Dreaming of Spring…

Our yard. Oh. Our yard. The sight of it makes me cringe right now.

It’s not that it’s that awful, but I never like our yard during the winter. Winter just makes yards look blah.

Technically, our yard has probably looked better than it has since we moved in since we’ve gotten all of the overgrown mess out of the way. Now it is nearly a blank slate.

Did I mention that my husband and our neighbor took care of some trees in our yard and that my husband has had the flu and that the remains of the trees are still laying there?

Ugh. It’s all I can say. Spring…if you’re out there…will you please hurry up and make an appearance? This ole girl is tired of winter.

I dream of beautiful green grass and blooming flowers….

and a cute place to dine outside…

and lovely planters….

and a cozy porch….

 

The good news is that my awesome BIL is working on a plan for our yard to give it a total southern makeover! Y’all, it will be the answer to my prayers! I trust him 100%, and I know my heart will sing when I see his plan. I’ll probably be doing back flips in the yard when it begins to resemble it {if I could do a back flip….maybe I should settle for a cartwheel}.

Spring, I’m begging you with every ounce of my being to speed things up, so the grass can return to its lushness, and I can be excited to go outside again.

Fixer-Upper

Oh yes….you know the show. Every Tuesday night I’m camped out in front of the television waiting for Chip’s latest shenanigan and Joanna’s latest design that says “Brenna’s style” all over it!

Farmhouse = Check

White distressed paint = Check

Light airy colors = Double check

O.M.G. I think we could be best friends. For life. I would work in her shop for merchandise to decorate with. How great would that be?

Anyhow…I was thinking last night how I have my favorites of her designs….and then there are a few {and I mean like 1 or 2} that just don’t suit me. But why bring those up?

Let’s move on to my favorites from all of the episodes. Prepare yourselves. You’re about to see lots of kitchens and living rooms.

First of all….the next few pictures are from my most favorite episode because it’s the most like our house in the layout . I could see how I could easily implement a few of the changes they made and make a major impact on our house. If you’re wanting to watch the episode, it was season 1 episode 9.

The kitchen is almost our same floor plan. It would be easy to make ours resemble this with some paint, new countertops, and maybe a few other small changes.

They made this adorable table for the kids in this episode as well. If you’ve seen my instagram posts, you know I had my handy dandy daddy make one quite similar to it. He even made the toolbox for crayon storage as well!

 

We also have a fireplace in our dining room that needs a makeover. The mantel is great, but the brick around it is U-G-L-Y. Like yellow brick. {insert puke face} This would be a great way to update it and give it that amazing fresh and clean look that I love so much.

Now….for the rest of my favorites without all the commentary. I think if you hover over the picture it will tell you what season and what episode the pictures are from {Example: 1-9 is Season 1 Episode 9}. Of course, you can find these same pictures on the Fixer Upper Blog.

My favorite kitchens….I think you’ll find the trend rather quickly.

 

 

 

The living rooms…

And my favorite little laundry room!

So how many of you are standing by waiting on Tuesday nights and record every episode on your DVR? I know I’m not the only one. Were any of these your favorites? And if you haven’t discovered this show yet….and I don’t know how you haven’t….tune in Tuesday nights at 8 on HGTV. You won’t regret it!

I can’t wait to see what the rest of the new season holds!

Get Your Reading Glasses Ready

I like to read a blog called “Life in Grace.” The other day she was spreading the word about a new book that her good blog friend wrote. Surprisingly to all {even the author}, the book came out before the presale had even ended. Like three weeks early!

From the moment I read the title, I thought it would be a book I would love.

Then, I listened to the podcast between Edie {from Life in Grace} and Sophie {from boomama.net}. If you like to chitty-chat about everything Southern, this podcast is a must to listen to! I listened to all 20 minutes of it and could have listened to more.

Anyway, I ordered the book, and it is set to arrive on Friday. In the mean time, I’m planning on reading the first chapter they offer for free online.

The real good news is that right now Amazon has put her first book up to download for FREE all week long! So, of course I did that, too! I just wanted to spread the word in case you’re looking for a good book to read. I haven’t read either, but her personality alone is enough to base a good assumption on the book. Plus, who doesn’t like a free book?

Seriously, just click on the links below to read some great things about her book and her! You won’t regret it!

A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet: Southern Stories of Faith, Family, and Fifteen Pounds of Bacon {the free book….read the info and reviews}

Home Is Where My People Are: The Roads That Lead Us to Where We Belong
{the book you should buy}

Edie’s review on the book {from Life in Grace} and the podcast

A Knock-Off Bulletin Board

For the longest time, I have drooled over Darby’s pretty awesome bulletin board that she made at Fly Through Our Window. Unfortunately, at this point in time, I can’t justify spending $$$ on a bulletin board of all things when I have bigger priorities around here that need some cash thrown its way.

