High Five for Friday!

1. Can I tell you that my friends are amazing? A dear friend sent me this gorgeous owl cup for my birthday. A few weeks ago as I was rushing out the door it fell off the coffee maker and broke. I was seriously bummed. I swear my coffee tasted better out of it ;) Well I guess Josh asked her to grab me another (and he'd pay her when we see them again) and guess what showed up a few days later? She wouldn't accept payment- typical.

2. The kids are growing. I can't believe I have a "toddler" and not a baby. Of course since Emberly still isn't walking she can still be my baby... for now. Since the doctor isn't worried (she she cruises and walks when "she feels like it") I'm not worried either. I'll soak up this baby-ness a little while longer.
{this pretty much sums him up in a photo}

{can you even handle those legs?}

3. We are in the middle of choosing a school for Luke next year. I didn't think I'd be thinking about it this soon, but I am actually glad that we are having these conversations now so we don't have to worry about it. We are leaning toward a private school/homeschool combo. He'd go to Kindergarten 3 days a week and have assignments to do at home the other 2 days. It's an awesome model and it incorporates everything we are looking for in a school. Also the private school chooses curriculum so that burden is off us, but we still have a huge part of "teaching" him. We are filling out the application and gathering necessary documents and leaving the rest up to the Lord.

4.  Fall is in full swing at Create Pretty! I am LOVING these pumpkin designs! I have even pumped out a few Christmas items already and that makes me super giddy!

5. We are in the market for a new mattress. We rushed through this decision last time, so we are taking our time to really figure out what we want. Josh has a terrible back with every lumbar disk bulging so it's really up to him. I can sleep anywhere. BTW he had his MRI and got his results last Tuesday. Thankful that the doctor doesn't want to operate but not really sure where else to turn (epidural injections, chiropractor, physical therapy, medicine, etc.). I've been through all this when I was younger, so we're praying for at least a reprieve from pain.

5 minutes and $3 later

So I don't think it's any secret how much I love the Dollar Tree. Holla at a Dolla... right?!

Ok ghetto aside. Underneath my sink was causing me great anxiety. I am pretty tolerant for messes and there are seasons in my life that I actually thrive in disorganization. Gasp.

Not sure if it's my "creative" side or what, but it's true that when I clean up it's difficult for me to find stuff. It's weird.

Anyways. Under my sink was simply out of control. It got to the point that I was literally throwing stuff in there. "Hmmm random bag of cotton balls?" *cram*. "Random hair clip?" *throw in the VERY back*
Here's the before. Taking before photos are a must. It is SO REWARDING to go back and see how it was when you finish. As for this stuff? I use that bottle of lotion every day. And see the contact solution on the floor? Yea it fell out one morning. The pink bag is my "medicine chest". I find it's easier to keep it in a bag like this so I can just grab it when we travel. We HARDLY take medicine but you can bet that whenever we're gone from home my children will come down with whatever illness I don't have meds for. So I bring everything. Besides that everything else is stuff I use randomly, not everyday. Extra contacts, makeup, my other travel bag, etc.

Everything came out. Everything. And I couldn't get a picture because I was surrounded in it. But it was such a relief. I thew away a lot.

And I put everything back, organized in these $1 bins from Dollar Tree.
Ahhhhh can  you hear relief?! Everything on the right side was in there before... my extras bin, those birchboxes, and the blue nail polish container I made in middle school along with all the contents in the green bins. They were all hidden under the mess. By the way I save my birchboxes every month, so I've collected quite a few. I organized the kids bathroom with the rest and I'll share that another day.

But the new containers are PERFECT! I HATE having to pull out bins just to open them. So I love that these are open but still corral everything. Bottom is all my extra contacts and solution, the middle is jewelry cleaners and wax products, and the top is tub stuff (kids shampoo, coconut oil (extra- I keep one on the counter, etc). The lotion stayed front and center because I use that everyday. I love the little nail polish container that I made so it had to stay. It holds my remover, cotton balls, foot scrubs, etc. And behind all that is my medicine bag and travel items. We don't travel a lot so I love that it's there if I need to grab something, but it's out of the way for now!

And this was everything that came out and didn't come back in! What a great feeling! If you haven't done a 5 minute purge, you should. It's really stress relieving! I actually already tackled our fridge and the kids toys are next!

The Current List...

I get like this about three times a year... where projects are just swirling around in my head. And it's such a storm of thinking and mulling over ideas and doing the daily stuff and thinking some more that I finally decide I just need to start SOMETHING. Anything.

Making a list usually helps. I'm not going to set a time limit (although the end of the month would be convenient). But we all know that things come up like stomach viruses (check), rainy weather (check), and everything else that tends to come up and get in the way. So here goes...

