The guest bathroom gets a makeover!

I've been wanting to add some color to my house...nothing too crazy but something other than the tan, taupe like color called "Kilm Beige" that is throughout the remainder of the house.  So when I went to choose a color for the bathroom it took a few tries.  I did make sure to stay in the same saturation level as the taupe so that even when the color changed from room to room it wouldn't be so vibrant or different that it'd come smacking you in the face.  On the little paint sample cards I went across the color spectrum but stayed on the second tier to ensure equal saturation.  I finally settled on a grayish lilac purple color called "Sensitive Tint".  It looked really good accented with grays to dull it down and not make it too girly or eggplant colors to add a more jewel-toned richness to it...as you can see, I did both!  The master bathroom has hopes of becoming "Livable Green"...pictures to follow (someday)!  :-)

One More Renovation!

Wayne bought this headboard and footboard combo from a yard-sale I think.  His plan was to stain it and give it to Mom to use in her guest room (which was Wayne's old bedroom).  The only catch was that it didn't come with the metal supports that hook into the two pieces so he figured he could weld something that would work.  In the meantime, I offered to do the staining for him in return for his help, tools, and expertise with laying my new concrete on the side of my house!  It was a deal, so I got to work!  My concrete came out great, as did the stain!  Unfortunately, Wayne got busy with life, responsibilities, and his job so the bed-set remains in my garage at this point.

Heidi Newfield Concert!

Mom and I went to see Heidi Newfield at the Crystal Palace on July 26th.  We had pretty decent seats at a table across from a middle-aged couple.  We ordered dinner prior to the concert and both it and the concert was really good!!!  Heidi was a really cute, down to earth kind of person that dedicated a song to a couple who'd just gotten engaged and to a couple celebrating an anniversary.  She also traded her scarf for a fashion ring a girl had on in the crowd!?! 

Tweaking a good thing to make it GREAT (for me anyway)!!!

I found this decorative metal tree at Home Goods and it was the tree itself that originally caught my attention but to my dismay it came in an antiqued coppery-gold color that did NOT match anything in my home but I just couldn't help myself.  I bought it and headed strait to LOWES to pick up some spray paint!  After a few coats of a semi-gloss black it fit right in to my existing decor!

July 19th, 2011--My little beggars...

 Everyone has heard of "puppy dog eyes"...but these little begging faces take the cake!!!  Both Ginger and Baylie have mastered that pathetic  wanting face--and sadly, it works more often than not!!!

Sometimes these faces are to remind me that it's time for breakfast or dinner and other times it's because they want me to stop whatever I'm doing and go out to play or walk.  These girls may not be able to talk but they sure can communicate and they do that quite well!  :-)

Mom's new couches arrive!!!

Mom finally made the decision to revamp her living room!  We moved out the old couches curbside to donate them to charity (all except the big square pillow from the ottoman that had lost a wheel--that went to Ginger and Baylie).  This part was a bit harder for her than I expected, not physically, but emotionally because she was attached to the memories of our childhood in relation to the couches.  These are the new ones that she picked out...all of the sides on the love seat and the couch electrically recline!  The rocker also reclines but manually.  It was by far the best piece...crazy comfortable!!! The company delivered and set them up for her on July 19th!   The tables arrived a few days later and the TV console was hand-built by yours truly!  The set is beautiful and super comfy!  The entire living room was updated and rejuvenated!!!  

July 12th, 2011--Found a TV console that FITS!!!

For the past month and a half my TV has been perched on top of my coffee table because I had yet to find a console that meets the measurement specifications of the pre-cut wall inset where my TV hookups

were!  I'd searched everywhere from Target and Wal-mart to Woodland and MOR furniture without anything jumping off the racks at me!  On Tuesday July 5th, Mom and I finally stopped in at ASHLEY furniture and not only did she find a console that worked with her new flat screen but I TOO found the perfect one that fit my cubby!!!  Mom's house had some specifics that made it hard to find the just right console too!  At her house it would have to sit atop the bricks that gradually round around the sunken room so again the standard 60" was too long and most weren't deep enough to fit her existing music deck.  Anyway, in a crazy turn of events she came across one that matched the other dark wood furniture she'd recently purchased and I found one that was in a cappuccino color (in between a dark wood and black) that not only matched my existing decorations and furniture but they were both measuring tape approved!!! 

