Favorite things

About six years ago I was in our local  DI - a favorite thrift store in this neck of the woods - and I found a wrought iron bistro set.  What a score!  It was $40 and HEAVY.  It started out being dark green.  A couple of years later during the shabby chic era, I painted it off-white and shabbied (?) it up a bit with black.  Now - today I sprayed it yellow and it looks so much better!  I purchased an umbrella lots of years ago while living in Las Vegas and they are the perfect couple.

Deja vu sadness

Our oldest son and his adorable wife have been trying for several years to have a family.  A couple of years ago they decided to get this "baby" - Cosie (named in behalf of a favorite character in Les Miserables).  She was the object of their love and nurturing.  Unfortunately, this week a freak accident happened that claimed Cosie's life.  We are so saddened by this tragedy and hurt so much for them. 

Backup now 30 years - my hubby and I were trying to have a family with no success.  We got an adorable poodle mix named Cosmo (mascot from my alma mater).  He was the object of all our love and affection.  We had him for a couple of years when an accident happened that took him from us.  I know how they feel and it hurts so much. 

We love you Spencer and Jennie!  Hang in there....

NEW FACE FOR AN OLD PURSE

I was making the rounds at a favorite thrift store a couple of weeks ago and I spotted a name brand summer handbag for $2.  The inside was stained and grody, but the outside was in great shape.  I remembered a post on Sara's blog - Go Gingham where she showed how to redo the inside of a bag.  For two bucks, it was worth it to try venturing into something I hadn't done before.  I am happy with the results. As long as you can take the lining out to use as a pattern, it is pretty much fool-proof.  I even reused the zipper to make a pocket, added a key holder and made a cell phone pocket.  Notice also that I was able to remove the label and reattach it.

                                                       Stained and disgusting inside

                                                         Ahhhh....much nicer!

Stencil, paint, or subliminal messages to my kids?

I had this odd space right next to my french doors leading to our backyard.  It has moulding around it because there was a very large sliding door there at one time.  When we had the french doors put in, they were smaller - hence the need for something to disguise the lack of fit.  Ya, well, anyway - I painted it with chalkboard paint.  Then I have been patiently waiting to win a bid for a CHEAP overhead projector.  SCORE!  I won not one - but four!  Anyone need an overhead projector?  I know someone that has an extra!
                                                         

Merry Christmas to me!!!


So this is my idea -

  Before:

After:

It doesn't look like anything really - but up close - as my kids are randomly walking by, maybe these messages will soak into their brains.

The quote on the left is from Elder Uchtdorf's talk (he is a leader in our church)  "...holding grudges, judging others, hating, wanting to cause harm, withholding forgiveness, gossiping, ridiculing, ignoring others, withholding mercy, throwing stones - STOP IT."

YIKES! STRIPES?

My hallway was like a bowling alley - long, narrow, and kind of unremarkable.  A hallway can be thought of as another room to decorate, so I took the advice from a blog - 4 men 1 lady - and I striped it.  I think I'm in love!  It still needs some details, but it already adds interest to the bowling alley look.


                                                                       from this

                                                                        to this

Yep - I prefer bowling in an alley!

Happy Father's Day

to the men in my life......

My two sons - Spencer and David
Even though they aren't fathers yet - they WILL be.  AND they will be great dads.  I LOVE it when they do things together and help each other out.  They are both so thoughtful and fun loving.  I have learned much about patience, hope, and love from them.  I am so lucky to have them in my life.

My father-in-law
He has always been wise in his advice and counsel to us - I ESPECIALLY like the advice he gave hubby when we were first married - "Always have enough money to get your wife a new frock!"

My two stepfathers 
Because of premature death of my dad, my mom has remarried twice - to men who were and are wonderful grandpas to our children.  They are quick to help with any and all projects that we get ourselves into.

My hubby
ALWAYS supportive!  Whether is was my desire to go to Interior Design School, stripe the walls in our hallway, or raise five children whose genes swim in different pools, he supports me.  He is always prepared with extra paint brushes (I don't like to clean them) or rollers (those either).  He makes time for whatever I drag home from a yard sale or thrift store to redo.

