Garden Of The Gods...

Spring Break is here for my kiddos.  With all that we have had going on, we knew it wouldn't be feasible to leave town.  However, we did want to get out and see some of the great sites right here in our area.  


Well...I guess Spring in Colorado starts with lots of snow in March and April.  At least that is what we have been getting on and off for the last several days.  


We had at the beginning of the week 6 inches that came...and then melted very fast!  Watching the weather reports, the nicest day we were going to have was Friday.  So, we decided that would be the day we would get out in some nice weather,see some sites and have a little picnic.  


Friday morning came and we were not greeted with lot's of sunshine like we had heard...no, it was cloudy.  We still thought maybe the sun would come later and still went ahead with our plans.  


I wanted to take Izzy with us and get lots of great pictures of the kids.  I of course had to make sure every child looked great...helping with their hair, even a few trims here and there.  I envisioned Spring pictures on a sunny day.


My plan however, did not go that way...


Finally off  we all jumped into the van ready for our little adventure.  Our first stop...Garden of the Gods.  If you have not heard of this beautiful place...it is a must if you are ever visiting Colorado Springs.  It is a little world of amazing red sandstone rock formations that are at least 300 million years old that have been sculpted through the years by erosion.  It is breathtaking! 

Via~Google

On a beautiful sunny day!

As we arrived at our destination we noticed that the sky was becoming more grey and the temperature was dropping. We still tried to be optimistic and think it would pass...as the weather here changes back and forth like that. 


 Half way through our drive...the wind picked up.  We came upon a look out and thought this would be a great place to get some photos of the kids. 


 No sooner than opening the van door...everyone started to complain about how cold it was.  Great...I was not going to have willing participants to get pictures with.  Out came the jackets...so much for spring colors. 


Trying to get the kids to cooperate and all look in the same direction at the same time...a challenge.  The wind was blowing hard and now the hair I had worked so hard on to stay in place...was all over the place! 


I had freezing kids and knew if I wanted any photos...start shooting.  Needless to say...I ended up with one decent picture of them all together...I thought I would share.

From the left clockwise:

 Mister Inquisitive,  Drama Queen,  The Artist and Li'l Bug

The Comedian is only with us at Christmas time and Summer...that is why he is not here in the picture.  We miss not having him here with us all the time. 


I thought this picture was quite funny...Drama Queen always picture ready and trying to hold it all together, The Artist, now taller than his older sister acting cool, Mister Inquisitive...looking off to the distance, interested in something else. Li'l Bug...not really sure why we are standing in the cold to get a picture.  I love it! :)


I wasn't able to get the boys to cooperate with me for anymore, so back to the warm van they went.  Drama Queen was wanting some new pictures for her FB and was going to brave the cold...even with her Springy thin dress...just like a real model I was able to get some cute pictures of her.

Always miss photogenic...

Had to get the peace sign in there...

My style diva...

Love taking pictures of her...

Still sweet, even as a teenager..

she does have her moments though...

O.K. mom...my smile is going to freeze like this,

take the picture..it is cold!

This took all of about 10 minutes and that is all she could handle.  Before I shut the door I tried to get a couple more photos of the kids. 

One more picture...boys adding their rabbits in the back!

 Li'l Bugs puppy dog face...

"Mom, seriously...we are done taking pictures" look...

I didn't get any good picture's of the two boys...they were being too goofy for me to get them to sit still.  

As we drove down from the lookout area and our tour finished...snow started to fall! Not little flakes...big, huge flakes! Soon covering us and the roads...so much for our other destinations and picnic. 

We decided to go to one of our family favorite spots to eat... IHOP.  My kids love breakfast for dinner and that was what we had in mind.  It also doesn't hurt that 3 of our kids can eat free...at least The Artist has until this August when he turns 13.  It all helps! 

We ended up eating lots of pancakes while laughing so hard and having a great time enjoying our family time...it really didn't matter that we didn't get to see the other places. 

 Our day ended with renting a movie "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs" and some treats for us to share.  All in all it was a great day out!

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Hugs,

Have You Heard?

Have you heard the news?

Something exciting is coming...

It is being called an "interactive Book-azine".

This is going to be amazing!

Holiday with Mathew Mead...

