Declutter me beautiful

A decluttered worktop gives the implication of a tidy kitchen so get to decluttering. Remove all items that are not used regularly such as juicers, rice cookers etc. The amount of space this creates gives the illusion of a bigger kitchen and creates more space for food prep.

When is the last time you decluttered your kitchen?

After I decluttered, I grouped several items which were scattered through out the kitchen counters, and placed them on a platter. Our kitchen is so much more functional and still has a decorative flaire.
Be creative! These everyday cooking utensiles stored in a big drawer. I found myself scurring around to find exactly what I needed. I found it more efficient to my cooking lifestyle to have them visible. I worked with what I had, and placed them in this vase. It gives a touch of eligance to the kitchen.

Before:

I wish I had taken a before picture so i had to zoom in on another picture taken in the kitchen lol but you get the drift.
After:

A new baby in the house

She is the 1st baby girl to very good family friend and they have chosen to make me her care giver. I must admit, it is nice to have a brand new baby in the house. She is 4 weeks old, and just a doll. She has the most beautiful blue eyes.

I was a bit worried to see how Deric would react with a new baby in the home but he actually was not bothered at all. Never the less I like to be prepared and weigh on the side of caution so, I invited my Parents over today, after their morning run to assist with entertaining Deric. I really don't think it will be necessary but Deric always enjoys time with Grandpa.

Day 1 of our diet

Breakfast:Yesterday was day #1 of our diet. Our family is enjoying scrambled Eggs (with milk mixed in) on a bed of Spinach, with Low Fat Cottage Cheese, and washing it all down with coffee.

Snack:

We enjoyed a health snack consisting of 1/2 an apple and 1 table spoon of Peanut Butter with good ol' H20.

Lunch:

Spinach salad with a tea spoon of lean turkey bacon, low fat cottage cheese is used to replace salad dressing and a dash of spicy Cayenne Pepper, for a little kick.

Snack:
I had the other 1/2 of the apple with Peanut butter.

Dinner:
Bone less skinless chicken breast topped with sauteed garlic, onions, and roasted green chili and a side of steamed broccoli.

We are shooting for 3 dairy, 3 fruit, & 3 veggies per day. Last time we did this diet, after Deric was born, we lost about 30 pounds. Oh and that was without exercise. This time I'm throwing in Zumba Fitness. I'm excited to see the results this time.

Cart Caddy

Becca made this , in her own words, out of absolute frustration and insanity prevention ! Last week while shopping, I was so fed up with losing my coupons, having to pry the slobbery remains of a coupon out of my babies mouth and simply not having enough hands while I shop! My shopping excursions are a mess!!!! If you were ever to see me shopping with three kids in tow you'd most likely find two out of three of 'em crying and the other covered in chocolate chip bribery!Well...Problem solved!!!! (at least the coupon part of my problem! Let me know if you have a wondersolution for the kid melt downs!)I came home to create this Coupon Catch all for my Shopping cart!It has two pockets! One to hold my Coupon Organizer and one to store the coupons I will be redeeming! And if you're not a coupon shopper it's the perfect little helper to hold your bottled water, emergency candy bar you opened 15 min. into your visit and cell phone while you graze aisle after aisle! Visit Becca's page at a chance to win this awesome giveaway.

Our Son's Winnie the Pooh Bathroom

I wanted to create a fun, playful bathroom wonderland. Something functional but more importantly, something that my child enjoy and spark imagination. I also wanted something unisex, and I think that is what I was able to capture with the assistance of our ol' pal Pooh.

Deric has a "Jack & Jill" bathroom, and this is the view as your coming in from the main entrance.

Before:

I wanted to mix classic "adult" pieces with fun plastic ones. This shelf was purple. At 1st I thought, perfect! Then once I saw it up, it just wasn't right. So I decided to pull the Espresso color from all the fixtures, on to this shelves and Pooh Picture frames by the toilet so a little spray paint did the trick. Did you notice the pictures by the toilet are at child eye level. Yes, we did that purposely.

Wash cloth holder.

I normally would never opted for a plastic shower curtain however, this one is so colorful and vibrant, it just works perfectly. After all, I am going for a fun room.
We wanted to place the towel/robe hook at child level, it works perfectly.

This laundry basket, I've had for yeeeears. I actually thought of donating it due to the color. Really, Hunter green does nothing for me... until this project. I wouldn't have any other way.
How perfect is this Dixie Cup dispenser? And the best part was $1.00 price tag at a neighbor's yard sale.
This is the faucet. Tigger is hot water and Eeyore is cold. Their little bodies swivel in circles to turn the water on and off. Pooh is taking a honey break under a big shady tree. Piglet is at the top of the tree holding a water pail in the downwards position. This is where the water dispenses from.

