While we welcome the official spring season later this week, I don't know about you but I am certainly looking forward to making some fun home decorating changes around here. I tend to love lots of white decor in the spring and summer -- well, year 'round, really -- and I also love incorporating a beach theme.
One of the things that remains constant, though, no matter what the season, is my love of utlizing photos of my kids throughout our home. I love picking out fun, light frames to hold various pics of my kids. Recently, I discovered Shutterfly's line of home decor products that I know will help me spruce things up this season and I'm excited to share them with you!
Over the past few years as I've had the privilege of becoming a mother to three kiddos, I've tried to simplify and green-ify my everyday household chores and just how I run our home in general on an everyday basis. With that, has come the opportunity to streamline things around here that has helped me be more eco-friendly and "green" in the process. But let's be frank. I haven't gone overboard. I refuse to. Yes, there IS such a thing as "too green" and just way too "out there" for my liking. I feel like I am doing enough to be "green" without altering my lifestyle to the point that life isn't fun anymore. And, I know of TONS of people - in real life - whose life is passing them by because they're too busy stressing and obesessing about "organic" this and "green" that and stuff that just blows my MIND! That's no way to live! Check out some of the fanatical ridiculousness in Clorox's new The Green Housewives video series. It's pretty darn hilarious!
It's annoying to see my Facebook feed constantly cluttered up with photos and infographics that are overloaded with all the hype of what the next big thing to worry about is. Whether it's food ingredients or environmental issues, there is just entirely too much worrying going on. What's become even more disappointing is that the common message I am seeing is the assumption that if you care a little, it means you don’t care
enough. As if there's no gray area to being green. Blasphemy!
In my household we do more than our fair share of being green and I'm pretty happy with that. I'd rather be spending my time enjoying my kids or a good movie rather than obsessing about saving the world. Recycling at home, using water & vinegar and other Green Works eco-friendly solutions to clean, and even reusing clothes from ALL THREE of my boys, are just a few of the ways we are doing our part to be "green enough". I firmly believe that you don't have to be fanatical to care about doing things to help the environment or improve the quality of life for you and your family. Remember, doing your part is what's key. And, it's enough.
And now for a FUN giveaway! My friends at Green Works want to share the green love with one of you! I'm excited to host this great Green Works gift pack which is packed with lots of green fun like All Purpose Cleaner, Cleaning Wipes and Laundry Detergent. Want to win it? Just enter using the giveaway widget below. And don't forget to follow Green Works on Facebook! Giveaway entries accepted through February 14, 2013. Good luck!
{Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored
campaign with Latina
Mom Bloggers and Green
Works. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. No one is the boss of me!}
Over the past weekend I finally mustered up enough energy and patience to de-Christmas-ize our house. I should mention that the hubs did take care of all the lights and decor outside per my request since my growing pregnant belly is seeming to get in the way of me doing more and more these days. And as much as I hate jumping from one holiday to another so quickly, you should all know by now that Valentine's Day is one of my most FAVORITE holidays ever! So, I'm looking forward to putting up all of my pink and red Valetine's Day decor out just as quickly as I took Christmas down in one afternoon.
I made a wreath for our front door this Halloween season. I actually used a black, glittery, viney wreath that I've had in my Halloween stash for quite some time. Since it's plain black with no embellishments, I knew that I wanted to add just a little something to it that would make it look festive for passers-by.
Enter my LED pumpkin lights that I picked up at Target on sale for around $8 recently. They are battery operated and the single strand was just enough to use for the entire circumference of the wreath. I love that the wreath looks great during the daytime with its cute smiling pumpkin faces greeting you.
But the kids and I especially love the wreath at night!
See?! It's perfectly Halloween-y without being too creepy. My only complaint is that I wish this pack of LED lights had a timer function because I have been known to leave it on overnight on accident. Oops.
This project took me just minutes to pull together and I love the result. So when you are out trick-or-treating, come look for this door - we'll have candy!
I am SO totally one of those old-school peeps who still uses a paper planner/calendar to keep my family's busy schedule on pace and running smoothly. I know, I know, I'm a dinosaur! As much as I love my tech and what a fan of it I am, I just cannot relinquish control of my appointments and schedules over to a non-human device.
As you can see, there is NO spot to store a pen or pencil in this spiral-bound planner. I used to have the perfect mechanical pencil that fit nicely into the spiral coil part without the eraser sticking straight out of it too much. But, my son recently lost it - my favorite mechanical pencil - and I haven't been able to find another one just like it anywhere. So, I recently came up with the idea to make my own pencil loop for the cover and guess what? It turned out great!
