Mama Wrote a Book!

 A couple of years ago I stumbled upon an advertisement for a memoir publishing service. I decided that it would make a great gift. First, I would give my mother the gift of a subscription where the company would send her an email once per week for a year and she would write a memory or a story from her life. Then, at the end of the year, I could get a published copy to give her and a couple of copies to give my children. 

The company whose subscription I gave to my mother is called Storyworth. (I am not being compensated in any way for this post.) I gifted it to her at Mother's Day. It was a really good experience for Mama and me. It worked out well that I got to pick through some questions that the company suggests at their website. I also could update some of the suggested questions to make them fit my mother's experiences a little better. Finally, I could just create a question on my own, if I wanted to do so. 

It also worked out well for my mother in that she only got one question or prompt per week. They sent her an email on Monday and she had time to think about what she wanted to write and also time to actually write, revise, and update what she wrote. 

Once she finished writing, we could upload photos that would accompany the story. I could add brief notes to expand the story and include a bit more information. I could also proofread her story to check for simple errors that we all make such as misspellings or leaving out a word.

As the year went along and Mama wrote her memories, sometimes when I read the new chapter, I would smile because I knew the story and had chosen that particular prompt or question so that the story would be captured and shared. Sometimes I would smile or even laugh out loud because the story or the accompanying photos would be something new that I had never known about my mother.

Of course, having a year's subscription meant that she wrapped up her writing in May of last year. Then, during the summer, we read and revised all her stories, when needed. We added photos and moved stories around a bit so that there was some flow to the book and so that there would not be blank white pages with no photos or stories. The platform provided by Storyworth was really user-friendly and the editing took a little time but was really easy.

Then, I ordered the complementary book that came with the subscription with the intention that I could read the hard copy and make edits, if needed. When the hardback copy came, I was so impressed with it that I didn't really feel the need to make edits. Oh, there might be some punctuation or capitalization errors in it but no more than can be found in any published book, really.

So, we ordered more copies. I ordered copies for each of my children and Mama got copies for my sister and her family. 

I would strongly encourage anybody to take advantage of such an experience. In our case, the book turned out wonderfully. My mother is pleased with how it turned out. My two children were both excited to get their copy of the book. They have both read it and truly enjoyed recalling some of the stories that were a part of their lives and were glad to learn new things about their grandmother and the times in which she lived. 

Livening Up a Grey Room with a Roman Shade

Grey is a bleh color to me when it comes to decorating. I have hated the trend that everybody has been fond of - painting everything a neutral grey. To me it seems cold, dreary, depressing, and institutional or prison-like. So, I was not thrilled years ago when my mother-in-law had the walls and cabinetry in the basement painted grey. Knowing that it was to be her space, I did not want to object and really wanted her space to be her own. Now that we are reclaiming that space and repurposing it to meet our needs, I am learning to live with the grey as best I can. The paint is still in really good shape and I just cannot justify having it covered over just because it is not my favorite. So, I am looking for ways to live with it but liven it up.

One of the grey walls in the basement.

We recently began to turn one of the front basement rooms into an office. I need a dedicated work space, since I still work from home many days. I will also want an office-type space even after I retire. I will want a space for bill paying and working on our farm paperwork. I will want a space for writing as I want to write a book similar to the one I helped my mother to put together as a way to share her lifetime memories with our children. I will want to have a space for sewing and crafting when I take on creative projects.

So, I began to look for ways to liven up the grey room and make it more friendly. I decided that an easy way to get started with that would be to add a decorative window treatment. I knew that I didn't want to cover the window because I want all the natural light I can get coming in through the window. There are blinds for controlling the sunlight where it won't be glaring in and blinding while I work at the desk. 

My first thought was that I wanted to add pretty floral panels to the sides of the window and make the room rather feminine. Then, I realized that might not be a possibility because the window is not really centered on the wall allowing for a full drapery panel on either side of the window without covering any of the window. On the right side, there is about three inches and on the left, there is considerably more space.

So, I started turning through the pages of my 'house look books' and surfing the net and saving ideas. I began to notice a trend in what I was collecting. They seemed to all have some sort of floral Roman shade that draws the eye up but brightens and livens up the space. The inspiration I seemed to keep coming back to was this office with a Jacobean print shade and incorporated the greens and blues that I have going on in the room already. 

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So, my next turn was to dig through my fabric stash and see what I already had that might work to combine the color scheme I had started. Remember that I am trying to do this office on a budget and I want to use as many things that we already have as possible. I have a pair of pillow covers made of a Jacobean print that I first bought to try to work into a bedroom with my grandmother's cross-stitched quilt. The fabric turned out to be a bit too creamy or lean too far toward yellow. So, I made a couple of pillow covers that I use in the den and hung the rest of the fabric on a hanger to keep in my stash.

