Frugal Adventures with One Thrifty Chick

The Evolution of the Garage {aka Man Room}

2012-04-25T03:00:00.000-07:00

If anything in our home has changed more times than the number of years we've lived in this home, it's the Garage!

It started out like any normal garage.  Has a  big door, cement floor, and typically so much crap stuff piled in there it's now useless.  Are you with me?  OK, maybe that was just our garage.

Since we moved in 6 years ago, it has been the fore mentioned bottomless pit/laundry room, to play area, to workout room (LOVED that, but never used it... hmm imagine that) to wanna be stockpile.... then onto this:  (enter the blogging world)

Scrapbook Room:

This was in the front portion of the garage, and still exists.  The back half of the garage was transformed into my coupon stockpile... 

This set-up did last us a couple of years, but changed all the time with the ever growing stock.  I do miss this sometimes, but I like have the space back more than ever.  This stockpile took me a good solid 6 months to build up, and I still have laundry detergent (like 10 bottles) and I am on my last box of dishwasher tablets.  Not too bad for 2 1/2 years ago!

This past November we elected to turn the loft into a playroom, which meant doing this to the garage:

Emptied all the contents and built these:

The original plan was to use the downstairs portion of the garage as storage, but overtime the decision was made to turn it into the workshop.  

Onto one week ago, and these are our official BEFORE photos of the workshop:

Oh wow, did you manage to see that?  A big pile of junk.... useless waste of space.....  And that was after I cleaned it up... you should have seen the place.

OK, in the next photo, take a good look at that corner.  The window wall was the original home for the stockpile you saw in the previous photo.  And notice how gunky it looks.

Here it is, all ready to start construction

The space where the workbench will be in on the wall that leads to the laundry room.  The closed door you see is my scrapbook room.

To my surprise one night, I came out to find my husband working on this:

He was using the leftover wood I have from my bedroom remodel to panel the walls.  I was in LOVE and even more love that he thought to do this on his own.  This is one project that I am trying my hardest to have little say in, I mean it is the Man room!

OK, well back to the ugly corner... how in the world are you going to fix the 1950's updated horrible work done by who knows what contractor garbage that is running from wall to wall??

Easy, shim it up, and C-O-V-E-R that sucker up!!

I mean, truly.. what is that mess???  It's pretty frustrating for sure! 

Here is what it looks like tonight....

Not too bad to take the space that had little hopes and dreams from this:

To this:

I can't wait to share the progress and it is completed, but he has some BIG plans now!!  Yay for an inspired hubby!!

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to check out all of the places I like to party.

A Sewing Room Overhaul {Happy Birthday Mom}

2012-04-22T09:31:00.004-07:00

This weekend has been so wonderful, and it's only Sunday morning!!  Hooray!  The weather is finally showing some sun, and getting over 60 degrees here in Oregon.... it's one of those "there light at the end of the tunnel" feeling when spring starts showing up around here.

I've been getting so much done around the house, and can't wait to share everything.  But for today, I am going to share a little present that I did for my Mom's birthday!

Her Birthday was on April 6th, and my dad had planned to quickly whisk her away to Portland for the night so go see some friends.  So I knew it was my chance to get into her sewing storage room and get some organization done.  My Dad was even gracious enough to fund it, THANKS DAD!! 

This is not a glamorous redo by any means, but I was headed for function only.  That way if she likes the layout of the room, then her and I can get together and give the space a face lift.   So with that said, the pictures are nothing fancy!

Here is what we started with.  My mom is an amazing seamstress, but she just had no room to work.  Or so she thought.  This room is really the sun room, but she started to take it over for sewing, which then led to and ironing room, then to the cats room, then the bunny's room.  You know how that goes right?  You have a room that turns out to be the bottomless pit... YEP, that's this room!

Notice the heaping pile of ironing..... I'd say she was a little behind....  

This view is looking into the room from the doorway into the house.  The door on the left goes out to the patio.

Here is the view from one end of the room.  It's a long narrow room, so it makes the flow a tough situation. 

And here is the view from standing at the back door.  WOWSERS!

Take note of the bunny cage, the litter box, and the mass heaps of fabric and sewing notions scattered everywhere. 

How she ever managed in here I will never know!

On Friday night I got right to work.  I emptied the entire room of it's contents, leaving only the table!  What a task.  My sister did come over to help me which was great!!

Once I had sorted the contents, we made a list of needed organization supplies, and headed out to Wal-Mart.  We got back and immediately got to organizing, and moving stuff back in.

I purchased a tall cheap-o bookshelf to use for the main storage piece.  I had planned on buying a cube shelf, but who knew Wal-Mart did not carry those? 

Oh well, I do love this shelf, and I know I can make it pretty at a later date!

This shelf now houses all of her supplies, and fabric.  

I got these fun frosted lidless totes there as well.

Here is her fabric stash, so well organized!  I will share a tutorial on how I created the fabric bolts!

She had so much more room to add to her stash..... I am sure she wont mind that.

Here is a closer look of what I placed inside the totes.....

 Zippers & Seam Binding

Threads

Patterns!

Folding the fabric actually took the most time.  Other than that, it was trying to find good homes for the other things that no longer we welcome in the sewing room.  

On her corner shelves I used the existing jars to hold seam binding and ribbon scraps, buttons, bobbins and Velcro.

On her work table I created a mason jar organizer for all of the essential tools

We also brought in this odd bar/table/desk thing that we had in our office.  It has leaves that fold out for more space, and is the perfect height for cutting fabric.

Here is the final product of organization:

So what do you think?

From this:

To this:

In less that 24 hours, and 5 kids running around!!

She was so surprised, and LOVES the layout.  Now next time we will do the fun re-vamp, because as you saw, it needs a good face lift!!

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my blog.  Be sure to check out all of the parties I am linked up to by clicking here!

Flowers Flowers Everywhere

2012-04-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

I have to throw in a totally random post here.... well because this project was a total random spur of the moment for me!

My mom called me on Tuesday to tell me that her coffee kids (you know, those barista's you become to know and love after years of service) are getting married... TOMORROW!?!?! And she wanted me to create a bouquet for the bride as a surprise.

No worries, my mom consulted with the groom, and had it all worked out.  Her favorite flower just happens to be a daffodil.  Yay!  Easy right?  Well if the floral distributor did not have any, I was going to sneak into my neighbors yard and raid her stash.... I am only kidding geesh!

 So Wednesday morning (day of the wedding if you are keeping track) I set out with my dear Krista to gather the supplies.  Luckily for us, that mean one stop.  Our local floral distributor, which I LOVE, and have now shared that love with Krista as well.  She is sold!

OK, blah blah blah.... get to the point I know I know..... 

Here is what we came up with.... this is the "approval picture" before we put on the final touches.

I was hoping to find some white and yellow daffodils, but only found yellow.  So in exchange Krista suggested placing a single white hydrangea stem in the center and build around that.  I absolutely LOVED it!!

From there we just started adding stems, some baby's breath, and some grass sprays....

Here is the finished bouquet!

What do you think?  I am not florist, although my dear cousin is, if you want her info... she's in the Portland area!  :)  OK, had to toss that in there too.  Maybe I am tired, but I feel rather spunky tonight.....

I had several leftover flowers, and just tossed them all into my white pitcher on my dining table and this is what I got..

Again, nothing nice, but it was working for me.  A bright pop of color, and some happy flowers..... done.  Well wait, I forgot and entire pile of daffodils, and they were not going to fit in there.  So I found this cute home for them...

Then today my sweet boy was playing at the neighbors house, and went flower picking in the backyard (no worries, they were wild flowers) and came in with this bouquet for me.  It was so sweet.  He knew just the place for them.

So there you have it.  A bunch of pretty flowers, and some mumble jumble from me.  But I have to say THANK YOU to Krista for the support and creative ideas for the bouquet.  After I talk to the bride, I may share the photos with you all. It was such a sweet little wedding.

Now that my house is full of flowers, I am hoping it brightens my days as we battle the dreary Oregon weather.... boo!

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to check out all of the parties I link up to each week!!

DIY Chalky Paint {Nightstand Makeover}

2012-04-17T22:55:00.001-07:00

UPDATE:  It was brought to my attention that "Chalk Paint" is an actual registered trademark of the ever so talented Annie Sloan. (Thank you Richella) 

Thus meaning, I will not be using that term for my DIY paint.  Mine will be called Chalky Paint... works for me if it works for you.  Gotta keep things fair!  She has an amazing product and has worked hard to have that, so no name stealing here.

