What's Up??!!!

Well, it's been quite the week here- between a three year old with bronchitis, a traveling partner and our bikes getting stolen out of the garage:( -I am left feeling slightly defeated and depleted- so I thought I'd post today about some of the positive things that are happening round these parts- to counter balance what seems like a lot of negatives:
 here-we-go....

FAMILY:
Look at these two little buddies

I seriously CANNOT imagine my life without animals

animals OR children for that matter...instant LOVE and JOY


HOMEWORK:
Here's my current BFF

yup- that's right, it's a digital recorder. I am an interviewing maniac!!! 4 down, 2 more to go!! Trying to get my research work done this week is CHALLENGING to say the least- I had an interview via Skype with a woman in Ohio today and planned it when the kids were both going to be at school- then ended up having to get Mosie from school early (still sickly) an hour before the interview was gonna start!!!- but he was a champ and didn't interrupt me during the interview:) - thank you to the technology of television and movies on demand! PHEW!!

FOOD:
made this for dinner last night- big sister EM has been whipping up these great root veggie casseroles- that was my inspiration (not the best pic- but you get the idea)....

INSANELY GOOD- here's what it is- I used my new fabulous food processor (thank you Grammy Sheila) and thin sliced potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips and acorn squash. Tossed them all in EVOO, salt and pepper, a few cloves of garlic, goat cheese, and dill in a tube (genius product here)- into a casserole dish- topped with a little shredded parm- baked for 60 min.'s at 400 degrees- PERFECTION- so easy and SO , SO TASTY!!

ART:
I have some how?????made time to paint in the last month- thank goodness.
The first piece is a commission of sorts- someone won my services at an auction last spring for mural painting- she was concerned about the permanency of a mural and asked if I could do something on canvas instead- OF COURSE I CAN!

She emailed me this inspiration shot of the beach she grew up at

Here's what I came up with.

What do you think? I am still going to work the foreground a bit more, but I'd love some feedback:)

I also did these two little guys- (BOTH FOR SALE - contact me if you're interested!!)

MEDITATION:
I attended a mindfulness based meditation workshop a couple weeks ago and was blown away- and inspired- so the next day I went with it-and rearranged my only own personal space in our home (my studio) and set up a spot for meditation

Here it is

and below is where I plan on making a small meditation "shrine" type of thing on the wall out of reclaimed wood (will be looking for some this weekend!)

it was also a great chance to reorganize the studio and clean things out- I picked up these super-duper cheap shelves from IKEA to assist in the process

it feels so much larger- and more peaceful in here now- I also whipped up some of my favorite- super-simple-grommet drapes out of a Target shower curtain- 4 curtains out of 1 shower curtain- BARGAIN! I have these drapes here, here and here in our house:)- and also in a hallway that I don't have a picture of:)

I also have a couple special pics I wanted to share with ya'll-

This is a figure study watercolor panting I made my first year of college- still love it:) Contact me if you're interested in this piece too- it would be lovely in a bathroom;)

and I recently acquired a bunch of old photos from one of my grandmothers- this is a picture of my Dad as a little guy playing in the sandbox with his little sister and father after work- so precious!!

That's all I got:) Hope you are all well- thanks for stopping by!

Mixin It Up

I have been out of my groove lately...not sure if it's stress, or what but I'm far from my A game.  So Friday I had a burst of creativity and rearranged the house a bit...I really think I just needed a creative outlet (I have NOT been making enough time for myself in the studio, and it shows!) but this seemed to do the trick!!

New foot stool/storage ottoman purchase from the new Target line- it was on clearance to boot!! and super chic and versatile (although the kids can both hide in it and sit on it- so I have a feeling it will not stay chic for long;)

Instant house face-lift and Hannah mood-lift! DONE!!

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We are in the midst of SLOWLY planning our kitchen remodel. By slow- I mean it probably will not happen until I am done with school...i.e JUNE (mainly beause we will be doing as much o fthe work as possible).  But the key here is we are doing it on a super-duper small budget, which requires a whole lot more planning/shopping/scrimping/saving and research.

SO, if I can indeed successfully pull off a full kitchen remodel for under $10,000 (not including appliances) but including floors, counters, cabinets, electrical and plumbing and potential wall removal- I will be sure to document the process because it will be a MIRACLE!!

Below are my main sources of inspiration:

SOURCE

SOURCE

SOURCE

SOURCE

SOURCE

The must have list right now is as follows:

1. New Floors (I pulled up 2 tiles last week- and we have concerns about what I found -D is sending some crazy old nasty substrate for testing to make sure its not asbestos- PLEASE keep your fingers crossed for me!!! Because if it is- that will throw a SERIOUS wrench in my budget!! )

The options on the table now for flooring are new ceramic tile (possibly chevron in configuration, we would be doing this ourselves) or salvaging the questionable flooring underneath (looks to be one sub floor from the 1920s- but not sure how far it goes...

OR getting new hardwoods installed to match the existing in the rest of the home.)

