I'm up to my old tricks.

Etsy love

I really appreciate all your{my blogging girls are the bestest} comments about fixing my hallway problem.  I am going to paint the door and possibly carry the green from the living room around the front doorway.  I think{hope} that will solve my skin crawling issues :) 

I carried the blue up the stairs and hallway to the bedrooms and again, am really pleased with the outcome{darn entryway}.  This house is dark, especially on the second level landing area.  We had originally painted it a very light cream color{thinking it was the only choice due to the lack of natural light}, but it always looked shadowy and bland.  It's amazing to me that a darker color, in an already dark space, can lighten and brighten.  There is something to be said for paint, it really can transform. 

So, on to my Etsy love part.  How much do you love Etsy?  I seriously adore it, although don't go on it very much because it gets exhausting.  I was tickled when Better Homes and Gardens highlighted an Etsy artist from Ashville, North Carolina{just down the road from us...kinda}.  I had admired her art before, but forgot about it.  When I saw her prints I HAD to have one for the hallway.  Lucky for me, it was affordable :)

Hello cuteness.  Her Etsy sight is here.  I am just loving my little leaves. It is a great addition to our "forest friends" bathroom.

 While I was shopping things kept landing in my virtual basket.  I'm pretty crazy for vinyl designs.  It 's the easiest{possibly cheapest}way to add a little personality and when I get bored with the whole thing, it peels right off. When Holden saw this he was all kinds of bitter.  He doesn't really appreciate "the rules" in yet another area of his life. I'm pretty sure it was the "Be Considerate" part that got his brow all furrowed. 

 Huh, looks pretty clean. Taking it off my to do list this week.

 For some reason I was sent an extra owl.  Just a little surprise when you close the door.  Why should I be the only one with guests while I go potty.

 Then I just get goofy.  This owl is sure to last 2 days in one piece.

This makes me happy.

 This makes me happy too

 I will always have white woodwork.  I don't care if I will be scrubbing it for the rest of my life.  Worth it.

A little Anthropologie splurge. 

This is the stairway before I painted. For a while I brainstormed on how to add something to this area. At first I thought hanging something up the stairs would be good, but honestly it is so narrow I couldn't think of anything that wouldn't be in the way. I searched Pinterest for hallway/stair pictures and saw some beautiful stenciled stairways, that got me thinking. I can't find the blog I originally saw this on but...

this is actually contact paper for stairs!  I know, nutty.  When I was first un-peeling it I thought it was a little weird.  I'm not a fan of contact paper even in places it belongs, so I was skeptical about how I would like it.  After painting I like it more, but the jury is still out a bit.  What do you think?  While I was sticking it to the back of the steps I was ashamed of myself.  I mean, for someone who likes to paint, it felt like I was cheating.  BUT, here is what I like about it.  It's indestructible.  I had been crabby about scrubbing the steps every 5 seconds.  They were scuffed constantly, the paint needed to be touched up all the time.  This has solved those problems and put a smile on my face.  The black is maybe a little harsh in this space.  It's pretty graphic for my taste, but I'm reserving judgement at the moment.  It may inspire me to actually paint a stencil on...we'll see.

I'm off to paint the door.  See you later this week.

decorating frustrations

I painted the kitchen and hallway last week and I am completely frustrated with it.  Love the color in the kitchen, not so crazy about it everywhere else.  There is something about transition spaces that gets me all irritated.  It has happened in every house we've owned.  I despise hallways.  There I said it!  I decided to paint the entryway and upstairs hall the same color as the kitchen.  They are all tied together in a very small span of square feet and putting two colors in such a small space seemed too busy.   

 I love the color here{look, my vacuum cord has made the blog}...

 love it here as well...

 like they way it looks against all the white here...

 it's making my skin crawl here....ahhh...what am I going to do?! It is definitely the red door against the blue that is making me cringe.  I certainly do not think I like the corner where the blue and green come together.  Totally having trouble with the color blue in general. I can't seem to get over my notion that it belongs only in bedrooms-where have I come up with that stupid rule. I'm in the process of changing everything around, all in the hopes of not having to paint again{and for that matter, picking another color}.  I'm frustrated!

