B in Real Life

A Surround Sound Situation...

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Within 48 hours after moving into our house Mr. Baby Daddy had our surround sound system installed in our basement. After 9 1/2 years of marriage I am still surprised by the difference in some of our priorities.

I'm not complaining though, because I love that MBD is a hard worker and watching the Bronco's game with surround sound is really, really important....I guess.

After he finished installing the system he said that "you can kinda see the wires."

He must have seen the ~~horror~~ concern on my face when I saw our "little situation"...because he quickly had a brilliant idea that would both solve our wire situation and add a little glam to our semi-dull basement.

...Crown Molding. I told you it was brilliant! It wasn't easy...it took MBD a LOT longer than he anticipated to finish the project...something about angles and geometry and stuff...which I have to admit...it was kinda nice to see my Valedictorian, 2160 on his SAT, Masters of Divinity holding husband have a hard time with a little bit of geometry. I'm just kidding....kinda.

I must say...this might be MBD's shining moment! Look how much better it looks!

It's still needing to be caulked and painted (along with our lovely peach walls)...which we will get around to after our kitchen renovation is finished and Mr. Baby Daddy gives me on of those cute coupon books for Valentine's Day with a coupon for "Lets spend a romantic evening with a gallon of paint and a paintbrush." Ohhh la la!

In the meantime, I am looking through the gazillion paint swatches I have obtained over the past 7 years trying to find the perfect, neutral, cozy, warm, tan-ish/brown. Any suggestions?

Laundry Room take 1!

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:55:00 +0000

I love my laundry room. When we first looked at our house, the laundry room was by far my favorite room in the house. Not because it is anything special. It is actually really, really boring and depending on how long I have let the laundry pile grow, it is also painfully small...it falls somewhere between a laundry "closet" and a laundry "room". BUT...I LOVE IT. I love it because it is right off our kitchen and master bedroom. The laundry room in our old house was in the basement...in the basement of a house built in 1939...you can imagine that it wasn't the happiest, most sanitary of places. So, when I first saw our sweet laundry room, I could immediately picture ~~Mr. Baby Daddy~~ myself peacefully folding soft, warm towels while my sweet, angelic Ankle Biters ate a healthy breakfast of bran muffins and egg whites in the kitchen. Every once in a while I would peek my perfectly coiffed head out from the laundry room to say "hello my sweet darlings." and they would reply (in adorable British accents of course) "Hello mummy, thank you for our delicious breakfast and for doing the laundry. You are such a splendid mummy!" Doesn't that sound blissful?

I'm sure you have already drawn the conclusion that my idealistic laundry bubble was quickly burst. Womp. Womp. Womp.

In fact, yesterday while I was folding laundry and cleaning spilled/thrown cereal off my light fixtures I heard Q say "come here CeCe...smell it....it stinks." I quickly ran downstairs to find them both completely naked with a mystery brown substance smeared on CeCe's cheek and on the wall. Oh yes...the JOYS of motherhood are overwhelming pungent some days.

Back to my laundry room...even though it is about 100 times better than the laundry cave I had used previously, it wasn't quite living up to it's potential/my expectations. It was cramped and a little stinky since it was also home to our trash can. Mr. Baby Daddy told me that it totally stressed him out to be in there because it so cramped....therefore he could not do laundry due to emotional health reasons (or something like that). So, I did what any normal person would do...I handed MBD his drill and sweetly told him that he needed to remove the laundry room door ASAP.

I know it sounds a little crazy (my mom gave me the "have you lost your mind?" look when I told her my plan), but it opened the space up so much! Since the door opened into the laundry room, it made the room so cramped and awkward. Now, there is room for the new, severely overpriced lidded trash can ($25 for a plastic bucket?!) , dustpan and broom, as well as my cordless stick vacuum. I was also pretty excited to finally have a use for the $5 linen curtain I bought at Target on clearance like 5 years ago. Woo-to-the-hoo-hoo!

I will admit, I was worried that it might look awkward having a curtain instead of a door, but I actually like the texture the curtain gives the space. What do you think? Is it weird looking?

I'm telling you, it's these kinds of things that make me giddy...when something so easy as removing a door can make my life more functional...and encourage MBD to practice his Onsie folding skills...yes...even typing this is making my heart flutter a bit. :)

Here is a pic of the space....

Before, when the door was still around, it opened up all the way to the dryer, so there was only the narrow space in front of the washer and dryer available for use.

Now, I have lots more room to store things that I use on a daily basis. Yay!

I know it's not fancy, but it works. One of these days I will get around to spicing it up...I'm thinking a bright rug with a happy color on the walls. And don't forget the angelic Ankle Biters. :)

i pinned it. i made it. i rocked it. 1/23/12

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I'm totally inspired by this week's installment of

i pinned it. i made it. i rocked it.

