What to do with all that Halloween candy!!!!

What are you going to do with all that candy?

Well, I have a few ideas. Last year I researched it a bit and between some great ideas I found online(sorry I don't remember the websites) and some creativity I came up with several ideas. These are ideas we used last year and will be using again this year beginning Thursday after Halloween.

1. Take all the full size candy bars and set them aside for movie candy. We have a family movie nite most Friday evenings so this can supply treats for us for weeks!
2. Take all the funsize Snickers bars and bag them up and pop them in the freezer for that yummy delicious caramel apple salad for Thanksgiving dinner.
3. Take the colorful ones that don't taste so great, you know the ones, gumdrops, weird hard candies, Chiclets, Necco etc... and put them in a bag and label it for Christmas gingerbread house decorations.
4. Now go thru what is left and have the kids pick out 15 or 20 pieces they love and put their name on it and pick a date after all the holidays. We do late January- early February sometime before Valentine's Day but far enough in to the "no junkfood in the house in January " period that they are desperate for a sugar buzz. Put that date on the bag and drop it in the freezer or hide it in the back of a cabinet. Somewhere no one will see it for a few months.
5. Set aside some pieces for a friend or neighbor who probably doesn't have any candy in the house. For us it is my grandpa. He loves sweets but rarely buys them for himself. So we send him a little bag full after Halloween. Nothing sticky though in case of dental work:)
6. Now my kids have to pay the dad tax. My husband travels and so when he comes home he has missed the candy influx so we save him some.
7. Now whatever is left I have the kids trade for favorites if possible with their siblings and any candy no one likes we donate. There is usually a small ziplock. I send it to the teachers at school to add to the reward bin or to the special ed department. They use it as incentives for the kids in their programs.
8. Lastly, we separate whatever is left into a few sandwich bags and put dates of when they can have it on them and pop them in the freezer.

My kids don't mind spreading it out because I don't keep candy in the house regularly. Just peppermints by the front door. So they are happy knowing I won't toss it out and they will have candy again:)

P.S. if the bag of candy they get to keep right after Halloween isn't gone in a few weeks I chop up all the chocolate and make cookies out of it. The kids never mind when there are cookies in the cookie jar!
P.S.S Don't forget to hit the clearance sales after the holiday to score some candy corn for snowman cookie noses during Christmas and winter! I also look for any bags of family favorites that have non Halloween wrappings for upcoming stocking filling!!

I'm back!!!

Hello, my pretties!!! I have been very busy with the babies and the house and all but I have decided to try harder to post at least twice a week. I have been crafting up a storm, repainting furniture, cooking, all sorts of busyness!
 So here are a few little things I have been busy with:)

I promise to work on my picture taking skills but it is a giant ruler and I moved the markings we have made of the kids height changes  the last four years on the pantry door over to it. Now if and when we move we can easily take it with us:)I admit to cryin' just a little during the process when I saw just how much my babies have grown!!  But I think this little piece is adorable in my family room.

     Next is a picture of a inexpensive little end table we have had for quite a while in the family room that was looking pretty shabby. And not in a good way, lol. So I went to the store to pick up some awesome bright green paint. Not a kelly green and not a lime but somewhere in between. I just couldn't find the shade I wanted in the spray paint aisle but I stumbled across this shade and fell in love. So I decided to play a little game I like to play. I call it "that's always been there!" This is how I play: I do some home improvement project or I purchase some item for our house with out mentioning it to my husband. He travels quite a bit so this is easier then average. Then when he comes home and notices the change I say, "that's always been there!" Now just to soothe those men readers I hope I have I will mention that I never spend more then 40 dollars on any one thing without talking to my husband. So these are not huge expenditures but sometimes big changes come in 5 dollar gallons of misfit paint:) So back to my little sad table. I gave it 3 coats of this beautiful shade of paint while everyone was out of the house and put everything back before anyone came home. Then I waited to see if anyone would notice. lol.
   
