Storage benches

The rental place we live in is small we have no storage, making it hard to have a food storage let alone a Christmas tree which we have somehow stuffed in the top of a closet.

We have five large buckets that we have no where to put, we have been using them as chairs as well seeing that we only have two large chairs.
LIGHTBULB!

I could make them into benches by putting wood over them and there would be more places to sit.

:)

Great idea...

problem though I had no wood and we couldn't afford any...

I suddenly realized we had a box spring we had been trying to give away for two months with no takers...I measured it and it was the perfect size wahahahaha

so I painstakingly pulled it apart piece by piece.

 

 

the outside had padding which I decided I would cushion the benches with so I held on to it and I ripped out nails and staples without loosing any in a way it was comical as a staple flew across the room and I would dive searching for it.

 

yah wood lol

once apart I realized that even though I measured I had not accounted for the wood slats not going all the way across but that's okay I had more wood than I needed so I cut some of the pieces and attached them on the end to make things longer and attached everything.

luckily it doesn't have to look pretty right now and I am covering it so I was not worried about what it looked like right now.

I took the padding (both kinds) and cut them in half

and folded them in thirds.

I began to feel like things were getting done and together and took the next step.

(I am flipped the board over I just placed it wrong in the picture)

thank you to my Mom for giving the fabric to my sister who didn't use it and kindly gave it to me. So thank you to my sister too :)

back to fabric, I got it in place under everything ready to be cut...

ummm then I lost the blue handled scissors. I know I had blue handled scissors I have photographic evidence two pictures up. After 30 minuets of searching, I gave in and grabbed a child's pair and cut the fabric. Still wondering what my mommy brain did with the blue ones.

Getting excited I grabbed the stapler...

only to find we bought the wrong staples

*sniff*sob* sulks away defeated.

Finally with the right tools I stuck it together :)

 

 

after stapling the corners I trimmed the excess fabric

 

looking good :)

but not done yet I need to stick sides on so it doesn't fall off the buckets. I choose to attach them after because it was too difficult to add the fabric with them on.

so I will add them once I paint them or cover them in fabric.

but for now this is what I have

 

*Happy dance*

 

 

DIY Star

Miss Muffet decided we needed a star on the top of our tree and not an angel so we made one.

Materials needed

cardboard (a cereal box would work well)

scissors

hot glue gun/ glue sticks

white glue

glitter

 

I got the idea from here http://www.hellolidy.com/2012/12/18/diy-paper-tree-topper/

 it does not give sizes so I guessed my big pieces were 12' by 3.5

small 6' by 2.25'

since I wanted it 3D I cut 4 big and 8 little

I pressed the scissors gently down the center of the pieces (do not cut through) so I could bend them in the middle.

I also made a base that the tree could slip into and hold it up I made it like this

then hot glued it in a cylinder

 sorry I failed to measure this piece :(

I then hot glued a big diamond on each side and together

I realized I needed to modify the next two big pieces to work so I cut a triangle on each side in the middle of each. then hot glued them in the center of the ones on the base (one on each side).

 

after this I hot glued the little diamonds in the open spaces on both sides matching them up. (I had to trim a small amount off one side to make it fit right)

once the hot glue is cool it is ready for finishing touches...

spread white glue all over (I did one side at a time.)

then glitter

 

you might wish for the one side to dry before flipping to the next.

and ta-da!!!!!! 

 

 

a beautiful 3D star... now I have to set up the tree.

Merry Christmas!

 

 

Life upside Right?

When I started this blog I was only planning on sharing minimal amounts of my life and more the crafts and fun things I do. then I realized maybe There is someone out there going through something similar who might stumble upon my blog and just need a boost because it can be discouraging at times.

