Got ya covered

Hand-me-downs are great in any way shape or form (except when the come in the form of undergarments or bathroom items of course!) Which is why when we moved into our house two plus years ago, we jumped at the chance to take my Grandma's old kitchen table and chairs. Although the table didn't fit in our kitchen, we were thrilled to have six chairs in good shape.

Fast forward two years later, and I am finally ready to remove the old seat covers and replace them with some bright vibrant colors! They when we received them, they were a black and cream toile. Lovely in its own right, it did not fit the colors and style of our rustic kitchen. I wanted something with airy that would help me pull in some colors I didn't already incorporate into the kitchen.

With a light brick colored counter top, I knew I could go the route of a deep coral. Glad I was right, and glad I took a chance on a lovely fabric! I also discovered my new favorite site: www.fabric.com, so easy right? They have some great options, and great prices! This lovely stripe is the route that I went. The reason I chose this is because in addition to two chairs in my kitchen, I also keep two chairs in my living room. The decor in the living room is turquoise and browns. After taking out at least 500 staples, and replacing 750 staples (I wanted to be sure that fabric was ON there!), below is the results:

I know what  your thinking, "look at that handsome devil!" While that is a very true fact, my boy is very good looking, at this moment I was less than thrilled. Why you ask? I will tell you... as he removed his head from that cute little spot, he left a moderate sized muddy slobber spot.

I quickly wiped it up as I freaked out... only to realize my prompt action kept any permanent marking to occur. However, I am absolutely considering looking into purchasing some Scotchgard™ to save my sanity in the future.

The best part of these chairs? You see the bright aqua/turquoise stripes? They fit so perfectly in the living room, it's like I custom made them in my own little fabric-dying lair. Clearly not the case, just pure dumb luck. Also, I have left over fabric which will inevitable become some fabulous throw pillows.

Next step in my amateur DIY adventures? New curtains for my living room, with a lovely new fabric I purchased. They currently look like this: Bad, I know. Oh, you meant the curtains? Those are bad too, but I was referring to the picture quality. My main goal is capture adorable picture of the dogs, instead of ugly curtains!

My goal has been accomplished clearly, because they look like the best of friends who are waiting for Santa Claus... in July... Okay, I'm done :)

Making a change for good

A conscious effort to change my life is needed. Although, I am one part of two in our house. Trying to diet with my husband eating meals with me is like trying to jump rope in quicksand. He eats Hershey bars and Goldfish for dinner, and that is just the appetizer. Sometimes it's followed up by a large mixing bowl filled with the extra sugary cereal. Other times, a hero with cold cuts or tuna with way too much mayo.

Seriously, it's hard just to shop for two completely different body types. He continues to lose weight with the above eating regiment. Me? I gain weight watching him.

So, I am going to dedicate this blog going forward as a memory book, or a journal to list and explain what works (in terms of recipies/shopping lists/meals out) and what doesn't work.

To start, I need to make a list of the food Matt (my husband, obviously!) likes to eat that could potentially be good for us. Now, I know this is a very granular process - however I am taking this very seriously because I am fed up with my body and the way I look. This seems like the only way to make a positive and successful change!

• Greek yogurt - now this is kind of a tricky one, because he really doesn't know he likes it. If you were to ask, he would say no. So, it must be camouflaged.
• Peas - he loves peas, but they have a significant amount of sugar in them. So, we will use them sparingly.
• Corn - again, a lot of natural sugar in corn, so will be used sparingly.
• Onions - he prefers them fried, again, I wish I had his metabolism! Fried will not be happening, so maybe I can crisp them up in other ways. 
• Lean meats (turkey, chicken) - he prefers deli meats, but because of the sodium, this will have to be replaced also.
• Tuna - only out of the can, I know, it could be worse.
• Oranges
• Watermelon
• Blueberries
• Olives
• Hard boiled eggs - he likes them on their own, and egg salad... will need to work on this one.

Next step, to build a solid base of recipes that I can make. We can stop eating out so much, and cook more at home - cook more healthy meals at home.

This is to be continued... 

Keeping Balance

With the lack of participation on my end, I figured I should explain what is going on that is keeping me from writing and writing and writing until my hands  go numb.

