Life Lately

Its really sad when you realize its been 6 MONTHS since your last blog post.  Clearly I'm been busy and preoccupied with other things, sorry.  But if you want a glimpse into out life lately, here goes.

In February we put our house on the market the day of one of the biggest ice storms this are has seen in years and had 5 offers in less than 24 hours!  It was crazy.  We luckily found a house that fit our needs perfectly - in the same neighborhood, but just a little bigger and more room for our girls to grown. 

Goodbye Yarmouth Lane

It was incredibly bittersweet to say "goodbye" to this little house.  We came home from our honeymoon to this house; we brought our children home from the hospital to this house; we learned to truly love each other in the house; we learned what marriage looks like in this house; we built the foundations of our family in this house.

But it was time for a new chapter.  On March 31st, we said...

Hello Spyglass Drive

We absolutely LOVE our new home! Its about 700 sq ft larger, but that 700 makes an incredible difference.  My new kitchen isn't a big as my other one, but it its nice and open.  It is definitely a gather spot, and I love it.  There is nothing better than cooking dinner for your family while your husband and children sit at the breakfast bar coloring and telling you all about their day.  One huge perk is that our property backs up to the golf course.  Our yard is smaller, but it feels enormous because its green as far as you can see!  I snapped this one Sunday morning while I was drinking my coffee on the back patio.  Its so much fun watching all of the golfers.

 

We've also been incredibly blessed with great neighbors.  We have already become close friends with several of them, and are so excited that there are children around our girls' ages.  Emmalee is usually off to play with her new friends as soon as we pull into the driveway.  

And Maddie has a sweet new friend, Olivia.  She screams for "Livi" as soon as we get home.  I have a feeling that these two might be inseparable as they grown up, and I'm ok with that. 

A few weeks ago our sweet new friends asked if we should have a crawfish boil.  It was awesome! 70 lbs of crawfish, 20 lbs of shrimp, 8 lbs of corn and potatoes and all the company and fellowship you could hope for!  

 

So this has been our life lately.  Settling in and getting accustomed to our place.  The words "blessed" doesn't quite seem to really express how we feel.  Its more than blessed; we're lucky.  We're in awe of the graces the Lord has showered us with.

 He is good! 

Day 24: 31 Days to DIY Wall Art

As you might have guessed from some of my posts at the beginning of the month, I LOVE DIY ideas and finding ways to decorate on a budget.  This series is one that I found a while back and I love going back to it every time I have an empty space that I need to fill:  31 25 Days of DIY Wall Art!

Not only is this a great series, this is a great blog that I PROMISE you want to follow!  I love so many of her ideas and tutorials!

I think one of my favorite posts is the DIY scrapbook wall art.  I have a TON of scrapbook paper from my days of paper-scrapping.  Now that I'm a digital scrapper, its all just sitting in a box.  So this was a perfect idea for me to put some of it to use!  As soon as I've finished posting my 31 Day series, I'll take some pictures of a few of the projects that I've done from several of the series that I've highlighted. 

Have you discovered some great DIY wall-art ideas?  If so, then let me know!  I love finding new ideas and seeing all of your fantastic pictures!

Day 18: 31 Days to an Eclectic Home

So I have this friend.  Her name is Jalah and I am in LOVE with how she decorates her home.  Its eclectic.  She takes old wooden doors and it becomes a gorgeous headboard; she has a bookcase made out of old shutters, and perfect bow holders from chicken wire. 

I ADORE her home. 

I WANT her home.

But the problem is that I look at my house and I don't have that eclectic feel, nor do I have the decorating sense to make it happen.  So that is why I fell in love with this series! 

Y'all this is such a great 31 day series.  If there is one thing that I learned from Lindsay over at Makely Home it is that there are different styles of eclectic, and the great thing about eclectic decorating is that it doesn't have to fit into a box!  You can have things old and new, borrowed or blue...its completely up to, well, YOU! 

So I hope you'll stop on over and see if you can find the "inner" eclectic decorator you've always wanted to be!

Day 14: 31 Days Inspired for the Holiday

HOLIDAYS!

It is my absolute favorite time of the year!  Fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years...its "THE" Holiday season and I LOVE it!  

Which is why I just had to pick today's 31 day favorite:  31 Days of Inspired for the Holidays! 

  
Melissa, over at The Inspired Room, has done an amazing job at putting this series together and providing tons of holiday inspiration from decorations to recipes to savoring the moments.  One of my favorite posts is about decorating naturally, and Melissa's K.I.S.S. motto (go read the blog to find out what it stands for). 

And be careful - DON'T click on Day 8 if you have a sweet tooth because I promise you'll want to go make these mouth-water goodies this instant! 

