Newcomb Home

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 19:08:00 +0000

Hi friends! Matt and I got ahead of ourselves this year and ordered holiday cards to send out. Its that damn Adele, she's too cute not to document :) Problem is, the cards never hit the mailbox. I'm determined to send them, hopefully friends and family will receive them before Valentine's Day. For now I wanted to virtually say, Happy New Year! from our family to yours.

(Yes, we made a poop joke on our holiday cards.)

Almost done dining room

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 19:11:00 +0000

Hi friends! Adele is napping for longer than 20 minutes! (Knocks on wood.) She’s usually a great sleeper at night but naps are a challenge. Anyway, since I have a little time I wanted to show you our new dining room. What I really want to show you is the kitchen, but I want pretty, the counters are not covered in breast milk and formula photos, so it’ll have to wait till a weekend when I remember to clean AND take photos :)

When we added on to the kitchen, we also added about 70 square feet to the dining room. Boy, does it feel bigger! We can have our (new) 92” table in there and still have a clear walkway from the kitchen to the deck. Like most rooms, its 90% complete. We still need to caulk and paint the trim and hang art on the walls.

My laptop died and I lost a bunch of photos, so this is the best/only “before” shot I have. Its a screen shot of a video on Matt’s ipad, when the chickens were living in the dining room. Sorry.

(I don’t like it when he takes videos :)

As you can see, the room is sort of short and squatty. The visual appeal of the vaulted ceiling makes up for it, but whenever more than a few people were in there, it was really cramped. Now, we have room for our big families!

I’ll post someday about how we framed the house, why we chose to close in the vaulted ceiling (hint: money), and how to lay the flooring, but for now I just wanted to show you a couple pretty photos and share my sources.

The best part is the added windows! There weren’t any windows in here before, so I love all the added light, even in dreary November.

If you look at the photos side by side you can see how much space we gained. (The doorway on the left is in the same place.)

What I’m really looking forward to is some art on the walls! The room definitely needs some sprucing up with window treatments and art on the walls, but its come a long way!

My favorite details so far in this room full of wood are the metal accents on the table and chairs.

And of course a place to keep my wine.

Can’t wait to decorate for Christmas in here!

The best part of DIYing this room was that Matt is more willing to purchase some new furniture, you know, to make the floor we laid look good :) Works out for me!

In case you’re interested, here is a source list:

All construction lumber and supplies from Home Depot or Parr Lumber
Flooring: On clearance at Great Floors in Portland, $2.49 / sq ft
Table: Clayton table from World Market, $524.25 with 25% off coupon (not currently on their website but this is the coffee table in the same style)
Chairs: Avington dining chairs from Target (on sale at $159.99 for 2)
Wine rack: Norden occasional table from IKEA, $199.00
Light fixture: Drum fixture, Lamps Plus on clearance and an extra 10% off because it was the floor model, $120ish (I can’t find it on Lamps Plus but here is something similar)

”Oh, we’re documenting the dining room? Let me get on the table.”

And for good measure, the little mohawked gal I get to hang out with when she wakes up.

Meet the newest little Newcomb

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 20:02:00 +0000

Hi friends! Checking in again to say hi and introduce our mini human, Adele! She was born almost 4 weeks ago on July 20th. It was a slightly eventful birth because after 16 hours of labor I had a c section, her umbilical cord was wrapped around her arm like a shoulder bag, so she was stuck. We're both healthy and doing well and I'm happy to report once I gave birth, the nausea was gone!!! After feeling sick for 8 months I felt amazing, despite the c section. No nausea and an adorable little one? Totally worth it (though don't ask when I'll be doing it again).

Matt stayed home for two weeks which was wonderful, I loved getting to know our new kiddo together. We've had lots of visitors which is also wonderful, my father in law even brought me a beer in the hospital.

Side note: While he was home Matt also installed the back splash in the kitchen. No grout yet, but it looks amazing. Sneak peek:

Now he's back at work so I'm home with Adele, learning all about how to play with newborns and stay away from the wine (at least until Matt gets home). I'm also trying to re-learn how to nap, which is a sorely needed skill.

Here's the cutie herself, she is giving mom a break and napping for record time! Photo is from my phone, I'll post better quality photos whenever I actually turn the computer on :) She always naps with her arms like that.

Update: More pics of Adele:

Tummy Time with Dad and Carl

Checking in...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:38:00 +0000

Hi blog friends! Its been a while. I've missed you! I have taken (and will probably continue to take) a long break from blogging. I think I was fine with the break knowing that the blog will be here when I started writing again and that some of you may still be checking in every once in a while!

Well, news that google reader is going away (which is so annoying) made me think that I may actually lose connection with some of you, which I do not want to do. I haven't figured out what exactly to add to this blog to make sure everyone can subscribe via their new favorite reader, but I'm working on it. In the mean time, I do want to provide a bit of an update, and let you know that I'm still here! I'm alive, and may not be writing much but still reading blogs so I can keep up.

I think I last left you with our new kitchen all framed, in October. So yeah. That IS a long break.

I have been taking photos and writing notes and do plan to share the kitchen progress in chronological order someday hopefully soon. Here is an un-edited, phone-taken sneak peek of Matt laying the floor.

My blog break started this fall because I was cold and tired and wanted to finish the kitchen so we could turn the heat on and cook again. So all our energy went into finishing the project and I just didn't have enough left over to write about it. (Many of you have asked how its going and I'm so so glad you're still interested! Makes me very happy.)