In early February, the day before my birthday, my mother-in-law went in for a major surgical procedure. She has had health concerns for as long as I have been with my husband (we just realized it has been 10 full Valentine's Days!). So although this wasn't something new and unfamiliar, it was still very time consuming over the past month. Everything went as well as could be expected. She was released last night, and came home. She still has a long road to recovery fully, but she is content being in her own home now which is an improvement. The picture below is from our wedding in 2010, she is on the right, next to her on the end is my father-in-law:

Managing a relationship while a family member is ill can be very difficult, especially when it is a parent. We still struggle after nine and a half years of being together on how to find a healthy balance. I find myself slowing down when things get a little hectic, to take the time and think about what is going on, and how to best handle Matt's emotions whether it be sadness, frustration, or even anger. He can be easily preoccupied with humor, so my awkward self puts the cheesy-ness into high gear and I make him laugh (or try to!) It works most of the time, I have to do it nonchalantly though, or he will realize all I am doing is providing comedic relief and not much else. 

It is funny because as much as I feel I am the only person who has this current frustration, I did some research online and found so many advice columns and informational posts. One that has a lot of quality advice is About.com Newlyweds: Elderly Care for Parents and In-Laws. Always good to get a second opinion or point of view to put you in the right frame of mind. Especially on things that effect your marriage or relationships. You can be so enthralled in the heat of the moment and forget that you have an emotional investment, maybe too much so to think logically.

Anyway, to recap on the past 4-6 weeks from the last time I posted: 1. I have updated the hallway light, I will post an update and some pictures soon on that. 2. I have started (slowly) to pull out all of the Spring decor, even though the weather is not following my lead. 3. I turned 26, no big deal, just closer to the big 3-0 now. 4. I rearranged our home office, and it is functioning much better than it did before (again I will put up some before and after photos.) 5. The final detail [gasp] we started a bathroom project, painting the vanity, painting the walls, and changing the decor/function.

I know what you're thinking, who starts that when there is already SO much going on? We do - or should I say, I do. I started taking the fixtures off and sanding the vanity while Matt was working one Saturday. Needless to say, he was less than thrilled to come home to more work! In the end, it will make for a fabulous blog post. However now, it makes for a messy hallway and guest room -- that is where all of the bathroom items have found shelter.

Back in business.

Okay, so I know I haven't written in a while, I apologize for avoiding you. Took some time between the holiday season and now to put together some thoughts, some ideas, and some projects! Hopefully I will come back with full force, and move this blog forward.

First thing first, an idea in desperate need of some motivation and creativity. When we first moved into our house, everything seemed right. However, after a few weeks (days really) we realized that we needed to add our style, colors, and touches to make this house into our home. A year and a half later... I am finally getting down to the nitty gritty. My current task, replacing the following light fixture:

I have some ideas on what I would like to use, and done some serious searching online for inspiration. See below, all are very grand to me - which our entry way is not. It is a narrow hall that leads into the kitchen and living room.

No space for a table or furniture to carry incidentals. I have a small key hook to the right of the door which is the extent of storage. In addition there are multiple black frames with welcoming pictures.

So above you will see both walls, and how narrow the hall really is. Not only is it narrow, but now picture a big door opening up directly into it! Awkward to say the least, but none the less we make it work.

 The two images above show the depth of the hall, and a little peek into the zoo that is my home (Sam and fishyland snuck in!) In all of the pictures you can see the light does not work with whatever our style is considered - besides messy!

Now, moving along nicely, onto what I love, what I like, and what I can afford (not looking to break the bank on a very insignificant light fixture!  Spent the day (ok, maybe a few days) drooling over the Pottery Barn Hundi Semi Flushmount fixture because well lets be honest, its perfect. The color works, the height works in our limited space... the only thing that doesn't work? That hefty price tag.

 
Listen, I am all for splurge on something you love, but when I saw this blog post from another crafty individual: A New/Old Foyer Light, I knew it was on. I did some searching on Craigslist.com, but came up short. I would think if someone had this light from Pottery Barn, they would not be getting rid of it! So then I started to do some searching online... maybe find a discount lighting website or online outlet?

