~Craft Day~

Well a few days have gone by but I have been super busy crafting, fixing up, managing my husband while he fixes up;)  We HAVE been really busy and are getting a ton done.  I've also tried some new recipes.  My only wish with recipes is that everyone could agree for once.  There are usually at least two people in the family that don't like whatever it is I am making.  It can be quite deflating after working hard on a meal.

My highlight of the week was definitely Tuesday in which I was invited to a "Craft Day" at a neighbors house.  I had so much fun meeting new people and talking about common interests.  I can't wait to do it again.  There were several crafts to choose from, OH....and I must say that I am dealing with the green envy bug after being in the hostess' house.  I told my husband, numerous times, that day that her kitchen was a dream.  I came away with so many ideas that I got a headache from trying to contain them all.  OK.... not really, but I was overwhelmed with everything that I absolutely loved about her house.  I think next time I am there, I will snap some pics of my favorite things.  With her permission of course.

OK, so back to craft day.  There were several ideas and you could choose whatever and however many you wished to make.  I chose to stick with one and not overwhelm myself.  I'm glad I did too because I still got overwhelmed:P  I knew ahead of time what I was going to work on and what I was going to do with it.  Being my first craft day, I wasn't sure what to expect, so I pretty much went completely prepared with my idea and my supplies. 

This is what I started off with: 

A lovely vintage tray.  I love the retro feel but it definitely would not work in my house.  The other ladies decided to paint theirs with chalk board paint and use it as a cute chalk board for their kitchens.  Our host even had one done already as an inspiration piece.  It was super cute.  My inspiration was a magnetic board that I decided to personalize and use in an office space.

First off:

a couple coats of oil rubbed bronze spray paint!  Love!!

Then I carefully tried to center my stencil that I had made that morning via my cricut, onto the tray.  It was cut from contact paper, so I rubbed it on my pant leg for a few minutes to make it less sticky.  I was worried about it peeling some of the paint off.  It also took me a while to get it centered.  

Once I got my stencil where I wanted and covered the rest of the tray, I painted the stencil using heirloom white. 

The result:







As you can see, my stencil still took some of the oil rubbed bronze paint off and there is a little bit of touching up that needs to be done where some over spray got through, but the more I have had it sitting at my house, the more pleased I am with it. 

In order to use it as a magnetic board, my friends have suggested that I spray a clear coat on top to prevent the magnets from scratching the paint.

For the time being:

It is simply part of a display.

I now love where the stencil took off some of the paint.  It looks like an old piece and works great in our house.  It might move.  I have a couple of other places in which I think it would look great.  That's a good problem to have:)

So go off and have your own craft day with some friends.  I'm so glad that I stepped outside of my comfort zone of being an introvert, and going to meet some incredible ladies.  It was great to share stories of our lives, talk about our love to decorate and create and just have great fellowship. 

Have fun!!!

~Managing the Mania Mondays~

Hubby and I were extra busy this last weekend and I can't wait to show you some projects that we got done, and are in the middle of. Mr. D got my deck power washed, so I was able to start staining it. Now it has gotten my brain to envision a mini makeover that won't cost a lot but will have major impact. I love those kinds of makeovers. I made some delicious recipes that I got off of Pinterest. You can see them here and here. AND a new office area might be in the works. It's currently in the "negotiation" process with the hubs. 

It's also Monday again.  I dread it and at the same time I look forward to it.  I'm so indecisive.  I love it because I go from four kids to just one and I love my time with my baby, but it also means another week of piano lessons, basketball and football practice, Awana and pushing the memorizing, practicing piano and reading logs.  Yes, I know I should also do that on the weekend, and we do, sometimes....when we think about it.....which might not be very often.  During the week I am expected to be at the top of my game, "Miss organization".  As my husband is off working to bring home the bacon, I am expected to keep the house picked up, get kids to everything that they need to get to, help them practice all of their things, and make meals.  OH, and be the law enforcement.  I really don't like the last one, but that one might be the most important. 
This week I'm showing you our "piano room".  That is pretty much all it is used for, so that is what we call it.  It also has a couple of small uses but the piano is the main item in the room, hence, "piano room". 

