2012 April

J is potty training…someone bring me some Diet Dr. Pepper STAT.

April 27, 2012 by beth 10 Comments

potty training

K, so let’s be honest. I haven’t been working on home projects lately. I have some. And some of them are almost blog ready, but my heart isn’t quite in it yet. It will be…probably this weekend I’m betting. Until then I’ll be straight up with you and tell you all about the “project” that has consumed a good part of my week.

Potty Training.

dun dun dunnnn

Can you hear the scary music?

J turned 3 two weeks ago and has been showing the signs of “potty readiness” (you know…the signs other than the #1 and #2 obvious ones), so I thought this would be a good week to bite the bullet and do it. Plus I want to drop him off at the Ikea playscape so I can wander alone. Everyone’s a winner here.

Source

We do the “nothin’ on but a t-shirt” method where if you wanna come by and visit, just be warned that he is only wearing a shirt and a smile. All week. In my opinion, this is the easiest method of potty training (for me…cuz I haven’t tried any other really), and I highly recommend it. Of course he wears undies and shorts when we go in public, so don’t be too weirded out.

I’ve been giving him peanut butter M&M’s every time he goes in the potty. Well, he gets one, I get one. It’s only fair – we really both deserve it. I made the mistake of not having any mom beer (diet Dr. Pepper for those of you who just thought I was a full fledged lush) in the house the day I began the potty training. Rookie mistake, Beth. Luckily my friend felt my ESP diet DP bat signal and called while in the McDoglips car line. “Wanna soda?” Ummm so much!

My little muffin is doing really well (only a few accidents), and I’m happy to report we were able to go to Chick-fil-A for lunch without incident. Which really could be a nightmare if you think about it. Ugh. Anyone else want to crawl around in those tunnels knowing you have a “treasure” waiting for you to clean up? Yeah, me either.

Source

Also, if you’re wondering, NO. No I will not be taking a picture of cute J standing next to the potty the first time he poops in it a la Kate Gosselin. Nope. Not gonna happen. Cuz I’m pretty sure those are pictures no one will want to see later. Ever. For any reason.

And I’ve been thinking…you know how some women get a “push” present – like a ring or a sparkly bracelet or (like me) an actual baby – after pushing while in labor? Well, I hear-by decree I should get a present for every time I successfully potty train a human. And no, not having to change poopies or buy diapers anymore DOES NOT count (although it could fund the present…you’re right). He gets new Spiderman underpants, self confidence, and independence, and I get a Lexus SUV. Or a pedicure. Or a Route 44 Sonic drink. Something. I’m really not too picky.

So wish us luck. Let’s hope there isn’t any crazy stories that come out of this “fun” time in J’s life. Like the one where Pickle actually peed on the carpet in the chapel during church. Yikes. I think I scrubbed a hole in the floor making sure it was clean. Oh man.

Hope your weekend is equally uneventful…in a good way.

P.S. I’m pretty sure this will be the only post I’ll write categorized “Bathroom” that will actually talk about what happens in the bathroom, not how it is decorated.

Filed Under: Bathroom

Quick Tip: Take the Picture Anyway

April 25, 2012 by beth 4 Comments

If you go back and check my archives, you may notice my longest stretches of not blogging have generally occurred during or after something tragic in my personal life. Because I don’t love blogging then. I can’t just ignore my real life, but some things are hard to talk about. And the post easing back into blogging is the most difficult one for me to write. That’s why I’m blah blah blahing right now instead of just getting to the point.

I would like to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all so much for your generous outpouring of love and prayers over the last week. Losing JJ has been surreal and sad and horrible, but, at the same time, I have felt so much comfort. Throughout the day I’d receive an e-mail or comment, a text or phone call, and it just reminded me how loved he is and how blessed I am. Thank you all. So much. I am seriously so grateful.

Today I wanted to pass on a little tip that I’m pretty sure we all know, but one I’m realizing I’m glad I actually did.

Take the picture anyway.

