Merry Christmas Everyone

Well it has been a long time since I have posted anything.  I still don't have a camera, but my lovely neighbor was so kind to take pictures for me again!  Christmas is my most favorite time of the year.  Here are a few pictures until I can post more about cleaning, and decorating for the wonderful Christmas holiday.

                                         This is in the living room, then my daughter's tree.

 

                                                     

                                   The front door trees, then my son's room and our bedroom.

                               The last two are the tree in the den and the tree in the eating area!

Really hope you enjoyed this quick Christmas tour.  More importantly I hope you are enjoying this wonderful Christmas season.  Merry Christmas Everyone.

Have you missed me?

Sorry that I have been MIA but I broke the camera that I was borrowing from my neighbor.  I know some neighbor I am.  Anyway just wanted to let you know to check out the nester today.  I think you will love it!

 

http://www.thenester.com/2010/08/tables-and-chairs-a-link-up.html

Finished Bathroom Project

Here is the finished project, I am very pleased and can't wait to do this to my master bathroom mirror!!!

Another Project....

So now my sweet friend who knows how to use her power tools is completing the project.  Soon you will see the completed bathroom project.  I am so excited to see how it turns out!!!

Organization

Do you ever feel completely out of control and overwhelmed with clutter?  I know, we all do at some point and it really gets to me and I become obsessed with getting organized.  This is an awesome website for getting organized and giving great tips to stay organized...http://simplyorganizednwa.blogspot.com/.  You will love this blog!

Summer Bedroom Makeover

Before

And here is the after...

Here is my daughter's before...

The next picture is the "not finished yet" but close.  Still have some painting and an attempt at board and batten...

I will show you the finished product when I get finished, which will hopefully be soon!  What projects would you like to accomplish this summer?  I would love to hear from you.

My attempt to bake

Well I have attempted to bake chocolate chip cookies to perfection.  This past week I have baked maybe 5 batches of these cookies.  No joke, I had to pass them out to the neighbors b/c I wanted to get the cookies to be perfect.  Needless to say this is now my most favorite cookie ever...and maybe one day I will share the recipe.  For now I will just tempt you with a picture b/c I am so proud...you know b/c I NEVER bake anything that looks pretty or is half way decent to eat.  Unfortunately now I am on the low carb diet because I ate so many!

Dream A Little Dream

The above design board is amazing to me!!!  If you want an awesome site to look at the link from the picture is a great blog.  I LOVE the Moravian star pendant lighting pictured above and the amazing chandelier in the bathroom.  I think I could use about 5 of those chandeliers in different spots in my house.  The colors in the grouping are wonderful and oh how I love the white chair and unique mirror!  Well I guess you can tell how much I admire this grouping and design idea.  Thought I would share it with you too!

Hair Bow Solution

Just wanted to show you a quick solution to a problem we had for keeping hair bows neat and being able to see what matched the outfit!!!  My neighbor gave me the frame and I spray painted it black and

then she stapled chicken wire on the back because she had some. (my neighbor could write an entire blog on why she has chicken wire and what goes into the process of raising laying hens...) The end result is an awesome bow organizer that keeps them neatly displayed.  Now I don't have to go through a bucket to determine if a have a matching bow or not.  Also my daughter loves to go into the bathroom and pick the bow that goes with her outfit and that makes me happy!

My most dreaded thing to do...

I really dislike to cook.  I don't know if it is the preparation or making sure we have all the ingredients or trying to take care of the kids while I am sweating to death b/c the kitchen gets so hot.  Well whatever the reason I do not like to cook.  One day when I am rich from blogging I will pay someone to cook for my family.  You know how people pay for people to come in and clean I would much rather have someone cook for me!!!  Okay enough of my complaining, I really do try to cook with a happy heart but it is very hard for me.  To try to help with the process of dinner I created this Weekly Menu that I have enjoyed.  It takes the stress out of thinking what is for dinner every day.  You can make these, it is so easy!

The menu board is just a cheap frame from Wal-Mart.  Then the backing of the frame is covered in burlap and finally I stamped the days of the week onto the burlap.  Super Easy!!!  Then you can just write the weeks menu on the glass and wipe it off and write the new menu.  Now the other easy part is dinner for tonight which is beans and cornbread.  Seriously one of my family favorites.  I got the recipe from my sister-in-law and she said it was one of her family favorites also.  I didn't believe her until I made it and well is was a hit.

