scared yet?

Jaysen and Austin demonstrate more of their spray painting ability in the clown room.

They are really cool at night with a black light on them.

We had our first night Wedsneday for our church's youth group.

I guess it was like a dress rehearsal.

We received around 250 cans. He has to make at least 1500 cans.

Jaysen is also a talented make-up artist.

Here's a preview of his work and some of the characters you might meet if you come.

Our zombies were having way to much fun mushing brains all over each other.

(OK it was oatmeal with red food coloring. It still looked gross.)

Here a group shot of most of the characters.

It's way to much fun.

If you live by Salt Lake come on down October 28, 29 & 31

from 7pm to 10pm at the pavilion behind the church on 7960 W. Dalesend Drive in Magna.

(Just off 80th West and 2820 South)

We will be waiting to scare you!

B & B Campout

2011-10-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

I seem to spend every waking minute on Jaysen's haunted house.

I was over there half of Friday, all day Saturday, and last night.

When I'm not there I've been sewing costumes and out shopping for stuff for it.

And today I plan on finishing the last costume and then spending the rest of the day over there.

Crazy!

Only two more days till it opens.

I must say, that it is looking very cool.

It's fun to see Jaysens imagination coming to life.

It's a shame it has to be torn down next week.

Any way, I can't wait to show ya pictures.

Life is going so fast I'm posting our summer activities now.

Late this summer we went on our annual family camp out wtih my sisters family the Bryces.

(Bryces & Batchelors, B & B get it?)

Any way this year we rented cabins at a girls camp.

It was awesome.

There was even an outdoor kitchen.

And the animals were not afraid of you.

They just sat there or walked through our camp site.

It was very exciting for the kids and us.

We had lots of fun but the highlight was the ropes course we got to go on.

Doing something so high and scary is empowering when your done.

You had to climb up a pole, cross over on a wire, transfer to the eagles nest and zip line down.

You can't tell in the pictures but they are about 15' to 20' above the ground.

Here's Awesome Austin.

And Brave Branden.

Em and Jaysen

And Quinton sliding down the zip line at the end.

Ashlee don't look down.

All the kids, my sister and even I did it.

That's me below.

(Lovely picture I know)

We also did a bunch of group activities on the ground

which were fun to see how well we could work as a team.

Spending time together is important to me!

Some day my kids will thank me.

(I hope)

Thanks for stopping by.

Guest Posting and Jaysen's Eagle Project!

2011-10-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

I'm guest posting today

over at my cousins at

A Happy Place Called Home

Go on over and check it out.

She has an awesome blog.

Now on to what's keeping us really busy.

Jaysen's ~~time sapping~~ Eagle Project.

It is a ~~huge~~ gargantuan project.

I think I mentioned before it's a Haunted House/ Canned Food Drive.

The entrance fee is 2 cans of food which he is donating to the local food bank.

He is doing at our church's outdoor pavilion.

He needed some funds to make it all happen, so he had a garage sale.

We spent days gathering friends, family, and church members donations.

Then we spent a long day having the garage sale.

Here's my garage as we were collecting items.

(No, I could not park in the garage for a week.)

(Les still can't park on his side due to haunted house building materials.)

It was a big sale and big success.

I thought it was enough work to warrant a Eagle Project.

(Come on I was pooped)

But that was just the beginning.

We have helped order things on line and run all over town getting props and supplies,

preparing advertising,

and making costumes.

I still have one more Jacket to make.

Last week end we moved about 150 to 200 2x4's so we would be ready to build.

Saturday was our first building day. We have some talented men at church who volunteered to help build the temporary walls.

They were awesome.

Jaysen did very good at being a leader.

They turned to him for all decisions.

I was so grateful for such wonderful men to help make this a reality for Jaysen.

You can see one of the walls being built and going in place below.

I am amazed at Jaysen's hard work, he has been very self motivated.

This Saturday we are finishing the interior walls and painting.

He will be open next Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Halloween.

This kid is supper talented,

I can't wait to see what he does in life.

Any whoo, I can't wait to show ya pictures of the actually scary stuff.

Thanks for stopping by.

Cowboy Up!

2011-10-20T17:07:00.000-07:00

My city kids got the chance to Cowboy up this summer.

{Well just the three youngest.}

There are horses at the end of our street, and horses are Ashlee's new love.

So when the owner of the horses said the kids could come ride,

they were over the top excited.

Branden had to wear his black beat up cowboy hat and lambs wool lined vest.

