Archive for May, 2009

Posted on May 26, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Up-Cycled Penguins

At Hearthstone House we are constantly creating and I don’t always blog about it because I think well this is something you probably have seen before. Today’s craft project was different though. I had been saving these Gerber Graduate Puff Containers that Meebs my youngest really likes and had planned on making a bowling set out of them. But today when I came across them, I thought about penguins. So The Bird of course wanted to make them as soon as I shared my idea. We had such a fun time creating them. We used construction paper, scissors, glue and markers to transform the white containers into three little buddies. My favorite is the Macaroni or as The Bird said,”We need to make one with the spikey hair.”

Posted on May 24, 2009 - by Estate Manager

New Lights, New Window Treatments

We added a few additions to the Hearthstone House office this weekend. We headed to IKEA and to Room and Board for some inspiration and ideas.  At IKEA we couldn’t resist these $10.00 light kits for the bookcases and these simple panels for the windows. Slade installed the kits and it made all the difference, they highlight the mahogany wood and offer ambient light rather than harsh task lighting. We opted to mount them to the top of the book case rather than use the clamp. The lights have a vintage and or industrial aesthetic and tone down the formal look of the unit while also unifying the look of Slade’s stainless steel desk. The panels have silver grommets which I prefer over tab top panels because they create an illusion of a pleat and hang neatly. We mounted the hardware as close to the crown molding as possible to visually draw the eye upward. This is a little design trick used to make the ceilings seem higher.

Posted on May 20, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Summer Kick Off

Hearthstone House has offically kicked off Summer. We could not wait any longer so I hope it is okay with the rest of you.  There are pop sickles in the freezer, a new bottle of sun screen was busted open today and I can’t get The Bird to keep her socks and shoes on. I know for some of you Spring is just starting but after today’s events Spring conceded to let her sister step in. Slade and I took the girls over to our local park for a free concert the community has every Wednesday during the summer and we had a great time. We a packed a picnic, grabbed some cold drinks and found a cool place in the shade. The Bird ran around, blew bubbles and danced on stage. Meebs was spotted standing all by herself, crawling all around the blanket and shakin’ her head to the music.  I was able to catch a sweet moment of the girls sitting together before we headed over the playground.

Posted on May 15, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Office Update

Even with everything going on we have found some time in the evenings to work on the office. Here are some updates as promised. We temporarily moved the office to the dining room and we are in the middle of putting everything back into the office. Hopefully, by next week we will back to normal. I love how it looks and can’t wait to add to it.

Posted on May 15, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Looking Ahead and Holding On

It goes without saying, “Many are the plans of man, but the ways of the Lord prevail” Well in case you did not hear Slade was laid off last Saturday and our whole little world at Hearthstone House stopped. The past few days have been hard but we are starting to pick our heads and push forward. Some very positive things are working in Slade’s favor and I think we will recover just fine. Your prayers, visits, calls and emails have been very encouraging and we all know how hard Slade works for us girls and he is determined to find something either long or short term. I apologize for not writing anything for a while but we have been going through the paces lately with sickness with both girls-pink eye and some sort of sore throat thing, Slade’s job and a mom emotionally exhausted from trying to keep it together. I love my girls dearly and do enjoy them individually but at times when together they join forces to mentally, emotionally and physically try to crush mom and wear her down until mom has no choice but to break down and cry. It has happened several times this week and I am just glad that it is Friday and the teams our even. The Bird’s last of school is Monday and our summer season will officially start. So hopefully, things will settle down and we can enjoy our summer together.

Posted on May 4, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Office Update Continued

Slade and I just finished painting our second coat of paint in the office. Tomorrow night we are going to paint the crown molding and the base molding. We are using Benjamin Moore  AC-31 Hot Spring Stones it is a warm gray color. Here are some before images of the office and the office empty just before painting. I’ll post some more pictures tomorrow.

Slade was able to pick up the entertainment center on Sunday. It is six boxes down in the basement. We are planning on putting it together on Wednesday night.

Posted on May 1, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Hearthstone House Office Update

Some of you may know the dirty little secret that is the Hearthstone House Office. The office has been the eye sore our home for quite some time, it was an Ikea wasteland with our apartment cast offs but thanks to last week’s garage sale all the furniture is gone. Unfortunately, now our TV, files, books, Cd’s, and DVDs are on the floor. So for the past week or so I have been on the hunt for a large bookcase- TV stand- storage thing to help get everything in one place. This was not an easy task. We wanted to get something substantial to weight the back wall and give some architecture to the space. Everything I was finding was $1800 and higher. Our budget was more like $800. We kept looking at a Crate n Barrel, Ikea, Potterybarn, and Ballard Designs. And then I came across JC Penny and found an identical unit to Potterybarn.  Orginally marked 1999.99 we got ours for 799.00 plus tax and free shipping because we are picking it up from the store. I am so excited we are picking it up on Sunday. Now this week Slade and I will be painting, installing new electrical switches and outlets and hanging new window treatments. I will keep you posted on our progress. Take a look at the two side by side.