Decorating Cents

So since I am a SAHM, I have to find ways to cut corners with my home decor.  Let's face it, I am frilly, girly, and what have you, because I am the only princess who inhabits this castle so decorating is kind of my m.o.  I also change my decor quite often so I have to keep costs down as much as possible.  I thought I'd share with you one of my most recent endeavors.  This is a sideboard in my dining room that I got from my husbands grandfather's house.

I bought two of these little birds at The Dollar Tree

 I then painted them with some white apple barrel craft paint I had on hand.  It took two coats to completely cover them.

 I really liked the flower designs on the sides of the birds so I decided to paint that design black.  I didn't have a small enough brush to get into the tiny cracks so I just colored over the dried white paint with a sharpie.  I got the dome at TJ Max for $12.  I had been looking for one for a light project.  I thought this one would work but was too small so I decided to put it on the sideboard in the dining room and then began the search for something to go underneath and that's when I found the birds.  I flipped a plate upside down for the base. I had some moss on hand so added that for an extra touch.  I am not really loving the plate as a base but will leave it for now until I find something that may work better.

 I already had the votives on the top and the blue glass vase.  Other than that, the sideboard was empty.  I also bought three candle sticks as well as three vases from the dollar tree.  I hot glued the candle sticks to the vases and made the hurricanes for $6 I got three of them which to me is a great bargain.  I also picked up the light blue stones at the dollar tree as well.  The candles in the back were a gift.

 I can't take full credit for these flower center pieces.  They were an idea from my best friend Alicia.  She had made some red ones for a teacher appreciation luncheon at her sons' school.  I also picked up the materials at the dollar tree.  The sticks are two candlesticks, $1 each, flipped and glued to one another.  I then took a half styrofoam floral circle and placed the roses around it and glued it to the top of the stick.  I used about 5  bunches of flowers a piece on the topiary.  So for $12 I have two centerpieces.  I have priced similar items and couldn't find them for less than $10 each.

Here is also a sneak peek at my current project.  I found this beauty at a garage sale for $5.00!!!!  I fell in love immediately.  Can't wait to show you the finished product once I give her a re-do.

Ruralness (Wordful Wednesday)

I live in a rural small southern town.  Around here most meals contain some sort of fried chicken, the tea is always cold and sweet and the crickets sing lullabies on warm summer nights.  When I was younger I used to dream about leaving here and never looking back.  I said to myself and maybe out loud to a few friends, that I was going as far away from here as possible.  I wasn't exactly sure where I wanted to go but that didn't matter much at the time.  I had all these plans and as you know when you start making plans for yourself....life happens. And as those life happenings came to be.....I fell in love in high school and married that wonderful man!!!  I know it sounds cliche to grow up in a small town and marry your high school sweetheart but that was my life and despite all my planning.....God's plan ultimately wins in the end.  I am now where my heart has lead me and couldn't be happier.  I am able to stay home with my three boys and welcome home every night this wonderful man that I am privileged to call my husband.  He truly is a Godsend because I don't know many people who could share a home with me and survive!!  Now I wouldn't trade this small town for any big city.  My family is close by and my children know their grandparents well.  


So, as I close, remember that when you start making all these plans.....life will come along right smack dab in the middle and we never know where it may lead us....now, someone pass me that chicken.

Welcome Spring

So, yeah it's been a while since my last post.  Thought I'd catch up on a few things.  Spring seems to have finally ushered itself in (hopefully).  We have had the normal spring storms already which are usually accompanied by a night of no sleep to go with it.  The flowers are beginning to poke out their heads.  I can't keep my bird feeders filled and am awakened every morning to chirps louder than my alarm clock.  I also have developed my annual "flower fever" where I want to bring home every vibrant colored bloom I see at the local stores.  Isaac has started baseball and he is LOVING it!! So glad he is finally getting involved and breaking out of his comfort zone.  Our local minor league team will also kick off its season tonight.  There is just something magical about sitting in the stands watching baseball and munching on a reallyexpensive yummy hotdog or hamburger.

