tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60392255727565384252024-02-23T02:05:19.091-06:00Caught in GraceJaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-61768456072137913242018-05-04T11:42:00.002-05:002018-05-04T11:42:59.543-05:00I've Moved!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisobe6vS783CcfdkQMvBAPVAya56zbYQ9FTncHYaptIDWAuehMdSWlIBH8hLIpFj_-_RqO9GfBYXkvRCkGc1Sx-z3HQZMrkDKMoH14PdH5uE6_0-rwcEWEW4o9LM0wwBvki9xSOaoK9_c/s1600/IMG_2520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisobe6vS783CcfdkQMvBAPVAya56zbYQ9FTncHYaptIDWAuehMdSWlIBH8hLIpFj_-_RqO9GfBYXkvRCkGc1Sx-z3HQZMrkDKMoH14PdH5uE6_0-rwcEWEW4o9LM0wwBvki9xSOaoK9_c/s640/IMG_2520.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hi everyone (or anyone?),<br />
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I just wanted to pop in over here and let you know that I've moved. My new blog is called "Little City Cottage". And you can find me writing about creating beauty and pursuing simplicity over at <br />
<a href="http://www.littlecitycottage.com/">www.littlecitycottage.com</a><br />
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I hope you'll come join me! Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-31304420818378469152016-10-05T16:47:00.001-05:002016-10-05T16:47:46.934-05:00Bathroom Makeover Re-do<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Over this past summer, due to some plumbing issues, we needed to replace the toilet in the kids' bathroom. As usual, one thing led to another and before Tim knew it, he was planking the walls for me. And since he had to take everything out to plank the walls, we decided to go ahead and switch out the vanity, as well as the light fixture too.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">So the kids' bathroom got a fun freshening up.</span></div>
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Here's a look back at what the bathroom looked like when we moved in. So much tan and brown, I couldn't take it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kdKRZT4thXmqwYIFjtrltfdOAAUARhJK1PKM10tx3z1jFGOoGxkTkqEirFzwBbEVA9Jrmq6ekelioy9xhYct4uvn8RzOQtllqR44D8Khhi0nV5_fHIRrlhSk_QtjiIPDcZMQhiIzXlA/s1600/IMG_3487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kdKRZT4thXmqwYIFjtrltfdOAAUARhJK1PKM10tx3z1jFGOoGxkTkqEirFzwBbEVA9Jrmq6ekelioy9xhYct4uvn8RzOQtllqR44D8Khhi0nV5_fHIRrlhSk_QtjiIPDcZMQhiIzXlA/s640/IMG_3487.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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So not too long after we moved in, I tore down the wallpaper and the shower doors and gave it a fresh coat of paint. We also updated the vanity, the medicine cabinet, and the light fixture, but we left the toilet, the floors, the tub and surrounding tiles alone because we weren't ready to jump into a major renovation.</div>
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After that update, it looked like this</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpDv0Im2OEcs42T1gK2gBgPZNz9oT3FxkNAposMY7_vjaLVau6pmcse20dzGR5-hy5g-gQtrZQulvAaat1BrVIee7gRpSTtoyA0btzbawZAtotEGoNO7-zBJszy5hgqBd2MojWeAKMRs/s1600/DSC_9217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpDv0Im2OEcs42T1gK2gBgPZNz9oT3FxkNAposMY7_vjaLVau6pmcse20dzGR5-hy5g-gQtrZQulvAaat1BrVIee7gRpSTtoyA0btzbawZAtotEGoNO7-zBJszy5hgqBd2MojWeAKMRs/s640/DSC_9217.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
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It was definitely much better (and very colorful too!). </div>
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But after living with it this way for a few years, we realized some of our choices weren't working in there as well as we thought they would. Live and learn! For one thing, the vanity was really too big for such a tiny bathroom. It made the already small space feel even more cramped. And it wasn't holding up very well either. Tim had already had to fix a drawer that had come loose and the paint had also started chipping and bubbling up in places. </div>
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I had the hardest time settling on what to replace it with though. I really wanted a wall-mounted sink, but finally decided one wouldn't be very practical for us right now. I also looked at smaller vanities, but just didn't find one that I loved. Plus I wanted the bathroom to feel very open and airy and I didn't think I could get that feeling with a vanity. So I ended up going with a pedestal sink, which originally was not even on my radar. But it has opened up the bathroom so much. I made sure to get one with space on both sides of the sink so the kids could sit their toiletries on it. And I chose one that feels a little bit vintage, rather than sleek and modern. We already had the medicine cabinet to hold things like toothpaste, a brush, hair gel, etc... I just gave it a fresh coat of white paint to match the walls. And there are some open shelves on the other side of the bathroom to hold baskets of things as well as the kids' towels.</div>
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The other thing we'd come to realize was that the light fixture we originally put in the bathroom wasn't nearly bright enough. This bathroom doesn't have any windows, so it's important that our lighting be very bright. The light we had in there only used two low wattage light bulbs and since the top of the light fixture was covered it also blocked much of the light from spreading out around the room. So this time around, we bought a three-bulb light fixture with open glass so that the light could really brighten the entire bathroom. It's so much brighter now. We can finally see!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaegjxhLY9c6yUAn8BNHBsx7q685kMrTb01QK3uiJOE_6xfUkofk52Sxh1EP0l1WqpU7L5meLe4holtm-UNmQGOs_qu37mCJwY1iHGh6vA80IU5K20LKHIwxLTl9wU-GSWJXuQyTQCGGw/s1600/IMG_2674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaegjxhLY9c6yUAn8BNHBsx7q685kMrTb01QK3uiJOE_6xfUkofk52Sxh1EP0l1WqpU7L5meLe4holtm-UNmQGOs_qu37mCJwY1iHGh6vA80IU5K20LKHIwxLTl9wU-GSWJXuQyTQCGGw/s640/IMG_2674.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I painted the sign and Tim made the frame for it. For when self-esteem and body insecurities become a battle, I just wanted a big reminder that they are fearfully and wonderfully made. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNNIr1YuwWgZxnhy5dpu-PB2fg5Z1cBY2DPeGu6iG34XaZrijP4jEGN6euj3XtvY4Ov4h48X-bs4QURRHbNnq1FMN1ArdytQotHYw4COq74wutpEaYfwjDBiftyAHb1KT3iZSQxK1qVE/s1600/IMG_2678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNNIr1YuwWgZxnhy5dpu-PB2fg5Z1cBY2DPeGu6iG34XaZrijP4jEGN6euj3XtvY4Ov4h48X-bs4QURRHbNnq1FMN1ArdytQotHYw4COq74wutpEaYfwjDBiftyAHb1KT3iZSQxK1qVE/s640/IMG_2678.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I found this little bin at Magnolia Market to store washcloths and other little bathroom things. </div>
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So that's the kids' bathroom now, looking open, airy, a little vintage farmhouse, nicely refreshed. and of course, white!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZNGyxaLY8WFKORtNTNpRMLX-ss2OmPDrB724im5NsNXnBr11u1tBRkP06KuurbnwpFdAo5kEeAN5Ul74udgomqqsaabrNtz69XT8zHbyN8_Vt2PHhYYVnDefmPJm8fCPNLRRQSg3aXs/s1600/IMG_2659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiZNGyxaLY8WFKORtNTNpRMLX-ss2OmPDrB724im5NsNXnBr11u1tBRkP06KuurbnwpFdAo5kEeAN5Ul74udgomqqsaabrNtz69XT8zHbyN8_Vt2PHhYYVnDefmPJm8fCPNLRRQSg3aXs/s640/IMG_2659.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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It will be nice when we eventually get the bathtub, surrounding tiles, and floors re-done, (they're all the original almond color) but for now, we're really enjoying this update. </div>
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<br />Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-33523121931323953032016-09-28T19:12:00.000-05:002016-09-28T19:12:05.343-05:00The Story of Tuck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As many of you know, our first dog, Pudge passed away last summer. </div>
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Then sometime last November, I found myself perusing dogs on Craigslist hoping to find another dog to add to our family. At the time though, nothing worked out and after several closed doors, I eventually let the idea go. Who wants to be trying to housebreak a puppy when it's snowing outside anyway? Not me! Plus having just one small dog was nice and easy and I was enjoying that. </div>
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Then at the beginning of this summer, we went down to Florida and stayed with my in-laws who had gotten a new puppy since the last time we'd seen them. And their new pup, Charlie and Max had the best time playing together. I came home from that trip pretty much convinced that we needed another dog. Tim, however, was not so convinced. </div>
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Every morning, I would check Craigslist for new dogs. But each time I showed Tim a dog I found, he was just not that interested. Until one day in early July, I saw this ad</div>
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Her name was Bailey. She was part French Bulldog, part Pug and Beagle. Her family loved her, but the kids were allergic to her, so they had decided that they needed to find a new home for her. She grabbed our hearts from the beginning because she looked so much like a mini-Pudge. She was the first pup that Tim was interested in at all, so I contacted the owners and we set up a time to go meet her the next morning. The only problem was that the owners were asking a pretty hefty re-homing fee that was more than we wanted to pay. But we were hoping that they'd be willing to negotiate the price once they met us and saw that we would give their puppy a loving home. </div>
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The next morning, after meeting Bailey, Tim and I decided to make a decent offer and hope for the best. The husband called his wife (who wasn't there with us) and she didn't want to accept our offer. She said there were a few other people who were interested in Bailey, so she wanted to wait. And since we didn't have a peace about offering any more money, we just asked them to let us know if things didn't work out with anyone else. I felt at peace about it; knowing that God was in control and if it was supposed to work out for us to have Bailey, then it would. </div>
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For the next week, every time my email dinged, I hoped and prayed it was Bailey's owners contacting us. But after a few weeks of not hearing anything, I assumed she was sold and I started looking for another dog. But even as I looked, nothing grabbed my heart like Bailey did. </div>
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Then one Monday morning in the beginning of August, I was doing my usual morning check on Craigslist for dogs when a new ad for Bailey popped up. My heart leaped and I immediately texted Tim (who was out of town) and asked him if we should contact them again. He was completely on board, so I emailed the owners and just said we really loved Bailey and would like to try to reach an agreement with them on the price. </div>
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This time, the wife emailed me back and said they would be willing to meet us in the middle on the price. At this point, it felt like God had opened the door back up and was giving us the go-ahead, so we agreed on the price. Then I asked the wife if we could get Bailey the next day. She emailed back late that night and said that they were going out of town the next morning and wouldn't be back until Thursday night, so we could get her on Friday morning. </div>
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This sounded a bit odd to me, (<i>were they taking the dog? why would you list a dog on Craigslist right before you were going out of town? were they going to pay to board her while they were gone?</i>) but what could I say? So I just agreed we would wait and get her Friday morning. Tim was going to be coming back in town late Thursday night, so it would be nice that he could go with us to get her. Plus Friday was the day before my birthday, so I felt like God was giving me a birthday puppy. </div>
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All week long, the kids and I talked about Bailey. We went to Target and got a collar for her and a dog bowl. I ordered a name tag with our phone number on it to put on her collar. And we counted down the days to Bailey. </div>
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On Thursday night, when I was tucking the kids in to bed, they were so excited. They kept saying, "This is like Christmas! Tomorrow we're getting Bailey!". </div>
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I went to bed feeling a tad wary because I hadn't heard anything from Bailey's owners, but figured no news from them was good news. I had my phone on my nightstand that night because Tim hadn't made it home from his trip yet. At midnight, my email dinged. Thinking it was possibly Bailey's owners, I checked it. It was the wife and basically she said they had changed their minds. She said their kids were so upset when they broke the news to them and it seemed that their allergies hadn't been as bad lately. They felt like Bailey was a part of their family and they just couldn't bear to part with her.</div>
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Ugh. This was not the news we wanted to hear.</div>
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I forwarded the email to Tim, who was almost home at that point and then I laid in bed feeling like I had gotten punched in the gut. I felt awful, so sad, mad and disappointed, and I hated thinking of how we were going to break the news to the kids the next morning. </div>
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When we told the kids, there were some tears and a lot of disappointment. What was supposed to be a very exciting and fun day turned out to be a sad and hard day for all of us. We reminded the kids though that if Bailey wasn't the puppy for us, then God had something better and we could trust Him. </div>
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Up until we found Bailey, I was just looking for a dog and I didn't really know what I wanted. But after Bailey, I realized how much I liked French Bulldogs (she was part French Bulldog). But Frenchies are literally thousands of dollars, which is way out of our dog budget. Plus Tim didn't really like French Bulldogs, but during this process, he realized how much he liked English Bulldogs. At least we could agree on the bulldog part.</div>
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As the weeks went by, my desire for a bulldog puppy got stronger and stronger and I couldn't even have told you why. It didn't make a lot of sense even to me but I was feeling so impatient. I was constantly searching for bulldog puppies all over the internet and everywhere I looked was a closed door. Finally, one Saturday, Tim found a breeder of Shorty Bulls on Facebook. We had never heard of Shorty Bulls, but after looking into them, we felt like one might be a good fit for us. The breeder was just a few hours from us and he had one puppy left. Tim contacted him and it worked out that he was available to meet with us the next day. </div>