Here is what Amanda had to say about her Pinterest project:

After I read your post I started looking through my boards to see what I had done. I have a long way to go! I did come across one thing but I'm not sure if it's what you are looking for. Back in April my husband bought me a new fancy-shmancy SLR camera. One of my goals was to learn to use it, outside of the auto setting! On pinterest I came across this 30 day photo challenge that looked challenging but not mind blowing. So for the month of June I followed the challenge and learned SO much!

Amanda documented her 30 day photo challenge on her blog, Little Flock. Here are a couple examples of her progress over the 30 day challenge:

Day 5: Take a picture from a High Angle

Day 9: Take a picture of someone you love (precious girl!!!)

Day 16: Long Exposure

Day 23: Sunflare

Day 27: Take a picture from a long distance

Day 30: Self Portrait (BEAUTIFUL!!)

Didn't she do an AMAZING JOB??!! If you want to see the entire 30 journey you can click here. You will be so impressed by her growth as a photographer and her natural gift for seeing beauty in something as simple as a waffle or a pair of flip flops. Great job Amanda!

One of my goals for 2012 is to learn how to better use my camera. I bought a Cannon Rebel XS off ebay couple months ago and so far I haven't ventured outside of the auto setting. Thanks to Amanda, I am totally inspired to step outside of my "auto mode box" and venture into the world of aperture and shutter speeds (are you impressed that I even know what those words are? Don't be, I google "photography terms" and those are the first ones that popped up).

If you have a Pinterest project that you want to share with us, send an email to: binreallife@yahoo.com. I would especially love to see some of your Valentine's Day projects!!

Happy Monday readers!

The Kitchen Flooring Low Down

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

The first time I walked through our house, I knew immediately that something would have to be done about the carpet in the kitchen/dining area. Luckily, (or not, depending how you look at it...) I have been around the flooring block a few times. In the four houses that we have owned over the past 7 years (!) we have had almost every type of flooring available. Which helped me know the pros and cons of the different types of flooring.

Here is a rundown of the different types of flooring we have had in our homes...

1. Tile

2. Carpet

3. Wood Laminate

4. Engineered Hardwood

5. Old School, Real Hardwood

6. Brick (awww...I miss the brick!)

7. Linoleum

Engineered Hardwood

Tile

wood laminate

When it came time to start looking at flooring I had one requirement. LOW MAINTENANCE! I didn't want to be freaking out every time I heard the girls stomping around in their super fashionable, plastic princess "high heels" worried that they were going to scratch or dent the floor. Or on my hands and knees scrubbing spaghetti sauce out of grout lines.

After deciding that having low maintinence flooring was TOP PRIORITY, I could cross off:

1. Tile (on top of the grout lines, it's loud and it hurts my back to stand on it for more than 10 minutes.)

2. Engineered Hardwood. We had this in one of our houses in Manhattan and I hated it. I'm sure if we would have splurged on the better quality wood we would have like it, but it was SO HARD TO MAINTAIN! Within a week of moving in there were scrapes from the dog and indentions where the couch legs were sitting. I remember having friends over and being stressed out because one of them was wearing high heels and I could see little dents in the floor wherever she was walking. No thanks!

3. Brick...as much as I loved the brick floors in our old house, this was just too large of a space to use brick...but let me tell you...if you live in an older house with a small kitchen...look into brick! It's so charming!

I told you...the brick is adorable!

4. & 5. Carpet and Linoleum...do I really need to get into these two options?

So, that left me with either Wood Laminate or the Old School, tongue and groove hard wood floor.

And since the Old School, Real Wood is like a zillion dollars (seriously...a ZILLION dollars!) I was left considering wood laminate. I didn't have to think about it for long because after a couple weeks of pricing out wood laminate at Home Depot and Lowes, I got an e-mail from Lumber Liquidators telling me that they were having a laminate clearance sale. Now, if you know me at all, you know that the best way to get me to make a decision is to present me with a really, really good deal. When I went into the Lumber Liquidators store to look at what they had available, I was thrilled when the flooring that I had chosen as my favorite was on sale for $1.99 per square foot...and that included the foam backing/vapor barrier!! Just in case you haven't been pricing out wood laminate recently, this was a REALLY good deal! So, without even talking Mr. Baby Daddy (he had given me his "just make a decision please!" blessing before I left the house) I purchased $700 worth of flooring. Two months later...it is installed and we love it!

See, even Q LOVES the new floor!

I didn't get to participate in any of the install, but MBD said that once he and Adam got the hang of it, it went really fast (about 7 hours with both of them).

If you are considering getting wood laminate floors there are a couple things to consider:

1. the finish. I like the LOW GLOSS because it doesn't show as much dirt or scratches...even though they don't scratch all that much.

2. Color...I went for a medium oak shade...again, for the sake of hiding dirt and Cheerio dust...which are a dark floors worst nighmare.

3. Thickness. Ours our 12mm, which is a good quality. The thicker the plank, the quieter and sturdier the floor...or so I have been told.

