Stocking up

The countdown has officially begun over here. School starts in three weeks, and Haley is excited. How can she not be with all the back-to-school shopping we've been doing? I'd be pretty excited too if I had two huge bags of brand new clothes sitting in my closet!

But instead of clothes I have 20 boxes of cereal sitting at the top of my pantry because they were half off and I had coupons for almost everything!

We want to be prepared people. Who knows how busy we could get? And with the nearest Kroger being a 1/4 of a mile away, it is almost necessary to stock up.

We also loaded up on lunch snacks like fruit rollups, gushers, and oat bars because they were half off too!! Hooray for amazing deals!

 We also bought a few things of peanut butter. =0)

I am also trying my hardest to not wish away summer. But when I step into my blazing hot car and the thermometer reads 120 degrees, it is very hard not to wish for an early fall...but I will try.

I "also" said "also" about 25 times. Must be time for bed. Also. =0)

Bathroom shelf

Remember those Goodwill finds I posted about? I know, I know of course you do. It was my last post less than a week ago. Or maybe slightly over a week ago. I've been extremely lazy  busy! What? You think I haven't been busy? Do you think I lay around every night after work and drink Diet Pepsi and watch episode after episode of Ice Road Truckers and make Haley fix her own dinner?? Okay well yes, every once in a while I do watch too much tv after work. But to be fair I actually poured her that cereal myself so lay off!! =0)

Anways so now that all of you are done giving me attitude and judging me, (wink, wink!), I want to show you what I did with that shelf I got last week at Goodwill. I had planned on not doing anything with it until I painted my bathroom, but every time I walked into the office/craft room/junk room/scary disorganized mess room I kept really wanting to see it painted, on the wall and accessorized.

This picture is the best before pic I have of it. Please ignore the cute girl holding it as this post is not about her. Focus people!

And the after!

Look how pretty. I just love it. It's the perfect place for my Q-tips and cotton balls.

And whichever lotion I am currently using at the moment. Ironically, this lotion matches the beachy theme going on here. I got that tile at JoAnn's for like, 4 bucks, regular $15. It's super heavy too.

I plan on painting the bathroom a grayish color. I can't wait to do it either, because I know that I all I have to do is slap some gray paint on the wall and my bathroom will magically be transformed into these.

photo source: unknown

Don't you just love that? Oh my gosh I would die. I would never leave. Not even to pour Haley's cereal.

photo source: unknown

I love this one too. I don't know if I could actually get that effect on the wall though. But I love it. So very much.

Have a great week!

Oh happy day...

Wanted to show you my finds at Goodwill today. It's always hit or miss so I don't expect much when I go in. Today the horribly wretched stench smell about bowled me over. After a few minutes I didn't notice it anymore thank God, and I was able to really dig deep for some goodies. I was going to save the best for last but let's just get right down to it. My score of the day was that vintage style Big Ben alarm clock. Since they range from $15 to $60, I thought this was a steal at only..................drumroll please......................97 cents!! Oh YEAH!! I have to give Haley all the credit for finding it.

The sticky stuff has already been removed and it is in pristine condition! Pristine I tell you!!!

Also got a wooden toolbox which I've been wanting for forever, a galvanized bucket, miniature wall shelf, and a picture frame.

I had Haley hold up the shelf since it was hiding behind the other stuff. I will show you what I plan on doing with it soon. First I have to paint my bathroom though! 

My grand total was $7.38.

Can't beat that!! Plus I have an excuse to buy more spray paint! 

Have a great week!

Birthdays and Holidays

It was somebody's birthday a few days (week) ago! Little Haley turned 7!!! I love this girl so much. She is the sweetest person I have ever known. She gets into trouble like everyone of course, but she really does have a kind heart. Last week she wrote the pizza delivery guy a note thanking him for always making such great pizza and telling him how great he is. When she gave it to him he said he's never gotten anything like that before and he seemed genuinely touched. She has a gift for making people feel special. She is also very shy, not the type to call attention to herself. She is an animal lover, and sensitive to anyone who gets there feelings hurt. She is also the biggest blessing I have ever received.

{It was a happy birthday for this little girl...}

{Looking beautiful in her birthday outfit}

For Independence Day we went to my parents house. Every year we go over there to swim and watch fireworks. While we are together, we do an early b-day celebration and Haley opens her presents from her grandparents and her aunt and uncle.

{Haley with her Aunt Candace at her "pre-party" on the 4th of July}

Then on her real birthday we do a 'just mom and dad' day where we hang out and open presents and basically just do whatever she wants.

{At Red Lobster on her birthday...she loves fried shrimp}

After we ate lunch we convinced her it was a good idea to go to the mall and window shop for awhile since it was a rainy day. While we were there she spontaneously decided to pierce her ears! She's been wanting to do it for a long time, so we were happy she was brave enough. 

She cried with joy when it was over. She's an emotional little thing...just like her momma I would guess! (I got teary eyed!) We will always remember that it was on ther 7th birthday, so I'm glad she did it on a momentous occasion. =0)

This year it really felt like she shed all "baby-ness" and transformed into a big girl. She didn't want anything princess or barbie. I guess now we are in the 'peace' and 'rock' phase, since everything she wants now says that!! She is also tired of the color pink but lord knows I am NOT repainting her room anytime soon!!!

The big one this year was a beta fish that she named Twinkles. We had her open the fish food and the aquarium first so that she would wonder if she was getting a fish and her reaction is exactly what we were hoping for. She was so excited and almost started crying when we told her she was, and then I went and took the fish out of hiding when Haley wasn't looking and when she turned around and saw it she was completely overwhelmed!

