Tag Archives: Shopping

Here it is!

12 Friday Apr 2013

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The project you have been waiting for!

I know that all week, you have been wondering how the table turned out, right?

My dining room table is one of the best pieces of furniture I own ( with the exception of our couch which was Brent’s diva purchase of 8 years ago…).

I found this table and chairs on craigslist about 6 years ago.  It was a steal- I think I paid $500 for the table and 6 chairs and it is an authentic Pottery Barn set :)

It has a bit of a rustic finish and has been used and abused for many years.

It was time for a little makeover.   Enter Papa…

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Here is what the finish looked like before.

IMG_2822This is after it was sanded down to the wood…

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Papa did the base coat, I jumped in for coat number two.

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I roughed it up a little to go with the theme and give it a bit of a rustic look- it has to match the chairs!

IMG_2865Done!

Thank you Papa!!

Do you have any refinishing projects on your list?

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The Best Laid Plans

10 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by in My "Spirited Child", The Daily Grind, Uncategorized

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I had two plans today.

The first plan was to blog about our major project of the week while Papa was in town.

That plan got hijacked by my frustration about my second plan- hence today’s post.

If there is one thing that I am sure of at this point, it is that being a mother means that if you have a few precious hours without kiddos, and you have a plan to do something awesome, someone will puke.

In my case, it is always Maddox.

What is up with that?

I think my mom and I might be cursed.  Maybe it is the shopping gods sending a VERY loud and clear message that we should not be allowed to shop by ourselves…

Today Maddox was going to be in school for 4 hours.  Yes.  4 hours.

We were going to drop him off and head to the shops…eat a bite of lunch and then pick him up.

When he woke up this morning saying he had a tummy ache and felt like he was going to throw up, I went through all the things…

Me:  Maybe you just need to go poop.  

Mads: I don’t think so.  Mommy I want you, my tummy hurts.

Me: Maybe you are just hungry?  Do you want some toast?  

( as I muster up a big snuggly hug – I secretly feel pissed and am directing it a little towards him (honestly) even though I know that in no way is this his fault…)

Meanwhile my little inner voice is saying: NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!Are you f-ing kidding me?  If there is any kid that knows what it feels like to have to throw up, it is Maddox… but maybe he is wrong this time….??  

I give him a little piece of toast- because despite what he is telling me, he is TOTALLY PERKY.

At this point I am thinking that maybe, just maybe, he got it wrong this time.

Then…. up comes the toast.

My plans are D.O.N.E.   Game Over.

So this is what I am doing today-

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Yep.  Gumby.

I thought mom and I could sit on the couch with the computer and shop online, but it just doesn’t seem like it would be the same…

Does this happen to everyone?  Or just me?

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The projects continue!

09 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by in Projects, Uncategorized

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Here is the next update on Papa’s projects!

I guess it is time for some spring cleaning and closet organization :)

My shoes are always thrown everywhere…

I would like to think it is due to a lack of shoe space…

So the next Papa project was my closet!

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We’ll see if this keeps my shoes out of a heap on the floor.

Now since you have seen my shoes in the closet, I have to admit to you that I am a total boot hoarder.  A girl’s gotta have boots in the Northwest :)  Those are just my current boots that I have been wearing, what I didn’t photograph is the shelf on the top of the closet that has my other 6 pairs…

I did clean out a bunch of clothes to donate and give my self some room ( mom is in town and that means my clothing multiplies!).  I am hoping it will help the laundry situation ( dream on!).

I will report on the status of my shoe pile in a week or so!

Here is a little preview of the last and final project of the trip ( outside of replacing about 10 lightbulbs!)…

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Big one!!  Stay tuned!

Have I inspired you to clean out your closet and get organized yet??

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Putting My Guest To Work.

08 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by in Projects

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My parents are in town visiting!

It is so nice to have a handy parent around to do all the things that I have no time to get to!

What a difference it makes when you can have someone get those little projects done that make such a big difference!!

Also nice when mom is the one saying ” what can we have Keith do?  What can he fix?”

I think she might be buying time to shop… no pun intended!  Tee Hee

Here was project number one:

    Maddox’s Closet!

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If you look really closely in the photo you can see the original closet rod.  Waaaaaaay up top.

Everyday he would have a mini-meltdown about how he couldn’t reach his shirts and this was his reason for not getting up and brushing his teeth, eating breakfast, and putting on bottoms.

What’s your excuse going to be now kid?

So, thanks to Papa, Maddox has now gained a new level of independence!