1. I want to start couponing again. I got so frustrated with it. Overwhelmed actually. Now that we are near EVERYTHING, I felt like I was running around like a crazy person every week. And with kids being a crazy person isn't an option. I've done a little "inspirational reading" about couponing methods and I think I'm ready to just shop at select stores. So instead of running around to store after store, I am just going to focus on a few. CVS for the drugstore deals, Target for all their goodies ($3 shirts anyone?!), Publix for my meat (& the penny item every Thursday), and Aldi for everything else. I got so worn out by going from drugstore to drugstore that I honestly don't think I was saving money. So my head is back in the game. And now I have a pile of newspapers with inserts waiting for me to rescue them.

2. I've officially started the kid's bathroom. And the night I decided I couldn't finish and I'd "just leave the ladder up tonight" my kid threw up all night. Mommy win of the year... "Don't MOVE and sit there under the ladder while you puke." #yesthathappened I probably have another hour of painting left and it will be painted. Then the accessories. Fun.

3. I want to read a book. All I want is a few hours a night to read. Oh how I miss it. I miss my kindle and I think I've finally come to terms with the fact that it's gone and to save a few bucks I am going to use the app on the iPad. Not quite the same (hello 8 week charge) but it'll do. I have a Jen Hatmaker book at the top of my "read" list.

4. Organize my sewing space. This space has evolved SO QUICKLY since my shop opened in June. And my lack of organization is really kicking my butt. My fabric/shirts/tools all pretty much have a place but my paperwork is OUT OF CONTROL. Like my tax lady is going to f.r.e.a.k. if I don't get a handle on it. I guess that's a trait of creative people? Being able to make beautiful things in less than stellar spaces.

5. I have 3 super simple projects I'd love to knock out. One involves a screen and some chicken wire. Another is a hook system for Luke's closet. And another is a lovely saying I want to put over our front door. Our neighborhood is currently building out the rest of the subdivision and they have tons of wood scraps/junk that get thrown in these "trash" bins (they aren't messy trash- but wood scrap trash). One day on a walk Josh actually talked to the builder who was overseeing the work and he checked to see what was actually trash. The guy gave us permission to take whatever we wanted from the "trash" bins and any other scrap lumber less than 4feet long. You realize this makes my creative brain go WILD. So I have been slowly adding to my collection and I think Josh is ready to roll his eyes. So this stuff needs to get DONE before he kicks it to the curb ;)

Emberly's Princess Pink Room

Well this post has been a long time coming....

Let me just start by saying that I've already "finished" her room once. Oh, and then we moved. Her room was complete longer before she was born than after. I was just about done 3-4 months before she was born. And she only got to enjoy it for 2.5 months before we moved! Crazy how life happens!

So when we moved into our new house, it just fell by the wayside. I was really adamant to get Luke's room painted immediately. I finished his blue walls and ceiling before the moving truck showed up. Since he's at an age where "consistency is key" and the 5 months before we bought this house was about as inconsistent as it could get, getting those blue walls done was at the top of my list. Like so high up that after we snagged the house keys at closing our first stop was at the paint desk at Home Depot.

I actually planned to have both their rooms painted that weekend. But it was a lot more work than I originally thought. His room took 2 gallons (I originally bought 1) and I just didn't have enough hours to get her room done.

So it sat.
And sat. I started painting her room but then it stalled. And then I'd make it a really high priority- and then I'd stall again. For MONTHS. I would get frustrated because I only had 1 hour blocks of time here and there and there's not much you can get done in an hour.

This pink is called Powdered Blush by Behr. I LOVE Behr paint and I made a fatal mistake in her old room by going with Sherwin William's paint. You can read that saga here.
The gray is Gentle Rain- also by Behr. This is a GREAT gray! To me is doesn't read blue, purple or green- just true gray. 
Then I'd have to clean up and make the room "baby proof" again, only to pull everything out a week later and not get much done again. And then 6 months passed. I finally decided that the thing holding me back was the light. I was SO SICK OF THE BOOB LIGHT in there. It was dark and made the whole space feel tight. On our recent trip to IKEA I decided that enough was enough. Josh and I had agreed on a chandelier and had looked for one second hand. But we never found one under $50 and since IKEA's chandy was $40 we figured there was no reason to buy used if we could get a new one for less. So it was the light that put the fire under me to finish! 

And now that I've rambled on and on...
Not only was the light holding me back but so were the curtains. Since our ceilings are 9 feet (12 inches higher than our old house) I had some major issues with the length. BUT I actually had never hemmed the curtains from before so I just had to decide what I wanted to do. I do have 1 extra curtain panel (since her old room had 2 windows) but I just couldn't pull the trigger on adding them to the bottom. So a 40% off deal at Hobby Lobby landed this gray fabric in my cart. I didn't want the gray super ruffle-y, but I did want it more ruffle-y than not- if that makes sense. (see the princess in the corner enjoying her room?)
Also I decided to paint this ceiling pink (like I painted Luke's blue in his room). The rest of the house is a neutral tan and the ceilings are the same color as the walls and I really like how big it makes the spaces feel. In my experience white ceilings (with colored walls) almost put a "cap" on rooms and the same color just makes it feel SO high!

