The Reluctant Blogger

Easter Decor

2011-04-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

I have discovered that I am not great at decorating for a holiday unless it is Halloween or Christmas. I did however do a little springy/Eastery thing to our mantle. The Silver vase was my Mother In Laws and I am beyond jazzed to have it.

May I introduce my spring decorations. Note...the egg garland was all perfect and level until Mr. James decided to add his decorative touch and mess it up. I like it this way too!

I love the little so fuzzy they look blurry chicks I got at Michael's for a dollar.

This funny looking bird thing was a gift from my Mom. His name is Anthony and he is adorably funky. Just my style.

Yea Spring!

Linked here...

LambAround
It's So Very Cheri

Front Yard Changes

2011-04-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

Well even though I've been nonexistent in blog land I have been busy. We have been working in both the front and back yards a lot. Its about time we do a little reveal of our progress.

Lets start with the before. Here are a few shots of the overgrown yard from our first walk through. The house stood empty for 2 years and the extent of yard work boiled down to gardeners cutting the grass and that was about it. I wanted to be able to actually see the house from the street. I would love to eventually take out the huge less attractive pine tree but that isn't in the budget anytime soon.

August 2010

April 2011

Some of the first things we did were remove the scalloped edging used for the flower beds. We had someone come in and take out the over grown shrubs as well. The flag pole was rusted and falling apart. Out that went...well after a few years of digging and some rope to pull the 4 feet of concrete used to anchor it in the ground.

We trimmed a lot of the pine tree, a bonus for my 6'6" husband who mows the lawn. No more cracked heads for him.

I ordered a shade garden from www.michiganbulb.com and planted in it front of the window that includes Lilly of the Valley, Fern Leaf Bleeding Heart, Widows Tears, Lillys and Lady Fern. Since they are all bare root plants it will be a little ho hum this year but next year it will be a show stopper.

Grandmas original rose bushes have been pruned and moved to the back perimeter of the large flower bed. The bird bath was moved to front of the flower bed. I have three apricot roses that will eventually be a back drop the the bath. The large flower bed also includes Anemone, Ranunculus, Poppy, Violas, Cyclamen, and Dahlias. This weekend I planted a Mock Orange Tree as well as a Poeny. I have to admit that I have become obsessed with Poenys...I have two in pots in the back yard that will be slow to mature for now...but I did get one potted one this year...I love it!

Apricot Rose image from here

Double Mock Orange image from here

image from here

My plan is to have a few zones of planting and the roses on the perimeter with a stone path winding through the flowers. I would love to build a trellis for the garage wall with some Clematis but that will wait until we paint the house.

Oh and last but not least...the mother in law hill is gone! Now we have a slightly hilly front yard perfect for a Slip N'Slide this summer.

So for now this is the yard...a huge improvement in my eyes...what do you think?

I planted Iceberg Rose trees along our property line, it really helps define our yard from the neighbors. This weekend we took out grass here and created a flower bed that ran along our property line. Pictures on that later. I have planted Shasta Daisy between the roses and plan on using only white flowers here for a little show stopping action.

The shutters were going to be repainted the same color as the porch railing but after taking a closer look at them this weekend its been determined that they need to be replaced. Its not a great idea to paint over rotted wood right??? So that will be sometime in the future for sure.

The chairs on the porch were given to us by Grandma and I have refinished them in red with cute new cushions of red flowers. Those hanging baskets will eventually sport cascading ferns and flowers. I imagine next year this garden will be beyond awesome. For now I am just thrilled to work in it and wait patiently for the pay off.

Oh and I am a expert at drip systems and sprinkler systems now if you have questions!

Glad to be back! Until next time!

Linked here...
Between Naps on the Porch

Fishtail Cottage

Long Time No Talk

2011-03-09T09:51:00.000-08:00

Well its been too long! I am alive and well...just doing less than exciting or completed projects lately. We have been seeding our front lawn...yawn...painting but not finishing Megan's room...we have 1 million paint swatches in the master bedroom...the office is not organized...oh and I decided to start painting art work again.

So yeah plenty going on but not much motivation to blog about it. Maybe once I have a actual complete project I'll blog again...until then sorry for the lack of blog...there are tons of wonderful blogs to fill your computer time reading however...be back soon!

Produce Co-op Wonderfulness!

2011-02-04T17:04:00.000-08:00

Can you say yummm!

This is what we got for our first week in the produce co-op from Megan's school! 15 dollars a week and we get all of this! Now I need to figure out what to use the eggplant for. I guess I am going to get a larger recipe file now. I am excited to have farm fresh organic produce and eggs for so cheap.

Does anyone have any yummy eggplant recipes to share?

The Joy of LOVE 01: what they do

2011-02-01T21:31:00.000-08:00

I am participating in the joy of LOVE over at www.willettedesigns.com this month. Its a 28 day free class. I hope to get some great pictures of those I love as well as improve my skills! Please join me!

01: what they do

This is James, he does a lot...but his most favorite today was pushing big toys to the sofa so he could climb on them and then climb on the sofa to look out the window. Not only do I worry about him falling off the sofa, I am also concerned about the blinds that he joyously hits repeatedly. He loves to see the neighborhood cats in our yard and is fasintated by the cars that drive by. So for today this is what he does!

I am not sure if I like the color or b&w better. I like the light in his eyes however and his sweet little hand getting ready to do some damage.

Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Whoop Whoop! Chair Feature!

2011-01-28T14:27:00.000-08:00

Well I am super jazzed and honored to have been featured on Better After today! Can you belive it!

I find myself checking this blog throughout the day just for inspiration. I can not believe I am now a part of this amazing collection of projects! Super huge thank you to Better After!

Here is the post including my Kitchen Chair Update.

Chairleaders

If you want the entire tutorial you can check it out here.

Thanks for the blog love...this reminds me that I should have done at least two projects this week...what a slacker! Enter excuse...busy family...5 shots for my little boy and pure TV addiction! There you have it!

I have a ton of plans...plenty of time to make them happen...and plenty of laziness getting in my way!

1 Year Old James...What a Big Boy!

2011-01-25T14:34:00.000-08:00

James got a healthy report at the Dr. today. We had to do some allergy testing to see why little man can't seem to have eggs, cows milk or meat. Hopefully we get some answers and feeding him becomes easier soon. Developmentally James is right on track and his growth has caught up after his little stall at 9 months.

Tall and skinny is my boy...just like his Daddy.

2 feet 7.5 inches tall (93%)

21 pounds 13.6 ounces (32%)

On more fun details. He is walking holding on to things, he claps his hands and nods his head. His dancing is completely adorable, he seems to like all music but really dances to anything upbeat. His temper is quite entertaining and worrisome for me, he is only 1...I thought that didn't start until 2!!! We are ignoring fits now and doing our best to not laugh at some of his naughty antics. He has hands down the best reactions when his Daddy gets home. I love that time of day for many reasons (back up arriving is always great) but the main reason is its my daily reminder of what a wonderful family I have. My husband is a amazing Dad and Step Dad, proof being in the kids excitement when he gets home.

Here is a little picture overload the kiddos.

There is no saying these two are not related!

Two handsome boys in blue.

Best little lips ever!

I am so blessed to have two happy and healthy children!

This coming weekend we will be starting on Megan's room. We have a pretty pale pink for the walls...details and pictures will be up soon!

Baseball Birthday for James

2011-01-24T21:47:00.000-08:00

Well my son turned 1 this past weekend...I am amazed how time can fly by with children. We had a wonderful party for him and here are a few of the budget friendly details along with plenty of cake in the face pictures.

I designed this invitation on my killer Scrapbooking Max program and had it printed through the same company that does my printing for CK Photography. Cost about $1.00 each.

Cake! I was planning on doing a totally awesome baseball diamond big cake to go with James' baseball cake but decided the cupcakes would be cute too and same me some stress. I think they came out great and the pennants were made using my program as well. They were free since I designed and printed them. I used leftover appetizer skewers instead of toothpicks. Cakes and cupcakes were about 4 dollars I would guess...I had everything and made the frosting from scratch.

Favors were $ Store Coca-Cola glasses, socks from the Target dollar bins, erasers, pencils and note pads from the Target Valentines day goodies ($1.99 for a pack of 24). I tossed some peanuts in a zip bag and created a little label for those and we were good to go. OH...and I made little baseball thank yous for the favors as well. We actually did have two little ones included in the festivities so they were more baby friendly with rice snacks and baby sunglasses.

On to the yummy cake and fun gift opening. Its safe to say James likes to savor his sweets. He took his time picking off the red frosting until Mom helped him out a little bit. He loved his cake but was willing to share with sister. What a sweet boy!

Sorry for the picture overload.


He was a little grumpy before the cake showed up. But I made this birthday boy sign as well! Love free cute decorations!

Are those pretty eyes or what! He is such a adorable boy!

I was able to take the cake away 1/4 of the way eaten and had to spend a bit of time cleaning him up.

James was the best 1 year old gift opener I have seen. He sat and watched and then helped tear paper and pull tissue out. It was great. He got some wonderful gifts from our family and friends. Tomorrow I'll be designing the thank yous to send out.

Here is a shot of one of his favorite gifts, Mickey Mouse rocks! He got three of these so we will be taking back a few of them. Big Thank you to the Burnett family, Pappa Rich, Cheryl and Suzanne!

Here are all the big kids (sister, cousins, and friends) enjoying Giant's Dog's and homemade french frys. I am guessing we spent about 20 dollars on food and Capri Suns and 60 dollars on plates, napkins, balloons and a few other decorations. We had 90 balloons so it was really festive.

My darling husband came up to me at the end of the day and sweetly asked for at least one picture of him and his son on his first birthday. How sweet is that...big fail on my part being the budding photographer though!

I love them so much!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and Monday!

I'm linking this up to all my favorite link parties...check out my party page.

Office Redo

2011-01-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for a doozie of a before and after? I sure was!

We finally tackled our office this past weekend and I am so thrilled with it...I am anxious to finish the rest of the house now too! Good thing the weather is getting less humid, painting isn't so miserable now.

So here ya go...please excuse the huge mess in the before pictures. You are looking at painting supplies, Christmas gifts yet to be opened by family and any other things we didn't have a place for.

Facing the front of the house, that is our front door on the left...messy and boring right!

Facing the kids rooms and laundry room. Bad flow with the desk right there.

A better view of the same direction. That door leads to the hall way that leads to the kids room and out to the garage. We walk through there all the time, the desk right there is just in the way...it will find a new home.

