I can finally stop saying..."Please don't fall in the hole"

This is one excited little girl  right here.  We absolutely can not keep her out of the attic space even though it is not finished.  She would sleep up there already if we would let her, or had a bed up there yet.  She just smiles so sweetly and says please may I go up to my room, what else can you do but give in?

If for some reason we have to tell her no, this is what the Boogie Monster looks like at our house.  Its not a pretty sight and definitely would scare the bejesus out of me if it were living in my closet.  In order to keep this monster at bay we had to finish a very important part of the room build out....

The banister that goes around the stair opening.  I seriously had nightmares about one wrong step and down went Jon, or Boogie or myself, so that banister had to go up.

It was not a quick project at all.  There were lots of pieces and some fabrication of railings, because HD had some really crappy wood that day, so it took some time.  We also decided that at 1.97 a spindle compared to 4.95 a spindle we would make the banister out of pressure treated pine.  By the way there are 31 spindles total not including the 4 corner posts, so that starts to add up quickly.

Even using pressure treated porch railing pieces I have to say I think the final result is pretty amazing.  Jon did a great job fabricating the hand railings out of regular ole 2x4's  and the toe boards are made out of the scraps.  Way to use the whole product honey!!

This much of the banister took about 3 hours to measure, cut and construct, like I said it was not a quick project.  Doesn't it look great though?

The shape is a little unusual per my dad's design, but it works well.  We prefer to say it looks like the rear of a little sail dingy rather then a coffin since it closely resembles both.

Finally with all the pieces cut and put into place it was time to put a primer coat on the finished banister.  Because the flooring is still not in we let Boogie help us.  Its fun to have her involved in building her big girl room and she of course just loves it.  Painting of wood is where my dad and I parted ways on this project, but I have to say this is unusual for me too.  I usually even opposed to staining wood, but remember this is pressure treated pine which means the wood is that lovely green color, so would have been hard to stain and poly and still have a nice look.  Plus the white will fit into the look of the room perfectly, and Boogie loves it. Sorry dad but just this once I prefer the painted wood.

On the day that we finished up the banister we also went and picked up Boogie's new bed.  Dad had volunteered to build her a mates bed with drawers underneath for storage, but he ran out of time.  I got very lucky and found one of craigslist with a bookcase headboard for even more storage.  Woo hoo!!!  It is not as high a quality as anything that dad would make, but it works beautifully in the space and is perfect for what we need it for, plus coming off of craigslist it was fairly inexpensive and we are recycling.  Hopefully in some post soon I will be able to show you what the whole bed looks like but for now the headboard lives in the attic and the rest of the bed is in pieces downstairs in the living room.

Stay tuned for the next installment of "As the Attic Turns' entitled either "Jon totally floored me", or "Look who's coming out of the closet.  Until then we'll leave a light on in the attic for you. :D 

Playing in the Rock and Mud...

Sheet rock and drywall mud that is.... Jon prefers the other type of rock and mud, but he is good with both of them. :D

Now I am just a little (32 weeks) pregnant and while I think I can hang drywall just fine my dad and husband would have none of it.  So the guys did most of the work here.  I love it because these pictures really make it start to look like a room.

The space isn't huge but for Boogie its absolutely perfect and she just can't wait to get up here.  Because the space is a bit tight all the 4x8 sheets of drywall had to be cut and brought up the stairs so there are lots and lots of seams to mud in.  Just more work to do 3 or 4 times to make it all nice and smooth. 

After pricing windows we decided to replace the aluminum storm window that was up here with a nice vinyl double pained window to match the rest of the house.  Surprising enough it went in super easy, and I think it looks much nicer then the old window.

Jon being the wonderful patient dad that he is indulged Boogie and let her help him dry mud (mud the seams in the walls and ceiling.  This was her first go at this task and she had a great time.  I also figure that we are teaching her a marketable skill just in case. :D

Her technique is a bit unusual though.  She would scoop up the mud on the little spreader and then scrape it off with her hand and plop it on the wall and THEN smooth it out.  LOL!!  She also managed to miss all the seams on her piece of drywall.  However she had a great time and it all got fixed.

