Sometimes You Just Have to Use a Big Garbage Bag

I just read this amazing blog post Remove the Deadwood, Let the New Growth Begin and it spoke to my soul so perfectly and articulately that it brought tears to my eyes.  I'm not a waterworks facility, I have only cried at one of my children's birth...so tears for me, big deal.  So I want you to go read it...right now, then come back...

Wasn't his word picture fabulous?  I know it was for me.  The other day I was blessed to receive some second hand furniture: a bookshelf, a small side desk/table, and a computer chair.  Now I try not to take everything people offer to me for free, my home is not the dump.  However, I knew that I needed a few pieces of furniture to organize our stuff a little more, things we need/enjoy but were homeless in our house and created clutter.

So when I woke up the next morning my mind was full of thoughts of how to organize and make use of my new treasures.  The area I was planning on organizing was my crafting space.  This space is well loved and well used...the proof is in the threads on the floor, the scraps of fabric partying on my ironing board and the bags of notions still in limbo of use and put away.  Yet, the disarray of supplies was beginning to mess with my ability to work.  I was spending too much time trying to find things than I was sewing and creating.  Nothing crushes creativity like a disorganized mess--by disorganized, I mean you actually don't know where something is, not that everything is lined up like the shelves at the fabric shop.

I knew it was time to clean, to pass things on and make room for new ideas.  Yet, within all of us lurks a hoarder, the desire to hang on to the past for just a little longer.  In middle school I had hundreds of movie stubs cluttering my dresser top...I just didn't want to throw away the reminder of time spent with friends.  In high school, I kept every assignment, for all my classes, for four years because I wanted to remember every grade, every job well done, every word of praise from a teacher.  In College I kept all my clothes, the ones that fit and the ones that didn't because money was tight and I might not make it to the laundromat every week.  You get the point.

Now that I'm a mother, living in a small space with 5 kids and Husband I've given up on keeping all the little trinkets my kids bring home.  It isn't that the stuff doesn't have value to me, but that I know that more stuff will come and take the place of the things I've tossed.  Still, the memory hoarder in me has a hard time letting my craft stuff go.  Yet I knew that was exactly what I was going to have to do.  I was going to have to get rid of projects unfinished, fabric never used, supplies untouched and my stomach clenched at the prospect.

So that's what I did.  I tossed projects I've never finished.  I gave away fabric I hadn't used and I made space.  Space for new growth, space for new projects and space for my family to use more effectively.

I'm not 100% done with my organization but it looks much better.  I can actually find things again.  Because I got rid of fabric I'll never use, projects I'll never finish I also have more room for new fabric which is good because I just bought some :)

What about you?  Have you been cleaning and organizing?  Have you found how freeing it can be to let go of the overgrowth and embrace what you truly love?  It's been a while so let's chat!

Laundry...

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Yesterday morning I lost it.  It was probably one of those accumulation of stress things but yesterday as my 8 year old son with tears in his eyes because he couldn't find clean pants...well it was the last straw.  I love to do laundry, really I do.  What I hate is the overwhelming amount I have to do, combined with the fact that even in our small house I still have to hunt down the dirty clothes.  Or that it isn't until they're out of clothes, and we have to leave in 10 minutes that they inform me that they have no clean clothes.

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As for the tearful child above...do not feel sorry for him.  Why?  Because he did have clean pants, he just didn't want to wear them.  Because he knew when he pulled out the last pair of pants that he has to tell me.  Though mostly, because he hardly ever puts his pants away where they should go.

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So I made a decision.  I'm not doing their laundry anymore.  I'm cutting my laundry down to 4 people and household.  Mine, Husband's, Elsa and Thaddeus, but only until the kids turn 5.  Then I'm cutting them loose too!  From here on out Lincoln, Samuel and Vinny will wash their own clothes, fold them and put them away.  If they don't have clean clothes.  Not my fault.  For those who live by us, you are forewarned about boys in dirty clothes, running naked or in just their underoos :)

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I am a woman with a plan just the same.  This weekend I'll be pouring through my fabric stash and making up some laundry bags for them each to keep their clothes separate.  I'm planning on using the pattern from Rae found in 101 One-Yard Wonders.  Then I'm going to give each of the kids a day of the week to wash their laundry...I'll keep you all posted on the progress.  Which to be honest right now isn't going so well.  Lincoln has been folding for almost an hour and isn't even half way done...aiyaya!  Still I'm determined!

