Dining Room Makeover…Part 2

Hey there, y’all!

So, the last project I shared here was the Tale of the Martini Bar...that almost wasn't. I have to say doing that project was a bit of a bear, but totally worth it. It turned out so beautifully and I absolutely love it in the space.

B.U.T…

Once I put the new piece back into the room, the room didn’t fit the new piece anymore. Things needed to change, and then came…

You might be asking yourself, didn’t she just re-do her dining room? Yes, I did. Well, almost two years ago. And at that point, I actually made it into a dining room. You might remember that post here.

When I painted and turned the dining room into a nice, airy room, I loved it. But then when I put the new martini bar in, I wasn’t feeling the whole vibe any more…so time for another change. Just a few things really, but let’s take a look.

Let’s start with new curtains. You may remember my no-sew curtains I made simply because I didn’t have a sewing machine, nor knew how to sew. But since then I got a sewing machine, and have learned my way around a sewing machine…a little anyway.

I went to our fabric store and picked out the cutest fabrics.

I really loved how all the colors went with the room and they really seemed to pop.

I made two curtain panels and replaced them with my no-sew curtains.

Ah, much better, don’t you think?

Once the curtains changed I had to change the chair covers as well.

I loved the flowers of the old fabric, but there’s just something about blue and white horizontal stripes. I absolutely love it.

Once the chairs were recovered and the new curtains were hung, it was a matter of moving things around the room…finding new homes for the things that were already in the room.

Remember the back wall before the martini bar?

When the martini bar went in, the things on the back wall just didn’t fit…time for another change.

I moved the shelves to a different wall and changed those up a bit.

Then there’s the big frame that had the 3-D flowers in it.

I took the flowers down {and will use those at a later time}, and spray painted the frame yellow. I hung it directly over the martini bar, and then wondered, “What now?”.

I remembered my coffee filter wreath that was oh so sad sitting in my storage closed since it lost its place over the mantel. I hung it in the middle of the frame.

When all the changes were made, the room was ready. I can’t tell you how much I love it! It was cute before, but now, it’s totally me. I walk by and just want to stand and stare.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope this gives you a little inspiration that with just a few changes, you can have a whole new room.

Happy Friday!

Confessions of a Housewife

Housewife…is that even politically correct anymore? Who knows and frankly who cares? Right now I feel like Jerry McGuire. I’m about to pour my heart and soul out in this essay and for what? Well, let’s hope I don’t lose my job over it. Ha!

Do you ever feel like you’re at your breaking point? You know, can one more thing be piled on your plate? I know you do, because I talk to a lot of people and thank goodness they feel the same I do…like I’m treading water with bricks tied to my ankles, and all I can do is keep moving my arms and legs as heavy as those bricks are, but I’m staying afloat. Barely.

I’ve said it previously, that I believe May is as busy if not busier than December. Hard to believe but think about it…with end of year activities, recitals, ball games and practices, homework, end of year projects, teacher gifts to hand-make buy, and the, and the, and the…It’s insane. I don’t remember as a kid feeling all this pressure that May brings. I guess my parents did a great job and shielding us from it. All I remember is counting down the days until school was out and summer break started. We were care free. But, I’m sure my mama felt quite different. I’ll have to ask her. But then again, all she had to do was put on her super mom cape and still have breakfast {and I’m not talking just cereal, people} and supper on the table, lunches packed, homework was done, oh and she had been to night school getting her Masters, worked full days, and made sure my brother and I were at our practices on time. I seriously do NOT know how she did it.  I do all this stuff, well minus the graduate school and full time job stuff, and I’m treading water. I found today allowing myself a two minute shower after the gym because let’s face it, I stunk, applying a smidgen of makeup to make myself presentable, and dried the sweat from my run in my hair. Yes, you read that right. {Kat, turn your head or keep reading faster because it will appall you as to what I did to my hair today. Ha!} I didn’t have time to wash my hair, and it was almost soaked from my run, so I dried it. Flipped my head right over and dried that sweat right into my hair….the whole time wondering if people would even notice. I assume not but oh well.