So there you have it, my two cents about flooring. I know that wood laminate isn't as popular or desired as engineered hardwood or tile even, but in the end I choose something that would work well for our family. If in 10 years we are ready for something different, at least we only have $700 invested instead of several thousand that we would have paid for engineered wood or good tile.

What about you? Have you ever had wood laminate floor? If you could change out your kitchen flooring what would you choose?

To see more pics of our finished floors, check out yesterday's post here

**click here to enter this week's giveaway (ends Friday night!)

Once Upon A Kitchen...

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

There once was a kitchen. A very unhappy kitchen. At first glance one might be lead to believe that this kitchen was happy and content.

That is, until they looked down and saw...the yuckiest carpet in the entire kitchen kingdom. It was seriously gross. It was rumored that a blonde headed princess once broke 18 eggs on the carpet and that the princesses' mom, Queen B (I like this story already!) may not have appropriately cleaned up the egg mess in hopes that King Mr. Baby Daddy would quickly tire of the egg stains and smell and rip the carpet out.

Queen B was right. King Mr. Baby Daddy did indeed grow tired of the diirrrty carpet

He and his ENORMOUS calves ripped the gross carpet out.

Okay...this is where my creative writing ends (sad, I know) and I get really excited to show you how AMAZING our kitchen floors look now that they are finished (sans painting the trim).

Jeremy and Adam worked from 5pm until 2am installing the floor. Jeremy spent several hours the next day installing the quarter round and trim (both of which still need to be painted). I didn't get to do any of the dirty work...unless you consider taking care of two two-year-olds "dirty work", which you totally should.

No complaining though...because look at my kitchen now....!!!

Oh boy!!! I love, love, love them! I can't tell you how much bigger and cleaner the space feels now. YAY!

Thanks Mr. Baby Daddy and Adam for working so hard! Check-in tomorrow and I'll fill you in on all the delicious details...like how I scored them for $1.99 a square foot (ooohhh baby!).

***click here to enter this week's giveaway!

Giveaway! Barefeet in High Heels!

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Ready for a super fun giveaway? Mikaela over at Barefeet in High Heels is seriously talented and I'm excited to get to share one of her adorable creations with you!

Here are a few of my favorites...

Owl Hats...LOVE THEM!

Boys Aviator Hat. SO CUTE!!

Pink Tiara Beanie...perfect for my little princesses!

Flower Clip...precious right?

I LOVE this flower head wrap! LOVE IT! (adult size)

Her store is stocked and ready for Valentine's Day, so head on over and check her out! I love that she has a little something for everyone! (If you don't have access to Facebook, you can look at Mikaela's goodies here)

The winner of the giveaway will get to choose any item from the store (woo hoo!). All you need to do to enter is:

1. Follow B In Real Life (if you already follow my blog, follow me of Facebook)

AND

2. Head on over to Mikaela's store and leave a comment telling me which item you would choose if you win.

3. For an extra entry, post this giveaway onto your Facebook wall (FB share button is at the top of this post!).

A winner will be randomly chosen Friday, January 20 at 10pm (unless I go to be earlier, which is quite possible).

Good Luck!

if you would like to sponsor a giveaway on B In Real Life, contact me at binreallife@yahoo.com.

i pinned it. i made it. i rocked it. 9/16/12

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Happy Monday friends and welcome to the third installment of i pinned it. i made it. i rocked it.

Last week week I shared with you my homemade laundry detergent recipe and received lots of great feedback from several readers who have tried the recipe and love it. YAY! Let me know if you have made your own detergent, I would love to know how it went.

This week, I'm super excited to share a project made by Tiffany over at A Lady with a Baby. She is uber crafty and has her own home decor/adorable stuff business. I'm telling ya...she's all kinds of fantastic. If you live in the Wichita area, be sure to check out her goods at the Cottage Collective which will be opening soon!

So here ya go....Miss Tiffany was inspired by this pin: Twine Covered Vases

And here is her version of the super cute Twine Covered Vases....

Cute right? I love the rustic look with the curvy vases. They have me dreaming of a twine covered bowl for my kitchen island...wouldn't that twine look hot-to-trot with some bright green Granny Smiths sitting in it? Yeah baby!

Thanks for sharing Tiffany!

Do you have a Pinterest inspired project that you want to share with the blogosphere? If so, send me (binreallife@yahoo.com)a picture or two along with the original pin link. I'd love to see some of your Valentine's Day inspired projects!

Also, make sure you check back in tomorrow morning for a fantastic giveaway! See you tomorrow!!

Vows and Football

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:26:00 +0000

Nine and a half years ago I took vows. I promised to love and honor Mr. Baby Daddy until "death do us part."

Not long after saying those life altering vows, I placed my right hand over my heart...looked deep into Mr. Baby Daddy's eyes and took my second set of vows...

I am a Broncos Fan and I believe.
I believe in Mile High Magic and bleed Orange and Blue.
I celebrate the Orange Crush, The Drive, and the Mile High Salute.
I create the THUNDER, share the common dream, and will forever be a proud citizen of
Bronco's Country.

