The Bed delimma
A couple weeks ago, we drove out to central MA to pick up this georgous queen mahogany bed for $400.
You can see it is obviously not in our master bedroom where it belongs. One.small.problem…. It doesn’t fit up the stairs. Nothing is ever easy with us! So for now it is decorating the entry way. We have a plan though. We are planning on going through this window:
Which translates to the large window on the second floor in this photo.
Another few weeks and we’ll have replaced all 3 second floor windows on the back of the house. This window will be a test-run for replacing the rest of the windows in the house with little or no destruction of the interior walls. We’re hoping we can pop off the moldings, pull out the old window, pop in the new window and cover up the plaster mess with the moldings again. We’ll keep you posted!
We already ordered the window and once it’s in, we’re planning on hoisting the bed through the open window. It will be a VERY tight fit but I think we can do it. The plan is to get a handful of people to help. It isn’t heavy, just awkward shaped and I just HAD to have a 4 poster bed. But look at it! Octagonal posts with little finials on top. Shiny dark mahogany.
Here’s that same picture but I just loooove it.
I was looking all around for a bed I loved and I couldn’t find it anywhere and then BOOM craigslist came through.
Now we just need to go mattress shopping and we’ll be sure to get a split boxspring… there’s no way a queen mattress will fit up the stairs and we’re running out of windows to replace!
Sarah
Memorial Day Weekend
We had some friends over for a grill brunch on Monday. After a rough start to the weekend weather-wise, Monday was absolutely gorgeous. We used the party as a kick in the butt to get things cleaned up and finish up some outdoor projects. Project numero uno was a natural gas grill. We ordered it a while ago and picked it up last week.
After some assembly and some gas plumbing work, we were grilling in style. The other big project was project clean-up.
I mean, just look at that deck, all there’s left to do is to add folding arm awnings by Undercover Blinds Melbourne!
Without all the scrap wood and misc building supplies, that little table looks so piddly. We pulled out our kitchen table and chairs which worked great for the party but now it’s time to get some patio furniture, I’m also thinking about getting some Box Newel from the best Box Newel Posts Supplier around.
I’ve got a few different options for furniture. What do you like?
This set from Ace is a great deal and relatively good looking. The chairs don’t look super comfortable but some additional cushions would help that problem. The chairs are also folding which is great for additional seating inside and out.
As an added bonus, the set folds down with chair storage.
I fell in love with the set below before I realized it was the perfect size for the deck.
It’s a bit more expensive but the chairs are super comfy. Stefan isn’t 100% sold (he’s not a fan of wicker) but I really think the comfort level is going to win him over. The question is really rather we want something like this over the teak/wood furniture style, but we are also thinking about antique furniture, which can add a special touch to the space.
Then there’s also something like this next set. Super Comfy but we would need to take the cushions off and store them under the overhang in some sort of deck box. I’m also not a fan of the tile-style table top but, there is a chance I could find something like this that needs the cushions recovered/replaced on craigslist.
What do you think? What would be the most functional for us? I want to be able to host without too much effort and I’d love to encourage lounging and chatting as well. I’d like to be able to get 10-12 people on the deck either around one table or a table with a smaller table pulled up to it.
I’d love some ideas! Leave me comments. I love to read them!
Sarah
-
Glad Stefan made it home and you were able to sit back and enjoy the house and yard a bit. You need it. I have liked our teak table and chairs, but they are all good suggestions. really think it through how you live not how you wished you lived.
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
-
Hm, or do I want to put a chat set on the deck and plan on picnic tables in the driveway patio for eating? Hmm.. So many decisions.
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
First Aid Kit
This post is slightly off topic from my usual house-decor-paint theme but it’s important none-the-less. I looked far and wide for a first aid kit list that made sense but I couldn’t find anything like what I was looking for. So, i decided to make my own list and kit. I started by making a list of all the possible ailments that could befall us and what all we would need to take core of them.
Cuts
- Bandaids
- Butterfly bandages
- Neosporin
- Medical tape
- Gauze
- Wet wipes
- Saline Cleaning solution
- Bottled Water
Sprains
- Ace style bandage
- Cold pack
- Ibuprofen (advil/motrin)
- Naproxen (Aleve)
- Triangle bandages (splint type)
Allergies
- Benadryl cream
- Benadryl pills (chewable for kids)
Bug bites
- Calamine Lotion
- Benadryl cream
- Clear nail polish (stops the itch)
- Small jar for capturing bug if possible
- Matches (not a lighter…DAD!)
