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!!!