Taking Care

OH HEY.

Long time no see! My last post was in November when I shared how we had converted the original dining room into a sitting room, and the original formal living room into our dining room. Since that last post, both of these spaces have seen so much more use than before! I truly believe in "customizing" your house to fit your style. After all, you are the one who is living there! So what if you don't get a return off of a certain upgrade? Does that stink? Yeah. But, did you love it? Then it was worth it. 

To be truthful, not many house projects have been taking place since that last post. As most of you were aware, I had been spending time with Ma, and trying to handle the up's and downs that came with that journey. While I don't see this blog as being the place to get into detail about that type of thing, I will say, I miss her so much. I loved sending her photos of our house to describe the updates we were doing. My aunts would frequently show her on Facebook pictures, as well. She dreamed of making the trip out to our house. I know if she could have, she would. 

Through this experience, it has reminded me and shown me that I do need to take care of myself, too. Hence, the graphic at the top of the post today. House projects that I dreamed of doing over Winter Break didn't happen. I don't regret that one bit, it just means they got pushed back. Now, I am laid out on the couch, enjoying Spring Break. Earlier, I couldn't help but think, "I need a to do list of each day of what I need to accomplish as I only have __ days!!" 

Then, I thought of that quote - "Fall in love with taking care of yourself. Mind. Body. Soul." I need to continue working on taking care of myself. I was thankful I took my fully allotted bereavement leave to grieve and attempt to heal - but none of these house projects happened. Now, with however many days it is for Spring Break, I can't help but think of taking it day by day. Do I want to clean my entire house and clean the bedrooms? Of course. But, I am not going to stress myself out about it. I can't. I have to take care of myself. And, as much as I love schedules, lists, and the look of a list that has been crossed out, I will succumb these to allow time to take care of myself. 

The mess and cleaning will always be there. But, will there always be time available to take care of myself? Learning to be selfish starts here. 

How do you take care of yourself? I'd love to hear ideas of how you do this! :) 

The Move

No, we are not moving! Our realtor agent called this week to check in on us. He's a very sweet guy who every so often will call to check in on us, make sure everything is going well, and see if we need anything. Highly recommend him. We are friends on Facebook, and he had said that he thought we were doing some nice updates to our home and enjoyed seeing where it has come from. But, like I said - no we are not moving. It would take quite a bit to get me to move.

The move that I'm referencing is in our house! Our house is set up as a side split - common in the area we are in, but not as common in other areas. Think of a split level house, but with the "split" of the house all to the side. Google it perhaps. Anyway, you walk into our hallway from the front door and have three semi-open rooms - kitchen, formal living room, and dining room. 

The formal living room was a place in which it had two nice chairs that I had picked out from Overstock shortly after moving in, our china cabinet, and a rug that was too good of a price to pass up. Oh, the days of not having an IKEA in our neighborhood.... :)

It was suggested by my Mom a while back, to consider moving the dining room to the formal living room. At first, I didn't buy into this idea. We had a dining room. Sure, the backdoor was a little bit of a nuisance, but only slightly. And, the table was small. It fit! Oh, and don't forget about the golden 1970s glass lighting that hung from there. (For a house warming present, she bought us a new light fixture for that room.)

Now, after living in our house for a couple of years, I was starting to see the potential of that formal living room, especially after hosting some of Z's office over for a holiday dinner. I could see a dining room table in the formal living room. And, the picture didn't look so bad! The question was, what would happen to the dedicated dining room?

Formal Living Room - Before

Formal Living Room - Before

Formal Living Room - Before

Formal Living Room After - Now Dining Room

We took the space, and ripped out the breakfast bar to begin. We expanded the width of the counter, allowing for ample space to eat and serve food. Even by doing that and getting some chairs for the bar area, we had a nice pathway of space. We took the once formal living room chairs and table, and moved in there! I found a rug at Target that fit the space nicely. (Hint: Target has lovely rugs! Check online for their pricing - it's sometimes cheaper! And, they will match in stores.) We bought a retro-looking TV at Target, and are now using that space as a sitting area -- one that we are using much more now! It is like we have gained another room! 

Former Dining Room, Now "Sitting Room"

Former Dining Room, Now "Sitting Room"

I am really enjoying watching our house have more of our touches on it. My best piece of home advice is to do what you want to do. Create rooms that you love. Sure, it may not get the "resale" factor, but it's your place. Make it yours.

What is one of your rooms you love in your house, or dream of wanting? I would love to have a craft room, but, the bedroom I would like to put it in, I also have dreams of making that a master suite retreat... Battle of the ideas! 