{It was a blazing hot day!!}

He had sweat dripping down his face but he was happy

'cause he looked "like a cowboy."

They each got to ride all by them selves and even trotted.

They were so excited and proud.

It's moments like this I'm glad I took the time and stood out in the heat.

Their faces were so worth it.

This last picture is one I really like.

Life is made up of small sweet moments.

Thanks Heavenly Father.

Up date on Pirate Room - Walls and Ceiling

2011-10-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

We are s-l-o-w-l-y working on the boys room.

Most of our time is been spent on Jaysen's Eagle project,

(more on that later)

Here's a reminder of where we started, here and here.

We have managed to squeeze in finishing the walls and the ceiling.

I painted the ceiling white and the two end walls a light grey.

On the two long walls we put up some outdoor siding.

It looks and feels like real wood,

but without the splinters.

Only problem we had was what to do about the seams.

We entertained a lot of options but in the end we just lined them up and

are banking on the bed curtains, to cover those seams.

Wish us luck.

I love how this stuff looks, especially once we got it up on the wall.

We want it to feel like the inside of a ship.

Here are some up close pics of the detailed grain and knots.

So cool and smooth as a babies bottom.

We liked the texture and color,

we aren't even planning on painting it!!!

Next, I turned my attention to the ceiling.

I've had a picture of this ceiling idea forever

and have no idea where it came from.

(Pre-blogger days)

So if you know the source please let me know!!!

First, I made a pattern.

That was no easy task.

I actually had to make two to get it right.

(Working with large dimensions is hard.)

Then I cut the pattern apart and taped it to the ceiling in parts and traced each part with a pencil.

Then I painted it black by hand with a small craft paint brush.

I like how it turned out but would seriously think about doing this again.

Painting and tracing on the ceiling is v-e-r-y hard.

(Up and down the ladder, weird angles, cry, cry, cry.)

All the lights in our house when we moved in were these brushed nickel, flushed mounted round lights. We have replaced many of them with pendant lights and ceiling fans. So I just gave one a little sanding and spray painted it black.

And here is the final pirate ceiling light.

What do ya think?

Like I said, I really like how it turned out.

And yes I made sure it was pointing North.

Next up the closets!

Thanks for stopping by.

Once over, I'm in Love!!!

2011-10-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

I get lots of questions asking what the paint color for my bathroom is.

Unfortunately some of you don't leave me any way to contact you back to answer.

So I'm answering it again here.

I used was an oops color I purchased at Home Depot for $5.

I don't really know what it its.

But I went to the store and brought back lots of paint chips and the closest I found was Blue Shamrock by Olympic.

Now onto my previously scheduled post.

I just found this product that I'm in love with.

If you have hard water then read on!!!

It's call Once-Over Paste sold at Don Aslett's Cleaning Center.

We have very hard water.

In fact I just had a water softer put in,

but I our hard water has already taken hold on our sinks and faucets.

Below is my kids bathroom sink.

I have tried everything to get it clean and shiny.

This picture does not do the ugly ring around the drain justice.

( It was really gross)

I finally to a screw driver to it, that did chip away at it.

(But only 1/4 in at a time.)

Here is the same sink after a scrub with Once-Over and the yellow scrubby.

Did you hear the angles singing?

OK lets do it again.

Here is my kids bathroom shower faucet.

And after, looks brand new!!!!

I actually bought this to clean my window downstairs that the sprinkler sprays, and it works for that too!

You have to put some elbow grease into that sprinkler spray.

Any ways I love it,

and love my clean bathrooms!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Homecoming Dance

2011-10-07T11:32:00.000-07:00

Where I live the kids spend a fortune on Formal dates such as Homecoming or Prom.

If new clothes, dance ticket, flowers and dinner aren't enough they have to add activities that last all day.

It can cost hundreds of $$$$.

Where do these kids get that kind of money?

Well, Austin came to me and asked for help with dinner and a picnic lunch.

(Mom, you make me look good, was the key phrase that got me.)

The girl he asked is a cowgirl.

So I suggest a rustic country theme.

He took her on a great picnic,

from what I hear.

(He didn't want me to go and take pictures! )

(Just kidding I wouldn't do that!)

I spent the day getting ready for his dinner.

Here's what I came up with.

I only spent $5.

How did I do that?

I used what I had and borrowed everything but the flowers.