My dad
Due to diabetes, he left us at the early age of 42.  How I want to tell him I'm sorry for a couple of things.  Because he had three daughters and no sons, he would ask me to play catch with him.  I always did, but sometimes I didn't really want to and I hope he didn't know how I felt.  Years later when I moved away to attend college, he called me every morning at 8 am - just to hear my voice.  The conversation would always be the same - "so what did you have for dinner?"  I'm sorry that I wasn't always excited to talk with him. I'm sure there are many more things I've done that might have made him feel bad.  He can take comfort, however, in the fact that I miss him everyday.  Sometimes I feel shortchanged by the fact that he isn't here for me, but then I have moments that I KNOW he is!  

Babies!!!

My hubby and I have the privilege of associating with MANY newlyweds in our church.  We all know what newlyweds like to do - YOU know!  So I wanted to make a small gift for each baby, and since they come at a rapid pace, I needed something easy and fast - and not too expensive.  This is what I came up with:

I used my little grandbaby's bib as a pattern and put a piece of chenille on back and flannel on top.  I liked the look of shabbyness around the edges so I just clipped about 1/4" cuts around the bib and washed them a couple of times to get the fray. The closure at the top is velcro with a button sewn on top.  I have done eight so far - only about 42 more to go!

Circles of light

During the course of building the bookshelves, we realized that the top shelf was too short for anything other than dust, so we decided to put lights up there for a type of light box.  We wanted to add something more interesting when I remembered a DIY project from Vintage Revivals.  It was so easy and I love the look.  We cut 2" PVC pipe into 1/2" segments, glued them together with sprinkler pipe glue, spray painted them with white paint and Voila!  The most time consuming part was the clean up.  It looked like Christmas with the white shavings all over the garage. 

                                                                    Without light

         With light on except that while I was doing this, two bulbs burned out - typical of my day!

Easy art

I need a large something above the orange dresser in my family room.  It's a high bare wall that needed attention, but I wasn't sure what.  Hubby was cleaning out a spare space in his office and came home with a couple of pictures, one of which I was thrilled to see.  I remember seeing a post on this blog -vintage revivals  - something I had wanted to try out.  The original was from the 80s or 90s - rose and blue hues.  I sprayed it all over with white spray paint, then took gray acrylic mixed with a glazing medium and highlighted the raised areas.  I had art in 1 hour - with no talent whatsoever. 

        This:

                

       To this:

Adventures with Rocky

Every Memorial Day we take our blue heeler - Rocky - on an adventure.  There's a great hike in our area and Rocky loves it.  He is an amazing dog.  With 12 years under his collar, he is slowing down and has a few health issues.  We have to lift him in the car because it's painful to see him try to jump up and not make it.  In his younger years he could clear our 5' fence.  He could also stand on his hind legs to see what was for dinner and help himself if it looked good.  Many times I would have a steak, chicken, or roast sitting on the cupboard to cool - and turn around and it would be gone.  Rocky would have steak and we would eat peanut butter sandwiches.  As frustrating as that was, I will miss him soooo much - I can't even think about life without him.  At night when we lay in bed, we'll say "Rocky is such a good dog" and we'll hear his tail hitting the carpet.  LOVE that dog!!!

                                          Canine lineup:  Rocky, Sarge, Tank (in arms)

A happy ending to a wonderful hike with our beloved Rocky - a stop at Doggy Wash!

Family Room DONE!

It's only been five months - how time flies when you are doing a home improvement project - and it takes up space in the WHOLE house!  I guess I have to clean now.  When there is stuff everywhere, in every room, what's the point of cleaning?  Now I GET to clean, and I'm excited!  Just to remind myself what this space looked like in January:

And how it looks today:

I think it was worth the wait.  I DO get a little hung up on details.  See that short shelf at the top of the bookcase?  I have plans for that -  can't wait to see how it looks.  Now I hear the weeds outside calling my name.

Happy Memorial Day!

