One Month Recap

I can't believe it has been a month since I last blogged.  We have been busy and there has been plenty of material, I just haven't been in the mood.  And to tell you the truth, I'm still not in the mood but here we go.  That's what she said.  (Sorry parents, I just couldn't pass it up.)  Anyhow let's go back to mid-April.  My parents came out for a visit and we spent half the visit at a condo at Lake Okoboji.  Since it was off-season up there, I scored a gorgeous 3 bed/2 bath condo for just $500 for a whole week.  Some restaurants and other places had not yet opened for the summer but there was still plenty to do.  There was an indoor waterpark where we stayed that was open on the weekends and we enjoyed that.  We went to a park one afternoon at Spirit Lake (which connects to Okoboji) and had a good time playing around there by the water.

Here is the condo.  Looks like we've lived there forever, right?  My favorite part was the deck just off the living room.  The building is right next to the lake and the weather was beautiful most of the time we were there.  I spent a lot of time out there relaxing and reading The Hunger Games books.

My parents bought the boys portable dvd players (early birthday presents) which was so, so, so wonderful to have.  My mom and I actually picked 2 of them up on clearance at Target the day we left on our trip.  Since the clearance ones were so much cheaper than what we were expecting, we were able to get them each one of their very own (although we only opened up one for the trip- the second one will come in handy for future airplane trips).  It fit just right in our car and made the 3 hour car ride so much more pleasant than previous car trips.  That was the part of the trip I was kind of dreading and it all went so smoothly.  I also got Wyatt the Joovy Room2 pack and play which is quite a bit larger than the standard pack and play.  I think he appreciated the extra room for sleeping.

The rest of the visit with my parents went great and we all loved having the grandparents around.  Rob and I got out twice for date nights and the boys had a great time playing with Nana and Papa.  It was definitely sad to see them go.  We keep trying to convince them to buy a place out here.  We want everyone to.  And maybe some of you will- looks like a lot of people are leaving California these days.  Anyhow, we had a great visit with them and all our friends, family and In-N-Out should leave California and move here.

A few days after my parents went back home, Rob went out to California to go racing.  He had a lot of fun but it may have been a mistake.  All I hear about now is when the next race is and how he wants to be there so bad.  Oh dear.  I bought paint for the living room thinking I would surprise him and repaint it while he was away.  It turned out that looking after the boys by myself for 4 days was awfully tiring and I just didn't have the energy to paint after I got them to bed at night.  If anyone is wondering, that's what we will be doing this weekend- painting the living room.

This past Saturday was Wyatt's birthday- my baby turned 2 years old!  Wow.  We got him a cozy coupe car and he would not get out of the thing, much to his brother's dismay- Rex was dying to get in and take it for a spin.  Here he is, at the drive-in.

He did take a little break to check out his new workbench and Handy Manny table and chairs and take a spin on the Twirl & Hurl (or Sit & Spin as Playskool calls it).

He liked his "ka-mouse" (aka Mickey Mouse) cake a lot.  

I had the family room all decorated and he kept pointing at different decorations and singing "Happy to you" (he leaves out the word "birthday" for some reason).  It was very cute.  The boys even managed to play together with the car for a bit and they are adorable.

It was a wonderful day with lots of nice presents.  I guess that gets us pretty well caught up for the last month and I promise to not be so long before the next post!

The Food Post- Some Good, Some Not-So-Good

Let's start by going back to last weekend and our Easter festivities.  The boys started the day off with Easter baskets and playing with the new toys and begging to eat all the candy (or caugy as Wyatt says) they could.  I tried to get more toys and books than candy though for them.  Everything in the baskets was a hit.





Wyatt liked his new "bubblesh" a lot and I love that they can't spill over.  Genius.  Quick side note- Wyatt says most of his "s" sounds as "sh" which is adorable.  Anyhow, they played outside a lot that day with the two little boys that were visiting their grandparents, our next door neighbors.  The guys had ham for dinner and I had potatoes and salad because I think ham is disgusting.  I have never made a ham for Easter before but Rob really wanted it and the boys like it so I caved.  It maybe wasn't my favorite Easter ever, but my guys all had a great time which is really all I care about.

This past week we were working really hard to finish up some small projects around the house and clean everything up since we had friends coming over for dinner on Saturday night.  And since these friends had never been to our house before, we really wanted to make sure it looked good.  We smoked a turkey breast in our smoker, barbecued a sirloin cap roast/steak thing (with this rub) and had these delicious and creamy mashed potatoes.  We have discovered that the sirloin cap makes a good replacement for those times when we can't find any tri tip.  I make pretty good mashed potatoes but these are so good for a special occasion- they get an extra bonus because you can make them ahead and then they go in the oven.  I really made an effort this time to pick out a menu that limited the amount of time I needed to spend in the kitchen once our guests arrived.  It was so much more fun for me this way and I'll remember to do that from now on.  Rob made this apple pie for dessert which is outstanding. We all had a good night with lots of delicious food and great conversation.