     I once changed the curtains in the family room for a lucky find at a yard sale and my husband didn't notice till 2 months later when a girlfriend asked where I found the pretty new curtains in front of him. Just to give you an idea of how long this game can drag on... but the middle child noticed within minutes of coming home from school. The baby noticed later that evening. The oldest noticed several days later when he asked if we had gotten a new table and the husband mentioned how nice the table looked while he was watching football the very NEXT TIME he was home!!! Shocking? Surprising? Absolutely! But it made me feel happy that he said he liked it.
     So tell me what you think. Do you think I should have kept searching for the ideal green or do you approve of my fly by the seat of my pants inspired color choice?

Before pic of little wood end table

 I think it came out great!!!
So tell me what y'all think!

Where did the summer go?

Well y'all,
I thought to myself, "come summer I'll have plenty of time to blog" yeah but somebody forgot to tell my kids. Honestly, I don't think I left the kitchen all summer! with 3 growing boys I felt atatched to the stove. After every meal it was mere moments before somebody said"I''m hungry"
But now it is early fall here in Ky and the boys are back in school so I can try to get onto a blogging schedule. I would like to blog daily but we will have to see if that is feasible, whew! So welcome back. And  here we go!

Aim to Please, Boys Bathroom Update

Hi y'all The boys bathroom in our upstairs hallway has been on my spring cleaning list this year. I have been waiting to do it because I was hoping to find all the supplies for a update at super bargain prices. Well, that didn't happen and when another light went out in their fixture I decided to go ahead and do what I needed to. I already had some 5 dollar oops paint from Lowe's and a new shower and accesories kit the boys had picked out. I swung by the ReUse Center and picked up a new bathroom light, it's not what I was hoping to find but at least it is working and it matches. An improvement over a broken one. So I slapped on the new wall paint, used some leftover paint from another project to paint the vanity and medicine cabinet and installed the new light fixture. With the new shower curtain it looks fresh and clean. I also picked up a couple sheets of small square tiles at the ReStore a few weeks ago when we were there.  I used them to create a frame around the contractor grade mirror.

before- mirror area in our tiny hall bath

before- here you can see the wood medicine cabinet and plain shower curtain.

Almost done! you can see the wall color and painted vanity and tile border on the mirror

Here you can see the painted vanity with new hardware and new shower curtain. I tossed a few decorative items on top to give me an idea of space. I will be working on that more in the next few days. I will add final pics when I get it done:)

Close up of tile border

hearth and home

I am one lucky kentucky girl. Our neighborhood had a community yard sale and we went for a walk and perused the merchandise. I spotted it a couple houses down but tried not to get excited, sure it would be out of my price range. But as I got closer I got more and more excited. As I looked over it I knew I had found the prize of the day!!!!
  We bought our house 4 years ago, a long awaited, anticipated and anxiously longed for day. And closing took for-freakin-ever!!!! So, I, being a goal motivated person spent those long frustrating moments drawing out every room in the house and decorating it to my hearts content. The way I pictured each room. Using items we already owned and items I knew would be just right. Now in the last four years I have patiently worked to make each room fulfill its drawn, colored perfection of those pages. The master bedroom suite had to undergo a color change after I just couldn't live with the cool color I originally painted. Now in my defense I was trying to make friends with some hideous lavender carpet I inherited. And with so many tasks needing done when we bought the house carpet escaped the budget. After a year I just couldn't stand the cool color another minute and repainted it a nice warm pink based beige. yes, I know pink based paint and purple carpet. Ick! But I never intended the carpet to last long. It was to be replaced with a calm neutral as soon as our elderly dogs passed away. (no point in new carpet with geriatric incontinent pets, right?)
  So having filled in the back story I have to tell you that what I spotted in that driveway, shining in the sun with a warm mellow glow fulfilled my original dream for the master suite, it was just the way I had pictured it to be. Well, almost and since I am not a "perfect" kind of person close is always close enough. Well most of the time;) As I walked up to it and walked all around it I knew I wanted it, I knew I would never see it at this price again, I knew it wasn't in my budget that week, I knew I just had to have it even if it was going to sting a bit.