Are you picturing a nightstand adorned with white chalky scribbles?  Well look again, because believe it or not, Chalky Paint is NOT the same as Chalkboard paint!

"Chalk paint" is the one of the biggest raves in the blog world right now.  It creates an AMAZING finish, and is the most user friendly paint on the market.  However, it can be p-r-i-c-e-y!  And by pricey, I mean to the tune of $38 per QUART.  Not gallon folks, QUART!!  Say what?  

So whats a thrifty chick to do?  Knock Off time baby!  I looked and looked online for recipes, and this particular one seemed the easiest, plus I had everything on hand!

For this you will need:

Latex Paint (flat works best, but any will work) 

(I used a 50 cent jar of oops paint)

Baking Soda

Water

Paint Brush

Mixing Bowl, or cup (nothing nice) 

And of course, a fabulous piece of furniture to makeover.  I started with this beauty.....

She was originally picked up to be re-done to go into the Star Wars room.  I loved the legs and the fun galactic looking handle!  She had a few dings, but for $2.50 she was PERFECT!!

A while ago I stumbled across these ball feet at another thrift store for $2, and grabbed them thinking I would have a use for them some day... and look 2 years later I DO!   I knew these would help turn this nightstand into a more girly piece.

Onto the fun......

Step 1)  Mix 2 Parts paint to 1 Part baking soda.  (I used 2/3cup Paint & 1/3cup Baking Soda)

Step 2) Add about 2 tablespoons of water, and mix thoroughly until the baking soda is no longer chunky.  Add water by the tablespoon until you have a pancake batter consistency.

Step3)   PAINT!!  In no certain fashion.  I let Gabi take this over, and she loved it.  Just watch for drips, those are no fun!

This will not be something everyone does, but in order to paint the new feet, I screwed in some extra long screws laying around so that I could use them as a handle.  It worked like a charm!

Step 4) After the first coat has dried, apply a second coat.

Step 5) After the second coat has dried, lightly sand the entire piece, using 220grit sand paper.  This will ensure a smooth finish.  The paint will literally fall off like chalk.  It creates little to no mess.

Step 6)  Once you have sanded the whole piece, you may then start to distress to your liking.

Step 7)  Once you are done sanding and distressing, wipe down the entire piece to remove all dust particles.   Then using a rag apply an even coat of Minwax Paste Finishing Wax.

Step 8) Let the wax dry for at least 15 minutes, and then using a new rag, buff the waxed area to create the desired finish.  If you think it needs more wax, ad it at this time, and then continue to buff after another 15 minutes.

Let the piece cure for a good 24 hours before using.  

Here are some pictures of the finished product!  We LOVE it!! 

That's it!!  Thank you for stopping by, and don't forget to check out all of the parties I have linked up to!!

Brick Wall Tutorial {Faux version}

2012-04-11T19:50:00.001-07:00

Brick Wall Tutorial, straight from the Industrial dream bedroom!

I will admit, when I began this project I did not realize how popular the brick wall would be.   I don't have the most amazing photos of the process, but I do have some.  So here we go with a quick tutorial on a faux brick wall!

The #1 question has been:  Where do I buy this and what is it?

Answer: Lowes Home Improvement store, and it is a wall panel.  You will find it near the other wainscoting and other panel goods.

They come in 4ftx8ft sheets, which in our case posed this problem on a Sunday afternoon..... 

Gage was not willing to leave Lowes without his wall.  So we crammed it in my small SUV, and I crouched down, and drove the 2 miles home.  It was horrible!!  I could see fine, but I felt like I was 4 feet tall.  

Thank goodness for tinted windows.... hahaha... I can only imagine what this looked like from the outside.   But do you see how thrilled he is??  He thought it was pretty funny that I had to drive this way.

Next step was to measure the wall, and make the cuts necessary to make it fit nice and snug.  For this I used my jig-saw.  About 2 cuts into it, the hubby came home, and said "here I'll do it"  -insert Tim Allen's "arh arh arh"  He was thinking he was one step ahead of my game, with his big bad guns.

Truth is, this wife got the last laugh.  Shh.. he was pretty upset so I didn't rub it in too bad.  This is what it looked like....  Oops...  I guess the Mag77 Skill Saw was too much power??  hmm... sounding more and more like Tim Allen.  Ha!

Here is what it should look like....  nice and snug!  So, I repeat, USE A JIG SAW!!!  I also used a metal cutting blade because it has finer teeth for a cleaner cut.

Once you know your pieces are going to fit, nail them up with your nail gun.  You can use liquid nails if you don't care about the horrid removal process in the future.  Just sayin'........

That's it!!  It was so simple even my husband could do it.... ok I am only kidding.  He is an AMAZING handyman, and has done so much around the house.  So I better be nice if I want him to ever do more.

After we installed the panels we went back and fixed the errors, and any seams we needed to hide by using Black latex caulking. Worked like a charm, and you can not see anything.

Around the entire brick paneling where it meets the walls we added a small corner round trim that was painted white.  It gave it the perfect finishing touch.

Cost:

Brick Wall $28.00 per Sheet (we used two)

Black Caulking $4.29

Nails, Already had

Corner Round $0.32/Foot (we used 25 feet)

Total Cost :$68.29

There you have it.  Easy as pie!  If you do this in your own home, send me a link or some pictures.  I would love to see it.

Don't forget to check out all of the places I like to party these days, by clicking here.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Spring Eggs {Bath Fizzies}

2012-04-07T19:43:00.002-07:00

You know when you have a GREAT idea and cannot wait to share it with everyone? Then something happens (like the person you order something from, kind of fails on the shipping part) well that is me today!

I came up with this super fun idea to do for Teacher gifts, and ordered the supplies back on March 13th.  I thought for sure I would have everything in time.

I had great intentions of doing this ahead of time, so that everyone else could pin away and do these for Easter Gifts as well, but I guess better late than never.

I Ordered most of my supplies online from Bramble Berry, and they are out of Washington State.

You will need:

Baking Soda 

Citric Acid

Bentonite Clay

Almond Oil

Witch Hazel

Essential Oil (any scent)

Food Coloring

Mold of your choice (not the green kind either)

In a large bowl, mix together Two cups of Baking Soda, 1 Cup of Citric Acid and 1 tsp. of Bentonite Clay.  

 Use your hands to mix the entire time.  Next in another dish you will mix 1 Tbsp. Almond oil with 4 to 5 drops of food coloring, and 5 drops of you essential oil.  You will want to then quickly add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix it quickly so that you do not activate the citric acid.

Once it is all mixed together, you will want to mist your mixture with witch hazel using a spray bottle.  I got mine at the Dollar Tree.  You want to mist it slowly, mixing it constantly until you have a pie crust type substance. 

You will be able to squeeze it in your hand, and have the shape stay together.  

At this point you are ready to put the mixture into molds.  I have see these done in so many different forms, but I chose EGGS!

It is VERY important to press the mixture into your mold firmly, to assure formation.  Find a safe place to leave your bath fizzies, for at least 15 minutes, however I suggest overnight.

OK, so now onto the fun part.... the waiting game.

I had ordered cute egg cartons online on the 15th of March, and I should have had them by the 25th.  On the first I got worried and e-mailed the gal.  Well, she is in Korea?!?!  Oh great, no egg cartons for me!  She promised me she would get them to me by Easter, but I was not counting on it.

So at this point I searched and searched for others, with no luck.  These are not regular egg cartons either.  I found some clear plastic ones for pretty cheap, so I went ahead and ordered them, and paid $15 for 3 day shipping.  Hoping I would get them before Friday so I could give these as teacher gifts.

Wednesday the 4th arrived, and low and behold, my egg cartons had arrived at the post office. Good thing my mom and dad have 35 chickens and can use the other dozen I ordered as backup.  Haha 

It was showtime.  We feverishly created all of the bath fizzies, so they could dry overnight.  Thursday night I had a girls night out at Glory Days for the Spring Soiree, and late that night when I got home, I started packaging eggs to be delivered early the following morning.

The eggs turned out so well, and the kids had a blast creating them.  Oh yea, the scent was Cherry Blossom which is amazing if I might add!

