Montana Prairie TalesMontana Prairie Tales Bloghttp://www.montanaprairietales.com/blog/2013-05-21T13:58:03ZSquarespaceoops, I did it againhttp://www.montanaprairietales.com/blog/2013/5/20/oops-i-did-it-again.htmlJoellyn2013-05-21T05:54:17Z2013-05-21T05:54:17ZAnd this time there might have been a little blood involved.

Not really. But it's a good story. Read on.

So, I have a bit of a Craig's List habit. Looking through my previous thrifting posts I'm realizing that there are quite a few things I haven't even told you about. Hiding the evidence? Uh oh—classic addiction symptom. Actually, too many of my Craig's List finds sit around in storage until I give them enough TLC to be proud of them. Maybe I'll do another post to show you the ones collecting dust. But for now, the newest acquisitions are sitting proudly in my living room exactly as-is:

Bam: a pair of 50's mid-century upholstered chairs.

I knew I eventually wanted a set of statement chairs—my leather sofas are functional but boring—to round out the seating in our large living room. I figured it would be a down-the-road investment since I had more pressing matters in mind (a rug). But when these beauties popped up, I couldn't resist. 

I spotted the ad on Wednesday last week and immediately responded, "I want to buy these! If I pay full asking price, will you save them until I can come get them?" I did a little research, and the brand (Tomlinson) appeared to be an American company. I figured they were probably worth quite a bit more than the $200 asking price. 

But I didn't hear back.... and didn't hear back.... and figured I'd lost out on them. However, that Saturday morning I noticed the ad was still up and decided to e-mail again. This time I received a phone call right back. She said she had received an offer but it was for less than she wanted, so if I came and got them that day, I could have them. So we packed up immediately and headed in to get them.

This is where the story gets interesting. Later I received this text on my phone:

"Joellyn, this is Kristi [my cousin]. I was going to buy the chairs you are buying today. She said she sold them to a lady from Ft. Benton and I knew it had to be you! Aren't they amazing? I can't wait to see what u do with them. And if u decide u don't like them, call me! :)"


O.K., small world. I had a good chuckle over the coincidence, but then I just felt terrible. Even more so after I found out that the seller had actually accepted Kristi's offer and she was on her way to pick them up when she called to say she had a better offer! I assure you, I did not know this when I picked up the chairs. And she did make me pay full price. But that was pretty sneaky business on her part.

Luckily Kristi is a cool person and very gracious about the whole deal. ;)  Later she texted me asking me if I was planning to have them reupholstered. She said,

"I thought they'd be so cool with black and white pillows. Like those ones from Ikea."

Which I happen to own. 

"Wow! Well even if u don't like those pillows on it u better post a pic so I can see how they look :)"

Least I can do. Turns out, I do like them with the pillows. The original backs on the chairs are made of a hard (almost crunchy) foam. Replacing them with the pillows makes them much more comfortable.

 

My initial intent was that these would make a great reupholstery project. I could picture them in a burnt orange tweed of sorts. Something with attitude and a vintage vibe. However, the upholstery is in great condition considering its age, and for now I am quite happy to live with them as is and enjoy the happy orange pop of color. 

 

If you are curious, the info I have indicates these chairs are from Tomlinson Furniture Company, the Sophisticate Line, and this is the Casual Chair No. 4648. Tomlinson started in 1901 in North Carolina.

]]>life in photos—March/Aprilhttp://www.montanaprairietales.com/blog/2013/4/11/life-in-photosmarchapril.htmlJoellyn2013-04-11T17:53:17Z2013-04-11T17:53:17ZI haven't been very regular with posting lately, but not because life has been dull. Life is made up of little moments that add up to a whole lot of busy. 

I like the weekly/monthly photo dumps others have been doing. It seems like a good way to share those little moments that in themselves don't seem to warrant an entire post. Here is my version to catch up you up on our life happenings:

Clockwise from top left: The girls in their Easter outfits from Grandma ~ Eva counting peas with daddy to determine germination rate (spring seeding has started!) ~ A visit from Ash and Annie and celebrating Ash's birthday with a chocolate cherry cake ~ A rare (but funny!) grumpy face from Brandon. He wasn't feeling so well, but mommy makes it all better ~ Kitty Zoe sunning in the living room ~ Eva enjoying lunch


We were able to make a super quick trip to help my nephew Oliver celebrate his 3rd birthday and meet our new adorable nephew Henry! He is darling, calm, and content. I could have held him all day long.

