Student Chair Makeover

Wyatt has a desk in his room that I painted and added new hardware when we moved in, but failed to find the perfect chair so Wyatt has been using a storage ottoman instead.  I was delighted to score this student chair for $7.20 at Goodwill. I spent around $7 on primer and silver paint.  The red paint is the Classic Red that we used on his bed and dresser so it is a perfect match. 

 I love this little chair!

A Room Fit for a Superhero

When we moved here my kids were beyond excited to have their own rooms!  We chose bedding and paint colors before we moved and Wyatt chose Toy Story.  Although I usually shy away from character bedding we only spent $30 for the comforter and wall stickers so I rolled with it.   I was not surprised when my 7 year old told me a couple of months ago he was over Toy Story and wanted something new.  I decided to work with the red bed and blue walls to minimize cost.  We found this comic duvet set for $29.99 at Target and decided to use this as a starting point.  

Here is our "mood board" for this mini room redux.

SOURCES

We Heart Dad!

After some pinspiration we decided to go with the foot message, which is fitting because Matt is always  trying to break their toes.  Don't ask.  These kiddos LOVE their Daddy! He is a wonderful father and I do not know how we would survive without him!

 Thank you Daddy for all you do!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Two weeks ago one of my beds looked like this:

This is what it looked like today:

I cannot believe how fast my little veggies are growing!  Even the broccoli is holding on to dear life after it was ravaged by caterpillars.  

Milestones

Madeline is one proud little girl! This week Daddy taught her how to ride on two wheels.  Here is a corny slide show that possibly only a mother or grandma would appreciate! Oh, and if you giggled at my hubby getting a workout, don't worry I did too!

Free digital slideshow generated with Smilebox And although this is Madeline's time to shine I could not help but share Wyatt's picture of his first time.

Father's Day Photo Ideas

We started a new tradition two years ago of giving Daddy pictures of the kids on Father's Day.  I was browsing Pinterest for something new this year.  Here are my favorite ideas... which one will we choose?

Source: google.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Source: frecklephoto.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Source: craftytexasgirls.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Wanted: Little Table...Found

I reworked my living room and was on the search for a little table that was not going to break the bank.  I was impulse shopping at Goodwill and was shocked to see "the" perfect table!  The table had the manufactures sticker and indicated that the table was from Target 2011.  I did a little research and found that it retailed for $79.  Goodwill had this marked for $39.99 (the prices have definitely gone up at GW), but if you have their shopper rewards card you can save 10%!

Source: boxwoodclippings.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Although it was pretty as is I was envisioning something "beachy" to go with my coastal inspired room.  I used some leftover gray paint from my bedroom and  a sanding block to distress.  I shopped my house for accessories so this was easy on the wallet.  

Using a Paint Sprayer

Yesterday I mentioned that Matt sprayed the laundry room doors with a paint sprayer.  There are two entry doors and a pair louvered doors in that small room.  I had hand painted all of the doors on our first floor and put my foot down on the louvered ones and that is where the paint sprayer comes in.  The sprayer is fast and the finish is amazing.  No brush strokes on these doors.  We did purchase a fine finish tip and new guard and that set us back a little over $50, but well worth the investment.  This is the sprayer that we purchased.

Source: lowes.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Matt constructed a paint booth in our garage that worked well.  We used drop cloths for the floor and plastic for the ceiling and sides.  Chip clips and binder clips were used to seal the entrance.  We are very sophisticated over here.  We were unaware that the force of the sprayer would move the plastic and it stuck to one of the doors. This information will come in handy for next time.  Other than a flushing out incident this was painless.  Paint sprayers do use more paint, but again the results and time saved are worth the cost.

While I was "supervising" Matt, Luke decided that he needed a snack.  He gets points for picking a fruit, but I am not sure about the mess.  Poor kid can not reach the bowls. 

Laundry Room Reveal

It is about time!!! I have talked about laundry room plans here and here and I am so happy to be finished and I am going to guess that Matt is happier!  I went back and forth on color for awhile, but settled on the same color that we used in the powder room, Glass Tile.  

Remember my curb side find?  This holds all the bulk cleaning supplies.

The plastic tubs are form Target and hold beach towels and swimsuits, library books, and one empty one for hauling stuff to and from the van.  These have come in handy and were only $5.99 a piece.

The letter bin came from TJ Maxx and the little chalkboards from Groopdealz. 

All the doors got a fresh coat of trim paint with our new paint sprayer.  With school out and warm weather the hooks are bare, but will be nice and full in the fall.

I have had this rug since July and it gets the most wear and tear as this is our main entrance.  Matt recently added paint footprints, but with the a little scrubbing I was able to get it looking brand new.  I took the rug out to my driveway sprayed it down with the hose and a little diluted spray-n-wash.  I used my carpet cleaner to do all the scrubbing and suck up all the water.  I made sure the rug was completely dry before laying it back on the floor.  

Bike Wash

My husband was telling me about a "bike wash" that he helped a customer create and it reminded me of this one that I saw in a Parenting magazine, but my kids enjoyed a plain old sprinkler just as much!

Ticket Winner Announced

Thank you all for participating and congrats to Michael! Your tickets are on their way.  I have to say that this giveaway was a BREEZE due to the fact that I used Rafflecopter.  This was my first time using the copter and it did all the work including picking the winner!  There is a possibility that I may have state fair tickets in the future...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Letterboxing

Ready to begin our letterboxing adventure!

Today is the two week mark of summer break.  The first week was a little rough as Wyatt was adjusting to a relaxed schedule.  I am also trying to complete that course and it has been hard! I have been working from 10 pm- midnight the last couple of nights and that seems to work better for me.  Swim lessons and the summer reading program start next week so that will lessen the boredom.  We did find an activity that is close by and interesting...letterboxing.  I have never heard of this. My mother-in-law was in town and told me about it.  We joined the AtlasQuest community and tried our hand at one of the letterboxes at a local park.  We were only able to find two, but we were enjoying nature, exploring, and NO ELECTRONICS for three hours!  We plan on doing more this summer.

Carved tree that was one of the clues.

Madeline found the "letterbox"!

The kids are showing off their stamp.  I have no idea what face Wyatt is making.