Monday, January 31, 2011

Mustard

{warning: this is a very looong post about a mustard, watermelon, and a closet}
So last weekend i dove into the finishing touch on a project that has been in the works for almost a year. I know... i work verrrry slooooww. You see, you have to be very careful taking your eye off of my baby, or something like this could indeed happen... and it did. Whilst i was putting the last coat of paint on my closet.
But he was just havin' hims~sewf some watermewon...
Okay, on to the dresser. We bought this dresser for Kaden when he was on his way to our family. Nic stained it, and we put it in his nursery. It has been a great dresser, and this last year when we bought the boys new furniture I hated to see it go. So we moved it out to the garage, and there it stayed, gathering dust for the past few months, until...
I brought him in, sanded him down, and gave him a shiny new coat of paint. 'Mustard Seed' to be exact. I love mustard, it holds a special place in my heart. When I was a little girl I would make myself mustard sandwiches {of the yellow variety~ I've now moved on to Dijon}. When I was in high school I talked my parents into painting my bedroom mustard yellow~ thanks guys! for letting me do my thing. I was so sad to say goodbye, but this paint brought back some happy memories...
It looks a lot brighter in these photos than in 'real life.' More like Cassie's car 'sunshine.' But trust me, it is quite luxurious.
Here he is, all put back together and sporting some new knobs. I bought these forever ago too, when 'hobby wobby'{Parker's pronunciation} had them half off. Waiting for the next knob sale to purchase the rest:)
So what did I plan to do with him, you ask? Well, Nic and I could use some more drawer space in our newly de~cluttered, re~organized, re~painted closet. What I am about to show you is frightening... viewer discretion is advised.
I know. Sorry, but I had to show you the 'before' for the full effect. Then, there was the purging process... holy cow! both of us were quite ashamed at what was coming out of the wood work. Stuff neither of us had worn since our sophomore year... of high school! Yikes.
Aaahh... after taking 8 large black garbage bags to the D.I. it was time for me to get to work...
The rest of our master bedroom/bathroom we had 'promashionally' {kaden pronunciation} textured, and painted. But I figured this measly ol' closet was a job for mu ah {that's me}. This kind of stuff is right up my ally... i love a good project! Pretty sure I drive Nic bonkers.
Once the putty had dried, I gave all of those shelves and base~boards a shiny new coat of white paint. Felt so good, and clean. Then on to the wall color...
This was about the time of the watermelon incident... a.k.a. my M.O.T.Y. {mother of the year award} moment.
Looks better, eh?
Following this picture, i vacuumed up the remainder of that paint dust. Promise:) And then it was time to move back in...
This time, minus the excess. Nic's section...
My new necklace hanger from Anthro. I was so excited to hang it that i got impatient {me? impatient? nooo...} and made Nic hang it with these black screws... I'll have to fix that:)
And a closer view... it makes me happy:)
My section... muchas better.
And the dresser, in his rightful spot...
And now you have seen my madness... but oh, it feels so good to have that project behind me. And a clean closet. Now if we can just keep it that way!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Flashback Friday

There is my Ry~bug... 3 years old, and already workin' that darling pout. Can you see how she has been putting us together all these years?? How do you say no to that? I know, you don't.
But she is sweet to the bone~ so we'll forgive her:)
In other news~ there has been a stomach bug floating around our house. I fell victim yesterday~ hoping the weekend is hurl~free. In the mean time, i am startin' to feel the love...
Darn you, Krispy Kreme... why do you make it so hard? You know i can't say no... we just might be visiting this weekend {hold one of those heart shaped cuties for me}
Happy weekend all!!

Monday, January 24, 2011

My Favorite Marinade

Kabob Marinade
1/2 c. veggie oil
3/4 c. olive oil
1 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. fresh minced garlic
2 T. dry mustard or mustard seed
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. parsley flakes

Combine ingredients in large bowl. Marinate meat and veggies of choice for at least 1 hour {my favorites are chicken or beef, with zucchini, mushrooms, red peppers, pineapple, and red onion}. You can either skewer them to make kabobs and grill, or if you are feeling lazy you can place veggies and meat on a baking rack and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes {or until meat is cooked thoroughly}. Serve with white rice... so delish!!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The Stealer

