A Byrd's Eye View

2011-10-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

The Byrds are Nesting in Beverly

As most of you know my family recently moved to Beverly, MA (suburb of Boston) to help with a church plant here (Netcast Church).

It is amazing to me how God has brought us full circle. Our pastor and his wife were part of our church plant in Quincy, MA ten years ago and now we are here serving under his leadership. God is doing a wonderful thing here and we feel humbled and privileged to be a part of it.

Now, a little about how we ended up in our apartment.
When we came to visit in July we looked at an apartment of some church members and agreed to downsize to 665 sq. feet since this place was in our price range. A few weeks before our move date the apartment beside our pastor came available and was double the size for the same price. We agreed to go with option B. Two days before we pulled out we found out the apartment needed to be rented for more money by a group of college girls, so now we are on to option C.
That is where we are today.
Some people from Netcast spent an entire Saturday stripping wall paper, priming walls, cleaning and clearing out a haphazard basement.
Still there was a lot of cosmetic work to do when we arrived but we were very thankful for all the help.

So...
Here are the before and afters of our apartment. It is 3 bedrooms and is about 900 sq. feet. We are still learning to all live in limited space but are thankful all utilities are included and we were able to make it feel like home.

Here is our front porch before...

and after.
I also have Adirondack chairs to the left and a wrought iron table and chairs to the right but our porch is under construction so I don't have pics of those.
Here is the hallway looking toward the front door. My after pics are from different angles but you get the idea.
Here is our interior door. There is a doorway to the right that leads up to our upstairs neighbors (7 college age guys...sometimes this can be very interesting). To the left we added pegs to hang our coats when we come in.
Here is the entry from the front door.
This is where I hang my purse and keys. The chicken wire basket for our outgoing mail, etc. reminds me of the Oviedo chickens : )
The bottom of my hutch makes a great landing place for seasonal decor and to display my address sign.
Here is the hallway looking toward the front door.

I changed out the two outdated sconces for these fun $5 ones. It looks like a jar on top.
I just love these.

This room is directly to the left when you walk in the front door.
We made it into our office/guest room.
I love the lead detailing on this front window.
We added a desk from IKEA to our bookcase.
The futon and chair make a great place for Dan to have meetings and doubles as a guest room when we have visitors (hint, hint!)

The next room on the left is our family room.
Here are the before pics...
Here it is after...

The family room leads into our kitchens...yep, that is plural. We have one room with some cabinets and our sink and then another room with our table, refrigerator and stove. I am still trying to get used to this...but we are making it work.

and after...

doorway to the kitchen area...love my wrought iron gates here. They actually can close.
Here is one side of "the sink" room
I painted the walls and cabinets.
Here are the cabinets on the opposite wall.
This IKEA shelf on casters holds all our dinnerware, silverware, and my mixer, etc.
The black drawers were damaged in the move...i have plans to decoupage them (will post pics when I am done)
my crock-pot is normally not out but is cooking us a yummy dinner right now.
this is the wall with the sink.
And the wall opposite the sink.
Now we are in the room with the stove and fridge. Here is our table with one of my favorite decor pieces hanging above. Perfect space for it.
This is the stove and cabinet where I keep pot and pans and spices (the only cabinet in this room). I painted in here and a carpenter at our church was nice enough to change out fake brick veneer that was behind the stove with beadboard. So much better!
Here is the cupboard. It was covered in flowered contact paper. Nothing some cream paint with primer won't fix.
here is the wall by the cupboard before...
This is after. There is a door on the right that leads to the basement. I painted the top with chalkboard paint and the bottom is a piece of flashing recovered from the stove reno, perfct magnetic space for notes and reminders. It fit perfect...I just love it when that happens.
Here is a little area by the back door before...
and after...
We took down the brown door and it totally opens up that space.
Great to store cleaning supplies in the closet and Hershey's stuff. I also added a stick on calendar and some clips to hold our lunch boxes for school.I found small shades at a local shop for $1 each and modified them to replace the outdated glass shades that were on all the ceiling fans.
My birdcage and over-sized bird on top of my fridge make me smile when I am in my kitchen.
bathroom before...
and after...
This is another view. Khaki paint did wonders in here.
This is the girl's room before...
(notice the dark paneling)
and after...
I found a five gallon container of oops cream paint with primer for $20 bucks. It made such a HUGE difference in this room!
I still have plans to paint the loft beds, accessorize and hang curtains but it is a start.
Here is their closet...we got creative for shoe storage.

Here is the hallway to our bedrooms and bathroom...this looks similar now but replaced sconce and painted walls.
Here is a the built in linen closet before. I didn't do anything to this so it looks the same just filled with our stuff ; )
Our bedroom before...
and after.

So that's about it. I hope you enjoyed the tour and am looking forward to you visiting in person.

2011-10-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

CALLED

As I sit here in our office typing I have a great view of downtown Beverly, MA.
I am listening to cars pass by and neighbors bantering back and forth without the use of "r"s.
I can see the corner of the building we worship in each Sunday (the downtown YMCA) and I feel the briskness of the air in our home as we usher in Fall.
I also see a statue of Mary directly across the street which is beside the convent where a group of nuns live that teach in the neighboring Catholic school.
I am watching one of the 7 college boys that live in the other side of our house climb on his motorcycle.
The bells of three old churches just rang out simultaneously as they announced that it is 5 o'clock.

I laugh to myself at how absurd this whole scene would have seemed to me even six months ago and yet tear up thinking that we are exactly where we are supposed to be.
I am so humbled to be a part of all that God is doing here and in me.
He is transforming me in His grace
and
pushing me to trust Him more than I ever thought I could.
Sometimes I find myself asking,

"Why me?"

The task is OVERWHELMING.
After all,
I have SO far to go.
I am SO messed up.
I am A LOT of work.

And yet He gently calls me to watch Him work and move and fix.

Thank you, Lord for calling and purpose.
Help me to have the faith and endurance to listen and learn.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

2010-12-01T05:26:00.000-08:00

Here are the recipes I have tried for homemade laundry detergent. One is liquid and the other is powder. The liquid cost about one cent per load and the powder about three cents per load. Although, they both seem to work fine I prefer the powder. The liquid has a strange consistency (like egg noodle soup) that I just don't like and is more work (you have to melt the soap on the stove). But it is cheaper so you can decide for yourself.

