Where in the World is Sher?

Hello to all my Blogland Friends,

I've been crazy, nutso, stressed and busy around here. Life, Christmas, shopping, holiday obligations (yes, already) . . . Oh, not to mention my husband is out of town until December 7th, our oldest had surgery yesterday, my alarm company called Tuesday to tell me an intrusion alarm was sounding and the police were sitting in my driveway and quite possibly there was a burglar in my HOUSE and that I needed to get home ASAP. . . and. . . the mom responsible for driving to Cheer practice after school left my daughter and another girl at the school. . . only to find out later that the mother sent her 17 year old to do the car-pooling instead. . . to drive 5 hyper, excited 13 year old cheerleader girls during rush hour, to the other side of town. . . 45 minutes away!! I don't allow my children to drive with young, inexperience drivers. . . so I'm glad she was forgotten, but I then I had to hike all the way back across town, from where I was, to get them from school, because of course, the buses already left and the other girl who was "forgotten" her mom was working and unreachable!!! AAAAUUUUGGGGGGHHHH!! Then all the other mothers found out a 17 year old drove their daughters across town to Cheer practice and blew a gasket too. I had to call the mom and let her know that it was not appropriate to delegate car pool duties onto her underage 17 year old daughter and to please, please call another parent and make arrangements with an adult driver in the future (what the heck are some people thinking?) Then tomorrow, I'm hosting a table at our church Advent Tea (well two tables actually, because our 13 year old is hosting one for her friends. . . again. . . what was I thinking!! I just doubled my work consenting to that extra table!) Whew, enough for a paragraph? I think so!!

Oh well, I just have not had time to post. I will try my best to post within the next few days. It's been oh so exciting around here *sigh* : ) NOT!!

Blessings. . . until next time,

It's Christmas Time At Our House!!!

Hello Friends, I hope you all had a most wonderful Thanksgiving!!

We usually spend our Thanksgiving at the cottage. . . so I like to decorate our home the weekend before Thanksgiving. This way, when we return it's all done and I can then concentrate on entertaining, baking and focusing on the real meaning of Christmas. . . Thank you Lord for sending us your son, Jesus our savior! This is the best present ever received. . . salvation through Jesus Christ your son. Yes, Wise Men (&Women) do still seek Him!

This is our Christmas tree in the Great Room. It's 13' high and pre-lit. We got the most wonderful deal on this tree a few years ago after Christmas. We were at our cottage and a Home Depot there had their items 50% off. We saw this tree and passed on it. Still too much money. A few days later we were there again (for something needed for cottage repairs - I'm sure) and there was one tree left and it was marked 75% off! We then thought it must be for us! I use a very, very tall ladder to decorate this tree. I'm afraid of heights, so I don't look down. My hubs puts the tree up and I decorate it - climbing very carefully. Underneath our tree is our nativity. The "reason for the season!" I'll post that picture later. While I decorate the tree inside the house, my hubs decorates outside the house. I'll post pictures of that later too, if the pictures come out at night.

I like to decorate the foyer stairs and catwalk with lighted, decorated garland. I place ribbon, bows and Christmas bulbs in the garland too.

Here's a partial shot of the catwalk. It's decorated too with the same garland as the foyer.

So now you have seen some of our Christmas decor. What's your decorating include for the holiday?

Blessings. . . until next time,

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

God's Richest Blessings to You and Yours on this Thanksgiving Day!!

Take a moment to reflect on all He has blessed you with and THANK HIM.

Blessings. . . until next time,

Let's Wrap Up the Basement Tour!

BASEMENT WRAP-UP!!

Hello to all my blogland friends. Thank you so much for all of your kind comments regarding our basement. It was a very time consuming project, our biggest one since we built our cottage, but it was also very rewarding!

Today will be the last post of the basement tour. It's our bathroom (and the bonus shots of the "media closet" - oh yeah baby, my hub's FAVORITE!!)