Thankfully, the first set of vows I took have worked out quite well...because it has been NINE long, discouraging years cheering on the Broncos. The sadness that had settled into Mr. Baby Daddy's eyes after so many gut wrenching seasons was almost too much for me to take. I confess, if it were not for MBD's childlike devotion to the Broncos, I would have stopped believing in the Mile High Magic about three seasons ago.

BUT, in my moment of weakness, MBD came beside me and reminded me that I took vows and that vows were very, very important. He was right and I am thankful for his wisdom because WE'RE IN THE PLAYOFFS BABY!!!

Of course you know that Q and CeCe had to take their Mile High vows just as soon as they were able to say "more cookies mommy".

And I am proud to share with you that Q is a devoted fan (CeCe is still a little wishy washy). Check out the video of Miss. Q cheering on the Broncs. This was recorded just after a touchdown!

Graham Crackers and Milk Memories

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:09:00 +0000

As I type this at 9:43 pm on Thurday night, there are 7 high school and college guys in my kitchen tearing up carpet and lineolium. I keep hearing them say "uh oh...just don't tell Brooke." I'm not sure exactly what's happening out there...but as long as the disgusting kitchen carpet is GONE when I wake up in the morning I will be a happy camper.

How about a sweet post about Q to distract me from the noise in my kitchen?

After a hard week last week, she has been a sweet and gentle sugar pie this week. Praise God! An attitude adjustment was seriously needed...from both of us. I have been regularly praying for God to give me grace with her...lots of patience and the eyes to see past the "terrible twos" and see the fun, compassionate, polite, smart, little girl that I am blessed to call my daughter.

On Monday she woke up from her nap a little earlier than usual. Instead of being annoyed by the disruption, I did my best to give her grace and enjoy the extra one-on-one time that we so seldom have in our home. She wanted a snack....a Graham Cracker to be exact. Then she asked for some "meeuullk". While I was getting her snack ready I was suddenly overcome with gratitude. "Graham Crackers and Milk". My sweet Q wanted Graham Crackers and Milk. Ahhh....the memories of sitting with my grandmommie and eating Graham Crackers and Milk suddenly filled my heart and mind. It was "our" snack...at least that's what I thought...she always made me feel so special. Like I was the only little girl in the whole wide world who was lucky enough to eat Graham Crackers and Milk with her grandma.

So, for the first time, Q and I had Graham Crackers and Milk together. She loved "accidentally" dropping the crackers into the milk and then having to fish them out with her chubby hands. I fought the temptation to just scoop the crackers out with a spoon in order to limit the mess....but the fishing out is part of the joy of eating Graham Crackers and Milk. The milk running down your neck after you drink up the leftover milk...part of the joy. I am so thankful for all the JOY that Quincy Joy gives my life. And SO thankful for the extra bit of grace God gave me that day so that I could make my own Graham Crackers and Milk memory with Q.

Living Room- Makin' Progress Baby!

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:50:00 +0000

My Living Room....

It has been waiting patiently for us to finish the kitchen renovation so it could get some much needed attention.

Yes, it looked much better after it's paint makeover...

pre-paint makeover....

i love you paint.

But it still, it was pretty boring...okay...really boring.

Last week while Mr. Baby Daddy was out of town I decided to focus on the Living Room. Since most of our kitchen projects are big/overwhelming ones (like our new floors that are going in this weekend!)...a few small, decorating projects sounded fun and refreshing. So, everyday during nap time I got my rear in gear and conquered the living room.

I made curtains. Yes...I made them.

I spray painted this little, black table...

I painted some old mirrors that use to hang in my bedroom...

I spray painted the big black mirror...twice (the first time it was white...which looked kinda boring. So, I opted for a pretty champagne color. Cheers!).

And found a home for my favorite chair in all of the universe....

Drum roll please...here is my semi-finished living room.

...

Cheers to my champagne mirror!

Table: Krylon spray paint in Pebble. Adorable Child: My sweet Q!

I love this little corner now! I used acrylic craft paint on the mirrors...so easy!

I'm loving our new space now! It's feeling much more cozy and casual.

With all of the soft, light colors in the room, it needed some grounding. So, I attached the brown poms to the top of the curtains in an effort to bring out the darker browns in the fabric. It helped a lot. It's amazing how much of a difference adding a little black or chocolate brown to a room can make it feel so much more complete! Now I can use some of the brown and cream houndstooth fabric that I bought originally to upholster the chair for accent pillows. Woo Hoo!

I still need to find a rug to put under my coffee table...

And another side table to put beside my couch.

And maybe a lamp.

And I am working on a little area for the Ankle Biter's craft station...

And then I should be done.

Then we can paint our basement and get to work on our master bedroom.