I think one thing that I have learned in trying to "manage the mania"  is that I can't do it alone.  I mean, I can, but I get really stressed and burned out picking up after 6 people all the time.  I get my family involved in the process to help cut down on the stress.  Sometimes this works, and sometimes it might cause a little more stress.  This room gets a lot of book bags dropped on the floor, school papers taken out and thrown on the floor ( because if you are 8 and younger, that is apparently the logical place to put them), hubby's shoes and gym bag, and because I, myself am not perfect....an occasional purse (logical place).  The key to keeping rooms picked up is to have a set place for those items that seem to accumulate.  This room isn't meant to accumulate anything except piano books.  It is meant to stay clean and picked up because, aside from the entryway and stairs, it is the first thing people see when they are standing at or inside my front door.  So the purpose for this room is simple and every problem that seems to occur has a logical place to go that is well known to each owner of the problem.  Fancy wording, I know :)  Gettin my smart on ;) 

I do have one storage area in this room.  I think every room should have some kind of storage, even if it's small.  I also think it's a great idea if it is attractive, fits the space and can maybe do double duty.  Ours is a cedar chest that used to belong to my grandmother.  We use it as seating and it also holds school work for my kids to do during the summer, reading books for my "learning to read" children and a school box with crayons, pencils, erasers....anything my kids might need to complete their homework that they bring home from school.  It is easily accessible and they know exactly where to go to get it and put it away.  That is KEY people!!!  I can't stress it enough.  They must know 1:  Where to get and put things and 2: it must be easy for them to do.  If it's too hard, too high, or too far away... they won't do it or they will need to ask you to help them do it.  The last key, if this is new to them, is to remind them each time until it just becomes habit.  It took my kids a couple of weeks to remember, but now they are pros at it.

I have one more suggestion if you have a room like this.  There are some things that I am just ok if they stay out.  Example:  piano books.  If they are put away, I forget and the kids forget to practice.  If they are out, sitting on the piano and ready to go, we walk by that space all the time and are constantly reminded that they need to practice.  Life isn't perfect and neither does your house need to be.  Organized in a usable manner is what I am looking to achieve.  I live here along with 5 other people.  This is not a show house, it is our loved house that we use all the time.

~A hug + a kiss = mommy bliss~

I've been enjoying lots and lots of hugs and kisses from my little man lately. They aren't just ordinary hugs and kisses either. He really gets into it and squeezes while grunting. You know....because he is squeezing sooooo hard! I love my little man to pieces and I am so blessed to get him all to myself during the day. He loves snuggle time on the couch and thinks I am the absolute best when I make him hot dogs for lunch. I get extra hugs and kisses when I make him that. It takes a lot of work, but I'll do anything for that guy;)
I'm taking the day to catch up on housework and to give my stress over the computer a little break. Have a great day!!

~Mongolian Beef~

I have officially decided that I hate computers.  Maybe the ipad and phones too.  Yeah....my phone drives me nuts. 
I have spent the first three and a half hours, this morning, trying to add a personalized navigation bar at the top of my blog.  See the pretty "Home" button.  That is the result.  Don't all rush to compliment me on a job well done, all at once now....  I do not claim to be at all tech savvy.

My "about me" says that I like to cook.  I REALLY do!!!  My blog doesn't show signs of that yet, but today that is going to change and you guys get to be the lucky readers to read my first ever cooking post.  Side note:  I like to cook, not so much bake.  Measuring is not exactly a top priority in my world.  Either is turning on the oven.  Don't ask why because I really don't know........  Hmmm, things for me to ponder the rest of my day.  ANYWAY, I wanted to first say, WOW.  Trying to take pictures while fixing a meal I have never made before while not exactly knowing how to work my camera, plus having four kids running through the kitchen and screaming, and making a complete mess.  Let's just say.....everyone who has a cooking blog is AMAZING in my book.  I was stressed out with just trying to take pictures of food.  That is really hard!!  I mean REEEEAAAAALLLLLYYYYYY hard.  It's not the person running the camera either.  Honest.  It's not.  I mean it.

Mongolian Beef:
I got this recipe from Pinterest which led me to here.  We all know and love Pinterest, don't we?  I do.  I like to waste lots of time on it.  But when I can make an entire weeks menu from just what I find on there, I don't consider it a waste at all.  My husband might feel differently.

You will need:
1 lbs of flank steak, thinly sliced crosswise (I have four kids, so I used 2 lbs of sirloin steak)
1/4 cup of cornstarch (didn't have, so I used flour in the same amount)
3 teaspoons of canola oil divided
1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger (about 1/2 inch piece)  (I used dry)
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic (about 2 -3 large cloves)
1/2 cup of water (I used 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup of soy sauce (I use low sodium) (I used 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (didn't have, so I used a pinch of cayenne pepper)
3 large green onions, sliced crosswise into thirds  (oops...I forgot in all the chaos:)

So I took the steak and patted it dry with a paper towel, cut it according to the instructions.  Crosswise means against the grain.  If you take your steak and pull it in different directions, you will see the way the meat pulls.  You want to cut it in the opposite direction.  Then I added the flour, mixed her up with my freshly washed hands and set it aside.