While at the Spring Soiree, I found this adorable "Happy Spring" ribbon, which truly saved my life! All I had to do was tie it up.  DONE!

I wrote a sweet note on the tag and called it good.  We delivered them the next morning, and everyone was so thrilled.  It was one of our favorites yet, and I wish I could have shared this sooner.  But with the name "Spring Eggs" you can still you these for hostess gifts, or even mothers day?

So there you have my very long drawn out Spring Egg Bath Fizzies tutorial!  Happy Easter everyone! 

Be sure and check out where I like to Party, by clicking here.

Organizing Your Refrigerator

2012-04-06T00:00:00.007-07:00

I'm Back again with yet another organizing and labeling post!  I am running out of rooms to attack, so I went straight to the kitchen.

My Fridge always drives me crazy, and I've seen some beautifully organized ones out in the blog sphere, and I knew I could make mine wonderful too.  I mean all the cool kids are doing it right?

Here's a little snapshot of the before.  Keep in mind, I need to go grocery shopping....  apparently running to the store everyday for groceries is working for now, but driving me batty!  I need structure here people!!

Knowing what I wanted to create inside this ice box required a few items to be purchased.  So, I ran straight to the wonderful Dollar Tree, and I suggest you do the same if you want this look!

I nabbed up $8 worth of organization magic.  They have soo many styles and colors, it's really hard to decide.  So I just grabbed two colors that I thought I would like.

Then I went home and got to work cleaning scrubbing out the sucker.  Let me tell you I am so thankful for this "spring cleaning" bug I've got.  That thing was a mess, yuck!

Once I had it all cleaned and sorted  I went through and made a list of what I had.  And you guessed it (gosh you are getting so good at this) I made LABELS!!

I printed and laminated them, and then use one of my circle craft punches to cut them out!

It was like magic.  Truly I did not plan for these to be the size of this punch, but my stars aligned and gave me grace, or maybe they knew I was in a BIG rush to get these labeled before I had to pick the kids up from school?!?  who knows, but it worked.

Once again I just used my ATG adhesive to stick them on the baskets.  So far they are sticking just fine.  It is permanent, so it might last a few months in the elements.

Here she is all dressed up and organized.  Maybe I shall name my fridge.  She's just to pretty not to, right?  Ideas??

I also cleaned out the drawer freezer and did what I could to organize it as well.  I actually think it will help a TON!

No more digging in the morning to find those ice packs for lunchboxes.  Even though they are used daily, they always seem to go missing in the freezer abyss.

Well there it is.  A nice crisp, clean, and clutter free refrigerator.  Do you want to do the same?  Run out to The Dollar Tree and snag some fun totes, and then use the printable labels below, and HAVE A BLAST!!

Fridge Labels

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;T&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Be sure and check out where I like to Party, by clicking here.

Organizing The Closet {printable labels}

2012-04-04T16:08:00.002-07:00

I am getting down and dirty with this spring cleaning business!  The bedroom remodel really set the tone in my household.  I was so motivated to organize everything!

I started with my Hall Closet

and moved onto Gabi's closet.  She's got a big closet, but she has even more stuff than any 6 year old should know what to do with.  

It's always pretty organized, but the truth is that unless I am the one to put the laundry away it never gets put in the right place.  (sorry hub's)

So I am making it that much easier for everyone to know where things belong.

She is loving it, and look forward to putting her own laundry away.  She's also been showing this off to everyone!

I went with the turquoise damask print, because it is something that can grow with the room, and since it is in the closet, who care if it goes with the rest of the room. 

I used the baskets that I had leftover from the hall closet org project to hold her overflow items.  Yes Socks for her are an "overflow" because she hates to wear them!!

And you betcha, I am sharing my labels with you all!!  I've been having fun creating them and cant wait to see everyone else put them to use!

Just click on the link below, download and print!  I did laminate mine, and then used my ATG adhesive to stick them to everything. 

Clothing Labels

Enjoy, and don't forget to share pictures over at my Facebook page if you do use these.  I LOVE to see what my readers do!! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Be sure and check out where I like to Party, by clicking here!

An Industrial Dream {boys room makeover}

2012-04-01T21:06:00.001-07:00

I am so excited to say that this post is about a project that we dove into spontaneously, one week ago today.  Last Sunday I woke up, and was home with just my son.  I had this wild idea to spend the day with him working on his room.  I had no idea what was about to come of this... 

We started looking at my Pinterest page I had started for inspiration for his room, and he was SET on having a brick wall in his new room.  This picture is what started the whole thing.  

                                                   Source:

Today's post is going to be the before and afters, and in the days to come I will share all of the details and tutorials.

The before pictures are not glamorous, and to be honest look a little odd.  As you know we had a 14 year old living with us and within the last month we moved him into our daughters room so that he could have his own room.  So it's a very pink 14 year old boys room....  ack!

 BEFORE:

 AFTER:

 BEFORE:

 AFTER:

 BEFORE:

 AFTER:

 BEFORE:

 AFTER:

And there you have it!  He is loving every ounce of his new room.  We still have Lot's of decorating and organizing to do. But not too shabby for one week, on top of working full time!

Be sure to check out where I like to Party, by clicking here!

Happy Spring!! {snow??}

2012-03-29T00:39:00.002-07:00

My husband and I dove into a very spontaneous bedroom remodel for our 8 year old on Sunday, so we've been a little busy in our very rare spare time.  I PROMISE to post pictures soon.  Or you can see sneak peeks on my Facebook page!

As for us here in Oregon, we were officially 1 day into spring and then SURPRISE!  we woke up to this:

I am one of those grown adults that still gets all giddy when I see white on the ground.  I LOVE it.. but only for a day or two.

Here are my children stationed at the kitchen sink just drooling over the white landscapes. 

My kids were screaming as loud as they could "snow mom, snow" and I thought there was no way.  What is there some frost on the grass that has the snow like affect?  We heard nothing on the weather reports for snow!  But sure enough, I throw on my bathrobe, and there is was, not a dusting of snow, but almost 8 inches!!!   Record snowfall in Oregon since 1993!

I captured some pictures of that day.  The kids raced to get snow gear on, which I will add was far and few.  This mom had already started spring cleaning, and the snow gear that was getting to small was the first to hit the road!  Oops!  We made it work.  

We had so much fun playing in the snow, and then realized that since we did not know about this snow, we did not plan to be stuck at home.  So.. we packed up and went on a family hike to the grocery store, and stopped at our local Bi-Mart and grabbed a sled.

Right near our home is this footbridge that crosses the busy street.  We head there every year if we get snow.  So pretty much once a year.  Ha ha  The scenery was gorgeous.

And we start sledding!!!  That was AFTER we grabbed our Starbucks coffee.  You should also know that this blogger is a grande frapp. girl!  So there I am hiking through the freezing cold snow, with my iced coffee.  Yep, had to have it, even if it was 30 degrees out.

After sledding, and grocery shopping we headed home to find that our neighbors tree had lost a very large branch, just barely missing their fabulous white picket fence.  There were so many smaller sprays off the large limb that it had hoisted itself over the fence.  I would have been sad for them if the fence was damaged, it's one of the prettiest houses on the block!

And there you have it Spring time in Oregon!  Today is sunny, with random sprinkles and VERY high winds.  Tomorrow it could be 75 degrees out and then hail mid-day.  Gotta love Northwest weather.

I Organized My Toiletries {so can you!}

2012-03-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

Oh boy am I happy or what!!  I mean I am feeling so organized at this particular moment.

Take a look at this:

Sadly enough I do not have a before picture.  It wasn't horrible by any means, but nothing matched, and it just wasn't working for our family.

Last week I was getting ready for our big craft club event and realized that I needed labels on my kids' "wall pockets" and had been putting it off for several months now.  I just quickly created these:

I could not be happier with them.  Then this week I spent some time helping a neighbor get her home organized, which then lit my own spark to get more organized!!

That's when the hall closet fell victim to my love affair of plastic and labels!

I quickly created their own label, similar to the kids name tags.

Then I emptied the ENTIRE closet.  Nothing was left behind.  I also used this time to do a little spring cleaning, wiping down the shelves, dusting for cob webs, and even threw out a lot of stuff we don't use anymore. 

I purchased the clear totes with red lids from Target.  They are part of the new spring line, and come in a pack of 5.  However you can always get them individually in blue.

