Basement Dwelling...Not My Thing!

I am not a basement dweller.  Don't get me wrong, I was happy when my husband wanted to "finish" our basement.  We actually started the project RIGHT when we moved in and I am glad we did it.  Our basement is "functional".  Chris' office is down there.  I don't mean a "home office" I mean his OFFICE.  No one needs to visit their real estate appraiser.  He does all the visiting so he chose to save money and put it in the basement.  It allowed him to be home often and he really did see our kids grow up.  I have many friends who wonder how I can possibly stand to have him home all the time but actually, I love it! He has his space, I have mine.  We meet in the middle (the kitchen) at lunch time or sometimes we get crazy and have a middle of the week lunch date.  I love my husband.  I REALLY love spending time with him.  I guess we are practicing for retirement and we are doing really well!  

OK...back to the basement.  Our basement is nice.  It has an office, a bar area with a refrigerator and a large television.  I have tons of closet space for the kids toys.  I had the nice carpenters who finished our basement put a door on the space under the stairs and that became the Christmas closet.  I have a small storage area and we have a half bath.  Sounds nice...right?  Well, the truth is, I hate basements.  Even with SUPER SIZED window wells it's still dark down there.  It doesn't help that I had the bead board and all the trim work stained kinda dark.  Ok...I know that was a bit of a 70's idea but hear me out.  Our last house had a finished basement and we trimmed out everything in white and it got dinged and nicked by the kids and looked beat up.  So I thought I'd give the basement a fighting chance and start dark.  I am lucky to have a place for all the kids "stuff" and a space for them to play their wii games and not be right in my beautiful family room but I still am not a basement fan.  That being QUITE clear now...let me explain how I handed off the basement choices to my husband and didn't have much to do with them.  I didn't care.  I still really don't but now I am a bit aggregated with my lack of basement decor participation.  Now I am back pedalling and trying to spruce it up a bit.  Here is a small...small...small...attempt to make my basement not seem so...(what's the word?)...generic.  Here is our bathroom (generic) vanity BEFORE...

Look at those LOVELY brass (plastic) knobs.  Yuck!  So...while wandering around Hobby Lobby last week I stumbled down the knob aisle.  WOW is all I can say!  THE CHOICES!!  I think I spent 20 minutes ooohing and ahhhhing over all the options!  Since I am a polka dot fan (hence the blog title) I settled on these babies...take a look...don't they make quite a different??? Don't you think?!

Here is one up close and personal...

Hello cutie!  $9 well spent.  Does it improve the WHOLE basement.  Let's not get crazy...they're just knobs...but it's a START!  And I think I can live with these babies for awhile.  Now...if I could just do something about the sink!  I think that will have to wait a bit!  Right now I have 3 screaming children down my basement and I don't think even those cute knobs will distract me from the MESS I am sure they are making!  Enjoy President's Day tomorrow!

On Being "Artsy"

I love all things artsy.  As a child I knew I wasn't "artsy" but I loved coloring, crafting and even scrapbooking (yes, I made scrapbooks before I knew what they really were!)  I sometimes wish I could spend all my free time doing "artsy" things.  I would take one whole day to make headbands...the next day I may spend the day with photos of my family and try to create scrapbook-worthy pages.  I love the different adhesives, ribbon, patterned paper, gems and ink.  I love browsing through scrapbook and craft magazines.  (add a cup of hot coffee and I'm in HEAVEN!)  I think my daughter may be an "artsy" girl too.  She loves to make things....she had BIG ideas...she sees treasure where others see trash.  I think my desire to be artsy may have transferred to her in the womb...because she IS!  She makes up some crazy outfits or crafts but I can see her mind working and I can ALMOST see in her eyes that some day she will do some AMAZING artsy things!

So...here is my version of "artsy"

And right now, at age 8, here is hers...

Make your own paper doll outfits...HOW COOL!  I would have LOVED this book as a kid!  I think I will pretend...just for today...that I am 8 again...gotta go find my bestie so we can be "artsy" together!

Have an "artsy" weekend!

Proud Momma...take One!

Do you see the cute boy in the center...the one with the microphone?  Well, he's my boy and I love him. Last night we went to a School Board Meeting to hear his speech and see him get his award for Student of the Month. 

 I can't help but getting sappy when I think about all the times we went to "Traveling Twos" class or Kindermusik and he wouldn't sit still or he had a FIT about having to give up an instrument....I was so worried.  I thought it was a peek into his school years.   I was sure he had ADD or ADHD and would need medication some day to be able to sit still.  I was REALLY sure I would get phone calls about how Ben couldn't follow directions or stop talking. 

