soup!

I threw together a quick and delicious hot soup tonite for dinner. I am vegan and we had a variation on an italian wedding soup with veggie meatballs, celery, carrots, white beans, onions, garlic and ditalini. It went together super quick and I served it with garlic bread and jello fruit salad and everyone ate it. Even my 9 year old picky eater! Yay! Of course I am sitting there slurping up my delicious soup and thinking to myself how someone should be saying how great this soup is. Honestly I think I could sling frozen pizzas at these kids every nite and they wouldn't notice it. Seriously, these kids are oblivious to how good they have it! Do you get frustrated at your kids for not appreciating the effort it takes to feed them meals everyday? In the summer when they were home all the time I felt like no sooner did I put the food away from a meal then I needed more food to fill up their endless hunger! I am shocked at how much 3 preteen and teen boys eat!

Pictures!!!!

hey y'all, I finally got some pictures loaded to my computer of some of the things I have been busy with, some of those I was tellin' you about last time. So tell me what ya think of how they came out:)

main floor hallway, that's my front door

 

This is where the trouble began. You can see the hole I had to make to find the plumbing leak that began a chain reaction of work! And some of the water staining. It spread across the ceiling and down the walls in the hall here and in the half bath thru that doorway.

this is the mural I painted when we bought the house 5 years ago. It is very personal to our family, the books on the shelf are all family favs and the painted accessories are all things we own. Unfortunately it suffered some water damage in the leak and I had to paint over it. My family was very upset to lose it but I promised I could paint them another some other time.

and this is what I replaced it with. A soft grey that matches the family room I repainted back before Christmas. And a repurposed pallet wall. The horse refrences the name and theme of our subdivision and that fabulous little lantern is a repupose project I picked up at the Reuse center when I was shopping for a dishwasher when ours broke the same week all this other plumbing crap was goin' on! When I bought it for 5$ it was a dirty old brass, electrified but iffy hardwire light fixture. I unwired it with a pair of scissors and a screwdriver and gave it a coat of paint and some "distressing" and hung some chandelier jewels on it and hung it from a plant bracket: It is cuter then a bug in a rug!

slightly better pic of lamp, ( I swear I am working on taking better pics!)

I also decided that the honey oak vanity no longer fit into the beatousness of this bathroom so I gave it a coat of grey just slightly darker then the wall. A new little rug and hand towel and that just about does it.

Moving on, I repainted the hallway a matching shade of dove grey that I mixed up myself from a 5 dollar can of mistake paint I bought to do the family room. I just added some chocolate brown I already had to make it a bit more greige. Then since I already had a big ole mess I put some primer on the banister that was the ugliest orang-y colored wood I ever did see. I gave the hand rail a few coats of my favorite walnut shade and it is ready for a coat of the cream I use on all the trim work.
Don't mind the blue tape on the floor in the kitchen, that is a bit of space planning I am working on for a permanent island I am putting in this spring.
And for the real star of the show the front door accent wall went from the chocolate brown to .......Drum roll please.... to TA-DA!!!

I painted it the same grey as the rest then painted this fabulous design over the top! In metallic paint! It is amazing!!!!
I haven't put anything back on the wall yet because I want to change up some of the accessories for something with more bling to it!
 Last thing I am going to share tonite is the little candleholders on the table that I gave a coat of spraypaint. I picked them up for 2 bucks at the thrift store a while back and they were perfect for this project.

They were clear glass and I gave them a coat of looking glass Krylon on the inside of the glass. Then I topped them with some Easter grass, a cement bird and some faux robin's eggs. Perfect for spring:)

Last last thing I am going to tell you is that new flooring was delivered today and it is freakin' gorgeous!!!! I will share it with you soon:)

