Prepping Big Brother

Going from being an only child to the big brother has to be a big deal for such a little boy! Landry has been my heart and soul for the past two years, and I was having a pretty difficult time coming to terms with our days ending with him being the only one. A few days before I was supposed to go into the hospital, we were going through our daily bedtime routine of prayers and such.

I fell apart.

Like sobbing falling apart.

Apparently, I just needed to get it out of my system because I was fine from that point on. However, I thought it would be fun to have him a little gift waiting for him since he was becoming the big brother and all.

I bought everything {except the shirt} from the Dollar Tree, and it is all stuff I thought he might would have fun with and could keep busy with while visiting the hospital or do while staying away at his Mimi and Paw’s. The labels are from here. There are tons of options on Pinterest though.

In the bags, you will find…

Fruit snacks

Cookies

M&Ms

Big Brother shirt

Coloring book and crayons

Play dough and Play dough cut-outs

Toy car

Sticker scene creations

Looking back, I probably put WAY too much in there, but we put it all to good use in the days we were back home from the hospital and trying to adjust into a life as a family of four. Overall though, I think having something there for him made him feel special and a little less uneasy to seeing his mommy in a hospital bed hooked up to a million wires.

Oh, Say Can You See

Since Independence Day is right around the corner, I wanted to add a few touches around the house to show our patriotism for our country.

This year I kept our decor contained to our fireplace in the dining room and the front porch.

For the mantel, I only used things I already had here at the house- minus the miniature flags that were like $2.50 a pack of four.

My SIL and I made the wreath a few years ago, and surprisingly it has held on. I do believe I’m going to have to get another one though since the leaves are falling off slowly, but surely. For the purpose of this mantel though, it served the purpose. All it is is a boxwood wreath from NDI, some thick white ribbon, and a metal star that I’m sure you can find at nearly any thrift/antique type store right now. It’s simply wired together, and I added a hanger on the back of it with some thread. Use what you have!

For the rest of the mantel, I brought in my lanterns from the porch {that I scored at Dirt Cheap}, some candles, a frame that I painted red a few years ago {with a free printable}, and a galvanized bucket I used at a shower previously.

The banner was made for Landry’s 1st birthday party last year {and will likely by used this year as well}. All you need for it is some gingham fabric, some hem tape, and grosgrain ribbon. I bought a yard of each color. You will have plenty left over, and mine is pretty long. It spanned across the back porch as a banner for the party, so that can give you an idea of the length.

For it, I simply traced a triangle pattern that I made onto the fabric. I cut it with cutting shears, and I didn’t worry about perfection. I then used the iron and a wet cloth to connect the fabric and ribbon with the hem tape.

As for the porch, I simply stuck some more of the miniature flags into my planters I blogged about here.

And of course, we are flying Old Glory just as we do year around.

Thrift Shop Dresser Makeover

I was so disappointed the other day when I rode through town to see the little thrift shop I scored this cute little dresser from had closed! I had such high hopes of checking in with them this summer to maybe find some other little odds and ends and maybe some more furniture.

I’m a sucker for furniture, especially tables and dressers and buffets. I’d probably buy every single one I liked if it was at the right price and was my style.

This dresser started out black and with no knobs. I was fine with that since I knew I wanted to paint it and probably would have changed the knobs anyway. There was no way I was going to pass up a solid wood dresser with dove-tailed drawers for $20.

I painted it with some paint I had left over from painting our cabinets, Benjamin Moore Advance Paint in White Diamond.

I ordered some knobs from knobdeals.com….very cheap, too! $5.94 for six of them! You do pay a good bit for shipping, but you still come out on the good end of the deal. In the end, it was $19.19 shipping and all. You can’t beat that! It can in just a few days though, so that was a plus as well.

I thought the knobs tied in nicely with the lamp I bought later on from T.J. Maxx. If there is something you don’t know about me, it’s that I believe in the power of lamps. The bigger the better in my book! I hate squatty lamps in a room.

So, there’s my new addition to the entry way. It makes me smile every time I pass by it, and that’s what making a home is all about.

Remember to see past the paint and the knobs. See past what it is and see what it could be, especially if it’s a steal!

Class is in Session

I took a class. A decorate your house class. An it’s ok to not have a perfect house class. An embrace the imperfections class.

You get the idea. As you all know, my favorite blogger of any blogger is The Nester. I rave about her book on a regular basis. I read the book over and over. I read every.single.blog post. And then she offered this class that was four weeks long and was interactive. Seeing as how it was a little out of my price range and was not really at a convenient time for me, I opted out. I kicked myself for doing it, but I did what was best for the bank account.

And then I received an email…the one where The Nester announced that she was launching the class in video format where you could do it at your own speed, which was much better for me. AND the price was right!

If you’re looking for a class to help lead you in the right direction to making a home you love, I really encourage you to take this class. If you’re not even sure where to start, sign up. She offers tips on how to quiet your room and make big base decisions that ultimately make a room. Then, she helps you think about meaningful accessories.

If you’ve already got a good handle on those things, maybe this isn’t for you, but if you need a little encouragement and guidance, I can honestly tell you that this class will help you get started and build your confidence.

If you want to take it to, follow this link and say that I referred you. It will save you $10. That makes the course only $29. And when you get done taking the class, GO BUY THE BOOK!

 

P.S. If you sign up for the class now, she is doing a live webinar on Tuesday morning that you will get to participate in as well!

Thank Your Teach!