Then... I got knocked up. Yep. Matt and I are expecting a baby girl in July! I think my bulging belly and ultrasounds are beginning to make it feel real and we're both really excited (and really terrified). I'm lucky and grateful because so far she's been growing well and I've had no complications.

I'm unlucky and frustrated because even now, over halfway through the pregnancy, I'm still getting "morning" sickness daily. Man, calling it morning sickness is bullshit. For many women, they're sick all day or different parts of the day. For me, its worse at night. This works out for my job, but around dusk each day I feel really nauseous and can't do much.

I spend a lot of time on the couch trying not to be sick. Carl thinks I'm just acting as a chair.

Anyway, I know it will all be so worth it when I get to meet her (and she's on the outside!). I've just been trying to set realistic expectations so while I'd really like to say I'm going to start blogging regularly again, I'm just going to say I'll check in when I can.
We've started on a nursery and I've been taking progress pics to share those too! I'm lucky to have many IRL friends who, in the last few months, have been very supportive of my turn-into-a-pumpkin-at-7pm tendencies. I'm very thankful for them, for Matt bringing me breakfast in bed every morning to keep the nausea away, and for zofran and watermelon gum, which make me feel better a lot of the time.

Thank you!

How are you guys? Have you found a new blog reader to replace google reader?

Guest Post at A Home in the Making

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 19:30:00 +0000

Hi friends! Today I'm over on Jenn's blog, A Home in the Making, talking about one thing I'm loving this fall.

Please stop by to learn about one of my favorite fall things, and check out Jenn's wonderful blog. She's also in the midst of a kitchen remodel and is far more efficient than Matt and me :) Go check it out - its beautiful!
x

Kitchen Addition Update {Help! I’m Exhausted!}

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 02:21:00 +0000

So, we finally have a good pace going with the kitchen remodel. And man. I. am. tired.

After a busy summer of weddings, baby showers, and a liiittle bit of kitchen work, we finally got going. We’ve been trying to still put in 40 hours a week at work and make some real progress. I’m completely exhausted. I imagine this is what parenting is like :) (Just kidding to all you parents out there!)

As my fellow Portlanders know, we’ve been having fabulous weather here. Not a cloud in sight! Its October! But about a week ago, “chance of rain” and “showers” showed up on the forecast.

So Matt and I thought, “Hey! Time to demo the kitchen!”

We welcomed all of the elements into our house as we removed the old kitchen and dining room.

Luckily it looks like this today, because boy did it rain. And rain. And it’ll keep going till Tuesday.

But let me back up a little bit. I think the last update we shared was when we were still

digging hole. We’ve come a long way, baby. (Is that phrase from a cigarette ad?)

I’ll get into all these steps in more detail once I’m not so brain-dead (details like whether I’d EVER DIY an addition again), but I wanted to show off a few pics of how far we’ve come.

After the hole was dug, we poured concrete footings and Matt built the framing for the foundation and poured the concrete.

After the foundation was poured, cured, and inspected, Matt installed the floor joists.

I have to admit, up until this point, Matt did ~~some~~ all the heavy lifting. (Literally. That saw weighs like 50 lbs.)

Frankly, I had absolutely no interest in pouring the foundation and lots of interest in getting a new kitchen quickly. Matt and I definitely had different visions of how this addition was going to go. Its been the source of most of our marital disagreements thus far. But, now we’re working together and still like each other (most of the time ;) Maybe some day I’ll regale you with all of the tales of our remodel woes (kidding!).

Anyway, the real fun began when the dumpster arrived. (Note: in Oregon, if you order a mixed construction debris dumpster and keep normal garbage out of it, the waste company sorts and recycles the material!)

We took out the cabinets in advance (nicely) so we could give them away on craigslist, and then had some very kind and generous-with-their-time friends and family over for a demo party.

After a few hours, we had this.

After the demo was mostly done, it was time to start putting our house back together before the rain.

First, subfloor.

Then, framing the walls.

Then, sheathing (the boards underneath your siding).

And that’s where we stand. Right now, there is a big, temporary tent of plastic over that corner of the house to protect the sheathing from the pouring rain.

We hired someone to install windows tomorrow, our first (hired) help! We’ll also be finishing up demo and framing the interior wall (i.e.. staying inside).

Then, siding arrives Monday and we supposedly have a few days without rain next week to finish up the exterior wall before we have no rain breaks till June.

I’m tired just typing about it :)

What are your plans for the weekend?

Family Room Update (New Curtains!)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 04:52:00 +0000

Finally! I finally pulled the trigger and got new curtains. I’ve been slowly decorating our tv room since we moved in and replacing the old, just-bought-them-caught-they-were-on-sale curtains was long overdue.

I had no idea what tdo do with curtains to cover our 11 foot window so I blogged about it and asked for advice. I received many helpful comments, and a detailed email from my aunt that was so smart and full of great suggestions that I think she should probably be writing this blog :)

As a reminder, here are the oldies.

And here are the newbies.

I love them! I love the texture of the linen fabric, the subtle pattern, and how light and airy they make this huge room feel.

They diffuse the sunlight but still let enough natural light to hang out in there without the lamps turned on.

I also like how they are no longer Urkel’s pants, but gather a bit on the floor. I’m just worried the cats are going to love that too.

Cat view.

And for good measure, here is the before and after.

(The updated photos to the right of the curtains help too. I learn over and over the importance of scale.)

I hope you love them as much as I do! Oh! I almost forgot. They’re from West Elm, called the Bamboo printed curtain panel. I think they’re on sale right now.