Young House Love ... Missing You.

While Z was traveling for work, I tend to listen to music or podcasts more at night. I was scrolling through Bloglovin' and stumbled upon a saved post featuring Young House Love. Have any of you listened to it yet? After multiple attempts, and predicted, falling asleep before it is over, I am slowly getting through it. I think subconsciously part of me does not want this podcast to end! 

My take aways from it....

• I really rely on Z to help with house projects. Like, a lot. I don't mind doing that, but it puts it in perspective just how much I rely on him for those things. I may have the ideas and inspiration, but he has the ability. 
• The purpose of this informal blog was to share what all we were doing on our house. While I still haven't updated regularly, I do enjoy this being an outlet and way to share, aside from social media websites. 
• I would love to get my hands on the newest Young House Love book.

I'd love to hear what you think after listening to this podcast! Happy listening! 

Many Mason Jars

Mason jars. 

They have become such a trendy, shabby chic accessory to home decor or parties. When I was a kid, I never would have imagined that all of my Grandma's mason jars would make such a statement and I would be asking my Mom if she had any to spare. Who knew?! I obviously didn't a number of years ago.

Luckily, my Mom had salvaged some of those mason jars. I wasn't expecting to hear that she located twelve of them and that they were all mine, despite me telling her that I would be perfectly content with only taking a few. Regardless..... When I was at my parent's house last time, I opened up a closet to find one of the shelves adorned with mason jars. It looks like I'm taking them one way or another. Due to them being made of glass and not having a proper box, I cautiously brought back two on this past trip. Next, ten more to go... ( I know Z is *so* excited.)

I have a few ideas of how I may want to use the jars. I already have used one as a vase when I cut flowers from our garden. I have pinned many Pinterest ideas with mason jar ideas. But, I would love to know, what would you do with them? What ideas are there that I should know about?? One can only have so many flower vases.

Let me know what you would do with them, and I'll keep you updated.... I'm thinking Fall and the holidays could use some mason jars.

What Happened ... What Didn't Happen ...

Hello, end of August. 

Sort of nice to see you. As usual, summer went by too quickly, and I am now dreaming of three day weekends over Labor Day and the approach of Fall. Sometime back, I wrote a post midway(?) or early(?) summer outlining some thoughts. For whatever the reason may have been, it was never posted. So here I am drinking a glass of red wine and looking at it on a Saturday evening in our dining room as Z runs wires behind a wall. He has so much more patience for that sort of thing than I would. I went back through the post and put my current thoughts in italics. It was fun to look back at this! It appears as if I go through phases of not posting for a while, but that doesn't mean that things aren't happening around our house. Pardon my blogging absence, and enjoy the thoughts of summer.....

-E-

Garden

• I am so thrilled with the way our backyard is turning out. We had been so spoiled in the earlier months of summer to spend so much time outside with the mild weather!  Our hosta collection has grown (got to love a good plant nursery and sale), and we have added more to it. I have nicknamed our backyard "the retreat@ because it feels that way. Grab your bottle of wine (Sauvingon Blanc from New Zealand, Shiraz from Australia.....) & head out for a relaxing evening.  Many evenings have been spent outside and many more to come, especially with Fall creeping up on us!
• Hot tub..... Didn't happen. :( Long story short, the motor gave out and the company has poor customer service. I loved that thing! If you are looking around for a pool or inflatable hot tub, I strongly advise you avoid INTEX. (I've heard people have better luck with the pools....) Still quite sad about this.... Discovered our local neighborhood pool, though, with Z's sister which was quite fun!
• Raised bed hasn't happened yet, but to our delight the veggies on one of the sides of our house is doing well despite the endless amounts of shade! Still no raised bed, but the veggies have continued to do well! Putting it on the side of the house and expanding it along that way was a great idea.
• Our compost pile is still a work in progress, but there is composting taking place already! I can't wait to get more involved in it. Still a work in progress.... :) Thinking Fall with all of our leaves will bring more time doing this activity. 
• I bought roughly 5-6 pepper plants this year and 2 types of basil plants. Happy with what we have been able to get from it! Next with basil is homemade pesto! Pepper plants are still producing! Made 2 types of homemade pesto and put it in the freezer.... Can't wait to try it!

