The Newlywed's Paradise

Introducing...

2011-11-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

Clinton Washington

Our little Clinton was born on 11-11-11, weighed 8lbs 3oz, and was 21 inches long. I cannot begin to tell you how lucky we are! He is just such a good baby. Even lets mommy sleep a whole 4 hours before his next feeding at night! Wooo Hoo!

His birth is another story. I was dilated at a 2.5 a few days before his arrival and ready to meet the little guy. I woke on 11-10-11 at 11:50 pm with contractions. At 2:30 am on 11-11-11, my contractions were 4 minutes apart and starting to get stronger. When we arrived at the hospital, I was a 4 1/2. The nurses kept saying he was sitting pretty high and will probably lower by the time I am a 10. The contractions were strong and it helped so much with me standing or swaying. Laying down made them worse...much worse! At about 5 am, I was given my epidural and was at a 6. After a small nap and watching reruns of, In Living Color (anyone remember Wanda?) on You Tube, my OBGYN came in to check on me. It was about noon. I was at a 9 and starting to feel the urge to push, which was not comfortable at all. I actually found that more painful than the contractions. My doctor explained that I needed to wait at least an hour to see if my cervix was fully ready and to see if the baby had dropped at all. He was a negative 2 at this point. They gave me a little more pain meds to help me from pushing. An hour went and past. Clinton only dropped to a negative one. At 2:20 pm, my cervix was ready and I was at a 10, but the little guy still hadn't dropped. I had also developed a fever, which concerned the doctor that the baby may have an infection as well. My doctor suggested that I try pushing, just to see if it would work at all. Her main concern was I would exhaust myself and she was starting to lean towards a C section. I was determined, let me tell ya! After a half hour of pushing, Clinton finally came into the world.

He was taken away from me quickly so he could be given an IV in case he was sick. Clint went with him to make sure everything was ok. Once I arrived to my room, Clinton came in shortly after, healthy and well. Phew!

We are so happy to finally be parents!

Kitty is Good Luck!

2011-09-30T06:59:00.000-07:00

You know how they say when a black cat crosses your path, it's bad luck? Well, this cat is anything but that! Kitty is the sweetest of them all. (You can read Kitty's rescue story here) Everyday, Kitty thanks us for taking her into our home with lots of snuggles and purring. She even nudged the cable guy the other day while he was working!

Since she has been apart of our family, Clint and I have developed a soft spot for black cats. Halloween, Kitty is honored very well in our home. She even sports a Halloween bandanna the month of October...maybe not by her choice. Naturally when we are out and about in the stores and see anything black cat related, we tend to want to buy it, but we don't want to make our other furry babies jealous with everything Kitty.

This year, it has been extremely tempting...

See what I mean???

Any other black cat lovers out there??

Nursery Progress: Before the Shower

2011-09-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

Hooray! This weekend is our baby shower!! We are super excited to see all the generous gifts Baby V. will receive and to celebrate with friends and family.

Clint and I have been super busy trying to get the nursery in order before the shower. Since we live in a smaller home, it can get cluttered very quickly, so we had to organize the best we could before the new stuff was introduced to the room. I thought i would share with you the progress.

First off, I have to explain how lucky we have been with the thrifty finds and gifts! My cousin was sweet enough to give us the crib they used! We had to store the swing and toddler car seat in the crib because our lovely kitties seem to think they are beds for them.

And those pictures above the crib...

They are actually birth announcements my grandma made when I was born. She used felt to cut out the objects and glued them to paper. On the back of each is the announcement of my birth.

The rocker we decided to go with was a Craigslist find for $25.00. (You can see the makeover of the rocker here) It is actually super comfy and we did a test run by holding our kitty Dora in it. She fell asleep...YAH it worked! I know...we are sick people.

We found the shelves at Target. The city painting I scored at a garage sale for $0.25 and to get that sucker custom framed was $88.00! I say, it looks mighty fine on the shelf frame less.

The shelves we used as book shelves are from Ikea. They are actually the Ribba picture ledges.

As you can see, the room is small. It is so difficult to photograph without a wide angle lens. Also, it was a tad difficult to fit all the furniture we needed. We decided to make this awesome vintage dresser into the changing table to cut back on space. The dress was another Craigslist find for $30.00.

It's all starting to come together! There is still lots to be done, but it is nice to finally see it taking shape. What do you think?

Keep Smiling...

2011-09-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, the day we finally got our power back from the storm, we got the phone call. My grandpa had passed away.

He was one of those grandpa's everyone wished they had. He was always smiling, laughing, and gentle as ever. He was a huge animal lover. He would tell us stories of growing up in Oil City, PA, with his pet chicken, which was later served as dinner.

He grew up poor and without parents in his teen years. At 18, he enlisted in the army and served in Italy till 1945. He came home in January 1946 and married my grandmother, who he had met by writing love letters to during the war. He loved his family, his wife, and his 1988 Chrysler LeBaron.

Summer time was always my favorite time to spend at my grandparents. He would sit on the front porch of their Detroit home and tell us the name of every person that lived in each home on his block. As the people moved out of the neighborhood, my grandparents started to see a change in culture. Where it was once an all Polish neighborhood, turned into many different cultures such as Arabic, Mexican, and African American. Of course, being very old fashion, my grandparents did not take kindly to this. About 4-5 years ago, my grandparents got new neighbors, who were Arabic. My grandpa had fallen in his backyard and could not get up. My grandmother was inside and did not know. The man (who was Arabic) next door saw my grandpa and rushed over, carrying him into my grandparents home. After that, my grandma would buy their children gifts and speak so highly of them. It's funny how perception changed...for the better.

He was not your typical person with dementia. He would repeat things constantly, or tell you stories about three times over in one sitting, but he was always so happy to see you!

I could go on and on with the stories...

After my grandma passed in 2008, we worried he may be lost without her. We moved him into an assisted living, where the staff instantly fell in love with the man we knew. He would trick the cute, young women staff members into helping him with things, such as unplugging his TV and asking them to help him fix it.

Now, he is back with my grandma, where I am sure he is driving her nuts with telling her how cute she is or how much he loves her. That man was not shy when it came to showing his emotions towards us or her. Yes, I am very sad I lost him, but am so lucky I got to spend 31 wonderful years with him.

I have to hear your best grandpa stories now...

When it Rains it Pours

2011-08-23T06:25:00.000-07:00

Literally.

Last weekend, August 20th to be exact, I planned to show off to the blog world our very cute Woodward Dream Cruise BBQ. For those that do not know. Woodward Dream Cruise is a 16 mile cruise event where old/new classic cars cruise Woodward Ave in Michigan. Basically it turns into a traffic jam for 12 hours. Since I live so close to the event, we have a BBQ every year with a few friends and watch the cars drive by. Ok, I people watched more. This year, the theme should have been, "I survived Dream Cruise 2011."

The day started off normal. I made cute cupcakes with cookies that looked like wheels, and made super cute car themed decorations. I had planned to photograph the whole thing to show everyone. Well, things didn't go as planned.

As I set up the BBQ and Clint grilled, we noticed the clouds rolling in. While our guests played ladder ball, the thunder started and they quickly moved to come inside our home. Out of no where, a sheet of rain flew in! We all ran in laughing and soaked. As I grabbed towels, instantly, the power went out and the wind picked up. I then heard someone say, "Oh my god! Did you see your car??" I ran to the window to see our car covered under a tree. The tree then blew over to our neighbors car, where it landed.

Luckily, it is drivable and this was all that was damaged.

I then heard someone yell, "Look at your back yard!" I ran to the back bedroom window to see this...

and this...

This explained why the power went out. We could not even begin to express the shock. All of this happened in a matter of seconds and was over before you knew. They called this a straight line storm. 65 mph winds caused all of this.

It is now day three without power. We had to throw away almost everything in our fridge and freezer, and still can't fully access our backyard due to downed power lines. Try explaining this to two doggies that love roaming their yard. We also have to shell out a big deductible for our home owners insurance. Not only did trees fall in the backyard, but they fell on the fence, and branches dented our siding and gutters that flew against our home...

Our neighborhood looked like a war zone, filled with tree branches in the roads and power lines on the sidewalks. Most of the storm damage has been cleared, by now.

One thing I want to point out about power outages. They surely do bring people together. We are so blessed to have wonderfully helpful neighbors and each other. We are so lucky no one was hurt in all of this and thank our lucky stars the trees missed our homes! Things could have been a lot worse...I don't even want to think how!

Turning Subfloor into Flooring

2011-08-16T16:59:00.000-07:00

The room we call the breeze way (the connecting room between our kitchen and garage) is not a room we use often. Mostly during Christmas and the summer. So when it came to flooring, we could not bare spending more than we needed to in this space. A couple years ago, we had ripped out the carpet. I am sorry, but cream carpet with muddy dog paws do not go together. That left us with the ugly subflooring.

i decided to take on a weekend project and paint the subflooring with floor/deck paint. The project ended up taking longer than I thought.

After the removal of all the staples from the carpet and padding, we were left with lots of small holes and gashes in the flooring. It took a day to wood fill all the holes and cracks.

Once the flooring was prepped, next came painting. Try doing this in the dark with no overhead lighting. Not a smart move on my part.

After the paint dried, I wasn't sure if this was the perfect fix. I thought, maybe this was too cheap of a fix.

But, once the furniture came into place, I actually loved it! It's amazing what a Pottery Barn Outlet rug can do for a space :-P.

To this day, no one can believe we just painted the subflooring.

In due time, we have very large future plans for this space including the removal of the drop ceiling, painting the brick, and replacing the doors and windows. Once I hit the lottery, you will all see the vision.

Nursery Beginnings

2011-08-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

I am not usually one who digs wallpaper often, but, the wallpaper in our guest room was always my favorite. It was that perfect touch of vintage without over powering the room. A few years ago, I had some left over paint from our bathroom and decided to paint below the chair rail. The color is Behr Parisian Taupe in semi gloss. It was the perfect cozy guest room for us!

We always knew we would use this room as the nursery. It is the smallest room in our home, perfect for a small one. It also had the best closet for storing baby odds and ends.

Sadly, the wallpaper came down and left us with a bunch of holes and wall repairs.

Don't worry, I saved a piece of wallpaper to frame for baby.

It also left us with that awful orange color! Yikes!

Try taking pictures of orange walls with that lighting...As you can see, not fun.

After the spackling and sanding were complete, next came the paint. We toyed with the idea of painting the top half a different color. I had already had my mind set up on painting the ceiling a soft blue. Behr Waterfall Mist, to be exact. In the end, we realized the color below the chair rail was really the best choice and our favorite.

