The Potty Wars

Guess what we are doing? Potty training boot camp. Diapers off, panties on and no plans to go anywhere. Except when she is napping I will have to sneak out. Boy this kid is tough. A few hours have seemed like ten and I am already wiped. Breath, relax. Okay well the upside is I have a few new magazines I am pouring over and time to sit with my laptop while hanging with the kiddo. Wish us luck.

Frugal Challenge Update-Cheap or Free

Okay who is dying from these high gas prices? We are. (Hands Up) We are a three car family and the increase in gas prices here in CA is killing me. Had to have a little sit down with the college age daughter to enlighten her on the monthly fuel bill. It wasn't pretty. She helps some but it is still incredible, couple that with the hikes at the grocery store my mantra now has to be cheap for free.

Free: The view out my front window looking at my volunteer sunflowers.

Free: These will become free bird food in about a month and the little birds will spread them around the garden for next year.  I have not bought sunflower seeds in 10 years. They just reseed like crazy.

Cheap: Leftover scratch cornbread from last night's dinner covered in butter and honey makes a great breakfast.

Free: Some really great coffee snagged from Amazon.com. Zero out of pocket because I used gift cards from Swagbucks. It is some good stuff man.

Free: Rain watering my garden. What state do I live in? We don't get rain in So. Cal. in June. That is crazy but I will take the free watering for my yard.

Cheap: Banana raspberry bread made from old bananas from the freezer and some not too appetizing looking frosty raspberries that when rinsed really well, made a nice addition to the banana bread. I hate to throw any food away. If you have over ripe bananas, toss them in the freezer and just get them out about an hour before baking or toss them frozen in a smoothie.

Linking to:

Hearts at Home

Raising Homemakers

Share the Love

Welcome To....

My....

Let's take a look....

And maybe spend time reflecting...

In this quiet place....(when the kids are inside)

and where...

in my favorite place of all...home.

Linking to:

The Gypsys Corner

Tuesday Garden Party

Cottage Flora Thursday

Clean Slate

Do you ever have an area of your home you just can't get right? I have lots of those but one is my kitchen window sill. Just a small ledge above my sink that I never seem to like what I put up there. At the grocery store they had these darling little succulents in aqua and green pots. I just had to have one. I thought perfect for that sill.

Came home and wiped the slate clean and sat the lone plant right in the middle.

Love the texture of these little plants.

Now I love the simplicity of the little pot right up there. My only regret. Why didn't I buy three? They would have looked great up there all in a row.

Linking to:

Met Monday

Cottage Bedroom Peek

Finally all the green paint is up on the walls in here. Only took a week. I am now working on the trim. Just new fresh white paint. This bedroom is small but we are so much happier in our cozy private spot at the back of the house. We gave our two oldest girls our room that was larger with a sitting area but it was right next to the front door which we hated. Teens coming and going all the time was not ideal. This way they have a place in their room for video games and watching TV separate from their sleeping area. Anyhoo on to my room.

The picture above the bed is from our first house when we first got married 22 years ago. Brought it out to use in here. We are going to hang lots of vintage plates on the walls.

We chose a vintage green color. It comes across a little blue in the pics. I love it. Spruce Green by Benjamin Moore. Of course I need to change some of the bedding as it CLASHES. We have a lot of projects going on right now so I need to do the bedding changes on a budget.

This lamp I picked up already painted red at the thrift store. Found a shade I like the shape of but would love to cover in fabric.

I love the way the green makes my white shutters pop. 

Isn't this little light switch dressed in beadboard cute? Lowes. I am getting these for the kitchen for sure.

Vintage plates waiting to be hung in the room.

Linking to:
Met Monday
Show Off Your Cottage Monday
Motivate Me Monday
BoogieBoard Cottage
Mod Mix Monday
Toot Your Horn Tuesday
Cottage Charm
Bowl Full of Lemons
Whassup Wed.
Blog Party

Simple Sundays

I am always on the lookout for new ways to simplify my life. Ways to cut time, energy and cost while still doing the best job I can on whatever the project may be. I thought I would do regular posts sharing some of my favorites ideas with you. Just things I have picked up along my 22 years as a housewife and mom that help me keep things in order while keeping my sanity. And trust me my sanity is important in this house of one husband, four kids, two dogs and two cats.

