Indian Meridian

So many projects

2011-12-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

Really I haven't posted in a long time I've been busy and work and playing when I can on Pininterst.(its like design blog on crack is how I explained it to a coworker) We have made lots of progress around the house mainly in the yard thanks to the backhoe-I can barely keep my little guy off of it) We got all the stumps out and the trees that didn't make it through the ice storm last winter. I can hardly wait till Spring it will look like a park. Buttercup the horse like it too, she has way more room to roam. I haven't started my shopping yet. I am waiting for that last paycheck. I sure miss my Thrift Store by my old work, I bought alot of my Xmas ornaments and nick naks there over the past few years, this year I really don't have any place to put anything since we pulled the table and chairs out of the dining room to make more room for what else...toys. We have a toy room but some how they all wind up in the dining room. Little guy is going to love his train table that Santa bought. He plays with the one at the library every week so I think it was a good buy in that he can use it for other things as he gets older. So many projects so little time..I was hoping to paint his homemade easle with chalkboard paint this weekend and get some baking done...

Some Days....

2011-10-14T09:24:00.001-07:00

My little guy is 27 months and its hard to believe how he picks up on things that we say or things that others do. He is all boy that is for sure, he adores his Daddy and learns the word of God at daycare. He has started to say "thank you"and "please" when he wants something. I know he knows when he does something wrong, I can see that look in his eyes that he is going to "push" Mommy's buttons as far as he can and see what happens. I wonder though, Can I do more? I should spend more time with him, but some days after work, I just don't have it in me. I pray for the strength to push through it and overcome, some days its just tough. I am not a young mother, in fact I never thought I would ever be a mother but at 39 after 10 years of marriage I think God has another plan for me, that is to raise a "Godly Child". I am learning as I go and I hope that I can find the inspiration and strength that will help guide me through the terrible two's and teach my son to be a good boy.

Glamping-vintage trailers

2011-10-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

I have had several people view my vintage trailers but if you are looking for some real glam and wonderful inspiration I recommend that you visit here
http://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2011/10/glampingtrailer-style.html

Life is good

2011-10-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted like I used to, the heat, a new job, and a very active toddler have kept me from posting, oh yes and let's not forget about the other new addition to the family-Buttercup the dog oops I mean horse-no dog or at least she thinks she is a dog.
Life on the farm could not be any better. My little guy is growing up so fast. I am so thankful that I am able to be closer to home now and I get to spend more time with him each day. His Bubba-older brother moved closer and also gets to spend more time with him too. I am finally enjoying my life, my job, and my family, for the first time in years. I now have more time to cook, and I am not so obsessed over a messy house I am also enjoying life working in a small town. I guess you could say I found my dream job, so at 41 I would have to say things are almost perfect. Winning the lottery would be nice
PS the Travel trailer is in progress still I will post when complete.

its still HOT

2011-08-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

Last time I posted it was only 20 days over 100 now its like 53 the hottest summer on record. When its this hot and you have a toddler, its pretty tough to keep him busy and inside on the weekends. Daddy has been busy renovating the rent house that we bought last month. Its a real fixer only one bdrm but its cute and it would make a great house for a couple. New everything, carpet, tile paint but most of the house was in pretty good shape. I haven't been down to take after pics yet.. With it being so hot my house feel like a dungeon right now. I have all the windows covered with my new toile curtains that I bought awhile back and I managed to clean the furniture on Sat with one of those little Bissell mean green cleaners

Its HOT outside baby

2011-07-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

20 days over 100 degrees, I am not sure which is worse the heat or the cold. You know its hot when you take a load of laundry out of the washer and the one you just put up is already dry and crispy...The heat also did not make for a fun 2 year old birthday party. Too hot to sit outside...Yes my sweet little guy is no longer a baby and I really tried to give him a fun BUBBLE GUPPIES birthday party with the printables and other stuff I could find online. I have some pics but alas I cannot locate the CD to download them off my camera and I am too lazy to sit at Walgreens and take them off the card. I need to though they are too cute. In other news, the job is still great, I have been blessed with a job I finally enjoy and one that does not require a commute. I guess all my patience finally paid off. There is nothing that makes me happier than to pull into my driveway with my little guy everyday at 5:10 instead of 6:10. Its such a joy to get to spend more time with him although all he wants to do is watch Bubble Guppies-whoever invented the DVR was a genius!!! Its my Bday this wkd, I wonder if my hubby has anything fun planned for me?????

Wow Time flies

2011-06-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a long time. Mainly because I just started a new job job that I love!!!! that is 10 minutes from my house-yeah no more commuting. The daycare is a little further but little guy seems to be thriving so why ruin a good thing. We finally got some of the flooring in and the living room is almost complete, a few touch ups and a deep clean of the furniture. The curtains I bought wound up being too long and not wide enough, so I took some toile ones I had bought at the thrift store awhile back and they look really nice on the windows-even hubby likes them. I seem to be getting alot of hits on the Shasta trailer post I did awhile ago. We have the trailer in the middle of the drive and once we get some free time we are going to put everything back together. Hubby hung some hammock chairs in the trees so right now it kinda feels like we are camping with the trailer in the drive. The chairs do nothing to motivate you, they are soo comfortable once I sit down I don't want to get back up. Needless to say not much get done once I sit down. They are also great for naptime, little guy has slept outside swinging in the breeze a few times now-its the cutest thing ever. Right now though TIME seems to be the biggest challenge and being 100 degrees outside isn't helping the cause. Hope to post some pictures soon.

This week

2011-04-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

So far this has been a brutal week for me although I should say it has been a blessing... we agreed it was time to take our little guy out of homecare and put him in daycare. He had been in homecare since he was 12 weeks old and although I loved my sitter, it was time. He needed more stimulation both physically and mentally. I am happy to report that day 3 things are starting to get better. He isn't so wound up when we get home and I don't spend my evenings chasing him because he has way to much energy to burn. The daycare is a Christian Learning Center, I feel good knowing that he is busy with other kids his age, learning about Jesus, and is well like by his new teacher. Still I think any mother could agree, its tough when you leave them in the hands of strangers and hope that they are okay (he cried this morning as I was leaving-broke my heart) he has never cried when I have left him...

Work smarter not harder

2011-03-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

We have been busy with Dad here trying to get some renovations done. Not only is my husband pretty handy but so is my Dad. Since most of the sheetrock was in poor shape, they agreed to replace it all with new. My husband started moving plugs to accomodate the new rock when I said to him "Where are you going to plug in the flat screen?" He looked at me and his eyes lit up just as he was about to cut the next piece to go up...Although we don't OWN a flatscreen at the moment, it made sense to plan for one as we know that our bigscreen is just too big. Hubby carefully planned the cuts on the walls, ran the cable for surround sound, and ran cables through the attic for satellite. Now your thinking!!!...He was so proud of himself even though it took most of the day to get everything ran properly it will be nice when we do get a new tv since its all there. Someone is going to look at us funny when we sell our house someday with plugs halfway up the walls-nothing a nice mirror can't cover.
Still lots to do though, tape/bed and texture the wall and then paint. Add flooring which which picked up last weekend and my living room will be close to complete.

Social networks and food

2011-03-02T06:42:00.000-08:00

Yes it has been awhile since I have blogged, or read any blogs for that matter. My job has been keeping me busy-its admissions time and on the homefront, a grass fire, a snow storm and major home improvements haven't left much time to surf the net. But I promised myself when I started this blog I would stick with it. So here goes...
Prompts for this week:

#1- Social networks- the good, the bad, and the ugly (your thoughts on social media).
#2- The best food I ever had...

#1 is easy, I don't do Facebook as I posted back in July
There should be a law...
I have blogged about this before but it really is starting to irk me more and more. I don't facebook, I don't tweet and I don't subscribe to follow blogs, I will however return to blogs I love and read them often. What bugs me is that to enter contests I have to do all of the above or even sign up as a facebook fan to receive a free coupon. I won't do it. I like to comment when I read a blog that is interesting or has a great product but I should not have to sign my life away just to enter or get something for free. .I know that a company cannot make you purchase an item just to enter a contest---no purchase necessary, why should I have to create a facebook acount just to get a coupon... That's just my two cents.

#2-The best food I ever had. My Dad flew in last week from Canada for 3 weeks, its the first time he has seen his grandson and I can't tell you how much I love having him here. He is by far the greatest cook and there is no Ukranian food he can't make that isn't yummy. He is making cabbage rolls this weekend and I am hoping that he will make some perogies before he leaves.Now if I could just get my hands on some nice beet leaves he wraps them in bread dough and bakes them and then mixes them with cream and fresh dill. This is not diet food and you can't eat just one.
Hubby's birthday steak dinner was pretty good last night too!!

2011-01-12T11:52:00.000-08:00

My Favorite Recipe:
I wish I could take credit for this one but hubby is the one who created it and this meal has become a quick and easy fix in our house. It's Cheeze-it pork chops. Simply crush some cheeze-its into crumbs. Dip your chops in some melted butter and coat with the crumbs and bake. We really like the hot and spicy ones but we have used the plain. This method also works good with chicken too. I have alot of other recipes, about 300 printed however, they are in a very large binder that I have yet to three hole punch them into. (I was hoping to get them sorted and into the binder properly over Christmas) I used to love Recipezaar I could search by rating or ingredient but they were bought out by Cooks.com and now I am not a big fan of their website. I am hoping to do some OAMC this weekend since I am off Monday so I will be checking other links for some new ideas....