We could not be more happier with our decision! The room feels warm and cozy. I find myself walking in and out of the room and staring at the walls.

More to come...

Chaising Love...

2011-07-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

I have been dreaming of a chaise in our bedroom for a long time. After we found out about Baby V, I fell in love even more with the idea of having a chaise in our bedroom to nurse at night in or rock baby back to sleep.

Then the new Arhaus catalog comes in the mail...BAM!

Now this is all I can dream of.

Oh Arhaus, how I love you and wish I could afford you...

Wild and Crazy...Not Really

2011-07-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

Where have I been?? Gosh, things have been a little bit of a blur lately. It all started with the first trimester of pregnancy. Even though I didn't really have morning sickness, the nausea was pretty bad at times. Then came the tiredness and my allergies for Spring. By May, I started to feel like myself again and we began working on the nursery...more on that to come. I even did a few other fun projects around the house and felt like a happy pregnant woman. Then came June ~sigh~... June was not a good month.

Do any of you remember my kidney stone I had last year? It happened again. This time, the pain started at work during my lunch. I called Clint and told him I thought I had a stone. I then called my OB. They told me to go to the hospital. The drive home was fun. I thought I was going to rip the steering wheel off the pain was so bad. I got to the ER, where I thought I was suppose to go. I later found out the ER doctors should have taken me immediately to labor and delivery to make sure everything was ok with the baby. Instead, the ER doctors and nurses kept me there for 8 hours with no food or water. I had to constantly remind them I was pregnant, which I find crazy since I had a belly showing. I was in the hospital for 3 days, on so many pain killers, and threw up more times than I could count.  The Urologists seem to think I would pass the stone, but they had no idea if I had a stone because they could not do an MRI on me. I went home.

For a week and a half, I felt great. No pain at all.  The following week, the pain started on my drive to work.  After 3 hours, I could barely stand it. Back to the hospital I went. This time, I went to labor and delivery, which took me in right away. I was admitted again, this time for two days.

There is one thing I should explain about kidney stones.  One minute, you can be in the worst pain ever, and the next, you are fine. It all matters if the stone is moving. In my case, when the Urologists visited me, I was in no pain.  This time, the Urologist told me I was having "pregnancy pains", and I should have taken a vicodin to help with the pain.  Would have saved me a trip to the hospital. I was fuming and it took everything in me to not take out my IV and stab him in the eye! I knew the pain I was having and knew vicodin was not going to do anything, but make me puke. They sent me home with lots of vicoden.

Three days later, the pain came back. Luckily I was at home. It was a Sunday. I kept saying to myself, it will go away.  Twelve hours later, it didn't go away. I had Clint up all night with me as I cried and kept saying I did not want to go back to the hospital. I took vicodin...it did nothing. Clint finally convinced me to go. As I waited, I heard one of the nurses say, "She will probably pass it", but I was so exhausted and out of it from the pain meds to even scream back a nasty remark. They kept asking me on a scale of one to ten, how bad was the pain. I kept saying, "Ten!". I even think one nurse did not believe me. She said, "Now you know, a ten is suppose to be the worst pain imaginable". I started to think, what is with these people?? Do they think I am making it up? Do they think I LOVE coming to the hospital three times in awful pain?

That day, the same Urologist, that I wanted to murder, came in. This time I was in awful pain when he saw me. No pain meds were taking away the pain at all. He said, since this was my third visit, he felt a procedure needed to be done to see if there is a stone. Off I went to the procedure right away. Instead of putting me out, they decided to give me something similar to an epidural, where I was numb from the waist down and awake the whole time. After a half hour, the doctor came up to me and showed me a picture of what looked like a tooth. It was my stone. A whooping 1 CM! For those that do not know, 1 cm is about the size of a pea...maybe even bigger. There was no way I was going to pass that thing on my own, considering the size of the tube it had to go through. I right away pointed my finger at that doctor and said, "SEE! I told you I had a giant stone!" He laughed and apologized. He was lucky at this time I could smile, as well.   On June 29th, my 31st birthday, I was home and so happy it was all over.

Since I missed over 10 days of work, I was pretty swamped and have finally caught back up. I would say I am ready to deliver with no fears of pain. Anyone I talked to at the hospital said their kidney stone pain was way worst than giving birth. So, labor, I am ready for you!

All in all, I have been wonderful lately! I am ready to jump back into the world of blogging and hope to catch up with all my blog buddies!

Inspiration Struck? Maybe...

2011-05-11T04:29:00.000-07:00

I happen to be going through old photographs at my work when I came across something I found very interesting.

Check out that floor!! Is she not pretty or what?

Clint and I have been searching for inspiration for kitchen flooring. You see, the floor that is in there now drives me Charlie Sheen CRAZY! The design is ugly and it is the worst to clean.

When we did a small, much needed, makeover to our kitchen a few years ago, flooring was not in the budget. We decided to suffer with it till we could afford something better. Plus we had no idea what we wanted.

We had to take many things into consideration. We have a galley kitchen. It is also the walk through to the basement. So, the flooring gets a lot of foot/paw traffic.

We thought about hardwood, but realized it would not hold up very well.
We considered stone/tile, but it would just be too cold in the winter and I did not want to be on my hands and knees scrubbing grout.
Cork flooring seemed to be a good contender, until we saw the prices.

Then, one day, while strolling through Home Depot, I ran across vinyl tiles. Not the peel n stick kind. The kind that you use adhesive with. Our home was built in 1948, so staying true to the home's style is important to us. We considered doing a check board pattern, but I just was not completely sold.

That is when I ran across the chevron pattern in the photograph above! It just feels fresh, yet vintage. AND with the tiles costing close to $1.00 a piece, it is right up our alley! Plus, they are completely doggie proof.

What do you think? Opinions please....

Something is Happening in November

2011-04-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

Clint and I are expecting! I am 9 weeks along right now. If feels like 9 months already! hehe....not really.

We learned on March 11. I had been feeling very dizzy for a few days. I really did not think I was pregnant, but something told me to buy a test after work. Instantly, the test was positive. It did not hit me for a few days after. Even thought we wanted this very badly, I was pretty overwhelmed by the thought of having to care for another human being in less than a year. One day, I was the happiest ever. The next, I was a stressed out mess. Luckily, it has passed for now and we are both happy as a clam!

We decided to wait to tell our families until after our first appointment. To our surprise, they wanted to preform an ultrasound, where we also heard the heart beat. It was pretty amazing. They actually thought I was farther along than I really was. Turns out I was only 7 weeks along at the appointment.

We decided to surprise my parents by taking them out to dinner for their anniversary. After we ordered our food, we presented them with a card. Inside the card was signed from us, our furry babies, and Baby Viers. My mom just gave us a look and said, "What is with the Baby Viers?" Clint told her we are expecting. She froze for a moment and looked at me then looked at Clint, then me again. Then came the tears. After she scarfed down her food, she ran over to Kate Spade and bought the first diaper bag she saw. There was no stopping her.

This one to be exact

So far so good, though. I have been lucky enough to not develop much morning sickness (knock on wood). Just a little nauseous at times. I am mainly tired. Naps are a must! Meals are not so fun right now either. I hate cooking right now and certain foods just make me gag. For example, I love red peppers! Right now, the word makes me want to puke! I can't even look at what I just typed! My biggest craving is slurpee's. After I have one, I feel like a million bucks! I try not to have them often though because of the sugar content.

I apologize for not being around much lately. For about three weeks now, I have just been so exhausted. It's amazing how it just hits you. I have been dying to show you projects we have completed around the house and cannot wait to update you on our bundle of joy! Bare with me right now...YEAH!

Happy Fat Tuesday!

2011-03-08T04:17:00.000-08:00

I found this the other day in a drawer and could not stop laughing and had to share. I worked at a daycare while in college years ago. Mr. Paczki was a coloring activity for the students. Don't eat too many today :-)

Here I am!

2011-03-02T04:37:00.000-08:00

First off, I am very sorry for the sudden stop in posts. It has been a crrraazzzy few months! December, we were booked every weekend with parties and events. January was full of family birthdays, trying to get over Christmas, and snowstorms. Then in February, one of my best friends had this:

Say hello to Audrey!

Audrey with her momma

I am a little biased, but is she not the most cutest ever?

She was such an angel during our photo shoot.

After lots of Audrey time in February (and more snowstorms), I thought to myself, "FINALLY! I can get back to blogging!" Started working on some projects around the house, then BOOM! Monday we were hit with this when we came home from work:

Almost an inch and a half of water from wall to wall in our basement. I was in tears.

Some of you may remember from almost a year ago, we had to install an outdoor drain in our front yard for the plumbers to properly snake our drains. We were told in a year, to have the drain snaked again to control the tree roots. Well, lets just say we were NOT happy campers. We thought our problems were over, with coming home to a surprise basement full of water.

It's day three after this, and the basement is dry, but there is lots of personal damage.

Luckily, all the electrical stuff is ok, but most of the furniture and rugs are not. The stinky part, insurance will not cover any of the personal property damage. Only structural, which there is not any. They said they do not cover outdoor water backing up into the home.

After a long talk with the plumbing company, we have decided that the drain needs to be snaked every 6 months instead of a year. Not really the best answer I want to hear, but it is the least expensive right now.

Anyways, onto the better news. We have been working hard on the house, in between it all! I cannot wait to show you more! Glad to be back :-)!!

Office Decorated

2010-11-17T17:45:00.000-08:00

After the paint and the rocker were completed, I had to fill the empty room with some personality.

First, I started with a lamp makeover. I had this lamp for about 10 years from PB Teens. I decided instead of photographs, I would use tissue paper to decorate the shade.

Here is all I needed.

And here is how it turned out!

The painting above the dresser was a great find at a local art show.

It is actually of the Scott Memorial Foutain on Belle Isle in Detroit.

Once the rocker was completed, it looked a little lonely.

I found this stool at a garage sale years ago for about $7.00. It had such character. Clint thinks I paid too much. But it just looks so perfect next to the rocker!

While browsing through West Elm's site, I could not resist this Mirror Wreath.

The bookshelf even received a face lift!

While at a recent trip to Homegoods, I found these adorable book ends of rain boots.

~Sigh~My Parson's Desk has to be the best assest in the room.

Now the Office finally feels warm and fuzzy. Still need to add a couple more things like a rug and more wall hangings. I am thinking a mirror to bounce more light around the room.

Do you see anything I could add?

