This House Our Home

Him vs Her

2014-04-12T13:34:00.001-07:00

Today is our 1 year wedding anniversary! It's amazing how time passes so quickly. It doesn't even seem like a whole year has passed. While we are off celebrating, I thought I'd share a little about us. I've seen these him vs. her posts floating around lately, so here is our take on it:

Color:

Him - green

Her - purple

Gelato:

Him - tiramisu

Her - pistachio

Outfit:

Him - Jordan shorts, t-shirt and bookbag

Her - jeans and a tee

Shoes:

Him - Chuck Taylor's

Her - none (I like to go barefoot)

Activities:

Him - any sport

Her - crafting, photography

Food:

Him - mom's spaghetti and meatballs

Her - mom's lasagna

Music:

Him - hip-hop/reggae

Her - R&B/sole

Car:

Him - Ford Flex

Her - Nissan Altima

T.V.:

Him - everything on ESPN

Her - Big Bang, Glee, Parenthood

Word used to describe the other:

Him - crafty

Her - silly

Spring Has Sprung

2014-04-06T08:33:00.003-07:00

I completely forgot to post last week for Photo Friday. I was so wrapped up with report cards and testing that I just missed it. By the time I realized, it was already Monday. Here are the pictures from the week before last that I intended to share last Friday.

I am no green thumb by any means, but I do love to look at pretty flowers. Begonias are my favorite to plant because they bloom year round, and they can take a little neglect if I forget to water them. I love the way these hanging baskets add a pop of color to our back yard. Fingers crossed that they will survive past summer.

We Jammin'

2014-03-21T21:07:00.002-07:00

This post title just puts a smile on my face. Who doesn't love a little Bob in their day?? I'll be humming that one all night.

Last week I shared some pictures from strawberry picking. We seriously have soooo many strawberries. After freezing many bags, my mom and I used the rest for some home-made jam. Yummy! It's not as hard as I thought it would be. It's actually kind of easy. We used the canning directions on Pioneer Woman's site.

Start by washing and hulling the strawberries.

Next place them on a rimmed baking sheet and mash them up. This was my favorite part.

Boil the strawberry mush. Then add pectin (it makes it thick) and a TON of sugar.

Finally add the jam to heated jars. Boil and then attach the lids. Let them cool overnight, and wait to hear the 'POP' of air tight freshness. Our jam turned out great! I see a lot of PB&J in my future.

Have you made jam before? What do you like to use your strawberries for?

Tufted Ottoman - Button Tufting Tutorial

2014-03-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

So recently I've been posting about fun times using my new camera...and I've kinda been slacking on the home aspect of this blog. Not that we've been slacking on working on our house- we've been doing lots of things around here lately - I've just not blogged about them. So to correct that, over the next few weeks I'll be updating you on some of the things that we've been doing around the house.

A while back I shared the new (well, new to us) sectional we bought to replace our black couch and the problem that it created- it clashed...bad! The bright red ottoman no longer matched the brown or our ever evolving style, but I knew Mr. Wonderful would never let me replace it. It holds too much sentimental value. That ottoman is the first piece of brand-new (it's very rare that we buy something new for the house) furniture we purchased together. Because getting something new was out of the question, I decided to give it a facelift.

Please excuse the horrid pictures taken with my phone.

This project was done before I had my nifty new camera.

I reupholstered it and added button tufting. What a difference it makes in the room. It feels like a brand new piece! I am ecstatic with the final result and it was so simple. Below are directions for doing it yourself.

Here's what you'll need:

Fabric of your choice (I'm loving geometric patterns lately)
Staple gun
Measuring tape
Shank buttons (I bought a button covering kit so they would be the same material but any shank buttons would work)
Any type of sew threw buttons - these won't be visible
Upholstery needle (it must be long enough to stick all the way through the piece you're adding buttons to )
Floral wire or upholstery thread

Step-by-step

First, I used a staple gun to staple the fabric over what already existed. I didn't see the point in removing it. (If your fabric is thin or light colored, you may want to remove what's underneath so it doesn't show through)

Start by stapling along the center of each side making sure to pull the fabric taunt. Check to insure the fabric pattern is straight and even. Once you have it how you like it, continue stapling along the edges but stop when you get close to the corner. Don't be shy with the staples- you'll need a lot of them each edge. I place mine about an inch apart.

The corners are where it can be a little tricky. You have the option of continuing to pull everything tight and create a rounded corner without any creases, or you can fold the fabric to make a more square corner.

Normally I like the look of the rounded corners better, but I wanted to keep the square look of our ottoman so I went for the pleats. To do this, start by folding in the corner. Hold it in place with one staple. Then take the two "wings" sticking out and fold them in to create something like this. once you get it how you like it, staple everything into place.

