Crazy Blog

If you have clicked on my blog in the last couple hours, I apologize for all the crazy! I was trying out some different things and my template was all messed up for a while. I think I'm back. What do you think, good change...bad change? I felt like lightening up for spring!

Ahhhhh...that was nice.

Did you participate in Unplugged? Click below to read all about it.

A Soft Place to Land


My day Unplugged was a bit of a challenge if I'm being honest! At the normal times during the day when I would sit and catch up with all of you, I didn't know what to do with myself. Let me tell you, drinking my morning coffee is just not the same without my blogging buddies! We did get a lot done though.


While the girls were in school, I started on the bathroom. I have the whole thing painted and now just need to decorate so I'll be able to show it to you soon. Here is a peek at the medicine cabinet with its new look.

My hubby got working on our bedroom. See my new "To Do" list in my sidebar? We are on a timeline here! Between Friday and Saturday he managed to get the room emptied, carpet up, nail holes spackled, and the floor sanded. Look at this gorgeous floor that was hiding underneath the carpet. I know it's going to look great once it is finished.

Then on Friday night we went to our favorite ice cream spot for a cone. Of course I forgot my camera so you are stuck with this random picture that I can take no credit for.

http://www.bfeedme.com/take-your-ice-cream-quotient/

Overall, it was nice to have a computer break. While I just might unplug again in the future, I don't think I could ever make it a permanent change.

And on a completely unrelated note, I forgot to blog a couple weeks ago about the big dance! My daughter Ella had a Father/Daughter Dance with her Girl Scout troop. They had a great time! The theme was "Disco Fever." Not the easiest thing to dress for. We found this green, big flowered number and thought it would work just fine. The silver shoes I found for her were a big hit.

As you can see my husband was anti theme. He didn't dress like he was going to a Roller Disco but they let him in anyway.

Here is me and my favorite Girl Scout.

While they went to the dance, my parents took our little guy to McDonalds for a Spiderman toy. Darn those toys, he's been asking to go to McDonalds every day since they came out! So that left me and my Hailey. We went to TGIFridays and had a great dinner together.

I'm looking forward to finding out how everyone else made out "Unplugged." Hope you had a wonderful weekend!!

Painted Ceilings?

http://www.countryliving.com/

White is old reliable for ceilings. It helps a room feel light and airy, and provides a beautiful contrast between the wall color and the ceiling. But not everyone likes a white ceiling. Painting them has become a popular alternative to a flat white ceiling. There are so many other options as well as plain old paint.....hand painted murals, stenciling, even wallpaper.


In our dining room, even though we went with a shade of white for the ceiling, we used a semi-gloss for some sheen. I love how it makes the beadboard stand out.




The following are some examples I found of painted ceilings. I've been debating painting our bedroom ceiling a color that coordinates with the wall color we've chosen. Maybe a lighter shade of the green walls we are planning, or tan, or just the wall color. So many decisions!

http://www.raud.net/lilly/pictures/MasterCeilingBlue2.jpg

http://davidwallart.com/faux_murals_1.htm

http://www.john-scenic.com/images/powderceiling.jpg

http://arttodifor.com/ceiling.htm

So tell me, have you painted your ceilings a color? The wall color or a coordinating color? How do you like it? Or do you prefer to go with classic white? If you have pics to share, I'd love to see them!

I'm On A Mission!

So our upstairs bathroom is really bad. I mean really, really bad. I can't believe we have lived with it for almost two years now but there were other rooms that climbed in front on the priority list. My dream bathroom looks like this:

Photo: Country Home

Love the subway tile!

Photo: http://www.lesperancetileworks.com/Classic-Victorian-Subway-Tile-c19.html

Oh this floor would be a dream come true!

Photo: Home Depot.com

Now my budget looks a little something like this:

Photo: http://www.sharynhowardmysteries.com/lastrites.htm

I'm on a mission to make our bathroom more livable.....without changing any major fixtures. A real, as close to $0 as I can get, budget makeover. Let me give you the "Before" tour. I've had this shower curtain for 3 homes now, I think it is done for.

This is the view from the hallway door....




So tell me, which is your favorite part of this room? Is it the nasty towel holders?





This gorgeous medicine cabinet?








The pink sink maybe?





Or how about the pink floor to match the sink?




I know! You love the faux marble shower walls!

And definitely this crazy window!

I think my favorite part is the vanity that is falling apart piece by piece.

So that is the full tour of our bathroom. Not only is it the one my husband and I use, but when company comes they often go upstairs to use it. The kids have their own bathroom but still shower in here so it gets the most use. I plan on keeping all the horrid fixtures, ugly medicine cabinet and all. Think I can do it?? Don't feel bad for being doubtful, I'm pretty skeptical at this point too. Give me a few weeks and I'll see what I can come up with!

