News and Reviews

We've had crazy hot weather here in Seattle this last week. The kids have been swimming in Lake Washington twice, which is an activity that we typically only do in the hot summer months. 

We've also had a chance to get our walking legs under us again. Unless you're Emma. She dawdled for about 100 feet and then decided she'd much rather ride. You've got those long legs, girlie, use 'em!

The group admires a slug. It was a minor miracle that this thing escaped alive. I can see two sets of shoes that were itching to stomp. 

Here are a few links (new and old) that caught my fancy:



Midwife rides inflatable swan through floodwaters to deliver baby

Feminist Cupcake Sale

How to go on a group vacation

Airbnb is changing the way tourists travel to Africa

Sexual hostility in America's National Parks

Killing to conserve: is it ethical to kill ones species to protect another?

Family technology rules: what kids expect of parents

Whole fat vs. non-fat milk

Emma=Easy Baby. Ben? Not so much. Some babies are just easier than others. 

31 things to do after you have a baby that no one will tell you

Vaccine aversion has fueled outbreaks [no big surprise here]

Too much, too young. Should schooling start at age 7?

The hell after ISIS

xo,
Sonja

More Fireplace Work

So, it's time we gave our fireplace tile a bit of a facelift. It's looking a bit chipped and grubby. And, I'll be honest, I don't love the mottled brown.

Before we talk facelift specifics, however, you should have a good idea of the house floor plan as the living room is intricately tied to our dining room (and, by extension, our kitchen).

In case the words of the plot plan are too tiny, here is a visual representation:

The walls of the living room (and fireplace) are currently painted a very light lavender. It's almost white, but not quite.

Eventually, they'll be painted the same color as the kitchen and dining room, which is Light Pewter by Benjamin Moore. It's a very light grey with a hint of beige.

It can be seen here:

And here:

Our kitchen cabinets are an unfortunately-named "Greige" color, and we have a white trim (Behr's Polar Bear).

Which leads us back to the fireplace. I don't have it in me to removed the tiles completely as they're solidly cemented to both the wall and floor. I like the design but not the color, which makes me think that I should just paint the whole thing.

I'm having a hard time coming to grips with the different colors on my monitor since the Light Pewter looks much greyer in person, but here it is in our mockup.


Option #1
Walls: Light Pewter
Tile: Greige

Option #2
Walls: Light Pewter
Tile: Polar Bear White

I like Option #2 much better, but frankly I'm still torn. I'm hesitant to paint the tiles white, especially since many of them are floor tiles, meaning that every piece of dog hair and dirt is going to make a beeline for them. 

I might paint a few pieces of paper and hang them on the fireplace to see how the colors do in our light conditions. 

We'll keep you posted. 

xo, 

Sonja

Fireplace Refresh (aka Faux Fireplace Wood Pile)

Last year we had to cut down a beloved crab apple tree in our yard. We salvaged a few of the bigger stumps for side tables and then filled our fireplace with smaller cut branches. You can see a picture of it here at the end of this post.  We don't use our fireplace and it was a nice way to keep the toddler from investigating all the sooty nooks and crannies. 

But there were a few disadvantages:

1) there were so many piled logs that it was a tremendous weight on our sagging cross beams

2) the logs were piled, not attached, and Emma was fond of pulling them out

3) as they dried, the entire display shrunk significantly, leaving a 6" gap at the top. 

What they looked like after six months of drying (and tinkering by Emma):

We decided to remove the pieces, cut them down, and attach them for permanent display. 

Project: Faux Fireplace Wood Pile

Take a large piece of tracing paper (or several small ones taped together) and trace the fireplace opening. 

At this point I also removed the logs from the fireplace. Spider heaven in there.

After we cut out our paper template, I transferred it to a piece of 1/2" plywood and then cut it out with a jigsaw. 

At this point it was important to make sure it fit in the fireplace. Mine was slightly smaller so it could be shoved 4" back into the space. This was tricky as our opening was tapered inward. 

Then I painted the plywood facing using black exterior paint. I think anything would work as this is an indoor application that won't really be visible. 

At this point I took several pieces and cut them to varying lengths, ranging in height from 2" to 6". In the end, I decided that 4" pieces were ideal for my project. You could still see the black board between rounds if you looked really closely but any longer would have added considerable weight to the finished product. 

I used a chop saw to cut all the rounds and then blasted a few of them with a belt sander to smooth out some of the rough edges. 

Next I began laying out the rounds, starting at the bottom edge. 

Once complete, I lifted up each piece and added a glob of wood glue to the bottom. 

The next morning I came back and shot a few nails (from the backside) into each piece so they were securely attached to the backer board. If you didn't have a nail gun, you could do this with screws or a hammer. But it would be a very, very long painful process. I'd do your best to beg or borrow a nailer from a local tool share co-op or rent one from a hardware store. It would make this step only take an hour, instead of 4 or 5. 

I miss judged a few and spent way too long trying to get them back out. It was a pain. 

The finished product, once tilted up, rests securely on the ground. Just make sure that your bottom wood pieces will lay on the ground to provide additional structural support. 

I also added a clear coat of varnish to keep the ends from browning over time. We hauled it upstairs and slid it into the opening. 

All done. Nice and tidy. And protected from prying toddlers. 

 Materials
-Plywood backer board: 1/2" (Big enough to fill your fireplace opening)
-Tracing paper
-Wood tree rounds: 4"
-Wood glue
-Nails/screws
-Clear matte varnish
-Black paint

Tools
-Chop saw
-Jigsaw
-Belt sander/sand paper/rasp
-Optional (but very handy): Nail gun