The original vanity top was a boring white so, we took a little trip to Restore, and found this vanity top for $50 bucks. What a bargain!

Before:

After:

Personalized Frame for my mother

I wanted to make something personal for my Mother so I took a little trip to my fav store, Hobby Lobby.

$2.00 Picture Frame

$ .50 Scrapbook Paper

$1.00 Letter F

I already had: Red & Black Sprey Paint, hot glue.

1.) The frame was natural cardboard-like, as was the letter F. The F was sprey painted Red,

& the frame was painted black.

2.) Cut the scrapbook paper to fit in the desired photo frame and instert.

2.) Take your hot glue gun and glue the letter onto the top of the exterior glass. Kind of a 3D effect but looks fab!

And wah-la... ur done! This also works with any old frame without a glass.

A Clean Bill of Health

Yesterday we took Deric to see a growth Specialist at Children's Hospital. This is a follow up to the results of his blood work taken a couple of weeks ago.

The Specialist took one look at us and said, "Why are you here, again?"

I said, "To check his Thyroid and to verify there was no abnormalities in form of a cancerous tumor causing rapid growth spurts."

Specialist said, "Did your Pediatrician see both you and dad?"

I said, "Yes."

Specialist said, "If I would have seen you 1st, I would have canceled the blood work request. I do not see any indication of abnormalities in his growth chart. Yes, he is in the top 99% for height, weight, and head circumference, but its growing on track as far as the growth chart goes, just at a higher rate. The problem lies when there is a substantial spike in growth, which by the way is very rare. And the most important fact of the matter is that Mom is 5'10 and Dad is 6'4. After a $40.00 co-pay, much frustration, and I must admit, a few tears from this overly protective 1st time mother. Case closed. Ahhhhhh... a sigh of relief.

My Parent's 47th Wedding Anniversary

We hosted a Surprise Anniversary party for my parents this Sat to celebrate their 47 years together. After dinner I asked my mother, "What is the secret to a long lasting marriage?" My friend Cyndi said, "Yes, please tell." My mother answered, "Love but the biggest secret of them all is as simple as it is challenging. It is respect. Without respect, can lead into verbal warfare, and even the strongest of hearts can be challenged, and eventually broken down." So there you have it folks... Love & R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Their Anniversary was Thursday. No one mentioned it, sent a card, phoned, or verbally wished them a Happy Anniversary. This day is very special to my Mother, actually it is her favorite "holiday". So needless to say Dad & especially Mom, were very hurt that no one acknowledged. Little did they know that this was all part of our master plan. Little did she know that her children were planning a Surprise Party with dinner and gifts.

Mom called me Sat morning & said my brother had asked to borrow her car Sat at 3PM while his car was in the shop. Everyone who knows my Mother knows that Saturday's are her days so I'm thinking she may have been a little perturbed however, she would never admit that.

I asked, "So, what are you going to do today?"

"Nothing. Stay home. Pat has the car."

I said, "Have him drop you two off over here."

She said, "Okay."

Perfect!!! She had no idea what was in store for her.
She walked in and started weeping. She said, "I thought you forgot!" She was sooo touched.

Even the kids got in the action. I love that they understand that it is not the cost of the gift but the thought behind it. This was the best gift of the night. Two cans of Cashews.

My Daddy loves geography so, how perfect was this gift of a glob. It sits on a dark wood base. Very modern with an elegant flare.Kirkland's never fails with their beautiful picture frame with an iron tree in the center. Both Mom and Dad loved it.

Family photo time.

Filling Spaces

Our house has HUGE wall space to cover. We originally had a large (electric) Fire Place w/a Plasma sitting on top. The wall is sooo huge it made the TV look like a little 19". Ugh, this was NOT working! We needed something to fill the empty space and along came thee. Its perfect for this space. I haven't finished decorating it but, this is what I've done so far. The side mirror panel is perfect for displaying my Mikasa and Princess House crystal.

Before:

After:

Spray Paint til u love it

Rustic, unfinished, and has a yuk appeal to it, I know. It sat there all alone and unwanted on the clearance rack for a steal at $4.00 but I see the potential. Nothing a little spray paint can't handle.

Before:After:

I love it! I used Espresso Brown and retouched the center with Black and what a transformation. Oh and when I say "I", I really mean "Eric" but, its my vision. There for what is mine is his and what he does I take credit for lol. I love wrought iron for the inside and outside of the home.

This piece really helped with the high vaulted ceilings we have. This is the view coming out of the lavatory. It really brings your eye upward and helps fill the empty wall which you really can't put just anything up there. Another clearance find at $3.00 each. It was previously a very dated brass color and oh so "fugly" (yes, that's a word in my book =) Again, I (aka Eric) spray painted it that same Espresso Brown and now, it is a classy modern piece. I think I am going to add these to our Guest Room which we named the Chocolate Room.