My Updated Laundry Room

Well, after some thought and alot of discussion, we'll be installing the same carpet that's in the living room/dining room throughout the rest of the house. The installation will be done on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Footprints or not, it's just too expensive to start over. I've decided I can live with footprints more than I can live with carpet that doesn't seam well. I'm also thinking about it in a more positive way. I'm thankful that we're able to walk and get around without any difficulty. At least we are able to leave footprints in our carpet. Also, my blogging friend Wendy mentioned that having footprints in your house means you're sharing your home and life with others. I like that! And truthfully, I'm also very thankful that in this economy that I'm able to get new carpet period. It's a luxury and I'm very aware of that fact.

The painting is done for now too. We've got more to do but need to give ourselves a little break...and save up some more money! Painters are expensive! We've always done our painting ourselves but we just don't have the time and energy anymore. It would take us months to accomplish what the painters can do in a week or less.

I thought I'd show you my laundry room since it's the one room that's finally all put back together. It's a small room but functional. The cabinets have all been painted, walls painted, and new hardware has been put on the doors. The granite, new sink, and faucet were installed last year. You can't tell from the pictures but the walls are a light beige and the cabinets are antique white.

Blue Monday

Thank you Sally for hosting Blue Monday each week. To join in the fun or to visit other Blue Monday participants, click here.

I am a lover of anything with the blue and white design and have been for years. I have blue and white plates, vases, pictures, umbrella stand, and even one or two of these...


Recently I decided I need to stop buying any more blue and white...I think I may have a sickness!

Happy Blue Monday!

(If you want a good laugh, read my post from yesterday!)

Nip It In The Bud

Oh my goodness this guy is LOL funny! I wish he'd come speak at our church!



Have a wonderful Sunday!

Woe Is Me And An Easter Craft

We are so short staffed at work I decided to volunteer to work today. We need 9 nurses to staff our unit properly. Today we had only 4 on the schedule! Working 4 12-14 hour days in one week is not my idea of fun but I felt bad for my co-workers. It's very frustrating to say the least. To top it off, we got a new phone system at work this week too. They've cut back on the hours for our secretaries so we all are answering the phones alot. I can't tell you how many calls I accidentally lost when I tried to transfer them...oops! Hey, I'm a nurse not a telephone operator!

On those rare occasions when I wasn't working this past week, I was busy, busy, busy at home. Still so much going on but the painters finished today. Now to just put this place back together.

I did do a few crafty things this week and I thought I'd share one with you...


I took a piece of scrapbook paper that I had cut down to size, sprayed it with adhesive, and stuck it onto the glass from a frame. I had already spray painted the frame black for this project. I then just placed the glass back in the frame. The little "Happy Easter" plaque was a magnet that I found at Joann's for about $1.99. I took the magnet off of the plaque then sprayed it with adhesive also and stuck the plaque directly onto the scrapbook paper. Super glued a bow on it and that's the extent of it. It doesn't get any better...quick, easy, and cute!

Have a great weekend!

Thrifty Thursday

My husband and I were doing some running around this past weekend and I asked him if he'd make a quick stop by the goodwill...to my surprise, he said yes! It's only been in the last year that I've started thrifting and he's just now warming up to the idea, so needless to say, I was happy he agreed.

I walked through the store and didn't particularly find anything until I was heading out the door to leave. I glanced over and saw such a treasure, I couldn't believe it! I made a beeline and snapped up my find and hubby said "ya, I just watched them put that out there!" I was so lucky to grab it before anyone else did. Take a look at what I'm doing the happy dance over...


A little sanding and a few coats of paint and I'll have a beautifully detailed, sturdy shelf. I think it will make such a statement don't you!? Now I just have to find the perfect place to hang it!

One quick question...do you think I should keep it black or paint it another color?
To read about other fantastic Thrifty Thursday finds, click here.

It's Time To Update

With the home updating that we've been doing lately, it's given me a chance to do some deep cleaning at the same time. Certain rooms have been cleaned from top to bottom and I've done some rearranging as well. I'm the type that once a nail goes into a wall, it's there to stay. I don't move furniture around alot or change out pictures with the seasons so this has given me the opportunity to move things around and change things up a bit.

I've always had a welcome type sign near our back door that goes into the garage but I saw the cutest frames with keys inside of them and thought they would look good there instead. I was really drawn to these two frames. I hemmed and hawed at the store but finally just bought them and I'm so glad I did.

I hung them and liked them immediately but thought they needed just a little something extra to dress them up...


You can never go wrong with ribbon! Of course, hubby thinks it's to foo foo. I'll leave the ribbon there for a week and see if it grows on him (although, regardless, the ribbon will probably stay if you know what I mean!)

Do you like to foo foo things up with ribbon too?

