Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Campbell Christmas Letter 2013

This year, we decided to crowdsource the family Christmas letter.  Each member of our family was randomly assigned to write about another family member.  Here’s what we came up with:

Scott (by Jerome) - Scott Campbell, patriarch of the Ohki-Campbell household, is currently employed as the president of Decagon Devices, a position which he has held for a little over two years.  His main athletic achievement for the year was finishing a half-ironman triathlon.  Unfortunately, your correspondent was unable to witness this endeavor because Scott’s wife didn’t want her children to be present when he was in “racemode”.  In preparation for the family’s Oregon Coast trip, he painted the family travel trailer, transforming its surface from a dingy off-white to a brilliant pearl sheen.  The only downside to this project was that your correspondent had to assist with the sanding of the trailer’s surface prior to painting.  His passion for cooking has continued, resulting in the perfection of “sauce-ome” (sauce+awesome), which can make any old hunk of meat into a first-class meal.

Marie (by Scott) - My wonderful wife continues to make the Young Women’s organization run smoothly, mostly by keeping the girls well-fed with cookies during the last hour of church each week.  Upon re-assembling her sewing area after last year’s renovations, she fueled her insane quilting sessions with web-streamed episodes of “This American Life”.  I convinced her that buying a road bike was a good idea.  She sometimes rides it on a trainer indoors, but I think she’s still pretty skeptical about the whole thing.  Marie sometimes reprises her role as home “creative director”, most recently as the master-mind of a stairs wainscotting project.

Jerome (by Asha) - This year Jerome turned 14, and started 9th grade at Pullman High.  Every morning, he wakes up at 6 am on his own to head to early morning seminary.  While not busy with school and cross-country, he loves to watch BBC’s “Dr. Who”, which he has hooked me on as well.  He also makes small-scale props from Dr. Who using cardboard, balsa wood, and hot glue.  He enjoys choir at school, and this year was the first freshman from PHS accepted to All-State Choir. 

Asha (by Quinn) - Asha has a door alarm.  I think she likes it because if someone tries to steal something from her room, she knows, unless she’s at school.  Asha started middle school and Young Women this year.  Asha likes gymnastics.  She gets lots of medals.  Asha likes Taylor Swift, but she listens to it so much that I get a little tired of it.  Asha plays pretty music on the piano.  She practices all the time.  I like the song she’s learning now.  It’s the hard one that has a note that is hard to reach - “River Flows in You”.

Kai (by Marie) - If you want something done and you can convince Kai to do it, he will deliver.  Incidentally, that’s one of the first things Scott’s mom told me about him.  If you are Kai’s younger brother, luck is on your side.  He will share everything and let you in on all his adventures.  In fact, Quinn wanted to invite all of Kai’s friends to his birthday party because he always includes Quinn when he has friends over.  Since I know Kai to be a boy who hates sitting still, I’ve been surprised that he likes school, and proudly lays out tests and papers for me to admire when he gets home from school.  He is often busy building something with Lego bricks.  His favorite bedtime activity is listening to books read by Scott, with his favorite being “The 13 ½ Lives of Captain Bluebear”.  This is actually one of the only times Kai will sit still.  

Quinn (by Kai) - Over the year Quinn started kindergarten in August, started loving Transformers Prime in July, started liking Tron Uprising, and had a birthday in November.  I like to play with Quinn because we sometimes get in fights but we always work it out and he likes what I like.  Quinn started swim lessons again this year, and Mom says he has good form because he floats.

Merry Christmas!  

Liberty quilt

My sister Yurika and her husband Daisuke welcomed their first baby in July. They namedher Erika.  Such a cutie!  My mom tells me she looks just like me when I was a baby.  My parents didn't own a camera when I was little, so it is fun to hear that.  