So we both purchased our finds and they were finally in for pickup at the warehouse on Tuesday July the 12th!!!  As soon as I got it home I began building!  I slid it in, hooked everything up and it all fit with only about an inch to spare total!!  I turned out exactly how I'd hoped because I wanted it to look as built-in or made to order as possible without paying for a custom build!!!  My living room finally looks a little more "grown-up" and a little less like a hodge-podge of "college leftovers"!!!  :)

July 10th, 2011--Carter & I attend Charlotte's 2nd Birthday Party!!!

Kim Smith (my friend and co-worker) threw a party for her daughter Charlotte who was turning 2 years old and I was invited!  The event was held in Kim's backyard on a very warm July

afternoon.  It seemed like everyone on the guest list either had children, was pregnant, or was part of the family except for me!  So to combat this issue I "borrowed" Carter for afternoon.  This gave Sherry and Matt some free time, and I got to spend some quality time with my favorite nephew!  Carter had a great time playing with all the little kids and was in a good mood the whole time!  He was everywhere...from the swing set to the blow-up pool, to the hammock swing to the bubble maker.  Carter has been in this phase where he doesn't eat meat of any kind and of-course for a kids party they were serving

hot dogs which he wanted NOTHING to do with!  Luckily  Kim being a mom on the go herself happen to have some quick Mac & Cheese in her pantry that we threw in the microwave and wallah--one happy Carter!!!  We did miss most of the present opening because we were inside eating macaroni at the time but not to worry, Carter finished just in time for cake and cookies!!!  Overall it was a good party and a fun afternoon! 

Food Coloring & Fireworks!!! July 4th, 2011

It is Monday July the 4th and although I don't have any big exciting plans, I do have one primary goal to try and keep my girls calm with all the loud booms, crackles, and screeches! 

With summer school over I'd spent the weekend getting my house and kitchen put back together and by Monday afternoon I guess I was glutton.  I decided to use some of the leftover cake mix and white chocolate from our cakeball baking day in summer school to create a more patriotic version.  Baking occupied my afternoon and kept my girls fascinated waiting for me to drop something tasty for them to snatch up! 

By the evening we'd settled in for a movie in attempt to drowned out the fireworks to keep the girls calm.  Once it was fully dark the fireworks were in the full force, the girls wouldn't quit barking or

running back and forth showing their confusion and panic.  I gave up on the movie idea and went outside into the backyard with them instead in hopes of helping them stay calm  while getting to

enjoy the free show!  I of-course took my camera with me to see if I could capture any of the overhead illegal bursts of color.  I live on the outskirts of the city and it seemed like I was surrounded

by such fireworks and these were not simple bottle rockets, they were the next best thing to the real deal!!!  Enjoy my humble attempt at capturing their beauty!  

LAST day of summer school...July 1st, 2011

It is the LAST day of summer school 2011...and today is the day to clean up and shut down until August!!!  I took pictures of my ceiling this year because we added to my semi-permanent decorations with more string art!  I do not like to work in a sterile environment with all white walls but decorating my ceiling tiles is a bit of a feat because I have approximately 10 foot ceilings and getting up their definitely requires a ladder.  In this particular case it took two ladders because getting the ceiling tiles down is a bit of a trick

thanks to all the suspension wires up in the rafters.  Oh, and did I mention they break REALLY easily (I know this because we had a couple casualties)!!!  Luckily the cracked tiles seem to be repairable with a generous amount of Super Tacky Glue!  I've always said that it is a good idea to get on the good side of the custodians and this was one of those times where a good relationship came in handy because they were able to "look the other way" while I had about 10 holes in my ceiling for a few days!!! 

You see, the reason I called the string art semi-permanent is because the students actually pin everything directly into the tiles while they are down and so its cork-like properties is actually what holds everything in place!  The name plates this year were created using block lettering and one-point perspective.   I'm hoping to eventually decorate each tile with student work but it'll take a few more summers before that can be achieved!!!  :-)