Now for the button tufting:

You'll need to figure out how many buttons you'll want and measure where you'll place them. Drill holes through the back where you want the buttons placed.

I knew I wanted 6 buttons- two rows with 3 buttons each, so on the underneath side I measured the length and divided it into four equal sections by drawing 3 lines. Then I measured the width and divided it into three equal sections by drawing 2 lines. This created 6 intersections. This is where the buttons will go. I drilled holes where the lines crossed.

Warning: This is the part I got most frustrated with.

You must now push the upholstery needle thorough the place on the front where you want the button to be and...

make it come out the hole you drilled in the back. I found that sticking the needle through backward helped clear a path through the foam so when I stuck it through the right way, it wasn't as difficult. I still spent a little time just stabbing away until I found the hole in the back.

Next thread a long piece of floral wire or upholstery thread through the shank button that will create the tufting. I covered my buttons so they would blend in with the fabric. Then put both ends of the wire or thread through eye of the needle. Pull the needle out the other end. You should now have your button on the front and two pieces of wire or string sticking out the back.

You will need to secure the thread using another button. It doesn't matter what these buttons look like because they will be on the underside or back. Put the wire or thread sticking out the back through 2 different holes of the button. Press the shank button on the front and gently pull the wire or thread at the same time until you have the shank as deep as you desire. Twist and knot the wire or thread to secure it.

When you're finished with all the buttons, spray a little Scotchgard for protection... and voila!

Come back soon for an update on some coordinating throw pillows, and check out Chic by Tab where I'll be partying this week.

Florida Grown - Find Beauty Friday

2014-03-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

I was ecstatic when Aimee over at Click. Pray. Create. asked me to co-host this week's Find Beauty Friday Link-up! I've been linking up with her over the past few weeks. I'm so glad I found her blog. Find Beauty Friday is about taking the time to notice everyday beauty and capturing it. The link-up allows you to see what other bloggers have been up to and maybe make some new friends!

This past weekend we went strawberry picking. You'd figure a Florida girl like me who lives just an hour from Plant City (where the annual Strawberry Festival is held) would have done this before. Nope-this was new to me. What an experience. Everyone enjoyed it, even Mr. Wonderful who doesn't like strawberries (strange I know).

We tried coordinating our trip with long time friend Heather and her mom, Ms. Nancy (she was my sitter when I was younger, so she will always be Ms. Nancy to me), but it was a little difficult planning it last minute. Luckily the stars aligned and our paths crossed. I'm glad our moms got to see each other, and I'm looking forward to planning a girls date with them soon.

Come back next week for some homemade strawberry jam yumminess.

Join in the fun by link up your bits of beauty, and be sure to head on over to Click. Pray. Create. to check out Aimee and all of her awesomeness.

An InLinkz Link-up

My Favorite Little Guy

2014-03-01T13:23:00.000-08:00

My best friend's son just turned 1! It's hard to believe a whole year has passed since he was born. I have some awesome pictures from his birthday, BUT they were shot in RAW and I'm still in the process of converting them :( I promise to share a few of those soon. Until then, check out these I took at our park adventure last weekend. This was his first time in the swing. He LOVED it.

At first I was a little disappointed that I didn't get better shots. When in the moment, it's hard for me to remember everything I've learned about my camera- aperture, shutter speed, ISO ahhh!...and then the moment is gone. I need to keep reminding myself that I'm still learning. So what if the pictures aren't perfect; I captured a moment that we will never be able to get back!

Let It Fly

2014-02-21T21:49:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Mr. Wonderful played in a football tournament. I decided to go all the way to Plant City and spend my day watching sweaty boys play football because that's what a good wife does (plus I figured it would be a great place for me to practice using my camera). The weather was beautiful- clear skys, a cool breeze and lots of sunshine. It felt so nice that I didn't realize that I got a little too much sun on my face until I got home and looked in the mirror. I'm a little frustrated with my lack of ability at the moment. There were so many moments I tried to capture, but just didn't come out right. Here's the best I got that day:

Mr. Wonderful's team lost their first game, but ended up winning 2 out of 3 games on Saturday and Played 2 more on Sunday. Team morale was definitely up at the end of the day.

I was having issues with Mr. Wonderful looking like a black shadow, so halfway through the day I decided to try to shoot in RAW format because I wanted to be able to adjust the levels more once the images were on my computer. Now that I have a ton of RAW images on my computer (I have tons from Sunday too) I'm completely overwhelmed with how to convert/edit them all. I have Elements and I'm pretty confident in my abilities using it. I downloaded the RAW file converter. It is just taking me for-ev-er to make all the adjustments. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Pete's Pier

2014-02-07T18:31:00.000-08:00

Another day with the manatee. (I promise we are not obsessed) We got a Living Social deal for Florida Eco-Adventures. I totally recommend them if you're in the area. We spent a day kayaking around Crystal River. There were manatee everywhere.