My husband thought my his and hers paint tray set up was cute...so he took a picture of it. As you can see I prefer the smaller roller, it seems to cover just as fast and I don't get a sore arm 2 minutes after starting the project. I got this from my mother who paints professionally and only uses these rollers...so I'm not that unusual.

So here is the after! We did Designer White on the ceiling (Ace Hardware paint) and the walls are Light Green Gray (Sherwin Williams). Did I mention this was all free paint? Yeppers, we had the white leftover from the living room/dining room/kitchen project and the green was a freebe from my Mom. Thanks Mom!

I love how the room looks. The green looks like it just belongs in the room and blends perfectly with the living room paint color (a custom color courtesy of my Mom again). Since these rooms are open to each other it was important that they have the same "feel" and I am pleased to say they do!

We moved the desk under the window and I love it there. I can look out at the front yard and work on the computer. The drapes are a Pottery Barn clearance bin find from last year. I love them and am thrilled to be able to enjoy them again. The drapery hardware is a $9.95 Lowe's clearance item I found a few months ago. The light fixture is a plastic brass one that I used Rub N Buff to change it on the cheap. I had it from a previous project so it was free! I will eventually get something more suited to my tastes for here.

I am loving this new little sitting area created with two of our many dining room chairs (we have 8 in this style and 5 in another) and the ottoman our sofa came with. I would love to create a slip cover for the ottoman to give it a funky fun look and maybe make some cushions or slip covers for the chairs as well. Since this picture was taken I have added a few more little trinkets to the tray on top. It looks adorable. James enjoys knocking everything off it. Oh well!

The view from the kids room revisited. Way better right? Just picture the desk refinished...I am not sure if I want to sand it and re stain it or go in the white glazed direction. I guess that will be determined later...any suggestions would be appreciated. The top is leather so I would love to maybe find a way to treat it so it isn't brown any more. A actual desk chair would be great but for the time being I'll be making a cushion. I plan on making a faux roman shade for that small window, I just need to find the perfect fabric.

Here is another view of the sitting area. You can see James' room with the door open. It great that his room is so close. I do most of my posting during nap time and can hear when he starts to wake up.

So there you have it. I think it looks pretty awesome for a free make over using stuff we had on hand. I obviously have a few more projects from this room in the near future but for now I am going to enjoy what we have done so far.

It's James' birthday week so this week is project 1st Birthday! I need to create decorations, finalize the menu and create a awesome birthday cake for him...busy busy busy!

Stay tuned!

Check our my party page for link locations!

Kitchen Chair Update

2011-01-16T14:29:00.000-08:00

Well I finally have some projects completed and ready to share! First up...my kichen chair update!

I inherited this step stool from Grandma when we purchased the house. She has had it for years and I loved it the second I saw it. Unfortunately is was a little worse for wear and was in bad need of a update.

Here is the before...a little ho-hum for my taste. I jazzed up for free with all the stuff I had on hand from other projects.

I took the chair apart and did my best to remember how I did so I could eventually put it back together.

Please excuse the yucky back yard...this is our HUGE project for this summer...HUGE project! I can't wait to get started on it...well back to the project at hand...painting!

Primer...ugly red brown...yuck! See how the sun is shining here...its a gorgeous day and so on...well not 5 minutes after this picture was taken it started to rain...on my freshly spray painted chair parts! How rude is that? So this project took another day longer than expected.

I recovered the chair seat and back with some fabric I had left from my kitchen table chairs.

Here is the finished project after a coat of green spray paint and about 4 attempts of putting it back together.

I love it...its funky...its cool...its uber cute! I wish I had done this months ago!

Linked to...

Party Page Blogs and...
Thrifty Decor Chick

Stay tuned for our office before and after...yep we finally painted the office this weekend!

Until then!

Clippers + Baby Boy = Big Boy

2011-01-10T21:08:00.000-08:00

Some of you may know that I have been dreading cutting James' hair. I knew as soon as we did the baby look would be gone. But I couldn't hold out any longer, so this past Friday we did a little barber shop work on the little Mr.

Here are some before pictures of Mr. Shaggy James in all of his adorableness.

Please excuse the less than stellar lighting...it was night time.

Cheese! Don't you love those cheeks!

Looks like a comb over right!?!

So Daddy stood by to manage baby and I put a 1" clip on our clippers and went to town. James sat really well and it was over in just a few minutes. I did clean up his ears and neck line with my scissors really quickly but he looks great...he looks like a little man and now has the most adorable bed head around.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to my little boy...James. He likes his new hair and even gave combing it a try. He looks pretty darn cute if you ask me!

On other subjects...I have been pretty boring lately with the posts, not this one because little boys are awesome but the others. I have been working on less than thrilling things!

Its project organization this month and I have done almost all of our closets so far. I have to tackle the kitchen and two bedroom closets and we are done with the inside. Our garage is in the most need of organization but unfortunately we will have Grandmas stuff in there until July. That makes it hard to get that area under control. We will wait until then I am sure because no one wants to clean the garage...the bonus is we don't have to freeze our booty's off to clean out the garage!

I have also replaced a toilet water supply line...yeah thrilling I know! It was cool that I did it...and I knew what to do. So kudos to me on that one!

This weekend the husband and I took down the Christmas lights and moved the tons of bins out to the previously mentioned messy garage.

We also cleaned out the gutters...by we I mean the husband did and I supervised, but it was good to get it done. Between the huge abundance of leaves and the huge amount of rain we have had since the beginning of December we had a plugged up gutter...not good. But its good now. Whew!

I would say this would be a good investment before next fall...it shouldn't be that hard to do right?

So needless to say there has not been much "fun" to post about.

I am excited to work on painting our office this weekend...whoop whoop! My darling "I hate painting" husband is going to help me and once it is painted I'll have plenty of cool DIY projects and crafts to share...until then you'll have to hear about cute little boy hair cuts and healthy food. But in the grand scheme of things that isn't so bad!

Until next time!

Chicken Parmesan Rollatini

2011-01-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

Chicken Parmesan Rollatini

This was originally a recipe from this months Food Network Magazine, but I didn't have all that they asked for so I made it my own. Plus I don't follow direction well...I like to do things my own way. As usual I encourage you to do the same.

You will need

Garlic

Carrot

Onion

Fire Roasted Tomatoes (1 Can)

Basil

Balsamic Vinegar

Parsley

Low Fat Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

1 Egg White

Bread Crumbs

2 Chicken Breast pounded out to about 1/2" thick

Salt & Pepper

Cooking spray

For the sauce I pureed 1/2 of a sweet onion, 1 large carrot, 1 spoon of minced garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. The carrot adds extra veggie points and I like the sweetness it adds to the sauce. Saute this mixture in a nonstick pan lightly coated with cooking spray. Puree tomatoes if you like a fine texture marinara. Once veggies are tender add tomatoes and 4-5 Basil leaves tore into small pieces. I added garlic salt, more pepper and a little shot of Balsamic Vinegar for a little kick. If I wasn't feeding a little one I would have also done a sprinkle or two of Red Pepper flakes or Cayenne Pepper.

Simmer on low until pasta is ready.

I failed big time on the picture front today...sorry! But here it goes for you non visual learners. Pound chicken out using a heavy skillet or the flat side of a meat tenderizer. I put the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap to avoid a mess. Season with salt and pepper. Turn Chicken smooth side down and sprinkle parsley and mozzarella over chicken, just enough to cover each piece, don't go all crazy with the cheese if you want this to be healthy. You are wanting a little taste of mozzarella. Roll from smallest end and secure with toothpicks.

Whip egg white until frothy and set aside. Mix 1/4 cup of bread crumbs with 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Coat chicken in egg whites and bread crumbs. Lightly spray cast iron or a oven safe skillet with cooking spray and place chicken in seam side down. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until done.

I used this new Garden Delight pasta...its more bank for your pasta buck with a full serving of veggies in 4 oz...awesome!

Cook according to directions about 10 minutes after you put the chicken in the oven.

Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

According to the FNM this chicken was 355 calories, I am not sure what my changes did to that number but really I couldn't have done that much damage! I sliced the chicken into 1/2 slices and each of us had 4 slices (about 1/2 of a chicken breast) and about 1 cup of the pasta tossed in the tomato marinara.

Enjoy!

Check out my Party page for all link party locations!

Week 2 Menu

2011-01-10T19:55:00.000-08:00

Well here it goes...we did pretty good last week except for Saturday when we caved and got pizza...but if we are good all week doesn't that mean we can be bad a little one the weekend?

I have been collecting recipes from magazines and my brain for the last week or so. I'm doing my best to adapt them to a more healthy lifestyle. 90% of what you see here are an version of something I saw on TV.

Here is my plan for this week, I think I'll put the recipe in a separate post for searching convenience. Stay tuned!

Monday -

Chicken Parmesan Rollatini with veggie pasta

Tuesday -

Turkey Meatballs and veggie spaghetti

Wednesday -

Leftover night! Woop Woop!

Thursday-

Turkey Avocado Clubs

Friday -

Mom's out for Bunko night!!! Boys Night at home.

Saturday -

Painting the office that day, we will probably cave and get sandwiches or something easy and fairly healthy.

Sunday -

Killer Crock Pot Chili

If you want any specific recipes let me know...I'll share one or two from the week as the week progresses.

Enjoy!

PS Next up...a recipe for tonight's dinner...it was yummy and pretty guilt free!

Orange Sesame Chicken

2011-01-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

Well its time for me to share this recipe. I have to warn you that I am one of those cooks that takes a recipe, makes it once by the book and then tweaks it for my tastes/supplies. So here is what I have created. I suggest you use my measurements as approximates and taste to your preferences!

Orange Sesame Chicken

Orange Juice Concentrate

Honey

Chicken Broth

Corn Starch

Red Pepper Flakes

Chicken Breast or Tenders

Canola or Olive Oil

Sesame Oil

Sesame Seeds

Veggies

Heat skillet to med/high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil.

Lightly dust chicken pieces in corn starch and saute until golden brown.

For sauce mix 2 tablespoons of corn starch with 1/2 cup chicken broth, add 2 tablespoons of orange juice concentrate, 1 teaspoon of honey and red pepper flakes to taste. Cook on med head until thickened.

Remove chicken and chop into bite sized pieces, add veggies and 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, saute in leftover oil.

Toss everything together in a large bowl...only add enough sauce to coat.

