Bye bye Moses Basket

Document an object and let it go.
Two weeks until the official, unceremonious house closing day, and I am one week behind in cramming stuff into the POD.

But luckily, I gave my self a two week buffer and am basking in the joys of planning and knowing myself so well. The attic is almost empty with the exception of two rugs and a sweeping.  The next floor down, beds are disassembled and packed in POD, mattresses laying on the bedroom floors. Bureaus disassembled, hauled down and packed in pod. Dresser drawers filled with delicate and fragile objects and reinserted in bureaus. Clothes packed in containers, linens in boxes and carried out to POD. A suitcase each worth of clothes, scattered on the floors around the mattresses. The main floor of house is a disaster, sectioned  off  in groups; the last bit of must take furniture, boxes of things to take, a large pile of things to donate and the items that may or may not make it, depending how much room is left in the POD.

Moving and packing and letting go of stuff. Sooner then one would like too, but also an opportunity to clear out excess and embrace a new stage in life.  The Moses Basket is a deliberate object to let go of. I can easily make room for this and cram it in. I know lots of people keep such a precious baby item and lots of people let it go. She would easily play with it, and has done so, but it has also sat in the attic for 4 years. Instead of bringing an extra monumental item, I give this object and precious time in our life a proper farewell. Bye bye baby stage. Hello 4 year old.

When my first was born I was given 12 weeks of learning how to be a parent and mother before I had to go back to work. With my second my situation was a bit different and managed to spend a lot of time with her over the past 4 years. The first few years, while work was slow, I could not part with you and brought you along to work instead. You slept and fed and I held you and managed the office. When you were walking you continued to come to work with  me. We had a corner of toys, a couch and a computer to play on. We took walks around the campus, jumped puddles and had picnics. You slept the afternoon away and I worked. And when you needed more socialization you went to Tot Drop once a week and then a few days at a grandma type day care.   And then when we closed down our business we spent lots of time together again hanging out, walking dog, going to park, visiting grandma daycare, walking to the plaza. Building blocks, train tracks and and little cities. Reading books, drawing pictures, cutting out shapes and even painting walls. Taking baths in the middle of the day, making pancakes and muffins and following me around, helping me with my chores of laundry, grass mowing and gardening. Eventually we signed up for a few activities, reading club, swim lessons and pre-twinkle violin, which helped me keep track of the days of the week.

I suppose this is My Ode to the Baby Moses Basket But Really, Our Time Together Before Starting Our New Stage In Life, In A New City.

Crochet! Foot stool cover

One of the last sort of home projects I wanted to complete before I sold the house was to update the ikat stools that were kicking around for many years.  They had resided in many rooms throughout the years but eventually landed in Little L's room. They worked well there but the colours were no longer relevant.

I took up crocheting last winter during my son's bi-weekly soccer practices. I completed his blanket in the fall.  My fingers were itching to do more, now that winter had arrived and the indoor bi-weekly soccer practices resumed. On a whim I checked out A.C. Moore's closing clearance sale and discovered the empty yarn aisles. Except for these two colours, peacock blue and coral yarn. The exact colours of Little L's room.  One done, another to go and a month left of indoor soccer practice.

In regards to the sale of my home, we listed it on a Thursday. Had a potential buyer come look at it the same Thursday evening and they were so thrilled with it they put in an offer the next day. We let the 4 other interested folks check it out on Fri and Sat and then I decided to sign off on the offer. The offer met the selling price plus a bit, they had no conditions and the young man really loved it. I believe the house would really suit him. It happened much faster then I anticipated and needed to ask for a few more weeks before closing day (mid June) so my kid could finish off his school year undisturbed. And he kindly accepted that.

We are just signing off on the inspection notes and then I will have two months to pack and load a POD.

Each step has brought me closer to my reality and moving back to my home country. Our hearts are heavy as we have lived here for 15 years.  My kids were born American.  My son has a close group of friends he has to part with. I too.  I wonder if I am doing the right thing, will my kids forgive me? is there a loop hole I missed? Could I have tried harder? Or perhaps I didn't want that fight (Visa requirements state once I close down my business  I must leave since I am no longer useful to the US). I hope to get warm fuzzy feelings upon my repatriation.  In the meantime I am day dreaming trips to Bora Bora. My coping strategy!

p.s. check out pinterest crocheted stool covers (I was put to shame, oh well! I like mine but some of these are beautiful and intricate)

Toddler room

While I paint the last wall in my dining room, some updated photos of the nursery, toddler, pre-schooler room.

A while ago, I moved a short cabinet & bookcase into her room.  A practical purchase when we first moved in, used in the sleeping porch for Chaz's toys. After a year or so, Chaz out grew such toys and the room became storage.  As Lucy grows, so do her interests and toys and the need for quick and accessible storage for her things.

Old house = slanted floors. I never attached the magnetic strips to keep the doors shut. Ribbons add a touch of interest and do the job.

I have other ideas for the wall; a light colour or some Swedish inspired floral wall paper, but for now it remains orangey coral.  It was the first room I painted(hired out) when I bought the house 3.5+ years ago and SO much thought went into these colours so Im not ready for a change yet (I'm a bit sentimental). I've come a long way with painting skills, no more hiring out, no more tape or drop cloth or frustration. Cutting in/out like a champ!

