The "Ordinary" Life of a Suburban Housewife

New Beginnings...

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Thu, 19 May 2011 11:41:00 +0000

Wow, once again, I haven't blogged since Dec. I can't believe how busy we've been for the last couple of months. Hubby's been going to the Police Academy during the day and working full time at night, so I've been doing it ALL lately. BUT, it hasn't been bad and he will graduate at the end of this month! I am so proud of him!

So...with so much going on (me, hubby, kids...yada yada yada), I feel like my head's going to burst at any moment. I did sit down last weekend and organize my new planner, so I kinda feel like I have it together, but there's still part of me that feels like I'm going to drop the ball somewhere.

I've used a planner before (and tried many different types), but when it gets to be the middle of the summer and we have nothing going on, I end up tossing it aside and not planning like I need to. I have tried many types, but the one that I have found that works the best is having the full month on one page (this is where I write down things that will happen on specific days) and then have a weekly planner behind it. Each day is a square that is big enough to list all the things I need to do that day or a small list for a store or whatever. Then, if there's something that I don't get done, it will roll over to the next day. I'm a huge list maker and to cross stuff off make me do the happy dance!!! I also have several list pages in the back for on going lists.

I have been scouring blogs for organizing tips and trick lately. I love seeing how other people organize things and themselves! I found this article about organizing your mind and this is totally something I NEED to do right now!
http://creatingahouseofgrace.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-to-organize-your-mind.html

Ok, enough for tonight...but...I will be posting more regularly I hope! I will be creating a "blogging schedule" for myself and over the summer I am hoping to get many more readers and to really make this something fun!

Holy Crap...It's been a while! (me being real)

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 13:34:00 +0000

I have been so busy the last couple of months, I can't see straight! I think this is the first weekend that we have not been having to run the roads. I am fully booked with orders this weekend, but at least I can do it all in my jammies!

The last couple of months have been kinda rough. Finances, time to get things done, time with Hubby, and free time have been scarce. Here's me being totally open and honest here....I do NOT like Christmas!

Christmas time has become (for all of America I think) a time of over spending and stress. Although we are not a religious family, Christmas has lost what it's all about. For me, I believe that this time of the year should be about spending time with your family and about giving, not receiving. Our kids have all been taught (and up until now, we have not struggled financially, so I admit, I done this to them too) that Santa will bring them tons of gifts and that's what it's all about. This year, things have been tight and "santa" cannot bring them bunches of gifts each. I am so worried that they will be disappointed on Christmas morning, but I also feel like now (they are 6 and 9) would be a good time to reteach them what the holidays are all about.

With Hubby working nights and having his nights off during the week and me working m-f, I have not even had time without the munchkins to do the shopping. Last night I finally had an opportunity to go out for a couple of hours. All but 2 gifts on my list FOR THE KIDS (yeah!), but now I'm onto the LONG list of our huge family. Insert stress here!

I come from a small family. It was just me, my mom and my dad. Hubby on the other hand....has THREE sides (mom, dad, and stepdad) who are all HUGE and we are all close. We are very lucky and I'm very grateful to get to be a part of such an amazing family, but geeeezzzz...the list goes on forever!

So...for this year, I think photos are going to be our gift to everyone. Cheap, I know, but I have to make my priorities here and my kids come first. I have tons of photo paper on hand, so my printer will be hard at work next weekend. I am planning on going to the Dollar Tree and finding some fabulous photo albums and putting them together.

I think I create alot of the stress on myself worrying about what people will think, but then again, I'm sure they are all having these feelings too. I know one of my sister in laws gave photos several Christmas's in a row when her kids were little, so I know she will understand!

Honestly, part of me just wants to stay home and enjoy the day with my kiddos. BUT...part of me is thinking that if we "make the rounds" then they will get a bunch of presents and our small gift pile won't seem so bad. Isn't that bad?

This is just me being open and honest and real. I really needed to get it out! I know I'm not the only one with these feelings! Feel free to let it all out here too!