Serve with brown rice and edemame! Or whatever you want I guess.

Now I know some critics would say...OIL...bad...not healthy...yeah yeah I know...but I used very little oil and you could use some spray oil instead I guess...but this is how I did it. Normally you deep fry the chicken and add way more sauce and way more honey...so I did make some improvements! So there!

It was super yummy and my 7 year old loved it. Its a step in the right direction at the very least.

Enjoy!

Weekly Menu 1 plus Root Beer Glazed Pork Chops

2011-01-03T11:14:00.000-08:00

I have decided that I need to get better about providing healthy yummy meals for my family. The key word being healthy. I am a butter lover...I cook with it daily. Well I've decided to give it up, hopefully that will be step one on the road to a more healthy lifestyle. I'll add other "healthy" tricks or changes as we go, but for now that will work...don't want to underwhelm my taste buds right off the bat!

I am also going to start posting my menu for the week on Monday's to share with everyone. Having something I have to do every week will keep me honest for sure. I am sure you will see the occasional slip up of the unhealthy but overall I am going to do my best to overhaul my go to fat filled flavor filled meals into something that is still flavor filled but less of that darn fat...end result hopefully being I am less fat filled! Ha Ha!

So here goes week one. It seems pretty boring, but once I get more recipes under my belt it will get better. I will share recipes I try and love later in the week.

I would love to get yummy recipes from readers so hook me up!

Monday-
Orange-Sesame Chicken Fingers with, Brown Rice, Broccoli and Salad

Tuesday-
Balsamic Glazed Chicken, Zucchini and Salad

Wednesday-
Healthy Beef Stroganoff, Whole Wheat Noodles and Salad

Thursday-
Mom's night off...left overs

Friday-
Classic Healthy Meatloaf, Cauliflower Mash and Salad

Saturday-
Chicken Cacciatore, Brown Rice and Salad

Sunday-
Grilled Chicken and Veggie Pizza and Salad

I plan on doing leftovers for lunches and for my night off...Thursday. I'm looking forward to Thursday!

I will include pictures with recipes later in the week. For now I will leave you with a yummy not so healthy meal we had to exit the butter love era in style.

Say hello to...

Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions and Root Beer Reduction

(feeds 4)

4 Med Onions
1/2 Stick Butter

2 Bottles Root Beer

1 tbl of each, Thyme, Paprika, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

4 Pork Chops (bone in or boneless)

About a hour before you want to eat dinner start the onions and root beer reduction.

Chop or slice 4 medium onions and saute in 1/2 stick of butter on med to low heat. This is going to take a hour if you do it correctly. You want to slowly sweat the onions until they caramelize and get amazingly sweet. Stir frequently to prevent over browning.

These are not quite ready...you want the white to be gone.

In a small sauce pan pour 2 bottles of good quality root beer and set on med to reduce, you may have to lower your heat once its set to boil so you don't have a mess on your hands. You want it to just be just at a simmer. No need to hover over the stove, just be sure to have your heat high enough to have a slow simmer but low enough not to boil. Reduce by at least half, you will have a wonderful syrup when done. If you like spice toss a sprinkle of Cayenne in.

Once onions are done, remove from pan and set aside. Mix spices and rub into pork chops. Seer in onion drippings until golden.

Pile caramelized onions on top of chop and drizzle with root beer reduction.

We had a salad on a separate plate...I swear!

I have served this with whipped potatoes or rice pilaf with a veggie or salad. Next week I'll work on making this less of a butter fest.

Enjoy!

And The Nominees Are...

2011-01-02T19:39:00.000-08:00

Guess who has been nominated for a recipe over at LambAround!! Well little old me is who! How cool is that!

I was nominated for my super yummy Gingerbread Snowflakes.

Head over and check it out!

Thank you so much LambAround for the recognition! I am truly honored!

Top Projects for 2010 & Hopes for 2011

2010-12-29T19:08:00.000-08:00

Since I am a new blogger I don't have a ton to show off...but the few projects I have got in I am really happy with. Here is a sampling....

Box Pleat Valance

Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing

Banded Drapery Panels

Wash Your Hands Bathroom Sign

2011 looks to be a busy year of DIY projects...I took the time to jot down a quick list of the things I would love to accomplish. Depending on funds and time we will see what we get done. I assume most bloggers create a plan for the year so I will attempt that soon...before the 5th of Jan...now I have a deadline so I have to do it.

The list! This is really a list of hopes and dreams...items in bold will hopefully happen in 2011, others...just a dream or a vision. Time will tell how much happens. I have included some "before pictures", a lot of them are from our original walk through and things have changed quite a bit...I'll get better pictures soon...just need to remove the Christmas stuff first I think! Please forgive the bad photos...I never remember to get good lighting photos of my house...I need to do that.

A note to my darling husband...don't pull your hair out...this is a "Idea List" we will do a little bit at a time! ;o) love you!

Outside

We have already removed the scalloped borders and plants here, now we need to add pretty stuff.

Paint house, come up with a color scheme that works with neighborhood but makes our house shine

Install lights on front of garage

Power wash driveway and walkway

Paint shutters to match door and porch railing

Yards

Ivy, trees and old chairs are gone. Now if only that dirt would rota-till itself!

Fix fences (no more dogs in our yard please)

Fix Sprinklers in front, install sprinklers in back

Lawn, get rid of burial plot in the front lawn, seed for new lawn in the back

Flowerbeds, define and plant preliminary plants

Tear out old walkway and install new pretty one to sidewalk and to driveway...think organic curves...no right angles.

Porch

I have refinished that wicker...its red! The porch railing is peacock blue to match our door.

Stain floor to something "pretty"

Install beadboard ceiling

Install fancy outside light

Inside

The entire house could used new flooring...but that is a big huge project for years from now...bummer

Living/Dining

Get/create artwork for wall of sofa

Find perfect but cheap area rug for kids to thrash

Office

Paint

Hang awesome curtains waiting to be hung

Organize Closet and do something to make doors look nice and less cheap. (more on this later)

Refinish desk and get or make a file cabinet

James room

Can you tell that James doesn't clean his own room yet?

Paint

New Closet Organizer, fancy up the doors

Area rug

Toy organizer

Megan's Room

This is Megan's version of clean...impressive I know.

Paint

New Closet Organizer, fancy up the doors

New light fixture

Better toy and book storage

Big girl bedding

Master Bedroom and Bath (needs to be a escape for Mom and Dad)

Like my paint swatch...not the right color...but obviously I have given up on it for now. Nice bedding too!

Paint

New bedding and window coverings

Refinished dresser that fits in the room

Accessorize...we don't have any :o(

Refinish vanity cabinets

New toilet

Laundry Room

Paint

Better Organization

Hall Bath

Refinish vanity

New toilet

So this is a to be continued list for sure. I need to put together some inspiration boards so I have something to refer to in the years of work we have ahead of us. I am excited about all the possibilities. As always thoughts and suggestions are welcome...in fact I look forward to them!

Shared here...

11 Month James and Christmas...Awesomeness!

2010-12-29T11:06:00.000-08:00

Well this is long past due!

We have been very busy around here...James turned 11 months old on the 22nd...I can not believe in a few short weeks he will be 1! He is getting stronger and standing up for longer periods of time. He walks along holding the sofa but has yet to take any serious steps. That is ok with me...my little man is growing up way too fast! Here are a few pics of his handsomness...I couldn't pick just one.

What color are those eyes? Still not sure! Yes I know he needs a hair cut...I just can't bring myself to do it!

On to our wonderful Christmas...

We hosted Christmas Eve this year, we had 10 adults and 5 kids! It was great. Kid's didn't fight, adults had a great time visiting and the food was yummy! I have to say that my favorite part was all of the adults sitting around the table with full tummy's talking about our most memorable Christmas. All of us had special stories that we could all relate to, some were about the bike they just had to have and some were about huge surprises that they didn't expect...like new cars. For me that is what Christmas is really about...sharing with those you love and learning about them. I am so glad everyone was able to join us this year and I look forward to next year.

I was a little frazzled and didn't complete all I had planned for the year. I have to say that taking up blogging in November is not the best plan if you are running late on gifts and crafts. Next year I will start much earlier!

Christmas morning was awesome. The kids were adorable, they enjoyed the gifts and Megan has really grown into a gracious little girl. I have to say this years thank yous came from the heart and made it all that much better.

Here are a few shots of our holiday.

All ready for bed on Christmas Eve, they will kill me for the matching Pj's in time! I love it!

Poppy and Grandma got him his first wheels, now he is a Policeman just like his Poppy.

I had one of these...it was pink...we will see if we can create something yummy.

James wasn't so sure about all this...but he liked the tractor.

Butt Paste!!! Just what I needed! (I assume that is what he was thinking) This is quite possibly my favorite picture of the day.

Megapod! Megan got her own iPod...now she can sing even louder...who's idea was that?

The aftermath....yeah I did not want to clean that up!

So that is our short holiday round up. Things I didn't get to do are going on a list for next year. But it was a wonderful holiday! I love my family, I love my friends...what a great life!

PS...I'll post my super duper late home tour soon...just so I have it on here for next year.

Adorable Gingerbread Snowflakes

2010-12-18T19:45:00.000-08:00

I made yummy cookies...check them out!

They are chewy and spicy gingerbread that are actually super easy to make. I have eaten more than I should have...cant help myself...your friends and family will love them.

Want the recipe??? Here ya go!

1 cup Butter...yummm...room temp

1/2 cup packed Brown Sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup Dark Molasses
1 Egg
5 cups of flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tbs of ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt

In a mixer, cream butter until light yellow, add sugars and continue to cream until fluffy and the mixture is no longer gritty. Slowly add the molasses. Add egg and mix until well blended. Sift flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture. Turn out onto a floured surface and work dough until a smooth mound. Divide into 4 parts, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Roll out dough to 1/4 thick, use cookie cutters of choice, I used 3" snowflakes. Line cookie sheet with parchment or lightly grease. Bake at 400 degrees for 6 minutes (3-5 in cookies...shorter time for smaller cookies) until the bottoms are lightly browned. Let sit for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Once cool your can decorate to your hearts content. I like it somewhat simple and use Royal Icing...recipe follows.

3 tbs Meringue Powder (found at Michael's or Bakery supply stores)
6 tbs warm water
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
food coloring

Sift powdered sugar and meringue powder together, in a electric mixer set to low slowly add the water. You are looking for a thick pancake batter consistency, it should be pourable but not runny. Add colorant if desired, I did a super pale blue for a snowy look. I use the piping bags or bottles for better control. Decorate and eat!