At times it feels like my world has turned upside down and I am stick in a whirl pool unable to escape. If you have ever felt this way then you understand the helpless feeling as no matter how hard you try you can do nothing but take the bludgeoning blows dealt. I have found the hardest for me have had to do with my children

 

My most recent blow

My four year old (Miss Muffit) began having seizures with no examination why all her tests are normal and has had no trauma or infections, not even lack of sleep because they have happened early mornings after 6-8 hours of sleep. We started her on seizure medicine and have not seen any generalized seizures yet. (fingers crossed.)
Although it has brought out some mini drop seizures which come and go and are worse at times but seem completely under control at others.

This has been a large trial for me because she was my healthy child. She has a speech problem but overall was healthy in all other aspects. Since her first Seizure I have had to deal with a lot more break downs and emotional and behavioral problems that no longer respond to the way we stopped them the first time around.

 

My three year old (little Boy Blue) is being tested for Global development delay (they axed ASD so I am grateful for that) and at times is a real handful. He also has a speech issue and mainly communicates with babble, crying, screaming, and pointing. I am grateful he is physically healthy despite behavioral problems.

 

My 19 month old  (Boe Peep) I have touched on before with a devastating diagnosis of a rare Genetic disorder IDIC 15. It was hard to take in but as time goes on we are finding it easier and things are not as difficult as we thought they would be. So far she is non-verbal and cries and screams when she wants things, she has not quite worked out pointing yet so I am looking for ways to help her including pictures and sign language. Once I find time I will be able to get this fully going right now it's bits and pieces.

 

As you can see I have my hands full and many doctors appointments to attend.  My house is always noisy; at times very overwhelming.

I am grateful for a supportive husband who loves the minions and I.

 

tv stand to play kitchen

From tv stand to play kitchen

I found this really sturdy tv stand and decided to make it into a play kitchen like i have seen done on pinterest.

http://pinterest.com/pin/52565520620203197/

looking at it I figured I could do that with a little imagination I could make it work so I started by making plans...

It took me a few different ideas before I seddled on this one I didn't want to make the whole middle area a oven because my kids were climbing in and out and I didn't want them thinking that climbing in the oven was fun so I added a divider with shelving.

I decided I could use all the wood from the unit (shelf inside) and needed a few scraps we had around the house for the oven door and divider.

Once I got the divider in I started painting.

I decided I wanted a Marble look on the top.

I made a post on marbling so you can check that out if you want to know how I did it.

next I began finishing touches painting in the oven, and the elements, making a tap and knobs and putting the doors on... it's a little more work than I had planned but it's looking good and I could never afford a nice little kitchen like this so it's worth it :)

I made the taps and knobs out of wood because I didn't know what else to use and I think it turned out well.

I think if I was to do this again I  will just paint the burners on instead of cutting wooden ones out.

I attached the knobs with a bolt and two nuts

 

The kids love it and have been enjoying playing with it.

 

my AWESOME sister in-law

I have a great sister in-law!

 (Well I have more than one but I am talking about only one right now)

Tina is an inspiration she has gone to school and gotten a diploma in Accounting but when she found that getting a job with such was nearly impossible she didn't surrender but went back to school again she is currently studying web design. lol she's lucky this computer does not have all the pictures on it because I would load a picture for all to see:)

Tina is a smart creative and very dedicated student, friend and sister. she deserves so much more credit than I can give her :)

 

For one of her  web business class she needs a link to a site so I volunteered to link one of her sites here :) please have a look at the web site she created  Phinney Phixxers.

http://www.phinneyphixxers.com/

I hope this helps Tina :)

IDIC 15

I received a answer finally after nearly a year of tests on my poor baby.
In a way I wish it was wrong, I wish we were still searching; I want to kick and scream that they are wrong, that my baby just has something little that can be fixed with some simple something anything even a magic wand.  I want it to be something else, something I can handle easily that won't change the rest of our lives
but it's not...

instead we will face

IDIC 15

 

http://www.rarechromo.org/information/Chromosome%2015/Idic15%20FTNW.pdf

(this will take you to a pdf of the disorder that takes a moment to load)
I cried on the way home

I can't fix it

and I will never be able to.

