Laundry Room Curtains Hung ---Finally!

These curtains have only been laying around for a year, waiting to be hung!  I made the curtains from a table cloth that caught my eye a couple years ago at Target.  I had them ready to hang, and then I lost part of the hardware.  I just recently found the lost hardware and decided to hang them.   I also (with the help of Paul) hung the floating shelf that has been in my storage for the last 10+ years.  Somethings take me a while to get done!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

On Sunday during Relief Society, our provident living specialist shared a little tip on making your own laundry detergent.  She gave us each a one-load sample with the recipe, which was really thoughtful of her.  I then remembered that Tonya (my TX sis) makes her own and has for a year at least.  So I got excited to give it a try.

After buying all the ingredients yesterday, I whipped up a quadruple batch this morning.  I figured that it costs $0.09 per load (2 Tablespoons).  This amount equaled 13 cups of detergent, which equals 104 loads...and it all fit in a #10 can.

Here is the recipe (click here for a visual tutorial with a cute label to print)

Ingredients:
1 bar Fels-Naptha bar soap
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
1/4 cup Baking Soda

*All of these items are found in the laundry isle next to the laundry detergents.  If you live in Utah -- I had best luck at Winco for all the supplies, I was not able to find the Fels-Naptha soap or washing soda at the Walmart or Target in my area, but you may have better luck.

*If you try this recipe and like it, you can double or even triple the ingredients the next time you make it to get a larger batch.

Painting Dining Area

 

The last few days I have been testing paint samples on the walls.   Six colors later and $18 poorer, I made by decision.  I realized that choosing colors is not an easy thing for me.  I chose a Sherwin Williams paint color SW6121 Whole Wheat.  I should have just guessed by the color name that it would suit me!

I love how the color turned out (just ignore the chicken brooder in the corner).  It coordinates lovely with the tile floor and most importantly the artwork of Christ.  It brings the focus to Him.

 

 I had such a hard time deciding.  The colors I thought I liked in the paint deck ended up being too dark.

 A worker at Lowes suggested I use the Shur-Line paint edger - it works like a pro (if you load it properly).  Here is a little video showing how easy they are to use.

Whole Wheat SW 6121

For the kitchen and hallway to laundry room, I am going two shades lighter and painting it Antique White SW6119.  I want to keep it lighter in their, but not the stark white that it is right now.  White be gone!

Antique White SW 6119

I am excited to paint the kitchen and adjacent walls, but I better get my laundry and other household chores done.  All I did yesterday was paint!  It takes more time than you think.

My New Antique Yellow Mirror

After Photo

I have had this mirror for years but it has never been hung (look below) because I didn't love the finish.  So I decided to repaint it and hang it in my newly painted laundry room.  I wish I would have taken photos of the different steps in the painting process.  First, I sprayed it with a good quality primer.  Then I sprayed it with a nice soft yellow.  After I antiqued it with a wood gel stain, that I rubbed everywhere (with a sock) and then wiped off the excess stain.  I love how it turned out.

Before Photo

I bought this mirror at a garage sale (I can't remember how much I paid).  I love buying mirrors at garage sales, they are my weakness!

Chickens?

For Sale $2.99 per chick

Yesterday I attended a backyard chicken class at a local store.  One reason I was excited to live out in the country is that we can have our own egg laying chickens.  But I realized that they are more work than I thought.  The teacher spoke about worming, dusting, caring for baby chicks (need specific temperature, etc), building coops, various breeds, molting, etc.  What am I getting myself into?  The children are excited for this new adventure but we need to get things ready here before they arrive.

We were told at class about a website, Back Yard Chickens, that is a great resource.  On that site I found how someone transformed part of their play set into a coop.  It looks totally cute.  We have a similar playset that could use a makeover, too!  Here is the link to their play set transformation.

I am seeing some potential here!

Guys Have Fun & Girls Play

Craig is a master with the chainsaw.  Paul is learning from him!

Getting the tree ready for a fall.

The guys had a great time outside yesterday chain sawing done trees.  They took down a tall, dead tree in the front yard and a big bushy one in the back.

