Pallet Love

We love Pallets round here and I know we aren't alone. We have had an old weathered pallet for a couple years now and since getting into our house we have been able to disassemble it (it was a double pallet and was HUGE and HEAVY) and with the glorious boards we have done a couple projects and still have a ton of boards to play with.
The first project I did was this sign for a shelf in my dining room for Christmas

The next one J and I put together was something that I saw in a shop with my mother in law and sister in law. My mother in law loved a pallet Christmas tree they had so I made note of it and with J's measuring, cutting and hammering help we came up with this

 First we figured out the height that we wanted it and how many boards, then we figured out how wide we wanted it and made each board 6 inches longer than the next. J got them all cut down and nailed to the main board. I didnt worry about the nails showing because I liked the way it added to the rustic, distressed look

I then took some white paint we had and just lightly ran a bristly paint brush across each board (I did the same for the Christmas sign above)

I then used some stencils I had and a black sharpie and stenciled "Walkin in a winter" in the boards. I wanted the "Wonderland" to be a little fancy so I just free-handed that part......very carefully. 

After I had everything stenciled and filled in I took some sandpaper and went over all of the letters to make them look distressed and here is what the final product looks like. I am excited to make one for our front porch for next year

Decorating my Display Shelves

My dining room was in major need of some sprucing up. Since moving in we (Jason) made some display shelves for our dining room and we got them done right when I had all of my fall-y things out and so I was able to spruce them up with Fall Decor and then came Christmas so I had them Christmas'fied.
I realized that when I took all of the decor down I had bare and naked shelves that needed some sprucing up and with us trying to stay on a budget and wanting to save money for other stuff around the house I wanted to rummage all of the misc. stuff in my craft room and come up with something fun.
here are some pics of the Shelves with the different decor

                                                                              Fall-

Christmas-

 In Progress-

Before I show the final product here is how I got there-

I had these cardboard EAT letters from our old house that I spray painted to look metal but they blended into the shelf and looked like FAT so I figured that wasn't the best saying to display at the dinner table

So I slapped a couple coats of paint I had from my dining room chairs on them to turn them into the fun bold hue. The paint is Sherwin Williams- Grand Canal

I then rummaged through my craft room to find some left over chevron striped fabric, burlap, frames, embroidery hoops and snagged a yarn covered S I had in the family room

and came up with this

I put the burlap behind the glass of a fun frame i snagged at a upcycled shop for $2.00 and have been just waiting to find a home for it and used a couple different sized embroidery hoops to put fabric in.

I will use the burlap frame to add scripture of fun family quotes in. I was even able to keep the metal star (that was a tree topper) that I had on display for my Christmas shelves.

Transparency in the journey of Motherhood

Toys strewn, dishes in the sink, laundry piled high, my kids fighting...... Most likely because my almost 3 year old son has hit or thrown something at my 6 year old daughter and she is shoving him out of her room.

Living the Life, I tell ya

Living the life of a mom and a wife who is struggling to keep sane some (most) days.

Now this post isn't meant to be a pity party or a woe is me. This is a post about transparency. 

Being transparent to other women, other moms about the struggles I face daily. While I know that things could be a lot worse and I have 2 healthy kids and feel so thankful for them I still feel helpless somedays. We all have different struggles with our children and I feel that we have come to a time in our society that it just isn't OK to talk about where we are struggling as moms and as wives. We are told to be put together and that our homes and children need to be perfect.

I was reminded recently that I wasn't alone in my struggles and the transparency of another mom struggling in her journey gave me a sense of relief and the encouragement that it would be OK.. It isn't a "misery loves company" mentality it is a "THANK GOD I AM NOT ALONE" mentality. 

Now, my sweet little Zeke can be one of the funniest, sweetest, fun little boys but in the flip of a switch it all changes. I thank God everyday for the little victories like getting him dressed without a kicking, screaming, UFC match in his room, getting him to eat his meals without him throwing an epic fit and it is usually far and few between that those tasks end well. He is a boy, all boy and is worlds different than Maddy was at that age or any age for that matter. I am thankful to know that in my daily struggles I am not alone, that it isn't just me or it isn't just Zeke. That there isn't something wrong with him and I am not failing miserably at being a mom.

Transparency is my challenge for you. 

We as moms need it.Whether you realize it or not we are all in this together. This journey of motherhood was not meant to be done alone. You are not alone in your motherhood struggles whatever they may be and I encourage you to be vulnerable. It is hard and it is humbling, but your humility can be a huge blessing to someone else.

Master Bedroom Inspiration

I don't know about you guys but my master bedroom decor has always been neglected. I have always put more effort into making the other rooms in our house comfortable, cute and "homey" but after re-doing our daughters room I am dedicated to making my room a sanctuary and a place that is warm and inviting and makes me feel like I am on vacation.

Here is some inspiration I have found

Love the grey paint and candles at the end of the bed

A fun patterned area rug

Thinking this type of headboard (from Pier1) or a DIY upholstered one

So I am thinking we will go with a grey, white and teal(ish) blue with a dark yellow color scheme. I want big billowy white bedding, glass lamps on chalk painted nightstands, a fun bright dresser and some fun curtains........but since I am just starting the deciding process and I am on a budget who knows where this will take me.