I enjoyed this project way too much!  Who's next?  I'd love to come help you!!  Not joking here either folks!!  Just ask my neighbor.....

 Once I got everything sorted and bins labeled, I moved down to re-stock my bedding bins.  I have had these since we remodeled and created this closet, and it will never change.  It works so much better having the bedding in bins, rather than trying to have them neatly stacked on the shelves.

The totes are from Ikea, and I picked up the chalkboard labels from the Dollar Tree.  Gotta love that!

OK, so wanna know the BEST part of this post??  I have created these labels for you to use too!!  For FREE!!!  All you need to do is click on the link below, and download the PDF!

Toiletries Labels

And another bit of news!  We are sooo close to being done with a little remodel of our sons room. Here is a sneak peek!

Fun Idea {Blogger jewelry fail}

2012-03-24T12:10:00.001-07:00

It's not a complete fail...so let's start from the beginning.

Last month a friend and I took our two daughters to the mall and had some mommy/daughter retail therapy. I dont know about you, but I hardly ever go to the actual mall, and NEVER go into JC Penny. Well we happen to enter the mall through JC Penny, and made a quick pass through the jewelry dept.

I found a few fun things for soooo cheap. I mean like $2 - $7 cheap!! This whole post is because of this necklace right here:

Cute right? It was $7!! I got it home, and started thinking I could re-create this with washers from Home Depot!

So that next morning I set out to find some trinkets. Later that day a couple moms (they are friends) from the school came over so the kids could play, and my bff also came over as well. We kind of had a little impromtu big girl play date. We whipped out all sorts of supplies to see what we could create....

Let's just say, it was fun.... but not all that productive! Ha ha ha! We did have some great laughs though. Here is how it went....

Lot's of kids, wanting to create with us.....

Big Messes.... oh Starbucks and Slurpees too... maybe we should have had wine spritzers instead?

Fun trinkets....

Random Creations....

Here is my personal creation! I actually do kind of like it, and have worn it!

But I will admit... the BFF Heather won this craft off! Hers turned out amazing.... she cheated though. We were creating necklaces, she went the easy route and made a brooch. I LOVE it!!

I will definitely give this another try sometime. Maybe when there arent oh.. 8!! Kids running around....

Be sure and stop by all of the link parties I like to play at, by finding the links on my side bar... Thanks for stopping by!!

My Lucky Day {A Vintage Treasure}

2012-03-22T21:05:00.001-07:00

I have a few posts lined up, but then something happened today, and I am just too excited not to share. Now you are probably thinking I found some diamond ring, or even a piece of gold, especially if you are a friend on Facebook! Ha ha.. maybe I overreacted just a tad?

A few months ago I bought a whole bag full of these twiney/string rolls. I loved the vintage charm, and as you can see I planned on putting them in a cloche on my mantel.

You can by these things by the bag full for only 99 Cents!! Score!!

Anyhow, as I was taking each of them out of the bag, I noticed stuff crammed inside of a few of the rolls. Two of them had mini rolls (I was so excited at this point) it was like a gift that kept on giving, even though I bought it myself... does that even make any sense?

OK, moving on.... the third spool had what looked to be lace tucked inside. I started to pull it out and realized it was really really crammed in there. One I got it out, this is what I started to see. Someone had started a project and placed it inside the spool they were using. It was still attached to the roll!!

OK, so all jokes set aside... I squealed really loud. I was actually pretty bummed that my 6 and 8 year old were the only ones home, and I knew they would not appreciate the beauty in this.... so where to turn? Why Facebook of course. I am sure most of you reading this probably just wanted to see what the hype was about.

Look at this beauty.... it was 3 pcs all hooked together. It looks like bunting, which got me instantly thinking. What shall I do with this?

Aha! Use it to adorn thy mantel of course.... I LOVE IT!! (screaming from the rooftops)

It looks amazing next to the very rolls it was created from!! Here is another close of look at my new love.

OK, so truthfully... did I overreact? Would you like this find? Or would you have tossed it out??

Free Condiment Organization {an office joke}

2012-03-14T00:00:00.001-07:00

I am very well known in my office for saving all of the condiment packets from fast food restaurants.  It's true....  Why throw them away?  How many times have you been somewhere to eat and they forget your condiments??  There is nothing worse in my opinion.  

In our small office kitchen, we have a drawer that is dedicated to these little puppies:

Everyone is pretty well trained now to just toss in what they don't use.  It's actually quite funny to hear people joke about it, but whats REALLY funny is how many people go digging through there for stuff when theirs was forgotten.  So HA!

When we moved offices a couple years back, I actually packed these (well of course not these ones) up and moved them with us.  That really got the laughs going.

Anyhow, the other day someone was looking for soy sauce.  Of course it was "ha ha ha, Jenn probably has some somewhere"...  so I opened the drawer and started searching.  To my surprise I couldn't find any!!  What?  Or maybe we didn't have any?  Either way... I was left feeling a little UN-organized... I was sure there had to be some in there....

I took the drawer into my office and started this:

A little sorting turned into this:

 A LOT of sorting!  I was loving this.  All those bright colors and such organization.  I knew it had to stay this way.  I perused the office for something/anything to organize that drawer and came across these:

It was the best I could do.  So I measured the height of the drawer and starting cutting these paper cups down to fit inside. 

I filled the drawer with the cups, and then loaded them up with every kind of condiment you could imagine!  It was pure organizational bliss, I could hear the choirs sing as the horrible florescent light shined down upon them!

But, can you believe I truly had no soy sauce???  But everyone is so relieved they will no longer have to search for packets again!

Thanks for checking out my cheesy, but fun post!! Are you going to start saving these? Do you already save them? I want to know if I am the only crazy one!! Please share!!

CKC Scrapbook Convention {A Blogger Suprise}

2012-03-12T22:25:00.001-07:00

This year marks the 3rd year in a row that I have attended the CKC Scrapbook convention in Portland Oregon! Last year my girlfriend Misty and I did the whole shebang.... went up early Friday morning, got a hotel and scrapped and shopped the entire weekend away.

Needless to say we spent a ton of money and somehow convinced ourselves that we just bought enough supplies to last a LONG time, thus meaning we would not need to attend in 2012.....

OK, who were we kidding? The pre-register date came and went like to big deal.... we kept getting the class list e-mails, the hotel deals, the vendor coupons... still no temptation. Then 3 days before the event, I get this message on Facebook.

Misty
I know it is kinda last minute but I really want to go up to convention on Saturday and was wondering if you are free and would like to go? I had kinda decided I would not go this year but the closer it gets the sadder I get that I made that decision.....so that being said I would love it if you want to go with me! Let me know

Me
Hello my friend!! I too said I didn't need to go this year, but I am sad that i made that decision. I want to go, but it all depends on what we have going on this week.

Needless to say... we caved. We quickly made plans, and I will forever say I AM SO GLAD WE DID!! OK, yea I kind of just screamed that, but there is a reason why.

I Love Blogs, truly I do. They have opened so many new doors for me as not only a crafter, but as a person as well.

We arrived at the convention and not even 5 minutes inside the vendor faire, I noticed this super cute booth FULL of adorable clothing and accessories. I glanced up from across the way, and saw a sign similar to this one:

OK, I was truly star struck. Sounds funny right? Other than they ladies are adorable and have amazing products, but the ADORNit Girls are F-A-M-O-U-S in the blog world!! Of course I ~~walked~~ ran over to check out the goods. On my first trip (yes there were a few) I spotted this adorable purse, and KNEW it had to be mine. The scarf as well!

I chatted with the girls for a minute about how much I loved their shows on My Craft Channel, made my purchases and went on my merry way. A couple hours of shopping went by and we were back by their booth.

I noticed these sweet gals taking pictures with those ever so famous ADORNit ladies, so I knew I had to get in there and grab one too.

Aren't they the cutest? I'll answer that for you, YES!!! OK, so that's my second trip into that booth. In case you were counting. Oh and here is the link to the ADORNit Facebook page.

Misty and I signed up for a class where we created mini albums using Mixed Media. I LOVE that kind of thing. We were about 15 minutes early, but decided to use the time as a nice break. To my surprise I walked into the room to see this fun lady standing at the front:

That is the ever so talented Shelby Dredge from Embellish It! Again, a total surprise. But again, she too is famous in the blog world. And I LOVE her Tip Of The Day series on My Craft Channel as well. I am telling you, I watch that channel religiously!! You can also find Shelby on Facebook.

