DYI Shutters and Window Boxes

On father's day, Jimmy built me these fabulous shutters and window boxes. Those two windows are the windows to the garage and looked so plain and bare in the backyard. They can be seen from almost every window in the house and I wanted something prettier to look at.

Sorry about the crocked picture.

I had actually seen this done by Thrifty Decor Chick about a year ago and I filed it away in my memory because I thought it was a fabulous idea. However, I didn't know where I would put them, that is until I noticed how plain these windows looked.

It was ridiculously cheap! We used fence slates just like Thrifty Decor Chick did and the total cost was about 12-15 dollars for the wood. I already had the black spray paint, and the flowers were a pack of 12 for 10 bucks at Lowes.

 Ignore the old push mower in the back ground. Karter insists it stays and that it is his. He actually pushes it around the yard "mowing."

Now every time I look out any of my back windows I see this.

There where some problems we encountered though. The boxes are super heavy and we had originally wanted to use some window box hangers, which you can see pictured in the above picture.
It was all good until, while outside sitting on the screened in porch, I heard a loud thump. The thump happened to be one of the window boxes crashing to the ground and spilling both the flowers and the dirt. So, we had to screw the boxes into the brick. I say we, but I mean Jimmy. After doing that, we've not had an issue with them falling down.

Porch Redo Part 2

The screened in porch is all but finished. We've already used it a lot. The boys love to eat lunch outside now and it's nice that bugs no longer attack us and we can keep the dogs out while we eat. There are a couple of things that need to be completed such as caulking around the bottom and the rest of the trim placed on the outside.

I still have quite a bit that I want to do out there decor wise. I think the table is too big and I'm wanting something lighter not so dark, like the hunter green. We've had this outdoor set for years, all but the cushions that I bought recently at Lowes. It will take me awhile to figure out just what I want, but I'll be sure to post pictures when it's all done.

This is what it looks like for now.

Porch Redo

We moved into our house just about two years ago. For about a year I've been wanting to screen in our porch, however I think I only voiced this once or twice to the hubs. While in Lowes last week I stumbled upon the screen kits to do it yourself and the hubs really liked the idea, so we started on it.

We've been working on it for two days now and I use we loosely, because Jimmy has done most of the work. I've done most of the painting. We have about a day or two of work left on the screen part and then of course I have to get it decorated and the floor done.

It's been a lot of work, but I don't think it's been too hard for the hubs. He's a jack or all trades that hubs of mine. You name it and he can pretty much fix it.

Here's our work so far.

This is how it look this morning at about 10:00am. Sorry about the quality of the photo, I had my camera on the wrong setting.

Here's where the door will be.

From the inside.

This is as far as we got today. I think it's looking really good and just as I saw in it my head. And I'm so proud of the hubs!

Karter's Room Redo

The boys have had their own room for more than a year now. When asked they have no desire to share a room, at all. Karter's room had two outside walls, each wall had a window. His room was drafty and had quite a bit of road noise which I think had been waking him up earlier than he would normally wake. So, we decided to move his room across the hall to what we called the computer room. It only had one outside wall with two window's and was much quieter.

It took a lot of work because there was a lot of crap in the computer room that needed to be packed and moved across the hall, not to mention I wanted to paint Karter's new room.

It took me a full week but I got it done and I'm really happy with the results.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Karter helped pick out the color which is called Olive Martini and it's part of the Lowes Creative Ideas line. Everyone is happy with the redo. Next on the list is to paint the new computer room and finish painting Kolton's room.

Tables by Daddy

I've wanted to get the boys tables for months, but didn't want to pay the high price for them. While browsing in Pottery Barn one day, Jimmy said he could make one for way cheaper, so that's what he did.

This was the inspiration table. You can see it here along with the price on Pottery Barn website.
Jimmy made both tables for roughly 100 bucks.

Kolton has one just like it, but it's cherry red. They seem to really like them and spend an hour or so playing with play-doh in Karter's room.



Karter covered his kitty up because he thought he was cold.

My MisTreatments Of The Window Variety

As I was cruising around the home decor blogs several months back I found Thrifty Decor Chick. Heeeelllooo!! I instantly fell in LOVE with her blog, her wit and her money saving decor ideas. Oh and that girl loves her some molding and is not afraid to use a her nail gun or her miter saw. As I was reading her site I became aware that she pretty much makes all her curtains herself, and here's the kicker WITHOUT sewing a stitch. That was right up my alley, cause I can't sew.


Sewing and I don't get along too well. We tried to work together, but we would squabble and finally I had enough. I divorced sewing and have never looked back. Sorry sewing you're just not my type. Ironing and I aren't' on the best of terms either but a least we can be civil and work together. Actually bobbin caused me more trouble than sewing, but they were a packaged deal so they both had to go.