Teaching is a very demanding job no matter what day of the year you pick. At the beginning of the year, teachers are busy preparing the last minute details that have to be taken care of before students arrive. Of course, they are doing that all between professional development opportunities that have to be taken amidst the chaos. Putting names on everything to give kids a more personalized environment, sorting the millions of papers that have to go home at open house, and adding the final touches to those bulletin boards to make the classroom more inviting. Many times all of those “extras” come out of a teacher’s pocket to show the kids how much they look forward to them being in their classroom and to show parents how much they care about their kid that will be in their hands for the next 180 days.

Move to the middle of the year, and you will find a teacher grading papers, meeting with other grade level teachers to get recommendations on how to improve teaching techniques, having conferences with parents, and monitoring progress constantly to make sure your child will be reaching their year end goals.

And at the end of the year….the work is still not done. That same teacher is trying to keep your students engaged even though summer is so close, and they are ready to be outside playing than in the classroom. He or she is administering those year-end tests to see what a huge leap your child has made since the beginning of the year. She is preparing awards for the upcoming awards day and sorting the piles of paperwork that seem to accumulate at the end of the year. And you know what else? She’s preparing for next year. She’s going over in her mind what worked, didn’t work, and what she can’t wait to try next year.

And those summers off? They don’t truly happen. Go to the school almost any day in the summer, and you will mostly likely find several teachers working on their classrooms, running copies, labeling books, etc. And when they’re at home….they’re still working. Preparing folders, buying resources from Teachers Pay Teachers {from their own pockets}, creating lessons, laminating , and that’s just scratching the surface.

As a teacher, I cannot tell you how much time we spend to prepare to try to teach your kids to the best of our ability. I cannot tell you how much money we spend out of our own pockets to give your child the best learning experience and environment. It’s endless work. Even when we get home, we think about your kids. They become ours, too. We love them like our own and take lots of pride in our jobs.

I say all this to remind you that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week. I’m not writing this to solicit gifts. I just want to remind the world that all it takes is a small thank you note. It sometimes makes the biggest difference in a teacher’s day. Teaching is a very stressful job, and kind words go a long way.

However, if you’re looking for some great gifts to show a small token of your appreciation for those guys and gals out there shaping your kids into successful citizens, here’s some that I found on Pinterest that I’m sure any teacher would enjoy. {Click on the pictures to find the original links}

And if you need anymore ideas, just click on over to Pinterest and search “teacher appreciation gifts”. Tons of ideas come up {in all price ranges}!

Hope all of you teachers have a fantastic week and feel super appreciated!

Thrift Store Treasures

Every now and again I will spot something sitting outside of a thrift shop or see it in the window. If I didn’t have my partner in crime with me 95% of the time, I would stop by more often than not. Without being able to keep him contained in a shopping cart though, I just opt to not fight that battle with him.

Probably a month ago I spotted some side tables that were in need of some TLC outside a thrift store in town. I loved them immediately because I knew I could revive them. I talked about calling them, finally tried calling them with no answer, and eventually just gave up. I didn’t see them for a while outside until the week after spring break. I was on my way home and saw them again. After soliciting for their number on dear old Facebook, I gave them a call.

I asked how much he wanted for them. The reply? $25. I was thinking $25 each, but NO! He wanted $25 for both. I asked if he could hold them until I got across town, and he told me that if I came and got them right now he would take $20.

$10 a table, folks! I’m on my way!

I get there to buy them {and make my own donations}, and I spotted another beauty. A wooden dresser with no knobs! It came with a mirror for $30 total. I didn’t want the mirror, so we bargained. I walked out with two side tables and a dress for $40.

I felt like I won the lottery! All everything needed was a little love, some paint, and knobs.

Jackpot!

Two trips to load it all up, and this is what I scored!

When I bought the tables, I had some inspiration before I took the plunge.

Over the weekend, I decided to tackle the side tables to clear out some room in the garage.

This is what I started with…

This is four spray paint cans later {for both tables}…

And a side by side…

Now they are on my front porch waiting to be accessorized!

One Person’s Trash

Is another person’s treasure!

In a dumpster diving adventure, Colby and I found a pretty great table. We brought it home with us even though I had no idea what I was going to do with it. It has sat in the garage for several months, and I finally had the time to think about how I could use it within our home.

It was a decent table. It had some stickers stuck on it, so I sanded them off and gave the rest of the table a good sanding over, so the finish would be roughed up and easier to paint. It probably took about ten minutes to do all of that.

Then came the fun part! I chose to paint the top of the table with chalkboard paint. The top of the table is not wood and has lots of indentions in it. I figured this would make a great homework table one day. I can just see the kids {yes, we will have more one day} doing math homework and using the table to write on and solve problems.

At this point it was looking more like a science lab table than anything.

Just a tip….I did several coats of the chalkboard paint on the top just to make sure it would be usable one day. While I haven’t done it yet, you are supposed to turn a chalk stick sideways and go over the entire surface to break it in so to speak.

For the bottom half, I just used some left over white paint that is a paint and primer combo. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough!

I’m thinking of adding some stools like these {below} from Overstock to put beneath it since the table is too tall for regular chairs.

I brought it on inside and made it a nice addition to our {my} office space. Obviously, I am always cramped for time and can never accessorize properly. Sorry folks! If I waited on things like that, there would never be any blog posts. You’ll always see the work in progress version.

The man of the house {so he thinks} was a bit cranky and demanding it seems.

And just for those who might think my house is always clean….

Here’s the proof it is not! This is the dropping ground!

There you go, folks! Trash to treasure! I can’t wait to share with you what else I’ve found lately!