happy halloween!

we survived!

a cute kids room

I can't remember the source of this photo, but I love this room (despite my dislike for the color yellow). Wouldn't it be a fun kid's space??

bentwood chairs

Apparently these chairs are called bentwood chairs. I've been eyeing them ever since I saw them posted on this blog (check out the other colors!) I love the shiny black look best. It is the last finishing touch for our dining room. I wanted four of these chairs and then a bench.

The bench was a hard compromise. I'm not a bench fan, but Sammy loves playing at the table and we line up all the chairs anyways to act as a bench, and he was always falling out of them. It was just a pain. So I found one on Craigs that I'd been wanting from Ikea, and saved 60$ on it that way...just have to paint it the color I want (black). We robbed the change jar in the laundry room for that purchase! :)

The four bentwood chairs came from a girl that I know for only 10$ a chair! Used some birthday money, and now just need to find some time to redo them. I actually don't mind them how they are, so we're using them as is, but I really should take advantage of the weather and get them all spiffed up for the upcoming inside days, and the holidays! Will show the results whenever I get my butt into gear. You can see a photo of them in my last post. The bench has really been so much more functional. Glad we did it.

finished placemats

I have finished 6 of them. I finished them about a week or two ago, so we've gotten to use them some. It's so great! They're very colorful and it definitely added the color boost I was going for in this room, and they are so easy to clean up--just toss in the wash w/the towels! The quilted look keeps them simple and casual...low maintenance. :)

There's been a new addition to our family this month. His name is Jack. Although other names are constantly being considered, so who knows. Sammy named him. One day he's "jack johnson" and another he's "baby jax" (a friend's little boy), and then "jack the pirate" when he's playing with Daddy. They get along great. Caught them snuggling tonight during Movie Night. Too cute. He's been such a great addition! (if you remember Henry, he's a perfect, red, and younger version of him!!)

homemade laundry soap

I've made homemade laundry soap for a couple of years now, a liquid form, and this is the third batch of a powder form that I've made. I have really really liked this recipe. The liquid version was just fine--but a bigger deal to make, it takes up more room, and it was more messy. I found this recipe on Soulemama's blog. Sooooo easy! Takes me less than 10 minutes and it lasts our family of four a couple of months.

The boys play together so well now! It's been a lot of fun watching them interact! And our Sawyer man is ALL over the place. It's quite out of control, but we're loving every minute of it. I won't be surprised if he's walking at 9-10 months. c r a z y .

pumpkin patch/cider mill 2

This year we decided to go back to the pumpkin patch that we went to last year. We brought some friends with us this time! Kingston and Sawyer are just about 2 months apart, and all three boys get along great, so it's a lot of fun doing things together.

I do have to say that it is definitely more difficult to get good photos of the boys together. Someone is always looking the wrong way or they are not wanting to sit by each other...it's always something. Was hoping for a Christmas card photo, but thinking we're going to have to try something different.

finally squared away!

Well this is as good as it's going to get for awhile. The door is up, fall stuff is out, candles are up...need to spackle the nail holes and paint over them...other than that--it's finished! :)

updating roller blinds

I got this idea from this post. I had originally thought I'd either glue paper to the blinds, stencil them, or use shelving paper on them...but seeing how Jenny used paint on these kind of blinds gave me a little inspiration. On a whim I whipped out my big fat smelly permanent marker (the house still stinks) and tackled the blinds during the boys' nap. The whole project only took me just over an hour. I used a long craft ruler I already had, marked 2" stripes in pencil on the blinds, and then colored them in. The first one is definitely not perfect, but on the second one, I actually marked the lines in the marker themselves against the hard edge of the ruler and they came out perfect. Still contemplating the ribbon/pull design idea...not sure yet if I want to keep it or not. Would tie a fun bead or wooden pull to the end if I keep them.

I love the look. Black and white stripes just seem so classic and like they'll go with whatever. We're sort of redoing (on a ridiculously cheap budget...thus the permanent marker!) our upstairs office/loft area. This was the first little project to update things a bit. We're in the process of cleaning out and organizing the space now. Stay tuned! :)

(ignore the unpainted window trim!)

can't decide!

I'm getting a pair of Toms for my birthday and am going to order them a little early...I cannot decide which pair I want!

What do you think?