{hello sock bun}

Pinterest copycat warning:

Um Hello! This is genious! Why didn't I think of this?? I decided to try it this weekend before my mom and I left for the lake, and it turned out just perfect & let me just tell you a little secret...I didn't even try.  I just rolled it down & went.  My mom noticed immedietely, and my husband opened one sleepy eye to say "babe, you're hair looks good." So sweet.  Oh did I tell you how my sweet husband put laundry detergent into the diswasher...That's a different post entirely. Which I probably will never do...Disaster, but we recovered.....On to the SOCK BUN pictures.  so cute, fun & easy!

Pardon my self pics.  I obviously don't have a whole lot of experience.....especially at this awkward angle. Oh well, still as cute as can be!

{Lately & my DIY Trough}

 I'm a little behind on this one, but with my sweet new job, a new and little furry son {which BTW is the perfect pup, no potty accidents in the house and only a few poos & he sleeps through the night {sometimes...}! We got lucky, to say the least!!}, and baby/bridal showers GALORE I have been one busy lady!

My goal was to finish this project before Christmas so I could put TONS of greenery & ornaments in it, but it would have been nice to get it done before {my favorite season} fall sets in, so I could stuff some leafy garland and things of that nature in it!

My hubby left town last Wednesday to head to California to see one of his old HS buddies.  A bunch of the guys went and he had a blast, but I was pretty excited about all the free time I would have to catch up on my shows, snuggle my pup, shop, and of course a few projects!

Back to the trough box, Thrifty Decor Chick did it 1st. She is one very bright lady when it comes to home projects! Some I love, some I don't love as much, but she does a pretty great job when it comes to DIY! Another blogger Laura at Suburban Living Crafts also did it.  I liked her version as well!

My version is a little taller because it is on our mantle and we have seriously 12 foot ceilings in our living room.  I needed some height.  It's pretty bulky and I like it!

 I have to insert this funny story here: So I'm in the lumber aisle trying to decide which width to get and of course going through every piece of wood there trying to find the perfect piece.  I had been at this for about 4-5 minutes without noticing the world around me was still moving.  This little old man is standing there waiting for me to {friggin'} make up my mind, with a big smile on his face like he was just waiting to see how long I would really take to make a decision this easy.  I finally looked over and apologized for making him wait.  Then I heard the song on the overhead, and no joke it was that country song "Waitin' on a Woman".  He made some comment about the song and I had to laugh as I walked away.....isn't that a cute little story?


Mike would say that song describes me to a tee!

So since hubby was gone, & I'm not one for patience, I had to do some manual labor.  Although we do have a compound miter saw, I don't trust myself around it.....I had Lowe's cut it for me to the pre-measured dimensions that I wanted.  To get these dimensions, I basically measured across my mantle and the depth of it.

I beat it up a little bit {same as Sarah} with a hammer and then stained it with a foam brush the exact stain that I used in the guest bathroom upstairs. I then attached the three long pieces together.  First with liquid nails, then after that dried, with actual nails.  I capped the small end pieces on last.  I wanted to make it look a little more rugged so the nails on the capped end pieces are exposed. TA-DA! If anyone else would like to do this project, I would love to give you some advice! It was one of my favorites and it's the gift {to myself} that keeps on giving! Here's the masterpiece! What a versatile piece for our mantle!

You probably noticed the new trellis pattern canvas in front of the mirror....hmmmmm I did a little re-do on it.  Previously it looked like this:

I grew a little sick of it, never truly finished it, and I like the stencil pattern but did not want a whole wall of it because it's so trendy.  This is the stencil I used 

and I think it turned out DARLING! 

Guess what? FALL is on it's way! & I am too excited...Only 3 more days until Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back at Starbucks!! Yummy! I can't wait for everything fall! 

To get the long weekend started my best friend and I went to Pirtle Winery in Weston, MO.  Such a cute little winery & town! The Apple Wine is delicious!

I'm going to wrap the post up with another yes another deal with it picture of my dog son. Peace!