With my search I found a few options, but none seemed to fit perfectly. Some were too dark, or too big. Some were just not the right shape or style for the small space. This one was nice, but it seemed a little too heavy for the small hallway:

Then I found this one, but it seemed to have no enough of the black details (I am very difficult to please:

So here I sit, unsatisfied with my search. I am going to venture to the Pottery Barn outlet tomorrow and see if I can find anything that fits within my needs and budget. The real dilemma is getting something I like that fits within the height constraints without getting hit by our swinging door every day!

This project is to be continued...

Newbie, learning quickly

Okay, so I am new at this whole blog thing still but I am finding some extremely valuable resources here! My new favorite blog is Young House Love (www.younghouselove.com). Beyond the instant gratification with DIY tips and projects, they have the best taste (in my opinion!) Now the negative, I am dying to transform my home using the new found treasure as inspiration.

My plan of attack is to start with our guest room. It's basically neutral on steroids:

So, white walls, white sheer curtains, and limited wall decor. The bed right below this window currently has a yellow quilt on it (the only substantial color in the whole room.)

These sheers are a new addition too, they were an "oops" from my mother, so they ended up at my house because I desperately needed something on the windows so my guests could have some privacy when they spent the night.

Next comes the opposite side of the room... which isn't much better! I assure you the wall are still white, trying to capture the awfulness with a phone camera isn't the best method.

Now this dresser has been sanded and painted white. It's actually really a nice addition to the room. I just need to pull more color, possibly from the picture - some earthy blues and some bright copper accents.

So, for the next few weeks (coinciding with Christmas = chaos) this will be my job to update and transform. Keeping my imagination open, and my influences and inspiration close, next post will be progress and completion pictures! Wish me luck.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

The Christmas tree has arrived! And boy, is it massive.

Sunday was the day, we bundled up (for 55 degree weather mind you, overkill for sure) to trek through the farm and find our "perfect tree." Unfortunately, this idea of going off on  your own to find a tree was not as easy as it sounds. We walked for what seemed like hours through too small, too large, too wide, too skinny, too bare, too bushy trees. Finally we found what we thought was "perfect." Were we wrong! Our ceiling height is a normal 9 feet, our new tree was over 13 feet! So caught up in the beauty, we brought it home unwise to what was to come.

After trimming the top off, and some of the bottom, it fit in the house. Then it was time to trim the sides so it didn't seem so daunting in our tiny home. Below is the results:

With only weeks to go, I've put it into full gear when it comes to presents. Still completely unsure of some, I think the people I have done will be pretty pleased. For my brother and sister-in-law who live in Tennessee I put together a really cute "baking bowl." Started out with a big mixing bowl, in holiday decor of course:

Then I found some really cute oven mitts, complete with cookie mix inside. With two of those, a new spatula, some cookie cutters, measuring spoons, hot chocolate mix (in holiday gear as well, of course), and some Keurig coffee pods - this makes a very nice family-friendly gift to ship! I may throw in a few homemade cookies as well, if I ever get started:

Now on to my brother in Florida, (keep in mind I am stock piling any boxes that come in at work so I can send all of these things to various states) I was considering baking and sending him a care package of goodies he can enjoy before and after the holiday. He'll be here for Christmas, but it's always easier to send before the holiday and let him enjoy his gifts in his own home. That will be my next project... is it bad when Christmas presents become projects?

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, I can give all my attention to my most favorite part of the year. Christmas in our house is quite an extravaganza - starting with the seven hours it took for Matt and Owen to put up the Christmas lights on the house on Sunday. Luckily we cleaned the front yard and bagged what looked like a carpet of leaves...

I spend Saturday putting all of the small touches together inside the house. We have yet to get a tree though, that will come this Sunday. Then after a fun night out on Saturday, our decorating party started a little later than expected. But, all in all, the day was successful as you can see!

 Because we don't have a mantle or fireplace to put the stockings, I use easy to remove hooks, and then hide them with a bow or some other accent!

 Starting outdoors seems a little odd with our pumpkins still holding strong! The mums are a different story. What to do with two huge pumpkins now that December is just around the corner?

And the (almost) finished product in the dark for all to see! Apparently there are still some additional things needed, but I think it looks great! The actual tree will come next week, and again I will be sure to share pictures.