I can't wait to catch up with all of you this week. We've been busy this past week but things are calming down now so I can spend time quality time Blogging. If you have any suggestions or inspiration for my sorry excuse for a bathroom, feel free to share! I can use all the help I can get with it. :)

Pillow Love

Good morning everyone! I'm sitting here with my second cup of coffee, trying to get moving today. I hope you all are having a great start to your day. I can't complain too much, the sun is shining outside, ahhhhh. Yesterday I finally got around to making those pillows. It felt so good to cross another thing off my sidebar list! The only thing left for this room now is the door, yay!



My original plan was to make some fancy pillows with ruffles or ball fringe. My kids are total pillow abusers so I went simple and plain. At my house, pillows end up on the floor and carried around by their fringe. Since this room is where the kids hang out a lot, sturdier pillows were needed! I think they came out okay though, what do you think?


Here is the before:


With a nice throw and pillows:

So now when my son picks up a pillow with the intent of smacking his sisters with it, I won't have to worry about delicate trim being ruined.

The aqua toile was the starting point for the entire room so it's wonderful to see it in there finally. I hope you all have a great day. We have a half day of school here today so I need to get off this chair!

I almost forgot about the pillow parade today! Be sure and stop by Ask Kari & Kijsa to see more wonderful pillows.

http://kariandkijsa.blogspot.com/

A Casual Party

Yesterday we had a birthday party for Ella. It was a small, casual affair with close family. I tried to keep the decorations simple. A Happy Birthday banner that I made hung in the kitchen, and ribbons hanging from the chandelier in the dining room. I may leave the ribbons up for a little while so the kids (and me too) can enjoy them a bit longer.
The silverware was plastic..... The plates and napkins paper....

The chairs were mismatched.....

And the flowers were fake.......

(Somewhere Martha is cringing!) But one little girl spent the whole day smiling.

Before the party, I finally got around to making my Spring banner. It was the perfect touch to our flowers and butterflies theme.

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! Today we are resting and just enjoying the day.

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."

~Charles Dickens

Foodie Friday, The Sandwich

In all honesty, I'm not a "Foodie" and so I am certainly not qualified to participate in this event. I wanted to hop in on the fun anyway! Since there will be much preparation for this St. Patrick's Day party, I'm bringing a nice lunch to eat while you cook your donation to the festivities.

There are a few things I enjoy cooking.....cake, muffins, anything in the crock pot, and a nice big pot of gravy (my great-grandmother was all Italian so I am required by blood to call it that). Something else I do enjoy is a really good chicken salad sandwich. Of course the key ingredient is a nice roll. This is a soft vienna roll, light and so tasty.

Oh no! That bunny looks hungry. Lets hope he stays away from our lunch!



I usually boil about 3 chicken breasts so there is leftover. My husband loves to take this to work. Rip up the chicken and add the appropriate amount of mayo (between you and me, I like to use much more than the appropriate amount). I like sliced grapes in my chicken salad. And once in a while some sweet relish. Then just season with whatever you like. I use a tiny bit of onion power and pepper. Perfect with a big glass of Coke! Enjoy!

Be sure to visit our gracious hostess, Designs by Gollum for more Foodie Friday.

http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

Everything Room Details

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed reading all the comments on my everything room makeover. If you followed along on the remodeling posts, I reached a point where I just wasn't sure if it was going to all come together. I was questioning my fabric choices, questioning the furniture placement, etc. It was such a great feeling to read your sweet comments about the finished room.

There were some questions and I thought I would address them all in one post.

~The wall color is Brown Teepee by Behr (Home Depot). I saw it in a Better Homes and Gardens feature on brown and loved it. Isn't it great how they find all the good stuff for us?!

~Bottom white is also by Behr, called Clear Moon.

~The wallpaper is from Target. It's called Sprig Mocha.

http://www.target.com/

The lower plates in the pics were found at thrift stores. These upper ones are all from T.J.Maxx.

Cute bird themed tags by Sunshine and Ravioli on Etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5107622

Egg themed prints in the background from L. Herbert Designs.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6207060

Magnets and push pins from Kat's Krafts, Etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5274382

The two little bird clothespins came from Gifts & Talents, Etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5377796

My favorite is the nest clothespin my daughter made me. Unfortunately she does not have a store. ;)

Calendar months by every jot and tittle, Etsy.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5015388

Fabric tags came from Michaels.

I also had a couple questions about this TV stand. I bought this unusual table? shelf? about 3 years ago at an antique store and the store owner looked at me funny when I said I was going to put it inside the house. She had mentioned that it would be good for a plant stand on a porch. The table is definitely on the rustic side but I don't mind at all. It hasn't been painted on my watch as of yet.

Hopefully you will have some time to visit the sellers I purchased from, I'm very happy with all the items! Thanks again for all the encouragement!