Unconventional Sleeping Quarters

 Sam's new bed arrived in boxes and it wasn't scheduled to be assembled right away, and we had to take his old bed apart anyway to make room for the new bed, so for about a week, he slept on his mattress in two different locations. The first was in familiar surroundings on the floor of his room. 

These boxes were HEAVY. The bed is made of very solid wood.

I hired an assembly team through Wayfair when I ordered the bed. The "team" turned out to be one guy, who was really nice. He kind of got started but then let me know that it was way too much for the time he'd been given and was being paid for by the company--they really should have sent a team or given him a whole day to put it together. So I got refunded for that from Wayfair and then hired the guy privately to come back a few days later to put it together on his own. It worked out well because he got paid a lot more than he would have otherwise by Wayfair, I paid less then I did to Wayfair, and I didn't have to find someone else to do it.

In the meantime, Sam's mattress had to be moved once again, and this time he slept in the master bedroom closet for a few days, where there was plenty of room for it because the closet is big. What a cozy set-up! He slept well in there. 

Here's another sneak-peek of the bed from a screenshot that I gave to the guy. Sam was so eager for this bed to get put together. So was I, by that point.

I got a new set of sheets for the bottom full-sized bed from Target (where the pickings were surprisingly slim, I think because of Covid and the havoc it's still wreaking on many items in the marketplace). We opened the sheets up so that I could pre-wash them, and Sam and Bentwood stretched right out on them first. They're so soft! The mattress took almost two weeks to arrive after I ordered it, even once the bed was put together, so he wasn't able to use them for a little while. Beyond doing this. 😄

The next post will finally feature the grand finale--the bed!

Sam's Room: Out With the Old

In August and September, Sam's bedroom got a major overhaul. He wanted a new bed, and it was a good time for that since he'd been in the same bed since around the age of 3, and he was about to turn 11, so his new bed would be the bed he'd have through high school and beyond. He found a bunk bed that he really liked on Wayfair and it had great reviews so that's what we got. But before I get to that (in a future blog post), his room needed to be cleaned out to make way for the new bed, which was huge!

This loft tent bed was a good bed, and so fun for a kid. The slide brought a bit of the playground inside, and the under-bed fort area was fun and it was great for toy storage too. It used to have cloth panels that went up around it so that it really was a fort under there. Fast-forward about eight years and the panels hadn't been up in many years, the ladder rungs had broken off, the bed was pretty scratched up, and there's a long row of snake stickers going up the slide. It's been a well-used, well-loved bed (by a well-loved little boy!)

We also got rid of this cute little armchair that Sam had pretty much outgrown, and this little side table that we no longer needed. They will have a happy new home at my sister's house.

This was a good dresser that we bought for Sam's room when we moved to Iowa that we also no longer needed because his new bed had a lot of drawers in it (you can see some of them in the mirror--sneak peek!). So I sold this too, for the bargain price of $10 (and I sold the bed for only $5!).

We sold this colorful pencil shelf from Hobby Lobby because he no longer needed it (there are two other shelves in his room). Isn't it cute though?

These two pictures also made their exit from the exalted spheres of Sam's room. 😆 I'd grown pretty attached to this Solar System one--we've had it ever since John was a toddler when he was really into planets and space things. It's been a colorful, fun, educational picture to have up on the wall in both boys' rooms over the years. I have it listed for sale on Facebook but no one has bought it yet, which is fine with me. I don't mind holding onto this because I'm sentimental like that.

He's not really into Star Wars anymore, so adios, Star Wars and Kylo Ren. I sold this for $5.

Tomorrow's post will be about Sam's temporary sleeping quarters while his new bed was "under construction." 

August 2020 Randoms

Inspiration

Humility is such a good quality to have.

 

Paper planning keeps me on track and really does inspire me to live my best life.

Around the House

I love DISH's Dishscapes (channel 199 if you have DISH!). There's a new one each month. This underwater scene was the "scape" for August. The sounds are relaxing and the picture is pretty. I leave it on for hours at a time. There are little surprises that pop up throughout the month that are fun to look for. Like for this one, the lost city of Atlantis appeared in the background a few times.

I made "Vanishing Breakfast Rolls" from a recipe I learned in 7th grade Home Ec at my junior high school in Layton, Utah. These are the exact same thing as the Resurrection Rolls we make each Easter. They're a delicious treat and they disappear quickly! 

My 7th grade handwriting! I love old things like this.

All gone!

Sam cleaned out his stuffed animals and left these two on my bed along with a cute little note. 💖

I like the shadow cast by my new owl bowl from my mom.

We got a whole-house generator! I've been wanting one for a long time; it was one of my big-ticket emergency prep items. I like having a generator for the peace of mind it gives me. Just this morning, the power went out for a few minutes and it kicked right in.

Beach gear shelf at the Cape house

Reading the newspaper on the back porch with Violet resting nearby. The definition of a peaceful summer afternoon.

Boo Boo

This is a very unflattering selfie of me but I cherish it because I think it's the last one I ever took of Boo Boo and me. I loved him so much and he was my fun, faithful, loyal, loving companion for ten wonderful years. I miss him terribly.

He was doing just fine up until the weekend before he passed away. There had been no significant signs of anything being wrong. I was totally taken by surprise. 

This was his favorite spot in the house, here on the stair landing where he had a good view of the front yard (another one of his favorite places). It's so empty now without him there to fill its space. 💔

Merch

Three things in a row that I like

My spoils from the gift shop at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

This is a really good pressed powder. I may never go back to anything else. It is the powder to end all powders. 😄

I really like this flowered planner. I don't need it because mine is in good shape and it's cute too (white with gold polka dots), but...I still want it. So far I have resisted.

This is tempting too. This is cool! 

Miscellaneous (True Randoms)

Sharalyn and I are birthday buddies, and we went out to dinner along with Meredith at The Wayside Inn when I got back from the Cape to celebrate! I love my friends.

I want to make something like this with the shells I collect from the beach. I think I'll sign up for this next summer.

😍😘😍

I'm so glad that American Ninja Warrior was able to get a new season filmed and done despite Covid.

Popular songs and TV shows from the year I was born (1980).

I got money from Iowa! I like how they do this, it's so efficient and organized.

This is my dream. A house by the beach with my bedroom overlooking the ocean. Especially a bedroom like this! Look at that window seat! I'd spend many hours there reading and resting and watching the sea. And listening to the sound of the waves and breathing in the fresh sea air. This room would be heaven!

Pretty flowers at Outpost Farm.

This isn't a racial thing at all because I've had this issue for a long time with anyone who spends beyond their means to the detriment of their living situation, especially when children are involved. This young mom is behind on rent. Yet she has a nice phone, fake eyelashes, hair extensions, and manicured fingernails (which admittedly she could have done on her own, and I hope she did). Yet she's behind on rent. Do you see the problem here? Perhaps one of the reasons she's behind on rent is because she seems to be blowing her money on wants, not needs. This isn't a harsh judgment, it's an observation of a serious problem that plagues too many people in our country. 

Ta-da! This is the Thomas Kinkade Sound of Music puzzle that took me months to put together, and only then with my mom's help. It was way harder than I thought it would be. I don't want to do this puzzle again and it's a pretty picture so I framed it!

A funny typo in a text from my mom 😂