Quick crafting makes me happy

I can't believe it. I did this craft in, count them, 1,2,3,4 minutes. That might be an exaggeration even. I already had the paint out from touching up my guest headboard that I'm putting the finishing touches on (I'll post more about that soon) and I decided to freshen up this little knick knack I love. I regret that I didn't remember to take a pic before but again, this was a 4 minute craft. I took a small brush and simply dry-brushed the paint on and once it was almost dry, I wiped it off with a dry cloth. It turned out just as cute as I had hoped. Hubby was quite impressed with my craftiness. 

I must say, I was a tiny bit proud too. 

And alas, the finished product. 

Happy Tuesday!

Guest Room Headboard

I am having camera issues (not very happy about it either) so I don't have the best pics to share of this refinishing but I'll share what I have from my phone and you can get the general idea. 

I recently bought a "vintage" headboard from Craigslist and when I went to pick it up, I was thrilled to know that it came from her attic from when she bought the house. This may seem lame but it solidified the "vintage" part for me. I like to think it was stashed up there since the house was built (probably the 60's) and had been saved just for me. 

The lady I bought it from had painted it Tiffany blue (as in, Tiffany & Co.) and although it looked adorable, I wanted to freshen it up for my guest room bed.
I saw this post at www.howdoesshe.com and got inspired to give the refinishing a whirl. 

Here's a pic from when I first bought it: 

I'm in love with the design! 

A couple of Saturdays ago, I started working on the first phase. I want the finished product to have a couple of different colors fading through so here's what I did: 

I used a darker navy/gray tone and just brushed it on in random places and also used a primer 

(the white you are seeing) 

I'm not finished with it as of yet, but here's the phase I'm at so far: 

Being a novice at this and not thinking it through completely, I should have wiped/ragged it off once I put the white on and I would've been done.

Of course, I remembered reading about that technique AFTER the white paint had dried. 

Now, I'm stuck sanding off the white to get the other two shades to bleed through for that aged/distressed look I'm wanting.
It's ok, I think it will end up looking marvelous once I'm finally done. 

Up close, you can see that there's much more work to be done although, you can sort of see the sanding I've been doing. I'm hoping to finish this over the upcoming weekend and figure out how to get it mounted. That will be a challenge (and post) all of its own. 

Family Photo Shoot

Let me say, first off....our photographers were incredible! If you live in the Houston area, check out www.thegirlsblog.com. 

They managed to keep Carson's attention for almost 2 hours! A very impressive feat. 

We took a journey down to Galveston to the Train Museum for most of the shots and finished up in an area just off the bay at Bayou Vista. It was super windy (hair became very "au naturale") but I'm pleased with all the photos I've seen thus far. 

Can't wait to get the CD of the images and share them with ya'll. Added bonus, we get 25 custom designed Christmas cards to show off  share. 

Here's one of the many that I'll be posting soon...yes, I'm one proud momma. 

Fall is in the Air

Ahhhh, what a wonderful day today! 

We've had quite a long, extended summer here in Houston as usual. Today was the first day that I could say it felt a little chilly outside. I loved it. I'll hate it by January but I loved it today. 

I'm thinking I'll make something hearty for dinner. Chicken and dumplings? Sounds like a winner. 

Happy Hump Day! 

Motherhood....what a fabulous, crazy, wild ride!

 Whenever I first found out I was pregnant, I was secretly hoping for a girl. My husband warned me that girls are the minority but I was sure we'd break the mold. I'm the oldest of three and I loved the bond my mom and I have. I just knew I would have a girl and re-live history, only I would get to be the hip, cool mom in the scenario.  

God had other plans.  But, boy does He know what He's doing. 

I ADORE MY SWEET BOY! 

When it comes to boys, I hit the jackpot.  Carson is so much like his daddy but yet, I see silly traits of his crazy momma in there every day! My official name per Carson is "monny (pronounced maw-nee)" which I must admit, I kinda like. It's my own special name :) 

We are so thrilled to be his parents. (Huge smiles going on over here!) 