Last but not least, a phone photo dump. Clockwise from top left: Henry's knuckle dimples ~ My phone is full of shopping photos. Anyone else do this? Makes me laugh. I'm always shopping alone and taking photos to show my family later. This month was all about shoes- Tom's boots, Abby's basketball shoes (she is playing in some 3-on-3 tourneys) and Converse for Sarah in hopes that she can't wear through the rubber toes! ~ I finally hung some adorable animal prints in Eva's room that I purchased on Etsy ages ago. The girls rooms are tops on the list of priorities to re-do. Blue carpet be gone! ~ A ski meetup with the Dykstras and our last ski trip of the year. Halfway between us. So much fun! ~ Eva is my littel buddy and I love that I get to spend my days with her ~ stamp class ~ Sarah sign painting for Cheerleading ~ Abby won the county spelling bee for 3rd and 4th graders! So proud.

]]>baby bumpershttp://www.montanaprairietales.com/blog/2013/4/11/baby-bumpers.htmlJoellyn2013-04-11T16:17:08Z2013-04-11T16:17:08ZI got a raised eyebrow from the cashier at the dollar store when I came through to buy just one pool noodle. But one was all I needed.

 

Voila~ counter bumpers! Eva has reached the perfect height to crack her head on the edges of our kitchen counters. One collision too many sent me looking for a solution. I know this won't make any fashion statements, but that's what makes this great—I can just pop them on and off. 

]]>March madnesshttp://www.montanaprairietales.com/blog/2013/3/15/march-madness.htmlJoellyn2013-03-15T15:56:09Z2013-03-15T15:56:09ZThought I would drop in for a quick hello.

Sorry I've been absent for awhile. It's been a blah "blah-g" lately. Oh well, it seems to go in phases like that for me.

I just found out today that Google Reader is going away! I'm not happy about that. Blogs have completely replaced magazines for me as a means for inspiration, and I need a good way to keep them organized and easily accessible. Do any of you use an aggregator for blogs? If so, what do you recommend?

In other news, the rental apartment project Tom has been helping my parents with is wrapping up.... just in time for spring farm work to kick into high gear. It doesn't leave time to tackle any big projects in our house, unfortunately, but instead of despairing I've been trying to focus on smaller bite-size projects we can chip away at. And projects I can tackle on my own. I even have a "punch list" going of things to finish up- all color coded and prioritized.

My dad took one look at the list and said "good luck!", which is a good indication of where his mind is headed. I'm vowing not to be discouraged. But why does the last 5% of projects drag on forever? Hopefully I'll have some progress to share with you soon. In the meantime, I'm trying to fit in lots of spring cleaning. I even detailed the inside of my car. Which is saying something, believe me.

In one last random note, I ran across these cool creations made from vintage saris. I especially like the camel for some reason. It would look fabulous in an ethnic inspired room! From here while it lasts.

]]>busted uphttp://www.montanaprairietales.com/blog/2013/2/19/busted-up.htmlJoellyn2013-02-19T22:13:35Z2013-02-19T22:13:35ZFunny story–

We have been trying to ski as much as possible since its an outdoor family activity we can do in the winter when Tom isn't so busy. While Eva is young I stay behind much of the time, and when I do go I've been renting equipment, figuring I'd invest in some when I'm able to go more often.

Tom and I recently discovered our old (we're talking 20-year-old equipment from high school) ski gear in my Dad's shop—gear we'd thought we'd ditched when we left college but Dad saw fit to rescue. Of course, they are old straight skis that nobody uses anymore, but I thought my boots would be worth a try. I tried them on and they felt pretty good, despite the fact that was 3 kids ago and my feet have grown.

So last Saturday I decided to give them a test drive on the slopes. But as we were gearing up, a piece of the boot broke off, taking a couple of buckles with it. I shrugged and trudged off to the rental shop, a little disappointed that I wasn't going to be able to save money on boots after all.