Here's the break down:

Originally we were going to do the dinner in a barn,

but Austin wasn't able to get one lined up

so we went to plan B

Our Back Yard

His dates family happily brought over some hay bales

(secretly of coarse)

I used them as a backdrop and as seating.

I threw blankets over the seating bales to protect their clothes.

Remember when I pulled this old door out of the Dumpster,

I still have it just laying around.

It was perfect.

I shopped my neighbor Shelley's from House of Smith's.

I borrowed the perfect table.

Very rustic and short just the right height for the hay bale seats.

I also borrowed the yellow star from her.

I had the wreath and table setting.

The only thing I bought was flowers.

I bought a sunflower bouquet because it went well with the them,

and I had a wild sunflower growing on the side of my garage.

I used the wild ones to add and fill out the store bought bouquet as I arranged it in a metal bucket I had.

Too cute!!!

Here is his date.

Maddie.

Is she cute or what?

I may have went a little over board on taking her picture.

She looks good in every picture.

I loved her hair.

Austin asked me to take pictures for them,

I guessed he wanted some better pictures that the standard school dance pictures.

He was a little surprised at my Little (or big) photo shoot.

That was just a sample of the photo's I took.

The one above is my favorite.

After pictures they ate the yummy dinner I made and raspberry cheesecake Maddie's mom supplied.

It was picture perfect,

well almost.

Let me explain what happened between these lovely photo's.

Austin came home from the picnic and I got the table staged picture perfect.

Apparently they got back 30 minutes late and Maddie said she need 3 hours to get ready.

We were ready and waiting.

I planned on putting dinner in the oven the moment she got here.

I figure it would take the 20 minute bake time to take pictures.

Well, good thing I waited.

She was an hour late.

(How does some one sooo cute need over three hours to get ready?)

Just before she showed up it started to rain.

So we move everything in but the hay.

A few minutes after she arrived, it stopped raining.

So we ran out and took our pictures.

They Austin and I moved everything back out side, and I served them dinner.

It sprinkled a little at first so I put up the umbrella you see in the picture above.

Eventually it stopped raining all together and I took down the umbrella.

I love this picture with Ozzie in front of the table.

He was there the hole time standing guard.

(or waiting for some food)

It all turned out,

going with it that's the Batchelors Way.

They enjoyed it.

At least that's the report I got from Austin who said Maddie bragged to her friends how cool her date was! I love helping Austin do great dates with out spending a lot.

Just goes to show you it's not what you spend!!!

Thanks for stopping by and letting me brag on my son some more!!!

Austin is Royalty, got to get a photo of that!

2011-10-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's time for me to brag on one of my kids again.

(I seem to do that a lot.)

Austin was voted as 1st Attendant for Homecoming Royalty.

I know everyone

(including Austin)

thinks this is just a popularity contest.

But he was nominated by teachers,

and Austin has always had the attitude of being friends with everyone,

no matter what group your in.

He tries to befriend people in every type of group.

He seems to really be able to connect with handicap kids among others.

He can literally talk to almost any one.

He wasn't too impressed,

but I was cause I think it shows that he really is a friend to all.

So here he is.

(Wow! what a cutie!)

This is him at the parade and at the school assembly walking through Blood Alley

(which is a walk way made by the Spinnakers drill team.)

(Can I just add how much I love living in Magna. It's has such a small town community feel.)

So at the Homecoming Game I was so excited to get that perfect photo of this event.

I mean Austin is so cute how hard could it be?

Well for me,

Pretty Much Impossible!!!

Let's see,

it all started out when 8 minutes before halftime I realized I had forgot my camera.

(Duh)

So I called my mom at her house and asked her to pick up my sisters camera at her house and bring it to me.

(Luckily she was at home.)

She was speedy and made it before the 8 minutes were up.

So I was down front ready to capture my great shot.

I took a couple of practice shots of the drill team just to make sure I was ready.

Then they announced the royalty and drove them onto the track.

As they came by me I tried to click and shoot.

What the heck the camera had just ran out of juice.

Dead!!!

I figured that was it!

Done!

I made my way back up the stands to my sister, who quickly grabbed the camera and bag and said,

"I have extra batteries."

She and her husband frantically changed them.

Good as new and I made my way back to the bottom of the stands just as the jeep stopped on the other side of the track to let the kids out.

Now I was ready as they came down Blood Alley.

Except....

.....that Austin and his partner decided to do a little dance down Blood Alley.

So all my shots were blurry.

(I should of use the video function or sports setting,

but how was I to know they were going to dance!)