Maybe we'll get a girl next and I'll be head over heels all over again :) 

Carson's Birthday - Part 2 :)

Yes, it's been just over a month since my little guy's birthday but I couldn't help but post a few more pictures of the occasion. Since the birthday party was on Saturday but his actual birthday was Sunday, we figured we would just make a weekend of the celebrations. It just seemed sad not to celebrate a little on the actual birthday. So, in true Texas style, we celebrated with BBQ. Not just any BBQ, though.

Rudy's Famous BBQ. Yep, delicious goodness, that's what that is. 

Here are a few silly pics we took to remember the day by. We're silly but happy! 

In case you can't read his shirt, it says "Mommy's Greatest Catch".
Yep, that's my boy. :) 

Chocolate Mustaches, Hehe. I'm sure the folks behind us thought we were a tad bit strange. Do I ever care?!? Nope, not.one.bit.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Carson! You are our little sunshine! 

Carson's 2nd Birthday!

First of all, my sweet sister-in-law gets all the credit for the great photos in this post. She has a much better camera and actually knows how to use it, unlike myself. I point and shoot. 

I do have to pat myself on the back just a little as well since I've only had these picks for 48 hours and I'm actually posting them! 

Yay for blogging progress! 

Sooo.....Carson's birthday party was a blast! I was pretty happy that it was a cute, yet mostly stress-free event. We had some of our close friends and of course, as much family as we could. It was such a memorable day. We were missing all my family from South Carolina but I was thinking of them so that helped. 

And now, some highlights of the day :) 

Food in my family is always at the top of the list :) 

The Birthday Boy!
The dinosaur he's holding was an early gift from his Aunt Coco :)

The look of complete happiness ( on both our faces!) 

Someone must have said something to crack me up!

Last but never least, CAKE!!

(Well, cupcakes this year)

I am so blessed to be a mom to such a sweet boy! God is good!

After everyone left, my little guy felt like it was time for his hat. He LOVES that hat!

  

Beyond Thankful

I find myself very somber today and my heart is very heavy. 

I found out yesterday evening that a fellow employee's child has been diagnosed with cancer. He's only 9 years old and he's about to face such a complex and trying situation at such a young age. Please keep this child, Terrance, in your prayers. I know God is a healer and I am believing and standing in agreement with my boss for this child's complete healing! 

This staggering news immediately hit home as a parent as I found myself thinking "How would I even begin to cope with this?" How would I find the strength to be the stable, positive rock that my child would need during such a fearful time?" 

I can only hope that I would remember that God is in control and that He gives us the strength to overcome the trials He allows us to face. Regardless, I am overwhelmed with feelings of gratefulness and thankfulness for the health of my family today. 

Please don't be guilty of taking all your loved ones for granted. Every day is precious!

My Task for the Day:  

Tell each of my family members just how special they are. 

Other Kids' Birthday Parties = Christmas Wish List for Carson

Over the weekend, we attended a birthday party for one of the many kiddos that were born very close to Carson. The birthday girl, Zoey, had quite the event! The party was at her grandparent's gorgeous home with a fabulous backyard which was just the right venue for a massive kid's play land. It was also very entertaining for the parents since we all got to sit out and eat great food and enjoy each other's company. 

There was a Sesame Street bounce/playhouse, another regular swing set, a swing, and Carson's personal favorite......a Radio Flyer Rocking Horse just like this one. 

It also bounces. He was OBSESSED. 

Needless to say, that will be on the wish list for Christmas. 

Now, just to find a place in the house for it???? There's the biggest challenge. 

Happy Wednesday, Everyone! 

Guest Room - The Semi-Finished Product

I finally got the pics uploaded of the guest room bed and a couple of other little updates. The room still isn't finished but it's definitely taking a step in the right direction! Yay for progress!

Proof that the room isn't finished is in the pic below. Notice that there's no headboard yet? That's the next project on the list :) 

A few new frames and  my favorite family photo to liven up the corner of the room. 