After our class (that was not taught by Shelby, boo!) we got right back to spending, and searching for all fun crafty things. One of my favorite booths each year is Buy The Yard Ribbons. Check out these pictures, and keep in mind, this is about 1/10 of what she has with her at the show!!

Are you drooling all over the keyboard yet, because I am, and I was there! Be sure and check her out on Facebook too! I bought a little of everything. She had the cutest hat displayed in her booth, which inspired me to create a couple for myself. Here is the first one I made:

And here is my daughter modeling the second one I did along with the scarf I purchased from ADORNit!

She has so much sass. She was getting ready for bed, and I turn around and that is what she had on, including my fuchsia high heels. Oh how I adore my 6 year old.

As we were nearing the end of the convention, we swung back into ADORNit (trip #3), because I had been eyeing a necklace that I really liked, and thought it was my only chance to buy in from them! So I did (no pic sorry). I also started browsing the clothing and had not realized that almost everything comes in sizes XS to 3x! OK, I have no shame in my game, when it came to the fluff in the gene pool, I took a flying leap off the high dive. I stole all the fluff. And as a fluffy person it's hard to find cute clothing. But I HAVE FOUND IT!!! I found a super cute top, and cannot wait to show you!

I will post a picture when I wear my new finds, but I cannot tell you how excited I am to starting ordering stuff through these girls!! And no one else in town with have it! Yep, that was my snotty little 7th grade attitude coming out.

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what fun I had this weekend!!

My Blogging Inspiration {Links to the cool chicks}

2012-03-08T12:09:00.000-08:00

There is so much amazing inspiration out there in the blogsphere isn't there?  I've been a blog follower for about 3 years now, and had my own blog for a little less than that.  I started my blog just as a little place to post the fun projects I had going on, and then over time it really grew on me.  I can truly say I LOVE blogging, and I love all of the blogs I follow.

I am going to share a few of my all time favorites with you, as well as a few of the local lovelies!

Beckie at Infarrantly Creative started it all for me!

 I was searching online for some hair bow holders for my daughter, and stumbled upon her tutorial.  

That was the day that forever changed the way I use the Internet.  I found a new sense of friendship and community out there in the blog world.  How had I never known about this?  Beckie has an amazing blog..... err.. actually she has 3 blogs, all of which are amazing!  Roadkill Rescue is another fave, and yes my friends and family have all heard me refer to free junk on the side of the road as roadkill.... and it all started right here! 

She also has Knock Off Decor, and the name says it all!  It's a very fun site as well.   I love a great knock off of any kind!!

Next onto a couple of my BIGGEST power tool ladies.  I have always loved playing with power tools in the past, but never like these two.  They take it to a whole new level, and the best part is that they show you how you can too.  

 I have built some of the things they have tutorials on, and now feel pretty comfortable playing with tools all on my own like a big girl.  Hahaha, had to throw that in there.

  Sandra at Sawdust and Paper Scraps has a knack for taking a home from drab to fab by building custom built In's and cabinetry!

  My favorite is her new Executive Master Bedroom closet!

  I dare you to take a look, grab a napkin to wipe up the drool....  And her craft room at her old house was amazing as well.  OK, actually everything in that house was amazing!!   

Sandra has got a tutorial for everything.  She makes this custom work look so easy too... we are getting ready to build cabinets in the workshop, so I will let you know how it goes. 

Then we have the ever so talented Ana White from the blog originally known as Knock Off Wood.

  I was a follower of Ana's when she had less than 400 followers. Now she has like... oh...  60,000 FOLLOWERS!!!  Yes I did just scream that.  Isn't that just amazing.  Well once you check out her site, you too will be amazed and will want to become her follower as well.  Her plans are so simple and she guides you along each step of the way.  My favorite project is the Farmhouse Bed collection.

  I really want to build the farmhouse bed for myself, and my kids, but so far we have only built them for the American Girl Dolls.

  Gotta start somewhere right?  I have a whole big list of stuff lined up once we complete the workshop.  Be sure and take a look at her amazing plan catalog.  You are sure to find something to build.

Now onto the Locals!  My very first local blogger that I came across is Jami from An Oregon Cottage!

  How exciting right?  She has great tips on using what you've got,  excellent recipes and very detailed garden tips!  She also posts a menu plan series that is always full of great money saving tips. She also hold a Tuesday Garden party!  

She has an adorable cottage style home too, so go check her blog out!

Another Oregon blogger whom I love to follow is Marla and Steve over at Always Nesting!  They are super local, like the next town over!  

Marla is someone who always takes the time to comment on my blog, no matter what the topic and that is something that I cherish.  So Thank you Marla!  She has got a great sense of style, and I love the way she decorates her home.  

It's got a great chic vintage feel to it.  And guess what??  She likes to watch Sister Wives too!!  Don't ask me why, but I am addicted to that show.  It's truly fascinating! 

And lastly for today's blog highlights... my real life best friend Heather!

  She just started two new blogs.  She's blogging about her weight loss journey over at From Inspiration to Transformation, and also about her teaching adventures over at Pluey's Little People.

  Be sure and stop by her blog and show her a little love.  We have all been in that "new" phase where each page visit and comment meant so much!!

That wraps it up for today!  There are SO many more that I follow, and I will do posts on each of them at some point!  Everyone has their special talents and I would love to do a feature on just that!!

Thanks for stopping by!  If you have some favorite blogs you would like to share, or even your own, leave a link in my comments.  Also if  you are in Oregon, PLEASE say hello and leave a blog link!!  I love to find local bloggers!!

Have a wonderful day!!

Menu Planning {via Pinterest}

2012-03-05T21:30:00.000-08:00

I am just going to assume that you all know what Pinterest is by now, right? I mean all the cool kids are using it!! I was so so so excited that as a blogger I no longer needed to bookmark everything I ever wanted to remember!

Genius I tell you....

Ok back to the point.... Pinterest is full of amazing recipes, not to mention the very tempting photos!

Source: tasteofhome.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

I Find myself pinning more and more recipes each day.... its like they wont go away. So I am using it to my advantage. I am a HUGE meal planner. I would not be able to function without a meal plan system in my home! So why not just use Pinterest? No need to pull out cookbooks, or try to remember where a certain recipe came from.

I simply pin any and all recipes i find to my "recipe" board. Then every Sunday morning I create a new "Menu Board" for that week. I label it something like "Menu Plan 3/4") Once I have picked out 5 meals (I allow for 2 skip days) I start making my grocery shopping lists and fill out my menu plans in my home organizer. After I get all of my shopping done, I head home and place all non-perishable items into their specific meal bins. It is so nice to just grab the tote for that day, and not have to worry whether or not you have everything you need.

Source: bhg.com via Kris on Pinterest

I mean let's be honest here... we are on pinterest everyday right? So while I am on there I just start pinning anything that looks good and I want to try. It saves me so much time rather than flipping through cookbooks.

If I try a recipe and I dont like it... easy, delete the pin! I love it!!

So now I want to share with you a few of my favorite PINspired recipes! Enjoy! we did!! Hey and while your at it, why not come and follow me on Pinterest too! Pretty please?

Source: aturtleslifeforme.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

Source: mommyimhungry.blogspot.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

Source: mychocolatetherapy.blogspot.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

Source: pinchingyourpennies.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

Source: pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

Local Vintage Treasure Trove {Glory Days Antiques}

2012-02-28T10:49:00.001-08:00

Most of you know I live in Oregon, and one town over from mine is the most fun, most amazing ~~little~~ giant shop ever! It's called Glory Days Antiques. It's huge! It takes a couple of hours to get through every booth.

My girlfriend Krista and I consider it our little mommy escape. It usually goes something like this....

Sunday afternoon Krista Calls "Hey Jenn, wanna run out to Glory Days?" (que the Bruce Springsteen music) We giggle about that everytime!! It's our theme song of course!!

She heads down the hill to my house, and we set off on a "quick" run through the shop. 3 hours later, they are turning off the lights as we make our way through the last few booths, and packing all of our loot to the cashier. (yes we often shut the place down)

I cannot tell you how fun this shop is. Here are a few pictures I snapped the last few times we were there. Some of them are from the Holiday Season, but they are amazing!!