Old Rocker, New Look

2010-11-12T03:51:00.000-08:00

I had been in search for a chair to place in our Office to create a sitting area. I wanted something small that could be easily moved around.

Something like this...

but, with a $700 price tag, it was not going to happen.

I turned to Craigslist. With a little luck, I was able to find this rocker for $25.00

I could not decide what to do with it just yet.

So, it lived in our garage for the summer. Since there was a small amount of rust showing on the metal legs, we knew it had to be painted. I choose to spray the rocker with a primer, then boring white to create a blank canvas.

It took a couple cans to completely cover the chair. Once I moved the rocker into the house, I realized the white wasn't so bad. But it needed something.

One day while doing laundry, I happened to notice something...

The pattern on it was adorable! So, I decided to trace part of it on the back of the rocker and see how it looked.

Instantly, I LOVED it, but did not want to carry the pattern onto the whole rocker.

With a couple colorful (and on clearance) throw pillows from Pier 1, the rocker has turned into one of my favorite pieces in the house.

For a total price of $50 (spray paint, throw pillows, and the chair), a old rocker was given new life :-).

Old Man Cave, Now Office

2010-11-10T04:36:00.000-08:00

With moving Clint's Man Cave to the basement, I was able to take back my office! There was one dark, problem though....

The paint. Ok, maybe this picture is pushing it. Do not get me wrong, I loved the color he had originally picked out, but I was sick of having to turn lights on during the day to see in there. For a few years now, I was begging Clint to let me change the color, to even just a few shades lighter. He had denied me every time. I think he liked the dark cave-like feel.

I even tried adding white curtains and furniture to brighten it up. Nothing worked.

When we decided to move his man cave to the basement to give him more space, I saw my chance. I started to think how this room would be used over the next 5 years. Office/Guest Room/possible kids room. With that said, I had to pick a neutral color that went with what I had. Thanks to a lovely gift card to Home Depot from a couple hard working volunteers at my work, I was able to nab a can of paint.

I decided on a soft yellow color. Due to the dark color, I choose the Behr paint with primer. After two coats, you could hardly tell the room was a dark cave before.

For now, the room will serve as our office. Color has surely given the room the light it needed!

Somewhere in this picture, a small kitty named Dora is hiding.

See that rocker there? Come back Friday for details.

Sad Day in Detroit

2010-11-05T03:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, it was announced that Sparky Anderson, one baseballs greatest managers, passed away. He was truly a wonderful man and showed much pride for the city of Detroit.

We all have our Sparky moments here in the city. I think this one has to be my favorite. For those of you who do not know, Kirk Gibson hit a history making home run in 1984, the year the Tigers won the World Series. Sparky in this clip, gives me chills thinking of that day. The excitement on his face is priceless.

During this game, my dad was watching my brother and I. At the age of 4, I thought it would be a great idea to push my brother off the couch, which landed him in the ER to get stitches. My dad always tells us how he was running back and forth in the waiting room of the hospital when this happened.

Sparky Anderson will always be apart of the city of Detroit and the Tigers.

Halloween Party 2010!

2010-11-01T05:10:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night, we had our annual costume party. I must say, this was one of my favorites we have ever hosted! I stopped at nothing to create a fun and creative atmosphere.

Our menu included:

-Meatballs

-Beer bread with dip

We had found these black lights at Home Depot and gave our dining room a scary look.

Brain cupcakes decorated our Homegoods tray.

Here is the tray minus the cupcakes.

I had seen a special on HGTV where they hollowed out a pumpkin and turned it into a cooler with ice. Everyone got such a kick out of it and it kept our beverages cold the whole night!

We also had Putrid Punch, which consisted of gummy worms inside ice cubes.

One decoration that I highly recommend when you do not want to spend a ton is spiderweb. I used 1 bag through out the house on picture frames, mirrors, and shelving. The black lights helped them stand out.

I had found poison bottle goodie bags that could be personalized for our guests at Target. I included inside of them an assortment of candy, gummy teeth, and eye ball boucy balls, as my brother calls them.

The rest of our decorating was very subtle. We did not want to turn our home into a haunted house, but wanted people to see the small touches we created. For example, the eye balls in the martini glasses in our dining room.

And the chalk board in our kitchen. Yes, I am an artist :-P

Everyone loved our bedroom stairs, that could be seen from the hallway. Dora was our Vanna White.

Now, we did not have much to spend on our costumes this year and it was hard for Clint and I to agree on a couples costume.

My brother is the interesting looking fellow in the Detroit Lions snuggie and white wig. When I asked him what he was, he said he could not answer my question. Clint is suppose to be Lil John. My brother's girlfriend is a witch, and a very cute one I might add. I am suppose to be an 80's chick. The leg warmers were actually my mom's. Gosh, looking at that picture, Clint looks like a kid next to my brother!

I promised everyone next year, I would be more creative on my costume.

We had a great time and are looking forward to next years!

Did the rest of you have a fun Halloween?

*I apologize for the blurry pictures. My SLR's battery died right before the party, so our point and shoot was all I could use. It did not like the lighting.

One Year Later - Kitty

2010-10-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

Can you believe Kitty has been in our home for almost one year? You can read Kitty's story here. If you have not, it has a happy ending :-).

She is the happiest Kitty in the world! When I come home, she is running up the basement stairs to greet me. When I am watching the Real Housewives or HGTV, she is there to keep me company. Most of her days now are spent on the back of the couch, staring out the living room window.

Since she is an all black cat, Clint and I were very excited to make her a "decoration" for Halloween! Kitty is now sporting a Halloween bandana. She was not too thrilled with it, but after 15 minutes, she could care less.

Even some of our decorations ressemble Kitty!

Kitty

Decoration

Our other two cats, Dora and DJ, do not seem to mind her. Unless it comes to catnip time. I have never seen a cat do what Kitty does.

She will take the small pile of catnip and roll in it. Sometimes she will do a double roll! Dora and DJ are not amused.

Needless to say Kitty has been a blessing in our house hold.

The World is a Strange Place

2010-10-22T04:53:00.000-07:00

On October 20th, 2008, my grandmother passed away.

She was my craft partner in crime.

Wednesday, October 20, my best friend's grandmother passed away. She died of a similar illness that my grandmother did, congestive heart failure.

Ok, maybe not everyone would find this strange, but for some reason, it felt like my friend Denise and I were connected by this. We share that day for the same reason now. It makes me teary eyed to think of what we both have lost, and happy that we had our grandmothers in our lives.

If your grandparents are still alive, make sure to give them lots of hugs and kisses!

Front Door Redo

2010-10-20T04:42:00.000-07:00

Thank god paint is not permanent. We painted our front door a color we thought would be perfect!

First off, thank you for all your advise over this situation. The color was so-so. Nothing special and a little too pastel for my taste. It needed more of a wow factor.

Take two

Much better! This color made our wood work pop! Exactly what we were looking for! Also, looks great with our fall decorations.

What do you think?

Spooken Up the House

2010-10-07T03:55:00.000-07:00

Halloween has to be one of our favorite holidays! What other holidays can you decorate with bats, blood, skulls, and ghosts?

This year, we decided to change it up a bit. With a recent trip to Michael's, I had found an adorable Happy Halloween banner by Martha Stewart.

We have a costume party every year with our friends, so we thought it was fitting. I also used ceramic pumpkins and kept out our black candle holders.

We did something completely different this year. We decorated our stairs to our bedroom! You can see our stairs from our hallway, so it was the perfect area to add a little touch of Halloween.

These are also Martha Stewart, found at Michael's. The best part, we fooled our kitties into thinking they were real rats!

Both the banner and cutout rats were under $10 total! Anyone getting into the Halloween spirit? I know some of you are!

Believe It Or Not...

2010-10-04T17:22:00.000-07:00

This is our back porch. I know! It looks like something out of an abandoned home.

For quite some time, I have been meaning to get to this area. Time just was not on my side.

Since money is tight, we dug deep in our basement and found what we needed.

First, I had to sand off any loose left over paint. Afterwards came a washing with mild soap to get off any dirt and mildew. Next, I applied left over Behr Premium Plus paint with primer for the exterior, that we had used on our shed (check out that makeover...whoa!).

Ox modeling his new back porch.

Because we have dogs who LOVE mud, we did not want to paint the floor of the porch too light a color. Also, the porch would of shown wear right away with regular paint. We choose to use left over floor paint that we used in our tool room. The paint works on porches and cement.

Yes that is mud already on the stairs.

We are madly in love with it! A brand new outdoor rug from Ikea ($7.99 folks!) ties it all together. As Clint said, it looks like we rebuilt the porch!

When Times Get Tough...Paint!

2010-09-30T03:35:00.000-07:00

This has been a rough year (financially) for Clint and myself. It started with an outdoor drain needing to be installed so our basement would stop backing up. Then a kidney stone that came with HUGE medical bills (Gotta love when insurance only covers part of the problem). Now, a new boiler (ours is leaking and over 50 years old). All of these have completely drained our savings and our sanity. With that, any hope of a budget to remodel parts of our paradise, or finish what we started, are on hold. I feel like this :*-(

We are living on love. Which isn't so bad, but is challenging.

One room in our home that needed a little, itty-bitty, teeny-tiny, makeover is our dining room. After finishing our buffet (finally), I moved to the dining room table.

This table was given to me,for free, from a friend of the family, who thought it would be perfect in my space. They were very correct!

I love the style and look of the table, along with the size that suits our small dining room.

But it needed some work. It was dinged and the stain was starting to wear. Also, there was a leaf for the table that was never found. So, the table had a long divided line in the middle that was uneven. Also, the dark stain made the room feel heavy.

After a light sand, wood filler, primer, and left over paint from our ceiling, I think we have a Pottery Barn look alike table....for $0! We had everything we need in our basement from past projects! No trip to Home Depot needed!

One purchase we may make in the future is a glass top, to protect it from nicks or stains.

P.S. Don't worry, those are kiwi's on the table.

Cable or No Cable?

2010-09-23T04:33:00.000-07:00

That is the question. I have been toying with this idea for a little while now. Clint does not like me even considering it. I would not say we are addicted to TV, but I do love my Sarah's House, Burn Notice, and NCIS. Clint on the other hand likes anything sports related. I would say we spend about 3 hours a night watching TV.

When he first moved into our paradise in 2007, I did not have cable. I didn't mind it one bit, but I noticed he did. After looking at the numbers, we decided to get it. I was happy to watch HGTV again and he was happy to not have to listen to a sporting event on the radio.