John finally started crawling.  He uses knees and elbows mostly but goes where he feels the need. He also got his first tooth yesterday and coincidentally Kody also lost one the same day.  I did also notice that John is sharing in my love of shoes, although I don't quite like the taste as well as what he seems to!  So, we can't leave shoes lying around anymore or he will find them and commence to teething on their soles hahaha :)

I also have many DIY projects in the works some of which I will share, providing they turn out in the end the way I hoped. 

I also love when God's word has a way of repeating itself so as just to show that it is the Truth.  Just little tid bits here and there that are there for confirmation.

Also check John out!!  He is on a post today over at Domestic But Not Martha.

Hope you all have an amazing weekend!!

Where Is All The Money I Am Saving

So, I am trying to shop frugally.  I am desperately failing at this task.  I have tried to clip coupons and obviously this takes super power mad skills that I lack. I made my trip to Wal Mart with almost 20.00 in coupons in hand and shockingly I still walked out of the store $198.00 poorer.  I have a family of five. Four of those eat regular meals and one of those is in diapers so for what he misses in contribution to the food bill he does make up for on the "recycled" food part and diapers aren't exactly cheap now days.

So, I make my own laundry detergent and have began making lots of different things but I am not really seeing any savings.  I do manage to only go to the grocery store once every week and a half to two weeks so all in all I guess factoring that in, my grocery bill isn't too terribly bad.  I just expect to be able to share in the joy like all the others who purchase 300.00 worth of goods and only pay 10 or 20 dollars for it. I must be missing out on the secret to all this shopping glory.

So if any of you know this magic secret, please let me in on it!!

I Am a Mean Mommy

I love my children.  I love living every day listening to the sounds of their laughter and seeing them thoroughly enjoying their childhood.  I don't really give them every single thing they ask for spoil them too much.  I think if they did receive everything the asked for they really wouldn't appreciate it much.  However recently I have been told by those said lovey children that life is sooo unfair and that they never get anything and no one cares.  Well, I'd be lying if I said these whiny complaints didn't make me want to bust out the smack down right then and there.  But also deep in my heart these comments make me feel like they have a huge knife stuck right into my heart and they are agitating it every minute with each of those remarks much like the twisting and turning of a washing machine.  I try really hard to make sure they feel loved.  My husband and I as well as their grandparents spend a great deal of time playing with the kids, watching movies and various things.  They have so many toys that the playroom is junked over flowing with things to play with. Heck, they even have a playroom to begin with.  My playroom as a child was the confines of the room that I also slept in or the yard and I turned out just fine.  I think kids today lack imagination and they are used to all these techy gadgets to come up with ideas for them.  I mean we could play for hours just in the dirt alone with rocks for shovels.  I know they probably don't really mean the things that they say sometimes.  I also tend to forget what may seem like simple things that don't really matter to me may just be the end of the world for a 6 or 7 year old.


On the flip side I am so grateful that they are just worried that they don't have the latest video game or the coolest new toy that just came out and they don't know some of the harsh realities of other children who worry if they are going to have food on the table or if their parent(s) are going to beat them to death this go 'round. 


So , I can go to sleep tonight knowing I love my children and deep down they KNOW I do even if sometimes I may be a mommy monster of unfairness.  So I will wear that crown with pride because after all I am the only princess in this castle and at least I do get to be a mommy to those 3 little monsters boys of mine.

My Re-Vamp

So, I hope you like my new blog design, because I LOVE IT!!!  My awesome friend Dana Sears done the designing, installing and all that jazz. So, if you love it, visit her design shop!! You can also find her link at the bottom right of my blog.  Thank you SO much Dana. It truly is amazing and now I am all excited about blogging again :)

My Mission

Here are some things on my wish list that I am going to frugally obtain....eventually