Biggest Challenge for 2011

2011-01-05T11:09:00.000-08:00

The year ended on a great note. I had the week off and managed to get both of the spare bedrooms in order just in case we got company. We didn't, thankfully but getting organized was a really good feeling. I kinda felt bad for taking baby to the sitter for two days to get stuff done rather than have him at home with me but I knew that I wouldn't get #### done if I had to chase him around all day. I had big plans for the week, most of the things I wanted to do I did. I got my pantry and kitchen clean and rather than have to go shopping I found a bunch of food at the bottom and the very back of the 8 ft lazy susan with a flashlight that "somebody" had gotten ahold of and threw back in there...so I didn't have to buy as much as I thought. I did get the cabinets to build my bench seating in my dining area and I did get the buffet cleaned out and organized thanks to the 7 gorgeous envelope boxes that someone threw out at work-it made packing up all the odds and ends in it a breeze-now if I just had someplace to put the buffet hubby could start building my bench... My MAIN goals for this year are pretty basic and they aren't in any particular order I
1) keep my house organized. After spending so much time carefully finding a place for things, I want to keep it that way. I am the worst for not putting things back in the same place twice.
2) plan more freezer meals and cook more in bulk. I cook alot usually on the weekends. I always have something in the crockpot on Sat either chicken or some kind of beans that we can eat. I would like to have more that we can "heat and eat" since most days I don't get home until 6pm. I'd like to spend more time with my little guy in the evenings rather than cooking.
3) I am still on the fence whether or not to go back to school and get my Ph.D. I work in the department where I want to take classes, Let's just say its complicated but do-able if I get the support I need from my employer.
4) gain some weight. This one is the opposite of most people. I am not a big person I am under 5 ft tall and I weigh about 100 pds. I am pretty tiny, I would like to have a little more meat on my bones than I have. I guess I need to eat more of what I cook.
5) spend more time with my little guy. A few hours every night and the weekends doesn't seem like enough. He's growing so fast...

I know what Santa bought me

2010-12-21T07:46:00.001-08:00

We have been trying to get rid of the dining set for awhile now. It belonged to Hubby's grandmother and he has not wanted to part with it. After seeing the photo of what we could have instead-he agreed that it would be a much better use of space...so once we find a place to store the furnitute he will start building me this. My inlaws are buying the cabinets premade-cheaper and much easier to layout and that is my gift for Xmas. Not sure where I will get the cushions made but I can live without cushions if it means that my little guy will stop playing with the water cooler... speaking of hard to beleive that this was my baby last year

I would love to give credit I find the photo at www.desiretoinspire.net
but the exact designer I am unable to give credit to.

Capturing some sweetness

2010-12-09T13:11:00.000-08:00

My little guy has been keeping me quite busy the past few weeks. At 18 months old, he never ceases to amaze me with some of the things he can do. Usually, it's more good than bad which is something I have been trying very hard to acomplish in the little time that I get to spend with him each day.I still haven't got my holiday cards out yet, hopefully this weekend. These photos were all taken with my crappy camera phone last weekend. I couldn't find my camera..maybe Santa will bring me a new one.

What I am thankful for

2010-11-24T07:12:00.000-08:00

I have alot of things to be thankful for this year. I have an adorable, healthy baby boy who has managed to rock my world and fill my heart with more joy and love than I ever thought possible. In my younger days, I thought I never wanted children,even though I loved to be around them I always felt that motherhood was not for me...17 months later I have a totally new perspective. I am thankful that I have such a wonderful husband who is the best Dad in the world-even though he struggles every morning to cope with two early risers in the house. I am thankful that my parents have been able to experience being grandparents (my brother does not have children and I am almost too old to have any more). I am thankful that we are still making some progress on the house and that we got some of the new windows in before winter hit-it has been the most beautiful fall I have ever experienced in OK. I am thankful that we had a chance to play and love a dog that nobody wanted, and were able to give him a good life till he could live no more..I am thankful that I have learned to let things go and not worry about a messy house or money as much as I used to and take each day for what it is.
I will be thankful when the mailman drops off the mail at work and I can go home for the day and enjoy the weekend with my family.No shopping, just enjoying some quality time together and of course OSU vs OU-go pokes!!!

Non-Negotiable

2010-11-17T07:54:00.000-08:00

This will be a short post today I am pretty excited today that I can go and hear Ree (The Pioneer Woman)speak at OU today. She has been one of my favorite bloggers for a long time. Actually I think hers is one of the very first blogs I started reading...
Not sure what I will ask her but I really would like to meet her in person.

WORKING MOMMY WEDNESDAY

My Top ten Non-Negotiables

1) Trust in God
2) Be patient good things will come-I always say this in Ukranian. It sounds alot different but hubby has learnt this one well
3) Never buy it unless its is on sale-it will go on sale so if you don't need it right now..wait
4) Don't speak to me until I have my morning coffee-give me 5 minutes then talk to me.
5) Don't throw it out unless it does not have other use-I love boxes of any type and I keep them in a stash because I know I will always have another use for them.
6) I don't do social networking sites (Facebook/Twitter/My Space)and don't post pictures of my little guy on them either.
7) Canada Rocks!!!-I am very proud Canadian.
8) I am leaving this one blank......I'll need it someday-I think this one will refer back to social networking sites someday (ie: I should not have to have a Facebook account to enter a contest).
9) Homecooked is always better-take out should be saved for emergencies only.
10) Everything in moderation...

#2) Plastic surgery for a Job-yeah right! The only thing I would do..get my teeth bleached if that counts.

Feel the Breeze

2010-11-12T11:23:00.000-08:00

Okay so I downloaded the pictures backwards but you get the idea... we have had this wood panelling in our living room since we moved in three years ago this week (hard to believe). We had several ideas on what we were going to do. We thought about a white wash, but ultimately we decided to tear it all down. Look closely at the walls that is not art- it is carpenter ants behind the panelling-it looked pretty cool but can you imagine if we would have just painted over the panelling with all that dammage behind it? We were sick of the living room looking and feeling like a dungeon-even with the paint, which would have probably taken 10 gallons it still would have felt heavy. The new windows that hubby installed yesturday are gorgeous, I was very skeptical that they would look "puny" compared to the massive plate glass window that was installed before. It makes such a difference-why we didn't do this a year ago...Best of all the new windows pop open for easy cleaning and they open to allow fresh air to circulate. Oh and I can see through these, our other windows had so much dirt in between them that they were "uncleanable" Hubby did a nice job framing it all in. I will post more pics as we go...

2010-11-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

#2. Honest confessions about motherhood-My comments/responses to Julia's are in bold.

Motherhood is hard. By far it is the hardest thing I have ever done

Marriage with kids is hard. 1 kid its still hard

I wish I could say that I was ok with a messy house. I'm not either I feel like I go in circles-didn't I just pick that up???

I'm proud of my kids and the things I've taught them in the few short years of their lives. My little guy can speak French well he sings in French

I don't like whining voices. Please try again when the whiny-ness has been fixed. Whining is driving me crazy especially with a tantrum thrown in on the side

Potty-training should be easier than it is. If I can teach a newborn to breastfeed, I can surely teach a 2 year old how to pee on the toilet. Haven't started this one yet, hoping Daddy will take the lead on this one

I don't get it right every time, but I learn, pray and fix it next time. Patience is alot harder and sometimes I have to forgive myself.

I love my job. I love impacting the lives of other kids. And with the new position I am in (program director!), I feel a new sense of pride to grow our program and make it huge! No comment (I am not really liking my job anymore and I do not have the passion I used to)

I love my family more. They are the reason I work hard and the reason I rush home at night. The highlight of my day is seeing my little guys face when I pick him up after work

It's been a hard road to learn to let go of perfection. The perfect schedule, the perfect toy, the perfect food, the perfect sleep schedule, the perfect everything. Let. It. Go. This is alot harder than it sounds but I try to take it day by day.

Back to School

2010-10-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

#1. What was your college major and did you end up working in that career?

Growing up in Canada, I had big dreams of becomming a tv anchor. Some of you might remember Pamela Martin who worked on BCTV. After high school, I moved to Winnipeg and took a broadcasting course, but at 18 partying was a little higher on my priority list than taping a demo. At 23, I decided to really go back to school. I was tired of working in cosmetics-not that glamorous and I always worked wkds and holidays. Okanagan College in Kelowna, B.C. was where I got my start. I wasn't sure what I wanted to take so I took a little bit of everything. Turned out that Political Science was my fortay. I had to work part-time so it took me a little longer to graduate. I moved in to the dorms and settled in for the next 5 years working towards my degree. I was almost finished when one of my professors asked me to switch my major. I was majoring in International Relations-he wanted my to switch to a triple major of PSC/Phil/Econ so I did. Remember these were the days long before the internet, all my research was done using books and journals in the library. The laptop that I bought was a dos program -Windows 95 hadn't been invented yet....I can honestly say that I received the best education a girl could hope for. When I graduated, I went to a conference in D.C. and decided that I wanted to be an intern at the White House-Thanks to Monica, my dreams were shattered. In the interm, I met and married my husband (12 years last Sat) and started working for state government. I was hired with the TX House the year that George Bush became President.
Now I work in academics, Political Science to be exact, babysitting Grad students. I am hoping to return to school to get my Ph.D. in PSC soon, tough with a toddler but I think it can be done.

Comment on maternity leave-I had to go back to work after 6 weeks of maternity,we just couldn't afford for me to take more time off.