Liquid Laundry Detergent

What Ingredients Do You Need?

You will need 3 basic ingredients; a soap of some sort, washing soda and borax.

The Soap: The most typical type of soap to use is Fels Naptha. It is an old-fashioned type of soap usually found in the laundry aisle.

Washing Soda: This is not to be confused with baking soda. They are not the same thing. Washing soda is sodium carbonate or soda ash (baking soda is sodium bicarbonate). It is a white powder. Its purpose is to help remove dirt and orders. The brand to look for is Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. I find it in the laundry section of my grocery store.

Borax: Borax is a naturally occurring mineral: Sodium Borate. It is a white powder. It’s purpose is as a laundry whitener and deodorizer. The brand to look for is 20 Mule Team. It comes in a 76 oz. box. You should be able to locate this in the laundry detergent aisle.

The Recipe

Now that you have assembled all the needed ingredients here is the recipe:

Homemade Laundry Soap

1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above

½ cup washing soda

½ cup borax powder

~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.

~The finished soap will not be a solid gel. It will be more of a watery gel that has been accurately described as an "egg noodle soup" look.

~The soap is a low sudsing soap. So if you don’t see suds, that is ok. Suds are not what does the cleaning, it is the ingredients in the soap.

Optional: If you want your soap to have some sort of scent you can scent this with ½ to 1 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice.

Powdered Laundry Detergent

1 bar (4-6 oz.) castile soap, grated (I found this on the health and beauty aisle in Publix)

2 c. Borax

2 c. washing soda

1 c. baking soda

essential oils (optional)

Combine first four ingredients. Add several drops of essential oils, if desired (tree oil has an anti-fungal/anti-anti-bacterial properties). Store in covered jar or bucket. Use 1/4-1/2 c. per load. This is a low sudsing detergent.

If you have a water softener you only have to use 1/2 of the recommended amount of detergent. I use about 2 Tbsp. per load.

Have fun and happy washing!

Water for a Steal

2010-01-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

I just had to take a minute and share with you the deal I just got at Walgreens on bottled water.

24 pack Aquafina bottled water-$5.99 (I bought 4)
$2.00 off each pack from Walgreens' weekly ad
$1.00 off each from mfg coupon attached to product
Total=$11.96

Walgreens was also running a special to get $10 in register rewards (money to be spent later at Walgreens) for every $20 spent on Pepsi products

$11.96-$10=$1.96 for 96 bottles of water

WOW!
that is 2 cents a bottle

I just love a great deal!

A New Look for Christmas

2009-11-24T06:22:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe it is that time again. Time to hang lights and decorate my house for Christmas. I admit I got a little head start and started before Thanksgiving, but I figured since it never is actually cold here that I could decorate early : )

Most of my decorations are the same as last year but I thought I would show you the few new things I have done this year.

Last year after Christmas I was able to get decorations from a few Starbucks. I did not know this before but some retail stores just chuck their decorations after Christmas and anyone can request to pick them up instead. When I saw the theme at Starbucks was birds...I knew I had to ask. By the time I asked, most of it had already been promised to someone else but I did get a few things and they fit so perfectly in our home.

Here is a pedestal with a sparkly ball of yarn on top with a Starbuck's bird.

Another bird tops my little potted tree on my counter top in my kitchen.

This is one of the birds up-close. I have 12 of them in two different sizes that are hanging on my handmade ornament tree in my family room. They have Starbuck's coffee labels on them. I think they are really fun and unique.

I also got this display with ball ornaments on it. It is magnetic so it would stick to their display boards. I found the perfect place for it on the ledge of the niche in my family room. There is even a steel reinforcement there in the wall so it sticks.

I cut the balls off of another display to use as a centerpiece on my kitchen table. I love the different textures of the balls. Several shades and sizes of balls wrapped in green yarn and matte and shiny red and silver balls make it interesting to look at and matches my color scheme.

I added some red berry garland to the light fixture over my table.

I picked up a bigger tree and tree skirt last year on clearance because I knew I would need more room for my handmade ornaments this year. Here it is all decked out and waiting for all the cool ornaments from this year's party...woo, hoo...I can't wait.

This is the matchbox calendar I posted last year. But this year I painted my clipboard that sits on my counter top with magnetic paint and my boxes have found a new home. I love it here. It is one of my favorite decorations and now I can see it every time I walk in my kitchen. A cute mistletoe ball that I made hangs in the doorway between my dining room and kitchen.

My bird display box thingys found a new home on the center of my coffee table.

The nativity scene and bell wreath take center stage when you first walk in my house.

Last, but definitely not least. My favorite new addition for the holidays. A neighbor gave me a beat up mantle a few months ago. After alot of elbow grease and black paint it is the absolute perfect addition to my living room. I picked up fireplace tools and a iron grate on Craig's List for $10 and a friend gave me some firewood. After shalacing (sp?...you know what I mean) the wood, I put it all in place. And it cost me a grand total of $10. I could hardly wait to hang our stockings. I just want to sit in this room all day now.

This mantle will be fun to decorate all year long...but no doubt the stockings are my favorite!

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy decorating your own homes. Thanks for taking the time to visit mine.
Would love for you to drop by for coffee sometime and see it for yourself.
Until then...

The First Day of School

2009-10-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

On August 10, 2009...

Our journey began!

Here is a picture of my girls the morning of our first day of school.
Pretty normal first day of school pic except no backpacks :)

After a family vote and the principal's approval, we decided to name our school

BYRD'S NEST ACADEMY

We had a great day as we began to figure out how to do this new adventure.

One thing that we did was make journals.

Here are some pictures:

I still feel like I am feeling my way through but am excited to see where this year takes us.
I will keep you informed as we go.

Ready, Set, Homeschool!

2009-10-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

Last May we took the plunge and decided that this school year we would be
homeschooling our girl's:

Grace-5th and Olivia-3rd

At first there was a lot of kicking and screaming
(I was the one kicking...really? me?, and my girl's were screaming...with excitement)

But...
I knew in my heart that it was what I supposed to do.

After attending numerous used curriculum sales, changing my mind at least a hundred times as to what curriculum to use, stressing about my ability (or lack there of) to teach my girls, asking a million questions of other moms that school at home (only to unearth a zillion more questions), I finally started to embrace the idea and actually get excited.