This happens to be one of our favorite shops in the store! Colby Cottage! I just want to move this whole set-up into my home! Today!

This is a new one! What a cute idea with the clipboards and book pages! Why didn't I think of that? I love clip boards and book pages..... hello!

Are you dreaming or inspired yet?

These are some fun soy candles that they put in these adorable jars! I have an idea in mind with this style! Love them!!

Here are some fun holiday shots. It was so much fun during the holidays, and I was so inspired for my own decor and tree this year!

My Latest Find was this vintage school desk! It is the perfect fit for my littles to do homework while I cook dinner! They love it!

And for just over $15, I too was in love!!

So, if you live in the local area, you must check them out!

GLORY DAYS ANTIQUES
143 21st Street
Springfield, Oregon 97477
(541) 744-1112

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
Monday through Saturday 10-5, Sunday Noon to 5
Over 10,000 sq. ft. of Fantastic Merchandise offered by 50+ Dealers

Glory Days Antiques is a family business that has been in Springfield for 16 years. Attention to detail, customer satisfaction, and innovative merchandising are our priorities.

Whether you are a local resident or a traveler, please visit our store.

Once we've shopped out hearts our, we head to our favorite Mexican restaurant and grab a tasty margarita and some table side guacamole........ And depending on our service we may sit there for an hour or two, you never know!

By the time we finally make it to our last destination (home) the kids are all snug in their beds, and the husbands are usually sitting on the couch, and just give the "look". You know the "Oh, sure, quick trip huh?" look!

But what is most important is that we both have 3 children, and both need that much needed mom time to talk about school, the kids, the husbands and ourselves! It's such a treat, and I adore our Friendship!

I look forward to many more years of this!

Valentine's {a week late}

2012-02-19T16:02:00.002-08:00

Things have been a tad hectic in our lives, but I was determined to get the Valentines completed. I did however hold off on posting them! So here they are! ENJOY!!

For the little miss we created Kool-Aid Play-Doh kits! I used some of the pencil boxes that I picked up over the summer during the back to school sales. They were $0.01 each! I grabbed 30 (the limit) and knew I could use them at some point in the future!

I created a Label using Picnik... sad to see them go!

We took little ziploc baggies and placed 1/2 cup flour in one, and 1/4 cup Salt in another. Added one pouch of Kool-Aid and a heart shaped cookie cutter and called it good!

Using my Xyron machine, I created labels for the backs with the instructions. This worked so well!

Here is the "slogan" I came up with...... cheesy I know, but this was a hard one!

The night before Valentines day I was frantically trying to get everything finished up (remember I said it was hectic) and my sweet husband came into the kitchen, placed his hand on my shoulder and said "babe, why don't you put these valentines down, and I will go to the store and get some easier ones, you need to rest" and of course, I said no way! I was determined to get these puppies completed. Gabi did help with most of them, but as usual she lost interest and moved on....

The day after Valentines Day, Gabi came home with this note. This is a perfect reminder why we do the holiday crafts that we do!!

This is from a little boy's mom from her class. He is the sweetest boy ever, and is special needs. Every time I am in the classroom, I see all of the children take to him, and treat him with such love and care.... it melts my heart. I will admit, I shed a tear when I read this! I also got an e-mail from another Mom about her valentine as well. So I had a great Wednesday!!

For Gage I found an awesome Idea via Pinterest, here! It was so simple and I knew he would love this! And he did!!

They were so simple, turned out amazing and everyone loved them!!

So back to the hectic part. I had all of the supplies for these lightsabers at least a week in advance, if not longer. After school about 4 days prior I had asked Gage if he was ready to work on them... he told me "not right now, but later" so I moved on to baking.

About an hour later he yells "mom, I am all ready, I have everything we need" as I turn the corner into the living room al excited to start working with him I find him sitting on the couch surrounded by 75 glow sticks, all glowing ever so bright!!!! AAAAHHHH Gage! You aren't supposed to do that! I did not yell, actually I laughed... and what do you do? I told him to take them all and get in the tub in the dark! He grabbed his sister, and that's exactly what they did!

They spent a good hour in there! Such a great time and an even better memory! I needed the laugh!

Moving on to the next item of business. Classroom parties! I had to create a Tic Tac Toe game for the 3rd grade classroom. While I was at work, I just whipped something up real quick in Excel.

If you may be wondering.... the blue and white M&M's were for my son who is no longer allowed to consume Red40 artificial coloring. He was very happy to be different that day!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed my very late Valentine's post!

A Moment for the Children... {update on Gage}

2012-02-06T16:34:00.000-08:00

On February 2nd, Allen and I had the biggest meeting of the year, maybe even our lives. It was to go over the Special Education testing results and to see what plan was going to fit our child best.

I did not sleep well the night before, and that day I felt I needed to express to all of my followers and friends (YOU!) what I was going through. As a mom (many of you can relate) it was one of the most fearful days of my life. Was my child different? Did I do something wrong in raising him? Is he not as smart as all the other kids? Would he be made fun of? The fear was filling my brain and it was tearing my heart into pieces.

But, I did what I had to do. Swallowed my pride and walked into that room filled with familiar and unfamiliar faces. At a big conference table sat, Myself, Allen, the Special Education Coordinator (she has been my saving grace, and an amazing advocate), The Title1 reading specialist, his current teacher, the speech therapist, and the special education teacher. The principal unfortunately could not make the meeting, however I wish she had!

I think Allen was actually more nervous that I was. I have met with most of these ladies on previous occasions, just never for this big reason. As we started to go over the test scores, Allen grabbed my hand under the table and squeezed it tightly. It was then that I felt at ease. He was there for me, and would be there no matter what was said. I knew that already, but trust me, that hand meant the world just at that moment.

Our advocate went over many test results, one at a time. And I kept hearing "He is above average" or "he is not in the area of concern" As I type this post, I am fighting back the tears. My son has been through too much this year to have results like this. How can this be? His teacher was SURE he had a learning disability. As she kept going I kept hearing positive comments from the specialists in the room on his work samples. You mean I have a "normal" 3rd grade boy?!?

The final outcome was NO our son does not qualify for special education services, and does not even come close to being below average! And he does NOT need speech therapy. Which, I must say, I knew. But again, the teacher was sure he needed it.

So, now what? Well he is still on his meds that have done great things. However, he is still not staying focused in class. He is full of energy,and lately has been having a few anger fits at home. These worry me, because they have not been the normal temper tantrum. So this Friday we go back to the pediatricians office to see if we should try another medication. But again, this will come with horrible side effects that we must prepare ourselves for.

I feel like we are on the home stretch!! I want to say thank you to everyone for the sweet comments,and the prayers. They are helping me through each day. Truly!

Now onto something else that has really been a big part of me........

Most of you know me as Jenn, who is addicted to blogs. If you only know me as One Thrifty Chick, then you now know something new today!

I have been a blog follower for a few years now, and over the years I have come across some amazing people. There are a few of them that need your prayers!

James and Kellie Staats lost their baby girl Maddie to SIDS at 4 months of age last February. They are now expecting their precious little boy named Jackson, and will need many prayers as they reach the one year angelversary of their precious Maddie. You can click on their names or the picture below to go to their blog.

Next up is Kendra and Ryan Webster. They too lost their baby girl Makenzie at 4 1/2 months due to a rare medical condition. Kendra is pregnant again, after trying for so long, and has not been feeling well lately, and needs some prayers. Go visit their page, oh and listen to the music she has picked for her player. I listen to it everyday, and it has helped me in soooo many ways!

The last one for today is the King Family. Mom Lisa has been through so much in the last 4 months. They lost their little boy Noah on the 8th of October to medical complications he had faced since birth. Then on the 26th of January, Lisa lost her husband and her best friend of a sudden heart attack. Please take the time to visit her blog and leave her some words of encouragement.

Although I have been through my own struggles, I find it important to take time out of my day to show support of others who have been faced with their own struggles.

And to end this bittersweet blog post, here is a video with an amazing song that fits how I am feeling about my little boy right now!

Thanks for stopping by! Hugs to you All!

Life's Hard Choices... {a cry for help}

2012-02-02T11:33:00.000-08:00

Did I get you with that title??  First I want to start with saying that I have been MIA from the blog for GREAT reasons!!  I went to Las Vegas for 5 days with my husband, Mom and Dad!  Our very first true vacation with no kids!!