I made these ones for Megan's Christmas party at the school...the kids loved them...they didn't notice the awesome detail...but the Mom's did...and I thought they were so pretty. One boy told me these cookies were so good that he could die now and be happy...I guess in 7 year old boy talk that is pretty good.

I shared this at the following awesome places...

The Girl Creative
Under The Table And Dreaming
LambAround
Remodelaholic
Tip Junkie
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Three Sisterz

Cupcake Birthday and other reasons I have been absent!

2010-12-16T12:24:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a hectic few weeks and I have been MIA from blogland.

Between holiday prep and other fun things blogging has been pushed aside...hopefully this will not be a ongoing thing.

December 5th my darling little girl turned 7!!! I can not believe she is so old already! Just yesterday she was saying things like "Momma, my hot" and "I wuv you", now it's "Hello Mother, how was your day?" spoken in her new favorite fancy accent usually British!

She helped to plan her party this year. We did a cupcake theme, complete with decorate your own cupcake to take home station. I was thrilled to not have a pink princess party! It was purple...yeah not a huge change in the degree of girlyness but you Mothers of girls know what a big deal this is. We didn't have crowns and fancy feather boas (last year), and she wanted to wear pants instead of a fancy birthday dress. Jump houses are not as much fun in a dress I guess.

Here is the play by play...please forgive the number of pictures...too many pictures to narrow down...too much fun.

The adorable Birthday Girl! Awesome that her front teeth are coming in right!

The birthday celebrations started on Friday at Megan's school. I made these cute little flower cookies for all the kids...they sang Happy Birthday...she blushed and said Thank you...then as 1st graders do...they inhaled the cookies...wanted more...I am sure there are some Mothers that appreciated the sugar high that evening.

Sour Cream Cookies, Royal Icing, few hours of icing, drying and more icing.

On to the details!

I wanted to make some pom poms but really had no idea how so I purchased them from Kristen of PomLove on etsy.com. Check her out here...PomLove

I love the color combination and Megan thought they were way cool...they stayed up for a week!

I made this little darling with my Scrapbook Max 2.0 software...again with the purple...but cute! I secured each letter together with a brad and stuck it to our ever empty living room wall.

Megan thought this should stay up all year.

I had planned on making the pinata because I wanted a 3D cupcake, well I ran out of time so we purchased this one...cute...purple and pink...it fits! Only issue...4 out of 16 kids got to hit it...bummer for the other kids...next year I'll make it myself...I am good at paper mache and its fun having homemade one of a kind decorations.

The soon to be pulverized cupcake!

I made the cupcake cake (say that 10 times fast) the evening before the party and just did the finishing touches the morning of. This is 4 boxes of cake mix and a huge batch of Cream Cheese Frosting. Keep in mind this is a cupcake party...the genius behind it was that the kids were going to decorate cupcakes instead of having a big cake...well Megan had other ideas. "We need to have a big huge cupcake for candles and little cupcakes to decorate and my friends can take them home for later". Well she got what she wanted!

Enter "Big Huge Cupcake"

It's difficult to carve and ice cakes perfectly...I didn't do it perfect...the kids didn't notice...hats off to the cake people!

On to the fun stuff...the action...the party!

The birthday girl doing her best to kill the cupcake.

Poppa Rich being reminded how hold he is...and how young they are.

Megan's Dad did the burger grilling.

Please note the disaster of a backyard. This will be a big project this coming spring...flower beds, lawn, fence repair and all kinds of other fun stuff...stay tuned!

Cupcake decorating! Don't you love the concentration!

Adorable kids in the jump house. My Megan and James, nieces Hailey (blonde) and Renee (brunette).

Aftermath of cupcake decorating...I put a paint drop cloth down to save the floor...totally worked!

Blowing out the candles...she made a wish and wont share it so it will come true. Maybe its for a million dollars and a vacation for her Momma???

My youngest niece Rylee...she had too much party I think!

So that is just a fraction of what I have been up too...I have also been slowly working my way through the house refinishing the brass door hardware to good ole Oil Rubbed Bronze...its beautiful! I'll show you that when its done. I keep creating new things to decorate for the holidays...I guess I should do a holiday house tour post...sorry I 'm a little late on that one! I just last night finished wrapping gifts, and after I post this I am on to finishing up baking...sour cream cookies, ginger bread cookies, zucchini bread, wafer cookies and jam thumbprints to start. I'll be sharing recipes soon! Until then...happy blogging!

I am in love with this Kitchen!

2010-12-10T08:49:00.000-08:00

I am in love with this kitchen...yeah I said that already buttttt....check this out!

It's not very often that I see something and like everything about it...but on this one I do. The floors, cabinets, fabrics, lighting...well everything!

Subway tile! I love it! Blues and greens and cream and dark wood....amazing.

We have a fairly similar small kitchen/supposed to be living room combo in our house. I have been wanting to do something like this ever since we did our first walk through with it. Hopefully my husband will get these visuals and go for it!

I can not stress enough how much I like those light fixtures! They fit wonderfully with the other elements in the room.

My kitchen currently has one of those flush mount florescent fixtures...yes gasp...but someday...when we grow up...we will have something like this!

This room is beautiful. My kids would have hand prints all over that beautiful blue, but pictures this on a smaller scale in this room....

Amazing!

Yes sorry this picture is from our kitchen cabinet refinish...it doesn't always look like this...I sear!

Well that is my oogling for today...hope you enjoyed it.

All images other than my messy room are borrowed from here....

Tovi Fairley

I may be in love with this blog...just so you know!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

2010-12-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

Well I guess its time to reveal my Christmas tree. We had a few set backs this year...no tree topper...not enough ribbon...no window to put the tree in. But we made do and have a pretty tree right by the fire place for Santa.

It doesn't look like a Macy's tree...and I think I like it that way. We have a star that refused to sit straight so that equals character! Megan helped decorate and that makes it our tree.

Someone needs to send me a tutorial on how to take Christmas tree photos properly...sorry this looks so bad.

Megan's first Christmas ornament...she has to put it on every year...its maybe her favorite part of the decoration process.

My favorite...shoes...I miss cute shoes... I need to get some in my new post baby size!

Best Santa ornament on our tree...I think he is way cool and his beard is chenille...sooooffft!!

I love this ornament...its from my Mom's store and a few years old but I get jazzed every year when I put it up.

Obviously I have a thing for candy stripes...here is even more proof...Isn't it cute! I got this one last year...now I am on a quest for this years candy cane ornament.

There you have it...our less than Macy's but still loved Christmas tree!

Linked to the following...

Custom Photo Cards

2010-12-07T18:32:00.000-08:00

Well I have been playing with my new software and have started creating custom cards...Birth Announcements...Thank you notes...Christmas cards...anything really. Check it out...if you are interested in having me make some for you let me know!

Just send me info with your color requests, theme, picture or pictures, specific wording if needed and any other thoughts you have on your card look. I'll put something together and send you a proof for approval. Once approved I will have them printed and shipped directly to you.

DIY Christmas Topiary

2010-12-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry I am a little late on my Christmas Craft...I have way too many projects going to pick just one!

I'll start with my new topiary. I have wanted something like this for ages and was unwilling to pay the price in the store. This year I tackled making them myself and am very happy with how they turned out.

You need...

Foam balls

greenery

dowel

glue gun and glue

ribbon or burlap

something pretty to fill the pot

pot or container of choice

Cut dowel to desired length.

Glue dowel into foam balls (each end).

Glue foam ball into pot or container

lots of glue so it doesn't wiggle about

You should have this look at this point...super skinny snowman maybe?

I failed to wrap my dowel before I did the greenery...it was difficult...learn from my mistakes...wrap dowel in ribbon or material of choice. I cut a small strip of burlap and wrapped it around with a bead of hot glue running down the dowel.

I love how much texture the burlap added to the dowel

Cut sprigs of greenery into similar lengths. I poked a hole in the foam with the greenery, pulled it out and then hot glued it back in. I plan on using these for several years and want them to be sturdy.

Halfway done, I mixed two different greenery types...a old wreath (white tipped) and some new stuff I got with my 20% off coupon)

Here is the finished product...I am not in love with the bow...but I have ribbon on order to fix that issue. I think I'll leave it like this for this year and maybe next year add some more jazz with ornaments.

Looking at these pictures a coat of spray paint on the pot may be in order as well...or some candy stripes...since I am obsessed with candy stripes!

Overall this was a super inexpensive project. The only things I purchased were the dowel, new greenery and pot. Less than 5 bucks investment and I got two!

Linked to the following

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Tip Junkie Blue Cricket Design

Ribbon!

2010-12-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

Some of you may know that I like ribbon. I refuse to use stick on bows on packages and prefer a nice simple bow out of good ribbon for all of my Christmas Gift. I often do not have to include a card for my best friend Amy's gifts because she knows my OCD wrapping style. Welllllll Craftaholics Anonymous just introduced me to my new favorite supplier! Ribbon and Bows Oh My! totally awesome shop...with great prices and great product! I am jazzed to have a new go to place that wont break the bank!

Craftaholics Anonymous is hosting a giveaway this week for a $100 package of the goods! Go check it out...I hope to win...but you can still try!

Here is what I purchased for my wrapped but not yet adorned packages under the tree this year.

Pretty right! I think it will look perfect with my candy striped wrapping paper (surprised it's candy striped? ha ha)

They have tons of other cool products to check out. I'm in love!

Christmas Vignette

2010-12-02T10:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my dinning room. My entire house is a work in progress currently. This year I am doing my best to participate in all of the Holiday Home link parties. This really gets your creative spirit going and gives you a time line! Bonus! Usually I add a tree or some garland to my hutch and call it good. This year I used this space for my vignette.

I had a hard time finding the look I was going for...and I was not going to purchase more decorations for this project so I worked with what I had. I am pretty happy with the end result. I'll be thinking about this when I tackle the after Christmas sales this year. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Well here ya go...my first ever official vignette!

Candy stripe wreath made by me...in 5 minutes...with stuff I had=score!

Ornaments with sparkle are always a must

a dusting of candy is advisable during the holidays

fabric was left over from a project of years past...perfect for this I think!

add some snowflakes and you have a vignette

I am sure I will be messing with this over the coming days to perfect it, but for now this is what I've got. Now I am off to start baking for the Birthday girl...I can not believe I have a 7 year old!