As time went on, I felt us falling into bad habits of becoming couch potatoes and spending less quality time together. Also, I realized how much money would be saved without a cable bill. He acted like a toddler getting his toy taken away when I brought it up. Don't tell him I said that.

Part of me would like to give it up for awhile. But it does help with the clarity of the picture on the TV and offers more than 5 channels. Then again, I only watch about 10 of the 100 channels we have, and 4 of those I can get without cable.

So now, I turn to you, my helpful blog buddies, to give me your opinion. Let me hear your pros and cons to this idea. Do you have cable? Would you consider letting it go for awhile? If you do not have it, how is life without it?

What Was I Thinking??

2010-09-20T04:07:00.000-07:00

I convinced Clint not too long ago that our front door color needed to be changed. I had even asked you fine folks for your opinion. I got some great suggestions, but Clint was not convinced we needed to change the color. I pulled about 4 or 5 swatches at Home Depot that I thought would make a bold statement. Clint, reluctantly picked a very pretty blue color with me. This weekend, I decided to paint the door. Here is what happened:

Ugh...The color is a little more baby blue than I wanted. I will say though, it does show off the hardware nicely. AND....Clint actually liked the change, but not the color! So, we will be making another trip to Home Depot this week to find a new color.

What do you think? Are we headed in the right direction, as far as blue-wise? Or should we think about another color? HELP!

The New Man Cave!!

2010-09-16T03:53:00.000-07:00

Clint now has a new and shiny place to call home...when it comes to video games and sporting events (besides hockey because hockey rocks! Go Wings!). We took our unfinished basement and made it livable space! No drywall. No carpet. No drop ceiling. Just the cement walls, linoleum tile floors, and wood beam ceiling. Nothing wrong with finished basements. We just could not afford to remodel the entire space. Plus, with past water problems in the basement, we did not want to invest much and then have it ruined by a backup.

But, before we dive into the reveal, lets show the befores:

The cinder block walls were repaired and water proofed.

We then painted the walls with concrete paint in a tan shade. The old paneling (two small walls were paneling...yuck!) was painted over with white.

Also, we added a chalkboard wall!

And here is how it all turned out!

Chalk board wall is sporting our to-do list at the moment.

No man cave would be complete without a mini fridge.

Most of the items we already had like the couch, Michigan rug, posters, TV, and computer chair. The TV stand was a gift from my mom to Clint as a birthday gift. Clint now has big love for West Elm. There are still some finishing touches to complete the space. We also added another chair that was upstairs. We would also love to add the Expedit Shelf from Ikea for more media storage and to divide the area (hide the boiler and hot water tank from view).

Here is the price break down:

- Concrete Patch - $7.00

- Drylok Paint - $25.00

- Concrete Paint - $5.00 (oops paint)

- Chalkboard Paint - $15.00

- Tan Rug - $50.00

- Lamp - $30.00

- Mini Fridge - $60.00

- Side Tables - $30.00 ($15 each)

- Storage Ottoman - $25.00

- Dart Board - $18.00

- Frames $40.00 total

- Pillow Covers $10.00 ($5 each)

- Misc. Decorating Items - $35.00

- Misc. Paint Supplies - $35.00

Total - $385.00!

Our actual budget was $500.00. Thanks to Homegoods, Ikea, a local antique store, and finding deals on paint, we were able to save quite a bit of money!

We use the space everyday! When I am doing laundry, I will fold and watch a little TV. When Clint invites the guys over for football, it is nice to have the entire upstairs to myself. Also, it was nice to give Clint a space of his own. For some reason, he considers the rest of our home mine.

What do you think? Does your man have a man cave?

Forgotten Projects

2010-09-14T04:19:00.000-07:00

Clint and I have to admit. We tend to take on too many projects at once. Some are started, then forgotten. Others are completed in no time. Don't ask me why...it just happens this way. I think we get excited over a change and then, at some point, get distracted by something else needing attention.

Take for instances, the adorable buffet we scored at a local antique store for $48, back in the winter of this year.

Some of you may remember this purchase we made. In the beginning of the spring, we moved the buffet to our garage and began striping off the old stain.

By the way, I highly recommend Citristrip. It does cost a little more than other brands, but made the job so much more easier! There was no strong odor, knocking you out, and you did not have to scrap for days. It took the old finish off in one coat! That has never happened for me before. I did have to use a little mineral spirits afterwards to remove any left over stripper. Just make sure to follow the instructions on the back of the bottle and wear gloves, which you should do with any stripper.

The stain came off perfectly! We began sanding, and sanding, and SANDING! Next was finding the perfect stain and knobs. Luckily, we found what we needed at Home Depot.

At some point, the buffet sat in our garage for almost 2 months, untouched. I remember thinking to myself, "Boy, I could really use some extra storage in the dining room. Oh wait, the buffet!"

Finally, we put the clear coat on and screwed on the knobs!

Before, the buffet blended into the floors. Now it gives the room the contrast it needed!

Stay tuned for our next small, but big change in the dining room!

*I was not at all contacted by Citristrip to give my opinion. This is just from my experience using the product, which may vary from others.

Our Trip

2010-09-08T05:18:00.000-07:00

PHEW! I finally finished our album from our trip to San Francisco and Lake Tahoe. I thought you would like to see it!

The trip started off a little rocky. Our first actual day in San Francisco was a little over whelming for Clint. He is not a big city boy. So, he had to get use to the idea of walking, being in big crowds, and waiting to see the great sites. To cheer him up, I, ~~dragged,~~ took him on a ferry ride to Sausalito, CA. BEAUTIFUL city! If I was to pick my dream city to live in, this would be it! We had also hit Lombard St., Fisherman's Wharf, and Union Square that day.

The next couple days were a dream! We went to Golden Gate Park and visited the California Academy of Science and the Botanical Gardens. Both very interesting and worth it! (Tip! If you visit the Academy of Science, eat at the Moss Restaurant on the lower level. Wonderful food.) We also saw the Golden Gate bridge and Ghirardelli Square.

Another fun activity we did was cheering on the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. Even if you hate baseball, I would go! The ballpark is amazing and the garlic fries rocked my world!

Our last day in San Francisco was a sad one. Neither of us wanted to leave, but were very excited to see what Lake Tahoe had to offer!

Our next adventure was hopping on an Amtrak Train to Truckee, CA. Ok. Clint and I had never ridden a train before. Both of us were expecting a fun experience. Instead, we were greeted by rude staff, on and off the train, and a very dirty environment. I wont go into detail, but the restrooms were disgusting! All in all, it was sort of a fun experience.

First off let me explain why we had to arrive in Truckee, CA. (Tip! Spend some time in this cute town!) This was the closest train station to Lake Tahoe. At least that was what I was told by our hotel. Also, no cabs or shuttle can get you from this town. So, we had to ride like big shots in a town sedan to our hotel. Our driver (I feel so rich when I say that) took us to some great picture taking areas before we arrived to our hotel. I must say, this drive took our breath away! Fantastic views!

Here is where the trip started to go down hill. We have never been to Lake Tahoe before and had no idea what to expect. Both of us were very disappointed in South Lake Tahoe. We are not gamblers or huge water sports people. Plus it was a bit chili. But, we made the best of it visiting a beach and going on a dinner cruise to Emerald Bay. (Tip! Even though we were the youngest people by 20 years on the dinner cruise, it was very worth it!) Our last night there was a blast! I never laughed so much with Clint on the cruise.

Our last day was a little bit of a nightmare. We had to wake up at 4:30am to take a shuttle to the airport on our last day. After checking us out, I kindly ask the front desk person where exactly we meet the shuttle. Unfortunately, he told us the wrong spot to wait and we missed our shuttle by 4 minutes. The shuttle would not even turn around to come get us. This was a HUGE stress on us! Why? The hotel cost us not only $50 for the shuttle we missed, but also $220 for a cab ride to the airport. Plus, it takes about 1 1/2 hours (almost 2 hours with a very slow cab driver) to get to the airport and we had a flight to catch! I was tired, hungry, and very cranky after this. Even though the gentleman that told us where to go was friendly and very nice, he still made a big mistake that cost us quite a bit of money. I cannot seem to make the hotel manager realize that when out of town guests stay at your hotel and their misinformation ends up costing the guest, it is not the guests fault.

For the most part, we had a great time! San Francisco never disappoints!! I do not think we will visit Lake Tahoe again, but are glad we can say we saw it. It was nice to get away and finally celebrate our honeymoon.

We left our hearts...

2010-09-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, folks, we are back! We had an amazing time, but are happy to be home and able to sleep in our own bed. I am not going to say much here. I will let the pictures do the talking...

Lombard St.

Lake Tahoe

Golden Gate

Struggling up a hill...

My dream home AND dream man!

Sun set on Lake Tahoe

The California Academy of Sciences

Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park

Beautiful Lake Tahoe

On the beach in Tahoe

Amazing view of San Francisco.

These are just a fraction of the 200 plus pictures we took.

Hope you enjoy them!

Our Long Awaited Honeymoon...

2010-08-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

After a year and a half, we are finally taking our honeymoon! We could not afford one after our wedding, due to my work cutting my pay and Clint's cutting his OT. So we saved and saved and said we would take this trip no matter what! We will be gone for 7 fabulous days...5 in San Francisco and 2 in Lake Tahoe. I promise to share our pictures!

The New Game Room - Feature Wall

2010-08-23T04:01:00.000-07:00

Clint and I love playing darts. Even though this was his space, he decided to share a small part of it with me. Isn't he the sweetest?

We had this horrible paneling on a couple walls in the area where Clint wanted to have his man cave. HE didn't mind them. Ugh...but I did. So I suggested we paint one wall with chalk board paint to hide a beam that came down in front of one.

We first prepped the wall with primer.

Clint was still not convinced we should use chalk board paint. Even after agreeing with me that the primer looked a million times better than that paneling!

After lots of convincing, I finally just bought the paint and showed him who's boss! He LOVED it!

The beam was hidden, and the wall was less of an eye sore.

After visiting a local antique store, we found the exact dart board that was on our inspiration board for $18!

We also found a small shelf in our basement and painted it to match the wall to hold the darts, eraser, and chalk.

At the moment, the chalk board is serving as our to-do list for the man cave.

Tops My List

2010-08-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

When I bought our home in December of 2006, I used the company, Century 21. My Realtor was amazing!

After I moved in, I started to receive a very small magazine, called At Home, from the Century 21 with home tips. I have to say, this small publication is one of my favorites and I always look forward to it!

Here is the latest issue.

(Anyone else loving that door?)

In this issue, I came across an article titled, "7 High-Impact, Low-Cost Decorating Ideas".

