It's Getting There!

I worked on my pathetic piano area today!

Before:

pbbttt!!!!

After:

it's getting there

Yes, there is still much to be done. But I am already so pleased with the little changes.

Getting rid of the plastic play kitchen and red rug were a huge improvement. Putting the floor lamp away and bringing in the chair from my bedroom were huge. I remembered I had a few pillow forms from Ikea stashed away, so I wrapped the fabric around one - I like it! And I added a side table that really had no purpose in the den. I'm too chicken to hang art quite yet, so I just tossed a few accesories on top of the piano and called it good enough for now.

Still on the To-Do List:

* Find a sofa table. I actually found this one on CL (I was surprised).

asking $135

Unfortunately I think the finish is too red, and the style is a bit too country. I think I need something a bit cleaner and darker.

* Hang some art. I know I mentioned a print that I have in another room, I'm thinking it just won't work because of the placement of the thermostat (darn!). What do you think about two tall and narrow, modern pieces above the piano? So far this area is very traditional, and directly across from the piano is a modern entertainment center (an Ikea Besta unit, sort of like this). I'm thinking modern art will help to balance the two areas.

* Get a lamp for the side table. I'm going to start at GW, once again I think something with a more modern shape would be nice. While we are talking lamps, what do you think about the finish of the piano lamp? I know my mom bought that lamp in 1987, it's a nice lamp, but I'm not sure I can handle the brass...oil rubbed bronze? black?

* Slipcover the bench with the pillow fabric, and pick up some fun fringe to finish the pillow.

What do you think so far? Your wonderful feedback and ideas got me started on this project, and now I need it as fuel for me to keep going :)

Thanks again, for all of the thoughtful comments!!!

Because I Know You Love Updates

#1 - Huge thanks to everyone for all of the great feedback on my (currently not-so) Great Room!!

You are awesome and I love you!

We did a little furniture moving and it's already looking better :) I'll be doing a few more things tonight and tomorrow and then should be able to give you a little update (but don't expect too much - we are moving at a snail's pace over here).

Onto the updates.

At the beginning of the year I had a pretty solid set of goals to accomplish before the impending birth of "Bun." I'm going to be honest, I had to reread the original post to remember what they were (not a great sign). Here's the rundown:

Blog more - I was aiming for 3 posts per week, so far that has not happened. It's been a little chaotic around here, so the fact that I have continued to post, and not just abandoned my little house blog, makes me feel like I haven't totally given up. I've got a lot to say and show, just not a lot of time - I will try hard to improve on this!

Try a new recipe each week (and eat out/carry out less) - I've tried quite a few new recipes! But haven't been very good about making sure to try a new one each week. We've also been hit-or-miss with cutting down on carry out. The good news is the foundation repairs have been paid off (and with new money!). And just in time for more foundation repairs...oy.

Get to Church - We have not been regulars at Church. I'd like to blame it on Peanut's behavior during Mass (2 is not an easy age for a Fr. Mike homily), but it comes down to me and Hubs - we're slacking and it's no good.

Baptize the Kiddos - the goal is to have everything ready for a double Baptism (the "Double Dip") and party by my birthday - May 20. I am on track with this goal!!!

Lose Weight - on hold until baby Bun's birth.

House Projects -
The Great Room has been getting a little attention, although not as much as I would like.
Currently turning the office into a big boy room for Peanut. - It's been painted, furniture is almost done, decor is on-track and (most importantly) he is sleeping in his new big boy bed!
Move the office into the den - it's a great big mess, but almost 100% of the office stuff is in the den :)
And then I'd like to paint the hallway - not going to happen any time soon.
And the guest bath - ditto.

So that's where I stand after the first quarter of this year. There's room for improvement and a few "go-me!" moments. I guess that's not too bad.

How have your goals for 2010 been progressing?

My Brain is too Busy to Decorate

It's time for my very favorite party :)
Amanda is hosting her world-famous Decorating Dilemmas Party, come and join the fun!

Here's the deal.

This is a chunk of my great room.

I know you want to steal this amazing style

It used to house a dining room table, and buffet - both have been relocated because it felt like my GR had about 37 huge tables in it (really it was 2 large tables and a big island, but it was too much). Two weeks ago a piano arrived (thanks Mom and Dad!), and this week we finally finished a project (I know a WHOLE project - I was amazed! ps - it's the cabinet in the corner). So I've accumulated a few pieces of furniture, but that's where the plan ends.

I think my fetus is eating my brain. I cannot come up with a solid plan for this area.

What I know I need to lose:
* plastic play kitchen - heading to Peanut's room
* mismatched red rug - I love it, but not in this room. Right now it's just protecting the floor from the evil-metal piano-bench feet.
* cheap floor lamp - it's actually left over lighting from a project I was doing, it really belongs in my bedroom.
* 10 lbs, at least (oh wait, we were talking about the room...)

I am thinking about adding:
* a sofa table behind the couch - what finish? pale blue to match the newly-completed cabinet?
* a new area rug. Maybe I can make a large rug like Miss High-Heeled? I need some fabric inspiration.
* this chair from my bedroom (and make a pillow with the fabric (clearance score from Ballard))? I'm afraid the gold in the chair will clash with the yummy-yellow walls.

I have 2 yards of the yummy fabric

* architectural print over piano? I already have one, it's long and skinny (Mackinac Bridge blueprint), and very nicely framed...not quite sold on the idea, though.
* recover, or just slipcover, the piano bench with the Ballard fabric.

