daydreaming

I love catching moments like this, he is lost in his own little world of daydreams. I am lost in my love for him.

the cowboy chronicles

Alex, or the youngling as I like to refer to him, has a love of hats. He goes through phases of which he likes best...a baseball cap, fireman's helmet, a bucket...lately it's his cowboy hat leftover from his Halloween costume. So the other day I grabbed him and took him across the street for a quick 5 minute play to document this time in his life. Surprisingly I came away with quite a few images that I love. I am planning to make a large collage print of them to hang on the wall.

Without further ado, here is the cutest cowboy you ever did see...

and that's all folks!

sightings and taking the time to see them

The other day I was looking out the window, half in a daydream when I saw a dog walking up the road. Then I did a double take and realized it wasn't a dog, it was a fox! Walking up the road! Right in front of me!

I am sure you can appreciate that I fell all over myself trying to grab the camera and snap a few pictures. Too bad I scared him off in my blunderings and this was the best picture I got.

Still, what an amazing experience. Shortly afterwards I watched the neighbor leave for the day, presumably on the way to work. I wondered....did she have a clue that a fox just ran through her yard? And if not, what a shame. How blessed am I that I could witness such a thing. But really, does anyone ever take the time to stop and look around them at the multitude of small miracles surrounding them?

like these mating Promethea moths I saw on a photo session with a client


or noticed these unfurling ferns growing wild in our woods?


or witnessed a happy little inch worm, inching along


or let a caterpillar tickle their finger?


or found beauty in the tiniest of weeds?


I know I sometimes forget to stop and look around, so this is just as much a reminder to me as it is to you.

bathroom makeover ~ the big reveal!

Can you here me squealing with delight? It's done, it's done! I am beyond happy with the result. It turned out exactly as I envisioned it when I first took on the project. And I am so proud that I did every single bit of the work all by myself (other than hanging the light fixture, I don't like playing with electricity).

If you need a refresher on the before with the drywall white walls, eighties colored cabinets complete with faux brass (aka plastic) handles, and the most stunning hideous light fixture ever see this post.

Ta-Da! the after...

I had to use my cell phone to get a full view photo


I'm still tweaking the final decor. I found some huge antique wooden spools today that I will put on the left side of the tub for candle holders along with some plants. I also want to hang a few of my nature prints on the wall. I will hit the fabric store on payday to look for material to make a curtain. I am thinking of possibly a deep gold/mustardy yellow accented with black to give a different pop of color in the room, just haven't decided if it will be a valance or full curtain yet.

Then we have the opposite side with the cabinets...





again, full view taken with cell phone to fit it all in


The cabinets were a ton of work that took a long time to finish but it was so worth it! I love how when I distressed it parts of the wood and the gray primer show through. I will eventually replace the drawer pulls to match the cabinet knobs, but for thrifty sake I went with the cheaper bulk package for right now. I still need to replace the sinks and the faucets whenever it is financially feasible. I am also deciding how to proceed with the cabinet top. I'm not crazy about it, but it's tolerable for now. At least the light fixture is gone, gone, gone! We won't discuss why it can't be hung in the middle, grrrr.

I have my jewelry box hanging and absolutely love it! Here's a couple of other mini projects I made for the room...

candle sconces made with reclaimed wood and vintage blue mason jars that flank the picture window


shampoo dispenser made with vintage blue mason jar and old lotion container pump


That's it! I have taken a couple of baths already and it feels so tranquil and peaceful, just what I wanted :)

thrifty makeover

I scored this old wooden crate at the thrift store for $3. Thanks to inspiration from a link found on Pinterest and materials I had around the house I transformed it into a jewelry holder. I started by whitewashing it the same color as the bathroom wall (a robin's egg blue, hard to tell since I didn't wait until better lighting to take a picture). Then I added some vintage wooden spools I had picked up several years ago to hang necklaces and bracelets on. I strung wire across the top to hold earrings and anklets. Ta-da! Now even if I am not wearing my jewelry I can still see it. I have some friends that make jewelry and their pieces are too pretty to be kept locked away in a box somewhere.

P.S. I am no longer titling my posts with "project 365" because I am just too far behind to keep up the pretense. I do vow however to stay on top of current posts as best I can.

project 365/58 ~ thinking twice about it...