{my love for orchids}

Ok recently I have been just obsessed with orchids.  I bought a live one at Trader Joe's yesterday {SEE COOL PHOTO BELOW}.

I love it so much, but I will also say I am not totally against having fake florals either.  As long as they look real....Enter JoAnn's faux orchid with vase @ 40% off.  I was wanting something with a little substance for my teeny nightstand.  I spotted this the other day and I. LOVE. IT.  It's so adorable where it sits.

I also have spotted a couple on Pintrest that are striking! Here are a few pictures of those....

via

via

  Have you ever used orchids in you home? If not you should! It's a proven fact that having live plants in your home is good for your health! It also increases creativity, which my husband would probably say I'm not lacking in at all....and is probably thinking he needs to confiscate my live plants. But they're amazing!

Oh and one more discovery in the last week, Instagram! The free iPhone app.  Look at some of the pictures I have transformed in mere seconds, people! So cool! I can't wait to edit some Christmas light/tree pictures with this app.......

MMMMMmmmmm. I certainly can't forget the yummy mini-monkey breads I made {from an amazing pintrest recipe} while the hubs was away.....I hope you can experience the yumminess!

{I Bet You Didn't Know...}

Welcome back and Happy Friday!! Since I'm headed to the lake this weekend for a long weekend (Sat., Sun., & Mon. And yes (!!!) I get to do it again in 2 weeks but then it'll be a 4 day weekend) where there is absolutely NO time for phones or technology, I figured I'd give you my latest blog post now...

In case you didn't know, I have a Pintrest app on my phone.  When I'm bored, I like to browse through and look at the gorgeous photos. A couple of my 'pins' on Pintrest consist of some great ideas that I would have never thought of! I wanted to pass along a few of these tips I've discovered on there to you guys! Ya know, just to make your life a little simpler.

First off a few tips for the bed/sheet situation. (You can click on the photo button under each picture to follow the link & get more information on the topic)

1. Do you know how to fold a fitted sheet? Perfectly? I do! I would post pictures of my sweet linen closet, but you've already seen it! Just picture it with some perfectly folded sheets.



Photo





2. This is a must-read tutorial on how to make your bed.  And you thought you knew how...A well-made bed just makes me smile. Love



photo

3. How to get grease stains out of your clothes. Chalk as a pre-treat. Brilliant!

photo

4. Aloe vera ice cubes? Perfect for those summer sunburns.  We try our darnest to wear sunscreen upon sunscreen but the lake always seems to brew up those sunburns!

photo



5. This is on my list.  If you know anything about us, then you know we loooooove our pancakes.  This would make pancakes AND waffle making so much easier!

photo

 6. Hang all your cleaning bottles from a tension rod! I love this idea, that way you can get little baskets to organize underneath the sink.

photo

7. A tab from a soda can as a picture frame/ DIY art hanger.

photo

and my last one...

8.  What a great solution for a stripped screw, just put a rubber band underneath.  We have no shortage of rubber bands at our house.  My husband has worn at least one on his wrist since I have known him.  I'm trying to shake him of this habit, but it seems there's no end in sight.

photo

I hope you will use some of these tips! I think they're all wonderful! Stay tuned for some more Pintrest posts.

{Pinterest: La La La Love}

Hello friends!

I made the very tough easy decision to join Pinterest about a week ago.  If you have been living under a rock for AGES (actually it's brand spankin' new: that's why only V.I.P-like me-can join it) and haven't heard of it; it is a site you must either be invited to or put on a waiting list to join that you can browse through THOUSANDS, literally thousands, of pictures, and 'pin' whatever tickles your fancy.  My favorite part? You can organize them.  You people know how I love my organizing...

Basically, I found another way to waste time online.  I have a hard enough time finding the time to do blog posts, now the interweb has to throw this sweet website at me!?? Anyhow, here's my Pinterest page.  I'm still trying to figure the whole thing out but am getting so much inspiration from the Pinterest community.  I do have a couple invites left which I think make you a member quicker than Pinterest itself sending you an invite.  Let me know if your interested... :-) 

http://pinterest.com/kaileyb/

Lackadaisical..