Whew.

i pinned it...i made it...i rocked it. 1/9/12

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

This week, I am getting in on the i pinned it. i made it. i rocked it. action. And you will be happy to know, that unlike last week's Snicker Cupcakes, this enstalment won't sabotage your New Year's resolution diet. You are welcome.

I'm pretty excited to share my Pinterest project with you because it is WAY out of the box for me. So, before I show it to you let me give you a little back story...

When CeCe was a baby she had pretty bad eczema. At her one month appointment my pediatrician told me that I needed to make sure I was washing her clothes in Dreft. He then told me that if the cost of buying Dreft was an issue that I could make my own laundry detergent because it is free of all the harsh perfumes and other junk that irritates her sensitive skin. He must have seen the look of shock and horror on my face at the mention of making my own detergent because he had his nurse give me some coupons for Dreft before I left the office.

Fast forward a couple months. The coupons had been used and I was spending WAY too much time sorting CeCe's laundry from the rest of the herds...I didn't want to use the expensive stuff on our clothes too. So, I started thinking about what the doc. had said about homemade detergent and decided to try my hand at being Suzie Homemaker.

Suprisingly, it went really well. I made a batch of liquid detergent (I used the Duggar's recipe and cut it in half) that lasted me a couple months. It worked just as well as the store bought detergent and CeCe's skin seemed to tolerate it as well as it did Dreft. Hooray!

The only thing that I really didn't like about it was that it was MESSY. I had it in a gallon milk jug and would have to shake it like a polaroid picture about a dozen times to make sure it was good and mixed together before pouring it into my washing machine...but other than that...it was great. AND CHEAP.

So I made the detergent every few months for the next year and a half...impressive right?!

THEN...I saw this pin on Pinterest. Homemade Powder Laundry Detergent. Powder? Three ingredients...Two Steps...62 loads of laundry? YES PLEASE!!

Without further adieu (yes, I know some french amigo)...here is my i pinned it. i made it. i rocked it. submission....

Only THREE Ingredients:
1. 1 Cup Washing Soda
2. 1 Cup Borax
3. 1 bar of soap (I've used Ivory too. Went with Dove this time because it was on sale.)
Washing Soda is $4 and Borax is $5 per box at Wal Mart...They have lasted me almost a year.

i forgot to mention...mix it all up in your blender...duh!

Amazing! This stuff is AMAZING! The directions state that you can use two scoops if you have a heavily soiled load...but I have never used more that one tbsp. and my clothes are always clean...ALWAYS.

Oh yeah...and it costs about $2.50 for the entire batch...which lasts me about a month. I made two batches this time around. I'm pretty pumped that I have enough detergent to last me until March and it only cost me around $5!

Yay for Pinterest!!!

Email me your latest Pinterest inspired projects, I will feature one every Monday here on B in Real Life.

The I Heart Bunting giveaway ends tonight. Go here to enter!

Monday is a Comin'!

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Happy Saturday friends! It is indeed a happy day today as Mr. Baby Daddy got home from the Passion conference in Atlanta yesterday. Woo Hoo!!

I wanted to remind you of two things happening here at B In Real Life...
1. Enter to win the super cute and happy I Heart Bunting giveaway here. I will choose a random winner Monday.

2. Make sure you check-in on Monday for i pinned it. i made it. i rocked it. Your wallet will be happy you did! And don't forget to send your Pinterest inspired recipes/projects/crafts to binreallife@yahoo.com if you want to join in on the fun! Even if you have already shared it on your own blog...send it my way! I'm sure my friends here would love to see your awesomeness...because you are indeed awesome!

See you on Monday!

Give Them Grace

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:52:00 +0000

Grace. As a Christian and human being, it is a sweet, sweet word...no, not "a word"...more like air, oxygen, Hot Tamales...something I cannot live without. I need it from my Father, my husband, my parents, my friends, my...gulp...children. Yes, I NEED it...to cover-up all of the nasty, selfish, shallow, deep, sin in my life. It's good stuff...that Heavenly, Divine Grace.

So tonight...while I was picking up my house, I was thinking about Q and CeCe. Today at church Q bit another kid in the nursery. This is not the first time she has bitten and she has been really aggressive lately. I'm at a loss of how to parent such a passionate, strong willed, bright little girl. Even as I type this I am shaking my head and thinking "what do I do Lord?". And Miss CeCe...she's such a precious, sensitive...which is a nice way to say "tends to be a bit fussy", kind-hearted little thing. I didn't count, but I am pretty sure I heard her say/whine "mommy hold you" FOUR HUNDRED times this week....it's the whining that gets me...not the sweet desire to be held...the whining can be maddening.

Why am I sharing these things? Because tonight while I was picking up my rats nest of a house, I came across a book that Mr. Baby Daddy gave me for Christmas. Honestly, I hadn't spent more than 3 seconds looking at the book...I'm pretty sure it got lost in the crazy "you got me an ipad...look girls!... momma got an ipad...now don't touch it!!!!" drama of gift giving/receiving. But I saw it tonight...sitting on my dresser. I still haven't opened it...I didn't need to. The title alone knocked me on my proverbial arse (did I just use proverbial correctly?).

