Project 3: Random Pile of Stuff -Complete!-

Although project 1 is yet to be completed, I am moving steadily along. This is because I can only sew when the kids are otherwise occupied, which means I get very little sewing time per day. Project 1 is moving along, just slowly. SO....on to project 3, which I can work on while I'm with the kids.

This is just what it looks like. A random collection of who knows what. And to be totally honest, it's been there for a long time. A long time. Hi, my name is Dais, and I'm a clutter-a-holic! How embarrassing.

Ok, maybe I shouldn't share this, but the very first thing I found in this pile of stuff was a bill. That I had paid. And sealed in the envelope. And put my return address on. And stamped. In 2008. Told you it's been there for a while!!

Plugging along...plugging along..... The majority of this stuff has been going right to the recycle bin or trash. Sighs.

Taking progress shots of this project seems sort of pathetic, but it keeps me moving on it. This kind of thing is really hard for me. I am finding cards we received in 2007. What is wrong with me? (sheepish grin)

Done!!! Three years in the making, three days in the unmaking! Phew!

Project 2: Shower Head In Kids Bathroom -Complete!-

It is almost comical how long this simple project has taken. For a long, long time, years I would guess, I have thought it would be a good idea to install a filtering shower head. I am prone to skin problems, and now my 2-year-old is occasionally breaking out with eczema, too. At long last, I did some online research and chose a shower head. Some while later, I placed a bid on one of these on ebay, and won it. For weeks (I'm not kidding) the shower head sat in a box in my bed room. Eventually I asked my husband if he would install it for me. He said yes. More weeks went by. I asked a couple more times. Then I wondered what I was waiting for. Am I incapable of figuring these things out? I am not! So this morning, with hubby out and both kids home, I took this project upon myself. Armed with a wrench and two helpers (hmmm) I headed into the bathroom. Here is the shower head we had. Sort of nice with the kids, as it's got a spray attachment, and is good for rinsing shampoo out of hair. Bye-bye.

No wrench was needed. The thing just unscrewed. Easy. Well, as easy as it could be with both kids climbing on me, the toilet and the side of the tub. =)

Just after getting the old shower head off, hubby returns from his outing, and came upstairs to see what was going on. Some male thing occurred, and he immediately took over, without invitation. Here, he is putting on just the filter attachment...

The shower head easily screwed on to that. And it functions.

What water filter doesn't rinse out a bit of charcoal at first? Our tub was black. But not for long. Just after finishing this project, which took all of five minutes, I took a shower, and it was perfect. Now to get back to project #1!

Project 1: Play Room Windows -Complete! (sort of)-

I know me. The only way I have any chance of finishing a home project is to keep is SMALL. So I'm starting with these windows. This is our play room. We have plans to move the play room to the basement, but that plan is moving very slowly. So I'm going to fix up these windows. In play room fashion. For a start. =)

Ok, did I say SMALL project? Sheesh. Oh well. I do enjoy sewing, and I'm motivated. Sewing curtains requires a LOT of fabric, so unless you're richer than Midas, finding fabric that is inexpensive is key. Thank-you Wal-mart fabric section. I spent less than $15.00 on six yards of fabric. It's not exactly what I had in mind, but I think it'll cheer the place up a bit. And I found some nice remnants for other projects. =)

...8 side seams done....1 bottom hem done....measure, iron, turn, sew, measure, iron, turn sew.......tedious work....keeping myself motivated....but also thinking about the next project, and the next...

Four curtain panels done. Ties started. I can see the light at the end of this tunnel. Now I've got to actually go out and buy curtain rods. :/

Curtain rods purchased...............Ok, I just can't wait for hubby to get around to putting the rods up for me. And really. How hard can this be? And why do I wait for him to do it in the first place? Cuz it's hard with kids? Well, they're around when he does this stuff, too. So here goes nuthin'......

Ok, the truth is, I don't even want to share with you what transpired. Yes, I figured out how to put the brackets up for the curtain rods. Yes, I used a power tool (dear god) and some other fun things I found on hubby's work bench. I successfully got the rod up, and it looked straight. I excitedly hung the curtain panels on the rod, and put the rod on the brackets.

The curtains are about half a foot, Half a FOOT too short. How could this happen? Well, I'm an idiot, and these things always seem to happen to me. Of course I needed to know if I had measured the fabric wrong, or measured the window wrong. I got my answer quickly. I took the curtains, still on the rod, upstairs to my sewing room. The windows are on the same side of the house. I held the curtains up to the windows in there, the ones I had originally measured, and they were perfect. So the problem was that I assumed that the windows were the same length. Stupid, yeah, but at least I didn't measure the right windows and end up with this problem. That would have made me feel worse. But this was bad enough. Anyway, all is not lost. At hubby's suggestion, I offered the curtains to my 5-year-old daughter. I want to upgrade her bedroom anyhow, and these would replace some Dora Curtains I screwed up a year or whatever ago. =) She was kind enough to say yes. Pictures to come.

Left (up) and right. Too narrow, too short, but they brighten up the room anyway. Anyway. On to another project!! =)