Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all my blogger friends out there! We had good weather on Trick or Treat night two days ago. They always have it on the actual day of Halloween but this year, just two weeks ago, they changed it to Thursday night. Thank Goodness! I prefer it NOT to be on the Halloween if it falls on a weekend night. There are just too many crazies out there drinking, partying and driving out there. We need to keep our little ones safe! Besides. It windy and rainy and supposed to be that way all day today.

This year Allison decided to be a Paleontologist. Yes. I know...only my kid! If you are sitting there wondering what a Paleontologist is, don't fret...you are not the only one! I actually considered typing out hand-outs explaining it because everyone who asked what she was going to be prior to Halloween replied "A what?" when I said Paleontologist. Basically it's a scientist who studies the history of the earth specifically dinosaurs. Now doesn't that make sense as to why my daughter picked it? Anyway, one of our neighbors immediately knew she was. I was impressed. Most people thought Dr. or Nurse and she quickly corrected them by saying "No, (in a roll of the eye kind of voice), I'm a paleontologist." Most said "A What?", some said "Oh, like Ross on Friends?" and one lady SCREAMED..."I LOVE IT! That's so cute!" So overall, I say it was a success...especially for me. It was a super easy costume for me as you can see in the picture. Thank goodness! I didn't spend my usual 5-8 hours creating a costume that only gets worn a couple of hours. I had a lot going on this week and I didn't need to add making a costume to it. I'll take that as a little blessing from above.

Here she is with our little neighbor boys...a Jedi from Star Wars, Indiana Jones and a little pumpkin. Do you think the 3 year old is a little smitten with Allison?
This is a house around the corner from us. The two guys that live there go all out for Halloween every year. It's my favorite stop! They graciously allowed me to take pics to share with all of you.

They have a graveyard out front with a fog machine going. You can see the fog when you are driving down the road. It's just amazing!

The "friendly" doorman?

Huge spiderweb with spiders all over the house. Look at the shutters here. They are made of wood and they put them up every year!

The gate to the cemetery. A little blurry but you can still see it.

Once we got home, Allison started throwing her glo-bracelet onto the dinosaurs' necks and said "Hey Mom, look the paleontologist's version of ring toss!"

This kid cracks me up! She's a keeper!

Oh look who we have here! It's my best friend, Susan, getting in the Halloween spirit! These pics were taken up at her campsite's Halloween festivities and borrowed from her camping friend, Stacy's, facebook photos. Okay, okay. I didn't actually borrow them because that would require asking. I just plain out thieved them. Is that even a word? Oh well, I wonder just how much of that bottle is in Susan's belly?
I'm almost afraid to admit that she's my BFF by this next photo...she's almost too comfortable working the costume!

Have Fun and Be Safe!

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Which Color Do I Pick?

Did you ever go to the paint store and come home with a ton of paint cards?

Which color DO you choose?

Seriously, how are you supposed to make an educated decision for a whole room from a swatch that is 2" x 2"???

Well, here is your answer!

Sample paint pots!

They are about 7 or so ounces of any paint color you choose. They are a few dollars but can save you some cash, time and a whole lot of frustration in the long run. They did for me!

I picked out this color for my kitchen. It's Laura Ashley for Valspar Apple 5. Let me tell you. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it on the swatch in the store. I could have just stood in Lowe's and licked that color right off of the card. I LOVED it that much!

Even though I loved it that much, I bought the sample pot and brought it home. I thought I would need it to ease Curtis into such a change in the kitchen.

WELL!

After painting four patches of it around my kitchen, I decided I HATED it! I know...hate is a strong word but I typed "strongly disliked" and that just doesn't quite describe how I really feel about that color in my kitchen. It turned out way to yellow for me!

See for yourself!

Yuck!

So as you see, sample paint pots Work-for-Me!

Stop over at Kristen's of We are THAT Family for her Works-For-Me-Wednesday blog party to see what works for other bloggers!

Have Fun!

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Some Things Are Just Meant To Be!

Edited: I'm linking this post up to Rhoda's Today's Thrifty Treasures Blog Party. I found this great treasure just after the close of last season's blog parties but I am so proud of this find that I wanted to share it with you all!

Do you believe that some things are just meant to be? Do you think that everything happens for a reason?

Even though I sometimes do not like the outcome of things or situations or wonder why they happen a certain way, I try to stick to the belief of "it was just meant to be" or "it happened for a reason." There's no sense in dwelling on it if we can't change it. I guess it's part of my "roll with the punches" or "go with the flow" kind of outlook on life.

Well. This is the story of my latest "it was meant to be" that ends with a happy ending.