Once we got back I realized I had sooo much to do, and the blog just had to wait.  I have so many posts lined up, and all sorts of projects in the works that I cannot wait to share with you!!

Today I wanted to share a story with you all that has been a giant hurdle for our family this year.  Also, today is the day we make the final decision.... (please pray for me will you?)

It starts with this little boy.......... 

Meet Gage:

He has always been such a happy, yet reserved child.  He worries about everything, and does not like to take risks.  This is a child that gets worried when driving over bridges or down steep hills.  Love him to pieces!

We never thought it was an issue as he grew up, however he also does not like to go into public places, or even to a park if there are too many kids.  He has always slept with his sister.  Even when she was a baby, we would find him curled up on the floor in front of her crib.  It was so sweet at the time, and to this day he likes to sleep in her room.  Good thing she has a trundle bed!

We had asked our pediatrician about it in the past and he reassured us that he was going through a "phase".  Yes all kids go through them, some worse than others.  When Gage started school he never had any problems all the way through the second grade.  He did need help with reading, but once he was placed in a program, he excelled all year long! 

We had no idea that this year would bring a whole new ballgame, and a mass heartbreak.  It started about 2 weeks into the school year.  

His teacher asked me to come in and talk about Gage.  She brought to my attention that he was having a hard time doing anything in class, and not paying attention.  She also told me that she found he has a speech impediment.  Her suggestion was to see our pediatrician and talk about medications. (although she did not directly say medication, she said everything that comes along with that) 

As a mom this all came as a huge shock, being that he has been in this school for 3 years now and never had any problems.

I took a few days to process everything that was said, and even talked to some friends of mine that are teachers as well.  I decided I needed a second opinion and also to have the principal involved.  And I did just that.  She talked to the teacher, and things quieted down for about 3 weeks.  Then came the parent teacher conference....

I had no clue what was about to hit.  Things were said that may have caused my jaw to drop to the floor.  I wont go into detail, however to sum it up, my son was now not able to do anything in her classroom.  Even the basics of school.  But now, he has a learning disability.... so she is claiming.  She also informed me that my son had been moved to a new location at the front of the classroom with an empty "buffer" desk between him and the other kids.  His desk had also been turned around so that he would not fiddle with anything inside of it.

Don't get me wrong.  I am all for finding ways to keep children focused in class, but this was all being done the wrong way, and with horrible communication.  I could talk for hours about the negatives here, but I am trying to stay on the point.

At this point we agreed to have him tested for Special Education as she had suggested, and we also had agreed to see our pediatrician.

During the next few months Gage was having emotional breakdowns in the morning, and even physically trying to make himself sink in order to avoid school.  We would spend a number of mornings sitting in the office just to calm him down.  My gut told me that this was not right. 

Two months went by and we were nearing Christmas break.  Gage wanted to take me into his classroom to show me the salmon eggs that were hatching, and while in there he said "oh mom, I had to move again, that's where I sit now" as he pointed to his desk, I felt this sense of anger and disgust fill my body.  She had now moved my child to his own "island" in the front of the classroom, still turned around.   Keep in mind that all of the desks are connected to each other, except my child!  This has now been taken too far.

I went home again, talked to my husband, talked to the principal and asked Gage how this made him feel, and wouldn't ya know it.... NOT GOOD!  He felt embarrassed, humiliated and confused.  He said he just wanted another chance to sit with the other kids.  But no such luck.  

Over the Christmas break we had contemplated taking Gage out of that classroom, and placing him in another classroom, but the Principal had urged us to give it another try after the break.  We had plans to see our pediatrician on the 5th of January, and so we had decided to stick with it.

January 5th came, and it was a very emotional yet informative day.  We sat down and talked about it all.  And Gage was diagnosed with Child Anxiety in the form of Social Phobia.  What?   As he explained it, it all made sense.  Why did I not catch this sooner?  Why is it so elevated this year at school?  Well his school merged with another school which brought it over 200 new kids, and a bunch of new teachers, one of which was his.

This poor child is suffering and I did not even know it. I felt much less of a mother, but my husband was right there to pick me up off the floor and reassure me I am a great mother and have done all I can for my child.

Then came the talk of all talks.... medication.  My heart sank, as I held back the tears.  We talked about many kinds and decided to go with Zoloft.  This terrified me, I know as an adult how strong that drug is, and I am supposed to give it to my child?  He told us to give it 3 weeks for his blood levels to even out... so we did it.

I was terrified of the possible side effects, and having to explain to our daughter what her brother would be going through.  At this time I went to the school and said exactly what the doctor had said and that we had another 3 weeks to wait. I explained the side effects and how important it is to pay attention to his behavior and to let me know right away if anything seemed off.

Well luck would have it.. at the end of week ONE, yes ONE week his teacher pulled me aside in the front of the school (in front of other people) and let me have it.  Told me my son made her feel like a failure as a teacher, she had the worst day, actually week ever.  He had horrible behavior, yet she never sent him to the principals office.  The last straw for me was this comment "When he comes in next week, he will be moving back to his "island".  I know this will not help his anxiety, but I have no other choice."  

Excuse me?!?!?  I have another choice!  Well I kept my cool, and waited until I got in the car to let out my tears.  Did she really just do that?  She couldn't have waited, or maybe nicely told me he had a rough week?  And now she wants to dis-regard his medical diagnosis for her own good?

As you can tell, I was D.O.N.E with this teacher.  The following day was my birthday, and my children were headed to my parents for the weekend.  But I was so upset that I spent most of the time in tears wondering where to turn to next.

Luckily for me, it was a three day weekend, so I had time to think.  We had come to the decision to yank him and I mean YANK from her classroom.  I sat down to my computer and drafted an e-mail to the principal wiping many tears as I typed.  I had to take breaks along the way, just to re-gain composure.  

My exact words were "He will not be returning to school until he is placed in another classroom"  and low and behold, Tuesday morning, he did not go to school.  I was not willing to put him through this any longer.  I now knew that my gut feeling was right all along.  I felt horrible for not acting sooner.

I got a call from the Principal that afternoon, and right away he was moved!  His new teacher is WONDERFUL and so positive.  I know my son may have a few problems, but being negative will only make things worse.

Today is the day we meet to discuss the options for an IEP or a 504.  These will be specialized education plans for him to help him get back into the 3rd grade groove.  This has been the hardest journey with school so far.

So many times I was asking myself, how did this happen?  What am I doing wrong?  Part of me now thinks it's not me.....

Now the questions for you all are:  Have you been through this?  Am I doing something wrong?  What would you do?

Thank you so much for stopping by!  I would love prayers or even good thoughts sent our way, it may be a rough night.

I promise to be back soon with some new crafty fun!!!

Vinyl Gifts for Teachers

2012-01-19T11:46:00.000-08:00

I cannot tell you how much I love vinyl!  I have used it for a few years now, and have not done many posts about  the fun projects.  So today is about the Teachers!

I love giving special year end gifts to the teachers that have some meaning for that school year/class.

These were so simple, using Expressions Vinyl and I would LOVE to do a tutorial if anyone would like, so please leave a comment if you want to know exactly how these were made!  They are sooo simple, promise!!

Our school is very big on Dr.Seuss, we even have a big Dr.Seuss event in the spring!

Here are some pictures of the different gifts I have made.  The first couple are for the teacher, and has every students name for that year.

This one was for our principal that was retiring.  She was with our school for 5 years, so I added those dates instead of student names!

Here is another one for another teacher.

A few years ago I also created a chalkboard with the same idea.

And one last little gift.  At our school they have the 4 B's they follow.  So I created a fun wall hanging for the first grade classroom.  3 years later it is still hanging in there, along with the other fun gifts!

Please let me know if you want me to do a tutorial on this, because I absolutely will if anyone wants!  

They are so easy and so fun, and you can grab your vinyl from Expressions Vinyl!  They are so affordable, and sell them by the sheet.  No need to buy the whole roll.  

I also highly suggest you grab the sample kit as well, so you always know what the colors will look like.  Believe me, there are a TON of choices, which makes me 

 :)  <-------  SMILE!!

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to check out all of the fun parties I am linked up to on my sidebar!

Mom's mini Makeover {Kitchen Board & Batten}

2012-01-18T00:27:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a week it has been already.  I am a year older, YUP it was my birthday on the 14th!!  I had an amazing little birthday party with some amazing friends, and even went out and did a little dancin'!