I put half of the canola oil in a large pan and heat it up.  (Note on the next step.... have your ingredients measured out and ready to add.  It will prevent anything from burning.)  I added the garlic and ginger and then immediately added the rest of the ingredients, except green onions.
Cook that for a couple of minutes, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
 
Put the rest of the oil in the pan and add the meat.  I started adding it slowly so I could get some nice browning on my pieces but I soon realized that, despite my monstrous pan, I was still going to have too much meat to have just a single layer, so I decided to just throw it all in and cook it until brown.  Then add the sauce and cook until it thickens up to your desired likeness.


I served mine with white rice and sauteed green beans. 

So my thoughts on this dish?  YUM!!!  I would do some things differently, like probably cut my meat a little thicker or cook the sauce longer before doing the meat.  I wanted the sauce to be a thinned gravy consistency and ended up overcooking my meat.  I also added a little bit of honey to the sauce at the end, but don't think I needed to.  I would also, DEFINITELY, add the green onios next time.  I didn't realize I had forgotten until I was plating it up.  I was very sad:(

Enjoy!!!

~Promise Kept~

I promised you yesterday that I would FINALLY show you our floors.  Just a quick recap of what I'm talking about.  The floors in our house were covered in either hunter green tile, linoleum with hunter green triangles in it or light gray carpet.  When we first looked at our house we knew immediately that we would be working on the floors.  It started in the master bathroom.  It had light gray carpet.  YES! Carpet in the bathroom.  I refused to move in until it was taken out because I was positive there was a "ring" around the toilet.  No one else saw it until we ripped the carpet out.  Sure enough..... a ring.  NASTY, GROSS, DISGUSTING!!!  Need I say more?   My father-in-law was so kind to tile it for us and have it ready before we moved in.  We thought we would start right away on the main floor but something came up.  Something called, Dave Ramsey.  He's my enemy and yet I love him.  Actually I've never met him, but he is still amazing!  Anyhow.... it took us a couple of years to save up the cash to do what we wanted to and of course the extras that we weren't expecting or decided to do on a whim.  If you read yesterdays second post from the past, you read about our half bath.  So, I didn't take pics before.  I know, bad, but that is on my goal list for, well, from now on. 

So, Just imagine this hunter green tile in the entryway and this light gray carpet everywhere else:

And after a month of tremendous effort and work on....my husband's part:)

WALLAH!!!

 The light gray carpet went into our dining room and was just super lovely with stains from coffee and spaghetti sauce all over it.  I was so sad to see it go.  NOT!!  Now a quick sweep, no more tears over the spilled milk, and a swiffer wet jet every so often.  I love it!  That's an understatement.  I love IT more than I love Dave Ramsey, but not as much as I love MY Dave:)

Now onto something that I actually did.  Yes, I do things too.  Remember, as long as it takes two hours or less;)  I love the Nester and I got this fabulous idea from her which she got from random other places.  I did allot of research on the paper wreath and ended up liking her version of it the best.  I won't show my process as it is everywhere online and you can go  here to see how the Nester did hers. 

I picked an aged book as I didn't want it to be stark white.  It ended up being much bigger than I had anticipated as well.  So, it took me 30 hot glue sticks, a couple of burned and blistered fingers and almost 2 hours to complete.  I WAS CUTTING IT CLOSE!!  The Nester said that hers took less than an hour, but I think I rolled my pages a little tighter, therefore needing more of them. 

I love it and hope you guys feel inspired to go craft away on something.  I know I feel inspired to do more. 

~Thoughts From The Past~

I found this in my archive of saved posts for later. I enjoyed taking a moment to look back and remember those times. Even though they really weren't that long ago, those few months seem like years. If only they took that long to grow up. Enjoy!