House

• Organizing!!!! I tend to go through purges when I really examine things to determine if I need to hold onto it or not. The 4th bedroom in our house is top priority this summer. While it won't be done in time for the neighborhood garage sale, I predict trips to Goodwill this summer. Unfortunately, the 4th bedroom did not happen, but just about every other room did! Donations to Goodwill are piling up. 
• Organizing more. That is my biggest goal for the house... Can you tell? Continual purges... 

City + State

• I want to get to know my state and surrounding city more. I dream of frequenting local farmer's markets, local shops, sites in my state, charming towns, and getting to know my area better. Still exploring! Went to a few nearby towns but can't wait to dive more into it. I think that Fall will be a beautiful time to do so with the leaves changing.
• Speaking of getting to know my area better.... We have been here for 4 years as of this coming October. I want to get to know my area even better. I can't believe we are approaching 4 years. I remember the day Z told me we were moving from Chicago! 

Etc.

• With no concrete commitments aside for a few things throughout the summer, I am also looking forward to making trips to visit with family + friends. Mission accomplished. 

Summer Dreamin'

Today, as I typed up notes for a meeting with my colleagues, I realized that today was April 22. Not a significant day, aside from being my Dad's birthday and Earth Day. But today was the day I realized that it was April 22. Our last day with students is May 21. We have crossed that threshold of being less than one calendar month away from summer. (If you haven't assumed yet, yes -- I am a teacher.) This is bittersweet for a number of reasons. However, I wanted to focus on what the summer may hold.

Garden

• I have dreams of our yard resembling a small slice of MOBot - the Missouri Botanical Gardens. I could have an endless rant of how lovely this place is, and why it is easily in my top destinations in St. Louis, but you must experience it. I look forward to doing more planting, creating more flower beds, and carry on with my hosta obsession collection. 
• Getting our hot tub up and running!
• Saving money & planning towards building this amazing raised bed on our own 
• Finishing our compost pile
• Buying more basil & pepper plants

House

• Organizing!!!! I tend to go through purges when I really examine things to determine if I need to hold onto it or not. The 4th bedroom in our house is top priority this summer. While it won't be done in time for the neighborhood garage sale, I predict trips to Goodwill this summer.
• Organizing more. That is my biggest goal for the house... Can you tell?

City + State

• I want to get to know my state and surrounding city more. I dream of frequenting local farmer's markets, local shops, sites in my state, charming towns, and getting to know my area better. 
• Speaking of getting to know my area better.... We have been here for 4 years as of this coming October. I want to get to know my area even better. 

Etc.

• With no concrete commitments aside for a few things throughout the summer, I am also looking forward to making trips to visit with family + friends.
• Relaxing. Recharging. 

What do you wish to accomplish this summer? Do you get summers off or vacation weeks? When everything is said and done, I am looking at roughly two months (give or take a week or two) for being my time frame to get things done. 

Photo: http://www.phase-eight.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/summer.jpg

Privacy Fence

YOU GUYS. I thought my happiness couldn't get any greater after Z jack hammered the concrete obstrocity. Apparently it was possible to get greater! 

Z designed and built a horizontal fence and gate that faced out to the main street where our house faces. Since we are the second house from the street and our neighbors do not have a fence up, we were lacking privacy in our backyard. Each time we were outside, it was not uncommon for someone on the street which our yard faced, to be looking at what we were up to next, or bluntly asking what we were up to. At the same time, they also gave compliments which was very sweet. But, we were craving a bit more privacy in our backyard without feeling like we were on the "Truman Show." 

I was out of town this past weekend, but Z and his mom assembled this part of the fence! It looks SO good. I was so impressed with the work that was put into it! The only thing that I helped out with was gathering lumber at Home Depot and helping to space some wood pieces. Not nearly as much as they did. 

I already am pinning ideas of what I may want to plant next year, picking out some hostas, and looking at ideas now that the fence is up! 

CORNER OF THE FENCE

FENCE BUILT

 

HANGING BRACKETS FOR BASKETS

Although this is the last night of my summer break, I still have a few projects that I hope to accomplish in the upcoming weeks... finishing painting our bed platform, organizing closets, touching up our bedroom and bathroom paint.I was hoping to have finished them over break, but sometimes, you just need some rest and relaxation! 

Jack Hammer!

Sadly, summer is rapidly coming to an end. I thought surely I would have updated more frequently, but, as noticed, that didn't happen. Instead, vacations, spending time with loved ones (pets included), gardening, and some small house projects took place. Our minds are running wild with what we will do in the upcoming months! 

Although I hadn't updated lately and there are so many pictures of our garden that I intend to share, I had to share this picture because it makes me OH SO HAPPY!