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I hope you all have a great weekend and that you too can come to a resolution of the dreaded Mt. Washmore as my friend Shannon calls it.  Has anyone else ever tried this?  Please share your successes or failures with me so we can all learn together.

Breakfast Mayhem - More Messiness!

Let me just say that when you decide to let your kids get messy one week they certainly don't let you down.  Yesterday morning Elsa pulled off a fantastically 2-year-old stunt of independence.  She poured the milk for her cereal herself!  I can hear your gasp now.  Yet I didn't get upset I simply grabbed my phone and started snapping a few pictures...

 

 

 

Do you see the large puddles of milk?

Well Thaddeus, still in his high chair couldn't let his sister out do him in the messiness department and wiped off all of his cereal onto the floor...

Really I think he was hoping that with the milk on the floor if he added the cereal I'd let him down so he could eat off of the floor...he is smart/sneaky like that.  I did get him down but only so he could clean up...yes I had my 15 month old baby cleaning up after himself...and he loved it!

Elsa ran and grabbed a towel and started cleaning up the floor first...

Then the milk on the table started to drip onto the floor so I redirected her cleaning efforts while Vinny started sweeping. 

I don't have a picture of Thaddeus picking up the apricots he threw on the floor since I had to help boost his morale into doing the work (read in clapping and loud words of praise for each apricot slice put into the garbage). 

Once the floor was swept and the table cleaned of milk.  I put a little soap on a wet washcloth for the table and got the mop out for Thaddeus.

Soon this is what the table and floor looked like...

Honestly I don't think it took any longer for the kids to clean up the mess then it would have if I did it all myself.  The reason I say this is if I had done the whole clean up I would have had to battle the kids getting in the way which makes more work.  So teaching them to clean really doesn't take much more of my time, if any, and the kids walk away with a life long skill more valuable than if I had done the work myself.

While I did help with SOME of the cleaning, the majority of it was done by the kids.  Vinny is 4, Elsa 2 and Thaddeus 15 months each with varying degrees of ability.  Thaddeus was more than capable of picking up apricot slices and placing them in a grocery bag and pushing around a mop with a little assistance.  Elsa easily cleaned up all of the milk from the floor and table and Vinny did the sweeping.  All I had to do was give guidance, supply soapy washcloths, and sweep the pile into the dustpan that Vinny held.  Not bad if you ask me.

I hope you're finding my X-Large pictures of real life to be inspiring, honest and encouraging.  All too often we fall prey to the lie that teaching our kids to clean takes longer than it does to clean it ourselves, but the truth is all that is needed is to lower our expectations a bit and go with the flow.  Children love to help out so use that to your advantage!

{{hugs}}
Buffy

Well I was brave and showed you the honest pictures of my kitchen after breakfast, now is your turn to be honest and share with me.  Tell me what you need to overcome to be able to let your children learn how to care for the house?  Is there a topic on cleaning you'd like to discuss?  Or maybe you'd like more hints on teaching life skills to your kids?  Just leave a Friendly Thought and share in what we know and what we'd like to know more of.

Dinner Time Messiness

So today is my first post for the Week of Messiness!  I'm probably a little too excited for my kids to be making messes in the house, but I'll be honest in that it really hasn't been that hard.  Yes, I do have to remind myself that the table and floors won't rot in 5 minutes and I've been keeping my knitting close by for stress relief.

My plans had been to do crafts but I realized that meal times are plenty messy and offer a great 'real life' experience for my kids to learn from.  So last night I grabbed my phone and snapped a few pics to show you a brief (truly brief) look into my household.

What kid doesn't like whip cream, chocolate whip cream at that?!  So I placed a large spoonful of the tasty treat on Thaddeus' tray and let him have fun.  He ate most of it rather quickly, but as it melted he began to finger paint with it which was my ultimate goal :)

Vinny couldn't be outdone either so he decided he needed to wear his BBQ sauce...