[lak-uh-dey-zi-kuhl]

–adjective

1.

without interest, vigor, or determination; listless; lethargic:a lackadaisical attempt.

2.

lazy; indolent: a lackadaisical fellow.

Origin: 
1760–70; lackadais ( y ) (variant of lackaday) + -ical

—Related forms

lack·a·dai·si·cal·ly, adverb

lack·a·dai·si·cal·ness, noun

—Synonyms 
2.  slothful, unambitious, idle.

Yep, that sounds about right.... That's exactly how I'm feeling right about...meow (as Mr. Hubs would say).  Is our wainscoting project finished? Finally!  For about three days, all we had left to do was put up two more chair rails.  We felt much better relaxing and just leaving the door closed until the urge to finish it came.  It showed up this morning at about 8:00 a.m.  Check out the pictures, we haven't moved the bed back in yet, I think it looks sooo great! Way better than I ever expected! Thank goodness, many things could have gone wrong and didn't!

Please use this as a 'before'...for the dresser that is.  I'm about to refinish it!

It's perfect! Way better than I anticipated we would do!



Big projects like this are seriously so much to take on.  I think I get so excited about the result that I don't think about everything that must go in to it to make the result.  My husband surely would agree.  Mike, not a word from you, not. one. word. 

I have been enjoying, yes enjoying, this humid weather (just happy it's not freezing) and drinking a lot of this...

Raspberry Iced Tea
via Taste of Home

and just r.e.l.a.x.i.n.g...Whew! I LOVE this weather, when we can open all the windows and just let the fresh spring air in.  Especially after it rains. My Favorite!

 

A side note: I want to thank everyone for their support on our blog and our ongoing projects. What a blessing it is to be able to do these projects with my sweet loving hunk of a hubby.  We just love doing home projects!! I love seeing something go from 'eh' to 'so cute' at the mercy of my hands.  It's a hobby, like reading, or shopping (which I love too), cooking, or playing with kids (we have not had a little blessing...yet) is to some people.  What a lucky couple we are to be able to play around with our house and make it our own before we can welcome a little one into the world.  To make it a home, not just a house, for us, for our future children, for our family.  We are making it EXACTLY what we want in a home.  It's so important (to us) to have this time in the first year or so, after wedding but before children, to make this house our home.  Who knows how long we will live here, but I do love this house and will take a wild guess and say that our first child will be born here and that's all the more reason to make it a loving, sweet, comforting and organized home...NOT a house, but a home.

"A House is Made of Bricks and Stone, A Home is Made of Love Alone."

I saw this quote when I was very young at a friends house while at a sleepover in a frame on the wall.  It has stuck with me this long.  I still vividly remember seeing that saying in the frame and thinking 'what a great quote'.  I was no older than 10.  Same mind set today.  

I also love the fact that instead of sitting in front of a computer or TV screen all day, we are doing something where we get to communicate and interact.  It's nice to have a common goal that you both are working towards, and that the other person is just as excited as you are about the progress and the end result.  

I will forever do projects.  I will do projects when I have babies and when my babies are grown, I will still do projects.  Imagine your favorite thing to do in your free time (if you say 'cleaning' you have and open invitation to my house, anytime, don't even call, just come on over)...OK got it? It's your hobby, right? This is mine.  Crafting, decorating, and making this house our home. :-) I hope you enjoy my hobby.

On another note, HOLY INSPIRATION at Pottery Barn on Saturday afternoon. They have seriously outdone themselves for Spring 2011!  Did you guys see that PB classic strip (l.o.v.e.) outdoor pillow.  I want it in 'stone' so bad! Like about 4 of them, please.  We need some new furniture for our NEW deck AND they would be so cute out there.  Hubs says I can't have everything I want... What the wha???!!!Who the who??!! Can too, fool!  The deck guy is starting in about two weeks methinks.  Which means we are going to have to tear out a ton of our landscaping in the back before it starts to bloom.  We are going to be so busy.  I did buy some lavender today to start on my garden.  I. love. me. some. lavender...