First, I visited my dungeon of a basement to pilfer through my craft supplies to see what I could rig up to use. I stumbled across one my ribbon tackle boxes and searched for some nice ribbon that would work easily.
Once I found something that would work {like this nice colorful ribbon}, I cut it into about a 3-inch piece. I knew I wouldn't need too much since it would just be made into a loop anyway. Then, I took my hot glue gun and glued down one side down onto the inside cover of my planner. I looped it back around and glued the other end of the ribbon onto itself on the end that was already glued down.
The end result was a cute and functional loop on the inside cover of my planner which could hold either a mechanical pencil or pen so that I don't have to resort to always digging around in my purse for something! I'm loving it!
So, my question for you is: Do you still use a paper planner or calendar? Why or why not? {And please tell me I am not the only one!}
The past 4 weeks have been a whirlwind! I've been to Florida twice and it's been amazing! Every time I visit someplace with palm trees, I get all sappy and start talking about wanting to move there. I have just always had an affinity for them and the warm weather they are surrounded by.
Last month when I was in Miami, I saw this lovely little miniature palm tree on sale at the aiport and I snagged it for just under ten bucks. Just recently I repotted it and am crossing my fingers that it will grow into the 4 to 5 foot plant it claims to. The plant is from Palms of Paradise and has pretty easy instructions. Watering it twice a week and keeping it out of direct sunlight is definitely something I can handle. I don't really have time for high maintenance plants. See, I knew I was drawn to palms for a reason!
I am finally making a dent in all of the 'to-dos' that have piled up since I've been traveling. I've got loads of photos and notes to sort through so that I can share more about the FABULOUS Disney Social Media Moms conference I attended....I can't wait to tell you all about it! Stay tuned. For now, say a little prayer for my little palm tree plant. I would be beyond stoked if it stuck around for a little while....at least through next winter!
So the day is finally here! It's so nice to see the trees and tulips finally blooming outside! And even though we got away with an insanely mild winter, I am so glad to be done with it! In fact, I'd be fine just springing through to the warm summer temps!
In the meantime, though, there are few housekeeping details that need to be dealt with. Case in point: this was the current state of my guest bedroom just a few days ago:
Yep, you got that right. It's time to break out the bins. Boys' clothes a'plenty in this house. Thankfully I took the time a few seasons ago to purchase enough bins to hold each individual size of clothing so that I know exactly what bin to go to each season. I must say, I can't even IMAGINE having to sort and store clothing by sex and size, so I am abundantly grateful for having ALL boys!! It makes this transition so much easier!
Most of each size can fit into one bin but I have a few sizes grouped together, like sizes 5-7 are in two bins because well, quite frankly, the clothes are BIGGER so they take up more room! I don't separate my kids' clothing by season, just by size. It really does make it so much easier because I can go directly to one bin (or set of bins) and just pull out what I need and then replace it with the opposite season.
So my kids' closets are all set and ready to go for Spring & Summer. And in doing inventory of what they have, I now know that my oldest is pretty much the only one who needs anything new. Although, I do have the tendency to purchase tees and various flip-flops for my kids in the warm weather months.
Because of the mild weather we've had over the winter and now in the past couple of weeks, this is the earliest I ever remember having closets all changed over and completely organized! It does feel good! I am looking forward to some other spring projects in and around the house, too. How is your spring shaping up thus far?
This is absolutely my favorite way to display! A few months ago I picked up this ridiculously inexpensive display easel from Crate & Barrel and instantly fell in love. It's the best 4 bucks you'll ever spend on bringing out the best in your home.
This small (but mighty) tabletop easel is the perfect solution when you're looking to display your favorite plate, artwork, tile, book or other object. And don't let its size fool you! When I discovered it several months ago, this is what I came home and used it for:
The two large pieces in back are wedding gifts the hubs and I received almost 11 years ago. They're from our Pottery Barn wedding registry and - until just a few months ago - they were buried at the bottom of our pots and pans cabinet. Such a travesty, I know.
So imagine how freaking beyond thrilled I was when I discovered that for just a few dollars, I could have them displayed just like I'd always wanted to, only I could never find the perfect way! They've been displayed here atop our lovely fridge ever since. The smaller silver piece in the front is a find from either Target or Kirkland's, I think. Anyway, I thought it went beautifully with the other two pieces so I decided to display that as well.
And that bottle of Grand Marnier - don't mind that. It's still sitting there from when I used it for some tasty martinis during a party I hosted with some friends. The drinks were yummy. The bottle stays. For now, at least.
Fast forward to last week when I made another trip out to Crate & Barrel to purchase the rest of our dinnerware collection. It occurred to me that I should pick up a couple of extra easels "just in case" I might need them. Sure enough, I came home and the easel turned out to be the perfect answer on what to do with my new Valentine's Day canvas that I wanted to display in our entryway.