Now, I could have gone all Neat Freak Mom and lost it, grabbing paper towels, disinfectant and mumbling about how I'm always cleaning up after the kids.  But I didn't.  I let them play, have fun and laugh and look at Vinny's smile...totally worth it!  Nevertheless I didn't clean them up, much.

Vinny thought the best way to clean himself up was to play with the water in his cup.  Normally I would have been upset and I'm not planning on this becoming the norm but I did like his creativity in his clean up solution.

He'd been writing with markers earlier that day.

Now Thaddeus is 15 months old so I gave him a wet wash cloth and he went to town!  Seriously, he washed his tray completely and he got his face and hands...the fingers needed a little help (which he wasn't too thrilled about) but look at the results...

He was so proud and would scream every time I tried to take over the cleaning...so I stopped trying.

One day down, four more to go!

{{hugs}}
Buffy


Are you intentionally letting your kids make a mess so you can teach them how to clean it up?  Are your kids grown and now you wish you did this?  Let's share thoughts on how we teach our children to clean up after themselves.

I Had an Epiphany!

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So yesterday morning Lincoln spilled coffee all over the kitchen counter.  It was a complete accident and in retrospect no big deal.  However, I got more than a little frustrated with him because he just stood there doing nothing to clean it up, well actually he didn't even notice the mess at first.

As I was helping him to clean it up I had to stop myself from saying "you know how to do this" because I realized he didn't.  Not that we haven't taught him how to clean, it's just that so often when liquids get spilled I tend to *freak* out a little (okay, maybe a lot) and it is way faster for me to clean it up then to wait for the kids to do it.

However, Thursday I didn't feel like cleaning up Lincoln's mess.  So after I calmed down a bit (more like, realized Lincoln didn't know what he was doing and that he needed to be taught) I talked him through cleaning it up.  As I verbalized each of the steps to clean up the mess I realized how complex the proposition is.  I mean it's easy once you've learned it, but in the learning it is hard.  Let's break it down a little:

*You have to see the spill
*Then you have to get a towel to clean it up
*The towel has to be unfolded if using cloth, or torn off of the roll if using paper
*If the the spill is on the counter or other high surface you have to stop it from dripping on the floor first
*Then you have to clean up the floor so you don't slip while cleaning or track more of mess throughout the house
*Finally you get to cleaning up the bulk of the mess, but have to pay attention to how wet your towel is, do you need another towel

I could go on further, like moving objects on the counter to get all of the spill, cleaning off the bottoms of items realizing if the spilled substance is likely to leave a sticky residue and if you need to get soap to clean up too.  I don't know about you but my head is reeling just in thinking of all those steps...add in the fact that your 4, 6, or 7 and that is just a lot of work!

However, I am a good Momma.  I don't want to clean up after my kids forever, I want them to learn how to do it themselves.  So this week I am going to take a mini-break from my chaotic style of posting to do a week long mini-series which will be affectionately called The Week Of Messiness!  Oh yeah, I'm nuts :)

No, not really.  What I'm going to be doing is planning very messy activities with my kids...this is the part where you read in cooking, painting...heck I might even get out the glitter.  Really, anything that is messy and fun we're gonna try it.  However, I will not be cleaning up after them!  Nope, not one fleck of glitter, not one ounce of shaving cream (okay, I might help a little).  The kids will cleaning up the crafty mess that they make not just because it is the right thing to do, but because I want them to be prepared for the next 'accidental' spill and know what to do.

So neat freaks I dare you to join along.  Messy Momma's now's the time to teach your littles.  And remember the only rules are Be Messy and Make the Kid's clean up!

{{hugs}}
Buffy

Tell me what is the messiest craft you can think of?  When was the last time you got dirt under your nails?  Can cleaning really be fun?  Let's chat!

What You Can Really Do in 20 Minutes

Sorry it's been so quiet around here lately.  We just hit a busy patch in life, but hopefully with summer here I will be able to get more of a routine going on around here.

