It was asking for it!

In an effort to turn our play room into a school room so we can stop doing school work at the kitchen table, we took the day off from book work today and got dirty.

Isn't this corner just ASKING to be prettier?

This is where school meets play.  The kids love to toss things into this corner, then pile on top of it as they play with their mess.  It doesn't bother me much, but that desk is really only a one-person type of desk so doing school work on it isn't too much fun and feels isolated for SJ.  So, let's upgrade!

The first thing I decided to do was install "bookshelves".  I put them in quotations because although they will be holding books, they are sold at Lowes as gutters.  Yep.  I'm sure you're giving the very same look my husband gave me when I initially ran the idea past him.  I got the idea as I was scouring Pinterest for ideas on how to better organize a play room, and saw this blog.  I didn't pin it basically because I thought it would be a ridiculously expensive and/or time consuming project.  But I just couldn't get it out of my head!  Every time I walked into this room, I would look at this corner and think to myself, "Self... (pause for effect)... wouldn't it be grand to have a better way to store SJ's books so that she can see the fronts of them and be interested in them?"  We do have one small bookshelf in the opposite corner, and it holds books for both Christina and Samantha. Every day Christina pulls every book off of the shelf in order to ensure each book gets it's due attention for the day.  It upsets SJ, and she sees her books as more of a chore to clean up rather than a story to enjoy.  So, I finally woke up this morning and answered myself, "Yes, self... (pause for effect)... I would be.  Let's go to Lowes and get this project GOING!"

I decided to only make two shelves in case gutters were expensive, or difficult to install.  Here's what I spent: (1) 10' vinyl gutter: $4.71; (2) left end caps for the vinyl gutter: $5.62; (2) right end caps for the vinyl gutter: $5.62; (6) gutter brackets: $15.96.  So, for under $32 (before tax), I was able to build two 5' bookshelves!  Here are the pictures I took... forgot to take pictures of my hanging them, but if you can hang a picture, you can hang a gutter!

My 10' gutter.  Decided on (2) 5' shelves rather than
one 10' shelf.

I measured 5', and put dots along the gutter.  This is
where I'll cut it.  Christina was SO helpful here.

Since the gutter has some pretty curvy places on it, I
decided to put some painter's tape (because that's what I
had on hand) along my dotted line rather than drawing a line.
It was much more reliable.

The first installed gutter.

What you missed: Cut the gutter with something sharp. I used some hand held power tool that I had laying around.  Peel the painter's tape off and put the second gutter to the side while you install this one.  Some websites (yeah... there are plenty of people who have done this before me) recommend that you drill your gutter brackets into a stud.  That's a lot of work for me.  You see, I own one of those stud-finders... but the dang thing always beeps at me no matter what is behind that drywall.  So, if you study my walls as you walk around my house (specifically in my kitchen) you'll see a LOT of what I like to call "recon holes".

These little babies are why I even have anything on
my walls at home.  No stud needed... it holds
EVERYTHING!

So, after you have put your brackets in the wall, just slide your gutter in and voila!  You're done.  I put end caps on the edges of the gutter so it looks finished and pretty.  Some people would glue them, but we're an Army family and will move one day.  I'd like to be able to remove the end caps so we can take our "book shelf" with us to our next duty station.

The finished shelves.  My next blog will be about that
table.  Pretty, huh?

SJ just couldn't wait to "read her books for the first time".  She stood at her new school room area reading her "new" books for almost an hour.  Well worth the time and money spent!

Her First Giggle for Daddy

Last night, Josh got to hear his baby giggle for the first time.  I'm not talking squeals in delight, not smiles with a chuckle attached... but a true, from the toes, can't stop it if she tried giggle.  You see, while Samantha Jadyn has always been a giggle-filled child, Christina is our serious child.  Much like her mommy, she knows when something is funny, yet she internalizes her joy.  You can see it in her face if you know her well enough and can find the minor (and I mean very minor) clues.  She doesn't hold back her charming smile... especially when there is a camera around to catch it or if she's thinking about doing something that is either not allowed (like playing with Daddy's laptop) or questionable (like opening the fridge to grab a snack).  She'll squeal in delight when something is exciting.  In fact, her squeal can break even the toughest ear drums if you're not careful.  But tickle her, chase her, sing fun songs with her... you're lucky to get a "I know this is fun, but you're not getting a laugh out of me" smile.

Being a homemaker, I've been privy to the rare giggle.  I can spot when the opportunity presents itself for me to capitalize on that moment.  But it has always come about when Josh is traveling or at work during the day.  Last night was different.  Nothing new happened... we were in the girls' bedroom getting them dressed for bed.  The puppies were supervising, Samantha was changing out of her play clothes, Christina was getting her diaper changed.  And I saw it.  The sparkle that is as rare as an eclipse.  It started in her eyes, and then her smile changed.  Josh was across the room from us, playing with the pups.  I tickled Christina.  She giggled.  Josh perked up.  I tickled Christina again, and the room went as still as that moment before dawn breaks.  Not realizing that she was the center of attention (which would have pulled her out of her giggly moment), Christina reached down to her toes and let out a giggle that took her breath away.  Shocked, Josh asked me to do it again.

Now, being the serious child that she is, Christina's true laughter isn't child-like.  In fact, her laughter almost sounds like a grown adult's laughter.  A passer-by could easily mistake that sound as coming from me.  But giggle she did.  She turned purple from her giggle-fit.  I sat there, on the bedroom floor, tickling and playing with our 18 month old child for a short 5 minutes.  As each minute passed my heart melted into a puddle of goo, and Josh's world turned upside down.  Samantha even sat next to me, joined in the fun, and rejoiced in the sound of her sister's joy.  At the end, Josh looked at me and simply said, "I've never heard her laugh.  Thank you."

This may seem like a no-big-deal kind of moment for those of you who are reading this, but understand this: Josh is a Soldier.  His life as a hands-on daddy comes only in the moments when the Army forgets to send him somewhere.  He has already missed so much of his children's lives, and that seems to make the little things like hearing your child give a true, from the heart giggle for the first time more important than birthdays, anniversaries, or trick-or-treating.  Those will come again the next year... but that giggle is something that your heart holds onto and remembers in your darkest moments.  It's a sound that his ears will memorize and replay for him in the solitude of a lonely hotel room.  It's a sight that your mind's eye will bring back to you whether you're awake or sleeping.  I was happy, to the very definition of the word, to have been a part of the scene as it unfolded.  It is impromptu moments like that which reminds me why being a stay-at-home family is so important to us.  Simple love... it's everything.

Enjoy some new pictures of the girls:

Sisters sharing a snack.

Her "charming smile" as she takes my pear.  It is hers
now, and she's testing if I'm okay with it.