  A beautiful wooden mantle! perfect condition, a gorgeous deep cherry. It didn't have an electric insert but it was standard size and bless me, but the owner says those magic words every yard sale diva lives for"I'd be willing to come down on that price if you are interested"  Ahhhhhh.. the magic of those words makes me all tingly! And so this little beauty was going to be mine, all mine. Completing my vision for the master bedroom, rewarding my patient find and gather decorating style. I am all warm and fuzzy inside just thinking about it.






Here it is after I installed the faux firebox and added lights and a mirrored backing and popped a few things on top.

cupcake roadblock

hey friends,

I am in the middle of sewing the new seat cushions for the couch I picked up at a yard sale last weekend. Sewing zippers makes me really nervous! So I am being really productive doing anything but sewing in that damn zipper. I made a zuccini and potatoe au gratin and sauteed greens for dinner. Used up some leftover potatoes making roasted potatoe soup for tomorow and made the sweetest little spring cupcakes
 lemon poppyseed with cherry lemonade frosting and spring smore peep on top(peep dipped in chocolate and graham cracker crumbs)
It is amazing all I can do when I am avoiding doing something else. lol. Oh, I also looked up the user manual for my sewing machine online(after spending 15 minutes in the basement looking for mine) and places to have it serviced for a tune up. Not liking the reviews for the local service center I then looked up how to give it a tune up all by myself. Now I am on here telling y'all about how I am not doing what I should be so I can avoid doing it a little longer. lol. Now it is time to put the kids to bed, deliver some cupcakes to a neighbor and convince my husband to go for a walk with me.

Saturday's yard sale goodies!

I am so excited! I have been wanting to replace our couch(which my husband owned when we started dating) well, since then. lol. It is huge and dark green and ugly! It's saving grace has been that it is super comfy. But the last year or two it has really gotten broke down and is like sinking into a bean bag chair lately. So I have been boosting the cushions with a old comforter and pillows underneath but it is just a stopgap. But the couch I have picked out is closer to 1000 dollars then not. NOT in my budget. But the community yard sale Sat morning netted me not one couch but a couch and loveseat set! Now they are not in perfect shape. They need scrubbed good with my upholstery attatchment on my carpet cleaner. And the couch needs the seat cushions recovered but my grandma taught me to do that:) So (thumbs pointing back at me) this girl has new family room furniture! For less then 50 bucks!

Spring Cleaning Projects Begin!!!! Master Bed and Bath

Hey y'all! I have been so busy I haven't had time to swat a fly. I told you last time I was working on a little master bath spruce-up. Well, it took forever but I am finally done. Here is the list of projects I had on my spring cleaning list I was able to mark off.

      1. restain 2 small dressers in my bedroom. They were just old and beat up and looking dated

2. paint antique dresser from sad yellow to go with everything black, also paint mismatched mirror to match
3. put down new vinyl flooring in master bath
4. restain vanity from ugly orangy oak to chocolate brown, paint hardware from brass to ?
5. clean every inch of entire master suite
6. new light fixtures over vanity
7. clean carpets
8. wash, iron and rehang all sets of curtains and 
9. scrub blinds, window tracks and vacuum screens
10. paint and clean inside closet
    paint accent wall behind bed

So here are a few before pics and then I'll give you the “BIG REVEAL” lol

now this “lovely” flooring was in both upstairs bathrooms when we bought

the house 3 years ago.








 this is the ugly oak vanity and brass hardware

ugly builder grade light(this one is actually in the hall bath cuz

I forgot to take before pics) as you can see it is broken and is also on the

list, just haven't gotten to it yet

AND NOW THE BIG REVEAL!!! DANHDAHDAHDANHHHHHH!    

OMG!How much better is that? And these aren't even high end lights!

But such a improvement over those horrible gold toned hollywood

hideous ones! And you can see the beautiful new paint color too!

It's the shade of a fresh praline! Mmmmmm....speaking of that,

makes me think of the delicious fresh beignets my husband brought me

from New Orleans recently. Sooooo gooood!