I CAN finish a project!

Here is the new and improved dresser that I paid $5 for three (yes three!) days ago.  We just had to get ONE thing completely done. 

It will look much better all dressed up, but my sister HAD to see it done now.  With my grandkids coming this weekend and us hosting an extended family BBQ, the pressure is on to get the whole room completed.  I will not go to a yard sale this weekend and bring home another project.  I'll wait until next weekend.

Yard sale find

I went yard sale hunting on Saturday.  I followed signs in my general area and found a few goodies - a couple of necklaces, leggings still in the package and a mirror.  When I came home, hubby asked me if I saw the sign for a huge yard sale by Home Depot.  Well, I had to check it out.  And I scored big!  This little beauty cost me $5!

It has been someone else's project apparently.  It has been sanded and the legs removed, so I added legs and a beautiful shade of paint (orange to be exact) and hopefully I'll have a picture tomorrow!  I still need a few more coats of paint to look smooth.  Anyway, I am thrilled!

Shelves are done!  Details like knobs, hole drilled for speaker wire and cabinet door need some attention.  But for the most part, it's done!  Only five months!

Update.....on a missing blogger AND my family room

My creative sister is back blogging!  She was previously at Random Musings from my POV, but has moved.  You can check out her a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e. cookies and her bits of wisdom at this site: http://bitsoflifeandcookiebites.blogspot.com/.  She is one smart cookie and one of two amazing sisters I have been lucky enough to have.  We have SUCH a fun time together. 

OK - we are almost there!  My job is next and I am ready.  Just need to let the caulk dry and come Monday, I'm priming.  Just in time for the outside work to be done.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

Random Musings From My POV update

For those interested in this darling blog - it expired.  However, she is in the process of creating another one.  I'll be sure to keep you informed when and what the name is.  You know it's got to be good!  That sister of mine is one creative gal!  Her cookies are amazingly cute!

Love the people God gave you because someday He'll need them back

My last kid's birthday party! Can I celebrate or no?

My baby just turned 16 about a month ago - and tonight I threw her a surprise party.  Of course the game system that I was planning on using for entertainment wouldn't work.  We finally got the flatscreen TV mounted last night and the Wii WOULD NOT WORK!  We even bought a new Just Dance - Summer Edition - just for this occasion.  That is how my life is.  Anyway, they had fun being together.  Oh, to be 16 again!

My best side

Four months later....we are perfetaping, priming, and getting ready to paint.  The problem is that because it has taken so long, I want to change SO many other things in my house.  If it had been fast (like 3 days), I wouldn't have had time to find cool houses while blogstalking.  So my house won't be done for a LONG time now.  It's hubby's fault.  Anyway, this chapter is getting closer to closing.

This is another area that has bugged me.  Originally, there were sliding doors to the backyard.  When we had french doors installed, they were smaller - so the solution to hiding the sheetrock extension was moulding.  But it forever bugged me - I considered many things - stenciling the space, some kind of art - but nothing hit me.  I think I figured it out.  It's not done yet, but this is the before:

Hopefully this won't take as long to complete as the rest of the projects.

Good times!

Although the weather wasn't the best, the company definitely was!  We had fun playing in the sand dunes, swimming, coloring Easter eggs and playing.  It was a little crowded.

But that's a small price to pay for this:

Have You Tried This Yet?  You Must!!!

This recipe has been all over Pinterest.  It is lots less time consuming than cinnamon rolls and is just as gooey and yummy.   I think I need to make another cake.  I've already made two this past week.  Here is the recipe.  It would be a delicious addition to an Easter brunch.

It's c.o.m.i.n.g. a.l.o.n.g....