All our hard work cleaning the house will make housecleaning this weekend much easier for my parents' arrival on Saturday.  I'm really excited to see them and looking forward to their visit.

Finally Finished- The Scrap Wood Fireplace Wall

We have some friends coming over for dinner this weekend and my parents will be here the following weekend which prompted us to finally finish the scrap wood wall around our fireplace.  This project has been lingering for probably a month but it is all finished now.  This was the pin that started it all (from the Young House Love blog)-

Source: younghouselove.com via Shelby on Pinterest

I pinned a few more to show Rob and he was on board.  The fireplace needed something more because it was just too blah.  Originally I planned to carry it all the way to the ceiling on the fireplace bump-out but we decided it might be too crazy behind tv and this way we could cap it off with a mantel.  We also realized once we started that lots of different wood tones/colors combined with our hodgepodge, random carpet tiles was just a little too much.  It ended up getting painted white which I think turned out fantastic.



So we finally have a fireplace that we love- yay!  And there is no more work to do for it- double yay!!  Another really exciting part is that it didn't cost us anything thanks to the ridiculous amount of scrap lumber we have around here from all our other projects.  The paint was leftover from all the trim we painted in the family room, so that was free and it matches perfectly.  And now that I'm looking at it, I realize I should have turned the fireplace on before I took the picture.  Dang it.

I do have a few comments/thoughts if anyone is thinking about doing a scrap wood wall project themselves.  I think it would probably be a lot easier to do a blank wall than to do what we did.  Having to go around the two corners of the bump-out was really tricky.  There are outlets on either side of the bump-out that we had to go around too so make sure you think about any outlets or windows you need to go around and have a plan for that.  Finally, it is just hard to be random.  You want to end up with a random appearance but it is kind of tough to make it come out right.

Though it's not a new project exactly, I'm linking up with Nanette's Pinteractive party so anyone who looked at it before can see it all done now.

Basketball Pick 'Em Superstar

Remember how I recently said that we were watching a lot of the NCAA basketball tournament?  It was definitely March Madness around here.  Rob and I even filled out brackets.  I did so good- I even had Kentucky and Kansas in the final game with Kentucky winning.  I am proud to say that I made it to the top 1% in ESPN's Tournament Challenge.

I didn't do good enough to win anything but it was my first time entering a bracket in any big challenge like that so I am very pleased with myself.  I can't wait to try it again next year.  Though I didn't win that contest, I did win the bet that Rob and I had going.

It was my birthday on Friday and I had an excellent day.  I went out in the morning and had a little Shelby time, being treated to a massage, pedicure and manicure.  And I set up a deal with the lady who I always go to for massages where I am trading washing the sheets that go on the massage table for a free massage every month.  I am so excited about that.  I pick everything up once a week and she said there are usually about 4 loads to do.  I do so much laundry already, I don't think I will even notice.  Anyhow, the birthday was great.  Here's a picture of my birthday cupcake.

It seems the photographer may have had his thumb over the flash when he took the picture.  Oops.  Then I tried to get a picture of all of us after this but the battery was dead.  Oh well.  I am still happy to get any pictures with me in them because I never seem to remember to do that.

We have been working around the house a lot lately, including out in the yard.  Everything is blooming about 4-6 weeks earlier than usual so it is already getting crazy out there.  Rob has had to mow 2 or 3 times already.  My daffodils have all been done for a while and some of my tulips are already dying too.  The lilacs are really the big surprise though- they are usually in bloom around Mother's Day and they are already blooming right now.  I have to keep reminding myself to enjoy this weather and be glad that it isn't snowing still!

Pinteractive: Easter Wreath

I was inspired by the wreaths in last week's Pinteractive edition to finish some wreaths I had bought supplies for.  The first wreath I wrapped in a teal-colored yarn and then I got stuck.  I'm not sure what direction I want to go with so I'll wait until I find something that inspires me.  At least the hard part is done- it takes forever to wrap a wreath with yarn!  I knew I wanted to make an Easter or springtime-ish wreath with the other one but wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do.  These were some favorites that I had pinned.

