It is all a farce...

HGTV is leading us on.  You know those shows where they re-make rooms in 24 hours.  HOW? I ask you.  How do you paint a room, and then do another coat, and another?  Not to mention the touch-ups.  WHAT THE HECK?

Here after 2 weeks is my room reveal:

Yes! We painted it red, and I love it. I changed a few things around in this room, but I did not buy anything new.  It is amazing how different you can make a room look with a coat of paint, a few changes, a few measly dollars, and re-arranging the furniture.

I pulled out these  vintage trays that I had in my laundry room and added them back to my kitchen.  They were my mothers.  She got them when she got married. (I just realized that I don't think she would appreciate me calling them vintage)  Anyway, they have that look right?  They are replicas of Currier and Ives paintings.  They represent the seasons.  I am just in love with them, and my mother was so kind to give them to me a few years ago. 

The best part is when I was cleaning them off there was a sticky little spot.  I couldn't help but have a bit of nostalgia.  We used to eat on these trays as kids.  So the sticky could possibly have been a mess made by me, myself, and I.

I realize that I have done several posts on this very room.  First the wainscoting, and then the curtains.  I can't help it.  This is my favorite room of the house.  This is where we read scriptures in the morning.  Where my kids do homework, and eat their afternoon snack.  Most importantly this is where we gather at the end of the day to be with one another and enjoy a meal.  This is the most important room in our house.  When we gather for dinner I am at peace.  I know that my family is all safely gathered in again; after a day out in the world.

 

Good Ole Day

Today was not a perfect day.  It was a good day.  Well so far... it is only 2:48.  The morning started out with some moodiness on my part (pre-menstrual moodiness), I am never moody for any other reason. (ha ha)  Today, that will be my excuse.

I conquered  the attack with:

chasing Isaac and tickling him (instead of changing the laundry)

having lunch with Jex at school (instead of doing another load)

having a 1 hour nap with Stella, holding hands the whole time (instead of folding the laundry), and smiling when I threw the clean laundry on the floor so we could nap.

It was a good day;  so far.    

... Now I am off to do the LAUNDRY.

Jex helping me with Laundry when we lived in the Caribbean.  Another good reminder that Laundry here is a blessing.  Oh,  how I miss our banana tree.  Check out those BANANAS!!

{XOXOXO}

With all the recent happenings around here, I missed sharing our Valentines day.

This was our Valentine for friends and family (you may recognize it)  When I sent these out, I also sent our Family movie that I made for 2008.  It is pictures set to music.  I think that our family will enjoy these because they are not always a part of our everyday life.

I also made one for Jex to give to his classmates:

and we can't forget Stella:

 

and then I slaved away in the kitchen to make treats to attach to these adorable little Valentines, only to find out that Jex's class said, "NO HOMEMADE TREATS."  UGH!!!  Oh well, I understand the issues that are there.  OH, the days of OUR youth.

So.. Stella's class got these fancy little snacks:

Courtesy of Bakerella, if you have not checked out her site, click on the link.  It is a must.

I changed these to be my own version, but they taste just as beautiful as they look.  Every last morsel is to die for... so much for new years resolutions.  I am eating me some Cake Balls.

We had a visitor...

for LOVE day!!

It was so fun to have....

MY MOM HERE!!

Photo taken by Stella(it is a little crooked, but It still looks great)

We did lots of fun things like....

SHOP
SHOP & SHOP.

I colored & cut her hair.

We also went out to eat

at a few great places.

Our favorite was the

ALL YOU CAN EAT PIZZA.

(I know what you are all thinking)

No, it was delicious pizza like:

Baked Potato Pizza(YUM)

Chicken Ranch Mushroom

Fajita Pizza, and my personal fav

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip pizza.

I also taught her how to digital scrapbook.

The kids loved having her here to:

read stories

play with

sleep with and

tease. 

It was a memorable week.

Now... back to reality.

{Weekend Warriors}

Jonathan had two days off in a row this weekend.  TWO DAYS people! TWO!!  So... what did we do?

PROJECTS.  of course projects.

Our laundry room serves so many functions, but it has not been functioning properly.  One reason being that it houses our pantry.  See below.  When we bought  this house it did not have a pantry, and definitely not enough storage for food.  We added it to our concessions, and had the builder do it.  However, the only place was here, in the laundry room.  And they left us with  OPEN SHELVING... yes you saw right they are open. Completely open.  OPEN to a one year old.  Did I already say OPEN?  Now, you might be saying what is wrong with that?