This bathroom is very special to me. Besides the fact that it was on my "wish list" for the basement. You see, our basement was not prepped for a bathroom. We bought a home that was already in the process of being built by the builder in speculation of selling it. For those of you who are not familiar with our northern basements - it means that the plumbing was not run under the floor of the concrete to accommodate a basement bathroom BEFORE the cement was poured. No problem for my hubs. Nothing stops him. Out he goes and rents a JACKHAMMER, and a CEMENT SAW and digs up the area he needs to lay pipe down and ties it into the existing water and sewer lines. I tell ya folks, this guy continually amazes me. I'm one blessed lady - that's for sure! I must confess, when I saw him with his goggles, jackhammer and cement saw. . . I freaked a little (just a little!).

I'm sorry. . . it's very hard to photograph bathrooms. I'm not sure where to stand to take pictures without being in the mirror reflection. You can't see it in my photo, but there is a sink is to the left.

The one area we need to complete is the tiling of the shower. We just ran out of steam. We thought it would be a great after Christmas - January/February/March project for us. We need to just take a rest for now. The paint is a textured rag technique I did. It doesn't show up real well. A little blurry.

. . . and finally, here's the commode!! Works perfectly, flushes wonderfully and sure saves everyone from trekking upstairs to visit the "powder room" at the other end of the house AFTER climbing up the stairs.

Now, here's my hub's "media room!" This is the "heart" of the home theater. I always think of the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz. In his little room, making magic happen on the screen.

I found this antique film reel at an estate sale. No one running the sale even knew what it was, but I did. I got it for .50 cents. It was rusted, so I painted it and hung it on the wall by the door of the "media room." Funny, someday my kids will probably be collecting VHS tapes as antiques.

Here's the theater components. Let's see. . . we now have 4 new remotes to operate all this equipment. Oh, yes. . . and a refrigerator full of beer, 4 remotes and the big screen TV. My husband is one happy man. . . I gotta tell ya!

Blessings. . . until next time,

Basement Tour. . . continued - Part 6

"Surprise" in the Closet!

Sorry blogland friends. I've taken a bit of a break the last few days to ready our house for Christmas. We go to our cottage over Thanksgiving, so when we return ~ ~ I'M READY!! BRING ON THE HOLIDAYS. I'll post pictures of my holiday decor in a few days. But right now, we're almost done with our basement tour. One more post after today's post. . . and we're FINISHED!

This is where we left off on our last visit. When the basement was in the process of being designed, which my hubs did. . . he asked me what my wishes were for this space. I told him I'd love a kitchen, bathroom AND a separate water heater installed. The bathroom downstairs is right below our mater bedroom bathroom. My thoughts were we could separate the hot water lines and I would then be able to take a hot jacuzzi bath, followed by a hot shower, if I wished and not run out of hot water. We have two girls living home. . . 20 and 13. . .need I say more? So, that's exactly what he did for me.

This is the water heater closet. But I couldn't just leave that "extra space" that the water heater didn't use. . .

So, I put a curtain up to hide the water heater. Then I made a little bar out of a baby changing table, which I purchased at a garage sale for a few dollars. I painted it black, decorated it with a wine/grapes design, and made it whimsical, fun for parties!

It comes in handy when we have gatherings, holidays and parties. It doesn't take up any additional living space, it's contained and out of the way. I will probably put a lock on this door so when our youngest is having friends over. . . they won't be tempted to visit here. There is another closet on the left side of this room where the pool table sits, but it houses the sub-pump - so nothing else can really go in that closet.

This is what is behind the curtain. I close it for parties. . . it works out just great. Sometimes, it's good to "think out-side of the box." Be creative, utilize that space you have. Turn something like a baby changing table, into a useful basement bar!!

Blessings. . . until next time,

Part 5 - Basement Tour

Part 5 - Basement Tour . . . continues /



We left off last time in the kitchen. This is what we will see next. Our family/media viewing room. (Yes, I like to crochet. That's an afghan in red on the floor that I'm crocheting. . . I can't just sit and watch movies or TV, I must keep my hands moving. . . I know. . . strange!)