What would you do? I'm thinking I can only spend, maybe $250...
Thanks in advance, I'm excited to see your ideas!

a rundown

JJ:
- Last Thursday he slept in his big boy room for the first time. It was totally no big deal. I mean, he has a choo-choo pillow, so of course his bed is the coolest thing ever. I'm not going to lie, the empty crib in the nursery makes me cry - good thing we're getting a replacement baby soon ;)

sleeping soundly

- The language explosion that is going on at our house is AMZING. I remember learning about this stage in my one-and-only linguistics course (so fun, still makes me think about becoming a linguist), seeing it happen is pretty cool.

- JJ prefers to play "ootside" every day. Yeah! Except, when it is rainy and cold, we have an extreme case of cabin fever. Boo!

- Very interested (borderline obsessed), in all vehicles - especially "dumpie" trucks - robots, rockets, monsters, dragons and dinosaurs (which are apparently interchangeable, probably becasue they all say "RAWR!"), and duplos - because who doesn't like to build stuff?

- Also very into dental hygiene. We brush 4-5 times per day.

Me and Bun:
- Today makes week 34. Six weeks to go. Oy, this is happening fast.

- I am carrying Bun completely different from JJ. I feel like I have someone's feet in my esophagus, I swear this fetus is 27 inches long already. And because of placental-placement, I can feel Bun move so much more than JJ, it's weird and wonderful at the same time.

- I went to Cleveland last weekend to visit my best friends :) Sat night was my first time away from JJ over night. He was totally unfazed, perhaps it was because J let him eat junk food all weekend. I played a viola for the first time in a decade (?) maybe more? Allison was amazed that I could remember the first 8 notes for Twinkle, Twinkle... I am amazed that she let me hold her beautiful new violin.

the a-team
in front of the world's grooviest grass-cloth wallpaper

- Guess who is chairing the Bicentennial Gala Ball for my city in 2012? I'm already planning my outfit... Squeee!

The House:
- We recently paid off the very large loan we took out in Nov. to cover the foundation work we had done. J headed down to the crawl space the other week and looked around...the other walls are moving. Awesome. The good news is this fix will be much less expensive and invasive (power-braces instead of piers), and we really like the company that we are working with. The bad news is - who really wants to spend $8K because 200 years ago some crazy farmers decided to build a city on a swamp?

breaking news!

"A palm tree were purloined from a porch at 132½ N. Main St. recently."

From my favorite news source; I included the grammar mistake for your enjoyment.

Real Life

In my dreams, I craft in a space like this:

Heather Bailey's craft room, found here

In real life, it's more like this:

please send help

Yup. That's my kitchen island.
On a good day - I actually wiped the peanut butter up before laying out my fabric. (score!)

Oh well, in my mind I'm crafting with Martha in a beautiful craft room. With all of the supplies I could ever need, and no interruptions :)

Get Ready!

Get ready lovely followers! I feel a marathon blogging session coming on tonight...

I have to wait until Peanut is safely tucked in bed, but after that expect some updates on the happenings around my little house.

:)

On Breakfast Foods and Meal Planning

Tonight was low-key. Hubs had his last bowling night of the season (thank you!), and Peanut and I spent the day hosting a little egg-dyeing party. We were pretty tired.

Around 4:30 I decided that we would just have bowls of cereal and fruit for dinner. And I decided that if I didn't have a cup of coffee I would not make it to bedtime.

And then I remembered Amanda posting this nommy little recipe yesterday. So I told Peanut we would also have a little treat with dinner. He may be his father's twin, but he is momma's boy - he excitedly said "Chocolate?!" Yep, little one, chocolate is generally part of momma's treats :)

So we ate.

And then, while catching up on some of my favorite blogs I noticed that Laura planned her entire month of dinners for April. What a fantastically freeing concept!

Instead of dreading meal planning every Monday, I can just do it once and get it done! I can;t believe it never occurred to me before. So simple, but so wonderful.

So tomorrow I think I will focus on planning meals for April, and I'm also going to start planning meals to cook for the freezer so that I'll feel a bit more prepared about the impending arrival of Bun (nine weeks to go!).

Do you have a goal for April 1st?

future aerospace engineer?

Lately we have been all about rockets.

All day long I hear "3,2,1 Blast off!" And then I usually hear "CRASH!!!"

Crashing is fun, don'tyouknow.

I have been trying to teach JJ that it isn't "blastoff," but rather "ignition." See, I totally remember something from Space Camp - Mom and Dad, consider that money well spent :)

And while I was caught up in the vocabulary, JJ was busy building his own rocket:

ahh...duplos!

See the trailer on the back? That is the rocket boosters. After "blastoff" the rocket flies very briefly and then the boosters detach and fall to the ground. We're not sure where he learned that part, but we think it's pretty fabulous.

Thrifting!

On Saturday morning hubs and I dropped Peanut off at a friend's house.

We had a hot date...at a garage sale ;)

Last week when I dropped off my donations for the church rummage sale I spied a ton of furniture. I figured it would be a great place to check for a dresser for Peanut's new room. I wanted something cheap (less than $40) with no particle board. I'd been stalking the local GW, but kept coming up empty handed.

We showed up early and the doors were already open (and it was a madhouse). We kept going down the row of furniture, but nothing caught my eye; I was begining to get discouraged.

And then we saw this:

yep, that's a terrible picture of a beat up dresser

And then I saw this:

sold!

Now it's sitting in my garage ready to be sanded and painted!

I'm linking this up to the Thrifty Treasures party
at Southern Hospitality - come check it out!

be prepared

you never know when a tsunami may hit

Time to Confess

It seems inevitable.

No matter how hard I work at getting rid of clutter and unloved items, there is a constant influx of STUFF coming into my home.

Last week it was freebies (at least no $ headed out) - books, toys, baby hangers, a shelf (I actually found something with potential on my CL!). I can, and will, use everything - but I can't help feeling that as much as I work to de-clutter, the clutter keeps following me.

I really think it's stalking me.

Should I file a restraining order?

How do you control the clutter bug?

how about....

