Blogger Award Part 2

So you may have read in a post last week that the awesome Ms. Shannon over at Fox Hollow Cottage awarded me The Versatile Blogger Award.

Again I must say this - Oh Em Geeee! I thank you once again for honoring me! Made my week! I did Part 1 of my duties in this post, and I have finally compiled a list of 15 awesome bloggers to complete my award responsibilities. In case you missed that post, let me give you a quick rundown:
1. Someone (in my case, Fox Hollow Cottage) found my blog, liked it, and awarded me, among 14 other bloggers, this award.
2. I, in turn, am to do 3 things: a) link her blog up on my page (check!), b) Write a list of 7 Random Facts about myself (check!), and c) Compile a list of 15 blogs I think rock, and bestow this award unto them. (about to check!)

Now, let me say this to the following Fab 15 - this is not meant to stress you out by ANY means, and if you don't feel like participating, or finding 15 other blogs to award, that is TOTALLY FINE. Yes, I just capitalized, italicized AND bolded (is that even a word!?) those words, because I want to stress that! You do not have to do it if you don't want to/have time, etc etc. I did because I like doing stuff like that, and discovering new blogs is fun to me. I should also state that this is a mix of blogs that are new, and some that are WAY popular (MUCH more than mine!), but it was hard for me to find all new blogs, so I added some new-to-me blogs that I think are AWESOME and I mean, hey, even if you've been around for a while, it's always fun to 1. hear someone thinks you rock, and 2. maybe get a few more readers following your blog, am I right?!

Ok ok, without further adieu, here are the 15 blogs I think are F-A-B and you should mosey on over and check out for yourself:

1. The Country Chic
2. Teacher 2 Mother 2 Runner
3. 24Seven Lax
4. The Blog of MJ
5. Leapfrog and Ladybugs
6. Dixie Delights
7. A Mommy's Life...with a touch of Yellow
8.Stuff and Nonsense
9. Thrifty Decor Mom
10. Frugalicious Me
11. A Mom with a Lesson Plan
12. Upcycling My (ordinary!) Life!
13. This Real Life
14. The Old Painted Cottage
15. Days of Chalk and Chocolate

It's an eclectic group, you might say...some decorating blogs, some Mommy blogs, some sports blogs...(gotta support the hubs! Well, he IS an excellent writer, I must say!). Go grab a cuppa coffee and click away! Hope you enjoy!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Ruler Growth Chart

Oh how I LOVE a knock-off, especially of the Pottery Barn kind! ;) I'm so obsessed with PB, but can rarely afford more than a picture frame from that place! I basically flip through the catalog when it comes (oh happy day!), wipe the drool from my mouth, and try to get inspiration for decorating in PB fashion, but on my not-so-PB budget.

So when I saw this awesome tutorial on this knockoff PB growth chart, I was SO excited! It's adorable, easy, and crazy cheap! Cost me $10 - for real. Here's the original from PB Kids:

It's since been discontinued, but their vinyl decal growth charts are in the $130 range, so my guess for a wooden one, it'd be even higher;). Here's my version:

 Here's how I did it. First, I picked up a 1x8x6 board from Lowe's, and some stain (I used Golden Oak).

Total cost: 10 big ones. I painted on two coats (let them dry in between coats), and brushed off the excess with a rag after each coat. Then it was time for the "ruler" part.

This is ALL you need. I pulled out the measuring tape, and lined it up starting the ruler at the 6 inch mark. Was that a confusing sentence? I apologize. Sometimes it's easier in my head than it is to write down;). Basically, I didn't want the chart starting at the floor, so I started it where it would be hung on the wall. See what I mean?

Then I just made markings with a pencil along the left side, with the measuring tape guiding me where to mark. I made the quarter inch lines longer, to make it look like a real ruler. Then, I used stencils I already had to make the numbers. I tried to find larger ones, but they all seemed too large, so I just decided to give these 1 1/2 inch ones a try. Worked pretty well.

Then it was time to just go over my markings with a paint marker. LOVE paint markers! It's like using a Sharpie - so simple!

It was a little tricky to hang (for one person at least! Guess I could have waited for Hubs to get home, but that was like HOURS away! Naptime Decorator has zero patience with things like this, I needed it hung and needed it hung right. that. minute;). I wanted to make sure it was perfectly accurate, so you know, this could actually be used as a growth chart. It only took two tries, surprisingly enough. I triple checked with the measuring tape to make sure it's correct, and I can assure you, it is.