The title of the book: Give THEM Grace.

Not...Give Mommy Grace...but THEM Grace.

This is totally blowing my proverbial mind y'all (nope...I don't think I did use it right after all...).

Give THEM Grace. Give Q Grace. When she's having a hard, frustrating day, GIVE Q GRACE. When CeCe needs lots and lots of extra attention, GIVE CECE GRACE. Give my sweet, little sinners GRACE. Because they need it. Just like I need it...they need it too.

How did I miss this? Isn't this like Christian Parenting 101? I mean, this hasn't even been in my vocabulary! Sure, I tell myself almost everyday "give yourself some grace Brooke...this two two-year-old situation is tough...no one expects you to be super mom..." But, I have NEVER told myself "Brooke, give them some grace...they need it. They are teething and frustrated and learning (if ever so slowly) how to navigate their little worlds...give them some grace."

I desire nothing more for my children than they would know the deep, deep love of Jesus and of HIS grace on the cross...It starts with me doesn't it? I mean HE does the work in their hearts to draw them near...but I am the flesh and blood that lives it out in front of them...or doesn't.

Oh boy...this is game changer. This is something that I am going to need God to change in me. To give me the GRACE to give them GRACE. Lord...hear my prayer.

Whew! I gotta tell ya...these reflective posts are pretty few and far between these days...for good reason. it really takes it out of me..to write like this. Thanks for listening....errr..reading. Unless you read out loud...which would mean you were doing both.

good night...or good morning....if you live in the Eastern hemisphere.

I Heart Bunting Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 23:28:00 +0000

Can you tell by the look of my blog that I LOVE bunting? It's true...I do! I have been wanting to jump on the DIY bunting train for a while...and I am happy to report that I finally have! Toot toot!

I found these hearts at Target.... I love the colors...Purple, Magenta, Lime, Turquoise, White, and Red.

So Bright and Happy!

Just in time for my favorite Holiday...Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day is such a bright and happy day in the middle of a cold and dreary February. The candy hearts, the date nights, the red and pink and white, and now...the bunting!

Isn't it happy?!

It was so much fun to make, that I made several of them. One of which, I am going to giveaway to one of you...my Bright and Happy readers.

Here are the giveaway deets:
1. Follow my Blog (if you already do...GRACIAS!)
or
2. Post this giveaway on your own blog or Facebook page.
3. Pin it on Pinterest.
4.Leave a comment for each of these actions.

A winner will be chosen this coming Monday, January 9th.

Let's Get Real....

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:46:00 +0000

A few days ago I was talking to a friend at church. She said..."I don't know how you do it!". Thinking she was talking about raising two two-year-olds while still maintaining my sanity and super model good looks, I started to reply with the mandatory..."aww shucks...don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful" schpeel...but then she said..."I mean your house is so spotless!"

And this was when I realized that I was not living up to my own blogging standard. Womp, womp, womp!

Because, you see, this girl had never been to my house. She had only seen pictures of it here on B In Real Life. So, of course she thinks I am some super mom who lives in clean and crisp home while wrangling two Ankle Biters...because most of the pictures I have posted of our new home have been pictures taken well after the girls are in bed and Mr. Baby Daddy and I have done the nightly clean sweep.

So, today after the Biters went down for naps, I looked around at the CRAZY MESS in my kitchen...I grabbed my camera...and I recorded for you, my dear readers, what a REAL day in the life looks like in B Land.

It is crazy messy. Especially since MBD is out of town and I am on a mission to sort through some of our moving boxes and find some accessories to spice up our fireplace mantle...that will explain the plethora of picture frames on my island.

Okay...are you ready to feel a whole lot better about yourself?

Here ya go...

This was AFTER I did a quick pick-up so I could actually walk through my living room during nap time...

Feel better?

You're welcome.

Love,
B

Big Faucet...Little Problem

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:30:00 +0000

Pin It

Do you remember my giant faucet? It's fun, funky, and can clean a sippy cup in 3.6 seconds. I love it.

When I bought it, I was hoping it would be large enough to fill in the giant space that is above my kitchen sink. Sadly, it wasn't quite big enough. So, I hit up Pinterest to see what I could do with this 12(ish) inches between my faucet and cabinet.

Cute Plate Rack?...

houzz.com

Or maybe some handy metal baskets?...

www.moredesignplease.com

Or maybe a cute shelf?...

http://www.cococozy.com/2010/06/light-filled-lake-house-in-arkansas.html

Oh man...you know I am 100% in love with that last picture right? All of that yummy white wood and the marble countertops (in my dreams)...ohhh lala!

So here is what Mr. Baby Daddy and I came up with...

