Shed Some Light

A new favorite place... are you listening!... The Habitat for Humanity Restore! Great place filled with castoff building materials. I bought a sink (did she say sink?) for the "guest house" for $5.00 and a medicine cabinet for $10.00!

I was in heaven... the knobs, the trim, the cabinets, the furniture, the wood. There was this wonderful piece of slate chalkboard. It had a SOLD tag on it but I talked the lady into calling the guy that supposedly bought it (but never paid the balance) to see if he still wanted it. After all it has been there since the first of August and never been picked up. It needs the love and attention that only someone like I could give it. Anyhoo, she left a message for him, I'll let you know if I get it or not. Double cross your fingers!

This beauty of a lamp made it home with me for $1.00.

After a little spray paint, burlap, and ribbon - VOILA!

It looks fantastic in the kitchen. So warm and cozy like - I feel the need to bake!

Blessings -B

Kitchen Art

So... I originally saw this idea on this blog. {This is a FANTASTIC and FUNNY home decor blog - I spend a lot of time reading her stuff... I mean A LOT of time! Just ask my kids -"Mom, Mom, Mooooommmmm, where are you?"} I thought this bit of artwork would look splendid on my kitchen wall. Now I'm not so sure. You tell me. I think the scale is all wrong. And on the other hand, I love the way it looks. Why can't I just like it and not worry about a designer's opinion? UGH! Nuf said - I had fun creating and it will remain on this wall until the next project is complete!

1. I gathered up all the 1/2 inch plywood, particle board, underlayment, etc that I could find around the place.

2. From this, we (the children and I) cut 9 - 12 inch squares. {Please note: no children were harmed in the completion of this project}

3. I painted the edges with brown spray paint. {... the kids get a little whoozy when they spray paint. hee hee - I'm just kidding}

4. After the paint dried, I picked out my favorite "scrapbook papers" and used spray adhesive to glue them to the boards. Note about scrapbooking: I love the paper because I LOVE paper period! However, I do not make the time for the detailed involved with that craft. Kudos to those who do not suffer from extreme lack of patience as I do!





5. After these had dried I used my favorite sander to ruff 'em up around the edges.


6. I started to seal the blocks with Mod Podge but I got a little nervous when the bubbles started popping up (I HATE THIS ABOUT MOD PODGE). Obviously, I decided against sealing and put them on the wall. As with everything I do, my self diagnosed decorating ADD kicked in and now I see that I need crown molding around the ceiling in the kitchen. One project always leads to another.

I used shades of red, green, and brown. With the exception of the kids' rooms, everything in the house is one of these three colors.

Let me know what ya think.

Blessings - B

Project for #1

I'm so excited to post my first ever ...

"Before & After"

So, #1 came to me and said that he needed a nightstand for a lamp so that he could read at night.  I was thrilled not only for an excuse to finish a project but for the fact that he WANTS to read!

Here's what I found at a little country garage sale.  Only cost me $5!

We sanded it with my favorite Dewalt random orbital sander (everyone should own one).  Then added a layer of black spraypaint.  Roughed it up around the edges and changed the hardware!

Total Cost = $7.50!

I'm thrilled and #1 is HAPPY!
Blessings-B

School Supplies

It's that time of year... "Back To School Shopping"!! I refuse to succumb to the pressure this year! I know, I know - she's such a rebel. Seriously, last year for two children, I spent close to $500 in one day preparing for the first day of school. Maddening!



Last night I went through the "school supply list" for each kid. And then I went through our "art and crafts closet" and all the drawers everywhere in the house. After spilling boxes and boxes of crayons, markers, colored pencils, glue, notebooks, and folders I decided it would be ok to send a few pre-owned school supplies. Maybe everyone does this and I'm the only one in the district that usually sends beautiful brand new boxes from Crayola?! What if the teachers see the kids' scuffed up but properly working markers and ask if our family needs "help"? Worse yet, they will talk about me at coffee!! Am I willing to risk it? I think so.



