The Last Hurrah...
Jan. 8th was our last Christmas party on the farm, for this year that is, lol!
My brother Scott and his family drove in from Chicago to celebrate with us.
We had potluck and Scott made crab cakes from scratch.
After opening presents, we played games with the kids which included the game called,
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza.
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
Have your ever played that game?
You go around the table, the first person says taco while discarding face up…the next person discards while saying cat…the next person says goat and the next says, cheese etc.
If you happen to turn over a card that matches the word you say, everyone slaps the pile!
The last one to slap has to pick up the pile…
Ok now, I love games…but for some reason, every time my turn came around. I couldn’t remember which one to say. lol!
Trying to concentrate on the list of words…I was always last to slap, Stupid game.
I hate to lose. Hahahaha
This post is the continuing story of our move from a subdivision to a small farm …with a very small house, lol.
Happy New Year 2020
A few days before Christmas, our girls had asked us to babysit so they could have a rare night out without the kids for New Years Eve.
So that meant all four grandkids would be spending the night.
Where in the world were they all going to sleep?
We didn’t even have a couch for them to crash on, lol!
New problems...new solutions.
In our old house, we used a little cot with a pillow top mattress topper, folded in half and placed on the cot.
I would put the cot on the floor, next to my bed.
Many times Lucy stayed over and LOVED sleeping on that little cot.
Here she is age 7, reading a Dr. Suess book. She asked me…”Mamie, is this fiction or non-fiction, lol!”
Double Trouble...
When both Drew and Lucy spent the night,
I used a queen sized blow up mattress and squeezed it in by my bed.
Notice Lucy’s baby dolls had to have a bed too.
The Whole Crew...
When all the kids were old enough to spend the night…Drew, his brother Aiden and sister Molly, would sleep on the air mattress.
Lucy would sleep on her beloved cot.
Notice little Molly curled up in the corner to be as close to Lucy as possible, lol
As always...just keeping it real, lol.
Yes it is true that our new house had three small bedrooms.
One was my sewing room.
One was my bedroom and one was my husbands bedroom….are you shocked, lol!
Here is the list of reasons we made this decision.
Mattress comfort: Ken likes a soft mattress
Sandy likes a hard mattress
Sheet comfort:
Ken likes his sheets tucked in
Sandy can’t stand the sheets tucked in
Room temperature: Ken is a self contained furnace
Sandy is a hot flash queen
Windows: Ken likes the windows shut
Sandy likes the windows cracked…even in winter.
Fan: Ken occasional has a fan
Sandy has a Fan every night…all year round.
Shades: Ken likes black out shades with curtains drawn
Sandy likes a light room and to see the sun in the morning
Snoring and Placement: Ken is a snorer and likes to sleep in the middle of the bed.
Sandy continuously moves from side to back to stomach and side again…but does this on her side of the bed.
So as you see…we compromised on these things for almost 50 years, lol!
But now he is the King in his own room… and I, the Queen, have my own room.
Needless to say…there is no room in either of our rooms for an additional queen sized mattress on the floor, lol.
Queens Room...
At the end of my room, there used to be double closets.
The previous owners opened up one closet to give the bedroom a little breathing space.
Luckily they did this…. As you see my pink cupboard only cleared the top of the opening by a half inch!
The Sewing Room...
Our third bedroom is tiny…9 foot by 9 foot.
It was perfect for my sewing and craft room.
Walking in there with a tape measure, trying to drum up a solution, I had an idea…. If I move this stuff downstairs…could I turn this into a bunk room?
Maybe we could figure out how to build some kind of an L shaped upper and lower bunk.
DIY...
For hours I searched diy kids beds, bunk rooms, small rooms, and any other picture I could get my hands on, looking for inspiration.
Oh believe me…I saw incredible bunk rooms. Some that completely filled a third-floor bonus room.
But I was determined to have somewhere for the kids to sleep…in less than two weeks!
Tight fit...