While I have the perfect wall for it, it’s just not in the stars for me right now. If you see some school tossing one to the dumpster or something, give me a call ASAP. I’ll be glad to crawl in their dumpster to save a little moolah.

Lucky for me though, I had two cheap bulletin boards already from Wal-Mart. I even had the fabric I wanted to cover it in. It was left over from a curtain project from our old house and has been patiently waiting on a new project so it could find its purpose. All I had to buy were a couple of boxes of silver tacks.

All I had to do was cut my fabric to size, lay it flat on the board, take a little time and patience to push in all of those tacks around the edges as straight as I possibly could, and then hot glue the extra fabric to the back of the board {tightly wrapped, of course}.

It was a project under $5 since I already had most of the materials. Easy as pie!

And a close up…

Now we have an awesome place to post reminders, goal lists, and random coupons that we {meaning I} just can’t seem to part with in case I need a good deal.

Big Boy Room Progress

Knowing how long things seem to usually take, Landry’s big boy room/ guest room seems to be moving along quickly….until I go in there and look around. I’ve already made huge progress though!

So far, I have gotten the bedding ordered and on the bed! That was a huge step! I’m having the shams from the duvet set taken in and made to fit standard size pillows.

Thanks to my cousin from Atlanta, Meg, I now have the fabric for the curtains to be made! They are going to be floor to ceiling curtains that flank three windows. I’ve already talked to my handy seamstress from the school and brought the fabric to her today.

I also placed the order for the artwork that will go over the bed. The headboard is a major purchase that will take some saving. Not too happy about that, but that’s the life of a teacher’s paycheck.

While those are some major things off my list, the list is still quite long.

1. Purchase the headboard from Overstock.
2. Get curtain rods and rings to hang curtains from.
3. Have curtains made.
4. Buy Euro pillows and have covers made for them.
5. Paint the room Pale Oak
6. Find some lamps.
7. Paint the speakers.
8. Accessorize
9. New light fixture
10. CLEAN OUT THE ROOM!

And I’m sure I’m leaving something off!

Let’s Have a Chat

First, let me say that I love to take photos and document moments on video, particularly of Landry. I have crashed many a computer because of putting too many photos on there. Luckily, I have them all backed up. Unfortunately though, I am the world’s worst at actually printing photos out or keeping albums of photos.

One day I want Landry to be able to look back to see himself growing up and hopefully not blame me for all of his problems. Just kidding….kind of. But seriously, I want him to not have to look through a flash drive that has {hopefully} lasted X number of years for any photos of himself.

That’s where my new obsession comes in. I now have a subscription to Chatbooks. It’s $6 a book, and they each have 60 photos in them. Every 60 photos, you will get a notification that you have filled up a book. You can go in there to edit out the ones you don’t want.

I have mine set-up through Instagram photos since that’s where I post all of our little “moments”. What I love about it is that it puts the exact date of the photo {or when you posted it}, the location, and the caption to remember what in the world was going on when you snapped the picture.

You get to name the collection of books. Our is “Life as a Langham,” and it posts the date range on the outside of it as well.

I like it compared to some other subscriptions because it is on a 60 photo basis. Some subscriptions print every month whether you have enough photos to publish or not. Who cannot afford $6 for an album with all of that effortless info included and shipped free? You can even go back to pictures printed previously, or you can get them to send you a book a month until you do get caught up!

They really are working for the customer and serving their needs! I have had great experience with them. While I wish I could say that they sponsored this post, this is totally my own doing. For all of you mothers out there, it’s worth the time to check into it.

I cannot tell you how many people have sat down on our couch and noticed the books and started flipping through them. While most of the pictures are of Landry, I include any memories during that time period. It really is fun to look back and see how much things have changed in such a short period of time. I know that in five or ten years I’m really going to be missing this age.

That Time I Cheated On My House

Yes…I did it.

I cheated on my house. I did it right in front of its face, too.

The house across the street from us went up for sale. From the moment I saw the For Sale sign, I wondered what it was like inside.

It’s a huge house. The price was right. So many options. So much space. I dreamed about it. I talked myself out of it. I pretended I wasn’t even slightly interested in it. And then….I would bring it up to Colby all over again.

I knew I just had to go in it. See it for myself. Quit dreaming about it and see if it was the right move for us.

The problem? I liked the house. I didn’t love it. I LIKED the exterior of it, but I LOVED our home’s southern style and charm. I wasn’t much a fan of all the beige across the street.I couldn’t see myself in it. I wasn’t even sure I could drive down our street, past our house now, and know I had made the right decision.

I was a cheater, cheater pumpkin eater. There. I said it.

I finally gave in after pouring through the realtor’s photos on the realty app I may or may not look at once a day and called our next door neighbor and realtor, Ms. Sandy English.

We met her one afternoon and took a tour.