Sometimes there are photo ops that we wish we would have taken advantage of. Pictures we should have taken. Memories we wish we would have captured. And maybe the reason why the picture wasn’t taken was because we were too shy or embarrassed or scared of what others would think of us in the moment.

Screw it. Take the picture anyway.

I felt a little dumb bugging JJ for this picture – like some annoying older sis who was stepping on his “cool.” But he was totally sweet about it and took it with me anyway.

It’s not my favorite picture of myself, but I love it because it’s the last one I have of the two of us together. The picture was taken the last time I saw him.

After his funeral we all celebrated his life at his house. It was so nice to be in the same place with so many people who loved him all at once. And I decided to photograph the moments.

I felt a little awkward walking around with a camera at a time most people don’t take pictures, but I just kept thinking that I knew my step-mom would be grateful to have them, so I did it anyway. Of course I tried to be very discreet about it so I wasn’t offensive. Luckily only one person was rude enough to ask why I was taking pictures. When I explained it to him, he said, “Well, generally that’s something you do at weddings.” Thanks a heap, smart guy. You should run for Congress…we could sure use your wisdom. I just told him, “We aren’t going to get a wedding, so I’m going to do it now…while everyone we love is in the same room together at once.”

So, yeah. That’s my tip for the day. Don’t waste a chance to capture a memory for fear of rejection or embarrassment if you know deep down you’ll be grateful to have the picture. The discomfort is for a minute…the image is what lasts.

Filed Under: Quick Tip

Missing JJ

April 17, 2012 by beth 71 Comments

As hard as this is to type, we lost my brother, JJ, unexpectedly yesterday in a car accident. He was only 26. My heart goes out to his mom, my wonderful step-mom; and my youngest sister. I will especially miss his sideways smile, his kind heart, and listening to him rock out on the guitar.

These are a couple of the last pictures we took together…

(We’re missing our oldest sister in this pic…)

I won’t be posting this week…I want to spend time with my family. Your prayers are appreciated…especially for his sweet mom.

Love you so much, JJ! I absolutely cannot believe you’re gone.

(Just so there is no confusion, this is not the same brother as the one I posted about HERE.)

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Bedding for My Boys

April 13, 2012 by beth 21 Comments

Thank you all SO much for the great response to the Map Wall in the boys’ room! I’m so glad y’all love it as much as I do! It really is so fun to go in and look at all the places in the world…many I’ve only ever dreamed about.

Things are coming along well in the room, but there are still a few changes I’d like to make. And today we’re making some. In the form of bedding.

About 6 years ago I purchased the blue striped comforter on Pickle’s bed from Target for $20. My mom loved it and bought one for my brother, too. We joked that someday, if I had two boys, my mom would give me the other one when my brother got tired of his. Little did I know then that I’d have two boys! J inherited the comforter when he grew out of his crib.

They’re cute and stripey, but sad and tired. It was time for new ones for sure.

Do you ever take a good look at one of your pin boards and realize you’ve subconsciously pinned the same idea over and over? Yeah, I totally do that. It’s a sign of genius…or so I’ve read. (Not really. I just made that up.) One day I looked at my board “Boys’ Room” and noticed I have a thing for wide stripes when it comes to boy bedding.

Like in this ridiculously cool boy’s room:

Third Bedroom, Third Floor

Emily A. Clark

Loving the wide stripe, the blue and orange combo, and the trunks at the end of the beds:

Sam Allen Interiors

Oh, hey! Do you see the rope wrapped around the lamp in the picture above? Maybe that’s were I got the idea for my desk legs. Hmm.

Wide navy stripes, super cool bunks. I Wish.

Traditional Home

And, my ABSOLUTE favorite room in the group…

Wide, navy stripes. Trunk at the end of the bed. White headboard. Map wall.

(P.S. I cannot seem to find the original source for this one. Was it a West Elm or Pottery Barn pic? Anyone know?)

The navy and white stripes are my favorite color combo. And I like a burst of color, too. (This is a kid space after all, not a funeral home. Sheesh.) So I decided a splash of orange at the end of the boys’ beds would be perfect…like this room:

Lori May Interiors

(Love the orange stripe on the roman shade, too!)

