Decorating: You Can Go Your Own Way (Wordless Wednesday)

Click to enlarge.
Of course, in true Oy Vey That Boy fashion, he had to be in the picture, even if he was already in jammies.

The corner before (with the last owner's stuff)

I got hooked on Pinterest months before we moved.  So, I had more than enough time to collect decorating inspiration for the new place which existed only in our dreams.

I created an "Oy Vey That Boy" folder full of inspiration for my son's room.  After toying with super heros, monsters, dogs, and other animals, I found this inspiration.  That did it.  I LOVE that sentiment and I love the colors and shapes of maps.  I love the sentimentality of maps from our past just as much as I love the potential contained when we grip a map to a place we've never been.  I showed my son some of the map ideas I found and he loved them.  I knew I wanted to wallpaper one of his (dreary brown) walls with maps (I've actually wallpapered 3 walls).  I found a great collection of websites where I could request maps and I did.

During the actual move, whenever we stopped, I searched for maps.  If I found some freebies, I grabbed two or three.

When we arrived here at the new house, we found our map collection was woefully inadequate.  "What if we ask people to send us maps from where they live," my son asked.  And so we did.  Through Facebook, I asked friends to send maps from their home state, their current town, countries they visited, their favorite amusement park, etc.  Some did just that.

For those maps we didn't get, Tour Guide Google helped.  I found pdf files of maps from zoos that were near and dear to us.  I found links to tourism departments for states/countries where our friends and family live and requested those.  I was able to search through gorgeous vintage maps from places not so near, but very dear to us.

In this past month, my son has received more mail than he has in all his 5 and 1/2 years combined.  Friends and family addressed their maps to him.  I purposely requested maps in his name from the tourism departments.  He LOVED it.

Just last week, I found we had collected enough maps to begin the project.  Initially, I used wallpaper adhesive to attach the maps to the wall.  I started with some of the larger ones, and filled in with smaller ones.  I found many maps have smaller maps of various areas on the back of the large map.  So having two or three copies came in VERY handy.

I purposely tried to position important maps at what will be his eye level when in bed.  So there, you'll find a map of the state where he was born, a small map of the town where we last lived, a map of Israel, a map the kids used in a school project about our heritage (yes, it's the actual map from their display.  I found it during the move and took it apart) and a map of his favorite zoo.  Our change of address cards have a map background and one of those is up there too at eye level.

Great Grandpa's St. Louis map

He has the neatest collection of maps.  There are maps sent by friends from their home states.  There's a giant world map that used to hang in his grandmother's office.  There's an old St. Louis map that once belonged to his great grandfather.  There are gorgeous maps I found from the Graphics Fairy.  When I came across a map of the route of the British Royal Wedding, I had to grab that and put it up.  There are 21 year-old maps from DisneyLand (the last time I was there).  There are maps from all the places dh and I have lived.  I came across a few cool maps in magazines and saved them.  They're up there too.

Over the window sill

Oh yes, it's Hogwarts.

Royal Wedding procession map

Neat map I tore out of the last Woman's Day magazine.
You can tell I couldn't get it exactly right.  Note the great state of Tes. 

Before we moved, a friend gave us a whole host of toys for the ride (which helped save my sanity).  Among them was this puzzle along with that note attached.  I damn-near giggled with delight because I already knew I wanted to go with the map theme.  I purposely saved the note.  I figure we'll put this together, seal it, hang it up and keep the note with it on the wall.





The thrift store fairies worked their magic a few weeks ago.  I saw this super cool puzzle at the thrift store.  I adored the colors and the fact that, HELLLLLOOO, it's a MAP, but I worried it wouldn't all be there.  Opening it up revealed that it's still sealed in the bag.  This is actually a personalized puzzle someone purchased this past Xmas for a family member (the receipt was still in the box).  You can have a map made of any address.  Apparently, the recipient didn't like it, but I sure did.  By that point, though, I had a bunch of maps and figured I didn't need any more.  We left without buying it, but that entire weekend, I was mad at myself for doing that.  When we returned the following week, not only did I find it again, but it was half price, so I got this for a whopping 98 cents.  I will not ignore the thrift store fates when they damn-near toss this into my hands.  I bought it that time.