Since manatee are protected, you aren't allowed to chase them or bother them in any way- volunteers are on site enforcing the rules. You are allowed to pet them with one hand if they approach you though, and guess what, when we were visiting manatee would swim right up to the kayak and want to be rubbed. We've to crystal river a few times before, but have never seen them this active.

One particular guy wanted a belly rub. He would swim next to the kayak and then flip onto his back eagerly waiting for your touch. They felt different than I had expected. There skin was tough feeling but not at all slimy. I didn't know they had "fin-nails" either.

It was too cold for me to get in the spring water, but Mr. Wonderful and my dad snorkeled with the manatee. One of the younger ones was infactuated with their swim shorts. He'd come rub, smell, even nibble on them! Not sure if he was hungry or just curious. We had a great time at Crystal River. Can't wait to do it again!

S'more Fun

2014-01-31T15:44:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love warm gooey marshmallows topped with melted chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers? Since it's been rather chilly out lately, we decided to host a get together and enjoy s'mores around our fire pit.

I took more pictures of us, but those didn't turn out too good. Night photography is something I need to work on. What do you like to do when it's chilly out?

Photo Friday

2014-01-24T10:09:00.000-08:00

As you know, I recently got a new camera. One of my many new years resolutions was to learn more about my camera/photography by doing a 365 photo challenge. It's basically where you take a photo a day for an entire year. Sounds simple right? Well, we're only 24 days in, and I'm already falling behind. (I don't know why I continue to make unrealistic goals that I can't keep...I just keep setting myself up for failure, yet I continue to do it.) My problem is that most days I leave before the sun comes up and come home after it's gone down. It's kinda hard to take pics without any light and there is only so much I find interesting inside my own house in the evening. So while I haven't given up on my new years resolution completely, I have accepted that it won't be perfect. It's time for a revision. There are going to just be days that don't get photographed. I'm still going to make an effort to take at lease one photo a day, but at very least, I will take quality photos once a week. I will be sharing some of my favorite pics from the week every Friday. I will be linking up at This Analog Adventure for Photography Friday and Serendipity is Sweet's Friday Photo Journal if you'd like to join in the fun.

This past weekend we planned a trip to see the manatee. In the winter especially, manatee congregate near our local power plant to swim in the warm water the power plant emits. Long ago the power plant build a barrier to keep their warm water from killing the surrounding mangroves. The water still leads to the open ocean, but the barrier keeps it from destroying the coastline. Once the manatee caught wind of this warm water pool, they made themselves at home and have been frolicking in the warm water ever since. You can see below that the water was a toasty 71 degrees in January.

Once the power plant noticed the manatee had made themselves at home in their water, they build a long pier, so that visitors could enjoy the manatee and other wild life. The best part about it is that it's free.

I don't have a lens with a good zoom, so I couldn't get any good pictures of the manatee, but we saw TONS of them. We also saw fish, sharks and pelicans (my favorite bird). I guess everybody love the warm water.

Can you tell what my "signature" shot is?

I didn't even know I had a signature shot until I put these pictures on the computer and realized that I have tons of the same (a portrait with the subject in the left third of the frame). I will make a conscious effort to try something new next time.

Do you have a signature shot? Have you done anything that's free and fun lately?

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My New Camera!!!

2014-01-04T15:10:00.001-08:00

I cannot explain how surprised I was when I opened THIS Christmas morning. Mr. Wonderful is so good to me. I didn't have much of a Christmas this year. Most of what I wanted was for the house. I definitely did not put a DSLR camera on my list because they are quite pricy and we're on a tight budget. Mr. Wonderful knows me so well though. I have been spending the last few months learning about photo composition and techniques as well as getting to know my point and shoot a little better. I'd mentioned that once I got better I'd like to invest in a DSLR. So guess what he did?? He saved up little by little so he cold get me one. He's also been encouraging me take more pictures and learn about my camera. He truly is the best!

Be Grateful

2013-11-27T21:01:00.000-08:00

On November 2nd Mr. Wonderful's best friend, Justin, was in a tragic car accident. He was the passenger of a car that hit a tree, and unfortunately he had to have a foot amputated. Everyone was devastated because like Mr. Wonderful, Justin is very active; he loves to play sports and everyone knew things would forever be different. Oceans of tears were shed even before Justin himself knew he no longer had a right foot. Everyone feared Justin would be devastated, but surprisingly he took it really well. He is just happy to be alive. He says that he feared never seeing his family again and he is thankful for a second chance.