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 12:23:00 +0000

I saw this on Domestically Speaking and here's what I created on Wordle:

Just type in the words you want to use and wha-la!!! To get them bigger, just type it more times. For FALL I typed it in 3 times, Pumpkins and apples I did twice. So fun and you can change the fonts and color pallets too!!! Now I just need to dig out one of my frames and find a place to put it!!! I'm totally doing one for Christmas too!!!

some great 2010 pumpkin patch pictures!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 20:52:00 +0000

$2 Garage Sale SCORE!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 20:35:00 +0000

my twins LOVE to go to garage sales! they are boys and they are always looking for things to buy and bring home! well, they "made" me stop on the way home from a birthday party sat morning and here's what i found NEW IN THE BOX!!!

it originally was around $70 at target (i know because i ooh'd and aaah'd over it for months!) and i scored it for $2 baby!!! i think they were ready to close up when we stopped and that made one less thing they had to load up to go to goodwill! this was a great find!!!

now i need to improve on my halloween decor! i pulled the boxes out this morning and yuck...i just don't really like the "junk" i have, so .....i NEED more and new stuff!!! LOL! i'll be gathering new stuff all october long when i find "stupid deals" as hubby calls it!
i really want to make a tall witch hat like this one or a tall stacked pumpkin thing....and i want (lol) some of these berry things...

as soon as i catch up on orders and get some free time (yeah, right...) i'll be hitting the thrifty stores and ross/marshalls/t.j. maxx to find some other great finds!!!

Kitchen Island Makeover!

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 11:18:00 +0000

Here's my kitchen island. I have these oak cabinets ala 1990's along with the lovely green and maroon tile. I did manage to find some wallpaper that ties all those colors in and it doesn't look too bad, but it's so not my style! I've been wanting to do something to my island for a while now. Hubby can't believe that we've lived here 4 years and I haven't really done anything big except painting some rooms! I used to rearrange the furniture at least twice a month at our old house! So it was time!!!

I never really saw how beat up they were until I took these pictures!

After scouring the blogs one evening, I found lots of posts on beadboard wallpaper! That's it!!!
That's perfect for that huge blank wall of the island!!! I wanted to paint it black, but I didn't want it to look like a huge chalkboard and invite MORE writing on it!!! (Sharpie does not come off worn out oak!)
I used basic wallpapering techniques and added the paper to all the flat sides. My mom would be shocked! After wallpapering her bedroom years ago with Victorian floral wallpaper, I swore I'd never wallpaper again!!! I hope she's up there smiling down on this project though!

10pm: wet wallpaper over an outlet and a razor blade to cut it out from around it = small shock that scared the crap out of me!!! I touched the razor to the metal part where the screw is and it zapped me!!!

I let it dry over night and then the painting began!

I'm hoping that my impatience won't bite me in the butt. I didn't prime this side.

Here's the finished project!!! I LOVE how it turned out!!!

(there's a few spots I see in this picture where I need to touch up!)

Total cost: $16 for a roll of beadboard wallpaper from Lowes (and I have about 3/4 of it left!)
$0 for paint I already had. It was a quart that has lasted about 10 projects around here!!!
priceless: time spent with kids and letting them "help"!!!

Projects....

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 03:36:00 +0000

I don't know why, but I always get inspired around fall time! I've been reading blog after blog about redecorating on a budget from thrift stores and man...I need to gain control!!!

So...here's what I started today....

I keep seeing hurricanes on feet with candy corns in them for fall. I LOVE this idea, so off to my favorite spot, the Dollar Tree!!!

For a total of just over $8, I have created FOUR fabulous hurricanes!!! All the supplies came from the Tree including the glue!!!

I just ran a bead of glue around the top of the candle sticks and flipped them over onto the bottom of the vases (two different sizes) and let them sit for a couple of hours! That's it!!!

I need to get some candy and pumpkins to go in them now and I'll post pictures of the finished ones later!

AND...leave a girl alone after bedtime and what does she do??? She makes over the kitchen island!!!

Wall paper applied and it has to dry over night, but I will be painting it all tomorrow!!! I'm hoping hubby will be working overtime in the morning so I can get it finished before he gets home!!!

let's see if these bad-boys work...

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 19:49:00 +0000

well, i broke down and got me some toning shoes to wear to work. i figured that if i was going to be on my feet for 5 hours a day, i might as well put it to use, huh? let's just say that my legs feel like jello! today's the first day with the "new feet" so to speak and it took some getting used to! they are a little slippery on the wet floor, but over all, my back doesn't hurt like it usually does and i can definitely feel it in my legs! let's just see how i will look in a month??? maybe...hopefully....like that girl on the commercial!!!

Simple Little Desk Chair Makeover!

