School has Started...

...and this momma's got a plan for around the house!

Since we moved into our house 5 years ago, my husband has been ironing his clothes for work in our bedroom. Do I have a problem with this? Well, no...

The problem I do have is that our ironing board and iron NEVER get put away!

This is what I hope to do, but also add a shelf up above for the iron.

(we do not have a door in the spot that I want to put this)

Oh, and get us a new ironing board. Can you believe the metal broke!?! Seriously???



Since I had my goal of getting the house cleaned and in order before the start of school, I thought it would be a great idea to have chore check-offs for the kids to complete every day after they get home (yes, mom and dad too). I found this idea here.

Of course, I am making them more appropriate for our family and then will have them laminated to be used over and over and over and...well, you get the idea. Hopefully this will mean a clean house every day and less for mommy to do before she has to head to work in the afternoon.

Ok, we have a realatively large house...5 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms, and two livingroom areas. Our bathrooms however, are not all that big (especially the master bathroom).

I found this idea and thought it would be perfect in our master bathroom and one of our guest bathrooms. The master bathroom especially, since there is virtually no storage in there.

hmmm.... this could work in our walk-in closet too...

The kids bathroom is in serious need of redecorating.

When we moved in, I thought it would be fun to make the bathroom more child-like and fun.

Now, I am ready to make it a little bit more grown up.

Not completely sophisticated or anything, just not the cartoon fish, turtles, and octopus's any more.

I also want the kids to be reminded of these 4 little things that they, for some odd reason, keep forgetting to do!

That shower curtain is kind of cute, but I won't subject my son to something quite that frilly.

There are so many projects I want to get done now that the kids are both in school.

I guess to prove I have actually completed anything, I will just have to prove it and take photos along the way...

If I actually get them done...

Just kidding, I will eventually get them done, it just may not all be done immediately.

I do have to adjust to the fact that I am home all by my lonesome during the day now.

Thursday Pinterests

So sorry for the "hiccup" in posts.

I have been a busy beaver trying to get some special orders made.

Now I am finished with those special orders and ready to start gettting my "posts on".

A little spring fun for all y'all...

I can't wait to start picking our strawberries!

Maybe not 100 things, but we can do something very similar.

Definitely gonna have to give this one a try...Grilled peaches with honey and greek yogurt...Yumm!!!

I really need an occasion to make pretty centerpieces!

How could I call this a summer post without some fashions...

Thursday Pinterests

These are a few things I need to get or do in our house!

Our daughter's bedding set did not come with a bed skirt. I think I'm gonna take one of her pillow shams to the fabric store and get some fabric to match and wrap around her box spring.

If I can find some baskets that are skinny enough, I would definately do this.

Our stairs are kind of narrow.

This is seriously excellent! Only, I think I would do it with our "house rules," that way visiting children would know what the rules of our house are...As well as a few parents.

NO, I am not saying anything about any of our friends or family!

Love these, we should have bought one at the Farmer's Market this summer.

Guess we will have to get one next year...er, i mean this year.

Thursday's Pinterests

Oh how I would LOVE these rooms in my house!

Someday when we build a new home (if we decide to build), I will make sure I have a nice big study area and fill it to the brim with books. My kitchen will have a warm, rustic, french country feel to it along with the rest of the house. However, my office/craftroom will be a cheerful area where I am inspired daily as well as organized! ;)

Something Old will Become MY Something New...

I found these while I was thrifting recently!

Each of them was an absolute STEAL!

No really...the train case was $1.99 and the tray was $2.99

I know it isn't the yellow one I wanted here, but I am sure I will be able to do some fun stuff with it as soon as I get it cleaned up a bit. It really needs a scrubbing on the inside and a little on the outside.

It is missing the tray that sits on those little metal tabs, but maybe I can "Jerry-rig" something and still have a tray for it.

Just take a look at this adorable and functional "lap table"? "Breakfast in bed tray"?
Well, whatever it is, I have some big plans for it!
A few coats of paint - once I decide on a color scheme for our guest bedroom - and it will be so cute!

As Promised...

I promised you all that I would post pictures of the Christmas gifts that I made this year.

So without further adu...

For one of my sisters-in-law & brothers-in-law.

They also got a bottle of wine from a local vineyard.

For my Parents-in-law (they also got a wine cork trivet & bottle of wine).

The back of this hot pad is the mitten fabric from the towel.

Two of this set were made...

One set for my Mother (she also got a candle and stainless steel slotted spoon).

The other set for my sister-in-law & brother-in-law (they also got a trivet and bottle of wine from a local vineyard).

I made two other sets like those pictured, but didn't get a photo of them.  I do have enough of the fabric to make us a set of each though, but I think I want to work on something new for this month. 

I made two more sets, but they were basic hot pads with a towel.  Sadly, I was in such a rush to get them wrapped that I didn't take any pictures.  That is okay though, I think you get the idea!  ;-)

 I have to admit that I got a bit burnt out on hot pads and towels in December.  However, I will be revisiting them, because I want holiday and seasonal sets of my own.  ;-)  They also make a great "go to" gift for a teacher or day care provider, so I will have to be sure to make plenty to keep as my "go to's" when I am not sure what to give.

A few posts ago, I was making Logan a new school bag too.  Well, I did get it done and he was excited to take it to school when he went back...



A Tutorial for You...

So me and the hubs like to drink wine and with wine comes wine corks.  We have been saving our wine corks for a number of years now and have quite a collection...well we did have quite a collection until I found a neat idea and started using them up.

