I took these pictures this summer on Orcas Island and I wanted to get one enlarged and framed for our bedroom. I just can’t decide which one. Which do you like best??
1.
2.
3.
or 4.
PLEASE IF YOU HAVE A MINUTE I WOULD REALLY LIKE YOUR OPINION. IT SEEMS TO BE A DISCISION I’M INCAPABLE OF MAKING 
p.s pies start Tues!! I’m starting off with a Lemon Sour Cream
Once upon a time, I had two little girls (3 and 1) and a new house to decorate. Me, being a nice mommy let them pick between a couple of choices for their bathroom. They, mostly the 3 year old picked ducky’s I thought it turned out pretty cute. Now fast forward 6 years and another 3 kids and apparently “DUCKS ARE LAME!” On Saturday morning the kids are responsible for cleaning their bathroom. One Saturday they decided to not only clean it but start the redecorating process for me, you know cause “DUCKS ARE LAME, MOM!” I had some really awesome pictures of them ripping down the ducky border in protest of its lameness, but I can’t find them, so lame. But anyway it really was time for a makeover and really I didn’t do much but remove the ducky-ness. This make over cost me about $10.00. I know, I know I’m a big spender.
Yes, it’s kind of a joke, the post I mean. Serious bathroom redoers beware
Now for some before and after.
Before duck shower curtain.
After – polka-dot shower curtain
Before ducky border & weird space behind the door.
After no ducky border & what about the weird space behind the door… still there.
Before – ducky trashcan
After Blue trashcan. Sorry I didn’t take a picture of the new trashcan. Devastating I know, basically it looks like the duck one, only blue.
Before- cool blue paint
After – cool blue paint, okay it’s the same blue paint. Like I dug around in the garage for 20 minutes until I found the 6 year old gallon of the same blue paint. What can I say I’m dedicated. (feel free to pretend like it’s a different color since the lighting in the bathroom is so awesome it looks like 2 different colors) OH and 6 year old paint…works awesome!
Okay enough before and after here are some other random things.
These little guys stayed because how often do you see a sink and bathtub, toothbrush holder and soap dish?? Answer: not often
I really want something decorative to go above these towels but I just can’t decide what. It’s annoying me. seriously
That’s it. Hope you enjoyed it .
On the Horizon
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If you think the girl’s bedroom is small the boy’s bedroom is even smaller. Some of you will have bigger closets than my boy’s bedroom. This is really the only way we could place the furniture and I really couldn’t get that great a shot of the room. Anyways the boys received the girls old twin over twin bunk bed. Which was fine except the youngest is only 15 months old, and I was kinda worried about him being in a big bed so soon, but it’s been just fine. We normally kick them out of the crib at 18 months anyway.
In the boys room I painted the ceiling, cleaned the carpet and touch up the blue paint. I also painted over the stars around the top of the room.
Last week I spent a lot of time cleaning, redoing and reorganizing the kids bedrooms. I have been trolling craigslist for a while now looking for a twin over full bunk bed. I finally found one for a good price that was in great shape. So there was only one thing left to do…get to work!
The girls told me they had out grown the pink, so it had to go. I didn’t take any before pictures with the furniture, but this space below is were the bunk bed was.
The toddler bed that is standing on it’s head was right there smashed between the two dressers. Then under the window was another dresser.
It also had a wallpaper boarder that had to come off, but it came off super easily.
The girls picked out a really nice green color. I painted a couple of coats of the green, I was worried the stripes would be hard to cover but they weren’t at all. I also cleaned the carpets in here, it’s amazing what a little carpet cleaning can do for a place.
Their new bed, I have never had kids share a bed before but it’s working out great. My 7 and 3 year old share, and there is so much room I don’t think they even notice each other. We had to put one of the dressers at the end of the bed so we could access the closet. I’m not in love with the bedding and neither are they but we got it for free from a friend and my pocket loves free, so we will use it for a little while.
It’s a small room but the new bunk bed helps out a lot. I’m happy with it and so are they. Win, win!
It’s not one of those kid bedrooms full of antiques and looks like it came from Pottery Barn but it does look like a 9,7 and 3 year old live there and that makes me smile.
A lady asked my husband to take this dresser to the dump for her. He brought it home and I immediately wanted to try and make it better. But it was missing a drawer and it looked kinda rough. I asked my DH about it and he said that the lady had the extra drawer and he would ask her if I could have it and if she wouldn’t mind us keeping it. I picked the drawer up the next day and went to work.
First I pulled off all of these lovely plastic things. They came off really easily, then I patched, sanded and painted the holes/ drawers.
then I cleaned, scrubbed and otherwise disinfected the entire thing.
I decided to keep the old handles, I kind of liked them, plus they just don’t make things like this anymore. I know some of you are thinking that there is a reason for that. BUT I kind of think they’re charming. Anyways I did spray paint them a nice black color. Then I sanded and painted my guts out.
And here she is now. I didn’t get a chance to take pictures of it before it was put in my girls room, but I think you get the idea.
Again
BEFORE
AFTER
Someday I imagine it painted a nice red color and used in our family room under our t.v. holding DVD’s and the like. But for now it’s still a dresser.
Ever since I discovered you could make your own laundry soap I have wanted to try it. Recently we had a disaster at our house, I have no idea how this happened but I had a brand new bottle of (190 loads) laundry detergent, and spewed itself forth all over my laundry closet. I wanted to cry, scream, curse, but I refrained. I took us about 5 hours to clean it all up, it was 1/4 of an inch deep underneath the washer and the dryer. And it’s a laundry closet that’s in a hallway, so there wasn’t a lot of room to pull the washer and dryer out to clean underneath them and then as soon as you move one of them, more soap comes pouring out from under the other one. ANYWAY HUGE MESS!!!! SO after working on this mess for so long my nose was fried and I DID NOT want to smell laundry soap EVER AGAIN!!! Then I remembered that homemade laundry soap doesn’t smell so I thought it was a perfect opportunity to try it out.
Anyway here we go. I used the following recipe and directions. P.S. this stuff is SUPER thrifty to make, it works out to like 3 cents a load!!
Grate the Fels- Naptha really fine. You’ll want it more fine than this when you make your soap. Or you’ll want to stab your eyes out waiting for it all to dissolve in your boiling water.
I used one of my old pots and filled it with 1 quart of water and brought it to a boil then I added the not so finely grated bar soap. Heat until the bar soap is completely dissolved.
When it was dissolved I poured it into this 5 gallon bucket. And added the two cups of borax, and washing soda, and the 1/2 a cup of Dawn. Stir.
Then add 2 gallons of water. I actually used my stick blender to give it a really good mixing it worked really well.
I had an empty laundry soap container (thanks to the disaster) that I poured all my detergent into. BUT the laundry soap supposedly needs to be shaken or stirred before each use, so you might not want to go this route, but it’s been fine for me.
My makeshift funnel, cause I don’t have one. Weird I know.
RANDOM MOMMY TIP
So a couple of years ago I purchased this set of measuring spoons and cups at the Dollar Store. I keep them in the garage and use them for measuring non food items, like fertilizer, borax, and what have you. It’s been great totally recommend it.
My children came up with the name of our laundry soap. Clever, I know.
So far it seems to be working fine, but it’s only been a week. I’ll let you know if I hate it in the end.