Now, my Aunt Bonnie really did have some blog-worthy advice about choosing curtains, so I’ll share her tips with you soon! I was just anxious to show off my new purchase :)

Insta-hooked

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 01:21:00 +0000

I ignored Instagram for a while, for fear that it’d be like Google+. I’d sign up, find a bunch of people I know on it, and then never use it.

But really, I love instagram. I was hooked pretty quickly. Its easy (and very fast!) to use. And my favorite part (besides the pretty pictures) is seeing insights into people’s daily lives and what is important to them.

Apparently, what is important to me is food, and my pets.

Though I do love the shot I got of Mt. Hood out the window.

So, let’s be insta-friends!

Are you on instagram? What is your handle? Mine is newcombhome (original, huh?).

Please leave your instagram handle in the comments or find me on there so we can connect!

How to remove a toilet ring stain

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 03:00:00 +0000

I know. I have you on the edge of your seat with that title, don’t I?

I was reading a blog about getting some stains off a bathtub a while back and it occurred to me that I never shared my ‘this is too easy’ way of removing the ring stains from the tub and toilet.

(I can’t remember which blogger did this. Damn! She tested a bunch of methods in her tub. If its you, please tell me and I’ll add a link!)

Cleaning this ring off took me about 7 seconds.

Seriously, so easy. It works in the toilet too, but I thought you’d probably rather stare at a tub than the inside of a toilet.

I tried all kinds of different chemicals to get the ring off the toilet and nothing worked. I had given up until I was wandering the aisles at the local hardware store (A-Boy) and found this little tool. It taunted me to come out of toilet stain fighting retirement, so I snagged one to try and finally win that battle.

And win I did. It worked like a charm.

Its a pumice stone. I don’t know if you need to but I ran the water over the stain first and then used the pumice stone to remove it. Easy as pie.

Like I said, I got this at A-Boy but I think you can get them anywhere. Here’s a link to one on amazon.com:

Pumie Toilet Bowl Ring Remover #TBR-6.

Its a little spendy but as far as I can tell it will last a looong time and takes the elbow grease out of cleaning the toilet which is really nice.

And just because I’m talking about toilets, and toilets make me think of butts, here you go.

Now if I only had a really easy way to clean up after these three.
x

Deals on Kitchen Accessories

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 22:39:00 +0000

I recently learned a fantastic tip from Matt’s aunt during a mini-vaca to Coeur d’Alene. (We were staying with his aunt and uncle while we were there to celebrate at a dear friend’s wedding. More on that wonderful celebration later.) I learned a few things during my weekend in Idaho:

1. Paddle boarding is really, really fun.
2. Anyone who swam in the Oregon ocean as a kid thinks any other body of water is warm.
3. A restaurant supply store is a great place to look for kitchen accessories.

That’s the tip from Matt’s aunt that I wanted to share with all of you.

Brilliant!

She had one of those industrial, diner-style metal coffee makers with the brewing pot on the bottom and a warming dish on the top. It was such a great thing to have for visitors (or a split coffee/tea household).

I decided to take a look at some of the fun items at restaurant supply website and compare the price to home decor stores.

For most kitchen tools and accessories, the restaurant supply websites were a much better deal:

Crate and Barrel vs. webstaurantstore.com

Pottery Barn vs. webstaurantstore.com

Food Service Warehouse vs. Williams Sonoma

Note: Just to see what the ‘middle of the road’ price is, I searched for a 5 quart colander on amazon.com and found one for $16.92 (ExcelSteel 242 5-Quart Stainless Steel Colander):

The restaurant supply sites did not, however, have the best furniture prices (in general. I didn’t check each type of item, just a couple).

West Elm vs. Food Service Warehouse

In addition to being an inexpensive place to buy common kitchen items, you can get fun, unusual gadgets too:

Napkin dispenser, condiment caddy, luggage rack

Have you ever purchased anything from a restaurant supply store? What did you get?

Front Yard Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 02:08:00 +0000

Last year I was lucky enough to be the beneficiary of what my mom calls her ‘volunteer work’. No, she’s not really helping a needy cause (just a lazy one), but I’ll take it. She comes over twice a year and helps me fix up the yard.

Last fall we tackled the south side of the front yard. The transformation is seriously amazing, for one day of work.

This summer, we tackled the other side of the front yard. Like a fool, I forgot to take before pics. Of course. But, I do have some pics of the way the yard looked when we bought the house.

Matt and I already completed some pretty big changes to the yard a few years ago when we removed about 9 bushes and extended the lawn. But then we fell off the nice yard bandwagon and have done almost no upkeep. So my mom arrived to a mess.

My mom and I trimmed two large trees and many bushes, pulled a TON of weeds, and spread bark dust everywhere. At lunch time, my dad rode over on his bike to help for the rest of the day, which was awesome. Poor Dad. I don’t think he knows yet that now he’s also permanently signed up for the semi-annual Volunteer in Katie’s Yard Day.

My mom tackled all the weeds, which were taking over the yard.

(Old pic, but the weeds looked like that everywhere.)

Here are the changes we made:

1. This spruce (I think?) was growing to the ground. It had been there and untrimmed for so long that it was growing around two trees, a bush, and four strands of Christmas lights from 1985. Seriously, the tree branches had grown around the lights! We trimmed it up, got rid of the puzzle of lights, and removed the trees and bush growing underneath.

