One Room Challenge Week Five

Linking with Linda from Calling It Home

and it's already week five of the One Room Challenge !

 

If this is your first time to visit, here are my previous weeks

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

Week Four

 

My shower curtain came this week and I was able to shop for the rugs and towels!

Here is the shower curtain close up...

It is a bright navy blue, which is exactly what I was hoping for.

The pattern is a little larger than I expected, but I like it. 

Found towels at Macy's in the same shade of navy blue as the shower curtain,

and I plan to monogram them in white....or do you think I should do them in lime green?

  

Here are the coordinating rugs to the towels, so they are the exact same shade.

Can you see the stripe in them? I had to order these online and they are not what I ordered.

Not sure I like the stripes...what do you think?

They are not terribly noticeable.

I definitely want the rugs, towels, and shower curtain to be the same shade of blue.

Here is the rug up close....I will probably just live with it.

 

Totally forgot to think about artwork....what do you hang in a bathroom?

I shopped my house and found this Chinese Peasant Print that my mother

brought me from Hong Kong many years ago...it matches perfectly.

 

Virginia mom had an idea to find a few prints of the kids in the bathtub when they were babies,

and frame them in one of those long rectangular frames with three openings for photos.

I think I will try this using black and white photos.

Here is the progress in patching the giant holes next to the light fixtures...

 

This is the third round of spackle...D will be home this weekend and I know he will

finish it for me if I ask him to...which I will.
 

I am still having difficulty photographing the true color of green in the bathroom.

Linda gave me some ideas I will try for the final reveal next week.

Here is a picture of the green in natural light....still does not photograph as the true color...

but it is more accurate that the bright neon green in the above photos.

 

I am doubtful that I am actually going to finish the bathroom by next week.

While I have LOVED participating in the ORC,

it was probably a really bad idea for me to take on a project

during the most insanely busiest time of the year for me.

This time of year I am prone to meltdowns...and tantrums....and lots of sleepless nights,

but I am glad I participated, and the kids love how the bathroom is turning out.

I'm doing the best that I can.

At least I keep telling myself I am...even if I don't feel like it.

 

On my to do list this week....

Frame Mirror (doubtful it will arrive before next week)

Change knobs on vanity (#3 can handle this project for me)

New faucets (may not be in budget)

Spray paint wicker wastebasket navy blue (delegated to Virginia dad)

Frame bath photos of kids (first I have to FIND some)

Monogram towels (white or green?)

 

Please visit these amazing bloggers who are participating in Linda's

One Room Challenge

as well as all those who are linking

 

 

 

 

Chinoiserie Chic 

Classic Casual Home 

Cottage and Vine 

Design Addict Mom 

Design Crisis 

Design Indulgence 

Design Manifest 

The English Room 

The Green Room Interiors

Henhurst Interiors 

Little Black Door 

Maddie's Nest 

Mix And Chic 

My Notting Hill 

Pawleys Island Posh 

The Pink Pagoda 

Simple Details 

The Vault Files 

 

 

 

 

 



Shoe Love

I do love shoes...

but am not nearly as into shoes as I am handbags.

That being said, there are a few adorable shoes

I would love to add to my closet.

 

Here are several of my favorites...

Adorable Tartan plaid flat from Talbots

Another cute loafer from Talbots

 

 

Loving these Navy blue Tory Burch Reva's

To die for....Ferragamo in Navy!

 

I wear flats 99% of the time....there are so many cute styles to choose from these days!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Week(s) in Review

You may have noticed that I have been MIA lately....

Do you remember this post about my fall schedule being

OUT OF CONTROL?

 

Well it was worse than I thought it was going to be.

For the last two or three weeks,

The kids have had activities every day after work,

and frequently I leave my home at 8:00am and don't get home again until 9:00pm.

 

To make matters worse,

the other social worker at my office left and I am

managing a caseload of 80 patients instead of 40 patients

AND

I have been on call for work 24/7 for the past two weeks.

I am pretty good at whining aren't I?

 Well here is some more whining...

In the past three and a half weeks,

I have seen my husband for a total of about 36 hours...

and that is NOT consecutive hours either.

 

There is an end in sight....

ALL fall sports END by November 10th.

I will be able to take a breath.
MANY thanks to my BFFs and parents for assisting with transporting children!

 

In-between school, football, baseball, cheering, chorus, #2's job, and my job,

here is a little of what we have been up to...