Here is number 5:

Who would of ever thought of creating a bench out of cement blocks? For the cushion, this person used a plywood board with 2-inch foam and wrapped it with all-weather fabric. I think this may be in the works for next Spring/Summer...

I also came across an incredible idea for our breeze way. The room is not heated and we only use it during parties. I would love to take advantage of the room with this idea:

A glass garage door!

I am totally in love with this! Not to mention the cost of it! I think with an idea like this, you would be crazy not to use this space. The home owners in these pictures bought a bungalow as a starter home on a 5 year plan. 18 years later, they decided not to move and to add on. This is their dining room, which opens to their patio. They also have a screen that pulls down to keep the critters out.

And lets just say that patio is amazing as well!

Does anyone else receive this magazine? If so, what do you think?

Lining the Drawers

2010-08-17T04:38:00.000-07:00

Our new dresser really did not need anything done to it, besides a good cleaning. There was hardly any scratches, dings, or discoloration in the finish. We lucked out!

But there was one problem I could not live with...the lining in the drawers.

It was this dated sea shell contact paper. Yuck.

There was also an odor that smelled like a perfume or powder that was very strong. So, my Saturday night was filled with ripping out the remaining liner and scrubbing drawers.

I considered leaving the drawers with nothing in them, but the adhesive from the contact paper left a film and took off some of the finish in the drawers.

Remembering a post I saw on Young House Love, I decided to make a trip to Michael's for Mod Podge and pretty paper. I found the Mod Podge, but no pretty paper. I did not want something too girly or too boyish. Our purpose of this dresser is for storage in our office. Later, we would like to move it to a nursery when we decide to have little ones. Then it dawned on!

In college, I had purchased this awesome rice paper for a project, that I ended up never using. This was the exact look I was going for!

The only problem, I did not have enough to line all nine drawers.

I started finding other pieces of rice paper that I never used!

I quickly got to work!

Ugh...stupid lighting! Sorry, me and my flash were not getting along.

I am very pleased with the outcome! The Mod Podge created a transparent look with the paper. It gave a very natural and interesting look! One thing to warn anyone who has not worked with Mod Podge before, the smell is not best. I had to stop after awhile and walk away from it, but it is a non toxic material.

The only problem I am left with, the odor that was originally left in the drawers. Does anyone know how to get the smell out of drawers? Scrubbing with Murphy's Oil Soup did not work and neither did relining the drawers. Any advise would be great!

The New Game Room - Repairing the Walls

2010-08-16T03:40:00.000-07:00

Our basement was made of cider block walls. The problem with cider block walls is over time, they start to show cracks from settling. Sometimes those cracks can become big problems and sometimes those cracks can just be cracks. Luckily, there was no water leaks or foundation issues from the cracks we had.

There was one issue though. As I stood close to the wall, examining the cracks, I watched a tiny spider crawl out of one. EWWWW!!! That was all I had to see! Off to Home Depot we went.

I said to the sales person, "I have spiders coming out of my crack". Ok, I really didn't say that. We explained our problem and were recommended to use this:

We were told Drylok's Fast Plug Hydraulic is designed for settlement cracks. Words of advise, this stuff dries FAST! Work fast with it.

I know. It looks worse than it really was, but it did the trick! Within 10 minutes, we were ready for the next step, paint!

The Home Depot sales person then suggested water sealing the walls with Drylok paint. It was advised that we use masks when painting with this product. We even brought in fans and locked our animals out of the area. Very strong odor.

This is after the first coat. After two coats, you could hard see the cracks!

By the way, see those nasty green baseboard heater? It was a dead bug graveyard!

Next was a color. We did not want to paint the whole basement. Just a section to separate the space. We scored a can of Behr Masonry paint for $5.00 in a tan color!

See the former nasty baseboard heater now? Phew! Much better!

Hooray for mistake paint!

The walls are officially done in Clint's new Man Cave!

Mine!

2010-08-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

Since we began work on the man cave, I started to realize the office will be very bare, with just my lovely parsons desk and filing cabinet. On Monday, I began my search on Craigslist. I had no idea what I was looking for, but knew I would know it when I saw it.

~Can I just vent about Craigslist first? I love the idea of people being able to sell their unwanted items to someone who could use them. Awesome concept! I have to say, though, a person's 10 year old fabric couch that looks like it has been through the war and used as a toilet, selling for $500, annoys me.~

Anyways....I happened to run across a post for a dresser. The price, $30. From the picture, the dresser looked like it needed a little work, but I was willing to fix it up for $30! I contacted the seller. She informed me that she has 3 other people ahead of me and sounded like it was already sold. So I gave up.

On Tuesday evening, I got an email from the seller asking if I was still interested. The first two people flaked out on her (her words) and she was giving the third person till that evening to contact her back. I did not hear anything Wednesday morning or afternoon and figured it sold.

By dinner time on Wednesday, the seller got back with me. It was mine! Yesterday, right after work, Clint and I went to pick it up. I was in love! Here is our new dresser in the office.

Do you love it?? Clint did not until he saw it in the room. It needed nothing done to it at all, just a dusting!

I grabbed a few vases I had sitting around and a lamp for now.

I love lamp! I bought it years ago from Pottery Barn Teen. It has pockets in the shade to hold pictures, postcards, or whatever tickles your fancy.

Here are close ups of a couple of my favorite photographs I have taken over the years:

Palace of Versailles, France

Fence in my parents backyard

Effiel Tower, Paris

What do you think of the dresser?

The New Game Room

2010-08-09T06:04:00.000-07:00

After finishing the laundry room and almost the tool room in our basement, Clint decided he wanted to move his Game Room (or Man Cave) to the basement. I was shocked, but also happy. Why? Because all his sports and video game ~~crap~~ stuff would be out of site! Then I could actually have my office space back!

Before we began anything, we needed a plan and a budget.

Our Budget was under $500. That was including accessories and paint.

So we began shopping around for ideas. Lets just say, Homegoods is now Clint's best friend.

What we need:

- Rug

- Lamp

- Couch

- Chair

- TV Stand

- Dart Board

- Shelving

- Picture Frames

- Storage

- Paint

- Misc. Supplies

- Decorative Thingies

Here are some of our inspirations:

Good news, we had a couch and chair already, after we got our new couch!

Bad news, the cats have taken it over! Hints why a sheet is over it at the moment. Apparently, all our cats have glowing blue/green eyes...hmmmm...

Stay tuned for how we transform a boring, spider filled, basement into a stylish, manly, Man Cave!

Now You See it, Now You Don't!

2010-08-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

Another update to our tool room make over!

Remember these shelves? Who could forget! Clint and I went back and forth on what to do with them. We wanted the storage, but hated the way they looked. We considered repairing them, but weren't sure it was worth the money. They were very sturdy and were not falling apart. Just real ugly.

WAYYYY back, I had asked for help and solutions for this space. The wonderful Sara at Russet Street Reno, gave an awesome suggestion to put up curtains to hide the shelves.

This has stuck with us since! Our first thought on this, Ikea of course! We decided we wanted a track system with panels that slide. After all the painting was complete, we took a trip out to Ikea and were hugely disappointed in the look and quality of the panels. They seemed to fray real easily and showed a lot of wear. We were also going off the samples in the store, which I am sure have been there for years. But our thoughts were if they looked like this after awhile, how would they look for us? We just pictured kitty claws all over them.

As we turned around to get our cart, we both saw something that would work perfectly. The Kajsa Curtains! But of course, it would not be Ikea without the item you want being out of stock. Luckily, we found one set, then grabbed inexpensive curtain rod.

We could not be more happy with the outcome.

But first, a before...

During....

And After...

Big difference, right? Thanks again Sara for the fab tip!

We plan to buy one more set of curtains, once they are in stock, because the one set doesn't full cover the shelves. I also need to hem them.

Bye Bye Clutter!

Check out our tool room progress here! From the floor, to the work bench, to the shelves. Who knew it could look this good!

Basement Update....The Floor

2010-08-02T04:06:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I have updated you on the basement project! Why? Well, we hit a snag with the drain backing up, which in turn drained our bank account...hahaha...So we had to put it off for just a little bit.

If you haven't been following, here is a recap here and here. Trust me, it is amazing what paint can do! In a nutshell, our basement has this neat little room with shelving and workbench. The problem, it looked just awful! We have been using paint to transform the space!

Next was the concrete floor. Now, we are not dirty people at all. I would not say we are the cleanest either. But, this floor sure makes us look like slobs!

The previous owners must have been in the Christmas mood when picking colors. Actually, I think the green came first, then the red. Who cares. It's ugly either way.

The floor is also very lumpy. Someone must have had a hard time pouring or didn't care. I vote for didn't care.

Rule number one when painting a floor: Make sure the floor is super clean.

Yes, this is clean. I mopped this baby twice with cleaner and 3 times with just water.

Rule number two: Make sure to start at the farthest point so you can get out of the room without stepping in paint.

TADA! First coat done!

It looks like a sea of milk chocolate!

The tool room is almost ready for the big reveal!

Broom Closet/Pantry Storage Tips

2010-07-30T05:03:00.000-07:00

Back in the good ol days, they had what was called a broom closet. It is actually one of my favorite features of my home. We use it for all sorts of storage in our kitchen.

It sits right next to the basement stairs and our breeze way. It's not a walk-in closet, but provides lots of room for our recycling, cooking books, and food storage.

The recycling stuff. Here is where it use to end up.

Yep, on the counter, in a pile. Usually, our counter space is over flowing with items to take out to the recycle bin. Yes, we are that lazy. I mean, we have to walk through the breeze way, press the garage door opener, unlock the door, THEN put it in the bin. What a hassle!

Our bottle returns usually ended up where ever there was room in the closet. When we opened the door to the closet, usually one or two bottles end up falling out and rolling down the basement stairs.

The Solution!

I found these babies at Crate and Barrel for about $9 a piece (the smaller ones)!

Now our broom closet looks like this....

Recycling on top, bottles on the bottom.

Food Storage. With only one cabinet to hold snacks, we needed another place to store ingredients, such as flour, brown sugar, tea, etc.

These handy containers from Crate and Barrel are great! The only compliant I have about them is the lids are hard to clean. Other than that, I love them! The best part is being able to stack them.

To hold recipes and smaller cook books (top shelf), I invested in the Flyt magazine holders from Ikea.

We also house any plastic bags that we collect in this handy holder from Bed Bath and Beyond.

In our home, this does not stay full for very long from all the dog pooh.