So, are you ready to start this quickly-approaching holiday season?  I hope so because it is just around the corner. 

Day 11: 31 Days of Better Home Photos

Day 11:  Today's series is about photography:  something that I love, but I'm not very good at (that's why I have a sister who is a professional - I leave the photography up to her) BUT I do love having good photos for my blog and for my scrapbooks.

Do you ever get envious of other bloggers' photos and all the homes you see on Instagram because there is this gorgeous stream of sunlight perfectly highlighting the object of the photo?  Or do you ever notice how every object is in it's perfect place?  I get so jealous of some of the homes I see and I always find myself wondering if their home really is "that" picture perfect, or if they just know how to take perfect photo (or just spend an hour or two cleaning up before their little "impromptu" photo session, lol). 

Well today's series touches on all the ways we can take better photos of our home, and I love all of Jen's tips in this series!  In this series, Jen covers everything from photographing different rooms of your home (including your dreadful bathroom) to prepping for photos, and even how to make good tutorial photos. So I hope you enjoy 31 Days of Better Home Photos!

Day 10: 31 Days of Toddler Chores

So this may be a touchy subject for some, but I think its a great one!  Any momma (whether a SAHM or working mom) knows that keep a clean and tidy house can be a daunting, and some might say impossible, task.  If you're anything like me, from the time you get home to the time you go to bed, you find yourself making dinner, cleaning up, bathing kids, cleaning up after kids, picking up toys, putting children to bed, picking up all the other "stuff", then you get to go to bed only to wake up and do it all over again.  It's hard, it's exhausting, but we do it because we love our kids, our husbands, and a clean home. 

So when I found today's series, I was really excited.  Nikki over at Intentional Homeschool did a great 31 day series back in 2013:  31 Days of Toddler Chores. 

I love the fact that Nikki starts this series by first addressing why toddlers should do chores, then proceeds to give us 25 days of chores that toddlers can do.  Now let's be realistic, a toddler may not do the best job at it, but it's something! 

Just this past weekend, Sunday evening to be exact, I looked at my sweet dear husband sitting on the sofa as I was trying to pick up every item in my house that was out of place.  I decided that I was only going to pick up for 10 minutes, then I would be done...just done!  I WAS going to relax and enjoy just a few minutes snuggling beside him on that comfortable while my girls played.  And the thought occurred to me that I could get a lot more picked up if I had 4 hands versus 2, so I ever-so-sweetly asked my husband for a "10-Minute Pick Up."  Then, Emmalee came in the room and I decided 6 hands would be even better than 4.  So we deiced to establish the Williams Family 10-Minute Pick-up!

It was GREAT.  Emmalee at first at me like I was insane, probably because my eyes were about to pop out of my head from sheer joy at the whole family's (minus the infant) participation in cleaning the house, but she quickly bounced into action picking up her shoes, toys, clothes, and anything else we asked her to do.  It was fantastic!  After 10 minutes, we all felt a huge sense of accomplishment, and this momma was beyond thrilled!  The next night after bath time it was daddy who said "Okay, time for 10-minute pick-up" and again we all helped get the house before we all went to bed. 

It was during all of this that I think I realized that my 3- year old is quite capable of chores.  She needs to learn responsibility and a hard work ethic, and now is the best time to begin instilling these principles in her. 

So I hope you enjoy Nikki's series as much as I did!  If you have any other chores that your child does, or that have been helpful in your home, PLEASE let me know!  I'd love to know how your toddler helps you!

Day 7: 31 Days to a Clean & Organized Kitchen

One of my favorite places in my house is my kitchen!  I love it!  If you've been a long-time reader of  my blog then you may remember my kitchen remodel a little over the year ago and I am in still loving the results!

But one thing that I can't stand is a messy, unorganized kitchen.  Which is why I have chosen today's 31 Day Favorite:  31 Days to a Clean and Organized Kitchen!

Y'all, this series is fantastic for everyone! It goes over everything from having different kitchen stations, money saving tips, time saving tips and recipes - just a little bit of everything!  So if you love your kitchen just like I do, or if you hate your kitchen and just want to start to like it, then this series is for you!!! 

And do you have any additional tips to keep your kitchen organized?  If so, then PLEASE share them! 

Day 4: 31 Days of Shopping at Goodwill Better

Well today I'm actually building on some of the amazingness that I posted yesterday.  Day 3 was a fantastic series about 31 Days of Decorating on a Shoestring Budget all about how to decorate and design on a minimal budget, some items (like using nature to decorate) are even free.  Well today builds on that budgeting theory for GREAT things and is definitely a super favorite series!!!!!!!!

