Category: AROUND HERE

REMEMBERING THE EVERYDAY

I just finished uploading the 4th installment of our weekly photo vlog!  I have slowly been improving the quality and content of this series.  This week I made the text a bit larger (and more readable) and also added a new feature – small videos within the scrolling timeline video!  I’m happy with how it turned out!

An entire month of our family’s memories have now been preserved.  Sure, it took a little more effort than what I have previously put forth; But now all these precious photos and videos are presented in a FUN way, and easily accessible instead of being stored and hidden in a computer file.

These little weekly videos simply showcase our lives – no fancy vacations or spectacular adventures.  They may not get thousands (or even hundreds) of views on YouTube, and that’s okay.

It’s not about that.  It’s about us.

They are a reminder of how brave {K} was at her very first checkup in the United States, a glimpse of how the boys used their imaginations and worked together to create some awesome fidget spinners, and a memory of the giant smile I had on my face when Craig raced all the kids on his 37th birthday – just to prove to himself that he was still the fastest.  On those days when it feels like all I do is cook, and clean, and wipe dirty hands for the millionth time – when I feel like ‘just’ a stay at home mom – I can remember that I am also a curator of family memories.

We will hopefully watch these videos in the future and recognize that our lives are full.  Full of love.  Full of togetherness. Full of happiness. Full of the simple everyday.

 

To see all the videos in this series, click HERE.

SATURDAY SKETCHBOOK: BOYS BEDROOM

Recently, I posted about {D}’s small BEDROOM.  I also mentioned in THIS post that we will be utilizing some of these same concepts in our new house.  All three of our boys will share a room, but each will have a smaller private sleeping nook off of the larger shared ‘communal’ portion.

I wanted to jump in today with a quick sketch of how this space looks in my head at the moment.  It might be easier for some of you to visualize 3D drawings than floor plans.

You can see from this sketch that the shared space is a good size.  It is roughly 9’6″ x 12’0″and should provide plenty of space for the boys to enjoy the things that they love to do.  A corner chair and low bookcase for reading.  A pallet accent wall to house guitars when they aren’t being used (So far, two of our boys are taking guitar lessons.  You can see a recent video of {D} practicing HERE).  There is enough room in the shared area for a large dresser with a hutch, which could house clothing & toys.  Pretty sure there will be a TV in there somewhere too… they like to spend time together playing the PlayStation on occasion.

See those three little doorway openings on the outer walls of the room?  They lead into the sleeping nooks.  One for each boy.  They are each around 7’0″ x 8’6″ – with sloping ceilings that go from about 7′ high at the highest point down to the floor at it’s lowest – so, not huge at all.  But they should get the job done nicely.  Their beds will be on low platforms with the ‘head’ of the beds toward the higher sloping portion of the ceiling.  If I can figure out a way to create some sliding trundle drawers under the bed frame, that will be great.

Each nook will have shelves built into the studs of the wall and a mounted/ hard wired light for reading.  On the opposite wall from the bed, there is space for a small dresser or shelf to house some personal belongings.  The wood floors from the main part of the bedroom will flow into the sleeping nooks, to keep things somewhat consistent – but each boy will be allowed to personalize their space with bedding, rugs, posters, and their collections.

The boys will likely be ages 12, 10 and 8 when we move into the cottage – and just about at that age when they will begin to crave more privacy.  We are hopeful that this solution will give them the best of both worlds – sharing a room with each other, as they have always done, and maintaining some separation.  They were crowded around my shoulder today as I drew these sketches and as of right now they have given me the stamp of approval on this concept.  Here’s hoping they don’t change their minds in the next couple of years!

Happy Saturday everyone!

COTTAGE ROOM DESCRIPTIONS {UPPER LEVEL}

As promised, I’m back today to describe the upper level rooms.  If you missed part 1 of the series, the main level, you can find it HERE.