The kids are loving it already.

What a great idea, especially for people who know they'll eventually move homes, and want something that has all those precious markings on it. I love the wall idea, but you can't exactly take a wall with you when you leave;) Plus, you might want to paint someday, and this way, you'll never have to ruin those memories when you do! Kinda genius! For a $10 Pottery Barn knockoff, AND pretty simple to do, I'll take it!


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P.S. I linked this up on Inspiration Friday At The Picket Fence!

$2 Coffee Table Tray

My mom and I LOVE to hit the yard sales on Saturday mornings. It's become a favorite pasttime of ours, and we could spend hours and hours scouring the neighborhood for great deals. Turning something not-so-pretty into something awesome, for maybe a couple bucks, is one of my favorite, favorite things to do! Such satisfaction when you buy something for next to nothing, and it transforms a space.

A couple weekends ago my mom found this tray for me (I was unable to go yard-saleing with her that day). She knows me so well, and knew this would be something I would have fun transforming. It was a whopping 2 bucks.

It was a reddish-brown wood, almost like a cherry, and was basically a picture frame with handles. I've been wanting a tray for my round coffee table, so I knew it'd be perfect there. I got out my gold spray paint, and I had the perfect piece of scrapbook paper on hand (I was going to use it for something else and never did). I got to sprayin' and slid that piece of paper in and voila!

Now it fits perfectly in our family room. I love how easily this can be changed too - at Christmastime, I can slide a piece of beautiful Christmas-y paper in it, or even use a large photo. And should I change the color scheme in our family room (which I have no doubt I will!), I can simply spray paint it again - the possibilities are endless! For now I just placed some candles, garland, pinecones, and apples that I had on hand on top, along with the remote - how handy, right?! But I'm sure that will change...like in a week. ;) I have a tendency to move things around a lot.

Nice to solve the Coffee Table Dilemma for 2 bucks, right?! Thanks, Mom:)

Gettin' Organized (with a little help from breakfast!)

My kids are big time into arts and crafts these days - wonder where they get that from?! They have a large activity table in their playroom which is PERFECT for their little projects, yet for some reason they are constantly turning the dining room table and/or kitchen island into their workspace.

And that's when they're just getting started. Usually you can't see one teeny tiny bit of wood from the table. And see that ginormous bin of crayons? Guess who has to lug that around whenever they want to color? That would be yours truly. It was starting to drive me a little batty, looking at scraps of paper and 900 crayons laying all over the house, and having to clear the table for every meal. I decided to make it my mission to get these supplies organized, in ONE spot, you know, to maybe entice them to keep their mess in the playroom. It occurred to me that they might be traveling upstairs to craft since this is what their table looked like downstairs:

I don't know, it's just a hunch. ;) I mean, what kid WOULDN'T want to pull up a seat here and do some coloring? Got me!

Then one morning, while I was having breakfast, a lightbulb went off. What I needed to pull this off was right in front of my face. Literally.

Ok, maybe not this, but the containers these come in. I'd been saving my coffee cans for a while, thinking they'd be perfect for something one of these days, and today was the day. I got my spray paint out (of course!), and chalkboard stickers (DOUBLE of course!;) and got to work.

Now those coffee cans are handy dandy holders for the crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc. etc.

After I spray painted them, the kids helped me with the chalboard stickers. I just used the fun scissors that have the funky edges, and they stuck them on there (which is why they aren't perfect, but that's kinda what makes them perfect to us;). I was going to stack them, pyramid fashion, kinda like this pic I found on Pinterest (source: bhg.com):

But remember, I mentioned the pain in the you-know-what it is when I'm in the middle of say, cooking dinner, and they scream for help to bring the humongous, heavy bin of crayons upstairs or downstairs, or outside or inside? Well, this way, even the 2 year old can handle carrying the can around.

See? They can grab whatever ones they need and get to work. And should they want to travel back upstairs, they grab the cans they need and I can just tell them to take them back down when they're done. Mommy's no longer needed!

Ok, addressing the paper issue now. They are ALWAYS grabbing paper from the printer in the office, instead of the enormous stack of paper they have - for drawing, imagine that! - so I tried to think of a way to centralize their paper, and not have to steal the printer's. Here's where the waffle part of my breakfast comes in.

