Saturday, December 1, 2012

Christmas Decor Part II + The Chair

We finished putting up the trees- now we just have to do the outside lights!

Living room tree

Dining room tree

The basement is really coming along. Framing, electrical, and plumbing are nearly complete. Dry wall is starting Monday. Looks like we will have most of it done by Christmas after all! I am trying to re-purpose or make most of the furniture for the two bedrooms. I saw this chair at Good Will, and I liked the tufted back, since it matched the burlap head board I made a few months back for the same room. The color scheme in this bedroom is khaki and coral. Here is the progression of the chair make-over:

Kinda' icky- scuffed up and dirty- but it has potential!


Time to take it apart...
Popping off the cushion...
Removing the back of the chair...
After some serious sanding- and still more sanding to go!


Let the priming begin...



It looks hot pink in this picture, but it's actually a really pretty coral color...

Off with the yucky cushion cover...

And on with the new!
Reupholstered the back of the chair and redid the tufting...

Re-attached the back of the chair...


Replaced the cushion...
Trimmed out the front and back...




Ta-da!

I still have some stray pieces of fabric that need to be trimmed off with a razor blade, but it was getting too late to be using something that sharp! I'm really happy with how it turned out. The paint really pulls out the coral in the flowers on the fabric, which is hard to see through these pictures.

Next I will be refinishing some night stands and a dressing table and mirror. Can't wait to post pictures of some finished furniture pieces in some finished basement rooms!



Sunday, November 25, 2012

Christmas Decor Part 1

We have had a great weekend revving up for Christmas! This is the first year that Addison has truly been able to enjoy the holidays. She has been such a great helper, and it is a lot of fun seeing everything through her eyes. We've decorated and made Christmas cookies, and we have more fun things to come!

Christmas cookies:

Addison loved making these sugar cookies- we used the butter Crisco recipe. So yummy! She also enjoyed decorating them eating the sprinkles- and the flour on the counter for some reason? She would scoop it in her mouth and say, "Mmmmm!" Sugar, I would understand- but flour? Oh well- making memories!







Gel pens got a little crazy...








Decorating:

One of the things I was looking forward to most about the new house was decorating for Christmas! I had lots of ideas, and I've been buying stuff in the off-season (I should own stock in Hobby Lobby...). Here is what we have done so far...

Stairs


Addison LOVES the lights- "Christmas lights so pretty!"

My Willow Tree Nativity Set. Slowly collecting more pieces every year...

Mantle
I also tried my hand at another Pinterest project. I'm kinda' happy with how these trees turned out, but I definitely wish I would have used green styrofoam instead of the white ones.  Either that or find some teeny tiny balls to fill in the gaps so the white isn't so visible. Oh well- they are okay for a first attempt!

Baby tree

Medium tree

Big Daddy tree

Pretty tree family!
We still have to finish our main tree, dining room tree, and hang the outside lights. Russ has been crazy busy framing out the basement, so I am hoping to get some slave labor out of him tonight to start/finish the trees. Hopefully more pictures to come!

Addison's tree:

I let Addison pick out a little tree at Walmart for her room. She knew exactly what she wanted, right down to the pink/purple/silver balls and Minnie Mouse ornament!

Cast of characters

She kept stopping to hug her tree...

Still hugging...

Concentrating VERY hard...


More hugging...

Finishing touch- Minnie Mouse of course!

Final hug of the project...

Pretty girl with her pretty tree!

Hope everyone is enjoying making memories of their own!!!





Saturday, November 17, 2012

What a Month...

How does life get so busy? I'm starting to understand how people start blogs and then lose track of time in between posts...

Ms. Addison:

We had a fun Halloween with Addison. She dressed up like Minnie Mouse, who is currently her favorite character in the world! She has a Minnie Mouse doll that she carries around everywhere, so choosing her costume wasn't difficult. The town of Cody arranges a trick-or-treat activity downtown during the afternoon of Halloween. They close down some of the streets and the local businesses hand out candy. It's a fun, safe way for the kids to enjoy themselves and for the parents to catch up. Addison had a blast and loved seeing all of the other kids dressed up. And I know I'm biased, but I think she was the cutest Minnie Mouse out there...

With her Minnie Mouse doll

Decorating her pumpkin
Disability News:

I have started therapy twice a week. I hadn't met with a Rehab Doctor in over a decade, so needless to say, I was behind a little on some maintenance areas. There is a lot of new technology coming out for people dealing with paralysis, but you have to be at the top of your game physically in order to qualify for any of the clinical trials. I had a bone scan which showed osteoporosis (if I get one more old person disease I'm not gonna' be happy...), which means more pills and more therapy. I also have some stiffness in my ankles which needs to be slowly loosened up. The technology I am most interested in right now is ReWalk, which is an exoskeleton and electrical stimulation unit that allows you to walk with arm crutches. Click here for more information, as well as a video showing someone using the apparatus. Pretty amazing stuff! I am on the waiting list to participate in the trial in our area if I can get some physical issues worked out. So that means being in the therapy pool once a week, home exercises including using my EasyStand glider machine, as well as once a week on the FES cycle. Fun times ahead!

I received notice a few weeks ago that I was selected to represent Wyoming in the 2013 Ms. Wheelchair USA competition. The state competition winners are selected based on your application packet, which includes questions about yourself, letters of recommendation, and an essay about your platform. The nationals are held in Ohio in July, and my Ms. Wheelchair Wyoming sash and crown are on the way. They are also sending me a nationals kit, which will include more information about the next leg of the competition. I will share more details as I receive them. I am excited about the opportunity to bring awareness to issues close to my heart, including my platform, which encourages people with disabilities to remain involved in activities in the outdoors. Speaking of these activities...

In 2008, I was approached by a friend to see if I would be interested in being a part of a new group that was being created to assist disabled hunters. At first, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it, having never been involved in hunting before, but I love learning about new things, so I said yes. Four years later, the Wyoming Disabled Hunters is a non-profit organization that continues to grow each and every year. I was not planning on hunting this year, but when we had a few out-of-state hunters that had to cancel at the last minute due to medical issues, we needed to fill their spots. I am so thankful for the opportunity to hunt again. The group works closely with land owners in the Cody area to set up blinds in accessible areas so that the deer can be harvested in such a way that you get the real hunting experience, but not at the expense of it not being wheelchair friendly. I went out five different times before getting the opportunity to take a buck on a ranch up the North Fork. I missed the "big one," but that just makes me more excited about next season. Russ had gotten me a new crossbow for an early birthday present just in time. Here is the buck I was able to get:


We made sausage and jerky this time, which was a first for me, and it all turned out really great! So nice to not have to buy meat for a while.

Other News:

I started teaching computer classes this week for the Northwest College Center for Training and Development. I will teach Computer Basics, Basic Word, Intermediate Word, Basic Excel, and Basic PowerPoint. These classes aren't for college credit, but more for personal enrichment/job training. This week's Excel class went wonderfully, and I am really excited about this opportunity.

We are also moving forward with finishing two bedrooms and a bathroom in the basement, so I will be starting on some projects in the near future. And Christmas decorating is right around the corner- YEAH!!! So pumped to decorate the new house for Christmas!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!