Winter has arrived!

Well, unfortunately winter has officially arrived... 

We were greeted Sunday morning with heavy wet snow that lasted through most of the day.  I think we ended up with about 4-5 inches - much better than the foot they received just north of us!  We had the biggest snowflakes that I have EVER seen! 

The kids had a 2 hour delay this morning due to the snow and icy roads.  Probably a good thing - they were very slippery!!!

Kind of pretty when it's still pristine white out.

It pains me to say this, but it was kind of pretty.  Believe me, you won't hear me say that very often!  I didn't mind it so much since I didn't have to go anywhere and was able to stay inside by the cozy fire watching Christmas movies and working on some projects. 

Here was my view all day.  :)

I think Cooper liked the cozy fireplace, napping day too.  :)

All in all, it was a pretty good day! 

I can handle the cold and snow through the new year - then I am ready for it to go away! 

Change is good!

Today starts the many changes that are going on in our household.  My husband is starting a new job today!  He was both excited and nervous this morning as he prepared for his first day.  The last five years he has been working from home with a family business.  It has been a very hard decision and a lot of sleepless nights in our house, but we came to the decision to sell our share of the business to my brother (the other partner currently) and go back to the corporate world.  This is a very exciting opportunity for him and we're looking forward to some added benefits that this will offer our family.

This also means some big changes for our daily routine.  We were spoiled before with him being home most of the time or at least accessible.  He was available to take the kids to different sports camps, swim lessons, etc.  Now I will have to pick up the slack and do the best I can to get them where they need to be.  I already know that my son will have to miss out on one basketball camp for sure.  I hate for my kids to have to miss out of these activities because we are just too busy.  If only I didn't work full time....  I have this thought several times a week.  :(

I have always strived to be more organized and efficient in our home lives and now's the time to put myself to the test! 

Things I need to do for a smooth running household:

*  Weekly and monthly calendar of all activities - include all work schedules, practices, games, birthdays, events, etc.

*  Weekly meal plan - We do this already, but now it's even more important for me to make sure that we stick to this plan when buying groceries and prepping for the week.  I already have Wednesday's meal ready to go.  We'll see how long I can keep this up.  I plan to have a weekly post with our meal plans and some of our favorite recipes - stay tuned!

*  Weekly cleaning chart - My kids will be home for the summer starting on Friday.  Aside from their daily chores I'll have to add in a few extra items for them to do.  It'll be good for them to have some extra responsibilities and they can earn some allowance too.

*  Activity list - This again goes back to the kids starting summer vacation.  They often get bored or don't know what to do.  We put a limit on the TV/computer and this will give them some suggestions.

I will be searching for fun, cute, functional and most importantly free printouts to use.  I'm sure there are hundreds to choose from.  I will share with you some of my favorites soon.

Do you have nice, neat calendars for your crazy busy life?  I really think this will be helpful for the whole family to stay on track. 

Happy Monday!

We're making progress!!!

Well I never thought I'd see this day....  but we have progress in the bathroom!  It always amazes me at how much work goes into something before you ever even start.  Pick out tile, buy tile, lay out tile, cut tile.... 

First up was to install the backer board.  Of course there are a few cuts and holes but it fit like a glove - now.  Remember the saying, measure twice, cut once.  Well apparently we thought we were above that.  We're not.  We cut space for the faucet and showerhead.  Easy, right?  Ha!  Somewhere when we were measuring and jotting down said measurements we made a boo boo.  Oops, back to Home Depot for another piece of backer board.  They love us there I'm sure.  :) 

 

Backer board is up and ready to go!  You can see in this picture that I had painted the walls already.  I LOVE to paint.  I just can't seem to get enough of it.  :)  So once the paint was purchased I couldn't wait to get started.

 I ended up going with the lighter of the two colors - Nature's Retreat.  I'm really happy with the color.  Originally I was thinking of using more of a blue gray, but then I just kind of matched it up with the tile.  It reminds me of the ocean at sunset.  Ahhh, now I wish I was on vacation.  Ok, back to painting.  I always use this little angled brush for all of my cutting in.  I never tape off my trim before painting.  It's far too time consuming and I really haven't had good results.  Just a steady hand and patience works for me.  My husband has neither, so he is not allowed to paint.  :)

I decided that I wanted to give board & batten a whirl but was a little bit intimidated.  The bathroom is the perfect place to start since there is really only 2 small walls - how can I screw that up?  Don't worry, I'm sure I'll learn plenty along the way! 