Food poisoning type issues
- Pepto-bismol
- Gatorade
- Poison Control Numbers
Impalement
- Paper cup (for stabilizing the impaled object… I learned that in machine shop safety training in college.)
- Gauze wrap
- Rubber gloves
Headache
- Acetaminophen
- Excedrin
- pseudophed
Heart problems
- Aspirin (for the non-allergic)
- CPR mask – although now I think you’re only supposed to do chest compressions and no breathing.. right?
- AED –know where the nearest one is which in our case is probably the fire station. It would be cool to have one but they require maintenance and cost more than $1000. Most/all schools should have one and most/all office building type places are required to have one. Look around and find out if there is one within running distance. If you have kids, make sure they know where it is since they may be the one running for it.
- Scissors for removing clothing from chest
Hospital/Ambulance trip
- Detailed list of medical stuff – prescriptions, allergies, etc for each person in the house
- Waiting-room Entertainment – books, stuff for kids,
- Contact info list
Something in Eye
- Eye wash cup
- Saline or eye-wash solution
Burn (sun or otherwise)
- Burn Gel or Spray
Splinter
- Tweezer
- Pocket knife
Poison Ivy
- Baking Soda
- Rubbing alcohol
- Trash bag (for removing clothing)
- Oversized sleep-shirt (for covering up after removing all clothes..)
- Toothbrush (for scrubbing oil out from under fingernails)
General Non-family member injury
- Notebook
- Pen
- List of questions to ask in case of emergency
Now, this list doesn’t fully cover all the over the counter medicines I like to have on hand but it does cover the emergency stuff.
Once I had gathered all the stuff, I put it in this box
with the bottles and often used stuff (bandaids) in this box on the second shelf.
I cut my hand fairly badly at about midnight when we first started working on the house. None of the local pharmacies were open and it was a good thing than the First Aid kit in Stefan’s car had a butterfly bandage. Having a first aid kit is a good idea especially if you’re going to be a DIYer!
I hope this list gives you a starting point for creating your own custom First Aid kit.
Sarah
P.S. If you have never been trained on AED use, I recommend taking a minute to look at a training video. This one is appropriately boring but you’ll get the general idea. The big thing to know is that you stick the pads on and then don’t touch the body until the machine tells you it is safe to do so. Also, make sure the body is clear of water or other liquids. You can imagine that a big electric shock in a puddle is no good.
New Plan: Blue Walls in Den
We were thinking brown, looking at brown, planning on brown but browns are hard. If they are too light, they are tan and if they are too dark they are kind of poopy for lack of a better word.
Then we were thinking Dark Gray. Dark and moody and neutral.
Dark Gray is sophisticated and moody while still being a neutral. Then I saw a picture in Home Decorator’s Collection (page 43 of their Early Summer 2013 catalog) and I knew, it was Blue.
I picked up a sample when my mother was in town and it is perfect! It’s a navy dusty blue.
I picked up the paint last weekend and I can’t wait to get it up on the walls. I’ll be sure to show you pics!
The next decisions for this room are lighting and built-ins.
I’m thinking of maybe getting unfinished oak kitchen cabinets from Home Depot and then getting some of those unfinished wood bookcases from an unfinished wood furniture place nearby. Then we can either stain everything to match or paint everything the blue from the walls or the blue from the walls in high gloss.
This room by Vincente Wolf in Architectural Digest has the blue built-ins that meld seamlessly with the blue walls. B-E-A-U-Tiful but we do like our wood tones.
We could go painted but white like Markam Robert’s library below.
But I just love the look of wood bookcases…
and wood libraries like this one from Studio Peregalli
Painting that room is going to be scary but I think it’s going to look AWESOME!
Sarah
sheila zimmermann
5/31/2013 | 1:39 pm Permalink
I love the bed. I’ve never heard of a split queen mattress. the temperpedic top part comes rolled up and sits on a standard qn box spring with a nice plywood top. we reused our bottom part and made the plywood piece. The mattress kind of blows up when they unroll it. I don’t know how you would ever get it rolled back up if you needed to though. Could be an option for you.
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.