Bedroom Transformation

For the past week, I've been working on the master bedroom. MY master bedroom. Finally.

Sunday

Even though majority of my stuff were moved downstairs last year, there was still a healthy amount of crap that was lurking in hidden corners of the room

ARGHH!!

JUNK!!!

Closet was emptied out and repainted and by the end of the night (and I mean about 2.30am Monday morning), it was filled with my bag collection and dresses/long skirts....ahhhh...organization makes my heart skip a beat.

Monday

  Started painting - 1 1/2 walls done after 2 1/2 hours? So slow....

Tuesday

Ex-husband was willing to trek down to IKEA with me and help me haul the packages up the stairs. Spent the night assembling ---

A major FAIL! 1 1/3 hours later and I still have quite a bit to do...this is probably the most complicated IKEA furniture assembly I've had to date.

Wednesday

More fail points.... =(

Durn thing is too big for the intended spot...change of plans needed. Bah.

By the end of the night, wardrobe is in place and is started to be filled

And finished up my gallon of paint, only to still have a tiny bit left to paint....sigh. Back to the Home Depot tomorrow.

Thursday

Wall painting, DONE!!! 

Room clearing, almost done. 

Mattress, OUT!! Sustained a bruise (or more) but I managed to move it downstairs.

Curtain rod, ON!

Couldn't resist pretty-fying it a little. The candle is from Bath and Body Works and it's my favorite-st scent ever

We are getting there!!

Friday

Afternoon - Bed's here!!!! Holy crap, it is huge!

Night - bedding all washed and bed all made --

My dinky little 18 inch tv is set up too -- Look how tiny it is from the bed!

Just to show how big this bed is -- against Isabel as a yardstick:

Decked up the side table with some books that I want to reread --- yes, I read Twilight.

That night, I lit my candle, turn on the lamp and breathed a huge sigh of contentment.

It is still far from done (curtains, mirror, armchair, dresser..argh) but the big pieces are in and it is habitable. I would have to say that this is the first time where I've had a grownup bedroom with pieces that are actually going to last me for more than a few years, and for that I am grateful (Thank you, Yee!!)

Progress

It's been awhile since I had an Izzy update.

She can count somewhere to the teens before she starts muddling them up

She's able to complete puzzles by herself with minimal prompting from me

Success!

She's now learning control with her "brushstrokes"

I picked her up from daycare one day and I was surprised to see how well she stayed somewhat within the lines and the color blocking that she does...And today, I got a note from her teacher saying that she now grasps the concept of tracing pretty well.

I am proud of her (I have to admit that I peeked into the other kids' mailboxes to see their works of art, and Isabel's piece does stand out somewhat)

And I guess I was sad too, because it was something that I didn't realize that she does.

With all the day-to-day stresses and responsibilities, it's so easy to lose focus, and one really should stop and sit back and just be amazed at how fast kids grow, and how fast they become an independent little being.

But unfortunately, without making the conscious effort to take the time to really just enjoy their company without any other distractions, and to take the time to teach them, whether if it's to paint, or to color or to write their name, it's really easy for these years to slip by and before you know it, the kid is 16 and you're afraid that you never really spent the time to just simply enjoy your child.

I am afraid that we live in a world where we are always so caught up on how much we need to do, what we need to achieve, and saying "give me a minute" when a child asks to spend some time cuddling with you. And it makes me sad. And it makes me more sad that I can be that said person.

So, one of my top resolutions for 2012 is actually to spend time with Isabel WITHOUT distractions. During my weekends with her, it is going to be just about her, doing things with her, doing things that she wants to do---and they are always simple things like going for a walk, going to the park, cuddling on the couch, etc. I have the other weekends to do what is necessary around the house, or other little errands that I want done.

Valentine's 2012

It's been 2 years since I made my baby's first Valentine Day's gifts for her little friends (and apparently it's exactly 2 years ago when I posted about it...this is why I blog, because there's no way I would have remembered that)

I received the full class list this Friday and about had a heart attack.

EIGHTEEN!!! There are 18 kids???! Well, 17, excluding Isabel. (13 boys!!)

