Dreaming About a Bedroom Makeover

We have been in our house for 5 years now and I have not given my Master bedroom much attention.
I bought a pretty quilt and shams from Marshall's for under $50 and called her done.
No curtains and nothing on the walls.

I think it's time to give this room some love.
I thought I'd check out some of my pins to see if there is any type of pattern I could see in the pictures I have pinned.
I am kind of all over the place in my taste... I love a lot of different styles! 
Makes it hard to pin something down.

I love the monogram on this one.

There's something about this room I love...especially the pillow on the bed.

 

Love this picture collage and the vignette on the night stand.

 

Hubba Hubba....I LOVE this next room.

 

Love the feel of this vignette.

 

Love the gray and cream. 

I'm noticing a pattern here with the cream.

 

Love the chocolate, cream, and that adorable pillow.

 

Love these colors and have a soft spot for that mirror!!

 

 

L-O-V-E the curtains!!

 

 

 

Looks like I may need to start looking for a solid color bed cover.

Funny thing about that is, before looking at my pictures, I would undoubtedly go out and look for a busy bed cover/quilt with bright colors and patterns.

It will hurt me to purchase a solid-ish bed cover but looking at my pins, that is what appeals to me.

 

I'll be back soon with some updates after I get a chance to go shopping!

 

 

 

 

Sometimes Life Gets in the Way of Living....

I have had such a busy year that I have basically checked out of everything and have been focusing on my new position as a Kindergarten teacher.
I am getting to the point where I think I just may have a little spare time and I want to give some attention to the many areas of my life that have been neglected this year.

I have given my blog much thought and have heavily considered just taking it down. 
I have so many concerns associated with it.

what will people really think?
is the material I write about just *dumb*?
does it take too much time away from my family and my home?

and the biggest concern of all..
.
does it give too much information out there to crazy people about the people I love most in the world?

Do you all ever have the same concerns?

Because I've been so busy, I've really not documented much about our lives this year.
Honestly and with great guilt I will admit, we've not done a lot of fun stuff.

My kids asked me in the car the other day,
"When will we carve another pumpkin?  We didn't do it this year."
"Next year can we decorate with all the Christmas decorations?"  (last year it was basically the tree and a wreath)
Speaking of the wreath.....I still have my Santa Clause wreath on the door.
Yes, you saw that right.
Yes, it's March.

I've been noticing that Kacie Beth loves to get on my blog and just read and re-live memories.
She loves it.
I thought if for no other reason, I would get back on here and do this for her.
One thing I did notice when I regularly blogged was that it helped me to be more intentional about living and doing fun things with my family.
It gave me some accountability.
So here I am and I'm going to give it a try!
We'll see how it goes.  :)

EASY Pinterest Project

I feel like my summer has gone by SO very fast and I have very little to show for my two months off.
Not that I have actually been off a full two months yet.

I knew I had to get myself in gear and work on a few projects around here that I have been wanting to get accomplished.

The mornings for us are CRAZY here!
We are all scrambling to get ready and with two girls, we are always trying to fix hair in a hurry.
I am giving directions for each one to bring me a navy ponytail holder, a pink hair bow headband, etc.
Not to mention finding a ponytail holder here and a ponytail holder there.

I have made numerous attempts to organize hair accessories.
I have sorted them, put them in jars, in plastic toolbox containers, put them in bags.
You name it and I have tried it.

Then I came across the simplest little idea on Pinterest.
(I tried to link it to the original creator but it just went to the picture.)
I knew it would be quick, cheap, and easy.
The best part is I just knew it would work for us!

My husband was heading to Lowes so I asked him to pick up three metal rings for me.
I think they cost less than two bucks each.
The girls and I dumped all their bows on the bed and got busy sorting.
They enjoyed doing it and we were finished in less than a half hour.

Here is what we ended up with.

You just push the silver clasp down one one side.
SO very easy.

This looks like a mess, but trust me, it is wonderful!
There are tons of Gymboree and other various hair accessories on here that I can never tend to find when I am looking for them.
Now I can just tell my girls to grab the hair rings and all they have to do is pick them up and we have them all right where we need them.

We loved this little organizational project and know it will really help us to get ready in the mornings!!

Happy Birthday Megan!