Still as busy as it has been I have been clocking my 20 minutes each day.  Can you believe that today marks the start of the 3rd week?!  I know we're 2 weeks in or 4 hours and 40 minutes.  Yes, 4 hours and 40 minutes.  When you see that chunk of time you think well yeah I could get a lot done in that much time...and if you've been following along you have gotten that much done :)

As I was sorting through our closet the other evening I thought I really should show you all how much you really can get done in 20 minutes.  With a quick run for the cell phone I snapped a few barely passable pics and then got to work.  They say a pictures worth a thousand words and I have 9 for you.

I thought I should mention that the font for the word before is called 'gasmask.'  I thought it was rather fitting.  However, 20 short minutes later this is what my closet looked like...

Shocking I know!  Obviously it isn't perfect, there is still more organizing to be done however you can't discount how much better it looks.  Why I can see the floor!  I think it is important to focus not on what didn't get done but what did.  True there is still more to do (hey, there will always be more to do) but what is important is that I got off my keister and actually made a dent in what I thought was overwhelming.

Now if you're wondering how much stuff one can actually clear out in 20 minutes here's what I got rid of...

That is 1 box and half a bag to Goodwill and 1 bag for the garbage.  See, it was easy!


I'm starting my sweater for the Summer Sweater Knit Along over on luvinthemommyhood.  I'll be back tomorrow with more on that.  So for now keep truckin along in purging the superfluous.

{{hugs}}
Buffy

How are you doing on the challenge?  Do you have pictures to share?  Grab a garbage bag, set a timer and report back to how much you tossed!  We're in this together so let's share in the pleasures of our accomplishments :)

Three Days In (or 1 hour)

Can you believe it!  Today is the 3rd day of our 30 day challenge to purge our houses of all the things that consume us.  Wait...let me go run and do my 20 minutes...

{Source via piperlime.gap.com via allison vieger via Pinterest}

Thanks for waiting.  Ahh, I feel better.  I just took out a bag and a box to the suburban for Goodwill and had 2 bags of garbage along with a box of it too!  Now before you start thinking I'm some super tosser and feeling really bad I want you to remember the 3rd guideline...take it out immediately to your car or garbage can.  Yes, I admit that I am not always great on that point so some of that garbage and stuff to giveaway was already to go out before I started my timer.

So now that we're an hour in on time how are you guys feeling?  Are you amazed at what you can truly accomplish in just 20-minutes a day.  I know that the first thing I did was clean out Thaddeus' crib (long story short he sleeps in a portable crib in another room and we haven't moved his crib yet and sadly it became a storage/catchall area).  To be honest I had been putting that off for quite a while, I just didn't feel like I had the time to clean it out and go through everything.  Yet in just one day it was almost done (imagine lots of clean laundry, yarn, books, magazines and odds and ends up to the top of the crib set at the lowest setting).

It is so nice to see things, find things and actually feel at peace when you go into your room at night.  I did however come across a slight problem.  I love bags!  Really I do and I use them frequently but I still need a great storage idea.  Not sure what to do.  Ideas?  I'd love it if you have one.

Also, I think I'm going to have to sit down for a while and go through my yarn and needles and just organize.  A time completely separate from my 20-minute challenge but I'm finding it will be most necessary soon.

I'm not sure if I've ever said it but my ultimate goal in life is to leave this world for the other with only a box full of personal belongings.  I want to hold all things I get loosely, like sand in my hands, so that they are always open for the people around me.

I hope you all have a great weekend and keep working towards your goals!

{{hugs}}
Buffy

Please leave a Friendly Thought below sharing your progress.  Any progress is better than nothing.  If you have a blog or a site that has pictures of what you've done post the link below I'd love to see them!  Remember it is only 20-minutes a day and if this Momma of 5 can do it so can you!

My Life...in a different direction

Is it just me or does have we become a little too attached to our things?  That television is less about entertainment and more about what we should have or comparing our lives and feeling like we fall short.  Just recently, as in the last couple of months, Husband and I gave up watching tv, I mean completely.  At first I thought it would be really hard but surprisingly it hasn’t.  I no longer feel like I’m wasting time on my couch doing nothing.  I’m no longer bombarded by ads for things that I can’t afford.  I also am not frustrated by political agendas.  But I digress…

This isn’t about television, it’s about stuff.  Particularly the bajillion things I own but never use because I’ve got it locked away in some storage bin that I never get into because I really don’t need it.  Husband and I have had some discussions not just on society’s need to accumulate but to save it all.  I really think the saving thing is a hold-over from when our great-grandparents were pioneers and there was no such thing as a grocery store let alone Target. 