Source: twojunkchix.blogspot.com via Shelby on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Shelby on Pinterest

Source: thecellardoorstories.blogspot.com via Shelby on Pinterest

I also pinned (and love) the Peeps wreath that Wan did on her blog last week.  I went to the craft store with all these ideas in my head and ended up picking out some felt Easter egg stickers to use.  I already had some ribbon, the wreath form and Easter grass and this was what I came up with.



I feel like it needs a little something more- maybe a "Happy Easter" sign or an initial or something else on it.  But it is a good start and with Easter only 6 days away, I think I will leave it as is for 2012.

Organizational Frenzy

I have been in an organizing mood lately.  I guess it is just spring cleaning and all that getting to me because I am just like a whirlwind around this house, leaving clean and organized spaces behind me as I go.  First up, inspired by Nanette's post about pantry organization a while back, were my 2 pantries.  There is a cabinet in the kitchen and then a little closet around the corner from the kitchen and things just kind of floated between the two.  Now everything has a place.

I am kind of wishing I had taken the Coors Light box out before I photographed the second pantry but oh well.  Just keepin' it real.  Wal-Mart had all those little black storage tubs on clearance so I grabbed nearly every set of black ones they had.  Some of them are being used in the garage (another organization project currently under way) but most of them were used in here.  I also purchased the small trash can with lid to store all the grocery sacks because I am bad and don't take my own.  I used to and someday when I don't have to take a 3 year old and 1 year old with me to shop, I will use them again.  And we either reuse the plastic bags or I take them back to the store for recycling.  Anyhow, I love to just stand in front of the pantries now and look at how organized they are.  I also did our entryway closet.

It was all a jumble before but now umbrellas, Rob's hats, my hats, and my purses all have their own spot.  Gloves, scarves and the boys' beanies are in baskets on a small bookshelf across from this where they can get to their stuff easier.  There is also a coatrack there for them and when we are too lazy to open the door and hang ours up.  Keepin' it really real now.  And you can see from my previous post about cord organization that I am also working on the office.  The office and the garage are bigger projects that are taking a while and I haven't even started the two badboys yet- Rob's workshop and the laundry/storage area of the basement.   I need to order a Dumpster though when I get to those- no joke.

Anyhow, when we haven't been working on the garage and other organizing projects, we have been watching the NCAA tournament.  Rob and I each filled out a bracket and we have a bet going.  I also filled one out on ESPN and was doing really well for a while (top 1%) until Florida and Wisconsin broke my heart and lost close games.  My little underdogs lost and now my bracket's in the crapper.  Well, I'm still in the top 4% but my brackets were looking outstanding for a while there.

The boys are doing good.  Wyatt is getting so big and I can't believe he is almost two years old.  They are both so funny.  See what I mean?

Oh, they crack me up all the time.  I love those guys.

Cord Round-Up

I have been in an organization frenzy lately so I thought it would be good to combine that with my Pinteractive post for the week.  I saw a cute box for cord organization and knew that had to be my project.

Source: iheartorganizing.blogspot.com via Shelby on Pinterest

I didn't take a before picture of my cords and what a mess they were, but it basically looks just like Jen's did at I Heart Organizing who is the original maker of the adorable cord box that I pinned.  I dumped out my box of random cords, untangled them, put some in other places where they belonged and was left with 7 cords.  I decided to use an Ikea storage box I already had to store the cords from now on.  I used pieces of a diaper box to make the cardboard dividers then covered them with scrapbook paper.  Here it all is-

So if you notice the labels on the box, there are two compartments that are labeled "mystery cord" because I don't even know what they go to.  I figure when I solve the case of the mystery cords, I can just make new labels.  Since the box was pink and doesn't go with my new gray/cream/blue color scheme in the office, it found a new home in the closet.  I love the Q-Knot reusable cable ties she has and will definitely be getting some of those for around the house.  I have decided that I don't really need them for this however because they all are in their little compartments.  And that makes this project FREE which I really love!

Painted Enamel Vases

This weekend I pinned some painted enamel vases that I liked.

Source: sugarandcharmblog.com via Shelby on Pinterest

The project was from the Sugar and Charm Blog.  Anything that involves me painting is a little sketchy but this looked like something easy enough for me to handle.  I have a ton of old glass vases around the house that could use a little help so it was a cheap project too.  I picked up some enamel paint at Hobby Lobby- here are my supplies.

The way it was described, it seemed like the paint would just flow all over the vases and give it a nice smooth coat.  Maybe that is what the conditioner was for (I didn't use any- the instructions on the paint said to clean with alcohol and go so that was what I did).  I couldn't find any conditioner at the Hobby Lobby and since the paint directions didn't say anything about it, I skipped it.  My paint was thick and a little harder to work with though I am happy with the end result.

