Front Doors Before and After

 

 BEFORE

AFTER: Painted Stone Gray by Porter Paints.
 It's kind of a beige-ish gray color.
I used to really disdain these doors, but painted a different color makes all the difference to me!!

A Must Read for Christmas!

I received this book in exchange for my review, but having read it to my 3 youngest boys, I would have paid for it.

It's a work of art, Alison Jay's paintings are beautifully timeless, reminiscent of Fra Angelico's masterpieces. See many of her other illustrations/paintings HERE

The words that tell the story of the birth of Jesus are as beautiful as the illustrations that accompany it. The author, Sally Lloyd-Jones, truly has a gift for captivating her audience through poetic script. To her credit she has written a Children's Bible and several other children's books. You can check out her accomplishments on her website: HERE

What is really unique is that the story is told from ALL the creatures' of earth's perspective as they excitedly proclaim, "It's time! It's time!

Charlie(2yrs) loved pointing out all the different animals on each page.

I am so thankful to add this to our Christmas book collection!

"Song of the Stars" will be available October 2011.

Change in Seasons/ Change in Underwear

My Mom has shared many words of wisdom with me over the years. She told me that the change in seasons sometimes causes even completely potty trained children to have an increase in accidents. That was so comforting to hear!
This morning there have been 3 accidents!!
I started to wonder what I was doing wrong...but then I remembered Mom's advice. Whew!....at least I hope that is the reason;)
Have you noticed this phenomenon as well??

I HATE Breast Cancer!

I am sharing this from Abby Johnson's blog. I agree with her view completely.
Here is a link to the original article: LINK

Pink ribbons are cute. They have become very trendy. Everyone has caught on to them, too. A couple of airlines wear pink during October…some yogurt companies have pink ribbons on their merchandise…everyone is doing it. Well, not me.



I hate breast cancer. I REALLY hate it. Breast cancer stole one of the most important people in my life from me…my father’s twin sister…my aunt. Both of my grandmothers had breast cancer. My cousin died of breast cancer. Breast cancer is like a terrible virus that keeps sweeping through my family. And like all virus’, you can’t get rid of them; they keep coming back.



My aunt was an amazing person. She never met a stranger. She loved everyone. And, she was pro-life. She LOVED babies. She was one of the most precious people I have ever known. I watched her battle this terrible disease for 9 years. There were ups and downs…but she never gave up. She fought, sometimes with hair, sometimes without. She lost her breasts. She had multiple surgeries. She was always hopeful. Every day was a gift. Her life was a gift.



Now, I know there is lots of debate about the link between abortion and breast cancer. And to be honest, I am not convinced either way. I am not a scientist, but I love research. I know that for every study that shows a link, I can find one or two that shows there is no link. I just can’t simply prove that to be fact.



But here is a fact…Susan G. Komen gave $700,000 in grant money to Planned Parenthood last year. Susan G. Komen is the largest breast cancer research group. Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in our country. Hmmm…why would those two groups be partnering together?



Komen says they give this money to Planned Parenthood so women living in rural areas will have access to mammogram services. Really?? Well, here’s the truth about that.



NO PLANNED PARENTHOOD ON THE PLANET PROVIDES MAMMOGRAM SERVICES.




Why? Because they can’t. Planned Parenthood is a level one breast service provider. What does that mean? It simply means that Planned Parenthood clinics are ONLY allowed to provide manual breast exams. You know, the kind you do in the shower. The kind you can get from any nurse or physician in any clinic. They cannot provide any sort of diagnostic services…no biopsies, no breast ultrasounds, AND no mammograms. That is the truth. That is a FACT.



Komen contributes in a very large way to the murder of over 320,000 babies each year. Those pink ribbons don’t seem so cute anymore. Komen pays big bucks to make the “pink ribbon” theirs. You may think the pink ribbon stands for breast cancer awareness. That’s not what Komen thinks…they believe they own it…and they pay for it.

I hear people say, “Well, until breast cancer has affected your family, don’t tell me not to support Komen.” Well, it has affected my family. It has affected us greatly. And I stand against Komen.


And let me say something else very clearly. My aunt valued life very much. But she did not value her life more than the life of any child. She would have given up her life to know that a baby would be saved. For those that continue to support Komen because this disease has affected you or someone you love…this is what you are saying…you are willing to sacrifice the lives of the unborn for your own. If you are comfortable with that, then keep donating to Komen. I hope you are not. I hope you will do the right thing. I will you will stand against this phony organization. Any good they do is blackened by the killing they support. And if you do stand against them, tell them. Don’t just take away your support, let them know. Send an email to your friend’s list. Post it on your facebook page. Post the letter that you will send so your friends can copy yours and send one as well. Send a letter to your newspaper. Tell everyone you know. Be an activist. Make your voice heard. Don’t think that Komen doesn’t care…they do. They care very much. Komen needs to keep up their good reputation. Don’t let that happen. Expose them for what they are.