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 23:36:00 +0000

Here's my plain 'ol black desk chair that we got on clearance somewhere about a year ago. As nice as it is, LOL!, I think it needed a makeover!

I had to go to JoAnn's today to get a customer fabric for an order and I got an extra yard so I could make this chair have a little personality!

I un-screwed the back of it and pulled off the back plastic. Then I upholstered the back using a staple gun and stretching the fabric as I stapled.

Then I did the seat the same way. The plastic bottom wouldn't go back on all the way, but it had little screws that held it on. I had a little helper too!

Here's the finished chair!!! It definitely adds a little drama to my sewing corner in my living room. I have had to move what I use most downstairs since hubby sleeps during the day and my studio opens up to my master bedroom!
(I'm not really sure why that's making a link???)

Adding Some Fall Feelings Around Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 21:33:00 +0000

I've had this red thing forever....

It's held remotes, plants, junk and dust for about 2 years on my bar. While shopping at the Dollar Tree for snacks today, I decided to add some fall flowers to it! I did however, drag the kids to Walmart too and the flowers ended up coming from there (with LOTS of whining...)

I started by crumpling up old newspaper to fill the pot. Yeah me for "recycling"!!! NOT! I'm just cheap and didn't want to spend another $1 on foam...

Then I decided on how tall I wanted the flowers to be out of the pot. I wanted it to look more like a large rose bowl (also keeping the whining down when someone says they can't see the tv from the kitchen table...) and using wire clippers, I clipped all the stems off the main stem.

HINT: trim them all off even and then the shape of the bush will still be the same. Some taller ones in the middle and shorter around the sides.

Then I poked all the stems into the newspaper and made sure none of it showed by spacing out the leaves to cover it up.

And WHA-LA!!! $3 fall bush, old pot and recycled newspaper makes a great arrangement!!!Pumpkins, glass jar and brown plate all came from a garage sale yesterday! $30 Partylight plate for $2 and Partylight glass thingy for $.50!!! Also BOTH pumpkins for $.50!!! Great find!!!

Leggings????

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 21:17:00 +0000

I haven't worn leggings since I was in high school a few too many years ago to admit! But, M.J. and I were all alone this morning and decided to hit a few garage sales to see what they had. She found a "fancy" white dress and I found this cute top. Not so sure it's flattering, but it sure is comfy!

The top was only $1, but I had nothing to wear on the bottom...thus the leggings...

We were at Walmart getting a few things and there were some hanging on the $3 rack!!! PERFECT! So for a total of $4, I now have a cute, comfy outfit! Not sure yet if I will be wearing it around town, but for picking up the kiddos and hanging around the house, it works!

(oh and yes, I'm standing on a toilet! Hubby's asleep upstairs where the full length mirror is!)

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noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 20:53:00 +0000

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i LOVE early mornings!

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 10:50:00 +0000

I LOVE early mornings!

Even though sometimes I feel like I need to sleep some more, I get up at 5:30 am everyday. This way I get almost an hour to myself. I call it my "mommy time". It's time I can drink my coffee WHILE IT'S HOT :), check my emails and watch my motivational videos on Youtube.

Wacky Wednedsday!

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 11:22:00 +0000

I'm trying a theme thing here! Wednesday's are going to be "Wacky Wednesdays" where I post some really random thing!

Today I am sitting here waiting for a Youtube video to buffer (don't get me started! since our "simplifying" our internet connection sucks!) and I thought....it's Wednesday, what are we cooking at work today? Well, it's Teryaki Meatballs and rice or breaded cheese sticks. Oh so fun, huh?

I have kind of gone off the school menu to plan our dinners also. My kids don't buy their lunch at school (except on special days) since with three, it's kinda expensive, so they won't be having it for lunch anyways and that makes my dinner time planning way easier! So tonight for dinner guess what we are having??? Yep, meatballs and rice!

I'm using frozen meatballs of course. There's rarely anything from scratch here! And some good 'ol Uncle Ben's. That's kinda random for a post, but it is Wacky Wednesday after all!!!

Twitter Test

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 23:33:00 +0000

twitterfeed test...can you hear me??? LOL!

Bad day :(

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 21:49:00 +0000

Woke up this morning to hot air blowing out of the a/c and the internet was going off and on...needless to say, it was hard to say positive! Then a lady at work, who really thought she was helping out, made my job super hard and I got VERY frustrated and had to just get away from her.....but after that, I calmed down and things started getting better. I got home to a hot upstairs still and hubby said the a/c guy was on his way. LUCKILY, it was only a small part and we ended up only paying around $200 to get it fixed! WAY better than the thousands I was scared it would be!!!