Linked at the following...

Southern Hospitality

Handmade Gift Exchange

2010-12-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

As some of you may have figured out, I am addicted to reading blogs, craft, photography, baby...you name it...I like reading it. Hi my name is Christy and I am a blogaholic.

During one of my many blog exploration trips I came across Linda and her Blog Craftaholics Anonymous, she has a ton of great posts to read and I was there for quite some time. Well...the day I was there she happened to post about the Handmade Gift Exchange for this year, I was jazzed to find this in time and signed up. We were supposed to create something to send to another Craftaholics Anonymous reader...so I did!

I made a few paper star ornaments that I learned about at House Revival. I changed the paper...because I didn't have a old book to tear up and I wanted them to be all glossy...I used photo paper and a little glitter for bling. I am thinking I need to make more for my tree.

I hope my Exchange partner likes them!

I also included one of my felt flower pins that I failed to take a picture of...hopefully my partner will post about it.

I really liked the more complicated star (upper left) I should have taken a side view photo it was really cool. Oh well..next time!

On to some birthday planning...stay tuned for a Birthday planning post soon...Megan will be 7 on Sunday and we are doing a all purple party with cupcakes! Yumm!

Christmas Mantle Decor

2010-11-30T13:40:00.000-08:00

I am in love with the mantle...after a few days of playing with it! One of the best parts is this is a budget project...what you see here are Target dollar ornaments (big and small glittery ones), Target 2$ bead garland, Target 1$ Holiday Mints, Target 1$ Snowflakes and Dollar store beaded ornaments for 1$ each. I had the garland, candle sticks (see the Goodwill redo here) and candy stripe ornaments already. Total cost 9 dollars...not to shabby huh?!?

For the candy garland I just hot glued each candy end to end. Use a low heat glue gun because you will get glue on your fingers! I used paperclips to keep the smooched together while they cooled. For my mantle I did 3 lengths of 17 candies and secured them to the garland. Looking at it now I will maybe do two more to finish off the edge...but I am not sure...what do you think?

Here are some more money shots of the mantle...I love how its fun and Christmasy with out being to stuffy looking.

Oh so pretty!

I am sharing this project/redo with the blogs below.

Savvy Southern Style

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Someday Crafts

Blue Cricket Design

The Thrifty Home

Thrift Core

Wash Your Hands Take 2

2010-11-30T13:27:00.000-08:00

Well I decided we needed more art in the hall bathroom. I took some cute pictures of the kids hands and created this!

Specific instructions are always good with my kiddos.

Megan's little hands are still so cute!


James wouldn't sit still long enough for both hands...but its a cute hand all the same.

All I needed was my camera, Scrapbook Max 2.0, two Ikea Ribba frames and some stain!

The frame was origionally white, it could have worked but I wanted some interest so I used a old wash cloth and rubbed on some of my dark stain.

Total cost for project...Free!!! I had everything needed, and the frames were maybe 2 bucks at Ikea months ago.

I will be adding a few more things here and there to the room and will do a final reveal soon.

Until next time!

Project shared here:
Blue Cricket Design

Ornament Wreath

2010-11-28T20:40:00.000-08:00

You know I love a deal...so when I saw that the dollar store had a gazillion ornaments that were cute...in my color scheme and a dollar...yeah duh...I jumped on it...well my husband did...he went and got them for me on a rainy day like the sweetie he is.

I have always wanted one of those 60 Dollar wreaths you see places like Pottery Barn and the like...I decided to give it a go myself. Here is the how to.

So here we go.

Gather supplies...

Ornaments...lots of them...in different sizes

Glue Gun

Wire Hanger

Ribbon to hang wreath with

Pie...optional...but made it fun

Stretch your hanger into a circle...or your shape of choice.

Get your huge pile of ornaments and begin the long process of gluing the tops to the ornament...this will save you future headache...promise.

In a random fashion slide your ornaments onto the hanger, I did 4 or 5 at a time then arranged them to fit and hot glued them in place.

Continue this process until you get to the end. Secure the hanger back together and tie a ribbon around the top to hang. Ta Dahh....easy peasy. I am thrilled that I spent 10 dollars on ornaments...I still had a ton to do my front entry decorations and they all coordinate! Love it! I may go back and add some more super small ornaments to fill in the spaces...or maybe some battery operated lights to give it some more twinkle...but I think it looks pretty darn good.

PS I am in love with Red, White and Silver this year...its my thing! Stay tuned for the front porch reveal...I am way excited to show you...just need it to not be freezing outside long enough for me to finish it.

The Girl Creative

U nder The Table and Dreaming

LambAround

its so very cheri

Wash Your Hands...that's what the sign says

2010-11-28T15:07:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by Tracy at Tracy's Trinkets and Treasures to tackle the following project.

I knew this would be just perfect in our hall bathroom. A message for kids, style for adults. I really enjoy doing tons of link parties because I find so many great projects and blogs, currently my "craft to do" bookmark has 30 or so projects. So yea for me for getting to check one off the list.

So here is my version of Tracy's big bathroom sign.

I am thinking of adding a small sign below...WITH SOAP!!!

Here is how I did mine.

Gather the supplies...

Wood...I got a 1x6 for a few bucks

Stain

Letters, I have a handy Cricut on loan so I used that and card stock to create my wording.

Mod Podge

Brush to apply stain and Mod Podge

3M Picture hangers

Pencil

Ruler

Drop Cloth or something to protect the area you are working on.

I stained the wood, brush on, wipe off until you get the color you want. Let dry a hour or so.

I did a little sanding to distress it a bit.

I used a T-Square to place the letters on the board evenly, applied Mod Podge and let dry.

I then did two coats of Mod Podge to seal everything nicely. I thought the white lettering was a little stark so I used the same brush I did for stain so I could get some streaking and color on the white letters.

Lastly after everything was dry I was ready to hang it. I measured where I wanted the sign to hang and applied the 3M picture hangers to both ends and stuck it to the wall.

I am thrilled with the look, for a few hours of work I have a custom piece of art that is fun and stylish.

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T21:55:00.000-08:00

First and foremost...my family. I have a awesome family! We often disagree but we are a group of talented, loving and hugely sarcastic people.

The kids in the family are wonderfully funny little people with attitudes to match the grown ups. They make a ton of noise and drive us crazy, but they all make us laugh just as much. I enjoy watching them grow and really want them to slow down at the same time.

My husband is the best husband in the world, he works hard so I can stay home and raise our children. He does the dishes, with out bitching, he fills my water bottle at night since I always forget, he warms up my side of the bed before he warms up his own side on a cold night so its toasty when I get in. He is a amazing Dad. He is funny beyond measure and loves me, even when I am being "bossy and controlling" to quote my Dad's speech at our wedding.

Speaking of my Dad, he isn't technically my Dad, but men dont need to contribute to your genes to be your Dad. He is the first person I think of when I need advice on how to fix or build something, or when I cut my finger and need someone to fix it. He is who I call when I need a sounding board that is non-emotional and will tell me his honest opinion even if I don't like it. He loves me, he knows me better than I know myself sometimes. He is Poppy to my children, I love him and am so lucky to have him for my Dad.

My Sister is awesome, really that should sum it up but I can go on. She moved away last year for about six months, I hated it. We don't spend every moment together, but not having her close was terrible. She is my best friend and I look forward to us turning into old bittys together. She is fun to pick on too. She married a funny guy I enjoy picking on too. He will tell you the longest short story ever told, but ALWAYS gives the bad guy the benefit of the doubt...I never do that and admire his willingness to look for the good in people.

My Mom...I think all Mother daughter relationships are complicated. The love between us runs so deep you can not see the bottom. I am always calling for advice/opinions...on everything. Being her daughter I almost always do my own thing, but I still want to know her opinion. She is a talented and creative person, she made me who I am. She doesn't think the rest of us are as funny as we think we are, but when she gets a good laugh going she usually has tears running down her face and her cheeks hurt after a while. I wish she laughed like that more often. She has been a awesome Mom and a really AWESOME Grandma.

The Inlaws...My Father in law is a great guy. We have had a hard year adapting to loosing Becky my Mother in law, me miss her a lot. He has needed time to himself this year. But hopefully we will get to spend more time with him in the coming months. He is a very talented and smart man. He is loving and gives the best hugs around.

Ok...enough of the sap...we had a ton of yummy food today. I've done Thanksgiving for several years now and this year I think I finally have it down to a science. It was awesome to have zero stress...I'll let the pictures tell the story and post recipes later.

Sorry for being so wordy today!

We forgot to take a picture before we started carving...sorry for the bad angle and messy cutting board.

We do buffet style so we don't burn our delicate fingers with hot dishes.

From the highchair...James, Mike aka. Husband, Rich, Diana, Ruth (you can see her hair), Grandma Dot, and Megan.

Much love,

James is 10 Months Old!

2010-11-23T22:14:00.000-08:00

Wow how times fly's! I can not believe it has been 10 months since we welcomed James into the world. He really has turned into a character this last month. His newest trick is making faces when you try to take a picture of him...a sign of things to come maybe? He enjoys torturing his sister, hitting, biting, drooling and so on. He knows that "No" means go faster or hit harder. He is bound and determined to get us a new TV no matter what he has to do...hit it with toy trucks, sippy cups or books. One of my favorite new talents of his is ability to give big sloppy kisses. We were walking through target this week and he looked up and pursed his lips...it was adorable, I of course gave him a smooch. He decided I needed to kiss him every other step from that point on. If I missed a kiss he would pat my hand and stick his lips out. I think I'll remember that trip to the store forever, I have no idea what I purchased.

Here are a few shots of Mr. Hot Stuff himself just before bath time.

Thanksgiving Menu

2010-11-22T21:06:00.000-08:00

Thought I was time for me to finalize our menu for Thursday...not to mention I got a new toy this evening and wanted to play with it. Meet my first project on Scrapbook Max.

Pretty cool right?!? I am really excited...I plan on doing our Christmas cards this way too...not to mention scrap booking, invitations and all kinds of other fun paper craft things! I learned about this software from Colette over at My Computer is My Canvas. I am thrilled to have this new tool for future projects. I am sure I will be referring to her blog a lot for tips and inspiration. Thanks Colette!