I love the color even more now that it's up on the wall!!!  I figured out approximately where the board and batten will go and painted the lower half Ultra White.  I would recommend using semi-gloss paint especially in the bathroom.  It went on so smooth, it will be easy to keep clean and of course can handle the moisture that comes with a bathroom.  

Eek!!!!  I can't wait to get started on the tile!  It wouldn't be a long holiday weekend without a home improvement project would it? 

I hope that you have a great Memorial Weekend and have a chance to soak up some sun.  I hope to get this bathroom done quickly so that I might get a little bit of sun on these ghostly white legs.  They are scary white.  

Happy Friday, Happy long weekend and Happy remodeling!!! 

Bathroom inspiration

Work on the bathroom has finally started!!!  We are re-financing our house right now and with an impending appraisal we thought we'd better finally get going on the bathroom.  I guess I'm just too laid back.  It's just one of those things that you just learn to live with.  I hadn't found any tile that I was in love with, so I just kind of put it on the back burner for a bit.

Now we're ready to get started again and we found a new tile that we love!  We started the tile search again at our favorite place, Home Depot.  There we found an accent tile that still has the blue/gray colors that I was looking for.  It's a little bit different with a touch of stainless steel look here and there.

This picture isn't very good.  I don't like it here, but I do in person.  It makes such a difference to see it in person. 

We are planning to use white subway tile for the majority of the shower and split this into rows of four to create an accent around the shower.  I think it will be just enough to add a pop of color and then I'll tie in with the wall color.  I am debating between the following colors:

Behr Premium Plus - Nature Retreat

Behr Premium Plus - Amphibian

Both of these colors are on the same color card but the Amphibian color is just a little bit darker.  With the white subway tile and white board and batton I'm thinking that I might choose the darker color.  I'm so excited to get started on this and FINALLY finish the bathroom!  Home Depot, here I come!
In the last few months while the project was on hold, I scoured Pintrest and Houzz for inspiration.  Here are just a few inspiration pictures that I have been drooling over...



via Houzz

I just love the color combination in this room.  Such a clean and classy look.  What's not to love?



via Welcome to Heardmont

This bathroom remodel was done for around $500!  Way to go guys!  I love the white board and batten, the wall color and the pop of yellow color is so fun!



Via: Houzz



Again, the color combo is great.  With all of the white on the walls, flors and cabinets you can really try out some of those rich, darker colors.  I love the silver accents in this room as well.

So I've found plenty of inspiration, now to find the motivation.....

Check back for more updates!  I'm hoping this project will be finished soon.  :)

The front porch and the mysterious puppy paint print...

The front of our house has a great front porch that I love, but we rarely ever use it.  I've been stalking watching garage sales, thrift stores and clearance sections to see if I can find a fun bistro set for the front porch but haven't had any luck.  If we had a place to sit we might actually use it!  I take that back, it does get used - for bikes.  My kids have decided that it's as good of place as any to corral their bikes. 

The porch has sat empty and neglected since 2007 when we moved in.  Oh, I have big plans for it someday...  Last summer I decided that it really needed to be painted.  Not only did it look terrible, but the wood needed to be sealed. 



Front porch before





I headed to my favorite home improvement store and picked up Glidden Porch & Floor paint in Steel Grey.  I loved how smooth it went on and covered.  Just a few passes of paint and the porch was already looking better!






Now of course you can't be outdoors working on a project without having a helper.  He would just sit and pout if I had left him inside.  What a spoiled boy!  

Cooper the watch dog

I did have to put the stick there as a barrier so he knew how far on the porch he could come.  Isn't it silly that we can lay a stick across an area and he won't pass it?!?!  He could easily go around it or simply step over it, but nope he stays right there.  I think he's the smartest dog in the world, but I may be a little impartial.  :)

And here is what happens if you don't have a stick to remind him...  Good thing he has the cutest face ever and I forgave him. 




I used an angled brush for the edging, under the railing and in between boards.  The rest I just rolled on.  All in all it only took 2 coats, a couple of hours and about $25.  Why hadn't I done this earlier?!?! 

Here are a few before and after pictures...

So. Much. Better.  Now to paint the ceiling and railing...  Ugh, not looking forward to that.

Backyard Oasis

Do you love a good campfire?  We do!  Once the weather starts to get nice out you can bet where you'll find our family on any Friday or Saturday night.  Yup, around the campfire in the backyard! 