 Now for some better progress news.  Look what we have in our possession!   Countertops!   Hoping that my choice of stain goes better than the hallway{fingers and toes crossed}

And , by the miracle of nature, we even have grass! Needless to say, there is a lot going on here.  I'll be back later this week with more pictures.

what I wore wednesday

I've been reading blogs for several years now.  When I have come across a What I Wore Wednesday post, I've always been impressed with what all these chics are wearing.  Have you ever seen Lisa Leonard's posts, I mean the girl is adorable and her little outfits are inspiring, as they aren't all expensive and such, but just creative.   Every day she has accessories{well, she is a jewelry designer} and boots and skirts and jackets and things that make her look all stylish working and running errands.  The Pleated Poppy girl is just cute as can be in all her outfits. It's really nice to see.   I love clothes and shoes and purses and earrings and all that good stuff, but some days...gulp...I don't get out of my sweats....

{proof}

I took a shower on this day.  What a waste of some perfectly good water!  I even woke up at 5:30 to take that shower-what?? I put these sweats on to run the boys to school and intended to come back and change.  That never happened.  I took the dog to the vet, headed to the gym{might as well, there was no reason to preserve my perfectly coiffed hair at this point}, came home and did some work around the house, contemplated changing, didn't, picked the boys up from school, took them out for ice cream, made dinner, visited at my neighbors.  Didn't feel much shame. I am a "What I Wore" failure! 

It makes me think of my old friend Kristi{are you still out there Kristi?}.  She was always very conscientious of her sweats and hair in a pony.  She said her husband wasn't a big fan, and honestly neither is mine{he never says anything, but he no doubt wonders why all the clothes in my closet aren't making it onto my body}. I usually save this look for Saturday morning, and I think I better keep it there too. Next week I'll do better.

What I wore: comfy clothes thanks to Target

What I wore{in my heart} Joy! Praise God for sweat pants{no matter how bad they look on any given day during the week!} 

p.s. Kristi...are you there...I was thinking about you this morning too.  I remember you telling me when you were young, your family would hold up signs while you were driving.  Just a friendly shout out to the idiots on the rode.  The thought of you hanging out of the window holding a sign telling the driver next to you to, "USE YOUR TURN SIGNAL NEXT TIME!"cracks me up.  I am seriously thinking of making some of my own.  The first one would be, "STOP TEXTING OR ELSE!" You know, with a friendly exclamation point and all :)

making that again monday

We love breakfast.  It is the only meal I actually enjoy making.  I think it's because everyone eats, and I don't have to nag, and there is very little humphing and snorting at the table in protest to what's served.  Pioneer Woman has this recipe, Huevos Hyacinth{a single serving dish prepared in individual ramekins}, in her cookbook{that I love}, and while my kids did not exactly love it{yet}, my husband did.  He has made a change in the last couple of years, breakfast in the morning before work. I know, don't really understand why he refused for so many years, but he's a trucker driver at heart, and that explains a lot. This is the perfect breakfast for him, and what is even more perfect is I can make several at the beginning of the week and just reheat them as needed. He is taken care of.  Which makes him feel good.  Which makes me feel good.  Harmony{at least in the breakfast department}.

 Huevos Hyacinth:

Butter for the ramekins

Thinly sliced ham, turkey or deli meat{I also use precooked crumbled breakfast sausage}

Tomato slices or picante sauce

Large eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

Crumbles or grated Monterrey jack, mexican cotija, or any other cheese you have in the fridge

Butter individual ramekins, and in each one place a slice of ham and tomato. Or, a couple of tablespoons of picante sauce{or both}.  Gently crack an egg over the top of each ramekin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Top each ramekin with 1/4 cup grated cheese. Broil for 2-4 minutes, removing when the yellow of the egg is still soft but not overly runny. Make as many as you need. Enjoy!