I know...It's been for-ev-er since I have posted.
Life is super busy right now.
I really wanted to post on Megan's birthday and since it had been so long since I had uploaded pictures from my camera to my computer, I couldn't find my cord.

Soooo.....I'm gonna combine a "Happy Birthday Megan" post with her dance recital pictures that were taken a couple weeks before her seventh birthday.

Megan requested to go to Jerry's (a family restaurant in our town) on the day of her birthday.
She really wanted a salad.  :)
I loved what she said when she volunteered to pray for her food.
She said, "God, thank you for making me alive."

I smiled on the outside and on the inside.
I couldn't have said it better myself.

LOVE YOU SWEET GIRL!!!!!!

The Best Kind of Girl There Is

I always tell my sweet Kacie Beth, "You are the best kind of girl there is!" 
Today she turns 9.
She looks like she's 12 but she is only 9.
She is very tall for her age and in some aspects has grown up quickly but in many others, she is still so innocent and naive.

She still loves her stuffed animals and baby dolls yet has a new interest in zebra print.
How can this be???

When, how, and WHY did she have to get NINE years old?!?

Don't get me wrong, growing older is part of living and I totally get that, but the years just go by entirely too quick.

Kacie Beth has the biggest, most tender, COMPASSIONATE heart of any child I have ever known (and I have known my fair share of children).
She always has.
She is beautiful inside and out.
There is no one kinder, more considerate, and did I say compassionate???
This child rarely, if ever, has an ill word to say about anyone.
Umm....except maybe her little sister.  :)
It would break her heart if she thought she had anything to do with hurting someone's feelings.

And the best part of all...
She already has a genuine personal relationship with God.
What more could any mother ask for?
She asked me the other day if they asked Jesus if he was ready before they put the nails in his hands.
Then she asked me if I thought they gave him anything to numb Him.
I  l o v e  her.

I have always told her that she just tickles my heart.
She does.
Makes it swell inside my chest until I feel like it could just burst!
She has the sweetest smile, cutest little dimple, big 'ol eyes, and even longer eyelashes.
Happy 9th Birthday my sweet Kacie Beth...

YOU ARE THE BEST KIND OF GIRL THERE IS!!!!!!

 ****Just a little disclaimer, I do tell my sweet Megan that she is also the best kind of girl there is.  I am their mother and am allowed to say this.****

Valentine Chex Mix

You will fall in love with this week's recipe.  :)
Seriously...my family ate it faster than I could make it.

We were asked to bring snacks to work this week in honor of the Super Bowl.
I decided this would be great since I have been wanting to make it anyway.
The recipe was for half a batch and my family had the whole thing eaten before I could make the second batch.
I ended up making three batches in all.
It was quick and easy.
And did I mention, delicious?

The peanut butter/white chocolate combination in this mix is w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l.

I found the recipe here.

Here is the recipe:

Valentine Chex Mix

4 1/2 cups Rice Chex® cereal

1/2 cup white vanilla baking chips

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup red, white and pink candy-coated chocolate candies

2 tablespoons red or pink jimmies sprinkles (I left these out because I thought I had some and didn't)

 

• Place cereal in medium bowl. In small microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.
• 2 Place 1/2 of the cereal mixture in 1-gallon food-storage plastic bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper or foil; cool about 15 minutes.
• 3 Meanwhile, stir candies and sprinkles into remaining cereal mixture. Spread on waxed paper or foil; cool about 15 minutes. 
• 4 In serving bowl, mix both cereal mixtures. Store in airtight container.  

 

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Trust me, this is one tasty little snack.  

 

It didn't last long at all at my house and I was thinking that it might make a nice little Valentine's snack for my girls' teachers.

 

To see more of my recipes due to my New Year's Resolution, check out my recipes label to the right.

 

Linking to:  Chic On A Shoestring

                  Serenity Now 

                  2805

                  Somewhat Simple 

                  Tatertots and Jello 

                  Shabby Nest 

 

Just Whatever...

One of my main reasons for starting this blog was to help me to remember things that happen in our every day, ordinary days.
I can't begin to say how much I just love ordinary days.

