project dreaming.

For now, this post has been brought to you by bed rest, which allows me plenty of time to dream big dreams, but not ability to execute. My brain is in full on brainstorm mode and I'm itching to "get back to work." 2 weeks down, 1 week and a few days to go. Third trimester nesting is being put to the test. 

I have low expectations in terms of what I am actually going to be able to accomplish once I am off bed rest and what I am able to do really depends on when baby sister decides she's really ready to come. Let's just say it wouldn't be my dream for my water to break in a thrift store. 

So in the spirit of hopefulness, here is my list of things I hope to accomplish before baby comes:

-Recover blue thrift store chair. 

-Relocate our TV to the basement and finally say goodbye to the broken TV stand. 

-Find and paint a thrifted dresser for Audrey's big girl room. 

Once the TV is moved I can also start working on the ugly space that it leaves behind, but I am excited because it has great potential. To make this project more fun, I am making a goal of not spending more than $100. Here's to hoping I can pull that one off. Since I have to buy a sideboard and refinish it this could be a challenge.

Forgive the iPhone quality pics, bedrest keeps me pretty limited these days and I think you get the idea, it needs help. Thank heavens for Pinterest and if you follow me on there you may have noticed these pretties that I've pinned for inspiration for this space: 

(source: pinterest)

 (source: pinterest)

(source: pinterest)

(source: pinterest)

And one last thing I am so excited about, is after long last a new blog design is coming and I can't wait til its finished. I'm not a designer and blogger templates aren't my fav, so it was time to start thinking about a change and find something thats cleaner and simpler and truly more my style. Here's to hoping its up and ready soon!

a bedroom on a budget.

Lord knows if I had a huge budget I would spend it and the process of completing a room like our bedroom would be a lot easier. But I like challenges and having to accomplish the look I want for a fraction of the cost has been a lot of fun. It's been an adventure along the way and I have had to be patient and wait for the item I want for the price I can afford. Not always easy and lets just say there have been several frustrating moments along the way, including calling several different TJ Maxx's in an attempt to find a matching lamp. I failed.


All in all, I am happy with the finished product. It's not completely where I expected to end up, but sometimes those outcomes really are the best.

I blogged last week about our thrift store finds with the side tables and thankfully, I was also found a dresser at Goodwill too. This was an ugly thing, with lots of potential.

The finished product with new hardware and all...

As for the rest of the room, here is a little before and after peek into the finished product:

(the before pictures were taken when we moved into the house almost 4 years ago)

A few of the details: 

Here is the budget breakdown:

Side tables $44
Dresser $45 (new hardware: $5)
Curtains $41 (including blackout from Joanne's with a coupon)
Rug $156*
Shelves from Ikea $36
Lamps(2) $119
Shams $43
Bedskirt $25
Paint $35

Total spent: $544

*I had to explain that price. I did a post on it awhile back. That was about as much as I was willing to spend for an 8x10 rug, but the rug we ended up with was far more than I could have asked for. And really the only reason we got it for such a great price was because of a website fluke. Happy accident. 

Also, having a husband as an artist saved me a huge chunk in terms of figuring out what to put up on the walls and I knew that budget line would be a big $0. 

The transformation was dramatic, but this whole project from start to finish took about 6 months. Add in pregnancy sickness and that really slowed us down. All that to say, it feels very good to be done.  

a new love is found.

Over the Christmas holiday, Seth always takes off for a week and we get to enjoy a little family staycation. This year, by far, was the best one yet. We had so much fun being together as a family and having little adventures planned for each day.

One of the mornings, we set aside for going thrifting as a family (inspired by the massive amounts of stuff we needed to drop off), but it seemed like an easy way to kill two birds with one stone. We've been working on our bedroom and basement and were in search of several different pieces. We had somewhat of a vision and an idea where we were going, but in the thrifting world you can't always plan that what you are looking for will actually be in the store and for the price you want to spend. Thankfully on this occasion we scored big on our first stop at Salvation Army. Two beautiful matching side tables for $44 total (the best part was we hit it on a day they were offering an additional 25% off all furniture).