She had to admire and critique her work when done.  Once it passed her inspection then she could move on.

The next few photos are of the dynamic duo working together.  They sure do make a good team.

I'm telling you it may look like child labor, but this is one happy little girl.  Anytime she can do something with her daddy she is just about as happy as a fly in honey. :D

Up next....I can finally stop saying "Please be careful and don't fall in the hole."

"And she's climbing a stairway to her bedroom....."

Okay so the next step in getting the attic ready is actually getting to the attic.  With the closets torn out it was time to demo the scary 1950 attic stairs and put in some real fixed stairs.  Dad is awesome and after measuring the space and looking at standard tread height this is what he was able to make out of a regular ole 2x10x12.  This is what our stairs now rest on.  Thank goodness it was a beautiful weekend because our house is not big enough to fabricate this in side.

Once it was screwed into the studs through the drywall it was time to actually put the stair treads on.  We took our time at HD and picked out boards that had pretty or interesting grain to them as we are just going to put a light pine stain on them and then polyurethane.  Dad routered the front lip so that it has a nice curve to it.  I think they look pretty good.

This is definitely better then going up and down on those pull down stairs.  They seriously had a warning from the previous owner to be careful how much weight you hauled up and down them.  SCARY!!

On a side note please ignore my feet in this shot although at 32 weeks pregnant I am pretty stoked that I can still see them. :D

Once the treads were on it was time to put the front face plates on.  The under part of the stairs will also serve as part of our closet, so its a good idea to put an additional piece of wood across the front.  I need to keep my insane shoe fetish a secret for as long as possible.

Jon and Dad taking a much deserved break on the new stairs.  I am telling you that they worked their butts off in the three days that Dad was at the house.  The space is starting to come together. You'll notice that the walls are framed out and that there is the beginning to insulation and drywall.

This is under the stairs in our new expanded closet.  In a small house, you really don't want any space to go to waste, so we will use as much as we can.

Boogie was more then excited to be able to easily get up and down the steps into the attic.  She also figured out that her Papa had hidden her keyboard and microphone up there, so she entertained everyone while they worked.

I was excited to see that the hole that once housed the 1950 attic steps was closed in.  The drywall still hasn't been replaced, but it will be.  I am just glad that there is a solid floor there now and I don't have to worry about those creaky, scary stairs falling as I am carrying up boxes and boxes of little girls clothes to store in the attic.

Continue to follow the saga tomorrow's installment....Playing in the rock and mud.

It has to look worse before it looks better....RIGHT????

So my Uncle left bright and early last Thursday after installing our fantastic new unit, and my Dad showed up that night to start working on the big stuff, you know everything else.  So once he arrived at 10pm we spent an hour looking at the space and going over a game plan for the next three days to accomplish as much as possible.  Jon was working the next day, but I took the day off to offer dad and extra pair of hands.

So Friday morning I got up bright and early and ran the girls to daycare, got home and dad and I decided what we needed from HD and headed out.  In the Durango, without a trailer...I promise this point is very important.  Dad and I picked up 4 sheets of drywall, 5 packets of R-30 Insulation, 3 rolls of R-19 insulation (please remember that we are in a Durango with no trailer) 8 2x4x8's and 2  2x10x12's.  Yep, all that but no trailer, so we got some rope and prepared to tie it to the roof of the Durango.  I then had the brilliant idea to see if someone could help dad lift all that stuff onto the roof and the guy said sure and I'll plastic wrap it up there as well.  Plastic wrap, shrink wrap, well that sounds convenient.  I drove slowly and we were two blocks from the neighborhood when we heard a snap and two sheets of drywall flew off the top of the car.  Well of course I slowed down to turn around and when I turned everything else slid off of the top and took out dad's passenger side mirror. *Sigh*  We got it all cleaned up and put back on the roof with ROPE this time and went back to make sure the drywall hadn't hit anyone. Didn't see any collateral damage anywhere so we headed to the house, mirror hanging off the car and came back for the drywall later.  I called Jon and told him our tail of woe and he told his boss something along the lines of I really need to get home before my wife and her dad tear the house to the foundation, they have already tried to wipe out Atlanta traffic with drywall.