When, I pulled it out, I realized that it might just be the perfect fabric. It has the hunter green color that is found in the green check chair and it has a nice sky blue color that would brighten things up as well. So, I quickly decided that I ad found my fabric to use in the office. When I started measuring and planning, I realized that I was going to have to seam a couple of pieces together to reach all the way across the double windows. So, I gave my friend, Kathy, a call. She made thousands of window treatments over the years and I knew she would be a good resource. Of course, I watched dozens of online videos as well! The two that wound up being my strongest resources were How to Make a False Roman Shade and How to Make a Roman Shade. 

Kathy suggested that I might not want to have the seam running down the middle of the window because that might draw too much attention to it. After I sent her a hand full of photos, she told me that I might not need to worry about the seam showing because there was so much going on in the fabric and I might be able to match the print quite well. So, I went to work.

I measured my windows and measured my fabric and used the instructions provided by the YouTube videos. Then, I stretched the fabric out across the floor and ripped one end to get a straight edge. I know that isn't recommended for all drapery fabrics due to the width and the nature of the fabric's weave. It is just something I feel better about when I am sewing. A straight edge makes my life easier. Then, I began to stretch out the next run of fabric to match the print for the seam.

Matching it up was pretty easy. In my mind, I was thinking I would just sew the two pieces together to make a tube. Then, I would split one of the runs of fabric so that I had a seam on both sides and the center panel would be one run of the fabric. As it turned out, that match up wouldn't work out for me so well. So, I decided I would stitch the two together and see out the seam turned out. 

Kathy suggested that I press under one of the fabric's selvage edges to make the matching a bit easier. Plus, I could just stitch along the fold of the pressed edge and my seam would probably be easier and nicer to match up. It worked beautifully!

The fabric panel on the right has the selvage pressed under 

and the two pieces are pinned together to match the print.

With excitement, I stitched the two pieces together and gave the entire thing a nice pressing. 

Then, I turned to the other selvages and sides and realized that it wasn't going to work out as a had envisioned. The edges and the print was not matching up as I'd thought it would. So, the beauty of having this space is - I could walk away from it and leave it out for a while to decide what to do next. I ordered some trim tape to cover the seams and thought that might be the way I would go. 

At this point, I was going to have to make the shade shorter or have less folds 

or cover the seam somehow because the sides were not matching up as I'd hoped.

The more I thought about it, the more I began to think that the print of the fabric was not going to show the seaming as obviously as I had worried it might and I wouldn't need to do anything for it to be camouflaged it at all. So, I just decided to cut one side off and press the seam out and stitch the lining to the fabric. Then, hang it and hope nobody noticed the seam.

Close up of the seamed fabrics

As it turns out, that was the right thing to do in this case. The shade looks nice in my office and really adds some life and pulls the colors I'm using in the room together.

I love how it brightens the space and looks feminine and cheerful.

Even with the sunlight streaming in, the seam is not obvious at all. And if somebody is nosey enough to look and see if there is a seam, they will just have to find it!

Designating a Room as the Office

 One of the things Mike and I knew immediately that we wanted to do when reworking the basement and parceling out his mother's belongings as she had wished is that we knew I need a designated space as an office and work room. 

Since I was sent home to work during Covid, I had just perched on a little desk space that my parents had made when I was a girl and it worked out fine. Sometimes my need to be online in a live virtual meeting was an inconvenience for Mike. Sometimes there were distractions when I needed to be working. All too frequently, I worked long, late hours because it was just too easy to work with my computer and desk right there.

So, now we have the space for me to designate a room as the office. Just after Christmas, I noticed an inexpensive desk and chair offered for sale on Facebook. It was just the right size - large enough to hold my laptop and extra monitor and microphone and notes but not a big executive desk. So, I jumped on that and brought the desk home. Mike helped me get it out of my truck and into the room. 

I shoved the wicker sofa, chair, table, and accessories to the other end of the room. With the beginning of the new year and a new school semester I was beginning work in my new office!

I had already decided that we were going to set this office up on a shoestring budget. I didn't want to spend a potload of money to make it beautiful and functional when we already have so much stuff. However, I also wanted it to be beautiful and inspire me to work.

With a little time, I began to search for inspiration to make this really become a space where I want to work and am inspired to do good things. So, I started thumbing through my 'look books' where designers who are featured in places like Southern Living show how they have decorated homes for clients and themselves. I began to scroll through Pinterest and Instagram and save ideas that I saw which inspired me. 