I decided to make a quilt for her.  It took me a while to know exactly what kind.  I wanted it to be very special and I set the bar high for myself.  I wanted it to be cute and girly, but at the same time mature enough that you could have it in the living room.  I also thought that some of the patterns clashed with eachother when they were placed next to eachother.  In the end this is what I came up with.  

I gathered all my favorite fabric that I was sure I would never be able to cut into, and pieced them together with some solids of pink and gray to break up the busy pattern.

Most of the fabric is Liberty.  Each is a work of art and makes my heart sing every time I look at it.  

waincoting

Scott was pulling some base boards off to recut the bamboo flooring that shrunk and pulled away from the wall.  So I asked if he wanted to put some wainscoting up while he was at it.  We looked up some tutorials and it seemed like a quick weekend project.  Not, so.  What you don't see in those tutorial is how much time it takes to fill in the holes and imperfections, sand after each step, and wait while coats dry.

This is what it looked like before.  What you can't see in the picture is how dirty the light beige carpet is.  It only took one kid to run up the stairs in his shoes and I had to scrub.  We decided the carpet had to go.        

This is what we found once we removed the carpet and pad.  We recruited the kids to pull the staples out.   

Then we realized that the wall side didn't have a base board.  Cutting a piece out to fit the shape of the stairs seemed impossible, so we removed the treads and the risers.  

The treads came out OK, but most of the risers broke in the process of being removed.  Scott cut out new raisers, trimmed the treads, and pulled all the nails out. Then he installed the base board and reinstalled the treads and raisers.  That took us until pretty late into the night.  We had to pull through. We were afraid if we left it in the state of the picture above, one of the kids might go through the sheet rock in the morning and end up in the basement.    

Scott used dry wall mud to cover the texture.  That took two coats and lots of sanding after each coat.  Then he built the frame.  

This is what it looks like now, after primer and two coats of paint.    

Next up: painting the treads in a espresso color and then installing a runner.   

Powwow Quilt

A year and a half worth of "This American Life" kept me company as I worked on this quilt.   It made even the most tedious task such as cutting out 100s of square fabric enjoyable.  

I bought the pattern from Cluck Cluck Sew.   

I used the triangle scraps from the pattern on the back side.   I like it just as much as the front.   

And here is the whole quilt.  You can see the wainscoting Scott just finished, but that is for another post.  

front deck, finished

A banana tree from the home center and the outdoor rug from Overstock completed the look.  I am happy to note that the outdoor fabric from fabric.com is holding up very well. 

Skirts for Asha

Asha was in need of some skirts that came down to her knees.  Now that she is old enough to start middle school next month, she is not so excited to model the clothes anymore.  Can you tell?     

skirt one
fabric: Walmart calico, 100% cotton
pattern: Holiday Girl Clothes, view19
size:140

skirt two
Alison gave me the four tiered skirt piece a while back.  I hemmed the side seam and put cotton/lycra knit on for the waist band.

skirt three

fabric: heavier poly/cotton blend that used to be Scott's mom's jumper

pattern: Holiday Girl Clothes, view 18

size 140

patio pillows

In an effort to make our drab front deck more inviting, I made some pillows in bright and happy colors.     

We had some rain in the middle of the night, but the outdoor fabric kept the inserts dry.  Some plants and a rug should complete the space.    

Thanksgiving

This year we had my brother Takuya's family over all the way from Las Vegas.  It was such a treat.  We were mostly too busy to remember to take pictures, but here are just  few we managed to take.     

The girls were so excited to be together that they woke up before seven and started helping me put breakfast on.  Asha made a turkey head with felt at achievement days, and we made a fruit turkey with it.  The pumpkin bread pudding made with baguette was a big hit.     

The dinette was the perfect place for games.  This pretty much went on the whole visit.  

Here is our Thanksgiving table.  All 13 of us fit around our table. 

Lots of Lego and blocks play happened by the cozy fireplace.   

And here we are, ready to feast. 