A couple weeks ago I had one of the worst.days.ever.
A coworker was having a bad day today and I shared the humor (or lack thereof) of the bad day I had a couple weeks ago.
You know... one of those days when the McDonald's Sweet Tea is so horrible you don't even bother taking it out of your car when you get to work and then when you get to work and go to the bathroom you have to ask another coworker whom you barely know to please give you toilet paper.   
She asks you if you want the toilet paper over or under the stall.
You know...that kind of day.
And that was just the beginning.
I will spare you the rest of the details.

As I told my coworker today, it was a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day".

Have you read that story?  :)  Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
The story is about a little boy that is having a terrible day.
I love it.
He threatens to move to Australia.
At the end, the little boy says "My Mom says some days are just like that, even in Australia."

I think those terrible days are what keeps me realizing just how wonderful and special my ordinary days really are.

Side note:  Have you seen the Seinfeld episode where Elaine begs for the lady in the next stall to just spare one square of toilet paper?  The lady refuses.  Funniest episode I have ever seen.

Just some random little happenings and quotes that have recently occurred during my "Ordinary Days"...

I walked in Megan's room to find this...
(terrible picture taken with my old camera)

I know...it looks like a mess but nothing makes me happier than when my girls get in "the zone" and start playing hard and using their imaginations.
These are the ingredients good, ordinary days are made of.

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We were getting ready to go on a trip and Megan was dying to start packing.  She asked me, "What's more importaner?  Doing work or helping your baby pack?"  she always says "What's more importaner?"  :)

Meg:  Mom, did you love carrying your suitcase around when you were a little girl?

Me:  No, I didn't have one when I was a little girl.

Meg:  Why? Were suitcases not invented yet?   Thanks Meg.

I tried to wake Kacie up to get ready for school...

Me:  What do you want for breakfast?

Kacie:  16

Me:  16 what?

Kacie :  Pickles.  Whaaaat????  :)

Kacie:  I don't want the puppy to lick my face because it's too close to my nose.

Me:  You don't like the way her breath smells?

Kacie:  No.

Meg:  It's smells like Petunia.... (tuna)  :)

Me:  Why did you use a puppy pad this morning instead of taking Bailey outside to potty?

Tim:  I won't use a pad tomorrow.  Today's Martin Luther King Day.  (And.....)

Tim:  If the worst problem you have with me is that I am a hypochondriac, then is it really that bad?

Me:  But Tim, you are a really BAD hypochondriac.

Tim:  Better than being a really BAD alcoholic isn't it?  (Umm....he has a point)

Kacie informed me that she had been thinking about the similarities and differences between Beauty and the Beast and Tangled.  She decided to make a Venn Diagram on her easel where she "compared and contrasted" the two movies.

I am absolutely positive 20 years from now my whole family will be able to remember hearing Megan shout from the bathroom, NO TOI-LETTTT PAA-PERR!!!!!!  Just about an every day occurrence.

Megan was so proud her of Iphone eraser she bought for $1 at the book fair.

She pretended to download music on it and talk to her friends all evening.

I went into the girls' room to tuck them in at bedtime.

They were face to face talking softly (not arguing)!

Megan had given Kacie her eraser and told Kacie she had another $1 and would buy one for herself the next day.

They were so pleased.

Next thing I knew, they were lying in bed hugging each other, not saying a word.

My heart swelled inside my chest.

So precious.

Pizza Dip

Thursday night's recipe was a hit!
I tried the pizza dip that I found here.

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Pizza Dip

A layered, hot cheesy dip with all of the great pizza flavors including pizza sauce, cheese, pepperoni, olives and green peppers. (we opted not to use olives or green peppers)

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

This recipe was very quick and easy.  
I had to purchase a few things that I didn't have on hand, but it didn't take much.

I ended up using flat bread and french bread with the dip.
Both breads were drizzled with olive oil and baked in the oven.
The flat bread was by far our favorite with the dip.


Tim and the girls loved the dip.
The girls kept saying, "Mom, you really outdid yourself this time!"  
So funny.
They are trying to be supportive of their Momma's New Year's Resolution to cook more.


This dip was devoured at our house and was completely gone except for maybe one little spoonful!!
I think it would be great to take somewhere if you needed to bring a dip.

Next Thursday night I will be trying a new desert recipe!