Next up- the light. I couldn't be happier with it. It gives off the perfect amount of light for this space. I made sure that Josh hung it high enough so he could walk under it without hitting his head. It's simply EXACTLY WHAT I ENVISIONED!

I love the design it shadows on the ceiling...
And I covered the cord with some scrap fabric and hot glue. Easy peasy.
The other wall is a work in progress. I love building collages and I like making them "add-able" so I can slowly add things over time as I see fit.

The funny thing? I didn't intend for this wall to make "stairs". But it does and I'm kind liking it! I  intend to hang something over the pink E but I wanted to wait for something special and it wasn't until I stepped back after it was all hung did I realize it did this. Love it.



Her changing table wall (which lives between the entrance to her room and the closet) is pretty straightforward. I had some nasty holes to spackle because of a shelf that the previous owners left. Although my "eye" thinks the vinyl should be over the canvas, the practicality of a 15 month of reaching for everything makes it better up there.

Also I've mentioned before that the cream trim in this house KILLS me. I love bright white trim. But since I just finished painting all our trim in our old house last year I wasn't about to start it again here. Oyyyy. It's really obvious how cream it is next to her white dresser. But the previous owners had this entire house professionally painted before we moved in and it just seems increasingly unnecessary to paint trim that was just painted. In 5 years when it all needs to be touched up, it WILL be white!
Her toy corner is perfect. Since the kids have a playroom, lots of toys in their room isn't really necessary.


I love how dark the curtains make the room for naps. That was another thing holding me up. We had blankets held up with thumb tacks for 5 months. But I finally broke down and bought room darkening curtains to hang behind the curtains I made.


They are tan simply because I couldn't find gray. And whenever we repurpose them I figure they are a good neutral color. I hung them directly behind the curtains on the same clips as the pink/gray curtains. For the most part they are totally concealed. This room gets direct western sun so not only for sunlight were they vital but also to keep the heat out.
Her crib wall is still plain. I had a lot of nail holes to touch up when we moved her crib to this wall (it had originally been on the collage wall when she didn't sleep at night). Living in a townhouse I wanted her screaming self to be on our bedroom wall and not the neighbors. She's a LOUD crier ;)

I have a few ideas that I am tossing around... so I will be sure to update when that happens. But I am VERY pleased with the outcome of this space! It's so girly and happy that I just smile when I'm putting her to bed. Of course now that she's actually sleeping at night it's a lot easier to be a peace when putting her to sleep!

Next up? The kid's bathroom! I promised Josh I wouldn't start another room until this one was finished so I'm excited to get going!

High Five for Friday

1. I am in the final stages of finishing Emberly's room. Can I get an amen? I will get a post up next week finished or not! I have a few things to hang on the wall...

2. I took on the position of Elementary Director at our church so blogging has been few and far between lately. I am so blessed by this position and that I am able to work very part time and have my kids with me. So I'm still here and I always have ideas buzzing around in my head. Things are just a bit slower to get done ;)

3. Luke started school last week. Love that he loves school so much! I tried to work with him this summer with writing his name and he didn't really want anything to do with it so I didn't want to force it. At school they write their name everyday and I am SO proud of the progress he's made. He sat down one night and wrote this note to me unassisted. To say I was teary eyed is a total understatement.

Emmie had her 15month check up late last week. She did great and even though she's not walking yet (well she's couch cruising). She measured in at the 94% for everything (head, weight and height). She's a whopping 26lbs and my arms hurt.

4. Now that Emmie's room is painted I've already started planning my next project- the kids' bathroom. Here's sneak peek.

5. Love that my mom and I have matching vans. Twinsies. ;)

Sofa Table

I mentioned a week or so ago that Josh's dad came into town. He just closed on his new house (YAY!) and  needed his sofa table back. He loaned it to us a few years ago (it moved with us from Toccoa) and we knew he'd most likely need it back eventually.

I always knew that I'd want the IKEA Hemnes sofa table to match our current coffee table when the time came. I also thought that maybe we'd be adventurous and build one. Then I woke up from that dream.

When his dad called asking for it back and said that he would even come get it (he lives in Mississippi) we were all for it. He then said that as my birthday gift he would replace it for whatever one I wanted. Double score. He told me to peruse Pottery Barn and any other local furniture stores. Although Pottery Barn is lovely I would never pay their prices, even if I could.