Then one day I was hangin’ out at my friend, Allison’s, house. She says, “Come upstairs and see the new bedding that I bought for my son.” When I saw it, I about died. My stripes!! (And, yes, the hint of orange! Great minds think alike, right? Right?)

House of Hepworths

And the kicker? She bought the duvet at Target. For $20. And it comes with a sham. Seriously.

It was like the best freakin’ deal I’d ever heard. After showing her my entire pin board of striped bedding so she knew I wasn’t a huge stalker copycat, AND after making sure she didn’t mind if I bought the same duvets for my boys’ room, I went over to Target and grabbed two sets.

Thanks SO much for the heads up, Allison!!

I thought it would be a little easier to find an orange throw in this Texas Longhorn lovin’ town (Hook ‘Em!!), but it was a bit harder than I thought. Luckily my BFF and favorite store, Ikea, had a really nice two-toned orange quilt that also comes with two shams. (Find out more about the Karit bedspread HERE.)

It was easy to just cut the quilt in half and give each boy a new throw and a sham.

After a little duvet ironing, the boys’ old comforters were just shoved into the new duvets. All the new pillow shams fit standard pillows, so I grabbed a few extras and stuffed them inside.

The boys’ room is now on it’s way to becoming one of my favorite places in the house.

I’m loving all the different shades of blue in here!

I would still like to add a headboard to each bed (instead of the one J has), as well as a wicker trunk and rug, like the inspiration pictures above. Of course I’ll have to put my Free Stylin’ stamp on things…so that means unusual uses for ordinary items. You’ll have to come back and see what I mean!

I’m linking up!

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia , A Bowl Full of Lemons, The Thrifty Home, Someday Crafts, Seven Thirty Three, Beyond the Picket Fence, House of Hepworths, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Made in a Day, Sassy Sites, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, The Shabby Nest, Remodelaholic, Blue Cricket Design, Beneath My Heart, Lolly Jane Boutique, Be Different Act Normal, C.R.A.F.T., Thrifty Decor Chick, Funky Junk Interiors, Under the Table and Dreaming, House of Grace, Primitive and Proper, Sugar Bee Crafts, Home Stories A 2 Z, Domestically Speaking, Southern Lovely, Somewhat Simple, Love Notes By Lauryn

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Filed Under: Boys' Room

DIY Earring Holder

April 10, 2012 by beth 3 Comments

K, so every night when I take my jewelry off, I tend to pile it on a shelf in my closet. I generally wear the same pieces over and over, so I like having them out and easily accessible. Except it’s making a bit of a mess on my shelf. And I like organization.

Enter a shopping trip to Hobby Lobby. Well, sort of. I was actually there buying the spray paint for my spring porch makeover. As I walked past an aisle end cap, I saw this SUPER CUTE turquoise blue bulletin board. It had me at ~~hello~~ 50% off, making the board $5.

I snagged some sassy coordinating fabric that was 30% off…making it $1.68. Yep, my kinda math. The bulletin board and new cute fabric were going to make my earring organizing issues a thing of the past.

Once I got home, I grabbed a few more supplies: scissors, glue gun, glue stick, and spray adhesive. I flipped the bulletin board on its back and removed it from the frame.

The fabric was cut to the size of the cork board. I used spray adhesive to adhere it to the cork.

Then the edges of the cute fabric were hot glued to the frame. I folded the corners like I would a present and added a dot of glue.

Once I was done, the board was returned to the frame. Super easy, super fast. My kind of project.

And here’s the completed look:

My earrings are just poked through the cork.

If you’d like to add necklaces or a bracelet, a picture hanger with a nail would hold things nicely.

Home Depot

Pretty pieces could also hang well on pearl corsage pins.

48pc 2" Corsage Pins - Round Pearl Head

Amazon

So for less than $7, I have a new jewelry organizer. This can be a free project, too, if you already have a picture frame, some cork, and fabric at your house.