Today I wanted to share with you a project I did back in October at my mom's house.  My dad went away for the weekend, and we did a little "while you were out" sort of thing.  My mom has a pretty large dining room, and it was your basic tan builders grade style.

Here are a few before shots, they are the only ones she got, so sorry if they aren't the best!

Now isn't that the best photography skills you ever did see?  It was one of those.. oh crap mom we forgot to take before pictures.... hurry grab the camera.  My mom will be the first to admit, she does not have a knack for photography.... but we all get the point of what the before looked like, right?

I had 3 girlfriends all come over to help, I may have even offered them a beverage or two just for being so crazy nice!  We wasted no time.  One person rolled the walls, one person was cutting in the trim, and 2 of us were busy working on the Board & Batten!

This went really fast!  I truly think it only took us about 4 hours to get the painting done, and all trim put up!

Here is where we left off on Friday night!  note: the bottle of wine was only for photo purposes......

 The next morning I called in my hubby to help spray the room.  He is in fact a pretty darn good painter, with a sprayer or brush!  He pays attention to every detail.  The taping process of course took the most time, but nowhere near as much time as it would have taken to brush these walls!

We sprayed two coats of Behr Ultra (paint and primer in one) and then let it dry overnight.  Here is what the room looked like when we left on Saturday night....  Amazingly different right?

And here is the final reveal once my mom brought in her french provincial rooster furniture and some of her accessories.  I did tell her that the tablecloth had to go, but she did not take a new picture for me.

This was such a fun and easy project to do in just 2 days, and it was less than $200 for all materials!

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to check out where I party at over on my sidebar!

Feeling a little PINspired! {My 2012 Goals}

2012-01-12T11:57:00.000-08:00

I am still in shock that 2012 is already here, and I hope this year brings a lot of completion to our home, and no more problems.  

Last year we were less than blessed with the trials of raising our nephew, Our home that started to fall apart right before our eyes, the hallway reno catastrophe with sick kiddos, our unexpected week long stay in the hospital, a few other things that I did not blog about... like the flood in our front yard from the water meter, our whole street being torn up for 3 weeks, my diamond fell out of my wedding ring, and the NEVER ENDING sickness that took over our home in 2011.  

Did I mention our fridge broke, and so did our washer (we fixed it twice) and the dryer died.  Yep, that sums up 2011... I was very eager to wave BUHBYE!  Oh and I almost forgot, we added a 14 year old boy into the mix!  We love him to pieces, but man what a change having a teenager in the home!

Onto more fun things!  For 2012 we are not going to use the "R" word, but rather we are making ourselves a list of goals to complete in our home.  And where do you look to get inspired, well Pinterest of course!

First on our list is converting our Garage/Stockpile room into a workshop for me and the hubs!

I love the idea of this one, to store sheet goods, and longer pieces... with shelving on the wall too!

Source: familyhandyman.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

I also am inspired by this little goodie... now to find several of these magnets. This would be so much better than digging in the tool box.

Source: Uploaded by user via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

Something about this style really grabs at me as well. Something that you can hide behind closed doors at any time!

Source: Uploaded by user via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

Source: toolcrib.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

Next I want to paint my hutch that holds all of my Fiestaware!

I just have no idea what color!  White?

Source: betterafter.blogspot.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

Two tone with stained top?  (I would not choose black, so use that imagination)

Source: betterafter.blogspot.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

Or a pop of color?  Any color, I am open for suggestions.....  I have every color of Fiestaware....

Source: thedecorologist.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

Then would be the biggest goal of them all!  THE KITCHEN!!

We know we are going to do oak floors, just like the rest of the house, and white cabinets, but other than that.... I am open!

I am in love with the butcher block countertops, and the farmhouse sinks...

Source: brynalexandra.blogspot.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

I love subway tile as well.  Our kitchen is not huge, so we would actually do the tile up both walls...

Source: 1805anita.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

One thing for sure, is storage!!  I want all the fancy storage possible!!

This is genius but so simple.....

Source: google.com via Jennifer Sheffler on Pinterest

I LOVE this too!  I get so tired of the paper towel holder on the counter, especially since we are limited on space.

Source: Uploaded by user via Sandy on Pinterest

I go back and forth on the plate display, yes it would look amazing with my Fiestaware, but do you think it would get too dusty and be hard to clean?  I need input here!

Source: bhg.com via Susan on Pinterest

This is a must for under the sink. I already store cleaning supplies under mine, but it looks nothing like this beauty!

Source: familyhandyman.com via Victorina on Pinterest

We have so many other little projects on the list, but these are the big ones, and the most important! What are your plans for 2012? I would love for you to share your links in the comments if you have posted about them!

Bed of Roses {Bedroom Remodel}

2012-01-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

Roses you ask?!? Well I am from Oregon and our Ducks just won the Rose Bowl!  And while the hubby was away at the game I had a wild idea to take over the bedroom!!  Come along wont you?

Here are a few before pictures.  This is literally an hour after the hubby crawled out of bed to head off on his trip.  Look closely and you will see we never did finish the crown moulding in the last 5 years! 

It is apparent that I have issues with letting go of furniture, so our bedroom became the dumping grounds for those pieces! 

Once I got all of the furniture moved out and put in my daughters room, I was ready to go.  I had plans to place 6 inch boards horizontally along the wall my bed is up against.  I was going for a "Cape Cod / Hampton's" feel.  A little rustic with a little chic, and industrial.. I guess its my own style?

Back to the remodel... I grabbed dug through my husbands VERY messy shed to get the chalk line.  Have you ever done a string line vertically by yourself??  My toes were turning red, I looked like Rudolph and my hands were an awful shade of orange... so I had my 6 year old daughter come in and assist me!  I marked out all of the studs along the entire wall.

I slid my bed to the center of the room, because there was NO way I was moving that on my own!

My Dad has the most amazing best friend ever!  He owns a local lumber mill here in town, and has everything I will ever need!.  Did I just hear a little squeal??  He is so gracious with his lumber and always gets me anything I need, and wont let me pay him a thing.... I try, but no go.  So he loaded up his truck that morning and delivered the panels!  (we had this all worked out about a week before the hubby left) 

Bob insisted that he stay and help me install the boards... so here is our progress.....

Once we finished installing the boards, I was left to finish the room on my own!  No problem!

I went straight to priming the wood.  While that dried my great friend Bonnie came over to help me with the rest of the process.  So we hung a dozen or so paint chips on the wall, called the neighbors over and came to the final wall color decision, so it was off to Home Depot!

We returned and got right to work.  Painted the wall, painted the wood white, and installed my cheap mini blinds so i could sleep in there that night.

Here is what it looked like just before i climbed into bed....

Notice I am using a step stool as my night stand.....  a must have for a blogger, gotta have a place to set my laptop....

The next morning I woke up to the brightest room ever!  I was in absolute love, and it took everything I had to not tell my hubby about the amazing change!

This was the day that the Oregon Ducks would play in the Rose bowl, and I was having everyone over for the game... so I did not get a whole lot done in the morning, and by the time the game was over it was dark and rainy outside.  So we brought the project inside....

Look at the dog in the back,  That is my moms dog, who decided it was a great idea to walk over all of my boards and track paint through my house!  Shes not the smartest dog, but we love her!

When I was at Home Depot the night before I found these light fixtures, and knew they were exactly what I wanted in my space!  Only bummer..... they are outdoor light fixtures!!  But I knew there had to be a way to work around that....

I purchased a switch box, a cord end, and then bulk yardage of light duty electrical cord.  Bonnie and I wired both of them ourselves, and to this day.... they still work!!!

Once the lights were installed, we hung the trim pieces that we painted in the living room.... this is the final reveal of the make-over!  It is a blank slate at this point, so I still have a lot of decorating to do.

Here it is with the lights turned off.

We will be painting the dresser white to match the armoire (spelling?)!

I could not be happier with the results, and most important I DID IT!!  I had a few other things I wanted to tackle in the room while he was gone, but I knew I needed to focus on the basics so he would come home to a complete project!   He LOVES it!!  I made him proud, but truthfully I think he was relieved he did not have to do it.  haha!  He loves his wife that never slows down and is always dreaming up a new project!

Thanks for stopping by! You can usually find me at the Link-Up parties on my sidebar! Come check them out!!