It's still a work in progress.  My mother recently grabbed a magnetic knife rack at Ikea which I'll put up in his room to hold his cars.  She also grabbed some spice racks that I'll paint and put up to hold his books (his baby sister will get some too).  His sister's old Finding Nemo desk will be covered in maps (just the Nemo portions.  I'm actually leaving the blue and orange because I think they'll work well with the map colors) and moved into his room.  You can see in that shot that he's still in a toddler bed.  We need to get him a new twin bed and pass that down to his baby sister.  I have an old scratched up dining room chair that I want to paint, recover and put in his room.  If you look through the Oy Vey That Boy folder, you'll see some of the other ideas I'm considering for his room.  Right now, one large wall is still brown.  I'm not going to cover that, but I'm strongly considering painting it turquoise.

Oh and did you notice the parachuting monkey between the windows?  That was $1.99 find at Michael's.  They have wall stickers on clearance and I had to grab that.  It was too stinking cute.  Nothing completes a travel-themed room like a parachuting monkey.  ;-)

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Map to Your Heart Challenge in the Moxie Fab World

Wordless Wednesday

Metamorphosis Monday

Wordless Wednesday: File Under "Squee"

I snapped this picture of our youngest this past weekend (on our front porch) while we were on our way out furniture hunting. Oh the cuteness! It's almost enough to make the fact that we STILL don't have couches bearable. But, alas, cuteness doesn't provide you with a place to sit.

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Wordless Wednesday

My Favorite Color Is Dirt

My youngest has been sick which has sucked for all of us.  I had to rely on the kindness of friends to get my kids to Hebrew school and to feed us all yesterday. Today, she was feeling well enough for us to run to the store to grab a few things.  It was supposed to be a trip just to buy supplies to unstuck the drain.  Instead, it turned into a whole gardening extravaganza.

I noticed the small garden that borders the walkway had invited a whole host of weeds in to stay a while.  Oh no!  We needed to put an end to that quickly, before more potential buyers stop by for tea.

So, after we found the drain snake and the liquid drain degunker, we wandered into the garden section.  I had a $50 gift card that I won, so we grabbed a few plants.  Then we found others on sale, so we grabbed some more.  My gift card plus $30 later, we had enough to start on the garden...at 7 pm at night.

So, we threw common sense (and bedtime) to the wind, turned on the hose, and played in the dirt.

I realized the two bushes closest to the house were a lost cause and dug them up.  I'm quite proud of myself over that.  It wasn't a small feat.

Speaking of "feat," after I dug up the first one, there was a gigantic hole which filled with water.  I dug up the other one and my mind wandered far away from the hole.  My feet, however, not so much.  I wound up slipping and my foot fell into the hole.  I was in muddy water up to my knee.

We got most of the weeds pulled and all the plants planted.  We also got all the feet, hands, and everything in between completely covered in mud.

I am not anything remotely resembling a gardener.  We've been able to grow a minuscule amount of our own veggies on occasion (until the summer rains come and wash them away) and if a plant requires little to no attention, it can sometimes escape my brown thumb.  Still, I do so enjoy playing in the mud and watching things grow.

Relocating the Goat Rodeo and Telling Toy Stories: Snuggles

Well, it seems I've begun down the path of a new series.  Yesterday, I told you my middle daughter's toy story.  Today, I'll tell you mine.

When I think of toys from my childhood, I see visions of my huge collection of Cabbage Patch Dolls.  I think of the G.I. Joes my nephew and I threw out the window with coffee filters attached as parachutes.  I remember the Strawberry Shortcake kitchen set my parents surprised me with when I was 3 (and which was well-loved for many many years). Yet the one toy my mind constantly returns to is Snuggles.

Snuggles was a doll where you pulled a tab on her back and her head rotated around--think snuggling, not the 360 degree Exorcist head turning.  She had a purple outfit and with lace cuffs.  Unlike my children's toys which fall to pieces in a matter of hours, Snuggles' tab still works and the doll still cuddles with you when you pull the well-worn tab on her back.

Snuggles was one of the last things my aunt gave me.  When I was born, she was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer.  She would survive only 2 years after that diagnosis.

I was only 2 and half when she passed away, but I have vivid memories of her and most of those memories revolve around toys.  My mother once told me that, on some level, everyone knew we were going to lose my aunt, so she made a particular point of being a presence in my life.  I vividly remember playing with her and my uncle with a Disney car set that they bought me.  I don't remember many specifics, but I remember playing, being happy and I remember her smiling.  I don't ever remember her being in pain.  In all my memories of her, she's there with me smiling and playing.

