The toilet

My life is spent in front of the toilet. Okay, not really, but with a potty training/trained toddler in the house...it sure feels like it! Constant "I gotta go potty/peepee/poopoo!" with a huge sense of urgency is the catalyst for a race to the toilet, only to beat the toddler there and end up saying, "COME ON! If you gotta go get in here!" because he has inevitably been distracted by something shiny. Or furry. Or with wheels. Or a snack. Or an injustice doled out by the big brother. Or Mickey Mouse. So, we get there and pull off the required clothing...or more than the required clothing. And we sit and wait and hum a song or poke the toilet paper or try to flush the toilet backwards. Aaaand after the main event, get redressed, which I may as well try to dress the cat...wet...in a snowstorm...with a bowl of tuna in front of her. I'd get the same results. And we're off and running. Only to hear shortly thereafter, "I GOTTA GO!" I have become very acquainted with our bathroom floor and bathmat. I can say my toilet base, floor and baseboards have never been cleaner as I take the opportunity to give them a swipe when I'm down there. Carpe diem right?

*sigh* BUT we are well on our way to being a respectful part of society that uses the restroom and not our pants and so...isn't that everything? ;-)

Deck rug

I have always wanted a rug a to place outside to ground our patio furniture. However, I never wanted to pay the price they want for them! Not to mention, then you have to hose it out, sweep it, clean it... Really? So, I decided, if people can paint designs on their floors, why couldn't I paint a rug on our back deck? So I gathered up all the leftover paint we had sitting around, taped off the deck and our oldest son & got down to business! We did it within a few hours. You will need:

• old paint
• brushes or small rollers
• painters tape
• measuring tape
• pencil

Because you've used all of the colors in your home already, they should all go together quite well! Do they match exactly, no, but they should "go" just fine.

We measure the width of the planks and marked off the perpendicular lines to match the width. You can make a weave design, or any design you desire. We kept it simple. We marked with the pencil and taped off all the sections before we began.

Start from the inside and work out, otherwise you'll be playing painter twister to get back to the inside sections. It was quite simple.

When we were finished, we let it dry overnight. After I pulled up the painter's tape, there were sections left to be filled in. I have a steady hand and was able to freehand these small sections. If you don't, tape them off to paint them.

When you're completely done painting and it's dry, you can choose to seal it along with the rest of your deck. We did not, and it did not fair very well over the winter. I'm planning on powerwashing it, redoing it and sealing it this year. The deck railings need a good touch up as well.

And there you have it! A new deck "rug" for free! It adds the perfect touch of color.
Isn't that everything?

I like to Move it, Move it!

     So, like every single year...one of my resolutions is to get healthier. I had baby #2 in Dec 2010 and feel more blah than I ever had. YES! I know it was over 2 years ago, shush. hahaha. Back in the day, I was a runner. My college bff and I lived in the gym every evening, but alas, now I'm an adult and there are responsibilities and schedules to keep. BUT I have made a commitment to attend no less than 2 zumba classes each week. I have been to two. Don't judge!

     I also just discovered the idea of tracking the number of miles ran throughout the year. Just tallying them up on your calendar at the end of the week. What a great idea! I'm doing it. I usually go in and cool down on the treadmill after class. I'm going to stick some running in there. I know I can do it. I also know that I deserve it and owe it to myself and my family to get fit and healthy again and feel good! My mid term goal is running the Susan G. Komen 5K in June. I participate every year, but this year, I'm running if it kills me. And you know what? There are ladies in pink (SURVIVORS) that run. So for goodness sake, if they can do it, so can I. I cannot wait to see my mile total at the end of the year!

Move your body!
After all...isn't that everything? (To feel healthy!)

~A

The Little Yellow Desk

Ok, I'm doing this for real. I swear. Here we go...

This summer I got into redoing a desk to put in our dining room. We have an old farmhouse. Our dining room is blue with crisp white trim. I needed a space in there to keep the laptop, phone, mom business, etc. So away I went. I read up on a few other blogs on how to redo furniture...and unfortunately I couldn't even begin to tell you which ones or where I found the information to link it back, as I just took what information I found to be helpful and went from there. (Blog fail I know). I took what I found and put it together to best suit my needs...and honestly...motivation.

With an 8 and 2 year old running around I had to make this as easy as possible. My original plan was to paint a beautiful white and distress it. I (obviously) took off the hardware before I started.

1. I started with sanding. Aaaaand sanding and sanding. I used a hand sander. One of those beasts that vibrates your entire body and makes your hand go numb for hours. ha! This is where I became indecisive. The desk looked cool sanded unevenly and "distressed". Now...I had visions of sealing it right then and there! AND I had yellow in the back of my mind as an accent color to the dining room. So now, I wanted to refinish this desk 3 different ways...Here's the desk after that...

Yes I did a crappy job, no I don't care! haha!