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Well, we fell in love with that puppy from the moment we met him and we brought him home that night. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzWkq7qPUG6ds5NrSMT5xJIv1ZWUEnvNlrCMVzoansE83FLUvd5kA9Z5sCDcm9tZftlkOGJkfsvkZaWObx8WcZgjv_oldzwNlkzl20EwrvOjdZfTmew7TfoYySNTB5CqtCWlvn06ZJdk/s1600/IMG_0966+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzWkq7qPUG6ds5NrSMT5xJIv1ZWUEnvNlrCMVzoansE83FLUvd5kA9Z5sCDcm9tZftlkOGJkfsvkZaWObx8WcZgjv_oldzwNlkzl20EwrvOjdZfTmew7TfoYySNTB5CqtCWlvn06ZJdk/s640/IMG_0966+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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His grandmother is a French Bulldog (what I wanted) and his dad is an English Bulldog (what Tim wanted). So I feel like we got the perfect mix for us. He also reminds us so much of Pudge in both his looks and personality. It took us a while, but we finally settled on the name Tuck.<br />
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I can't help but see the way God worked through everything to bring us to Tuck. He put desires in our hearts and lead us step by step. He opened doors to move us along the path and then closed doors to keep us from making wrong decisions. I see it so clearly in this. Also Tuck has a tiny brown spot on the back of his ear and because of this spot, someone that was going to buy him decided not to buy him because she wanted an ALL white dog. So we got him instead.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMCRFjBBVAt1iMGiHm_q_YIG7Ua4gmv4uKGmkNQwpA_6to6LRfRiZjJ6kepJj7zWl3czkNMyQrs9dGVpIZC5ZHO1baAOIJqal-a2tuMa-46xCz-Z8fRIBBYkTWUIzbqbyiV9iFv8pB9c/s1600/IMG_2403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMCRFjBBVAt1iMGiHm_q_YIG7Ua4gmv4uKGmkNQwpA_6to6LRfRiZjJ6kepJj7zWl3czkNMyQrs9dGVpIZC5ZHO1baAOIJqal-a2tuMa-46xCz-Z8fRIBBYkTWUIzbqbyiV9iFv8pB9c/s640/IMG_2403.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Don't let his sweet face fool you though, he's quite the handful and I constantly feel like I have a toddler again. I can't let him out of my sight for even a minute or he gets into things he shouldn't. He's stubborn, cuddly, sweet and clumsy. He snorts like a pig and charges like a bull. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiMnRpH_GePhXOa5oZgSWez3bvhUjh-4ay0gYLRCOOnrh4JsUUc5_miN3XcXNUdZRcBeRCxYm1ggjldKhfoFVa6fbzrqSpI0lUI87MVvs2MYY21HujWpJQzyl51W5RF71FG-QGwg9_Z5Q/s1600/IMG_2427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiMnRpH_GePhXOa5oZgSWez3bvhUjh-4ay0gYLRCOOnrh4JsUUc5_miN3XcXNUdZRcBeRCxYm1ggjldKhfoFVa6fbzrqSpI0lUI87MVvs2MYY21HujWpJQzyl51W5RF71FG-QGwg9_Z5Q/s640/IMG_2427.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And that wrinkly face is so irresistible! We're head over heels in love with him and we know he's the pup for us. </div>
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And the funny thing is that Bailey's owner called a week after we got Tuck and said they were ready to sell Bailey to us (apparently the wife had just been having a hard time letting go). Of course we told them we already had a puppy and weren't interested in Bailey anymore. <br />
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<br />Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-56018684191137423322016-08-08T14:03:00.000-05:002016-08-08T14:03:01.300-05:00Tyson's Room<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I just wanted to pop in quickly and share some pictures of Tyson's room. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5KTS2YLw8qsCfCjgz0Ew_4vBiwSVSKJB-10SbqXzxjbpaFCBjcrvaahmPu04gtbdid-qac7kwdCqohPZffmPWKVT2hIC6G98n9YEqh0qU-mnDju-rk7jC8W7b5vLh58sNkwP3mIbvNM/s1600/IMG_1529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5KTS2YLw8qsCfCjgz0Ew_4vBiwSVSKJB-10SbqXzxjbpaFCBjcrvaahmPu04gtbdid-qac7kwdCqohPZffmPWKVT2hIC6G98n9YEqh0qU-mnDju-rk7jC8W7b5vLh58sNkwP3mIbvNM/s640/IMG_1529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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A few weeks ago, he said he really wanted his own room. I told him if he wanted to move downstairs, then he could have <a href="http://jaimescott.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-rose-cottage.html">the cottage</a>. The cottage is a small room located right at the bottom of the stairs in our basement. There are no windows, so it's not technically a bedroom. A few years ago, I turned it into a playroom for the kids. I set it up like a small house (which is how it got it's name "the cottage"). It had a kitchen, a dining room, and a bedroom for Peyton's dolls. The kids still played in it some, but for the most part, they had grown out of it. Anyway, Tyson liked the idea of moving into the cottage, so we moved all of the toys out and moved Tyson's furniture in. </div>
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He needed a few things like a nightstand, some storage, and a desk.</div>
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I was about to buy him a World Market nightstand online, but then found last year's model on Craigslist for much cheaper. I was so excited. We had to make a trip a little ways out of town, but I didn't mind. </div>
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When we went to pick it up, we just happened to be right near the Outlets, so we made a quick stop in the Restoration Hardware outlet and found a giant furry beanbag on sale. We scooped it up and brought it home to make a cozy place for him to read and hang out. This has become the new favorite spot in the house.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfgyGcO5t9VuqBnbtZJgh3KUoRtZfu5KyvwT3JZUrZ7OrR-0Rbmmx6kiQnNzHgoJny_exW-lfhVxsita2nJGPyehcUisWZ63whmi9m4G6_EZkck-QanH7YCqF-yersZ1NadoHLZWJ3CU/s1600/IMG_1522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfgyGcO5t9VuqBnbtZJgh3KUoRtZfu5KyvwT3JZUrZ7OrR-0Rbmmx6kiQnNzHgoJny_exW-lfhVxsita2nJGPyehcUisWZ63whmi9m4G6_EZkck-QanH7YCqF-yersZ1NadoHLZWJ3CU/s640/IMG_1522.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I blew up some pictures of him and his friends for his walls. This was super cheap at Staples. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Y3Ck-MJ1gba5wWwHMyIhyphenhyphenm6sNJI8iZFKfDzwHD8LsG2Nkvd2srEh5XjXnps_puWT-9DFTPJNV0weZyakkl0tfFGAFNQmzRW-jhhdISlHNNA0J7Xiq4aK1TXDx0hx0Fcd3xkjZVYQE5Y/s1600/IMG_1523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Y3Ck-MJ1gba5wWwHMyIhyphenhyphenm6sNJI8iZFKfDzwHD8LsG2Nkvd2srEh5XjXnps_puWT-9DFTPJNV0weZyakkl0tfFGAFNQmzRW-jhhdISlHNNA0J7Xiq4aK1TXDx0hx0Fcd3xkjZVYQE5Y/s640/IMG_1523.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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And then we found a desk at World Market that fit perfectly in this nook. It was on sale, plus I had a coupon!! I really tried to make choices with the future in mind. I'm hoping this desk will still work well for him and fit him when he's in high school. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUc_3wlNEOZcJDgzWcp2aZZ33SUEZjITpnzCrMji36P-FxFVHIK9JbzSnoqfGsqLwVoB0KkFBe6VzOmM5O3QsIq5a5s6R038kuhe08JhyDCIYpT-ABGYnaky5a8mwV0h8q7kjNaZnbLbs/s1600/IMG_1526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUc_3wlNEOZcJDgzWcp2aZZ33SUEZjITpnzCrMji36P-FxFVHIK9JbzSnoqfGsqLwVoB0KkFBe6VzOmM5O3QsIq5a5s6R038kuhe08JhyDCIYpT-ABGYnaky5a8mwV0h8q7kjNaZnbLbs/s640/IMG_1526.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Ikea had a set of lockers that worked great for storing some of his baskets of toys. Originally, the lockers were bright blue, but we decided they would look better if I spray painted them Gun Metal gray. And we brought the pipe shelves down from his room upstairs. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVH7RnWAkKRPZLLtQ4xmitHy04S2e-nDUf5awGiP1R38y34T11Rk3SEwdsan30MNxzM2DhbAaFzdOcvz_f4b-VLkUDRqk4FA1AGPH6m-boESbUgGHHY0411LIcX1vff0HvJVqEt4Ye9w/s1600/IMG_1528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVH7RnWAkKRPZLLtQ4xmitHy04S2e-nDUf5awGiP1R38y34T11Rk3SEwdsan30MNxzM2DhbAaFzdOcvz_f4b-VLkUDRqk4FA1AGPH6m-boESbUgGHHY0411LIcX1vff0HvJVqEt4Ye9w/s640/IMG_1528.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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So now everyone has their own room, which has been so nice. It gives them much needed space to spread out when they start to get on each other's nerves. I think it's also good for Tyson to finally be able to call something "his own". He's shared a room since he was three, so I'm happy for him to finally have his own space. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXyYvBcnfZ04eI5uKYGE5BC3FHbMqRrATWJPcNx8NV8d5LjLqBD4yXIhU15HxQQXXC0eqMTyxQkFUVoiGNXPZRBKXQgtSjdIoMjk0z-8PLfHzlabqm104vca9C1IFSGw0nEZk9yH_0lc/s1600/IMG_1525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXyYvBcnfZ04eI5uKYGE5BC3FHbMqRrATWJPcNx8NV8d5LjLqBD4yXIhU15HxQQXXC0eqMTyxQkFUVoiGNXPZRBKXQgtSjdIoMjk0z-8PLfHzlabqm104vca9C1IFSGw0nEZk9yH_0lc/s640/IMG_1525.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">And Hudson is happy because now he has his own room too! </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">After moving Tyson downstairs, we ended up deciding to switch Hudson and Peyton's rooms, so it's been a busy few weeks of trying to get everyone moved into their new rooms. I've patched a lot of holes and re-painted quite a few walls. I'm thankful to finally feel like everyone is mostly settled now.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">Here's a peek of Hudson enjoying his new room. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi618nDfxAdlVXZ5d3P4DdPO4v2nRQGdJ3A85VP1JRC7qXd78aHqgtT-5yObmMPpWgppF7bJPK6C0Kj74QuBuhd4dYsXHqD5mcEObchiX0pQ1lqrvffybjyJPC10_e6VKSiY2oyUgCy6go/s1600/IMG_1456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi618nDfxAdlVXZ5d3P4DdPO4v2nRQGdJ3A85VP1JRC7qXd78aHqgtT-5yObmMPpWgppF7bJPK6C0Kj74QuBuhd4dYsXHqD5mcEObchiX0pQ1lqrvffybjyJPC10_e6VKSiY2oyUgCy6go/s640/IMG_1456.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">(Sorry - the quality of these pictures is not great. Since Tyson's room has no windows, I had to turn the overhead lights on and the lighting in his room is pretty awful. Plus, I just snapped quick pictures with my cellphone.)</span>Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-5043407380227856102016-06-02T14:29:00.002-05:002016-06-02T14:29:59.369-05:00Around the HouseHope you all had a nice Memorial Day weekend!<br />
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Tim and I just celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary earlier this week. I'm so thankful for our thirteen years together and for all the ways God has worked in us and in our marriage to always hold us together. We have been blessed!<br />
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Tim took a day off from work last week when the kids were in school and we went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. It was nice. We don't go on date nights very often, but while we were sitting there eating, we decided that lunch dates while the kids are in school work pretty great for us. It's nice to be in a stage of life where that's an option.<br />
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Well, I got a little off track because originally this blog was going to be about the little things we've done around the house. So let's forget all this sentimental anniversary gush and get back to house stuff!<br />
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About a month ago, I decided to give our closet a makeover. It all started with a trip to Ikea, where I picked up several packs of wooden hangers. After getting home and getting ready to take all of our clothes out to re-hang them, I thought I might as well de-clutter and paint while I had everything out. It just made sense. I knew if I didn't do it then, then most likely I would never get around to doing it. And I had visions dancing in my head of a calm, clean, minimalist closet space and I wanted to see if I could make that happen in real life. I got most of it done in that one afternoon, so it wasn't a big job, but it sure made a big difference. Our closet doesn't have a door (we took it off years ago to make things simpler) so we see straight into the closet from our bed and since I am such a visual person, I appreciate the new view. <br />
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Afterwards, it looked like this<br />
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And kind of surprisingly, a month later, it still looks basically the same. I've found that when I spend the time to really clean out and organize a space in a way that works for us and looks pleasing to my eyes, it helps motivate me to keep it that way. </div>
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On to the next project… I was inspired by a picture on Pinterest to create a pot garden to cheer up our back deck. I had a few old terra cotta pots sitting around and then we found several more listed cheaply on Craigslist that already had an aged patina. We planted daisies, dahlias, tomatoes, a rose bush, and a few other things. I also have a small herb garden growing out there. I don't have the best green thumb, but maybe I can keep these growing for a while. The hardest thing for me is remembering and taking the time to go out there to water them because the hot sun dries them out so fast and then all my flowers start wilting. </div>
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A few weeks ago, a friend and I went to an open house in our neighborhood. I just love walking through houses. Sometimes I think I should be a realtor just so I can visit lots of homes. Ha! Anyway, this particular house was the same ranch style as our house, so it was especially interesting to me to see how the owners arranged their furniture and what additions they've done to their house. I've always struggled with the layout of our basement. Because of all the entrances and exits, doors, and windows, it's not an easy room to work with. But after visiting the open house, it gave me an idea to try out in our home. Later that afternoon, I got Tim to help me move things around. It's definitely much cozier with the couch closer to the fireplace. The rest of the room feels slightly unfinished to me, but maybe it will just take a few little touches and some time to get used to it.<br />
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Have I showed you guys my grey Annie Sloan chalk painted piano yet? I can't remember. It used to be turquoise, but I re-painted it grey a while back because I've moved out of the turquoise phase. And then a few weeks ago, I decided the top of the piano needed a little freshening up for summer so I switched it all up. Right now, I'm loving splashes of pink and gold with lots of white, gray and a little bit of black. </div>
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Which brings me to my pink peonies! I think I mentioned in my last blog that I've been patiently waiting for them to bloom. All my neighbors peonies had been blooming for weeks before mine barely had buds on them. Every day, I would walk around my yard and check them for progress. Well, finally last week, mine all started blooming. I enjoyed going out each day, looking for opening blooms, cutting them and bringing them inside to enjoy. </div>