A few years ago two friends died in a very similar accident in the same area. Both Justin and the driver are extremely lucky to be alive. I know there will be some hard days ahead, but there is no doubt in my mind that Justin will continue to have a positive outlook on life.

The lesson I think we all can take from this is to simply be grateful for what you have instead of focusing what you're missing. If Justin can do it in his situation, we all can.

The Last of His Twenties

2013-10-20T22:21:00.003-07:00

We just Celebrated Mr. Wonderful's birthday. He turned a whopping 29 years old. This is the last year of his twenties. He is turning into an old man. (I'm considering getting rid of his Mr. Wonderful nick name and just referring to him as my old man, but I'm not sure how he'd like that one.) I always tease him about how old he is, but the truth is that we're not even a whole year apart in age.

Every year we have cake and presents at his parent's house on Mr. Wonderful's actual birthday. This year I made the cake! Red velvet - his favorite. I used my secret ingredient (recipe can be found here)

Money is tight, so I couldn't go all extravagant on the birthday gifts. I kept it simple. Three things: something sweet, something funny and something useful. For my something sweet, I surprised him with post-its on the bathroom mirror stating the top 29 reasons why I love him.

For the funny gift, I filled a nice Bucs cup with 29 suckers and attached a sign that states "29 sucks!" I'd seen this on pinterest and thought it was cleaver. I just couldn't resist.

The useful gift was a cordless weed wacker. I typically wouldn't get him something like that as a gift, but he asked for it. He used our neighbors one day and from then on ours wasn't good enough...men!

My family always likes to do something special for Mr. Wonderful too, so we went there for dinner, presents and brownies in his honor. I love birthday celebrations...can't wait to celebrate HIS big 30th birthday next year!

Let's Have a Party!

2013-10-13T09:41:00.004-07:00

So I haven't forgotten about ya'll. School has been completely overwhelming, but I'm back and I have so much to share. I hope you haven't forgotten about me either.

Mr. Wonderful asked me the Saturday before Labor Day if I wanted to invite our family and friends over for a small Labor Day get together, and I said "Sure!" It was short notice, but I agreed because having people over forces me and Mr. Wonderful to give our house a really deep cleaning.

This is sooo true for me. Is it true for you too?

I also wanted to see everyone. We hadn't gotten everyone together since our wedding. For the party, I made a watermelon bowl. I thought it was going to be more work, but it was really kind of simple. Just use a long knife to cut the zig-zags and it just falls apart into 2 pieces. I used a melon baller to scoop out the insides and then placed one "bowl" inside of the other.

I also made caprice bites.

Of course we served our signature dishes:

Mr. Wonderful's famous baked mac-and-cheese and my sweet meatballs

Mr. Wonderful grilled hot dogs and hamburgers while I set up a burger station inside.

For desert I made a layered jello cake and brownie, marshmallow and strawberry skewers (pinterest fail: the brownies kept falling off the skewers..won't be making those again)

We had s'mores outside by the fire pit, and I learned that Geniece loves

burnt marshmallows. I don't mean a little toasty. She likes them completely charred black. Yum.

My best friend, Heather, and her little guy Styler took part in the festivities. They even came over the day before to help prep. Isn't Styler just the cutest thing? I just love him!

While the girls were outside enjoying s'mores, the boys were inside doing what they do best...drinking. Whenever the boys get together they take shots of henny. It's kind of like a tradition.

The afternoon was full of good friends, good food and good fun.

We love to play games, so we brought out Mad Gab and Battle of the Sexes after everyone had eaten.

Mr. Wonderful's family gets so wrapped up in the passion of the game that they practically yell at each other. They are always loud, but it hits an extreme when they are playing a game together. This is just one of the ways that me and Mr. Wonderful are completely different. But I guess they say opposites attract.

Did you notice Styler in the corner with his ear covered?

That's because Mr. Wonderful's family is so LOUD.

We had a great time on Labor Day. What did you do?

School days

2013-08-25T16:35:00.000-07:00

So my first week back at school with the kiddos it officially over and I'm exhausted! During the week of pre-planning, I decided to give my desk a little makeover. I've been wanting some of these cute organizers that are everywhere.

Problem was they are a little pricey for what they are and money at the end of summer is always tight! It was a want, not a need, so I decided to just update the one I've had. Here is what it looked like before.

(actually, there wasn't any black paint along the top...I got so excited to start the project I started painting before I remembered to take a pic)

I painted the top edges and the inside of the compartments black. Then I cut paper to fit along the outer edges and Modge Podged (If that's even a word?) my paper pieces on there.

I used the same paper I used to make my post-it note holder (the one I made at my friends pinterest party), so now my desk is cute and coordinated. I also made a matching clipboard, but it was a pinterest fail and I'm too embarrassed to show you how horrible it is.