We all get together at the Detroit Zoo sometime in late April/early May?

We had a really nice dinner at Sangria, and AJ mentioned to me that she wants to set up a Zoo day, and I said I was thinking about that too!

Who's interested in a day at the zoo? Would you prefer April or May?

A Little More Cleaning

Installment 2 of the "Throw out 50 Things Challenge."

Check out Episode 1 :)

It's really easy to let go of things when I know they will support a great cause. An upcoming church rummage sale is a great reason for me to get rid of a bunch of extraneous "stuff" I have lying around.

Tomorrow I'm heading to the rummage sale drop off with:
11. cookie jar
12. bag of potpourri
13. a bunch of unloved cook books (hooray for more shelf space!)
14. random, hand-me-down metal stand
15. old TV (from my dorm days)
16. old VCR (also from the dorm)
17. bag of random kids videos (no VCR = no need for VHS tapes)

I threw out:
18. handful of expired medications/toiletries

Listed on CL:
19. old yarn stash (time to realize I can't possibly knit all of it, and it is taking up some major closet space)

On Sat I donated this to my favorite little Cub Scouts' Food Drive:

yep, that's some random food

20. bag of random pantry food (for some reason I always buy Hamburger Helper when it's on sale, even though we NEVER eat it, the same with the microwave popcorn and Cream of Shrimp soup - I should not be allowed in the grocery store while pregnant)

I'm working hard to get up a second list for this week so that I'll finish before the end of the month. I'm thinking that cleaning out the china buffet and hall closet should more than fill 10 more spots. And I have a really fun guest-blogger writing a post about clutter in other cultures. I'm excited for it! I think it'll make you stop and think about future random purchases.

Keep on De-Cluttering, it feels so good!

a reminder

I don't always look like I've been on a 12 year bender.

singing to the birthday boy

J and JJ aren't too shabby, either ;)

A Plan for my Entryway

A month ago I shared my entryway decorating dilemma, I also said I would share my ideas for how to address the space.

But I lied. I never shared my ideas.

Because I was waiting for Amanda's totally cool Show Me The Progress Party. And it's finally here! ( I wish there was cake involved. sigh.)



I got some awesome feedback! Thanks everyone, your comments got me thinking!

Let's start with the Big, Bad, Blank Wall.



There were quite a few votes for turning this space into a photo/kids art gallery. I'm not opposed to the idea, but I have plans to do that in the hallway connected to the entry. Kendall read my mind with her suggestion of the Samantha Collection from PB. My husband is currently building me the shelf (and for a lot less than $229, thankyouverymuch). I think it'll look great and be the perfect place to stash our cell phones and keys, and I know I can find some super cute hooks to add to the bottom.

Unfortunately the bench won't work as there is a register in an awkward spot on the floor :(
What will work is a smaller, open bottom bench. I'm trying to thrift one, and then maybe recover the seat with burlap and a fun number stencil. And maybe some black ball fringe, because that just sounds fun. And I'm going to try to make a small boot tray to stash under the bench, but not block the register. I'm thinking a cheap baking sheet and some spray paint...

Meg read my mind and suggested the umbrella stand project from Little Green Notebook. I loved the idea when I saw it, but never thought I had a good place for it. Now I'm pretty sure it would look excellent next to the skinny window. And it'll be the perfect spot for a monogram.

Let's move to the front door wall. It was a snore-fest.

Big time.



A few suggested I paint the basket, but I paid a lot of money for it back when I though that Longaberger baskets were more important than groceries (I've since moved on to expensive hand bags). So no paint, but I'm happy to report I ditched the wretched silk greenery. I realized I had a little copper tag with our family name that came with the basket, so I attached that to the front. It still looks like it's floating in a sea of nothingness. I do have a few more baskets I can hang next to the door to fill out the wall there. And above the door, I'm planning on adding a wall decal (potentially on a hunk of MDF as we will be painting the walls soon (hopefully)). I was thinking of these cute birdies in all black.

And then there's the floor. I had been thinking of making a very rustic styled (so that it can get dirty and fade, etc) floor cloth from a drop cloth. Amanda also suggested it, so now I'm sold :) I'm thinking a black/white harlequin pattern would look nice.

That's it. My plan, influenced by all of you :) Thanks!

Also, thanks for all of the nice comments on the buffet in my entryway. It's an antique from my great-grandmother's home in Detroit (which, like most of the city, is no longer there). It has some issues, but one day I'll have it restored, I'm pretty attached to it. I also have the matching dining table with a super cool barrel base - Mimi (my great-gram) used to hide her booze and money in it! Isn't that a hoot?!

sometimes...

Sometimes I wake up beautiful.

And sometimes I look like Ozzy Osbourne.

aiojfopjopjpsharonafpp

It's nothing coffee can't fix :)

Have a great day everyone!

Cleaning it out!

Inspired by my good friend Heather (we went to college together!), I'm going to complete the "Throw Out Fifty Things Challenge" for the month of March. Here's a brief summary of the challenge. Heather originally found the idea at Make Under my Life.

Having rooms in transition makes it really easy (and necessary) to get rid of a lot items. Currently, the very large closet in my former office is full of the remnants of a home business I used to run. Since the business is now closed, and a little boy will need space for toys and clothes, everything needs to go! I started the task last week, and was happy with how successful I have been (although there is still a ton of stuff to get rid of!). I also went through my closet, and pulled a few random items from the den.