Blue Monday

I always thought it would be fun to have a round ottoman in the bathroom where I could sit down and put my stockings on or lay my clothes out on for the next day. You know what I mean right...those cute round ottomans that are in the bathrooms of all the fancy homes.

Well my house isn't all fancy but I got my cute round ottoman when we bought our house 12 years ago. I had it made and just used a matching sheet from my bedding as the fabric. It fits perfectly right smack dab in the middle of my bathroom and I use it everyday...and guess what, it's blue!


To see other Blue Monday participants, visit here.

Happy Saturday!

Wow, where has the time gone!? I've pretty much been MIA for almost a week now. It's been a crazy few weeks with all of the painting, carpet installation dilemma, spring break, work, and house cleaning.

The carpet saga continues and I'm wondering if it will ever get resolved. Long story short, we picked out a carpet for the whole house but then decided to only use it for the office. It doesn't seam well and thought we'd save ourselves some headaches and just pick out another carpet for the bedrooms and living areas. As it turns out, I love the office carpet but dislike the carpet that has been installed in the living room, dining room, and stairs. We put a stop to the installation in the bedrooms for now and decided to leave the carpet in for a few weeks to see if we can live with it but I already know that it will bug me each and every day. It really is a beautiful carpet and I like the color but it shows every.single.footprint! I don't know how we ended up with this one since the first thing we said to the sales lady was "we want a carpet that won't show every footprint!"

Our only choice now is to continue with what we have picked out or pay for the carpet that has been installed and the labor, pull it out, and start over again. They had already cut the carpet off of the roll for the other rooms so I don't know if we will have to pay for that carpet too. It's just frustrating and now I know why I've put off getting new carpet for such a long time. What a hassle. I'll let you know how it all ends but thought I'd show you some pictures of what we've got installed so far. We were also trying to be daring and go with some color instead of the grayish/off white we've had for the last 10+ years. Both of these carpets coordinate together, the color is called sesame.

The office carpet, which I love...


The carpet in question...



See the footprints. Am I just being too picky?! I'm thinking yes to that last question and that I also over analyze things too much! What do you think of these two carpets? Do you like the colors? Do footprints bother you or can you live with them? I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions.

Why Does It Have To End...

Fun times that is!

I headed out of town on Thursday and just got home earlier this evening. I was able to spend lots of time with the loves of my life, my two kids. I also spent alot of time with my true BFF, my sister.

We spent the day at Disneyland yesterday. It was crowded since it was Spring Break but the longest we waited for anything was about 30 minutes which was not bad at all. We had tickets to both Disneyland and California Adventure and had fun going back and forth between the two. As much as I love Disneyland, I've now had my fill. I think we average a visit about every 5 years or so...so we're good for awhile now.

Hubby didn't want to miss out on our camping club weekend so he and Jake went out of town this weekend too. We both got home around the same time tonight and started putting our office back together. Its been painted, got new carpet, and was ready to be organized. The furniture is big and heavy so it took us a few hours. Thankfully, we got it done and now at least we have one room that is on it's way to getting back to normal. I'll take some pictures soon but right now my house is still turned upside down. We've got stuff everywhere...and none of it is where it belongs!

Between my sister and I, we took a fair amount of pictures yesterday. Here are a few that I had on my camera...







Fun times for sure! I miss them all already!

It's Friday

And I'm nosy...

So here's the question: Today is Friday the 13th. Superstition has this day as either being a day of good luck or bad luck. Friday the 13th occurs at least once in a calendar year, but at most 3 times a year.

An estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed. It's been estimated that $800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day.

I tend to just go about my day, often not even noticing the connection. Guess I'm not superstitious.

How about you? Are you affected by this day?

Look What I Won!

I could hardly believe it when I got an e-mail from a blogging friend telling me that I had won her giveaway. I never win giveaways! Lucky for me, this time I did and take a look at what I won...


My very own blog button for you to grab.

Denise was so generous and gave away 3 blog buttons to be personalized by Faith. Faith was a pleasure to work with and did a great job don't you think!?! Thank you both for making this happen!

I know I don't need my own blog button and certainly don't have the followers to support one but it was generously given to me and I think it's fun! If you think you might like one, I'm sure Faith would be happy to hear from you. In the meantime, please feel free to grab my button!

Is It Monday Already!?!

Last week was a whirlwind and this week will be even busier. So much is going on around this house...and speaking of house, you should see mine. No, on second thought, you shouldn't, trust me! It's.all.torn.up!

We ended up only getting one room carpeted last week and the other rooms have been put off for another week or so. Long story short, we had to reorder another carpet but I think it turned out for the best. In the meantime, our furniture is out on the patio! Good thing the weather has been nice.