It's sounds crazy but there was definitely a mental shift in age that day. I think Haley even felt it. She would go to her room, listen to some of her new cds, then come out and tell us her plans and goals for being 7. First of all, she brushed her teeth twice, for ten minutes each time so that they would be nice and bright when she's 7. She also made plans to wake up early every morning and work out in her room so that she will live longer. It was so cute. She has yet to brush her teeth again with such gusto, or work out, but she has plenty of time for that. =0)

The white stripes

Before being stricken with the boils plague, I livened up my hallway a few weeks ago with some stripes. I've been planning on doing it for a very long time...probably a year I would guess, but I'm not usually very good at actually planning a project. Most of the time I decide I simply can't live with something the way it is any longer and I must fix it right this second. (Please bear with me and use as much imagination as you can possibly muster, because these are not the best pictures ever!!!!) This hallway is kind of a hard place to photograph because it is long and skinny and there is barely any natural light in this area.
Here is my very boring hallway before.

Amazing that I actually thought this looked good! Please ignore that picture collage in the middle. A few of the pictures will occasionally fall off their sticky's...I have to open it every once in a while and stick them back up. Eventually I need to use some ball ended needles to keep them in place. I'll probably get around to that in a few years and it will probably take me 5 seconds to be done with it forever, but that's how I roll.

Taping everything off.

Sealing off the tape with a light coat of what was already on the wall.

I thought the stripes would just liven up that wall a little bit but they really made it a focal point, and definitely made it a little less boring!!!

And the after...

I decided to add a few more things to the wall like that clock (that for some reason is always the wrong time... it was free it looks cute though so it stays), and the tiny wreath that Haley made me when she was in Pre-K. It has little seashells on it and I've always loved it.

Do you love it as much as I do? I should also mention that this was the same OOPS paint that I got for a dollar at Home Depot and also used to paint my dresser!! Can't beat that!

This weekend we are celebrating Haley's birthday so tomorrow I will be getting some last minute decorations, making cupcakes and doing some shopping...if I don't see you by then have a happy 4th!

Thanks for reading!!

Down and Out

This is me feeling sorry for myself that I am under the weather this week. Hopefully I'll be back to full power by Monday. Until then, I will be laying on the couch and catching up on some HGTV and medicating myself with large amounts of coffee. Unfortunately, last week I tried to watch all of my Criminal Minds that I had taped so I could free up space on our DVR. Talk about bad timing. Is it just me or is HGTV not as awesome as it used to be?

My new entryway dresser

Once upon a time there was a college student who needed a cheap dresser and nightstand. So like all college students on a budget he went to Walmart and found the cheapest thing he could find. That was about 7 years ago. Since then this college student has gotten married, bought a house, and furnished his house with beautiful furniture. This college student has a sister who has put the word out that before anyone gives anything away to talk to me first, so he asked if I wanted them. And of course I did!! 

They aren't half bad the way they were actually,  but not exactly my style. At first I thought I would just use them for storage in the closet, but I've been wanting an entryway dresser for a long time. I needed something to store mittens, hats, and gloves in the winter, beach towels, tanning and spf lotion in the summer, wallets, things to be taken back to the store, you name it. All of it piled up next to the door, or in the kitchen, and after my dog chewed up my last matching pair of gloves, I knew it was time to do something. Anything. And then I thought of the dresser my brother gave me.

I actually forgot to take pictures of the dresser, (of course!).  I randomly get gung-ho about projects during the weirdest of times, and this one hit me right after I had put Haley to bed. I just saw the pile by the door, didn't want to ever look at it again, and went to straight to the garage and started priming.

This picture is the matching nightstand that I did take pictures of.

It sits in the office right now, serving no purpose except to hold all of Haley's junk that she doesn't want in her room anymore, but also doesn't want to throw away, and a friend's baby shower gift that is 3 months belated. I missed her baby shower because I thought it started at 3, but actually ended at 3. Yes, I am obviously a very good and organized friend. :o/

It was a Walnut color, is made of some kind of crappy particle board, and has a shiny plasticy finish. (Obviously I am not sure what I am talking about here, but the point is it is cheap cheap cheap!)

I removed the hardware and drawers, and started priming with Rustoleum's spray paint primer. I used the spray can version because it dries super fast. Usually I don't like using spray paint on large pieces because it seems like a lot is wasted. Sorry there are no pictures for these steps!!

I didn't sand first because the finish isn't real wood, and was already perfectly smooth, so I went straight to priming and crossed my fingers that it would stick. And it did!

After it dried I painted the entire piece in a Behr semi-gloss latex paint.  I found it in the OOPS section for $1.00!! When I bought it I wasn't sure what I would use it for. I was going to use Rustoleum's Heirloom  White, but didn't have enough to finish everything in one night like I wanted. And my OOPS paint almost matches it perfectly. Mine is a little bit whiter which I like. Sometimes the other can be a little too yellowy for my taste. Plus this is a semi-gloss versus the satin finish...easier for cleaning I think. 

So I painted it up with a regular paint brush, and spray-painted the hardware with black high-heat paint. It's all I had on hand, and I actually think it turned out perfectly. I distressed the edges, corners, and a few of the drawers faces just for heck of it.

So here sits my free dresser, that cost a grand total of $1.00 to makeover.

Gathering all of our unsightly junk. It's so nice to have something to throw the keys on, plus the lamp lights the dark hallway, another reason I wanted something here.

I haven't found a use for the nightstand yet, it's actually only about 2 feet tall. We'll see what happens! 

I am linking up to Ms. Mustard Seeds Furniture Friday so check out all the other amazing furniture re-do's!!