I love this series because its not just about great stuff the author found...it's about how to plan a Goodwill trip and how to decide whether or not a purchase is worth it.  I mean, let's be honest, this is the PERFECT place to make someone else's trash YOUR treasure!  I have a feeling that I'll be hitting up my local Goodwill very soon...probably today because what I learned reading the "Lots of Goodwill Basics" post on day 3 is that the whole Goodwill store is 50% off the 1st Saturday of the month...and that's TODAY!!!! So you know where I'll be during afternoon nap time!  

So hope on over to "Dear Mushka" and start out by reading her top 10 reasons for writing this series - then get ready to dig in! 

So GO!!!

GO NOW!!!!! and read this whole series!!!

Then go hit up your local Goodwill today and tell me ALL about your new treasures!!!!!!

Day 3: 31 Days of Decorating on a Shoestring Budget

Well today is Day 3 of my 31-day favorites, and today is another great series called "31 Days of Decorating on a Shoestring Budget" by Kate over at "Chic on a Shoestring Budget."

Y'all, this series is just fantastic!  And if you're like me at all, you enjoy decorating, but don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on it.  These tips and tricks that Kate gives are for everyone!  Probably one of my favorite posts is about her printable art work that she gave her dining room a makeover with - it looks like she spent hundreds when she really only spent about $30! 

 Or the post when she talks about using nature as artwork and centerpieces!

I'm telling you - you have got to go through her series (even though there are only 23 posts - I know you'll love every single one!)   I'm pretty sure I'll be using some of these ideas VERY soon!!!

Organization

Organization.

Its one of those things that I desperately long for, but seem to lack.

Especially in my home!  My home is not big, by any means, but its big enough for the 4 of us.  But there are days I wish I had just one more bedroom, or a craft room, or an office...just a little more space would help me get organized.  But what I've realized lately is that no more amount of space will declutter the clutter...I have to declutter the clutter. 

So today I went pinning and found some great ideas that I "want" to make happen; things that might help me get my home into a little more order.

For the playroom, I'm loving this website:  The Creative Classroom.  Even though its geared toward teachers, I love some of the ideas it has. 

I'm also loving this idea.  Our playroom has one HUGE wall and a lot of unused wall space, so what a great idea. 

I also love the idea of a chalkboard wall...that would eliminate the actual chalk board easel in the playroom!

 

I also love this!  I don't know about y'all, but my kids have more books than I can count and I'm running out of book space.  What a great way to use empty wall space as storage. 

In my kitchen, I've been begging Brant for a pantry make-over.  My pantry is basically just a wall of cabinets - but not actual cabinets - they just look like cabinets.  Actually, its a big square hole in the wall with cabinet facing.  There are only 3 shelves that are not adjustable and it is just a huge area of wasted space, in my ever-so-humble opinion.  So, I've told Brant I want to rip the cabinet facing off the wall, tear down the shelves, and make a new pantry.  I KNOW that more shelving space (especially adjustable shelves) will help me to be more organized.

So, now I'm trying to decide how I want this new kitchen pantry to be designed.  Here are few organization ideas I found of the pantry.

Now, this is brilliant!  A place for everything!  

http://www.designimprovised.com/2013/12/pantry-organization.html

I definitely want more space to store my appliances and serving trays/bowls.  This would be so helpful in freeing up my counter space and treasured cabinet space in my actual kitchen.

And I love this idea to add even more storage, but keep things off the ground.

Ok, give it to me straight - what are your favorite organization tips/tricks/secrets...I need it all!!!

Kitchen Makeover!

Y'all know that I have been dying for a kitchen makeover, kind of like a kitchen facelift.  I love my little house, but I have always hated the kitchen.  There is great functionality, but I've always hated how it looked.  Well my dear husband PROMISED that I could have my kitchen makeover before Madeline was born, so this summer I knew we had to get to work.

My budget was $2000, but my secret is that through amazing friends and family who were able to get us some fantastic discounts, I had a FULL kitchen facelift for only $1300, including a new range vent, sink and faucet!  If you include the new stovetop we got about a year ago, then it was only $1800!  Now that is what I call staying on budget!

Here is the before! It was awful.  The countertop was a nice quality laminate but it also was the backsplash.  The color was nice neutral beige, but the red hues in the cabinets made it look pink.  Maybe you're different than me, but I wasn't so keen on pink countertops.  The sink was only 6" deep, which means I couldn't hardly wash dishes without water getting everywhere. 

So here was the plan.  Instead of replacing the countertops (because they were in great shape), we had a contractor come in and use epoxy paint to create a neutral stone look.  At only $300 for the full kitchen, it saved us a great deal of money!  At the same time, we had the laminate backsplash removed.