Today the painters come and will get busy with some much needed painting in the kitchen and adjoining eating area, laundry room, office and upstairs loft. I'll take some pictures when everything is back in its place within the next 2 weeks.

Yesterday we went to Lowe's to get some new hardware for the laundry room cabinets and ended up buying new hardware for the kitchen and bar area too. We had the typical early 90's gold hardware and have been wanting to update for years. Today was the day and boy the difference is dramatic. We went with the aged bronze and just love it. Hubby and I kept asking each other why it took us so long to get this done. Again, I'll take pictures soon to show you the new look.

I always get motivated this time of year so alot is going on around here. It will be so nice and fresh when everything is done. It's all starting to come together.

This week will be busy with work, painting, and Spring Break. I'll be going out of town to spend time with my children and sister and oh yes, guess where we'll be going on Saturday!?! D-I-S-N-E-Y-L-A-N-D!! My daughter is bringing home one of her college roommates during Spring Break and she's never ever been to Disneyland. I can't wait to go and see her experience it for the first time. We also haven't been there for about 5 years so needless to say I'm a little excited. It's gonna be fun, fun, fun!

Happy Monday!

I Like What I Like...

I've been wanting to hang some curtains or drapery on either side of my shutters in my living room and dining room but have had the hardest time finding something that I like. As much as I enjoy it, for some reason it takes me along time to make decisions about decorating. Like so many of you, I take great pride in my home so I always want to make sure I'm picking out just the right thing. The problem is that there is alot of pretty stuff out there. But one thing is certain...I like what I like!

I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond a few weeks ago and brought home 2 curtains that I thought might work. Once I got them home I realized I always go for a particular style...





The curtains I brought home were pretty much the same as what I already have around the house. As you can see, I'm really drawn to plaids and to jewel tone colors.

I had also been wanting a table runner for my dining room so I decided to keep 1 of the curtains and make a table runner out of it. It was a no-sew kind of project.



I cut the curtain the width and length that I wanted, hemmed the sides and bottom with iron on hemming tape, and was done in about an hour. After I was done though, I thought it still looked unfinished and needed a little something else so the next day I went to Joann's and picked up some fringe. I bought some of the fabric glue that I've been reading about so much in blogland and just glued the fringe onto the runner. It worked like a charm!

So needless to say, I've got a new table runner...but still no curtains!

It's Friday

And I'm nosy...

So here's the question: Next week is Spring Break for my college daughter (aka little sis). She's got fun things planned and hopefully I'll get to join in on some of them too.

1) Do your kids have Spring Break next week also?
2) Do you have special Spring Break plans?

When my kids were smaller, Spring Break was called Easter Vacation. My husband owned retail stores and was always working so I'd pack up the kids and off we'd go. As the kids got older, we'd save up each year and go to Hawaii or on a cruise during Spring Break, usually with our good friends the Castro family.

To this day, I still feel the need to leave town during Spring Break. So many wonderful, fun memories were made during this time of year!

Thrifty Thursday

Since thrifting has become a new found hobby of mine, I was glad to discover Leigh and her Thrifty Thursdays. She asks us to showcase something we've picked up through thrifting, be it from a thrift store, a consignment store, flea market, garage/yard sale, or antique store. Leigh says "Thrifty Thursday's are about the thrill of the hunt...and the treasures you've found. So...do show and tell."

So true Leigh, it is about the thrill of the hunt and let me tell you I was beyond thrilled when I found these glass goblets for $1.50 each. They are a vivid green and nothing like I have ever purchased before. I usually don't go for much color but I couldn't walk away from them.


Have you ever watched Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee? Her recipes include alot of store bought items to make cooking easier and less time consuming. I like that! I was doing the happy dance when I picked up one of her cookbooks for around $2.00.


The glass goblets and the cookbook were things that I found almost a year ago on my very first trip to the goodwill, ever. After that, I was hooked and I've never looked back. I like to think of myself as a goodwill convert!

I can't wait to stop by and see all of your treasures too! Happy Thrifty Thursday!

That Darn J-O-B!

It's Wednesday already and I've got blogs to visit, posts to write, and a fun tag to join in on but that darn J-O-B is getting in the way...it's starting to cramp my style. Maybe I'd give it up but then I guess I wouldn't be getting new carpet at the end of the week!

Have a great Wednesday!

Blue Monday

Since I have so much blue in my home, I thought I'd participate in Blue Monday which is hosted by Sally at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com.

I always say that pink is may favorite color but I sure do have alot of blue around the house. I picked up this "table" at an estate sale years ago. It's such an easy idea and the possibilities are endless...


Just a large, heavy duty vase of your choice and a glass top and you have an instant side table. I also have sand in the bottom of the vase to help keep it sturdy...and notice, it's sitting right next to a blue chair!

Thank you Sally for hosting Blue Monday...I'll see you all next week!