Recently there has been this big kick on couponing and saving a ton of money on things.  Now, I try to save money just like everyone else but do I really need 12 bottles of men’s body wash in my house?  No I do not, especially since it takes husband 2-3 months to go through one all on his own.  I really could care less if it only cost me $1 a bottle or less, if I have to buy 2 of anything to get the deal but only need 1…I’m only gonna buy 1.

I am by my own definition not a pack rat.  I always have been.  My parents wonder where I got that gene cause they are both bona-fide pack rats.  Perhaps my own disgust at saving things is why I am so frustrated with the current view on saving and accumulating in society.  

I’ve come to the conclusion that space is money in my book.  I don’t have space for 50 pounds of rice or a 20 pound box of boneless, skinless chicken breast.  I have room for 25 pounds of rice and 4 pounds of chicken.  I don’t have space for extra stuff and by keeping it around I’m wasting time cleaning and storing things that I’ve concluded I don’t need.  Time that could be spent sewing or knitting or even just hanging out happier with my kids and husband.

So this is it.  It is time for a purge.  I did this last year, but this year I’m gonna go in deep.  Nothing is sacred and I’m even gonna clean out the fabric stash and the yarn…yup that’s right nothing is off limits.  I’m hoping to get it all done in a month.  My goal is not just to get rid of things but to create an environment in my home that is clearer and more open for fun and creativity.

Also, our home is in need of some redecoration.  I’m hoping that by cleaning out everything I can be better able to get some serious painting and redecorating done.  I hope you all follow along with my month long purge.  Perhaps you’ll join me.  More information to come.

{{hugs}}

Buffy

Fearless Friday: A Daring New Truth

So the other day as I was cruising around the blogisphere I came across a truly beautiful blog and was instantly sick to my stomach.  No, I'm not pregnant, what the problem was is my seeing 'perfection' on this blog knowing I will never live up to it and that was making me feel horrid.  I quite gather that was not her intention and I did try to find a photo that was shall you say more revealing of her true state…but to no avail.  Now I am quite certain that the proprietor of said blog is a wonderful, sane, lovely, and in all other cases a quite human woman*.  

Though upon pondering such things for a decent amount of time, shall we say ten minutes or so, I realized that we all do that.  We tell or in the case of a blog show, all that is right in our lives.  We don't take a picture of the piles of dirty laundry (which I'm more than certain most of us have) to post, nor do we show the stack of dishes that are overflowing on the counters and in some instances the table and stovetop either.  No, we show our perfect and rather recently cleaned, scrubbed, and organized craft room, laundry area or living quarters.

Yet, to be frank, I'm not perfect.  Yes I do try very hard to keep a tidy home, really I do.  As it is right now my house is not the gold standard of cleanliness but I will say that I would not be embarrassed should someone decided to come over all of a sudden.  I have five small children, who do their very best to clean up after themselves but truly do you know how much toilet paper a 2-year old little girl needs when going potty? No less than half a roll I say!  I am quite certain that 98% of that ends up on the floor  and should it all go into the toilet…well let me just say I have become quite adept at using a plunger.

So what shall I do about the perverse parade of perfection among the internet?  Shall I continue to perpetrate such a narrow view of my life?  No!  While a part of me relishes in thinking you might consider me perfect, the better part of me knows you do not.   So without much more of an introduction I give you a new series, of sorts.  I shall put forth great effort to post at least ONE picture of my life in all its glory…yes a true picture of what raising five children in a small place does to a house.  I may at times be inclined to write bit of a description of the picture though most Fridays I imagine it will be just the picture itself.

You may use these pictures to give yourself a pat on the back for knowing you would never allow your house to stoop to my level.  You may decided that you are very much satisfied with one, two or no children upon learning how incredibly messy they are.  You may find validation that I am human and not some super mom setting up an unreasonable standard.  However you take my pictures please understand I do this with a bit of trepidation and do hope you will be very gentle…if you want to come over and clean send me an email I'll gladly allow you the pleasure.