I digress.

All of that to say, after allowing myself 15 minutes to get presentable after a nice workout, I ran all over this town; grocery shopping, making returns, buying Mother’s Day gifts {a tad bit late}, all in and hour and a half because then I had to pick Hunter up from camp.

My list of things to do is a mile long, but you don’t know how that feels at all, right. **wink, wink**

I do all this running, and helping, and driving, and at the end of the day I look around and try to think… “What did I accomplish today?”

Hmmm…

Not much!

My house is a mess. There’s laundry to do. What games did I actually play with my kids today? Yada, yada, yada!

Along with everything else, I realize I haven’t written a blog in I don’t know when and that makes me sad. Unfortunately my little project ,this blog, has been put on the back burner for way to long. I really do not see how true bloggers do it. They post projects galore, cook great meals, are successful stay at home moms, and write on their blog almost daily. I just don’t know how they do it. Maybe they have some time management skills I don’t know about.

My problem…Aged On-set ADHD…at least that’s what I’m blaming it on. I started tonight working on a little Mother’s Day project for my mama {who’s coming tomorrow with my daddy…**eek**…I’m so excited to say the least.}, and I find myself writing this because I can’t get what I wanted to work to work right. So, instead of screaming, I’m gritting my teeth calmly writing {well, typing}.

Anyway…I guess I’ve said ALL of that to say. Being a mama and a housewife is not easy. I seriously do NOT see how mamas work and take care of the house, family, and kids. I commend you and tip my hat to you.

I hear people all the time say that being a housewife is the hardest job. Well, I’m not sure about that, because there are some pretty hard jobs out there…hello, running into burning buildings, running a corporation, fighting day in and day out for our country while in the desert away from family. Those are pretty hard jobs. My job is to keep people alive. I have to keep them fed, clothed, bathed, and most of all happy.

Last week, Hunter needed my undivided attention…bless him. All day, every day it was, “Mama, want to play with me?” “Mama, want to go to the pool?” “Mama, want to go play baseball?” “Mama, I’m hungry.” “Mama, you ready?” And when I didn’t jump at his every move because heaven forbid laundry needed to be changed, I got the sad eyes and the, “You never play with me.” Oh really? What were we just doing for the past 3 hours?! Oh yeah, playing baseball, swinging, playing sword fight, and making lunch. I think people think it’s the hardest job because it never ends. It’s constant-24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s not only the day to day stuff, it’s the night time too. We get rid of bad dreams, we clean up throw up in the middle of the night, we walk them back to their bed 14 times because they’re having anxieties about who knows what. It is a very hard job. But it’s also rewarding and wonderful.

It’s the times that you go to the grocery store or the gym and look down at your shirt, only to find a “Rock Star” sticker that your daughter put there while getting ready. Yes, we may have to fight about getting dressed and brushing teeth in the morning, and I may have to repeat myself a million times before they listen, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world…not even the dried sweat in my hair.

So there you have it. My confessions of a housewife in a crazy, mixed up, rambling essay. I just hope I’m not the only one feeling this way, and that I can find a balance with it all without going coo-coo first. Wait! I might already be there. :o)

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Wednesday!

S~

Happy Memorial Day!

A friend and I were talking the other day and discussing the craziness of the month of May. She made an excellent comment that May is just as crazy as the month of December.

With all the Mother’s Day Tea’s, End of Year programs, dance recitals, and ballgames…our schedule is just simply jammed packed.

This past week was was such a whirl-wind. With Hunter’s preschool graduation, Dallas catching a stomach bug {yuck}, her dance recital and dress rehearsal, and school stuff, and purchasing a new car, we were running from here to yonder every day non stop, and this mama was t.i.r.e.d.!