Next step was to paint the cabinets.  I still don't know how we did it, but we painted the entire kitchen in only a weekend!  We used Sherwin Williams ProClassic water based paint.  It was amazing!  It had the great quality of oil based, but drys quickly like a water based.  It was a huge time-saver and I loved the result.  Of course we sanded and primed them first.  Another huge time saver on this was a paint sprayer.  We removed all of the cabinets and drawers and while I was inside painting, Brant was spraying all of the doors & drawers. 

Primed and ready for the 1st coat of paint!

I chose the paint color based on the countertops.  I looked for a darker color because I didn't want it so light in color that I had to repaint the walls.  I chose a Sherwin Williams color Down Home.  I LOVED the way it turned out. It worked to well with the countertops.  Here is a closeup! 

 And the last step, the tile backsplash.  We wanted another light and neutral tile color, but I wanted a "pop" so I added some small 2x2" accent tiles.  We chose Daltile Brixton in the stone color.  Brant and I decided that a diamond pattern was great to add some elegance.

And then it was complete!  I have to tell yall that I LOVE my new kitchen.  It feels so much more open and bright.  The darker cabinets made it feel so small, but now anymore!  With all the finishing touches, here is my new kitchen!

 Want to see a side-by-side comparison??? What do you think?  Do you love my new kitchen, too?

She's A Big Girl Now

When we found out that Madeline was going to be a girl, I knew that I would keep the nursery the same and Emmalee would get a "big girl" room.  I wanted to make her big girl room a special place for her - a place that she liked and enjoyed playing in.  So I made the decision to let her make the room her own.

First, I had to pick out the bedspread.  I picked 3 different spreads that I liked, each having their own color scheme or theme.  Then I let her pick the one that she liked best.  She chose the American Sweetheart, which just happened to be my favorite!  I adore all the colors in it and its not too "girly," but still contains some pink so I was able to use several of her name and "E's" from her nursery.

Part of making this room her own was letting her help create things in this room.  She helped create pictures for the wall and she has a craft line that she can hang her artwork on.  Everyday she makes projects at Ms. Kim's house during their "school-time" and this has been a great way to reinforce the letters, colors & numbers she's learning.  

A lot of the decorative items in her room are ideas that I found off pinterest.  They were so great, and simple.  I posted on a "5 on Friday" about some of the projects I wanted to do and you can see it here.  Here are some close-ups of handmade items in her room...

Here's what we did.
1.  I found some beautiful scroll brackets at Canton before Emmalee was born.  I got some crystal knobs and wood and Brant made this shelf for her nursery.  It's perfect to hold the letters for her name.  I knew this would be something that I wanted in her big girl room.  This piece cost us a whopping $15 to create.

2.  I love that the girls' rooms have window seats and I enjoy making them a focal point.  To help make this simple red curtain pop, I used an idea from Pintrest to create this pennant banner to go across the window.  This was made with white cardboard, scrapbook paper, and ribbon - it was that simple.  I adhered the banner to the curtain rod with two bows and I honestly LOVE the touch it gives to the room.  Cost, MAYBE $3.00!!!

3.  If you look at the picture of the dresser area above, you can see that the mirror over the dresser was much smaller than the width of the dresser.  I loved the mirror and wanted to use it, but I needed something to help fill the space.  I found simple thin wood frames for only $2.99 each at Micheal's.  I spray painted the wood, then took the scrapbook paper used for the banner and simple adhered it to the back of the frame.  I absolutely adore the color this brings to the wall and fit perfectly over the dresser.

4.  This is one of my favorite parts of Emmalee's room, mainly because she helped create them - her button pictures.  I just happened to be at Micheal's when they had little containers of buttons for only $1.  I got a small set of craft paints and canvases, heated up my glue gun, then we got to work.  Again, this was another Pintrest idea and I spent maybe $15 on all of the materials.  Emmalee is so proud of her artwork and loves showing all of her friends what she created. This was a super fun project for us to do together.

I have to admit that I truly enjoy how this room turned out.  I feel like it took forever for it all to come together, but now it is one of my favorite rooms in the house.  Emmalee loves her room too, which was so important to me. 

Five on Friday

So, I never did post about my kitchen facelift, nor have I posted anything in almost 3 weeks....but I'm still here!  Life has just been a little busy - preparing for baby, moving Emmalee into a big girl room, going on vacation...oh, and did I mention preparing for baby???

But today is Friday, and everybody say "Praise the Lord for a 3-day weekend!"  So for today's Five on Friday, I thought I would post a few things that I am working on preparation of baby, which includes some of the project I want to do in Emmalee's new big-girl room!