We have our work cut out for us here, this is just the beginning.

The pasture in front of the house was mowed down by a nice man in our new ward.  Before it had pasture grass up to my waist, but now I love driving down our driveway.  It looks so good - we even got a little honk of approval from our neighbor!

The girls love each other like sisters!

4 Days & Lovin' the Oven

In this new-to-me home, we started with an all gas range.  Which means it had both a gas cook-top and a gas oven.  This was a totally new experience for me.  Have you ever baked in a gas oven?  There are actually flames (duh, Tiffani) that come up from the two vents on the bottom of the oven on the bake mode and flames at the top for the broiler.  I couldn't get the oven to bake correctly for me.  Things always took longer and wouldn't brown very well on the bottom.  

This is the oven I started with - it was brand new when we moved in.  So after using it two months I sold it on Craigslist and bought something more functional for me.

I bought a duel fuel Kitchen Aid range with double ovens, yippee!  I love it because it has the gas cook-top which I must have and two electric ovens on the bottom!  The top one is smaller but works great for cookies, pizza, and anything in a 9x13 casserole dish (just not tall enough for bread).  

I have used this for a total of 4 days and I love it! Thank you, Paul.

Cousin Haylie's Wall Collage - Adorable!

I saw this on Haylie's blog and love it!  I had to share it with all of you.  She shares her tips in how to make a wall collage without spending a lot of money.  Click here for her post.

Haylie, Where did you get the cute R?

I like how she arranges it like this on her wall before actually hammering the nails.  Smart idea - at this point it is totally easy to rearrange and get everything perfect.

Parade of Home Pics

Last month was the Parade of Homes. I love looking at homes and finding new ideas - I can always walk away from a home with at least one thing I want to incorporate later.

Things I love: big kitchens, arches, beautiful lighting, large kitchen bars/islands, nice finish work, big laundry rooms, crown moulding, storage rooms, closets, nice windows...and the list goes on and on!

Staying Home to Clean

This morning I had four loaves of bread ready to rise at 7:30 am! I baked them and then made another batch. Then I came back from the bus stop and told Paul that I was staying home this morning (I usually head to the gym) to do housework and that I would go to the gym later (to catch my favorite show). Paul's eyes almost popped out of his head - he was shocked and pleased!

So this morning besides baking bread I have done loads and loads of laundry, painted a small table (to hold our scriptures), visited with a landscaper, carpooled to kindergarten, mopped the floor, cleaned the kitchen, and put lots of things away. It doesn't seem like much but I have been busy all morning.

Before this was just an ugly brown - I really like it black. It will sit in our living room and be a great place to put our scriptures.

Finished Product!

I tried a new recipe that I received from Andrea - it was good. Now I just need to compare it to my all time favorite bread and see which one comes out ahead. Sounds like time for a taste test - I'll have to make a batch of each one of these days.

I'm addicted to Drawers

These drawers are so addictive! I can't stop blogging about them, let alone making them. This is my drawer from yesterday. Paul has kindly reminded me that I need to look at the bigger picture of organization and then focus on these smaller projects. Basically he is saying, "hey, the rest of the house needs your attention before this drawer (that is my interpretation, not his words)!"

Okay, I am being brave and showing you the BEFORE mess - at it's worst!

Here is the AFTER - oh, it's night and day - I love this drawer, now!

I went and bought more wood at Lowes - I'm only just beginning. Maybe today I will tidy up other parts of the house to justify this. That will make Paul happy!

One More Drawer Done!

(picture taken with my phone)

If I just do one drawer a day, I will be set! I organized our small junk drawer. I was having to clean this out once a week so it would shut properly. I didn't dare take a before picture!

Who else is excited to organize their drawers?

My First Drawer is Done

Today I stopped at Lowes to buy wood to make drawer dividers. I found 1/4" x 4 " x 2 ft poplar craft board in the lumber section (as pictured above) along with a couple other widths that I purchased.

I decided to start with the easiest drawer in the kitchen, the silverware drawer.

