our dutch bed project

I have lived in my home for 8 years and during those eight years, many nights were spent in my bed thinking about finishing that basement and what I wanted to do. When I was pregnant with Emmitt, I told Matt that we had to have some more room, and we needed to begin that basement project. He drug his feet, so I opted for only finishing part of the basement against the advice of many. I was desperate for the space! So the framing began in August of 2009, although my thinking and planning had been happening since 2002!

In my planning I came across this article and the following pictures I stole off of the Internet:

A traveler in the 1800’s returning from a trip to Scandinavia wrote: "In Denmark, the people sleep in cupboards."

And so they did! This was a reference to the traditional Danish wall-bed, and it’s not just the Danes who sleep in them. They are also found in Holland (where they are called "Dutch Beds"), and cupboard beds have been popular for centuries in France, Italy, and other European countries. The famous US marshal Wyatt Earp slept in a Dutch Bed in his boyhood home in Pella, Iowa.


Not to be confused with Murphy Beds, which are housed in a cupboard and drop out into the living quarters for use, Dutch Beds are built entirely into the wall and you climb into them. They may be open or enclosed, and they have a number of advantages over conventional beds: Dutch Beds take up less floor space; they can be out of sight when not used (so you don’t have to make them up every day); and when the doors or curtains are closed, they retain heat so the rest of the house can be kept cooler, thereby saving on heating costs. But most importantly, Dutch Beds allow the space above and below the bed — normally wasted in a conventional bed — to be used for storage.



I knew I wanted to make a dutch bed for the girls' room downstairs. I couldn't find any instructions or plans, so I just made it up. I was the one to draw up the plans, so I planned a dutch bed and made the walls fit around the bed I planned. These are just some of the photos I found for inspiration.

So, August 2009 came and Matt's dad Larry came up to help us start the framing. WAHOO!!!

Here is Kelsey sweeping where she is now sleeping in her dutch bed.

Matt, Larry, and I just put up the wall that separates the dutch bed from the man cave/lounging room. Larry was not too sure about my dutch plan, but never wavered from the plans I had okayed with the city.

After the framing was finished, we rested our pocket book for some time and did a few other necessities down in the basement like insulation and wiring and all of that good stuff. Kelsey had part of her birthday party down in the basement in February. I know, how tacky is that - but where was I supposed to put 25 2nd grade girls? So here she is trying to get a bite of that apple right where her dutch bed is now.

Dutch bed, here we come! My dad did the wiring for us and he was interested in my dutch bed plans. I wanted a light up high at the head of the bed and an outlet up high at the base of the bed.

Our drywall guy broke his collar bone while he was in the middle of our project, so that threw us off for 8 weeks while we waited for the good man to heal. So by the time I had painted the basement, it was September. Then when I was ready for my dad's help with the dutch bed it was October. Here is the space, ready for my dad to make my vision possible!


I bought and finished stock kitchen cabinets at Home Depot for the base of the bed.

Derek, the great neighbor came over and helped my dad and I get those cabinets in and settled. He was interested in my plan too!

Emmitt helped too.

We put a piece of plywood as the bed top with supports on the outer 3 walls since the cabinets don't go clear to the wall.

Kelsey graced us with some beautiful music. It cracked me up. It reminded me of the movie Master and Commander with Russell Crowe. He and the doctor of the ship play the violin and the cello in the captain's cabin of the ship while a storm rages outside on the ocean. That is what it seemed to me, beautiful music amid the chaos of drills, hammers, and loud voices!

So here is a view of the final paint job.

And a view before the carpet came with a new bedspread.

Okay, overkill, but another view of just the carpet padding!

Now taa-daa! The final view of Kelsey and Kendal's dutch bed. They love it. I love it, we all love it. Matt is even starting to love it. He was not wanting this project, but I think it will grow on him!

I still need to make a cute little valance for the window, but other than that I think we are finished. Now, since the dutch bed is only a twin size and I have two girls, we have to have the daybed down there also. The girls take turns. It is pretty cute actually. On the first of every month I get to change sheets and comforters so they can trade beds for the month. Kelsey is very adamant about this and will keep us all on track!

Kelsey chose the purple and blue comforter, to match the purple/blue wall, and Kendal picked the pink and purple comforter because she was given the choice! They are so cute. That is our dutch bed project. Thanks Larry for taking the plunge and starting to make my basement happen, and to my dad for all your help and your willingness to do what I wanted.

We enjoy the new room for the girls, the man cave, and our storage room finished. What a blessing!

 A POST SCRIPT FROM 2012:
 I finally got the cute shelves at the end of the bed put in.  They are well loved and a bit messy, but they are great.

Since Christmas Eve day is only a few hours away, I thought I could share a few of the gifts I made this year. I meant to sew up a few more, but alas, I ran out of time. Here is the table runner I made for my mom. I told her that she has to like table runners because they are easier and much faster to make than a full sized quilt. The fabric is from a Christmas line, but since my mom is not the biggest Christmas decorator, I chose the fabrics in the line that are just happy colors without trees or ornaments or anything too Christmasy. My mom likes bright and happy, so that is what she gets this year!