Banded DIY Drapery Panel

2010-11-21T17:00:00.000-08:00

Well here it is finally...3 windows, 8 panels turned into 6 panels...and I am in love with them. If I had been able to sit down with zero distractions they would have been done in one day, but who has that life?

From Restoration Hardware

This was my inspiration, while I love the dark brown on these panels I wanted something a bit more casual and at a price that wouldn't break my heart when there are kiddo hand prints on them. Below is what I came up with.

You will need: (this is for one window, increase according to the number of windows you are doing)

Drapery Panels-two white and two linen. I used Ikea Lenda in cream and linen, at $14.99 a pair you can't beat it.

Sewing Machine

Thread

Measuring tape

Fabric pen

Drapery Hardware

Step 1-Measure window, determine how high you want your hardware and how long you will need the panels to be. For my windows I hung the hardware at 120" and made the drapes 120". I like them to just touch the ground.

Step 2-Iron your panels both white and linen. Lay them out on the ground and make measurement marks with measuring tape and fabric pen. I can't stress how important this is, it is really a drag to hang your panel up and have a super wonky seam at the bottom. Not that I did that or anything. I measured to make sure the panel was square, it wasn't. Then I marked my cream panel at 90".

Step 3-Measure and cut linen, I did 30", then allowed 3 inches for hem and seam for 33" total length.

Step 4-Make a crease along the line you measured out on both the cream and the linen panel. For a 120" panel I did 93" long for the cream and 33" for the linen.

Step 5-With right sides together line up the crease of the linen to the cream crease as shown. Pin and sew along the crease.

Step 6-Press seam flat, trim allowing for 1" of fabric.

Step 7-For a clean look to the back of your panel fold over raw edges and iron. Sew flat, I used the foot to measure the stitching equally on both the linen and cream.

Step 8- Press and sew hem. I fold over 1/2 and then 1" and sew for a clean hem.

Step 9-If sides of panel are uneven between the cream and linen, press and sew. Mine of course were, but it wasn't hard to press the cream to the width of the linen and sew.

For those of you who purchase pocket top panels you are done, hang and enjoy. If you purchase the Lenda from Ikea they come with tab top. That was not the look I wanted so I had another step.

Step 10-Sew tab top over flat to the back of the panel (I of course forgot to take a picture of that step). Once sewn run your drapery rod through the pocked created by sewing over the tab tops. I was actually really pleased with doing this because it created a great pleated top look to the panels.

Hope you find this to be a helpful tutorial. Hindsight being what it is I would have maybe done a contrasting tread so you could see the stitching on both sides of the seam between the cream and the linen. But as it is the detail is very pretty.

This tutorial was linked Here...

Momma Made Baby Food

2010-11-18T16:21:00.000-08:00

Some of you may know already that Miss Megan only ate homemade baby food. Well Mr. James isn't much different, but he eats so much more than his sister did that I have been having a hard time keeping him full. I created a new recipe that he happens to love and is packed full of protein and all other good stuff. In less than a hour today I made 18 portions of the new mix "Green Stuff" as well as 10 portions of Applesauce, 10 Blueberry Applesauce, and 10 Spinachsauce (that is spinach sweetened with apple).

James is going to help cook.

So here is ya go...try it on your little one. Recommended for 6 months and older.

You will need:
1 package Frozen Chopped Spinach
1 package of Frozen Brown Rice or approx. 2 cups cooked Brown Rice
4 Chicken Tenderloins
1 package Frozen Peas

Puree Spinach and set aside
Cook rice as directed and puree

Boil chicken in organic low sodium chicken broth. Reserve broth. Puree Chicken and set aside

Return broth to pot and return to boil, add frozen peas and cook until warm. Puree peas.

I make a assembly line and use a small scoop (1 oz.) to measure out the mixture in ziptop bags. One scoop each of spinach, rice, and chicken. 2 scoops of peas. You may have extra of some of the items. I combine them together as is or cook more of the missing ingredient to finish off the mix. Freeze and pull out a portion when needed.

Finished Green Stuff

Hope your little one enjoys this as much as mine does.

Halloween Table Scape

2010-11-17T15:44:00.000-08:00

I know I am super late, but I just got the pictures!

Here are a few shots of the table for our Halloween party this year. We had to keep it a little mellow on the scary factor because our kiddos are still young...but they all thought it was cool to have spiders and mice everywhere.

I have big plans for next year already. Maybe some dry ice smoke to add to the spookiness!

Ohhh...spooky spiders! 

Mummy Red Velvet Cupcakes

Blood Red Punch, Rocky Road and Bat Straws...what else would you need?

Chips in the shape of pumpkins, bats and ghosts.

Yummy homemade candy.

Oh My Goodness!!!! Featured at Centsational Girl

2010-11-17T14:32:00.000-08:00

Kate over at Centsational Girl mentioned my Box pleat valance! Can you believe it! Her blog is not only a daily stop for me, I can read her blog for hours! I am so thrilled she mentioned my tutorial.

If you have not checked her out please do so, its inspiration galore!

Here is the link to the post where my valance was featured.

Winners, Features and Favorites

Thanks Kate for the blog love! I am so excited!

Living Room Drapes Teaser

2010-11-16T20:58:00.000-08:00

Some of you may be aware of my drapery project for the living room and dinning room...well today I got all the hardware up and 2 of 3 windows done!!! Woop Woop!

Here is a little teaser of the project...tutorial to come later.

So there you have it! I am very pleased...but also am noticing the complete lack of color now in this room. We are in need of a pretty rug and some art work for sure. I've had my eye on some pretty paintings that are uber expensive that I may just duplicate myself!

Opinions? Comments? Suggestions?

Kitchen Before & After Phase One

2010-11-15T21:43:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Phase one of our new kitchen...here is a little back story.

This is our first big kid house, we had a condo that we gave a big face lift but needed much more space with two growing kiddos. My husbands Grandma had decided that she was ready to sell her house and move on after breaking her hip two years ago. We were in charge of cleaning out the house, selling and/or donating the items Grandma did not want. Needless to say that was quite a project. If any of you have ever done this you know how difficult it is to go through someone else things and sell or donate them. Grandma is glad this stage is over as am I. We moved in mid August 2010.

In the first few months we have been painting the main living area, taking out over grown plants in the yard and tinkering around with little projects. I think we are finally making progress in operation make it feel like home. The kitchen has been the first big project to tackle and I am more than thrilled with the progress and look forward to even more DIY Projects.

So on to the goods....pictures. Lots of pictures.

These are from our original walk through...lots of work to be done.

Before

Yes its a old ugly stove...sadly it works like a charm...no excuse to buy a new one...yet.

Awesome size kitchen...taken over my the island table combo Grandpa made. Yes I am the mean Granddaughter in law that has plans of altering it.

A future fun area to display "stuff".


Face of island...look at all that storage! I am in heaven!

Well after a ton of elbow grease, trips to the paint store and hardware store. Not to mention guidance and lessons from my Mom the faux finisher, my Dad handyman extraordinaire we have the following results.

After

Ta Dahhhh! Please excuse the garbage cans...need to find a DIY project to hide those. Notice the artwork on fridge...proof I'm a Mom.

More direct view of the beauty...can you believe that is paint, glaze and stain? I cant!

Face of Island now...I love the contrast between the island and the main cabinet color. I can't get enough of the bead board either.

So the part my husband dreads...FUTURE PLANS!!!

I would love to get all new counter tops, solid surface of some sort. We will probably refinish the ugly white laminate to hold us over until that project fits in the good ole budget
Under mount sink
New faucet (less apartment chic)
New stainless appliances (duh)
Subway tile back splash, glass if I was rich and white ceramic if I'm not
Potterybarnesk Pendant light over the sink and island
Oh...brushed silver or pewter knobs and pulls for the main cabinets...almost forgot that one.

So thats all... not really THAT much to do right?

Any awesome suggestions, opinions or comments from blog land?

The details of this project are huge, so I'll do the short version.

Draw a diagram and label each cabinet and drawer, place hardware in corresponding ziptop bag if you are reusing.

Clean...really clean...mineral spirits, sand, TSP, sand, denatured alcohol, sand, wipe off with water. This step took me 2 full days, you have to do this right. Well that is what Mom says and she is the professional cabinet re-finisher lady. Let everything dry for 24 hours.

Base coat/primer. I luckily had access to fancy smancy professional base coat that had color and primer all in one. I would imagine that a good quality primer would work with a good quality paint on top...twice. I did two coats of our base.

Let second (or third) coat cure for 24 hours.

Fun stuff...glaze/stain. We used two colors of stain, first was a deep brown, lightly brushed it on, wiped it off and dry brushed for brush marks that look like wood grain. Second color was a deeper purpley brown, again the same system, leaving more or less behind depending on what we liked the look of.

Cure for 24 hours.

Clear protective coat...super important...thin coat...repeat within 4 hours of first coat or wait a full 24 for the second coat. Cure for at least 24 hours, use diagram to put kitchen back together. Be gentle with your cabinets for the next several weeks just to be safe. You can reapply a third clear coat in 6 months if you like, Mom said it wasn't necessary...I may just do it under the sink and by the stove to cover the busy areas.

And thats that!

Mom helped me with the skills and a lot of the painting. She kind of let me loose on the final glaze steps and returned to help finish up the project with clear coat. From start to finish I did this in 9 days I think, just in time for Mom's 50th Birthday extravaganza at my house.

This was my birthday present from her so I got all the products for free! WOOP WOOP! But for the fancy smancy supplies you are looking at a few hundred dollars. Depending on the technique the professionals will charge anywhere from $4,000.00 to $6,000.00 for my size kitchen. Going the DIY route you could do this for $200 or so. I think it looks wonderful and the husband thinks the free part is wonderful!

The island was the same technique just in color and one glaze. Test this on a scrap to be sure that is the look you want. It's not fun to repaint and wait ANOTHER day to do the fun stuff.

Well that is that project! Drop me a note if you have any questions.

I shared this post at the following:
Sugar Bee - Craft Edition
Between Naps on the Porch
House of Hepworths

Make your own Box Pleat Valance

2010-11-14T19:28:00.000-08:00

I had my Mom's help doing the math but I'll do my best to give you the formula and then the step by step.

Ok here is a go...

Finished Valance Width Wanted + Width of board using (usually 4" or 6") x 2"+ Pattern repeat amount for pleat + 4" for seams and mess ups

Example 54"+ 8" (4"+ 4") + 10" + 4"=76" long

Depending on how long (the drop is the fancy word) you want your valance, cut your rectangle to that size plus 4" for the width of the wood and 2 inches for hem.