This is the view coming in from the kitchen. My hubby put in a vent-free fire place. I'm sorry I should have flipped the switch and turned it on before taking pictures. It is very cozy in the evening while watching TV or a movie. We have a fireplace upstairs too, but it seems like we LIVE down here in the basement since it has been finished.

The white wall on the left is actually a projector screen. It's a special paint that is used. We used one called "Goo-Systems." It was very easy. I applied the base and the top coat. . . just like any other paint. We would highly recommend this system if you are considering a projection TV. The great thing about this kind of TV is when it's not on it's not sticking out like a sore thumb.

You can see our projector hanging down from the ceiling. We have cable, DVD, VCR, DDR, CD, VHS, whatever else hubs has hooked up. . . like video games, etc. It's his toy. He designed it, and installed it and the Boise surround sound speakers himself. He's extremely talented, technical and electrically gifted. I am one blessed wife!

We have a leather couch in the middle of the room along with a matching arm chair and ottoman. Behind this couch is. . .

a pool table. You can once again see the projector mounted from the ceiling.

Pool table, pub table, cue rack. We can have a lot going on at the same time here in this "Man Cave!" And to finish up our tour today. . .

a slot machine!!! For fun. It only takes tokens, not quarters. Too bad. Maybe I could have taken in some cash to help off-set the cost of finishing this basement! Now you can see the other side of the stairwell. We've made a complete circle.

I still want to show you the bathroom and what I added to the "water heater closet." Perhaps, next time.

Oh, yes, the refrigerator IS certainly stocked with lots of Beer!

Blessings. . . until next time,

Basement Tour. . . continued - Part 4

Part 4 of the Basement/Man Cave Tour



Come on now for a tour of my basement kitchen - "Coffee House" style.

This is where we stopped last time on our "tour." My hubby LOVES popcorn. . . that's why he has this popcorn maker/cart. He likes movie theater popcorn with his movies.

I love my basement kitchen. When hubs was designing the basement he asked me what I would like to have in the basement. I asked for a kitchen and a bathroom. He thought I was crazy to want a kitchen, but he went along. This has been the best decision. I love having a basement kitchen! We entertain like crazy, host parties and holidays and just hang out down here with our family. My upstairs kitchen is way at the opposite end of the house from where the entrance to the basement steps are. I didn't want to be carrying food all the way across the house to the basement. I know that friends, family and get-togethers. . . mean FOOD. I decorated it in Coffee House style to give it a warm and inviting feel.

See that back door? The white door? Behind that is my storage area. You will not be seeing that area anytime soon! It's currently a mess. We have our storage shelves, my sewing/craft stuff and, of course, the dusty exercise equipment. This is an area I plan on "attacking" after the holidays. Just too much to do prior. It can wait a few more months. January, February and March are great months to take on such projects.

At first I thought I didn't need a dishwasher, but my good friend Lori was over while we were constructing this area and she told me I'd be sorry if I didn't put one in. Man, was she correct. I have used it so much. At first I thought we'd just use paper and plastic. . . but that's so wasteful and just not "Green" either. Thanks Lori for the great suggestion!

I don't think you can read this due to the glare. It's a chalk board and I wrote "Kitchen Rules: 1) Make it 2) Clean it 3) Don't complain about it!

Next time, we'll see my hub's favorite area. The area he can see from his office.

Blessings. . . until next time,

The "Man Cave" Basement Tour. . . Part 3

Welcome, please join me . . . for the next part of our tour. . . Part 3.

We saw my husband's office in Part 2. That was down the stairs and turning left. If we turn right instead of left we come to my storage area (to the right of the chair). It's not too exciting, but necessary. . . and I'm glad to have it.

My hubs so brilliantly designed our basement that each basement support pole is hidden and enclosed in something. This is how my storage area here came about. There were some mechanical items and a support pole or two (I can't remember), that needed to be hidden.

We store larger, mostly kitchen items, in here that I don't need to keep upstairs. Mostly things used for entertaining. Also stored are such things as the ping-pong table, vacuum, and behind the door are stored many folding chairs.