I made my sister in law an apron. I think it turned out pretty cute. I really like the fabric colors, hopefully she will too.

The best part about it is, I made it reversible! So when one side gets all covered in cookie dough or spaghetti sauce, just turn that baby around and you have another clean side to get all nasty! I am wishing everyone a happy happy and merry merry Christmas. Have a fantastic weekend!

how do you spell Santa mom?

I should have bought stock in Hershey's Syrup. If only I had known 4 years ago that I would have gone through so much these past few years. I bought a case of it around 6 months ago and Matt went downstairs the other day to get another bottle and he said there were only 2 left. I figure we have used close to 50 bottles in the past 4 years.


We found that Hershey's Syrup was the best way to administer Kendal's anti-seizure meds. A spoonful in the morning and a spoonful right before bed, every day since April 2007, almost 4 years ago. Granted, some of those 50 bottles were squirted into the sister's and brother's mouths also, but Kendal sure got the most of it. Oh yeah, and Emmitt is quite fond of his chocolate milk!


Today is a HUGE day for our family because Kendal gets her last dose of her meds tonight. We have spent the last 4 months doing a 'slow taper' off of her meds. She has responded great - no return of the seizures so far. Keep your fingers crossed though! Kendal has been on these meds since she was 22 months old. CRAZY!! They have some nasty side effects like not being able to physically sweat, (yeah, summer is rough around here!) and concentration and speech inhibition, and a host of others. She has done so well though. Getting off of the meds will also safe us a ton of money. A one month supply goes for $444.50 right now. Yeah, we are all happy!


She is in all day Kindergarten and is coming along great. She said to me yesterday "Mom, how do you spell Santa?" I said "S and then an A." She said "S like a snake and then an A like Aniken" and then wrote a perfect s and an a. "N is next" I said. "N, hey I have an n in my name!" Then she wrote an n. I then said "Okay, now you need a T and another A." She then sang some little song about the letter t wearing a hat and then wrote another a for Aniken. I looked at her word, a beautifully legible SANTA, and smiled. She is doing so great and I am so proud of her. 70% of the children that get what she has, infantile spasms, a severe form of epilepsy, never mentally progress beyond the age that the spasms started. We are so blessed that my Kendal is 5 and acts like a 5 year old. There is a little boy with the same condition in Cedar City that must be 9 or 10 by now but behaves mentally and physically like a 9 month old. God has blessed us and we are so grateful. Kendal is coming out of her 3 1/2 year sleep and it has been fun to get to know the real Kendal better. She is full of it we are finding out, but I suppose she needed that spunk to get through the rough times.

what to do on a snowy day

Today is a snowy day, we got a ton of snow last night and it just keeps coming! I am so grateful Matt did not have to drive to work today. He and I have been shoveling like crazy and it just keeps mucking up the driveway! It looks like the sun may make an appearance soon though!

Emmitt and I played 'farm' for awhile this morning. He is so cute and he loves his farm. He kept giving all the horses and cows, pigs and sheep drinks of water from a little bucket. It was the cutest thing, and the sounds he made were fabulous!

Yesterday I made some delicious grape jelly. I am hoping to get some more made today. My sister is the goddess of canning and I used her idea and her recipe (the Ball Blue Book!) and it turned out so pretty and so yummy! I also have a few Christmas presents that I need to finish sewing up. Christmas is sneaking up on me, but it is a true blessing to remember the birth of our Savior and be able to celebrate it with my little family.

ring around the rosies

It is amazing how much Emmitt loves his sisters. He is fine with me all day and we have a good time, but he LOVES it when his sisters get home from school. He just lights up! Here they are playing ring around the rosies last Sunday. Dang I love them all!

15 years with Crane

15 years ago today I married Matt Crane, my perfect match.

We have moved 18 times while being married, but have lived in this house for 8 years.

We used to live in teeny tiny little apartments (sometimes married student housing) for years and years and at 3 different universities in 3 different states.

We have 13 years of college education between the two of us, and 10 more years of student loans to pay off! More importantly, we have 3 beautiful children that call us mom and dad.

We met at Snow College. I thought he was cute but kind of a goober. He thought I was "bubbly." Funny those first impressions!

He proposed to me while I was still in bed, asleep, with morning breath. It was romantic. I think I said "Sure" and then rolled over to go back to sleep. He drove over early that morning to my parents' home to propose with a ring.

We had a fantastic wedding day. All of our family was there, it was perfect.

My brother Glen and Matt's three brothers Mark, Mike, and Mace, were the groomsmen, and boy did they look sharp!

My sister Tori, sister in law Angie, Matt's sister Mindy and three of my best friends ever were my bridesmaids, Camille, Amber, and KarriAnn.

It was a low key reception. My mom and sister did most of it. Well, all of it because I was at college 4 hours away and showed up the day before my wedding after I had finished my finals to get married. They did a great job.

Matt was the first in this family to get married. I was nervous about all of my new brothers and sister! They are a great family to belong to.

We were married for all time and eternity, aren't we lucky?

This is the man I married, Matty. I also call him Crane. I love him so much more today than I did on that magical day 15 years ago. I hope to love him more in years to come and to grow old together with him.