You know your stressed

2010-10-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

Its only Wednesday and I am totally wore out. As you can see by the post below we had to put our dog down yesterday. He had hip dysplacia and he could no longer walk, so it was a very stressful weekend knowing that he was 1) in pain 2) he wouldn't be there to greet us every night when we came home. I haven't been able to do anything at work, my kitchen is a mess and I think my husband and I have each lost about 6 pounds this week. Its our 12th anniversary on Sat and Grandma is babysitting so we can go out but I can't seem to get excited about that either. Its hard to believe that someone had this dog for at least 9-10 years before dumping him on the side of the road... I prayed last night, I prayed hard, I hoped that God would take care of the dog that had brought our family so much joy, the dog that was always there, the dog that just wanted to be loved and said "I love you" Three years was not enough time... I am giving myself 24 hours to get over my grief although I know our home will never be the same again. I did rescue another dog a few months ago, I have faith that this may be Gods way of telling me its time to love another.

Saying goodbye to Moe

2010-10-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

Don't cry because it's over, Smile because it happened.-Dr. Seuss

This is MoeMoe. We loved him many years and he will be deeply missed. I know that Lane will not remember how much this dog loved him..You had a good run MoeMoe"I love U"

When the boss lets you go home

2010-10-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

Morning ladies, I missed posting yesturday-there was an earthquake in OK and our building at work was evacuated. My boss said "Go home" okay but I am not driving all the way back to work later (my commute is 35 min). So I stopped by the sitters and picked up my little guy-I had thought about leaving him at the sitters for the day and taking the day for myself..I couldn't do it. Even though I could sure use some time to myself, a little voice inside me was saying "He won't be little for long you need to enjoy every precious moment while you can" We went for a walk and played outside-as you can see he is a pro at multi-tasking he can talk and drive at the same time. We wound up having a really good day, and although I got nothing done around the house, it was nice to spend some quality time at home instead of being at work. (my first earthquake even though they say the building is "OK" I am still a little leary......)

My favorite blogs

2010-10-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

Working Mommy Wednesday-My favorite top 10 Blogs I am reading now. These are in no particular order. There are alot of other blogs I love to read but these are a few of my favorites that I thought I would share with you. Enjoy!

http://www.cotedetexas.blogspot.com/

a design blog to swoon over.

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/

great money saving ideas posted daily.

http://www.dealnews.com/

check this one out for the best deals on almost anything-they post the Black Friday ads before anyone else.

http://www.themobsociety.com/

daily inspiration from mothers of boys.

http://www.mommyskitchen.net/

great recipes and meal planning ideas

http://www.marcandangel.com/

motivation and inspiration for daily living

http://www.aconstructedlife.com/

our babies our roughly the same age

http://www.thediyshowoff.blogspot.com/

if I could only decorate like some of these women do

http://www.oneprettything.com/

more than one pretty thing here-lots of crafts, printables.

www.thekrazycouponlady.com

money saving ideas galore.

Living in the middle of nowhere

2010-09-29T09:26:00.001-07:00

#2. Show us your life/ room/ work/ house/ drive to work, etc. in pictures!

When I see this it means I am almost home. Our house is just over the first hill on the right. There is something I love about living in the middle of nowhere. We have no neighbors and you can see for miles. I just wish I didn't have to go to work everyday...

Edit I had to comment

#1. Having a career/job makes me a better/ worse mother. (why/why not?)

My honest answer is worse.. even after reading other's posts (many of which I found inspiring), I have to admit that I am not able to give my son, husband or my home the full attention they deserve. There isn't enough hours in the day to accomplish many of the things that I should do. I have been at my job for almost 5 years, and yes it provides us with medical, dental ,and allows my husband to stay at a job he enjoys, but my job is not fulfilling, its boring, there is no room to advance and they have a pay freeze so I haven't had a raise in 3 yrs. Its not about the $ for me so much as the time that I could spend with my son. He is the only child I will ever have, I'd like to at least have the chance to enjoy these younger years with him before they fly by and I am left wondering where they went.

2010-09-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

What do you consider necessary to get through the day? (items, routines, coffee, etc.)
What do you do on your commute to work - listen to the radio, enjoy peace and quiet, etc.

Hi I am new here so this might be a good time to introduce myself. We live in rural OK not too far from Norman. My day usually starts out with either a cat, dog, or baby crying at 5am to wake me up-no need for an alarm clock here. Like many of you, coffee is the first thing to start my day, then feed the cats (we have 2) before they drive me crazy crying for food. next, its the dogs, we have 4 that have been rescued by thoughtless people who dumped them on our road. I get ready for work-quietly trying not to wake my 14 month old or my husband-neither of them are morning people. Then I take my little one strap him in his carseat and drop him off at the sitter (who I adore) and then its 45 min to work in Norman. I like to listen to the radio and sip my coffee and take my time. Going home-I can't get there fast enough-ever since my son was born the highlight of my day is picking him up from the sitter. When we get home, its a different story, my little guy is busy, so its tough to cook or get anything done. Daddy and I take turns watching him so that we can get dinner ready or do a few chores. After his tub and he's in bed I get to relax watch some tv and then go to bed and do it all over again the next day. Nothing too exciting but I wouldn't trade my life for anything. We have been blessed.

Design SOS

2010-09-02T12:23:00.000-07:00

There is nothing uglier than this kitchen, the GOLD laminate countertop, the dark cupboards, the potato box hole where the garbage disposal once stood, I may as well throw in the kitchen sink which has since been replaced but equally as ugly as this one. I tried to clean the kitchen window a couple weeks ago and I accidentally put my hand through the window and slit my wrist trying to open it (there was a muddauber nest in between the glass). So I have a piece of plastic over it to stop the 100 degree heat from flowing in. We really haven't touched the kitchen since we moved in almost 3 years ago, and since my son was born last year its been even harder to try and tackle any home improvement project-at 14 months he is just a busy boy. I am hoping someone out there in blogland can help inspire me to do something with this space. Paint, colors, countertop any ideas are welcome. I would also like to open the top of the cabinets up, there is alot of stuff stored up there but I can't remember what is up there half the time so it never gets used anyways. PS My hubby is very handy and we could probably do most of it ourselves.

http://www.thediyshowoff.blogspot.com

Working hardly

2010-08-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

We haven't been doing much of anything on the weekends. One its been too hot and two its been too hot.
Daddy did mow the yard this weekend and it is starting to get back into pre-baby shape. I did some cooking this weekend as well. I made some little turkey patties for Lane and I cooked a few other things for us to eat this week on the "I don't feel like cooking night" I allow myself one day a week. I have been trying to do a menu plan for the week but-it has been so hot here that I haven't felt like eating never mind cooking. Now that it is starting to cool off I am hoping to get better organized and start freezer cooking again.

My Little Bieber

2010-08-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

I took this photo a couple weeks ago before I gave him a haircut, poor thing couldn't see. He loves to dance and spin himself around and shake his head back and forth-so his new nickname is Bieber. (named after Justin Biber who is also Canadian) Now when you tell him to do the "bieber" he shakes his head and claps his hands-I wish I had a videocamera so I could really embarass him someday. On another note, its hard to beliebe (pun sorry) that summer is almost over. What am I going to do with a toddler when the weather gets cold and he can't go outside??? Hard to think about right now since its been 100 for a couple weeks now. But I am starting to get very worried...

You Capture-Black and White

2010-07-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

This is my first time posting to Beth's "You Capture" I am not much of a photographer but I have been trying hard since my little guy has been born. Most of the pictures below were taken on his first birthday. I played around with them abit to shadow the background but I luv the black and white. I thought I had more black and white photos, but icing is much cuter in color. Here is here link to join yourself
http:/www.ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com

Take a drink

2010-07-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken last month, the day was hot and we were getting ready to set the kiddy pool up in the yard. Baby had other ideas, he grabbed the hose and when no water would come out, he walked over to the faucet and proceeded to turn it on-hubby and I looked at each other in amazement.

Did he really just do that?"

Since then we have moved on to bigger and better things, drink boxes. I am really trying not to give him sugar or things with high fructose corn syrup, but "everything in moderation" These are a treat, he doesn't have them all the time, he'd rather suck water out of the garden hose.

Can't post pics

2010-07-22T14:37:00.001-07:00

I tried to download some pictures and insert image won't let me click ok for them to download-any ideas???

There should be a law

2010-07-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

I have blogged about this before but it really is starting to irk me more and more. I don't facebook, I don't tweet and I don't follow, I will however return to blogs I love and read them often. What bugs me is that to enter contests I have to do all of the above or even sign up as a facebook fan to receive a free coupon. I won't do it. I like to comment when I read a blog that is interesting or has a great product but I should not have to sign my life away just to enter or get something for free. .I know that a company cannot make you purchase an item just to enter a contest---no purchase necessary, why should I have to create a facebook acount just to get a coupon... That's just my two cents.

Happy Birthday Baby

2010-07-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

I can't beleive how in 365 days my life has changed so much. You are the sweetest little man in the world-Momma Loves U LOTS!!

Seriously enough with the tornados already

2010-05-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

I have had enough of the tornados, every night this week I have been on edge-is it going to hit? where is it now? do I need to take the baby and hide in the bathtub? Lucky that they have gone around us,some have not been so fortunate. I am ready for some nice steamy hot weather-my legs haven't seen the sun yet this season, and I'd like to get some stuff in the garden before its too late to plant.

Vintage travel trailers-1954 Shasta and a Homemade Teardrop

2010-04-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

As if we didn't have enough projects on the go, hubby has manged to score almost all the wood needed to redo the the 1954 Shasta camper. The camper belongs to his boss and it has been sitting in our yard for over a year. The panelling is over $45.00 a sheet-part of the reason it has taken so long, and part is due to a lack of motivation on hubby's part-mainly the latter as his boss agreed to pay for the materials. Thanks goodness I took pictures I don't think we'd remember how to put it back together after taking it all apart. It has alot of water dammage and the wood was rotting out. Maybe, just maybe it will look like the last picture when (we) he is done...