How about you? is your bedroom a sanctuary or has it been in decorating purgatory?

Maddisons room makeover Part 1

The Hubbs and I decided for Maddisons birthday that we would make over her bedroom. Since moving into our new house we hadnt done much and knew it would be a fun surprise for her so we fished around for ideas from her and sure enough she knew exactly what she wanted...A Paris room more specifically a teal, black and white Paris room.

I wanted to make sure that we gave her a little bit more of a Big girl room because I want this to be something she grows into and not out of in a year so I hit up Pinterest to help get my creative juices flowing.
My problem wasnt coming up with ideas it was limiting them so the room didnt become to cluttery and all over the place.

So I started with the bedding and went from there

Bedding- The bedding I had my eye on at Target for some time but was wanting to catch it on sale so when Black Friday came around and it went on sale plus I had a 20% entire store purchase coupon I knew I had to snag it ( this picture makes it look more blue than it actually is)


Paint- The paint is Sherwin Williams "Aquatint" I wanted something that was "tealy" but not so much that it would making the bedding and other stuff blend into it and I didn't want the room to feel too dark so this was the perfect color.


Shelves- J made these awesome shelves for our dining room so when I was thinking of shelves for the room I knew this style would be perfect and since J could make them we were able to make them for far less then buying them. I got the awesome tutorial from Shanty 2 Chic and want to make these for every room in my house (and when I say "I" I mean Jason)

Decor for shelves-

 I already had these black and white framed pictures from Maddisons previous room that I loved so it was perfect I didnt have to do anything but touch up the white paint on the frames.
I picked up a little glittered Eiffel tower gem at a local(ish) store Rejuvinations that was originally an ornament but I just plucked off the hook and it made the perfect addition to the shelf (right next to the Big M)
The cute silver oval and square mirrors are mirrors that I picked up at a garage sale months and months ago that were a nice pretty gold color that I used acrylic paint to transform
The round chalkboard was a last minute addition because the shelves were just missing something. My husbands family friend Diane had made this for me and I loved that I was able to add it to this space.
The M is a cardboard letter I had gotten from JoAnns and just covered it with scrapbook paper





Stay tuned for Part 2 and the big reveal

Maddison room makeover Part 2

Hope you guys enjoyed the first installment of Maddison room makeover. Here is the 2nd part and the big reveal

Lets start off with this fun little corner-

Desk and Chair- Maddy had a desk that we got for her last year but it was a little too bulky for her room and would have needed to be painted so I kept my eye out for one on craigslist and scored one a couple months ago for $30 and it also came with a chair (not the adorable chair in this picture but one I can use in my craft room)
The chair she has now was made by my husbands grandfather on his dads side. My mother in law offered it up for her new room and not only did I love the chair but I loved the sentiment that goes along with it. My mother in law added a little blue paint to the top and the perfectly matching chair cushion.
Jason had a small desk lamp from forever ago so instead of buying a new one I just used Valspar's Metallic spray paint and shined that baby up. I also used the same spray paint for the big chalk board frame abover her desk.
Next to that Chalkboard frame are 3 clipboards that she can hang her artwork on or fun cards

Pillows, valance and chair pad- I wanted to make some throw pillows for Maddys new room and my mother in law found this fabric where she works and luckily with her expertise we made these cute little pillows and then she went above and beyond and made the valance and chair pad to match. It makes it just enough Paris without it being too much.

Maddy got some wonderful gifts from Family for her birthday to make her room complete as well. Like this fun LOVE sign, dressed up mannequin and mirrored jewelry box (because every little girl needs somewhere to keep her bling)

A few other favorites from her room

Here is a Panoramic view of the room.

Love the way everything came out and wish the pictures could capture the cuteness of this rooms

My Story

I recently was blessed to be given the opportunity to speak at a moms group I go to and as I prepared my heart and my words to open up my journey with women that I am still getting to know past fears and Satan's lies tried to fill my head. That I would be judged, that grace would not be given and I would be looked down on.

Now, these women have never done or said anything that would make me think that this would be their reaction but Satan works in a way to make us throw out ration and plant seeds, in my case it was fear of rejection. He doesn't want me telling my story. He knows the Glory it brings to God every time I share it. I overcame the power he and this world had on me and I turned to a Savior.

He(God) saved me time after time after time. I made some very poor choices in my past that were far from safe or healthy and I cant help but think that I should have turned out a whole lot different but He saved me. I was the wondering sheep in his flock of 100, He chased after me. He blessed me with a church, with a man who would love me unconditionally through my garbage, who would respect me when I needed to see what it was like for a man to actually respect me, who would love my daughter as his own. Who would lead our family spiritually and who would challenge me.  He blessed me with His love, His grace, His mercy and His redemption.

I have a story, a sin filled messy story. We are all sinners in need of forgiveness, In need of His grace and His mercy. Im thankful I heard His whispers..... although by the time I payed any attention to them I think it was more of a shouting.

***I thought about writing out my story for everyone but it is a long story and it is a part of not only me but my family and I hold it dear to my heart. I am sure there will be a time where it is all out there on the internet for whomever to see (if that is on Gods plan) but right now I dont feel that is what God is calling me to do. If you genuinely want to know I would love to email you privately and share my journey with you.