After the day was over and I turned in my equipment, I slipped the old boots back on while I waited for Tom to pull the car up. While I waited I looked down and noticed the left boot had a crack in it also. Then I took a few steps to the car and the entire front of the boot popped off. I took a few more steps and the right boot did the same thing!

They literally busted up into pieces within seconds until I was left with this:

Now picture me feeling all put together in my new name brand ski pants and then watching my ancient brittle boots literally fall apart before my eyes. It took my pride down a few notches.

But then we had a good laugh over the pieces. At least it didn't happen on the slope!

]]>cheers for Sarahhttp://www.montanaprairietales.com/blog/2013/2/14/cheers-for-sarah.htmlJoellyn2013-02-14T19:04:25Z2013-02-14T19:04:25ZEvery parent with more than one child must be blessed with the wisdom of more than one parenting method. In other words, every kid is different and what works for one will not necessarily work for another.

Anyone with me? Such is the case for my #2. The Middle Child.

I am learning that she needs a little extra "cheering on"; lots of positive encouragement. Sarah has a little trouble with focusing—I've heard this from each of her teachers and coaches. She isn't being naughty, she just gets distracted in her own little la-la land. She often has to be told several times to do something, which can be frustrating from a parent's (or teacher's) point of view. It is hard not to resort to yelling, but when I get frustrated her behavior only declines. When she gets discouraged, she shuts down.

Case in point—we are trying to teach her to ski. She is quite good at it, but only when she wants to be. If she falls once, all of the sudden she is falling all the time. She hates being told what to do to improve her skiing. Since we really want to make it a family activity that we all enjoy doing together, we are really trying to encourage her to love it. So carefully and patiently we follow her down the hill at her pace with lots of praise and cheering on. When she is up she is up!

She has a few little quirks as evidence of her anxiety for approval... she tends to chew on things (fingernails, pencils, shirt sleeves) so we have been working on those habits with the advice of an occupational therapist that visits the school. So far she has recommend a stress ball and a bracelet that is safe to chew on.

Don't get me wrong. Sarah definitely has talents worth celebrating and encouraging. She is doing well in school, despite her lack of focus. She is good at math and reads very well. She has a contagious smile. She has a beautiful voice and natural musicality. I'm hoping she will overcome her fear of what people think and try out for singing solos in her class programs because she is absolutely capable. We are going to start her with piano lessons soon.

Most times she follows in the shadows of her older sister and does the same activities, but Abby (to whom everything comes very easily) can be a tough act to follow. I'm starting to consider ways for Sarah to express her own individuality. Abby became obsessed with gymnastics and wanted so badly to enroll in dance this year. It was expensive, so when Sarah didn't seem passionate about it we decided only to enroll Abby. Instead, we found Sarah's opportunity in a little cheerleading program they started offering at the school this year.

So we have been cheering on our little cheerleader!

They had a performance during half-time of the last Varsity girls basketball game. She did awesome, and she really enjoyed the attention afterwards (flowers from her coach and lots of praise from the crowd and family who came to cheer her on.) It was fun to see her beam.

And seriously, what could be cuter than a line of little cheerleaders?

Afterwards, when she thought no one was paying attention to her, she and her friend used the drum platform to practice their skills and mimic the high-school cheerleaders. Of course, everyone was watching her. ;) At least, I was along through my telephoto lens.

I made the mistake of suggesting that—while cheering was super cute at her age—her mom might rather she didn't make a career out of it. Maybe she could instead play basketball when she is older. Oops, crushed her little heart... maybe we will just let her forget this conversation. (Even if I secretly hope her priorities change when she gets older. No offense to the cheerleaders I have known and respected for their talent and very hard work! We just happen to be a family who likes basketball.)

Here is her performance :

(I apologize for the poor video quality. Clearly I need some help learning how to use/focus my DSLR video! Casey and Scott, where are you when I need you? I miss the days when I could walk around the corner at the office and pick your brilliant brains.)

One more story about Sarah—remember the days in Kindergarten and First Grade when you got to be "Star of the Week" and line leader and such? I remember it well. Sarah's turn was this past week and we were asked to bring in photos of her from each year so they could see how she has grown. I haven't printed very many photos so I went through my hard drive to pick some out. This was the selection:

What a cutie. It was pretty fun to see them all lined up year by year. (All photos are mine except years 2 and 3 which are credited to the aforementioned Casey and Scott).