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I was pretty excited about how many I got this year. </div>
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I had enough to fill a big jar on the kitchen table.</div>
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And another smaller jar in the living room. I love the white peonies too! And look… more pink, gold, white, gray and black. I think it's becoming a thing around here. </div>
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I can't wait to see how many I get next year! </div>
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<br />Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-28094947609850838472016-05-13T08:24:00.000-05:002016-05-13T08:24:31.025-05:00A Spring Makeover: The Outdoor EditionAlthough Spring has been so slow in coming this year (and extremely rainy), the slightly warmer days have inspired me to get outside (when it's not raining) and give the exterior of our house a little bit of extra love. Our front porch, as well as our flower beds were looking quite sad and dismal after the long winter and they both needed some freshening up.<br />
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Before:<br />
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The first thing we did was buy a few ferns to add to the front porch. And with the help of a new doormat, our porch felt a lot more welcoming afterwards. It's amazing what a little bit of greenery can do.<br />
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I also decided to dig up everything in the flower bed to the right of the door and completely start from scratch. I hated the overgrown bushes and my daffodils were past their prime and resembled weeds. I removed the Hostas and re-planted them in other places. </div>
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Before picture:</div>
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In the middle of the process of deciding what to plant in the empty flower bed, I decided the bed was too large and overwhelming, so I moved the edgers in a few feet giving me a smaller space to work with. I kept it simple with one Hosta, three Boxwoods and two Peonies. Boxwoods are classic and they will stay green year round. And Peonies are my absolute favorite flower. I've been adding one or two new Peony plants every year to the flower beds around our house and now I have six. Most of them are still so young that I don't get many buds, but a few of them have quite a few buds on them this year, so I'm excited. I can't wait to cut them and bring them inside to enjoy. I also re-planted my Daffodil bulbs so they will hopefully come back next Spring.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1tpuSj2nPJx3msluF9c1MY9cQrbpW6rRJ1uNoD6-kP8KsdcxkjtZZAOb2EtOYlCeZXEtDYR-x60TuKqhMcpG7Q_CZpazwlwINHMa2h5V-pozA5U-KkT8f19Jf1ExGYjx0r5il6pp2NM/s1600/IMG_0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS1tpuSj2nPJx3msluF9c1MY9cQrbpW6rRJ1uNoD6-kP8KsdcxkjtZZAOb2EtOYlCeZXEtDYR-x60TuKqhMcpG7Q_CZpazwlwINHMa2h5V-pozA5U-KkT8f19Jf1ExGYjx0r5il6pp2NM/s640/IMG_0044.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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For Mother's Day, Tim made and hung flower boxes for me. So far, I've filled them with Impatiens and Ivy. I'm hoping they grow and fill out until my boxes are overflowing with flowers and greenery.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYiDQVMLB9looKWC_DGl6HX6_bjPSUO2anVuhuo64uq2E32Ez2eGFGEQcUn_PcZ7PC23x-UbME-AkbhPR17jlPvYK32Hwo_1YgKHH1TVCVKfKAzGJ7ws_8radDDjYWqC23JCoW41Ep7s/s1600/IMG_0045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYiDQVMLB9looKWC_DGl6HX6_bjPSUO2anVuhuo64uq2E32Ez2eGFGEQcUn_PcZ7PC23x-UbME-AkbhPR17jlPvYK32Hwo_1YgKHH1TVCVKfKAzGJ7ws_8radDDjYWqC23JCoW41Ep7s/s640/IMG_0045.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTGMvY39eEmgfBGk-Ft5U8edAviTeZc81OjCXqRk-LBt44CdZExJv2y8sfus0mVaoYoUFxDJ20cxo3_6RrAvNk1Dx5P7zBmZlK50mplafZlf1z-BkNsO12OmiQgvb4crq78M1HiRhBZc/s1600/IMG_0869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTGMvY39eEmgfBGk-Ft5U8edAviTeZc81OjCXqRk-LBt44CdZExJv2y8sfus0mVaoYoUFxDJ20cxo3_6RrAvNk1Dx5P7zBmZlK50mplafZlf1z-BkNsO12OmiQgvb4crq78M1HiRhBZc/s640/IMG_0869.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I ended up painting the front door black (it was white).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdjSa8N6kHXep61D4mryBMrJheDcyhFBCQv9D4fzFZYT5Kcc60l2n1de2GNFVjGEBXT8gs6UKy4lkxPFczKMsp58Nu7Q3bB06t9IeaYFTtHdYN4JZ3h-TSPIn3PbBGTcFFUBevan4mMs/s1600/IMG_0064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdjSa8N6kHXep61D4mryBMrJheDcyhFBCQv9D4fzFZYT5Kcc60l2n1de2GNFVjGEBXT8gs6UKy4lkxPFczKMsp58Nu7Q3bB06t9IeaYFTtHdYN4JZ3h-TSPIn3PbBGTcFFUBevan4mMs/s640/IMG_0064.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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As much as I love white everything, black doors are classy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZ6erx5d5MObyb5pfXuXjTURl6WZdJZPdU55rzpF6T3SehgsicD-T-KetU8csrdK4-HrA3qedcUxVxIPVSwG_XJB5B08chU65dkjW9qtAz0fKq5RD4QXrP6KUjzVdi3HYx6sd_pHFCcY/s1600/IMG_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZ6erx5d5MObyb5pfXuXjTURl6WZdJZPdU55rzpF6T3SehgsicD-T-KetU8csrdK4-HrA3qedcUxVxIPVSwG_XJB5B08chU65dkjW9qtAz0fKq5RD4QXrP6KUjzVdi3HYx6sd_pHFCcY/s640/IMG_0043.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I found a sweet little Gardenia bush at Trader Joes and brought it home. My mom had a Gardenia bush when I was growing up and I can still remember stopping to smell it when I was outside playing and bringing a few flowers inside to enjoy. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBV-Rfifx-3qUigz3ZpV2uQLBCoaZZ-voyd5qos2X_qj5VQBTYX3lc8wRYkk2halkCKsWBns7MOeeryo09CsS7oIXar7wxcSih-Ffpnag7wVI16lF_I5pCx7Fdlmrl-TkrJWmROFtNUw/s1600/IMG_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBV-Rfifx-3qUigz3ZpV2uQLBCoaZZ-voyd5qos2X_qj5VQBTYX3lc8wRYkk2halkCKsWBns7MOeeryo09CsS7oIXar7wxcSih-Ffpnag7wVI16lF_I5pCx7Fdlmrl-TkrJWmROFtNUw/s640/IMG_0042.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Here's an after picture.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvD_BLtXGk3pktPInOC3cm7Lef0J1spzRZYeJiDor5oezXB4La9aBNCslZ-v4m9_1N_2Crme-en745e7DM4cHM0fKUpTI8ajrBSN4WNs_KGTZ-prAdMqosKKHSLeK7LDoSxUcmXmyydvE/s1600/IMG_0060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvD_BLtXGk3pktPInOC3cm7Lef0J1spzRZYeJiDor5oezXB4La9aBNCslZ-v4m9_1N_2Crme-en745e7DM4cHM0fKUpTI8ajrBSN4WNs_KGTZ-prAdMqosKKHSLeK7LDoSxUcmXmyydvE/s640/IMG_0060.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I feel like it's quite the improvement from where we started, but I can't stop thinking about painting the brick white. </div>
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Here's an idea of what that could look like. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga9edawl-eymeQ3tFHrLoKQfc2uXvslo3X-MTun8_qrn16Uc7LpVnRZS22lhdYnk9j11CSt6_euTmD9fbdiD_RR7dGL2xPUlfaRQ33hOTvbsC8cM6eInhjBgved1v82cmWkb7E7Wt1Rjw/s1600/whitehouse1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga9edawl-eymeQ3tFHrLoKQfc2uXvslo3X-MTun8_qrn16Uc7LpVnRZS22lhdYnk9j11CSt6_euTmD9fbdiD_RR7dGL2xPUlfaRQ33hOTvbsC8cM6eInhjBgved1v82cmWkb7E7Wt1Rjw/s640/whitehouse1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/64317100907363737/">(found here)</a></div>
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It looks so charming, doesn't it?</div>
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Tim is not quite on board with this idea though, so we'll see if we actually ever do it. </div>
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Do any of you have a painted brick house? I would love to hear about it if you do. Did you paint it yourself or have someone else paint it for you? Do you love it, hate it, or regret it? Does it require much upkeep or re-painting?</div>
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Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-15463417933022720932016-04-03T15:03:00.002-05:002016-05-09T19:04:24.034-05:00Painting the faux fireplace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Apparently, I can't go very long without painting or rearranging something in my house. It's my creative outlet. So even if every room in my house looks finished and put together, I just start getting this impulse to switch something up after a while. </div>
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You may remember that about a year ago, I took down our faux fireplace and put a desk up here in its place. </div>
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(See picture below)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Esfj82yZ1A1fd4Z7ESAwwQzQxbuUs2ysAn7owf87s02t3JFpyBFvYl2ksN6lhtA6anSgtw4sBnfNh4n6cZRlsOkkI-db3XCSOzbKNQyZjpiC4RmMavHeunAQPNzom4Qm_YocUVbMubw/s1600/DSC_5795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Esfj82yZ1A1fd4Z7ESAwwQzQxbuUs2ysAn7owf87s02t3JFpyBFvYl2ksN6lhtA6anSgtw4sBnfNh4n6cZRlsOkkI-db3XCSOzbKNQyZjpiC4RmMavHeunAQPNzom4Qm_YocUVbMubw/s640/DSC_5795.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Well, I liked the desk and it looked good there, but I just kept having this urge to paint the faux fireplace black. I ignored it for weeks until finally I just had to do it and see what it looked like. As much as me and the color white have a thing, surprisingly I am also falling in love with black. Black makes such a statement. And I've read that every room needs something black in it to ground it. </div>
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So after painting the fireplace, I fell back in love with it. And now, the desk has moved downstairs to the basement room and my fireplace is back upstairs, front and center. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpyvQWHDhMKFU1oxBTJCK0y9K0ENUUmk-i2EriLb8GQDo4OStJ8-yvWHVJVnvfz0dPOWPgnLNVA21XUefCAtMbBIzi0UOUGfyhPAZEotND0Bsqc88dg08Y2PUjsir7fNhFeJwdqchrLs/s1600/DSC_6726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpyvQWHDhMKFU1oxBTJCK0y9K0ENUUmk-i2EriLb8GQDo4OStJ8-yvWHVJVnvfz0dPOWPgnLNVA21XUefCAtMbBIzi0UOUGfyhPAZEotND0Bsqc88dg08Y2PUjsir7fNhFeJwdqchrLs/s640/DSC_6726.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We also finally switched out the light fixture in here. Since this room was originally intended to be a dining room, it had a chandelier hanging in it when we moved in. And three years later, Tim was still hitting his head on it every time he forgot to duck when he walked through. I just had the hardest time finding a flush mount light that I liked, so I stayed stuck with that ugly chandelier for way too long. But finally, I settled on this light from Lowes. It's simple and classy. And bonus, it was fairly cheap. We have this same light hanging in our foyer now too. Eventually we plan to switch out all the out-dated flush mounts downstairs with this one. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwAnr2gbCidiQeZhmg0K1BIHMc5dQotwGsibi_hgaeAZV5EIdtOol1vJwG58Cy1k_wM2GUKvml571Um7q9owdzQx4NHed-22QbRs7vYZgZiELV9QV-MGn8ZRBjLOCExgato4OTMiGBYA/s1600/DSC_6736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwAnr2gbCidiQeZhmg0K1BIHMc5dQotwGsibi_hgaeAZV5EIdtOol1vJwG58Cy1k_wM2GUKvml571Um7q9owdzQx4NHed-22QbRs7vYZgZiELV9QV-MGn8ZRBjLOCExgato4OTMiGBYA/s640/DSC_6736.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
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I hung our House of Belonging sign over the mantle, cut some fresh limbs from our tree outside, and stuck them in a vase. This was a simple way to brighten it up and add a hint of Spring inside. There is nothing like plants that liven up a room.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7opPHNVrXHOiCuc7rzEnpi7jF6aU2gndVMfVQpbPRX7YJLhAfXCUahMOSRh-rUMLFpUo2Mgx7B3YXBstKrXqNr5efaoGdEPNb80i8C1aDBJWqTPN2KlNR3O4HzEGCamZzyC9ZG1LLfvs/s1600/DSC_6723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7opPHNVrXHOiCuc7rzEnpi7jF6aU2gndVMfVQpbPRX7YJLhAfXCUahMOSRh-rUMLFpUo2Mgx7B3YXBstKrXqNr5efaoGdEPNb80i8C1aDBJWqTPN2KlNR3O4HzEGCamZzyC9ZG1LLfvs/s640/DSC_6723.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And I placed some birch logs on a basket to make it feel a little bit more like a real fireplace.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEAAv0rG5nw7jYfQReLHgpjnX6R3cS9KLXd0UvDFR7nmn8aR9QxUUYt0IKW_Ng_9H_YRZTRzIcAtGmxsRnJqnv7WJb_RNzp9se4VOkRKy8cMwELKUMxqieq3bB2B_oKq2M2EQzNW9TA4/s1600/DSC_6741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEAAv0rG5nw7jYfQReLHgpjnX6R3cS9KLXd0UvDFR7nmn8aR9QxUUYt0IKW_Ng_9H_YRZTRzIcAtGmxsRnJqnv7WJb_RNzp9se4VOkRKy8cMwELKUMxqieq3bB2B_oKq2M2EQzNW9TA4/s640/DSC_6741.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
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Do you ever get the urge to switch things up just for fun too?</div>
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<br />Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-27995182132680379502016-02-12T11:59:00.002-06:002016-02-12T11:59:55.349-06:00White couches with kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Lately it was becoming more and more apparent that we needed extra seating in our living room. For years, we've just had the grey couch and two accent chairs. When the kids were small, this arrangement worked fine. We could all pile on the couch with the kids sitting in our laps and snuggle up with a book or watch a movie. But as they've grown, this just hasn't been working for us any longer. For one thing, they don't sit in our laps as much anymore, so five people on one couch is just squished. And squished kids fight. They fight about who's taking up too much space or touching them with their feet or hogging all of the blanket. Sometimes one person would want to spread out on the couch and relax but then no one else had a comfy place to sit because no one wanted to sit in the not-so-comfy chairs. </div>
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The problem was I really loved my grey couch. Actually we all did. It's just so comfortable. We've had this couch for four years now and I still love it just as much as when we bought it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipG70yvYMl_4SvAyI26WwYBBoHQGsLVJ0AkaPtCyko79Iz5vgc47aziOMGdTuT_VsmVozA9YCOFrMS0keaPi_cmvJkxmFB4f7xBy69l1Gaaw6fpPO5Hk-FeNmMoXAchhPcz8jKSStxxs0/s1600/DSC_5502-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipG70yvYMl_4SvAyI26WwYBBoHQGsLVJ0AkaPtCyko79Iz5vgc47aziOMGdTuT_VsmVozA9YCOFrMS0keaPi_cmvJkxmFB4f7xBy69l1Gaaw6fpPO5Hk-FeNmMoXAchhPcz8jKSStxxs0/s640/DSC_5502-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I didn't want to move it out of the living room. But last weekend, I faced the facts (or maybe I just got worn out by kids fighting on the couch) and decided it was time to try out something new. So we lugged our white Ikea Ektorp couches upstairs from the basement and plopped them down in place of our existing furniture (which went downstairs to the basement). And I promised myself to give it at least a week before I made a final decision because I was sure I was really going to miss the grey couch and want to switch it back immediately.<br />
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But as I've lived with it this week, I've realized that I like it. It feels relaxing, cozy, and comfortable. And we love having the extra places to sit and spread out on.</div>