In between traveling and the busyness of summer my crafty side came shinning out and I started to get our home-school classroom ready...AKA our kitchen table.

First, I knew that any respectable classroom had to have a blackboard. I had picked this chalkboard up at a Junior League yard sale for $1 a few years back. It is the real deal...the kind that was on a rolling stand and could be flipped to use both sides (it still has the holes in the sides where it rotated). It was pretty rough looking but I knew it had potential.

I painted it with magnetic paint and then with a fresh coat of blackboard paint. Then I painted the trim to match my kitchen and distressed it with glaze.

I even found a wooden chalk tray at the teacher supply store that I painted to match and super glued to the bottom. And yes, I decoupaged the top of the eraser with some super cute coordinating scrapbook paper.

I love it!
I really wanted things to be convenient to use to school but DID NOT want my house to look like a school room. So I also use the board for all kinds of fun messages when we have groups over or just to write fun notes.

Another thing I knew I would need is storage (for the loads and loads of stuff I just couldn't pass up for a few bucks at the used sales).

I decided to use my old laundry closet...I had moved my washer and dryer to the garage a few months before. I was looking forward to having an overflow pantry...but space is at a premium for storage so sacrifices had to be made :)

This closet is just off the kitchen so it works great to have things close but hidden.

Some pantry stuff squeezed it's way onto the top shelf but other than that it is slam full of our supplies.

Here it is closed...ahhh, no clutter.

I found this great tool turn about thingy at Michael's and knew I just had to have it. It holds all the markers, crayons, pencils, stapler, etc.
We can easily pull it out from the closet to the table and then back in the closet it goes at night.
It even has little drawers for paperclips, erasers, little post it tabs, etc.
Okay, so maybe this purchase was for me...the organization nut...but it works great!

(sorry, some of these pics are a little blurry...my camera is all whacked out...I desperately need a new one...hint, hint to my hubby!)

I had found these wooden organizers at a yard sale this summer for $4 for the set. After a quick coat of black paint they found their new home under my window sill in my kitchen. So convenient for us to store the girl's text books, printer and notebook paper and other stuff we use all the time. I couldn't believe they were such a perfect fit for this space (I love it when that happens!) My printer sits right on top, out of sight and handy.

On the underside of my bar area I hung some Pottery Barn clips to display the girl's artwork or an occasional chart or graph. It is right at eye level when sitting at the table and adds some fun to this area.

My desk area works out great just where it was. I just had to clear off the junk and clean out my file drawers for teacher manuals, etc.

I found two metal tubs at Goodwill for $1 each and knew they would work out great. They were painted lime green with tropical flowers on them...not blending in to our home-school space. So I painted them the same cream color as my kitchen cabinets and then taped off a rectangle area and painted it with more chalkboard paint. They are the perfect spot for binders and books.

A seasoned home-school mom gave me an idea that has made planning so much simpler for us. I found these recipe boxes at Micheal's in their dollar section (this dollar thing is becoming a theme), they even were super cute colors and have birds on them. I dressed up the front with the girl's monograms on tags attached with a brad. Then I numbered ruled 4 X 6 index cards from 1 to 180 (the total number of school days). Each night I simply pull out the next card and list what the next day's assignments are (or I can work a few days ahead). If our schedule changes unexpectedly, I simply pull out a new note card re-number it and write what we accomplished that day. The girls know each day they are responsible to do what is on their card. They can do it in whatever order they want as long as they get it done. It has given them a lot of responsibility and me a lot of freedom. At the end of each day they get a sticker for a completed card and I place it in the back of the front portion of the box. This allows for so much flexibility, keeps us on track as to how many days we have completed and keeps me from burning through erasers changing things in my lesson plan book.

One of the most essential things that I bought to decorate our home-school space was a sign I picked up when visiting my mom in NC this summer:

If I could only consistently enforce this, I would be rich.

Well, that about wraps my home-school prep up for you. I hope you have enjoyed the tour of our classroom that doesn't look like a classroom. It definitely feels like home though...and just happens to be where we school.

I will be posting a few pics from our first day soon.
Thanks for taking this new journey with us!

Front Yard Makeover

2009-04-07T09:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I totally do not have a green thumb...it is more like black. I kill every plant I touch. But it was time for action in my front yard and I did not have the dough to pay a landscaper...so I had to try my luck.

Here is a picture of the front of our house about a year ago.
Needless to say that it was even more overgrown a few weeks ago when I started this project.

First, I traded some sewing for some pruning help from a friend (Sylvia AKA Wonder Woman).
She was not afraid to jump into the mess of bushes and chop away. After trimming things down we decided it was best to take out the back row of tree like bushes (I am so technical, I know) that were up against the house. Then the palm tree got pruned too. Now you (and my labradoodle, Hershey, can see in and out my front window. There is alot more barking at passerbyers but I have truly enjoyed the new source of light and sitting in my chair and reading a book.

Here is the yard after the pruning. Then we headed to Home Depot where I got to pick out flowers that I thought were pretty and Sylvia would tell me the likelihood that I would kill it. Needless to say we went with some hardy plants.

Now, I know it is looking pretty bare...but stay with me...this was a huge accomplishment.
I had picked up this topiary form at a local craft show about 9 months ago. I had it in a pot by my front door. I decided to give it a new home in my mini flower garden. I planted a confederate jasmine beside it and twisted it around the bottom sphere. Hopefully it will climb it and fill it in beautifully (tune into a later post for the results). In front of the topiary form I planted some tall purple flowers and two batches of daisies.

Also on our Home Depot trip we found this great pot clearanced (I just love that word) for $12. We picked a pretty red flowering plant for the center and english ivy for the sides. I also put another small potted flower in the front of the pot. Then I put down 10...yes 10 bags of mulch...it is deceiving how little those big bags cover. But after it was all said and done it looks so nice and feels so welcoming. I can hardly wait for it all to fill in.
Hopefully, I won't kill it before it does.

Sorry these pics are blurry...it was rainy the day I took them.

My Girls

2008-12-23T06:50:00.000-08:00

My friend Ashley took some pictures of my girls yesterday.
They turned out beautiful so I thought I would share.
(Thanks Ashley!)

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

2008-12-22T13:18:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our home...all dressed up for the Holidays!