(This is said Durango and you will be happy to know that Jon was able to find a new mirror to replace the one that I broke and it was better then the original, so woo hoo)

Well Jon made it home in record time and that is saying something for Jon, and he and dad started the double D's....Demolition and Destruciton.

 This used to be my linen closet and beyond that where dad is standing was my cubby for the dresser, but not any more...

 All these walls and ceiling had to come down all the way to the exterior wall which happens to be in what used to be my closet to make way for the stairs that go up to the new attic room.

 Dad was a little perplexed when we came across a faux wall built to allow space for the drain pipes for the AC.  He and Jon took care of it lickity split and they were back on track.

 Once part of the ceiling was out you could see up into the attic and Jon needed to make sure they knew where the pipes and wiring was located for the AC so that they didn't get busted.  He looks a little mischievous up there doesn't he. :D

 I ran out and picked the girls up from daycare and we shared a super yummy fruit smoothly.  Of course once PJ got a hold of it there was no getting it away from her, period.

 This little smirky around the straw smile was all for her Daddy.

 I got a big pretty toothy smile from Boogie as she snacked on her Cheerios.

 Dad and Jon got back to work fixing the hole where the opening of the dresser cubby use to be, and continuing the destruction of the ceiling/attic floor for the staircase opening.

This is looking up into the attic through the staircase opening inside of my closet.  Let me just tell you it looks a heck of a lot different now.

There was one other small incident that night...Jon managed to step off of a rafter in the attic and through the ceiling in the living room.  The hole is not huge but now we  have to add that repair to our list as well.

The work is going well and I have tons of progress to show you, but I don't want to bore you to tears so the next installment will be titled  "And she's climbing a stairway to her bedroom", with the awesome guitar solo and everything.  Stay tuned!!!

Changes are coming to our house

I posted a while back that we were remodeling our attic so that Boogie would have a place to sleep once Princess #3 arrived in May.  Well I am happy to report that the process is well underway and so I don't bore you all to tears I will break in down into multiple posts.

The first major portion of the remodel was to have the AC unit replaced.  I am very fortunate that my Grandfather and my Uncle own a Heating and Air Company in Florida and offered to come up and put in a new unit for us, for a very very reasonable price.  So last week my Uncle and a friend made the trek from Crystal River, FL to Smyrna, GA will everything that they might need to undertake this big project.  Let me tell you folks for such a small house these projects are huge.  It took 2 days to get everything pulled out and replaced with new stuff, and I am talking all new stuff.  I have never thought an AC unit looked so beautiful in my whole entire life, but look at the beauty of this one....

 Okay so you do have to ignore the cups, but wow what a beautiful thing, especially since its energy efficient and should bring down our power bill.

 Here's the finished product all put together and running.  It did take up some of the space that I was hoping to use for room space, but eh we made it work.  I mean look at how wonderful it looks in its new home, who could complain about such energy efficient beauty?

 With the old unit removed and the ducting redirected under the eves look at how large the space looks.  Boogie was so excited she just had to see what her room looked like. :D

 I just can't take enough photos of this AC unit, but I promise this is the last one, for now.....

This is the opposite side of the room, it will become closet space, shelves and Linen storage once we're finished and we are getting there.