Long stories short. The previous owner said they would take care of things that they left prior to closing. They took everything except these lovely once-were basketball posts. (Cue sarcasm. I would have much prefered the basketball hoop but it seemed like it was gone years ago.) The reminets have been siting on the side of our house until today! TODAY! Z's work had rented a jack hammer for a project there. Coincidently, we were pricing rentals of those earlier this week. After using it at his work, he and two work friends decided to continue the fun and took a try at these hideous concrete spheres. A half hour later, it was broken up into much more manageable and movable pebbles. 

After living with this since we moved in, I am beyond excited to see this gone! And beyond thankful. I can't wait to get it moved out and start imagining what to plant there next year! 

With the week left of summer, I am going to be fully enjoying it. Hope you all enjoy your weeks, too, if summer is ending, ongoing, or maybe never truly started. 

-E

"Must Do!"

The "must do" on my summer list was to work on our master bedroom. When we purchased our house, all of the rooms with the exception of the kitchen and master bedroom, were painted a beige color. The kitchen was sponge painted with a yellow blend and the master bedroom was purple. As in, K-State purple. If you need a reminder, check out this post! I love purple. My bedroom at my parents' house was a shade of purple! However, this was a bit too much, and too dark. 

We had gone back and forth with what we wanted to do in this room. At first, my initial idea was a light gray because I have loved how it made our kitchen and lower living room look. Very calming. Although, as we worked on the master bathroom, we thought that making the rooms feel similar would be best. 

We tried two paint samples and decided on option #2. It was a grayish-green color that felt spa-like! Calming, sophisticated, and complimentary to our end look. 

We took off the doors in the bedroom that we knew we would be keeping. Two sets of doors (both to closets) were not installed correctly and the door jam was not installed correctly, either. Since we will eventually replace those, we did not bother painting them again. We used Valspar Ultra White on the primed doors. 

Z worked on patching the walls where previous cracks had been. 

There were many cracks near the windows.

A preview of the bathroom painted with the color we chose for the master bathroom & master bedroom!

In the last two weeks, we have:

• painted the master bathroom
• painted the master bedroom
• painted ceilings in master bathroom & bedroom
• installed crown molding in the master bedroom
• replaced 1/4 of the baseboards in the master bedroom
• started to paint our bed 

It's funny how my "must do" summer project is progressing so quickly! I am very happy about it, though! In a few weeks, my Mom has graciously offered to help with projects around the house. Hopefully final touches of painting will be done in our bedroom at that time! (Baseboards will be a piece here, piece there kind of project.)

 Next up? Man bathroom. Pictures to ensure of these projects soon.

Hope your June has been enjoyable thus far, whether you have the summer off, have the opportunity to travel, or are trying to beat the heat!

-E

1 Year

March 19, 2013was an exciting day for us. After a turbulent ordeal with the home buying process, we closed on our first home! With both of our cars packed to the rim, we drove to the office where we would sign paperwork and get our keys. Before we knew it, we spent the first night in our house - giddy with excitement and talks of the projects we would undertake! 

Yesterday marked one year that we have called our house ours. It has been an exciting, and at times, frustrating adventure in home ownership. But - it has been very rewarding! I don't know if you celebrate a house's "birthday" or "gotcha day" but we talked about what all we had done so far in the house and our dreams for the upcoming years in this house. 

Here's to the next year, and the many years to follow in this Midwest house of ours!

-E

Snow Day Craftivity - River Rock Boot Tray

Just when you think that winter may be over, it's not! Something I love about the Midwest is our four distinct seasons. I truly believe that if I were to move outside of the Midwest to a place that does not experience the four seasons, I would miss it! I find it ironic, as I wrote that last sentence, that I have always lived in the Midwest, despite calling three states home. I suppose that the Midwest is best! 

A luxury, to some (ME!), that comes with having four distinct seasons is the intensity of each season. I was beyond thankful to find out that I had a snow day this past Monday! It didn't snow in excessive amounts like it did in February, but, it was cold enough to send the wind chills into the negative twenties. Brrrrr. Considering the fact that I truly took advantage of the snow days, I attempted to be more productive on my last one. 

Below is one of the things that I was able to accomplish! Somewhere within my thousands of pins on Pinterest, I happened to pin this super easy and cute craftivity. All it consists of is "river rocks" and a boot tray. Uber easy & cute. I was worried about finding a boot tray since it was almost spring, but Target didn't let me down!