2. Weed, weed, weed. Like I said, my mom weeded the entire yard. She’s a champ.

3. We edged the grass and spread bark dust everywhere.

4. My mom trimmed up some bushes that were growing out of control.

It was a hot, humid, sweaty day but the yard looks so much better now. The transformation isn’t as dramatic because I forgot the before pics (like I said, I’m a fool), but our neighbor said the first thing they noticed when they drove up the street was our bark dust :)

See what a difference it makes?

Yay bark dust!

Here’s a look at the whole yard. As a reminder, this is what the front yard looked like when we moved in.

This is our yard now.

No, we still don’t water our lawn. We don’t have an efficient system in place and I just feel too guilty using water without one. But without the jungle of bushes and weeds, the other plants (besides the grass) are doing great!

The near-death hydrangea has come back to life, and the other flowers are blooming away.

So now I owe my parents a glass of wine and a nice dinner. They can collect at Volunteer Day this fall :)

Outdoor Decor Inspiration (And Finally a Clean Deck!)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 02:31:00 +0000

I power washed our deck this morning. That chore was not in the plan for today. But it was slippery and grimy and gross and I guess I just didn’t want to fall down anymore :)

For 50 bucks, a couple hours and wet shoes, its the most embarrassing and glorious Before & After ever.

Seriously, how did we let it get that gross?

I like to think its because when we bought the house there was no stain or water seal on the deck. But man, we should have addressed this two years ago.

Here’s me in action. Hot outfit, I know.

Got me thinking though. Someday, maybe in 2015 or whenever we’re done with the kitchen remodel, we can start on the backyard :) Once we get the whole yard cleaned up, I’ll finally decorate the deck!

At least the deck is looking nice and clean, for now.

Of course, one productive thing is enough for Sunday so rather than work on anything worthwhile, I went to the interwebs for deck decor inspiration.

Which is your fave? What screams “put your feet up and have a glass of wine”?

sources: Fayette Woman, DigsDigs, Better Homes and Gardens, Homes-Designs

This weekend was also my mom’s semi-annual volunteer day. (I was lucky – my dad came to help too!) We got quite a bit of work done in the front yard. Can’t wait to show you!

What did you do this weekend? Work around the house? Relax? Drink wine?

White (?) IKEA Kitchen Cabinets

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 22:03:00 +0000

Last Friday I played hooky a little and ducked out early to head to IKEA with my mom, to check out some curtains. No luck on the curtains, but I did get a few goodies and got to check out the cabinets for our kitchen remodel.

We’re going with IKEA cabinets because they’re economical and will work great for us in our house (Our 1975 ranch does not warrant high-end cabinets). I read online somewhere that some of the IKEA cabinets had a tint of pink in them. I didn’t remember noticing that in the past so I wanted to look again.

Turns out, they do!

(I did not edit this pic in hopes of showing the “true” color. It would probably help if I learned to white balance before taking a photo.)
Of the six white cabinets on display, one has a pinkish tint, one a greenish tint, and the others read as “true white” to me. Can you tell which ones?
Hint: Pink is on the right. Green is fourth from right.
Here’s a look at all of the cabinet swatches.

We checked out some of the kitchen displays. Installed with counters, sinks, and all the other accessories, the difference in color is much less noticeable, but its there.

Still… many a home has been furnished with white IKEA cabinets and looks fabulous. Can you see the color difference?

Newly Woodwards

Houzz

Houzz

The IKEA lady let me know that you can buy cabinet doors to take home and look at in your home and then return it, so I think we’ll do that. Originally I was going for the Romjo and my second choice was Akurum Adel, but if those look either pink or green at home, we’ll go with Lidingo. (Bonus: Lidingo is cheaper.)

So tell me, am I the last one on earth to notice this difference? Do you have IKEA cabinets? Which ones?
x

Easy, Delicious Frozen Dessert

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 04:10:00 +0000

Last weekend I was at my parent’s house and one of their friends made a wonderful, super easy, three ingredient dessert. Its so easy, I went home and recreated it the next day because I was dying to share it with you guys.

When I went through the check out line at New Seasons the cashier knew what I was making, so maybe I’m the only one whose never heard of this? Anyway, I don’t know what it is called, so I’ll call it Ginger Dessert (because the woman who made it is called Ginger, not because it tastes like ginger!)

Frozen Ginger Dessert

Three ingredients
Pie Crust (I used graham cracker crust but you could use chocolate too depending on the flavor of the filling)
Flavored Yogurt (2 6-ounce containers)
1 container of cool whip (I used New Seasons’ “natural” version and it worked well also)

Instructions

1. Put yogurt and whipped topping in a bowl and wisk together until well-mixed.

2. Put yogurt/whipped topping mixture in the pie crust.

3. Freeze (recommended for at least 3 hours).

(Took this one out of the freezer a little early.)

4. (If you want) garnish with fruit or other toppings.

That’s it! Its really that simple. Its creamy and delicious but lighter than ice cream which is great for summer.

I used marionberry yogurt but you could try any flavor your little heart desires. My mom and I both think using key lime yogurt would be delish. (Ginger recommends 3 yogurts if you do that so you don’t lose the tartness of the key lime.)

What is your favorite summer dessert?

Convert a Shed to a Chicken Coop (Tips to Make it Easier)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 06:27:00 +0000

Its done. Well, like every project I do, its 90% complete so I’m calling it done. The chickens are out of the house and their fortress in the dining room is gone!

The shed-coop is the ugliest thing I’ve ever been proud to have made. According to Matt, I did “95% of the work” which feels pretty good! However, I was interested in being speedy so its not the most beautiful thing in the yard. I figure, when we actually fix up the back yard I can beautify it then.

Or maybe its plenty pretty for this gal?