A change in wardrobe

Lu decided she didn't want to wear a dress. Lets see what else is in here.

Hmmm, not these pants, or these or these.

There we go; much more festive!

While Lu was putting an outfit together, I finally hammered up some needlework art, framed nursery rhymes from my childhood room to hers.

Vintage floursack rug

Browsing a flea market the other day I discovered a couple oval rag rugs. One eye scanning the vendors' collection, the other eye on my child, making sure the bed didn't crumble ... Lucy was tucking her little green bear into the rag rug which was displayed on an ancient doll bed.  And then my interest reverted to the oval rugs. The colours were precious.  The shape, quaint. The fabric and design, soft yet still holding together and reminiscent of a young childs' bedroom. The epitome of delicate and durable.

The vendor explained that these were vintage floursack / feedsack rugs from scraps of ... yep you guessed it ... flour and feed sacks. That piqued my interest. Wouldn't you love to get your food delivered in such pretty bags!

 A quick search on Etsy brings up other items made from vintage flour sacks.

Growing & collecting

Lucy's nursery is slowly transforming to a little toddler room!  The moses basket and rocker went up to the attic and the old rocking horse came down.

The crib side was removed and an inviting toddler daybed was created. Our collection of blankets; handmade yellow elephant duvet, pink antique silk w/ yellow embroidery blanket, lace cover, beaded scarf & gifted blankets, growing, creating a cozy and welcoming napping nook. (If the duvet looks a little small for the bed, it is, the antique white quilt that it lays on was in the laundry!)



Letters were finally added to the wall and decorated with pompoms.

Her shoe collection, growing; her preferences, growing.

Music boxes from European markets Amsterdam, Budapest & Geneva, and a locally made dog house decorate her floating shelves.

She still likes to lay down on the changing table! No fuss at all, so the pine storage unit remains in her room. Once she graduates out of diapers - which is any time soon, as in a few months - we will move the pine cabinet down to the porch for storing board games and puzzles and replace it with her table for tea parties or a book case and dollhouse.

Lucy's closet - refinish floor progess

If you are here to see {this moment} I am going to post those on my photo blog

****
Why is this nasty vinyl  floor inside the bedroom closet? And the other bedroom closet. Yikes.  Oh wait, let me refer to it as something more pleasing, how about vintage vinyl?  It is at least 40 years old. I found a few treasures buried under the vinyl. An attempt at a time capsule perhaps, by the previous owner. A check for $3.95 written in 1969. I wonder what she was able to purchase for 3.95.? Did it pay the heating bill, phone bill, groceries?  My mom used to write checks for her groceries (not for 3.95 though ... alright, 40 years ago was not that long ago, I was 3 years old.  Now-a-days it is not advisable to write a check for $3.95, nor use your debit card for this amount as the cost for doing so is around $5 bucks.

Back to the time capsule ... There were also a few football trading cards. The trading cards are group shots, rather then single players. We have New York Jets "AMBUSH", Chicago Bears "A Nose For The Ball", Minnesota Vikings "Lending A Hand" and several more. My son was delighted in this find. So was I ... I'll be heading over to ebay after this post.






 So, this "vintage" flooring was the instigator for the bathroom reno (well that and the wall covering).  I didn't want to bother scrubbing it; it was easy to tell this effort would not make it better.  I didn't want to walk on it. I didn't want carefully selected tile to be placed ON TOP of it, as I would surely sense it underneath. I wanted it torn out, down to the floor boards and trashed for good.   The same "vintage" stuff has also been torn out of the kitchen. Yay. Alas, the vintage flooring haunts me. It is in two closest (it baffles me, I see no purpose in this) and it is on 3-4 stairs down to the basement.

The door to the attic is in Lucy's bedroom. A door to a closet and then a door to the stairs that lead to the attic.  Every time I go to the attic I am reminded about of the flooring.  Actually, every time I go into the closet so select a dress for Lucy.  Or to organize her out grown clothes into bins (which cover most of the flooring, thankfully.)

Yesterday morning I decided that that small closet area could serve a better use. Perhaps some narrow shelves for shoes and books and toys? There is a step in the closet, and Lucy likes to sit down on such ledges. I should make this more available for her.  (this is an adorable thing; she stands about 6inches away, with her back facing her destination. She then takes a few steps backwards until she reaches her mark, and then slowly bends knees to sit. Stands up to adjust herself, if not aligned correctly. Sometimes missing the mark and trying again. love this age!)

Once I discovered the "vintage" vinyl floor was not glued down, but rather held down by the sideboard and bottom stair, it became a really easy project and high on my list of things to do. Like immediately, after work.

Chaz, hoping to find more football cards.

A few minutes later.

Hmmm, maybe I should thank the person who laid down the vinyl, the floor is in pretty good condition, once I sweep it.

I decide that sanding the floor may not be necessary and a damp cloth will work fine. Until the wetness revealed an all to familiar smell....animal smell. Add hand held sander to my list of things to get.

Speaking of vintage...do you see that little suitcase above. I picked that up a the funky flea market this past spring.  I'm fond of vintage fabrics and patterns, so maybe my vintage flooring is actually just old flooring, 'cause I don't care for that pattern.

And since we are in Lucy's closet, I'll post a few pictures of her dresses, blouse and knits. Thank you grandmas for all the knitted sweaters.

Spot the vintage pieces!