I cut the top off a family size waffle box we had, and duct taped the seams, so it'd be stronger. Then I brushed the box with mod podge and sort of wrapped it like I would a gift, with some fun, colorful wrapping paper.

You guessed it. More chalkboard stickers, of course! If you've been a reader for a while, you shouldn't be the least bit surprised. So I made one that says 'paper,' and one that says 'working on' for projects/homemade books/coloring papers, etc. that they leave scattered about, but aren't finished yet. I admit, I chuck 90% of these papers that are left all over the house, but sometimes, they'll be working on something very special, and we have to get ready for school or go to bed, and instead of just leaving them out, they have a place to go.

I attached 4 of those Command hanging things (why can't I EVER think of what they're actually called?!) to the back, so they stay secure on the wall.

Note my lack of patience - the ripples are still on there because I wanted to get them up right away and they weren't 100% dry! The ripples do go away as soon as it's totally dry, and it looks nice and flat.

Caught a pic of one of my little artists in her spot coloring away...

Such a busy bee. That girls never stops.

Now, I have a sneaking suspicion this project will most likely be as successful as my attempt to organize their dress-up closet in the playroom.
What I envisioned it would always looks like in there:

And what it looks like 99.9% of the time in there:

Ah well. A mom can dream, can't she?

At least for the time being, there is less clutter on my dining room table, so all's well with the world....I'll let you know what it looks like tomorrow...;)

A Blogger Award...for ME?!

If you follow my Facebook page, you may have seen my update this week about (drum roll please....) my very first blogging award!!! What the what?!

 Shannon at Fox Hollow Cottage was kind enough to list me as a Blogger To Read - I believe the phrase, "Fan-Freaking-Tabulous" was uttered, but you know, whatevs;) I have just started following her awesome blog (btw, you totally should too - she has great taste and she's pretty fan-freaking-tabulous herself!), and I already LOVE HER!

Now, with this award comes a few responsibilities apparently.
1. I am to link up her blog on this page.
2. I am to write 7 random things about myself.
3. I am to bestow the Versatile Blogger award upon 15 bloggers who I think are pretty awesome too. Now, I'm working on the 15 - that's a LOT of blogs to check out! ;) But I will do it, because it feels pretty awesome to be acknowledged, and would LOVE to give that to 15 people out there.
So I figured I'd check #1 and #2 off the list tonight...Shannon said it's ok to break the rules on this one;)

Here we go...7 Facts about me:

1. I had 3 kids in 3 years, and if I had to choose, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

2. My husband ROCKS. He takes amazing care of his family, and is such a fun, fun dad to our kids. I not only love him, I really, really LIKE him too.

3. I despise mayonnaise. Totally makes me gag.

4. I don't like reading magazines from past months. Weird, I know. I can, however, read future issues.

5. I end every single day with a bowl of ice cream. Hubs has been known on several occasions, to appear at 7-11 in his jammies if for some ungodly reason we ran out without my knowledge. (See, told you he was awesome!)

6. I've always loved wine, but it has become a necessity since becoming a mom. I adore my kids, but MAN. Momma needs a glass after dealing with those little people all. day. long.

7. I have a strong faith in God, and I know I don't thank Him enough for this beautiful, amazing life I've been given. It's more awesome than I could ever, EVER imagined.

Thanks for reading! I'm working on my 15 blogs to read and will keep you posted:) And thank you again, Shannon at Fox Hollow Cottage!!!! Keep rockin' your fabulous blog! Have a great weekend, everyone!

The Story of Three Stools

We have not one - not two - but THREE stools in our kids' bathroom upstairs. You see, when you have 3 kids between the ages of 2 and 5, who all go to bed at the same time, and not one in the bunch who can reach the sink, you do what you gotta do.