We decided to leave the nursery as is, and move Emmalee to a big girl room because it was just an easier "plan," in my opinion.  But creating a whole new room on a budget is not the easiest thing.  The biggest problem I am running into with Emmalee's room is simple, but cute decorations, and I could use a few to spruce up the nursery, too.   Each of the ideas below are different things that I have now stuffed in my "book or ideas" for cute, but simple, craft or decoration ideas for the girls' rooms. 

So, without further ado, here is my Five on Friday!!

{ONE}

I am IN LOVE with this idea!  Let's be honest - paint samples are FREE!  You can get them at any home improvement store, and just a few of them gives you a ton of color options!  

This is also a great idea for holiday decorations!  Get a circle cutter & use hues of yellows, oranges, and other fall colors. Use some twine or raffia as your string, and you have an adorable Halloween or fall banner for any room of your house!  Heck, do the same for Christmas!  

If you have other paint sample projects that you have done, tell me!!!  I love these type of crafts because they are cheap and simple, but absolutely perfect for any room or occasion!  

{TWO}

 

This is another idea that I just love - button projects!  I actually plan on doing this on Monday with Em.  I thought it would be a fun project for her and I to do together for her new room.  On the wall with the window, the window is in the middle, but I need something on either side.  Since these projects can incorporate MANY colors, I love the idea of doing these (probably in a bit larger scale) on either side of the window.  I'll take pics and tell you how they turn out!!!

{THREE}

 I love this idea for an arrangement over a dresser.  Em's walls are light blue, and all of her furniture is white.  The dresser is long, like this pictured here, and I have been struggling with what to put above it.  I do have a mirror that I considered painting and putting up, but I'm worried about the scale of the mirror vs. the dresser.  So, I love the idea of making a wall arrangement like this one here.  

{FOUR}

You may have seen something similar to this before, because I know I have seen this style of door-hanger done many ways, but I was thinking this may be a great door-decoration for the girls' rooms.  My local Micheals has started carrying the thick cardboard frame in all these great boutique styles for just a few dollars.  I think I'll get some, paint them, then get a big "E" and "M" and put them on the front of the frames.  Then I can hang them on the doors to give a little added "somthin'" 

{FIVE}

I have fallen in love with this idea, too!!!  Emmalee has red curtains in her room, but they are simple and somewhat boring.  Madeline's are a little more "fru-fru", but they are still a solid pink, so I could do this in her room too.  But I love the pennant idea to put over the curtains just to add some pizzazz!  

I don't know about you, but each of these projects are so fun and simple, and I cannot WAIT to try them!  I promise to do a post next week of all the new things in the girls rooms!!! 

So what are your plans this weekend?  Can you guess what mine are????

Five on Friday

 {ONE}

My sweet, darling child was up from 1:21am - 4:58am this morning.  When you get up at 5:45am to start your day, this little interruption makes for a VERY rough morning.  

Bring in the coffee!!!!

Brant and I tried this coffee creamer from International Delight several weeks ago and it has definitely become a favorite.  We love it. You can definitely taste the sweetness and cinnamon of a Cinnabon.  

 {TWO}

We are starting "Operation: Diaper Freedom" at our house this weekend!  We tried potty training in June, but it didn't work so well.  So we didn't force her to do it.  Well, now it's time!  So, I found this website that talks about fast and easy potty training.  I actually paid and bought the book because $17 is about the price of a small package of pull-ups!   And if we succeed at potty training, then it was well work it in my mind! 

{THREE}

This is definitely my new favorite paint - the Sherwin Williams ProClassic Interior Acrylic Latex.  This is what we used to paint our kitchen cabinets last weekend and I couldn't be happier with the results.  It just looks amazing and this dried so quickly. 

I promise to dedicate an entire post soon on our kitchen facelift and include all of the items we used, and our step-by-step process on how we managed to paint an entire kitchen in a weekend!

{FOUR}

With Baby #2 on the way, I've been looking at different things to put into a special basket of goodies for Emmalee as her "Big Sister Basket."  But at the Rangers baseball game on Monday, I met a sweet older lady and we began talking.  She had 3 girls, and she said the best piece of advice she could give me was to make sure that the "Big Sister Basket" was a gift to Emmalee FROM Madeline!   I now consider this woman to be a complete genius! 

My idea for this basket was to make it have items that Emmalee can use on her baby dolls when momma is taking care of Madeline.  My thoughts are items like...

{FIVE}

Its been somewhat of a slow week at work, so I've been watching a new show.  I've seen episodes here and there, but never watched a whole season.  But thanks to Hulu, I can actually see an entire season of....