 With a very talented Team Holiday, this all will be possible...

Mathew Mead, Jennifer Mead, Sarah Egge,
 Linda MacDonald, and Stacey Willey

You must stop by and see what all the hype is about!

A Little Peek...

Spring is here...at least, I saw a preview for a couple of days...and then...more snow.  The good news, it has all melted again.  Grateful for all the moisture, just ready for spring days that make you want to open the windows and listen to the birds sing.  I don't know if I have said, "Spring is one of my favorite seasons" love it!


I hope you all had a great weekend as well.  I felt as though we accomplished quite a bit here and that feel's like a sigh of relief.  It is very hard for me not to be organized and have things in places.  I am trying to be patient and not let all the chaos around me, get to me...some days are better than others.  I know in the end it will be where we need it to...again, patience. 


I thought I would share a little peek on how the farmtable island is coming along...it is just a little one, but I can't wait to show you all the finished look!

Here is a peek at the legs and 

bottom shelf of the farmtable island... 

Because my kitchen is not a huge space we have made it a little smaller, but it will be perfect for the spot it will be in and give us the workspace/storage we need.  I think Mr. Wonderful has done a great job so far. 

 I have to tell you, I love that we are a good design team together.  I usually have the artistic vision and he is good at building the idea. I'm glad that he enjoys woodworking as much as I do, something we can do together. Along with doing all of these projects in our home, he of course has convinced me how we need "this tool and that tool".  I don't mind though...I like to use them too. I also like that the projects get done. ;)

One of the tools we just "had" to buy was a router.  The only thing I don't like about this tool...the bits can add up.  Every time I have another idea I hear "oh, I will need to get this bit then".  As you can see...it can get to be a pricey hobby.  I do like that he used his router for the first time for this project.  Adding routing edge on the apron of the island.  He also was able to route all the edges of the planks before he joined them.  It is giving it more character than if it hadn't been there. 

The drawer is getting put together and then the top.  All that will be left...to stain the top, paint the bottom, distress it, adding the details like the hooks and drawer pull. Can't wait to start using it. 

So...did you see that cute Bread pot with lid that I had sitting there? 

I found that on Craigslist about a week ago.  A very sweet lady was having to go through many of her items being that her and her husband were having to move.  They used to own an antique store in California.  When I talked with her on the phone to buy the pot she told me she had many other items she was selling and wanted to know if I would like to see.  I think you all know my response...sure!  

Love my antique enamelware BREAD pot...

just the perfect spot for it!

I found several other old treasures that came home with me.  I will have to share with you all later this week.  I again...made another new friend and enjoyed visiting with her and her husband so much.  

The funny thing about the BREAD pot...each letter is the first letter on each of my 5 kids names.  We realized this a couple of years ago when I made stockings for my whole family and as they were going up on the mantel, I saw that each initial spelled...BREAD.  Too funny.  The Artist pointed this out to me today when he saw the pot... just a little thing that means something to our family.

I will leave with a sweet note...

He love's me...

Mr. Wonderful brought me home a little surprise coming home from the store the other day...a bouquet of pretty yellow tulips.  Another way to let me know Spring is here. A little way to show me he loves me...

These look beautiful in my window as well.

I will be very busy working away on more to share with you all this week and it is the kids Spring break.  We aren't going anywhere away, but we do have a couple of family outings planned to some fun places.  Will be excited to take Izzy along and show some pictures of our family.  

Hugs to you all,

Favorite Whimsy Finds...

I love to shop...


There's just something about the hunt and trying to find what I have in mind. When I do...happiness!  The next best thing besides the hunt...the price.  I not only love to shop...I love a great bargain!   


Finding unique and original things, that is something I love even more. I am a shopper that buys something because I.love.it.  I don't buy things just because it is trendy or whats hot at the moment. I  have always gone with my instinct of what is beautiful to me and if it is a great price, that is even better!


 Many times friends ask me where I shop or they want to know where I find great deals.  This had me thinking...why don't I share some of my favorite places and things I find with all of you. So, here is the first  "Favorite Whimsy Finds".  I will try posting once a week on things I have found that I love either from Etsy, websites or stores. I hope you will find some new places to shop or something you see you just can't live without!