Forget about hand-stitched messages...I broke out the markers. And glue gun.

And enlisted the help of my 3 year-old, who decided that heart-shaped lollipops are THE gift to give.

Who looks decidedly quite gangsta with hers

Thank goodness for decorative stitches on the sewing machine -- it saved the pouches from looking too ghastly.



SEVENTEEN! Good grief. I lost interest after the 5th one.

Proof that using washable markers is not quite the brightest idea I've had.

I'll have to start earlier next year, since there'll probably be 30 kids in the class then...or I may just buy ready-made cards from Target. 

.

Someone has watched one too many princess movies...

I'm not so sure of her singing career...perhaps writing song lyrics would be more her forte? Listen to the words. They are all her own.

To go

To go

To go to the rainbow

We have to drive over the purple bridge

Oh, to get to all the colors

Purple color

Blue color

Yellow, orange, black

To go

We have to go over the troll bridge

To go there

To goooooooooooooooo

*tempo picks up*

I want you to go somewhere

Somewhere

Somewhere else

To go, to go somewhere

To go, to go there

Which way to go? 

To go, to go,

To go somewhere, there

Somewhere to go

 To the wall, or to the door, or to the table or to the chair

Or to the box

…

To go to the fridge, or to the sippy, or to my magnet

I want you to make a plie…

Isabel's Latest Thing...

She'll say: "So.....mom......I have a question."

It drives me nuts. And she makes that little noise, kinda like smacking her tongue on the roof of her mouth, during the pause, like she's preparing to ask something impertinent. 

How did she become 13 years old?

A Message

If I'm being honest, I tend to get into bouts of depression at times. And I will question, "Why me?".

On my weaker days, I will feel absolutely miserable and will want to just pull the blankets over my head and not wake up until everything is alright again.

On my stronger days, I will tell myself that it happened to me because God knows that I can handle it.
By hook or by crook.
And that He has a glorious plan for me, only I just have to be patient.

I'm doing my best. Sometimes, my best ain't enough. But that's when I pick myself up (sometimes, immediately. Othertimes, a few days or weeks later) and will push through it again.

Why?

Because I don't have a choice. Because there are others out there who have worse fates than me and have managed to pull through with grace and humility and dignity. 

And also, I'll be damned to give them a chance to see me suffer more that I already have. 

So, there will be times when I won't be myself. There will be times where I'll seem upset, bitter, resentful, miserable.

Because I am.
But I will bounce back.
Eventually.

And there will be a day when all of this will be completely behind me and I will thank the bastard for running out on me because it brought me to a better place.

So I apologize to my nearest and dearest if there's a time (or many times, more like) where I strike out. Or seem distant. I don't mean to.
I'm just trying to survive right now.

A Wish For You...

Just Because Of All the Hours That Was Put Into This...

I don't do parties, not really. Isabel's birthday party is the second one I've ever done. First one being my wedding. There's just this fear in me of going through everything and having no one show up, or no one enjoying themselves. Eek!

But Isabel's at the age where she knows what's happening, I have my mom to help with the mundane stuff that I tend to overlook, and we worked, and worked and worked.

We took basement rooms that were dusty,unfinished and laden with junk to this:

Yes, these are the AFTER pictures. Imagine what it looked like before.

And cleaned it up even more to make them into real rooms with as small of a budget as possible -- handmaking where possible, and using existing furniture, paint and new plants. (It's just freezing cold!):

(this is post clean- up, hence why the carpet is not laid down on the ground -- it's drying)

I don't really have many pictures (kills me -- after all the hours that was put into it, I don't have pictures), but this is the jist of it:

Main table for food:

 I wonder if there's a market for custom tablecloths I can get into?

(can you tell I don't like to iron?)

Giftbags from remnants of the 9 yards from the tablecloth - I quickly learn that I will never be able to work in a production line. Sewing the same thing over and over again bored me to tears. So there were different versions going on -- sling bags, totes, etc

Gift tags that I stayed up till 4am to make the night before -- why, I have no idea, but I've never really done much paper crafts like this before and it was fun at the time. (hindsight - should have spent the time doing other more practical things. But that wouldn't be as much fun. At the time.)