Y’all….if you’re looking for a house for a large family, this is the house for you. It’s huge! Plenty of space for everyone…plus a little extra.

You know what I felt when I walked through it though? Relief. I didn’t LOVE the house in comparison to ours. Sure, it was bigger. It had tons of potential. But? It wasn’t ours. I didn’t see myself living in it.

The craftsmanship in the house is amazing! Colby loved the size of the yard. If you’re in the Brewton area and would like to have us as neighbors, we encourage you to go look at it. Call Sandy, of course, though!

 

Afterwards, I walked back across the street and asked our house to forgive me. I love LOOKING at other houses, but it will take an amazing house to make me move again.

Side note: I’ve had this post typed forever, but wouldn’t get my lazy behind up to take a picture of the house across the street. Now, I have.

A Discovery

For the longest time, I have seen all of these bloggers make these amazing mood boards for inspiration for rooms they were creating. Thanks to Pinterest, I have finally found how to do it online for free!!!

It’s called Olioboard, and it’s SO EASY!

This is what I made for Landry’s big boy room! So far, I have the bookcases, baskets, and bedding. I’m still working on the lamps, paint color, and artwork. Isn’t this neat, though? It makes it easy to see how a room can go together….or not.

I’m dying to go to T.J. Maxx and Homegoods to see what kind of lamps I can get. Hopefully, I can find some the same color scheme as these. I’d buy these, but I’d rather find some cheaper ones. I’m not really in the market for lamps that are $130 each. I’m on a tighter budget than that.

Anyway….what do you think? Maybe y’all can use this new tip when creating your rooms.

When Life Gives You Limes…

Make yourself a key lime cake!

At our school, we have two “special snack days.” If you’re on a diet, it is in your best interest to avoid this area of the school at all costs on these days. The teachers at our school pull out their best recipes {with probably the most calories} and bring them in for all to enjoy.

One of my favorite {of MANY} is a key lime cake made by one of our 1st grade teachers. On a whim, I decided I wanted to make it this week, and so I asked for the recipe.

Y’all, it was so easy!

Here’s what you need to make the cake…

• 1 box of Lemon Supreme cake mix
• 1 box of lime gelatin
• 1 cup of vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup of orange juice
• 4 eggs

For the glaze…

• Confectioners sugar
• Lemon flavor
• Milk

The instructions for the cake are as easy as this…

• Mix it all up!
• Follow the baking instructions on the box to find what to set your oven to and for how long to bake it. I made two round layers out of this recipe.
• Once the cake is finished baking, mix up the ingredients for the glaze together. I put each cake layer on a plate to cool. Then, I poured the glaze over the top. Then, I transferred the first layer onto my cake plate for the next step that I added.

I then decided to follow Trisha Yearwood’s recipe and make a cream cheese icing with some lime flavoring to “pretty” it up. Don’t put it on too quick after the glaze is put on! You’ll be fighting a losing battle.

For the icing, which is totally optional, you will need to follow these directions…

• 1 stick of  butter, room temperature
• 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 (1-lb) box confectioners’ sugar
• Lime juice for flavoring

Cream the butter and cream cheese. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar until the mixture is smooth and easy to spread. Spread the icing between the layers and on the top and sides of the cake.

If you did it all right, you should be eating one of the most moist cakes you will ever eat! I’ve may or may have not eaten a slice every night. My pants are begging me to stop, but it’s SO GOOD!

Transformation in Progress

When Colby and I first moved into the house, I decided I was going to paint our dining room furniture. It was an ugly wood laminate that just looked bland. For the sake of saving money, I decided I would paint it. It was my first piece of {large} furniture that I tackled in the painting department. Little did I know that it would leave me wanting to paint more and more!

This is the before and after…

After living with it for a while, I decided I was not a fan of the china cabinet. You just couldn’t see my milk glass, and that’s what I was trying to accent.

When I had first began the project, I had the intention of painting the back of it after seeing Katie’s from Bower Power. Her blog is what actually inspired the whole furniture transformation in the first place. So, I finally decided to paint the back of it.

After finishing it, I liked it, but didn’t love it. It was still missing something, but what?

Then, I saw Nester’s black wall with white random paint marks and Centsational Girl’s spots.

So, what’s a girl to do? I went to the store and bought the supplies for both projects until I decided which I wanted to do.

I went with Nester’s quick and easy approach. I figured if I didn’t like it I could always repaint and start over and do the other. Luckily, I liked it, so there wasn’t any need to redo.

All it took was a paint brush and some white acrylic paint and about 25 minutes.

Prepare yourselves because it is perfectly imperfect.

But what really matters? I like it. If there is anything I’ve learned from the Nester, it’s to make your house work for you, take a chance, and if you don’t like it, you can typically change it pretty easily. If you haven’t read her book and want to make changes in your home this year, start your year off right and read “The Nesting Place.”

According to her, “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.”