I did a railroad cut on my fabric because I picked a killer pattern that could go both horizontal and vertical (smart for less headache)

Here is a list of supplies needed

Measuring tape

Pine board cut to length of completed valance (I used a 54"x4" for this one).

Fabric...pattern of choice and lining if you wish to have it.

No sew hem tape (I use the stuff from Michael's, the heavy duty stuff).

Scissors

Staple Gun and staples

L brackets and screws

Step 1

Order fabric! I usually order 20% more for a mess up and because I like to have extra for other projects in the future. I am thinking Mother and Daughter aprons for this pattern.

Step 2

Measure twice...or five times until you are sure you are good to go. Be mindful of where the center of the fabric is and if that is smack in the middle of the pattern so you don't have a pleat off center. Yeah...did that...twice!

I cut a 76" x 24" piece of fabric of both pattern and some extra white I had handy for the lining for a 54" x 18" finished valance.

Step 3

Iron the heck out of the fabric.

Test to make sure your iron is not to hot so you don't ruin your pretty fabric. Nope...I have never done that...nope...sure not.

Step 4

Make your hem.

I like to do a 1" or 1/2" fold then a 1 1/2" to create a nice edge.

Helpful hint:

Keep in mind that often the edge of fabric has words printed...I cut those out so I didn't see it from the right side. I also found it helpful to have a point in the fabric that I did the final fold on so all the valences in the room are the same.

Step 5

Iron the lining to match up to the top of the inside edge of fabric

That sounds confusing...check out the picture

Step 6

Place no sew tape 1/2 way between the lining and the pattern.

I know its hard to see...but look for the solid white stripe of paper...yeah that is no sew tape.

Step 7

Apply tape to fabric as directed. Peel off paper, lay fabric on top of exposed tape with lining and pattern fabric lined up. Iron to complete adhesion for the length of the fabric.

Step 8

Once fabric has cooled, find center of length of fabric (this should be the center of the pattern on the fabric as well) and fold in half to mark the center of the back of the pleat.

With folded fabric laying on table or floor find the end of the pattern repeat and fold to meet up with the center fold on each side. I iron all these folds really well so when I am laying out the valance I don't have to worry about loosing all my hard work on pattern matching.

Helpful hint:

Think about folding a piece of paper to match up the lines, you want to look at your valance and see a uninterrupted flow of the pattern.

Sorry I don't have pictures of this stage...bad planning on my part.

Step 9

Lay fabric out on your cut board. Confirm that your fabric allows for the coverage of the end of the wood. Measure out the length needed and mark for the hem on the ends of the fabric. Use no sew tape for this part as well.

Step 10

Being mindful of the center of the board in relation to the center of the valance pleat. Use a measuring tape to double check that your valance is 18" or the drop you decided on. Use the staple gun to secure the fabric to the wood.

Again a picture would be nice...I'll do better next time. I was sure to use plenty to staples on each of the folds of the pleat to avoid future sagging. For the ends of the valance I folded the fabric like you would for a package and stapled it to the under side of the wood.

Step 11

Secure L brackets to the wood. I was sure to measure the distance from the center of the board so they are equal on both ends...makes for less math when installing them! Well I did that on the last 3.

Step 12

Hang above window and enjoy!

Here are a few more finished pictures.

Overall I spent 40 or so dollars on all 4 valances. Way cheaper than having them made or even buying some panels.

Hope you enjoy them and let me know if you use this method for valances in your own home. I would love to see pictures!

Find the fabric here:

https://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=58a4830b-910e-4d55-9993-e8491e704e33

I got it on sale as well as with a 20% off coupon code.

I shared this project at the following places.

Under The Table and Dreaming

LambAround

Between Naps on the Porch

Featured on Centsational Girl

Blog Beautification

2010-11-13T22:58:00.000-08:00

Can you say pretty blog??? I can now! Thanks to Mandy over at a sorta fairytale and her mad skills! So thank Mandy for helping me make this a nicer place to visit!

Well I guess that is all for tonight...maybe...its late but I am wanting to finish some of the 5 posts on projects I have started this week. Maybe tomorrow.

How about a sneak peak instead...

I made that oh so pretty box pleated valance...I am putting together the how too tutorial...but you'll have to wait for it!

Night Night.

Highlighting you!

2010-11-12T11:15:00.000-08:00

Mandy over at a sorta farytale posted today about featuring her readers in a getting to know the readers post....I of course would love people getting to know me and my blog so I filled out her questionnaire. While doing so I went on and on and will probably have the award for the "wordiest" answers. But that is just me I guess. I thought it would be good for me to post this on my own blog for my 5 entire followers to get to know me even though I am sure they know all of this already ha ha! But who knows who else is out there, or will be in the future...so here you go. I apologize in advance for any grammar or spelling issues...that is just me too!

Name and Blog(s). http://kaiserfamilyupdates.blogspot.com
Tell us about your blog, what will we find there?You will find everything from family updates, crafts, recipes, DIY projects I have done for our new home, samplings of my photography. Not to mention plenty of other random interesting thoughts that rattle through my brain.
What are some things that inspire your blogging? My children, they are hilarious and are often my subjects for photography or a post...or both! I also find huge inspiration from other bloggers, I find that I can not sit down at the computer without checking for new posts from my favorites.
Do you have any children? If so, what are their names & ages? Yep! Two kiddos, Megan 6 going on 17...well 7 really and James who will be 10 months Nov. 22. They are the light of my life and I am so blessed to be their Mom.
What 5 words would you choose to describe yourself? honestly??? Controlling (yeah not a great one but its true), funny, thoughtful, creative and driven.
How would you describe your overall style? That is a hard one, is traditional/country/contemporary a style option? I love a mix of everything so maybe eclectic would be the right word.
If you could give some advise to your high school self, what would it be? Don't be in such a rush! I wish I had taken more time with the growing up and enjoyed those years more. The mistakes I made back then made the person I am today so I don't regret them at all. Life is about learning as we go. I am happy with my wonderful life.
Tell us about your hobbies? I cook, craft, create, play and DIY. Really that is a lot of stuff but I often have 10 "projects" going at once. I see something I like but can not afford, I re-create it. I find the most pleasure in things I create myself.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? In 5 years I see myself doing much of the same I am doing today, keeping a house, raising little ones and enjoying the time I have with my husband. I hope to have better photography skills and maybe some part time work that I can use my creative brain in. In 10 years I will have a 17 year old and a 10 year old, I think life will be crazy busy and fun. Maybe that photography passion will have developed into something bigger. Maybe I will have a event planning business helping others pull off the perfect wedding or birthday party. Something along those lines would be wonderful.
Take us through a day in your life. Lets see, I get up around 7:30am, get Megan ready for school, often my darling husband makes her lunch, I check to make sure he didn't forget anything and put it by the front door. I get James up, change his diaper and give kisses. James and I walk or drive Megan to school. James and I play until around 10 when he goes down for his first nap. I blog when I should be cleaning (oops) or I just read blogs or play with photos in Photoshop (still learning and I have a super old program so its frustrating). When James gets up we have lunch, play some more and then we do some laundry or clean a bathroom. I sometimes make a treat like cookies or yummy bread for french toast for dinner. At 2:30 we walk/drive to get Megan, we chat with other Moms outside the school while waiting, I think to myself that I need to make some friends in this new town, but my shy self takes way too long to initiate friendship and I always regret it. Once home, Megan has a snack while I go over her homework for the day. While Megan does her homework, James plays or has a snack while I start dinner. Mike (darling husband) gets home around 5 and does some playtime with the kids. We have dinner around 6, then its dishes, bath, book and bed. Once both kids are tucked in, Mike and I clean up toys (we should maybe enlist the kids for this one), then we cuddle on the sofa, watch some TV, I go soak in a bubble bath and then we go to bed around 11. Looking at it all written out I don't do much, but the day sure flies buy! It's a wonderful life, if I was better about getting a move on I am sure I could do more, and on some days I do, but for the most part that is life. I get to love on my kids and husband, and I couldn't ask for anything more.
What are some blogs that inspire you? Here is a small list....http://pandmchiappini.blogspot.com, http://sassysanctuary.blogspot.com, http://honeywerehome.blogspot.com http://www.remodelaholic.com, http://www.younghouselove.com, http://diydiva.net, http://www.sawdustandpaperscraps.com. I really could go on and on...my bookmark tab is full!

Go check out Mandy's blog, she is a wonderful photographer and Mother, her son Bennett is adorable and was born 4 days after James. I met her (well computer met her) on Babycenter for the January 2010 birth club and have read her blog ever since. She is a huge photography inspiration and if I ever happen to make it up to her neck of the woods I would love to meet her for real!

Long time no blog

2010-11-10T21:24:00.000-08:00

I'm here I swear! I am just recouping from a long week last week. Hopefully Friday I will be back on schedule and will be able to finally post about my kitchen face lift!!!! So exciting.

I am working on making this a better blog, with more interesting posts, tutorials, and inspiration galore. I need to educate myself on making buttons, tabs (how do you do that???), and getting more followers. I am going to get on the link party band wagon and try to get this blog off the ground! I have found so many wonderful blogs that inspire me lately and I will share their information as I use or apply their wisdom and suggestions!

Stay tuned!

Ps...working on the photography blog as well...oh time...need more time!

Blog Rule #1...always have a picture...here you go....cuteness!

Silhouette Giveaway...gotta check out!

2010-11-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

You have got to check out the giveaway over at Little Miss Momma I am so excited about it. I never win anything on these deals but I am thrilled to know about the product. My mind is on overload thinking of all the projects I could whip up! Stop by and check it out!

This project in particular has me jazzed...I would love to create awesome Christmas cards, Birthday cards, and just because cards!

Not to mention that my daughters name is Megan...can you say meant to be?!!!

So head over to Little Miss Momma and check it out...enter to win and maybe just get a few products for the upcoming gift giving season.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

Well the feet are aching, and the kids are down from the sugar high...Halloween must be over!

Here are some photos of the evening!

The Dragon out for a wagon ride and Trick or Treating.

Momma and her Dragon

Adorable...that is all I have to say

The group!

Megan was a huge hit as Princess Fiona, she is too adorable.

I have to say I love the kiddos in my life. They all had a lot of fun, Megan was so cute and excited about being all green and having James as her dragon. It was great to trick or treat in a neighborhood where I recognize kids and Moms from school! I love small towns!