I snapped a few as he entered the stands.

Well live and learn!

I'm still so proud of him!

We love ya Austin!

Wait, don't call a Plumber!

2011-09-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

My kids shower in the basement was draining extremely slow.

The tub was filling up while they showered.

So while my plumber was here installing my new water softener,

I asked what he thought.

"Oh, let's check for hair," he said.

"Well, only my two short haired boys shower down here," I replied.

"That's usually the problem so lets check it first," he quipped back.

I thought fine,

but that's not it!

Guess what?

He was right!!!

Who knew boys shed so much?

He showed me how to clean it out so I could fix it next time.

My little kids bathroom upstairs was also draining a little slow,

so I decided to roll up my sleeves and give my new found knowledge a try.

(Warning, this is a little gross!!!)

First, you need to get in the tub!

(duh?)

Then untwist the cap or knob on the stopper.

You may need pliers,

I did.

Then you can see the exposed screw head.

(Pay no attention to the dirty ring around the drain, that's thanks to our hard water)

Next, get a chunky flat head screw driver and unscrew the screw.

Mine was pretty tight and took a while to get all the way out.

I almost gave up.

Once free just pull the piece out.

(This is where it gets gross.)

This is all the hair from my girls long hair and shampoo and what not!

(Hope you didn't just eat!)

I used a small screw driver to help me clean out all the gunk.

While fishing out the hair I felt my screw driver hit something hard.

You will never believe what I found in the drain!

A key!

Yes, I said a key!

What in the world?

I'm not sure if I was more shocked at

what my kids had a key in the shower for

how that sucker got under the cap and in the drain!!

Okay, back to our plumbing lesson.

After it was all cleaned out it looked much better.

Then I just screwed everything back together.

I'm proud to say all of our drains are flowing better.

And the "key" to the solution was so easy.

(I know, cheesy pun.)

Hope that helps some one!

Thanks for stopping by!

Dad's Big Fish Story!

2011-09-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Les went to help with our two oldest boys scout camp.

He had to get back to work and was only able to stay for the first day or so.

He left one afternoon after most of camp went on a hike.

He stopped on his way home to do some fishing.

He was standing on a big rock that went down in the water,

he may have gotten too close to the edge or it may have been a little mossy,

but either way

he fell in.

He fell into ice cold water, and when he fell in I mean he fell in.

He went completely underwater.

Yes, he said his life flashed before his eyes and he thought this was the end.

When he finally came to the surface and started to climb out,

he realized he was still holding his fishing pole and it had a fish on it!

So he threw it up on the bank,

(Gotta have a fish from the story)

He then proceeded to scrape up his legs as he tried to climb out on the slippery mossy rock.

He finally made it out and home.

As funny as the story was we were sure glad he was OK.

I mean no one knew where he was.

If he had hit his head or something, that could have been tragic.

Just grateful that the Lord was looking out for him.

So here are the fish from Les great adventure.

Yes, the largest was 13" long.

(Your welcome Les for bragging about your big fish.)

After emptying his pockets,

cell phone

(yes, it still works)

wallet,

and fishing license

(wet but still good),

Daddy cleaned the fish as he told the kids his story.

Great times.

Branden couldn't wait until Daddy took just him fishing a week later.

That's Les' big fish story and he's sticking to it!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Nana's Day - Bathroom Reveal

2011-09-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

We are finally done with Nana's new bathroom.

Here are the befores:

(This is after we ripped out some walls, which made the bathroom about 2 feet bigger.)

I forgot to get befores actually

but this is after the laminate shower walls were ripped out.

Here is the corner where we took out the world's smallest linen closet

and included that space in the new bath.

Here's during construction, after the walls were rebuilt.

After:

She wanted to keep the vanity to keep the cost down.

So, Les and I used our router to put some simple lines on the doors.

Then we update the knobs and handles.

Next we had a new counter top, sink and faucet put on.

Lovely!!

She also replaced the toilet with a new taller one.

Her old shower was made of counter top laminate!

So we upgraded to tile.

The solid grey tiles we found at the Restore

and the marble look field tiles and trim tiles were purchased from Lowe's.

It came together with a very classic look.

The storage we added is one of my favorite things.

This cabinet is in the space we added to the bathroom footprint.

It looks like it was always there

and is so much more functionable than the old dinky linen closet

that use to open to the hallway.

We had our favorite Cabinet Guy make them, (Jeff Homer from Copper Canyon Design.)