Ahhhh, prettttyyyy!!
What I love about these easels are that they're inexpensive, simple, and the back is adjustable which makes it easy to display at virtually ANY angle possible. If you are looking for a versatile display easel and haven't found one that works for you, I highly recommend you give this one a try! So many great possibiltities with this little must-have.
I've been shouting from the rooftops on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ about how I am more of a goal-setter than a resolution-maker. Don't get me wrong -- I love hearing others talk about all of the wonderful resolutions they will be making in the coming year. I think it's fantastic, but just not for me. For me, it's more realistic to set goals rather than make resolutions because the word "resolution" scares me. Goals, from my perspective, are things to look forward to attaining. They're attainable but not guaranteed. I like that frame of mind better. I can accept that I have my shortcomings so why set myself up for disappointment by making a resolution?
So, as such, I have decided to really focus in and narrow down a few homekeeping goals I have for myself in the coming year. And, I'm pretty confident that I can a) attain these goals with a reasonable amount of effort and b) do so fairly quickly and early into 2012. We shall see.
Drumroll . . .
1. Organize the under-the-sink area of my kitchen.
I know, I know, such an eyesore. It's been a few years since I've done anything about this highly untidy and unruly area of my kitchen and I think it's about high time to revisit. I've got a plan in mind, I just need to gather all of my tools and get to work. This will probably be one of - if not THE first - goal I will wrap up once the kids get back to school and I get a few free moments at home. And for the record, yes I am embarrased at showing you this photo. But, I'll get over it.
I should share with you that I've actually tackled one of my kitchen conondrums recently. I hated having a huge block of knives taking up valuable real estate on my countertop. Let's face it - I'm a minimalist and too many things on a countertop (or any other flat surface, for that matter) makes me freakin' insane. So I was shopping around for solutions and finally settled on this one:
LOOOOOVVVEEE it! It's a bamboo knife dock that fits perfectly in the smaller drawer just next to my stove and helps keep all of my knives corralled and protected when not in use. And, I just gained my valuable counter space back!
2. Attack my entryway closet (with a vengance)!!
Now THIS is going to prove to be a little trying. This little to-do project has been on my list for months now. It's been a pain in my rear. Partly because I don't really know what I want but also because I'm afraid to attack the project. Right now it's sort of a mish-mosh of stuff in here - coats/jackets, shoes, scarves, board games, a vaccuum, and who knows what else! I do think I've finally got a plan down that will work with what our family needs though. Wish me luck! And again, not so thrilled to be sharing this pic but I think it serves as even more motivation for me to get 'er done.
3. Pretty-ify my upstairs linen closet.
Ah, yes my upstairs catch-all. Well the good news is that everything in there is clean as a whistle and smells fantastic! The bad news? Well, you're looking at it. At one time this closet actually was in showroom condition. But after a while I got to just stuffing the clean and folded sheets and towels into the closet and shutting the door real fast. You know, before anything came tumbling out at me. Again, I already have my plan in place for giving this space an overhaul. I just need a few hours or so to myself (yeah, right!) so that I can completely empty it and figure out what's going and staying. I think January's a perfect month to do this. And, I'll be rewarding myself with some new king size sheets and bedding, thank you very much. January's also a perfect month for that since it happens to be the best time of year to get good deals on new bedding and towels! This brown girl loves a White Sale!
4. Make some sense out of my 2 year-old's closet.
My two oldest sons share a room (by choice) and my youngest, 2 year-old Jacob, has his own room. This photo is of his closet. It's totally driven me nuts for the past two years!! As you can see, it's a pretty decent size for what he needs. The space just isn't maximized and I haven't taken the time to really clean it out. There's actually a few toys and books stored in this space that really should be either in our basement playroom or my other sons' room. Again, this is not a huge organizational project. I could see tackling this in an afternoon. Now, where'd I put my motivation? . . . .
5. Get rid of this friggin' wallpaper!!!!!
This is a partial view into my beautiful dining room. Well, beautiful minus this insane wallpaper! It came with the house when we bought it just over 8 years ago. The original owners had the rest of the house painted beautifully in colors we love. And then, they did this. This ridiculous wallpaper! I can't wait to get it off. I may end up hiring out for this job because I am just not a do-it-yourselfer. Not when it comes to wallpaper removal.
This is what happened when a friend of mine said to try and pull it off to see if it would come off easily. It didn't.
Yeah, not pretty. So even though I've had a good friend offer to come and help me strip it and paint it, I think I just may find someone to do it professionally and call it good. Totally worth it in my opinion!
