Fixing up the plain jane

We recently purchased a new washer and dryer.  To say I am ecstatic is an understatement!  It has been a long time coming.  I don't think we have purchased a new set in our entire marriage.  They are the front loading HE type and I did ten loads of laundry yesterday and loved it!  Well, as much as you can love doing laundry.

I took the oppurtunity of the laundry room being empty for a day to paint it.  I used the paint I had leftover from our entryway so I wouldn't have to spend any money.  It's a light yellowy color, brightens up the room.  Here is what it looked like right after the wall colors.

The white on the shelf is the original color of the walls. 

I had this painting that I bought on clearance at Target a couple years ago, just waiting for a spot in the house.  I used it's design and colors as my inspiration.

 I started by painting the shelf what I thought would be the orange in the background of this picture.

Ummm yikes!!  Epic fail on that color choice.

So I tried several different ways to tone it down a bit.

First I added some white paint mixed with a small amount of water. 

Still too bright, so I added some splotches of the other colors that are in the painting.

I also started with the design I was going to try and pull off from the painting.

Still not loving it but I wasn't about to leave it.

My husband walked in at this point and I told him not to judge me until it was finished.  :)

So I just took all the colors from the color scheme and just kinda winged it.

This is how it ended up.

It's not exactly what I had in mind but it's much better than before! 

Oh and my husband came back in when I was done and said he loved it! *smile*

"Chalk" full of fun!

I have been wanting to do this since we moved into our house almost a year ago!  But I have had so many other things I wanted to do, it kept getting pushed to the bottom of my list.  The kids are out for spring break this week so Syd and I decided to add some fun details to her room.  It ended up bleeding over into the kitchen as well! :)

I LOVE chalkboard paint!  In our old house, I painted the back of the kids bedroom doors and the door to our garage with it and it was awesome!  I wanted to do it here but the back door is glass so I did this instead:

The inside panel of two of my cabinets.  I already love it, it has been so useful!

On one side I have my menu for the week and a record of how much water I've drank that day.

My goal is 8-10 glasses a day, easier to do if you keep track!

The other side is for things I need to buy at the store.  So much easier than finding paper and pen, then remembering where I put the list later!

And in Syd's room I wanted to add the same type thing without painting the doors so here's what we did.

She had some wall space in the entry of her room so I took a plate,

Traced around it with pencil on the wall three times

Then started the paint

I did five coats on the wall and the cabinets, letting it dry about a half hour between.

I'm thinking about outlining with white or I might just leave them alone.

She's already using them!

On the opposite wall we added these fun cork squares for her to hang the many pictures and fun stuff she wants to display.  I got the set of four at Hobby Lobby for $10.

Home improvement in one afternoon, my kinda thing!



I linked up to the Sunday Showcase Party at:
http://www.bystephanielynn.com/search/label/Link%20Parties

First Impressions and a Chicken Biscuit

I drove myself to Chick-fil-A this morning.  A free breakfast sandwich, Diet Coke and a quiet booth were calling my name.  I took my Bible and the book I'm going through and carved out some time to spend with the Lord.  Chick-fil-A might seem like a strange place to do so, but hey, there's free refills so what's a girl to do?
Why I was surprised by the busyness of the restaurant I'm not sure but I ended up at an available spot next to a table full of moms and their young children.  Of course this didn't bother me as just a few years ago that was me, looking for reprieve at any place with an indoor playground and a place to sit.  In fact, I felt a pang in my heart that my kids have outgrown the delight of pulling off their socks (even when I would tell them not to) and running into the playroom.
What bothered me about this table was not the volume or continuous conversation going on around me but the subject matters of those conversations.  I learned quickly that these ladies knew each other from church.  Ahh, the common bond we can share as mother's with a heart to raise our children for Christ.  But that's not what they were talking about.
I learned they went to church together by their ranting about all the women at church they did not like, why they did not like them, how their facebook posts were annoying or too frequent, how one should just delete them as a friend and then pretend they knew nothing about it.  Along with the size and beauty of their homes, the amount of exercise each one participated in daily and the schools they would or would not send their kids to. 
My initial reaction was anger and disgust.  How dare they claim to be church going Christians then proceed to tear apart the very people that Christ would no doubt have been drawn to minister to.  What if I were someone who had left the church long ago due to unfair judgement or hypocrisy?  Their words would only add fuel to my fire.  What if I were a lonely single mother who could use Godly women in my life but after hearing their insistance on private school, large homes and expensive cars knew I would never fit in?  What if?
Then as with a small pin prick the Holy Spirit convicted me of my own hypocrisy.  Have I not done the same?  Have I not covered what is truly idle gossip in the form of "venting" or worse yet "prayer requests"?  I have indeed sat at that very restaurant and ranted to my close friends about people or things I was upset about without thinking for a moment the impact those words could have on those around me.
However, the absolute beauty of a relationship with Christ is that in that same small way he reminded me that I can't change them but I can change myself.  The words I use, the opinions I share, the way I treat or speak about His children is totally up to me.  Thank you Jesus for your grace!
So sometimes it takes a free chicken biscuit and a Diet Coke for the Lord to get our attention.
Conviction, to me, is the Holy Sprit's way of telling us he loves us and knows we can do better!
Let's do better ladies!