He did a wonderful job as usual.

He even matched the front to the vanity doors we routered.

This is the corner formerly known as the dinky linen closet.

The mirror is from Walmart and the awesome vase was a gift I purchased for her from D.I.

She had a hard time deciding on the floor.

She didn't think she wanted wood but in the end I convinced her to do wood and she loves it.

(It's not real wood, it's thin vinyl strips you glue down. It's just laid on the diagonal with a boarder.) Looks great!!!

Here's the view from the master bedroom through the new pocket door.

All in all it turned out great and she loves the extra space.

It is amazing what 2 feet can do!!!

So what do ya think?

What a Crock!

2011-09-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick note saying how something little can make me smile.

I have had this crock for cooking utensils for 5 or 6 years.

I love not having to fight with all these awkward shapes in a drawer.

Anyways the other day I decided to give it a little different look.

I had this yellow quatrefoil vinyl , it was extra from another project.

It was just laying around cluttering things up.

I just stuck it on and Tada!

I love the little change on my counter.

I think next time I might put a number on it.

What a great way to make myself smile.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ways to Give Back to Your Community

2011-09-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Walgreens for sponsoring my writing. Help Walgreens help others! Visit their Facebook page here to learn about their charitable partners and decide which cause Walgreens will donate to with a quick vote.

Walgreens asked me to share ways to give back to your community.

The biggest one for me is

Volunteer!

I know we are all busy!
We all have things to do.
I totally feel that way.
So, I build volunteering into my schedule.
I pick a day and put "Kids School" on my calendar.
Every week I go in and volunteer in my little kids classrooms same time each week.
I've done this with all my kids in elementary.
I feel it's important as a mom to know who is teaching them, and what is being taught, who their class mates are and how they are in school.

I also think this is a good way to help the teacher be a better teacher, by freeing up some of her/his time. Thus I'm helping all the children.
I've done everything from checking papers, sharping pencils, cutting out stuff, making copies and working with small groups.
I also try to help with other PTA events like Eye Tests, book fairs and such.
Junior High and High Schools have PTA's and need help also.
It's just a little different kind of help.
I volunteer on my kids Junior High Community Council and help with various PTA events for the kids.

You don't even have to have a child in the school to help out.
My mother helps out at all of my kids schools.

You can also volunteer your time at church.
I belong to a church that has no paid clergery.
Members are asked to do indiviual jobs or callings.
I get great rewards emotionally and spiritually by doing this work at church.
Right now I'm serving as the President over the children.
We have a bout 70 or more kids each week.
It feels great to help out in this way each week.

You can also volunteer to help your neighbors with moving, dinners when sick, laying sod or what ever they stand in need of.
Yes, this all takes time.
And it is never a good time so just do it.
It all works out in the end.

O.K. enough preaching.
I think all of this is important but we must teach it to our children.
I'm hoping they have learned from my small example.

My son Jaysen

(Wow he's cute)

is working on giving back to his community big time.

He is working on his Eagle Project, which is a Haunted House Can Food Drive.

He is planning on raising minimum 1,500 cans to donate to the local food bank.
He has been busy planning and talking to people to get donations and help.
I'm very impressed so far.
He has been able to get on-line companies to donate some masks and a make-up airbrush.
He is also collecting garage sale items to make money to buy makeup and things not donated.
I can not wait to share pictures with you.
It will be very scary
(in a good way)!!!

I really am most excited for Jaysen to get through this experience and see what hard work can do, and see how he feels when he takes the food down to donate it.
He was already considerably touched when he visited the food bank to discuss his plans.

I did not do this post to say look at all the things I do.
I only do a small amount compared to many others.
I'm just trying to say,
if I can find the time to give back any one can.
It doesn't have to be big.
In the end giving back to the community is what I think makes us better people.
It makes our cities and towns stronger.
If we serve others in any way we grow to love them.
Thanks for stopping by.

Don't forget to help Walgreens help others! Visit their Facebook page here to learn about their charitable partners and decide which cause Walgreens will donate to with a quick vote. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Closet Doors! Argh!

2011-09-08T12:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are back to working on the boys pirate room,

(What do I mean back we never seem to stop!)

In our Batchelors Way of always trying to save a buck,

(because we have no bucks!),

we decided to frame out our own closet doors.

We must be crazy!

OK, maybe I should back up a bit.

A year or so ago we found doors for the closets at the ReStore.

They were such a good price I think they were $10 each.