Good night everyone!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-31T03:01:00.000-07:00

Our first trip to the pumpkin patch as a family of four!

This is a bit late but I have a good excuse...well not really that great...it doesn't take long to post some super cute kid pictures...so here we go.

First the back story...we have been attemping to hit the good ole pumpkin patch for a few weeks but between the husbands schedule, the baby nap times (we like to have those) and the rain something has stomped on our plans until this past Monday...off we went...after the dentist...and visiting Great Grandma (why didn't I take pictures...errr)...then off we went!

This one is cool!

James are you sure you want THAT one?

4 Pumpkins + 1 baby boy...lets check out!

The happy pumpkin owning family

Ahhh Dad!

The sun is almost in my eyes Mom

I love sister in action on the jump thingy while James goes into orbit.


Not a complete trip without the Pumpkin Sling Shot!

Ok I HAVE to sleep now!

Pretty Blog

2010-10-31T02:45:00.000-07:00

I would benefit from a button that beautifies your blog. I have played around for a while for the look I want and have not reached it. Looking at it this sleepless night I find it super blah other than the adorable little ones in the header photo. I search around for inspiration and find a ton, so maybe that is the problem. Is there such a thing as over inspired? How about sidetrackedness...yes that is a word! So hopefully sometime soon, at a more approriate time of day we will have a prettier more inspired blog look.

For now Happy Halloween and on to getting ready for this evenings party!

Note to self...don't plan a Halloween party when you are in the middle of a kitchen face lift! You are crazy!

For now I will leave you with more adorable kiddos...enjoy!

All sugar and spice...more spice I think!

She loves him...he finds her hilarious!

But Mom! I want to eat this leaf!

Living/Dinning Room After Stage 1

2010-10-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

The dinning room before...with Grandmas stuff...nice but not me.

Dinning Room after!

New paint on the walls as of this weekend. Yeah I know its beige but its beige with potential...think new drapes and amazing accessories...that is stage 2! I am thrilled for the progress so far. Now if only I could get a new chandelier!

Projects done to date, Chandelier chain cover, refinished Chandelier, Paint.

Living Room Before:

Grandmas stuff plus one husband and baby! My goodness he was little.

Living Room after stage 1:

Paint and that is is so far.

To be added soon...Drapes and accessories

Oh and the TV doesn't go there, I'm waiting for the super tall husband to hang the window coverings and then we will move it back into the corner.

Unless the flat screen tv fairy arrives with one to mount on the wall! hint hint!

Pretty! I am glad things are moving along and starting to look more like our home. Now onto finishing the tons of projects. Halloween party...6 days and counting, Mom's 50th Birthday party 12 days and counting. Things that need to be done before both events...to many to count!

Momma needs a Mom Cave

2010-10-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

I am participating in a HomeGoods 'Mom Cave' contest over at www.centsationalgirl.com, one of my very favorite blogs to stop at for inspiration and a great read. So here it goes.

Please excuse the mess in the pictures, we are mid project to refinish our kitchen cabinets. See proof below.


Kitchen redo state 1=Messy

I would redo the room next to this with a $250 HomeGoods gift card...it has a confused identy and I think it would make a great reading area and craft/project area. Again please excuse the mess that is all my kitchen drawer stuff on top of tables!

What am I? A dinning room? A sitting room?

There is a fireplace and mantle behind that mess!

So pick me pretty please! This room has such great potential, just needs a boost!

Somewhat annoyed...late night ramblings

2010-10-23T04:46:00.000-07:00

Well its been 9 months since James our little IVF miracle arrived. Yesterday I got a call from the clinic that we did the IVF with. While the gentleman I spoke with was very nice I find myself wanting to call them and tell them that while I am thankful for everything they did to help me have James in our lives, I think they are jerks...or something more colorful.

When we got pregnant my blood test results were lower than average, way lower. So the news that I was pregnant was delivered with a warning that this was a impending miscarriage and not to get my hopes up. My visions of big sister t-shirts for Megan to announce the news disappeared. Mike and I couldn't tell people we were expecting with out adding a "but" to caution them on not being too excited.

To make a long story short, said averages didn't do what they were supposed to (double every 24 hours), for the first two weeks. Ultrasound could not find a baby and the clinic washed their hands of me and were basically waiting for the miscarriage to take place. At one point when I called to get my Progesterone prescription refilled the girl said "Aren't you supposed to just miscarry?" I still hate her by the way. Well at 8 weeks they found a heartbeat...oh awesome we can relax...well not so much...baby was measuring too small for the stage of pregnancy we were. Blah Blah Blah. Bleeding at 10 weeks was the assumed miscarriage. The confirming blood test relieved almost normal test results...OMG you mean I am still pregnant!?! We must have lost one of the two babies we transferred is what they assumed and that allowed for the remaining baby to begin to do better. We went for 20 weeks with bleeding, and being told nothing could be done until after the 20 week mark when the baby will be viable at that time we were finally treated like a normal pregnancy that would result in a actual baby! Our regular Dr. did that, never the clinic. The clinic did not have much to do with us after the 12 week mark, but we were happy about that turn of events.

The last 20 weeks of my pregnancy were pretty normal other than a fun emergency trip to the hospital at 30 weeks for kidney stones. James arrived 4 days before his due date, healthy and happy, 7 pounds 2 ounces 20 inches long.

I have been chewing on my annoyance with this clinic since the first phone call with my kind of positive test results but didn't say much because the fact remained that I was pregnant and it was because of those professionals. Why should I expect more than that right? I guess I am super annoyed today because they are 9 months late with the baby info phone call. We were told that we would get a call the two weeks after our due date to get the information and stats on our delivery since I was part of a study group. We never got the call. I assume one of the overly optimistic staff at the clinic wrote MISCARRIAGE in red on our file and tossed it in a pile. Maybe they decided that 9 months after my due date was a good time to call and get the details of my failed pregnancy. The guy sounded shocked when I told him we had a healthy little boy who arrived on time. He ended the phone call with a "I'll mark this information on your file, have a good day Mrs. Kaiser" and that was it. I do have to say he was the nicest person I have spoke with to date from that office.

Now the icing on the cake is that we are getting bills from them requesting more money...yeah awesome. From what I can tell someone made a error when doing our billing and applied insurance payment to something insurance didn't pay. On our original paperwork it showed up as a "insurance discount". They didn't do anything about it until earlier this year, and now of course want payment. Red "Pay immediately" stickers are on all paperwork, its fuel for the fire for me since I am already annoyed. Never mind that back when we had the money to pay for all of this I asked billing what we owe so we could get it out of the way and I paid the amount requested. We discussed that I had a high deductible insurance that didn't cover fertility treatments and I assumed we would have to pay for everything. We were told we couldn't even start IVF until it was paid for in full. Now apparently we still owe around $2,000.00. Sorry for being less than inclined to write a check, not to mention our "Baby Making Money" is long gone!

I know I am ranting, and hopefully writing it out will get it out of my mind. Yes I didn't have the pregnancy and experience I visualized when we started this journey. But I did end with the result I visualized. An adorable little boy that loves me and I get to watch grow into a little man. I am so grateful he stuck and showed the averages where to stick it! The other disappointments will just have to go away when they go away.

Would I go to that clinic again? Doubt it.

I sometimes wish we could go another round and try for baby #3, but we just can't do that financially again. It breaks my heart that 5 more babies (they call them embryos, but they are babies to me) are in that clinic waiting. Hopefully Mike and I will figure out what the best route will be for approaching that sensitive issue in the near future.

For now I am going to continue raising my kids and loving my family. Thanks fertility people for getting me pregnant, I'll get over your lack of compassion and bedside manner eventually.

I love that little boy!

9 Months!

2010-10-22T18:52:00.000-07:00

James is 9 Months old!

As you can see from the picture he is a busy boy. He enjoys taking all of his toys and dragging them all over the living room, then watching Daddy, Sister or Momma clean them up. Currently we are working on not biting, its not going well but hopefully we can get a handle on it before I get scared up! James finds his sister hilarious and is a super happy boy when she talks and plays with him.

We had a check up today and found that he has somewhat stalled on the growth. He is 2'5" (76%)tall so he has grown a inch since his 6 month appointment and weighs 18 lbs. 13.2oz (23%) that is a 13oz gain in 3 months. So Dr.'s advice is to increase the already constant feeding to include meats, beans and good fats. We will take him back for his 1 year check and hope he gets some fat on! At that time if he is still dropping in the percentage we will run a blood test to check for anemia. I am sure he will be just fine seeing as his Dad is tall and thin and James seems to take after him. But just the same Mom's like fat babies...I want a fat baby! Ha Ha Ha

I Love Burlap! Chandelier Chain Cover

2010-10-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

So our new house came with tons of wonderful brass fixtures...some of you know this already. As I said before the white Chandelier is a temp fix...I do not love it...but I hate the brass chain even more. Looking online and in stores I was looking at spending 60 or more of my husbands hard earned cash...so off to the fabric store I went!

You will need....
1 yd of burlap

2 yd sticky Velcro

Scissors
Ladder

Ugly before

Cut a 6" strip of burlap or fabric of your choice roughly 1 and 1/2 as long as the chain you want to cover. Do the same with Velcro.


Measure twice cut once

Apply sticky Velcro to each side.

Turn in on itself to create a hidden seam.

Yeah for no sewing

Get a super tall latter and wrap around chain being careful to not fall off or yank the lighting out of the ceiling (no I did not do this but I had the visual in my mind as I am working on the way too high ladder).

Viola! So much better...now if I could just get a new lighting fixture.

Linked to

Blue Cricket Design
The Thrifty Home

Rylee Jean Newborn Photos...

2010-10-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

Rylee Jean, by fifth niece if you can belive it! She is adorable and likes to have her picture taken apparently. So here are her newborn photos taken at 6 days old. I am happy with them and hope to tweak them a bit more with photo software. Still working on teaching myslef that stuff though so it will be slow going. Anyone know of a for dummies site that I can learn on?

Well hope you like them!

First Official Maternity Shoot

2010-10-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

Yeah Yeah...its my sister Rocky so it maybe doesn't count...but it was still fun and I think we got some great pictures. I figured I should post the pictures before little Rylee arrives tomorrow!!!!

Enjoy...any opinions or suggestions are always welcome! Be nice though! he he

Sorry I couldn't pick just one...mind you this is out of 75 pictures Rocky and I love.