Pinterest in the Kitchen

I've been keeping myself insanely busy with our new home this summer (and planning a baby shower for my sister, but that's another post...).  I haven't been crafting much, but I have been using Pinterest like it's going out of style for home and garden inspiration.  I've actually tackled a few projects, so woohoo!

Link to Source

Link to Source

My Pinterest accomplishments!

I found a 9-pack of the hooks at the dollar store, and they work like a charm. I was even able to file down the end of the odd-numbered clip to hold my small skillet rather than having to stack it. For the second pin, I decided to only put contact paper on the bottom to cover up watermarks and stains from previous owners. I did this under all the bathroom sinks, too, and there was still contact paper left over! When I need more under-sink storage, I may try hanging baskets from the top, but for now, we have plenty of space.

Overgrown

Welcome to Georgia in the spring, where it rained for 9 days straight this month.  No wonder our backyard is a bit overgrown!  The good news is that the irises I scavenged from a fellow stitcher's yard last summer are blooming all over the place.  I thought they didn't survive the transplanting process when the leaves all shriveled up in the heat last year, but fortunately I was wrong.

Tea Station

It's so nice to have my computer back!  The power supply died earlier in the week, and I've had five days to experience how a smartphone is not a good substitute for a good old-fashioned desktop.  Thank you to my BIL for helping Dave get it back up and running!  While the computer has been out of commission, I received a belated Christmas present from my best friend in California.  Pretty awesome for her first counted cross stitch project, don't you think?  I know exactly where I'm going to hang it, but the problem is, we don't have that space in our current living accommodations.

I found this image of a coffee station on Pinterest a while ago and decided we would make space for a tea station in our next house.  Instead of a Keurig, we'll have our electric kettle, and all of those baskets will be filled with tea.  Heather's cross stitch definitely fits in with this plan--picture it on the top shelf with several of our fancy bed & breakfast mugs!

Original Source: For the Love of Coffee

Window Win!

Our new home has a couple of awkward (but cute) square windows in random places. The most obnoxious one is in the living room, and previous tenants covered it with some sort of ugly white plastic thing.  Since I don't want to go through the hassle of blinds, and a tension rod with a small curtain didn't really make me happy, either, I decided to get crafty.

Step 1) Cut foam core board to size (easier said than done...)
Step 2) Pick fun fabric and cut it with enough excess to wrap the board
Step 3) Use leftover packing tape from moving to secure fabric to the board
Step 4) Wiggle stepladder in between audio/visual set-up and awkwardly hammer in small nails to hold the board over the window
Step 5) Wait to see how long it takes Dave to notice...

I may go purchase one or two square canvases and cover them in the same or similar print fabric to make it into an art wall, rather than a random fabric aquarium floating above the TV.  Anyone want to join me for a trip to Hobby Lobby?

July-August Blessings

I realize I've been negligent in posting my blessings the past two months, and some of our summer blessings are the very causes of my tardiness!

• In July and August, we celebrated Dave's birthday, his dad's birthday, my mom's birthday, my dad's birthday, and the birth of our fourth niece (and soon-to-be Goddaughter), Elizabeth Amelia.  Lots of family time!
• Sarah and I planned an awesome bridal shower for our middle sister, Mary.  I'd blog about it here, but Sarah already did an awesome job on her blog.
• Our rental was available on August 1st, and we were closing on the townhouse on August 2nd, so we had a very short time frame to move.  A month later, we have no more mortgage (nor Homeowners Association, woo hoo!), and I'm finally unpacked enough to be willing to invite people to our home.
• I joined Tastefully Simple as an independent consultant in the midst of all this craziness and now have my own little business to organize.  I have my own Facebook page and consultant website, plus I'm having fun setting up a home office in our loft!
• After five years as a contractor for Big Blue Wireless Company, Dave was offered a position as an actual employee!  We're looking forward to a bit more job security and hopefully a good benefits package.

My workspace (and Dave's playspace)

Tastefully Simple Central

I can't argue with sharing an office...