On the hook, where a broom should go, we hang our flash light, in case of a power outage. You may ask why we do not have a broom in our kitchen. Remember, it's the world's tiniest kitchen. It is very hard to swept with a broom in there. So I generally run a hand held vacuum in there. Much easier and less mess.

I hope my tips were of use to you.

Tell me how you handle your small spaces!

Solutions for a Small Kitchen

2010-07-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

We have one of the world's tiniest kitchens. Therefore, we have to take advantage of all the counter top and cabinet space we have. After our mini redo, that made a huge impact, we discovered so many different ways to use the space we have. Now, these ways may not work for everyone or may be common sense to some, but I thought I would share what works for us!

Clint and I are huge fans of no clutter. The only items we keep on the counter top are a couple cutting boards, our compost bin, canisters, and my lovely orange Kitchen Aid mixer.

Even though we have a dish washer, sometimes hand washing a few items is easier.

This dish rack, purchased at Bed Bath and Beyond, fits perfectly in our sink! It even collapses flat, to store away under the sink!

Even the sponge holder is hidden away by this handy holder from Bed Bath and Beyond.

We had registered at Crate and Barrel for our wedding and received these canisters. Not only are they pretty to look at, they are very helpful with holding coffee, flour, and sugar. Frees up cabinet space and is less messy.

I wanted to, "keep it real" here. Yes, it is a little messy and not very organized. Under our sink, we store our garbage can and cleaning products.

Gotta love Ikea! We found the Grundtal kitchen wall storage and knew it would work to our advantage! The sleek design makes it not only handy, but appealing.

Even for our Utensils!

Ok, this is not an awesome storage tip, but I had to show off the cool bread box that was left with our home. We use it to store dish towels and oven mits.

Who would of ever thought wine glasses would not fit in a cabinet?? Well, that happened to us. Luckily, I found an under the cabinet wine glass holder that worked perfectly!

As you can see, we like to keep everything within reach. Besides the counter top, using the walls really helped maximize our tiny kitchen. I know larger spaces are more appealing, but something about our kitchen makes it cozy and perfect for us.

I will be back next week with tips for your broom closet/pantry.

My Hero!

2010-07-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

Look what surprised me after work Tuesday....

Need a closer look?

YAH! The Kate Spade Fairy came to visit me with gifts!

With a cute little bangle bracelet...

And pearl earrings!

Ok. There really isn't a Kate Spade Fairy. Clint decided to surprise me yesterday, and boy did he!

But I have to share the story why. Now, I know my husband loves me and I love him very much. So any gift I get from him I know is really from his heart. Well, for my birthday, he got me a fan that I mentioned would be nice in our bedroom. Yes, I said a fan (we have no A/C, by the way). Now, when I mentioned that fan would be nice for our room, I wasn't expecting it for my birthday. I tried ever so hard to act thrilled for the thought of the gift, but he knew. He right away said, "We can take it back." I told him no, lets give it a spin. Well, it started making a god awful noise and acted like it wanted to stop in the middle of working. It went back. I think the gods (has to be more than one to help me through that) were looking down on me.

I had told him not to worry about getting me a gift, since we found our dream couch the same day as my birthday. But, my sweet man knew the way to my heart.

You know, the fan was a very nice gesture and shows he was paying attention when I said I liked it, but for some reason, this gift was just a little more special. And Kate sure knows how to make a girl happy!

Here She is...

2010-07-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

All cozy in her new home!

When I bought the old couch brand new, it was so pretty!

But then, two little doggies decided to take it over. It also was way too small for the space and didn't quite give that vintage look I was hoping for. What can I say, I didn't plan that over so well.

To save the old couch from our destructive babies, we invested in a couch cover.

But, that only became a magnet for white doggie hairs. I was cleaning the thing every week!

Rules with the new couch...No Doggies Allowed! As you can see, Fatty was not too thrilled about this.

With the new couch came a new layout for the living room.

We finally feeling like we have the cozy living room we were dreaming of!

Sale, Sale, SALE!

2010-07-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

On my birthday (So far, 30 isn't so bad), Clint and I decided to go out to dinner. After dinner, I talked him into letting me wander through Kate Spade, in our local mall. After Clint watched me hug every purse in the store, we happened to walk past Crate and Barrel. Then it happened....

First off, let me explain before I go any further. Our couch we have now is the pits. Our furry babies have destroyed the poor thing to the point of no return. So, for awhile now, we have been wanting a new couch. I am talking about 2 years. But who can afford the darn things?? We have been in love with this sectional from West Elm for a very............. long time. The fabric, the wooden legs, the style. It was perfect and nothing compared to it! Well almost perfect. With a price tag of $2,400, this sectional was out of our range.

Ok, back to where I was after Clint had to drag me out of Kate Spade....As I stared into Crate and Barrel, I saw the most perfect sectional ever!

I apologize for the photographs. They are from my phone.

I quickly ran over to sit on it! We couldn't believe we found a match to our dream sectional!

Ok, anyone else seeing that table in the background? I pretty much had to walk through the rest of the store with horse blinders.

We found a sales associate and asked our millions of questions. Then she showed us this.

!!!! Ok, let me first off explain. This is the Delaney Sectional at Crate and Barrel that is no longer sold there. So, this price is for the floor sample, as is. If we were to purchase this couch new, it would be close to $3,000.

We all examined the couch to make sure there were not rips, stains, etc. The only problem we could find were a couple small scratches on the wood legs, but nothing that we couldn't touch up on our own.

With that, we found our new (And hopefully will last 10 years) couch!! She will be arriving on July 9th and we cannot wait! Hooray for Crate and Barrels awesome sale falling on my birthday!

Happy 4th of July!

Goodbye 20's

2010-06-29T04:27:00.000-07:00

Hello 30! Yes, today is officially my birthday. Not just any old birthday. It's my 30th.

What did I get?

This beautiful lamp for our living room!

The Parson's desk got a new buddy!

I desperately needed this filing cabinet!

Oh, and I won $5 from this scratch off! I never win from them!

There were other gifts like gift cards, Dairy Queen ice cream cake, and an awesome dinner at one of my favorite Polish restuarants.

All in all, I had a great birthday!

Remember the goals I sent at the beginning of the month. Well, those did not go so well. Kidney Stones took up two weeks of my birthday month. So, needless to say, not a whole lot was accomplished. But, I would still like to reflect:

1.) Organize our basement

Well, I would say we have gotten a GREAT start at this!

This area was so packed with junk before! Unfortunately, with moving things, we discovered a couple problems that need to be addressed, such as cracks in the walls and condensation under the floor tiles. They are pretty easy fixes, thank god.

We even picked out a paint color!

2.) Be able to run a 2 miles without stopping

Well, no running was able to take place because of the stones. So I had to take the month off.

3.) Lose 10lbs

How discouraging is this...I gained 12lbs after being in the hospital for two days. It was from all the IV fluids at the hospital. But I went back to my regular weight a week later.

4.) Have a garage sale

This one I did accomplish!! We even sold a couple items on Craigslist! We didn't make a ton of money, but the important part is we got rid of a lot of our clutter and made some people happy.

5.) Start my own Etsy shop.

Of course, I had no time to devote to this. I would like to extend this into the summer to take my time on it and make sure I am putting my best work out there.

Well, there you have it! I am happy with what I was able to do in a short period of time and looking forward to working on the goals I was not able to do throughout the summer.

Happy Birthday to me!

Vintage Finds

2010-06-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

As I promised, I would like to show off my very interesting finds from a recent visit to an antique store. My mom and I ventured out in search of whatever caught our eye. First was this darling candle holder.

It was $7.00 and I could not pass it up! Ignore the country blue candles. Those will be changed out when I decide where it will be hung. Maybe in our breeze way over the table?

Next was an interesting purchase.

Yes, those are oars. I went through the entire store trying to figure out where I could hang them and thought, for $12 a piece, I would figure something out. They were also 30% off, which I didn't find out till I got to the register.

Look at the great detail on them! I love the weathered wood and chipped paint. They just have charm.

When I brought them home, Clint thought I was nuts. Then I opened up the latest Pottery Barn catalog and showed him this.

Not so crazy am I anymore!

I am thinking the breeze way may get a makeover in the fall with these two purchases as my inspiration.

By the way, thanks for all the sweet comments concerning my kidney stones. I am doing better and in a small amount of pain, due to the stent. I am hoping to be back to normal this week.

Surprise Pain!

2010-06-16T03:29:00.000-07:00

On Sunday night, I went to bed with a small pain in my side. Didn't think anything of it. So I went to bed, but was awoken at 1:30am to the pain worsening. I tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't. By 2:30am, I woke Clint up and informed him of the pain. He grabbed me some Advil and water, hoping it would help. By 3:00am, I was laying on our couch with the heating pad. The pain felt like it was wrapping around my left lower back to my front. I had a feeling it was kidney stones. Clint researched on line and thought it was pregnancy (lets just say he was freaking out a little). By 4:30am, I asked him to take me to the hospital.

It was confirmed. I was not pregnant, but had a very abnormal kidney stone that I was not going to be able to pass on my own. Usually kidney stones are 1-3mm in size. Mine was 9mm. After an awesome nurse in ER gave me morphine, I could finally relax. By 11:30am, a Doctor had come in and notified me that I would have a stint put in and they would break up the stone with a laser on Tuesday morning.

After a horrible night of not sleeping, the IV fluids making my hands and feet swell, and not being able to eat solid food for a day and a half, I was ready to get it all over with! It was a success! When the nurse woke me up afterwards, the first thing I said is, "Can I eat a hamburger now?" I must say, the pudding cup they let me eat afterwards was the best pudding I ever tasted! I am home now and in minor pain. Lets pray this never happens again!

I should be back next week with some awesome finds I scored at an antique store and a couple early birthday gifts to share! So stay tuned!

To my fellow Michi-ganers I cannot praise enough the awesome care I received at Beaumont Hospital! From the beginning, they treated me like family. If you are ever in need of a hospital and live close to Beaumont of Royal Oak, I highly recommend them! Although I would prefer not going back anytime soon, it was nice to know I was being well taken care of.

Sarah's House

2010-06-08T04:52:00.000-07:00

How many of you stay in on a Saturday night to catch Sarah's House on HGTV? Don't be shy, I know you are out there. Yes, most of my Saturday nights are spent looking forward to the latest episode of Sarah's House. I'll admit it. This season, she redid an old farm house.

The reason I love the show is the way she decides on how to decorate a room. Sarah will usually find a fabric, or an object, and branch off of it. The results are amazing!