Watch out- you should’ve seen his getup this morning :)  I wish I wouldn’t snapped a photo!  Maybe tomorrow :)

Stay Tuned for the next project!!

Did you work on any projects this past weekend?

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Is It Even Possible?

22 Friday Mar 2013

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I know you are probably thinking my title suggests that this post will be about keeping up with the laundry…

English: Laundry is hung to dry above an Itali...

English: Laundry is hung to dry above an Italian street. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have come to grips with the fact that for me, it is absolutely impossible for me to figure that out.  So of course this isn’t about laundry :)

photo credit: www.stock.xchng.comby arinas74

photo credit: http://www.stock.xchng.com
by arinas74

I am seriously wondering if it is possible to get daily exercise ( in a structured way… not vacuuming, or chasing children, or running to school because you are late…)  without sacrificing our much needed down time.

If you are like me (a little strange, but lovable…) you need to have an hour (if you are lucky) to just veg.  Often times, my veg time is at night, after everyone is asleep.  That is the time when I can watch the tv shows that no one wants to watch with me and just be a mindless blob for an hour.

That time is important to me.  I feel like I really need it.

So in thinking about how to work daily structured exercise in my life it seems very clear that the time to do that would be in the morning.  When I say the morning, I mean before everyone gets up.  Before breakfast needs to be made, and kids need to have all their schoolwork in backpacks ready to go.

In my house, that translates to 5am.  Wow.

If I am going to get up at 5am to exercise, then it seems like I will have to give up my 10pm-11pm blob session.

Although physically, this would by far be the best option for me, is it the best mentally??

I need to be a blob sometimes!

So what is the answer?  Do I have to give up my late night wind down for my early morning ramp up?

I am really torn.  I know that they are both important and I am not sure I can have my cake and eat it too!

How do you fit in daily exercise and manage all the things ( home, work, school, kids, etc..) that are on your plate?

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What a Steal! Monday Madness…

18 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by in Discovery

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Good Morning!  Happy Monday!

I had plans of sharing my veggie challenge with you this morning and all this week.

But, I just have to share this find!

Several weeks ago, I was chatting with another mom while watching the boys do Taekwondo.IMG_2595IMG_2594

Just had to throw in a couple of photos of the cuties doing their kicks!  Awww….

On with the loong drawn out story…

So I was chatting with another mom about how it would be about right that of all families, we don’t have vision insurance…  I know right?

Three glasses wearers in our family!

She told me about Coastal.com

She said that she has gotten her contact lenses online for a while and that when you order glasses, the first pair is free…

I thought for sure that the glasses were going to be totally 1980′s ( which is kinda coming back into fashion right now…) and lame.

But to my surprise, they are awesome!

I ordered my first pair for $12… the cost of shipping.

They arrived and they are cute!  I have gotten so many compliments!  They fit, they are the right prescription and I am still kind of in shock.

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There they are!

So now, they have me hooked.

I really believe that glasses are like shoes and purses…

Stay with me here people…

If you have to wear them on your face, they have to be cute and they have to be considered accessories.  Right?

A gal has gotta have a few pairs to mix things up!  I’ve gotta have my basic pair ( shown above…), a funky pair (ordered this morning…), and maybe a black pair to match my black boots??

This morning, I ordered my second pair.  On sale for $29!  Free shipping if you enter freeship13, and voila!

Considering the fact that I just paid about $300 for Brayden’s new specs, I don’t feel that bad spending a total of $41 on two pair for myself :)

What a steal!  I have been paying a fortune for glasses for years, so this is fabulous!  Now this girl can appropriately accessorize without the guilt of having to spend a ton of money…whew.  I know you were all worried about my ability to effectively accessorize myself!

I haven’t tried it yet for the kids glasses, but you know that is coming next!

What steals have you found lately??

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Bookworm

01 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by in Discovery, The Daily Grind

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photo via stock.xchng.composted by:phelle

photo via stock.xchng.com
posted by:phelle

With Brayden’s newfound inspiration for reading and books, I have been on a book acquisition kick.

That sounded kinda fancy and technical huh??  Book acquisition….

For me, I love to borrow books from the library, but there is just something about them being mine to reference have to lend to someone else that I just like.  So, in general, especially with nutrition books, I want to buy them, ya know?

Anywho, in the last couple weeks I have realized that I don’t have to pay super high prices for books!  Yipee!!!  I have discovered a few ways to save a significant amount of money of book buying and increase my collection tremendously!