I bought this Mohawk boot tray at my local Target. I felt lucky enough to snag one of the last ones, as I wasn't sure if they would restock for the upcoming season! Next, I went to Dollar Tree and bought 11 bags of their river rock. Other tutorials suggested you could do less, but I wanted to have more than enough than not enough. I poured all of the bags into the tray and distributed evenly. That's it! 

In all, this cost me roughly $16. It is more eye appealing and an easy way to store my boots and shoes. Even though winter is (trying) to wrap up, I still think this will be a valuable accessory come Spring with the rain! Best thing is, if it gets dirty, all you have to do is rinse out the tray and rocks. Easy enough!

You can find more examples of what other people did at these sites, too:

• Apartment Therapy
• Dollar Store Crafts 
• Martha Stewart 

Have you done any home crafts lately? If so, I'd love to hear about it! And, if not, what is catching your eyes with crafts lately?

-E-

Making Progress in the Master Bath

This month has been filled with birthdays, visits with loved ones, a friend buying an adorable house, snowy days, work obligations, and so much more. In between all of this, Z has been continuously working on our master bathroom. 

For my birthday, my parents gave me a Lowes giftcard so this helped us get a large portion of the bathroom completed. We bought tile, tools, and a carpet for the  guest bedroom - which is also coming together nicely! I am so excited to see this coming together! 

Here is what we have done so far, since the last post:

Faux wood tile floor. 

Beadboard hung horizontally along wall. 

Trim put at seams of beadboard. 

Tile for insert of shower cubby. 

Tile for shower base. 

The room looks even better in person. We currently do not have lights in the room, so getting optimal pictures is a bit more difficult. Perhaps a video may showcase it more.

I am exploring paint colors and have a few ideas in mind. We are also scoping out IKEA sinks and cabinets. Our IKEA opens this Fall, but... We will see if we hold out that long for the final touches. Shipping or a road trip may suffice, too!

There is much more to come...

-E

Closets + Coughs + Cash/Rewards - Oh My!

With the start of the new year, as I scroll through my Bloglovin' cue, I find many bloggers talking about their new years resolutions. In the last few years, I have shifted my thinking about new years resolutions. I don't look at them so formally. When I reflect upon this year on December 31, 2014 I won't judge the success or dismay by how well I made my resolution. Instead, I view it as things I am going to continue to work on throughout the year. I have a few in mind, one of them revolving around this blog. I am going to try to update more frequently. I won't say that I will post every (insert day here) but I will try to keep it going even when there isn't much to share.

The last few days of my Winter break, I had grand ideas of what I was going to share. Tackling our entrance hallway closet was on the top of my list. I bought these baskets when we were at IKEA in Chicago this November. Cheap & functional. Just what I needed! (See below!)

BASKETS FROM IKEA

I keep going back and forth about this idea I found on Pinterest for that closet. I love how open and easily accessible it is. But, I have reservations about how messy it could get and how exposed it would become in that hallway.

CLOSET IDEA??

Until then, my cheap IKEA baskets will help with organization! I was planning ton sorting through our winter accessories and organizing the closet. Instead, here I am propped up on our couch with Oscar, coffee, reruns of Law & Order: SVU, Chipotle leftovers (thank you, Z!) and enough cold/cough medicine to make me function somewhat normally.

GOOD COMPANY ON THE COUCH.

TAKING TURNS WITH OSCAR

So, since I don't have updates or pictures of the closet I was hopping to get to today, I wanted to share a number of websites that will occupy my time for a bit today. If I am going to sit around, I might as well get rewarded for it! I have no affiliation with any of these sites, other than that I have accounts with some of them that require accounts. I do get referral points for some (not all) of the links listed, so if you are going to sign up, I greatly appreciate that you click on these links. :)

Hope you all have a healthy and happy weekend! If you're in the Midwest where the snow is approaching, stay warm! I'm a bit disappointed with our predicted snowfall amounts, but we will see what happens. Perhaps I will be able to get a snapshot of the snow from my prop on the couch. ;)

EARN!

SURVEY SAVVY
This site was just as good as it has claimed to be! Essentially, they send you surveys that you fill out and they give you money for each one that you successfully complete. Then, whenever you have above $3.00, you can cash it out and they will send you a check! Sounds too good to be true? I promise - it's true! I received a check from them in 2013. Only downsides that some may find is the time period to get the check (4-6 weeks) and that you don't always quality for surveys. But, it's FREE money!