It all starts one day back in the middle of September when I had to go to Cranberry to run some errands. When I go to Cranberry, I always make sure I stop at the Goodwill store there. It's just under a year old and much bigger than ours here in Butler. Anyway. I walked in and I spied this beautiful china cabinet. I fell in love immediately! The ticket on it said $100 which was a very good price. HOWEVER, with quitting my job in June and not starting a new one yet, I talked myself out of it...which wasn't an easy thing to do! I took this pic with my cell phone to show Curtis. I don't know why because I WASN'T buying it. Right? Oh, and I didn't go back to Cranberry the next week to look at her again. No. I didn't. I'll deny if you say you saw me there! After all. I did have this one that I bought at Salvation Army about 8 years ago for $20. It's not what I had envisioned for a china cabinet. I actually bought it for Allison's room to hold books, coloring books, crayons and such. It was in her room for a little while without the glass doors. I was just about to paint it, when I bought her a bedroom suit. Now it didn't fit in her room so I moved it to our eat-in kitchen. I put some of my dishes in there but I NEVER liked it in there. I finally settled on making it over using beadboard wallpaper that I saw on Rhoda from Southern Hospitality's blog. I was hoping it would make it not so 60's/70's style.

About 3 1/2 weeks later, Curtis, Allison and I had dinner at the Olive Garden in Cranberry. He wanted to stop at Radio Shack and I said "Only if I can stop at Goodwill." He agreed. Well! I as soon as I walked in the door, I saw HER! She was STILL there after 3 1/2 weeks! I couldn't believe it! That's amazing for Goodwill. Usually pieces like that only last a day or so. I walked back and rubbed my hand across her. My heart was happy like I saw an old friend. I went to the van to get Curtis. He had to meet her! He wasn't as excited as I was but he supports my whims so you've got to love him! I really wanted him to see if he could fix her. Yes. She wobbled or rocked back and forth like she lost a bit of her foot or something. Thankfully, he said he could nurse her back to health, told me to use her wobble as a bargaining tool and then announced he was going back to the van.

So. I walked up to the counter and asked if they ever discounted items that have been here for a while. The young man said he would send a manger to me. The manager met me at "her" and said "Ya, it's been here a while and we were just getting ready to get rid of her so I could come down on it if you want it." I pointed out her wobble and the manager said it wasn't there when they put her out so maybe the floor was uneven or something had rolled under her. I then asked what she would want for it...secretly hoping for $75. She said "How about $40?" I think I choked on my own saliva but managed to get out a "SOLD!"

Can you believe it? She was coming home with me! She was truly meant to be mine!

Curtis and his brother picked her up for me one night after work. She had some scratches on her that quickly disappeared with Liquid Gold. Curtis couldn't believe how beautiful she was after a little TLC. Oh, and guess what? She DOES NOT wobble or rock! Bonus for me!

Isn't she pretty? I had planned on painting her either heirloom white or black in the spring but I think I may change my mind. My concern with heirloom white is that my Pfaltzgraff that is cream might look dirty against the white but it will show off my pink and green depression glass beautifully. Painting it black will showcase my Pfaltzgraff but won't do anything for my depression glass. So I might leave her the way she is...she even matches my dinette set. What do you think? Heirloom white, black or as is? By the way, please ignore the orb on the picture below...why do those happen anyway?

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I stayed up until 3 in the morning polishing her, cleaning her glass, washing all my dishes and glasses and playing with how to arrange her. It's like Cindy at My Romantic Home says "because you are never too old to play house." Click on her link and you'll see her beautiful china cabinet makeover.

I've always admired my Mom's china cabinet with all of her pretty dishes in it. I'm so excited to have one of my own! A couple notes on some of the items I have in there. The white rooster soup tureen was made by my Aunt Carole. It was hers and you can read more about how I acquired it and what it means to me here. The other rooster figurine was my Grandmother's (my Mom's Mom) and was handed down to me. Being sentimental, they mean the world to me and I'll cherish them forever. I hope Allison will cherish them and pass them down too.

Here's her bottom...she has so much storage that I desperately needed!

The semi-side view. She has a light too but it didn't photograph well.

One more photo and I'll end this lengthy post! After the above pics were taken, I felt I needed something in the pink depression glass bowl on the bottom shelf. I thought about little pumpkins for fall, ornaments for Christmas, eggs for Easter but then what do I do in between holidays? Well. I filled it with my Grandmother's cookie cutters! Perfect!

Have Fun!

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WHO does she thinks she is????

DON'T LOOK AT THE PICTURE BEFORE READING THIS WARNING!!!!

I need to warn you about this blog post. It contains a body function that shouldn't even be photographed. However, THIS is my blog about MY LIFE and I really felt the need to share this here. I promise I've tried to do it in the tasteful of ways but let's face it, it's about going to the potty. Can that really be considered a tasteful subject?

Okay. Having said all of that...Can you believe this??? Yes! This is our kitty, Princess, going to the potty.

Do you see where her front paws are? They are on the side of the litter box!

This is how she goes potty...she won't put her front paws in the litter box.

What? Is it too nasty for her?

Who EXACTLY does SHE THINK she is?

Does she think she's a real princess and too good to potty like a normal kitty?

Apparently she does!

I've always said female cats have attitudes and this proves it!

Have Fun!

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A Reading Chair Redo!

