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.

FAMILY COMMAND CENTER

Let’s just take a moment and acknowledge (or stand in wonder/confusion) that I have been a mom for over 10 years and just recently put together our very first family command center.  When it was finished, I stood back and thought ‘WHY did it take me so long to do this?!’ It just makes good plain sense! As an organization junkie, I’m totally geeking out about it – and maybe sharing our space can give you some tips to help keep your own family organized!

Again, I’d like to mention that we are renting our current house from family members.  Though they have given us quite a bit of liberty to make design choices, Craig has drawn the line on a few things he will absolutely not allow me/us to tackle no matter how many times I ask.  One of them is the painting of the kitchen cabinets.  This kitchen was remodeled in the 1960’s and I believe the cabinets are primarily constructed of oak hardwood, which are stained a very dark color.  The only natural light source in the space is a small window above the sink, and so those cabinets really make the room seem very dark.  I’ve lobbied to paint them all white, and add some fresh new hardware – but he’s not budging and I would like to stay married, so it’s a no go.

But… what happens behinds closed doors stays behind closed doors, right?!  😉

In the kitchen there is a tall cabinet in one corner of the room.  We have used it for pantry storage since we moved in nearly 3 years ago; But it’s depth meant that a lot of items were inaccessible or were forgotten about – helllooooo stale cheerios!  Through time, the bottom portion even became a space where footballs were stored.  I cringe at the memory.

Here is a BEFORE picture.  The cleaned out pantry space.  Note the lovely contact paper on the shelves and the unfinished flooring below.

Let me tell you…. they don’t make contact paper like they did in the 1960’s.  That stuff was made to last!  I was eventually able to peel it all off, but woah.  Just woah.  I also managed to finally finish the flooring by using the more high quality peel and stick tiles over the existing chee-po peel and stick tiles.  It’s an upgrade. (Note to self: In the new house… REAL thickness tile only.  Please!)

I then used some barn wood that we had on hand to line the back wall.  I found a floating shelf at Target that matched the texture and color perfectly and though it gave him quite a struggle, Craig was eventually able to attach it to the barn wood wall.  The inside of the cabinet doors were painted the same mint blue color as the decorative ‘niches’ we have in our kitchen.  From there it was a matter of adding the functional pieces and making it pretty!  I thought it might be easier (and more fun!) to do a video of the space pointing out all of the little details instead of typing them.  Behold the first ever YouTube video that includes my face talking.  Be gentle on me people, it can only get better from here.

And there you have it!  Our family is now on track to be ultra organized! Though we have only had it functional for about a week, I’m happy to report that the kitchen counters aren’t littered with papers, and the kids have been having fun playing with all the activities that are right at their fingertips. And can I just say that pointing them in the command center’s direction when they ask, yet again, ‘what’s for dinner?!?’ has been a treat.

Everything can be tucked away behind closed doors – great for when company comes over!  There is a sweet space for photos, and a charging station for the phones/ipads.

There is space in this command center for both adults (top half) and kids (bottom half).  I get a sleek barn wood wall to look at when I am writing a blog post or browsing on Pinterest.  The kids have access to all sorts of fun activities down below – coloring books, play doh, etc – as well as a spot for their Ticket System (chores/ commission)

The Meal Rotation clipboard is in easy viewing distance for the kiddos, so they don’t need to ask mom what’s for dinner.  Stylish file folders make organizing bills and paperwork more tolerable.

My favorite piece?  Probably the three ‘Plan of Action’ calendars!  I’m a list maker… remember?  I love sitting down at the end of the day and writing down my top 3 goals for the following day.  I think that seeing what is to come helps prepare me, and makes me less anxious.  I have made each of these calendars (monthly, weekly and daily) available in pdf form.  By clicking on the images below you can print your own to use.  As mentioned in the video, I print off one of each sheet and then make them into DIY dry erase boards by placing them in a clear plastic binder protector (then folding back the binder portion or cutting it off).  That way, I waste less paper and spend less time printing.

Maybe these calendars can be your first step toward making a command center for your own family.

         

Enjoy and happy organizing!

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.