This is our front doors. I was so excited to finally hang these berry wreaths that I got last year clearanced after Christmas...that is the only sad thing about clearance :(

I picked up this topiary form at Great Day In The Country (a local craft fair held here in Oviedo each November). A friend gave me this planter. I think they make a great pair at my entry. I am thinking that I about doing a faux finish on the planter to make it look like aged copper. But I am at a loss as to what to do with the form. I love the architectural lines but think it needs something else. I was hoping to do something that I could accent with the changing seasons (lights at Christmas, harvesty stuff in the fall, etc.)
Maybe some kind of moss in the balls or wrapped around some of the spokes?
What do you think?

Here is a close up of the berry wreath and ribbon hanger.

I just changed out my other flowers in this wall pocket with some poinsettas. Easy fix and super cute.

I kept my eye on these at Kohl's all season until they finally clearanced. I was so pleased to find the two large ones for $2.49 each and the small one for 49 cents. Then I had a 20% off coupon, too. What a deal. The trio retailed for $90. I put harvest stuff (pumpkins and whatnot) in them for Halloween and used some left over ornaments to fill them for Christmas. I just love that they have little birds on the top. They will definitely stay out all year long.

This is the front room of my house. I moved the furniture around to accommodate the tree but I like it so well that I think I am going to keep it this way.

My tree is leopard themed. It has been fun to find decorations and ornaments for it.

This is my funky very non-traditional tree topper.

I got these several years ago after Christmas. I bought several shapes and sizes but they are all this brown color.

A friend of mine in Huntington painted some clear ornaments with leopard spots for me. She did some on the clear glass...

and painted others cream with spots.

I love them both.

These next few ornaments are where my leopard tree idea began. I found them clearanced at Hobby Lobby and just knew that I just had to do this for my tree.

This year I added feathers to the tree. The texture is great and I like that it adds something unexpected.

I stuck in a few of these longer feathers that have a leopard type print on them, too.
I use them in a floral arrangement the rest of the year, but had to pull them out for my tree.

Of course I had to have a leopard tree skirt, too.

Here is my make-shift mantle. I used a black bookshelf that is here all year and added a garage sale pottery barn ledge shelf to the top. I still miss my real fireplace and mantle that was in my old house but this one will do to hang our stockings.

I used stocking holders that are meant to hold pictures and printed out the letters of our last name on pretty antique looking scrapbook paper. I may change it out next year for pictures, but thought this was cute for this year.

Here is a close-up of our stockings. I made these a few years ago. I got the idea from a high end design magazine. They make me smile every year when I pull them out.

Of course I had to make a smaller one for Hershey.

We started a new tradition last year in the Byrd house. I made these little days of December boxes with match boxes covered in scrapbook paper and embellishments. Instead of doing stocking stuffers on Christmas morning, each day I put a clue in the box that leads my girls to a small prize somewhere in our house. This year we did a little nicer treats every other day and we had a candy bin they could pick from the other days. It is so much fun to see my girls get so excited all month long. It spreads out the fun and treats!

These are close-ups of the boxes. I glued magnet strips on the backs and use the side of my refrigerator to hold them.

Opps, Day 24 was upside down for the picture.

I used a kitchen matches box for Christmas Day.
I usually put a special a special note and treat in this box.

This clipboard sits on the counter when you enter my kitchen. I change out the card or message on it from time to time. I found this card and thought it appropriate.

Plus, it makes me laugh every time I read it!

These plates hang in my kitchen.

These windows hang in-between my eat in kitchen and family room. I found these decals last year at Target after Christmas. They worked perfect for the windows. I love the colors and that they have birds on them. They are hard to see in the picture but are so cute in person.

This is the tree I blogged about before. It is a new addition this year for my handmade ornaments. I am hoping to find a larger one for next year so I will have room for more handmade ornaments. It is in my family room.

This is a wall in my family room.
I changed out some of my accessories on the ledge shelves for some cute Christmas ones.

A friend made this sign for me. I love it so much...I wish I could keep it all year!

Here is the same urn with sticks that I blogged about awhile ago. It worked great in my family room for the Holidays.

A little potted table-top lighted tree finishes things off for my decorations.

Hope you enjoyed the Christmas tour.

May you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

New Table and Gates

2008-12-15T06:19:00.000-08:00

So, I have been wanting to show you my new dining room table for awhile now but it took much longer than I thought to sell my old one.

For the past few months I have had two 60" round dining room tables in my dining room. Luckily, my old table found a new home just in time for me to put my tree up...because there was no room in the Byrd Inn before.

Both the table and the gates were Craig's list finds...actually from the same seller.

Here is the new table in its proper place. I think it is a perfect fit for this space and our home.

This is the top. It is wide planked pine and is stained a brown-black. I love that it looks rustic and well used. The only thing I did to the top was add several layered of polyurethane to protect the look.

Here is the base. It is wrought iron and extremely heavy. It was white when I got it so I used some left over house paint and some antiquing glaze to customize it for this room.

These are the gates I got from the same seller. For $35 for the pair, I knew I had to find a place for these in my house. It is hard to see them in the pictures but they are so pretty in person. They are also wrought iron. You can tell that they are quite old too. They are hung on hinges so they actually close.

Here they are closed.

Thanks for letting me share our home with you!

Handmade Fun

2008-12-15T05:25:00.000-08:00

I had the privilege this year of being invited to my friend Ashley's handmade ornament party. It was a blast and we all came away with such cute ornaments.

The idea is that we each make one ornament for everyone (and of course one for ourselves). So at the end of the night we all had 7 distinct ornaments.

Since my living room tree is leopard themed (I will post on my Christmas decorations later today), I decided to use a small entryway sized tree in my family room for my handmade treasures.

Here they are all hanging on my tree:

But I thought you guys would enjoy seeing them up-close, too.

So here they are:This one is a wooden stocking cutout decoupaged with zebra print tissue paper with a fun black fur trim. You can't tell from this pic but is is topped off with a red and white merry Christmas ribbon as it's hanger.

This one was so cool. It is a Styrofoam ball covered with multiple layers of green paisley patterned fabric and decoupage. It is topped with a silky pink bow and a sweet faith embellishment. Ann made these all different to go with our home decor. What a unique idea.