So for this afternoon, it's gonna be TV dinners (my kid's just think they are the coolest things because we never eat them!) and I'm gonna take a bath and sit in the bed and crochet!

Here's my newest addiction!!! Crocheted dish cloths!!! They make up so fast and easy and work awesome on the dishes and counters!

I'm also doing a craft show in December and want to sell these, so I'm trying to get at least 2 or 3 done a night. My problem is that I keep running out of yarn! It is truly an addiction and now I see why my grandmother used to crochet for hours!!!

Fall is in the air...well, NOT in Tx...

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 00:11:00 +0000

It's the middle of September and here in the Lone Star State it's still over 95 degrees. I used to be all about the summer and loved the heat, but the last couple of years, I don't know if it's my age or if it's getting hotter, but I'm so OVER this summer heat thing!

I'm ready for fall to be here! Fall is my new favorite season and I'm all about the oranges and browns and all the pumpkins and spice flavors!!! In hopes that maybe, just maybe I could bring some cooler breezes, I decided to start decorating for fall! I got all inspired by Kendra over at Domestic Princess In Training and all of her fall decorating, that I picked up a few great smelling candles to day at Walmart! I almost went for the 3 wick big candle, but while trying to wait for another lady to get out of my way, I went around the corner and found these great little glass hurricane jars for ONLY $1!!! So when the busy shopper moved away from the Pumpkin Spice candles, I jumped in there and grabbed some votives that were only 50cents!!! But they looked a little naked, so I searched the craft isle for something to add to it and found a bag of $1 potpourri!

These awesome Pumpkin Spice candles look so great in my entry hall and make my house smell so good and all together each one only cost $1.75!!!

Walmart also had some great clearance items hanging around, so don't be afraid to dig around that isle too! Can you tell I had no kiddos in tow today??? LOL!

Out with the old...

noreply@blogger.com (Wende) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 23:58:00 +0000

And in with the new!

I just spent an hour re-reading all of my previous posts I had on this blog and I can't believe how far we've come since April! We have gone from owning our own business again (after hubby having a regular salary for a year) to him working commission, to unemployed to both of us having steady jobs with great benefits! Although things have changed alot from a year ago, I would definitely say we are in a better place now!

After reading all that I posted here in private (I never shared the link), I decided that although I like keeping memories, these were some I could live without. I deleted all previous posts from the last 5 months even though most of them were on a positive note because I don't want this blog to become the place I come to unload my worries. I want to have a blog that OTHER people enjoy coming to and enjoy reading and that can be a place I can come and share things I get excited about!

I named my blog "the ordinary housewife" because that's so NOT what I am! We used to joke that we were "so normal" but after looking closer, we are so not normal! Normal these days means a single parent struggling to do it all or in a stressful marriage. Normal is being stressed and negative. Normal is so far from where we are, it's not even funny! Hubby and I have just celebrated our 16th anniversary and I can honestly say that I could not imagine life without him by my side. He is my best friend in every way. He is the love of my life and the best dad that I've ever seen! I can't wait every day for him to get home from work to share what's gone on while he's been gone and he can't wait to tell me all the things he's experienced while away. Most people we know complain about their wife/husband and during those gripe sessions, neither one of us ever have anything to add in. We talk about that alot and how other people will say negative things about their spouse and how we realize everyday how lucky we are to have each other!

About 6 months ago, I discovered the "law of attraction" and have been researching it ever since. Basically you visualize and ask for what you want and the universe (or God or whatever you want to call it) will give it to you. Without getting into it too deeply, everyday I write in a journal the things I want and what I am grateful for. Another thing you do is to write your "new story" about how you want your life to be as if it is already like that. This really made it clear to me that I really "want for nothing"! There's only a couple of things I want but other than that, my life is perfect to me! SO NOT NORMAL!

So what am I gonna write about on a blog? Well, I don't really know yet! One day it might be decorating on a budget and the next may be some new recipe I decided to try (I don't cook, but sometimes I think I "should" LOL) and then the next may be something my kiddos did at school. Who knows, but I want it to be interesting!

With that, welcome to my "ordinary" life! I hope it's as fun for you as it is for me!!!