My baby is 1 in 30 000

my baby will not be like other children

I know at this point I do not know the severity of it all

I just know what i have read.

to be honest it scares me; making me want to throw the computer because it's wrong it can't be right.

but it is what it is.

♥I LOVE MY LITTLE PRINCESS♥

she is perfect.

I honestly don't care if she is different

what bothers me is I won't be able to always protect her from others.

I have worked with people with learning disabilities

and witnessed first hand how they can be treated

I have seen people shun them

I have heard the crude and hurtful comments

I have even snapped at those whose mocking cruelty has left small daggers in those mocked.

The world does not understand...

and I weep knowing that my loving, smiling, inquisitive, music loving, easy going baby will eventually ask me

WHY?

 

I know it's not going to be easy and there are MANY things I will have to learn;

Many people I will need help from;

and Many more appointments to attend (I hate Dr's offices, so do my kids. I'm going to have to put together some activity bags; honestly I don't know why I havn't already... wait yes I do time lol).

 

Already I am thankful  for the kindness and support of others

even from those who have gone through this; who's children are fighting the same battle. I am grateful for the support and knowledge that I am not alone there are others who understand.
Thank you everyone.

Hypotonia

 

It's hard to admit you have a problem; I think in a way it's harder to admit your child has one.  From the moment they are born they melt your heart, they are perfect. At least they are meant to be right?! Well my baby is different; in a way she is perfect yes, her bubbly smiles and determined attitude can not be rivalled. :) From early on I have known that something wasn't right, yet denial is easier to accept than the truth.

 

My poor baby has been poked and prodded tested and re-tested since she was 1 month old she has had x-rays, EEG's and ultrasounds. Still we are short on answers all tests coming up negative (all but one which the Dr's tossed aside because they said it was irrelevant AHHHHHHHHH. her Metopic suture was closed at 1month when they tested x-rayed it). We have seen a family Dr, a paediatrician, 3 Nero-surgeons, 2 Neurologists (3 if you count the student), Geneticist, optomaligist, ear nose and throat specialist, and someone else that i can't think of at the moment it has been constant tests and Dr's apointments to say the least and we live 45 min out of the city where all these tests are done.
What we do have is just scratching the surface Strabismus (cross eyed) needing to be patched to help the weak eye and hopefully we won't need surgery.

 

 Ear tubes putting an end to 3 1/2 months of constant ear infections and antibiotics and then there is the one thing that makes more sense Hypotonia. (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003298.htm) (For anyone who wants to know more) well at least i feel it's a step forward. Why? so far the Dr's don't know what is causing it. She started to hold her head up at about six months and at that still needed support. She is now nearly ten months she can hold her head up although at times she will go floppy randomly. She is also having bowel problems it seems like on a constant basis. She also chokes on thin liquids and has trouble coughing up phlem more often then not turning everything from bright red to blue bursting a few blood vessels in her cheeks and under her eyes as she tries to get a breath. The first time that happened it scarred the crap out of me, now it happens enough that I hold my breath waiting for her to take one then go back to what we were doing. We have been seeing a physiotherapist but honestly I am already doing everything they are with her. I do count my blessings though; even though she is not hitting her milestones when she should she is rolling around trying to play with my other children. It's hard though knowing that she should be doing more or having babies younger than her sitting up and crawling and doing other things in a way pulls at my heart not knowing what lays ahead for my beautiful little angel.
We have more tests coming up in January a MRI/MRA and Spinal tap(not sure if i want the spinal tap done) are the big ones. It seems all the Dr's are waiting on the MRI/A so we are stagnating as we wait. I hate not knowing what is wrong or why. Honestly I think the Metopic Suture being closed early ha caused all her problems (including seizures she experienced till her head shape changed about 4 1/2 months, it changed and everything in proved the seizures stopped and like a light switch she started improving smiling all the way to moving one of her eyes since then she has been progressing). Yet the Dr's toss the theory aside because she does not have a ridge of bone down the center of her forehead so frustrating. Sigh well thus far this is the bones of everything and we are just at the beginning of what's ahead.