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My first thought was that I would put my desk in the space where the window would be off to my side. So, this office really inspired me. I had thoughts of painting the desk and adding panels of drapery at the window and really making it a feminine space.

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I began to notice that another characteristic seemed consistent - there was shelving and storage in each of them. Knowing that I wanted to set this up on a shoestring budget and that I might not always want to have built-in shelving and storage in the room, I began to try to think of how to provide that shelving and storage in another way.

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I also noticed that several of the pictures I was saving as inspiration had cozy seating. Knowing that the Mister might stop in to visit and chat, I knew I would need an extra spot to perch. I thought it would also be a good thing to have comfy seating for when I'm not doing computer work. So, a comfy chair or seating area needed to be included.

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Sometimes saving a picture sparks more ideas and would prompt me to consider things we already have that could be put into service. For example, in the image below there is a green checked wingback chair. There was already a green checked wingback chair sitting in the room that had been my mother-in-law's. Seeing the drop leaf table also made me realize that there was one in the basement den and that might be a great way to have expandable surface space. It could be handy when I want to craft and need more surface area for spreading fabric out or other crafting supplies. 

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Seeing a couple of photos that had the desk centered up in front of the window helped me to realize that I could be taking full advantage of the light there. The room is in our basement and is painted what I call 'prison grey.' The paint color was chosen by my mother-in-law and is still in good shape but grey is just not a color I like. So, I hated to go to the expense of repainting when the color is rather neutral. I decided that I would just use the assets we have and make the most of it.

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I began to scroll through online estate sale postings and Facebook Marketplace. One of the first china cupboards I saw, I fell in love with. I thought the color of the wood was nice, warm, and light and might not even need painting and liked the number of drawers for holding things. The catch was that the seller wanted more money than I wanted to spend.

A friend started surfing and looking for similar items with smaller price tags. Yet, when I would inquire, it seemed that each one had a catch - something might be broken or the drive was more than an hour away or the seller didn't respond. So, after a couple of days, I bit the bullet and bought the one that tugged at my heartstrings. When I got it home, the Mister was all grumbly but I could tell he mostly was grumbling about having to move it more than anything else. He had lined up my bonus son to come over and help provide some brawn to get it unloaded and placed in the space. So, the three of us manhandled her into my new office!

Once in place, the bonus son commented, "That's a nice piece of furniture." So, the Mister rolled his eyes and I puffed my chest out and all was well with the world. Immediately, I moved the green checked wingback chair that had been sitting in the corner over on the opposite side of the room and things started taking shape.

Next, I dragged a drop-leaf table from the basement den down the hallway and set it across the room from the new cabinet. The color of the wood was almost identical. Plus, it would provide that expandable surface area when needed - and it is a nice, beautiful piece of furniture as well.

Things that are always being considered as I work on this space to make it a reflection of who I am and what the intended focus of this room is include:

• It is a basement room and there is very little lighting - only one can light in the center of the room.
• It will be used for my work as an instructional designer until I retire from the education business.
• It is where I will be working on writing projects and will continue in that capacity even after I retire.
• It is where I will be doing stitching and sewing in the space. So, there will be lots of stray threads and scraps of fabric.
• When I sew, I will also be using the ironing board and iron. So, there will need to be open space for that vital equipment.
• I will need to store fabrics, trims, thread, office supplies, crafting supplies, and such in there.
• I want the space to be a work horse but also keep to my shoestring budget.

So, the designated office space is taking shape. Updates will be shared in a later post. It already looks quite different from the photos here but it still has a journey to go before I will call it meeting up to my inspiration.

Primary Bath Update - Progress to Finish

Like any good project, this one started with a collection of ideas and inspiration. My drawings seemed like everything was going to come together well. Now, it was time to put those ideas into practice!

Here is where we started:

The front half of the bathroom has hardwood floors, a tiny linen closet and vanity on the right of the entrance and a doorway into a large walk-in closet on the left. The toilet is straight ahead and sits on square biscuit colored tile from the 1980s. The walls were paint over wallpaper. Painting took place in the early fall of 2009. 

The vanity was serviceable but rather dated - especially because of the counter and sink. The vanity top was a preformed sink and counter of cultured marble and there was a builder-grade mirror glued to the wall. The light sconces had been swapped out by yours truly several years ago when one of the previous ones had stopped working. The linen closet was tiny but also a very serviceable area.

The tub and toilet were biscuit colored and the square tile surrounding the tub was the same. It all was still in working order but stained from years of use and a struggle to keep mildew away as evidenced by the bleach cleaner that always sat on the side of the tub. 

