Budget

I was particularly proud of this: we raised 1,050 (including my own contribution, which was modest enough in the grand scheme of things) and we spent 1,045! Throw in a tank of gas for my car's many trips to Woodland Hills and Carson (for Target and Ikea) and we're still within 10 or 15 bucks of my budget.

And I was afraid this would be my most expensive birthday ever! Ha!

Utilities

Angela stocked the utility closet with a broom and dustpan, lightbulbs, paper towels, cleaning supplies, and a swiffer system.Annie brought the baby's vacuum, Megan brought the dustbuster. Now mommy and baby can "clean" together.

Kitchen

This was the kitchen "before." I was so glad I got to check out the space before we got started. The existing furniture was red and beige, so I decided to go with a red/orange/brown scheme for the living areas rather than fight was was already going on.

Here is the kitchen "after." We introduced red and orange decorative elements, as well as important functional items like a toaster, coffee maker, dish drainer and towels.



A few details:

Again, what's inside the cabinets is at least as important as what's outside!


A special kid's cabinet with spoons, snack bins and a sippy cup:


Produce fresh from the farmer's market, thanks to Gina:

Annie made the good call to stock the fridge with pedialite pops, great for teething or upset tummies.

Baby's room

This was the baby's room before:

Our biggest job in here was to provide a new crib, crib mattress, and crib sheets--that was a fair chunk of our budget and we didn't have endless time to hunt craigslist for a gently used number that would meet current saftey standards. Thankfully, a little iPhone comparison shopping assured us the best deal in LA.

After we found the crib, Megan, Gina, and I put on a little improv comedy skit entitled, "how many intelligent, fully-functional adult women does it take to assemble a *$$@#% crib?!?" We'll let you know if we make it to Broadway.


I am not sure that anyone will use the twin bed in baby's room--mom might choose to sleep in there, or she may stay in the other room. We re-arranged the furniture so that we could position the existing dresser as a changing station by adding a waterproof pad to the top.



Thanks to Annie, we put toys all over the place--some geared towards a typical 9 or 10 month-old and some that will also be fun when the baby's a bit older.


I gathered up all the baby toys and supplies that were blue and white and put them in this wicker basket. The frog popping out the top was so cheery--I hope the mom feels special when she sees this box o' loot for her her baby boy. And the basket will probably be a handy way to contain baby stuff as the home becomes more lived in.

Bathroom

I'll start with the pictures in the same place I started with the shopping--the bathroom.

I knew that since we couldn't put anything on the walls or get major furniture pieces, I'd be relying on fabrics for the big pops of color we'd want. I was shopping for this room before I knew the family composition, so I went for something bright and cheery but not too girly. I found these fun bright stripes at Target.




Here's my favorite view in this room. Naomi & Veronica selected the lovely handsoap and Gina had the brilliant idea to display this rainbow of washcloths in the little wicker basket I picked up at IKEA.


The view from inside the cabinet is probably just as important to the family who will live here. Naomi & Veronica made sure the bathroom was stocked with toiletries and first aid supplies.

feedback

This voicemail from the volunteer coordinator made my day!

Home Sweet Done

Were are done--I did finishing touches after I picked Monroe up from daycare this evening.

Photos coming soon.

This CNN story from a few days ago comments upon the growing numbers of homeless families.

Almost done

Well, we (pretty much) did it. I am returning to the apartment tomorrow afternoon to take out the trash, put in a few final touches and do a little bit of child-proofing. Oh, and I'll take photos--we didn't quite get to that in this whirlwind of a day.

Here is a list of people who supported this project with gifts of time, money, childcare, heavy-lifting, crib-assembly, cleaning, unpacking, and shopping! To each of you, my deepest gratitude.

Nancy
Sara
Matt
Lynn
Kim
Randy
Audrey
Debbie
Jason
Carla-Anne
Kelli
Elizabeth
Gina
Chris
Darcy
Edward
Amanda
the parishioners of St. Augustine-by-the-Sea
Suna
Megan
Benson
Kyle
Brenda
Annie
Angela
Veronica
Jackie
Dan
Naomi
Mike
Tracy

Thank you Debbie for accompanying me

and Monroe on the massive, endless,
odyssean shopping trip to IKEA.
And for the peanut butter sandwich.
And the muffins.

Thank you Monroe for being
so patient with all mommy's business this weekend,
and for letting me sleep in an extra hour on Mother's Day.

Thank you Megan, Amanda, and Gina for the

personal shopping errands, instruction-deciphering,
feng shui, and manual labor.

Thank you Naomi for the fundraising help &
iPhone-supported comparison shopping.

Thank you Veronica, Annie, Mic, and Emma for the babysitting.

And hey Angie--I should have gotten a picture of that soup.
Thanks for that!

"before" pictures

I took these "before" photos of our apartment Friday afternoon when the volunteer coordinator let me run over and take a look at the place. That really helped with the quick-speed planning.