I though I'd share some pictures from our weekend.

 Asher had his birthday party at Chuck E Cheese's.  We have seriously been celebrating his birthday all month.  He has been six for 3 weeks, but it wasn't "real" until he wore the blow up crown!

 Apparently, a turn in the ticket blaster is a dream come true. 

 Chuck and some of the party dudes{there was one dudette not pictured}.  Asher has nice friends{with nice parents, that we really enjoy}.

 The biggest kid at the party{playing with the youngest one}.

 All the fun was over for Todd by Saturday morning.  We{by we, I mean Todd implemented my vision}took on a new project at the front of the house. I mean really, why should anyone relax at this point, we only have a few more house projects until we are DONE.

 They{fine, I won't try and take any credit} tore out the old nasty little bushes and whatever the heck else was growing, and replaced it with river rock and flagstone.  Our vision was one of simplicity{ie: low maintenance apposed to the rest of the yard that is high maintenance} and I think we accomplished it.

 Holden should plan on lots of years of college because hard labor is so totally not his thing, but he will have had his fill of it in his seventh year of life.  One thing I can say about an old house, it has taught the boys a thing or two about work. 

 Who let's their kids do this?

 Now that all the rock is down, someone is just getting warmed up.

And someone else is ready to pass out!  You did good Toddy.  Thank you{smoooch}

Chairs still need to be painted, but it is wonderful to sit out front and enjoy this Indian Summer.

ok, so it's been one of those weeks...

 I can tell this whole school year is going to find me wondering when I'm ever going to have a normal week.  Not sure what normal looks like, I guess just one where I get everything done that I intended, but we all know when you have kids that's thrown out the window.  So,  I'll just be happy with a good week, not so much a productive one.

What I wore Wednesday:  Jeans from The Gap{after looking at this picture I think they need to be retired}, pink tank from Target, Cardigan from Francesca's, and shoes by Converse. This is unofficially my uniform.

What I wore in my heart:  On this particular day I woke up so thankful that I was headed to the Dentist without any children tagging along.  I mean the only thing worse than taking a child with me to the Dentist is taking one to the Gynecologist!  Lord help me! 

It has been an interesting week and with it being Friday, one that I have been able to reflect on a little more.  I was so thankful that day to have Sloan in a little church Preschool that we love so that I can concentrate a little bit more on the balancing act of school aged children and a little guy.  My main motivation for sending him was I wanted a chance to volunteer in  the older boy's classrooms{something you can't do very well with an active 2 year old}, the social aspect of preschool was a bonus{as we haven't done play groups since Asher was three}, and well if he learned something new, that's great too. 

Earlier in the week, at a mom's group, and then again at one of my favorite blogs, Clover Lane, I experienced what I would call absolute parenting.  Absolute parenting gets under this parent's skin. In both instances, it left me feeling really rotten for the people who were listening or reading these opinions.  Mothers. At the moms group it was a discussion on discipline, on the blog it was about sending a young child to preschool, two subjects that can get some people feeling pretty heated, both left me feeling like the stay- at- home mom has lost touch with the world.  It is easy to do, you surround yourself with people who only think about playdates and park outings{hello, I'm one of them!} and you can easily forget that outside of that group, there is a whole other world.  I mean, spend two hours with a group of stay-at-home-moms and you will never feel so judged and unsupported.  I have certainly walked away from a fellow SAHM with my kids and certainly left her feeling pretty darn good about herself.  Get your kids in school and there is a whole lot of other sizing up and inventory taking. I guess it's just a parenting epidemic, all in the name of feeling good about your personal choices, which are just that-yours.  I totally agree with Sarah at Clover Lane, her point being that kids lives are too busy at too early an age.  I have my own personal battle in this house to slow everything down.  What was said at the moms group wasn't off the wall crazy, but in both cases, it left me wondering what was their motivation for being so opinionated and forgetting that not all lives are packed up with such a pretty little bow.  Where is the thankfulness that you even have choices that others have not been able to make so freely. That the parenting worlds problems don't begin and end with preschool too early and showers{only Tisha will understand that one :)}, the list of potential screw ups is endless.