Happy Tuesday, Everyone! 

A Little Guest Room Makeover

Wow, it's been a month again since my last post! I'm so slack. The truth is that life takes over and I need to make time to actually share the craziness instead of getting consumed by it.

So, the guest room in our house has always been a little neglected in terms of decor and overall functionality.

Who am I kidding?! It's been extremely neglected.

That said, I decided it was time to really start working on it and getting it to a happier place. I've really been wanting to give the room a chic, yet eclectic kind of feel. Something cozy and fun yet polished at the same time. Here was my first inspiration for what I was trying to achieve:

Style & Co. Artisan Bedding

I went to Macy's and actually found the Euro Shams in this picture and the sheet set as well. I got both on a mega-clearance deal for $40. I was a very happy shopper! I also got the round decorative pillow shown but in the fuschia color for a steal at $8!!!

A few weekends ago, I headed to Ikea and found the coolest navy polka dot duvet cover with matching pillow cases. All three as a set for $19.99. That's my kind of deal :)

Lastly, I found a cool navy striped throw pillow on clearance at Marshall's and also this one from Target:

Are you ready to see the final result??? 

Well, I will have to take a pic tonight and add it because that's yet another thing I've been slack about. I'll update the post tonight, I promise!!

Happy Friday, Everyone!!!

In Honor of Shark Week....

I felt the need to post about our recent adventure of taking Carson on his first Aquarium visit. Let me start by saying, this was definitely not just a day for my little boy. I love aquariums! I'm mostly just partial to the penguins but the other species are interesting too.

We decided to invite Carson's great grandmother as well since she doesn't get a lot of time with him outside of church. She was more than thrilled to accompany us. :)

When we got there, the first thing Carson spotted was a very life-like shark hanging from the ceiling to which he exclaimed " Shark!!!" From that point on, most of the fish were just labeled sharks or fishies. We let him watch the penguins hop in and out of the water for a bit and also spent a few minutes watching the seals swim around. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to them being so close up. I think it took a bit for him to warm up to the idea of being able to touch the glass and still be "safe" from the sea creatures.

Last we made to the "tunnel"where you can walk through and see sharks and other fish swimming overhead and all around you. Here's a pic of our tunnel adventure.

Down in the shark tunnel, there's also a "cage" for photo ops and needless to say, Carson was very happy to be in the cage and I managed to get a cute pic. 

We had a blast and it wore him out so he took a nice, long nap which was secretly part of the plan too. Have a great week, everyone! 

A Change for the Better

In my last post, I made reference to my work life being far more than crazy, well.....the tolerance of the craziness paid off! Not in the way you would think though. I didn't get a big promotion within that company or any incredible raise.

Instead, I resigned.

 I had been with the company due to a merger and had been unhappy for some time. I tolerated it for the longevity aspect and I wanted to stay put until the right thing came along. It did. In a big way. 

I have accepted a job with some previous colleagues/ bosses. It's a start up but I am very excited and have no doubt it will be a success. I am thrilled to be apart of it. 

God is good all the time and all the time God is good! 

A Whirlwind Life Lately

Wow, has it really been over a month since my last post???!! The days have gone speeding by and I'm trying just to keep my teeth clean and hair combed these days. Just kidding, I always brush my teeth. The hair combing is also known as "ponytail days". :)

So, I've had some major changes at work and crazy wouldn't even begin to explain it. Then, two weeks after that, we left for a week long vacation to visit my family in SC. That was wonderful! (Pics to follow if I can ever sit still long enough to upload them all!)

Now, I'm finally getting somewhat caught up on work and the personal "to-do" list and it feels like a burden has been lifted.

So, what have I done??? Created more lists of things I want to do. Shame on me! This weekend will be busy but the most important thing on the list will be spending time with my two favorite guys. The rest...well, it will still be there for next weekend.

Happy Friday Eve!

Easter is Here!