This apartment has one small bedroom (with a closet), one bathroom, an open little kitchen, and then a room adjoining the kitchen that has a bed in it... but is also the main space for living as well.

living room / main bed room

kitchen area

bedroom

Progress!!

I am leaving IKEA with a sleeping toddler, a car full of housewares,
and the makings of a fresh start for a special family!

Sent from my iPhone

About the family

We're preparing the apartment for a single mom with a 10-month old son.

I don't know anything about this family--which is as it should be because they need their privacy. But I've been following Upward Bound House for a while through their website and newsletter and I've read many testimonials that familiarized me with the kinds stories that bring people here. Some moms flee domestic violence, other young parents have lost their own parents or extended families, and these days there are more and more two-parent families that find themselves homeless simply because mom and dad were both laid off for too long at the same time.

I imagine that the baby is probably sitting up and maybe starting to walk (but he probably won't be steady on his feet yet.) He can probably communicate in his own way but might be a few months from really "talking" with words.

my own little one at 10 months

Ready to shop for a cause?

If you are in LA and can spare some time for errands this weekend, I could use some help with shopping!

I am focused on the housewares (sheets, towels, small furniture, dishes, etc) which will be a big job. So I broke off four other categories of things we need and I am looking for an Elf to take care of each of these short lists. I think the shopping for each of these lists can be accomplished in one shopping trip. You can drop the items off Sunday night (or anytime earlier) and I'll write you a check for what you spent.

Please let me know (sunshinecook@gmail.com) if you can volunteer for any of these four shopping jobs!

(Adopted by Gina) Refrigerator Elf: Let's stock the fridge and pantry with a few basics.

• cereal
• milk
• bread
• eggs
• peanut butter
• jelly
  
• cheese
• sandwich meat
• lettuce
• fresh vegetables
• fresh fruits
• olive/vegetable oil
  
• coffee or tea

(Adopted by Naomi) Bathroom Elf: let's fill the cabinet with basic toiletries and first aid supplies

• adult shampoo & conditioner
  
• soap
• adult toothbrush & toothpaste
• dental floss
• toilet paper
• toilet brush
• toilet bowl cleaner

(Adopted by Angie) Pantry/Utility: We'll be sure they have the stuff they need to keep the place clean and sorted

• Dishwashing Liquid
• Sponges
• Kitchen Trash Can & Bags
• Rubber Gloves
• mop or swiffer-type system
• broom and dustpan
  
• Paper Towels
• Glass cleaner, kitchen/bathroom cleaner, baking soda
  
• Paper Lunch Bags
• Aluminum Foil
• Saran Wrap
• Ziploc Bags
• Light bulbs

(Adopted by Annie) Baby's room: we'll make sure they've got the basic stuff a 10-month old needs.

• Diapers (for a 20-pound baby boy)
• Diaper cream
• Changing table pad
• Sippy cup
• Baby spoon
• Baby bibs
• Simple baby health-care kit (thermometer, nail clippers, tooth cleaner)
• baby lotion
• baby shampoo
  

ready, set, GO!!

I was feeling pretty good about the weekend--sure my husband would be out of town, making life a bit hectic, but I had an easy-going shopping trip planned for the Adopt-an-Apartment project to look forward to. The volunteer coordinator expected to assign a family to me next week and I was eager to get the details. I had a tour of the apartment planned for Wednesday afternoon so I could take some planning photos and fine tune my list of what we needed. I was working with some friends to plan a big move-in day May 17 and feeling pretty good about how ready we were--pretty much finished fund raising and we'd even collected several items. I had even treated myself to a fun weekend trip to Target on my actual 3oth birthday and I came home with the most adorable brightly-colored shower curtain, bathmat, and soft fluffy towels. It felt pretty nice to have a room done!

Then the phone rang.

"Hi Melissa, it's Tracy. From Upward Bound House? I was calling because I just got out of a meeting, and well--remember the apartment we were hoping to get ready for next week? It's ready now. And we have a family too. A single mom with a 10 month-old baby."

I am not actually sure what Tracy said next because I was concentrating on scraping my heart out of my throat and swallowing it back to my chest. A single mom? With a 10 month-old baby? Alone?

As I tuned back into Tracy's voice she was saying, "I know it's really last minute, and I know you expected to move the family in next weekend, but we wondered if there was any way you could be ready sooner?"

My head span--husband out of town, work projects piled up, and all my friends had their time set aside for me NEXT weekend... I wasn't sure I could possibly do this any faster.

Tracy was still talking, "I just found out about it myself--this family. Maybe you could try to do some work on a few week nights next week? See... they are just sleeping at St. Joseph's until they can move in."

I knew about Saint Josephs--they operate the Bread and Roses cafe for homeless people and run a great food pantry. I knew that they gave folks a place to do laundry, take a shower, or use the phone, and that they could refer people to emergency shelters or housing programs as needed... but do they even have beds there?

"Monday" I heard myself saying. "We can be done by Monday."

- - let the games begin! - -

... no word yet

No word yet on the family we'll be serving, for those of you waiting on an update.

The fundraising has been awesome, I'm about done. Thank you all so much.