We could go camping in our teardrop camper that we scored a couple years ago, but again some repairs are needed before we can use it. The teardrop needs the outside redone across the front, we have had it covered but the wood has been exposed for a long time and we are scared driving down the highway might just do her in. We had thought about selling it but I just can't bring myself to do it. At least I can camp in my back yard...

FOR SOME REAL INSPIRATION AND WONDERFUL VINTAGE TRAILERS you may want to visit
http://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2011/10/glampingtrailer-style.html

Cutest Easter Card Ever!!!

2010-04-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

Thank you to ANNA at http://www.yourlittlebirdie.blogspot.com/ for creating this cute little easter card of my little

guy FREE. Its hard to believe my baby will be nine months old this weekend. This time last year we had these babies instead

Cute but not the same... We also had this little baby too who sadly disappeared a few days after the picture was taken..

Thinking about Spring and babies I am so thankful that we were blessed with one of our own. I am looking forward to his first Easter. I did put together an Easter basket for him (no chocolate) but I did find some super cute tubby toys for him to play with in the bath. The weather is finally warming up some, except the wind is sweeping down the plains. Still trying to get organized like Anna, but I have soo many projects so little time, the weekend just isn't long enough.

Spare Bedroom inspiration-toile fabric

2010-03-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

I bought several panels of toile fabric several months ago. I have 6 panels of the blue and about 12 of the cream and black. (notice the price-yes that is correct $1.00) I also have 4 panels of black and cream curtains in a different cream and black pattern. I'd like to use the black and cream in our spare room and recover this chair at the same time. The fabric is original on the chair but the cats used it as a scratching post and it is all tore up. The chair belonged to our friends mother and hubby and I both love it. I am going to try to recover this chair myself and was hoping someone might now of a good tutorial for a wing back chair? I haven't decided on an accent color yet or whether to go with stripes checks and solids. I want the room to be classy and elegant, kinda tough since all we have in there is a futon right now and lots of junk, but like I told hubby deciding what I want to do is the hardest part, now if it would just warm up abit I could get in there and get started.

For more inspiration go to www.rareandbeautifultreasures.com-

HERE WE GO AGAIN

2010-03-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

Another snow storm is getting ready to hit Oklahoma-why do they always happen on the wkd when I am home already?

Don't leave design magazines laying around

2010-03-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my redesigned blog thanks to http://www.backgroundfairy.com/

We went to Dallas this weekend to visit friends and our friend Becky had tons of decorating magainzes and books. Since it was a nice weekend and the sun was shinning, what better way to kill a day than sit by the pool in the sun and read. Seriously I can't remember the last time I read anything in hard print most I read is online. Baby was with us so while he was sleeping I started to get inspired to get our house done. I've been inspired for a long time but with an infant it is next to impossible to get much done by the time the weekend roles around. Today, I was looking at a few blogs trying to figure out what to do with this poor miserable kitchen. I read a few bloggers who have had success painting laminate. I can live with the cabinets right now but the countertops have to go!! My kitchen is on the right Susan 4664 did a nice job-I like the black appliances. Time to start shopping for some paint!!

Be careful what you wish for

2010-02-02T14:35:00.001-08:00

My last post I was wishing for a snow day, so I could spend the day playing with my little guy. We got more than a day try 2 days, that was a bonus. The only problem was when the ice hit Thurs afternoon we also lost power. No biggie we have a woodstove,BBQ, candles and lots of batteries, cell phones-we can tough it out. We toughed it out for 4 days with no power. It really wasn't that bad, we have big windows so we had light in the daytime, at night we grabbed the radio and all snuggled in bed and listened to music. Sat, I made stew and we had homemade bread on the BBQ-the frozen bread dough had thawed. Finally the power came back on Sun afternoon long enough for me and little guy to have a bath-should have started dinner too... Power went out again shortly after. Today is Tues and when I left this morning we had no power... Anyways we learnt that we can survive without many things that we take for granted. Hubby didn't have a car charger so he couldn't charge his cell phone-I have one so we were okay. No TV and not knowing whats happening in the world is kinda tough, the radio let us know that the roads were okay but did little to mention what was happening as far as news goes. I am thankful for Playtex bottle liners-at least I didn't have to worry about sterilizing bottles. The temp has warmed up a bit and things are starting to thaw, not good for us. Many of our trees are already damaged and hanging on the ground. Our driveway is impassable as of today I am going to have to hike up and down, its a giant red dirt muck mess.... I hate to get my rubber boots dirty!

Hoping for another SNOW DAY

2010-01-27T14:06:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't want to be a weatherman in Oklahoma right now. Its 73 degrees out and we are supposed to have a severe ice storn tonight thru Friday. The are predicting that this could be the worst ice storm ever as I watch someone running by my office window in shorts and a tank top. I love snow days especially when they cancel work.

Some progress

2010-01-25T12:51:00.001-08:00

I really need to sort through my pictures, I have way too many baby pictures mixed in with home improvement projects...Anyways We had to pull the hot water tank in the master bath, the hot water tank was sitting on a platform that was rotting and moldy so hubby after hubby tiled the closet he realized that he had mixed too much thinset, I asked him if we could tile the backdoor entryway. He did 2 cuts of tile and it turned out great, now when the hardwood goes in, it won't go right up to the backdoor and the tile will be alot easier to clean when the dogs come barreling in. I hate the blue painted floor with a passion..I am soo ready for flooring.

Its gets better there's more, hubby got a new chainsaw for Christmas and decided he would try and cut some stragly ugly trees down on the other side of the driveway. The big mound is our lagoon and its already starting to go green. Baby had a good time outside too. The weather has been great although we are supposed to get snow on Thursday.. I was trying to finish baby's room-my sticky bears won't stick so until I get those up I can take pictures of his room.

Oklahoma Blizzard 2009

2010-01-04T12:50:00.000-08:00

We had a nice quiet Christmas especially after the blizzard of 2009 on Christmas eve-exactly what I was hoping. I got to spend alot of time with my little guy and almost no time doing anything else. Perfect... I was hoping to tackle a mess of organizing and try to cook some meals-that I did do a bit of, but organizing not so much. Most of Christmas is sitting in the dinning room waiting to go in the attic-I need a few more boxes to complete the task, also we are a little scared to get up there, the blizzard blew snow in our attic and everything got pretty wet-so far we haven't assessed the damaged yet. I am sure there are a few things that got ruined hopefully nothing important. We had alot of snow, enough to build a snowman, too bad I couldn't find a tobogan or a slippy slide, a garbage can lid worked okay, just a little bumpy. Most of the snow is gone now but we are expecting -20 this week-brr hold on to your hat!!!

What you see is what you get-simple Christmas

2009-12-17T13:32:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking how scaling back this year is probably the best thing I could have done. Most of this was done out of necessity, I don't have alot of places to put things-I have way too much baby stuff. We have a tree but I have kept most of the decorations simple, I only unpacked my favorites things. We have also spent alot less on gifts than we have in previous years, a baby is expensive. I didn't get the X-mas cards I wanted but I did get a photo of my little guy that is priceless-not the look I was going for but he is so sad its cute. I think alot of families out there are in a similar situation, its not that you don't want to celebrate but let's face it Christmas is alot of work-especially if you work full time and have an infant. The fact that Christmas is a week away doesn't even phase me, normally I would panic that I had not done any baking or have anything prepared for last minutes guests. This year what you see is what you get when you come to our house. Baby trumps everything this year, meaning that laundry, cleaning and other household chores get done when I get time. This is going to be the best Christmas ever.

Welcome to the Wilderness

2009-12-08T13:10:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, we were all sitting in the kitchen when my stepson looked out the window and said "Look there's a bobcat on the porch!" I looked, the cat was as big as one of our dogs-who incidentally were in the house instead of outside. We all jumped up and ran to the backdoor the cat didn't flinch he just wandered off into the back 40. Hubby missed it "Why didn't anyone take a picture?" yeah that was my first thought. I can't believe that the cat didn't smell any of the dogs, nor did it have any fear-that scares me-imagine if baby was playing outside one day.....

I have had an encounter like this with a brown bear when I was growing up in Northern BC, we had apples on the porch and when I walked out to get one there was a bear sitting right beside the box helping himself. I had another encounter with a black bear at my parents-middle of the afternoon and I was pulling weeds in my Mom's flower garden-out of the corner of my eye I see something move and turn and there is a bear 10 ft away-screaming I ran into the house-my brother who was home at the time, laughed at me saying "the bear is more scared of you than you are of him". But you just don't know what a wild animal can do when frightened or startled. Now that the weather here is cold and crappy I am sure that the bobcat will be back.

How many paydays till Christmas? Some deals

2009-12-04T08:05:00.000-08:00

I got paid today and realized there is only one more payday till Christmas. Since I didn't do any on-line shopping except a few months ago for my MIL, I need to finish shopping ASAP. I hate last minute shopping but I have found a few deals by checking the on-line flyers. For food Here's are a few deals I have found at Atwoods. Yes the farm and ranch store is now selling Velveeta. 1 lb for 2.99 -I am a little perplexed as I thought this cheese had to be refridgerated-guess not but www.Kraft.com also has a coupon for .55 cents of making it 2.44 each. If you like queso this is the buy of the week. I haven't seen it this cheap in a long time.
I hit the Church Thrift store Thursday and scored a couple gifts a Victorias Secret Mohair sweater-for me, some cute boxes 3 of them that were .80 cents, some tupperware, cookbooks, a little bicycle ornament, some slippers -also a gift. My limit is $10.00 a week. Looking around the house there are alot of things I have bought there-I take some pics this wkd to share my good buys. I am off to Family Dollar to see what they have for cheap gifts-maybe I'll score there...
Baby was 5 months old yesturday-man how time flies.