Here's my list:

1. box of kitchen knick knacks (I listed them on CL twice, with no interest - now they are going to the church rummage sale (next week))
2. giant stack of magazines (freecycled)
3. old business supplies (listed on Ebay and sold for $25)
4. old business inventory (listed on Ebay, the auction isn't over yet, but there are bids - so everything will be leaving!)
5. business samples and a large sample binder (sold on CL for $10)
6. clothing (took it GW)
7. couch from the den (sold on CL for $50 - it was picked up on Sat.)
8. old pet supplies (the guinea pig died in Sept, the Humane Society was thrilled to have a few bags of food and bedding)
9. frog pod, baby bathtub organizer thing (super cool, but we couldn't get it to work at our house :( someone bought it on CL for $10)
10. wine rack (my sister was happy to have this)

This has opened up a lot of space already, and I have $95 in my pocket!

Who wants to join in on the challenge?

heading to the D

I have pics from the birthday extravaganza, and stories of a pregnant lady who spends her time trying to corral an extremely active 2 year old - but those are for another time.

I've got some business to attend to.

I will be in Detroit this weekend! And the best babysitters EVER (AKA Grammy and Papa) have graciously offered their services for Sat night so that I can go out to dinner with my Detroit girls :)

Hooray for Grammy and Papa!

Leave me a comment or send me an email (firstnamelastname@sbcglobal.net) if you'd like to get together and I'll be sure to get you the info. I'm thinking maybe dinner at Sangria in RO? Any other suggestions?

Alternatively if you want to meet during the day Sat or Sun I'm game for that (just know that JJ will be in tow). We want to see our friends!

bits and pieces

I have two big Thank you's! and one reminder to take care of.

I'll start with the thanking :)

Casey at Thrifty Little Blog featured my humble little closet cleanup in her Closet Week wrap-up post. I sent her my link knowing that she wouldn't have room for it, so I was super surprised to see my messy closet on her post. Thank you Casey! I puffy-heart your blog!

Danielle at The Newlywed's Paradise recently gave me a fun blog award! Thanks Danielle!!! I really enjoying reading about what's going on at your home!

cupcakes!

I'm supposed to share ten things that make me happy, so here goes:
1. Hubs and Peanut (and Bun - whose arrival is getting closer and closer!), it just wouldn't be my little house without my little family :)
2. Getting random emails from my friends (but not forwards - blahh forwards!)
3. Waking up to a clean kitchen
4. Waking up to a clean kitchen and then eating donuts!
5. Spring!
6. Finishing a project, and being happy with the results
7. Getting comments on my blog!
8. Getting rid of clutter
9. Pens that write nicely, even if they were free from a hotel
10. Organized spaces

And here's my reminder:

Amanda's "Show Me The Progress Party!" is on Wed!
So get your post together!

This is going to be so fun :)

migrating

The birds have begun returning to snowy Ohio, and we're doing our own little migration dance in my little house.

My office has moved into the den (previously the "dead furniture room"), and my former office has begun it's transformation into Peanut's big boy room.

former office/guest room
(in the lower right you can see some of the sofa bed)

We never really did anything with my old office, the plan was always to make it a child's bedroom, so when we moved in we just plunked my old desk (3 stock cabinets and 11 feet of counter-top) on a wall and called it good. Not very inspiring, but I had a great work space and plenty of storage.

Once Peanut arrived we moved a sofa bed (Ektorp from IKEA, AKA the world's heaviest couch) in, so that the former guest room could become a nursery. And we always had a loose plan of turning the dead furniture room into a real den/guest room.

brand new command center

We chopped the counter-top and lost a cabinet - both will be donated to our new Re-Store next month! Hubs needs to drill a new hole for the wiring thread though (and then we need to corral it - do you see that knot of wires under the desk?!). And I obviously need to do some organizing. But it's sort of usable right now, I guess the most important part id that it is one item checked off of the list.

Later this weekend the sofa bed will be moving into the den and replacing an old hand-me-down sofa (sold it on CL). After that we will be painting Peanut's room a manly tan (I'll share a mood board later!). And then moving in furniture, accessories and one cute little boy :)

It feels so good to check off the list!

What's going on at your house right now?

How do you...

How do you donate?

I'm not talking about monetary donations, I'm wondering how you decide what/when/where to donate items you are no longer using.

I've got a little system.

I call it "The Bag."

I always have a used shopping bag, with a sheet of paper inside, hanging on a hook in the hall closet. As I find articles of clothing, knick knacks, and general stuff that I no longer love, I put them in the bag and inventory them on the piece of paper. When the bag is full I drop it off at the local GW. It's super easy because I already have a list of items I am donating, and I generally make a weekly stop at my GW. I always ask for a receipt, which I staple to my donated items list and file in the taxes file (then I let Hubs handle it).

putting items in The Bag

Sometimes I will list things on CL before I donate them - anything that requires me to have the GW truck stop by is listed first. Unwanted craft supplies are always listed, and so are items that I think the GW will have a hard time selling (like the sweaters that I felted and decided not to craft with). But I have a CL rule, I will only list the items twice, after that they leave my house. I also never list clothing - I don't know why not? Just a quirk.

How do you Donate? or Do you donate?

Information on donating to Goodwill.
iPhone app to help you track your donations.

guess what?

Chicken butt.

Haha.

I'm at 27 weeks today, which means only 13 weeks left to get everything ready for Bun. I feel like we need to kick it into warp speed. Which is easier said than done with JJ running around. It's almost noon, and I've only managed to get him into a clean onesie and diaper so far.

The child who usually tells me his toes are "cold and sad" as soon as I take off his dirty socks is happily running around in underwear. And I keep the house cool, because I like to wear sweaters but hate to sweat. Go figure.

So anyway, this past weekend we headed up to Muskegon and I threw JJ a little party for his family there. And, although the invites clearly stated "no presents, please," he really raked it in. So add thank you notes to my list of things to do today:

1. get JJ dressed
2. sweep and mop the kitchen (and let JJ help) - I DID THIS!!!!
3. thank you notes, complete with 2 year old scribbles

blowing out the candles

This weekend we're having a party here, and my side of the family and some friends will be coming in for it, and since he's two I decided JJ could have two friends over - I think they were impressed by the dump truck invites!