Ages ago I put together a scrapbook of Abby's first year. Its filled with first-baby photos and documents 3 baby showers I was blessed with. Of course I intended to do one for each of my kids, but this is the last scrapbook I've done. (Sad, but true!) Sarah often says to me, "Mom, why don't I have a baby book? You love Abby more than me!" And she loves to point out the pictures of those showers and say "Mom, why didn't I have a shower? No one loves me!" Of course, now that I've given you some background on her behavior, you understand her dramatics. But these photos have reminded me how badly I need to celebrate the life of my sensitive middle daughter and get a book made already. It would mean the world to her.

Pride is dangerous but self-worth is invaluable. It is a fine line, isn't it?

]]>living room additionshttp://www.montanaprairietales.com/blog/2013/2/14/living-room-additions.htmlJoellyn2013-02-14T17:16:12Z2013-02-14T17:16:12ZI feel like I haven't had much exciting blog material lately—not much in the way of house projects happening at the moment. But I did make a couple of purchases for our living room recently.

One was this wall lamp from Restoration Hardware. I needed a light for my piano, and their conveniently timed lighting sale allowed me to score one for 25% off. This is my second lighting purchase from RH. I buy very little from them because most things seem outrageously expensive. But comparatively their lighting is surprisingly affordable. Of course I've been able to catch a sale on both purchases, but still, a pleasant surprise. Am I the only one noticing that?

I also took advantage of a sale on blinds for the windows. Necessary but slightly painful (window treatments are insanely expensive!), so hopefully they will last for-ev-ah. 

My choice was a subtle but effective solar roller shade from myblinds by Hunter Douglass via Home Depot.


My windows don't get washed too often in the winter. The light was shining just right to show you just how dirty they are...

... but really I just wanted to show you the imprint of the poor rather-large bird (23" span) that hit our window. We weren't home when it happened and the bird was nowhere to be found when we got home (the dogs were in the back) so I assume it survived? Just glad our window didn't break.

Happy Valentine's Day!

]]>Feng Shui Friday—pantry organizationhttp://www.montanaprairietales.com/blog/2013/2/8/feng-shui-fridaypantry-organization.htmlJoellyn2013-02-08T16:19:23Z2013-02-08T16:19:23ZIt's been a long time since I've posted a Feng Shui Friday post. Never fear, my organizin' heart still yearns for order and peace, even if actually getting there takes me a lifetime to attain.

I thought I would show you my pantry cupboard today—not because it is so amazing, but because I did actually put quite a bit of thought into how to organize it.

Remember this? On the left, the pantry of my dreams. On the right, the reality (I lived with this metal shelf in the corner for quite awhile before we purchased the pantry cabinet we have now). 

image: Emerson Fry

 

The pantry space I had to work with was pretty small. O.K., some small home and apartment dwellers would consider this ample, but my previous home had an entire closet devoted to a pantry. So to me it was downsizing. Before the remodel we had a slightly narrower cupboard, but it was 24 inches deep and everything would get lost in the recesses. I hated having to dig for everything. 

There are some pretty impressive pantry options with fancy pull-out racks and such. It seemed to me though that those racks took up a lot of extra space. Plus they were expensive. My original plan was to have 12" inch deep storage here, to alleviate the digging. Then I thought 18" would work better to accommodate some appliances. When I priced 18" cabinets, however, they turned out to be more expensive because essentially I would be buying a 24" deep cabinet and cutting it down. So, I decided to go for the deeper cabinet and just try to be smart about the organization.

Here are my pantry organization rules:

1. Everything has to have "street side property"—meaning, I have to be able to see everything in my pantry. I use the depth for storing multiples behind, and for overstock. If the space behind is wasted, so be it. For example, behind the cereal containers on the top shelf and store the extra boxes and bags of cereal. Behind the grains I have ice cream buckets filled with extra. (The peas, lentils and wheat are straight off the farm! Some of the others I buy in bulk). The canned food might only have 1 or 2 in the row and others go all the way to the back.