What I wish my kids bathroom looked like all the time:

{Source DistroArchitecture via Pinterest}

What it really looks like:

This is the truth, hard and messy as it is.

Well, now you know where to find…my kid's bathroom cleaning up :)

"The only advantage in not being too good a housekeeper is that your guests are so pleased to feel how very much better they are." - Eleanor Roosevelt, "My Day" Syndicated Column (June 7, 1939)


*In keeping with my resolution to be completely honest I do not feel ill towards those who are capable of doing more than I can.  I do understand that some people can keep house amazingly well and I really do not fault them for this illustrious quality.  The fact is I do not have it, nor do I really wish to seek it out.  I am not in anyway trying to make someone feel bad for being a good housekeeper, or for posting whatever they like on their blog, it is your blog such as this is mine and we are allowed a freedom of sorts.  As is the case I won't disclose the blog I saw, fully admit that there are other blogs who have shown such pictures of imperfection and do not assume that I am the first to admit to this.  Still, it is what happened to me this week…along with a lot of Jane Austen books.


Please comment should you like to as I very much enjoy reading your delightful insights and such.  If you have any great cleaning tips, please share as you can see from above I need them ;)

Reupholstering My Hide-a-Bed…a Lesson in Photography and Patience

---We interrupt our previously scheduled boys posts for one ridiculously huge project done by Momma herself.  Stay tuned for more boy projects are on the horizon.---

So I just finished up a very big project.  However, I will admit that going into it did I think it was as big of a project that I first thought it would be.  What I did was reupholstered our large, hide-a-bed couch.  The actual reupholstery took a day but the pillows and cushion a bit longer as I spent an entire day reupholstering the couch.  I remembered to take pictures at the start but soon discovered that 1) the lighting in my house was great but my camera isn't working right (amendment-camera is officially broken).  Need. New. Camera.  2) it is way easier to take pictures when you're super excited about the project and not so much when you just want to get it done.  Thus, there are a lot of early pictures and then you'll hear read 'repeat as before.'  Still I wanted to offer it up as a tutorial of sorts, though really I'm simply chronically all that I did with a few pictures to go with it.

Okay so let's get started.  The Before Picture:

Disgusting…I know.
Yes that is a sheet covering the cushions.
Wrong on soooo many levels.

The After Picture:

Sooooo much better.

Okay so what I did first was replace the cushions.  I pretty sure they were original to the couch when it was new, we bought it 9.5 years ago for $25 at a yard sale and it was old then…so I'm thinking the couch is at least 25 years old if not older.  Really the cushions were pathetic…you would go to sit down and what looked like 4 inches of padding turned into half an inch if you were lucky!  They were in dire need of replacement.

Originally there were 3 cushions, but Husband and I were tired of that and wanted to go down to just 1 cushion…we have lots of little cars around here and it gets tiring pulling out 3 cushions and 4 pillows to find that much loved car, truck or remote control (wait how did we get on the topic of tv?).  Since we wanted one cushion, that is what we got!

First I made the cover for the foam cushion.  I took the measurement of my foam 67x24x5 and calculated the size.  To cut down on seams I cut one piece for the the top, bottom and front seam of the cushion.  Then I cut out 2 side panels, 2 panels for the zipper and a panel to make up the difference of the size of zipper and the length of the cushion (I had a 45' zipper).

So this is what I cut out:
1- 68x54 for the top, bottom, and front of the cushion
2- 45x4 for the zipper panels
2- 12x6 panels for the extension, what I should have cut was 1-24x6 panel but I will explain that later.
2- 25x6 side panels

I started by putting in the zipper.

Take your zipper and zipper panels.

Pin zipper FACE down on the RIGHT side of your fabric.
Sew zipper on.  Try maintain a 1.4 inch seam allowance.

In keeping with my goal for complete honesty this year I will say this…I am not much of a pin-er when it comes to sewing…however the key to putting in a zipper well is 1) a zipper foot (which I am currently without) and 2) pin like the dickens.  Trust me, it is worth the extra time to pin then to rip out seams.