Generally speaking, the second level is made up of only 3 main spaces + a hall to connect them:  the boys room, the girls room, and the kid bathroom.  We debated having a second level at all, but in the end decided that we would rather have a smaller house footprint, which will allow us to use and enjoy more of the land, than to have all rooms on one level with a larger footprint.  That meant we were going to be building a muli-level house.

Below is the layout of the upper level.  Use it as a guide while you read through the descriptions, and take a look at our Pinterest boards (which are linked at the end of each room description).  They show some inspiration images I have found for each space.  * As mentioned before, these floor plans are currently not showing any real detail – will be working on adding detail for future posts.

{STAIRS/HALL} Because the upper level is going to be fairly small, we wanted to provide a bit of ‘unexpected’ space.  Therefore, the hallway will be fairly large and will feature a small nook for a desk or a chair. The hall will serve as access to each of the rooms, circulation space really, but we want to make sure it also feels like a place where a person or two can stay a while.  The stair landing will provide a ton of natural light with a large window facing west. Depending on space, we may try to incorporate some bookcases and/or a window bench there as well. (PINTEREST)

{BATHROOM} We went through SO many different ideas for the upstairs bathroom situation.  Two smaller bathrooms, one for the boys and one for the girls, accessed only through the bedrooms to make them more private. A Jack and Jill scenario where they can share through doors entering each of the bedrooms.  No bathroom upstairs. Ultimately, we decided that because we have children of both gender, we wanted the bathroom to be accessed by a single door for privacy purposes and accessed through the hall space so that it was available to everyone (including people visiting when the main level bathroom is occupied). This room will have some varied ceiling heights due to the slope of the roof-line, but generally speaking no portion of the room should have head height less than 5′.  The shower will tuck in under the portion of the roof that provides cover for the main level living room (there is no second level above that room).  Looks wise we want the bathroom to be classy, yet kid friendly for now.  Those kids are eventually going to be grown ups who visit with their own families, and we want to make sure that the bathroom is accommodating for all types of scenarios. (PINTEREST)

{GIRLS BEDROOM} This is a room that I have had in my mind for years and years, long before {M} ever joined our family.  I had a vision of two matching beds flanking a single window, with a night stand in between.  I’m not sure that exact furniture arrangement will be what we go with – but the room is set up in such a way that it is a possibility. The decor will be light, bright and airy – with a vaulted ceiling – and there will be two closets under the roof eaves (with sloping ceilings as well) – one on each side of the room.  We may turn one of them into a little hideaway space for the girls to play in. (PINTEREST)

{BOYS BEDROOM} We also debated back and forth about this room.  A LOT.  We were initially thinking that we would have 3 bedrooms on this level, with the smallest going to the oldest child living at home; But carving space for 3 bedrooms meant that each bedroom was really quite small, and maybe not as functional as we would like.  Taking some cues from {D}’s small bedroom that he occupies right now at the farmhouse, we realized that a small space for sleeping is actually quite cozy and serves as a nice private getaway.  He loves it.  Therefore, we decided that we would have one large bedroom for all three of the boys, with a shared common space to include the closet, dressers, books, toys, chairs for reading, music, etc – and three smaller sleeping nooks that surround it.  They are not labeled on the image above, because we have not yet decided who will get which nook.  I’m really looking forward to designing these little sleeping spaces, and I know each boy is excited to make it his own. Oh, and did i mention that this room will have vaulted ceilings as well and there is potential for a small loft/ fort space for the shared part of the bedroom? Yeah. (PINTEREST)

There you have it – the basic Upper Level floor plan.  I’ll be back next week to describe the final layout of the home, the lower level!

In the meantime, check out ALL of Arrow Hill Cottage’s Pins!

 

SATURDAY SKETCHBOOK: PRELIMINARY DESIGN

If at first you don’t succeed – try and try again.  That’s the mantra anyway.

In architecture we call this stage ‘Preliminary Design’.  We know that it might not be quite right, just yet; But eventually the pieces will all come together.