2. I have to use every inch of vertical space possible. I actually set everything up as tight as I could and then purchased an extra shelf to fill the void. Therefore, everything is organized according to height.

3. Decanting into uniform containers may seem like a pain, but it really helps the visibility issue. I also like that it gives everything a tidier appearance.

4. The smaller and irregular shaped items go into bins. The green bins hold my onions and garlic, pudding and jello mixes, and a variety of granola bars and fruit cups for kids snacks. I fill them as full as I can and stock the extras behind. The plastic bins on the row below hold rice (left), pasta (middle), and potatoes and squash (right). The bins act like drawers. Grouping these items really helps me to see how much I have on hand.

5. Finally, label everything! (I haven't gotten to this step yet, clearly. I wanted to test my system and leave time for a little rearranging before I committed with labels.) This can seem a little obsessive, but the biggest reason for this is restocking. A, it helps my family put things away in the right spot. B, I can see when I am out of something. If there is an empty spot, I automatically know what to add to my shopping list.

]]>painted yellowhttp://www.montanaprairietales.com/blog/2013/2/6/painted-yellow.htmlJoellyn2013-02-06T17:27:34Z2013-02-06T17:27:34ZWow, yesterday was an exciting day around here! Our kitchen was featured on Apartment Therapy which sent the traffic here on our blog sky-rocketing. I admit to being a bit nervous about it since AT readers can be a tough crowd, but the comments were all extremely positive and gracious. It was fun to get all of that positive affirmation on a project we worked really hard on! I shared all the comments with dad and Tom also, and we were all floating a bit high on life. Thank you! 

Now I think every other person in the world owns one of these Bekvam step stools from IKEA (peaking around the corner, above right). They come unfinished and look pretty hot naked, if I do say so myself. However, after getting heavy use during our various remodels, ours was looking a little hammered and was wearing a coat of shoe grease and paint splatters. Since we use it often in the kitchen I decided to give it a little makeover so it would blend into the decor.

I picked a swatch of the shelf and bought a quart of paint: Behr Donegal Tweed. Great name, great color. When I got it home I was thrilled with how well it picked up the yellow in my curtains. I bought a flat finish that would have looked great as is, but for some reason I had pictured it more as a wash, so I watered it down and painted a very thin coat over the stool, then finished it off with a few coats of Poly-Acrylic finish. I think now I would have liked the flat finish of a solid coat of paint better, but I think this finish will wear better.

I then used a scrap of oak from a previous project and had Dad cut me a little shelf for my hallway. I used the same paint wash treatment and hung it up with some maps I'd once had mounted and laminated.

It makes the perfect ledge for my London and New York wooden cities in a bag (from Muji)!

It has taken me a long time to get things put up on the walls in this house (they all needed to be painted first!) but sometimes it is these finishing touches that are the most fun.

Now for this awesome Donegal Tweed color. I need to find something else to slather it on. Quick!  

]]>kitchen sourceshttp://www.montanaprairietales.com/blog/2013/2/4/kitchen-sources.htmlJoellyn2013-02-04T19:53:55Z2013-02-04T19:53:55ZI promised a source list for our kitchen, so I'd better get on with it. As much for my own sake as anyone's. Let me know if I've missed anything that you might be curious about! (I've included more photos for reference. List at the bottom).

The basics:

 

 

Appliances: 

 

  • Refrigerator: Amana, Home Depot (Purchased in 2010 when we moved in—not replaced with remodel. If/when it dies I will consider getting one without water and ice through the door. It always looks messy.)
  • Double Wall Ovens: Kenmore Elite, Sears  (The great thing about Sears is their discounts. Wait for the right time and you can get a great deal. We got almost 1/2 off!)
  • Vent Hood: Cavalier, Overstock.com
  • Cooktop: Kitchenaid, Sears (exactly like the more expensive Jenn-Air model. And again, Sears discounts apply!)
  • Dishwasher: Maytag (not replaced; a basic model that works great and will live forever I think. If it dies we will replace it with a stainless model probably.)
  • Microwave: Sharp Microwave Drawer, Sears

 

Lighting:

 

 

Furniture and decor:

 

 

 

 

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