Over 320,000 babies EVERY year. Our voice is worth it. No more pink ribbons in my home. My aunt’s memory is worth more than that…I can’t wrap her life up in a ribbon…especially when that ribbon pays for the murder of children.

Hand Sewn Window Seat Cushions

As I type this with prickified fingers and a sigh of relief, I have finished the window seat cushions!!! Wahoo!!! I love how they turned out...weird corner angles and all! The cushions aren't super fluffy and cushy, I wanted the kids to be able to be comfy but still have a somewhat even surface to be able to play board games and the like.

I priced out having custom cushions made, it would have cost me close to $400. I made these for about $60. 

I waited until the fabric went on sale for 50% off at Hancock's and purchased the foam at The Yard downtown...cheapest place to buy foam and a whole lot more!

Ya know, I hand sewed these because my sewing machine is broken, I didn't expect to enjoy it, but I love hand sewing!! It was so relaxing and I found out how to multi-task: I can sew while doing spelling with Hannah, reading with Eli, checking Noah's essays, yelling at Benny, nursing Charlie, eating lunch, talking on the phone, and even breathing!

It turns out that every stitch can be offered for a soul.

I wish I was this excited about doing the laundry and dishes;)

I'm Guest Posting!!!!

Natalie over at A Turtles Life For Me is posting my kitchen renovation.

This is my first time guest posting...so thank you, Natalie!!

 Check it out and take a look at how she decorated her fridge!! She's brilliant!

WINNER WINNER!!

Congratualtions to Corrine, you are the winner of a Making Memories Software package!! Corinne, could you email me at drohr1@ cox(dot)net. and I can send you the code you will need so you can download your software. Thanks also to Elizabeth and Erika for entering!! I put your names into a bowl and had Charlie pull one out.

Paint Chip Memory

As we have been accumulating paint chips from our major house overhaul, I stumbled upon an ingenious idea to put them to good use: Muffin Tin Mom posted her simple paint chip memory game.

I have been looking for ways to play with   use my laminator...I think I may have to

make these...for the kids of course;)

A My Memories Suite Giveaway!!!!

This is my first GIVEAWAY!!! I am so excited to be able to share this with you!!!

I was so happy to find the My Memories site, because I love to make my scrapbooks online and with My Memories, I can do that and a whole lot more!! My Memories Suite is rated #1 by Amazon and TopTen Reviews.

Using this software, anyone can create digital scrapbooks, photobooks, cards, calendars and gifts without having to buy expensive and complicated software programs.

I made this album page...I especially loved adding the embellishments!!

It's user friendly and once you create an album page, you can print it out and make cards, calendars, gifts, or even pics to frame...the options are endless.

I can make gifts, print out my scrapbooks and laminate them myself, or I can order hardbound books of my scrapbook...which is probably what I will do. I absolutely love all the variety and designs there are to choose from!

Ok, so what will you win?? This:

My Memories Suite

My Memories Suite Version 2.0 digital scrapbooking software is a fun and creative way to keep and share memories, whether you have a Mac or PC. The software's design tools will help you to build entire albums effortlessly using one of the many installed templates, or designing your very own pages from scratch.

Available worldwide. Intended for English-language computers. Technical support is English-only. $39.97

 

A special discount for all other readers!! You receive a Share the Memories code that provides a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value! Just go to My Memories To redeem using code: STMMMS17962

To enter the giveaway, go to My Memories (CLICK HERE)
Then come back here, post a comment telling me which digital paper pack is your favorite.
I will leave this open until Noon on September 20th. I will then draw a random
entrant and post the winner.

Good Luck!!!

$887 Kitchen Remodel



Before





 




  



After



Breakdown on cost:

1. New flooring: $107.00(laminate from Sutherland's)
2. Refacing the cabinets: $80(using Recyclebank coupons at Star Lumber)
3. Cabinet hardware: $45(purchased for $1 each at Jabara's Damaged Freight)
4. Paint for the walls,trim, and cabinets: $65(Home Depot and Lowe's)
5. Counter tops: $120(Menards)
6. Back splash:$110(Menards)
7. Light fixture over sink: $7(Star Lumber clearance)
8. Overhead light fixture: $40(Menards)
9. Trim for doorways, window, and under cabinets: $23(Jabara's Damaged Freight)
10. Bullseye corner blocks: $12 (Home Depot)
11. Sink and faucet: $150(Craigslist and Sutherland's)
12. 2 new base cabinets: $128(Sutherland's)

Total - $887 including all taxes

We are still working on our stove/fridge wall, we need to finish tiling and trimming out the remaining cabinets on that wall. That is our shortest wall with 2 small 15 inch base cabinets flanking the stove and the fridge. We also haven't replaced our overhead light fixture yet, I won't spend over $40 including tax, we just need to wait until I can squeeze those into our budget. The budget above includes the cost of these remaining items...I just couldn't wait to show you!!