The color is great and I can't wait to set them out in the living room.  They still need a little touching up but I wanted to get this post up to share for Pinteractive.

In case any of you are wondering how the fireplace scrap wood wall project is going, we have all the wood on the wall now.  Yay!!

We are going to caulk and paint it still and then I will do a big reveal for a future Pinteractive post, maybe even as soon as next week.  I think it would be a lot of fun to do this all over a full wall and leave unpainted too- I just don't know if we have the patience for that much scrap wood installation.  I am so very happy with how our project is turning out though.  Rob and I talk about it all the time, how it feels like a real fireplace now (even though it is electric) instead of some little toy.

Random Things

I was hoping to be able to post a final picture of our scrap wood fireplace wall project today but it isn't done yet.  I knew we had a lot to do still and it was a long shot and I was right.  Rob did make a lot of progress this weekend on it though and it's looking pretty good.

There is still a few more pieces to get nailed on, including the final board on top for the mantel.  Then there will be nail-hole-filling, caulking, priming and painting.  We have decided to paint it white because it is a lot of busy-ness with all the different wood and all the random carpet tiles.  Lots to do still but loving the way it is going so far.  It feels so much more like a fireplace now instead of looking like another tv that just plays a fireplace scene on all the time.

Last week, there was a little accident at our house while I was making the Pioneer Woman's Ranch Chicken recipe (it is very similar to Alice Springs Chicken at The Outback Steakhouse).  The recipe calls for you to cook the bacon and then combine a little of the bacon grease with some canola oil and then fry the chicken in the grease/oil mix quickly before baking it in the oven.  I don't think I ever fry anything which probably is what led to the disaster.  Saute- yes.  Fry- no.  Anyhow, the grease/oil mix got hot a lot faster than I thought it would and when I put the chicken in, I got a pretty nasty burn.  On my face.  It looked awful so no pictures to share.  It wasn't bad enough to go the doctor, just bad enough to be completely embarrassing and keep me in the house as much as possible so people wouldn't see me.  I tell you this story only to share two important lessons about burns.  First, don't put ice on it- which is totally what I did.  But who stops to look crap like that up right after they have been burned??  Not me.  So when I discovered it later, I felt like a dummy and was hoping I didn't make a bad situation worse.  Second lesson is that Vitamin E will greatly speed up recovery time of a burn.  This all happened Wednesday night.  It was taking forever to heal so Saturday morning Rob bought me some soft-gel Vitamin E caplets and by Sunday evening, the burn was almost totally healed.  Crazy.  I just had to cut open the caplet and squeeze out the gel and rub it on the burn.  So those are my two lessons to pass on about burn injuries.  And I do recommend that recipe despite all the trouble- that chicken was tasty.

We got a new washer and dryer recently, I think the week before last though the dryer wasn't delivered until last week.  That was another chore for Rob- he had to get the dryer hooked up which he did Saturday morning.  We had set aside some money for a new sectional or couch and chair for the family room when the washer died.  The dryer already had one foot in the grave so we decided it was better to replace the 10 year old washer and dryer and wait a while longer and save more money for a new couch.  I am so sad but these make it a little better-

They are so pretty and so wonderful.  And I didn't pay anything close to the price they have marked on them.  Best Buy had them on sale for way cheaper so I got Lowe's to price match that and then used my Lowe's card for another 5% off.  All the washers and dryers went on sale the next day for 10% off and I tried to get another 10% too but they told me no.  Oh well, a girl's gotta try, right?  I still got them for hundreds less than that sign says so I think I did pretty good.  I didn't take a picture of them in my basement because they look so sad down there.  One of our warmer weather projects is definitely cleaning and painting the laundry and storage area of the basement.  I can't wait to get that done and then share it.

I guess that is about it for us lately.  It snowed yesterday and then it is supposed to be like 60 degrees tomorrow.  Hello March, good to see you.  Oh yeah, I wanted to share these two things because they made me laugh so hard- hope you enjoy them too!

Disney Housewives on SNL- If you love the Real Housewives shows on Bravo, this will crack you up!



Jimmy Fallon with Bruuuuce!  Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle...

My Son Is A Bond Villian

The boys are getting to the point now where they like to wrestle and play with each other.  Mommy isn't too fond of this but I guess that's just what boys do.  Rex got scratched by Wyatt the other night though and all I can think about when I see him now is Le Chiffre, the Bond villain from Casino Royale.

Rex's scratch isn't right next to his eye, but it's close enough.  As I type this all out I realize I might be the only one who sees this and thinks it is funny.  Hmm.  Oh well, I'm still laughing!!