So...let's start shopping!

Red Hot Pottery

Round Butterfly Vase- Robin's egg blue $54

I want this little vase...it is on my b-day list.

LILY and LULU

Charlotte $40
Love this scarf...fun colors for spring!


Antique Mystique

\

Antique 15" blue/white 

graniteware wash basin $45

The blue is so pretty... 

The Crafty Home

Love from Paris pillow $27.99

Linen and postcards...perfect together!

Antique Mystique

 4" counter bell with a decorative base $35

Want this for my office...

Hydrangea Home

Large Glittered Bird Egg $17.85

A unique find for Spring decor...

I hope you enjoyed seeing what I have found...these sites have many other great finds as well...have fun browsing and shopping! Would love to hear what your favorite is. 

Have a wonderful Friday and a great weekend!

Hugs,

Kitchen Window Meets Character...

I have been playing with my new baby Izzy and having some fun.  I now realize...there is so much for me to learn and understand about photography! This is going to take lot's of practice and patience's.  I feel like I am learning a new language...trying to get familiar with words like, aperture value, polarising filter, ISO values, and white balance. I know eventually I will get it all down. 

I have been busy working in the kitchen.  One of the projects that I am the happiest with so far...is our kitchen window! 
Windows let the light in or a give a view outside...they are the eyes of a house.  In our home all of the windows are very plain. No framing around them or ledges to give them detail.  I decided that before we could do any of the window treatments all of the windows needed to be framed.  Adding this will give the eyes of our home some of the character and charm it is missing.

The kitchen window above the sink was the first one to meet...character.  I had Mr. Wonderful cut the window ledge before he left on his TDY in January.  He in fact wanted me to wait until he came back to do any of the work on the window. I of course being the stubborn woman I am, said..."I can do this and it will be done by the time you come back." I did not lie...it was done!

I had found some old shutters at the Restore (Habitat for Humanity) only $10 for the set. I knew little shutters in the kitchen would be exactly what that window needed to give it some of that charm and  character.  The only problem...they weren't the right height or width.  I decided that with a little creative problem solving I would make these work!  

I have a whole other post I will be showing on the solution I did for these little shutters...I am calling them my Labor of Love!  For now, I want to show you the work I did on my kitchen window...and yes, all by myself.

Before the window could be completed the beadboard backsplash had to go up...proud to say, I did it with out the husband.  All the intricate cuts for the light sockets and plug ins were done with a jigsaw. Once done I nailed it on. I then had to add trim to the top and bottom of the beadboard.  I learned how to cope...I did this on a mitered edge of the molding...that is. After all this was done...I   then moved on to the window!

The ledge for the window had to be sanded, leveled, caulked and nailed down.Using my favorite tool...my nail gun...yes, Mr. Wonderful knows he really bought it for me...I love it! Next I added thin wood planks that would be the reveal on the inside of the window. I then mitered the molding on my next favorite tool...the power miter saw, nailed and caulked the molding around the window.  Finally...I painted, painted and painted!  I am so happy with how all of it turned out and I also learned a lot of new skills I didn't know before.

  Here is my new baby Izzy and I showing you how a Kitchen Window Meets Character... 

A window with a view...

Distressed wooden shutters with 
vintage pink glass knobs...

One of my favorite fabrics 
 by Tanya Whelan...

My pretty chandelier that makes me smile...

Soft pink hydrangeas in 
blue turquoise glass jars...

Falling in love with my kitchen so far...

Letting the light shine in...

More of my open shelving...

Izzy's photos of my glass cherries...

I love standing here at my sink looking out...

Beautiful blue gray paint
 behind white dishes...

Antique crystal Salt and Pepper shakers...

A little sugar bowl...

My window has now met character...  

All in the details...

I hope you all loved seeing the changes going on in my kitchen.  It is turning out even better than I had envisioned.  Still have lots of work that has to be done...will show snippets here and there until it is finished.  

An update to share on the farmtable island...the frame is together and Mr. Wonderful is working on the bottom support and then the top.  A little closer to being able to stain and paint it! Yay!! :)  


I am linking this up with Kimba@Soft Place to Land and her DIY Day! She has a great giveaway going on and so many amazing projects linked up to see!

Hugs to you all,