Cyber Monday wow free shipping

2009-11-30T12:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have scoured every deal site that I have saved on my favorites, I've searched websites looking for deals..guess what, I couldn't find any. Sure alot of the name retailers have sales but even their black Friday deals weren't enough to get me out of bed at 5am, I figured the poor sales this weekend may have made them rethink Monday and offer even better deals-NOPE. I don't really need anything, I have all a girl could want, but usually there is something on Monday that I can't live without-its just too good to pass up. Am I being too frugal? Shipping should be free this time of year regardless don't you think? Even alot of the catalogues with the gaudy stuff that no one really wants can't lure me in. I am too cheap. I did pull the tree out and discovered a couple of crystal trees and a wreath I had bought last year at the Thrift Store, they look so cute on my credenza now that I cleared all the other junk off. I haven't totally finished decorating yet but the tree is almost done-Baby loves the blinking lights. Tommorow is Dec 1st, that freaks me out this year is almost gone....

Thinking of what I am thankful for

2009-11-25T12:15:00.000-08:00

T-Tracy can now fit into her pre pregancy jeans
H-Happy that all those close to me are healthy
A-Another year of good things
N-New Christmas stuff that I bought last year and can't remember what it was
K-Keeping warm at night with the woodstove
S-Sleeping in this weekend or I will at least try to

Seriously, I have alot to be thanksful for this year. A healthy baby, a wonderful husband, and a great family. What else could a girl ask for.

Love all the blogger contest and giveaways

2009-11-17T14:08:00.000-08:00

There are alot of giveaways out there in blog land right now. I have entered alot of them except those that require me to facebook, twitter, or have me add their blog to my page. I like to keep it simple, please no offense to all my favorite blogging mommys, cooks, and interior decorators-I know that having more people follow you makes your blog more attractive to advertisers. If I like your blog I promise I will save it to my favorites and read it often.

I did win a butterball gift certificate from Tina at www.MommysKitchen.net
Thanks Tina!!!

Black Friday deals-link to the best website ever

2009-11-16T09:34:00.000-08:00

I recently stumbled on a website that has become my favorite place to shop on-line for X-mas. Its called Deal News. com. Not only do they have scour the internet for the best deals on stuff, they also tell you if this is the best deal from the retailer that has been offered. Deal news is also previewing many of the Black Friday Ads from most of the retailers, seriously they list them all-although this year I doubt I will shop with little guy I did want to share this website in case you really want to stand outside at 4am to get the deal. They also have a link to woot.com which features all kinds of quirky stuff and it has daily deals on kids stuff, wine and shirts. Be sure to check it out.

www.dealnews.com
www.woot.com

Happy Shopping!!!

do you twitter and other ramblings

2009-11-13T13:54:00.000-08:00

Someone asked me the other day to just send them a twitter, to be honest I have no idea how to do this? I refuse to have a facebook account, I tried it for awhile and I was getting friend invites from people who I didn't even know. I cancelled the account and fought with them for awhile to take me off their email list-they finally did. I haven't posted for awhile mainly because the most exciting thing that is going on is our life with baby and I started the blog as a journey of renovating our house. I am happy to say that we are finally getting back on track to compleating some of the projects that we put on hold. This weekend should be the end of the hallway-we should have new baseboards up and the faux wood panelling is now freshly painted. Hubby wants to paint the trim around the glass laundry doors white, I am against it, I like the look of wood, everything doesn't have to match. Yes, my floors are still blue, we are trying to get the painting done before we get new hardwood, we need to do that soon at the rate baby is going I think he will be moving around on his own alot sooner that we think. He drank from a sippy cup yesturday actually he grabbed it out of my hands and started gulping down the water I put in it. He's only 4 1/2 months old....My next project is a photo wall right above the credenza. I have painted all the frames I just need to have a few more pictures added to them and then figure out how to arrange the frames on the wall. I found some inspiration in the photos above.

Happy Anniversary

2009-10-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

Thank you for letting me sleep last night. Thank you for being such an awesome Dad. Thank you for loving me for who I am the past 11 years. You are the greatest man in the world and I love U forever. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

I never knew how tough being a mom really is

2009-10-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

It was a tough weekend for me, baby was quite fussy and hubby was busy doing alot of things around the house. I usually look forward to the weekends and the time I get to spend with my guys but the past two weekends it seems like I failed miserably at every thing I tried to do. The minute I would get baby to sleep one of the dogs would bark or some noise would wake him... How do mothers get anything done? How do you keep your house clean, laundry done, meals on the table and raise a child? I didn't thing it was going to be this hard. I love my little guy but lately I find myself just needing to stop and take an extra breather and catch my breath-just a few minutes alone with no animals, no baby, no one just me. I feel like I am being selfish and I will look back someday and wonder why I was being that way and I should have treasured those moments more. But right now...its tough. I can't imagine how women who have PPD cope? This is hard enough. I would love to be home with my little guy every day but until I can get through this-whatever it is....

Really its been 2 years

2009-10-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that it had been 2 years since I found our house. I remember looking at http://www.homesales.gov/ and seeing the little picture of the front porch and immediately calling my hubby that I had found our new home. "We don't even know where it is?" he said. "Its somewhere close to where we are now" I said. Three miles from where we were living to be exact. We drove past it 4 times before we found it. All that could be seen of the house was a dark green gate, the house was not visible from the road. I cried when we drove up the driveway and I hadn't seen the inside I didn't care I knew this was meant to be. It was filthy and needed alot of work, and 2 years later I look back on all that we have done. After all "Rome wasn't built in a day" and we knew that we could fix everything we wanted overnight. Now with the baby, we are more eager than ever to finish. The kitchen desperately needs new countertops and we need some flooring still. The blue in the bath was repainted white and we still cannot decide on another color for the bathroom. The bath has been painted 5 times and we still never seem to like the color. The yard is really where we have put alot of work into, but this year being pregnant, we didn't get alot done and alot of it grew back. The driveway is a red dirt mess and since it has been raining so much we need a load of gravel. But on the bright side, hubby has 4 cords of wood cut and is hoping to cut some more this weekend. We had a fire in the woodstove the other night to take the chill out-it was soo cozy. Every weekend since the baby has been born I have tried to finish his room-hopefully I can get him to sleep this wkd long enough to finish all the touch ups- although I treasure the time I get to spend with him on the wkds. I can hardly wait for X-mas, this year we will have lights.

Feeling empty

2009-09-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

Looks like a patch of nothing-you should have seen it before, I didn't take a before picture because it was too embarassing this patch was a very nice collection of empty cans. Now its a nice spot to park my truck for now, in between the trees in case we get hail or snow.

I feel a little empty today, its the first day at the babysitters for little man now that Mom is gone. It breaks my heart, I had a really hard day at work, every time I thought about it I wanted to cry. I know our sitter will take good care of him but......

Look at this stack of cloth flannel diapers. I had to have them, Mom even shipped them to me and they are too SMALL...I never even got to use them. The last time I looked at them they were huge for little man and then I forgot I had them. They are really nice too they have velcro and are really thick. I figure I can sell them on craiglist and at least buy a big box of diapers or something nice for little guy. There are several outfits that he has outgrown that I never got to put on him including what I thought would be a very cute Halloween costume. Yes the toad is too small, well it fits him right now but its not even the end of September. I have found a few other cute costumes I may have to get instead.

Happy 2 month bday

2009-09-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

Little man is 2 months old today. He isn't sleeping all the way through the night yet. This weekend I am hoping to completely finish his room-some paint touch ups and hanging some pictures. We still don't have flooring but hubby has painted and sealed the floor so we can sweep and there isn't alot of dust. I am soo looking forward to spending the whole weekend with him!!!

He's here-my little man

2009-08-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

Well I guess i spoke too soon on my last blog entry because I went into labor the next morning at 5 am. Hubby thought I was being drama queen but I was in labor. By the time we got to the hospital I got out of the wheelchair and my water broke. The nurse said "oh your 5 cm dialated your having your baby today" All went well through the labor and he was born at 12:27 that afternoon. Guess I was lucky and blessed to have a easy delivery and a healthy baby. He's 7 weeks old-I can't believe how big he's getting. My sweet little boy Lane

July 2nd no baby yet

2009-07-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to "spring" into labor yesturday and have my little one born on July 1st-Canada Day no such luck. I haven't been able to do much, between the Oklahoma heat and being so big its been tough to get anything done. I hate a messy house and somehow I have just chosen to overlook the messes that seem to be piling up and not let them get to me. You see, I have 3
18 year old boys at my house-my stepson and his two friends have been here a week. I don't mind feeding them a homecooked meal-hubby has been really good about cooking-I just refuse to clean up after them-including dishes. I am 9 1/2 months pregnant, they are lucky I have not freaked out out them once, pretty proud of that I just don't seem to have it in me to let the little things get to me. Hopefully I will be able to dig deep into the energy pile and have enough to get my house back in order before the baby comes. Maybe the house will be clean when I get home from work....maybe I'll go into labor today.