If you are like us, we have lots and lots of hot pads somewhere in the kitchen, but for some reason we either just can't find them or they aren't large enough for a pot or pan.  Then even with a hot pad, if it isn't quite thick enough, you can still run the risk of burning the counter or your table.

I have come to really like trivets!  They keep the pot up off the counter or table and come in many different sizes and shapes.  Well, in browsing the "net," I found a neat idea and decided to give it a try, so here you go, my very first tutorial.  I think I did a pretty good job!  I did take pictures of the process too!  :-)

WINE CORK TRIVET

Gather all of your supplies.

For the trivet pictured, I used 19 corks of the same length.

19 wooden beads that were 12 mm round.

Black 20 gauge wire.

Copper or silver 24 gauge wire.

I didn't get a picture of this next step...

Mark and hand drill or use a small drill bit with an electric drill

and put two holes in the cork (one near the top and one near the bottom).

String the corks and beads alternating onto the black wire.

Then finish off by twisting the wire ends around each other to complete the circle.

Now thread the copper/silver wire through the bottom holes to complete the inner part of the circle.

Again, complete the circle by twisting the wire ends to secure.

If you want to make smaller sized trivets, the following are the items you will need:

12 corks of similar length

24 wooden beads 10 mm round in size.



There you have it!  Pretty simple.  Now start saving your wine corks and you can have some trivets for your kitchen too.  I am also working on some other items made with wine corks, so hopefully I can showcase them as well.  We have a Vintner/Tuscan feel to our kitchen, so I am all about adding some uniqueness to it.

I Know I Told Y'all That I Like to Sew

Yep, I really do.  As a matter of fact, I have made a few things lately that I am giving to our kids for Christmas.  At least I can share these things with you, because I know the kiddos won't see them before the holidays!  :-)

First up is felt food for our daughter.

She loves to "cook" in her little kitchen and I am tired of stepping on the hard plastic food that gets left all over the floor.  I haven't made a whole lot of stuff, but it's a good start.

I also made this little set for her to cook in.

This set however was sold to someone, but I am making another set for little Jilli-bean for Christmas.

I am also working on something for Logan, but it is not done yet...

Actually, the only thing I have gotten done on it is cut it out, but I will be completing the sewing on it sometime this weekend.

He has been asking for a new school bag (messenger style), so that is what he's getting. 

It will be denim and green camo.  I have a couple hunters in the family!

As soon as I finish that up, I will be posting pictures.

I was so excited to be sewing so much for the holidays, that I just had to make some new stuff for the kitchen.  I love the hot pad and towel.  The wine cork trivet is something that we have had for a while now, but I made this one a bit bigger.  FYI...I am currently working on a tutorial for the trivet which I will be posting in the near future.  Aren't these just so much fun!?!

Well, for now, I will leave you with that.  Like i said before, I will post more pictures after the holidays of the fun things I've made for everyone.

Wishful Bliss

Today is a good day for day-dreaming about how I would love my table to look if we were going to be hosting Thanksgiving this year.  What all would I cook for the day?  Would I leave the turkey up to my wonderful husband to fry or would I bake it traditionally in the oven? 

hmmm...

Isn't this beautiful?

source

Very pretty, almost too pretty to cut into and eat.

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Delish!

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Personally, I am not a fan, but green bean casserole is a staple at any holiday meal!

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Doesn't all of that just look beautiful and absolutely delicious?  Hopefully since my husband and I don't get to host Thanksgiving this year, maybe we can host Christmas and I will still be able to make a fabulous meal.  I guess if that doesn't work out, there's always the chance that for New Year's we can have an "adults only" fancy "dress up" party and I can still make a beautiful dinner.

Just Getting Started...

You may hear rumors that I never seem to decorate for some of the holidays. In a way, that is correct, but it certainly is not that I don't want to.  I just can't ever seem to find "just the right style" for my decor.  Now that we have the wood-burning stove and I know the plans for the rest of "that area" and the kitchen, I have a much better idea of how to decorate for ALL of the holidays.  The house seems much more rustic than it did before, so bring on the "Rustic" decor!

My inspiration for the start of my winter/holiday decor comes from the Great Outdoors.  I like a rustic look to my Christmas decor (with the exception of the tree).  By the way, have I mentioned I like the "Rustic" look?  ;-)  I also enjoy the smells of Christmas and winter.  You know, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, balsm pine, cedar, those smells.  I associate them with Christmas and the winter season because it is always so cold here and they remind me of warmth.

Anyway, onward... For my first purchase, I did go a little overboard, but I was excited.  I try to either find items that I already have or find things that are seriously clearanced out or on sale.  I couldn't wait, I knew exactly what I wanted to set on the hearth next to the stove for the winter/Christmas season.  Since I am a very FREQUENT customer of JoAnn's Fabrics and Crafts, I was extremely excited to find a great "little" basket at 40% off of $14.99 and cinnamon scented pinecones (2 bags for $8.00).  I know, not the greatest sale, but hey, it was still on sale!  Oops, I almost forgot, I also bought a silk pointsettia pick for 50% off $6.99.

It may not be significant, but with the stockings and tree skirt I plan to make, along with all of the rest of the holiday decor that will be set out after Thanksgiving, it will look absolutely perfect.  The best part is that I don't have to put them away after Christmas.  The basket and pinecones can stay and I can just change out the pointsettia with something else that's a little less Christmas-ish.

Now, I just hope my husband doesn't decide to use the pinecones as fire starters!

That would make me very sad.