2. Expansion!

We are looking into having the wall removed between the kitchen and dining room!- then creating a "peninsula" type configuration which would contain the oven/stove in its current location (to save $ so we don't have to move the gas line, etc.)

3. Cabinets!!!

Super excited about this one- still trying to decide which way to go...IKEA perhaps? independent cabinet guy maybe? simple clean white shaker- or white flat glossy front, or dark flat bamboo panels???

4. Counters

Still not sure on this one too- it will either be straight, clean, white corian OR a light colored granite (white base with gray/cream splotches)

5. Back splash

We have discussed a clean painted glass back splash- maybe a creamy pale turquoise color? OR I am started to really lOVE subway tiles to the ceiling (just on one wall)- There is a marble subway tile at Home Depot that I am totally loving (price especially) and I really love a chevron pattern here too (if we were to salvage the existing floors and not do tile on the floor)

That's the idea list thus far...hope you are not incredibly bored;) Ill keep y'all posted on the progress!!

Old News, Leg-o-matic, and Construction

These pictures are now weeks old- and the feelings of reminiscent Mommy have faded slightly, but are still present:)

Not only did my oldest go off to Kindergarten this year (something that I personally am still adjusting to, but the fact that her teacher is AMAZING has made the transition a whole lot easier)....Mr.Man has also started school this year! Jeesh!!  he's doing great- it's old hat for him after taking Zel to the same place for the past 2 years:)

Here's my big pre-schooler on his first day:)

and a backpack shot:) He's in love with the bag...it's from Lands End via our local Sears store:)

On the home decor front....look what I nabbed in the 50% off bargain basement of my local antique store for $10!?! (that's right- T E N whole dollars- insanity!)

A LEG-O-MATIC!!!!

Don't you love the detail??!!

I literally took a scrap of fabric, unscrewed the seat, stapled it on the bottom, and reattached...quick, painless and very satisfying!  ( The fabric is Premiere Prints FYI)

and, wait-look at the trick it does ....

it now sits here at my dining room desk area

and it makes me smile:)

Oh- and one more thing that's been happening round here....This is the view from my front doorway.....

and also my 6:45 am alarm clock every weekday morning lately- one good thing about this project is that we will soon be getting a new driveway out of the construction deal...not to shabby!

A Recent DIY Project, Art Sold!, and Crazy Beautiful Kids

I apologize for the long- unrelated posts lately- but I figure that I should post a lot since I am not able to post very regularly:)

Having an art show at my house was motivation for me to get my act together and complete a few projects around the house.

Here's a recent ceiling repair that I tackled.  This damage was done from our horribly overdue roof that was (thankfully) replaced this spring.
The eventual plan is to replace the entire ceiling with a thin layer of dry wall- but I thought I'd attempt the "quick fix" option and remove the bad plaster and patch the hole with a piece of drywall cut to size.  Here's what I did:

First I cut the plaster in a rectangle where it was sagging...(using a utility knife)

This was INSANELY messy- I was wearing goggles, a mask and had a vent fan in the window.

Plaster is NOT easy to cut straight (I do not have any experience with this- and I do not have a lot of upper body strength). I'm thinking  hoping  this is something that must get easier the more you do it...

then I purchased a 2'x2' piece of drywall at the local HD ( happened to be assisted by a part-time HD employee- full-time drywall specialist (how lucky was I?!)- he gave me a brief tutorial- and I went from there...

With a utility knife in hand, I scored and snapped the drywall after measuring the opening of the hole- (getting it as close as possible)- also not an easy job...

Then I found the stud under the lath in the ceiling (this wasn't too tough since it was visible when looking through the laths.)  YES- I screwed the drywall in upside down- it's okay though- it still worked out fine!  Oh- and you might notice the large hole in the corner- I ended up adding another small triangle of drywall later- and used a whole bunch of patching compound to fill in the spaces...

After taping the gaps- I applied 3 coats of mud to the seams (letting it dry at least 12 hours in between coats).  Then I sanded it smooth.

Then I applied a coat of oil based primer and a coat of latex ceiling paint (and semi-gloss trim paint to the damaged trim)- and VOILA!!!

The improvement is immense!  Perfect- uhhhh- no- but so much better!

 

Here are the pieces that sold at my show...all going to very good homes:)

and last but not least- the crazy-beautiful children...the baby is Baby B (whose nursery I blogged about here).

Now, the crazy-beautiful children.....I was literally laughing out loud at the antics in my back yard today.

She is a Dancin' Queen (note the reference to last nights Glee:)

 

The hat that sits upon her head on the picture below is what prompted the outfit/character change to "Little Bo Peep"...

Then- we have the little guy- he's a handy man...D had the idea of giving him a "small" drill (sans battery pack)- and the little guy is LOVIN' it.  He drills cars...

and trees...

and, apparently his nose?!

I've had the honor of caring for little B a few days over the past couple weeks while our friends waited for the their new nanny to start. It was a good trial kid #3 for me- and although their were some minor glitches...(tired baby)

in all it was refreshing spending time with a little one again- and watching my babes interact with her was fascinating- I think I could handle another couple;)