February 27, 2010

{ Prayers }

We are praying for you, Mom & Dad, and the people of Hawaii. { & Chile } We love you!

February 16, 2010

{ Say Hello to my Little Paintings }

I don't think I've ever even seen the movie that quote is from. "Say hello to my little friends"...what movie is it from? I think I'm supposed to know.

Anyway, I linked up to Kimba's DIY day again. This time it's my little paintings.

The weather is absolutely beautiful here & all I want to do right now is take a nap out in the sunshine. No crafts, no decorating, no cleaning. Just a nap. I should have taken more naps when I was a kid & had the time. :)

February 15, 2010

{ Cinnamon French Toast Sticks with Spicy Cider Syrup }

My super wonderful husband got up early Sunday morning to spend his precious free time fixing us a yummy Valentine's breakfast!  It was sooo good so I thought I'd share.  Maybe you will love it too! 
(from Betty Crocker's quick & easy cookbook)


Spicy Cider Syrup

1 c. sugar
3 T. flour
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 c. apple cider
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 c. butter

Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in saucepan.  Stir in cider and lemon juice.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.  Boil and stir 1 min. then remove from heat.  Stir in butter.


Cinnamon French Toast Sticks

Beat 1/2 c. flour, 1 1/4 c. milk, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. vanilla and 2 eggs with wisk until smooth.  Cut texas toast slices into thirds and dip each piece into batter.  Cook on griddle until golden brown.  Serve with syrup.

{ Peanut & Boo in Paint }

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! Today I wanted to share a project  that I finished this weekend. It is for Peanut & Boo's room.


I had this idea...


to create 3 different art pieces...


that could stand alone or be put together...


to make one large one!


Now, please understand, I use the term "art pieces" lightly.


I'm not a "real" artist, but I sure had fun doing this!


It's a mixture of acrylic paints & scrapbook paper. And it was kind of cool, cuz I came up with it out of my own head. The best part is, Boo & Peanut absolutely {{ LOVE }} it!


P.S. Boo is the blonde on the left & Peanut is the brunette on the right! And they picked their dress colors.

February 12, 2010

{ Questions Answered, I Hope }

Here I am talking about my bathroom again. I still have more work to do in here but, I had quite a few questions so, I hope this post will answer them.


Just so we can remember where we started, here's a quick look at the before...


Apparently, there are quite a few of you out there with bathrooms very similar to this. Awful, isn't it?
I've been there...I feel your pain.


Now, let's talk about how we can fix it.

I love these light fixtures. Simple is best for me. They're called Portfolio 3-Light Traditional Vanity Fixture from Lowes & I chose the Chrome finish. It comes shadeless for $29.98 each & then you get pick out the bulb cover you like. I chose these clear seeded glass covers, also from Lowes, for $3.88 each.


The mirrors were also from Lowes. I can't remember exactly how much they were, but they were around $75 each. They measure about 28" x 35". I do remember it said they are a "mocha" or "cherry" finish {something like that}, but they look black.


Here are the steps we used to paint the cabinets:

Step 1 } Lightly sand

Step 2 } Prime- we used this...

 Step 3} Brush on the paint- we used this...

And, we used this to paint the walls...

I wanted Oatmeal by Ralph Lauren, so we went to Dunn-Edwards & had them mix it for us.
It was less expensive that way.


Now here's my list of things that I still need to do:

1} I'd still like to add more natural elements, like this basket, to warm things up a bit.
2} I'd like to add knobs to the cabinets. I've bought a few, but keep taking them back because I can't decided on the finish. Suggestions?
3} The flooring needs to go. I hate the carpet in there.
4} Decide what kind of window treatment to do.


I hope I was able to answer your questions & maybe inspire you to get started on your own bathroom facelift! And I would love it if you would share your bathroom transformation with me, so please let me know when you've finished so I can celebrate with you!

Have a Happy Valentine's Weekend!

February 11, 2010

{ Sunshine }

I know there are many of you out there longing for some sunshine. We are seeing a bit of sunshine here today, but it is still cold { at least for So Cal }.


I finished the "art piece" for over my bed that I've been talking about. Unfortunately, I didn't like it there, but there was a big blank wall above our long dresser where it fits perfectly.


I chose this saying because when my husband & I were dating, he sang it one day & got the last line totally wrong. I thought it was so cute! So, to make me happy, he would sing it for me often. It kind of became "our song". Cheesy, huh? But, I love it! He still sings it to me {the wrong way} & the kids love singing it too. They all sing it the correct way except for one. Peanut sings that last line just like her daddy! No matter how hard she tries, she just can't do it. I'm glad she can carry on the tradition. I love it!

My hubby took this picture of me because I told him it reminded me of a photo we have of my dad when he painted signs while in the army. What do you think? Any family resemblance?


I've had a lot of questions about my bathroom makeover, especially about the paint. I am working on a post to answer the questions & will, hopefully, have it up tonmorrow.

February 5, 2010

{ Linky Love From Kimba }

My bathroom redo was linked on Kimba's blog A Soft Place to Land today! I was so excited when I saw it this morning! Her blog is, definitely, one of my favorites, so I was honored to be one of her "Stuff I Love" links.
To read more about this project & see the before, go here.
Happy Weekend!

February 2, 2010

{ DIY Day }


It's another DIY day at A Soft Place to Land. Go see all the great ideas!

February 1, 2010

{ the other side of the craft room... }

Ok, as requested, here is another view of the craft room that I first posted here
It is so nice to have a place to put up all the cute art work that gets made around here.  If it weren't for this wall most of it would end up in the trash because I don't like clutter.   The cutest art end up in their folders I have for each of them (my version of memory books).
I boaght the suede cord from the craft section at Walmart for the rope.

That's it!  It's our functional, often messy, "make lots of stuff in" room!