mac down. mac down.

My Mac almost died...let me 'splain.
I was sitting across from my precious middle child on my Mac and she knocked over a full cup of water onto the table. She didn't say anything...my computer got the fuzzies. Then it died. Then I heard, "I am SOOOOO sorry!!!" What did you do child? Oh no you di'in't. Oh Sweet Mother of Abraham Lincoln you did. So, I did the only thing I knew to do. I googled it. I texted my friend. I freaked out a little. Then I freaked out a lot. I did not yell at my daughter. I prayed a little. I stuck it in a bag of rice and sucked all the air out. I left it for 3 days. Lo and behold, she was resuscitated. I say "she" because she is strong, virulent, and doesn't give up. You can't keep her down. She's a fighter. The only "scar" she has is that she has a piece of rice up her earhole. Yeah, a piece of rice is stuck in the headphone hole. But beggars can't be choosers. It works and I am thankful...and I have a plan to jam a needle in there to pry it out. I mean, I am like my computer. I won't give up...like Jason Mraz (iTunes it).
So, all that to say that I have been busy and haven't been able to blog about it.
Project magnetic blackboard is still rockin'. It takes forever. The magnetic paint was a little rough to work with and the blackboard paint had to cure. Sheesh. Ain't nobody got time fo' dat! So, here is what I started with. It was an 8' x 4' sheet of some kind of cheap board from Lowe's. Sorry, don't have the name, but it was less than $9 for the whole shebang. I had them cut 2' off so it would fit. I wanted this mamma jamma big. I like 'em round and big...wait, those lyrics don't quite fit (and a tad inappropriate..name that song). So, I just used my handy dandy stud finder and screwed it to the studs. I think there are 10 screws holding it up. It ain't goin' nowhere. (Does it terrify you that I homeschool my children?)

(um, why is this picture cattywhompus?)

After my magnetic paint (3 coats to be exact), it looked like this...

 And after 2 more coats of chalkboard paint, it looks like this... and no, it isn't the same picture.

So, lemme just say a few things.

1. Magnetic paint gets blobby. You can shake and stir to your hearts desire, but there will be a few globs, or blobs, or whatever you wanna call it when you paint. I used a foam roller and when a blog would appear, I would take the end of my roller and rub the blob out and roll back over it. Seemed to work okay. I put 3 coats on, and it will still barely hold a paper with a medium strength magnet. I am going to go get the kind that you can magnetize a small child to just to be sure.
2. Magnetic paint is MESSY. I had drips on me, my baseboard, my wall, the dogs outside, and the neighbor across the street. Oh, and you have to get it off with paint thinner. Drat.
3. Chalkboard paint is a dream. Coats perfectly, dries without the streaks that you see above, and is water soluble! 
4. It has taken me a while to finish because I made a little boo boo (not of the Honey Boo Boo variety...that is terrifying and much worse). In my haste, while trying to maneuver my ginormous piece of wood around Lowe's with 3 impatient children in tow, I had them cut it down 2 feet in length to an even 6'. I bought some cedar fence boards that are 6' to make the frame thinking I would just miter cut the corners and not have any additional cuts to make. Well, fence boards have a "dog-ear" on each corner. Sheesh. So, I have to either rip down one side of the fence boards, then miter them, or just rip a good 2 inches off my length, screw it back in, and make my frame. That is what I will do since I want the frame as thick as possible. Make sense? Probably not...and if I was a good picture-taker, you would see what I mean. Either way, it will end up being amazing. I'll finish it off and show you. And you will be jealous of my skills. You know, like nunchuck skills, bowstaff skills, etc. 

So, in closing, my Mac is 100% AOK, my magnetic chalkboard is almost complete, and magnetic paint is a little (a lot) annoying. Oh, and I love Napoleon Dynamite...and Jason Mraz...and chalkboard paint.

Blessings!

Jenn

little projects

I have some projects to do. Some are fun...

Some are not...

like changing out door hardware.

But they all help me to love my home more. 

So, I'll be busy the next few days. 

I mean...busier than normal. 

Can't wait to show you the results!

Blessings,

Jenn

simple

Do you ever dream of a really simple life? I do. I sometimes wish we could sell our house and move into a tiny little country cottage on a piece of land big enough to do what we wish, but not too big to tend to. I want fewer things to take care of. Fewer things to break. Fewer things to clean. I wish my day involved painting, crafting, and tending to chickens and a garden. I wish everything was within a bike ride. I wish my favorite coffee shop was just around the corner and that a library was down the street. 

I often dream of what that would be like. I often wonder why we don't just do it. Sell most of our things, keep only what we truly need and love, and just go. Go where there is less stuff and more us. More time being together. More time to bake and sew and play. Less stress, less time wasted and more time doing what makes us happy. More time in the Word instead of in the car. More time reading and less time cleaning. 

My kids asked me the other day why Dad was the one who always played with them while I cleaned and did stuff inside. I hate to say it, but before I even gave it a thought, I muttered, "If I had some help, I might be able to play more and clean less." Just thinking about the words that came out of my mouth makes me cry all over again...and I replay it often.

Since then, my house has been a little more messy. Dishes have begun to stack up regularly. Clothes are always in piles with one load in the washer, and one in the dryer. Countertops are rarely clean...but, I play with my kids more. I'll admit, it is hard. It is very hard to overlook the mess and pretend to be carefree. I know it will get better. Every time I see their faces light up when they ask me to play, and I stop what I'm doing and say "okay", it gets easier. They just want me. They don't care about the dishes, or made beds, or the lack of socks in their drawer. They just want their mom to play with them.

Would living more simply be the answer? Maybe. One thing I do know is that no matter where you are, not matter what your situation, you can be what your kid needs. Sometimes it just means being the bouncer on the trampoline. :)

Blessings,

Jenn

linen & grey

As a young girl, I remember frequenting fabric stores with my Memom. I remember looking at and feeling the fabric between my fingers. I remember being overwhelmed by the rows and rows of fabrics, ribbons, and trims. I would leave with eyes burning from the dyes, as my mom did when she shopped with her many years before me. I don't remember being particularly excited about going, but I endured it, and grew to love it over the years. Every time I go to a fabric store, I remember those days with my Memom.

Memom suffered a heart attack this past week, and these memories have never been as important to me as they are now. She is 85. She is still one of my best friends. She is the one who taught me how to sew. She would let me pick out my own pattern and fabrics at Hancock Fabrics (or "Hancockylockies", as she would call it), and would turn me loose. 

Sometimes I would just watch her work. Lips pursed, head tilted back so she could see through her glasses, and a frequent head scratch, she would create. 

I remember how much she appreciated beautiful fabrics. She still does. I do as well. And I really love linen.

I also remember being very interested in decorating from a young age. I guess I really never realized that people actually did it for living. If I had, I would have known from the first time I picked a paint color for my room (which was a hideous deep turquoise with a sponge painted finish...yikes!), that being an interior designer was exactly what I wanted to be. I still dream of it. I dabble in paint colors, fabrics, crafts, and sewing in between schooling my children, cooking dinner and making sure everyone has clean socks. Being in front of a wall of paint swatches is pure bliss. There is no other transformation equal to that of paint on a wall. My favorite color is grey.

That is how I came to the name "Linen & Grey". Two of my favorite things in my own little fantasy world of pretty things. 

I look forward to many more trips to the fabric store with my Memom. Maybe I can even convince her to do a little sewing with her favorite granddaughter (inside joke here...). 

Blessings from my home to yours,

Jenn