Easter is definitely a day in our house that we take time to remember that Christ died for our sins that we could have eternal life. God is the Chief Cornerstone and we don't ever want to forget that.

On a not-so-spiritual note, we also enjoy all the goodies of Easter too. :) Carson was much more involved this year now that he's a year older. Here are a few pics of our Easter morning. :)

Easter basket complete with books,  bubbles,
a couple of toys, some snacks and a little candy.

The harmonica from his basket was a huge hit :)

I love this handsome boy :)

We went to church and had a wonderful service. Afterwards, we headed over to Gram and Papa's for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. Aunt Coco also gave him a sweet Easter basket full of more books and lots of treats. I'll have to help him clean out all that candy, of course. I'll hopefully post a few pics of the egg hunt soon.

More Proof of the Obsession :)

I've pretty much finished the front yard flower beds so here's a pic of the finished product. Unfortunately, some leaves have fallen on my newly laid mulch. It will also look much better once the plants mature over the summer. I really need to figure out what's going on with my zinnias. They aren't doing so well. :(

Not as pretty as I would like right now, (Notice the patchy grass?) but it's a work in progress.
I intend to have this in tip-top shape by the end of the summer :)

This is my favorite plant - A coleus which is technically an annual but i'll just bring the pot in during the winter when it goes dormant and put it out again next year. :)

Ok, so once I tackled the flower bed in the front yard, I felt it was only fair to give the back yard a little face lift too. I tore out the plants that didn't survive the freeze this winter and started sprucing things up. It's also amazing what a little mulch can do for the looks of the place.

You can't see the two coleus plants that well yet (they're on either side of the sago palm) but they'll be so pretty once they get a little bigger :)

The Wide Brim Hostas that I love!

Lastly, I decided to see if a Citronella plant would help cut down on the mosquitos that terrorize us each summer. I really love the container that I got for $12.99 at my local Marshall's.

This plant has a lemon scent to it :)

I've become obsessed....

Those that know me know I have the tendency to be a fanatic about certain things but now my latest obsession is landscaping. (You can see how it all started in my previous post!) So, these days I've been spending my lunch hours at Lowe's, Home Depot and the local garden centers browsing all the plants and looking for inspiration for my flower beds. I don't really know if I should call mine flower beds since there's hardly any flowers in them but that's what I've grown up calling them. Maybe by the fall, I'll tackle some fall annuals and see how they do. My sister-in-law, Britni and I are alot alike and we both have been working on landscaping projects so she understands the obsession, LOL.

Here are a couple of the beautiful landscapes I've been drooling over online :) Hopefully,  I will eventually have a yard/patio area as beautiful and peaceful as this one.

Pic from http://www.backyardlandscapedesigns.org/

Ok, this is more than I could maintain on my own but I can dream of having a house like this!

My First Landscaping Makeover!

So, I've finally decided I was fed up with the plants the previous homeowners had planted in our front flower bed. It's been very long overdue for a makeover and so it became my "big" Spring project. Many of the plants had died over the past few years and I didn't have a clue what they were so I didn't know where to even begin to try and keep them alive. So, here's the awful flower bed, well what's left of it anyway! (pre-weed pulling and all) It's a horrible sight except for the pretty snapdragons sitting there, waiting to be planted.

From left to right: (Notice the hideous weeds overtaking the left side...embarrassing)

First phase of improvement.....so far, I have Japanese boxwoods in front of the sago palm and then some snapdragons (I love those!) and some foxtail ferns for texture. Oh, and there's an azalea plant over to the left next to the boxwoods.

Making some progress......

The pretty blue ceramic container on the corner is my fav! It has a beautiful coleus plant in it :) I planted a caladium in the top left corner back by the magnolia stem. I also got some zinnias for next to nothing at Home Depot so we'll see if I can bring them to life. I'm not gonna expect much from them, haha.

I still have a long way to go but it's slowly getting there.

I'll add more pics once the mulch is down and i've gotten the last few things planted.