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I've been asked how I have all white furniture with three kids and a dog. I thought now would be as good a time as any to address that question. For me, the easiest way to do battle against dirt and stains is prevention. And the three things that cause the most mess and stains in our home are food/drink, art supplies, and dirt. </div>
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Now obviously you want to live in and enjoy your home, so you have to find a balance with this that works for your family. We have a few rules set in place that help at least contain the mess and protect our furniture, walls, and curtains. </div>
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One, is that except for special occasions like family movie nights, food and drinks (except for water) stay in the kitchen at the table. I don't let my kids wander around the house eating or drinking. This prevents them from dropping food all over the floor or down in the couch cushions, spilling drinks on the furniture, and wiping their sticky fingers on the walls. Maybe when they get older I won't be such a stickler to this rule, but for now, I think it saves me a lot of time in cleaning up after them. And when they finish eating, I always remind them to go wash their hands (without touching anything first!) and wipe their face off. </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Another rule in our home is that we pretty much keep art supplies contained to one area - <a href="http://www.jaimescott.blogspot.com/2015/09/closet-turned-art-space.html">the art closet</a>. By keeping all art supplies and projects in the art closet, the mess stays there and I don't have to worry about accidental marker stains on the couch or glitter glue stuck to the coffee table. Another benefit to this rule is that I don't have to constantly pick up crayons, markers, and papers that have been scattered all over the house. Most days, the art closet looks like a glitter bomb went off in it, but at least my house stays clean. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">And finally, no shoes allowed on the couch. If the kids want to put their feet up, they are welcome to, but they have to take their shoes off first. Whether you have white couches or brown couches, this just makes sense for keeping dirt and stains off the couch. A lot of times, we will even take our shoes off right when we come inside. I'm not fanatical about this and even as I type, I'm wearing my shoes, so it's not a strict rule. But especially if it's raining or muddy outside, I will remind my kids to kick their shoes off at the door. The less dirt that comes inside, the less I have to vacuum up later. And this goes without saying, but if they are extremely dirty for some reason, they aren't allowed on the furniture at all until they clean themselves up.</span></div>
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So those are my tips for having white furniture with kids. I think just by having a few simple rules set in place, you can prevent a lot of the the dirt and stains from happening. Obviously, my kids aren't perfect and these rules get broken or we make exceptions, but in general, this is what works for us. On top of that, these couches are slipcovered, so when they do get a stain or start looking dingy, I can throw the slipcovers in the wash with some bleach.</div>
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Here's a look at the grey couch down in the basement. I think it works well down there too. </div>
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What do you think? Do you have any tips for me on keeping a clean house with kids?</div>
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<br />Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-20872653232073146152016-02-03T13:48:00.000-06:002016-02-03T13:50:05.197-06:00Rustic Boy Bedroom TourEvery year when January hits, I have the sudden urge to de-clutter, organize, and re-do spaces in our home. I think this is because the explosion of toys and stuff that came into our home in December leaves me feeling overwhelmed and unorganized. I have found that when things don't have a designated place, then they just end up scattered on the floor, shoved in a drawer, or piled on top of a dresser. So it's important to me to find places to keep all the new Christmas stuff. And since our house is really not that big, this means that old things that are no longer loved need to leave so we can make space for the new. <br />
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This January was no exception and it was the boys' room that got much of my focus. Their room had not been updated in several years and I felt that they were outgrowing it in some ways. I want the spaces in our home to evolve with us so that they can meet the needs we have in the stage we're in. On top of that, their stuff had just accumulated in their room and it was feeling cluttered, sloppy, and unorganized. Since they share a room, space is especially limited, so we have to be extra purposeful and efficient in how we use it. The first thing we did was get rid of anything they no longer wanted and then we moved most of the rest of their toys and books downstairs to a designated toy area in the basement. This freed up extra space in their room for the things we needed and wanted in there. <br />
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The vision I had for their room was rustic vintage. I wanted a lot of wood mixed with metal, with a little bit of an old-school feel. And I wanted to incorporate their love of sports without making it seem "theme-y" in any way. Tyson and I looked on Pinterest to get ideas of what we wanted the room to look like. I'm pretty sure he would paint the walls orange if I gave him free range in his room, but I can't live with that, so we had to find a compromise. Thankfully, both he and Hudson were on board with giving it a rustic vintage sports feel.<br />
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Tyson still loves his shark, so although that didn't necessarily fit with the "rustic vintage sport" vision, it stayed because ultimately it's their room and I want them to love it. Each of the boys picked their bedding from Pottery Barn Teen.<br />
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Previously their bunk beds were navy blue, but I wanted them to be a moody gray, so I bit the bullet and spent a weekend painting them. A friend told me about using Zisser 1-2-3 primer so I didn't have to sand it before painting it. In my mind, this is a lifesaver. I hate sanding furniture and sanding bunk beds would be a nightmare. It's been a few weeks since I painted these and I'm very happy that we haven't had any chipping or peeling paint. </div>
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Tyson reads every night before going to bed, so Tim hung his light and built this pipe shelf to hold his books and clock.</div>
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I originally planned to put a nightstand next to their bed, but then I found this vintage style school desk and decided it would be a more useful piece of furniture in the long run. It's nice that they have a small spot in their room now to sit and color or write. </div>
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I was sick of always picking jackets up off the floor, so we added wall hooks to give jackets, robes, hats, and bags a specific home.</div>
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I also wanted their room to be a fun place for them and their friends to hang out. So we built a rustic basketball goal and hung it on the wall. </div>
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If we had no budget, then I would have gotten them new dressers, but since we do have limits, I just updated this one by giving it a fresh coat of paint. The easiest and cheapest way to update a room is always paint. If you don't like something, but can't afford a new one, try painting it! </div>
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Tim built and hung wooden pipe shelving above the dresser to display some of their things.</div>
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Last Christmas, we gave the boys a punching bag, but never got it hung up so they could use it. We finally made space in a corner of their bedroom and bought the proper equipment to hang it up.</div>
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The wire shelves hold books and toys that otherwise would probably end up on the floor.</div>
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So there you have it… our rustic vintage sports boy room! I hope it's something that they will love and enjoy for several years to come. </div>
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Bunk Beds - Pottery Barn Kids</div>
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Duvet Covers - Pottery Barn Teen</div>
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Curtains - Pottery Barn Kids</div>
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Desk/Chair - World Market</div>
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Wire Baskets - Restoration Hardware Baby&Child</div>
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<br />Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-39502251805819984212016-01-13T14:03:00.000-06:002016-01-31T13:30:42.150-06:00A few of my favorite things...Since my last blog was all about my all time favorite projects, I thought I'd follow it up with a blog about my favorite things right now. That's always fun, right?!<br />
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Lately I've decided I really like white and gold.<br />
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I've been wanting white pillows with gold polka dots for over a year and I finally splurged and got them for myself and gave them to my husband to have my kids give them to me for Christmas. Ha!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqy4GZBLcxSdwFTOrSFcotYEUPW4IzEC65lN-g7FDGuJ6llRl3R55McpJglVGbTpM08Pi9PXTfC0QhpxcmY1aEXa_R6jN7KG4vVDu59Cy_CmPQaounwU9PyWBH5cZvBfxxzlidHTXZgog/s1600/IMG_8391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqy4GZBLcxSdwFTOrSFcotYEUPW4IzEC65lN-g7FDGuJ6llRl3R55McpJglVGbTpM08Pi9PXTfC0QhpxcmY1aEXa_R6jN7KG4vVDu59Cy_CmPQaounwU9PyWBH5cZvBfxxzlidHTXZgog/s640/IMG_8391.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Mine are from <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-bedding-pillows/29440138.jsp#/" target="_blank">Anthropologie</a>, (I snagged them when they were having a 20% off sale) but I just saw some very similar ones on sale at <a href="http://www.potterybarn.com/products/metallic-dot-pillow-cover/?pkey=e%7Cpolka%2Bdot%2Bpillow%7C144%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C48%7C%7C2&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH" target="_blank">Pottery Barn</a>. I'm also still loving those faux fur pillows (behind the polka dot pillows) that I got last year from <a href="https://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1730129&categoryId=cat3870008">Restoration Hardware</a>. They happen to be on sale now too!<br />
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Since I'm on a white/gold kick, I recently got these two new coffee cups. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgRoL8vsXQJqAeVxnRMRKzE0cSWdht8MHd0OHESGxW6AhJgDpqXuYB-lsPohLJNA6Zs-GmUILVQVS36K8TshCNNB4hy4sS_Zvjo_4TqNN0D__uvARcgIzAFUvmGazX6mZ3ckORr-4OLg/s1600/IMG_8387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgRoL8vsXQJqAeVxnRMRKzE0cSWdht8MHd0OHESGxW6AhJgDpqXuYB-lsPohLJNA6Zs-GmUILVQVS36K8TshCNNB4hy4sS_Zvjo_4TqNN0D__uvARcgIzAFUvmGazX6mZ3ckORr-4OLg/s640/IMG_8387.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The one on the left is from Target (in the Valentine's Day section) and the one on the right is from World Market. Love them both! <br />
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When I'm at home, I usually like to wear slippers around the house. My favorite slippers that I've had forever were falling apart and so sadly I started the hunt for new slippers. I've ordered and returned a few different pairs (because I'm a tad picky) until I finally found <a href="http://www.abercrombie.com/shop/us/womens-sleep-clearance/sherpa-pom-pom-slippers-5888115_01?ofp=true" target="_blank">these from Abercrombie & Fitch</a>. It looks like they're out of this color, but they still have some in red plaid, which are cute too! So cozy, warm, and comfortable.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmYFctXwg8De0_ECKqwXSaQ79LJqMFzv6SRGG0IB8WjKHosKkrf6Rv6HEkRCt7-vHEVJzaxK1H2wsoA_-eR7bUtvRJgaNnZke03dc9Khu_bjQwWyerGKbjJ3uQVpoZ46Yo9loXavpVdQ/s1600/IMG_8345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAmYFctXwg8De0_ECKqwXSaQ79LJqMFzv6SRGG0IB8WjKHosKkrf6Rv6HEkRCt7-vHEVJzaxK1H2wsoA_-eR7bUtvRJgaNnZke03dc9Khu_bjQwWyerGKbjJ3uQVpoZ46Yo9loXavpVdQ/s640/IMG_8345.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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While we're on the subject of cozy and comfortable, <a href="http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1026013&vid=1&pid=111960052" target="_blank">these leggings</a> from Gap are amazing. I have 3 pair because I love them so much. They are the perfect lounge pants for Saturdays and Sundays. Since they're fitted, they're cute instead of slouchy like most lounge/sleeping pants. I've also found that they retain their shape well and don't get all stretched out and saggy easily. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuaSQQvY6WvGpawMnQm3YLrHJlr3iTAIxIEFQpEzM8gZMUWkjYq72Kbr4fkXpvBckgdVWrcd7-74_g-wPfXBpfLESWxT0G5b2tms_kViclysmgCctzGrByP1LkD3XmxXsJbA4zb1swDs/s1600/IMG_6973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXuaSQQvY6WvGpawMnQm3YLrHJlr3iTAIxIEFQpEzM8gZMUWkjYq72Kbr4fkXpvBckgdVWrcd7-74_g-wPfXBpfLESWxT0G5b2tms_kViclysmgCctzGrByP1LkD3XmxXsJbA4zb1swDs/s640/IMG_6973.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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We've had our <a href="http://www.potterybarn.com/products/faux-sheepskin-throw/?pkey=cthrows-blankets&&cthrows-blankets">faux sheepskin throw</a> from Pottery Barn for a few years now and it's still a favorite for snuggling on the couch and staying warm!</div>
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Another favorite from Gap, is <a href="http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1004924&vid=3&pid=534055022" target="_blank">this vest </a> that I wore on GMA (pictured below) is a favorite of mine right now. And here's a lesson… never buy anything from Gap not on sale because it will eventually go on sale. Also, wait for promo codes (and Gap Rewards) to use on top of the sale price. Anyway, I love vests and I wear them all the time. They're a fun and an easy way to add an extra layer to your outfit. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLtkdXC0UpCDI0qptOAj845k5B2Z4G-gLoab-lONkO7X1k8mDxKhXR5VHESCqSHb8kMcmfoDFDiq8zbX1m0wsoKKMP4y6jaej5tOh1LwhYbg0woKawCDXswueuAXI9GrgjdSJyKNTKIU/s1600/IMG_7721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLtkdXC0UpCDI0qptOAj845k5B2Z4G-gLoab-lONkO7X1k8mDxKhXR5VHESCqSHb8kMcmfoDFDiq8zbX1m0wsoKKMP4y6jaej5tOh1LwhYbg0woKawCDXswueuAXI9GrgjdSJyKNTKIU/s640/IMG_7721.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Also, these <a href="http://www.lordandtaylor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/lord-and-taylor/shoes/saltwater-quilted-duck-boots-0100-sts94063--1" target="_blank">Sperry Duck Boots</a> that I'm wearing in the above picture are a favorite. When I found out I was going to be on GMA, naturally, I went to the mall to shop for something to wear. I texted my sister-in-law, Ashley to help me decide on the shoes. I didn't know if I wanted tall boots, short boots, or what style of boots. I needed help! So we texted pictures back and forth until we decided on these. I love them because they're so versatile. They're cute, but super warm, and also comfortable. I walked all over NYC in these things and my feet did not ache or have blisters at the end of the day. The sad thing was that nobody saw my cute boots on t.v. because I was standing behind a table the entire time. haha! </div>