If any of you reading this blog have mistakenly thought that we came up with the design for our future cottage overnight, let me put your minds at ease.  It’s been a labor of love for years.  YEARS!  Let today’s sketchbook installation serve as proof.  This sketch was done almost 10 years ago to the day!

I have an entire folder full of proof, in fact.  Sketches done on little scraps of paper.  In pencil and in ink.  Sketches of floor plan ideas and exterior details.  Sketch upon sketch upon sketch. And although I am not a fan of clutter, I don’t think I will ever have the heart to throw them.  They are a sacred collection.

Though they informed the design choices that eventually led us to that perfect layout we were looking for, each sketch has merit of it’s own.  And someday I would love to revisit each idea and come up with a set of simple plan books based on them.

Someday

ARTHROGRYPOSIS ADAPTATIONS – PLAYGROUND

Raising {K} these past 3 months has been a complete eye opener, a game changing experience.  Never before as parents have we been faced with as much emotion over a child.  The low lows and the high highs.  She is the first of our children that we have seen struggle physically.  If you have been reading this blog you know that {K} has arthrogryposis (AMC for short).  It affects her ability to bend many of the joints in her body.  Because it is fairly rare, (1 in every 3,000 births) most people have never heard of this condition and are taken aback the first time they see {K} moving around.  In photos it is easy to find the ‘right’ angle, position her body just so… make it look like nothing is different.  But things are different, and that’s OK. This is real life.

Each time that our family is out in public, I can see people watching her.  I don’t think she notices… yet, but sometimes it does bother me.  I always try to take a step back and remember what life was like before this diagnosis became part of our every day.  If I had seen someone moving the way she does, tackling things in their own special way, would I have been the one sneaking peeks?  Probably.  It’s not necessarily done in a mean or mocking way. People are curious.

When we first committed to adopting her, we scoured the internet – searching for videos of children and adults living with arthrogryposis.  We were curious.  Were they living full, happy lives?  Were they able to feed themselves?  Drive a car?  Go to school?  Did they marry?  Have children?  We found some videos, but not many. And so, knowing that there may be others out there who are either considering adopting a child with AMC or have just been given the diagnosis as a new parent and could use the encouragement, I am going to be starting a series of videos that showcase how adaptable people with this condition really are!  In fact, as I will write about at a later date, I really hesitate to call arthrogryposis a disability.  People living with it may do things a bit differently – but they are ABLE!  I also want {K} to look back when she is older and see how far she has come, how much strength she has gained.  She learned to walk at 6 years old (just a little over half a year ago) and there is no stopping her now!

Keep in mind that each person with AMC is affected differently.  Some may have very little function in their upper limbs, others may not have use of their legs.  Many, like {K}, are affected in most joints on a less severe degree. Probably {K}s biggest challenges are her knees and shoulders.  She can bend her knees about 15-20 degrees at this point (though she is gaining more flexibility the more she uses them!).  Her shoulders do move, but not in full rotation.  She can not lift her hands actively above her head.  They can be pulled into that position, but will not remain there when she isn’t grasping onto something.  Her biggest strengths are definitely her iron will/ determination and her super strong grip!  Mark my words, that girl will be swinging on the monkey bars before too long! She can hang on SO tight!

Here she is from yesterday’s trip to the playground.  This particular piece of equipment is a tower like structure that at the very top is over 6 feet above the ground.  We have worked on it for weeks and weeks to figure out the best way that she could approach it, and she has gained confidence enough to climb from bottom to top on her own (I started the video late, when she was already part way up).  While videotaping, I was standing close by – one hand ready to catch her if she fell. She didn’t.

I recently found this New Zealand documentary that shares the stories of people living with arthrogryposis.  It’s a great one to watch if you are curious about this condition and it does a wonderful job of explaining the thoughts and feelings of people living with it.

I look forward to adding more videos to our YouTube channel, to document every day life with arthrogryposis.

