Monday, January 7, 2008

Gee, It Doesn't LOOK like an Igloo...

The Bag Lady has started her annual January “I’m tired of this mess – think I’ll do something different” rampage. Using the woodstove in the living room for heat works through-out most of the house, but the heat doesn’t travel well around corners, so doesn’t make it into the master bedroom. The Bag Lady likes it, but her cowboy finds it too cold. So he, in his customary fashion, complains until the Bag Lady does something about it. She put plastic over the windows (which helps stop any wee drafts), but according to the cowboy, the bedside tables over the heat registers were causing some of the problem. (The Bag Lady didn’t bother pointing out to the cowboy that the furnace so rarely kicks in that the heat registers have nothing coming out of them most of the time!)
Anyway, the Bag Lady decided that if she got rid of the bedside tables, she needed somewhere to put her lamps and alarm clock, tissue box and assorted other things she might need in the middle of the night. (Gee, that could be a post all on its own – what’s on YOUR bedside table? Nail clippers, lotion, nasal spray, flashlight, book… )
Here is a picture of what the bedroom looked like a few years ago when the house was new.

It hasn't changed much over the years, except for the addition of more and more furniture!

Here is the start of the construction. The Bag Lady built a simple box, and needed a way to hang it on the wall. She secured a ledger board to the wall, making sure it was level.

Then she checked to make sure that everything would fit properly.

Then she padded the box and secured it to her ledger board. She added a shelf on top of the box. When she first set it up, it looked like this:


Now, it looks like this:


She can't decide how it should look. What do y'all think?

Now, as long as the whole thing doesn't come crashing down in the middle of the night and crush the Bag Lady and the Cowboy in their sleep, everything will be just fine.


The Bag Lady will probably tackle the living room next. No construction issues, but she definitely needs to get rid of some "stuff". She thinks her burning barrel is about to get a work-out.

14 comments:

Leah J. Utas said...

Fine job you did there, dfBag Lady.
Looks like a lot of work.

the Bag Lady said...

Thanks, dfLeah. The worst part was not being able to get the bed far enough away from the wall to allow easy access! (the damned thing wouldn't roll on the carpet...) The scars on the Bag Lady's shins should fade with time!

Crabby McSlacker said...

Wow, what a clever solution!

I'd miss my nightstand though. I like to have kleenex, my glasses, a water bottle, the clock radio etc all handy for the middle of the night.

I'd just keep my nightstand and give the Cowboy an electric blanket--but then I've never been known for my love of chores, er, projects.

the Bag Lady said...

Crabby - the Bag Lady agrees with you. It's took her one night without a bedside table to decide to replace it and to hell with the heat registers! She still kinda likes the padded headboard, though. Especially since it enabled her to replace the "charming" antique iron bedstead they were using (that raised the bed so high she was getting nosebleeds, and squeaked every time she took a deep breath!)
Oh, and the Bag Lady DID buy the cowboy an electric blanket, but the dog chewed through the cord (thankfully, it was un-plugged at the time...)

Anonymous said...

Looks great! I have "stuff" that needs to be done if you are in the D.C. area and get bored...:-)
Actually I did stuff this weekend also, put together a new IKEA desk (all by myself!) and move somed furniture around (with help...)
I always need a nightstand - where would my kitty knock my glasses from if I got rid of it???

the Bag Lady said...

Thanks, missicat - I'll keep that in mind if I ever get off this ranch!!
Good for you for putting your IKEA desk together!
The Bag Lady has learned over the years that if she wants something done, it's best to do it herself. The Cowboy's philosophy is that all he needs for carpentry work is a chainsaw and a sledge-hammer!
Oh, and the Bag Lady's grammar is usually better than "It's took her..." - must have changed horses in the middle of the stream there.

Reb said...

"- must have changed horses in the middle of the stream there."

Water Horse?

I like the headboard Sis! You need to find some goose neck lamps though I think. Or different shades for the lamps that are there?

Make yourself a multi-pocket thing to hang from the side of the bed that will hold your kleenex and other important stuff. Try it for awhile before you give up on not having a bedside table.

Emily said...

that looks so great! We recently moved out of an ooooooold house (turn of the century) in which every room had a closed up fire place. We ended up having to put our bed up against the former fireplace and using the mantle to hold all the "bedside table" items. The absolute best part was that my husband always keeps a gun close to the bed and I would set my stuffed animal up there at night- we laughed when we realized we had a gun-toteing monkey sleeping over our heads at night!

the Bag Lady said...

Reb: gee, you and the Bag lady must have the same mother. The multi-pocket storage thingy was already on the Bag Lady's mind, and she had contemplated the lamp situation. What happened to mom's lamps that were over their bed? (the ones that were affixed to the wall...)
Emily - nice to see you back again! Weren't you ever worried that the monkey might go "Postal" and start shooting up the place?

Hilary said...

You creative thang, you! Of course we already knew you were talented because of the bags, but that's a pretty clever solution.

I was thinking of wall lamps too.. it saves a fair bit of space. I have very small nightstands which couldn't accommodate lamps.. so that solution worked for me.

Listen to your sister re lamp options! ;)

Reb said...

Well, I thought that you took them. They must have stayed with the house, or went in the garage sale. Unless they are buried in one of your many storage sheds.

Reb said...

Just looked again at your photo, they might be too high to be of mush use. I think goose necks, or clamp lights might be better. Check out the S.A. or Goodwill for old style goose necks and rewire them.

P.O.M. said...

Good Job there. Very fancy. Crashing down beds in the middle of the night is NOT a good thing. Uhm - not that I know anything about that. ha ha.

the Bag Lady said...

Thanks, p.o.m.
And thanks for stopping by - come back any time!