So needless to say I don't sew. My sister can sew and I'll just leave that to her.



As I read her archives I found many more helpful home decorating blogs. I'm not sure if I found Nesting Place there on another site, but she's so smart and thrifty and makes a mean mistreatment.



I suppose I should explain what a mistreatment is. This is directly off Nesting Place, and this post.


Mistreatment: (n). covering for a window that is quick, cheap and pretty. may or may not need hardware does not require sewing. a real designer's worst nightmare.


Mistreating: (v). the act of treating a window with dignity and respect without use of the following: hundreds of dollars, sewing, time, crying, divorce, child neglect...


It took me a couple of months to build up the courage to try it, but I did and it was SO easy.

I was able to do it while the kids were awake and running around. No one was neglected, no sewing machines were harmed in the making and my window that have been bare for a year are now clothed and pretty.

Sorry about the quality of the photo's. The stripes on the fabric make it hard to see.

I spent way less than I would have, had I bought these.

The kitchen fabric I bought at walmart 27.00 for 6 yards. I bought way too much, but didn't really know what I was going to do with it. I used upholstery tacks to tack them to the wall.

I spent 20.00 on the fabric for the family room for 8 yards. Once again too much fabric, but now I know how much I really need to cover our windows.

It's been sunny with no rain.

It's has rained 15 of the 17 days this month. It's stopped us from doing a lot of things. Things like getting our cellar installed, mowing the lawn, and mostly playing outside. Oh how the boys LOVE to play outside.

So today, we basically played outside all day. Jimmy mowed the lawn, I planted some ferns in pots for the front porch and the boys, played and played until they were filthy and tired.

They were ready to go to bed at bedtime and went down without any complaints.
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I've been participating in Kelly's Show Us Where You Live Friday. I thought this past Friday was supposed to be children's room/nurseries and it originally had, but a few days before Friday she changed it and I somehow missed that post. It was changed to Guest Rooms. I don't have a guest room, yet. While our house is 4 bedrooms, the boys each have their own room, then the master and the 4th is being used at the office or what we call the computer room. We do have an unfinished attic room that we do plan to finish and it will either become the guest room or the office.

So I have nothing to show you this week, but you can head on over to Kelly's and look at all the other cool guest rooms.

Where I Live Friday

Kelly at Kelly's Korner is hosting a blog party every Friday. I'm nosy and I love to see in other people's houses so this is right up my alley. I decided to join in. This week it's Living Rooms. Last week it was Kitchen's, but mine is being painted right now, so I will post those when it's done.

Here's my living room. We moved into our house a year ago in June. I've yet to get it like I want it. I'm just now getting to paint stuff. I've yet to decide on a color for the living room. I do have some paint swatches taped to the wall, but I'm not sure or set on those colors. Suggestions and advice is welcome.


This is the living room looking in from the front foyer.

I also am wanting to put some new things on the bookshelves. I just threw most of that stuff up there shortly after we moved in. And I am wanting to possibly put some lighting above the cases.

This is looking in from the kitchen.

Hubby is a tech nerd so of course we have to have the big tv and the surround sound system, thankfully he hide all the tv wires.

Looking in from the back hallway, by the laundry room.

So there's my living room in a nutshell. Any suggestions are welcome.
Next week is children's room/nurseries.

Finding Happiness

I will admit that my happiness went missing for a month or so recently. A lot of things were going on. I blogged about most of those and I was just unable to search for it in the mist of everything that was going on and trying to do my day to day stuff. Now as I work to settle back into a low stress mode after being in high stress for months, I think I've found happiness again.

Here it is.

This color on this chair soothes me it takes me to the Caribbean, with the calming blue waters. I can almost hear the ocean lap on the shore. I've been to the Caribbean several times pre-children and it's always a relaxing place for me. It's my happy place the place I retreat to in my mind when I need a few moments.

I know it sounds silly that this chair could make me feel happy, but it does. I painted it yesterday and from the first layer of paint I was in love. Now I'm looking for other things to paint this color.

The color is Blue Ocean Breeze by Krylon.

Now before anyone thinks. Paint, paint brings her happiness!! Not her children or family or friends? Well, of course all those things bring me happiness but unfortunately they have the ability to make me feel unhappy too. Paint, what's it ever done to anybody?

Krylon Blue Ocean Breeze paint I HEART you!

Big-Big Boy Beds

Last Saturday(April 11) we got the boys twin size beds. We had been looking for several weeks, but were waiting for our tax money to come in to get them. They were excited about getting new beds and had no problems getting into them that night. It probably helps that they don't usually nap now during the day so at night they are exhausted.

I got the bedding at Target, which is more expensive than Wal-Mart, but I thought they were cute and didn't want the typical character bedding. They matched the colors that were already in their rooms and gave us choices of introducing other colors as well.