This one is a glass ornament with iridescent strips of plastic inside and adorable hand painted candy pieces adorn the outside. It is topped with lacy red ribbon. I love how this one came packaged. It came in a matching bag with little pieces of matching candy inside with the ornament.

This was Ashley's ornament. It is an over sized tag with red ticking paper. It is embellished with an extra cute and glittering "joy" square. I got to pick mine out...so off course I picked the one with branches and requested a bird be added, gotta love it! It is hard to see in the picture but the top of the tag has a beautiful jewel where the tag meets the ribbon hanger.

How stinkin' cute is this one. A lime green background with green eye lash trim frame out a red matt and a multi-shaded poinsetta. I must admit that the kid in the pic is not mine...opps, haven't gotten to the store to get a picture printed.

This is one of my favorites. It is a small decorative wooden decal painted black and then ditressed around the edges. Sylvia drilled a small hole in the top and threaded a super cute ribbon hanger through.

This one is a bonus ornament. Ashley was gonna do these for her ornament but changed her mind. I asked if I could have the sample (never hurts to ask). Yeah! I love it!

Okay, so last but no least is my ornament that I brought to the party. I got the idea for the stockings from a high end design magazine. I had made big ones for my family (check out my pics of my house in a later post) a few years ago. I just modified the size and fabrics for my ornament. I embroidered everyone's last initial on their stocking, too. They were fun to make...and give.

Thanks for having such a great party Ashley...I can hardly wait until next year!

The Girls/Guest Bathroom Makeover

2008-11-24T13:29:00.000-08:00

I apologize that I have not blogged in awhile but I have been pretty busy working on the bathroom remodel.

I thought you would enjoy seeing some pictures of the process and the end result.

This is the only before pictures I could find. They were taken when we toured the house before we bought it. It is very pretty...but not so much when all the accessories were gone and I was left with a bright yellow room. Plus the over-sized vanity left the room feeling really cramped. I knew this room was on my wish list to remodel.

Here is another view. You will see in a few pictures that we removed the towel bar. It was in an awkward place and made this nook feel half the size it is.

Here we go!
A friend from church helped me tremendously through this process.

We pulled the vanity out first.

Swooh...so glad to find that there was tile under there. Notice the light strip. This was probably my least favorite thing in the bathroom. It will be going away, too.

Here is another view. Taking out the vanity added 8 square feet to the bathroom.

We took a chance and took down the towel rack. After patching the holes with new drywall and using texture spray the new wall looks good as new.

Here is the new bathroom.
I bought the mirror at an estate sale for $5. It was really a steal when I saw it was from Bombay Company. It was dark brown but with a coat of white paint it became the focal point in this bathroom. I hung it at the girl's level. An inexpensive IKEA stool helps give them a boost when brushing thier teeth. There is a mirrored medicine cabinet to the right of the sink area so our guest can catch a glimpse of themselves at their height level.

The pedestal sink was a craig's list find. I got it for $30.
It cleaned up great and was the perfect fit.

I couldn't get the shower curtain in the previous picture. But here is what it looks like. I love this curtain. I picked the paint color from it. The color is called Blueberry Buckle. The contrast between the paint color and the white bead board paneling is beautiful.

These hooks were my one splurge in the makeover. I found them at Anthropologie and had to have them. The letters are my girl's initials. Hopefully it will encourage them to hang their towels up after they take a bath.

(How sad is it that I had to buy new towels. My mix-matched ones did not do this bathroom justice. Good excuse, right? I found them on sale, of course. They have a ribbed pattern and are oh, so cute hanginging on the vintage hooks.)

Another craig's list buy. I got this brand new brushed nickel light fixture for $25. I was so glad to get rid of the other one.

I found this wall hanging organization sysytem at IKEA. I used it in my craft room, too. It is the perfect place to hang containers for brushes, toothbrushes and other toiletries. It is also the perfect place to hang a hand towel since wall space is at a premium. It is so versitale and can be changed up as the girls grow and thier needs change. I plan to replace the black cup with a clear one. They were out of the clear the day I was at the store.

I already had this facet. I just love the way it looks on this pedestal sink.

This is the toilet cubby now. Notice the towel bar is totally gone. It is so much more roomy now. I still need to accessorize this area some.

Here are some framed vintage ads which I hung just above the white wall cabinet. They match the wall color and shower curtain perfectly...plus they make me smile whenever I read them.

I got this cabinet from a friend who was selling it. For $7, I could not have asked for a better piece. It even has bead board backing and sides. The vintage glass knobs add such cute charm, too. I can't wait to hunt out some cute accessories for this little cabinet.

I am thinking about putting a few glass shelves here in this plant shelf. I'll be sure to blog about them when I do.

So, there you have it.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of our makeover.

Trick Or Treat

2008-11-03T12:06:00.000-08:00

Trick Or Treat

Here are my girls Grace (lft.) and Olivia (rt.) as we are heading out the door to go trick or treating in our neighborhood.

Grace was Dorothy and Olivia was a princess.

I love living in a family-friendly community.

At the last minute we decided Hershey needed a costume, too.
A pink feather boa transformed her into a fashion model.

from left to right: front: Grace, Laney, Olivia and Jensen
back: Chris and Thomas (they are twins)

These are the girl's best friends from the neighborhood.

We had a blast...and ate way too much candy!

Coupon Clipping Contraption

2008-10-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

I have gleaned another great idea from a fellow coupon queen and thought I would pass it along to you.

I don't know about you, but for me finding the right coupon in the middle of the grocery store was quite a frustration! I mean, I know I am "wonder woman" (insert laughter here) and all, but juggling screaming kids and trying to find just the right product...and then make sure that the size matches...and then shuffling through an overstuffed accordion style coupon holder is a little much.

So, here is a great solution to help us keep our sanity and save a buck or two...or $100 (wishful thinking)...

This notebook is a zippered 3 ring binder made by "Case It". They have a large variety of these at Staples but I found this one at Target.

Here you can see that it is pretty thick. This one has two sets of 1 1/2 inch rings inside. Some have one large set of 3" rings.

Inside are two pockets. I use these to hold my store ads for the week.
Again, the features vary in these binders, but you can find one that best fits your needs.

Next is a zippered pocket. I keep my "extra bucks" and other register rewards receipts in here.
If you can't find one with a zipper pouch, a zippered pencil pouch with three holes will do the same thing.