So we bought two, because we were going to put double doors on a walk in closet.

Well, when we got serious about working on the room,

we found the best option was two regular closets side by side.

And single doors don't allow good access to shallow closets.

Problem, we only had two doors and needed four.

In order to match the doors we had we would have to special order them,

as Lowe's only carried 24" doors.

(Special order meant big bucks, remember we don't have those?)

Les suggested we cut the 24" doors down to match the other 22" doors we had.

Not a bad plan especially since we got one discounted because it's edges were damaged,

(Perfect for us cause we would cut that part off.)

To make a long story short,

(too late)

we cut the doors down on the table saw,

careful to cut 1" off each side so the raised panels would stay centered.

We had to reinsert a 1x2 back along both edges.

(If your interested in how to cut down hallow core doors let me know.)

That was just the beginning of our Door Journey.

Next we had to frame them.

We did this on the kitchen table,

so professional.

Then we took them down stairs and installed them.

I hate installing doors,

it should be easy but it is not!

We had to really work with these.

At one point we realized we had router the slot in the door for the hinges too deep.

So, Stove Top Stuffing to the rescue!

No, I did not put food behind my hinges,

we ate the stuffing.

I did how ever cut out spacers from the box and put behind the hinges.

Worked like a charm.

I was never so happy to see doors installed.

You should hear angles when you look at the next pictures, cause I did!!!

We have successfully installed both set of doors.

Les was feeling like they were inferior, until we went to parade of homes.

When he saw his looked and operated just as good or better than a lot of the double doors we saw he felt better.

So, here they are in all there glory.

As you can see it's also been taped and textured.

Yeah!!

Now onto paint and paneling.

Thanks for stopping by!

New Pillows

2011-09-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

I've wanted some pillows on my couches for quite awhile.

I even bought some material quite awhile ago.

Then on a recent trip to Ikea I found some feather pillow forms for $6.99,

they matched one I already had at home.

I bought two, brought them home and I finally got serious about it.

First, I measured and cut out the pillow pieces.

Next I went on-line and to my word processor

and found some images and words I liked.

I printed them out

and then using my good old exact-o knife,

cut out a stencil.

Next, I pinned it to the pillow top.

(I did this before I assembled my pillow

but you could do it after it was assembled,

but before you put the pillow form in.)

Then I got busy dabbing paint.

I like how the paint is darker in some areas and lighter in others.

It makes it feel older.

Then I sewed the pillow together.

Total cost per pillow:

$14 for 2 pillow forms

one free pillow form

$4 for fabric

Paint already had

home made stencil free

$18 total divided by three pillows

$6 per pillow

Awesome!

So here she is on my couch.

Love it!

I really like the softness of feather pillows.

They conform more to you when you lean up against them.

And they pump right back up with a quick pat.

I made another one with a {B} on it.

I really like them they make the couches feel more finished to me.

Now I just want a small pillow with some yellow on it!!!

(I want, want, want!!!! Is there a cure for that?)

Thanks for stopping by!

Branden!

2011-09-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

This is a post all about my youngest!

He helps us remember what it's like to be a young boy!

'Cause he is all boy.

This past spring and summer he seem to be able to find a million ways to get in trouble.

Like getting out red food coloring and putting all over the backyard, then trying to wash it off in the bathroom and just getting everything red!!!

Or how about getting Vaseline and rubbing all over the girls spray bottle inside and out.

His boyish curiosity makes it so hard to stay out of his brothers things!

But his most dangerous was finding a lighter in the street and lighting his shower curtain on fire.

(Luckily it wasn't supper flammable and only burnt a small hole.)

His humor is pretty entertaining.

Like when he wanted a buzz cut but said,

"Do just the middle first and take pictures so it looks like I'm balding."

He is so cute with or with out the buzz cut!

His imagination cracks me up.

Check out his great idea to put duct tape over his mouth.

He thought it was funny until he went to pull it off!!

(So little boyish)

Most of all I love his sweet spirit.

The other day he went fishing with his Dad.

He caught two fish and was very excited.

Dad wanting to teach some safety asked,

"What would you do if a bear came up and wanted your fish?"

"I'd give them too him," Branden replied.

"That's good, but why?"

"Because it's the nice thing to do."

"Yes," Dad replied, "but if you didn't give it to the bear it would eat you."

"Yeah, but its still Christ like."

Just goes to show even when you think nothing is sinking in and they just get in trouble,

they are listening to what you teach them!!!!

