Blackboard Door Project

One of the things that Rick has to deal with on a daily basis is his memory.We have a dry erase calender on our fridge,and Rick has an IPOD with alarms to help remind him when he needs to take meds,etc.We have used lists and post- it notes. He also has me to help with reminders :)

The problem with the calender is it's only so big,and with Dr appts,Boy Scout events and meetings,as well as Zach's after school activities and my various things,it tends to leave very little room. Post- its tend to get overlooked,because they are small. Lists,even though they only have a couple of things on them,don't necessarily get looked at on a daily basis. And,I admit,some days my thoughts are other places and I fail with reminders.

I was trying to think of something that everyone could use,and that Rick would notice,even enjoy using. One day,I realized that I had a great space that was not being used to it's potential-the door to our attic. All I had on here was a bill holder,which held bills (obviously),stamps,the check book,and address labels. Well, I could certainly clear out a drawer in our sewing table for that,so that's what I did.

The next step was figuring out exactly how to do it. I didn't want the space between the boards as part of the blackboard,because it would 1) be a pain when writing, and 2) I didn't like the way it would look. So we decided to buy a board and blackboard paint.

When we went to the store,we discovered that they already sold prepainted blackboards,and that they were actually cheaper than buying a plain board. The problem was they weren't in the best shape. We decided to buy the prepainted board,and just go over it with blackboard paint. We still saved money,and I can use the blackboard paint for other projects.

Rick measured the door,and cut off the appropriate amount off the long side of the board.I wanted it big enough so we could write day a whole days schedule,and it would be in writing that we could read! We also bought nice bright chalk colors. Rick used screws to screw the board onto the door,and he found some longer screws for the door handle,since the old ones weren't long enough to go through the new thickness. I used one coat of blackboard paint,and covered the screws as well.

Voila' !

So Rick knows what day it is at a glance,we have "Today Is" with the day of the week posted. Any activities or chores that are to be accomplished that day are listed. As you can see from above,the only thing that was mandatory the day this board was made was wishing Rick congrats on his retirement!

It wipes off simply with water and a rag. Rick loves it,and likes using it. The space is now used for good purpose!

I would be remiss if I did not mention how grateful and happy we are that the final suspect in the Boston Marathon Bombing was caught alive so we can know why this horrendous act was done and there can be some justice. We have much thanks to law enforcement,who worked hard to bring this to an end. We are also proud of our own Nashua NH SWAT team who helped down in Watertown,MA. Our heart goes out to the family of the MIT officer who lost his life,and we are praying that the MBTA officer who was shot heals quickly.

Justice will be served.

Have a fabulous day on this Fabulous Planet!