Linking to:  Chic on a Shoestring
                  Serenity Now
                  2805
                  Somewhat Simple  
                  Tatertots and Jello
                  33 Shades of Green 

Hot Dog

We've had Bailey for a month now and she has quickly become part of our family.
We are still working on house training and have SO much to learn about having an indoor dog.
I had no idea I would love having a puppy so much.
She can be a lot of work but she also brings a lot of joy and laughter to our home.
Who couldn't use that?

 

She had her first trip to the groomer Saturday and came back smelling like a sugar cookie.

It's a shame it doesn't stay that way!

Santa brought Bailey to the girls.

It was a total surprise and neither of them were expecting a puppy.

Megan wasn't even sure she ever wanted one.  

Every time Kacie asked if there was a good chance we would ever get a puppy, Megan would say something like, "Oh, no!  Are you STILL on the PUPPY thing?!?

To everyone's surprise, she loves Bailey, or Pup Pup as she calls her.

Here is a video I took with my phone of her singing with Bailey a couple days after we got her.

She is in her mismatched P.J.'s.

That's real life at our house.

 

Yes, she is actually singing, "Don't ya wish your puppy was hot like me?"

Don't you just love that accent?  :)

Let's Talk About the Elephant in the Room...

This "elephant in the room" would be our piano.
We are so thankful for a piano that was passed down to us for our girls to practice their piano lessons on.
While we are happy to have it, finding a place for it where it actually fits in has been another story.

When we first moved in our home 3 1/2 years ago we put it in the dining room.
It was okay, but our dining room is not that big so there she sat... like an elephant.

Then we moved it to the living room.
I put it on the back wall (where she looked like a mighty short elephant sitting under the peak of the vaulted ceilings) and we had to move our bookshelf to the garage to make a home for her.

We decided we wanted our bookshelves back in our living room and our sun room / family room was becoming a dumping ground of furniture we weren't sure what to do with so we moved it into there.

My husband's office has been temporarily, indefinitely (does that make sense?) (okay, not to me either...) moved to our home, specifically the sunroom.

Is sunroom one word or two?
My spell check always flags it when I use it as one word but two words look silly to me.
Oh well.
Back to the elephant, err...piano.

So Tim's favorite room in the house is the sun room/sunroom (now that spelling is really gonna bug me).
He decided he wanted the piano out (which caused me to panic) in order to make the room more functional (a post on this is coming soon).

Sooooo.....what to do....what to do???
He suggested the dining room again.
Not again......
I finally got the dining room semi how I wanted it.

The only place that it hadn't been that I could bear rearranging was our foyer.
Cringe.
Can people really put a piano in their foyer?
A foyer as small as mine??
I have no idea.
I guess people can do whatever they please in their foyers...BUT......

I liked our foyer the way it was!
However, I am not willing to part with this piano/elephant so a compromise is in order.
For now, the table has been moved out and the piano has been moved in.

So that's how it is right.this.minute.
And yes...I am playing around with my camera settings so the pictures are c-r-a-z-y.

I know... it is off center among many other things.
So here are my questions....

1.  Is it crazy here?  Does it stick out like a sore thumb/elephant?

2   If it stays, should I scoot it all the way down next to the coat closet for door clearance or should I do everything I can to get it as centered as I can (would keep the door from coming all the way back but shouldn't cause a big problem in every day coming and going.

3.  If it stays, I'm thinking we need to take the plunge and paint it.  Not only is it a huge piece of furniture, but it is lacking in...let's just say...detail.  Here's where I'm torn.  A nice simple, classy, versatile, "let's do our best to blend in color" like Sherwin Williams Dover white or a fun, quirky "make this elephant work for her precious space she is taking up" blue.  Yes, I just said blue.  A blue piano.  Why not?  It's already in the foyer? It's already quirky.  Let me show you what I'm talking about.

James Kroll Fine Woodworking

The Modern Cottage Company

Oh, and one more thing I should probably add.  My husband, who most likely will be doing a big part of the painting and winces every time "blue" comes up, has mildly threatened me... (insert grumpy, deep voice here)... "This is going to take me forever to paint.  It's not something you're going to be able to change easily.  You better paint it something you are going to be happy with for a LO-ONG time".  Poor guy. I think he's been burnt a few times.  :)

So what do you think?

a)  Leave it the foyer.
b)  Find another home for it?
c)  Center it or not?
d)  Paint it?  White?  Blue?  Something entirely different???