 

SATURDAY SKETCHBOOK: COLLEGE DAYS

Today’s installation is bringing us waaaaay back to my college architecture days.  I went to NDSU, in Fargo, North Dakota – and as part of our curriculum we were asked to sketch any buildings that were ‘interesting’ to us.  I spent quite a bit of time in the downtown area sketching the many historic buildings there.

This sketch is of the Northern Pacific Railway Depot which was designed by the Architect Cass Gilbert in the year 1889.  It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, as a landmark in the area, because of it’s beautiful design and historical significance.  At the time this sketch was drawn in May of 2000, when I was a sophomore in college, it was being used as ‘The Depot Plaza’.  I wonder what it is being used for today?

Have a happy Saturday everyone!

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!

TWO NEW BOOKS + BIG PLANS

I mentioned in this post how much I enjoy house design, home decor and DIY type books.  I am happy to report that my collection grew by two this past weekend.  There isn’t a Barnes and Noble in our town, so it is a real treat to stop in on our way back from visiting family in North Dakota.

These books caught my attention and came home with me (click on the titles to get a closer look on Amazon)

Young House Love

Flea Market Style

They are both super inspiring!  I spent the remainder of the drive home pouring over each page, then entered our house and thought up a million ideas that I could bring to life!  Yesterday I started Project #1.  You will have to wait for the great reveal, but here is a sneak peak in the meantime.  Eeeeek!  So excited!  I’m starting to think that organization is my love language!

It’s blisteringly hot and humid here today, and I am more than happy to stay indoors with the A/C blasting – sorting and tidying things up.  Sounds like a perfect day.

THE HOUSE THAT GRANDPA BUILT

We spent our holiday weekend in North Dakota, visiting my side of the family.  It was so wonderful to see everyone. Our visits seem to be few and far between now that my sisters and I each have families of our own and we cherish the moments we are able to spend together, no matter how short.

One of the days we traveled a couple hours further north to visit my grandma, my dad’s mom.  As a child, we would get together nearly every 4th of July with my dad’s side of the family.  Such sweet memories were made at my grandparents home and even now, visiting as an adult, the house brings a big smile to my face.

The house was designed and built per my grandpa’s specifications.  He was a teacher by trade, but took on home building during the summer months as a way to keep busy and supplement the family income.  The house he built for his family (and the one my grandma decorated) was a trend-setter for sure, completely stylish for it’s time.   Just take a look at some of the key features and how they are inspiring the design of our cottage.

OUTDOOR SPACE

My sisters and I, along with our cousins, spent many hours outside in the ‘sunken patio’ space in front of the house, creating mud pies. Grandma loves flowers and each year plants petunias in the raised planters that serve as a half wall for the patio, offering privacy.  I loved this little patio space and definitely want to incorporate a patio at our own house.

LIVING ROOM

Growing up, my grandparent’s house was the only one I knew that had a vaulted ceiling.  It sits much the same today as it did when it was first built, save the carpet which was changed from red to orange sometime in the 70s. There is something electric about this living room.  Sure, it’s decor is a bit zany; But the fireplace wall, the amount of seating, the vault, the built in shelves and the natural light that pours in all combine in a way that promotes conversation and comfort.  For our future house, we have decided that the one room in the house that should be large and well detailed is the living room.  It will occupy nearly half of the square footage of the entire main floor, have a vaulted ceiling and a fireplace focal point.  There will be plenty of windows offering daylight, and seating all around.  Thanks for the inspiration grandpa & grandma!

GALLERY WALL

Look in any home decor magazine today and you will see plenty examples of gallery walls.  They are the perfect way to display family pictures and mementos.  They personalize a home and make a bold statement.  My grandma tested out this technique years before it was popular.  She asked my grandpa to cover one entire wall in cork so that she could easily display photos, and the results are stunning.  I still find myself looking carefully at each detail on this wall every time I visit the house.  We have our own gallery wall now at the farmhouse we are renting, and will definitely be incorporating another at the cottage.

My grandma still lives in the house that grandpa built for their family; And although the bedrooms are not always occupied and that cheerfully decorated living room is typically quiet, I am certain that when she looks around she feels happiness living in a home that was built with love.