B is for bathroom

2009-06-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

This is the master bath countertop done with marble tiles we have had this done for a couple weeks although we had the marble for almost a year-hubby was afraid to cut it-they weren't cheap. Still needs some finishing but I love the way it looks. The faucet was a $40.00 ebay purchase-I was really into restoration hardware and I had to have it. We only put one sink in the master bath even though there was space for 2 sinks we felt we really didn't need 2 since we never get ready at the same time. Wait until you see pictures of the tub in the master bath and the spare bath-what a difference a gallon of sealer makes. Today is 30 days till baby-nursery still in progress....

Countdown is on

2009-06-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

5 more weeks to go and no the nursery is not done yet so I can't post any pictures. The crib is finally together and I bought a mattress today. There is still alot of work to do mainly touch ups. My MIL made the cutest curtains from some fabric I bought at the thrift store. I also bought some toile fabric today at the thrift store-not sure what I am going to do with it but it was so pretty I thought it might go nice in the guest room. I went to try and find a rug today for the baby's room, no such luck. I saw one last week at Lowes I knew I should have bought it. Hubby's work had a baby shower for him today-he works with all women he is the only man... they bought all kinds of stuff for the baby-he was shocked. I can hardly wait to see what he got. We are having our BIG shower Saturday at the Pig Shop, I think there are supposed to be 35 people so it should be alot of fun!!! Taking tommorow off so I can clean house. Everyone says you get a burst of energy in the last semester-I am still waiting. I manage to get a couple things done and that's about all I can do for the day. ...

9 weeks to go

2009-05-12T11:09:00.000-07:00

Today I am 31 weeks pregnant if everything reads right and just 9 more weeks to go. Still raining here in OK and its supposed to rain all week. Pretty tough to get projects done when you can't open the window for air to let paint and sealer dry so there isn't any progress. Hubby is sick-poor baby he has some kind of bug that he can't shake. I had it too but only for a couple days. I am not sure if I should be happy or sad about the weather. When I found out I was due in July everyone said I would be miserable due to the heat. I am miserable cause I haven't seen the sun in days, I'm cold and damp-it was soo chilly we even lit a fire in the woodstove-its the middle of May....I can't wear my pink rubber boots to work everyday-cute as they are.

Nursery-sneak peak-color

2009-05-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

We are 30 weeks this week, I haven't blogged on myself much but I have commented lots of places. I love reading other people's pregnancy stories. So your sneak peak is the color, not much excitement but hopefully there will be more to show next week. Hubby picked the color from the gobs of swatches I brought home its Bungalow Beige and Interesting Aqua.-Sherwin Williams. The cabinet is going to stay this color for now, I hate to paint them white and then when he gets older they don't look good so for now I am going to leave them. The floor is hopefully going to go in this weekend and the crib will get put together. I have the cutest decorations I bought that still need to go up too. The weather has been so crappy the past few weekends its been hard to get much done when its pouring rain (my poor irises were growing strong and the rain and hail has pelted them hard). We had a red box movie marathon last weekend and just took it easy. We had about 9 movies, most of them crap but if you haven't seen Marley and Me yet "don't" if you are an animal lover and pregnant. I cried for 2 days-with Shtookas being gone it was even tougher. We got Momma Dog fixed this week, she seems to be doing okay, we were afraid she would go into heat before we could get her fixed. It has only been a few weeks and she hasn't even dried up yet from her last litter.

This is the stuff that I got from my first ever baby shower at work. Last count there were something like 1500 diapers and baby wipes. Still haven't figured out where I am going to keep it all. I have another shower coming up in June. I can't beleive I am only 10 weeks away, finally people are telling me I look pregnant-really I am as big as a barn with legs!!!

TGIF the coundown is on

2009-04-17T12:34:00.000-07:00

Only 89 more days to go till baby comes. For hubby that's roughly 13 wkds left to finish the house. He's made lots of progress, he finished painting the dining room, and the master bath now has a new sink, faucet, and marble tile top-love it. This wkd its time to tackle the nursery or what is now the cat room. My cats like to sleep in there since they hate anything to do with the dogs. The room is also full of my winter stuff, not sure if I should even bother hauling my summer stuff out of the attic-I am so big now I doubt that most of, if any, would fit me. I am excited about getting the nursery done. We have a crib but I haven't picked out the bedding yet despite the dozens of pictures I've posted. Don't need a changing table, we plan on using a changing pad on the built in desk. I have a dresser I am thinking of refinishing for baby clothes. I have bags of stuff in the closet for the baby but I haven't really unpacked any of it yet, I was waiting until we were done painting. So the only thing that is really missing is the hardwood flooring. We had enough money saved to do the whole house until we did our taxes...
Should have alot of new pictures nxt week. I always forget to take the before pictures, like the red sink in the master bath.

Ode to wood panelling

2009-04-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Ode to wood panelling

You were in style when disco was in

Now you must go in the trash bin

Actually we are keeping it, stuff is expensive and we may use it in the shed for shelving. We were really happy that there was drywall behind the panelling, it wasn't in that bad of shape either, a little bit of texture and a coat of primer. It took awhile to pick a color-hubby picked it. We still need to add one more coat of paint. We are going to try and finish painting tonight-the weather is supposed to be crappy again this weekend and we can't paint unless we can open the doors. I primed the other wall in the dining room since we couldn't remove the panelling because it was connected to the kitchen. In other news. the puppies have all been given to good homes last week. I must say I am surprized since there were alot of puppies on craiglist-no coonhound/lab puppies though. Sad to have them gone but happy they have good homes. Stayed tunned we have been making lots of progress-the master bath marble is in and so is the sink...

Nice long wkd

2009-03-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

The weathermen couldn't get their stories straight if we were going to get snow or not... I was all ready for work on Friday, truck was warming up, and I went to say goodbye to Hubby, "Please don't go to work today, I'm worried about you driving especially if the weather gets bad."I have already had one minor fender bender since I have been pregnant so who am I to argue, I stayed home. I was kinda worried leaving the puppies outside in case it did get really bad. They are some tough little guys, they didn't mind that it was cold-I think hubby put plenty of blankets under the camper so they were nice and warm. With weather bad, I decided to make a big pot of pinto beans. I make those alot, I make refried beans all the time and use them for bean and cheese burritos. After a few loads of laundry, I decided to start packing up Hubby's winter stuff since they takes up so much room in the closet. I wish he would get rid of some of his clothes that he never wears, I pack and unpack them every year and never see him wear 1/2 of them. Sat morning we did wake up to a bit of snow, nothing like in northern OK but it was cold enough to have a nice fire in the woodstove all day. I made this recipe for breakfast. I have never made them before but even Hubby liked them. Something different besides boring biscuits.

Monkey Bread
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3-4 cans of buttermilk biscuits (depends on size of bundt pan & how large a batch you want to make)
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a bundt (tube) pan.In large zipploc bag, mix sugar and cinnamon.Separate out the biscuits & cut each into quarters. Shake biscuits in bag to coat.Sprinkle pecans in bottom of bundt pan.Mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces.Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center.Cool in pan 10 minutes (important or it will lose its shape).Turn upside down onto serving plate & pull apart to serve.Best served warm. I imagine you could make these from a scratch biscuit recipe but I had a couple cans in the fridge that needed to get eaten.

Sun we woke up to sunshine and decided that it was a good day to burn. There was alot of brush that we have cut back this winter and before the county issued another burn ban we figured we'd burn while we could. I'll post pictures of the yard before and after tommorow

I love a GIVEAWAY

2009-03-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

Nava's Designs Giveaway!!!

Nava's Designs Giveaway!!! One extremely LUCKY winners will get to win a 4pc Baby Bedding Set from Nava's Designs! (ARV $1100-$1250) PLUS: You get to choose from 4 different sets, so if you have a boy or a girl, there's something for you! Open to Cont. US Only. Read rules to be sure your entry doesn't get disqualified.
Here are your 4 choices:
"How Do I Love Thee" - $1,240
Summer Rose graden look for Baby girl 4 pc set Elegant yet Playfull In soft pink ivory and sage trimmed with delicate rope

"Twisty Boy" - $1100
4 pc baby boy set handmade in the USA

"Latte Kisses" - $1,100 & "Love is in the Air" - $1250
Latte Kisses: Best selling Baby Girl bedding for 2007!
Love is in the Air: With all the Charm of Old World Romance-this Baby Girl Bedding Set in Shades of Pink and Cream will create a Feminine and Classic Baby Nursery for your Little Princess.
Each set includes a bumper, dust ruffle, sheet & quilt! Also keep in mind that all of Nava's sets are dry clean recommended.

Rules to Enter

1. Head on over to Nava's Designs

http://store.navasdesigns.com/servlet/StoreFront & pick your favorite item (not giveaway items or items mentioned in post

My blog has been alot about nursery lately. I got scared yesturday when I discovered that I only have 16 more weeks to go. You should have seen the look on hubby's face when I said 16 weeks...How will we ever get the house finished...well at least the nursery. That's not to say we haven't got anything done-my dining room is fab but I can't get the pictures to download. Will try again tommorow.

Love to Blog-Ultimate Blog Party 2009

2009-03-24T06:46:00.000-07:00

This looks like fun and there are alot of blogs that I haven't heard of....