We decided not to change the footprint of the bathroom because it works alright for us. I had thought about expanding into the large closet that is adjoining the bath but decided that there was really no need as this layout really did work alright for us and making major changes would increase the cost but would also just mean more for me to keep clean and I am not one who loves to clean.

So, Richard from The Tool Chest and his trusty assistant, Faye, showed up on a Monday and demolition began! I was at a school that day and the Mister oversaw all the production from his recliner after he had returned from one of his physical therapy workouts for rehabbing his new left knee. When I returned home, here is how things looked at the end of day one.

The toilet, tile, and cast iron tub were all gone! Everything had been swept up and hauled away in readiness for the new installation to begin the following day. The sink, vanity top, and mirror were also gone.

We had decided to keep the vanity because it still was in good shape and we really didn't want to change anything about it except to clean it out and organize it a bit and I had a plan for that. However, we decided to update the sink, faucets, countertop, mirror, and lighting throughout the bathroom.

The next day found Richard working on the prep stages of adding backer board and plumbing for the new shower faucets.

I had chosen a 'shower kit' that features a manmade stone that looks like marble for the walls and a textured version of the stone as the base of the shower. Remember my inspiration that was crafted from large slabs of stone? Well, rather than real marble stone, we were giving this unknown product I had stumbled upon during my search a try. I had ordered everything sight unseen, having faith in my online shopping capabilities. Everything was delivered just before Mike's knee surgery and we stored it all inside his livestock trailer and parked it in the tool shed until Richard was ready to begin. So, a day or so later meant Richard was installing this newfangled product that was still in the shipping package. The big box store had links to a video created by the company which demonstrated how to install. We watched with rapt attention a couple of times and then Richard plunged right in. 

Two of the stones are in place in the photo above. Richard decided to add a bit of pressure to ensure that they stayed in place overnight. So, the two by fours stretching across from the opposite wall were added as shown below.

I have photos of the different pieces and parts being installed but didn't include each and every step in this post - believe me! The next photos show the shower installed and the grab bar and faucets in place.  

Richard had to drill holes into one of the end stones to provide for the faucets. We opted for the "car wash" effect, according to the Mister. There are four jets which push water out onto the torso and are great for my aching back. A favorite is the rain effect of the overhead faucet. Somebody likes to pull the bench right up under it and sit for a while! Then, there is also a hand-held wand-type faucet for targeting different spots and I like it for cleaning the walls and floor of the shower, too.

Next, came the installation of the shower doors. While everything I had chosen was pretty much traditional in style, it all sort of leaned toward a farmhouse vibe - or at least I hoped so. However, I had chosen the Frameless Contemporary Sliding Shower Door with Rain Glass and the word contemporary had me a bit worried. My thought behind this was that it looked sort of like a barn door in the way it slid across, but more importantly, it seemed to have less nooks and crooks to clean since it is frameless. Plus, with the rain glass, I hoped it might not show hard water buildup and gunk so much. So, while things were moving along swiftly enough, Richard was thoughtful and had the shower where we could use it as soon as possible. We were only without a convenient shower for a couple of days. For that short time, we used the smaller shower stall in our basement.

The 'shower kit' came only with the four stones for the wall as well as the base and the drain cover. The grab bar, faucets, shelf, and door, of course, came separately.

One of the things that the Mister really wanted when we were in the planning stages was a shower bench. This 'shower kit' did not have such an option. So, I searched for something that would serve as a shower bench that reached all the way across the width of the shower but seemed sturdy and would be easy to clean. I first looked at teak options. Then, this one popped up in my search. I figured it would be easy to clean and I thought the size would be ideal. I didn't realize how sturdy it might be. The bench has turned out to be one of the best parts of the new bath! It is the perfect size, is sturdy and would be hard to tip over, and it is really simple to clean with a quick little scrub.

Next came the tile for the floor. This had been the first thing I picked out when I saw it years ago. Then, when it was delivered, I fell in love all over again. At this point, though, I was a little worried that it might turn out to be too busy with the veining in the shower stones and the vanity countertop and the pattern of the shower door. Then, having the differences in the marble pieces of the basket weave tile...I knew as soon as I peeked over Richard's shoulder when he had about half of it set in place that it was exactly what I wanted! 

When he asked me what color grout I wanted, I quickly told him that I wanted it to match that small square tile and look about the color of dirt. Muffa, my paternal grandmother, when I was a young girl in college and was setting up my own abode, told me, "Get a rug that has coloring that is close to that of the dirt in your yard. That way the rug won't have to be swept as often." I knew after all these years that it was sound advice!

