Us and Them

Sharing some pics from around the house

2011-09-19T14:23:00.001-04:00

What a rainy, dreary day today is! Honestly I am not complaining because I’m getting over a cold and really needed an excuse to ‘do nothing’ for the day.

Here are some pictures I took today of the Autumn décor and the rain. Enjoy!

The upstairs loft. We picked up the chair and table at GW. I did nothing to the chair but clean it and I painted the table heirloom white (it was orangey oak) then distressed it a bit. I think this area stills needs something but not quite sure what yet.

The dining room. This room is still a work in progress (as is most of the house). We have to go to a window place and have shelves cut for the hutch, put up crown molding, do some kind of wall treatment on the lower part of the wall, make and put up curtains, etc but at least the trim and windows are white now!

These are on the island in the kitchen.

The boys are watching Bambi. This room is no where near done but we are working on it. The white book shelf is only temporary till we get the “built ins” for either side of the fireplace. I don’t think much in this room will actually stay in this room once we are done with it. This room will probably go through the biggest changes next year.

Close ups of the Autumn décor in the family room.

The library. Still needs crown molding. lol

Front entry and the beautiful table Ed made last summer. I really LOVE this table!

Front door wreath. I bought this at Michael’s and added a burlap ribbon at the top to give it a bit of extra texture.

Rain in the back.

Rain in the front.

Rain in the street.

Front porch décor.

More front porch décor. I love those scarecrows and mums are my favorite! Gonna get some pumpkins soon!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday!

Finished pics and Fall decorating

2011-09-09T13:55:00.001-04:00

Ed and I have been quite busy around here! He removed the tile from the fireplace and replaced it. He also painted the mantle and the trim white. I painted the wall the fireplace is on Elmira white from Benjamin Moore. We are not nearly done with the family room but it’s a good start I think!

Fireplace before (see the color samples on the wall? LOL)

I LOVE the new look and I can’t wait to get the rest of this room done!

Seeing that I finished the dining table and chairs it was time to do the buffet and hutch. Here is what they looked like before.

I bought the hutch on craigslist to go on top of the buffet I already had.

Here is the dining room right after we moved in. Don’t you just LOVE that chandy???

And since I was finally getting the furniture done I decided to go ahead and paint the trim white and the walls the same Elmira white as the Family room. I am pleased with how it has turned out so far.

The plan is to use burlap for the curtains. I have not decided if I will stencil a design on them or not like the ones I saw at Ballard’s. I probably won’t decide until I get them up and see what they look like without first. And we still have to get the plexiglass for the hutch doors and shelves. Oh and we have to put up crown molding! Another room that is a work in progress.

I moved our eye chart and family rules art work from the family room into the dining room because we are going to put “built in” shelves on either side of the fireplace.

As you can see in the pictures I have been doing a little Autumn decorating as well. Anyone who knows me knows I love to decorate for Autumn! Here are some pics of the front porch.

I just love mums, don’t you?

Have a great weekend y’all!

Ed's weekend project

2011-09-04T14:33:00.001-04:00

Here is the fireplace with new tile. He can grout tomorrow. Yay!

Dining room table redo

2011-09-02T14:14:00.003-04:00

I have wanted to redo this dining room table and chairs for a while now. I always hated the orangey oak color. I originally wanted to do it black with cherry stain on top but changed my mind when I did the table for the front entry in dark walnut. I just LOVE it!
I started out painting the chairs with a brush but was not happy with it so I turned to my trusty spray cans! I love how easy spray painting furniture is. I used Valspar Black then went over them with clear spray lacquer.
The table base and apron I painted Rustoleum’s heirloom white then I stained the table top with Dark Walnut by Minwax. I am super happy with how it turned out! I used 4 coats of wipe on poly to make it nice and shiny and protect all my work (only on the stain, it would discolor the heirloom white).
Here is a before picture. I know I have a better one but I can’t find it right now. Sorry.

ICK.
And here is what it looks like now.

Edward has been gone all week and won’t be home until after dinner so y’all are seeing this before he does! I was just too excited not to share it with you!
I picked up a hutch to put on the buffet a couple months ago and it has been painted I just have to paint the buffet now then put everything together and the furniture in this room will be done (for now). I do plan to use one of our old dressers in here later but first we have to get new ones! Right now the plan is to paint it in the heirloom white as well but I could change my mind by then. Never can tell with me.
I hope every one had a great summer! Ours went by super fast!!!
Have a great weekend!

Sharing here:

In the box

2011-08-06T09:55:00.001-04:00

This is what was in the box I received yesterday! I love these! They are for the laundry room, can’t wait to get started in there but I MUST finish the other projects I am working on first.

source-Ballard Designs

Have a great weekend!