We decided to convert the shed into a chicken coop because we never used the shed much, and we were hoping to save some money. (Though hardware cloth is pretty expensive.)

There are the basic features of every hen house.

The run.

The coop.

A ramp to go in between.

Roosts.

A nesting box.

Although converting a shed to a chicken coop is a personalized thing since every shed is different, I have a few tips that will make it easier.

Tips for Converting A Shed to A Chicken Coop

1. Take off the walls one at a time.
We removed all of the outer walls of the shed at once, leaving just the framing and roof in place. The shed got really wobbly and not square. I added blocking (horizontal wood to hold the studs in place), but it was too late. I recommend removing one wall, then add the blocking to that wall. Then move onto the next wall.

2. Remove the floor.
If you’re on a concrete slab this isn’t necessary, but otherwise, I recommend it. Our plywood floor had already started rotting so we didn’t have an option. But, knowing how much the chickens poop and that some rain could get in there, its best just to remove it now. Plus, I think the chickens would rather walk around on dirt than cement or wood. We took out the floor but left the beams in place and just filled in with dirt around all of the beams, to make a dirt floor.

3. Use what you’ve got.
We were able to reuse the walls of the shed to make the coop, used leftover paint to paint the inside, and used doors from our soon-to-be-demo’d kitchen cabinets. The only things I had to buy were a few pieces of wood, hardware, and hardware cloth.

4. Draw out your plans ahead of time.
This is a little difficult when using an existing structure, but having a rough design idea is a good one. I didn’t do this – just flew by the seat of my pants – and there are a few things I’d like to change. For example, the chickens’ waterer is right underneath the big coop doors, so every time I reach in there to get a chicken or clean it out, I spill pine shavings in their water. So even if you don’t have all of the measurements in your drawing, just knowing where things will go will help you avoid minor inconveniences like this.

5. Design a place for storage.
This is something I didn’t do but wish I did. Our shed is 9’ x 12’ so its perfect for our three chickens*, with a little room to expand the flock if we want later. However, I wish I would have built a small storage area on the outside of the shed for food, pine shavings, etc. Right now the food is in a metal garbage can outside but the pine shavings are in the garage which is a pain.

* Sadly, Slash was indeed a rooster so he’s now living with Farmer Pete from the Urban Farm Store.

Have you ever built a shed or chicken coop? Or converted one to the other? What are your best tips?

PS. Look at how much they’ve grown!

PPS. I've heard lots about people that use Bloglovin to subscribe to blogs so I jumped on the band wagon! Follow my blog with Bloglovin.

Sharing at Not Just a Housewife and Home Stories A to Z.

Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It (Find Me Some New Curtains)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 May 2012 05:56:00 +0000

What movie is that from? Mission Impossible? I think so. Charlie’s Angels? I’m not sure. Anyway, I need your help. Your mission: Help me pick out new curtains for my family room.

When we first moved in, I thought deep red would be part of my color scheme, mostly because I found these panels on clearance at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. However, the colors have strayed far from red, and now its grey, yellow, and a little turquoise.

So I desperately need new curtains. Plus, they’re about as fashionable as Urkel’s pants. Even when I was still into the red color, that was my mom’s first reaction: “They look like high-water pants.” Duly noted.

(Ignore the khaki curtains to the left. I’ll do something about those after the kitchen remodel.)

I can’t decide if I should get stripes, a solid color with a textured fabric, or just plain white. I’ve got a lot of patterns in the room so I am shying away from a wild fabric. The red curtains feel really heavy here, so I’m looking for something lighter (either in color or fabric), but I am open to any ideas! I just don’t have any brilliant ones of my own yet.

What do you guys think? What style curtains should I go with? Any great ideas?

(Mom – help!)

PS. I can’t wait for all the big Portland garage sales in June. Several neighborhoods have sales with 100 houses! Look at this wooden box I found last year for $2.50. Love it!

Get Out Of The Dining Room

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:15:00 +0000

Look who moved outside today, and got the hell out of my dining room? :)

The coop isn’t quite done yet, so they’ll still need to take over the dining room at night. But now, they are outside chickens in the daytime.

The run is protected from vicious predators.

That’s about as vicious as Diego got. Just checking out his new friends, I like to think. And that is not the run! Just a temporary holding area while we finished putting up the hardware cloth.

They like all the extra room. Maude found and ate an earthworm! I put a tree stump in the run, I thought they’d want to perch on it, but so far they just want to eat the moss.

I plan to finish the coop this weekend, so they can be permanently-outside chickies.

(They do not like posing for photos.)

Any other newbie chicken people? What is your favorite and least favorite parts about your new pets?

Beds I Want To Lay In

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:17:00 +0000

I feel like life has been speeding by lately! I haven’t been sleeping well, the weekends go by waay too fast, and I’m using my brain more than usual at work :) No rocket science or anything, but to use corporate jargon I love so much*, I’m juggling too many balls right now and one of them is going to drop. I’ve got just the right amount of work on my plate** where I’m able to get everything done, but I’m starting to feel really unorganized.

* Please sense the sarcasm.
** Seriously, people can’t work without silly sayings and making everything into an acronym. Oh, the acronyms!

So like any MYP (motivated young professional), when I start to feel overwhelmed I go into pure paralysis mode, staring off into space in a panic rather than getting myself organized. Its a self-created problem, really. I’ll get it together.