And thus began the transformation. We started off sanding and then used Behr premium plus primer + paint in one to finish the job with two coats. Amazingly, we were even able to salvage the hardware. 

The finished product came together exactly as we wanted it to:

You might have noticed a little green chair in the "during" pictures above, Audrey had her first thrift store find too and she came home with a $3 old schoolhouse chair. It was in need of a lot of work, but nothing a little sanding and paint can't fix. 

Here is a little thing Seth and I learned in the process, even after being married for 5 years, we are still learning new things about each other. We both are pretty different in our interests, but I think we finally found something that we truly love doing together. And the timing couldn't have been more perfect in light of where we are in making progress on some huge projects in our house. It was as if all the right events finally came together and a light came on, I almost felt a little bit like John + Sherry from Young House Love, minus half of their skills, but we're learning. 

I'm working on all the final details of our bedroom, but thanks to a lot of hard work that room is so close to being done. I can't wait to share. 

This post has been brought to you courtesy of 3rd trimester nesting. 

more ideas for saving a buck.

so continuing the post where I talked about projects, I thought it might be a good idea to move onto a few more practical suggestions related to bills.

I live by the "you have not, because you ask not" principal.

in the past few weeks I have gotten several offers in the mail for verizon and comcast, begging me to leave directv and promising lower rates if I switch and throwing gift cards my way to incentivize it even more. a few months ago, I called directv, told them the offer, spoke to a representative and she transferred me over to another department because her options were limited, long story short, they lowered my bill $5/month and offered me a $200 credit on my account. needless to say I didn't have to think twice about staying with them. fast forward a few months down the line and here we are with more offers flooding in. I call and again the agent I first speak with only offers me $5/month off, but she transfers me and the next department again issues me a $200 credit towards my account. score.

the next day, I called verizon, requesting they lower my monthly bill, not raise it, and they gave me a $50 courtesy credit just for calling in. granted it took some persistence but it def paid off. double score.

simple principles apply to exchanges like this.

first, never take no for an answer. chances are if the person you are speaking with cant help you you can kindly ask to speak to someone who might have more authority to make changes.

second, talk to the people with courtesy and kindness, it really goes a long way and it makes them want to help you. I'm not saying don't be firm in your requests, but put the ball back in their court and see what they offer you, reminding them you like their service, but the bottom line is what matters must in your budget. in this time of financial difficulty, chances are they personally understand!

third, never pay late fees. sometimes, I space. I forget to pay a bill online every now and then (most of them auto debit, but in this case it makes it harder to remember the ones you actually have to pay), especially around vacation times. chances are, if you rarely do this and you incur a late feel call your provider or credit card and ask them to take it off, they usually do this as a courtesy, especially if you consistently pay on time! things like this will add up and can save you up to $200/year.

fourth, never pay for a checking account, be required to hold a minimum balance, or pay for overdraft protection. several banks offer this free of charge and it saves big bucks in a year. before we made the switch we had paid our bank upwards of $300 in fees and charges to our account. there is no reason to stick it out when other options exist. switching is a hassle, but after 20+ years at my old bank, I just didn't want to pay them anymore, when they should be paying me (our new checking account has a low interest rate that we earn, but its better than nothing).

fifth, if you have a mortgage, make sure you are paying the right amount. there is hardly any part of the country that has been not been hit by the crash in housing prices and finally many states are lowering property taxes (thank the Lord), thus making your payment lower. I called our lender and they informed me that our monthly payment should be significantly lower than what we were paying.

have more questions? shoot me an email, I'd love to talk.

happy money saving !

meal planning.

over the 4 1/2 years of our marriage, I have not meal planned at all, meal planned for a month, a week and two weeks at a time. since coming home and settling more into my role as wife and homemaker this has been an area that I have been able to focus more of my time and attention to. as a result, I started meal planning for two weeks at a time and have been doing so for about a year now. its has worked out really well, even as we have gotten our weekly food deliveries. in fact it has served me more to have a plan for the food that comes so that none of it goes to waste. not to mention sticking to a very small food budget. 