We've also begun the great migration.

The office desk was chopped in two and moved to the den. I sold the old couch from the den (hello $50) and this weekend (when there will be many hands to help) the sofa bed will move from the office to the den, and then we will be able to paint JJ's big boy room. His new bed has been ordered, we're just waiting to have it delivered until after the room is painted.

And that's where we're at.

for reals

From my super-awesome local paper:

"Jewelry and an autographed photo of Dale Earnhardt Sr. were stolen recently from 424 Scarlet Oak Drive."

And, I promise to do a real post later - like during nap time - one with pictures! And more than 25 words!

I love a well-stocked pantry

Growing up, my mother had an amazing pantry.

When we were very young I remember canning applesauce, peaches, pears, tomatoes - all sorts of delicious things. Her peaches tasted like summer - even in February.

I guess she was sort of radical (for the early 80's) in how she looked at food. She didn't trust preservatives, food dyes, or HFCS. I remember finding carob-chip cookies in my lunchbox, when all I really wanted were Chips Ahoy. I remember eating wonder bread sandwiches made with grape jelly and Jiff with a side of Doritos at the house across the street - I can distinctly recall the shade of green my mother turned when I told her that's what we'd eaten for lunch ;)

Mom belonged to a natural foods co-op, and once a month we'd gather with other families in a church parking lot to unload the truck. It felt like playgroup for us kids. We would run around the church yard, playing tag and red rover among the hugs pine trees; our mothers would be busily dividing the bulk boxes of dried fruit, cheeses and pails of natural peanut butter. And when we got home, she would store it all away in the pantry.

I love my pantry. I'm pretty sure I could easily feed my family from my pantry/freezer for at least 2 weeks. After that we'd be down to some strange meal options, but we still wouldn't starve.

I just found a fascinating blog, The Prudent Homemaker, she has been feeding her family of seven (and she's due with her 6th child very soon - I love big families!) for two years. She does say that she's stocked up on certain items when she can, but for the majority of two years she has not had the luxury of going to the market every week and buying groceries. She also grows quite a bit of fresh food (makes me feel like the ultimate underachiever).

I'm going to follow some of her tips, and try some of her recipes, and see if I can't stretch my grocery money just a little bit further. All while padding my pantry.

blank walls

The other week I spruced up (a little bit) the buffet in my entryway.

Now the rest of the room is really starting to get on my nerves.

I think I have a plan for it, but I'd love some input. And I want that input to be totally unrelated to what I've been thinking, so I'm not going to share any parts of my plan until tomorrow - sounds like fun to me!

Here's the space from left to right - it's (very roughly) 6' x 8' with recessed lighting and a skylight.

left side
I like this for right now

front door
so boring

right side
hello ugly boot tray and preschool art project

What would you do to the right wall and door to add function and life? We don't use the front door very much (we generally enter from the garage), but it's nice to have a place for guests to place wet boots. How about my ugly white door; boring, isn't it? (and did you notice the green hinges? they confuse me) I like the mailbox basket, but the random plastic greenery that was leftover from an old arrangement? Totally not attached to that - I need some fun ideas.

I would love to put a rug in here, but the problem is the door has zero clearance over the floor. I've brought home more rugs than I care to think of, hoping that they will be thin enough to stay put and not curl up when I open the door - nothing has worked. What would you do if a rug wasn't an option?

I'm so excited to see your ideas! I promise to share mine tomorrow!

Want to join in the Decorating Dilemma fun? Head over to Serenity Now and meet our super-cute hostess Amanda. She's so fun!

dokcet, docket

Some mornings, the public docket is my favorite thing to read:

"An inebriated man was arrested for disorderly conduct Sunday morning after he fell into a wall and rolled down a snowbank at Meijer. He believed aliens were after him and that all the people who had been with him earlier had been killed."

Classic.

It's a Full Little House

The last few days have been pretty full around here.

We've got two extra kids. We had a fog day. We had a snow emergency.

And we ran out of milk.

My little visitors will be heading home by Fri, and then I'm looking forward to getting a few things done around my little house :)

inspiration... FOUND!

It's no secret I've been working on the Great Room for quite a while. We painted it a buttery, summery yellow over Labor Day weekend, furniture has been moved in and out, arrangements have changed, there are huge gaping holes, and a few spots that i am actually starting to like.

This whole time, I've had a picture in my mind of what I want this room to be...I just haven't been able to find a visual representation. Not really a problem for me, after all I have a solid idea in my own head, for Hubs it's tough to just trust that I know what I want it to be.

He likes to second guess me. It's annoying.

But on Sunday I stopped by PK's inspiring blog and found it.

My inspiration room actually exists.

And there are pictures. Lovely, scrumptious, pictures.

source

A kitchen with creamy white cabinets. Lovely yellow walls.

source
white beams - although I won't be painting my ceiling blue

I, very excitedly, showed my husband these inspiring images.

He trusts my vision. And agrees that we should paint the island stools red :)

peep show

Tomorrow will be 23 weeks (I think - it's amazing how not obsessed with everything I am this time around).

I feel like I've finally hit the point where I look pregnant, and not just extra fat.


Like how the break in the mirror cuts off my butt?

Yeah, me too ;)

sideboard confessional

A few days ago the sideboard in my entryway looked like this:

it looked even worse in real life

All of the Christmas decor had been packed away (except for the advent candles), and random items had taken over. It made me feel gross to look at it. It also made me very glad that we don't have a lot of front door visitors.