Anyway, I have that same “I don’t have my sh*t together” feeling at home. Part of it is because I can’t tear myself away from the chickens, and part of it is because we’ve started too many projects but have yet to finish any of them. But I think the biggest problem is that instead of going and getting my sh*t together, I do super productive things like search Pinterest for beautiful beds, which are calling my name inviting me over for a nap :) Like I said, a self-created problem.

But oh, the cozy beds. I know these rooms are all pretty different but they have one thing in common. I want to grab ~~the cats~~ Matt, snuggle up, and have a good long sleep in there. Which is your fave?

source

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OK, I’m off to bed now :)

When you’re feeling overwhelmed or unorganized, how do you get back on track?

Going Home to Roost

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 09 May 2012 06:46:00 +0000

Ever since we got the chickens, we’ve noticed how many sayings are inspired by them (and how many we never understood until now!).

All cooped up, going home to roost, flew the coop, ruffle your feathers, and quite possibly the most accurate: bird brain.

I actually think they’re pretty smart, but mostly because they decided to like me. They still run when I put my hand in their cage, but instead of shaking frantically in the corner, they now come to check out my hand and peck my ring. May have something to do with the fact that I’ve started giving them treats. Nope, they just like me ;)

The little chickens have been consuming my thoughts and weekends lately. They’re still so young and small I worry about them all the time. I can’t wait until they’re big enough to go outside. It’ll be nice to have my dining room back and I’m hoping I’ll worry less :)

I’ll share more details about the coop when I’m all done (so I can tell you what I’d do differently!). But here’s a look at the progress.

We’re converting the old shed we never used into the new chicken digs. We tore off the walls (and we’ll replace them with hardware cloth) so they can have a nice open air run to hang out in during the day. The white walls you see are the half-built coop, a nice, warm, protected place for them to hang out at night while they’re sleeping.

I’ve only primed the two walls and floor. I want to finish painting those before putting the other two walls and ceiling on the coop, which I’ll paint before they go up. It’ll be much easier than getting myself through a doorway designed for a chicken :)

The part I’m most proud of so far is the nesting box.

(Please ignore the crazy hair and awkward position. I was trying to prime the box without killing/painting all the raspberries. BTW, not successful. We now have white raspberry plants.)

I’m mostly proud that I was able to cut all of the pieces and they actually fit together reasonably well. Nothing a little trim can’t fix. Having the nesting boxes on the outside of the coop will make it easy to get eggs without entering the coop.

So that’s it. I’m surprisingly sore from cutting all the boards with the circular saw (free hand!) and still have quite a bit of work to go. While I was working on the coop, Matt (nearly) finished digging the hole for our kitchen foundation.

Did I mention he is crazy? We (mostly Matt) have dug that entire hole by hand. In related news, we turned in our plans for the permit! We had to draw floor plans, foundation plans, framing plans; all things I wanted to hire out. Matt has far more patience than I do for reading code books. But he did a great job on the plans. The reviewer at the count office said she didn’t see any problems so we should have a permit to start building in a couple weeks!

So while we’re not working on anything pretty here at the Newcomb home, we’re definitely making progress. Now I just have to find energy to actually make dinner after work and chicken coop-building!

Chickens (Why the kitchen remodel is going to take forever, volume I)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 06:54:00 +0000

So I’ve been trying to write this short little post for the last two hours, but instead I’m just sitting here because He’s Just Not That Into You is on TV. I know he was so 1997, but Ben Affleck is cuuute. I guess it helps that he plays a really nice guy :)

Anyway, this post is really about chickens. Matt and I have officially bit off more than we can chew (isn’t a kitchen remodel enough?). We adopted chickens. I am a sucker. My cousin teaches 5th grade and they have a lifecycle unit where they hatch eggs and have little baby chicks for their class. I had the ~~misfortune~~ duty of babysitting one night and totally fell in love. Wouldn’t you?

Seriously, adorable. I can’t get enough. Fast forward three weeks later: the class was done with their lesson, and I have three week old chickens in my dining room.

(Sorry about the color. They sleep under a red heat lamp. I don’t know what to do about that, photographically.)

So while Matt is finishing up the framing plans for our kitchen, I’m trying to convert our shed into a chicken coop. Dude. Its hard. Whoever built that shed thought it would double as a storm shelter should climate change ever bring tornados to Oregon. My arms are really sore.

Oh, and don’t let me lead you astray, Matt definitely helped a lot. I’d go stand next to the window of our office and whine for him to come outside if I needed a little more muscle.
(Stripey and Violet love my sister.)

Anyway, I’m leaning heavily on Back Yard Chickens, recommended by Anna of Take the Side Street, to make the coop. I can’t find any plans with exact measurements but I have a good idea of things I need to do to make the coop comfy for the chicks (or I’ll ~~beg~~ ask Anna to post more details). They have to be inside under the heat lamp now, but can go outside in a month or two. So I have a deadline, which is good.

I’ll keep you posted on everything. I must ask for your patience though. Between the kitchen and the chickens, I’m exhausted. I’m just trying to keep the laundry clean and the cats and chickens (and Matt) still alive and well, so I may not post more than once or twice a week. But I still love you all, thank you so much for reading!

What did you do this weekend? Did you have fantastic weather like Portland?

Eye Candy: Toddler Birthday Party Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 06:05:00 +0000

Oh man. I need a nap. Matt and I had a busy weekend that included staying out way too late dancing (yes, Matt actually danced!), soccer, a run, and not enough sleeping in :) We spent time catching up with some great friends, and I got to see my fabulous cousin in action as she set up a birthday party for my nephew.

(Like all good parties, the display centered around the food.)