I think that remembering who your audience is when you post a blog, or try to help someone in need is pretty important{and kind}. Sarah at Clover Lane could have stated her opinion while talking about her own guilt{that she clearly has and chose not to address},as well as the fear of everyone growing up and been much more affective.  Mothers saying in a group that they know exactly what you mean and they've been there too, can really bridge relationships.  Leave your agenda at home{even if you are writing it at home}. In my personal experience there has been no absolutes with parenting.  Just when I think I've got it figured out, a curve ball from left field. And just when I think I couldn't have done worse, a new day dawns, an opportunity to try again.

I'm not so sure that "What I Wore Wednesday" is going to work out for me.  I really don't like to be so heavy{that, and the mirror with my body reflecting in it part}.  You may have noticed that I'm not very opinionated and it is nearly exhausting for me to get so worked up. I may have to re-think my plan....

On a much lighter note. I am doing the happy dance over my most recent junk yard{ok, it called itself an antique store, but I beg to differ}find. Have I ever told you how much I love junk!

Meet my new {to me}, worn out, perfectly wonderful tobacco basket  Hooray! I have big plans for this cutie, but first I need to paint some walls.

Speaking of paint, the second from the top is the winner for the kitchen{yes Becca, you were right.  We are sure we weren't separated at birth, aren't we?} And I hate to just copy so blatantly, but after seeing 320 Sycamore's post about her curtains, I was on a hunt{all the way to Joann's}.  Me is in love.  If you would like an update on the kitchen, here it is.  We have given up on IKEA counter tops, as it seems the whole entire universe is waiting for them, and we are not first in line.  I have instead ordered unfinished butcher block counter tops from a local store and while we are not excited about staining them, whatever. We are over it. We should have them next week, and I'm thinking that by mid October it should be done.  Hopefully.

So, that's it.  I love you people.  Thanks for reading.  Have a wonderful weekend and if I can get my act together I'll post my menu for the week tomorrow.

I'll be making that {again and again} Monday

Of all the things that have been handed down to me from my mother, my favorite "heirloom" is her wooden bowl.  Crazy huh!?  I mean, what person doesn't go coo coo for silver and china.  I guess one who loves themselves lots of salad :)  This is the bowl that sat on our dinner table when I was growing up and the bowl that made my grandmother's dressing.  It is just near and dear to my heart.  The bowl is warped and discolored and I could care less.  It is the perfect vessel for my favorite dressing and I plan on having it around for a long time.  Earlier this year I shared the boys new favorite dressing, now I'll share my all time favorite.  This is my best Pioneer Woman impersonation{she takes a picture of every step} 

 My heirloom bowl

 a clove of garlic and plenty of salt

 mush it into a paste

 add some Olive Oil-3 or 4 tablespoons I'd say.  Let the garlic and oil sit for a little while, about 15 minutes.

 With a fork, take out as much of the garlic as you can.  You won't be able to get all of it, but most.

 Squeeze in half a lemon or so{sorry I don't do exacts}

 Whisk it a little with a fork.

 Add more salt, fresh ground pepper and a sprinkle of Paprika

Marinate your veggies.  Avocado is key to this salad. Lots of times I just use tomato and avocado. I like to concentrate on the lettuce when I eat a salad, but you just use whatever makes you happy, but don't forget the avocado!

My mouth is watering just looking at this.  Enjoy!

Here's what I'm working on this week.

 The guest room...

 
 

The kitchen...

 I'll be back with more pictures.  Have a happy Monday!