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Here's a close up. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMRibuotc17dTLh-a5RrOzosbk_lOor0xHORqL812t5OnA4QLdtIxapJU2F633seKwhTU4eaRDapo_dFkWjlrvNux9qw19drfCV0Ho5HvzY1egQ1tuiyweS2zhuERJpTHI5vX1PmPB7E/s1600/IMG_8389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMRibuotc17dTLh-a5RrOzosbk_lOor0xHORqL812t5OnA4QLdtIxapJU2F633seKwhTU4eaRDapo_dFkWjlrvNux9qw19drfCV0Ho5HvzY1egQ1tuiyweS2zhuERJpTHI5vX1PmPB7E/s640/IMG_8389.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And lastly, another pair of boots I just love are my hunter boots. When I bought them a few years ago, I wasn't sure how much I would actually wear them. But I find myself wearing them regularly…. they're great in the rain and in the snow or even just out working in the yard. <br />
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Last September, I got them out to clean them up and get them ready to wear in the Fall. I had read on Pinterest that Goo Gone would work great, so I sprayed my boots and wiped them down, but I didn't really notice a difference. They didn't look cleaner or shinier. So Tim said that he had something much better that would work. He got out his engine degreaser (for cars) and sprayed it all over my boots. Then when he started scrubbing them, the rubber started rubbing off!! I was horrified! They looked like this afterwards.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89k4utVQ0Gs-uwrehFYnLAvo1BKttEuMsNd7sd4NnKvlGgPsGB9-F9J8MYbj22J9gBdUGYdV5OOWnyLXldvTiPPkLEc444rogy01j5GZhaxqZqqtyvCE0KA0s80BBtRsbwxlk2JtfxJA/s1600/IMG_6316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89k4utVQ0Gs-uwrehFYnLAvo1BKttEuMsNd7sd4NnKvlGgPsGB9-F9J8MYbj22J9gBdUGYdV5OOWnyLXldvTiPPkLEc444rogy01j5GZhaxqZqqtyvCE0KA0s80BBtRsbwxlk2JtfxJA/s640/IMG_6316.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Awful. Awful. I was so sad. Several times, I almost bought new boots, but I hated to spend the money for the exact same pair that I already had. I tried a few different things (like olive oil) to bring back the shine, but nothing worked. I thought they were doomed. And then one day, (I had actually been praying about it. Yes, that is how much I love these boots.) and it hit me to use Tim's car tire shine. It shines rubber tires, so maybe it would shine rubber boots! At this point, it couldn't hurt, right? So I tried it. And y'all! It worked!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizjeoKoGu2lpYqlnGdhKg_U_j1fRNwbZt7jNHOUFjz5GYRI8GDn9Se7E1DaQINxNyPKNDFFw4DeSRrznzpkVEpXxieym6hlJ5wGBk-uuP9ewdCCn0R6rPY6jmi8YU4eK_UCP_1kiL7S-c/s1600/IMG_6321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizjeoKoGu2lpYqlnGdhKg_U_j1fRNwbZt7jNHOUFjz5GYRI8GDn9Se7E1DaQINxNyPKNDFFw4DeSRrznzpkVEpXxieym6hlJ5wGBk-uuP9ewdCCn0R6rPY6jmi8YU4eK_UCP_1kiL7S-c/s640/IMG_6321.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was ecstatic. I love these boots! There are so many colors to choose from, it's hard to decide, but I love that mine are a neutral color because they go with so many different outfits.<br />
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Okay, what about you. Do you have any favorite things that I need to know about?Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-49182393293821565112016-01-08T13:54:00.000-06:002016-01-31T13:31:03.169-06:00Favorite Projects of All TimeI thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of my all time favorite projects over the years. I wanted to include "Then" and "Now" (or at least more recent) pictures too so you can see how my home and style has evolved over the years. <br />
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First up: An <a href="http://www.jaimescott.blogspot.com/2010/09/window-turned-picture-frame.html" target="_blank">old window turned picture frame</a><br />
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I did this five years ago back before it was all the rage. I don't think Pinterest even existed then. So it's highly possible that I invented the whole window picture frame thing. Ha! :) I remember feeling like it was such a big risk. And Tim totally thought I had lost it when I told him what I wanted to do with the old window I had drug home from an antique store. <br />
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Then:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLRP58tRIQRkJ2yIzzjtXhWTNGMCRWeNKLHkd7pSprslo3kHI_MWeXc_GTjttGmG936k0iYXxdqv3lhcvozcQoe0onPwKaOp-K37jwMlQWdBRpFmgtFWdSUGRvkjmYEkYtZUDvrNdxTQ/s1600/livingroom3_thumb%255B2%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLRP58tRIQRkJ2yIzzjtXhWTNGMCRWeNKLHkd7pSprslo3kHI_MWeXc_GTjttGmG936k0iYXxdqv3lhcvozcQoe0onPwKaOp-K37jwMlQWdBRpFmgtFWdSUGRvkjmYEkYtZUDvrNdxTQ/s640/livingroom3_thumb%255B2%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And now<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgMcqBaOB6eInIXbIESh4RkxPdfqXvPTlnDL2hpdTMzE1NvWJggz3_FKMrQk_uytM-Fy4FRsp5CkSlsFURq4ZR95PXVhYto2tutzlarOlK-pz2hzupvA4XW4xttQRGoyQKd6Cf89xa-I/s1600/DSC_5502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgMcqBaOB6eInIXbIESh4RkxPdfqXvPTlnDL2hpdTMzE1NvWJggz3_FKMrQk_uytM-Fy4FRsp5CkSlsFURq4ZR95PXVhYto2tutzlarOlK-pz2hzupvA4XW4xttQRGoyQKd6Cf89xa-I/s640/DSC_5502.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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My <a href="http://www.jaimescott.blogspot.com/2010/11/faux-fireplace-transformation.html" target="_blank">faux fireplace transformation</a><br />
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You must know by now that I love fireplaces. In my last home, I didn't have one, so I decided to make one…. a fake one anyway. I bought a mantle off of Craigslist and brought it home to see what I could come up with. At first it didn't look so great!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KivnHfeoC52ExZZijSPm3WiFHO37dSkvLB7rBDdRFs8m4xnQoIC_TkcdrY_MvDyFF9GuaqOk6m6N-cySYXvPkGSraFLxyNlX8z3wECw6fkmPByQ1qvpSvi4NMfAKV_z3GHEwPXiN5AQ/s1600/mantel_thumb2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KivnHfeoC52ExZZijSPm3WiFHO37dSkvLB7rBDdRFs8m4xnQoIC_TkcdrY_MvDyFF9GuaqOk6m6N-cySYXvPkGSraFLxyNlX8z3wECw6fkmPByQ1qvpSvi4NMfAKV_z3GHEwPXiN5AQ/s640/mantel_thumb2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After some brainstorming, I ended up putting a chalkboard behind it and drawing a fire on it to make it feel more cozy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifc7OnEDlPbf4xGM8Cty6IOEbREbCC_hRuJKy4lO-sjodYY7_gL_qYzXXCScLhim0AlMVBw16eGEjQ5YmwHGsIQPzKKlqvbHWMex89XWWhvHPbLP2D35TvERdoJFcCtXsaeYxjueGS4Dk/s1600/fireplace1_thumb%255B2%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifc7OnEDlPbf4xGM8Cty6IOEbREbCC_hRuJKy4lO-sjodYY7_gL_qYzXXCScLhim0AlMVBw16eGEjQ5YmwHGsIQPzKKlqvbHWMex89XWWhvHPbLP2D35TvERdoJFcCtXsaeYxjueGS4Dk/s640/fireplace1_thumb%255B2%255D.jpg" width="436" /></a></div>
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Over the years, it's had many transformations. At the moment, I'm not using it because I decided to move my desk upstairs and there is only so much room. Some days I miss it and want to bring it back up. But here's a look at some more recent pictures of it....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2B36h-596E4om6EIBy-LbaKPHtZKwOW-BR28Ub8c5VKVMQ3h7BXFIFrQVLi9dew-soHkLiwzKkAGyIcuUDrUlsoTo1McQARSMfWtQ05N-redIG2_Zk9R_LJZnCWINafLEBzIGzXMBuG4/s1600/DSC_3408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2B36h-596E4om6EIBy-LbaKPHtZKwOW-BR28Ub8c5VKVMQ3h7BXFIFrQVLi9dew-soHkLiwzKkAGyIcuUDrUlsoTo1McQARSMfWtQ05N-redIG2_Zk9R_LJZnCWINafLEBzIGzXMBuG4/s640/DSC_3408.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIz4h_6vxKvWEd0sXiGlg8Sgu_rQlpmNCS5Pf4sTAhbiyWBtqpBmOmlJAOfEtbrVxe4N9fff_S6zHM5lWC3T10Vuhom7R0rJHZMCfAeiN-W9B-OADEh-lVRvGAtwn9Hyqr9LjBJDhRYxs/s1600/IMG_2610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIz4h_6vxKvWEd0sXiGlg8Sgu_rQlpmNCS5Pf4sTAhbiyWBtqpBmOmlJAOfEtbrVxe4N9fff_S6zHM5lWC3T10Vuhom7R0rJHZMCfAeiN-W9B-OADEh-lVRvGAtwn9Hyqr9LjBJDhRYxs/s640/IMG_2610.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Do you remember when we needed a coffee table so we decided to build our own <a href="http://www.jaimescott.blogspot.com/2011/11/diy-chunky-distressed-coffee-table.html" target="_blank">chunky distressed coffee table</a> ?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqy2QuEP7DNlzbI37hoh_Cp2L9McHK2KoS6JiduYTsNVsFvlitrZs0cg7tY-Vcnxtt4hoGToth1k-bApt84tqa8QvjnUfa3xyDl8AAp6Y3yP29PZtlD1T_II-p6cB71lIlehUGO26luZI/s1600/054_thumb%255B2%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqy2QuEP7DNlzbI37hoh_Cp2L9McHK2KoS6JiduYTsNVsFvlitrZs0cg7tY-Vcnxtt4hoGToth1k-bApt84tqa8QvjnUfa3xyDl8AAp6Y3yP29PZtlD1T_II-p6cB71lIlehUGO26luZI/s640/054_thumb%255B2%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I still love it. <br />
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Right now, we have it in our basement because it fits so well with our other furniture down there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnxktBa9b46qAp12NHXYHSRZDP8YXV_zXCt5d3S9nLHjckYHhQJFi0A4VQrR0T6QE_eTLKJWum121f8OvXVxQ-laOUfObYPwNeH0BvZ-YnwTSbUy6XlC4V1C0jwAoF5SRdsUtc6jZUc4/s1600/DSC_5531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnxktBa9b46qAp12NHXYHSRZDP8YXV_zXCt5d3S9nLHjckYHhQJFi0A4VQrR0T6QE_eTLKJWum121f8OvXVxQ-laOUfObYPwNeH0BvZ-YnwTSbUy6XlC4V1C0jwAoF5SRdsUtc6jZUc4/s640/DSC_5531.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The <a href="http://www.jaimescott.blogspot.com/2013/01/kitchen-buffet-coffee-bar.html" target="_blank">kitchen coffee bar/buffet</a><br />
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Then:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtxW-lvxRLJRCC_n2R6zYAT0Kvwi0yi6Drvh93uO9l-czE08kl8R5piQcCviCerZR2w2lsjk9y90FA3Ed8H5gBmPPMceXWSMGrFYha6j_92mR0srVF9lYb7DSWxqSmEv1s1CLF7SUKDY/s1600/DSC_6439_thumb%255B2%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtxW-lvxRLJRCC_n2R6zYAT0Kvwi0yi6Drvh93uO9l-czE08kl8R5piQcCviCerZR2w2lsjk9y90FA3Ed8H5gBmPPMceXWSMGrFYha6j_92mR0srVF9lYb7DSWxqSmEv1s1CLF7SUKDY/s640/DSC_6439_thumb%255B2%255D.jpg" width="434" /></a></div>
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The turquoise was fun, but it felt limiting at times. So back in October, I decided to re-paint it a more neutral color. Here's a recent picture.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEALQXEBijg3oIQyso-gUWilXry3UFhfAhMWECj6-40iXXH8ciwPESKirlDJvBZ_sUcI2AkW-26o5iRW6oyvNFKlimwoLW3c7KhEjgp8N5L0JyjogjwrDDvwIFZJyUNg9646RM2QGxNjA/s1600/DSC_5507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEALQXEBijg3oIQyso-gUWilXry3UFhfAhMWECj6-40iXXH8ciwPESKirlDJvBZ_sUcI2AkW-26o5iRW6oyvNFKlimwoLW3c7KhEjgp8N5L0JyjogjwrDDvwIFZJyUNg9646RM2QGxNjA/s640/DSC_5507.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.jaimescott.blogspot.com/2013/01/painting-brick-fireplace.html" target="_blank">Painting the Brick Fireplace</a><br />
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When we moved in, our fireplace looked like this<br />
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Before:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxOZYmrftVlpcA9v5C0K6jU5yt-1xVaBkjyu5ZBcZQlqgl1kTAT3CgrbSWNFx4zLhLhxFp4zgrDmsFyPcV-WF4mEQGO9aSU6ZtLAPC-fted37KUPYhrGEk43GLIEuFPutOJgt9nqvmA8/s1600/IMG_3526_thumb%255B2%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxOZYmrftVlpcA9v5C0K6jU5yt-1xVaBkjyu5ZBcZQlqgl1kTAT3CgrbSWNFx4zLhLhxFp4zgrDmsFyPcV-WF4mEQGO9aSU6ZtLAPC-fted37KUPYhrGEk43GLIEuFPutOJgt9nqvmA8/s640/IMG_3526_thumb%255B2%255D.jpg" width="484" /></a></div>
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Painting it made an immediate and dramatic difference.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrW55XcidvnwmqlrydbAk3lfyh5ggjs7gEVesVgr1OSaxtXe0PtFsoxr58r05MfbYOFp2dvkz4cEIcVesO8hTnjPhhLNlNrzTumgQ9OCRmSwCE7sKCrYSOaLAcrYAoeSmJ70C0PtcTYBE/s1600/IMG_3899_thumb%255B2%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrW55XcidvnwmqlrydbAk3lfyh5ggjs7gEVesVgr1OSaxtXe0PtFsoxr58r05MfbYOFp2dvkz4cEIcVesO8hTnjPhhLNlNrzTumgQ9OCRmSwCE7sKCrYSOaLAcrYAoeSmJ70C0PtcTYBE/s640/IMG_3899_thumb%255B2%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Since that picture was taken, Tim put up a mantle for me.<br />
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And Now:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMtaR2oPePeSVjmPGmRoiJrqymMQH2Y244ggkfJjWLYCHuo5RL92RU_o7PSw9getHLsvuMoedk-TYw5sY07P27xJyQdi3FWts676kiqaf6y7mdyJ92_2QZK5gfsR0ORkLvXqmitlgqQI/s1600/IMG_8002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMtaR2oPePeSVjmPGmRoiJrqymMQH2Y244ggkfJjWLYCHuo5RL92RU_o7PSw9getHLsvuMoedk-TYw5sY07P27xJyQdi3FWts676kiqaf6y7mdyJ92_2QZK5gfsR0ORkLvXqmitlgqQI/s640/IMG_8002.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Peyton's<a href="http://www.jaimescott.blogspot.com/2014/12/barbie-dollhouse-diy.html" target="_blank"> Barbie Dollhouse</a><br />
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I still love this project. I had so much fun making it for her. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtILQMor5UlK545ef0dW00lErrIXW7VCwXoUanGBe2F7mLPG_T315d_jaa73yjg6dzgTOEZ3AZEgqrvhGoFseOg96WIE7H-4FyV4Q0vwI55XXp7-vPfWHPt5bHqrwl49pa-Pz3WiSZ2-A/s1600/IMG_1624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtILQMor5UlK545ef0dW00lErrIXW7VCwXoUanGBe2F7mLPG_T315d_jaa73yjg6dzgTOEZ3AZEgqrvhGoFseOg96WIE7H-4FyV4Q0vwI55XXp7-vPfWHPt5bHqrwl49pa-Pz3WiSZ2-A/s640/IMG_1624.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I'll spare you a "Now" picture because I'm pretty sure that Barbie's house is a disaster and she needs a maid to come clean it up for her. And most likely, Barbie is naked and would not like me taking pictures of her and posting them on the internet. :)</div>
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Hope you had fun looking back with me. Does your style evolve too over the years? What's your favorite project you've ever done in your home? </div>
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Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-24488204410057932015-12-23T12:45:00.000-06:002015-12-23T12:46:03.268-06:00Christmas Home TourMerry Christmas!!<br />
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Our Christmas card this year...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmcagvNxJEsJ7Bj8CEE9VHsrSP2zJWY2HXR_v_bTJ025ewtf7yz68hCalj_w_Esy9Ucs5pQzBUcYNJ-FBSekmcprbXGRvMgj1a7BnGnj5Wsgxt-hQ8vdGBUqkc0VFf8K1joMTH4ctooI/s1600/IMG_0729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVmcagvNxJEsJ7Bj8CEE9VHsrSP2zJWY2HXR_v_bTJ025ewtf7yz68hCalj_w_Esy9Ucs5pQzBUcYNJ-FBSekmcprbXGRvMgj1a7BnGnj5Wsgxt-hQ8vdGBUqkc0VFf8K1joMTH4ctooI/s640/IMG_0729.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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A few people have asked me about a Christmas house tour this year. If you follow me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jaimejscott/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, you've probably seen most of these corners of my home, but I thought I'd pop in here and post a few more pictures. </div>