Kitchen

Living Room

Hallway

Master Bedroom

One of two bathrooms

Ok, is that tub not the most beautiful tub you have ever seen??

My favorite: The Mudroom

Her attention to detail is unbelievable! I am amazed how she can mix patterns, colors, and styles to create a custom look.

To see all the above images and more, check out Sarah's House here!

The Big 3-0

2010-06-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right. I turn 30 at the end of the month. June 29th, to be exact. (Yes, I am crying as I type this) Since this is a big deal (to me), I wanted to mark the event with small goals. Kind of like my goodbye to the 20's.

To ease into my 30's, I thought I would borrow an idea from Nicole at Making It Lovely. She had created a list of 30 things she wanted to do before she turns 30, and called it her 30 Before Thirty. Well, seeing I only have 28 days, I had to narrow mine down.

1.) Organize our basement

Since we took care of our basement backing up problem, it is now time to put the clutter away.

2.) Be able to run a 2 miles without stopping

I can run between a half mile to a mile without stopping, but I want to push myself further.

3.) Lose 10lbs

I have already lost around 5-6lbs since the beginning of the year and kept it off. It would be oh-so great to lose a little more.

4.) Have a garage sale

The date has been picked! Now I REALLY have to get my basement in order!

5.) Start my own Etsy shop.

I have tried this before, but did not devote much time to it. Now, I have decided that I need to try this again and make the effort to make it work! I have tons and tons of art just sitting at home collecting dust. They deserve to be hung on walls and enjoyed!

So that's, that. I am not quite sure what I am trying to achieve here. I think like many others, there is a certain pressure to feel that 30 means you are "old". I remember through the years people telling me how they want children before 30 or want to be married before 30. One thing I realized is there is no way to plan your life around an age. What's the hurry?? Why 30?? Fear not people! It's what you make of it! So live it up!

I am going to miss my 20's. They were very good to me and taught me a lot. But I can't wait to see what 30 will bring!

How have you celebrated your 30th, or how would some of you like to?

Our Biggest Enemy

2010-05-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

Tree Roots!

I am sure some of you remember me mentioning a basement problem we have been having since we moved into our paradise 3 1/2 years ago. Our basement likes to flood. With no warning either. The first year I moved in, I had to have the drain snaked about 3 times. I just figured it was because it was an old home and nobody maintained the drain for years. Well, that was part of the problem.

Then, in 2009, we got 2 backups in less than 2 months. We were told at that point that a camera needed to be put down the drain to see what the issue was. Lets face it, the money just wasn't there. We decided to try root killer all winter to save a little cash.

You would of thought this would of brought us good luck.

Then, a month ago, Clint came home to find our entire basement filled with about a half inch of water. We called out the plumbers again. This time, we listened and had them out with the camera. Good news, the pipes were ok. Bad news, the problem was going to keep happening if we didn't have an outside drain installed.

$2,000 later (Yes, you read that right), our front lawn went from looking like this...

To this....

I have to be honest, we were both pretty scared about spending the money on this. I mean, who happens to have $2,000 extra sitting around for something like this? But we knew it would be worth it to not live in fear anymore about our belongings soaked. Plus, the pipes could of collapsed, which could of cost us about $10,000 to repair.

Things We Learned:

1. Insurance does not cover this. They consider it "maintenance", and therefore, it's your problem.

2. Drains should be snaked once a year. Don't wait for a back up to happen.

3. Even cutting down trees wont stop roots from entering. Did you know roots can still live up to 10 years after the tree is cut down?

So fellow bloggers, do not neglect your drains!

*Thanks to Paul C. Scott & Sons Plumbing for their excellent help and professional manner. Anyone living in the Southeastern Michigan area, this is the company I would call for your plumbing needs!

Gamer

2010-05-11T03:49:00.000-07:00

This is our baby kitty, DJ. When her daddy is playing his XBox, she is always next to him, cheering him on. She even keeps the control warm for him when he isn't playing.

Color is Good

2010-05-10T05:08:00.000-07:00

How many of you were taught that ceilings were always suppose to be painted white? I was one of these people. Any time I saw color on the ceilings, it made me cringe. I feared it. Well, last weekend, I thought outside the box.

In our 60+ year old home, we have some of the most gorgeous ceilings! Just take a look for yourself.

The dining room

The living room

Where most ceilings curve, ours has one more detail, of a square in the middle that drops down about a 1/4-1/2 inch. When I first moved in 3 1/2 years ago, I painted the coffee color on the walls and white ceilings. I loved the color and contrast, but the rooms felt like they were missing something. Then it dawned on me.

Yep! I added a little color to the curve. Vanilla Delight by Behr, to be exact. Just a small change.

It was just what the doctor ordered! Instantly, the ceiling detail was shown off and the room felt taller.

But I did not stop there!

I had also extended the coffee color into the entry way, when I moved in. It was ok, but dark.

We found that we were using the over head light, during the day!

So, Vanilla Delight was spread into this space as well.

Now the space feels open and less dark and cramped.

Now, I see the potential color can have on ceilings. As Martha would say, "It's a good thing."

Spaces You Never Seen...Our Backyard

2010-05-03T05:25:00.000-07:00

OK. There is a reason you have never seen this space. It is almost my dirty little secret. Take a look...I am warning you, it's not pretty.

No, please! Don't run away! Really, it's not that bad! Ok, it really is.

When I moved into my lovely home in December of 2006, I was unaware of something that happens every spring. Lets just say, it has been termed, Lake Danielle. Most of our backyard turns into a lake when the snow melts and the ground thaws. Or when we get heavy amounts of rain. The reason, the surrounding yards are higher than ours. Then it becomes a muddy mess. For 3 years, we have been filling in the yard with fill dirt. I would estimate around 25 yards so far. And we have to shovel and wheel barrel every load from our driveway...ugh.

In addition to the lake, the yard was very over grown with weeds. I had to hire our neighbor boy to help me get rid of the over grown mess!

Recently, I scored 5 yards of woodchips, plus delivery free of charge! We have been lining the yard with the woodchips to help prevent our furry babies from bringing the mud in.

Things we love:

The yard is just enormous! For the city I live in, I would of never imagined having a yard like this!! It can also be a bit overwhelming. So what we have vowed to do is to work from the back of our house, to the back of our yard. We could easily get distracted and work on different sections, but what would that accomplish?

Small patio area. It doesn't look like much now, but we have big plans for this area! When I moved in, I didn't even know there were patio stones already there! That is how over grown it was!

The clothes line. I use this baby every spring/summer.

Things we dislike:

The size. Yes, it is a great big yard, but it's a great BIG yard!

The view our neighbors get to see. I imagine they are not liking us so far...

The shed. We only have a one car garage, so the shed comes in handy for yard storage, but it is a haven for unwelcomed guests. I am referring to rats. Our city has had a rat issue for quite some time and our shed was not built on a cement base. I don't actually see the rats, but they have dug lots of holes under our shed, that the dogs just love to smell. You can see our before and after pictures of the shed here. AND squirrels have found ways to get into the shed during the winter. We are always walking into it with caution.

One of our 2010 goals was to get this yard into shape! So far, we have made a good amount of progress. Our budget may not be large, but we love a challenge! So, this summer, look for the befores and afters!

Here are the future plans.

Home Made Chevron

2010-04-28T04:13:00.000-07:00

For those of you who love the Chevron pattern (and who doesn't), you may want to check out, All Things Jenny. Jenny has posted a "how to" on making your very own Chevron art, using Adobe Photoshop. Check it out here.

And here is what she created!

Thanks Jenny!

Our Newlywed Paradise Through the Years

2010-04-27T04:46:00.000-07:00

December of 2006, I bought our paradise.

It was my dream home. My little, fixer upper. In 2007, my dream home became our dream home when I met my sweet Clint.

Wasn't she cute? She was built in 1948, and we are the third owners. Unfortunately, this is the only picture I have of the before. It was the real estate picture. I remember seeing this picture after my real estate agent sent it to me and thinking, "What, is she nuts?" But then I fell in love.

The problems that needed to be taken care of right away were the very over grown shrubs. The shurbs were so bad, that they ruined a few of the original wood windows. I had to replace the large front window right away.

Our Paradise in 2007-2008

Much better, right? No more bushes eating up our home! We added decorative concrete edging, new plants, repainted the front door, new mail box, new porch light, and new windows.

Our Paradise in 2009-Present

We have done a lot in almost 4 years! Last November, we painted the areas that were wood and the garage door. The wood around the windows was rotting, so it had to be done asap! We also painted the foundation, got rid of a tiny bush that was dead, and added a flower box under the front window.

Things we love:

The original wood front door, bay window, The small window at the top, trees surrounding the house.

Things we plan to do:

Get rid of the awning and rod iron railings. Number 1, they are falling apart. Number 2, I don't think they do anything for the house. I have always been in love with large porches. Our very far away future goal would be to do this, only on a smaller scale:

Source

Things we don't like:

The gray roof. It is just so boring. This will have to wait to be replaced, since the roof is newer.

At first, I hated the painting we did. Clint loved it. Now it has grown on me, but I am not digging the color of our front door anymore. I feel like it clashes now.

Need your advise again, what color should we paint our front door?

Update on the bathroom:

We have taken all of your advise into consideration and are going to take down the shower doors and find an adorable shower curtain...look for the future post in the fall.

Rooms You've Never Seen - Bathroom

2010-04-21T05:16:00.000-07:00

For the next few weeks, we are going to take you through our home, our Newlywed Paradise, to rooms and spaces that have not been seen on this blog.

Our Bathroom.
It is the only bathroom in our home.

Even though it is small, it has a great vintage vibe! When I began house hunting in October of 2006, I came across some mega crazy color combinations in bathrooms! Gray and pink, blue and pink, even maroon and pink! When I stepped into this bathroom, I felt lucky.

Now, the bathroom did not look like the above picture when I moved in. It needed work. Unfortunately, I never took a before picture. Envision, flower wallpaper on the walls and yellow/brown marks covering the ceiling from years of someone smoking. Even the caulk was yellowed! Also, the mirror above the sink had a matching light fixture in olive green!

After much scraping, priming, and painting, the bathroom finally felt the way it should! Instead of replacing the mirror above the sink, I painted the edge white. We bought a new light fixture and accessories.

Features we love:

The sink. Sure there isn't a lot of counter space, but that is what that cabinet above the sink and toilet are for! This sink forces us to keep our clutter hidden and put away. I do hate that faucet, though. We plan to replace that.