So, have you set goals or made resolutions for the upcoming new year? Well, whether you have or have not, there is a FABULOUS e-book - One Bite at A Time - that I learned about a few months ago that's written by Tsh Oxenreider of SimpleMom.net. This book is a no-frills approach to getting (and keeping) you on track with accomplishing goals to make life simpler. The e-book is available in pdf, nook, and kindle formats. It will plainly and simply give you a foundation on which to begin your journey to a simpler, more organized life. It's packed with resources that will lead you on your path! Just visit the e-book website to download a sample and get it for yourself!
And now, the best part! Because I'm celebrating 2012 and goal-setting with YOU, I'm so excited to not only let you know that for a limited time you can get $1 off the One Bite at A Time e-book by using promo code "HAPPYNEWYEAR". That makes it just $4!! Such a great value for such a great resource to help you in your homekeeping!
I'm also excited to announce that one of YOU will WIN a FREE copy of this e-book in a special giveaway promotion! Just click below for details on how to enter. One winner will be selected at random from all valid entries received. The entry period runs from now through January 6, 2012.
Happy New Year! I can't wait to hear what you think of the e-book!
{Disclosure: The giveaway is sponsored by Tsh Oxenreider. All thoughts and opinions are my own.}
The kids finally headed back to school today after a nice, enjoyable Thanksgiving break and all we could talk about last night is counting down to Christmas break! I've enjoyed having them home and we've done tons of decorating, eating, football watching, movies, and spending time together.
We have so many Christmas and Advent traditions in our home that the kids are busting at the seams with all that they are anticpating coming up. Our tree has been up for a couple of weeks now and our holiday decor has been up for even longer and I don't foresee anyone tiring of it anytime soon! In fact, the only thing I am not looking forward to is the weather getting colder. But I've treated myself to a couple of pair of new boots recently to help me cope.
Here's just a glimpse of what Christmas looks like around our home.
I absolutely LOVE this candle holder trio I bought several years back. It is so versatile and has served me well! Remember my post about using it in my Halloween decor? Well, I simply took out the orange tissue paper and filled the glasses with holiday mints ($2.49/bag at Target) and I really like the way it turned out! And, yes the kids DO want to eat from it, but thankfully I bought them their own bag to eat out of! They know these are off limits!
This is part of our entryway table decor. I loathe decorating my entryway. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because we NEVER come into our house from our front door....always the garage. Anyway, I've had this table FUH-orever and it floats from upstairs to downstairs, depending on the time of year. I decided I wanted to display the kids' nativity scene downstairs this year and then next to it I just put one of my hurricane glasses, filled it with pinecones and a strand of lights, then set it in the middle of this wreath that has these ice-like little crystals that I just LOVE! By the way, I am getting a new wreath for my front door this year...just waiting on it to be delievered! It's homemade (not by ME, silly!) and LOVELY! I can't wait to share it with you! So, I am loving how this table looks, especially at night....so bright and festive! Plus our stair banister has lit garland throughout too so it's really a "lit-up" entryway at night!
Now, this is one fun countdown tradition the kids can't wait to start! In addition to checking their Christmas Countdown Socks, they love taking turns moving the candy cane in and out of the correct day each morning! This is just hung on the backside of our entryway door and the kids see it right as they come downstairs.
Our mantle. Or mantel. Whatever. I prefer the first spelling. Anyway, it's back! This year I added a strand of white lights and it is a stunner at night! Love having it on in the evenings. Can't wait till we start our fireplace up soon! In case you can't tell, I am a minimalist and prefer a modern feel and look. I didn't buy anything new this year except the one strand of lights ($2.29 at Target). The little faux-filled snowmen on either side of the stockings are from my favorite home store, CB2, and just about everything else is from Target or Michael's - including the stockings and crystal monograms pins on each.
And our trusty elf, Eggbert, is back for more of our shenanigans again this year. This morning he was found on our tree, hamming it up with our BEVO ornament. Gosh, Eggbert sure does know the right team to root for! SO glad Santa sent us a smart, Texas-loving elf!
There is a lot more going on in our home right now but this will suffice for one post. Plus, I've got to stick something in the slow cooker for dinner tonight. :) So, how are your holiday decorations shaping up? I'd love to see your goodies! Feel free to share links in the comments. Happy holidays!
I'm a wife, mommy to 4 boys ages 9, 7, and 3, and 1 month! Mommypalooza is where I share my ramblings about the life of a boymom, family traditions, style + beauty, our life in Kansas City, and our love of sports, Disney, travel + tech, and more! Browse around to find delish recipes, diy stuff, and product reviews + giveaways! Thanks for stopping by!