June Blessings

June was a busy month despite my lack of employment outside the home. It was also a month that ended with a lot of prayer requests, which helped me realize how blessed I am to have a family in relatively good health. On to the list of blessings:

• To start off the month, Dave and I attended our third Eucharistic Congress together and heard wonderful speakers on out faith, including Dr. Scott Hahn.  There's nothing quite like a spiritual boost to get you feeling more optimistic!
• We celebrated our third anniversary in June. Sometimes it seems like we just got married, and sometimes it seems like we've always been together.  Since our anniversary, I have been driving out to have lunch with Dave once a week, which has been something to look forward to for both of us.
• Dave really *really* REALLY wanted to see Gustav Holst's orchestral suite "The Planets" performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and with me at home, it's easier to get last minute tickets.  The hassle of getting these tickets was worth it when I got to watch the joy on Dave's face as he saw his favorite symphonic pieces performed. 
• Our townhouse went on the market the first week of the month, and less than three weeks later we were under contract! Closing isn't until the beginning of August, so please say a prayer that things continue to go smoothly.
• Last, but not least, we signed a lease on a cute rental house that will reduce Dave's commute from an hour (one-way) down to around 20 minutes. I don't know which of us is more excited about the shortened commute--Dave because he gets to sleep later in the morning and save a ton on gas, or me because scheduling dinner will be a lot easier and he'll be home more.
 

At the grand opening of the local Steak 'n Shake with friends

May Blessings

Yes, I'm running a week late on this post for May.  I've kinda been busy getting the house ready to sell, so without further ado, here are the blessings I'm counting from last month:

• Mother's Day brunch hosted by my sister Mary and her fiance Paul with lots of enjoyable conversation on the back porch on a beautiful afternoon (plus entertainment provided by one particularly adorable dachshund and her pink racquetball)
• My last day of work (May 17) and the beginning of voluntary unemployment, which for the first two weeks consisted of back-breaking work like painting, yardwork, packing, moving boxes into storage, and cleaning just about everything in our house.
• Girls' Night Out at the Shakespeare Tavern in Atlanta and lots of fun comments about taking Hot Hamlet home in our trunk...
• A pleasant birthday afternoon spent stitching with the ladies at PINS and a birthday date night with my husband to see Star Trek: Into Darkness in 3D on the IMAX screen.  Yes, I am not ashamed to be a Star Trek fan!
• Brunch with my in-laws at Ray's on the River (my first time there) to celebrate the May birthdays of me and my SIL--any excuse to get together with family and to see our three adorable nieces!

Dad's Pin Win

Researching advice for selling a home, I ran across one recommendation to have your address numerals somewhere near the front door for potential buyers to remember.  I immediately thought of something I'd found on Pinterest earlier (originally from the blog 9 o'clock Dance of Joy!), so I showed it to Dad to see if he'd like a small project...

The inspiration

Dad's version (before adding the hook)

The finished product

Dad even added little rubber feet on the bottom so it won't sit on wet concrete when it rains!  I was originally going to use metal numbers, but the hardware store didn't have any small enough to fit the sign.  I decided to go with chalkboard paint instead (and since I had an entire can of it, I painted the base to match), which makes it super easy to update when we move!

Painting & Packing Pins

Now that I'm voluntarily unemployed, I'm busy getting our house ready to sell.  That means lots of painting and lots of packing!  While preparing for this insane two weeks before the house goes on the market, I found a few tips on Pinterest that have been insanely helpful.

1. Run a lint brush (the sticky roller type) over your paint roller before using it.  Last time I painted, the patch of fuzzies left behind on the walls bothered me until I painted over them this past week.  Thanks for solving that problem, Home Depot!

2. Press and Seal plastic wrap is pretty nifty to begin with, but this tip made it that much better.  FamilyHandyMan.com recommends it to cover tight spaces (like toilets) while you paint.  I also used the website's tip about nuking old painting tape in the microwave for a few seconds.

