Late 2016 was a major renovation for the classroom- built in knick knack shelves and desks all around. While the work was going on in November and December, the kids were temporarily moved to the main room (picture 1). The next picture shows the wire run that goes under the desk top and the trimmed out chalkboards. The next picture (down a row) is the trimmed out corkboard. Next to it is the desk installation (in process, before the top is added).

    

    

    

Desk with top going in is the first row pictures. The lower area here is for the printer and scanner (and possibly a future docking area for me). Kids are set up and ready to go! The room renovation also included a new markerboard. The main water valve was also hidden with shelves and a special backer board that can be removed if access is needed. As of February, I have been moved into this area also.

    

    

    

The art center came together pretty quickly. The wall behind it was painted the same wall color as the accent wall in the media area. What took the most time was the week it took to get the priming and painting done in the space so it could be built. The towers were put together and gotten into general place pretty easily. Our biggest challenge was the desk top- the front edge has a metal strip epoxied in it as a magnet (holds pins and such for me), plus the wrong piece of laminate had been sent by the company we ordered it through, so we had to return what they sent and re-order so the correct color and size could be sent. Once that was done, it was decision time- did I want pegboard with the desk to hang supplies on. After looking at a few, we went with metal (in red) that I can hang baskets from or little containers. It is working well and organizes things like my scissors, sewing supplies, and other small odds and ends. There also are lights that shine onto the desk. For chairs, we use my exercise balls as they will not damange the mats that are still in this part for TKD practice. The other walls in this area have been re-painted to freshen them, and Mr. Man put the trim around the window and hung my curtain. We've got a TV that can be watched while using the treadmill, and potentially room for some shelves there. All that's left is to hang the curtains in the towers to hide the contents.

    

Now most of the art things are gathered in one location. B. and P. have art buckets for personal crafts; the coloring books and coloring supplies all have a home. There is less stuff in A.'s workbench, giving him more room for his science kits and model stuff (though P. and B. do have a few things there still). All the supplies are organized and easily accessible by me. Not it's just a matter of finding time to do the crafts! And since Spring is Springing, it may be a few months before I can do much with those. Since the art supplies are out of the front room, that's been turned into the library. Often we will find the kids in there reading and lounging, which we love. My tons of boxes of chapter books have been unpacked, as have several of Mr. Man's. I even got the piano tuned so we can play it without it sounding so awful!

    

Over the summer, Mr. Man did make the shelving extension for the back corner. Many supplies and the kids' science kits are now housed here, along with my threads. A small bookcase was bought for the corner by the workbench to provide extra storage there. Now the workbench is only storage for A's projects (though the girls do seem to have trouble remembering that!).
December 2017 led to an extension table being built for the art center. One side has the same top as the main piece, and the other side is a cutting table- self-healing mats set into it and everything! Ignore the mess in the photos. It seems the girls and I are always mid-project and have things out. The lights were also changed out to provdie more direct light to the working areas. And the cutting table can be taken down if we need the space for something else.

    

    

    

December 2020 saw us building the built in couch we had been talking about for years. It takes up the entire area, and each of us have a space to sit, plus there is storage underneath! Doors will be the finishing touch on the couch this summer (when it is too hot to work outside in the yard). I learned a bit of upholstery, making the seat covers for the cushions. As for the craft side, we had to add a table to give us more space as the girls work here when they have free time, and with more sewing machines and sergers than there are of us, we needed the extra space to cut fabric, iron, and work. We still have the punching bag, though it is not hanging at the moment.