I LOVE me some campfire!  I love the sight, smell and crackle of a fire.  Of course the kids favorite part is s'mores!  Ooey, gooey chocolate, marshmallow and the crunch of graham crackers.  Yum!  But I think my favorite part of a good campfire is the great company - always makes for great conversations and friendships.  :)

Last weekend my husband had some time off work so he did some work in the yard.  I had no idea what he was up to, but I was pleasantly surprised.  :)

Here is a before picture of the small ring surrounded by river rock.

Before

A quick trip to Home Depot to pick up the blocks to get started.  The cost of the block was about $36. 

First up is to dig out all of the ashes from the numerous fires we've already had this year.  Then he wanted to make sure he had a good base.  The first row was placed a couple of inches in the ground. Don't forget to make sure it's level!

Once the first row in set in place, the rest is easy!  Just add the next layer making sure to keep it level and alternate the bricks so you don't have a "seam" all the way up.

The firepit is done, but the best part is still to come....  Enter SAND!!!  2 Tons of sand to be exact!  My husband has a work connection to some excavators so he got the sand for $5/ton + $40 delivery fee.

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the ocean and beach and someday we will live near it.  Since we couldn't go to the beach, we brought the beach to us!  It's so great to be able to dig your toes in the sand and just picture yourself on vacation.  Then you open your eyes and realize that we're still in MN...  Oh well, someday.  :)

after

The whole project took a total of 4 hours and it was just under $100!  I was at work and came home to this little backyard oasis.  I love that my husband took pictures of the different steps for me.  He thought it would be a great addition to the blog.  Isn't he the greatest?!?!  I think so.  :)

Backyard Oasis breakdown:
Approximately 4 hours
Landscaping block - $36
2 tons sand - $10
Delivery fee - $40
Total cost - $86

Much cheaper than a vacation to the beach.  :)

Of course we had to try it out the first night.  Excuse the beverages in the picture...  I forgot to mention that's my husband's favorite part of campfires.  :)

Do you love to enjoy a Friday night around the fire?  I couldn't think of a better place to spend a Friday night with great friends. 

Animal print love

Hello Monday!  Whew, we had a busy weekend with a little "staycation" that we had planned.  Basketball season is over so now was our chance to take a weekend and just go to a hotel with a nice pool and relax.  We went with 3 other families and the kids all had a blast!  They were so worn out from swimming and enjoying the water slide.  Not much got done around the house, but I'm okay with that.  :)

I did get a small project done thought last night.  My daugher decided that she no longer wanted her loft that we built a couple of years ago.  We dis-assembled the loft and brought in the queen size bed that we've been storing "just in case".  (This is a phrase that I use often, but my husband dispises...) 

It's all set up in her room, but now we don't have any bedding that goes with her decor.  She's 12 and LOVES her animal print - I mean really, what 12 year old girl doesn't?  Even I still love me some animal print!  Needless to say, I was on a quest to find some zebra print for her room.  I thought a zebra comforter might be a little too much for the small room.  I found a great deal on a zebra print sheet set at Walmart yesterday so I threw it in the cart.  20 minutes later a lightbulb went off in my head and I decided that I could buy a twin size set and use that to re-upholster a headboard that I was storing yet again, "just in case".  Perfect!  The twin size sheet set was only $7.98, how could you go wrong?!  I used the fitted sheet for the headboard and I'm going to use the flat sheet for curtain panels.  I even had some excess material from the headboard to make some fun throw pillows! 

It turned out so cute and she loves it!  I'll show you some before and after pictures soon.  Now we just need to work on adding some accessories and getting some fun stuff up on the walls. 

Just another reason...

Hello!  We had a great weekend filled with events and now we're back to the grind.

Today my 12 year old daughter had her last band and choir concert of the year at school.  I was really looking forward to hearing how much they've improved over the year.  Earlier this month I made sure I could take a late lunch to get there in time for the concert and then return to work to finish out the day.  I arrive to work this morning only to find out that the nasty bug that has plagued our office the last 2 weeks has taken it's toll on my co-workers.  This left only me in the main office and unable to take a lunch, much less leave to attend the concert.  :(  I just hope she isn't too disappointed and will forgive me. 

This is just another reason why I want nothing more than to leave the rat race and be a Full Time Hobbiest.  My family, kids and home should always come first and today I couldn't make that happen.