It's been almost a week since they've been sleeping in them and so far so good. We've not had anyone fall out yet although paranoid as we are we did set their crib mattresses on the floor just in case. If things still are going good in a week we will probably remove those as well.

Kolton has to have all his stuff just right before he can go to sleep. His extra pillow has to be in the right place, he has to have all three of his stuffed animals. Lambi, Oh Toodles(a teddy bear, that he named), his blue bunny and two lovies. I've tried to narrow them down but he insists on all of them.

Karter could care less about his lovie or stuff animals but wants a massage nightly and to have his radio turned on.

It was bitter sweet taking down the cribs for the last time and putting them in the attic. Bitter sweet because my little boys are growing up, and bitter sweet because I don't know if there will be anymore babies in this house. We haven't decided for sure yet, but at the moment leaning towards no.

I can't believe that they will be 3 very soon. Where did that time go. Seriously when other people have said time flies they don't stay little for very long, they were not kidding. They grow up fast.

I like Target, I like Target a lot!

After being stuck at home for two days because of the ice and snow, the kids and I decided to make a trip to Target just to get out of the house. The boys were very excited to be going somewhere. As I tried to back out of the garage my tires were slipping a lot, but I managed, however at the end of the drive my SUV was having all kinds of trouble. I had been trying for about 5 mins or so to get out and decided that we would just have to be stuck at home another day. When I announced this to the boys Kolton said "no mommy, I want to go to Target." When I explained that we couldn't get out of the drive he said "mommy can do it" he was very admit so I kept on and I did eventually get out and they were so happy. They both said "you did it mommy."

Karter then said the batteries were running down. I finally figured out that he thought I was slipping and stuck because my batteries were low, like in his toys. They get sluggish and don't work right when the batteries are low. I thought that was pretty smart.

Also I want to thank everyone for their suggestions on my last post. I have some ideas now!

This is one reason I love Target.

This chair was on sale for 50% off. They didn't have anymore in stock so I asked to by the floor sample. I was able to get the floor sample for and additional 30% off the half off price. Making a $329.00 chair $124.00. While that's still a nice chunk of change it was a good deal. It does have screw holes in the legs where it was bolted to the floor but they are really un-noticeable unless they are pointed out and one leg has a crack in it.

I do think it looks very nice in my living room. I just need to get a nice pillow and maybe a throw or something.

What great finds have you found lately?

Hello Ugly!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Things around here have been really busy. Several things going on at one time and I've had to prioritize and the blog has taken the back burner. I have missed it though.

When I could have been posting, after the kids go to bed, and after I clean the kitchen, and do some laundry. I have been looking at lots of home decorating sites. I've found some I really love and will link to them on my blog soon.

Now, I know that mostly this blog has been about the kids and our lives with them in it. But I wanted to post about something different. The kids are doing good actually they are driving Jimmy and I nuts at times but they are good and happy that's important.

So on to something different.

We bought our house new. No one had lived here before us, we didn't have to clean the carpets or really scrub the tubs that much. I liked that part, but I have found somethings that I don't like in our new house. I just assumed that everything would be pretty much perfect since it was new and all, no wear and tear so to speak of, but I have found that is not really the case. No major things, but none the less stuff I could do without. Anywho today I'm addressing the horrible BRASS fixtures in this house.

The house has beautiful cabinets and wood work, so I suppose the builder scrimped on the cheaper stuff, or he being has no taste and chose these horrible fixtures because he liked them. Regardless they are U G L Y,(they ain't go no alibi, they ugly. Who else remembers this?), anyway back to the ugly. The house is pretty big and it's covered in shiny fake brass. See for yourself.

This is in the foyer or entryway, whatever you call it. We have a pretty big entryway, with these tiny little lights. After we sell our old house, and that's a whole other story, I will be working on making this one mine. Anyway, back to the lights, they are tiny for this big space. Eventually I will paint it and buy some more respectable light fixtures. These are actually not that bad compared to some of the others.

To the left of the front door is the dinning room that we will be using for a family room. Jimmy hits his head on this thing every single time he goes into the room. It's a beauty don't you think?

The living room is at the end of the entryway. Don't you just love all the etching on this fans brass. Oh, and ignore the fuzz or whatever it is on the blades. I'm just keeping it real here. Although I do need to clean those off.

This is actually one of the cabinets in the master bath, but these knobs are in all the bathrooms and the kitchen. This picture does not do the the ugly justice they deserve.

The beauty that hangs over the kitchen table.

This is actually in the boys bathroom, but the small half bath has one just like it but with only three lights.

Every single door handle and deadbolt color!

Our house is beautiful and I love it. I can't wait to get some of my touches on it though. That however will have to wait as we are painting some things in our old house in hopes that it will finally sell. I'm thinking leaving the living room wall red was not a good idea.