As hard as some days get I love being a mom,

I need posts like this to remind me of that!

Parade of Homes, Warning long post lots of cool rooms!!

2011-08-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

Remember a week or so ago when I said I was attending Parade of Homes?

(I love checking out houses.)

(I could walk through houses all day and get ideas or give ideas.)

(Weird I know!!)

Well, here are some pics of my favorites.

I love how this master bedroom put flooring on the wall behind the bed.

Nice texture.

And look at this light.

It looked like it was made out of hundreds of paperclips.

And look at the pattern on the ceiling!

Fabulous!

Jaysen liked this room.

It was under the garage.

It had this half pipe and a climbing wall.

Too cool!!!

I just really liked the colors and feel of this room.

I so fell in love with this painting.

Not even sure why!

(I must be a little fruity! lol)

This next picture is the tops of the kitchen cabinets.

Smartest idea.

They filled the tops with rocks.

Brilliant.

As you came down the stairs you could see the tops of all the cabinets, these ones were pretty.

I love details.

Just another room I liked.

Very cozy and relaxed.

Emilee and I picked out about a million cute pillows, this is one.

Lots of nail head trim.

I love it!

Check out this mirror.

Like the pattern on it.

I adore this head board!!!

Could not stop looking at this rug.

(They didn't know where it was from.)

( Bummer.)

This wall was actually ribbon kept in place by tacks in the center of the flowers.

Too cute!!

Very cool water feature.

(Em is not really getting wet, it just looks that way.)

No, I not taking a bath, it just looks that way.

Just checking out the very deep but short tub.

Ash and Quinton thought this hanging boat bed was too cool!

I like details like the bead board and trim added to this recessed box.

It just adds a lot.

Can I get an Amen for this sign!!

These papier mache animal head we fabulous!

I really liked these blue cabinets and glittery back splash.

Nice cottage feel.

Especially like the coffee table.

I have to show you the playhouse from Tangled.

This was Ash and Quinton's favorite house.

Very girly lamp!

These next photo's were from my favorite house.

It was house #22 The Newport by Rainey Homes.

(It's a model in Daybreak if you want to still visit it I think you still can.)

First I feel in love with the curtain fabric in the front room office.

Very soft.

Here's the family room off the kitchen.

Really like the built ins.

Lots of nice details like this window seat off the family room and kitchen.

Here's the kitchen from the family room.

Very lite and open feeling.

Check out the swing on the patio,

don't ya just want to curl up in every spot in this house inside and out?

Stripe rug in family room.

Rug in entry way, can I take this home?

I'm so looking for a yellow pillow for my couch,

they wouldn't donate this one to my cause.

I'll right back to reality and moving on.

Here's a very graphic an color popping mantel.

Love the green and mirror.

Great pop of yellow!

Another mantel with a pop of green.

Details, details!

Like this room with green and orange.

That surprised me!

I had so much fun,

my kind husband takes a few days off every year and goes with me to Parade of Homes.

This year our kids wanted to go so we bought an extra ticket and took one or two each day.

They loved the one on one time as well as seeing cool houses.

It's kinda becoming a family affair, Nana bought a ticket and went with us too!

Well, I hope something here inspired you or just let ya dream a little.

New Project, Boys Room

2011-08-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

It feels like we are always working on ten projects at once,

Oh, we are!!

But really "we"

(as in Les and I)

try to stay on one major project at a time.

I usually do smaller projects in and around our major project.

Anyhoo, what is our next project?

The boys room!

We promised our two middle boys we would finish their room downstairs last year.

(We didn't even start it last year.)

When we moved into our house about four years ago the basement was completely unfinished.

(With six kids we needed it finished the day we moved in.)

We have since finished two bedrooms, a bathroom, and one storeroom.

(Go here, here, here and here to see them)

We started with a completely blank slate.

Just before my surgery this spring we framed it.

(Then my surgery and other health issues slowed us way down.)

We did manage to get the electrical run, put in the insulation, and some Sheetrock in.

I didn't take any pictures before this point.

But here's what we are starting with.

Yes, that is graffiti all over the floor.

My budding artist took it upon themselves to practice on the floor!!

OK, let me share the design process we have gone through thus far.

With some help from me, the boys signed off on a pirate themed room.

(Not baby pirate, more like real Pirate of the Caribean like.)

These two boys have to share a room for at least the next two years,

so I wanted a way to give them some privacy within the room.

I thought captains beds with curtains would give them their own room with in the room.