On Thursday I decided something needed to be done. We were having a bit of a thaw here in NW Ohio (ok, it was in the upper 30's, but the snow was melting) and I really, really, really wanted to put out all of the spring decorations.

a hoarder doesn't live here, after all

As you can see, I used restraint and only added one little posy of yellow paper flowers. And then I decided to add a bunch of family photos that had been hiding in the linen closet (does anyone else store random decorating items in the "linen" closet?).

I like to see my family as I walk down the hallway :)

Adding this one to the Before and After party over at Thrifty Decor Chick.
Stop by for some before and after inspiration!

this guy

Loves to eat PB sandwiches.

He's actually a really great little eater. He'll always try new foods (I'm not saying he doesn't spit out offensive foods). And he's addicted to fruits and veggies :)

But last week, fueled by pregnant-lady-food-cravings, I bought potato bread instead of the fabulously healthy, whole grain brown bread I usually buy. I accidentally created a monster.

He now refuses to eat brown bread. And he's too young to use the logic my mom used on us when we would ask for wonder bread at the store (she'd tell us we were "rich," and could afford to eat whole grain bread, weren't we so lucky?).

After this loaf is spent I think we're going PB sandwich free for a few weeks. Maybe he'll forget about the soft and sweet white bread and be more receptive to the nutty,chewy, brown bread he used to love. Maybe he'll also eat the crusts, and quit throwing them on the floor.

Here's to hoping.

Every Sunday Needs

I'm pretty sure every Sunday needs a freshly baked Devil's Food cake with cream cheese icing.

I think this is the most perfect way to ice a layer cake.

The bast part? Monday morning breakfast...yum, yum!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

halp, halp!

Yesterday I was busy cleaning and JJ was reading in his room.

Then I heard “Halp Momma! Halp! Halp!”

He climbed up the changing table and jumped into the hamper, and then he realized he was stuck :)

CL woes

I love to stalk our local CL, the problem is, it is generally rather disappointing.

I've sold a few things using it, but I have never made a purchase, maybe because gems like this * keep popping up.

But, I will continue to stalk CL daily, hoping to one day find the dresser, or pair of armchairs, or extremely large area rug of my dreams.

PS - check out what my friend Heather recently scored from her local CL, I am so jealous!

*If the listing disappears -it's for a barely-used stripper pole, but the listing is misspelled so it's actually a "striper" pole. Classic and classy.

photot tag

Kara tagged me :)

Here are the rules:

1. Open your first photo folder
2. Scroll down to the 10th picture in your folder (if you don't have 10 pictures, go to the next folder that does)
3. Post that photo and tell your story behind the photo
4. Tag 5 friends to do the same

Ready for this?

I love carbs.

I was six months pregnant with JJ here (Nov. 2007), J and I went to Gatlinburg for a little vacation. We saw this giant potato (pretty sure this is in Dollywood) and instantly thought - awesome photo op.

Tag you're it! - Laura, Stephie, Pam, Heather S and Randi

it's a work in progress

I couldn't leave the mantle alone after getting so much great feedback. Thank you so much for all of the ideas!

While I convince the hubs that we really need to paint it white (ten votes for going white!) I am also going to be searching the local architectural salvage for a pair of reclaimed corbels (Thanks Tidy Mom for the excellent link - I found the corbel idea there!).

Design-Aholic suggested I think about going chunkier and shorter with the mantle, which is funny because I have actually thought about that, and *might* have convinced Hubs to try and remove the mantle just so I could visualize it easier - and we discovered that removing the mantle = destroying the masonry. I'm think the corbel idea might work the same way, by visually beefing up the mantle and breaking up the vast expanse of wood.

I decided to start with the top half. Little hands can't get up there, so the one part that won't need to be adjusted every ten minutes ;)

Many of you suggested using darker (wrought iron/black) and larger accessories - love it! In fact, the picture I posted was a little misleading; I usually do have much larger objects on the mantle (a 2.5 foot high garden gnome usually keeps an eye on us), but I was in that "just put away the Christmas decorations, still have a few 'winter' items out" mode. So this morning I headed to Hobby Lobby and picked up a few items in the 66% off area, and a canvas for an Alanna Rose original (seven votes to add art on top!).

Here's a little preview:

excuse the ultra-poor photo quality - I was excited to show you the progress!

I bought everything to the left of the canvas, I had the fun moss-covered-rattan-smokestack-thingies (PB sometime last year), and the bird house. For sure the birdhouse is not staying - it's too white and not organic enough. I'm pretty sure my gnome is coming back (I miss him.). I'm torn on the bird topped finial. In person it really blends into the stone; if I keep it I'm thinking of whitewashing it so it'll stand out more. And the arrangment isn't there yet, but it's getting there.

I think I have a plan for the canvas... but that's another post :)

Thanks again for all of the feedback!

warts

Just a little love from the docket.

"Two people were nabbed for shoplifting three DVDs and a wart removal kit from the Trenton Avenue Walmart."

meet my mantle

This is my fireplace and mantle.

boring and empty

It's sort of large (9 ft. across), and placed in the corner of the living room portion of the great room.

It needs something, and that's where you come in :)

The furniture is dark wood tones, and off-white slip-covered seating (just ordered the new slipcovers). The "drapes" are drop cloths (and are still in their temporary faze).

Should I paint the mantle? I go back and forth on this question. The trim throughout our home is white, and there are white beams on the ceiling in this room; but the ceiling and floor are both a light honey wood-grain and the mantle matches. I don't want to paint and then say "Crud. I should have left it."

Look behind the wreath, can you see the ugly beige vents? Because I sure can. And I hate them. I have thought about buying canvases on sale and doing some abstract-amateur painting, and then just leaning them against the wall. I'm hesitant to hang anything very heavy or breakable (like a framed picture) because when we have high winds a bit of air pushes through the vents and I don't want anything to come crashing down on us (or scaring us in the middle of the night).

Now look at the fireplace.

