the easter bunny hopped in

the easter bunny hopped in and left us buckets full of goodies.  candy and games and lip balm of course.

then we started looking around and realized that there were eggs all over our house.  we had fun hunting and snacking as we went along.  it should be a fun day of kids hopped up sugar.  happy easter!

Happy Easter!

We hope you have an "eggcellent" day!

today a little voice spoke with pure honesty

today these little legs and i walked into a field littered with colored plastic easter eggs.  today was the easter party at school complete with a pizza lunch.  you see all the parents were invited.  today i had to work, an appointment that i could not move.  i hurried as quick as i could so i could get to the party with full realization that i would be late.  but, he wouldn't notice.  it won't be a big deal.  i walked into the school with much on my mind and a cell phone attached to my head. secretly wondering how i was going to get it all done.  i got to class just in time to do the easter egg hunt.  my little man clinging tightly to my hand as we walked down the hall together.  his easter basket swaying back and forth.  we got outside and he was so excited. we held hands and walked through the field looking for eggs and that is when he spoke in a quiet hushed voice. "mommy where were you? all the mommies came and you didn't, you were late."  my heart sank.  i know i cannot be there all the time.  things are going to come up. right? at the same time if felt a lot of love.  he does notice, he does want me to be around and share in his experiences with him.  i should relish in this moment for i know someday this will not be the case.  i love these little guys, all the ups and downs and in betweens and will cherish our little egg walk today for the rest of my life.  i am so blessed.

diy wall chalkboard

so it all started with these beautiful chalkboards from restoration hardware.  however i could not choke down the $745 price tag for the large one which is about the size i wanted for our dining room wall.  so i did what i do and put one together on my own.

my husband is the master mind behind the construction of this baby.  he started with some thin smooth finish ply board.  he then decided he wanted to support the ply board for fear if it waffled back and forth too much during the framing and hanging process it might crack the chalkboard paint.  he simply put wood to frame the back side and we glued it with wood glue you buy in the tube.  we then clamped it and allowed a couple hours drying time.

once that was dry we flipped it over and i started applying my chalkboard paint.  i bought a small foam roller so it would go on smoothly.  i applied three coats of paint following the instructions on the back of the can. (i have to say that i painted this on the dining room table that i swore i would never ever craft on when i bought it.  super risky but didn't want to be moving this baby around too much after finishing it.)

once dry we put a frame around it i picked up at the thrift store. (my husband was so happy he didn't have to build one.  that was originally what i asked him to do.)  it was already antiqued for me so didn't have to do a thing to it.  love it when that happens!  my chalkboard is 4 foot by 5.5 feet.  rather big you certainly could go a lot smaller and the project would probably be a little easier and less labor intensive to put together.

i love the finished product and all in total i spent somewhere around $80-$90 for all of my supplies including the frame.  i love the end product and look forward to changing it up whenever i feel like it.

grandma smith

rest in peace grandma smith.  i certainly wish we lived closer and i could have gotten to know you better.  i have heard tale of what an amazing life you have had. we take comfort now knowing that you are in heaven.  smiling down on each and everyone in your family.

sitting chair makeover

this chair was a thrifty purchase.  i saw it went home, thought about it and went back the next day.  truth be told it really wasn't that bad to begin with, gray velvet just doesn't fit our house.  i was going to paint this beauty white and antique it.  i had some decorator fabric laying around that i absolutely love so i threw it across the chair and decided that it looked awesome with the wood in it's natural beauty.  my first instinct is always to paint wood, but this time i didnt' and the end result is pretty amazing, (especially for my first reupholstering job!)

the piping around the back was probably my biggest challenge and after figuring out i was not going to be able to staple it on without seeing the staples i resorted to my old stand by.  mr. hot glue gun.  he did a great job and it is holding beautifully.  i love this chair!  i sat and read in it last night.  the best part was how little it cost to add such a great piece to my room.  if you are patient things always pop up.  a decorating lesson i have been trying hard to learn and has taken some time to sink in.

spring is here

i have been crafting and redecorating for spring around here.  i covered that letter in moss cloth.  what a mess and what a project.  not the easiest thing to do.

i used an old cheese board for a spring decorating item.  i put some moss in it and some little white ceramic birds.

i added a little moss to our lantern collection as well.

i have a couple other projects under my sleeve that i will be putting on here when done.  what have you been up to lately?

seed sowing

remember those seeds we got last year?  we are busy sowing them in our mini green house gardens.  we are starting our vegetable garden and are super excited.  brady is especially excited about the carrots.  we will keep you posted on our progress.  i was not blessed with my grandmothers green thumb so i am slightly nervous of the end result.  do you think the kids will eat more vegetables if they put some hard work into growing them.  (i am sure hoping so.)