COTTAGE ROOM DESCRIPTIONS {MAIN LEVEL}

It seems that this blog has been taking on a bit of a mixture – some family, some DIY, and probably not enough of the future cottage!  I thought it would be helpful to explain a little more about each level of the cottage and how the rooms are positioned + why we decided to have certain features (such as a pool!).  My fantastic IT team (aka: Craig, my husband) is working on getting me some software that will allow real-time video recording while I design with my computer programs.  That’s going to be really fun to work with in the future, but it isn’t quite ready  yet – so for now I will give you the text + graphics version.

I’m going to start out the series today with the Main Level of the cottage (*Keep in mind that for now these are shown as just basic spaces without detail/colors added… in fact, no windows are being shown yet either.  The details will come, I promise!) Use the image below as a guide as you read through the descriptions, and take a look at our Pinterest boards (which are linked at the end of each room description).  They show some inspiration images I have found for each space.

{FRONT PORCH}  (This is likely to be one of my favorite spaces).  My vision for the porch is complete serenity – a place to sit and read, listen to nature.  I also want it to have a fun vibe – with pops of color.  It will be the main point of entry for guests, and probably at times for our family as well.  (PINTEREST)

{ENTRY}  Entering through the front door, to the left is a space for a small bench and some coat hooks overhead.  I’m thinking of incorporating some special artwork, maybe some family photos.  I would love for this space to be a glimpse of the life of our family.  The piano will probably also be in this space, along the other wall. (PINTEREST)

{DINING ROOM} I am dreaming of some partial height walls between the Entry and Dining spaces, perhaps built in cabinets for books or special collections.  Our table will need to be large, obviously, maybe a rectangular farmhouse style?  I definitely want to find a cute antique hutch to place along the wall.  Filling it with amazing glassware would make me SO happy!  (PINTEREST)

{LIVING ROOM} As mentioned in this post, the living room will be the place of gathering in our home.  It will be given the most detail attention for sure.  There will be vaulted ceilings, a fireplace, and TONS of windows.  The windows facing the backyard/ wooded area will be accented by a lovely window bench, something I have been dreaming of for years.  The window bench will be made of two slip covered twin sized mattresses (maybe tufted?!) and will serve as extra sleeping space for guests (and also probably naps for us! yay naps!) (PINTEREST)

{KITCHEN} Open to the dining room and right around the corner from the mudroom, the Kitchen is in a prime location.  Right now I envision it as an all white/ mostly white space, with maybe a colored tile back splash.  It will have a large center island – eeeee!!! – and a entire wall of pantry cabinets.  I have been finding all sorts of fun storage ideas on (PINTEREST)

{GARAGE} This will be the very first attached garage that our family has ever experienced.  I personally have seen so many examples where the garage overtakes the look of the house, and when planning began I was thinking that the cottage would surely have a detached garage.  However, soon after bringing {K} home, we realized that it made the most sense for her sake that the garage have direct access to the home.  And so, with a little more designing, I was able to come up with a solution that kept the garage somewhat ‘hidden’ from view – though it will cause more expense for a longer driveway.  Worth it I think! (PINTEREST)

{MUDROOM} Since our marriage 15 years ago, Craig and I have lived in three different houses and not one of them has had a proper mudroom.  This space is more important than ever now that we have a large family.  As described in this post, I dream of a well organized space with lots of storage and functionality. (PINTEREST)

{MAIN BATHROOM} I am probably way more excited about the location of this bathroom than I should be.  The thought that we will be able to just walk in from outdoors and use the bathroom or wash our hands without having to track through the entire house just makes me giddy!  It will be a 3 piece (toilet, sink(s), shower) bathroom and will also serve as the bathroom for the main floor bedroom. (PINTEREST)

{MAIN BEDROOM} We hesitate to call this the ‘master’ bedroom because that label evokes the idea of a very large space with an attached walk in closet and bathroom.  It will be our bedroom, but won’t have all the bells and whistles that are considered the standard these days.  We decided to make this room a little smaller so that more square footage could be devoted to the common living spaces (kitchen, dining, living room).  Despite it’s small size though, it will still have plenty of style.  See our inspiration for this space by clicking on the link! (PINTEREST)

That’s it!  7 rooms + the garage and front porch.  Simple!  I’ll be back next week to describe the second level!