I heart modge podge.

Something else I love is my job. Somedays I hate it, but over all I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else. One of the things I love most about teaching (besides summer vacation) is that it's one of the few jobs where you can begin new year after year. I get a new group of kiddos and parents. I can re-do my room. I can get rid of things that didn't work so well for me last year, and try new things this year. Every year, I make a few new "school year" resolutions. Here are my goals for this school year. Some are school related and some aren't.

become a master at teaching science (each year I pick a subject area to really focus on...I hate science, so it is the last area to get picked)
get in the habit of picking out my outfits for the week on Sunday to eliminate that morning stress of what can I wear? nothing fits! I have no clothes! Hopefully it will speed up my morning routine too since I wont be trying on 100 outfits every morning. Which brings me to my next goal...
get to school earlier. No more rolling in the parking lot at 7:26 when I need to be in my room by 7:30
make time to get to the gym
cook more home made meals. Less take-out and cereal for dinner.
share/collaborate more with my team
put more school related pinterest ideas into action. I have tons of great ideas pinned. I'm determined to start using them this year.
and my last goal is to not lock myself (and my kids) out of our classroom...which has happend more times than I'd like to admit. We have a new rule where the doors must stayed locked at all times. Well this poses a problem when your keys are always lost. I finally broke down and bought this lanyard to wear daily, so that I won't leave my key in the room anymore.

I like it because it kind of looks like a necklace.You can see it in my first day of school pic.

The last thing I'm loving right now are my new school supplies (nerdy I know). Just like the kids, every year I get a few new things to start the year out right. I have plenty of dry-erase markers and pencils, but these are my absolute favorite! It's just something about writing with a brand new marker that makes me happy.

My friend Heather over at Heather Runs Fast did a fun throwback school related post. Just thinking of trapper keepers and rocking the backpack with one shoulder strap just brought me back. Be sure to check it out!

What are some things you're loving right now?

What's you're favorite school supply?

Thank you so much for stopping by!! I hope you have a wonderful week!!

You can find me at these awesome parties:

Suburbs Mama, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Think Pink Sunday, Pin It Monday, Give Me The Goods Monday, Time To Sparkle Tuesdays, Tuesday's The Scoop, Make It Pretty Monday, Monday Funday, Terrific Tuesday, Show Me What You Got, Too Cute Tuesday, Home Made By You, Live Laugh Linky, Dandelion Wishes Wednesday, Work It Wednesday, Hooking Up With House of Hepworths, Two Girls and a Party, Transformation Thursday

Laundry Room Reveal!

2013-08-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

One of the things on my summer to-do list was to paint the laundry room. It's finally done!

Here is what it looked like before

Pretty awful right?!?! Besides all the clutter, that ugly water heater was a horrible eyesore. I knew we had to hide it, but how? I didn't want to completely close it off because if it needs repair or has to be replaced one day we'd need access. I've see people hide them behind curtains, but that wouldn't work for us with the high shelving that is sooo useful. I've also seen them hidden inside large cabinet doors. I liked that idea but it was WAY too expensive, so I sat down and drew up a plan to build a partition that would look similar to a cabinet, but would be removable if need be.

You can see that the piece on the left and the front piece are attached to each other, but are free standing. The "wall" on the right is permanent because it holds up 3 shelves that are lower and hold the things we use regularly. This project only cost about $30 dollars because I found the plywood for FREE on craigslist. Best part was it was in the neighborhood right next to mine, so I didn't have to drive far at all. The most expensive part was the beadboard.

We painted wide stripes to make the narrow space feel larger. More about how to we painted the stripes coming soon. We tried the alternating flat and gloss paint in similar shades. I'm happy with how it turned out. Pinterest win!

I decided to hang our mop and broom, so they would be out of the way and wouldn't collect dust balls around the bottoms. I found a 4 pack of hooks at Ikea for $5. We attached them to a piece of 2x4 that was leftover. I had Mr. Wonderful pry them open a little wider so they would hold everything.

My steam mop's handle is in the wrong direction to hang, so I was having trouble, but I finally figured it out...hang it upside down! I used 2 hooks and rested the cleaning pad between them.

I hung the key holder my best friend gave me (over 6 months ago) and my "Loads of Fun" sign I brought to my friend Cassie's pinterest party. Here are the thinks I made that night.

I also found a grapevine waste basket on the swap and shop and pulled out a shelf from the garage.

Now we have a "launching station"! Keys, bags, shoes and dog treats now all have a place. They will no longer be taking over the ottoman in the living room.