 I WAS WRONG.  I wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self to "STOP WORRYING!!!"  I wish I could explain to her that he was just being little and he would get big and responsible.  He would get his black belt in TaeKwonDo and then work toward his second degree.  He would join the Speech Team, make the News Team, be inducted into the Junior Beta Club (that's an honors service society) and be in the spring play.  I wish I could tell my younger self to just enjoy this time.  Kiss and cuddle and forgive easily and let him be a little guy who can't sit still.  I love my big, responsible, thoughtful, smart, wonderful boy. 

 I try to appreciate, celebrate and spend time with him whenever I can.  Now I know that this time with him is fleeting.  He will grow faster each day.  Probably, by tomorrow, he will be taller than me.  He will be in high school in a bit over 2 years and then I will blink and he will be heading off to college.  Sniff.  I try desperately not to wish time away...to live in the moment and remember as much as possible.  Because...all too soon I am going to long for my junior high boy who makes me laugh, shows me funny YouTube videos and still wants me to tuck him in every night!  

What Have You Been Up To?

I don't like the days when I am so busy I don't have time to sit, or think or reflect...I just DO!  Today has been one of those days.  I don't know if I need to start making a schedule and planning out my days but I know I don't waste time and find that on the days I am not teaching, I am crazy busy...but doing WHAT?  Well...here's a picture of today...

6:10am:  Turn off alarm.  Wake boy and get him to take a shower so his teachers don't call him the "smelly kid".

6:25: Head to the laundry room.  Let Miss Honey out...filled her food and water bowls.  Threw in laundry load 1 of 6 for the day.

6:30am:  Start working on breakfasts (ie. cereal for boy and oatmeal for girl.) Set out vitamins and juice.  Move on to lunches.  Sandwich for the boy, soup for the girl.  

6:50:

Lunches and water bottles are ready to go!  (We have decided to give up using plastic water bottles this year.  We stocked up on aluminum water bottles and so far so good.  Ok...I say that and today Ben was instructed to bring home the 3 bottles that he had in his locker.  We're TRYING!)

7:10:  My very sweet neighbor picks the boy up in our driveway (since it's been so cold outside) and waits with them at the bus stop.  One kid down...one to go.

7:10-8am:  I help Sis get dressed, her backpack loaded, hair done and if there is time...we read.  I love being home to get her ready for her day.  If I am substituting then I am out the door by 7:45 and her Dad takes her to the bus stop.

8:15-9am: Took a 3 mile walk with Chris and Lucy...had to take advantage of the Midwestern meltdown that is happening right now.  Seriously, it's getting warmer, snow is melting and it's staying light outside longer in the evenings....shhhhh...don't tell anyone but I think the groundhog was right!

9-10am:  Shower, dress, laundry.

10am-11am:  Worked on my writing piece.  Editing...editing...editing! (Thanks for your help Mom!)  In between times I was folding and switching loads.

11am-1pm: Headed out to the mall...hunting for new pants, shirt and tie for the boy who is being honored as Student of the Month tonight at the School Board Meeting.  SO PROUD!  (Not loving the fact that we are not very close to any good shopping to make this task easier!)  After several different trips to 3 or 4 stores I found the tie...2 shirts...and pants for the boy.  

1-2pm: Ran to the Junior College to visit eldest sister and see if her secretary (aka: Computer Whiz) could help me with a technical computer problem I was having.  Ran through the car wash on my way home.  Love that winter is melting but really frustrated at how grimy and dirty it makes cars and garage floors and house floors!  Ugh!

2-3pm:  Vacuumed house to keep up with all the grime and salt that is making it's way into my home.  

3:30pm: Got the girl off the bus and helped with homework and snack.

4:00pm: Sent kids outside to run around while I sat here and blogged.  Whew!  And the evening is still young!  We will be heading to our local Subway for dinner tonight and then it's off to the School Board Meeting to honor my boy.  Always a TREAT!  

Anyway, the point of all this rambling was to show that my days "off" are filled...packed...jammed with so many "to do" items I forget to take a bit of time for myself.  Feed the soul.  Feed the mind.  Whatever.  It's the kind of day that pops into my head when people ask me when I am going back to work full time and don't I get bored at home.  BORED??  REALLY??  That would be a NICE CHANGE!

Wishing you a "BORING" day!   :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy hearts day...here is how we celebrated...



Here is what the kiddos saw when they got up this morning...love before school!  (Dad was in Florida so no Valentine breakfast for him.)




This was Emily's place.  (pssst...I made those place mats...what do you think?)

This was Ben's place setting...they both got Barnes & Noble gift cards and some love candy!

Here is Emily's Valentine box and cards to pass out to her classmates.  We made the box a PURSE (how cool is that?)  And the cards are a download I found on Etsy...they're Valentine Fortune Tellers...a 2nd grade favorite.