The Ultimate Blog Party 2009 is HERE! The Ultimate Blog Party 2009 has started and it is HUGE. It runs from March 20th - 27th with tons going on all week. This year we've added three UBP "In Real Life" parties in NY, LA and Nashville. We'll be live streaming exclusive performances by Chris Mann, Leslie Mills and Diane Birch. It is the mom blogging event of the year — Get the details here. Then, grab the button code and invite your friends. Yes, there are PRIZES! The Ultimate Blog Party 2009 is HERE! The Ultimate Blog Party 2009 has started and it is HUGE. It runs from March 20th - 27th with tons going on all week. This year we've added three UBP "In Real Life" parties in NY, LA and Nashville. We'll be live streaming exclusive performances by Chris Mann, Leslie Mills and Diane Birch. It is the mom blogging event of the year — Get the details here. Then, grab the button code and invite your friends. Yes, there are PRIZES!

My selection for prizes are all for the baby-I haven't bought anything yet....

PRIZES-#45-Ultra chic diaper bag-
http://www.madebymichelle.blogspot.com

# 7-Ergo Baby Carrier
http://nateandjakeandme.blogspot.com

#22-Target $50.00
http://beginnerbaby.com

Other choices #135 Daddy diaper bag-Dad's gonna need one

Baby come home

2009-03-23T07:59:00.001-07:00

Shtookas has been missing for 2 days now and I am afraid something happend to him. He arrived at our house in Moe Moe mouth at 4 wks old. Moe Moe found him in the bush and dropped him by my feet "look what I have Mom!" I miss him alot. Baby come home

What did you do today Nuffin?

2009-03-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

Nuffin, he's huge, mainly an indoor cat-beleive it or not he has allergies so he doesn't like it much outside.This is his favorite passtime sitting at the backdoor watching the mice eating leftovers out of the dog bowl. No animal around our place appears to go hungry-even the birds get fed everyday. They all seem to know when Dad gets home its feeding time. I don't mind feeding animals but I draw the line at mice. I hate them, nasty little creatures. Hubby is supposed to get some traps, he is afraid to put poision out with the cats-you'd think that with three cats we would have dead mice everywhere...nope. The puppies are still as cute as ever they are eating wet puppy food and are now 4 wks, time to start finding them homes. I should have lots of progress to post as we are painting the nursery this weekend-just a whitewash first.

Disconnected from Nature

2009-03-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

We do not inherit the land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children-Native American Proverb

I was looking at my calendar this morning and read something I found a little disturbing. It says "As a society we are raising the first generation of Americans to grow up disconnected from nature" This according to the National Wildlife Federation. NWF recommends that children get at least one hour of unstructured play time each day in green spaces to explore, imagine and discover nature. Since we live in the country, I am not worried that my child will not be exposed to nature, there is plenty of room for him to roam, but I wonder about kids who live in big cities where "green spaces" are far and few in between. Have they ever really gotten their little hands dirty playing in the dirt? Have they ever hugged a tree? Sad to think that some kids will never really experience the great outdoors.

Look at these babies

2009-03-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

These are our 6 puppies born three weeks ago to Momma Dog and Moe Moe. They are part lab and part coon hound. They are the sweetest things ever. I've had tons of kittens but I have never had puppies. Momma Dog is happy that we moved them from the tunnel by the pond to the house.

Canadian Wilderness-baby room inspiration

2009-03-05T09:03:00.001-08:00

I bought a bear rug like one on the left but I bought a polar bear instead

The mural to the right is cute but I don't really want penguins-you have to go too far north in Canada to see them

The bedding below is discontinued

I can't find it anywhere on the net.

I thought these might be fun to try and make myself and use as decoration

I love these murals but I was thinking of something a little simplier. I really like the

Haida art below.

I must have one of these!!!! or any moosehead will do

This is the kind of mural I want- more of a sillouette not a cartoon.

Dad can build me a polar bear rocker!!!

This is the bedding I would like to have a little $$. Hopefully I can get the room cleaned out this weekend and we at least start some painting. Will keep you posted on the progress.

Its a BOY-time to rethink PINK

2009-02-20T12:09:00.000-08:00

ITS A BOY!!!!!

We found out Tuesday on the ultrasound that we are expecting a baby boy. Right off the bat he was showing his stuff. I was shocked, really I thought I was having a baby girl. Took me a couple days to get over the initial shock. I heard that most women who are pregnant and have an easy pregnancy usually have girl. So far, I haven't had any trouble, no sickness, a little tired but that's about it. So now the dilemna begins, I had grand plans for this room, I was going to paint the built ins white now I am not so sure. I have been searching for some inspiration below are some of the pics of stuff I like. I thought the best place to start would be with the bedding, that way I can coordinate with it. I really want chocolate brown, blue and maybe green. I have stained some of the cabinets in the bathroom a dark espresso that I really like but I thought it might be a little too dark. Of course before I can even start in here we need to get a new window and flooring (this is painted concrete). Here are some of the things I thought might work-what do you think?

I like this one above the best-its cute I like the checkers and stripes.

Bad Blogger

2009-02-03T14:18:00.000-08:00

I have been a bad blogger. Being pregnant, I had all these grand plans to add to my blog the various what nots that tell how far along you are and how many days till the big day. Haven't got that far. As far as I can tell I am 17 weeks pregnant-I have an ultrasound on Thurs-hopefully I am far enough along to find out the sex but I think its likely to happen at my next appointment. We had a couple of snow days-more like ice days-who cares as long as I didn't have to go to work and there was enough wood to keep the house warm. Alas, now that it has all melted I have mud everywhere. Moose, Momo and Momma dog along with hubby have managed to completely trash my floors...part of living in the country I guess. Thank goodness I don't have the hardwood yet.

I'm inspired again

2009-01-21T12:37:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have been such a bad blogger, I am finally over the first trimester. Feeling good and ready to tackle some more home projects. The kitchen especially. Hubby and I have been talking about using marble in the kitchen for some time now. The gold marble laminate is just plain ugly and with the new baby coming, I'd like to get one major project out of the way before she/he arrives in July. I really do want a farm sink-we have a brand new stainless steel sink in the garage that we could put in, but I love the way the farm sink looks. The kitchen window is a must. Ours is aluminum and there is no screen. I love looking outside watching the red birds at the bird feeder but I have to stand on my tippy toes if I want to really see them. The one thing I am torn over is the backsplash-to marble or use glass subway tiles? Another thing is the color of the cabinets. Hubby wants to restain them to a cherry wood, I'd rather paint them white and make the kitchen bigger. What are your thoughts?? Thanks to www.cotedetexas.blogspot.com for another great idea .

The best investment

2008-12-22T07:09:00.000-08:00

Given that the temps have dropped drastically in the past few days, I can honestly say I am happy that hubby spend the money to buy me a woodstove and a wood splitter. He was a little worried on the splitter part, it was $600.00, took alot of our savings but considering the amount of time and energy he would have spent trying to split those huge logs I think it was money well spent. Our house is natural gas heat. Last year, our first year in the house our bill was 225-300 per month-thats just to heat the house. We are only in December there is still alot of winter to go, so the initial investment of the stove/pipe/splitter should pay for itself this winter. Hubby has been busy chopping down alot more of the brush/trees in front of the house he has almost cleared all of it. I haven't been able to help him much as I am expecting our first baby in July-yes it was a total surprise, I have been exausted the past few weeks but I haven't been cold!! thanks baby I love U.

Its hot but it ain't pretty

2008-12-03T09:12:00.000-08:00

Finally we have heat, although this Ashley stove is less than attractive, once it gets going it will make you strip down to your drawers because it gets so hot. We purchased it from a friend of ours for $200.00. The expensive part was the piping that runs from the stove through the roof. The roof kit was $153.00 and the 2 extra pipes that we needed were another $45.00. Thankfully hubby's aunt had some triple wall stove pipe that saved us $120.00. Hubby and his Pops did a great job. Hubby needs to add some more tile around it, we still have tons. I also found some inspiration for the walls at http://www.houseblogs.net/ -member DRIFTWOOD who found the inspiration at http://www.style-files.com/ I love the barnwood look and the rugs are fabulous. Hopefully I will win the $100.00 gift card from http://www.oneprojectcloser.com/ that will help me get started on the walls. Anyone know if you can paint a woodstove, maybe I'll do that project first if I win.

Decorating Really this early

2008-11-20T13:40:00.000-08:00

Nearly every one of my favorite bloggers has started to either decorate, or is patiently waiting until the day after Thanksgiving why that maters??? I'll admit-hubby did pull Xmas out of the attic last night mainly because every year I seem to forget what I already have. Nothing will go up until the house is clean first, especially since I like to leave my decorations up until Ukrainian Christmas. I will probably wait till late next week to really start decorating.

Yesterday, in Oklahoma it was 76, the radio stations have started playing Christmas music. Does anyone think its just a little too early for music?? or is it just me. Growing up in Canada, most people put their tree up no earlier that Dec 1st. Then the music starts-that seems a little more reasonable to me. I get that we are in an economic slum and retailers are trying to get us in the "spirit" but Xmas went out the same time as Halloween in the stores and its not even Thanksgiving and "White Christmas" is already playing. Speaking of white, I love snow, not the cold but I love those mornings when you wake up and look out the window and see a fresh blanket of beautiful white glistening snow.

Carrara Marble

2008-11-19T06:59:00.001-08:00

I love this kitchen

(photos borrowed from www.cotedetexas.blogspot.com) my blogging inspiration.

We purchased some Carrara marble tiles like this for our master bath vanity that is not yet finished-hubby is not quite sure how to cut them yet. Our friend Becky -the decorating guru, suggested that we also use the marble tiles in the kitchen as the countertop. Again since hubby is unsure how to cut them we may hire someone to cut and bevel the edges-the tiles aren't cheap. We can do the backsplash ourselves have already have the glass subway tiles similar to the top photo. Problem-where do you find a marble cutter in rural Oklahoma?