So we planned a day to IKEA. It was a super fun day and we grabbed a few things we needed (some towels for the kids bathroom, a chandelier for Em's room, and a few other odds and ends). I keep a running IKEA list all year and stock up when I go to make it worth the trip. Although we only live about 30 minutes away, it's a serious pain with 2 kids. BUT I must add that we took advantage of their childcare/playground for Luke and I was VERY impressed. He had fun and it was super clean.

Back to the sofa table. Here is the before:

I mentioned that I wanted to grab the match to our coffee table so I jumped on pinterest before we left to make sure it was what I wanted. I also took note of the baskets I liked so I could grab those while I was there too.

Here were a few fun ideas I found:

The traditional wicker baskets on bottom. No baskets on top. Styled with a lamp and frames. The lamps are a little too symmetrical for me.
This one really piqued my curiosity. Love how they made the bottom 4 cubbies into 2. Still wasn't sure about the top cubbies not having storage. Balls and breakable stuff isn't really my jam right now. 
This gave me a view of what all white would look like. And I decided that for our style (and brown couches) that this wasn't the direction I was headed. 
So I kind of merged all these ideas together (doggie legs included):

The absolute best part? I didn't buy any new baskets. I fully intended when I walked in IKEA that I would walk out with baskets. But as I realized that our coffee table baskets fit in the upper cubbies and that we really didn't use our baskets under the coffee table in our new house I figured it would be the perfect switch. In our old house we had NO place for toy storage in the living room so the baskets had a purpose. Well now we have a playroom so no need for baskets. And I like the open coffee table better.

And the striped bins were used on top of our desk hutch in our old house
But that's my embroidery desk now so the bins could be repurposed. 

As we were assembling the sofa table we purposely left out 2 of the cubbies to create space for these. And we kept the other pieces and screws incase we ever change our mind!

I dry our cloth diapers in the sun on our back deck (right past this table) so I figured it was the perfect place to display our pretty, yet functional clothes pins in a blue mason jar.
Overall I'm in love. I'm shocked at how a bigger piece doesn't make the space feel any smaller since it's so bright and white. I am also super proud that we repurposed things we already have. And if I miss the baskets under the coffee table, it's IKEA. I can always grab more. I am SO THANKFUL for this gift and just the fact that Josh's dad thought of me (and let us borrow the old one to begin with)! Yay for happy FREE switch ups!

It's Friday!

I didn't do a Friday post last week so some of these are catching up from the previous week. It has been a CRAZY busy 2 weeks! And honestly I love being busy. I tend to love being home, and being by myself with the kids doesn't bother me. But there are days I feel like we do the same old same old- so it's nice to have a change in routine!

1. Last Wednesday we made a trip to visit our friends in Athens. It was good for our soul to see them. Holly kept Luke in her home when he was a baby. We lived about 2 miles apart and saw each other constantly so it's been super weird to not have them near-by. Nothing like a "shooting" game to lift everyone's spirit! (Wade is fighting a pretty huge battle right now).
2. Luke is growing growing growing. He had a checkup so I could get his vaccination records for school (pre-k). I am so thankful he is such a healthy little boy who is so full of life. And if you've spent 10 seconds around him you KNOW he expresses that in his words. He is JUST like his daddy in that he talks to everyone. They should both run for mayor.

He took a selfie on my phone one night and I found this picture a few days later. He is hilarious.
The boy still loves his subway so I know that's a special treat I can get that he will love. Subway was the only thing I could eat while I was pregnant with both kids that I knew wouldn't make me sick. It was also the only thing I really craved so it's no surprise that he is obsessed (and sissy really loves it too).
3. Emberly is growing so fast. She'll be 15months in August and the girl still isn't walking. Can we say princess? She prefers to have her 5'1" mother carry all 26 pounds of her squishy goodness all around. Seriously girl it's getting old. ;) Actually I love that she "needs" me since she's my baby. I know that there won't be anymore for a while so I am soaking this up.

Her hair is growing in like crazy and we have tried to control her mullet. I am LOVING her ponies!

4. We also got to hang out with my globe trotting college roommate this month! Britt has been back from Russia this summer and it was great seeing her and Patrick. By the way, I don't think the boy is ever mad. Seriously he has the sweetest smile/cheeks/face ever.

5. Josh's dad came into town (rather unexpectedly) which was PERFECT since our calendar was wide open this week. He is in the middle of closing on a new house on the Mississippi Gulf Shore. A few years ago he loaned us his sofa table while he wasn't using it. Well he needs it in his new house so he came to grab it (and take me shopping for a new one). I really didn't expect for him to take me shopping, but I had a few sofa tables in mind. There's more to the story and I'll have a separate post for the new one, but we spent the day at Ikea and found something I absolutely love!
Hard to believe that school is right around the corner... got all Luke's supplies and we are ready to meet his teacher next week. And you can bet you will NOT be finding this cheapskate in any store this tax free weekend!!