                                                                 Back to business,lol, ok onward. I changed the flooring to this

ok, so I should have swept the floor before I took this

picture but you can see the dramatic change! And I did it

all by lonesome in just 1 evening. First time ever removing

baseboards or laying flooring!

And this is the redone vanity! No more ugly orange oak.

The entire room is changed with the 3 little projects I am showing you!

New lights, tile, and vanity redo. Those are even the same brass knobs.

Just with 3 coats of spray paint and clear sealer!

And this is my coffee bar, champagne and cool whip

fridge right next to my vanity. I love this!!! I can live solely

in my master suite the whole weekend without leaving!

(Not that I ever have gotten the chance to do that but I could.lol

And this is the soaking tub(which we swore we would              

use and rarely do)

Now on to the closet!

Yes, I painted the inside of my closet bubblegum pink. It was leftover paint already

in the house when we bought it and there was a ton of it. This is the

color the entire back of the first floor was painted when we bought it!

(I primer'd over it the day after closing on the house)

But it is cheerful and girly in the tiny amount you see inside the closet:)

And on to the bedroom-                                              

ok, ignore the ugly carpeting, it is on the list for

next year:) but check out the warm beige on this

wall. And this is one of two restained small dressers we

use as nightstands.














 

Here is the antique dresser and my mismatch mirror that now all match!

It is so awesome what paint can do!

So that is mostly what I have been doing for the last few weeks.

And I am happy with the results. Still some projects I want to do(like framing

out that giant builder mirror over the sink) but for now I am on to another

room to clean and repair and keep marking things off

my spring cleaning list. I do love to mark things off my list, lol, I get such

a sense of accomplishment!

New projects!

hi! I spent today putting new light fixtures over the master bath vanity.  I forgot to take a before pic but I have some from before we bought the house. I will post one very soon! I have to finish some drywall patching and paint touch ups, then when it is gorgeous I will share. Working on some other things in the Master too. New peel and stick tiles for a budget improvement and some new stain on the vanity and who knows what else!!!

Puttin a little spring air in the house!

I repainted this little guy after finding him for a dollar at the Goodwill. He was looking a little drab in his navy blue country vegie look so I brightened him up for Spring:)

This is my early spring mantle display.

I will keep you posted on a few more little projects I am cookin' up!

just a little sumpin' sumpin'

I wanted to share a few more projects I have been working on!

This little wreath is actually just an old embroidery wreath I picked up at a garage sale for 75 cents. I tied tulle on in alternating black and white bunches then added a bit of red and a big red felt flower. It still needed a little something so I added the B for our last name. In polka dots of course since that is my current obsession!

These little cuties are cupcake stands I made from some old dollar store candlesticks I already had. I picked up some little wooden plaques at the  craft store and glued them on with some fix all. Then primer and spray paint and I glued on some crft paper I found that is a great match to my contact paper I use for everything. You can see it under the cutting board here. Then I gave each one several coats of triple thick crystal clear spray on glaze. Now for some red velvet cupcakes to go on top!

Here is this little cutie. I made him from a pic I saw on Pinterest. Here he has jelly beans inside but I quickly switched to bubblegum so I would stop eating all the jellybeans!

Y'all come back to see what trouble I get into next!

How to spend a rainy day in the garage painting furniture!

ok, so last time I mentioned I was repainting the kitchen island but it wasn't going well. Here is the picture of it not going well. I got the coat of green on with black drawing attention to the circle detail. But I hated it once I did it. So I painted it back to plain ceam and spray painted the handles black. I am still planning to change them but haven't found any I really liked yet.

here is a better shot of the handles and the rubbed glaze

This is my 10 dollar garage sale coffee table I repainted. It was yellow with honey oak top and drawer pulls. I thought it looked a little 90's dated so I gave it a few coats of cream and then spent hours rubbing in this glaze until I thought it looked right. I was going to replace the pulls with metal ones but then realized after banging my foot on it that the wood ones were gentler on my body parts. So I just spray painted them with some hammered metal paint.