We have not carved pumpkins in many years...the kids begged to this year.

#2 sketching out her pumpkin's face

 Pretending to stab the pumpkin brought smiles to the twins.

 Can we ever get picture without someone being silly?

D came down and spent the night last Sunday for "family night"

 

Of course the twins would make their pumpkin "throwing up"

#2 trying to concentrate with crazy brothers

Celebrating all of the October birthdays at Maggiano's

#2, Virginia Mom, #4, Virginia Dad, #3

 Back in Kansas...

 

Fall Break in Florida with BFFs
Kansas Daughter, #1, and Missouri Daughter

 

 

 Looking forward to things slowing down in a few weeks!



One Room Challenge Week Four

Linking with Linda from Calling It Home,

for week four of the One Room Challenge!

 

This week my focus was the light fixtures.

I finally found a fixture that I did not hate

and one that did not have globes that would hang over the mirror.

Here is what I ended up with....

 

In keeping with the "nothing is easy" theme,

my sweet husband went to install them

 and the "box" was recessed too far into the wall to hang them.

One more trip to Lowes later and a few spacers later,

and he had them installed along with the bathroom hardware.

 

I am very happy with the color (which is very hard to photograph)

and am excited for the shower curtain to arrive!

I got an email yesterday that it shipped!

 

Here is a picture with a hand towel in the same pattern and color as the shower curtain...

 

Love it!

 

My to do list for the next week:

1. Order mirror frame

2. Shop for rugs and towels

3. Purchase and install faucets

 

Please make sure to visit Linda and check out all of the others who are linking up

as well as the fabulous designers who are participating!

 

Chinoiserie Chic 

Classic Casual Home 

Cottage and Vine 

Design Addict Mom 

Design Crisis 

Design Indulgence 

Design Manifest 

The English Room 

The Green Room Interiors

Henhurst Interiors 

Little Black Door 

Maddie's Nest 

Mix And Chic 

My Notting Hill 

Pawleys Island Posh 

The Pink Pagoda 

Simple Details 

The Vault Files 



Spreading The Sunshine

I was first awarded the Sunshine Award from one of my favorite bloggers,

 Katie from Preppy Empty Nester and I nominated ten more bloggers here.

One of the bloggers I nominated was Nancy

 at Always in a Southern State Of Mind who nominated me back!

I love Nancy's blog...she is a great writer and I think we have a lot in common.

Nancy frequently has very thoughtful and meaningful posts

in addition to her light hearted and humorous posts,

and one of her posts was life changing for me...see here.

 

So thank you Nancy for spreading the sunshine!

Here are the answers to your questions...

 

1. Name a favorite thing you do or use to make yourself feel good.

That is a hard one...I would have to say accomplishing something

or completing a project...it can be something small such as ironing.

Who in their right mind irons to make themself feel good?

Well me I guess....

but I always feel good when I finish a job, project, or even my "to do" list for the day.

 

2. What saying or quote best reflects how you try to life your life?

"Be true to yourself"

This is not always easy for me.

 

3. What's your guilty pleasure?

LOL...handbags and tote bags.

 

4. Name a person or book that has had the biggest impact in your life.

Wow...this is a tough one for me.

I would have to say my husband because he has loved me

through some pretty ugly moments in my life,

and then he just loves me more.

 

5. If you watch TV, name a show you think should not be missed.

I love NCIS reruns....and I DVR them so I can watch them whenever I want!

 

6. Finish this sentence....My idea of perfect happiness is...

...spending time with my entire family (my parents and siblings included).

 

7. What talent would you like to have if you could?

I would love to be able to sing!

 

8. What phrase do you overuse?

"SERIOUSLY?"

 

9. What comforts you when you feel blah?

My dear husband and my children can always make me smile and laugh.

Or a new handbag....just kidding...no I'm not.

 

10. Finish the sentence...You know it's going to be a great day when...

...there is no line at the McDonalds drive thru when getting my mid-morning sweet tea.

 

Thank you Nancy!

The best part of this award is getting to learn something new

about your blogging friends.



The Gift of Adoption

While I personally don't have any experience with adopting children, 

several of my friends have adopted or are in the process of adopting children

and I wanted to share a fabulous resource for those who

are on the journey of adopting children.

 

 

I have a dear friend who has adopted two beautiful children.