I love the screen (it came from Crate and Barrel, but I can't find it). My parents gave it to us as an anniversary gift :) I also like the basket (it's ancient and came from Target). But it needs something. PS - I have a two year old. So no fireplace tools or large ceramic horse sculptures.

Thanks for all of the suggestions!

Want to join the Decorating Dilemma Party?

Visit Amanda at Serenity Now and link up with your own problem area. See you there!

peanut butter ;)

The other day a thick Pottery Barn catalog arrived in the mail.

Nothing new there, it seems we get a new one every other week. But this time, I had a few minutes to study it, and I found quite a few things I would like.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you look at this from a thrifty standpoint), I cannot see spending $1500.00 on a new dresser when I can get a very nice one for half that at our locally owned (they actually live one house over from us) furniture store. I grew up with some beautiful furniture and, as far as I can tell, PB's prices are simply inflated to pay for all of those catalogs that they send. But I will take the ideas and run with them :)

I did spy this shelf, which would be great in my front entry.

image from Pottery Barn

I asked Hubs if he could maybe make one for less than $230? Of course he can, and we can save even more if he uses MDF - and since I'd like to paint it, I'm pretty sure that's the way we'll go.

So, we'll just add that to his ever expanding list o' projects, and I'll keep you posted.



Are you like me (read: not independently wealthy?); PB currently has a Dream Room Giveaway - but if you win you have to share with me ;)

Later tonight I'll be posting a Decorating Dilemma and participating in Amanda's party - come join in the fun!

guess what?

Today is the halfway point of my pregnancy!

I know. It feels way too fast for me, too.

I feel like we may never get anything done for this baby. The nursery is done, but we need to make JJ a big boy room so Bun can move in. And that is kind of a slow process, as it involves the moving of lots o furniture, selling of old furniture and acquisition of new, painting and general rearranging of life.

It's a lot to think about. I need a nap.

Which brings me to this - I am so incredibly tired this pregnancy! If I do not nap on the couch every afternoon I am a zombie. So, JJ has been watching way more TV than he should be, which gives me mommy-guilt and causes me to sleep even less. It's a terrible cycle (one I'm sure you know all too well).

While I'm complaining, let's talk about skin tags. All.over.my.neck.

And JJ thinks they are fun to pull and pick at. Which hurts and grosses me out. And I tell him that he might have given them to me, but that doesn't make them his, so HAND OFF mister!

I am calling the dermatologist and making an appointment for June 15, these nasty things have to go, because I cannot wear scarves and turtlenecks in the summer.

oh my - ohio

Yesterday I ate a cookie.

Shocked? ;)

I was nibbling at it like a rabbit, and I looked down and realized...


I had turned it into Ohio!!!

I briefly thought about keeping it, just like I would keep a potato chip shaped like Elvis or a cornflake that reminded me of the Virgin Mary...

But it was a really good cookie, so I just finished it off.

un-trimming the tree

Today is Epiphany. We celebrated it at Mass on Sunday (couldn't skip out on my goals the very first weekend!), and our priest reminded us that we are still in the Christmas Season.

That's why my tree is still lit, and my outdoor lights are still turned on.

But after today we'll start to take everything down :(

To be honest, I have already put a few things away.

Some of the Santas and snow men have been packed, so have our stockings - but my nativity sets and the tree are still staying strong.

Which means that every morning Peanut wakes up and plays with his nativity set.

the most important thing to remember is that the donkey likes to sit on top of the manger

When do you take down all of your Christmas decorations? Do you do it all at once, or a little bit at a time?

Chicken Paprika

On Sunday, while I was planning our dinner menu for this week, I asked Hubs what he felt like eating for dinner. He said "chicken."

Thanks Hon, way to be specific.

I decided that it was an excellent opportunity to try a new recipe and ran to my favorite "go-to" cookbook - The Joy of Cooking.

I was skimming through the "chicken" dishes and stumbled onto Chicken Paprika - I vaguely remembered watching some random chef on The Food Network make this years ago (really, I'm pretty sure I saw this episode when we were apartment dwellers - easily seven years ago). The recipe looked simple and sounded delicious, and I had a fabulous bottle of Penzey's Hungarian Sweet Paprika on hand.

It was a done deal :)

I just needed to chop some onions.

next time I'll use a larger bowl ;)

Then, brown some chicken.

well-seasoned with salt and pepper

Finish following the recipe, and make up some couscous to pour the yummy sauce over.

nom. nom. nom.

It was ridiculously easy, and delicious. Peanut even scarfed down the chicken, so you know it was yummy.

There are a few things I'd like to do to the recipe next time, I'll keep experimenting and let you know how it goes :)

quick and dirty

Christmas was great. This is the first time we have spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at our home, and it was great. So much less stress, and I'm pretty sure JJ really liked opening his presents at our house first :)

Then we headed up to Troy, spent a few days there and celebrated Christmas with my family and then headed to Muskegon. Since we missed all of the parties in Muskegon I decided to have a casual family gathering for dinner one night. We had everyone meet at the Vikings Club and J and I bought pizza and wings. I think everyone had a good time - and we were able to spend more time with J's cousins than we usually get to on Christmas Eve.

We came home on New Years Eve and just chilled out.

JJ really liked having his Daddy at home.
I really liked having J at home, too; but I like being able to pay the mortgage more ;)
Needless to say, we both miss him today.

Especially when JJ decides to break through the child locks and drink dish soap (don't worry, he drink very much and I buy the environmentally friendly stuff - it's also apparently better suited for consumption).
I could have really used an extra set of eyes for those five minutes.

New Year and a Resolution, or Five

My little family is back from our whirlwind tour of Michigan. It wasn't really a tour, but we got to spend a few days with each side of the family, and that made the grandparents happy (and us, too!).