The Laundry room ins't completely finished. There are still a few projects I'd like to do. I have left over beadboard and plywood, so this DIY drying rack is on the list of my someday projects. I also want to make a runner for the floor. I'm thinking of making a custom one using fabric and a rubber mat. I want to paint the shelf white too, but that can wait for now. What is on your list of someday projects?

I've Had Some Good Luck

2013-08-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of luck this weekend! I often get up Saturday mornings and hit up a few garage sales. Sometimes my mom goes with me, and other times I drag Mr Wonderful along. I ended up going alone this weekend (which is rare). I did well. Here is what I got:

This vanity stool. The base is in really good condition. It was only $5 and the hard part of removing the upholstery has already been done. I'm trying to decide what color/pattern material to cover it with. Not sure where I'm going to put it. I'm thinking either the laundry room or the foyer. Decisions, decisions.

A picture for the dining room for $1. The frame has a few dings and it is missing the glass, but it will do for now. I paid $6 for a 5ft ladder. Not sure what the plan for this is, but I'm considering making it into shelves and putting it in the front bathroom.

And my favorite find of the weekend was this vintage steamer trunk. It's far from perfect condition- there is a crack in the top, both handles are broken along with the lock, it needs a good cleaning and the inside needs to be redone, but at $15 how could I pass it up. It's going to be the coffee table in our sunroom. The lady I got it from said she was going to send it to the dump. Can you believe that?!

Have you found anything good lately?

Sunday Fun-Day

2013-08-04T20:20:00.003-07:00

Mr. Wonderful's friends like to get together on Sundays. Sometimes they play football or go golfing, but last week they decided to ride go karts to celebrate Justin's birthday.

The original plan was to go to Orlando, but because of the weather (This is the wettest summer we've had in a long time) we ended up at an indoor place in Clearwater. It was called Tampa Bay Grand Prix.

The go karts were electric, so there weren't any stink fumes. Each race is 14 laps around the track. We did 3 different races. Gus won 2 out of the 3 races with Mr. Wonderful as a close second. The first time the go karts started out really slow. Everyone was looking at each other thinking the same thing- We did not just pay all this money to ride kiddie speed go karts! Then suddenly someone flipped a switch and we were off. Those suckers are fast! I think they top out at 45mph. I wasn't sure I was going to like it (the boys can be so competitive), but I had a lot of fun. Totally going back.

My Black Thumb Is Turning Green

2013-08-01T22:44:00.002-07:00

The other day on my way to my mom's house I saw a garage sale. Just as we were about to pass it, I spotted a wheelbarrow, so I made Mr Wonderful turn in. The wheelbarrow was rusty, had cement inside the tub, weathered wood handles, and a bum wheel, but it was perfect for what I needed and only five dollars!

I've been looking for a wheelbarrow for a while now. I didn't want it new and I didn't want to spend much on it because my plan was to turn it into a planter. Those of you who know me are probably like "Pam? Plants?" Those are 2 words that don't really belong together. I'm not very good with plants. Once I killed this bamboo plant one of my students gave to me. It was bamboo; you'd think that would be simple to care for. Not for me. It was all brown in a matter of months.

I recruited my sister to help me pick out my plants. She is amazing with plants. We tease that she is an old lady because she loves her plants so much. We headed to Lowes (I chose them instead of a nursery because they will replace my plants if I kill them) to find some hardy, drought-tolerant Florida plants. Hardy=hard to kill and drought- tolerant=if I forget to water them, they will be okay for a while. We ended up with 2 crotons, 6 begonias and a green and white leafy plant that I don't know the name of for a total of $20...I also got a few succulents. (I'm obsessed with them)

Before I put the plants in, I drilled holes in the bottom of the tub for drainage. I used a 3/4in bit meant to be used on concrete. It cut through the fiberglass tub beautifully.

I then arranged my plants how my sister advised. She gave me some of her potato vine to transplant. She says it grows fast and is easy to care for. The goal is for it to hang over the sides. Its that limp purple thing in the front. Not so sure the transplant was successful.

I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Now all I have to do is keep them alive. (fingers crossed) I worry that there isn't enough drainage. We'll see how they do. I am sure to get a few calls from my sister reminding me to water my plants.

Are you good with plants? Do you have any tips or tricks?

Dresser Turned TV Stand Part 2

2013-07-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I found a beautiful dresser and decided to make it our TV stand. You can read about it here. Today I decided to finally do something about the clutter that has been sitting on top of it beside my TV ever since we brought it home.

I have seen a lot of people remove the some drawers, painted the insides and placed their electronics in the holes like this.