RECYCLE BANK
Through learning about recycling and the environment and pledging to become more green, you can earn points! It's as simple as a few clicks of your mouse! I have redeemed my points for a number of magazine subscriptions through this site! (Check your city! If your city has partnered with Recycle Bank & you recycle, you can earn additional points!)

SWAGBUCKS
This website is an all-in-one kind of site. It has surveys, search engines, videos, and more that you can participate in to get points. Through these, you get points that can be redeemed for magazines, gift cards (my favorite is Amazon), sweepstakes, and more! Their search engine isn't the best, but, you can earn points to get a gift card! The best part is that just by doing the "daily things", you can earn a few points with a few clicks.

AMAZON BOOK BUY BACK
During one of my first semesters of graduate school, I came across this option through Amazon. If you have a textbook that you are trying to sell back, give Amazon a try! You put in your ISBN barcode and Amazon either politely declines your book or will make you an offer! If you like what they offer, they will pay for you to ship them your book (aside from packaging.) Once they receive your book and confirm its condition, they will deposit their offer into your Amazon account.

ON THE PHONE!

SURVEY MINI
My Sonic addiction of a Route 44 with Sprite Zero & Diet Cherry has been fulfilled this past year with this phone app. Note though that at this time, this app is available for phones with an iOS operating system. (Hang on Android users!) When you head out and about to run errands or for a day out, open this app and let it run in the background. It will detect your location and send you short surveys - about 11 questions - for points. You can redeem for an array of gift cards ranging from coupons to $50 gift cards. (I have been loving the Sonic ones, although I may try to save for a larger $25 gift card next!)

VIGGLE
A friend told me about this app! When you are enjoying your favorite TV show, open up this app and it will listen in (like Shazam) to what you're watching. Once you confirm the show that you are watching, you check into it and get points just for watching TV! You can save up points and redeem for rewards! Even sweeter deal - if you are a DirecTV user, put in the code: DIRECTV when you sign up and you can get 5,000 bonus points! Make sure to have your account number ready!

RECEIPT HOG
The same friend who told me about Viggle also referred me to this site! After completing your grocery shopping, you snap a picture of your receipt and submit it through the app. After being reviewed, you are given coins for your receipt! You can save up your coins to get an Amazon gift card or a PayPal deposit. The downside is that it may take a while to save up, but again - it's FREE money!

iPOLL
I downloaded this app this week, so I am still trying it out. You can earn two ways through this app. The first is to log on to your account through your computer to complete surveys and profile surveys, too. You get "paid" for each one that you successfully complete. By signing up, they give you $5.00 then the surveys - that I have seen - vary from $0.10 to $2.00. The other way to earn is to complete "tasks" on your phone. It will detect your location and give you missions to do. The ones that I saw when I signed up was answering questions about a gas station and a bank. You have to be at (or very close) to the location to get these missions! When you have accumulated currency, you can redeem for gift cards and other rewards. I am eyeballing the Lowes gift card!


TRY!

Hey, It's Free!
This site was the one that turned me on to surveys online which rewarded you and free samples. Because, what is better than free?! This site posts free things! Simple as that. There isn't one specific thing that this website targets - just anything free! You never know what you'll stumble across on here! My favorites have been free K-Cup samples for my Keurig machine! Mmmm... Coffee!

PINCHme
I joined this website in November '13 after seeing it... somewhere! I love it thus far. Each Tuesday, PINCHme posts new samples that you can redeem for that they will send you in a bright blue box. The samples and time are limited so you have to act quick! It reminds me of one of those subscription boxes that you may get in the mail, but it's all free samples! I have already received pet treats, Lady Gaga perfume, and cereal to name a few. Typically, when quantities allow, you can add up to three things into your box!

SAVE!

Kansas City Mamas
So, as you read this one, you may be thinking, "I don't live in Kansas City" and, or, "I am not a mama." No worries! Don't let that title scare you away from this one! A Target shopper turned me onto this site as she described it to the cashier. A mom in the KC area blogs about great finds that she has found, coupons, and coupon match ups to make things very cheap. Once per week, usually on Saturdays, she will post retail coupons (from Surviving the Stores) and restaurant coupons. Planning on going out this weekend? Give it a try! (I have loved the Bath & Body Works coupons! Hello free candles!)

All Things Target
If you know me, you know that I have a slight obsession with Target. When we moved first out of our hometown to an area with a Target supermarket and Starbucks, I thought I had found my heaven. One stop shop for everything. The person who writes this blog focuses on finding the best deals at what other store?! Target! I am a self proclaimed bargain shopper and clearance aisle lover, so I especially appreciate when this blog is updated with what is on sale!