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I kept it really simple this year. I'm still loving neutral colors and greenery, like wreaths and garland, as well as lots of textured blankets, furry things, and candles. I want my home to feel warm and cozy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkriAeQQBTq3z42s-A2XUTBvLOWij8PjRb9lERrb4Yk6EBpAj29g39nxja9dyrumpDPQRkmcpNEe-ueLe-LMrafRS5JJgQFdh6JToyQaCcwS-N3aa4qMaIKZtVKVtzehaRtFIR3KMscMo/s1600/IMG_7451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkriAeQQBTq3z42s-A2XUTBvLOWij8PjRb9lERrb4Yk6EBpAj29g39nxja9dyrumpDPQRkmcpNEe-ueLe-LMrafRS5JJgQFdh6JToyQaCcwS-N3aa4qMaIKZtVKVtzehaRtFIR3KMscMo/s640/IMG_7451.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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This year, we got a Balsam Hill tree for the living room and I've really enjoyed having it upstairs. Our real tree is downstairs by the fireplace. I decorated the upstairs tree and the kids decorated the downstairs one. </div>
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Lately, I've decided that I'm really liking gold. So I'm starting to add splashes of gold around my home.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-q6dfFCt4CkYVFdsjZWmJdk4bRYg7nMzagit1r3_OiMPf1Q407SAU8OCdeSZL5N1DpCITL8Rv4zQDhOTpqtPRcIKvRCSw3PVB0bWC-TimWNufHKQHVAlvYXuAyCzG2z70Xpq6xs0EA8/s1600/IMG_7618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-q6dfFCt4CkYVFdsjZWmJdk4bRYg7nMzagit1r3_OiMPf1Q407SAU8OCdeSZL5N1DpCITL8Rv4zQDhOTpqtPRcIKvRCSw3PVB0bWC-TimWNufHKQHVAlvYXuAyCzG2z70Xpq6xs0EA8/s640/IMG_7618.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I've been loving this Ballard Designs mirror for quite some time now. So recently, when they ran a big sale and I had some store credit, we splurged on it. I love how it reflects light and makes our small entryway feel a bit bigger. </div>
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The view from the other direction.</div>
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The mudroom</div>
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My desk area</div>
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The kitchen</div>
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If you throw some garland on top of anything, it instantly looks festive and Christmasy.</div>
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Our hot chocolate stand this year. The tiered stand is from <a href="https://shop.magnoliamarket.com/#" target="_blank">Magnolia Market</a>.</div>
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Several months ago, I painted the buffet a dark charcoal black (Benjamin Moore's Black Panther). I was wanting something more neutral than turquoise for the dining area. I'm loving how classy the black looks. It's also much more versatile now when it comes to decorating for the different seasons. </div>
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And lastly, the bedroom because it got a furry wreath and some garland.</div>
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<br />Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-79310234500362456662015-12-21T15:11:00.003-06:002016-01-31T13:31:55.374-06:00Good Morning AmericaThe craziest thing happened last week….<br />
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Five years ago, I turned my leftover pumpkins into a snowman. Do any of you remember <a href="http://jaimescott.blogspot.com/2010/12/frosty-snowman.html" target="_blank">Frosty the Pumpkinman</a>?</div>
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He sure was cute! I just never dreamed that one day he would have me making an appearance on Good Morning America!!</div>
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Well, hold on… let me back up. <br />
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Last Sunday night around 9:30, Tim and I were just casually sitting on the couch watching t.v. when my email dinged. I don't normally check my email immediately, but I was waiting to hear back from a company about an order I had made, so hoping it was from them, I checked my email. But the email was actually from a producer at Good Morning America asking me if I would be interested in coming on their show on Friday (5 days later) for a segment called, Holiday Hacks, and showing America how to turn their leftover pumpkins into a snowman. </div>
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I was completely taken off guard. Shocked. Mind-blown. Speechless. Terrified. All the feelings. I shoved my phone in Tim's face and asked him what he thought. He googled the producer's name to make sure it wasn't a hoax. It wasn't. So he said, "You should do it." Just like that. So casual. Meanwhile, I couldn't wrap my brain around standing in front of millions of people and showing them how to make a pumpkin snowman. If you know me at all, you probably know that public speaking of any kind is not my thing. As in, I'm terrified of it. I changed my major from elementary education in college because I didn't want to stand in front of my classmates and do practice class lessons. I would much prefer to be on this side of the screen writing blogs or taking pictures. </div>
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That night, I forwarded the email to two close friends and then Tim and I called his parents and mine. Of course, we all agreed that it was an unbelievable, once in a lifetime opportunity. And I knew in my gut that I couldn't just pass it up because I was scared or I would always regret it. It felt like God was opening a door for me and He wanted me to walk through it. He seems to be having fun lately showing me that He can do absolutely anything in my life that He wants to. </div>
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The email said if I was interested, to please make a video that explains and shows how to make the pumpkin snowman, upload it to youtube, and then send them the link by early afternoon the next day. These videos are how the bosses approve which guests get to be on the show. Talk about a time crunch and tad bit of pressure!! I'm not a video person. I'm a blogger. So all of a sudden, I went from looking forward to an easy week in which to finish up all my last minute Christmas stuff before my kids got out of school for Christmas Break to being completely stressed out, overwhelmed, can't sleep, can't hardly eat, scared out of my mind. </div>
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But I also knew I just needed to take things one step at a time. And the first step was the video. So on Monday, I made the video, just doing the best I could on such short notice. I emailed it to GMA around 1:00 pm like they requested. And I prayed they would pick someone else. The producer called later that afternoon and said she still needed an official okay from the bosses, but she wanted to go ahead and get all my information to start making the travel reservations. I begged God to slam this crazy door closed. I waited and waited. On Tuesday evening I got the official green light email that I had been dreading. I immediately called Tim and told him that we were going to NYC! I couldn't believe that I was going to be on Good Morning America talking to millions of people on live television in just a few more days. This was not my dream come true, this was a nightmare I was going to have to face. </div>
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People kept asking me if I was excited and I kept saying, "<i>No! I'm terrified!</i>" Like in every sense of the word. I am not exaggerating for drama here. I was seriously terrified. There were times when God gave me a calmness that I couldn't explain and didn't make sense. But there were other times when the fear was so overwhelming that I felt like I just wanted to throw up. I spent a lot of time praying and listening to God, asking for His peace, needing to hear His voice and be reminded that He would get me through. This was not something I could do on my own. I needed him to show up for me big time. <br />
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I just kept asking, <i>why me Lord?.. of all the people that would love to get up in front of millions, why are you choosing me? This is not my thing!! I'm not ready for this! I can't do this. Please, please choose someone else!!</i><br />
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As I sat with the Lord and listened, some of the impressions I felt on my heart was that this was all His plan and even though I never imagined (or wanted) anything like this, He wanted me to surrender, to flow with Him, trusting that He was the current in my life, taking me where He wanted me to go. This was something He was doing and He wanted me to let go of trying to control my life and relax, allow Him to work, and trust that wherever He takes me, He will get me through. He said that His timing was perfect and that He had prepared me. He reminded me that I was His and that He would be faithful to me.<br />
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All of that was very encouraging, but the fear was still so loud and overwhelming, making me feel sick to my stomach and anxious almost constantly over the coming days.<br />
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An interesting side note : A few weeks back, Tyson has asked me when we could to to New York. At the time, we had no real plans to go, so I just told him that we would go one day, but I didn't know when. Now here we had such a unique opportunity to take the kids to see NYC at Christmastime. I told Tyson that God had heard his heart's desire to go to NY and He was making it happen. I want my kids to recognize when the hand of God moves in their lives and He does something extra special for them just to show them He loves them.<br />
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On Thursday afternoon, we loaded up the kids, dropped the pets off with neighbors and drove up to NYC. I cannot even tell you guys how nervous I was. I didn't sleep a wink that night. I had to be at the studio at 5:15 in the morning, so I got out of bed at 4:15 to get ready. There were times when I honestly didn't know if I would be able to go through with it. This was the hardest/scariest thing I have ever had to do.<br />
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Tim prayed for me before I left the hotel and then texted me this verse a few minutes later which encouraged me "<i>Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you… </i>"1 Chron. 28:20<br />
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Thankfully, the staff at GMA were all so nice and put me more at ease. They reminded me that it was just a fun segment and I didn't need to worry about stumbling over words or forgetting what to say. They said to just try to forget about the cameras and have fun. And they reminded me not to overthink it. Obviously that's easier said than done, but it took some of the pressure off. We still practiced several times so we knew what we wanted to say, but the atmosphere was very laid back. I went to hair and makeup while someone went and got me a Starbucks and I felt a little bit like a movie star in that moment. So surreal. Then we did a few teasers where we were told to stand in front of the camera and dance with our props for all of America to see. I was thankful that I had a snowman to dance in front of the camera. One lady had garland and the other had a box, so I feel like that would have been a lot more awkward if on of those were my props. The teasers ended up being fun and actually helped me relax a little bit as I realized it wasn't so awful to be in front of a camera.<br />
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Here we are getting ready to do a teaser.<br />
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Tim brought the kids down to the studio just after 8 a.m. My segment was scheduled to be on at about 8:45. So we hung out in the green room for a few minutes then headed outside to wait for our turn. It was freezing outside and I couldn't stop shivering, partly from the cold, but I'm sure partly from nerves too. <br />
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And then it was time! I said a desperate prayer of, "Jesus, Help Me!!" right before we started. And he did. Because I stood up there and said just what I needed to say and the words came out smoothly. It went fast. The two anchors did such a great job of keeping things moving and helping me get through it. And I was so so relieved when it was over.<br />
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This picture below is just a screen shot. Scroll down for a link to the video.<br />
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I could not figure out how to get the video up on my blog, but you can watch it by clicking the link below<br />
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<a href="https://gma.yahoo.com/video/festive-holiday-decorating-hacks-125548346.html" target="_blank">GMA Holiday Hacks</a><br />
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Afterwards, we showed the kids around NYC. It was such a special blessing to be able to do this. We had already decided to stay Friday night in the hotel so we wouldn't have to rush back home. We wanted to take full advantage of this opportunity the Lord had given us.<br />
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We thought this gingerbread house at Anthropologie was awesome!<br />
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We took the kids to Central Park. They had a lot of fun running around and climbing on the big rocks.</div>
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About eight years ago, when I was pregnant with Peyton, Tim had a work trip to NYC and I got to join him for a few days. We took a picture (which I can't find or I would post it) sitting on a rock in Central Park, so here we are again eight years later. We think it's the same rock, but we're not really sure!</div>
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We ate a really early dinner that night and were back in our hotel room by about 5:30. I was so exhausted that I was in bed just after 6. Tim and the kids watched t.v. until about 8:00 and then everyone went right to sleep. It felt so good to sleep without feeling a pit of nerves in my stomach every time I rolled over.</div>
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On Saturday morning, we walked to Rockefeller Center because we thought we might take the kids ice skating, but the rink was so crowded (and it was so expensive) that we decided it wasn't worth it. We took some pictures in front of the tree and did a little shopping.</div>
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Back at Anthropologie because they have the best window displays (and they were having a great sale!). I'm always amazed at what they can do with things like, oh, I don't know… cardboard! </div>
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We had to take several different pictures because now each kid wants to take a picture.<br />