Featured on A Turtle's Life For Me
Linked on: The Creative Paige

                                                                                          Stove & Fridge wall

Learning Days of the Week/Months of the Year

I wanted an easy way for my little ones to learn both the days of the week and the months of the year.
I made up a song sung to the tune from Happy Days...remember that??
It goes...
"Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
what a day,
thru the whole week with you,
these days are ours
Happy and Free!"

The months are a little more tricky, but I wanted Eli especially to be able spell, recognize, and know what order to put them in. I found a cool pdf HERE that has a ton of ideas, songs, and activities to learn both of these.

On pages 21 and 22 they have colored months to print out which I printed out along with a cute pic that highlighted a memorable part of that month and laminated to make a simple puzzle for Eli. You could really make it super personal with photos of family members birthdays and even make it a liturgical type calendar.

I kind of blended it from Seasons, religious holidays and secular holidays. My thought was for Eli to associate each month with something he identifies with.
Here's what we came up with:

A Very Good Homily on Modesty

I thought this was a VERY good homily about modesty...every Catholic should not only watch it, but live it....and it would be nice if the rest of the world would join in too.
Father makes a great point when he talks about our expectations of how we expect our priests to dress for Mass, he said that he also has similar expectations of us, it is "sick" he said for women to approach our Lord to receive Him dressed like a prostitute. Yes, he also addresses men.

Family Stewardship

We are always looking for ways to involve the whole family in the stewardship way of life.

The other day, we were blessed to be able to stuff our parish bulletins. 

Benny really got into it, he was such a perfectionist, putting the insert in very straight....and he exclaimed, "This is FUN!"

I hope we get the chance again!!

Charlie the Chef

Here is Charlie's Recipe for Pizza Brulee

Step 1: Take a leftover pizza slice out of refrigerator.

Step 2: Place in microwave for 5 minutes on high.  

   

                         Step 3: Open windows and evacuate the house until able to breathe normally.

Step 4: Hose off Pizza Brulee and ENJOY!!            

Catholic Art Saturday/All Dogs Go to Heaven!

Tile's Begun!

Just a small preview, there is no grout, so ignore those gaps, and we have to adjust  the outlet, but we are both so glad we chose the single colored 6X6's. We have a busy weekend planned!! YAY/SIGH!

Here's that same wall before we moved in.(That's our realtor, Laura.)

Backsplash Options

Here is the super affordable field tile we brought home.We are trying to decide which pattern to use??

(6x6 tiles from Menards at .47 cents each and only $1.99 for the 36 2x2 sheets) 

                                      

  My good friend had 8 of these autumn bronze center accent tiles leftover from a project and generously offered them to us. I think it will be the perfect accent!

Here is the first option.

The accent tiles actually look like this, very dark, I turned the flash off so you could have a better idea.



Here is the second option,

I really like the variation of color, 

 but I think it may be too busy with the granite colored counters.

What do you think?

We will be completing our project over the weekend.

Jamocha granite laminate counters



Petless

Callie

Nellie

 For the first time in our marriage, we are without a pet. It's not by choice....

 Our dog, Cherry, died last year.

And more recently, both of our cats, Callie and Nellie, have disappeared without a trace.

 Don and I are sad. The kids are sad. We've had them for about 5 years. We adopted them from the humane society. They are outside/garage cats because of our allergies, but we keep them comfy and well fed.

The silly kitties wouldn't leave their collars on, but they each have a microchip that identifies us as the owners.

One of their favorite hangouts was on the bench(Callie in the above pic) on the front porch.

Every time I glance outside, I sigh, no sweet kitties sunning themselves or snuggling together.

We have looked for them, we've asked neighbors, we've hung posters, I listed them on craigslist's lost and found... and of course, we've prayed..often for them to come home.

 Maybe some loving person has taken them in thinking they have no home???

The kids are sure they are coming back at any given moment.

It's been over a week now since they've been missing, my hope is about worn out.

Dearest St. Anthony, help us please find our cats.



New Countertops Peek



BEFORE



AFTER

I have been pretty bummed about our counters ever since the painted "granite" look hasn't held up. Everyday, I find new peelings popping up all over the place. I found the "perfect" countertops at Lowe's, but the price was a little high for our budget. It would cost over $400 for the whole kitchen.

I was browsing our Menards ad, and saw an in-stock laminate countertop featured called, "Jamocha Granite". I LOVED the color and the brown tones go perfectly with our brown and cream kitchen. 

The total before tax was $112.00 FOR THE WHOLE KITCHEN!!!!!! WAHOO!!

We bought 12ft, 8ft, and 4ft sections.

Here's a close-up. Don't you love it too???

Now, one of the reasons I loved the Lowe's counters were for the ogee edge it came with. But I think it's worth that sacrifice to save $$$.

Now we just have to figure out the backsplash?????? Any suggestions??

Here's a few backsplash ideas:



I like the layout...maybe contrasting tiles??




I love the simplicity of subway, but warmed up.



I like the earthy tuscan feel of this field stone.

We have to be realistic...I mean we are on a budget and I can't save all that $$, only to throw it at the backsplash.