UPS delivery

2011-08-05T15:11:00.001-04:00

Look what came today!!!! It's an anniversary gift from my darling husband so I have to wait to open it but I think I know what it is. :D

I am using new phone AP so I hope this works!

I am still here

2011-07-19T08:47:00.001-04:00

I know it has been FOREVER since I posted. I have been so busy with the kids being home for summer, Marisa preparing to go into the Army, vacations and working on the house that I have had VERY little computer time and usually when I try to get on one of the kids will want or need something (or they will get into a fight and I am designated referee). Ed has been traveling most of the summer, he has spent more time sleeping in hotels than home since June 1 so I am doing my own duties plus his AND working on the house. It’s a lot but I do stay busy.

Okay, so we went to San Antonio for our big vacation. We visited Sea World, the River Walk downtown including the Alamo and the San Antonio Zoo. We also spent a day with Edward’s parents and brother.

We spent a weekend in Indianapolis and visited the zoo there which is REALLY good (we also got to pet sharks!) and went to the children’s museum. The museum was AWESOME!

Next up we are heading to Chicago for a few days, going to visit Lego Land Discovery Center and the Lincoln Park Zoo. Can’t wait!

As for the house. We had a load of mulch brought in and we remulched our flower beds, after removing the old mulch of course which was HARD work. The kids and I did a lot of the removal on our own. Ugh. We didn’t get enough mulch the first time so we are having another truck load brought in this weekend. Joy.

I finally painted the kitchen cabinets. They were that horrible ‘golden oak’ color and the previous owners had not been kind to them. They had water damage and were scratched and chipped all over. I would have replaced them if we had the money but it just wasn’t an option so I took the doors and drawers out; washed, sanded and prepped everything then primed and painted them. I was scared at first but once I started and saw how good they were going to come out all nervousness left.

Here is a before pic. This was taken last September.

Here is the kitchen now.

We still have to put up the crown molding and replace the old counter tops with new black ones. We are debating on what to use for the back splash. It will either be bead board or subway tile. I prefer the tile but it will depend on the cost. The island is finished. We got the butcher block top from Ikea and cut it to size. Of course all of this will look 100% better once we put in the hand scrapped wood floors but that won’t be for quite some time.

We moved our frig that we brought from our house in Texas into the house and took the old almond colored one out. The white one is so much bigger on the inside and it’s newer plus it goes better with the cabinets. We still have the almond dishwasher (ick!) and we are hoping to replace it with a stainless steel one soon but money doesn’t grow on trees. Eventually the white one will also be replaced but I like it SO much better than the almond one! I can fit everything I need into it and only have 1 frig now. Yay!

Today I am taking time off from working on the house to actually CLEAN the house. It may take me 2 days to get it all done because I have been so busy with other things I have neglected it. I also need to water the flower beds and yard. It has been very dry here this year. Lots to do and very little time to get it done.

I hope everyone is having a wonder summer thus far and staying cool. I know it is hot everywhere. Just think though, Fall is right around the corner! I love Fall, it is my favorite season.

Thanks for stopping by and I will try to post a bit more often!

Frosted bathroom storage jars

2011-06-21T13:59:00.000-04:00

This was my first time to frost anything. It was pretty simple but next time I will have better lighting so I can see how much of the paint I am putting on at a time. I know light coats is best but I couldn’t see this stuff so I didn’t know it was even getting on the jar! lol They turned out okay and I am happy with them.

The jars are from the Container Store.

I used my Cricut and contact paper to cut out the stencils for each jar.

Thanks for stopping by!

Link party #7

2011-06-20T23:10:00.000-04:00

Due to vacation there will be no Friday features this week.

Follow me if you don’t already
Add my blog button to your post or blog
There is no limit on how many posts you link up
Feel free to link up just about anything, family friendly of course.
Visit some of the other links and share the comment love!
Have fun!

Now Let's Party!

Shrinky Dink mustache necklaces

2011-06-18T13:52:00.000-04:00

Jessica and I made a few of these for end of the year gifts for friends. Everyone loved them and my family learned about Shrinky Dinks. Who doesn’t know about Shrinky Dinks? Ed didn’t know either! lol Now they know and they LOVE them. I love them growing up and had totally forgotten about them until recently and I am so glad they still make them!

I forgot to take before pics. Sorry. I used the Shrinky Dink paper that you can print on and printed out the mustaches, 3 to a page, cut them out and baked them. Such fun!

Have you made anything with Shrinky Dinks lately?

I donated my hair today

2011-06-16T15:51:00.001-04:00

Seeing that we will be leaving for vacation soon I needed to get my hair done. Off I went, knowing full well that I was going to cut some of it off. It had just gotten too long and I was tired of messing with it.