Target Cartwheel 
If you don't know me personally, you now know that I love Target. And, I love this app. It looks like you can sign up with an email (and not your Facebook account) now! Weary about having your things posted on Facebook? You can switch your settings so that not everything is posted which is my preference for my settings. Without rambling on, if you like Target, give this app a try. I like to go in and double check with what I 'm buying with this app. Since getting the app, I have saved quite a bit already! Yippee! More for clearance shopping.... ;)


LOVE!

Dropbox
This thing has changed my life for the better. Coincidentally enough, the person who referred me to Viggle & Receipt Hog told me about this one, too! This has apps for your phone (Yes, Android and iOS!) and computer. You can upload documents, back up photos, and more through this free service! You can pay for more space. There are ways to earn some extra storage, though, at no additional cost!

Bon Appetit - Updating Before the Dream!

I love cooking. I love trying new recipes and cooking "tried and true" recipes. I enjoy collecting cookbooks and love lingering in kitchen areas of stores. I may even have a slight obsession with Le Creuset and kitchen tools. Despite these loves, I craved a kitchen that was not updated. And, so did Z. We wanted a kitchen that needed "lots of love." Why? We wanted a house that needed "love" so we could put our own touches on it. We had the same philosophy with the kitchen. We wanted a kitchen that needed love so that some day it could become our dream kitchen. While, it will cost us quite a bit of money to do, it will be worth it. 

In the last few months, Young House Love posted their reasoning and justification for painting their cabinets and updating their cabinet hardware. They discussed how for a fraction of the cost, they could give their kitchen an update look while they saved money for their dream kitchen.

Before we get to the updating that we have done, let's take a scroll to look back at where our kitchen has come from. (Thank you, Zillow, for still having pictures of our house up!) 

Before - Kitchen looks into dining room.

Before - Dining room looking into kitchen.

Before - Dining Room 

Before - Kitchen

Before - Looking into Kitchen from Dining Room

The pictures above are pretty much how we bought the house. The exception is that the living room was all tan - not green as seen above. We bought it with yellow sponge painting and all. In my dream kitchen, I have imagined either having dark black cabinets or light gray cabinets, like the ones seen at IKEA. While we have years to decide what cabinets will actually be installed, we decided for the present time we would do some updating of our kitchen. A couple hundred books over years seemed manageable. 

To update the kitchen and dining room, we decided to:

• Paint the Kitchen Walls
• Prime & Paint the Kitchen Cabinets 
• Replace drawer pulls 
• Paint the Dining Room Walls
• Paint the Trim in both rooms
• Replace outlets, lights, and vent covers
• New window treatments (Thanks, Mom!)
• Flooring

Below, are the pictures of what our kitchen looks like now. It is amazing what under $100 can do! 

Kitchen - Cabinets Primed & Painted 

Kitchen looking into dining room.

Z added a shelf for cookbooks. Red island from Hickory
Dickory (First Friday) & wine cooler from eBay!

Dining Room - Painted

Dining Room - Painted 

Dining Room - New light fixture. (Christmas / graduation
gift from E's Mom.)

I have absolutely loved what a difference the updates have made in these spaces. Z loved the light that was in the dining room, so I suspect that it will reappear somewhere in our house someday. Perhaps in the man bathroom?! What you can't notice in the pictures is that the granite countertops where the mixer is located at is not even! The previous owner chose beautiful counters but it was not installed properly. Also, almost each of the large tiles in the kitchen is cracked! Again, it was not installed correctly. Knowing that we will be living with this kitchen for a few years, we are debating what flooring options we will consider. Right now, it is between replacing the grout between the tiles to clean it up, or using a faux wood "peel and stick" in the room.

In the upcoming months, we plan on retouching the trim to freshen it up and possibly replace the fan that is located in the kitchen. As we continue to use and cook in our kitchen, it gives us the chance to think about what we really want in our dream kitchen. Oh, the possibilities!

There are so many fun kitchen gadgets, accessories, and things to plan for in a kitchen. What is your favorite kitchen thing? What would you have in your dream kitchen? I'd love to hear what you love or would add into yours!

Stairway to Potential

It was around this time last year that we began to get very serious about our house hunt. It just seemed as though things were lining up to make it a great time to start looking a bit more seriously. When we met our outstanding realtor, Tom, I felt as though we were on the latest HGTV House Hunters episode. We were asked what were the things that we weren't willing to settle on, things we would be OK compromising with, and what was on our ideal wish list. 