Here is the recipe:
Beans and Rice
This is my kids all time favorite supper and they said that they can live off of it!!!  It is the cheapest thing to make!
1 bag of pinto beans.  Soak according to directions.  Rinse, Add water to about 2inches above the beans. (Can always add more water at the end if it is drying up)  Chop an onion and add.  Put in 1 can of Rotel, salt, pepper, Garlic powder, sometimes I add Cumin to taste.  Bring to a boil and then put on a lid and simmer for 5 hours or more.  Stir occasionally.  Serve with rice.  We put rice in bottom of the bowl, top with beans, Shredded cheese, Sour cream, Salsa, or whatever toppings you like.  I usually fix corn or another type of veggie with this.  Sometimes I use cornbread instead of rice and we call them Indian tacos and so the same thing instead of rice.


So what is for dinner tonight at your house?

Search for a Cake Plate

This past Saturday was my daughters birthday and I had been searching for some cake plates.  I didn't want really fancy ones and I also wanted them to be inexpensive...no luck.  Since I had no luck finding what I wanted I decided to make my own.  Not one but 2 cake plates for only $4.00.   Yes $4.00 and I love how

they turned out.

I purchased the two plates and two glasses from the dollar store.  I already had the glue at home and some pink and purple tulle.  All it took was a little glue on the bottom of the glasses and a ribbon around the tulle for decoration and instant cake plates were the result!

I can't wait to use them again.

Oh and let me introduce you to my new pet.  His name is Champ and he is known as my dog and I couldn't be more excited about "my dog".  I fell in love with him at the animal shelter and couldn't stop thinking about him, so now he's mine!

Dailyness

 

http://proverbs31devotions.blogspot.com/2010/05/dailyness.html

Have you ever had a time in your life that you just feel completely weighed down by everything that needs to be accomplished in the dailyness of life?  It is if and only if all the things on the To-Do List that we ourselves have created that we can then feel like we completed something when the list is complete.  I quickly forget that without God nothing is able to get accomplished and I will find my true joy and contentment in Him only. If you click on the attachment above it will take you to an amazing devotion that I just wanted to share, hope this will make your heart happy too.

To Blog or not...

Sorry for the poor blogging the past couple of weeks.  I will attempt to do a better job because my wonderful neighbor has let me borrow a camera of hers so I will have no more excuses for the absence of blogging.  My goal is to start blogging again within the next few weeks.  Thanks so much for checking out the blog and hope you will check back soon.  Have a wonderful day.

Just a Reminder

Don't forget to check out:

http://havingahappyheart.tumblr.com/

Tassel Party Link

Today I linked up with http://www.thenester.com/ she is having a tassel party, so check it out!  Happy Heart is #23 on her tassel party link.

picture taken from http://www.thenester.com/2010/04/tassel-party.html

I wish I could bake

  

http://brownpaper--packages.blogspot.com/

http://www.somewhatsimple.com/

I wish so bad that I could bake and things would turn out looking like this!!! Does this cookie look amazing or what?  Honestly the blog of the lady who can bake like this is awesome and to me it doesn't seem that this would be somewhat simple. If there was one thing I could do really well, I wish it would be to bake. Well two things 1.bake and 2. not gain any weight while baking. Oh well I would settle for just being a heck of a baker, until then I'll admire pictures like this! Enjoy and have a good weekend.  Let me know if you try this recipe.

This is our Garage

I know must of you couldn't imagine the idea of not parking in your garage.  Honestly I couldn't imagine parking in my garage.  When our family moved almost a year ago we knew immediately we wanted to convert our garage into a "den" and craft space.  So we called on my dad and we couldn't be happier with our choice.  Here is our garage and "craft closet".

Ever wanted to make your closet a space just for you?  Well, go for it!  Here are some pictures of my "craft room" also know as the closet in the den.  Whatever works for the space you have.  I really enjoy the craft closet but I still find myself doing crafts on the kitchen table.  What is it about the kitchen that always draws everything to happen in it?