Did you know that lavender just takes full sun and really requires no maintenance? What an amazing bloom!  It reminds me of New Zealand because they had a ton of lavender over there, plus it's my favorite fragrance so it only made sense to have some.  I'm going with a purplely-french looking garden theme.


And these knobs.  Get real people.  




The PB knobs that I had in my hand.  Beautiful, but $11.  Not bad for all you non-DIY thinkers, but I knew I could make my own version of them!


I literally brought these up to the cashier lady and was like "I'm taking these, can you hold them here?" Then, as I'm walking away I whipped a 180 and was like "ugh scratch that..I'm going to MAKE those. Oh, yes" She looked at me like I was the Creature from the Black Lagoon, like I don't care what you do, just leave my store, um, now-ish.  Of course, I didn't I stayed for a few more minutes to steal some DIY ideas.


I already had the knobs on hand.  The old ones from our guest bathroom have just been collecting dust (what I have dust in my house? No way...) under the sink in there.  Remember, I replaced them with the cute jute knobs?






These are the little beauties before.  And I do love them as they are, but you know I love "His" and "Hers" things.  We don't like to share, and Heaven-forbid we get confused about who's pillow is who's or who's drawer is who's...I kid.


There will be an update on these possibly tomorrow depending on if I can get to them! I'm so excited!


ALSO, I have been working on a little DIY that I saw on a fellow blogger's website.  Her husband is deployed and for every day he's gone she does a project! What a great idea!  What a great way to make the days go by with a little fun in them.  


Her website is called Faith's Place. I originally came across this link, about pictures frames I think based on the title. But I seriously seriously zeroed in on the drapes in the kitchen.  I literally stopped and stared.  I have been looking for drapes like this for so long.  I asked her where she got them before even looking further to see if there was a post about them - which there was. I was willing to pay anything I love these!  So when I found out she just bought white drapes from Targé (Target) and painted them with leftover wall paint, I freaked!  So easy!

Faith's Place

I love classic stripe anything from PB and this reminds me of that.  I think I'm going to paint my kitchen this color, too!  It's so clean and perfect for a kitch!  The color is on her walls and the curtains! I'm not too proud to copy off of a fellow blogger!  I think it will go perfectly with the black and white cabinets we are going to get this summer!

ALSO, (geez how many topics can I cram into one blog post?!?) we finally bought a new vacuum.  We haven't had one in the house for about 2-3 months.  When I spilled the grout from the basement tiles on the carpet downstairs right after we had it put in oops... I tried to vacuum it up with our then vacuum and it stopped working.  I killed two birds with one stone, which is normally a good saying but not for me that week, the carpet and the vacuum...I didn't have a happy husband to say the least.  So we have been borrowing my mom's Dyson which I LOVE!  I was completely set on buying a Dyson, there was just no other option.  Someone, cough*Mike*cough, was like "WHAT?!!?? $400 for a vacuum?!? You obviously have lost your mind, here I'll help you find it.." So I started weighing other options.  People were comparing the Hoover Windtunnel Rewind Bagless Upright to Dyson online....Hmm With a $300 difference in price I thought we could check it out. 

Let. Me. Tell. You. People.  This vacuum sucks!  No, I mean it sucks in a good way, like EVERYTHING off the floor.  I'm in love!  You know you have a good vacuum when you want/look forward to vacuuming.  I think my favorite part is that you can see all the dust, hair, and pure grossness building up in the dirt cup.  Yum.  Two benefits over the Dyson: It has cord rewind. LOVE.  I just press a button and the cord whips right back into place, instead of spending five minutes while rolling my eyes wrapping the cord around the stupid little things on the back of the vacuum.  And, it freshens the air as you vacuum.  Take that Dyson.




Before you leave this looooooooonnnnnngggg post (I just noticed, sorry), check out the new About Us section tab up top.  It's adorable.