Next post....let the demolition and destruction begin when Dad rolls into town.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Atlanta has an amazing St. Patrick's Day parade, and becuase the company that I work for is based out of Dublin, Ireland we participate every year.  This is the first year that I can remember where the weather was absolutely gorgeous, so I loaded up the girls, met up with Jon's sister and we headed down town.  I wanted to try to be on the float with the girls, but we had a prior commitment and made it to our sitting spot (and what a spot it was) just in time to see the begining of the parade coming.

We were front and center on the corner where the parade turned so instead of getting a sideview we got to see everything head on.  It was fantastic.

 The girls seemed less then excited at first but they were decked out in thier green to be festive.

 Pipe and Drum bands are my absolute favorite, so I loved it that one started off the parade.

 There is also nothing like a strapping man in a kilt.  So what do you think we're they wearing them correctly?

 These ladies were having a blast, and the SWAT driver seemed to have trouble guessing his turning distance as this vehicle got up very close and personal to us.

This is the GA State Troops group, and a very nice looking group if I do say so.  The little guys out front stole the show though.  He took his mascot duties very very seriously.

 This guy was brining of the rear and was absolutely adorable.

 As you can tell there were lots and lots of police units represented.

 Sharp looking old police car from NYC.

 Be still my heart another great Pipe and Drum band.

 You can't have a parade in GA without big trucks...this is what Jon wants to upgrade to in a few years.

 Boogie was starting to enjoy herself and goof around with her little sister.  PJ was still people watching.

 This is one of my favorite marching bands, they are in almost every major Atlanta area parade.  The are called the Feed & Seed Marching Abomination. 

 Their band uniform is um...very creative.

 A loyal Irish braves fan for sure.

 Percussion is where its at apparently...

 Everyone is very fashionably dressed.

 And in a very festive mood. :D

 An example of people who start to look like thier dogs.  Secretly I wish my hair would curl this well and stay.

 I think PJ got a bit bored and so started playing with Boogie's disguarded skirt.

 Boogie was just hanging out in the middle of the street enjoying the parade.

 This little one was the cutest little lepraucan all day long.

 There were kings on horseback with swords....

 Of course where there are kings there have to be knights too.

 I think PJ liked the King and the Knights becuase she finally smiled.

 Boogie gave me a smile too, but it was filled with chicken nugget.

 The little dancers were fantastic....

 They really seemed to be having a great time, and were just full of energy.

 Then finally we saw some familiar faces....

 Our float was great this year and we were giving out tons of swag, but unfortunately they moved quickly by and I could only get a couple of quick shots.

 Loved this VW, the driver woudl speed up and then slam on the breaks and the cute little bus/truck would do a headstand. Boogie thought it was great too.

 Jugglers are always a hit with the crowd.

 This is my graduation present to myself when Cooper Princess #3 graduates high school.

 PJ got a lift from Auntie Summer so that she could see everything better.

St. Baldrick's is a great foundation, they help raise money for Children's Cancer Research.  Every year they do a fundraiser at an Irish Pub in town where participants shave thier heads for donations, and in support of their children.  Its a wonderful organization.

 There were lots and lots of Star Wars guys.  Boogie was in awe, and she really loved that Darth Vader said hi to her.  LOL!!

 PJ decided to get up and try out her legs a bit.  Boogie was there to give support.  Aren't thier little matching skirts adorable.  My grandmother found them at a yard sale.

 Boogie had to do a little, okay a lot, of dancing.

 She tried to get PJ in on the action, but well PJ dosen't walk yet, so it was a little touch an go on the dancing.

 That didn't stop Boogie though, she is definantly a dance machine.

 Tyring out a little high stepping.

 PJ just wasn't to sure about all that dancing stuff.

 Soon it was time for a cookie break and to enjoy the last of the parade.

 Cool little electric car

 The "old" World of Coca Cola sign

 At the end of the parade a beautiful smile from PJ.

 Once we were back in the car and headed to the house, the girls didn't make it 5 minutes before they were both snoring.  Then they proceeded to take a 2 hour nap at the house. Thank you St. Patrick's Day Parade.

It was definately a good day!!