I sat down to plan our next two weeks of meals and this is what I came up with. (mondays are always omitted because we do date night and weekends are usually excluded because we often eat leftovers or stick with our weekend "traditions" of breakfast for dinner or homemade pizzas.)  

tuesday: chicken enchilada casserole

wednesday: spicy beef kebabs with green peppers, onion & quinoa

thursday: coconut rice & beans

friday: spicy honey chicken with sweet potato fries (with the fries, you can substitute coconut oil for the olive oil and it adds a really nice flavor)

tuesday: spice rubbed grilled pork chops (this is me being optimistic that we will get our pig this week or next) with grilled asparagus

wednesday: brown rice pasta with meat sauce

thursday: grilled cajun chicken salad

friday: jalapeno cheeseburgers with grilled onion & sweet potato fries

in terms of how I approach my meal plans, I have learned a lot from megan and her post on meal planning I found extremely helpful in finding my way. I follow her system of crossing things off as a go and using the days as a tentative plan, but sometimes, I just don't always want what I have planned for the assigned day. and the reality is too, life happens, we go out to eat or dinner just ends up being a total fail. when I don't use that meal it usually gets cycled on to my next two week plan. 

happy meal making!

easter felt garland pretties.

decorating for the holidays, now that I'm a mommy who stays at home has been so much more fun. everything is new and I have had a great time brainstorming ways to incorporate new decorations into each holiday we celebrate. 

for this project, all you need is a sewing machine, felt, and a spool of white thread. for any crafters out there who find a use for felt, buying it by the yard is definitely the cheapest way to go. for a project like this all you need is about a quarter yard of each color. 

a table for many.

since we have owned our home, our front door has always been open to our friends and family. we have always wanted our home to be a place that people felt welcome, included, and a part of our family. in our 3 years of being here, we have seen that desire become a reality as we have watched our front door open time and time again to those we love the most. there is so much of life that is shared over a meal, relaxing in the living room on the couch, summer dinners on the deck, or making meals together in the kitchen. I'm so glad its never been about a perfectly neat home, but instead bringing people into the reality of our lives and sometimes it is messy, our child screams at dinner time, and a meal isn't always a success.

at least one night a week, usually thursdays, the sound of laughter, and voices of friends fill our home and gather around our table. we love these times, and as a wife and someone who didn't know how to cook when I got married it has provided me with an opportunity to not only learn how to cook more, but cook for many, try new things, and doing it all on a small budget. for me, I have loved the challenge. some thursdays, I have a head count as text messages roll in throughout the day, and other times, I'm operating off an estimate, and every so often there is always a surprise thrown in and you learn to adapt and add a place for more.

hopefully soon, I'll get my act together and do a post on meals for a crowd. but for now, its friday, the weather is amazing, and our day is shaping up to be quite full.

seth is in a wedding this weekend, we have the rehearsal and dinner to go to tonight, and a day to celebrate tomorrow. looking at the weather forecast, we are already fervently praying for the rain to hold off and for the Lord to give them a beautiful day.

happy friday!

friday aspirations.

friday is finally here. the long awaited day of the week where I just wake up breathing a sigh of relief knowing that the weekend ahead includes family time. and lots of it.

mom comes in from az this afternoon and we are counting down the hours and the minutes til we can go pick her up.

meanwhile, in the midst of a crazy week, we were finally able to book our mini family vacation to cape may. check that off the bucket list.

while we are on that subject I am happy to say I am a little past the half way point of checking off the 5k. I am about to start on week 5, day 1 and I have to say its hard work, but has been so rewarding. I don't love it while I am doing it, but I love how I feel after.

and as if we didn't have enough going on, its full speed ahead with re-doing our dining room. its been a work in progress, gathering ideas and waiting for the right time to put it all together. I ordered the new chairs this week and am trying to settle on a rug. here are a few before (and somewhat during with the paint sample on the wall) pictures.

the weekend ahead looks lovely and sunday may just have the weather we prayed for to grill out for audrey's dedication lunch. 

happy friday! 

meet flor.

to all the lovers of their homes, in particular, those who have wood floors or spaces that need covered. 

meet FLOR. 

if I had known about this company a long time ago, I probably would have used more of it in my house. its a much more affordable solution to area rugs and you can even customize your look by staggering the tiles or doing a traditional look piecing them together. with a little handy dandy FLOR builder, you can put it all together before you buy. 