I really like it! I got the cute canisters at target for around $5 a piece and filled them with daily necessities like cheerios and coffee beans. And my sis-in-law got me the coffee mug for Christmas (thanks Heidi! You have great taste!). I also think it would be a really cute place to display things...like a colorful coffee cup or tea pot collection, or cook books...or some other really cool things that my tired brain can't think of right now...

Here is a picture of how the kitchen is looking these days...

I can't wait for MBD to put the new floor in and get rid of the linoleum/carpet situation that we have going on. The dark floors will really ground the space and make it feel more cozy and warm.

It may be a while though...because he worked his tail off this past week on house projects and will be traveling lots this month (he's currently in Atlanta for 5 days)...which means I am on Ankle Biter duty alone.

Pray for me.

i pinned it...i made it...i rocked it. 1/2/12

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:17:00 +0000

Welcome to the first edition of i pinned it...i made it...i rocked it.

I would like to give a BIG thanks to all of you who sent me your Pinterest projects...I'm seriously impressed by all of the baking and crafting that is happening out there...SERIOUSLY IMPRESSED!

Bravo! And gracias for sharing your awesomeness with all of us!

Before I share with you this weeks i made it...i pinned it...i rocked it. project, I should warn you that it may derail your shiny, new, no sugar for six months New Years resolution...

Ladies and gentlemen....allow me to introduce you to Hannah, Andrea, and Alexa's AMAZING Snicker's Cupcakes...

I told you....AMAZING right?!

Here is what they had to say about their scrumptious ~~temptations~~ creations...

I could go on and on about how amazing they are! Pretty easy cupcakes that appear and taste gourmet. The look on peoples faces when they ate them made the work totally worth it! We went with a devils food cake mix and bought caramel dip instead of making it. This just saves time...especially since the cake/caramel isn't what you're really focused on when eating them. Probably the best cupcakes I've ever had!

Here is a link to the original pin where they found the recipe: http://pinterest.com/pin/194499277626781801/

Well done girls! And again, thanks for sharing with all of us!

If you want to join in on the fun, here are the guidelines...
*email me at binreallife@yahool.com.
*send me a link to the pin that inspired you
*send a picture or two of the project/recipe
*write a quick review of the project/recipe. Did you revamp anything? Is there anything you would do differently next time?
*And don't forget to tell me how adorable you think my children are...this is very important.

The Story of a Coffee Table and a Blue Pillow...

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:47:00 +0000

Pin It

I have been loosely looking at coffee tables for the past few months. I had one that served it's purpose, which is to provide support to my tap dancing daughters and serve as a foot rest for my tired feet at 7:35 pm after the Ankle Biters have been wrangled and put into bed for the next 11-11.5 hours.

Oh yes, and it MUST be inexpensive. Which was the reason that I was content using my grandmother's 1960's oak, then painted black, then painted greenish gray, then distressed and glazed with a dark stain coffee table. It was a sturdy table and I didn't loose a minute of sleep when the Ankle Biters used it as a drum kit with their giant farm animal shaped puzzle pieces.

I'm telling you...the 1960's made some sturdy tables.

So...the other day my mom and I were walking around World Market with a niffty 10% off coupon burning a hole in my pocket. I grabbed a mercury glass candle for $4, I got some yummy coffee, I got a pretty blue pillow (more on that later)...and I got a coffee table. More specifically, a Grey Weathered Farmhouse coffee table that was originally $289...on clearance for $110...+10% off the clearance price...equals...you are coming home with me pretty lady.

I love the weathered/grey look of the table. It's a good, sturdy size too. And the finish is rustic enough that my little Rocketts shouldn't do too much harm when they use it as their stage.

Another crazy (for me) thing happened on that eventful day at World Market...I bought a BLUE pillow.

CRAZY right?

It is for me...I have never, ever, ever decorated with blue.

You see, I have been a card carrying member of the warm toned, red, brown, and gold home decor club for a long, long time.

So, this little grayish blue velvet pillow is blowing my decorating mind!

I know...I'm CRAZY right? But doesn't it look pretty with the soft, neutral tones of my couch and chair? It does right? Oh boy...I'm getting cold feet...please tell me that I'm on the right track...because I lost the receipt.

****Thanks to all of you who have joined in on the Pinterest fun and sent me your amazing projects. Keep em' coming!! Click HERE to find out more about i pinned it, i made it, i rocked it.

MBD Does Crown Molding...Take One!

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Want to know what I find SUPER attractive.....

That would be Mr. Baby Daddy getting his groove on with a chop saw...making my Crown Molding dreams come true.

Check out that wimpy molding on top of our cabinets....blah!

Lookin' better.....

SO MUCH BETTER!

Bravo MBD! Another job VERY well done!

And guess what...this was just the first of MANY jobs we have been working on this week...I am so thankful that MBD enjoys doing this stuff on his week of vacation. I'm a lucky gal!

And just a little reminder about....

Send me your Pinterest projects...I already have several great submissions..WOO HOO! Monday will be the first installment of i pinned it, i made it, i rocked it. Here is link to the original post where you can find the information/rules....it's gonna be super fun! E-Mail me at binreallife@yahoo.com to join in on the Pinterest pinning fun!!