In the meantime, check out ALL of Arrow Hill Cottage’s Pins!

 

BIG BROTHERS

I just have to say that this past week I have been so proud of our boys and how they protect and encourage their little sisters. Most days we spend time at the parks and playgrounds, and because it is summer and our town sees a lot of tourists during this season, the playgrounds are typically filled to the brim with kids.

I have heard our boys proudly declaring that {M} and {K} are their sisters.  I have seen them lend a helping hand if one of them is struggling with a piece of equipment.  They have been thrown the curious questions from other kids – tough things like ‘What is wrong with her legs?’ and ‘They don’t look like you… how are they your sisters?’ ‘Can you even understand them?’ – and answered them with dignity and grace.  They jump to action if they see someone picking on or making fun of one of their sisters and are always including the girls in their conversations and games.

They are their sisters biggest fans, allies and protectors.  They are wonderful big brothers and we are so proud of the young men they are becoming!

Here is a glimpse into our past week.  It was a simple one spent at home.

 

SMALL BEDROOM MAKEOVER: AIRPLANE INSPIRED ROOM FOR A PRE-TEEN BOY

Alternately titled:  Why our oldest son sleeps in a closet.

By now most everyone has heard of ‘tiny houses’ – little living structures, usually on wheels, which make use of every square inch.  I’m totally a fan of the idea, but it just wouldn’t be a practical way of living for our family.  If a tiny house seems a bit drastic for your family as well, why not consider a tiny room instead?

Our situation sort of happened by accident….

The rental farmhouse we live in has it’s fair share of quirks and frustrating features, but it has at least one redeeming quality that not many old homes can boast – lots of closet space!  These aren’t your average size closets either.  We are talking the walk-in variety in almost every room.

To set the stage, let me first mention that we were moving into the farmhouse from a 1904 American Foursquare that had basically no closet space.  Though it was challenging at first, through our 10 years of living in that home we came to the realization that we didn’t really NEED much for storage behind doors.  That type of storage almost inevitably allows a person to collect tons of items that are un-necessary or rarely used.  Out of sight, out of mind.  We made due in the Foursquare with two very small closets in two of the upstairs rooms.  There was not a single closet on the main level.

As we prepared to move into the farmhouse we saw all this great space that we didn’t necessarily need for it’s intended purpose.  The boys immediately claimed one of the large hall closets as the ‘Lego Room.’  While deciding who should occupy each of the 3 upstairs bedrooms, we measured furniture and floor space and realized that there was no way that we could appropriately fit 3 beds (1 for each boy) in any of the rooms.  Even with two of the beds bunked, there wasn’t a layout I could imagine that would make sense.

Then one day while we were scratching our heads about where everyone would sleep, I noticed that the closet in one of the rooms seemed like it just might be large enough to fit a bed.  We measured and, sure enough, it fit with space to spare!  The ideas of a tiny bedroom for our oldest, {D}, began flooding my mind.  He was excited about the prospect of having a bit of privacy from his younger brothers, but wasn’t sure how it would all be pulled together. And the truth is, I wasn’t totally sure either.  Nevertheless, we moved forward with the plan- removing the closet door and placing a bed, small side table and a shelf in the tiny space.  It remained a hodgepodge of items for over 2 years, with no complaints from {D}.

Last week, while the boys were all staying with grandpa and grandma and I was in the full throws of ‘Summer Organization Blitz 2017’, I decided that this little room could use an update to reflect the pre-teen interests of our son.  At 10 years old, he is currently really into airplanes and all things flight.  Without further ado – I’m happy to reveal the new design of his 4 foot x 9 1/2 foot space.

View from his bed – looking into the room where his two brothers sleep.  Connected, yet separate.