3. Use a paper clip to mark the end of a roll of tape.  No more trying to pry the end up off of the roll fifty million times as you pack and seal boxes, and you don't have to buy a fancy dispenser for each roll...

4.  Each roll?  Yes, I have about six different rolls of packing tape right now because Smart Move Tape is the most awesome invention ever for organization freaks like me.  It's way better than just color-coding your packing tape.

Counting My April Blessings

I've learned that I can't keep up with a weekly blog post, so let's try counting my blessings monthly!

• Between the book club for In the Sanctuary of Outcasts, dinner at Spice Brick Oven Kitchen with college friends, and lunch at Mykonos Taverna with old book club friends, I had a lot of great "girls only" time!
• I spent a lot of quality time with my husband as well with a week-long trip to Tennessee, no more overtime at work every night, and only one Sunday working from home.  I've also gotten him addicted to Castle in time for the season finale in May *evil grin*
• Unfortunately, we've learned that Dave's new office is not far enough away to be considered a "hardship," which means we will not be able to rent out the townhouse if it doesn't sell.  The bright side is that home improvements are coming along slowly but surely (and within budget), and our realtor is optimistic that we may be able to sell for more than our appraisal value.
• Less than a month left of work for me!  May 17th is my last day, and then I become full-time housewife with the mission of getting our house on the market and sold as quickly as possible.  After four years working at the same school, I'm ready to graduate!
• After too many months of procrastination, I took my "To Finish" bag of knits to our monthly PINS group and wove in the ends of almost a dozen projects.  Now to motivate myself to hand wash them all...

Counting My Blessings #7

Yes, I realize it's been three weeks since I last posted.  I have no better excuse than I am a slacker, but I'm still thankful for all the blessings so far this month!

• With all of the chaos up in Boston following the bombings at the marathon earlier this week, I'm praying that the extended families of my BIL Robert and soon-to-be BIL Paul up in Boston are okay and thanking God that my family is safe and sound
• A relaxing week of vacation at a Bed & Breakfast in Gatlinburg spoiled me with no work, no chores, and lots of together time with my husband!
• A Friday night out with the girls last week to catch up with friends I haven't seen in a while
• Continued progress on getting the house ready to sell--the ceiling fans have now been swapped out, there's an epic case of spackle spots throughout the house (still motivating myself to prime and paint), and the new kitchen faucet is in the mail
• A resurgence of my former band geek thanks to the band director where I work asking faculty and staff to volunteer to play for the encore song at the spring concert next week; I thought it would be a fun way to end my (almost) four years as Donor Relations Coordinator before we move this summer

 

Green Acres Middle School Charger Band

Counting My Blessings #5

• It's been a long week of obnoxious work hours for Dave, but I am thankful he has a job and his big project at work is almost over.
• Tuesday we were both able to get a day off together.  Our plans?  We slept in, then had a big lunch at Mimi's Cafe!
• We had a contractor look at some of the cracks in our ceiling upstairs to get an estimate, and he advised us to wait till an interested purchaser has an inspection done.  Then he can take care of everything on the "fix list" at once, and the cracks may not even be an issue!
• I sped through the book club choice for March, A Grown Up Kind of Pretty, in three days.  After book club on Wednesday night, I got to stock up on new books for the next few months: In the Sanctuary of Outcasts, The Magician's Assistant, and The Dovekeepers.
• I'm finally healthy enough to be getting back on the treadmill again.  While not the most thrilling thing in the world, I'm just happy to have the energy to work out again and take advantage of that outlet for stress relief.
  

Dave texted me this picture while we were both home on Tuesday...