Momma's House

2008-11-13T08:20:00.000-08:00

I came across some pictures from our vaction to Canada. That's Mom's place including the beach. She lives on the Shuswap which is about 3 hrs from Vancouver-also known as the Houseboat Capital of Canada-that houseboat is a baby compared to some of them.

2008-11-12T06:06:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned yesturday, we got a new used wood stove for the corner in the living room. The tile is the leftover from the bath and kitchen glued to the floor. The stove is an old Ashley stove-(sorry no pics yet),but it fits perfectly here and we are hoping that it will pay for itself the first month it gets cold. Look at those ugly walls (yes that is real wood) I was hoping to try and have them whitewashed before we put the stove in but its not likely. We still need the 6" stove pipe to run through the ceiling and up through the roof. The stove pipe is not cheap-it will cost more than the woodstove did. We have been trying to find some at Habitat, stuff goes like hotcakes.

Thankfully its still warm enough we don't really need wood heat yet...

I didn't sign up for this

2008-11-11T10:04:00.001-08:00

The in-laws went out of town this weekend so hubby and I got to feed their 43 goats and 13 cows. They look so happy just grazing there but when I went to feed them they were at the end of the back 40. First night they followed me back to here and almost trampled me down. They stink too, I can still smell goat. They are in my opinion good for only one thing-eating crappy brush and weeds.

2008-11-10T06:56:00.000-08:00

Sorry I am still posting more yard pictures but the weather has been so good we decided to keep working outside and see if we could work our way to the road clearing out brush. Before our house was barely visible-while some may prefer not to be seen, given that the yard is taking on a "park like" setting we are going for curb appeal and since we live in the middle of nowhere not too many people will be driving by anyways. We picked up a new "used" wood stove this wkd and figured that we may be able to salvage some firewood out of the clearing. The tree in the middle is going to go but our chainsaw was is not quite big enough to tackle the job. There is still alot of brush that needs to go but we were wore out after working for 3 hrs. We now have a good drainage so that our driveway at the bottom isn't a big puddle of mud good thing because its pouring rain today!!

Some Progress-Show and Tell

2008-11-07T09:00:00.001-08:00

It is still a work in progress-really it was a bad as it looks (sorry the picture is so small it was taken with my cell phone)the blue on the walls is now white and there is a real toilet paper holder. There is a pedestal sink instead of a vanity. The cabinets are behind the door and they have been stained-what a job that was...More pictures of the completed project soon.

Tractor mode-Sunny Sunday

2008-11-05T07:04:00.001-08:00

Here on the left is a before picture below is the after. Its taken all summer to have it look this good.

What to do on a beautiful Sunday afternoon-hop on the tractor and start clearing brush

Finish your plumbing-at least so the water doesn't leak

Sit back and have a cold one and watch the sunset-great day!!

Wasted Space

2008-10-30T06:37:00.000-07:00

The top picture is in the kitchen beside the pantry, we have decided to add real shelving and a recycle/garbage/dog food bins -roll out shelf to the bottom. I didn't get an after picture because Lance had a small leaka when he turned the water back on and I was busy mopping water. The bottom pictures are the hot water heater in our spare bathroom. Notice the waste of space due to what hubby calls "laziness" it took him less than 10 minutes to cut the pipe and add new barrels. Like my mother used to say "Don't marry a man unless he can fix a sink, a toilet and a car" She was sooo right!

Wordless Wednesday-well a few words

2008-10-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

I will only say that I dislike music on blogs "scares me when I open them" BOOO!!!!

The Best Pantry I've ever had

2008-10-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

This is by far the best pantry I have ever had. It's over 6 ft tall and spins..classic lazy susan-why builders ever did away with these is beyond me? My kitchen is pretty small so this is perfect for me. The metal spice rack on the counter is a recent addition from the thrift store-brand new in the box $7.00. Now if I could just get hubby to replace the backsplash and countertop we'd be in business. If you would like to see more visit Lydia at http://www.theperfectpantry.com/. Her website also has some fabulous recipes and cooking tips.

Today I was going to post more pictures from the painting we did on the wkd but they didn't turn out.

6 cans and all we got was this ugly blue-Happy Blue Monday

2008-10-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

We got tired of looking and walking on these nasty concrete floors. With three dogs and three cats really... what would you expect? The weather this weekend was great so we took everything outside and painted them an equally ugly shade of blue taken from 6 cans of leftover paint that was in the shed. Oh well at least the floors are a little cleaner until we can afford to put new hardwood in. We also painted the bedroom floor the same color for now. I will post pictures of that project tommorow.

Happy 10th Anniversary

2008-10-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

Baby I love you today, tommorow and forever-you are my BEST FRIEND!!!

Show and Tell Friday

2008-10-24T06:38:00.000-07:00

We inherited this antique wing back chair from our friend's Grandmother after she passed away. It is one of our favorite things. Unfortunately, over the years the cats have trashed what used to be beautiful original fabric. I purchased the fabric at the church thrift store a few weeks ago-I left the price tage on I got six 43x60 for $6.00. I'd love to find another chair to match it. Wonder how much it would cost to have it redone?

How to find foreclosures

2008-10-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

Several of our friends keep asking us when they visit "How on earth did you find this place it's in the middle of nowhere?" I did my homework, you see to find a good deal on a foreclosure takes time and patience. But where to look? how to purchase? Disclaimer: these are my suggestions, always consult with a realtor or attorney for legal advise when purchasing a home.

1)The BEST website for anyone who is looking to find a foreclosure is http://www.troublehomes.com/ I shouldn't reveal my secret but so many of my favorite blogs have been discussing this issue lately that I feel it necessary to reveal. This site lists all the REO by banks and other property management companies. Best of all its FREE.

2) Check the sites regularly and when you find something you like-be prepared to act on it.

3) Find a realtor who knows how to bid on foreclosures. FHA/VA have their own procedures for submitting a bid/contract on a foreclosure.

4) You should have the financing or be preapproved before considering a foreclosure so that that you can put an offer in as quickly as possible. Some sites allow bidding for a week or two. Preapproval makes it more likely that the bank will accept your bid.

5) Can you low ball when submitting an offer? Depends... how long the property has been vacant? how much the bank has spent on upkeep? How much is the appraised value? In our case the bank spent close to $10,000 to clean the property up. We knew that unless we offered what they were asking they would probably turn us down.

6) If you are not very handy, I would also have a home inspector "on call" that can look at the place with an objective eye and let you know if its a "sound" investment.

7) My final word of advise "Don't tell anyone when you have found a good deal until the deal is done" Until the contract period expires in some cases, others may be able to outbid you.

Fabulous floors

2008-10-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful place. I want these floors. These are from Terri and John Havens spa Cal-a Vie. To see more pictures you can find them on one of my favorite blogs www.cotedetexas.blogspot.com

One Project Closer

2008-10-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

Okay so I am not twelve anymore, this spare bedroom is desperate for an update. Right now its the place where the cats like to hang out. I purchased 5 yards of the fabric on the chair above for $2.00 at the church thrift store I want to make new curtains and pillows. I have a new bedspread. The ceiling fan is not in the picture-why? its ugly and all the shades are broken. I think with $175.00 I could get a new ceiling fan and the paint required to turn this into a real guest room. No hubby you are not getting any power tools if I win. Well, maybe if your good I'll buy you a new sander.

For more information visit http://www.oneprojectcloser.com/ to enter for yourself.

Don't try this at home

2008-10-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

Harmless looking isn't it. A nice little firepit. Actually it was taken from our yard, the water department installed a new water meter and this was taken out. Shortly after this picture was taken this seemingly harmless pit blew up-did you know that concrete was flamable??? It almost took out my eye-I have a large burn on my cheek. Thank goodness I had my glasses on.

Show and Tell Friday-Dad's handywork

2008-10-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

For show and tell Friday I would like to share my Dad's recent remodel of a 1970's mobile home kitchen. My Dad and brother gutted this mobile home completely and started from bare walls. The cabinets are new and the countertop is laminate. What I really love is the color-Dad picked it out, way to go Dad. Let me know what you think?

the faux marble is going this weekend

2008-10-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

If you look at the picture of the kitchen a couple of blogs ago you'll notice that our backsplash and countertops are gold laminate faux marble circa 1980. Last night hubby and I decided that anything is better than gold so we are going to paint the backspash and countertops for now until we decide what we really want to do with the kitchen. We have some fabulous subway glass tiles that are a smoky grey to do the backsplash with, but we want to see if we want the kitchen light or dark. I know many would say to paint the cabinets white but we are thinking of sanding them and making them more of a cherry wood. I have several mismatched paints along with some texture sand that will work on the countertops and will hold up better instead of scratching off with wear and tear. Will post pictures soon.

Thanksgiving at home

2008-10-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving Canada, sad that I can't be home with my Mom and Dad in the Okanagan Valley. I'd love to be touring this winery right now and then sitting on their beach watching the sunset sounds like a perfect day to me.

Finally I have comments

2008-10-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

Blogging is more fun when people read it. Thanks to everyone who posted comments. By the way those doors were $35.00 at Cleveland County Habitat for Humanity still has the price tag from Lowes $289.00. It is officially 1 year since I found this house on the internet as a foreclosure and some progress has been made except for the walls and flooring oh yeah the ugly kitchen must go- as must the furniture 1980s sectional... We are thinking of whitewashing or pickling the walls rather than painting over them. They are real wood panels it seems like a shame to destroy real wood of any kind. If anyone has a recipe for pickling it would be appreciated.

2008-09-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

Apples are ready to be picked. I can hardly wait for pie.