I don't remember when she gave me Snuggles, but I've always known she did.  I don't ever specifically remember being told that, but it must have been emphasized enough because I never think of that doll without thinking of Aunt Roe.  I remember, as a child, my parents had prepared me as best they could for her death, but I was still baffled, confused and devastated.  I remember hugging Snuggles tight and rocking her while hiding in the basement yelling at G-d.

Snuggles still lives in the toy box in my parents' basement.  Life has gone on for the rest of us.  My uncle remarried.  My cousins grew up and had kids of their own.  Some of their kids have kids now.  My focus shifted from my dolls to writing and eventually computers.  Snuggles and her lot were packed away and moved to the basement.  That basement went from, "Mine," to "My parents'."  I moved away, got married, had kids, and left Snuggles behind.  She's still there, today, buried in my parents' basement.  Nearly every time we're there, I sneak down to visit her.  I've shown her to my oldest daughters, who were not impressed.  Snuggles is a mess, but unlike Aunt Roe or my childhood, Snuggles is still there and every time I visit her, she's exactly as I remember.

The kindness of strangers

The kids were all playing in the yard today when my oldest came in in tears. Turns out she kicked their favorite ball (a gift from my brother) over the fence into the busy road.

I assessed the situation (which really means I stood in the doorway and watched the thing roll further and further away while cursing to myself and trying to decide if I really wanted to risk my life in busy traffic for a $2 over-sized ball) and decided to go after it.

After risking life and limb to cross the busy road (that might be a wee bit of an over-statement, but hey, I'll go with it), I still couldn't catch the blasted thing. The wind just kept pushing it further and further away.

When what to my wondering eyes did appear but a pickup truck on it's way towards me. A woman pulled over, got out, caught the ball and brought it to me.

She told me it had flown in front of her when it sailed over the fence. She saw the kids in the yard and was afraid they'd run after it, so she came back around to get it for them.

Isn't that awesome? That, right there, made my whole day/week/month/year.

I think I shall invest in one of those quarter high bounce balls to keep in my van to remind me of this.  It will serve as a visual reminder to pass that kindness along whenever I can.

Wherein My Daughters and I have a Gilmore Girls Moment

After popping outside every so often to check the progress of the eclipse, I woke the big girls around 1:30.  We had time to head outside to watch the moon disappear.

Luckily, it wasn't too cold.  We grabbed jackets and a blanket and sprawled out on the ground to stare up at the sky.  

We pin-pointed constellations.  We talked about outer space.  We watched the moon.  We sang Maccabeats' hit songs.  We laughed like idiots.  We made short videos of us acting like idiots.  I discovered that over-tired 8-year-olds are a lot like my drunk friends in college.  

I had a lot of fun and the girls did too.  This is not something any one of us will ever experience again.  

Finally, just before 3, the girls hinged on certifiably insane and I was crossing the finish line towards completely and utterly exhausted.  So once the moon was completely hidden, we came in for good and headed in a bedwardly direction.  

No matter where we go from here (or when we all finally get there together), we will have the memories of lying under the stars in this front yard, bundled in jackets, watching the amazing sky (and dancing like idiots too).  

Once I was sure the girls were asleep, I snuck back out for one last glimpse.  The shining edge of the moon made me smile.  I can't quite explain it, but I find it exciting and comforting.  It's exciting because this series of events won't happen again for more than 300 years.  It's exciting because I got to spend that time outside laughing with my girls at 2 am (a time they won't see the awake side of again for quite some time).  I find the normalcy of it exciting too.  Things return.  Everything comes back to its normal state.  

I find that whole notion very comforting right now.  

There's no place like home.

I had no idea what on earth I was going to blog about today.  Well, I DID have an idea, but then the baby got to feeling sick again and suddenly, I was at a loss.

Well, now she's on the floor flipping through books and I'm online flipping through Etsy.  That gave me a blog topic.

I've been putting together a wish list for the kids which involves lots of neat artwork for their new rooms (whenever we move).  I want to have a whole exciting array of new artwork for them to anticipate hanging on the walls of their brand new rooms.

I've found some adorable artwork for them, but I've also found some art that I want to hoard all to myself.

The word "Home" as always had a different meaning for us since we were a military family.  That quotation is one I've loved for the longest time.  Now that we're separated again in our quest for "Home," this rings even truer.  I love that art from  Volume 25.  I have no connection with that shop.  Heck, I've never even heard of them before, but I can't tell you how much I love that piece right there.  

And oh my stars and garters!  This one titled "Wherever we are together is home" is another one I must have.  What a fantastic reminder this is!  I think this would be perfect in my youngest's room.  I love the colors and there's a bird.  We called her "Tziporah" when she was tiny.  She reminds me of all things birds (plus she was even a bird for Halloween).  