(And yes, that would be a pink toilet in case you were wondering...if you read my Budget Bathroom Makeover post, you are well aware of the 1960s colors in our bathrooms...this room is also on the Reno List. At least we've updated the sink/vanity in this one...we'll get there.;)

I must curse (under my breath of course;) ) these stools several times a day. You practically walk right into them when you open the door. They don't look like that big of a nuisance in this picture, but you can't see that the bathroom extends only a few more inches beyond this picture. Trust me, they're impossible not to trip over. When we give the kids a bath, we have to maneuver around them, and they leave my husband or myself even less room on the oh-so-comfortable tile floor to sit while the kids play in the tub. Oh, and of course, whenever I have to help one kid or the other at the potty, I have to make my way around them and try not to stub my toe along the way. Plus, they don't even match.You get the picture. And every time I stumble over/around them, I think, man I'll be glad when these stools are outta here. (I know, very un-Babies Don't Keep of me, but I'd be lying if I said I had that great outlook 100% of the time.)

This all changed the other day, when my mom was over. She was upstairs with one or two of the kids, and came down and said, "I just love seeing all those stools in the bathroom up there. How precious." I thought, huh? You mean the stools that take over the entire bathroom, leaving us no room to even move in there?! Those stools that drive me batty and I can't wait for them to be gone?!

Yes. She meant those stools.

I think it's such a gift of aging, when you can see the beauty in life being lived. In imperfections. In scratches on the wall from a kid's favorite toy. In stains on the couch from a baby's bottle. In those things that a younger self might view as disastrous or unsightly, an older person views as a lovely reminder of a beautiful life. I have to say, I'm starting to get there. Even just a few years ago, things would bother me that would never even phase me now. This is why I don't fear growing older. I feel like life just gets more beautiful.

I think this is why my mom loves those three stools. They represent the little people who live here, who have stolen our hearts and changed our home and lives forever. They represent the chaos here, the little feet that run around loudly and often. They represent this time in our lives, when the kids are so small, that they need us, like they need these stools. They represent innocence and are a reminder that they are here. That this is their home.

It got me thinking. Again, Mother Knows Best, as always, but in all seriousness, she does. I mean, really, isn't it a wonderful thing to complain about - that I have been blessed so much to have three stools in my way? That if they weren't here to trip over, then that would mean I wouldn't have these three most precious people living here? I know one day the stools will be not be needed, so until that day comes, I vow never to complain about them again. I don't care if I'm crowded on the floor at bathtime, or stub my toes when going to help someone potty, or hit my shin as I walk into the bathroom and get greeted immediately by their presence. After all, if it weren't for those stools, I wouldn't have this image every night, which no matter how tired I am, or how long a day I've had, makes me feel like life is pretty darn close to perfect. Stools and all.

Thrifty Halloween Decor

Wow. First let me start off with a huge, 100% sincere THANK YOU for all your kind comments from the Budget Bathroom Makeover! I was blown away! It was my most popular post yet, which means you fabulous readers are sharing my blog, and that just makes my day week year! I get to see the numbers of people who've shared, but don't get the names, so if you're one of them, I give you a big ol' cyber hug right now;) If you don't follow me on Facebook, you can check out my page here, click "like," and I hope I can inspire you too, either by my posts, or the awesome bloggers out there that I stalk and share their oh-so-amazing ideas...And if you did miss the 1960s yellow-yucky bathroom turned 2011 yellow-cute bathroom, I've linked you up right...here.;)

Now, onto today's post...HALLOWEEN! Oh the fun, whether you entertain for grown-ups, or have lots of little peeps around you, it's pretty much impossible not to get wrapped up in this holiday. I could go nuts. There are so many crafty and crazy cheap decorations that can be done! You truly - truly - do not need to spend much on Halloween decor. In fact, I have some ideas for you here that are pretty darn close to F-R-E-E. Let's start with my buffet table:

First, I gathered some sticks from my backyard (FREE!), and spray painted them black, to spookify them. I had a glass vase gathering dust in the laundry room, and I kid you not - a bag of leftover candy corn (unopened) from LAST YEAR in my pantry. For some reason I kinda thought there might be a use for it, so I kept it hidden (and out of reach/sight of the small kiddos that love to rummage through the pantry on an hourly basis.) But of course, the vase is large, so the bag of candy filled only a small portion. I grabbed a very small strand of leaf garland I wasn't using this year (think it was from the Dollar Store?) and stuffed it in there. Since I had everything - even the spray paint - on hand, this cost me NADA. So that was my jumping off point. Then I gathered all the candle sticks we had (those cream ones are Dollar Store glass ones that I sprayed a while back), and plopped our fake pumpkins (again, already had!) on top. That little cloche is simply a candle stick with a plate that I sprayed to match and glued to it. Topped it off with a glass dome and I have a makeshift cloche. I placed a pumpkin inside, and tied a black satin bow around it, to Halloween-y it up. Yes, I'm making up a lot of words here...So all in all, this didn't cost me a cent, since I gathered things from around the house and outside. When you're decorating, ALWAYS look in other rooms to "shop." You'd be amazed what you have say, in your bedroom, that would work much better in the family room. I shop in my house ALL. THE. TIME. I'm talking, even furniture. End tables, nightstands, dressers. I've done it all. And it makes things feel totally new when they're placed elsewhere. I promise:)