Kaden has just started his first season of hoops. So far, so good. He has assumed the position of the official 'ball stealer.'
That means, he is really good at stealing the ball...
This picture is compliments of the bug...
she loves to steal my camera:)
The bug and her Papa... she kinda likes him. Can you tell? Parke stole a little snoozy~time on Papa's chest...
Kaden stealing some snuggles from his sleepy little brother...
one of his favorite things to do.
Rylie was stealing hugs from her brother...
I think she sorta likes him too.
Mimi had to steal some of that squishy~baby~love too... nothin' better.
At one point Kaden felt bad for stealing another ball, and handed it back to the other team. Kaden you are sweet as candy buddy,
and we love you for that!
You make us so proud:)

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Red Bathroom

{warning: too much information follows, but it is for my record}
Moving into our house was quite an adventure. It was quick. Like, really quick. We sold our old house in 3 days, and in less than a month we were driving moving vans to our new abode. We moved in the morning after Thanksgiving day {got in a major squabble with the previous owners~ i think we were all a little stressed}, and two days later we were driving Nic to the airport for a month~long training. Needless to say, I was a little overwhelmed. I remember being surrounded by boxes, not knowing where anything was, the house needing to be cleaned before I could put anything away, and I had two toddlers to entertain. It was survival mode for sure. I loaded the kids up with the clothes on our back, and drove up to my parents in tears. They were so much help to me at that time, I am forever grateful for them. I spent the next month driving back and forth, trying to make some order of the house so that when Nic got home we could be somewhat prepared for Christmas. Anyyyyywayssss... sorry, that stirred up some old emotions. On to the happy part. The part where I have been slowly making this house~ our home.
Last year, my resolution was to clean, de~clutter, organize, and simplify our home. The first thing to go was this red paint! It was too dark for that small space, and black counter~tops were not helping. Finally, after 3 years of living with it, it was time to say good~bye...
My before pictures of the bathroom are MIA at the moment. These were the only evidence I could find to prove that bathroom was indeed ever red... look at that baby one, too cute~ even in his destructiveness.
I really tried to work with that paint. I even found these pictures at Tai Pan to cover some big holes in the wall...
After some major dry wall patching {i'm talkin',professional help}, and two coats of primer it was gone forever. Yay! I decided on a color called 'beach'. It was softer, calmer, more of a light gray~blue... love. So much better.
The counter~tops are not my fav, one day i might be able to talk Nic into some concrete. But this definitely softened the look of the whole room...
We don't use toilet paper in this particular bathroom {refer to 'before' picture}, so this tissue box has come in really handy. It used to be silver, until I took some black paint to it... i think i have a slight obsession with paint:)
Oh ya, I also painted the ceiling white. I like white. It's crisp, and clean, and bright. It definitely opened up this small area...
and i still have plans for that light fixture.
{hee hee... me in my running garb~ taking blurry pictures of my bathroom}

As of yet there is nothing on my walls, and i am quite alright with it. In the summer I like to spice that counter space up with some fresh cut flowers from the garden. I love fresh flowers~ peonies are my favorite. I am also loving white picture frames. Hhmmm... i'll keep ya posted.

p.s. we still affectionately refer to this room as 'the red bathroom'

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Bubble Baths

I think my kids love a nice bubble bath almost as much as their mother...




Although, their's take a little longer to clean up after...

Friday, January 14, 2011

Flashback Friday

Whilst browsing through some old photos i came across these puppies... can I tell you, it took me right back to when Kaden first discovered his adoration for Indiana Jones. One day he went up to his closet, and came down a while later looking very Indie...
And then he showed me some sweet moves...
I mean... really sweet. Look at those facials~ he's a natural;)
And 'blue blankie' standing in as his whip...
Honestly, when I see these pictures I don't know whether to smile~ or cry. They pull so tight on my heart strings, but I'm so happy I have them.
I sure do love my kiddos.
In other news~ Nic is hitting the slopes~ fresh powder~ I'm jealous.
Think I'll stay in and maybe paint something:)

Thursday, January 13, 2011

I Love Costco

It was Mother~Hubbard around here, and definitely time for a trip to 'the Costco.' Can I tell you how good it felt to be back there...
Kaden, fresh home from school checkin' out the goods...
I planned my menu, and made an actual list! It felt so good to stock that fridge up, and know that I was somewhat organized.
Love this boy... Those eyes are saying, 'Mom can I have more mangoes?...please?"
And I have another yummy recipe to share...
just as soon as I download the pictures:)