The wall projecting out towards us is the backside of my storage/pantry area.

If we turn to the left, this is a little corner I created to resemble a little cafe bistro. Sigh. . . I love to sit here with a cup of coffee and look around at all of our hard work.

Next time, Part 4. . . you'll see another part of our basement.

Blessings. . . until next time,

The "Man Cave" Basement Tour. . . Part 2

Come on down to my hub's office. Part 2 of the tour.

Onward we go into the basement. The above picture is our view on the way down to the basement. If you notice the spindles and rails on both sides of stairwell - they were not there when we started. My hubs determined that the wall of the basement stairwell was not load-bearing, so he cut it out to make it more open. I'm so glad he did.

The next picture is where we stopped yesterday. I picked up this table from a garage sale. All it needed was a new coat of paint over the ugly brass and it works perfectly down here. Notice I even decorated the basement for Thanksgiving. I'm one that believes memories don't just happen, sometimes. . . we just got to make them. Childhood is so short that I have always tried to make the holidays special for our girls. . . so they would have sweet memories. Our 20 year old has assured me that I have accomplished my goal (at least for her)!

Now, let's make a quick left.

We are now at the double French Doors (can you tell I love French Doors?). I thought double French doors would be perfect for this room, since it's my hub's office. This way when he's working, it doesn't feel like he's locked away in a cave. He works from home on Fridays, so this is great for him. I have his degrees on one wall, his favorite Detroit Red Wings on another and his teen memories on the third. I purchased the bookshelves at an estate sale. They were really, really beat up. . . but not when I got through with them. They work perfectly in here. Now he just needs to load up his books on the shelves. I'm not sure which ones he wants out, so I'm leaving that task up to him.When I mentioned his teen memories, I mean his Queen collection from the '70's. I framed his T-shirt along with a poster and his ticket stubs. He has another picture of a Queen concert and our beloved Detroit's own, Bob Seger when he appeared at Cobo Hall in the late '70's. Yeah, we were there. . . *sigh*. . . memories. Gotta say, I'm glad my hubs never wore that Queen T-shirt though. I mean what wife wants her husband to be running around wearing a T-shirt that says "Queen?"

We were already to purchase a new desk exactly like this for down here, but I happened to find the perfect "one" on Craigs list http://www.craigslist.org/about/cities.html. It was a divorce situation, selling home, had to sell desk. It was perfect, so I grabbed it. You'll see later why his desk is positioned this way (hint. . . it's what he can see from his desk while working!)

We're now on our way back out. These two doors are closets. One has my husband's filing cabinet in it and the other has his books for now, printer paper and other work related "treasures" he needs to keep.

Next, post, another corner of our basement.

Blessings. . . until next time.

The "Man Cave"

Want to take a tour my hub's "Man Cave," our basement? Everyday, for the next several days, I am going to take you into our recently finished basement.

It's my hub's dream come true. I must say that I certainly enjoy having it finished as well. The majority of the basement my husband and I did ourselves. Yes, we did!! I don't know what I'm doing, but I take direction well : ) We did the framing, insulating, ceramic tile, cupboards, counters, paint, put in a vent-free fireplace, projection TV, bathroom, and whatever else there was to do, we did it.

Each day I'll show you another room of the basement or another "nook."

Come along with me today as we enter our basement stairwell. It'll give you a peek as to what you will see in the days to come. The picture at the top of the post is the French Door we put in leading to our basement. I think if a basement is finished, it's part of the "living space" of a home so it should be made to look like that. . . I think the French Door accomplishes this perfectly from our main level of the house. I had an electrical plug put in here so I could have a little lamp lit on a timer . I love the soft glow in the evening through the glass door.

You are now entering our basement landing. After a few steps you make a sharp right . . . and continue on down the stairs.

Almost there, keep going!

You're here! This is the entrance to our basement. I'll post different pictures each day for you to have a tour. If you have any questions about how we did something, just ask me. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have (if I know the answer).

Blessings. . . until next time,