I’ve bragged about my cousin, Hannah, before (remember her cute Easter cookies?), but it was so fun to see all of her ideas come together for Hanzo’s 2nd birthday party. (If you need help with a party, let me know! I can give you her email to hire her :)

My sister-in-law booked a clown for entertainment (clowns totally freak me out, but I’ve learned kiddos love them), so she and Hannah went with a circus theme for the party. All the little details were so clever!

I love how the streamers look like a circus tent and all the food is like stuff you’d buy there! So creative! And the mini milk jars and straws? Love.

Hannah and I set everything up and then blew that popcorn stand* so we didn’t see the clown or many of the kiddos. But my in-laws reported that the party was a great success – everyone loved the food and decor, the kids loved the clown, and the parents enjoyed relaxing while their kids were entertained!

*Or is it popsicle stand? What do you say? This is a perennial argument in the Newcomb household.

How was your weekend? What did you do? Drink too much champagne and then spend all weekend playing sports to make up for it? No? Just me?

Outdoor Ideas (from Pinterest)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 05:33:00 +0000

Hi all! I hope you enjoyed hearing from all the guest bloggers last week. I was so excited to have them! Thank you again Michelle, Heather, Connie, and Allison :)

My week in Madison was wonderful. I worked a lot… earned like 16 hours of comp time! I learned a whole lot during all that work and met some great people, but I’m very happy to be home.

The weather in Madison was straight Spring. Not any of this snow-in-March business we’d been having in Portland. I was pleasantly surprised to come home to a warm, sunny weather in Portland too! I was inspired to revisit my Outside pinterest board and day dream. Because of our kitchen remodel we may not get much done in the yard this year. But I can dream!

What do you think of these ideas?

Rainbarrel. Would love to take advantage of all the Portland rain!

Super cute labels for my future garden!

A fun outdoor party idea.

A DIY fire pit for the late night gatherings.

Outdoor Jenga, How fun!

This chicken coop is fancier than my house, almost. Can’t wait to have some chickens!

What do you have planned for your yard this summer?

PS. Don’t forget to enter the Miracle Gro Expand ‘n Gro Giveaway! Please enter to win by April 15th.

Beautiful DIY Wall Art by Allison (at Two Thirty Five Designs)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:16:00 +0000

Howdy howdy howdiiieeee.

I am giddy to be guest posting for Katie, so much so, it took me forever to get this post up. Yup, that's how awesome I am...pshhhh.. How awesome I am not.

I am Allison over at Two Thirty Five Designs. I am painter, for reelz, wannabe crafter, pretend to be able to cook, obsessed with furniture and fashion, avid music listener and have somehow managed to have three offspring. Rock on. We get our hands in just about everything we can, (most recently for me is Stella & Dot, oh so badd, but ohh soo good all rolled into one) and one of those is real estate. So guess what? We move. A. Lot. Over. And. Over. I think it's been 15 or 16 in almost 13 years. I’ve started to not count, kind of like with our cars, hmmm...anywho...

I am always changing stuff and totally changed styles in this current house, so here is an itsy, bitsy look into it. Enjoy.

Don't worry...I don't have any aquariums in my house. I have just been OBSESSED with this idea since I first saw a picture of it, and haven't been able to forget it. I knew I wanted to something similar, just not actually attach it to the wall like Kara did. I wanted it to look like a piece of finished art, because 1.we move quite often, 2.didn't think the Mister would like the idea of 687 holes in the wall, he can tend to be a bit whacko... and 3.Our entry is super tall so I really needed height and not drop our mortgage payment on something I will get tired of in 38 days....not literally, but kind of....

anyshwayzzzz.... moving on

I am digging how Kara's lighting really reflects on her art, and I am getting there, I am planning on replacing the entry light, just ran out of time. Also, I noticed she traced and cut her circles, which is hawwwesome that she has stick-tuitivness, but I don't....and I have a circle cutter I use for banners, party on wayne...party on garth. I HIGHLY recommend this, got mine at hobby ~~hell~~, er..uh, Hobby Lobby. I think it runs around $20 buckaroos, but with the 40% off coupon, it's umm, less than that.

I knocked these babies out in about three days of NOT consistently cutting. I used 19 sheets of posterboard. I figured it up, by now you know how well my math is, and knew I needed 687 circles.

Here is less than half, a tad depressing...

Layed out about 1/16th to paint. FYI they fly around like little gnats with spray paint...

So on to attaching them first. I opted for mdf board, thicker, heavier, mayyyybe won't start to bend? Whatevs...

Drew out my lines so I would stay straight and even. SO glad I took the time to do this!

All stapled on, NOW I can start to paint, again...sheesh...

Wanted trim to make it look 'finished', and it was too thick for glue, mixed with running out of time and being impatient equals a girl using the staple gun...

Wanted more 'texture' and a tad bit of greenery...

Garnish anyone?

LOVING all the textures here together...

Should I say it looks like waves with the scales? Nah... I'm not that deep..

I HEART this console from IKEA. Definitely one of my fav's in the house.

Love the shape...

Many, many thanks to Katie over at Newcomb Home for letting me guest post this. I truly look up to you and admire everything you do!!

To many more, A

Thanks so much Allison for sharing your fantastic art and entry way! It was so fun having you here today! Everyone, please go say hi to Allison over at Two Thirty Five Designs!