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Of course the kids had to check out that Lego store too!<br />
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After that it was time to head back to the hotel and finish packing so we could check out on time.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm glad I did it, but mostly, I'm just really relieved it's over and that the Lord got me through it without me making a complete fool of myself on national tv. I'm also thankful for the time we got to be in NYC with our family at Christmastime. We made some special family memories. And I hope my kids remember that time their mom did something that was hard and scary but the Lord upheld her. I can't even say how much it meant to me to have people supporting me and praying for me through all of this. I'm not sure if I would have done it without the support of Tim and our families and friends. I was really reminded of how blessed I am to have so many people who love and care for me and cheer me on.</span><br />
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<br />Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-14451267534051189602015-09-25T13:28:00.000-05:002015-09-25T13:28:04.478-05:00Outdoor DiningWelcome Fall! It's my absolute favorite time of the year, as I'm sure you know by now! The weather is slowly turning cooler around here and it's so nice to be outside enjoying it. All summer long, we've been working hard to get our back deck in shape, as well as our yard and the patio underneath the deck. Tim sanded and stained our deck and I painted the rails white. We love the difference this has made! It was such a large undertaking and it took quite a bit longer than we had anticipated, but we are so glad we did it. We're still not quite finished, but we're finally at a point where the hardest part is done and we can relax and enjoy it. <br />
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Max and I spend most mornings out here sipping coffee and watching the birds.<br />
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The small table is perfect for our family of five when want to eat outside, but it's really not large enough when we are hosting guests.</div>
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So we decided to make better use of the space underneath our deck and turn it into an outside dining area. Tim took an old work table and made it into a farmhouse style table. Then we hung up strings of lights to give the space a nice ambience. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCV9K7QxtdySHH1uwvHCbusGBkOfXntrrI_ELHjL2kS6Qh3p9b6Dv_R1pG4Fn2Vq5hOiO6Gn_D1XunXd7VDVSzX6w163W5uuIOeZB5BQffeUaMqlb4mxUlNc5JSahWCtMUO-2M0DTqdRg/s1600/IMG_5373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCV9K7QxtdySHH1uwvHCbusGBkOfXntrrI_ELHjL2kS6Qh3p9b6Dv_R1pG4Fn2Vq5hOiO6Gn_D1XunXd7VDVSzX6w163W5uuIOeZB5BQffeUaMqlb4mxUlNc5JSahWCtMUO-2M0DTqdRg/s640/IMG_5373.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Over the past year, we've also been removing unwanted plants and bushes that were scattered throughout our back yard and have planted grass in their place. We've found that we really enjoy having friends and neighbors over for a casual dinner out back or s'mores around the fire pit. And it's nice to have a yard for the kids to run around and play games, while the grownups talk. </div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4hSEXFusaAqrw8N7-H0nV1iTMFIey1Rl1FffLjif5WjduTwGUBJW3aNKhwhqEvh5u-eO26mqKDVgTaHQM6W1bvIS6NeAytE0i1CreYqSa7ZE7R_chAMeiJlQuR97zGNRBPsTqFWM7l8/s640/IMG_6015.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Last weekend, Tim got a smoker, which we are so excited about. Now we can smoke large cuts of meat like ribs, brisket and pork loins. We are looking forward to weekends spent smoking meat, inviting friends over to share our meals with, and making memories out back. So fun!</span></div>
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</span>Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-67456014643278912112015-09-15T13:57:00.002-05:002016-01-31T13:42:46.298-06:00Closet turned Art Space<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Remember my <a href="http://www.jaimescott.blogspot.com/2015/08/salvaged-farmhouse-table.html" target="_blank">new table</a>?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_BF_aQAFTUKyHzokBBguTCdX-8zFp8q58T7wFSq0u8vBVcrs96G0lKSDrGjj1Sw7QA6Fyrt1cCH7gujWM2vHCIcMqAu1yiBjRrKeBz-6kWzuUv_L2My1_bWkaoAjlsPq20cJc1URQp4/s1600/IMG_5634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_BF_aQAFTUKyHzokBBguTCdX-8zFp8q58T7wFSq0u8vBVcrs96G0lKSDrGjj1Sw7QA6Fyrt1cCH7gujWM2vHCIcMqAu1yiBjRrKeBz-6kWzuUv_L2My1_bWkaoAjlsPq20cJc1URQp4/s640/IMG_5634.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Well, since I love it so much, and although I don't mind if it gets normal wear and tear from eating on it, I don't exactly want my kids doing art projects on it. I want to keep markers, paint, and glitter glue as far away as possible. But I love that my kids do art, so I knew I needed to figure out a way to still have an art space in our home. One night around 3:30a.m., as I was laying wide awake after one of the kids had woken me up from a nice sound sleep, I was brainstorming what to do about this dilemma. I actually love figuring out ways to make the spaces in our home work extra hard for us. Our house is not large, the bedrooms are on the smaller side, and every inch counts. I knew there was a lot of wasted space in Peyton's closet and it was not being used to it's full capacity. She is also the one who does the most art, so it made the most sense to me to convert her closet into an art space. </div>
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My original idea was that Tim would build a desk into the closet, but then we decided that it would be easiest and quickest to buy a desk and just put it in there. Then we measured my desk (below) and realized that it actually fit perfectly. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtg5r9q51wblb72ZlYZUqa-W4CTj3LmCPkA4MTp6IMub8SipJOcXL73jeAI4ri5YmZ2Y5J0LDtYE_bkLwDfB1WDIjzZbX4t8dM4uW82aZvgDZcGCeTZLIyp35HEfJQcxXh03yMgqwgg8w/s1600/IMG_5392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtg5r9q51wblb72ZlYZUqa-W4CTj3LmCPkA4MTp6IMub8SipJOcXL73jeAI4ri5YmZ2Y5J0LDtYE_bkLwDfB1WDIjzZbX4t8dM4uW82aZvgDZcGCeTZLIyp35HEfJQcxXh03yMgqwgg8w/s640/IMG_5392.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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So rather than buying a new desk for her that would get covered in messy art projects, we decided to give her my old desk and get an update for me. Although you can't see it in the pictures, there are spots that are less shiny and even a bit splotchy from when I spray painted it white a year ago (it used to be yellow). </div>
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We found this cute Josephine desk on sale at World Market for me. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxBfF0foNBuUIvaP76okBqhJfQXDLChPlznZelyc4rLrz9-8rbxsSTKINbu4JlZX9SGO9fWuZHiDnMrFBqTNNFTn9xXpqGSe_wHaV_khYEf_YtbF9pr9KDeZGrmjFS9_sGmrCHrECDbI/s1600/DSC_4622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxBfF0foNBuUIvaP76okBqhJfQXDLChPlznZelyc4rLrz9-8rbxsSTKINbu4JlZX9SGO9fWuZHiDnMrFBqTNNFTn9xXpqGSe_wHaV_khYEf_YtbF9pr9KDeZGrmjFS9_sGmrCHrECDbI/s640/DSC_4622.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love the X for the legs. It gives it a little more style and sophistication than my simple parsons desk. It's definitely an upgrade.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQhmjmnJ-9IbLI-jqkm2UCHJTYfJ-gLIXez7PYhEpfOqJm3EbMfhMZuNDed4U71IzDqf_YS6pu7HKduo_BWYmuEBJQmlBR6vGWuO3IhqK4vaj2DK7a0qELlSn35Y5N3DoxxYqyBbeiHo/s1600/DSC_4626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQhmjmnJ-9IbLI-jqkm2UCHJTYfJ-gLIXez7PYhEpfOqJm3EbMfhMZuNDed4U71IzDqf_YS6pu7HKduo_BWYmuEBJQmlBR6vGWuO3IhqK4vaj2DK7a0qELlSn35Y5N3DoxxYqyBbeiHo/s640/DSC_4626.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
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Here is the before picture of Peyton's closet (after we removed everything)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjy4UW0tirZrpQDCeBMgAw5lV5pWgnwvEJKhe5yWCF_eH5ESNNV0zWHC9FMLy9lm-GX33GNxa1tS7fiSXZLvfLij-BHrjY9ciSNzwVogbkBMUH5FF3G0A_WvDq-STSBiajVj8-6l9wRM0/s1600/IMG_5639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjy4UW0tirZrpQDCeBMgAw5lV5pWgnwvEJKhe5yWCF_eH5ESNNV0zWHC9FMLy9lm-GX33GNxa1tS7fiSXZLvfLij-BHrjY9ciSNzwVogbkBMUH5FF3G0A_WvDq-STSBiajVj8-6l9wRM0/s640/IMG_5639.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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And here's the after picture:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgHhghDOdqLKikolkbkolwbT5YYJV-wuxsmaL3OWzy6sSV8IHrAo_xmTkCqMnzX4_t-h8VefDBHLxmBRRWAOrSCBZWt2B_u52fU53qrY5LBkJvtkr-kiQm8XvX93JPaiE1wkZV4YJc-Y/s1600/IMG_6146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgHhghDOdqLKikolkbkolwbT5YYJV-wuxsmaL3OWzy6sSV8IHrAo_xmTkCqMnzX4_t-h8VefDBHLxmBRRWAOrSCBZWt2B_u52fU53qrY5LBkJvtkr-kiQm8XvX93JPaiE1wkZV4YJc-Y/s640/IMG_6146.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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We painted the inside a soft shade of blue so that it would stand out from her gray walls. Getting that desk in there was quite the wrestling match, but Tim squished and squeezed and pounded it in there. Since it fits so snugly, it kind of looks like a built in. Then I made a list of everything we needed to store and organize (crayons, markers, stamps, paper, glitter glue, play doh, watercolor paints, brushes, etc…) and I hit up Marshalls and Ikea. </div>
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If you're wondering what we did with all her clothes, everything fit into her dresser, except for a few nicer dresses that I hung up in our closet. And the kids keep their shoes either on a shelf in the garage right outside our kitchen door or under their beds. This arrangement may not work forever, but that's okay. It won't be a big deal to pull the desk out and convert it back into a closet if the day comes where we feel that that would be the best use of the space. For the time being though, this is just what we need. </div>
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Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-15800030350798414922015-09-14T13:12:00.000-05:002015-09-14T13:12:35.236-05:00Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter BallsHi there!<br />
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I just wanted to pop in today and share a quick recipe with you guys. I do hope to be back in this space more often. All my kiddos are in school these days, so I want to get back to blogging more. I miss it.<br />
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You may have already seen these Peanut Butter Balls on Pinterest, but if not, I wanted to share the recipe with you. It's one of our favorite snacks around here. I will warn you that they are very addicting though and you won't want to stop eating them. I started making them two years ago and haven't stopped yet. As soon as we run out, I find myself making another batch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_q-s_2WRFnHxl0_0kivZdHB4cAtMbmD7ow1uTx9NJziWqFn3F1giyFawGm5LKUU2JGYmIpUsBL-IMXJHP1qszpiOdy2GwkBfQ3T03_J_Djn1Payqqr71iFlNuXa_L-XyJe-sPlz5KDU/s1600/IMG_6143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_q-s_2WRFnHxl0_0kivZdHB4cAtMbmD7ow1uTx9NJziWqFn3F1giyFawGm5LKUU2JGYmIpUsBL-IMXJHP1qszpiOdy2GwkBfQ3T03_J_Djn1Payqqr71iFlNuXa_L-XyJe-sPlz5KDU/s400/IMG_6143.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A few weeks ago, I mentioned these to a friend and she accused me of holding out on her for all this time. So I apologize because I've been holding out on all of you guys too. But I'm here to share the recipe with you today... so better late than never!!<br />
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The recipe is super simple:<br />
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1 cup oatmeal<br />
1 cup shredded coconut (I buy unsweetened)<br />
1 cup Peanut Butter<br />
1/3 cup honey<br />
1/4 cup chocolate chips (I actually never measure these, I just dump some in)<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
1 tsp chia seeds (this is optional and you can also use flax seeds or something else you want to sneak in to the mix)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqJhKIEMKGOVTGFXDHK7g8YdnUul7NxiAo058W1sg-vom7FfHrw25-gBJqnvvANZLisohY94af5ASAwT2mFdLEEqoL4fPEKHtI8iFThlZ_gDtx-NbJwn1PqDXXnbjWQkm88p4QNa2XOg/s1600/IMG_6102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqJhKIEMKGOVTGFXDHK7g8YdnUul7NxiAo058W1sg-vom7FfHrw25-gBJqnvvANZLisohY94af5ASAwT2mFdLEEqoL4fPEKHtI8iFThlZ_gDtx-NbJwn1PqDXXnbjWQkm88p4QNa2XOg/s640/IMG_6102.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I try to buy good quality, pure ingredients so that they are as healthy as possible and I can feel good about letting my kids eat these. </div>
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Basically, you just measure everything out and mix it all up in a bowl. And this is where you must show some restraint because you will end up wanting to eat the entire bowl. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6y8Eqr1rNn4wLMCt5UVdS6uWYskD9Tn8HGsqirKF6apTV5XqD8BO5W_DIl8lmRNKpMjz-62-I6pOv57BfLrZbVY6hyphenhyphenJIqmnWuoeWDy_3fSADKLlKorJW3ZIdbdEb8Ja1Ay-79ZlZCv6A/s1600/IMG_6103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6y8Eqr1rNn4wLMCt5UVdS6uWYskD9Tn8HGsqirKF6apTV5XqD8BO5W_DIl8lmRNKpMjz-62-I6pOv57BfLrZbVY6hyphenhyphenJIqmnWuoeWDy_3fSADKLlKorJW3ZIdbdEb8Ja1Ay-79ZlZCv6A/s640/IMG_6103.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Then you roll them into balls for easy snacks. Put them in a sealable container and keep them in the refrigerator. We like them best when they're cold. </div>
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Super simple. Plus it's healthy. And they're delicious too. </div>
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Hope you like them!</div>
<br />Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-18861190471828396982015-08-29T14:08:00.000-05:002016-01-31T13:41:54.899-06:00Salvaged Farmhouse Table<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well, Hello! Does anyone still come to this space anymore? It's been awhile since I've sat down to blog. There are many reasons for this and right now I won't go into them, but today I wanted to pop back in and share something that recently happened and left me so encouraged. </div>
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I'll begin by saying that over the course of the last few years, God has been changing my perspective of him. He's teaching me to come to him as a beloved child instead of an orphan. He's teaching me to trust him with the desires of my heart, however big or small. He's been taking me by the hand and walking me out of guilt and fear and leading me into the love and freedom that can only be found in him. It's taking time and the change is slower than I would like, but I can look back and see how he's led me so kindly into trusting his goodness and faithfulness to me. He doesn't <i>always</i> give me what I ask for, but sometimes he does! And this is a story about one of those times that he surprised me and made a little one of my dreams come true.</div>