His bed and nightstand are on one side of the room.  The bed has drawers which provide plenty of extra storage.  It’s where he keeps his collections and special gifts. The night stand is a piece from his great grandma.  It was once part of  a vanity that she used while applying her makeup.  The patina is magical.   A floating shelf filled with airplane books and vintage magazines hangs above – perfect for that late night read.

The other side of the room features a small desk and bookshelf, and is accented by an awesome airplane wing.  Of course, there is a story of how that came into our possession.  Basically we found it poking out of someone’s trash can a few years ago and hauled it home.  How could we not?  It isn’t every day you get access to an airplane wing!   It had been outside until this past week when I brought it in and cleaned it up.  It fits perfectly in the space! Meant to be!

There is a little bulletin board on the side wall that {D} can fill with inspiration and cool finds.  The ‘airplane alphabet’ is a favorite.

The desk has a couple of shallow drawers that are currently filled with Legos.  A typewriter sits on top of his desk – another vintage find which he picked up at grandpa and grandma’s estate sale.  A storage ottoman serves as a chair.

All of the little details really came together in a fun way.

{D} literally squealed with delight when he saw his refreshed room for the first time – and that is not a reaction that you get easily out of a pre-teen boy, let me tell you!

Our other boys are sort of jealous that they don’t have their own ‘tiny room’ – but their luck will change when we move into the cottage!  Using some of the ideas I have learned with this little space, I have been designing a shared bedroom for all three boys which will include a private sleeping nook for each of them.  There is just something so cozy about a tiny space.

 

FAMILY TIMELINE / WEEKLY REVIEW INTRODUCTION

This post was a LONG time in the making, and we are so excited to share with all of you!

Each week, we will be posting a video timeline sharing our family’s ‘week in review’.  The goal is to get the video up and shared via YouTube each Monday morning, showing a quick (around 2 minute) glimpse into our family life. We are excited about this fun and simple way to document our lives, and look forward to looking back on them through time to relive all the memories!

I likely won’t be making a blog post about each and every timeline, so you will want to check out our YouTube channel each Monday if you’re interested.  You can find our family channel HERE (hit subscribe if you want to be notified when a new video is available!) or click on the little ‘play button’ on the home page of our website for a direct link to Arrow Hill Cottage’s YouTube channel.

We are giving the first installation some special attention today… here is WEEK #1 of our family recap!

 

SATURDAY SKETCHBOOK: MUDROOM DREAMS

The last part of this week our boys have been at grandpa and grandma’s house.  It has been a yearly pilgrimage and something the boys really look forward to.  I also anticipate the stay, and use it as the prime opportunity to go through clutter, toss out/donate unnecessary items and just get more organized all around.  I tackled many spots around the house over the last few days, and will share some of the big transformations in future posts.

Today though, I wanted to give a little glimpse into our farmhouse mudroom.  It is quite literally just that – a room of mud.  There were mud hand prints on the walls, I kid you not! I have put off doing any sort of organizing in this space for a long time with the excuse ‘It’s just going to get messed up right away – what’s the point?’  But alas, it had to be dealt with.  It’s not perfect, it’s not pretty, but it is about 85% more functional than it was before – a place for everything.  I tidied up, stood back and admired my work, then promptly took this photo as proof that for one moment of time it was, in fact, clean.

For the cottage I envision a super functional mud room where everything has it’s place.  It will be the first time in our adult lives that we have EVER had an attached garage, which will be monumental.  I fought that decision (more on that later), but now realize that an attached garage is for the greater good.  A hallmark of a well organized mudroom is it’s connection to other spaces.  Ours will have connection directly to the garage, of course, plus direct access to the kitchen and the main level bath – both rooms that are most likely to be needed when coming in from the great outdoors.

Other key features of the mudroom include a command center – complete with charging station, a bench for removing shoes, a broom closet, a small seasonal closet, and my all time favorite – a series of five cubbies/ lockers – one for each child.  I daydreamed about them in more detail today as part of the Saturday Sketchbook installation.  Hope you enjoy the doodles!