Meet Connie from Salvage Savvy!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Hello Newcomb Home readers! My name is Connie and I'm thrilled to swap blogs with Katie today!! I have a little blog called Salvage Savvy, where I share tips and ideas for making thrifty look fabulous. One of my all-time favorite transformations is this dresser. It turned out wonderfully- but when I purchased it, this thing put the "ug" in ugly!! Check out my Vintage Dresser Makeover post if you want to see just how bad it was, and what I did to turn it into this beauty :)

Now, in "real" life I am a design consultant, so I just love sharing design and decorating tips at Salvage Savvy. Have you ever chosen what you thought was the perfect wall color, only to discover that... it wasn't? Did it go something like this excerpt from a post on Selecting a [Non-Ugly] Paint color:

"We’ve all done it…you get the first coat of paint on the walls and think, “It’ll be better with two coats.” [Deep, deep down you already know that it won’t; nonetheless, pride, denial and hope all converge forcing you to press on]. Once the second coat goes up you think, “It’ll dry to the perfect shade that I chose at the hardware store.” Then, once it dries… it looks worse. You immediately rush over to the paint can thinking, “They mixed this color wrong, I should’ve waited for the old guy who knows what he’s doing- that teenager who helped me looked like he was high.” Finally, you hold your selected paint swatch up against the wall and… it’s a perfect match. D’oh. "

If that story sounds at all familiar to you [and trust me, it's written from experience!], please check out the post to learn super easy tips on selecting the perfect color for your room!

Lastly, I also love getting organized [even though I never actually feel organized...]. I've discovered that I'm totally visual, so if I want to have any chance of staying organized I have to make it pretty! This is a DIY Organizational Project that has completely changed my life [basically because I don't spend half my day hunting down all that daily life "stuff" now!]

Well, I hope you have enjoyed my little "Salvage Savvy Buffet" today! And I want to thank Katie for her hospitality today, I just love meeting new readers and bloggers! ((hugs)) Connie!

Thanks so much Connie! Its great to have you here today :)

Please go say hi to Connie at Salvage Savvy!

New Mudroom Design from Heather (at For the Love of Shorties)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Happy Spring!

I am so excited to be guest blogging here today. A huge thank you to Katie and Matt for having me here today! My name is Heather and I blog at For The Love Of Shorties with my shorties, Chaos and Mayhem. Yes, they "help" me. With. Absolutely. Everything. So many good things come out this time of year! The birds singing their songs, butterflies circling the blooming bushes, all of the beautiful flowers popping up out of the earth...

...and our mudroom came outta the closet. Finally! YEAH! A few weeks ago, with spring in the air, I decided to start tackling a few things on my to do list. One thing on my list was a Crappy Closet Crackdown!

Our closet was one of those that probably looked really good on paper. It was in the pass-through (for lack of a better term, I call it a pass-through because it is hardly big enough to be called a hallway in my opinion) between the kitchen and door to the garage, across from the laundry room. Coming out of the laundry room, it's straight ahead with the kitchen to the left and the door to the garage to the right.

Looks innocent, I know. Maybe you have one too. But we park in the garage so this pass-through is a high-traffic area. It seemed to be the ideal place to keep our jackets, scarves, hats, shoes, umbrellas, and school bags. Seemed is the operative word here.

This crappy closet had a lot of issues, which prompted the Crappy Closet Crackdown! The closet door and the door to the garage opened into each other. The rod was too high for my shorties to hang their jackets and backpacks. Things were constantly falling off the hanging sweater organizer and ending up in a pile on the floor. And my shorties usually sat on the floor in the pass-through, with the closet door open, while putting on their jackets and shoes, which meant I couldn't get to/from the garage. Crappy closet, I tell ya!

Soooooo, I decided to remove the door, patch the latch and hinge holes, paint the trim, paint the closet, build bench seats and shelves on each side, build a shelf across the back wall, and make this space really fun and functional! Crappy closet crackdown was a success and I'm excited to say that our mudroom came outta the closet!

Such a big difference! Here's what I did:

painted everything and added a few stripes across the back wall just for fun
added a coat rack on the back wall within the shorties' reach so they can hang their own jackets, sweaters, and scarves without any help
added hooks within their reach in the recessed areas on each side to hold their school, sports, and dance bags
built two bench seats, one on each side in the recessed areas so shorties can sit down and put their shoes on or take them off without blocking the pass-through
placed metal tubs under each of the bench seats to hold the shorties' shoes
built three shelves: one on each side and one across the entire length of the back wall
added fun accessories

I found the hooks and accessories at Target. The chalk board caddies are awesome! One holds umbrellas (we love Totes umbrellas which are small and fit perfectly inside the caddies) and the other holds sunscreen and sunglasses. The bulletin board and magnetic black board are a great place for the lunch menu, special events info, and important reminders. Oh, and those chalkboard frames ~ LOVE them! Perfect for fun photos or seasonal printables with little love notes written on the chalkboard frame. The two baskets on the top shelf hold out of season items such as heavy jackets, scarves, and gloves during the summer and light jackets, hoodies, and flip flops during the winter.

My shorties LOVE their new space! Score one for the mom team! Woot woot! I love it too! It's so much more fun and functional and I know it's a space my shorties will use every day for years to come. Thank you again for having me and I'd love if you drop by my blog to say hi! And thank you for sharing your blog with me, Katie and Matt! xo, Heather

p.s. ~ please excuse the photos...as I shared, this is a pass-through and there is about ZERO natural light in this space and the single overhead light in the pass-through is also on my to do list.

Thank YOU Heather, for sharing your Crappy Closet Crackdown! Your new mudroom looks fantastic. And please don't apologize for your photos, they show off your new mudroom well. Please go visit Heather at For the Love of Shorties and say hi!