For this first post I thought I would share some of my favorites from the beginning of my blog that some of you probably have never seen. Let's dust off the cobwebs. Click on the link to head to the original post. Now as a disclaimer, I am certainly not an expert on much of anything, but the opposite. I am a naturally disorganized person that is so jealous of those naturally organized people. So I have worked hard and studied and read  lots of ideas to try to find the magic solution to make me organized and you know what? It doesn't exist. For me it is hard work and always learning new ideas to tackle my problem areas in the home.

How to Organize an Unruly Spice Cabinet

Easy Freezer Cooking

Organize Incoming Paperwork

Linking to:
Sundae Scoop
Sunday Showcase
Sunday Blog Love
The Saved Quarter
Homemaker Mondays
Time Warp Wife
Stories of A 2 Z

Saturday Wishes

 Here's hopin' you find a shady spot for a good old fashioned picnic.

                             Here's hopin' you cook up something with love in your kitchen.

Here's hopin' you roll with the punches with whatever life hands you.

And here's hopin' you spend some time with the ones you love.

Linking to:

Funky Junk Interiors

Bedroom Inspiration

I have been painting my bedroom since last weekend. Projects move slowly around here because of little people interruptions. That's okay it will get done in good time. I was going to paint my bedroom in shades of creams and browns but I just couldn't do it. You know me I am a color girl and I found the most wonderful shade of vintage green. I have just fallen in love with it. I decided I want to add pops of red accents and fell in love with the photo about from Country Living. They have a whole gallery of vintage bedroom wonderfulness. You must check it out. Country Living Bedrooms

The Ugliest Dog Ever?

A few times a year we shave our big dog. And the result is so darn funny that I laugh every time I see her the first day. Now don't blame my husband as this dog has the most impossible hair to shave. She is half Husky and Golden Retriever so she has the thickest, coarsest hair. I had to share as I felt a good laugh was in order after my last two posts. Prepare for a good chuckle.

Here she is all in her furry glory which results in the need to vacuum daily.

Oh ya this is great blending job. NOT!!

This is after hours and going over her twice. She looks like a Ruffles potato chip. She loves getting shaved though. She moans and wiggles her back leg. She is very good when getting it done which for her is unusual.

And this is our other dog laughing. I can just hear her, "Have you seen what they have done to you?"

Linking to:
A Moderate Life
Home and Family Friday

Remembrance

Ten years ago both my mother and father passed away. After their house was sold and all their life was packed away and divided amongst us kids, I decided I wanted to use some of the money I received to buy myself one last gift from my parents. Of course we did other things with the money but I wanted one thing to be specifically something that we could enjoy in their honor.

A fountain was the natural choice. We spend so much time on our patio that was incidentally built by my father less than a year before he passed. He was the most talented of brick masons.

It helps add a lovely sound to block out city noise.

The plants grown around it just thrive with all the moisture they get from the little splashes.

We see it first thing when we come out and when we first turn it on for the year, I always say a thanks to mom and dad.

I treasure it so as they treasured me and my family and we treasured them. I love having this wonderful soothing reminder of my folks where we most enjoy our home.

Linking to:

At The Picket Fence

The Charm of Home

Common Ground

My Romantic Home

So Thankful

Well, there is nothing like seven hours in an Emergency Room with one of your kids to make you sure appreciate home. Thankfully what they thought was an appendicitis now looks like inflammation from a viral infection. No surgery for now. Sent home to keep a close eye for a few days. The patient has had a nice soak in the tub and is cozy in bed while I am exhausted but so glad to be home. I am heading to bed before 9:00 pm so I must be spent.

Summer Treat

Every summer I buy myself a new home decor book to pour over outside while I am watching the little one or just relaxing on the patio. 
This year this is what I chose. Vintage Chic from Cabbages and Roses. I had to pre-order it as it has not been released yet but I just can't wait to see it.  Best part the book was $19.77 and I had $15 dollars in my Amazon account from Swagbucks so I didn't have to pay much for the book at all.