This year we followed Takuya and Sarah's tradition and said what we were thankful for around the table in the order of the alphabet.  That was fun and there were some creativity involved.  We are thankful for all of our family wherever they may be.         

Guess who came to say hi

Every year they come and eat our soggy tomatoes that have previously been frozen multiple times. 

We have never been prompt at cleaning up the garden, but now we can feel good about not getting to it right away.  

Asha got too close.

Office

This week Scott put the office in. 

Vinyl tiles in the mudroom

Today we laid the floor in the mudroom.  We used commercial grade vinyl composition tiles from Armstrong.  They are what you see in malls and grocery stores.  Don't feel bad if you can't remember the floor of any stores you frequent.  I had never paid attention until now.  Just in the last few days, I saw them at Costco, mall, Rite Aid, and our home improvement store.  We were told that they are cheap, easy to install, easy to clean, and durable.  It was very cheap.  At 79 cents a tile, we spent under $100 including a bucket of adhesive.  We broke a few tiles when the kids stood on it over a big gap.  Other than that, the installation was as easy as we had hoped.  I know cleaning it will be great because there is no grout or seams.  We will report on the durability later, but if hundreds of people can push their cart on it everyday, I am sure it will last us until we get sick of it.

Kai and Quinn sat on the tile to help them stick.  We started under the washer and dryer.  I don't know if you can see it in the picture, but there are just enough specks of grey and tan in the tiles to hide dirt and dust between moppings.             

And here it is all finished.     

Scott started at 4 in the afternoon and finished it at 11.  I helped for a total of an hour.  Not bad for a half day's work.  Thank you, Alison, for the idea to use Vinyl tiles and also to make it black and white checkered!  We love it! 

In the morning we went down to Clarkston to pick up the dinette from Duane of Wilden's Upholstery.  We have been very happy with the goucho bed and dinette he had made for our trailer.  Pictures here and here.  He surely didn't disappoint this time either.  The tufted back came out beautifully and it is very comfortable.  The vinyl we chose from Luxurious Leather Looks III was called Graphite. We like the linen like texture it has.   
  

You may have seen it in the last post, but Scot finished this cabinet last week.    

We still have some tools in it, but this is what the inside looks like.  We will likely put our Cuisinart mixer next to the pressure cooker.  Scott used full over lay Euro style hinges for this.  It lets the door swing all the way to the outside of the cabinet.  We wanted the option to leave the door open when we are cooking and need frequent access to the microwave. 

Some can lights to install next.  

Before and after

I was pretty sure we had not taken a proper "before" picture, but I just found one when I was scrolling through some old pictures.  We loved our old kitchen.  It was one of the deciding factors for us that got us in this house in the first place.  This post is not one of those " Can you believe how ugly it was?" posts.  It is rather seeing your child's picture when he/she was little and reminiscing the good old times. And then you look at the big kid in front of you and feel pleased with how much he has grown.     

So, here is our big kid today.  The old outer wall came to about where the new island ends, and rest is what we have added.  

We are working on cabinets, drawers, and work surface for the office area, which currently looks like this.  I crammed things in there so we could start using the space and find out what we wanted.

Curious about the grey contraption on the window?  It is a hydroponic gardening system Scott ordered online so we can start growing our own herbs.  I think it is a great idea.  The only problem is that there is no getting around how ugly it is.  Scott wants me to give it a chance until we start seeing green.  I am pretty sure I will still want it somewhere else.  I wonder if Asha would care if we put it on her window.  She has a sunny one. 

Dinette progress and painted banister

Scott made a dinette while I was at girl's camp back in July.  I kept thinking I would save this post until everything is finished, but it is time I give a progress report.  I originally got the idea for a dinette here.  I fell in love with the idea of having a fun and cozy spot for our kids right in the kitchen.  I could just picture them with their cousins and friends eating their after school snack, doing crafts or even doing homework there.      