But I didn't want to remove any drawers. (I love the hardware too much) I just don't like that look and I thought it would take away from the piece. I know it is possible to wire the cable box into a near by closet. People do this if they are hanging a flat screen above a fireplace or something where they don't have a place to store the cable box. Problem with that is I don't have a near by closet. I have also heard of people placing their electronics inside a drawer and drilling holes in the back for the wires. My number one concern was keeping the integrity of the dresser. I didn't want to deface it because it's a beautiful mid-century piece...somewhat of an antique. I couldn't bring myself to drill holes in it. In addition, the man from Bright House said not to put it in the drawer because it would "catch fire." Not sure how true that is, but I could see the thing overheating being kept in a sealed drawer all the time.

I decided to take my own approach and remove the backs of the drawers so that the front would look the same, but the back would have plenty of ventilation.

Here is what I did:

1. Remove the back panel. This part was easy. I used a flat head to pry out a few staples on the same side and then gently pulled it away. The other staples just popped right out. I put the back panel in the garage in case I ever decide to turn it back into a traditional dresser.

2. Pull out the drawers and examine how they are constructed. Mine had dovetail joints holding it together, so I had to remove the sides before I could remove the back. Use a hammer to lightly tap the pieces loose. I guess the glue that was holding it together had broken down over time because my pieces popped out easily.

3. Remove the back piece of each drawer. I used a screwdriver to pull the track off. Then squeezed that piece onto the bottom of the drawer and reattached the sides. (I saved the backs, so I can put it back together one day.)

4. Last step, put the drawers back in and place the electronics in through the back. It looks messy with wires everywhere, but it's the back - no one will see it.

Voila! No more clutter and all drawers are in there places.

I know you are wondering how the clicker works now that the cable box is hidden in the drawer. We ordered this infrared extender on Amazon.

It plugs into the cable box. A little piece covers the sensor on the box.

It connects to the new sensor that you stick in a hidden spot on the TV.

Simple as that.

I didn't like how plane and small the TV looked all alone, so I framed the card I gave Mr. Wonderful on our wedding day. (I put his note to me and our vows inside, so if we need a reminder someday, we know where to find it)

Isn't the frame pretty? My friend Kim was getting rid of it, so I took it. It goes great with the colors of the room.

We Got a Sectional.

2013-07-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

So the living room wasn't on my list of summer to-do's, but it's transforming. We got the new TV stand that can be seen here, and now we have a sectional. Our old couch was really, really old. Here's a picture of it.

Mr. Wonderful and I got it used from a friend when we first started dating 8 years ago. For its age, it was in good condition, but because the seat cushions are attached they couldn't be flipped or switched which lead to the center being really squishy. When 2 people sat on it, they would both end up in the crack down the middle...which was fine for us (we're the cuddly type), but not so great when we had company over. It was time for something new and a sectional just made sense.

Problem now is that the ottoman clashes-BAD, so that will be getting a make-over pretty soon. I'm going to reupholster it and add some button tufting. I was debating between a solid pop of color or a more neutral (but fun) print. I think I'm going with a print. Here is what I've narrowed it down to:

Which do you like?
I found this beauty in the clearance section at Home Goods. Its going in the living room.

It was marked down to $39.99. I had a $20 store card which made it only $20-score!...now all I need is something over the couch. Any suggestions. Big piece of art? several frames? shelves?

It's The Little Things

2013-07-13T20:10:00.002-07:00

We finally finished up our thank you cards from the wedding. (I know they were late, but I figured better late than never.) Part of what took so long was we were waiting on the pics from the photographer. Then I had to add the words and order online because neither Walgreens or CVS offers in-store pick-up for cards.

In our house there is a rule, you may not open, use, or put away any gift until a thank you card has been written. This rule is in place because I hate writing thank you cards, and it insures they get done in a timely manner... usually. The daunting task of writing all those thank you's didn't take as long as expected. As with most things I dread, I found it's not so bad once you get started.

Mr. Wonderful couldn't wait to use his George Foreman. After all, he had been waiting almost 2 whole months. This was one of the 2 items on our registry he insisted on having. The other item was this HUGE shower head that Allie got us for my bridal shower. I think he installed it the same day that we got it.

We've had a mini George that got tons of use for years. That thing makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches, but it can only cook one piece of chicken or one burger at a time. It was time to upgrade. Mr. Wonderful was eager to cook dinner. He made chicken (The new George cooked 5 legs all at once!) and rice.

I couldn't wait to use our new silverware that we bought using our wedding gift cards. As soon as we got it home, I unwrapped all the individually packaged pieces and reorganized the silverware drawer so everything could fit neatly.

Isn't it so shinny! It's heavy too. We spent a quite a bit on the set, but we needed it. We've never had a complete set, much less a set that matched. This set is 18/10 stainless steel, so it's meant to last. I tell you, it's the littlest things that can make our day. Mr. Wonderful got to use his giant George, and I got new silverware- It was a good day in the Bowry house.