Flip the zipper FACE up and fold fabric along your seam,
close to the teeth of the zipper.  Stitch.

Stand back and admire your work.  Then repeat for other side.

 Okay, here is another zipper tip that I have learned.  Begin sewing just below the zipper pull and finish the entire length of the zipper.  Then  go back, unzip your zipper and start at the top and finish up the seam.  This allows you to sew close to the teeth of the zipper without the unsightly loop around the zipper pull.  Very nice indeed.

After you have attached your zipper you'll want to trim the width to  match the  width of your extension panel.

Sew extension panel to zipper panel.  Backstitch over zipper.

Iron seam.

Okay, now that was all I was able to accomplish during nap time and didn't get back to it until night time thus no pictures…sorry :(  However, I will walk you through the next process though I'm sure you could find a nice tutorial out there as well.

You need to sew your side panels on to your large main piece…make sure you sew it to the side of the short side and not the long side.  What I did was find the middle of the fabric and then the middle of the short side of the side panel (3 inches in) then I matched up the middle sections on both pieces then pinned my way back on both sides.  I did this to make sure it was put in evenly in case my cutting wasn't perfect.  Then pick a side and start sewing stopping .5 inch (or whatever seam allowance you like) BEFORE the turn for your corner.  Lift up your presser foot and pivot 90 degrees, now adjust your corner so that you have only 2 layers of fabric, take your time, then sew to .5 inch before next corner and repeat turning, then finish off that side.  Repeat for other side panel.

Okay, so here is the last step attach the zipper panel to the back of the cushion cover.  You'll want to open your zipper a bit so you have a turning hole.  Line up the zipper start on one side panel then pin the entire panel to the cushion.  Sew on as before for side panels, only this time it is a full circle so you will have 4 corners.

!Warning!  DO NOT try and center the zipper!  Please learn from my mistake, unless you want a zipper the full length of your cushion you will have to have it off centered so that when you slip on the cover you put in the foam in and then pull the zipper section over the top of the foam.  If you center the zipper you'll be able to get one end in but not the other because unlike a pillow form foam doesn't squish well.

Okay, so now the actual recovering portion of the couch.

What you have to do is take the couch apart.  It really isn't that hard, just physical labor and a few scratch marks on your hands.  This isn't the first time I've taken it apart so it didn't take that long.  I took the opportunity of having the couch torn apart to really vacuum under it…and please don't mind the overflowing laundry sorter of dirty clothes.

Next you have to take off the old fabric.  I wasn't prepared for the utter deterioration of the foam under the old fabric so I had to improvise with what I had, quilt batting.  I really wasn't in the mood or position to run into town for foam.  I think it worked well.  The above pictures are all I had of the actual steps but they are the same for all the pieces and goes like this:

Step one: Remove old fabric
Step two (optional, based on the condition of existing foam): replace foam.  It really isn't that hard, and you don't need a pattern, just cut out the batting/foam a little larger than your piece.  Using a staple gun staple on.  Using basic sewing techniques such as notching for curves and gift wrapping practices staple batting/foam around curved areas.  Make sure all areas visible when couch is put together.
Step three: Repeat step 2 with fabric.
Step four: using Scotchguard protect the fabric.

See?  Not that complicated.  You simply have to repeat for all the pieces.  The only piece I wish I had taken more pictures of is the sides.  This is because it was the only part that had sewing involved.  I simply laid the piece on a wrapping paper, traced the front piece (the curved part) and then added a seam allowance and cut out of fabric.  Also, because of how the couch gets put back together with bolts there is a section that is put on after the couch is put together.  If you are truly wanting to recover something please email me and I can explain better.

The side of the couch where the tacks are is the portion I put on after the couch was re-assembled.  What I did was staple the panel of fabric right under the curve of the side, putting right sides together so that when the fabric fell down it covered the staples.  Then using a pair of needle nose pliers and a rubber mallet I hammered in the upholstery tacks down the sides.  I did try a regular hammer but it damaged the finish on the tacks so go with the rubber mallet.  To get the nice finish on the bottom of the side I used Velcro squares that were adhesive.  I just attached the squares first the the fabric and then attached it to the underside of the couch.  Obviously you could staple it but I didn't feel like lifting the couch up to do that…I lost my super strength the day I did it.