Scott thought about it for a while, measured some benches at church and at the Thai restaurant, looked up some plans on magazines, and then drew ours up.  He wanted to make sure it was going to be comfortable, so he angled the back, seat, and foot pieces.  He also added the chunky molding details to match the rest of the kitchen.  We chose the trim white paint, but after looking at it in our kitchen for two months, we are leaning towards re-painting it in the same warm grey color as the kitchen cabinets.  The white feels too stark.   The next step is deciding on the color of the vinyle cushion.  I want to have a professional make it, but Scott thinks I can buy an industrial sewing machine and sew it up.  I am not sure if my skills can do these benches justice.  I am pretty happy sewing bibs and blankets.          

He added filing cabinets under the seats.  Always nice to have more storage.    

Yesterday I painted the banister.  The wood color stuck out like a sore thumb against the new wall color, so it was a great relief to get that finished. 

Here is the before...  

 

...and after.

I love it.  It feels so crisp and clean.  My sister and then my mom kept me company on the phone white I painted into the night.  Three hours and five coats later, it looked good enough.

Last week we got to spend the day with a cute baby.  Her twin sister had surgery and her parents were with her sister.  There is a special spirit babies bring into a home.  We got to feel that sweetness all day.           
 

Our "Labor" Day weekend

Have I told you Asha takes beautiful pictures?  She does.  I asked her to take a few shots of the chandelier so it shows how sparkly it gets.  Here is what she got.      

And I love the crystals.    

We had a fun camping trip planned with Scott's brother Colin and Kersten's family for Labor Day weekend, but we decided to cancel and stay home to "labor".  Living in a mess was starting to grind on us.  It has been two and a half months since we started construction.  And we are not the patient kind that enjoys the process.  Kersten took Kai and Quinn to the pool Saturday afternoon and Bryan and Karine took the kids all day Monday.  Caroline and Asha kept asking us what they could do to help.  We are grateful for the help.       

Scott worked on moldings and base boards.  I had no idea what a big job it was going to be.  If I had known, I don't know if I would have asked.  I found a blog that had moldings I liked and asked if Scott could copy it.  He said he could, and has worked so hard since.        

Scott also finished the island by putting in the toe kick and base boards.  It is so pretty.

You can tell why we have to paint the bar stools.  It has an olive tint in it.  I am still working on choosing the color.  I think I am going to keep it light.     

I got the mud room cleaned up.  This room had turned into a "catch all" as we worked on the other parts of the house, so it took some doing to get all the junk out of the way.  Here is the laundry side.  The tall cabinet is from IKEA.  It is actually a kitchen cabinet called AKURAM.  I love it that it has drawers inside.  Really nice quality.  I originally bought it for the office, but decided I didn't want anything tall in there.  I am glad I found a spot for it.

The door you see on the right opens to the back yard.  We got rid of the door in the kitchen, so this is the way the kids come in after school.  I love it that the mess stays in this room.  I am going to love it even more when winter comes.  All the shedding of clothes, hats, mitts and boots can happen here instead of in my kitchen.             

This side is not finished yet, but the hooks went up. Scott is going to make a bench that goes along the wall.  And the floor needs to go in, but that is a topic for another post.    

   
We painted the living room in a soft grey.  We haven't painted the ceiling yet, so you can see the old color there.  I couldn't believe how high you could reach with an extension pole.  We got to the top of the second floor without a ladder.    

We also got the closet shelves in.  Asha got right into organizing.  Her room is the closest to being finished.  Another coat of paint on the wall, window molding, and the vanity is what is left.    

This is Kai and Quinn's closet.  I put everything low so they could get to their clothes without climbing.  The bottom shelf is Quinn's, next is Kai's, and the other two are for off season clothes and hand-me-downs.  hopefully no more hanging from the closet pole.  

And here is how Quinn spent today.  Poor guy has a high fever and hasn't been able to keep much down.  I sat next to him most of the day with a laptop, while I tried to get him to drink.