Next there is a divider that holds receipts I need to keep handy for rebates and some pen holders.

This is the other side of that divider. I love the way it Velcros down to the front cover.
In the top pocket I keep my monthly rebate /coupon book from Walgreen's and then in the Velcro pocket...

I have a small pair of scissors and my calculator. These are so handy to have in close reach when I am in the store.

For the second ringed part I bought three packs of baseball card holders (at Staples for about $2.75 per pack). These are the perfect size for store savings cards and gift cards...

And of course coupons!

If the coupons are two long or wide I just simply fold them over a little, but for the majority of coupons the slots are the perfect size. If I do fold them, I try and leave the product and expiration date showing through the front.

I simply put like items together
(i.e.-frozen foods, toiletries, make-up/cosmetics, baking stuff, etc.)
But you could also put them in the order that you walk your store isles
(i.e.-produce (b/c it is at the front of the store), then juices, canned goods, etc.)
Whatever works for you!

When I run out of space in the front I use the back of the same slot with another coupon.

This binder also has another divider thingy in the back that Velcros to the back cover. On its front it holds a small legal pad. This is perfect for my grocery list or to help me have a place to jot down deals...it also has more pen holders and a ID pocket for my info...in case I lose the book.

The other side of the divider has more pockets. I couldn't resist this great zebra print pocketed folder. I use it to hold my meal plan for the month.

This book has been great for me. Now I have all I need at my fingertips when I am at the store. It even sets perfectly on the front of the shopping cart.

I hope that this helps you with your clipping!

All In A Days Work

2008-10-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

I have a new hobby...making money while I shop!

I have officially become a fan of coupons. A friend of mine introduced me to the whole concept. Yes, I knew coupons could save me money and I have tried on several occasions to clip and save. But it wasn't long before I threw up my hands in frustration (and coupons went flying all over the store) and I ventured back to Wal-Mart and the ole faithful generics that I have come to know too well.

But this time is different!
In the past few weeks I have learned some tips and tricks and have begun the crazy task with a new attitude and outlook.

I know this is probably so cheesy to share this with you all...and you may all sigh and say...well, duh, but I have to think that there may be someone out there like me that this might be new and exciting for...so humor me.

The first thing I did in my adventure was meet with my friend Janet and she began to share with me how she does this whole coupon thingy. I fervently took notes and tried to keep up but came out stinkin' overwhelmed and confused.

Determined not to give up before I even started I decided to do as she said.

First I went to several of our local grocery stores and stood in front of those little coupon dispensers and gathered all the coupons I could. Yes, I did get some looks as I stood there waiting for the sensor to shoot out another coupon...but the results were worth it. I came out with a handful of coupon from each store. On the way out I made sure to grab their specials ad for the week.

Then I got a Sunday paper. Of course I knew this was a coupon mine...but usually didn't take the effort to go and buy one. I waited until Monday morning and got it half off. Two of our local drug stores (Walgreens and CVS) have their weekly ads in the paper, too. Plus the ever so loved JoAnns and Michaels. Gotta love it!

So I came home and clipped.

Then I compared the ads.

Then I shopped.

My first endeavor was to Publix. I was pretty proud to walk out 30 minutes later with a shopping cart full of groceries. I spent $53.59 and saved $68.36. My coupon base was pretty small and I had to have several things that were not on sale and I was couponless for. So this total included $10 worth of peanut butter, a bag of apples, a bunch of bananas and two gallons of milk all that were not on sale. My total also included 6 clorox toilet bowl cleaners ($2.64 total after coupons), 6 Arrid XX dry deodorants ($8.97 from BOGO) and 3 bags of dog treats I got absolutley free (with coupons of course).

I also got:
2 bags of Doritoes
2 bottles of coffee international delight coffee creamer
4 cans Progresso soup
2 bottles of Lawry's marinade
1 dozen eggs
2 jars Classico spaghetti sauce
2 boxes of Special K cereal
Lenders bagels
2 8 oz. sargento shredded cheese
2 boxes Rice a Roni

I don't know about you...but lately I can walk out of the grocery store with one bag in tow and have spent this much.

Yesterday, I ventured out again. With more coupons (from the paper...that I subscribed to and now have it delivered for half price, WOO, HOO!) and sales ads in hand I went to CVS first and got 2 packages of candy corn and glow sticks for my kids to use Halloween night for free. I used "extra bucks" from the week before plus I got the full price back in "extra bucks" and can spend them on whatever I want next time I shop there.

Then I went to Walgreens.
I was so proud.
I shopped and came out with quite a few items and money in my pocket.

I spent $22.97 and got:

$13 back from "register rewards"-money I can spend free here on my next visit...which is handy since we usually buy our milk here
$7.99 back in on online rebate
$7 back on mail in rebates for trying 2 new products

Even after my stamps for my mail-in rebates I netted $4.20.

Here is what I walked away with for free:

Theraflu Warming Liquid 8oz.
Malox Total Relief 12 oz.
(2) 13.5 oz. bottles of Pert Plus Shampoo plus conditioner
Benefiber kiwi strwaberry sticks (16 count)
Extra Strength Exederin gelcaps (80 count)
Loreal Facial Cleansers

We will use all these products and I got a head start on stocking my medicine closet for the "sick" season.

My final stop of the day was to Winn-Dixie. (By the way, All of these store are within a mile of my house...much better than driving 20 minutes to our closest Wal-Mart Neighborhood grocery). If you live closer to Wal-Mart, something to consider is using the ads there. I am not sure if they all do this but our supercenter in Huntington WV would honor the prices listed on identical products from all competitors ads.

Anyway, back to Win-Dixie. Several of their cuts of meat were BOGO. I decided to be adventurous and branch out of my ground beef and flash frozen chicken breast rutt. I selected the following:

5 lbs. boneless porkribs
30 oz. adobo seasoned bonelss pork loin
30 oz. southwestern style seasoned boneless pork loin
11 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts
9 1/2 lb. bottom round beef roast

Then I had the butcher there:
grind half of the beef roast into ground beef (very lean)
the other half he divided into beef stew meat and beef steaks

He also divided half of my chicken breast and cut half into strips and cubed the other half.

All for FREE!

Here is a picture of all the meat I bought. The ground beef is already cooked in the picture (in meatballs, taco meat and two more lbs. of cooked ground beef that I will make lasagna and taco rice with tomorrow before I freeze it).