On to the clothes... my biggest downfall. I've decided to conduct a bit of triage (did I use that word correctly, Sassmaster?). How many shirts and jeans does a kid really need? Flashback to Christmas pictures of Dad and his 2 little brothers sitting under the tree with their ONE gift each and holes in the bottom of their shoes all the while being the happiest kids on earth.



So, by my calculations, we need:



4 boxes of Kleenex

2 binders

2 plastic folders

1 composition book

1 pointed scissors

2 pairs of jeans

2 pairs of tennis shoes

and a few shirts from the thrift store...



Approximate Total: $100



I will settle for that savings! I refused to be brought down by the recession (big voice, hand hits the desk)- oh, yeah, TIME says that's over.



Blessings-B

REFRESHED!

See this baby...

How about this baby...

Okay, so it's the same baby but it's also the best baby in the whole wide world!

You see, this baby, yes child #5, slept from 10:30pm until 5:00am. Mama loves this baby. Sorry, other 4 this one is the favorite for the day.

New mothers everywhere are looking at their newborns right now with crust in their eyes saying, "Did you here that?" Be jealous, be very jealous. I'd like to attribute the success to our fine tuned parenting skills. However, I think it's just cus God gave us a great big, fat, and happy baby! How lucky are we?

I feel rejuvenated, refreshed, ... by golly I feel ALIVE!! As my dear friend J'Rie says, "Shall we build a barn or redecorate the whole house today?" You know what my preference would be, however, I think we'll do some yard work and later head to the pool for a little celebration!!

Blessings-B

Goodwill Hunting

Saturday we loaded up the van and took the family to "town". Dad had his usual farmer-never-leaves-the-farm kind of stuff to do and then he graciously gave me and the sisters 30 minutes in the Goodwill store. You can't beat a Goodwill when lookin' for a junk fix!

Here's what I found:

The little white mirror will look splendid in the sisters' room.

The old file box is FABULOUS - don't know where it's going but it's fabulous!
The bulletin board goes to #1's bedroom. He always has artwork and projects that need showcasing!

And my favorite thing of all... the old frame. I have some old flashcards and burlap that will reside in that beauty (pics to follow).

All of this joy and treasure for only $16.46!! We also picked up a life jacket for our peddle boat adventures, a few clothing items, a jump rope, and a pink fisherman's hat for #3.

Next Topic:

So... last night M and I were talking about trying to lose a few more pounds. He mentioned that it's my fault he's gained a little fluff because I keep junk food in the house!! How can I not when he comes in throwing cabinet doors open yelling, "I need something to eat!" THIS IS COMING FROM THE MAN WHO ATE 1/2 POUND OF BACON, 3 EGGS, AND A LOAF OF BREAD FOR BREAKFAST every morning when I met him. Ok, ya wanna change things? Be careful what you ask for.

My challenge to me: I have $90 in my wallet right now. For the next 2 weeks I will not (or make an effort not to) spend any money on groceries. Don't get me wrong - my family will not starve. We have a freezer full of meat and plenty of other goods in the pantry. However, the junk food always goes first... week #2 could get ugly! I'll let you know.

Blessings-B

Pretty Lady

So the sisters and I went to an estate auction the Saturday before we had #5. The only thing I had my eye on was an antique dress form... I wasn't going to stop bidding until I got her. (Shhhh... don't tell M!) Well, we "won"!

{I just love the phrase "you win" when referring to an auction. I'm sorry, you don't "win" - you're just the dumby willing to pay more than the other dumby for said item.}

Anywhoodle - we came home with an entire pick up load of treasures! More posts to follow as I get projects done. However, after a few days in the sun and several Febreeze treatments, my lovely lady has found a place in our home. I absolutely lurve her! (Sorry about the sunlight)

What do ya think? Does she need clothing?

Blessings-B