A treat that was made, among others  - rice krispie pops dipped with chocolate, resurrected especially for a picture

And that's all I have.

Party!

Isabel had a birthday party about a week ago, with 8 little friends tearing up the house.

I didn't really have much chance to get pictures, as I was running around like a headless chicken most of the time, but it went well, I guess...

They all had entirely too much sugar, and were very enthusiastic.

Isabel was excited to have so many people over, especially her daycare buddies

Happy Birthday, my darling. You're a big kid now. 

These Kill Me...

Her baby voice and her innocence...I would actually be willing to go through all that crap again to get back to that part of her life again.

Birthday

Yes, you are a big girl. 

Happy Birthday, my purple-orange sunshine.

 

I love the way you say "hoob" for hood.

I love the way you say "tub tub" for bathtub

I love that you still want to cuddle 

I love your laugh

I love it when you sing at the top of your lungs while going for a walk

I love your stinky feet

I love when you talk to your dolls

However, 

I don't love how sometimes, I feel like you're slipping away from me

I don't love how as you get older, you start to lose your innocence and learn that this world ain't so great as you think, and that people aren't as they seem.

I don't love how much growing up you have to have done in the past year and a half (and you did so good)

I don't love how I have to share you

That's the way life is. Good and bad. One day at a time.

You are my darling, my baby, and I love you. ThiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiS much - to the moon and back. 

Party Prep!

My mom and I are frantically trying to get everything squared away for Isabel's shindig.

Pom-poms are up as of tonight

There's still a bunch of sewing to be done.

Good golly, that's a lot of fabric! And I'm still not convinced it's enough!

All for the sake of this little monster!

Table

For about a period of a month, I get the painting bug and will start spraying away.

I found this table at a yard sale for $30 I think, but my neighbor who was with me managed to knock it down to $15 (or thereabouts) And to think that I'm the Chinese, not her. I definitely do not have haggling skills (nor do I like to haggle, although I've started trying it out - won't turn down an opportunity to save!)

And this was also my mother's first piece! Yes, when you are here, you will be put to work.

Art from Central Market when I was back in KL last. I don't have many things on the wall as I'm not really the type who knows what to do with wall displays. But I saw these hand-crafted wayang kulit-ish pieces and wanted to bring a bit of Malaysia back with me.

It's ironic how you have to bring a girl out of her country for her to appreciate it. I highly doubt I'd purchase them if I lived in KL. 

And of course, another stack of my thrifted antique books.

Meet Olivia

I have a tendency to hoard things that I like. Particularly books. And sometimes, craft books. One in my collection that I've had for awhile is the Wee Wonderfuls book. I've flipped through it a number of times, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over all the various projects that can be made. And I have dreamt of making every one of them. But you know how that goes.

But, after a particularly bad week at work where I just wanted to tear my hair out, I sat down and began. (Crafting, not tearing my hair out)

Meet Olivia (named after the pig - although the doll is not remotely swine-like)

Typically, I do NOT enjoy handsewing. But this was somehow different.

I used the Tag-along doll pattern, but made slight changes to it so that she can be dressed or undressed as you please. (the original had the dress sewn on) 

And of course, because Isabel and her bellybutton is legendary, I had to put a bellybutton on Olivia.

She's made mostly out of felt - I don't think I'll do that again. I used the felt by the yard that you can find at Joanns, but I'm not sold on the quality of it, even though it came recommended by Dana from MADE. Next time, I may just use fleece for the whole doll (which I ended up using for her legs)

The dress was a fun make-up-as-you-go-along piece.

I think I may make a blonde version for one of Isabel's best friends for Christmas.

And because I have it, here's Isabel modelling her pajamas

 

It's the same Emma Hardy pajamas pattern from her Making Clothes for Children book as this post
Although I have to warn anyone who's going to make it -- there's something wrong with the pattern for the pajamas pants -- so use the Elasticated Pants pattern instead for the bottom.