Cue to the part of the episode where the realtor tells the prospective home buyers that they may not be able to get everything that they want in their home, and to be prepared for it. Our list wasn't astronomical, but there were things we wanted both in our "won't budge" list and "dream" list.

On our "won't budge" list, we had:

• A basement
• At least 1 car garage
• Decent sized yard
• Minimum 3 Bedrooms
• Good school district 

On our wish list, we had:

• The things listed above on our "won't budge" list
• 1.5+ Bathrooms
• 3+ Bedrooms 
• Dining Room area
• Hardwood floors
• Fenced yard
• Close to E & Z's work

I am sure we had more, but these were the "must have" and "dreams" we had listed. Fast forward to our house. We were pleasantly surprised that we got all of the things we had on our "won't budge" and "wish" list! The one that I was the most surprised to get off of our wish list was having over three bedrooms. Since we live away from the area that we grew up, having a guest bedroom / office was ideal. That way, when we have visitors (which we love hosting!) we had a place for them to stay. No hotel needed! 

Unfortunately, over the last months, the 4th bedroom has become our "catch all" room. YIKES. It was a disaster, to say the least. But, its location next to the attic and up another flight of stairs, made it great to keep things in before we could organize it. Perfect to close the door and the mess. It was one of my goals over my Winter Break to organize this room and make it a bit more functional. I am excited to see the progress in this room! 

This room has a far way to come, even from where it is right now. Out of all of the bedrooms (especially) this bedroom has the most work to be done in it. The trim has never been painted, the doors are in poor shape (punched in??), and the floors need some love. Overall, it has a way to come. But, getting it organized was a huge step in that direction!

I am not sure when it will start its transformation, but I am excited for it to happen when it does. My Pinterest boards are bursting with ideas of how this room will transform. I see lots and lots of paint, window treatments, chalkboard paint, a desk.... Oh, the ideas!! I anticipate that this room will really get its start either summer or this upcoming Fall when the highly anticipated IKEA opens in our area!

If you have a home office or dream of having one, what would be your "must haves" in yours? Or, what do you dream about having in one? What do you love about it? I would love to hear your ideas!

Revisiting the "Men's Bathroom" (1/2 Bath)

When we bought our house, one thing that was on our "wish list" was having at least 1 1/2 bathrooms. It was an added bonus that our house actually has 2 1/2 bathrooms! (When it isn't ripped out to the studs because of mold!!) 

It is our understanding that the prior homeowner had three sons. (We joke that one son must have stressed out his Mom the most because we have found things of his that were left behind such as a dinosaur ornament labeled with his name & his name is spray painted on our basement wall.) Anyway, the half bath in the house has a distressed looking door on it with a sign that says men. We have found this to be pretty funny. The bathroom was a hodgepodge of mismatched things. It was functional (despite the fact that the pedestal sink needed to be repositioned daily so it wouldn't leak) but not ideal. 

So, here's what we have so far! We went to IKEA in November and unexpectedly picked out a bathroom vanity, sink, and faucet for this space. It is not very wide, but, it makes the bathroom seem much larger in size now! 

We have also selected flooring tile which looks like dark wood and a light beige grout. Z installed it all himself. You can tell from the photos, too, that there two different paint colors. The paint to the left of the toilet is the original. The paint to the right was a color we initially picked for the kitchen - and it wasn't the color we were looking for in that space. Since we plan on tiling part of the walls in this room, we will probably end up painting the rest in that color. 

In the bottom photo, we tried out a silver tile. We had talked about silver tile in a previous post. After putting this up and living with it for a few weeks now, we aren't sure if we are sold on it. I think it's better to try it and live with it first. 

We still have quite a few things to do before we can call this room finished. A few things have been completed, but are not pictured in these two pictures. We purchased a mirror at IKEA and installed it. Z also built a wooden ledge on the far left side part of the bathroom - where the whole would be in the photos. 

So, what's next?? We have been looking and gathering ideas. We have found some inspiration in photos - my Pinterest board is a testament to that. We know that we are going to keep the original door that we lovingly refer to as the truck stop door. It's beat up, engraved, suspicious, and hilarious. Behind the door will hold one insane bathroom. I don't want to give away too much just yet, but we are finding inspiration in many things. Just expect something over the top, and in ways, silly.

Here's teasers as to what we are talking about and considering:

INSPIRATION #1 

INSPIRATION #2

INSPIRATION #3

INSPIRATION #4

If you were going to go "all out" on a room like this one, what would be the over the top things that you would include?