What is something little that makes your day?

Best Brother-In-Law in the World

2013-07-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned that I have the best brother-in-law in the world. It has taken years for me to feel this way (at first, neither one of us cared for the other), but I really do love him. Although he hangs around some sketchy people and has make some questionable choices in the past, he really is a good guy with a kind heart. He was a groomsman at our wedding. I was surprised at how emotional he was. He got teary eyed during the ceremony and during our first dance. He expressed numerous times how happy he was to finally have a sister.

Last week, I finally changed my name. I went to the social security office on Wednesday and then to the DMV on Friday. I had a lot to do at the DMV: change my name, change my address, and renew my license and registration. I know what you're thinking- Change your address? Well, even though we've lived here almost 2 years, I'm just now getting around to changing it on my license. It no longer says my moms address.

As we were pulling out of our parking spot of the DMV, another lady wasn't paying attention and backed into my car! Of all places to get in a fender bender. She was at fault, but wouldn't admit it (of course). Claims she was honking as backing up. No one heard a sound. Her car was fine; mine was not :(

While I was at lunch with these ladies,

my brother-in-law fixed my car. (Told you he was the best)

It's not perfect, but it is 100 times better than what it was. There is a little crackling in the paint and a small section wouldn't pop out, but if you don't know its there, you cant even tell. He saved me an insurance claim which means no money out of pocket and my premiums wont go up.

His birthday is coming up this Friday. Any ideas for what I should get him?

Dresser Turned TV stand

2013-06-28T19:17:00.000-07:00

Me and Craigslist have a love-hate relationship. Sometimes I think craiglist it the most amazing place where you can find almost anything you need for dirt cheap (or sometimes free)- its like the ultimate garage sale and we all know how much I love garage sales. Other times I loathe how flaky, sneaky and down right rude people can be. Don't get me wrong, we've met some people who are so kind, but we've had other experiences that either leave me frustrated or wanting to cry.

I'm currently trying to sell my old bed set on Craigslist. I was researching what other people are asking when I stumbled on this beauty-

A vintage 9 drawer mid-century dresser from the 1960's. Problem was they aware asking $140 (I'm completely broke and won't be getting paid until school starts again), and we didn't need a it...but I had fallen in love! I offered $90 with fast pickup and they countered $100. That's a lot of money to spend on something you don't really need.

I knew I wanted to turn it into a TV stand. Our old TV stand worked perfectly fine. I hadn't even concidered getting a new one until I saw the dresser. After thinking about it all day and talking it out with Mr. Wonderful and my mom, I decided to drive all the way to Dover to look at it. We ended up in a sketchy trailer park with about 6 run-down trailers total. The house we needed to go in looked like a place full of treasures. There was junk on the portch and under the carport. Mr. Wonderful was neverous about going inside, but I was gung ho. I wanted to see more. Inside there were vintage things EVERYWHERE. I felt like I was walking through an antique store. Many things had been repurposed. There were trinkets all over. Nothing really went together but it worked. I would call their style eclectic with a lot of southern charm.

As soon as they showed me the dresser, I knew it was the one. It was even prettier in person and in excellent condition for its age. Check our some of the details

We took it home and set it up right away.

As I said before, our old TV stand was fine but look at what a statement this one makes.

The drawers are perfect for holding DVDs

Now all I need to do is convince Mr. Wonderful to let me drill holes in the back and keep the cable box, router, and ps3 in the top drawers , so it doesn't look like this.

Another great find!

2013-06-21T11:36:00.002-07:00

When we were buying our house the people selling it offered to sell us some of their larger furniture. I don't think they wanted the hassle of moving it. We payed $300 for their kitchen table and chairs and the matching hutch. Thing is I hate the table and don't really like the hutch either. We bought it because we needed something and didn't think we could find something that cheep. The sellers also left a queen sized four post bed (that Mr. Wonderful's mom took), a wooded chest (now found in Allie's room) and a chest of drawers 2 end tables that don't match (which are waiting to be painted)

The table isn't ugly- just not my style and in my opinion its WAY too busy. It has hand painted flowers and vines all over it. See

I like to decorate my table with runners and centerpieces, but I couldn't because of all designs. It was too much visually. I couldn't even put a simple bouquet in the center. This is the reason I HAD to get a new table first thing with our wedding money. You can see it here. Well, it just so happened that while garage sale-ing I found this for $50

Wonderful isn't it? It's so me. It's not an antique but it has that feel. It looks fabulous in the piano room. We used Mr. Wonderful's parent's van to transport it home. It hung out the back so my mom sat back there holding it to insure it didn't fall.

Now I have matching kitchen table and hutch for sale....wonder how much I can get for them?