I ended up saving more than I spent on the meat. I bought about 32lbs. of meat for right at $2 a pound. And I have a variety of meat to freeze for meals for at least two months.

I have also started advanced menu planning. This way I can partially prepare meals and freeze them for later use. This is another great thing I have learned lately. I will have to blog about this in a future post.

Thanks for visiting my blog and
HAPPY SHOPPING!

The Girls Rooms

2008-10-15T14:31:00.001-07:00

This summer my girls (Grace-9 and Olivia-7) decided that they wanted me to redo their bedrooms as their birthday presents from us. So after a lot of searching for great deals and re-thinking what we had...we are pretty much done. I wanted to share pics of the results.

I recycled some wooden signs I had and made them name plates for their doors. I painted the sides black, decoupaged paper to the front and on chipboard letters and finished it of with some ribbon scraps. Very inexpensive way to individualize their spaces.

Okay, I have to brag on the deal on got on the girls beds. Their rooms are small but I wanted a place for friends and other company to stay. I found two This End Up trundle beds with the trundle mattresses for $125 total (that even included delivery) off of Craig's List. I painted their beds and they worked out perfect. Now the girls can easily pull out their trundles and sleep in the same room on the weekends (sister sleepovers:)

Because we need to be able to pull out the trundle, a traditional nightstand would have been in the way. I found shelves at Joann's and painted them to match their rooms. It is the perfect size for their alarm clocks and a cup of water.

This is a paper mache letter from Joann's. I simply painted the sides black and decoupaged paper on the front. It gives a lot of bang for just a few bucks.

This is hard to see, but this is a picture of the paper close up on the O. It totally describes Olivia. How fun!

I found this empty carved wood frame at a yard sale for $3. I tried to get it for $2 but buckled under pressure and paid $3, lol. I picked some great papers in black, pinks and white and created a patchwork inside. I plan to put pictures in it but haven't yet. The finished product will have to be in a future blog...but you get the idea.

This is another angle.

I found this dresser and night stand at a yard sale for $40. I unscrewed the legs off the night stand and stacked them to save floor space. I love the way it looks together.

I found this lamp at a local thrift store for $1, It was a little faded so I added some polka dots with a pencil eraser dipped in black craft paint. It makes a sassy night light.

We have orangle peel texture on our walls. This made it impossible to get a true staight line when we divided the wall with paint. I had planned to add chair molding but ran out of cash. I decided to hot glue ginham ribbon around the room instead.

I used more ginham ribbon and a tag to dress up this frame.
This is her bookshelf (that I still need to put backing board on) and a cool box from IKEA that I painted black to keep all of her little clutter (I mean treasures) out of sight. The box also serves as a great place to show off her trophies and ribbons.

I used a plate rack and some dollar store silver frames to showcase some pictures (that I still need to have developed, ooppps). I used some scrapbooking frames to make them kinda funky and fun.

This is one of my favorite furniture pieces. A friend of mine in Boston gave me this before we moved from there. It is recycled from MIT.
I still have to work on the window treatments. I have all the stuff but need to find the time. I will add this to a future blog.

Here is Grace's sign.

This is the view of her room from her door.

This is the letter I did for Grace.

Again this paper totally fits Grace's personality.

For Grace's picture board I used four smaller artist canvas and put a large button with ribbon scraps in the center to imitate tufting. I will be putting pictures and embelishments on this board soon.

Another view of her bed.

I found this desk at a thrift store for $30 (was $60 but was 50% off). It was totally ugly wood but I knew it had potential. I used the same cream paint on her bed, dresser and desk and then used antiquing glaze on all three pieces. I painted the hardware, too.

Here it is open. I bought little silver containers for 50 cents each. They are a great way to keep all her stuff organized and out of sight.

This is a close up of the stripe I did on her walls. I used ribbon on the on the top and bottom to frame it out.

This is her nightstand shelf.

Here is Grace's dresser. It is recycled from a friend...gotta love free! It started out green. I painted it to match the other pieces and used left over wall paint to paint the knobs and feet. For the fronts of the drawers I decoupaged more scrapbooking paper. It was a little tedious but I love the results! It truly gave this dresser an unexpected face-lift.
The dresser top sports her cute night light and her trophies and ribbons.
As you can see to the right I still have to work on window treatments in here, too.

Another picture of the dresser.

Some close-ups of the paper on the drawers.

Well, thanks for letting me share more of our home with you.

I am so enjoying reading your comments...keep them coming!

We're All Ears

2008-10-08T18:49:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow my girls are out of school and we are heading to Disney.

Planning our day made me remember some fun times we have had with Mickey over the past year.

So I thought I would share some of my favorite moments.

We bought the girls Disney passes for Christmas. We decided to surprise them and didn't tell them where we were going until they saw the archway into the park. I had my camera ready...their reaction says it all!

Posin' with Chip and Dale

Here we were on a Safari tour at Animal Kingdom. It was so cool to see animals so close up.
Lions and tigers and bears, Oh My!

These were the glasses we wore into the "It's a Bug's Life" 3-D show.

This was after we rode one of our all time favorite rides...a roller coaster in Dino-Land.

This lights show was so cool! Would hate to see their electric bill!

Disney was truly larger than life at Hollywood Studios.

Grace and Olivia snuggle in daddy's jacket while we wait on the fireworks.

It was well worth the wait.

Grace and Olivia got to dance with the High School Musical 2 show.

We had to get our picture taken with Mickey.

Heading home after a long but very fun day at the parks.

Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover!

2008-09-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

Finally, we are inside my house!

I wanted to share with you one of my very favorite projects. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of the process but the end result is pretty neat and simple to do. So, I will walk you through the steps I took to make it in case you want to create one of these handy dandy cabinets for your home.

It all started with a dresser I found on the side of the road.

I had wanted an amoire to hide the TV in my master but didn't want to pay the crazy prices that the stores were asking for one.

So I decided to create my own.

(this was the cabinet in my old house)

Here's how I did it:

1) I took three of the five drawers out of the dresser (keeping the best two for the bottom)

2) I measured the new opening on the front of the dresser. Then I went to Home Depot and had a piece of MDF cut to the size of the opening and then cut again down the middle lengthwise.