Oh, and that cute moon thingy was something I bought a couple years ago, but had it on my kitchen counter. I hope to make a Trick-or-Treat banner to hang from the buffet, but we'll see if I get around to that this year...

Ok, moving onto the dining room table...

Each of my three kids picked out a pumpkin at the farm last weekend. I have to say, 3 kids works out perfectly for the 3 letters in BOO! So naturally, I had to bust out the stencils and Elmer's black paint marker. I love the way it looks, and it took maybe all of 3 minutes.

I had the runner (purchased at Kohls a couple years ago), and the little pumpkin, ghost, and witch hat candleholders, but the mummies were an easy, free (to me) craft. I collect spaghetti sauce jars and have a bin - I'm not even kidding - filled with them! You never know when you might want to spray paint them, or wrap ribbon around them and fill them with hydrangeas, stick lemon slices in them and add daisies - I mean, the possibilities are endless, and who doesn't buy spaghetti sauce (or jelly, or salsa) all the time? It's like free vases! Line a table with them filled with flowers, add some candles, and you've got one cute centerpiece! I digress, apparently I get waaayyy too excited about glass jars...moving on. So I got three out (one for each kid of course), and had some leftover white fabric from the budget bathroom shower sheet, and my trusty mod podge.

I just cut up a bunch of strips, and stuck them on there with mod podge (using a brush). After I covered them, I used a dab of mod podge to attach googly eyes (which I already had, big crafty geek that I am). I bought some flameless tealights and there you have it.

I can't even tell you how much my kids are digging these guys! They've each claimed one, and whenever someone comes over, they HAVE to show them right away. I gotta say, it feels pretty awesome when you're kids brag about the stuff you make;) "Look at what my mommy made! They're mummies from JARS! Cool, huh!?" Makes me smile...

Here are a couple other random things I've got going on in the dining room as well:

Nothing too exciting, but just a strand of fun garland (a Michael's purchase last year) makes the chandelier look festive. This is the first Halloween with our spiffed-out fabric shades, and I'm loving the way the black and cream look with the spooky decor! If you missed that post, you can read about it here.

And of COURSE, what would a room in the Naptime Decorator's house be without a chalkboard, right?!

This is up year-round, I just switched up the words;). But the black ribbon, the green frame, I mean COME ON! It's like my dining room was made for Halloween! This was just an old yucky framed print, and I removed the glass, sprayed it with chalkboard spray paint, sprayed the frame a green color, and plopped the glass back in. Hung it, then did a fake-out by hanging a black ribbon above it. Instant cute chalkboard. The kids think it's so fun, and point out the pumpkin, ghost, bat, spiders, etc., every night at dinner. Kids just see the fun in everything, don't they?!

Oh, and one last quick idea for you...Trashbag Ghosts.

We first started making these last year, and my daughters actually requested to make them again. They're just a bunch of newspapers wrapped in a ball, then wrap 2 or 3 white trashbags around the paper, tie with whatever you want - or just use rubber bands (that's what we do!). Use scissors to cut a jagged edge at the bottom (and in our case, to remove the plastic red drawstring!), then cut a small slit through the top of the head to thread a ribbon through it. Tie on a branch, and you're done. These guys stay put too - we've had a few rainy, windy days lately, and they've stayed 100% in tact. OH! Almost forgot the best part:

Give the kids a marker and let them make some faces:) My oldest even named hers....

Yes, Mis (note the one s!) Boo hangs outside on our tree, along with her two plastic friends. They adore these "ghost-es" and wave to them when we leave the house, and greet them on our return. Who knew trashbags could make kids so happy? ;)

Hopefully you've gotten an idea or two on ways to bring some Halloween festiveness (am I making that word up too?!) into your home without breaking the bank! Happy Halloween!