1.  it is not very appealing to the eyes

2. it makes you hungry.  every time I walk by I would like a snack.

3. my kids think it is free game(snacks last about 2 days around here.)

4. oh, and the kids friends think it is free game too.

This room also functions as a laundry room.  Which is what it was designed for, and I must say it does that real well.  I have never had a room this size to do laundry in.  I love that when I bend over(yes, bend over... I don't have one of those fancy dryers that is top loading) to put the laundry in the dryer my bottom doesn't hit the wall behind me.  Even better, I am not doing laundry in our kitchen; like in our first house.  And even better then that, I am not doing it on my front porch and hanging it out to dry.  I did this for two years while living in the Caribbean.  To make a long story short, I have nothing to complain about in the department of laundry doing.  This room is amazing for that purpose.

However, because it's 3rd function is a dumping ground; the items dumped seemed to get in the way of the laundry doing.  Coats, shoes, gloves, scarves, backpacks, purses and bags; all dumped here.  

Before

This weekend we fixed all these problems.  I painted the lower part of the wall white.  My amazing husband put up a beautiful molding around the middle of the room.  Then we hung expensive hooks, because we both liked those hooks best.  Then the best part of all, we made that ugly pantry disappear. 

After

I love walking in to this room from the garage.  Now this room is better serving all it's functions; and it is pretty to.

One last project this weekend.  We painted the breakfast book.  What do you think?  Do you like the color?

Hahaha.  It is only primer.  Breakfast nook reveal to come soon. 

Ahh... I am tired.  What a weekend.

What does your husband DO?

Almost everyday someone asks me "What kind of doctor is your husband?"

I say, " A Physiatrist." 

They say, " Oh, he works with FEET!" 

"No, actually that is a Podiatrist"... I repeat for the one hundredth time.  "Physiatrist's are also be called Rehabilitation Doctors, or you may hear PM&R (which means Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.)"

For those of you wondering just what kind of residency my husband is doing, click here.  It will tell you all the details, or you may be satisfied just knowing the few details that I shared.

Now you know, he does not work with feet!!! 

I am sure you will all sleep better tonight now that I have cleared that up. 

Don't get me wrong, Podiatry is also a great field.  ... but now you know, and you don't have to wonder any more.  I know you think about it all the time.  haha.

I walked in to the kitchen the other day, and saw this.  It took my breath away.  My hard working man soaking up more knowledge about his profession.  The road to becoming a doctor is so long, and so much work.  We are so proud of you!!  We love you...

Our own little Butterfly.

My friend gave me a great cooking with kids cookbook this weekend.  Yesterday, Stella and I just couldn't help ourselves.  We just had to try one of the recipes.     So we made...

Homemade Face Paint

It was so easy and fun to use.  We turned Stella into a butterfly.  I loved watching her pretend all afternoon to be just that.  This was a wonderful activity.  It makes plenty to use on another day, and it washes off beautifully.

The Recipe:

1/2 Cup Cornstarch

1/4 Cup Cold Cream(I used Ucerin Cream because I had that on hand)

1/4 C. cold water

Food coloring

Mix Cornstarch and Cream together until well blended.  Stir in water.  Then separate in to the bowls depending on how many colors you would like.  Add food coloring one drop at a time, and stir well.

I used a fine paint brush to paint her face.

You can store  the left overs in the fridge covered with saran wrap to be used again.

When you are ready to remove it, wash it off gently with a warm wash cloth.  I didn't even use soap, and it came right off.

I can't wait to paint up a new adventure.

 

This is why I want more children...

As we meander around here in the South, everyone says, "Wow!! You have your hands full." because 3 children are a surprising amount of children... (as I roll my eyes) "How many kids do you want?" I quickly say, "FIVE" Then you hear "ahhh, really?"

When I watch my children grow and learn, I can't help but want to do it all over again. This little guy is almost 18 months, and look at what he has already learned in his short little life.

He can eat, communicate, walk, play, and even DANCE!!
I hope you enjoy my little guy as much as I do, and know that I believe teaching someone about life is one of most precious gifts we can give someone. When they turn around and show you what you taught them there is no greater reward.