Negative body Images

I consider myself to be a pretty self confident woman. I know what my assets are and magazines constantly tell me how to hide the parts I don't like as well. Over the last 18 months, due to my fybromyalgia, I have changed my lifestyle to a fully vegan diet and a mandatory excercise program. I also have developed some serious food allergies. The side effect being that I have lost almost 50 lbs.
When I was at a weight I was not comfortable with I always told myself "when I am a size_ or when I weigh_ then clothes shopping will be easier, I'll be happier with myself in the 3 way mirror"  And I would go home and eat lettuce for 3 days until I got discouraged and I would be right back to eating whatever my kids ate.
I am currently a size I haven't seen sine I was 21 and still losing. (When all you can eat is vegetables and an occasional whole grain you melt like a candle) Yesterday I went to the mall because every pair of jeans is falling off of me. And all my lingerie is looking like I'm a child playing dress up, way to big and ill fitting. So I tried on jeans after jeans and hated all of them. TThis one gaps at the back, this one is to long, this one makes my butt look flat and non existant instead of round and cute. Some were to big and some were to small. But I found myself using the same negative self talk as always. Just criticizing different things. Before I loved my boobs but hated my love handles, now no love handles but practically no boobs anymore either, lol. (don't you wish you could designate where youu lose weight?" Dear God, please take 5 pounds off my thighs and add them to my boobs!")
I had a epiphany as I was standing looking in a mirror at my back side and got mad at myself because that particular pair of jeans gave me a muffintop. It was the exact same self talk I have used countless times before. The whole "well if you would lay off the brownies you could fit" but I realized what I was doing to myself mentally. Frustrating isn't it? We change externally but the internal doesn't always keep up.
I am aware that there are women out there thinking oh poor little skinny girl, that I should not complain because I am small now. But I have not been small as an adult(well, briefly while on Weight Watchers but then I got pregnant) and I don't yet think of myself as a skinny girl. When picking out clothes I tend to buy those same styles. Ruching will cover up my tummy, v necks will draw attention away from my chunkier middle, you know the drill. We are inundated with information on how to cover our body flaws. But I don't need those accomadations now and could be buying different styles and yet I haven't.
Long story short my epiphany was that I have to stop the negative self talk and start focusing on the positives at home before I am facing myself in the 3 way mirror. Accepting ourselves is one hell of a challenge though isn't it?
I am going to look at myself in the mirror at home and focus my eyes on the good parts instead of staring at the negatives. I am going to cut myself some slack over the cellulite on the backs of my thighs and my poor little boobies that look like deflated balloons. I am  going to realize that every BODY has flaws and that id just fine. Or at least I am going to try:) And I better get crackin' cuz swimsuit season is quickly approaching and my first thought is "no one wants to see that!"

spring spruce ups

hello my darlings, I have missed you. Life has become a constant roller coaster of chaos here. My darling husband took a job in another state and is commuting which leaves me over run by the ankle biters! And boy howdy have they been biting! Good grief, having all boys is a special kind of joy. Between basketball practices and karate testing and chorus and piano and driving classes!!! And my sweet special needs boy has been having a time of it. He has had a lot of new adjustments, new faces and new experiences take a long period of adjustment for him. So as you can see I have had my hands full!!

Well it is that time of year for some spring cleaning. As the weather begins to go crazy here in KY. One day we have 45 degree temps and the next 17. The poor tulips don't know what to do!!! Oh that is the other thing I have been doing! I was accepted into the Master Gardener program so I have had classes and midterms and homework! And next week I start my volunteering hours that go with it! Which means, of course, come warm weather my yard is getting some serious TLC!

But in the mean time I want to tell you about the catastrphe I have been dealing with. Of course the husband was away when it all happened, bless his heart. One of the kids said 'Mama why is the floor in the hall wet?" that is never a good way to start the day. A water leak showed up on the ceiling under the upstairs bathrooms. They are back to back. So I spent 2 days in the kids bathroom recaulking, pulling up flooring looking for wet subfloors, checking sink connections. After I replaced the floor and siliconed the tar out of everything I was sure the leak would stop. It didn't....dang it! So I checked the master bath sinks-dry as a bone. In the meantime chunks of drywall start falling in the hall. I poked it with a finger and it went straight thru. Not good!! so I just ripped a bunch down, lol. I looked in the ceiling in the downstairs bath around the vent fan and everything was wet!! Standing water on the ceiling. And as the next few days went by the water spots started creeping down the walls and the wood trim and pretty much everywhere in a 30 foot radius. So I pulled the ceiling down in a big old chunk and guess what was right above it? The shower drain for the master bath. Ok a shower drain can't be that big of a deal, I went and bought one and started repalcing it.
But the leak didn't stop. hmmmmm.... So I took the faucet plate off and looked behind it. Aha! I could see the drip at the water connection. Scary! I can not fix pipes, no other choice but to call a plumber. I was very worried he would have to tear into the wall and bust out the tile and generally make a big ole mess and cost me bushels of cash to fix but he came and tidily broke 2 or 3 tile, fixed the pipe and was gone 25 minutes and 200 bucks later. So I put a bigger drain plate on and covered the hole and wa-la all fixed! Now for the mess! All the drywall under the shower was wet so I had to wait patiently for it to dry. Then I ended up having to repaint the downstairs bath ceiling and walls because of water spots. Reinstall the ventfan. Then cut drywall and fix the big hallway hole!then onto the water stains, requiring all new paint and some repair in the hall.
I decided as long as I had a big ole mess I might as well do everything at once. so i fixed the damage on the stairs caused by 3 boys and countless amounts of metal cars and sports equipment going up and down and banging the wood and restain/paint those too!
Annnddddd I ordered the flooring we have been waiting so long for and it comes next week and guess who is installing it? Yep that's me. But I don't even care how much work it is cuz I have waited 5 years for this!!!!

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!