Oh, that shop just made my heart so happy!  I want to stock up on just about everything they have.  Happy distractions ROCK!  

For Sale

Photo by julia.picturetaker via Flickr.

For Sale:

Hurry and scoop up your 1300+ square feet of happiness.

Beautiful home in a nice neighborhood. It's not Edmond. It's not Norman. But hey, it's nice enough. Excellent home for a young family.

Corner lot means a large yard with plenty of room for children to play. Great for entertaining on summer evenings. This yard has been home to pools, swing sets, barbecues, parties, slides, handstand competitions, and bike races. Its potential is limit-less. This enchanted outdoor area possesses the magical powers which helped not one, but two children learn to ride without training wheels. Try your luck and see what magic this yard holds for YOU.

This back yard is famous. It was featured both on CNN and Washington College Magazine. CNN featured this yard (via a photograph taken in it) on the front page of their website as part of their "Coming Home" special report in honor of Memorial Day 2006. The yard was featured in a different photograph published in the Spring 2004 Washington College Magazine. No other yard in Oklahoma can claim these honors.

Formal dining room where countless family dinners have been eaten and an endless stream of crafts have been created.

1 bathroom which may seem like enough when that family is just a gleam in your eye, but will quickly become a bit of a nuisance. It's only a slight one, though. Because, as the last inhabitants and their four children have proven, it can be done and no one is going to explode RIGHT THIS MINUTE no matter how much the little ones may bounce up and down when it's already occupied.

Spacious playroom, fabulous for impromptu dance parties. Carpeting throughout this area to best cushion children and their attempts at gymnastics. In this room, you'll find the memory of three babies' first steps. This is the room where the military wife alone with only her twin babies first learned of the war in Iraq. As an added (happier) bonus, the walls of this room still contain the laughter of that same wife when she lost her ever-loving mind and decided to try hula hooping on the Wii Fit at 9 months pregnant.

Off the playroom is, what should have been the master bedroom, but instead is currently a huge office.  Are you a writer?  Then this office is calling your name.  This office is where one of the former inhabitants wrote a number of published parenting articles along with her first novel and where the other inhabitant wrote a constant stream of critically acclaimed screen plays and graphic novels for which he won some local fame.  If the writing bug alludes you, this office could still serve you well.  Do you need a home office?  Well, here ya go.  Do you just like the sound of referring to, "My office?"  Then this house has you covered.  

The front door opens to a Great Room with gorgeous hardwood floors. This makes an excellent formal living room as you can keep kids' toys (and messes) relegated to the back playroom. The layout of this fabulous home allows you to convince your friends and random people determined to sell you things (like Sonic cards, cookies, and/or Jesus) that you are actually a far better housekeeper than you might actually be.

The Great Room also opens to the kitchen. Storage space in this kitchen was doubled in 2003 with the addition of extra cabinets and counters. You will never be without a place to store food or kitchen containers in here. This kitchen boasts a breakfast nook. If you use it as such, the current owners request that you send pictures because that's what they always intended to do, but never did. High cabinets means you'll always have a place to hide snacks from the children (or your short spouse).

All major kitchen appliances are included. With your purchase, you'll receive a fridge, oven and dish washer. All of which, have been meticulously scrubbed and cleaned every year for Pesach. 

Just off the kitchen is a small laundry room. More than comfortably fits a washer and dryer and either a deep freeze or large utility shelf. The last owners had a freezer. Current owners have a large metal utility shelf. See how creative you can be with the space. Can you top their ideas? Do you want to put up a rock climbing wall? Snap this beauty up and install the most beautiful climbing wall you've ever seen.

4 bedrooms filled to the brim with memories. In the master bedroom, a baby was born. In one of the front bedrooms, a baby boy took his first steps. In the other front bedroom, twin girls spent many nights reading the Harry Potter series, saying prayers for their daddy while he was deployed and writing letters to friends. The large back bedroom works well as either a master bedroom or an office (see above). Its proximity to the playroom allows for easy surveillance of the children playing in there. It's distance from the rest of the house allows for peace and quiet even when children are arguing with each other elsewhere (i.e. in their bedrooms over who wears the blue sweater or in the kitchen over who gets to eat the last of the Cheerios).

Make an appointment today to see this dazzling jewel of a home.

"Where we love is home, home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts."--Oliver Wendell Holmes