Counting My Blessings #3

1. Dad taught me how to install light fixtures all by myself without electrocuting myself nor burning down the house!
2. Our vacation to the Eight Gables Inn in Gatlinburg is booked, so now I have something to look forward to next month (besides my last day of work).
3. Wednesday morning, there were occasional snow flurries on the way to work.  It was such a peaceful feeling, like I was inside of a snow globe as I drove.
4. Last night, Dave and I had an impromptu dessert date to spend a little time together since his work hours are getting more insane closer to the end of their project.  We shared fried cheesecake at Buffalo's Cafe... nom nom nom!
5. In light of the current "Sede Vacante" in Rome, this AWESOME video taught me a few new things and made me giggle more than once:

Counting My Blessings #1

After an emotional rollercoaster of a week, I thought it might be nice to try a new weekly post for me to "count my blessings" instead of getting fixated on all of the unknowns that have been stressing me out lately.  It's a way for me to reflect on the positive things that made me smile this week.

1. Tea time with my favorite youngest sister last weekend and the smell of the new tea flavor I picked up while we were there: Mango Paradise 
2. I'm slowly swapping out all of our brass fixtures in preparation for putting the house on the market, and I managed to purchase all of the replacement light fixtures for inside our house for under $100--yay!
3. Adding a few books to my "to read" pile because of a discussion at Book Club: Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne (no, I've never read this classic), Around the World in Eighty Days by Michael Palin (someone who actually traveled the route of the novel), and Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman (a fictional account of two female journalists racing to complete the book's journey)
4. Dave finally got his vacation approved!  Now I can actually make reservations at the Eight Gables Inn... if they get some spring specials posted soon ;-)
5. This text picture of my niece puppy, Layla.  I guess she was cold and tired, and I can totally relate!

Mommy, it's past my bedtime...

Good Morning, Gorgeous!

The first of my non-purple irises made its debut this morning!

In Bloom

I was excited to see that my first iris had bloomed when I got home from work on Friday.  Another opened Saturday afternoon, and when we got home from the in-laws this evening, there were four!  I'm just wondering where the yellow and the white ones are (after all, I chose the multi-colored package...)  These flowers are special to me because I planted them on the day of my grandfather's funeral, so I call them my "Grandpa Irises."

Backyard Project

I was inspired by the beautiful weather today to tackle the the dirt plot project in my backyard. Two trips to Home Depot later, I have a backyard flowerbed that has a lot more potential.  Once my arms, back, and knees forgive me for playing in the dirt all afternoon, I may add some more flowers...

A new log edger keeps the flowerbed from eroding away...

The poinsettia was happy in the dirt plot, so I gave it a permanent home

If this potted hibiscus is okay with only afternoon sun, it will stay here

I learned that pine straw bales double in size when you cut the twine!

Yardwork

Yesterday was a gorgeous spring day to work outside! In the almost four years I've been in my townhouse, I have wanted a front yard full of beautiful flowers in the spring.  I always seemed to miss the season for planting the flowers I wanted (especially bulbs--still don't have any daffodils), or there just weren't enough hours of daylight.  I made up for it with a day off from work, a bunch of flowers from the hardware store, some Miracle Grow potting mix, and a small shovel.  Now I just need to figure out what to do with my backyard...

Replanted some of my "Grandpa Irises" and fertilized my potted plants

Red petunias in front with a line of yellow marigolds in front of purple kale

"Firecracker" plants in the back with my potted mums from the fall

My forlorn backyard with the poinsettia I've managed to keep alive for 4 months

Something's Missing

Dave came home from work tonight to find me playing in the dirt. I proudly pointed to an empty patch that previously had been occupied by a half-dead bush. He couldn't believe that I'd removed it myself (so I reminded him that this isn't the first time I've uprooted bushes in my front yard...)

All of the mutilated branches now form a pile on the back porch twice as big as the bush I ripped up. And yard waste recycling isn't until the end of the month--bad timing on my part. But we don't use our back porch, so the pile can stay there as long as it needs to!

While I was motivated (and already dirty and sweaty), I also removed the ancient pine straw from around my azaleas, added some fresh topsoil, and replaced the pine straw with cypress mulch. Eventually I would like to have cypress mulch in all of the flower beds visible from the street. We'll see if that happens before the cold weather returns...

Blooming

My azaleas that I planted in the fall are finally blooming!