The road to parenthood was a long and painful one for both her and her husband,

and my heart ached for them as I witnessed their stress and raw grief in coping with infertility.

Born out of their experience is a wonderful non-profit organization...

 

 

 

HelpUsAdopt.org was created by my friend and her husband to provide financial assistance

 to families during the adoption process by providing grants to those who qualify.

HelpUsAdopt.org awards grants twice a year

 ranging from $500-$15,000 depending on individual needs.

Grants are awarded for both private or agency adoptions,

domestic or international adoptions, and adoptions through foster care,

just to name a few.

 

Visit HelpUsAdopt.com for additional information

and to learn how to donate to this wonderful organization.

If you are interested in applying for a grant,

you can download the application here

and get answers to frequently asked questions.

 

Please visit their website to read my friend's

personal account of their own journey...it is an inspirational story.

 

In addition to her non-profit, my friend has a wonderful blog called

An Infertile Blonde

that shares her journey through infertility and adoption.

 

 

My prayers are with my BFF, SPW, who is on her own journey to adopt children.

Blessings to all who are on this journey as well.

 

 

 

 

 

One Room Challenge Week Three

Linking with Linda from Calling It Home to participate

in her One Room Challenge

 

 

See my week one here

See my week two here

 

Well....I finally selected a green....

Benjamin Moore's "Scenic View"

 

 

And here is the finished product....

 

 

 

I am happy with how it turned out.

 

Here is a reminder of what I started with...

 

You know how you start a project and something always

"pops up"

that causes complications in your plans?

 

Here is mine...

My Virginia Dad took the old light fixtures down so I could paint above the mirror,

and there are two holes almost the size of a dime on either side of where the fixtures mount.

 

Here is the light fixture I had selected...

So I'm going to have to patch those holes and paint.

I'm also concerned that the globes from this fixture are longer than the ones from the old one

and that they may overlap the mirror, which I don't want.

In addition, upon further research, this fixture did not get good reviews...

most of them said it rusted within six months....that will not work for me.

 

So....on my to do list for this week....

Patch and paint holes above mirror

Look for new light fixtures

Order frame for mirror

Purchase new shower curtain rod

source

Here is a picture with the type of frame I am planning to order.

Notice how the globes of the fixture hang over the frame.

I don't think I want that look...although I may not have a choice

unless I go with the Hollywood lighting, which I don't like.

 

My soap dispensers got here...love them!

I am getting matching jars at the Hobby Lobby to use as a toothbrush holder.

 

I decided to wait until the shower curtain arrives

to shop for rugs and towels because I want to match the shade of navy blue.

The shower curtain should be here in two weeks!

 

My number one priority right now is to get a new shower curtain rod

because we are ALL showering my bathroom until I get the new rod and mount it.

The old one was mounted on the walls and was not a tension rod, but it was gold.

I want another one that mounts on the wall because a tension rod plus eight kids

equals the shower curtain rod getting pulled down weekly.

 

I am happy with my progress this week!

So happy to have the painting done!



Festive Fall Tables

I love autumn, but this is my craziest time of the year
with back to school, the kids' sports and activities, and Navy football games on weekends.

As much as I would love to be decorating my front porch with pumpkins and mums,

I am just too overwhelmed to do anything festive right now.
I did promise my children that we could carve pumpkins this weekend.
Sadly, that is about all I can handle right now for fun family fall activities!

To be honest, the colors of fall are not my favorite ones.
I'm not really an "orange" or "brown" person in terms of my wardrobe or my decorating.
That being said, I love the fall foliage and the rich autumn reds, yellows, and greens.

 

 I always love to set a festive table...
so here are some ideas that incorporate my favorite colors into the autumn color scheme.

I have an addiction to glassware and sets of dishes
(yes, in addition to my bag addiction)
and I would love to add some green glassware to my current collection.

LOVE this one...almost pink and green!
I would love to find those green goblets a home in my cupboard.

Just lovely....I never really noticed all of the white pumpkins until this year.


Now this I could actually do!


More white pumpkins...I love it with the green!



Blue and White meets Autumn...need I say more?
source

The berries are a perfect touch!

source

Notice the pheasant feathers tucked in the arrangement...clever.

 

I doubt I will have a table as lovely as these this fall,

but some day....

 

All of these lovely tables can be found on my Table Settings Pintrest Page