2. After sanding I hit the edges w a quick layer of black spray paint. When I distressed it, I didn't want bare wood showing, but the dark.

3. I decided to go for it and paint the desk yellow. After all, it hadn't cost us a dime. If I ruined it, it wouldn't be the end of the world. I attempted to use a spray paint w primer and the desk rejected it. It bubbled and just flat out repelled in some spots. So, after that debacle, I decided to use a canned paint and put it on with a foam roller. That went much better.

4. In between coats I sanded and painted more. I lost count of how many coats, but I just kept going until I was satisfied with the coverage.

5. When the desk was all painted, I finished it with Johnson's Paste Wax, especially the top. Let me tell you, that stuff gives you a workout (either that or I did it wrong). Ha!

Here is the finished product!!

It brings a little ray of sunshine into our little home. And isn't that everything?



 ~Andrea

Welcome!

Hello! Well, I've had this blog officially since 2007! (I have hidden impertinent posts now that I am hoping this will catch on). I've recently really enjoyed following some very wonderful blogs (that you can view to the right), and though I'm not in their ranks, I want to give it a whirl.

I'm in my 30s. Married to the love of my life. J & I really are made for each other. We often answer in "surround sound" and then utter an "Ewwww" afterwards. Our house gets a little rambunctious at times with two boys running around. S is 8 about to be 9 next month and C just turned 2. They keep us hopping!

I grew up in a small town, in a close-knit community and wouldn't trade it for the world. Come college years I attended for elementary and Spanish education. I'm currently a TESOL grad student. I'm a certified teacher and have taught grades 1/2, 4 and Spanish K-12!

When it comes to our boys, we did some things differently this time around. S was just lucky to make it out alive. haha! JUST KIDDING! But you grow and educate yourself on more areas of parenting, etc. With C I got a little "crunchy". I never thought that was me! We delayed vac (just spread them out), BF (did with S too), BW, CD, delayed solids and made our own baby food. None of it was nearly as involved or as "hard" as I thought it'd be. I was working at the time C was born and went back to work ~ 12 weeks. Come June my position was cut to part time and we made the decision that my time and energy was best spent with C. I'm back to subbing and at the moment it's good for everyone. We have a wonderful SAHM that watches C and her daughter and he just love each other.

I like fashion (but reasonable fashion), decorating, homes, reading (when I get a chance). I've gotten into cooking a bit, but I have what I call cooking add, because I CANNOT pay attention when I'm cooking! I get distracted and well...there's ruined dinner. I like to have flowers, etc all around in the summer...but as my husband jokes, I have a "gangrene" thumb. Eh well, I still try.

As we go, I welcome questions and comments. Any that aren't appropriate will be removed, as I'd like to keep this an upbeat and positive atmosphere. You will find I will rant, and I will also rave. There's always balance.

And after all...isn't that everything?

~Andrea

Spring?!

Oh beautiful weather! I've had the windows open for 2 days and I couldn't love it more! Tis the season for walking to pick S up from school and chasing after balls in the yard and playing at the park! Tis the season also for changing up the wardrobe (eek!) and cleaning out the house along with that dingy air. Out! Out! Out! I love it. J, does not. He is the pack mule who "gets to" drag our large bins of seasonal clothing in and out of the garage and up and down the teeny wheeny basement stairs. It borders on hazardous really. But I LOVE putting away those heavy layers and sweaters and getting out those colorful sundresses and sandals! Oh! Time for a pedicure! I don't think I'll be able to contain these tootsies much longer! They are itching to get out of these socks and shoes!

I just recently painted the dining room and touching up the trim. Everything looks so fresh! Just in time for Spring! I really struggle with Spring, bc as much as I want to love it, I hate the month of April. I absolutely hate it. It's a month of sadness and mourning for me. My mother passed away April 3, 1994 and it happened to be Easter that year. My grandmother passed away April 13, 2010. So April 3, April 8 (Easter, this year) and April 13 are a wash. So, let's just skip April. Okay? Are you listening March and May? Get together and edge April out. Thanks. Much obliged.

A whole lotta TV

I'm addicted to Grey's Anatomy lately. I love it. I watch it whenever I can - folding laundry, during baby naps, late at night. I'm DVRing the current season but I don't think I'll know what's going on. lol.

J & I love TV. So, so does S. We try to limit his TV time, but the boy loves it. I'm still confident that he watches less than other kiddos his age. Our TV is not on 24-7 and we make a point to turn it off often. (This is not what this post was intended to be, btw). And we are in complete control of what he watches. We're strict w ratings.

J & I love Harry's Law, The Biggest Loser, How I Met Your Mother. I love Parenthood and am bummed that Brothers & Sisters was cancelled. We just started giving the new ones PanAm, The Playboy Club and Whitney a try. Not too bad so far. Oldies we like are the classics - M*A*S*H, and The Cosby Show. I love Gilmore Girls.

That's a whole lotta TV.