My stylist and I talked about how much to take off and when I decided how much I wanted off she said “Ya know, if you go just a bit shorter you can donate your hair to Locks of Love”. I didn’t even have to think about the answer and replied “yes” immediately. My hair was VERY long and the weight of it actually made it seem longer. Now it is much lighter (both in weight and color, LOL) and I am so much happier with it. I love long hair but right now I just don’t need it. It gets in the way, I am constantly pulling it or getting it stuck in something. It will be much better off where it is going.

Here is a before and after. I had Jess take the before picture last week when I decided to cut some of it off. I am so glad I did. Plus Nicole, my stylist, took a pic before she cut the pony tails and I took a pic of them laying on the counter.

No, I didn’t cry. I thought I would but I didn’t.

Number art knock off

2011-06-16T13:44:00.000-04:00

We love numbers here so this knock off was fitting. I have it hung in the loft upstairs and it looks great. Now I just need to furnish the loft….

This was pretty simple. I used my cricut to cut out the numbers on contact paper, painted the board white, put the numbers on, painted over everything with black, pulled the contact paper numbers off, used some stain on the numbers to darken them a bit then distressed with a sander. The numbers are darker in person but this was taken with my old camera. I DID get a new camera since then so when I finish the furnishings for the loft I will take the new pictures with my new camera.

I hope ya like it!

Link Party #6

2011-06-13T23:04:00.002-04:00

Here is this weeks link party. Due to vacation there will be no Friday features this week or next. Thanks!

Follow me if you don’t already
Add my blog button to your post or blog
There is no limit on how many posts you link up
Feel free to link up just about anything, family friendly of course.
Visit some of the other links and share the comment love!
Have fun!

Now Let's Party!

Catching up

2011-06-13T13:30:00.001-04:00

Wow, things around here have been busy! I haven’t had much time to work on projects and even less time on the computer.

June 3, Marisa turned 18.

June 5, Ed did some work on the island.

June 7, the boys graduated from Preschool.

June 11, Marisa graduated from high school.

With finals and end of year stuff plus getting ready for our upcoming vacation my time has been very limited. And it has been really nice out so we have been spending more time outside enjoying the weather while we can. We do live in Indiana and it seems to either be raining or snowing here so when we get sun we take full advantage of it! lol

I do have a couple of projects that I have done and I will post eventually. I am sorry that I have not been around and I TOTALLY forgot about last weeks link party! I will get this weeks up later this evening or tomorrow.

I hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of summer!

The last week-picture heavy post

2011-06-03T10:14:00.001-04:00

It has been a long week for me. The three day weekend got me all messed up on what day it was and I have felt off balance since. lol We spent our holiday weekend doing odds and ends around the house, took the kids to the zoo and did some shopping for our upcoming vacation. I had one project that I had almost finished but hated it so I sanded it down and hope to restart it soon. I have a couple other things sitting around half done that I am hoping to get done this weekend as well.

In other news Ethan finally lost a tooth. Seeing that he already has a new tooth and a second one coming in next to it it’s about time the baby teeth decided to let go and come on out! Actually, I kind of forced it out. I am just that way. When Jessica was little she would run from me if she had a loose tooth. Matt and I would have to chase her down and he would hold her while I yanked it out. Yes, I am a mean Mommy. For some reason a loose tooth bothers me and I must pull it out. The dentist said if it didn’t come out soon he would pull it anyway so this saved us that trip and trauma for Ethan. Now he says he will be a brave boy and let me pull the next one. It didn’t hurt like he thought it would so he wasn’t mad at me at all. lol Jessica still holds a grudge about it though…

Don’t you just LOVE that face he keeps making? lol

Here are some pictures from our zoo trip. It’s definitely Spring here, mating season apparently. Had to tell the boys the animals were playing leap frog.

Zoo Memorial Day 2011

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I know, lots of pictures. I used Jessica’s camera and the pictures are of decent quality but I can’t wait to get a new camera for myself. Ed says I can have one for our anniversary, which is in September. Until then I will use Jessica’s or my cheapo Cannon but my Kodak is pretty much dead now. It used to take awesome pictures but not anymore. Now I am lucky if it even takes a picture!

I will be back later today with the features from party #5. Have a great day!

Link Party #5

2011-05-30T23:59:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a great start to your week! Thank you to everyone who partied with us last week. I can't wait to see what you have to share with us!

Follow me if you don’t already
Add my blog button to your post or blog
There is no limit on how many posts you link up
Feel free to link up just about anything, family friendly of course.
Visit some of the other links and share the comment love!
Have fun!

Now Let's Party!