One thing we added to the bath that I thought would tie it into other parts of the house was the bead board wainscoting. The guest bath has that and I've always really liked it. 

So, using that as a pattern, Richard added bead board and trim. He and Faye suggested that I also add it to the space behind the vanity and I am so glad they did. It really made things more cohesive and added that little extra punch to frame out the vanity.

The new countertop with undermount sink was installed along with the faucet. While there is a wee bit of difference in the look of the stone that is the countertop and that of the shower, the wall between the two really makes it hard to notice. All of the different stones just seem to blend together and look cohesive in spite of being different and having been gathered together without my having laid eyes on the actual products. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good!

The electrical work in the update included swapping out the plugs and switches from beige to white, moving and installing the new sconces beside the mirror, and replacing the light and exhaust fan near the shower. I chose the fan/light because it was mostly enclosed and should be easy to keep clean with just a swipe of a duster or the vacuum tip. The vented slots of the previous one had gotten so gunky that it was gross and impossible to clean. So, hopefully the design of this one will prevent that. It also has the added feature of a night light option, which is nice during those middle of the night visits. The sconces I had originally ordered were too wide for the new mirror I'd had made. So, Faye and I did a quick online search and order and they were available to be installed within a couple of days. 

We also had Richard install a couple of grab bars just for safety's sake. I want to feel safe when Mike has his second knee replacement. Plus, we are senior citizens! I didn't want the industrial looking grab bars, though. So, this short grab bar just outside the shower and the mid-sized one beside the toilet which match the longer one inside the shower are what we used. They look very similar to the bath hardware I ordered. Somewhere along the way the towel bar got lost or maybe it was never delivered. So, I followed Faye's suggestion of hanging three hooks across from the shower instead.

The finish work is really the details that make the difference. The drywall, wainscoting, trim, and crown molding are painted White Dove by Benjamin Moore in a satin finish. The ceiling is the same color but is a flat finish. The vanity is painted in a high gloss finish using Blue Stream by Benjamin Moore. I chose this soft blue color with the help of the consultant at our local Ace Hardware Store. My thought is that when we paint the adjoining bedroom, it will be in the same pale blue color in a satin finish. I ordered custom knobs via Etsy for the vanity to give it a jewel box look, but I see that they are not available now. They are Mother of Pearl with silver detail. 

I decided to order sidesplashes because our original vanity had those. When I was searching for that, I stumbled across another size. Remember my inspiration picture that had the little marble shelf on it? I decided to order this longer length of the backsplash to give it a try as a shelf. I just had to figure out how we were going to mount it because the faucet I had chosen would not allow it to rest on the backsplash. I did a search to find a small corbel and landed on this one. Richard and Faye painted them to match the bead board and it really elevates the vanity area.

The mirror is made from an antique frame that my mother gave me. I knew that I wanted to use it if at all possible because I love the chunkiness of it and the patina of the wood and thought the warmth of the wood might warm up the vanity area as well as continue that farmhouse look. The sconces also add to that aesthetic, I think, with their oval base and candle look.

Once all the lighting was installed, I felt like I needed a bit more light in the vanity area. So, I ordered this pendant that was on sale at the time. It really did the trick and brightened things up just as I had hoped. It blends beautifully with the paint color and is really just the right size. I may give the 'candles' a quick paint job, though because I think they need to be a bit whiter to look more like candles and like the sconces. 

Earlier this week I stitched up a little window topper. I got this fabric and am so pleased with it! I had ordered a new curtain rod with a sweet finial to hang it with but I am going to have to have a taller helper to get the rod installed. In the meantime, the topper is suspended on the old-fashioned curtain rod that was originally there. 

I will have to share how I did some organizing and updated the inside of the vanity and linen closet to make it even more of a workhorse for this room in another post. I know this post is long but what is an update if we don't have a bit of before and after?

 

Standing in the doorway

 

Front of Shower

 

Back of Shower

 

Vanity Area

We could not have asked for a better outcome! Richard Stanaland from The Tool Chest and his trusty assistant, Faye, did fabulous work and completed the entire project quickly in a two-week timeframe. The updated bath is everything I envisioned and more! I smile every single time I step inside it. I've already started dreaming of the next project that Richard will do for us and we have our fingers crossed to get it done this summer.

Note that all of these photos were made with my phone. They are the raw footage that I snapped each day when Richard and Faye were finished working. 

(We were not compensated for any purchase related to this project. I included the links to products and the installation company as a courtesy to any reader for seeing exactly what product I am referencing.)