The finished couch again!

No you can't sit on my couch now, it's way too pretty and clean...although Elsbeth already marked it with a black permanent marker.  Thankfully there is the internet and Lemon juice, of all things, which along with the Scotchguard helped to reduce the unsightliness of the stain.

Please, if you have any questions comment below or send me an email.

Goodness! That was easy!

So I'm 4 days into my house purge.  I started in Elsa's room because it has been a storage area for a really, really long time.  I had boxes and boxes and totes and totes all neatly stacked up against a wall so that the Princess would at least have some floor space but really I hardly let her play in her room because of all the stuff.  I think you get the idea.

I've been putting off cleaning it up because it was daunting.  At the beginning of this journey of mine I really thought I would spend almost the whole month purging just this one room (okay, more like half the month) yet now I sit typing 4 days in, 1 hour and 20 minutes of time and I think I'll have it all purged tomorrow.  Tomorrow!  On day 5 not day 15! 

Honestly on Saturday when I posted my idea I was feeling overly optimistic.  I knew I really wanted it to work, I really wanted it to be easy and more importantly I wanted it to be fast.  Yet now I'm writing to say that it is all of the above!  Disbelief is clouding my brain and words aren't fast in coming so perhaps you'll appreciate a picture?

This is the back of my suburban with everything that needs to go to goodwill.  7 boxes, 3 bags of clothes, and 1 portable crib.

In all fairness I will admit that several of the boxes were all ready to go to goodwill in Elsa's room but I had forgotten about them.  Also the clothes were also ready to go but hadn't gone out yet.  Though still, it is an accomplishment that I won't depreciate I just wanted you to know that I really am not such a fast sorter...just forgetful.

So now that you've seen my progress I hope you'll consider joining me because you'll be glad you did.  I just can't tell you how peaceful it is now to go into Elsa's room.  To not have that overwhelming feeling disappear in boxes and bags headed out of my house.  It has been easy, fast and totally worth it!  So come all ready join me! 

Now that February is almost over...

Well best laid plans and all and yet it has been entirely too long since I last posted. Oh well I know that you are all very forgiving besides it has been a busy start to the year 2010. As you can see by Vinny's cars we are feverishly organizing, cleaning and preparing the house for Baby #5:

I just love how he lays them all out so neatly next to each other

As many of you know I have my babies at home, and while the house doesn't have to be sparkling the chaos does need to be contained. Since I've been having a baby about every 18-20 months who needs spring cleaning? I just have baby cleaning.

We had a mixed blessing in January, Husband found out that his job was ending and would need new employment in February. Fortunately the company didn't fight unemployment and paid off all of his vacation that had accrued on his last check, that coupled with our tax return we have been enjoying having Daddy at home. He starts his new job on Monday, but while he's been off he has been going through all our baby clothes, washing, tossing and folding in preparation for our new addition. I don't know what I would have done without him these past few weeks. I will miss having him at home come next week.

However, Elsa seems perfectly content either way stuffing anything she can in her mouth.

Other updates: We have a five year old again! Yikes, it seems like yesterday Samuel was born and now he's five. He got a big boy bike from Gramma and Grampa, swimming lessons from Nana and Papa, and drum lessons from us. The kid is going somewhere...I just hope I can make it with all his energy!

Isn't that one excited 5 year old?

To start off the month we traveled over to see the Other Scott family. Our nephew also had a birthday and since their family had expanded over the holidays it seemed the perfect time to hold the newest addition. The kids always love seeing their cousins and while it might seem crazy to some to allow 8 kids 7 years of age and under run around together, they all pair up and play so well together. It always make me sad that we don't live closer so that we could get together more frequently.

What could any birthday boy want more than a birthday cupcake?

Lincoln enjoying his Gluten Free Cupcake!

Well now you are thoroughly updated of the last few weeks. I am shamelessly behind on sewing/knitting things for the little one to come but since I'm always late I figure I can spend next month sewing and knitting.

A blessed day to you all!