I have been up to several other projects so come back to see what else I have been staying busy with lately!

Floatin' couches and other ails

sorry y'all, I got sick last weekend  and pretty much have been keeping the couch from floating away this week. Well, it's not like I did nothing. With husband darling out of town I fed, bathed and chauffeured 3 kids around all week, threw together a 3rd grade Valentine's party in less then 24 hours including hand cutting over 440 strips of paper! I also ran errands, for which I considered wearing my yoga pants and slippers but just couldn't. So I wore my yoga pants and tennies with some lipstick and diamond earrings. A girl's gotta represent even when she is sick!

    I also painted the kitchen island just as I said I would. Then I realized I hated the color and repainted it a different color. Sadly it looks pretty much the same as before. Except clean and fresh. It is drying very slowly in my frigid garage so I figured as long as I already had a mess I might as well make a bigger one so I drug my garage sale find coffee table that was an annoying yellow and oak combo out for a coat of white love too! So it now has been sanded, primed and first coat of what may be many applied. Now husband darling is coming home tonite and frankly, doesn't give a damn about painting the coffee table but is going to be pretty pissy about me hoggin' up the garage space. (insert self conscious shrug) sorry lovey! (little wink as I hand him a beer).
   I promise to post pics of the failed paint color and all end results as soon as the paint is dry! Brrrrrr, it is cold in that garage tonite! Well, I have a date with my sofa cushions and a remote for a bit before I toddle off to bed. I think I need one of daddy's cure-all toddies tonite! (hot tea, honey, lemon and a splash of Kentucky's fine Jack Daniels whiskey) That will warm your bones!

I'm off to work cafeteria duty at the munchkin school. But my crafty plans for the weekend include painting the kitchen island, the coffee table in the family room and maybe rearranging the furniture in my bedroom! And a little Spy Kids movie action with my favorite smelly boys. I do like to stay busy!

Lovey Dovey Days are comin'

okey dokey,
some of y'all know I LOVE to change up stuff for ANY holiday! So I redid my mantle from the winter display I put up after Christmas to a fun Valentine theme! i just went around the house and gathered up anything that reminded me of love, hugs, kisses. Y'know mushy gushy stuff, as my baby would say. A quick stop at the thrift store netter me a BBand B print of the bible verse from Corinthians about Love! (for 5 bucks!) and a stop at the dollar store got me some red doilies and candlesticks! Here is how I put it all together! ( you pinterest buddies will see I used a few ideas I nabbed on there!) Don't forget to tell me what you think, I love to hear your ideas and what you are up to in your castle!

oh first pics are of the winter mantle then what I changed it to for V-day!

I think it is a fun change of pace, especially on the grey days, it is cheerful! Now here is what I did with the candlesticks I thrifted!

now I just gotta keep my sweetie out of the sweets!
   And I just didn't have room on the mantle for all the things I gathered that are so special to me so I rearranged the shelves over the couch to hold some of my favorite expressions of love from my sweet babies!

gotta love the mama gifts! Next to the silhoutte of each boy is his love gift to me. I get all warm and fuzzy when I look at them!
well, y'all that is what I have been doin'. At least the stuff interesting enough to take a picture of! Didn't figure me cleanin' up the garage and doin' like a hundred loads of laundry was really interesting!lol

A little hallway spiff-up!

hey y'all,
sorry I abandaned you for a bit, things are hectic this week at Chaos Central. The rebels tried to stage a coup and I had to defend the throne! I have been as busy as a honeybee in a greenhouse full of flowers!

So when I left you it was with a promise of pics on my latest endeavor. Reorganizing some pictures, in my upstairs hall I have a display of extended family pics so my babies get that all important sense of roots!  After the holidays when I was cleanin' up the mess I noticed some of them were lookin raggedy as Dixie's dog blanket! So I pulled them all down, cleaned the frames and put some fresh pics up for renewed interest.
Here's how it came out!

Well, now once I try that door mat air vent thing somebody posted on pinterest my hall will be looking pretty spiffy! What do you think? I love your comments so don't stop by without sayin' hi!