stuff I made - wall hangy thing

I'm going through my pics and decided to start posting more of the stuff I make. Not so I can show off, not exactly. But because the life of a stay at home mom can sometimes go something like this - wake up, clean kitchen, make breakfast - kitchen gets messy, feed kids - diningroom gets messy, clean kitchen, clean diningroom, make bed, do laundry, kids put on clean clothes and go outside to play in mud, kids come in and change clothes, laundry ends up back in dirty hamper, kids are hungry - make lunch - kitchen messy, serve lunch - diningroom messy, kids play on your bed and unmake it, clean kitchen, clean diningroom, meanwhile kids have trashed livingroom - pick up toys and clean room, kids want snacks - kitchen and diningroom get trashed again. and so it goes on and on til the end of the day when you decide you'll clean up after supper the following morning because your feet and back still ache from the last time you did it. Start over the next day,  repeat six times for a total of seven per week. 

We spend 98% of our energy on stuff that just gets undone in hours or sometimes  minutes. Like spending hours cooking food that gets gobbled up in minutes, then it gets pooped out in a diaper we just finished washing and drying. We're tired, and have little to show for it by the end of the day. It's a high calling, yet it can give the illusion of the lowest when you're up to your elbows scrubbing toilets and doing dirty, sweaty jobs. 

So that's why we blog about it, and update our facebook statuses to brag about the things we achieved through the day. Not to act like we're some super mom or doing a better job than anyone else, but because at least the 'likes' that people click are still there the next frigging day! Sometimes it's the little small rewards that just give you enough motivation to keep going through the motions. 

So, here's a shelf thingy I got made in between the mundane other tasks. Plans come from the awesome Ana White - here

sad, bare naked wall

first one built, unstained

stained and hung

This was a home made wood stain, thank you pinterest

'

Second one built and Ally decorated it before I got to

Both of them built and hung (thankfully I got a pic before they got as cluttered as they now are)

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That awkward moment when...

That awkward moment when you see wild bunnies out your window

and you see an impromptu homeschool lesson opportunity and call all the kids together

to come look out the window

and watch the sweet bunnies foraging

but you are caught off guard when

the lesson suddenly becomes sex ed.

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Caledonia's Maiden Voyage

She's finished! Finally.

I first introduced her to you here, then you got to see some progress here, then she sat neglected for quite some time. We did have some stuff going on to be fair, pregnancy, baby, moving house, winter etc etc.

I am so pleased with my design and the interior work and Rene is rightly proud of his hard work on the plumbing and electrics. He began with no prior knowledge and he just figured it all out and got her working just fine. What a buzz.

We've had so much fun fixing up our vintage camper, getting her working just right for our family's needs. And we finally took her camping last Friday! We didn't go far and are blessed to live very close to a couple of great state parks with camping pads. Everything went 100% smoothly and was so much fun.

OK, I'll start with a refresher of the before.

You get the gist. 

Finally, I am honored to introduce to you, our beautiful wee home away fae home, Caledonia.

I love this mat.

bathroom (oops I need to get more hooks for the curtain)

bathroom storage

shower curtain

view from bathroom

kitchen

open bins (for shoes and misc things we want to just throw in there)

drawers 

tilt out trash

Sink unit

upper cabinets

Slide out pinteresty type pantry thingy

Poor, pathetic cushion cover, my first attempt. I will make a better one some day. I've learned what not to do now!

loft as daytime storage

Main daytime hangout stage, which is storage and a bed

My fav. Pic of a Peach tree, with little colorful leaves still learning how to bloom, and a field of heather beneath it.

it folds down

to a table with storage

Bench also turns into a table

Bench also turns into a bed. 

twin

or queen

Loft also becomes a bed

and has a rope ladder which the kids like to use as a swing (I'm glad we reinforced all studs!)

We still have to make the lights pretty, but Rene got them all working beautifully. 

I still want to decorate the exterior, but we got the most important bit done

I guess I'll leave it with some action shots. :) 

Don't judge me

Stop the judging already! Jeez, you people. 

This drawer made a great fridge with some added ice packs

Just because she's cute

Mmmm Stir fry

She's plenty cozy and comfy

You guys, *this* is the life!

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