I'm seriously considering this option for our dining room because if one tile gets stained its easy to take up and replace and the price is about 50-75 cheaper than purchasing an area rug. the only question is, do seth and I have what it takes to put something like this together?

a house. a home.

when we first bought our house someone told me that it would take 5 years to really settle in and do most of the projects on my to-do list. here we are almost 3 years later and I think I can see a light. there are still things I want to do, but I'm not as overwhelmed with the sheer enormity of the task, and it seems the my list has been pared down to a more attainable goal. 

part of my reason for waiting on some projects isn't a matter of time or effort, but its the patience of finding the right items for the look you want for a room. and for me, that can mean looking and looking and looking some more. but I think I've found a look I like and thanks to pinterest, organizing all my ideas has been so much easier. heres to hoping it looks as pretty in reality as it does on my page. 

its amazing what round 2 of the stomach flu can help you accomplish by way of ideas when you are stuck in bed, curled up with your laptop. I guess I can't say that it was so bad if I was able to find all of this beautiful inspiration?

but I'm grateful that while I was sick, meeps was in good hands. and she had lots of fun with miss kristen and aunt becca too. 

happy weekend to all of you. I'm looking forward to a night away with my boy to celebrate 5 years of being an "us."I'm suprising him with all the plans. yay. and hooray. 

the weekend & what mondays are all about.

last night my friend, Jo, asked what I did last week. I honestly can't remember. I'll blame it on mommy brain. but I'm grateful I have pictures like these to remind me at least what we did this past weekend. our weekend started off with a day off with daddy on friday and a trip to the mall and then dinner with friends. we ate these. and in my effort to get dinner in the over quickly, I left out the chipotle peppers. but the meat didn't miss them. praise God when unintentional modifications work out for the best. 

saturday was fun. jess took audrey. we got good stuff for dinner, which is one of our dc faves. it was a little crazy there (when is it not?) and somehow my order didn't get placed at the register and we left without a burger for me (so grateful for seth + andrew going back for it) and then some old man was mean to me at the pick up counter when I asked about missing condiments. it was one of those times when I just had to move on, forget about it, and not let it ruin the fun of the night.

after dinner with friends, it was on to see beach house at the 930 club. this was our first show we've been to since audrey was born and it did not disappoint. they were amazing. one of those bands that are great recorded but worlds better live. well worth the $25 ticket. played all my favorite songs. and, if you dont own their cd you should buy it.

and the aftermath of a busy weekend. laundry piles taking over our bedroom and all. it looks a lot better today. I promise.

its monday, and its my home day. the weekends are fun, but I love coming back to my job as a wife and mommy, chasing this girl around, meal planning, doing laundry, running the dishwasher, straightening up our house, emptying out trash cans, and cleaning up messes.

this weekend seth found out he has high cholesterol and he's saying goodbye to eggs every morning for breakfast and its back to steel cut oats. so I'm taking it upon myself to eat all the eggs in our house. egg salad is def going to happen for lunch today. here's to hoping I don't end up with high cholesterol as a result.

and really what would the start of a week be without a little puffs explosion and some book reading time. ndb. dont worry, I did clean them up, after audrey made it her job to crush half of them into oblivion. 

heres to a happy week. 

right now, by way of meals, its looking pretty good. I'm trying out some new stuff and I am hoping I'll have some recipes to share by weeks end (if seth likes what I try out on him). its been awhile since I've posted a recipe and the reality is, I haven't tried anything new.

and, I have to add, the oscars last night were terrible. there was very little movie variety in terms of nominations, the hosts were some of the worst I've seen to date, and there weren't even many pretty dresses to look at. all that to say, I was pleased that the kings speech won best picture. that was a nice consolation prize. kind of like when arcade fire won best album at the grammys. 

the end for now. I'm contemplating a shower or a nap. we'll see which one wins.