First and foremost, if you're here from ICLW, check out my introductory post here. And if you are looking for my interview with up & coming author, J.R. Vikse, check it out here. Don't forget to enter for the giveaway of J.R.'s debut novel The Lazy Postman (and don't forget to check back next month for the second part of my interview with him about his new book, The Keeper Chronicles: Playing With Fire).
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I'm taking a break from my prep for the painting I'm going to be doing this weekend (sooooo sick of plaster dust from filling dings and holes), just so I can come chat with you fine folks. The hallway is completely prepped now... holes filled, sanded, and trim/doorframes are taped. Bathroom is almost ready to go. I need to tape the trim and take down the medicine cabinet (I hate the thing. It's going into the dumpster). Other than just painting, I'm completely reorganizing our little bathroom, so I stocked up on storage containers for under the sink at the dollar store. I also bought hooks for our towels (not enough room for towel bars for all four of us), a new towel ring for the hand towel, and a shelving unit for over the toilet. My Beloved and the wee-lings are heading down south to my MIL's place for the day, so that I can have the hobbit-hole to myself. Yay!
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It's a hazy warm day here in the Shire, I think from the wild fires burning south of the border. We've actually had a really nice stretch of weather the last week or so. Warm but not too humid, and cool at night so we can sleep. A nice change from the majority of the summer, which has either been soggy or muggy.
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I'm in a quandary, Humble Readers. My Beloved and I decided that for our birthdays (his at the end of the month, mine is the middle of next month) we are going to buy new dressers for our bedroom. Since before Ginny was born, my Beloved has been using a laundry basket for clothes storage, because we stole his dresser and painted it for the nursery. The dresser I have is a cheapo-pressboard-piece-of-junk that's falling apart. For quite a long time I have been fixated on a dresser from Ik.ea...
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| Hemnes 3 drawer dresser - $149.99 image courtesy www.ikea.com |
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| Tarva 5 drawer dresser - $139.99 image courtesy www.ikea.com |
It's bigger and actually cheaper than the three drawer unit above. I like the general style of it, but it's natural pine, which means I would have to stain it or paint it. I have never stained anything before, so I'm not sure how good I would be at that. Painting would probably be a better option because I have done that in the past... but then the issue of where I would paint them, and keep the wee-lings away from them while they dry.
Any thoughts? Suggestions?
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I have to report that the lack of exercise over the last several weeks due to the lingering crud has taken its toll. I have gained back a few pounds (of course, I'm too pathetic to record that on my tickers). Gah! And to add insult to injury, the new walking shoes I bought back in June are already headed to the trash. The insoles are shredded and there are already holes in the toes. Grrr... I spent a decent amount of money on them. And the only other shoes I have to walk in are my Sha.pe Up.s, which hurt my toes. Not exactly motivating. I am going to have to get a new pair of shoes, it's just dang frustrating.
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Pippin just got his one year vaccinations on Wednesday, only three months late. He's doing pretty well with them, only a bit of a fever yesterday and some general grumpiness. He's over 25lbs now, and 32.5 inches tall. He's catching up to Ginny so fast. Too fast. I talked to the nurse about his lack of talking, and she told me not to be concerned just yet. Because he's a second child, and a boy, it's very common that speech can be a bit delayed. She gave me some suggestions to help him strengthen the muscles in his face and how to encourage him to talk. It's apparent that he understands much of what we are saying. He responds to most directions and comments directed at him. He dances to music, and he likes to laugh, squeal, make lots of little boy noises. I guess I just need to be patient. The nurses also suggested that we hound Dr. B to get Pippin in to an allergist, given the extent of his eczema. Most doctors around here like to wait until the little ones are closer to two years old before they go the allergist route.
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Well, I should get back to work on the prep for painting. Pippin has just crashed in his playpen, and Ginny is snoozing in the nursery, which means I have about an hour of uninterrupted work time. Woohooo!
Hello from ICLW! hobbit! Like your blog. Good luck with the painting. Pippin sounds similar in age to my Nicky, pop by my blog to see some pics. Hope you come right with the allergies. Onestepatatime.co.za
ReplyDeleteI don't know a lot about staining furniture, but I do know that pine is a soft wood, so furniture made from it isn't as sturdy and doesn't last as long. So the Hemnes, depending on what wood it is, might be a better option (assuming it is actually real wood- I know their big, long dresser used to be solid wood and then it was suddenly MDF when I looked into it for my son a couple of years ago).
ReplyDeleteSo your son is almost exactly a year younger than mine (E. was a May 8th baby), and he weighs as much as E. does! Actually, he probably outweighs E. since E. is sick and has clearly just dropped some weight.
With the talking: at 15/16 months, I'm not sure E. had any words at all, but his receptive vocabulary was excellent, and he was signing quite a few things. I was still keeping track of his words individually until he was almost 23 months, and then suddenly the language explosion happened, and he burst out with hundreds of new words. At 24 months he started putting together quite long sentences. I know it is hard, and I did worry about E., but he just moved at his own pace. It was also helpful to know that it counted as a word if E. used it correctly in context consistently, even if it bore absolutely no resemblance to how the word actually sounded. And animal noises count!
I vote Hemnes :)
ReplyDeleteTry not to worry about Pip. He will be just fine. Babies all do things at different times. I remember you were worried about Ginny and look at her now! ;) it's so hard not to worry though. Isn't it?? Easier said than done. xo
You should definitely give staining a try. As long as you do one side at a time, it is pretty easy. You brush it on and then wipe off excess stain. You can choose how dark it is by how many coats you do. And if you don't like it, you could always paint over it. I've stained several pieces of furniture on our front porch. You do need the hubby to watch the kids while you do it, but it really doesn't take that long at all. If you do it outside, use a spot outside of direct sunlight. If you do it inside, use a room with a fan to keep the air circulating. The smell is really the only reason to do it outside.
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