This is us at her Valentine's class party.  I planned all the games and the menu.  Hazard of being a parent at the school where you used to teach (kidding!)  See her cool 14 shirt?  Made it! Yep, I did.  I got the idea and ran with it.  It looked so cute on her too.  The kids had a great time and were SO SO SO well behaved!  The party was first thing in the morning because they had an early release day so by 10:30 we were all partied out! (Oh, can't forget...do you see my fancy necklace?  It was my gift from baby girl this morning...along with a handmade card...LOVE IT!)

While everyone was gone I set the Valentine's table for dinner.  Complete with a menu!  Now I need to go cook for the family.  I hope you had someone to love today.  Happy Valentine's Day to you!

A Valentine Craft

  I love the idea of original home decor.   Seriously, I am over wanting what everyone else has.  I've even dropped my love of Coach purses...ok...I still love them but I'd rather have a cute boutique find that no one else has!

That being said I feel the same way about my house.  I don't want to decorate with items every neighbor has in her house...I want to be ORIGINAL.  So I was in the garage last week and stumbled across this picture frame that I ALMOST gave to Goodwill...(why???)




Then I got the good idea to paint it...but the stand wouldn't separate from the frame...hmmmm?  I decided it's tooooo cute to give away, I think the old saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is true in this case!  I love that cute little frame...but what to do with it?  I decided instead of putting just another photo in there I would turn it into a cute holiday decoration.  I don't have too many Valentine decorations so I came up with this little number...and I am sharing my steps.   It was simple and except for drying time it came together very quickly.

I picked out some cute paper, traced the glass and cut.  Easy.  Yes, Mom, even you could do this!



Next, I found a chipboard heart in my scrapbook stash and painted it cream.  I used Making Memories paint.  I think the color was called "manila".  I gave it 2 coats and 20 minutes to dry.  I could have cut a heart out of vinyl too but I wanted it to have a 3-D look to it...FUN!



Then I chose to use my ever trusty "sticky tack."  It was one of my best teacher supplies and I still keep it around the house (need it when I want to hang a good paper or piece of art on the fridge, magnets don't work on stainless steel!)  By the way, I personally love the original blue sticky tack the best, it holds better.  I could have used foam dots or large glue dots but I didn't want to keep it this way forever and I didn't want to spend time cleaning the "stick" off the glass!  (learned my lesson one Halloween with those cute Martha Stewart decorations I just HAD to stick to my sliding glass doors...ugh!)



And there you have it...the finished project.  I looks great in this little nook in my kitchen.  I love that it's original and it was a FREE project!  Gotta love those!  Next week I'll share Emily's Valentine box and Valentines...oooooh!  I am so EXCITED about these!!!  xoxoxo




                      Happy Valentine's Day!

I am linking up to Frugal Friday at







Also linked up at  http://becca-homeiswheremystorybegins.blogspot.com/

A "Budget" Dinner

Since I shared my couponing secrets with you I thought I'd give you a peek at one of our budget dinners.  I made it this week and figured out that this delicious, balanced dinner cost about $2 per family member.  That really is amazing to me!  I'll break it down for you....

* Pork Tenderloin- 2 come in a pack.  I usually break them up and put each in a freezer bag.  I purchased a Tyson port tenderloin at Walmart for $9.  I only cooked 1 so that's $4.  I marinated the pork tenderloin in a sesame ginger marinade that I got FREE from Dominicks.  See the next bullet point for an explanation of how.


*I made a bag of whole grain rice that I got for FREE from Dominicks.  I got a coupon flyer in my mailbox a few weeks ago and there were several coupons for FREE items and others were $1.  It was a very uninteresting flyer and one that could have easily been thrown away but because I took the time to read it first I scored some GREAT deals...and HELLO....FREE STUFF!  LOVE IT!

*Last but not least I chose a few veggies I had in my veggie drawer to stir fry.  I used about half a red pepper, 1 small bunch of broccoli, half of a yellow onion and a handful of baby carrots.  It was about $4 in vegetables and that is a high estimate.


It was a delish dinner and my kids even ate it.  I had enough left over for lunch the next day too!

Just a little note about the flyer I got in the mail.  One of the coupons on it was $10 off your purchase of $50 or more.   I told you yesterday I got one online.  That makes 2 of the same coupons I got to used 2 weeks in a row.  Sweeeeeeet!  In this same flyer there was $4 off frozen chicken breasts, a free 24 ounce jar of salsa, a free large bottle of salad dressing and plenty more!  I know there had to have been several Dominicks customers who got this same flyer, figured it was just an ad and threw it away.  Big mistake!

I will stop blogging about my coupon craziness now.  (OK...maybe I will mention it a few more times if I stumble across a GREAT deal)