The Tub Fixtures. I wouldn't change these out for the world! I know some of you may think I am crazy, but they just make the tub!

The Tile details. Who could resist the tooth brush and soap holders! Even the towl bar!

Things We Aren't so Crazy About:

The Shower Doors. We thought about getting new doors. The dark, tinted glass makes the space feel smaller. So, we discussed clear glass. Then my mom suggested we take the doors off completely and have a shower curtain.

The Bar Near the Toilet. An older woman lived in my home before I purchased it. That explains the bar. We plan to take the bar off and fill in the holes, but aren't sure how it would look.

This is where I need your help. What do you think? Shower curtains or new doors? What to do with the holes left over from the bar?

Basement Update...Work Bench

2010-04-20T05:30:00.000-07:00

For a couple weeks now, we have been spackling, sanding, spackling, sanding, priming, priming again, and painting. Phew!

The surface of the work benches in the basement got all this attention, and you can see why.

The surfaces were filled with holes, dents, scratches and cracks. Not to mention, the large work bench had a mismatch of wood on the surface.We began to fix the imperfections with wood putty.

Once all the wood putty fills dried for 24 hours, we started sanding. We had to go back in and refill areas that were missed. THEN, resand again.

After another 24 hours, the priming began.

Since we are painting a bold, dark color, the helpful people at Home Depot recommended a tinted primer in gray. We applied two coats and let the primer dry for 48 hours.

Next came the actual paint color, Rich Blue, by Glidden.

But, before I show you the finished product, let me take you back to the very beginning.

Whoa! Not pretty.

Drum Roll please....

It was so worth the wait, wasn't it?

Next, that yucky, red floor.

Surprise 35th!

2010-04-14T03:58:00.000-07:00

Well, we pulled it off! It was a huge sucess and they had no idea! We started the night off by taking my parents to dinner while her friend set up the party and greeted guests. Our dinner came and went quicker than I had planned. So, after much stalling at the table with silly chit chat, I decided I needed to make a, "pit stop" at CVS for some misc. items. I was a texting fool to her friend at this point. The best part, the crazy register lady at CVS bought me some time with telling me how much she loved Mary Poppins and singing tunes from the movie. No joke, I was scared.

When we arrived to their home, the street was lined with cars. My mom said, "Someone must be having a party." My dad, the typical old fart he is, said, "Must be those young kids down the street." Clint and I couldn't even make eye contact at that point. My mom opened the front door and I let my dad in next. Then all you heard was....SURPRISE!!!!

Both their faces lit up like Christmas trees. About 30 of their closet friends and family were there to greet them. My mom and dad were just so overjoyed by the thoughtfulness.

Cutting the cake

No one's family is as coo coo as mine...I am sorry, but we hold that title. Here's us in our prom picture pose (Yep thats us in the tan)

And my decorations were a hit!

I am so happy all our hard work paid off. To be totally honest, I had no idea if we were even going to have a party by Easter. My dad works at a high end hotel and usually has to work large weddings on Saturday nights. Lately, there has not been much business there. So I figured we were safe. Also, I had asked my mom to have my dad take April 10th off about 2 months ago, so we could take them to dinner. At Easter, my mom told me that my dad had to work and we couldn't go out to dinner. There was no way for him to take it off. You can only imagine how nuts I was going after she laid that egg on me! The party was a week away and she is telling me this? Luckily, I had invited some of my dad's coworkers and had a telephone number to one. My dad's co worker told me she already had it all planned out and was only having my dad work the morning shift that day. PHEW! I called my mom the next day and asked her if my dad got his schedule. She claimed yes and said he has to work. The next day, I was told the same thing! Finally I had to do some sneaky lying to tell her my dad did not have to work. Don't ask me how I did it, but I did! Three days before the party...it was back on!

After all the stress, I decided this was not a good idea and the last one I would be throwing. But after seeing their faces, it was all worth it.

Where have I been?

2010-04-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

Work and home. Why haven't I been posting? Because I have been planning a surprise party for my parents' 35th Wedding Anniversary, which will be Saturday. The party has been planned for months, but the last couple weeks has been crunch time!

Can I tell you how difficult it is to plan a surprise party? I vow to never do this again! My parents have almost ruined the surprise about 3 times. Luckily I was, ~~pulling my hair out~~, sneaky and got all the bugs worked out.

Also, it is very difficult to find 35th Wedding Anniversary decorations. Therefore, I had to get a little crafty. I thought I would show off what I did. The traditional gift for the 35th is coral. We decided to do a coral/beach theme. Nothing over board. Just suttle hints.

Don't be jealous, but I happen to be browsing around in the home section of Target and came across this tray on clearance for $3! Perfect for placing finger foods on!

Next, displaying pictures. I didn't want to do a collage or frames. While looking around at Michael's, I thought filling a jar with sand and a sea shell, with the pictures, would work.

Very inexpensive!

Since my mom's friend is going to be setting up the party while my brother and I distract my parents' out of their home, I thought I would make things easier on her and just get paper and plastic products.

I remembered I had this very cute container that could hold the plasticware and napkins!

Since I could not find anything that said, "35th" on it, Clint came up with a great idea of spray painting wooden numbers, drilling a hole at the bottom, and gluing them on sticks!

For finishing touches, I am going on a hunt tomorrow for coral color flowers.

The cheap break down:

Food/Beverages.................$250

Paper/Plastic Products......$10

Wood Numbers..................$1.40

Sticks..................................$0.40

Jars.....................................$6.00

Sand...................................$3.00

Shells..................................$3.00

Tray...................................$3.00

Spray Paint........................$6.00

Flowers................................$15.00

Total: $297.00!!

Ways we saved:

-Having the party at my parents home

-Making the invites myself

-Making our own decorations

-Making some of the finger foods

I'll post pictures next week of the set up and party!

Blog Luv

2010-03-31T04:55:00.000-07:00

How lucky am I?

Kristi at, Life at Chateau Whitman, was kind enough to award me with the Sunshine Award. If you get the chance, check out her fun blog! Kristi's blog shows of her cute home and even cuter ~~man~~ animals!

I was also mentioned on Sara's site, Russet Street Reno! Sara is a hardworking DIYer. Trust me, look at her blog...I am not lying. She does some amazing work, even on her lunch break.

Thank you to both!!

Recently, I have started to come across some GREAT blogs!! I thought I would share the love and award with my new finds!

- Elizabeth at A Lizards Daily Journey

- Kristin at Domesticated Kris(tin)

- Irvington Bungalow

- Little Pink Houses

- Heather at Mckinney Living

- Eric at My First Garage

– Alanna Rose at One Little House

- Kristina at Sweetfern Handmade

- Karrie at The Brick Cottage Recently featured on Finesse Your Nest

If you are looking for more excellent blogs, check out, Our Inspirations, to the left. These blogs are my daily reads!

Sneak Peak...Basement

2010-03-29T04:54:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, in our basement, we have been organizing and redecorating. First was the laundry area, now it is the "tool room". We call it the tool room because that is where all the tools are stored...duh. Our goal is to make the basement a some what useable and organized space.

You have to excuse my picture taking. The room looks like this at the moment. Might explain why I have been a little absent from posting lately. It is a maze of crap!

Without further a-do, here are the before and afters, so far:

Scary Shelves...

Not so scary anymore!

Multicolor work bench...

Now, all one color!

Random cabinet...

Now, matches the rest!

We still have some work to do. The cinder block walls were painted with a fresh coat of white paint and shelving above the work bench is being painted also.

Next for the surface of the work bench and the cement flooring. Here are the colors we have choosen!

Rich Navy for the work bench surface and Rich Brown for the floor.

You may ask yourself (or not) why did we paint everything white or cream so far? Well, there is not very much light in the space. It needed some white to brighten it up. Instead of making everything white, cream, or neutral, I wanted to add a pop of color. Clint and I grabbed about 5 bold colors and a sample book for floor paint and got to work. This combo kept standing out to us.

There is still a lot to be done, other than painting. Our goal was to finish this by Spring and I think that is out the window! Who knew a tiny room could be this much work!

So what do you think so far? Are we doing a job good?

Perfect Match with a Little Help from Dora!

2010-03-22T05:27:00.000-07:00

A couple years ago, we found this adorable coffee table for our living room. Just $50 big ones at Pier 1!

We also bought this side table for $50 from Pier 1 to put next to our chair.

Even though I just LOVE this side table, my lovely kitty, Dora, did also. So much so that she used it to stand on while bird watching out the window. Twice, she had tipped the table from jumping off of it. Luckily, the glass did not break.

That is when we knew we needed another solution. Something that when it fell over, couldn't break.

Enter, perfect side table from Urban Outfitters...

It matches perfectly to our coffee table! Right down to the feet!

Dora approves also.

The birdie side table was moved next to our couch.

Don't you just love the perfect finds?

The 3 Musketeers

2010-03-19T04:40:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, we have kind of a lot of animals. Ok, not kind of. We DO. Two dogs and three cats to be exact.

The odd part is three of them always stick together.

No, it's not the three cats!

That's Dora, who I think really wishes she was a dog.

The funny part is they are all black and white. She even plays with them and their toys, even though their toys are the size of her!

More recently, Clint decided to take a snooze on the couch and this happened...

I think we need a bigger couch!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T05:38:00.000-07:00

Even if you're not Irish, you can still get in the spirit!

House Guest

2010-03-07T16:51:00.000-08:00

Here is the reason I have not been blogging so much lately...

No we didn't get a new dog. We are dog sitting for a friend of ours and this is her 130lb Great Dane, named Samuel. Oh, and he is only 8 months old.

The temps in Michigan have been in the mid 40's lately (heat wave!), which has turned our backyard into mud.

All the floors and rugs in our home are a mess! What a time we picked to dog sit!

So excuse my lack of posts and I will be back soon with some updates to projects we are working on!

What's the Big Deal?

2010-03-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

My best friend Lisa and I decided to change things up a bit in our workout routine. We usually go to the gym twice a week to catch up and pump iron. This week, we decided we were sick of the gym and wanted a change in scenery. So we went to our local mall and did some good ole fashion mall walkin'. We have this incredible mall by us, called Somerset Collection, that made the walking even better!

Source

Who wouldn't love hurting ours necks as we walk past the windows of Kate Spade, Crate and Barrel, and Restoration Hardware? It was like dangling a carrot in front of a rabbit! Do rabbits really like carrots?

Once our friends got a hold of our latest workout routine, it was all over. Now, we have adopted the nicknames, Grandma.

Tell me, ~~how do I murder my friends~~, the different ways you exercise to beat the winter blahs?