  

Inspiration

I found that my blog list of inspiration ideas continued to get longer and longer.  It bothered me that I felt like things were getting unorganized so I decided to put them in one spot and share them with you.  The idea came from  http://www.thenester.com/ which is my most favorite blog ever for decorating inspiration.  Isn't coping the best compliment ever?  Well, hope you enjoy seeing the things that bring me inspiration and make my heart happy. The website were I will post ideas that inspire is:  http://havingahappyheart.tumblr.com/. Click on it and let me know what you think.  You can check periodically on the that website to see what has inspired me.  Hope you enjoy!!!

New Door Knobs

Have you ever wondered if you could paint the ever so popular gold fixtures, door knobs, and anything else that outdated color gold in your home?  I am not a fan of the gold fixtures but maybe you are and that is great! I'm just saying the gold in my house was causing me to loose sleep at night.

This is a picture of what my door knobs use to look like:

I know the picture is not as awesome as the ones my neighbor can take but I tried.  My neighbor was so kind to let me borrow her other camera so I would be able to take and post pictures all by myself.  ~Thanks
                                                       

                                        Viola, this is how they look now:

Now I am able to sleep at night now.  It has been about two weeks since I did the majority of door knobs and  I just finished this past week and I couldn't be more pleased at how they have held up and the difference it has made to our home.  Originally I was going for a more bronze antique look but I grabbed the wrong can of spray paint.  Once I decide to do something I am not very patient so I didn't want to return the spray paint so I just used the color brown I grabbed and I liked it, so I kept going.

Here is what I used:

First I took the door knobs off and the plate that is on the door frame.  I left the inside of the door knob in the door.  Then I took the front and back of the door knob along with the plate thing and the screws and lightly sanded them with just a sheet of sandpaper I had.  Then I used the Kilz primer spay paint.  The key is light coats of spray paint, and several coats.  Also a common mistake is getting to close and spraying and that will leave drips of paint.  So stand back and spray a thin coat.  Then let dry and do it again until the entire surface is covered.  Next repeat the same process with the color you pick, in my case it was the brown.  I also got the spray paint that said could be used on metal and outdoor surfaces just because I thought that would be good for the durability.  Finally I just sprayed one thin coat of clear to seal it all.  Make sure that every step your spray paint is good and dry.  I also did the same process on the screws.  Oh and to remove and put the door knobs back I used an old fashion hand held screw driver, not an electric one because I tried electric and it rubbed the door knob and I was afraid it would take off the paint.  Well there you have it.  Let me know if you try this and how you like the great upgrade it makes for your home!  In conclusion to my question, Can you use paint on a door knob or fixture?  Yes you can!

Guests in the Bathroom

The bathroom is one of the places that always seem to get visited, when guests stop in to say "Hi".  So here's what I like to do in our bathroom to keep it guest ready.  Please ignore the color of the wall, I haven't decided on the color that I want to paint them.  I am thinking maybe a brownish/goldish, what do you think?!?

Besides the weekly "deep clean" I like to have a bottle of cleaner (vinegar/water) and paper towels under the sink.  This makes it so easy to touch up real quick whenever I am in the bathroom.  A fast wipe down and wipe of the mirrors freshens things up nicely. We have one of those ugly doors that goes to the stand-up shower, so I decided why not hide it with a shower curtain.  Well, I didn't like how any of the shower curtains looked so I found some awesome window curtains on the clearance aisle at Wal-Mart and it instantly soften up the bathroom and made it much more inviting.  Also I have the towels and the top of the counter in a basket.  At first I thought I wouldn't like having the towels out in the open, but I really do like the convenience of them.  Most of all I love having a lamp in the bathroom.  It serves as a night light, and always makes the space inviting.  What is your favorite part of your bathroom?

 

Spring Clean Tip

It's that wonderful time of year...Spring Cleaning Time.  What does that mean to you?  To me it is a an awesome opportunity to rearrange, organize, redecorate, and reduce the items in our home that aren't being used.  Oh and clean, clean, clean.  It is a great chance to make a list of what you want to accomplish and begin to prioritize your goals of your home.  For myself the kitchen is a biggie.  First I take out things that I haven't used in and could live without.  You could start a pile for a garage sale and earn a few bucks off your unwanted stuff.   This prompts me to organize and maximize the space.  Then I begin to clean.  I pull out the stove, fridge, and go to town scrubbing.  Take things out of drawers and cabinets and clean them inside and out.  I still have to say my most favorite cleaning solution is the faithful homemade solution of vinegar/water/borax and dish soap.  Lately, I have used straight vinegar and water, then the other homemade solution.  I know the smell of vinegar is completely overwhelming, but that is where a scentsy comes in so handy!  Last I redecorate the space and viola you have a super clean, new, organized, refreshing springy space.  I guess I have no super secret tip on how to spring clean but this is what I like to do to re-energize a space in my house to make it new.