I also bought some square trim for the doors and to make the faux bookshelf.

3)I bought hinges for the doors and magnetic closure thingies.

4) I nailed the trim in place and placed more trim for the bookshelf.

5) I painted the dresser and the doors with left over house paint and rubbed with antiquing glaze.

6) Now is when I went on the hunt for books at Goodwill and thrift shops and even off my own bookshelf.
Some books I simply liked the colors or designs on the spines. Others I liked the titles or had to do with things that interest me. I even used an Old Baptist Hymnal.

7) Now is when I had to enlist the help of a friend with a table saw. We simply cut the spines off of the books.

8) Then I gathered some accessories to help it look more like I would decorate a real bookshelf.

I painted an old picture frame in black and put a black and white family photo taken in England in it. I had found some books about London to lean against it.
I cut Styrofoam fruit in half and painted it to look like it is resting on the books.
I placed the books in different ways, some leaning and some flat to try and make it look more realistic.

9) Finally, I glued it all onto the doors.

10) I screwed the hinges onto the doors and attached it to the dresser. I added the magnetic closure thingies and it was done.

(the cabinet in my new house)

When we moved, the colors in my master changed so I decided to add shelves (more MDF) and baskets and use this cabinet in my entry. Each of my girls has a drawer for their shoes and they each have a basket for all of their stuff they need to grab on the go. There is also a family basket for the dog leash, umbrellas, sunscreen, etc.

It has turned out to be a great catch-all and the best part is I can close it all up and not see the clutter.

Top Ten Things

2008-09-24T05:48:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Things Every New Central Floridian Should Know

10. Buy a great pair of flip-flops...you will be wearing them all year.

9. All major roads have at least two names and a number and change back and forth randomly.

8. Invest in a tide schedule and shovel before you park on the beach at Daytona.
(Sad but true...this is my car)

7. There is nothing to love about love bugs. YUCK!

6. A brisk day is when it is 87 degrees with a windchill factor of 84.

5. It doesn't matter if you are local, your family will still look like tourists at Disney.

4. All roads have the number 4 in them just to throw you off...436, 434, 419, 417, 426, I-4, the 408, etc.

3. Fall starts in late December and ends in early January...when summer begins again.

2. It is always rush hour on the 408 and I-4.
(or at least always when I am on them)

1. Three foot squawking birds roaming around your neighborhood is normal.

(The Sand Hill Cranes that live in our community)

Sticks and Stuff

2008-09-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

So this is a simple post, but I thought it was fun anyway.

I apologize in advance for my lack of "before" pictures. I am stinkin' impatient and usually forget to take pictures before I dive into a project. I will try to do better, but for now you will have to close your eyes and imagine the hideousness of the "befores".

I wanted to share with you another Christmas clearance find from last year. I get just plain giddy when everything starts going 75% then 90% off. I just happened to be in Micheal's at just such a time last year when I spotted this beauty. It was normally $99. Way too much, but again that is why we have clearance. It was marked down 75% off making it now, $24.75. Still kinda high, but here comes the kicker...it was the last one and happened to be the display model. Lovin' it! It also conveniently had a broken twig (all the more natural looking, I say) so they marked it down $15 more dollars, bringing my lovely grand total to $9.75 plus tax.

Now, it did take some small modifications. A simple can of 97 cent matte black spray paint (I always keep this on hand) to cover the gold urn and some peat moss left from another project to cover where I pulled the pine sprigs out of the Styrofoam core and WA-LA (you love that spelling, don't ya?) I have a decoration for my front porch that looks great all year round.

And I just love it lit up. It is fun to plug it when we are expecting guests, so let me know when you are coming and I will plug her in for ya!

Warts (I mean wreaths) and All

2008-09-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have to say, I am feeling pretty vulnerable showing you a mess up first thing. But hey, believe me, there will be more to come...so you might as well see one now.

These are the front doors on our house. When we first moved in I tried everything to try and get things to hang on these hollow metal doors. Here is where the mistake came in...

Yep, that is peeled off paint. I tried these handy dandy suction cup hooks (they look so cool on the infomercials)...after spray painting the fronts black to match the doors, of course. Well, evidently one of my first Florida lessons was that humidity and great suction aren't friends. Not ten minutes after admiring my success...boom, my wreaths are on the ground and the hooks took paint with them. UGGG! And somehow my craft paint was not quite the same shade.

So, I shared my delima with a friend and she shared a great tip. So I thought I'd share it with you.
There is a wood support at the top of the door. By screwing a simple screw into the center of the inside top part of the door it gives you a great place to hang a ribbon.

Here is what is looks like from the front.

And here is what it looks like from the back. It is hardly noticeable and it keeps everything clean looking on the front. I used wide ribbon with wire in it so it fits flush with the door and doesn't hinder the doors opening and closing like the over the door wreath hangers from the store did. When I want change things out, it is easy.

Here is a picture of one of the finished wreaths up close. It started out as a clearnce Christmas wreath from TJ Maxx (gotta love clearance from there) and then I took it to a friend of mine who does floral design and she added some funky feathers. I just loved the artichokes and olive-like berries in it and after pricing what it would have cost for me to buy all the elements and make it myself, I was fired up to find it already done at a great price. The ribbon is a brown wired ribbon that has a crinked look but lies (or lays...whichever, you get the point) nice and flat. I had to be a little strategic to cover my oops spot but I think they turned out great.

Here they are on my front doors. I love them so much I keep them up all year round except Christmas. How ironic.

I hope this helps someone out there before they mess up their front doors. My loss, your gain!

Welcome Home!

2008-09-17T14:43:00.000-07:00

Well, at least I hope you feel at home here.

This is the Byrd house.

We have lived here for one year.
It has been quite an adventure adjusting to Florida but now there is no other place I would rather be.

Not because of our town or even our neighborhood...but because of our home.

After alot of wading through garage sales, thrift stores and junk shops, I began to cast out the doubt that it was impossible for us to furnish a house twice the size of our former one.

Through repurposing, waiting for sales and thinking outside of the box our home has come together in a way that makes me love to walk through it's doors and say "Welcome Home".

So, I would love to walk you through and show the process. Not because it's great or fancy or even chic...but so you too, can feel like you can grab a cup of coffee and stay awhile.

Hopefully we will get to know each other along the way. I would love to hear your comments and ideas.