With the use of Paul's little hand saw, it was super easy to cut the boards down to the correct length. I also used a handy dandy glue gun to attach the boards to my drawer. They aren't permanent - I guess they are easy to pop out. So this works for both your home or apartment.

I had no particular plan when it came to this drawer. I just started on the right side and worked my way to the left.

Here is the finished drawer, isn't it a beauty? I ended up having extra room, so I added the plastic ware to this drawer. Now I look forward to tackling the more difficult drawers in my kitchen, then I am moving to my master bathroom drawers, night stand drawers, and armoire drawers.

Custom Drawer Dividers - Make Your Own

I attended another class by Mary Ann and her daughter about "Clutter-free Living". She taught us basic principles and then took us on a tour of her house. This picture is one of my favorites. She made all of her own drawer dividers, according to the needs of that drawer. This is my next project, I can't wait! She uses 1/4" birch drawer sides, which can be found in 4 or 6 ft. lengths by the crown molding. You just cut it to size and hot glue it in - simple as that. It won't hurt the drawer - so you can do this if you own or are renting.

She did this to all her drawers, including dresser drawers! It was a show stopper!

I will show you my before and after pictures, I hope to tackle at least one drawer today!

My Bedroom is Clean

My bedroom is finally clean and tidy! My (or should I say our) bedroom is usually the last place that I take time to keep looking nice. Many times I have had to lock my door when company comes over just to make sure they don't see the mess. Yes, it's embarrassing to say that but I have a whole house to keep clean! Does anyone else struggle with this or am I alone?

Paul and I set the timer for 30 minutes and listened to "Eye of the Tiger" to keep us moving. The timer rang and we still had some loose ends...so we took a break and hit it again. Our bedroom also serves as a mini-office, which brings more clutter. There is a sitting room between the bedroom and bathroom and that's where the family computer lives (it's because I didn't share any of the office with the family - it's all mine, baby!). I don't like it there - but will live with it for now.

This is one huge task that I wanted done before my birthday and we did it! One more thing is checked off my list.

No pics because I don't love my room yet - it needs painted. It has such a weird layout that I can't figure out. I need some advice when you come over to visit.

Before and After Pictures II

Update: It's really hard to catch the real color with a camera, but here you can at least see that there is a big difference in the two colors.

BEFORE

AFTER

I started painting last night after the girls went to bed and I was done today by noon! (And no I didn't stay up late - I'm tired at 9:30pm). The pictures don't capture the real color- because the two colors are drastically different from each other and darker in person. The before color paint was a tan with undertones of red and the new color is a darker brown with golden undertones - much nicer with the couches and a warmer feel. I love it! Plus I paid only $2 for the paint (it was a mis-tint that I bought a while ago) and $3.50 for a new roller.

My house seems like paint but is looking better everytime I paint! It's becoming more me. You need to come see my progress.

More Paint!

Well this afternoon I was in a slump so I tried to take a nap. But after laying there 30 minutes and unsuccessfully falling asleep, I thought I should get up and paint my living room! So I first scoured the garage for any paint. Lo and behold, I found a gallon of a great warm golden color. I could not have picked a better color at the paint store, the color got even warmer when I added some chocolate brown to it. (Sometimes I like to mix paints together to create my own color!)

I have part of the room done and it looks fantastic....I can't wait to show you the before and after shots when I am all finished.

Before and After Pictures

Before shot of kitchen and dining area

After! What do you think? I still need to add a decorative elements to the wall.

Before picture of family room - next to kitchen.

After! I just love this color - it's Saltillo made by Kelly Moore Paints. It sure changed the feel of the rooms. I have used this color in three homes now.

Making it Home

I just finished decorating the entry. I just placed the fall wreath there last night and I think I like the placement.

This is the living room, it's where we gather every morning for our family scripture study. Notice the black bookcase in the corner, it is one that I couldn't sell for $7 at my garage sale so I painted it a glossy black. Now I love it! I think I am going to tackle these walls and some kind of faux texture/ venetian plaster finish (like I did at the last house).

What do you think? Should I have an accent wall that is darker than the others? Hummm, just trying to think through this. Do any of you know of any wonderful blogs with different paint applications for walls?