As my search continued, I ran across a bed that just might work perfectly!
I checked the measurements in the description and ran back to my sewing room to double check.
It would be a tight fit between the closet door and wall, but it would work.
Ordering it, I was happy to see they offered “free delivery”!
Yes, we would have to assemble it…but at least we didn’t have to build it from scratch.
In the meantime...
Moving everything from my sewing room, downstairs, I set up an area by my washer and dryer.
Not as nice as upstairs, but I could deal with it.
Back upstairs, in the “old sewing room” there was a fresh coat of paint on the walls when we moved in.
Plans for painting the woodwork and window would have to wait.
Ken and I had decided to keep this a secret from the family and have a big reveal!
Window Dressing...
I needed curtains for the window, I sure didn’t have time to sew any.
What did I have around here that I could make do with?
The panels!
Just before we moved…I bought long panels that were grey with a small yellow stripe for my living room.
They only came in two lengths and both were too short for my front windows.
So I bought a few extra panels.
Letting the hems down from the original drapes, and using the additional panels to add over all length.
This way I could hang them up by the ceiling for an elongated look.
Covering the seam with ball fringe, I loved the way they turned out.
Here is a picture of them in my old house.
The room would be for the kids, but I still wanted to keep with my theme of a modern farmhouse style.
I had saved the wooden pole and brackets…cutting down the pole to fit the bedroom window and installing the brackets, the whole thing didn’t cost a dime!
Easy Assembly...
Nowadays, you can go on YouTube and learn anything.
Sure enough there was a video showing how to assemble the bed.
To me…it didn’t look to bad. But my motto has always been “how hard can it be?”, lol!
It wasn’t that hard…but so time consuming.
We worked several hours the first day.
Bedding...
Have you ever ordered a mattress in a box?
Us either, but there is a first time for everything.
I didn’t want the room to look girlish or boyish, lol.
Looking online was out of the question because the kids were coming in a couple more days!
Finding these flannel dogs sheets at Meijer of all places, I was excited!
Then I found these thin coverlets and 4 fluffy grey blankets at an outlet type store called Old Time Pottery.
…they are closed now, I miss that store.
*did you notice the chicken weather vanes on the quilt…so cute!
Final touches...
We finished putting the bed together.
Then hung the drapery brackets and rod.
I measured the height before hanging the panels…but you never really know how they are going to fit until the panel is up…
they were so close , you wouldn’t get an envelope between them and the floor, lol!
Oh well, good enough right?
The Big Reveal...
We had the kids and our daughters, close their eyes
….we opened the door and they all just put their hands over their mouths, lol!
Triple bunk beds, lol!
Have you ever?
I didn’t know they sold them…yep.
Walmart. Better Homes and Gardens Brand
I bought them each a matching stuffed dog with a heart hanging down from the collar.
Fours a Crowd...
There are four grandkids…so, after all the kids called out which bed was theirs.
Molly got the little cot, which she was delighted to have
It was kind of sad though because Lucy said quietly to me…”the cot Mamie, I love that thing”
She didn’t see me tear up, I gave her a side hug and up she climbed to claim the “top” bunk.
Later that evening, walking past their room, I saw this posted on the door.
Memories at the Farm. Oh my heart…
Until next time.
Fondly, Sandy
Oh Sandy you are so talented and the Grandkids are going to remember this forever. What wonderful memories you are making and the love they must be feeling from you and Ken. Great job and in only two weeks during Christmas was amazing. Love it all!
Thanks so much Marcia…❤️
Your little cot got
me teary eyed!! My parents had one “up north” that the kids loved!! The kids cave is beautiful!!
Thank you Becki! Sweet memories are a treasure ❤️
Those bunks are the best. I would love to be a fly on the wall 20 years from now, listening to them share their fond memories of Mamie and papa’s farm. God bless you. That fly would be 94 or a fly angel.
A fly angel! I love that Linda! Thank you for your kind words and good heart.