Here is the Amazon description:
The Cabbages & Roses look is simple to achieve, welcoming and versatile. Popular as never before, romantic country style is here to stay. Vintage Chic inspires you to create this timeless and accessible look in your own home. Exquisite textiles in delightful faded colours and patterns are used to great effect to create a mood of living that evokes memories of old roses, charming ancient cottages and endless summer days. Masterminded by Christina Strutt, owner of textiles firm Cabbages & Roses, the room-by-room tour of the best of this new decoration shows hundreds of ideas on how to make the most of fresh colours, faded fabrics and junk market finds. Moving through the main living areas of the home, from summer living rooms splashed with soft florals, to family kitchens overflowing with mismatched glass, crockery and cushions through dreamy rose-pink bedrooms, the book also includes romantic hideaways and retreats; entertaining in the country garden, a converted train and even a child's secret treehouse.

Blogging Question #5

Okay so be real here friends. How much time a day do you spend on the computer?

Now for me this varies. Somedays we are busy so less than an hour but some days if we are just at home and I get up early and everyone is still sleeping, I can be on up to two hours that day if no one gets up that needs something. I am a very early riser.  I know. Don't judge me. If I wasn't blogging I could get so much done but you know what I did before blogging? I would watch the news shows in the morning so I wasn't really doing much anyway. In my defense I did clean my service porch cupboards today so see I am still getting things done around the house. I have the benefit of three older daughters who are a huge help around here so I don't have to do it all alone. 

How to Clean Wood Blinds

I have white wood blinds in my kitchen and as you know anything in the kitchen is hard to clean because of the grease factor. Not just dusty but sticky and dusty. I tried all kinds of cleaners and nothing was budging the build up on these wood blinds. Then I remembered how well Rubbing Alcohol worked on other cleaning projects in the kitchen so I gave it a shot and wow it worked like magic. Here is how I did it. Take an old tube sock and lightly dampen, then just keep the bottle of alcohol nearby and keep dabbing the sock with it, rotating the sock as it gets dirty. This works great on gripping the blinds. When the sock is dirty just rinse out real well with hot water and ring out well to continue. The alcohol cuts the grease and now my blinds are sparkling clean.

For my most recent post click here.

Linking to:
Raising Homemakers
Bowl Full of Lemons

Vintage Colors

Any project in our house leads to redoing vignettes. My hubby is awesome at this and he compiled this one for me when I told him I wanted to do it in a vintage look with red and green. These colors just pop when put together.

Vintage looking tins sit next to my perpetually homeless little red chair. I think it has found a home finally.

My vintage watering can with the red spout looks perfect up here in a summer time display.

You can see my new crown molding in the back. We have yet to finish painting it but those types of projects move slowly around here.

Linking to:
Savvy Southern Style
Rednesday
The Lettered Cottage
Good Life Wednesdays
Wassup Wed.
BNOTP
Vintage Thingy Thursday
Time Travel Thursday
Transformations and Treasures
My Romantic Home

The Reluctant Potty Trainer

The title says it all. Or really it should stay the stubborn potty trainee as I guess I am the trainer. Just wanted to give you an idea of what this post is about so you can move on if you aren't at all interested in the potty training of a three year old but here goes. Now as a disclaimer this is my fourth daughter. I had one potty train late just like this one and one that was completely trained by her second birthday, she is my favorite child of course, so I should know what I am doing here but nothing reduces a mother, college educated, life savvy (somewhat) woman to the level of desperation than a child that refuses to get potty trained. It is like I don't have a clue.
She turned three in May so I know I am not in foreign territory yet but come on all ready. I am READY!
Why isn't she?
What is the benefit of crappin' your pants? I'm just saying. I've tried the candy, treats, watching DVD's while sitting there whole gamut but no luck. She will sit forever when she agrees to actually get on there but no action and the funny thing is she will start to go and just stop it. Willful, maybe, frustrating for sure. So I am throwing it out there. If you know a trick for the most stubborn of children, I am all ears. I may resort to staying home for a few days and just let her pee all over I guess till she gets it. Not a thought I am relishing. Gross. We just never have two days in a row at home so I may have to wait until school is out for the older kids. Okay friends I am waiting for the magic trick. Let me know your secret.