Merry Christmas...a few days late :)

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:17:00 +0000

Somethings in our life have not improved since welcoming the two Ankle Biters into our family...like sleep...yes, my love for sleep has been severely effected. And my personal hygiene...I won't go into details...except to say that I carry deodorant in my purse, diaper bag, and glove compartment.

But, don't cry for me Argentina...because those things are significantly outweighed by the WONDERFUL. The Endearing. The Precious. And of course, the HILARIOUS reality of my life.

This Christmas morning was a moment I want to freeze in my memory, to never forget.

It was all of those things...wonderful, endearing, hilarious, and PRECIOUS.

Merry Christmas and a JOYFUL New Year to you!

I Made a Decision!...twice

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:31:00 +0000

I did it. I made the Great Grout Decision. I chose light grey. It was the most popular choice by you, and in my gut it was what I wanted as well. Your vote of confidence was just what I needed to make the decision.

So, MBD bought the lightest grey (Delorian Grey) grout and caulk available at Home Depot. He started with the caulk....and guess what....

I panicked. I didn't like it. It was too dark. Too much contrast. What have I done?! Once again, I made the wrong grout choice.

Thankfully, MBD was available to talk some sense into my nonsensical head and reassured me that it was only caulking and I could still change my mind. Eyeyiyi...

So change my mind I did. To dark charcoal.

I'm kidding.

I went with white. Plain, white.

And I like it. A lot. It's bright and non-obtrusive (big word alert!). I was worried about grout stains, but the grout lines are so teeny tiny I don't think it will be much of an issue. As soon as it is fully dry, I plan on sealing it at least 200 times just in case. :)

I am so glad this decision is made. SO GLAD. Thanks for sharing all of your insights and thoughts. I think the light grey would have be beautiful if we would have had mixed our own color and made it super light grey...but we didn't want to go down the custom grout road.

Tune in tomorrow...Mr. Baby Daddy has the WHOLE WEEK off from work (!!!!!) and we are kicking some major DIY butt!!!!

Calling all Pinners!

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:28:00 +0000

Calling all fellow Pinterest pinning addicts...

Did you know that 97.89% of Pinterest users never actually make anything that they have pinned on their "Totally Going To Do This One Day..." board?

It is a sad/completely fabricated statistic.

If you are one of the few people who has actually finished a Pinterest inspired project....now is your time to shine! Email me at binreallife@yahoo.com with a description and some nifty pictures of your stellar handiwork and if your lucky...which you totally are...I will feature you on ...

There are no rules...other than...
1. You found the idea on Pinterest.
2. You made it (recipe, craft, re-purposed furniture, anything made out of a mason jar...etc).
3. And lastly...You think my two children are ADORABLE.
*if you tried a recipe and didn't get any good pics...just send me a link to the recipe/pin with your review of the recipe.
Now...get to it and email me...like right now.

Binreallife@yahoo.com

A Look Back- December

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:02:00 +0000

Some days it feels like we will NEVER EVER, EVER, EVER be done with house projects...and we may not. BUT, November and December was pretty productive...and it encourages me to take a look back...so here we go...

Remember the BACKSPLASH DISASTER that left us with this cringe-worthy situation?

It's looking MUCH better today....

It is still waiting to be grouted...once I decide on the grout color Mr. Baby Daddy will be all over it!

And then there was the GREAT CHAIR TRANSFORMATION...I love it...she's a beauty...woo hoo for Pinterest inspiration!

My favorite "little project" this month has been our living room....

In case you didn't know...PAINT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE! Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration...but it can make your life a whole lot prettier....

Would you think I was a total weirdo if I leave my nutcracker up all year long? They look so proud and perfect on top of my make-shift hutch...

Whew! That was fun...and encouraging...BUT we have several projects on deck for January. Like...

1. Kitchen/Dinning room floors

2. Grouting the backsplash

3. Painting he basement family room

4. Adding crown molding in our basement to hide the surround sound wires...(this was MBD's idea...and I love it!)

Mr. Baby Daddy is traveling a lot this month...so we may not get to all of those projects....but you know what they say..."If you don't shoot for the moon you won't end up in the stars" or something like that.

Also...to find all of our renovation posts visit the B's Hive page that is located at the top of this page.

I'm Just Sayin'...

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:16:00 +0000

Awesome right?

The Evolution of a Cupcake Snatcher

noreply@blogger.com (Brooke) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 03:45:00 +0000

I was just looking through CeCe's birthday party pictures...and had to share this little gem of a moment with yall....

I call it The Evolution of a Cupcake Snatcher.

Staring Q, as the Great Cupcake Caper....

Totally worth the time out

Need a little more Ankle Biter entertainment...the EVOLUTION OF A TANTRUM is still one of my favorite posts EVER. Sigh...I love these two little ladies. Smile.