I got up this morning and finished putting away all of the lovely Christmas presents we received, now I need to sort through Peanut's toys and take a load to Goodwill. Seriously - I feel like we live in a toy box.

And since it's a new year I feel like I should make a few resolutions, a list of goals, something a bit more involved than:
1. Lose weight.
2. Go to Church more often.
Although those two items are on my list ;)

Goals for 2010
1. Blog more. I'm going to hold myself accountable for three posts each week, it might turn into more, but for now I think three is a nice number.

2. Cooking and baking! Last year Hubs and I decided not to eat out for the entire month of January; and then three days later Oprah told everyone else in America to do the same thing.
That's when I knew I was a genius.
He doesn't know it yet, but the Chinese carryout we just ate will be his last restaurant meal for awhile - and I'm going to start packing him a lunch for the office.
We still need to save about $16K to cover the very-necessary foundation repairs that were finished in November, we were able to secure one year same as cash financing (which certainly helps) - I'd love to pay this off with new money instead of pulling it out of savings. Spending less on entertainment (for us that's generally food) will make a small dent.
Anyway - not eating out will help with my actual Goal:
To try a new recipe every week. And to document that recipe with a picture - and then post it here (and help out with Goal #1)! I'm such a multitask-er.

3. and 4. Church.
Every weekend we are home. And if we aren't home on the weekend, I need to take Peanut to Wednesday AM Mass at the school. But I'll give myself a week (or two) off after Bun arrives - because I know I will be a zombie then and Jesus would much rather see me sleep-in, than break my back getting us to Church.
And I really need to have the kids Baptized. That has been more of a scheduling issue than anything else - but I have got some major Catholic-guilt about it. I've decided to schedule it for July, and have everything ready (invitations, decorations, catering, etc.) before my birthday. So there's Goal #4.

5. Lose weight.
I'm having a baby - I expect to lose some weight while I'm nursing (worked like a charm the first time). Beyond that I'm planning on going back to Weight Watchers after my OB gives me the go-ahead because I have plenty of non-baby related weight to lose.

6. The House.
All decorating projects have been derailed. I need to get them back on track. I know that once the Christmas decor comes down (not until twelfth night!) the great room is going to feel empty and depressing. I need a solid plan before then or I will be in a major funk.
And we need to turn the office into a big boy room for Peanut.
And then we need to move the office into the den (which is currently the "dead-furniture" room).
And then I'd like to paint the hallway.
And the guest bath.
And now I'm going to stop :)

So that was my ramble-y list of goals for 2010. I'm excited for this year!

docket, docket

I love the way they report items in our docket, so much unnecessary information :)

"A patron at Nino's Bar reportedly told employees he was going to come back and shoot everyone. He also said he was better at basketball than LeBron James, was a sniper and a black belt in Chinese Kenpo. This was reported Tuesday; the man was issued a trespass warning."

"A Marion Township woman said a former classmate of hers, whom she "had a drunken make out session" with once while in college 15 years ago, was harassing her over the Internet on Tuesday."

dashboard indicators

JJ whacked the back of his little head on the corner of my nightstand :(

I'm pretty sure he's fine, sure enough that we aren't going to the Dr's office or ER.

It occurred to me that it would just be so much easier if kids came with a little light-up panel, like the one in the dashboard of your car. Then his little engine light would light up and I'd know without a doubt what to do. There'd be no momentary panic, frantic phone dialing or calls to J (seriously - what was he going to do?).

And maybe there could also be an indicator light for plotting mischief... that one would definitely be handy.

yick

Did any of you have nosebleeds while you were pregnant?

I remember having a few during the winter while I was expecting JJ, but this time it's almost an everyday occurrence. It's really no good because I have been using a million kleenex everyday and it's annoying.

Other than that everything else is ducky.

I finished my Christmas cards (woohoo!) and I think I'm close to being done with shopping. The tree is up and is decorated a little bit, JJ is really interested in it, so I'm not adding any more ornaments for him to pull off and break. Now I just need to wrap the presents and do a lot of baking :)

white lies

At this very moment JJ is at Mom's Day Out (MDO).

Breathe a sigh of relief with me. ahhhhh. I needed that.

When I dropped him off I had to leave my contact info, etc, and there's also a line that asks what you will be doing. I assume that's so they don't try to call you while you're in the middle of a root canal. Every week I write "errands" just like all of the other moms.

Sometimes that's true.

Most of the time it's a lie.

Today I ran one errand. I took myself to Panera to grab breakfast (cheese pastry, thankyouverymuch). Then I came home and watched all of the episodes of Glee I have missed.

It was wonderful.

I was forced to run a load or two of laundry (I ran out of underwear again). And now I'm going to write some Christmas cards.

Maybe.

But there's an episode of Eastwick still on the DVR....and a french bread pizza in the freezer.



No one really cares if they receive a Christmas card from us, right?

hoarding

I love to watch the show Hoarders on A&E. It's like watching a train wreck. I find the fascinating, and extremely depressing.

I feel so bad for the people involved. It's such a complicated disease, I wonder if they are ever able to live a life that is free from the extra stuff (sometimes actual garbage)?

Not only is the show entertaining, but it provides real motivation for getting rid of the extra stuff that I tend to accumulate. After watching last night's episode I went through my closet and pulled out the clothes I no longer wish to wear (and I packed up everything that I won't be wearing for the next few months). A clean closet is such a fabulous thing!

Tomorrow I'm planning on going through my son's closet and drawers, and pack away/donate his outgrown items. I'm getting excited about dropping stuff off at Goodwill :)

Yeah, I'll probably go in the store and take a peek, too. If I get any great deals I'll let you know!

Does anyone else watch Hoarders?
Does it set you on a search and destroy mission of clutter in your own home?