It would be so wonderful if my appliances were not such a lovely color white. Maybe if I go through enough stuff I don't use in my house I will have one heck of a garage sale and replace the appliances. Until that happens please overlook the appliances along with the counter tops that maybe one day will be butcher block.  Oh and the fab sink, that to is on the never ending wish list to be a big, deep, farm sink. 

Isn't it fun to have a wish list?!

6 Ways to Like Your Home More Today

I was reading through the blogs that I love to read and I ran across this from Our Suburban Cottage.  I think this will begin to inspire you in the start of the Spring Clean Process.  This is an amazing blog filled with great ideas and much more, hope you enjoy. 

taken from Our Suburban Cottage...

6 Easy Ways to Like Your Home More Today

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Photo Credit: My Home Ideas

6 EASY WAYS TO LIKE YOUR HOME MORE TODAY

1) CLEAN SOMETHING: You don’t have to clean the whole house, just pick one area (i.e. a shelf, the floors in the living room) and clean it. Or set the clock for 15 or 30 minutes and see how much you can get done before the timer goes off. You’ll instantly feel better.

2) FIX ONE THING: Is there a light bulb that’s been out for a while? A piece of trim that needs 30 seconds with a glue gun? A button that needs to be sewn on? Choose one thing and do it.

3) MAKE YOUR HOUSE SMELL GOOD: Open a window (unless it’s 30 degrees outside), light a scented candle, spray some Febreeze on the upholstery (…and in your teenage son’s bedroom), bake cookies (well…you know…those pre-made ones from the deli case…I’m not asking you to clean AND bake real cookies!)

4) SHAKE IT UP BY SHOPPING THE HOUSE: Could the throw pillows on the sofa look nice on your bed?…or vice versa? Would that vase on your dresser be the perfect solution for your mantel with a handful of branches in it? Take a few minutes and experiment.

5) FIND SOMETHING TO PAINT!: Can you breathe new life into that old frame?, those ugly candlesticks?, or those boring oak stools? Think about it, and remember that a quart of paint or a can of spray paint is CHEAP.

6) DO SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY: Listen to music while you cook, light a few candles and “dine” over mac n’ cheese, eat on the good plates (that doesn’t have to include your 3 year old). Doing something out of the ordinary instantly makes things feel special.

Welcome Change

Remember this table I fell in love with that I found on Craigslist and sold our table so we could purchase it?

This was our kitchen table before I sold it...

 Now it looks like this:

 

I love the finished result, and how the round table changed the entire mood of the space.  I shopped the house moving things all around allowing new decorations in this space without spending any money.  Although the rug is a new purchase.  It was on sale at Lowe's for less than $50.00!  If you have priced rugs before you will be running out the door to Lowe's to pick one up for yourself.  Shopping the house is a great alternative to going out to buy something new.  Things you thought would never look good moved, just might.  Who says things always have to stay the same?  Try moving something to a new spot and see how you welcome the change.  Starting projects always makes me want to do more, so it was a busy weekend of rearranging, cleaning, and organizing.  The prefect thing to energize me for some spring clean action, how about you?

Weekend Project

Well, I know it isn't exactly the weekend yet, but I have started my weekend project.  The goal is to accomplish my project so I will be able to Spring Clean next week and blog all about it.
Several months ago I painted my cabinets in the kitchen black.  Since then I have really, really wanted a black circular table and I have been searching high and low for exactly what I had in mind.  The problem was that I  loved my square table and didn't want to sell it.  Then I found exactly what I was looking for and had to sell my square table to be able to get the circle table.  It did go to a great home!

                                Good-bye old table I will miss you!

 

                       New table that I found on Craigslist.

 

When I get the project completed I will ask my dear sweet neighbor once again to come over and take pictures so I can show and tell you all about how the weekend project went.  We will see if this project gets completed before the weekend is over. What projects will you be working on over the weekend?  I would love to hear from you!