The end of and era hit our house this week. Hunter, our “baby”, graduated preschool. He will start kindergarten in July and I cannot wrap my mind around this. But none-the-less, preschool payments and short mornings away have ended, and his preschool did such a great job with their graduation.

Here’s Hunter with his big sister the morning of his graduation. How in the world are they getting so big???

I’m one proud mama of my “little man”.

After graduation, it was time to switch gears from Hunter to Dallas. She had her dress rehearsal for her dance recital and then recital on Saturday. She is such a great dancer. We laugh all the time because she is the child who absolutely hates attention on her. She does not like to bring any attention her way…except when it comes to dancing. That girl loves a stage! She turns into a different person when she’s up there. She’s all smiles and loves every minute of it!

I couldn’t be more proud of this girl!!!

What a great way to start Memorial Day weekend. Having family in town to help us celebrate two great accomplishments of our children.

I hope y’all have had a great Memorial Day weekend as well. But, let us not forget why we celebrate this weekend. Yes, dance recitals, graduations, and ball games are all exciting and fun, but we have this extra day off work to enjoy with our families for a reason….today we celebrate our veterans. He honor them and remember them, for it is they who keep this country safe and free so that we may enjoy fun times with our families.

So, as you head out to the lake, pool, or cook-outs with friends, take a moment and teach your children why we get to celebrate this day.

Let us NEVER forget those who fight for our freedom…our VETERANS.

The Tale of a Martini Bar… {that almost wasn’t}

There once was a martini bar that was sad. It needed a new home. Someone to take care of it, love it, and give it a fresh coat of paint.

This is the tale of a martini bar…{that almost wasn’t}.

Last fall sometime I bought a martini bar basically sight unseen. One Friday afternoon I was on Facebook and came across a consignment store in my hometown. They had posted a martini bar. It caught my eye immediately. I looked at the two pictures they had and knew I had to have that thing.

I’ve been looking for a piece to go in my dining room since I finished it a year and a half ago. When I saw the martini bar I knew it was it.

Being from a small town where everyone knows everyone, I called my mama and daddy and asked if they could go up and take a look at it. Seeing this store is their favorite in town, it didn’t take much begging on my part.

They went up the next day and purchased it for me.

I loved the retro-ness of it. But bless it’s heart, it needed A.L.O.T. of lovin’.

The gold strip on the bottom was peeling off, the sides were a bit beaten up, and there was some water damage on top.

But, you have to take a look at the inside of this baby.

How cool is this?? It’s very Mad Men. I just loved it.

When I picked it up from my parent’s in December, got it home, and put it in my dining room, I knew that this is where this baby belongs. And, with some TLC and some paint it would be perfect.

Once the weather warmed up, it was time to start this fun project.

After much debate I decided to paint the bar a dark blue. I thought it would match with a dark blue that was in the material on the chair covers.

Off to Lowe’s I went. I talked to my favorite paint guy there and decided to try a new paint.

My guy said this paint is made for painting furniture although he’s never known anyone to use it. Well, you would think that would be clue number 1 to run far away from this paint, but no not me. I found it a challenge. Let’s try this new paint and see what she has to offer.

I sanded and primed the martini bar once I got it outside and cleaned.

I then started painting. I wish I could say that I fell in love with this paint and would use it again…b.u.t. unfortunately I cannot say that.

The paint is very thick. It goes on well, but it’s quite thick. It reminds me of tempra paint teachers used to mix up and use when I was in elementary school.

There is really no odor which is good, but it still is very thick. Also, I had to use lots of coats {I believe 5} to get a consistent coverage. I’m not sure if that ‘s from the wood or from the paint being such a dark color.

But let’s move on…After days and days of painting and one coat of polyurithane, my martini bar was finished.

When I started painting, I knew I wanted to keep the “coolness” and retro feeling, so I decided to paint the inside a lighter blue to match the colors of the walls.