Yes, there is progress.  The fireplace is boxed in, the tile in on the hearth (already has a chip in it), and the base cabinets are sort of attached.  We are heading on a road trip to southern Utah for the weekend to meet up with my daughter and adorable grandkids, so I'm REALLY hoping to paint this whole project next week.  I have it off due to spring break and it would be the PERFECT time.  (I'm hoping that the fireplace elves come and finish this project while we are gone)

On Saturday, we'll be celebrating the last of our March birthdays - with our oldest daughter, Anne.  OK - here goes:
March 2 - our anniversary
March 10 - Desi's birthday
March 16 - David's birthday
March 21 - hubby's birthday
March 28 - Amy's birthday
March 31 - Anne's birthday

Only two of us left for the rest of the year - me and our oldest son - Spencer.

Spring has sprung!

I LOVE forsythia.  They grow kind of wild and crazy like they have been stiffled all winter and are ready to show their stuff.  And the color is so vibrant!.  I just have to have some in my house, even though iit is gray, muddy and bits of snow on the ground outside. - Inside, it's spring! (also, my hubby's birthday - Happy Birthday hubby!)

I couldn't wait to cover the thrift store chair I bought last week and wanting to be frugal about it, I slip covered it in a fabric I already had.  I really like it and especially like having the option to change it when I find a good deal on a fabric I REALLY^ like.  I looks even better with a bright pink pillow on it, and after looking at this photo, I realized that I need to paint the legs black. 

I think maybe a fake fur would look fun?

Thrift Store find

My sister and I went antiquing and thrifting on Friday and we both scored!  I found this adorable chair for $15!- and I have plans...

My sister, who happens to be the creative mind behind the darling cookies at 
http://www.randommusingsfrommypov.com/
- nabbed a dresser - (I might have to steal it).  I have plans for that, too!

Do You Do Tofu?

Doesn't this look like the most delicious slab of protein you have ever seen?  I admit it can taste a little off at times - it needs to be crispy and have a delicious sauce surrounding it - then you would fall in love.  But some members of my family haven't caught the vision, so in order to keep peace (at least some SMALL element of peace) - I prepare some meals with tofu AND chicken.

Which side would you serve yourself from?

Remodeling at a snail's pace

Our minor remodel job in our family room is progressing at a s-l-o-w pace - but it is going in the right direction.  Hubby told me that I could get a new sofa - and he gave a a price limit.  I scoured the ads and didn't find anything I liked for the money.  I need to be able to seat at least sixish - and I have eclectic taste - so I don't do matching furniture (sets like sofa, love seat, matching end tables and lamps for $1000). So I searched our classifieds and found what I wanted.  I'm so happy with my purchase, however when I brought home this beauty  - I noticed something I failed to see when I looked at it in the seller's basement - red dye!  Apparently the red throw pillows they had on it previously had bled onto the white leather and now I am trying to remove this stain.  We've searched and tried several suggestions on the web - not much luck.  Any ideas??

A closer look:

I know!  How could I not have seen it?  I'll keep pillows there - but I DO want to remove this stain if at all possible.

Dessert Fit for a King

This weekend hubby was asked to provide dessert for 40 people.  This is what we chose - a recipe from my little sis.  Even though it isn't the most colorful presentation, it makes up for it in flavor.  They are so DELICIOUS!  English Toffee Torte - of course!

There is a double layer of meringue, with whipped cream mixed with crushed English toffee layered in between the meringue.  This is a great make ahead dessert, because it needs to sit at least 12 hours - to allow the meringue to soften and mesh with the cream.  It is pure heaven.

English Toffe Torte


Meringue:
6 egg whites
2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. cream of tartar
dash salt


Mix until soft peaks form, then gradually add 2 c. sugar.
On brown paper bag or brown craft paper, draw two dinner plate size circles.  Spread the mixture in circles and put in 275 degree oven for 60 minutes.  Then let sit in oven, unopened, for 2 hours.


Filling:
2 c. cream
1 t. vanilla
6 Heath bars crushed - or other english toffee pieces


Whip cream and vanilla til soft peaks form.  Fold in candy pieces.


To assemble, place one meringue disk on serving dish.  Spread half of the cream, then other disk and rest of the cream.  Refridgerate about 8 - 12 hours.  (I've even done this 2 days before).  Just cover with plastic wrap so the cream doesn't get weird.


Invite me over so I can make sure you did it correctly!