Brothers....they love each other, yet at times they love to hate each other. I guess this rings true with any sibling relationship.

The other day I caught Ben hitting his brother and he recieved a stern talking to, then he did it again the next day. This is really out of character for him so I wanted to be sure to nip this issue in the bud before it develops into a real problem. I took away his current prized possession for the day, his computer. After several declarations that I had ruined his life forever (oh the drama age 6 brings) I informed him that maybe next time he will think twice before hitting his brother.

Ben came back to me about 30 minutes later to let me know he had thought about hitting his brother 2 times and could he please have his computer back now...somehow I think my message was lost in translation.

project 365/57 ~ daffy for daffodils

The daffodils are popping up everywhere right now. I am seeing white ones with orange centers and solid buttery yellow ones. I picked several (from the neighbors yard, shhhh) to bring inside. They smell deliciously like honeysuckle!

A sure sign that Spring is well on it's way!

project 365/56 ~ there's a mouse in the house!

When I noticed Sylvester trying to get at something behind the cabinet in my office my first thought was scorpion. I hate, loathe, fear scorpions. So I was quite delighted to find a mouse instead! Sure, they are kind of gross in the fact that they carry diseases, but at least they are fuzzy and cute and won't sting me.



Okay...I admit, I did let out quite the girly squeal once when it jumped straight up in the air while trying to catch it. With the youngling's help though we managed to trap it and took it across the street to be released into the woods.

Here's hoping the kitties don't bring it back to proudly show off their hunting skills.

project 365/55 ~ here's "peeping" at you kid!

The approachment of springtime means my favorite Easter candy has hit the grocery store shelves, Peeps!

True story...I once ate so many of them when I was a teenager that I ended up with thrush on my tongue. One would think that would scar you for life, but alas I cannot resist their sugar coated goodness every year.

project 365/54 ~ why i am behind in project 365

I have spent the past 2 weeks working diligently on our master bathroom. I have painted the walls, tiled the area around the tub, sanded the cabinets and am currently priming and painting them. The tiling and cabinets are both several days long processes that requires lots of cleanup work in between.

I am tired of the mess.

I am ready for it all to be done.

I am anxious to see the final results.

I am more than ready to take a nice long hot bath.

project 365/53 ~ stolen moment

I was doing some work on the computer when I happened to look up and out my office window. I had exactly 2 seconds to grab my camera and capture what I saw. It's not a perfect image, but it's a perfectly sweet moment :)

project 365/52 ~ pollen coated lady

When I saw this pretty little lady dipped in pollen I fled inside to grab my camera and trusty old macro lens.

I can't wait for warmer days spent outside while the boys play and hunting for interesting specimens around the yard through my macro.

project 365/51 ~ pure cheese

If I ask Ben to smile you can bet 99% of the time I get the cheesy smile. How he can pull his bottom teeth up over his top is beyond me. Silly boy.

And in case you were wondering what the other 1% looks like, well here you go...


He's teaching his little brother well...

project 365/50 ~ i spy....

a cutie pie...


a free spirit...


a wild and crazy youngling that never ceases to amaze me with his antics!

project 365/49 ~ post valentine's roses

The really nice thing about Valentine's Day is you can pick up a dozen roses marked down to $5 on the day after. I want to add a few flower prints around the house and just loved these red tipped yellow roses.

I'm not sure these will make it up the walls. I've been too preoccupied lately while renovating our master bathroom to really do a good job. I will have another go at it when I am done. It's a good excuse to have fresh flowers around the house to enjoy.

project 365/48 ~ fever

It seems that Ben's illness has now spread to Alex and I.

project 365/47 ~ dinner date

It's been really quiet in the house today with Tim at work, Ben at school and Alex at grandma's house. Even Otto was low keyed since he didn't have any one to harass. I enjoyed my day of no responsibilities and eating hostess cupcakes for lunch, but it's not something I would want every day.

After Ben came home from school I decided to treat us to a dinner date, just he and I. We both enjoyed a big gooey plate of beef nachos and talked about our day. It gets hard to give each boy their own individualized attention in the chaos of every day life. I try though, even if it just means a trip to the car wash or the grocery store with one or the other.