I also really wanted to put a window seat in.

So here is my first drawing.

(Not to bad)

After some talking and measuring it turn into this.

Here's a colored picture.

It's starting to look better.

I think I want to work in orange printed curtains instead of blue.

What are your thoughts?

Two walls will be wood paneling turned sideways to like the walls of a ship.

Here's a more detailed drawing of the shelves above the bed.

We wired it so each boy will have a switch to his light above his bed.

I want to paint the back wall of these units a grey blue.

I've been collecting very cool pirate accessories for awhile now.

Can't wait to get to that part.

Of coarse these are just ideas,

they will change some depending on what materials we may find at say

the Restore.

So, that is what we spend our extra waking hours on.

What are your thoughts?

Keep ya posted on our progress!

New Fence!!!!

2011-08-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

So this spring,

(I know it's almost fall)

we had the rest of our fence put in.

(This was just before my surgery and I never got around to posting it.)

Here are some before, during, and afters.

Yes, that is snow on the ground.

I didn't think I cared if we had a fence,

but we felt our dog Ozzie needed to be able to go out in the back yard.

Now that we had the fence I really like it!!!

I'm All alone!!!

2011-08-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

Today all my kids went back to school!!!

These three went to the High School and Junior High!

(Yes, they all thought they were to old for back to school pictures.)

And these three went to Grade school.

I'm happy and sad.

This school year marks a lot of firsts.

Like this is Quinton's first year of Junior High.

(He is very excited and a little nervous.)

This is also our first year to have a Senior.

Yes, Austin is a senior.

This is exciting and sad to me. I realize this is his last year as a kid, really.

After this school year he will begin to make adult decisions that will affect the rest of his life.

Thinking about it makes me teary eyed.

Seams like he was just a baby and now he's a senior.

I will just have to stretch this year out!!!

And this is the first year all my kids will be gone all day.

Yes, Branden is now in first grade!

No more cutting my day in half to get home to my half-day kindergartner.

That's a big yah!!!

I mean I have all day to do what ever I want with out so many interruptions.

(And everything will stay clean for 6 hours!)

So what will I do!!!

I have a list a mile looooooooong!

As part of a DailyBuzz Moms Tastemaker program I received a Back-to-School kit courtesy of the Clorox Company.

What is that?

Well they sent me Clorox Disinfecting wipes,

Glad Food Storage containers,

a Brita water bottle.

What did I do with it?

Well we use the wipes on door knobs and places the kids touch often.

Six kids can bring home lots of germs.

The kids can also use them to wipe their desk at school to cut down on germs.

The Brita water bottle has a filter right in it.

All my kids use water bottles especially the litttle ones.

(Cause they have to walk to school)

(Am I the meanest mom or what?)

I can't decide who gets it.

We will probably just take turns.

The last item is so cool.

These food storage containers have a little cup inside the bigger cup.

So you can take a salad and dressing or anything that requires a sauce.

My kids eat school lunches, but my husband takes his lunch every day.

He is excited to try these out.

I must say they are a pretty clever idea.

Thanks Clorox I love trying new things.

Well I'm off to enjoy my first day of Alone-ness

(I know that's not a word)

Be back this week to show you our new big project

as well as some pics from the Parade of Homes.

Life at the Batchelors

2011-08-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

I'm having so much fun on Parade of Homes.

(I'm weird that way, I could look at homes all the time!)

While I'm off playing I just wanted to share some of what it's like here at the Batchelor house.

(Mostly for you Grandma and Grandpa Batchelor)

We love Monday night's.

That's when we have Family Home Evening.

We have a song, prayer, scripture, discuss any family business, a short lesson (usually spiritual) followed by and activity and everyones' favorite a treat.

Everyone in the family rotates through and gets a chance to do something different each week.

Below is a fun activity we did one week.

We made sack puppets.

(Remember we have a very artsy family)

Check out the boys hard at work.

Here are our finished puppets.

That was a fun one.

Here's the girls in their Easter dresses.

(Yes I know Easter was months ago.)

The girls had a Pioneer show they put on at the end of school this spring.

I had to quickly make these

pioneer out fits.

TOO CUTE!

(I mean the girls)

I love this picture of Branden making his treat for Family Home Evening.

Cool whip and jello are always good.

Last of all I leave you with the family dog, Ozzie!

Living in the lap of luxury.

He cracks me up when he sleeps on the back of this chair.

Thanks for indulging me and seeing the Batchelors Way!