Paint Rags

Every time I paint something,

I look and look for a rag or old t-shirt to clean up or glaze with.

Today I decided to make some.

These sheets are getting old and don't stay on the bed very well

so I made rags out of them.

Now I can do 32 more somethings without looking for

something to clean up with!

Meet Frank

I went back to the wood store with my niece last week.

(It's the same store where I bought the wooden SUMMER decoration.)

They have the cutest decorations for Halloween up already.

I bought Frank and brought him home.

Today, I painted him and put him together.

I think he's pretty cute!

And so is the model behind him!

:-)

Finished Project

I finally got the handrails and picture back up in the basement stairway.

And look what the 3-year-old boy did during the stairway painting.

I guess he thought I needed another something to do!

Another Addition

When my boys got their guinea pigs for their birthdays,

they were small little creatures.

They were kept in a Rubbermaid bin for a while.

Then I made a bigger Sterilite bin and chicken wire home for them.

Then I put their home in a box that used to be a dresser.

I'm hoping that they are full grown now because they are huge!

They really didn't have enough room to move much.

Today we made the box their home.

I wanted to find a kiddie swimming pool, but that's next to impossible at the end of the summer.

So I bought a liner from the auto department 

that you would put in the back of your car to protect the carpet

and a small Sterilite bin to catch the water that drips from the water bottles.

I think they'll be much happier with a little room to roam.

Job Chart

The 7-year-old loves to play.

24/7

When he asks if he can play, I ask if his jobs are done.

The answer is always, "Yes."
I decided to find a way for him to be sure.

So I collected some supplies and made him his very own job chart.

When the magnets are all on the bottom half of the chart,
it's play time!
He won't even have to ask!

Cedar Chest and End Table

After sanding and painting this cedar chest and end table last week,

all I had to do was glaze it.

I didn't bother experimenting and just went for it.

It was awful!  

Way too dark!

So I thought about it for a day or two and then decided to try glazing it again...

with white paint.

The cedar chest is a hand-me-down from my sister and

the end table was from a Marriott hotel.

Cute bedroom furniture for the 3-year-old girl

and for only $15!

And now it matches much better!

Seven Nights of Freedom

I had a small glazing disaster with the cedar chest and end table.

Way too dark!

I was pretty frustrated, so I've taken a break from it for a day or two.

Instead, I made some freezer dinners.

I don't love cooking, so freezer dinners are a good thing for us.

The menu included Hawaiian Chicken and Cranberry Chicken.

You just heat it up and serve it over rice with a veggie.

 

That something is what I call freedom for an evening!

FHE Wheel

School started today!

Four of my boys were out the door before 8 a.m.

That left me with two 3-year-olds.

It was pretty quiet around here.

I don't love it when school starts each year,

but I quickly get used to it!

In honor of the first day of school, I did a little cutting and pasting today.

I made a Family Home Evening chart.

It's part of my quest to get more organized!

Spray Paint and a Surprise!

I almost got the cedar chest and end table done today

after a trip here...

for spray primer, spray paint,

and a NEW SANDER!

Surprise!

I bought a Rigid orbital sander and I cannot believe how much better it works than my old one.

Why didn't anyone tell me to buy that kind?

Oh, that's right, I didn't ask!

Cedar Chest and End Table

This is what I love about this blog.

I have had some somethings sitting and waiting to be done for a long time 

and having this blog makes me get going on them.

This is an end table I got off of KSL and a cedar chest that used to belong to my older sister

(like 13 years older).

I got them both for the 3-year-old girl's bedroom,

but they don't match at all.

So guess what I've been up to.

This something is going to take a couple of days, but it will definitely stay done!

Mirrored Shelves

Have I mentioned that my house has lots of black, white, gray, and mirrors?

It also had gray and white striped berber carpet.

That was the first thing to go!

The mirrored shelves in the family room look cool, but are really not my style.

I finally got around to arranging the stuff on them so I like them a little more.

Before...

There were things like newspapers, lighters for the fireplace, remotes, etc. up there when I started.

After...

I even went out and bought some vintage-y looking things to put up there to 

dull the contemporary feel a bit.

I will admit that I do like the deep cupboards that are below the shelves.  

I'll also admit that I left the layer of dust there so I didn't have to 

take the shelves down and wash the glass and mirrors!

It's still a work in progress.
I like the right side, but am still working on the left.
I'll keep you posted!

His Own Room

When we moved to this house about three years ago,

the now-15-year-old had the choice of either a shared room in the basement

or a room by himself upstairs.

He chose the shared room.

Now, he's decided that he'd like his own space

so he talked the 10-year-old into switching with him.

This is the 10-year-old cleaning out his stuff.

And this is the after! 

 I wonder how long it will stay this clean!

;-)

Summer!

This is a project that I was hoping to get done before summer was over.

It has been a long time since I did some crafty painting.

Here's the before...

And the after.

I actually made this for someone else

and now I wish I had made one for me, too!

More Paint

The 15-year-old volunteered to patch and paint the stairway to the basement.

Yay for help with my somethings!

He learned a lot and did a great job!

I Am a Child of God

I made these cute necklaces for the kids in nursery at church.

 They helped me stamp their names on the bottom
and there is a mirror on the opposite side.

They loved being able to take something home that hung around their necks

and had their names on them.

We've sprung a leak!

Can you see the water spraying from this shower head?

 I thought it was because it needed some new plumber's tape.

I re-taped it and screwed it back on.

When I made sure it was tight enough, it broke right off!

 So this is the result of that fix it job!

A brand new shower head!

Bathroom Baseboards

Since we had the paint stuff out for yesterday's project,

I put the 15-year-old to work painting this baseboard in the bathroom.

 Whatever this black stuff is wouldn't wash off so it got painted over.

Much better!

A New T.V.

I've really enjoyed not having a T.V. in the family room.

I moved our big T.V. to the basement a while ago.

The husband, however, couldn't stand it.

He came home the other day with a new T.V.

And then he asked me to "help" him put it up!

I put it in a different spot so that created another something.

I patched and painted the wall where the old T.V. was, too!

Luckily, I had paint left over from when I painted a couple of years ago.

It blended right in!