After a week of painting and drying the bar was finished and back in the dining room.

I loved it!

I got all the drawers back in and closed the doors, stepped back and smiled.

I went to go open the doors to put things in…and they wouldn’t budge. I tried the drawers. Not budging.

Somehow, the paint even though it was very dry had the drawers and doors stuck closed.

NOOOOOOO!!!!

I tried everything that I could think of. I pulled, and pushed, and screamed, and fussed. Yes, I even cried. I got so angry at my pretty little martini bar I was about ready to throw it out the window. I was hot!

A friend of mine gave me the idea to use cooking spray like Pam. Never thought of that one. But it worked like a charm. I still check them every now and then. They don’t open and close smoothly but they’re not stuck anymore, so I’ll take it.

And, that’s the story of my martini bar…{that almost wasn’t}.

I have to say that even though this thing made me so mad I could’ve spit, I absolutely love it. It is now perfect in my dining room.

Anyone up for a drink?

Thanks for stopping by. I hope this gives you a little incentive to find an old piece of furniture, and give it some love with a fresh coat of paint. You won’t be sorry!

S~

Catching up

Well, hello there. I seriously cannot believe it’s been a month since I’ve last posted. What on earth???

Well, my daughter had her last track out so for the last 4 weeks we’ve been spending some quality mommy/daughter time together. This was the last track out with just her. Next time, Hunter will be in kindergarten (sigh*) and they’ll be out together. So, I was enjoying some time with just my little girl…if only for 4 hours a day.

We had a blast. We painted nails, went shopping, had lunch dates, crafted, and spent all kinds of money. Ha! It’s crazy, but it’s expensive. I guess because our breaks are broken throughout the year instead of all summer we’re cramming things in in a few weeks and trying to keep them busy and happy. My good friend calls herself the “Happy Birthday Clown” which cracks me up to no end because I feel that way too sometimes… “look at me kids. Let me keep you busy…heaven forbid you get bored.” Haha! Just a running joke with all of us year-round parents. I do love the year round schedule though. Having family all over, it’s nice to break our trips up throughout the year instead of traveling all summer.

The last couple of weeks we spent traveling and seeing friends. We went to Delaware for a few days to see Eric’s family and our nephews. I have to say, I’m one blessed girl to have in-laws who will take me and my kids in for days while my husband is traveling. We had a ball. The weather was beautiful {unlike here at home}, so we took the kids to the Philadelphia zoo one day and played outside as much as possible. The kids get along so well. It’s always so much fun to see them play and grow together…just wish we lived a little closer.

Here’s a few pics from our trip.

Dallas has a little obsession with turtles these days {hence the shirt}, so she L.O.V.E.D. the huge tortoises.

Hunter loved the tigers. He did not want to leave.

Personally, I loved the giraffes. They are so graceful and exquisite looking.

For once, I got out from behind the camera. Thanks, Leigh for taking a picture.

And Noah, just had to be with the big kids…super cute little guy.

We had lots of outside time because of the beautiful weather.

After returning home from Delaware, the kids and I had enough time to do laundry, repack, and get 2 good nights of sleep before we gallivanted off again.

Next stop, Kentucky!

It’s been since September {entirely too long} since I’ve seen my best friend and her family. It stinks we live so far away from each other. The kids and I made the 8 hour trek in not very nice conditions to Lexington to spend a few days with the Trimble’s.

Not many pictures were taken because we were SO busy. But we went to dinner one night and while everyone was sitting in one spot together, at the same time, I took a couple of pics there.

These two were first friends. We always get a picture of them together to see how much they’ve changed over the years.

My they are growing much too fast!

The trips were both great. It was so nice to get away and have some fun with friends and family.

We are now back in the groove as they say. Dallas is back in school, and I’m trying to catch up on all things mommy. I hope to get some fun projects I’ve been working on up soon.

For now, I’m off to dance. Y’all take care!

Happy Thursday!

S~