I'm watching my two year old sweetly looking under the couch for a toy he had two seconds ago and has suddenly disappeared. He lifts up one side of the sofa skirt and makes a few sounds then lifts up the other one while making the same sounds, then repeats the process without moving. As he finds the toys he says "tada", pulls them out from under the couch puts them on the floor and then walks away from them.
My five year old asked if I could get ice-cream at the grocery store we were at yesterday. He said " Mom, can we PLEASE get some ice cream? We can hide it from dad". Dad really likes ice cream and ends up eating all of it. I responded by saying that maybe we could get two containers of ice cream so dad can have some as well. My son then says "we'll let dad have some and THEN we will hide it"
I've been enjoying my children lately. Sentiment has set in since I took my third child to kindergarten roundup. I hate to say it, but it does NOT get any easier. So I have been boo hooing and feeling quite sorry for myself recently.
On top of the emotions we are in the midst of updating certain areas in our home. To be more specific, the flooring on almost our entire main level which has escalated to the redo of our half bath. We decided to go ahead and tile the floor in there with the same tile that we were doing our entryway in. Well, our future goals for the bathroom were to take out the cabinet and sink and replace it with a pedestal sink, so we had to do that at the same time as the floors and now the current mirror won't look right with the new sink and then the light fixture looks totally out of place and then so does everything else in the bathroom. Good thing it's only a half bath and a small one at that, but somehow the cost is still atrocious. So our "piano room" aka formal sitting room, is now the resting place for the new sink, everything that came out of the bathroom, trim from the entryway and the bathroom and a box of wood flooring that hasn't even been started yet. The bad part of this reno hasn't even started yet and I'm beginning to go batty with the mess that somehow has built up everywhere. Apparently the viewpoint of children (and sometimes husbands) is that if one room in the house is that messy then all of them should be. I finally lost it last night and went on a major clean up mission.
But today I realize how fortunate I am to have this chaos and stress in my life. I'm blessed beyond belief to have the four children that cause some, most of that. I'm blessed to have a husband who is willing to tear apart our house and create the humongous mess that is causing most of that stress, in order to make it more beautiful than ever. I'm even blessed to have a house in which we can create the chaos in.
I'm sure that God often sees my heart the same way. A huge mess that needs lots of work, lots of cleaning and a whole lot of patience. I hope He sees me as a work in progress and not something that is not worth the time.
What things in your house can you relate to your life?

~Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder~

Well, time has gotten away from me once again, but I think I was kind of heading towards a hiatus after re-reading my last post.  I am happy to announce that things are back to normal (as normal as they can be) and my priorities have been re prioritized and put in their proper place.  I have actually been wanting to blog for a while but my husband got something sweet called an ipad and my small brain couldn't seem to figure out how to blog from it, AND my computer is in a corner in the basement in which I was too lazy to walk down to.  Just keepin it real folks!

I am going to post pics later of the no longer light gray carpet.  FINALLY a project completed.  It's probably complete because I really had nothing to do with it.  My attention span is pretty short, so if it takes over, oh.... let's say two hours, I'm ready to move on.  This project took about a month and I was seriously just ready to just live with things the way they were.  PROMISE!!!  PINKY PROMISE!!!!  pics tomorrow.

Today I have decided to start an organizing Monday.  Maybe we can call it.... ok, I got nothin.  Technically Sunday is the day that I get things ready for the following, very busy, week.  But I am not going to add blogging to my Sundays so we are just going to go with the flow of Organizing Monday.  I'm going to start from my front door and work my way through each room of my house and explain how I keep things picked up, organized while making my life as easy as it possibly can be.  I like easy!
 
First up is the front entry way:

                                                                                                   ~teeny tiny itty bitty~
It can be a horrible place.  Ours falls right in front of our stairs to the upper level and you can also see it through the windows on the side of our front door.  Horror to think that someone, even a salesman, might walk up, ring the door bell and look in to see shoes thrown around, coats on the floor and hats and gloves everywhere.  It's also itsy, bitsy...teeny, tiny.  Allot of events happen in this small space and I need to make sure that it is ready to handle the crazy running to the school bus mornings, or the "I'm home dear" moments, while still being welcoming for any visitors that stop by.
It wasn't long ago that the now nice beige, neutral tile, was a hunter green.  SHINY forest hunter green.  The people who lived here before really liked hunter green.  Anyway, you can see not allot of space.  To make things work for our needs I needed something to organize coats, shoes, hats, gloves, keep clutter down, and help me to easily clean it as everyone has to walk through that itty bitty space to either go up or to come down.  I hate tracking sand, grime, dirt and everything else around the house. 
 To organize everything, I use two things.  A coat rack that has a hook for each member of the family and a stool that can hold hats and gloves in the baskets and people can sit on to put their shoes on.  Now, most of our things are organized in the garage.  The children are NOT going to be wearing more than one coat at a time, so they are allowed one coat in the entryway.  Each school age child gets a basket for their hats and gloves as the rest of us are leaving through the garage where our things are stored.  Only necessities are kept in the entryway.  TEENY TINY space people!!  WORK WITH WHAT YOU HAVE and what your needs are.  As far as school bags, lunch boxes and so fourth go, they are stored in the garage, where my kids first go through when they get off the bus, until I get them every morning and lay out for each wonderful little angel.  Shoes are the same way.  Only the school age children need shoes there, so they start off in the garage and then head to the front entry every morning.  My husband also uses this space and just throws his things down.  I then throw them in the garage.  An eye for and eye people....:)  I do throw them with love! 
So that is the low down on the first thing you see when you walk in my door.  Tomorrow I will show you the new addition to my tiny space.  It only involved 30 glue sticks, 2 hours (the limit of my attention span.  I was cutting it close!) and some skin and blisters.  Totally worth it all.  I'm completely elated over it and can't wait to share!