If you read my blog a couple of days ago, I talked about being inspired by Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage to complete 10 Tasks in 10 Days. If you missed it, you can click here so you won't be lost.

Well. So far I have completed 2 tasks and started 3 others. I'm pretty happy with that so far. I am a little worried though because tomorrow is my last day of nice weather for the next 4 days and I have more painting to do! Oh, I can't think about this now! I'll go crazy if I do! I'll think about it tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day. Oops! Sorry! I got carried away there!

Anyway. Here is the first completed task/project of my 10 Tasks in 10 Days challenge. I'm linking up with Gina for her Transformation Thursday so after you are done here, head on over there to see what other creative souls have transformed and while you are there grab yourself some inspiration too!

Edited to add: One of my favorite furniture re-doers is having her first linky party. She's a real furniture artist so I'm linking up with her too! Be sure to check her out at Miss Mustard Seed!

Edited Again to add: Another one of my favorite furniture re-doers is having a Before and After Party too so I'm linking up to Jen at Sanctuary Arts at Home too. When you are over there, take the time to look around. She does some amazing stuff!

Oh, and I'm also linking up for DIY Day at Kimba's A Soft Place to Land. There's lots of fun to be had over there but be warned...you'll get sucked in to all the inspiration and wonder where your day went!

Okay, let's get started here. This is the before of the chair. I picked her up at a resale shop that just opened a few months ago. She was asking $30 but considering I had to redo the whole thing, I offered less and we settled on $23. It's a very solid chair so I felt it was a fair price. Isn't she lovely????

Here. Let me give you a close-up! See. She's in sad, sad shape! The pink paint didn't cover the green paint underneath it, the fabric was hot glued down with a few staples and the gimp trim was lifting up. She needed some TLC!

Yum! Red vinyl under all of that!

After sanding and sanding and sanding, I painted her wood the lovely color of Rustoleum's Key Lime Green! Don't judge me here! This chair is for my 8 year old! What do you call and 8 year old? Is she considered a "tween" yet?

Let me take you in for a closer look but you better get your sunglasses on!

Next I put a layer of batting on stapling it every couple of inches to tack it down.

Then I trimmed the batting.

I didn't take pictures of the steps here but I followed the same steps as the batting. Actually, I just lied to you. I used a spray adhesive on top of the batting to help hold the fabric in place. I was afraid that if I didn't stick it to the batting then it would slide every time Allison sat on it and put pressure on the fabric at the staples. I didn't want it to tear because as you can see, this is not upholstering fabric. I took a chance here but I wanted this fabric because it was the perfect color and softer than you can imagine. I used a bazillion staples to make sure this fabric isn't going to move!

Here are the steps for covering the seat. It's basically what I did with the back.

Sprayed a light layer of adhesive on the seat.

I placed the batting on top of the seat. After it was secure on the top, sides and corners, I trimmed the bottom flush with the lines of the seat.

Then I sprayed the batting with adhesive and added the fabric. Again, I used a bazillion staples to be sure the fabric wasn't going to move!

Ta Da! Wait! It's not done yet!

What am I going to do about all these staples???? Wait! I know! I'll cover them with twisted cording in the third color of Allison's room! Grape!

Oh no! No one local sells it in grape and I'm too impatient to wait for it to come in the mail from an online source. So. What's a girl to do? Dye her own! I found this really awesome dye that I used for the first time. I LOVE it! It's made by Dylon and you can use it on cotton/polyester. The color is amazing! I used "intense violet" and it came out exactly how I wanted it to!

Now isn't this much better?

Here she is done! This is in full sunlight so she's a little bright.

Here she is in Allison's room. She doesn't look so good in this pic because she is a HARD color to photograph! The Key Lime comes out NEON! This pic was taken with a flash and the pic at the top of this entry was taken without one. I like the top one better. It's more realistic.

Thanks Gina for your inspiration! I didn't think I was going to get this done until spring. It's because of you that I threw caution to the wind and got my hiney in gear!

Now I've got to run and get moving on another task!

Have Fun!

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WFMW ~ Pantry Help!

I'm one of those unlucky women that don't have a big, beautiful pantry in my kitchen. My kitchen is probably the size of some people's pantry. I'm not complaining...just stating a fact.

So. What does one do when they have a small kitchen, no pantry and too much kitchen stuff?

They get creative and find alternative methods for storage!



This rack/organizer thingy that you see in these pics has saved my life! Well...as far as food storage goes. Seriously. You didn't think that this thing could solve all of life's problems, did you?

Anyway. You can pick one of these racks up at Lowe's or Home Depot. Ours is on the wall on the way down the basement and since it's verticle it doesn't take up much room. As you can see, it holds a ton of stuff! The soup on the second shelf from the top is a double row and the bigger cans can be zig-zagged to get more on the shelf. I also have a little wire basket on the front of one of the shelves to hold seasoning packets.

This wire storage rack is definitely what Works-For-Me! Stop by Kristin's at We Are THAT Family to see what works for other bloggers!

Have Fun!

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