Where I was featured week ending 5-28-11

2011-05-29T09:44:00.001-04:00

Features from Party #4

2011-05-27T18:22:00.002-04:00

Thank you to everyone who partied with us this week! It’s been a long week and I am looking forward to a 3 day weekend! Here’s a few features from this weeks party.
Home made dishwater detergent from Simply Designing

Letter wall plaques from All Things Made by Kelly

DIY Industrial Lighting from House Sweet Home

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday weekend! See ya next week!

IKEA Hackers: Trofast frames to play table

2011-05-25T14:01:00.001-04:00

IKEA Hackers: Trofast frames to play table: "Materials: Trofast x's 2, mdf, connecting hardware, glue, nails Description: We used 2 Trofast frames and put them together according t..."

Our play table in on ikeahackers!!!! Yay!

Ice from the sky

2011-05-25T14:00:00.001-04:00

I took these pictures just a few moments ago. It was like someone was throwing ice cubes on my deck.

Yes, the glass door is dirty but I have kids!

This weather is scary and I am from Texas so I should be used to this kind of thing. Not so much.

2011-05-25T11:32:00.001-04:00

Now you can follow Us and Them on Pinterest and see what I am looking at! I wish I had more time to play around on the computer but such is life.

You can find me at http://pinterest.com/usandthem/. Hope you stop in and see what I have been up to!

Show off your Crafty side Blog hop

2011-05-24T20:00:00.000-04:00

Hello and welcome to :

Show Off Your Crafty Side blog hop is hosted by Purple Froggie Clay Stuff and Tots and Me.

This week we are joined by our Crafty Co-Hostess :

Chris from Us and Them Here are just a few things about our new co-hostess that she would like to share with us:

I like lists so I will give you a list of things about me:

I am a SAHM.
I am married to the love of my life.
I have 5 kids and 2 step kids with our youngest being twin boys who are 5.
I have 2 Shih Tzus (dogs).
I love DIY anything.
I like to shop and bargain hunt.
I have an etsy shop but not much in it. It’s a new venture for me.
I am honest, sometimes TOO honest (if there is such a thing).

That’s about all I can think of right now. Thanks for letting me cohost!

Chris

OK, So who's up for some free advertisement for your Etsy and Artfire shops? How about free advertisement for your crafty-ness? So....

We want you to link up as many crafts, shops, recipes, sewing projects and DIY projects as you want..

This blog hop will be open all week long, starting on Tuesday night at 8 PM Central Standard Time, so be sure to check back often as more crafts get linked up with us.

This is a great way to show off and find some fun things to do.

Rules:

1) Link up your Etsy, Artfire, and any Crafty-ness. Not just your main blog.

2) As always, have a great time, share your links with us, as many as you would like to share.

3) If you would like to follow the 2 hostesses, leave a comment. We will always follow you back!

4) Please grab our button above and help us spread the word about this awesome blog hop. Have fun, visit other blogs if you would like and thank you for sharing your links with us!

**We're going to try something new.. Each week we will choose someone from the link up to be our guest host. If you would like to be considered for the guest host position, just post something about this blog hop, include the blog hop button from above, follow both hostesses on GFC, comment letting us know you are interested in being a guest host.

Thank you for sharing with us! If you have linked up a craft with us, now you can grab the button below and add it to your blog if you would like..

PB knock off-Rare Prints sign

2011-05-24T05:55:00.011-04:00

Ever since I saw the knock off version of this sign at Susie Harris I knew it was perfect for our library.
Pottery Barn version
My version. (Please excuse the icky pictures-I have been promised a new camera for our anniversary in September-YAY!!!)

And you know what? I didn’t have to buy anything. We had the plywood left over from another project, the paint was left over paint samples and paint markers that I already had and I used my Cricut to make the stencil for the lettering. I know the first 2 lines are not straight but I was having issues with the stencil. lol I love it no matter what though! The library is really becoming my favorite room in our house! Of course it’s the room that is closest to being done too.
What is left for the library:

mirror for wall between windows
crown molding
few more accessories
redo lamps and shades
rug (maybe this one from Ikea)
Oh and I probably should put some pictures in those empty frames on the tables.

Thanks for coming by!

Link Party #4

2011-05-23T22:00:00.002-04:00

I hope everyone has had a wonderful start to the week! I am staying busy with projects while Ed is in traveling again and I will share them as soon as I have something finished.

It's time for Link Party #4. We had some awesome entries last week and I can't wait to see what you have been up to since!

Okay, so here are the rules:

Follow me if you don’t already
Add my blog button to your post or blog
There is no limit on how many posts you link up
Feel free to link up just about anything, family friendly of course.
Visit some of the other links and share the comment love!
Have fun!

Now Let's Party!

Rainbow

2011-05-23T21:15:00.001-04:00

After a stormy afternoon that got a little bit scary for us this was the scene outside our back door.