Casey and Tatum's Sleepover - Part #1: Painting Caterpillars

Did you guys make caterpillars back in grade school?  I always did enjoy that art project.  Casey and Tatum had fun last night painting those egg cartons and doing a bit of creative art in my Mom Cave.  I think that Casey has his shirt off so that he wouldn't get paint on it.  What a silly face!

Casey at work ...

Tatum at work ...

I couldn't find the pipe cleaners, so these poor fellas didn't end up with antennas and legs.  They are still cute.  Tatum's has some eyes in there somewhere.

Nice work, you two!

~  Grandma Kathy

The Queen of Small Spaces: Kathy's Mom Cave

Susan at  Between Naps on the Porch  is holding a contest on November 1st for one lucky woman to receive $250 to spend for her own Mom Cave.  I read that on her blog, and then Natasha at 5 Minutes Just For Me posted the photos of her Mom Cave.  So, I followed Natasha to Kate's Centsational Girl,  and submitted this link on Kate's portion of the contest.  I thought, well, hey, I really do have a "Mom Cave", why not show it off?   I did not write the required essay to win, but at least more peeps get to see my special little space.  I am officially submitting this post to Susan's contest, following the rules, now:

Since my room is done, if I win, I want to pass on my prize to Lisa at Writing In The Buff, because she has a loft off of her bedroom that she would like to turn into a Mom Cave.  Lisa has been very busy writing, and recently donated two of her stories to charitable contribution books: From the Heart, and 50 Stories for Pakistan.  I am very proud of her!  So, I went to the Home Goods.com website and chose these three photos of what I think would look great in Lisa's room:

My Own Mom Cave:

Last winter, I turned an extra bedroom into a den/playroom/mom cave (though I hadn't heard of that phrase quite yet).  You can find that room re-do here , after you scroll down about half way.  My Mom Cave is cluttered and imperfect, but when I go in there to read or watch t.v., I am surrounded by memories.  I love it so much!  When kids come over to visit, they enjoy this room too. 

This is the old t.v. with the built in VCR.  It doesn't get all of the cable channels, but it is an asset.  Especially when Casey and Tatum come over and want to watch a movie as they do crafts on the coffee table.

Pictures of Cary and Me

Old dolls.  That is me when I was 4 in the background.

Lots and lots of books!

I saved one outfit from each of my kids when they were babies.  The blue one is Kristin's, the red and white dress is Kari's and the black t-shirt is Nigel's.

This used to look prettier, but I took a lot of what was on top away when I was redoing the bathroom.

Art supplies on the desk, and hanging from the back of the door.

A handmade painted purse that my sister made is hanging from the closet door. (Julie made it, but Mom bought it at Julie's garage sale and then gave it to me.  Our Mom is awesome!).  I love my rocking cow.  I got it at Goodwill years ago, handmade, for only $5.00

Wall Hangings and Photos:

My BFF Patty made this for me a few years back.  She is also the one who made the Mary Engelbreit quilt that hangs in my creative room.  Thanks, Patty, for making our home prettier.

So, this is how my Mom Cave usually looks.

(This is what it looked like before I re-mixed the back bedrooms...)

Sometimes, though, I turn the Mom Cave into a Dad's Massage Room:

I take out the coffee table, and bring out the massage table from it's corner.  I take the basket down off of the top of the entertainment center that holds my massage supplies.  

I bring in some candles and turn on the CD player with the spa music.  I round up my best friend husband and give him the best massage that I can give.  It makes him feel special and lucky, and makes me feel like a nice wife.  

I know that I really am the the lucky one though.

Thank you so much for stopping by to check out my Mom Cave!

Susan at BNOTP asks us to visit the person before us and the person after us on her "Linky Days".  I happened to be the last on the list at Centsational Girl today, so I will feature the two people ahead of me.  Hello, ladies!  The first is Caroline at House Interrupted.  The second is Kim at  Savvy Southern Style. 

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