I thought I would share to enlighten you, although my hunch on this one is that I might be one of the last people to realize this…

On one of our library dates, Brayden and I discovered that they had a little section with large signs that said “Book Sale”.  Huh…

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We found a ton of great books for $1 and $2!  Over the last two visits, we have acquired at least ten new books!

Even some Magic Tree House books that we didn’t already have…

Who knew?

I also discovered that on Amazon you can opt to buy the used copies of books and sometimes they cost less than $1.  Then you just pay $3.99 for shipping, and the book is yours.  I found this to be a good method when I am looking for a specific title.

books 002I am adding to my library of reference books as well!

My last little tid bit for book buying is the Goodwill.  I checked out their selection yesterday and they had quite a bit of books.  The great part was that they had them all organized by type, so it was easy to browse.

For the books I was interested in, they weren’t the total bargain basement, but still a lot more affordable than buying them all brand new.

Just thought I would share this Friday morning!

What are your money-saving tips when it comes to buying books?

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A Matter of Convenience

17 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by in Nutrition!, The Daily Grind, Uncategorized

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It seems to me regardless of what you do for a living, we all need to find foods that are convenient and sometimes fast.  None of us have time for preparing and making everything from scratch all the time… right?

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I think that despite the convenience of running through the Mc Donalds drive thru, it is possible to eat wonderful nutrient rich foods on-the-go.

It does, however, require planning.  That could be the biggest challenge.

Here are a few things that I have learned about that can be nutritious, convenient and fast…

Green Smoothies:

Green Smoothie

This was a big point at my class last weekend and I have found them to be tasty and fast…

I think the way to make them really fast and convenient would be to pre-cut your veggies and fruits and have them available to mix and match daily.

I have been throwing a combo of kale, chard, cabbage, carrot, beet (raw), raspberries, mango, apple and walnuts.

throw in a couple of the above, some almond milk, green tea powder, protein powder, blend and run…

Frozen Casseroles:

my lemon rosemary chicken from last week!

my lemon rosemary chicken from last week!

As per my previous post, cooking on the weekends and freezing a bunch of good stuff makes weeknight dinners a breeze…

Overnight Oatmeal:

This was a Pinterest find!  (thank you Jodi!).  (recipe here)

This has been AWESOME!  You throw a couple of things in the crock pot in the evening and wake up to a delicious, nutritious breakfast!

Green Superfood Bars:

Although these are technically processed, if you need to grab something and go, this is a great alternative to a granola bar or candy bar.

I really like the Raw Revolution Bars and Brayden loves the Green Superfood Bars (even though when he first looked at the bar he said it looked like grass… I tell him to just eat it and not look at it!).

Those are a few little tools in my toolbox…

What allows you to eat healthy when time and convenience are a factor?

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A Little Leather for Your Monday.

03 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by in She's Making Jewelry Now., Uncategorized

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I finally got out into the workshop on Thanksgiving weekend ( i.e.-  the garage…).

I created some fun things for the upcoming holidays!

A while ago, I shared a leather cuff bracelet that I had made for Brent with his grandfathers WWII dog tag.

I riveted the dog tag to the leather and then added a little personal flare…

I have been seeing so many cute leather cuffs out there.  I had to make my own!

“wherever you go… go with all your heart”  and ” the joy is in the journey”

Had to get a little fancy :)

” live your dreams”

The options are endless!  So many color choices and you can put so much on them.  Thoughts, sayings, personal stuff…  super cute and fun :)

I am in the groove!  I haven’t got them on my etsy site yet, but it is next on my “to do” list!

Check out my shop for more info, or email me at dnichols515@yahoo.com to order yours for the holidays!

Yay! Monday!

Kicking it off like a Champ…

20 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by in The Daily Grind, Uncategorized

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Happy Friday!!  Wahoo!

I thought I would start off the weekend ( Friday starts the weekend for me!) with a power breakfast…

Fresh picked Marionberries, picked by yours truly yesterday at West Union Gardens.  They say that they don’t ever use any spray on any of their crops, yipppeee!

Organic carrots, organic plum, almonds and a sprinkle of cinnamon… ta da!

Once you get over the hippie factor, it tastes wonderful!!  :)

To make things even better, I am going to add my cup of coffee (now with coconut milk and honey instead of cream and sugar… don’t even say it, I totally know this has really gone off the deep end!)

Starting the weekend off like a champ, never tasted so good!!

How are you starting your weekend??

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