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A few years ago, we had a lot of family coming up to visit us and we needed a bigger dining room table to host them, as well as room to host friends when they came over. At that time, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted in a table and we didn't want to spend a lot of money, so we found a good solid table on Craigslist and hauled it home. It was nice enough and it worked for what we needed. </div>
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(our craigslist table)</div>
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But then a few months ago, I just fell in love with the salvaged farmhouse table from Restoration Hardware. We're pretty frugal and careful with how we spend our money, so a RH table was far beyond what we would even consider spending on a table. But because God has shown me how he delights to bless his kids, I asked him for it anyway. I would talk about it with him and even allow myself to dream just a bit that maybe one day I would get one. I scoured craigslist almost everyday looking to see if someone posted one for sale. </div>
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Then one day, we were out at the Leesburg outlets and we stopped in the RH outlet to look around. I asked them if they ever got the salvaged farmhouse table in their store. They replied that it was pretty rare, but that every once in a while, they do get one. They added my name to a preferred customer waiting list and promised to call me if one ever came in to the store. </div>
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One Friday a few weeks later, I got the call that I had been waiting for from the RH outlet. They informed me that they were expecting to get a salvaged farmhouse table into the store on Sunday. They were having a 25% off sale at the time, so not only would the table be marked down to the outlet price, but I would get another 25% off of that price. I was so excited, but my excitement quickly deflated when the sales rep informed me that someone else had already put it on hold. She offered to put in on a second hold for me, meaning if the guy that had it on the first hold didn't get it between 10am - 12pm on Sunday, then they would call me and hold it for me for two hours.</div>
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I was hopeful and even had a little feeling that this was God answering my prayers, but I was also trying not to get too excited about it. I didn't want to be devastated if it didn't work out. I knew I just needed to wait, trust him, and see what happened. In the meantime, I talked to him about it, but promised him I wouldn't beg (cause I just hate it when my kids beg me!). </div>
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And then around 11:30 on Sunday morning, RH outlet called to let me know that the guy decided <i>not</i> to get the table. I was stunned! <i>Really?!!</i> They told me the reason he didn't want it was because there were oil spots on the table. After asking the RH rep to describe them to me, I wasn't too concerned because the table is a very rustic table and I don't mind some imperfections. I always just call those kinds of things "character". And after all, there is nothing perfect about the table to begin with. I also knew that we weren't going to be keeping the table in pristine condition or anything, because we have three kids who spill and drip stuff all the time. </div>
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I quickly called a neighbor and asked if my kids could come over to their house to play for a few hours so Tim and I could drive to the outlets, which are about 45 minutes aways. We needed to be able to use the entire back of the van to get the table home. The funny (or not funny) thing was that the air conditioner in the van had just stopped working a day or so before this and it was blazing hot outside, so Tim and I had to drive the entire way in an un-airconditioned van in the middle of summer with windows down. I promised Tim I would treat him to a starbucks frappuccino on the way home. Our little drive to the outlets, windows down, music blaring, felt a bit like a fun date in the middle of a Sunday afternoon. </div>
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Upon arriving to the store, we went straight to look at the table and honestly, I couldn't even find the oil spots. I had to ask the sales rep where they were. After she pointed them out, I could see them, but they blended in so much with the salvaged, rustic look of the wood that they were just barely noticeable. I could not believe that someone passed the table up because of them. Yet, deep in my heart, I knew that God had orchestrated the whole thing for me because he loves me! Seeing those oil spots bring joy to my heart. I look at them as God's fingerprints, put there by him to make sure I got my table. </div>
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This table is such a reminder to me of God's love, how very personal he is with each one of us, how he delights to bless his kids, and his ability to maneuver events and bring His purposes to pass in our lives. </div>
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I am hoping to be back in this space blogging more soon, so don't give up on my just yet! </div>
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Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-60893851613167440402015-06-01T18:22:00.000-05:002016-01-31T13:42:07.104-06:00Master Bedroom MakeoverI'm back! It's been awhile, hasn't it?! Today I have our master bedroom makeover to share with you. <br />
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But first, a few weeks ago, I was cleaning out stuff for a garage sale and ended up rearranging a few things. I took down my faux fireplace and brought my parsons desk upstairs to put in it's place. It's a fun change for now. I enjoy switching things up every once in a while and I have a nice place to sit and blog. But I'm holding on to the faux fireplace because I may want to put it back up in the Fall. You just never know!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim17UK0wPe63r2OS-HFry9bZtna0lQ_EFIKwJa4Eq6HVQlRhgXwfOt9DQ6hnYhf0QwX3xDifQ5ASdDRk1ToKyj869Bqeod351fLpMdnEsoKdhYBAYv4k4FW6hFZI6S_VSN2qjXNi3AJ3A/s1600/IMG_4475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim17UK0wPe63r2OS-HFry9bZtna0lQ_EFIKwJa4Eq6HVQlRhgXwfOt9DQ6hnYhf0QwX3xDifQ5ASdDRk1ToKyj869Bqeod351fLpMdnEsoKdhYBAYv4k4FW6hFZI6S_VSN2qjXNi3AJ3A/s640/IMG_4475.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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So let's get started on the makeover pictures:</div>
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Originally, our master bedroom looked like this</div>
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It wasn't awful, but it wasn't cozy or inviting to me either. I never walked into our bedroom and loved it. It had become a mix of things we had on hand and some random things I'd bought because we needed something immediately and didn't have time to find what we really wanted (like the nightstands that I found cheap on craigslist). We hated the rug because it was constantly slipping around and bunching up, making it a tripping hazard. After several bad experiences buying cheaper types of rugs, we've learned not to skimp on them anymore. A good quality rug really is worth the extra money. </div>
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So one day back in April, <a href="http://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/rugs/rugs-usa-moroccan-shag/ivory/200MTVS28A-10014.html" target="_blank">a rug</a> that I had been eyeing for months on rugsusa went on a huge 75% off sale. Without the sale, the rug is way out of our price range, but with the amazing sale, we decided it was too good of a deal to pass up. And that one purchase was the inspiration that led to the complete re-doing of the entire room. </div>
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As I was waiting for my rug to arrive, I decided to re-paint the walls. They were a darker gray than I really wanted and it had been bugging me for quite some time. I felt like the dark gray walls were hindering me from making the room into something I loved. And I figured that it would be best to re-paint the room before the rug arrived. The walls are still gray, but they're a much lighter gray now. I also took everything out of our room that I didn't love - which pretty much was everything except the bed, our dresser, and the tobacco basket hanging above our bed (which I had removed in order to paint).</div>
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After that, the room was barebones, but it allowed me to envision what I wanted it to become. I was really drawn to neutral cozy spaces on Pinterest. I liked simple rooms with natural elements that were almost minimalist. They seemed so relaxing to me. <a href="http://www.thenester.com/" target="_blank">The Nester</a> has coined a phrase called the "cozy minimalist" and I've decided that's exactly what I am. I don't like a ton of stuff, but I love a room that feels cozy with layers and textures, a plant or two, a candle, and just a few meaningful pictures. I don't like clutter. So with that in mind, I went on the hunt for finding and adding in only the things I loved. And in the end, I have a room that I love.</div>
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The nightstands were the absolute hardest things for me to find. We have a pretty tiny room and finding two that would fit was challenging. Plus I had a pretty good idea in my mind what I wanted… I just couldn't find them. I wanted something a little bit rustic looking, washed wood, with drawers (not shelves), and I wanted them to have simple lines and a similar style as our dresser. When I stumbled upon these from Anthropologie, it was love at first sight.</div>
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They are the exact same shape as our dresser; from the rounded edges, to the feet, the simple drawer faces, and even the ring drawer pulls. Perfection. They go well together, but they aren't matchy matchy. And they weren't too big for our room either! </div>
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There is always a bit of a balance when re-doing a room (unless you're just rolling in money). It's important to decide where you want to splurge on getting what you absolutely love and where you can save money without taking away from what you want the room to feel like. We splurged on the rug, the nightstands, and our bedding. And when I say splurged, I mean we still used coupons or sales to save money on every single one of those things, but I wasn't willing to compromise on the quality and look of those items because I knew they would be the things that made the room for me. But curtains were not a big deal to me. I didn't need expensive curtains to get the look I wanted. I love the $20/pair of white curtains from Ikea. They're simple and quiet, but they make the windows feel finished. And I saved money on the rods by getting bamboo sticks (in keeping with using natural elements) from Michaels and painting them to go with the rest of the room. I got the lamps from Ikea too. I like their simplicity and we really love the warm cozy glow they give the room at night. Tim is also a big fan of the little black button that turns it on and off. #itsthelittlethings</div>
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Remember <a href="http://www.jaimescott.blogspot.com/2014/11/bedroom-dresser-makeover.html" target="_blank">the dresser I found</a> on the side of the road in my neighborhood and gave a makeover? This was another place where we saved a bunch of money by not buying something new. It's one of my absolute favorite furniture finds ever. It pays to be patient! I also wanted to make sure to put only a few favorite things on the top of the dresser to keep it feeling clutter-free. The canvas picture of Tim and I dancing in front of the Eiffel Tower last year is super special and reminds me of the <a href="http://www.jaimescott.blogspot.com/2014/05/im-going-to-paris.html" target="_blank">amazing things God can and does pull off for us just because He loves us</a>.</div>
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The tobacco basket was something Tim and I bought in Tennessee several years ago. I got it for a steal at only $20, which is pretty much unheard of for a tobacco basket. And to think I almost walked away from it because I wasn't sure if I really loved it. Well, years later, it's still one of my favorites. It's a piece that makes a great focal point over the bed, but because it is neutral and made of wood, it still feels simple and minimalist to me.</div>
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And let's not forget the rug because it is amazing. It's 100% wool and it feels so soft and luxurious on my bare feet when I get out of bed in the morning. This is probably not a rug that I would put in a high traffic area with kids and dogs, but that's exactly why it feels so special to have it back in our master bedroom. It makes me feel spoiled, like we have a little retreat all to ourselves (except that kids and dogs still try to sneak in and lay on it :) ).</div>
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Our room is so cozy to me now and I enjoy being in there. I think when you are intentional about only keeping the things that you love or find meaningful or useful in a room, then it pays off in the end with having a room that you love.</div>
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Resources:<br />
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Wall color : Behr's Irish Mist<br />
Love You X Forever Pillow : <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/221664032/love-you-forever-pillow-cover?ref=shop_home_active_2" target="_blank">Etsy</a><br />
Lamps: Ikea<br />
Washed Wood Nightstands / Neutral : <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/home-furniture-nightstands/28129229.jsp#/" target="_blank">Anthropologie</a><br />
Belgian Linen Quilt/ Platinum : <a href="http://www.westelm.com/products/6859847/?catalogId=59&sku=6859847&bnrid=3902401&cm_ven=Google_PLA&cm_cat=Shopping&cm_pla=Shades_of_Gray&cm_ite=AllProducts&gclid=CjwKEAjw-ZqrBRDt_KjhjcbzhhISJAAlRGvlmGm0S7kgLx4CwhcGZJVgcaVRs1mqYsJkQp1od7xKOxoCl6rw_wcB&kwid=productads-plaid%5E79195192193-sku%5E6859847-adType%5EPLA-device%5Ec-adid%5E41327640713" target="_blank">West Elm</a><br />
Curtains : Ikea<br />
Tuscan Morrocan Shag Rug : <a href="http://www.rugsusa.com/rugsusa/rugs/rugs-usa-moroccan-shag/ivory/200MTVS28A-10014.html" target="_blank">RugsUSA</a><br />
Moroccan Pouf : Morocco (Tim got it on a work trip)Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-5140316173574207872015-03-16T13:14:00.000-05:002016-01-31T13:42:20.384-06:00Guest Bathroom MakeoverIn my last blog, I mentioned that we had been working on a few smaller projects around the house. One of them was a mini-makeover for our basement bathroom. I'm back today with some before and after pictures for you.<br />
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Since this bathroom is down in the back of the basement, it rarely gets used by our family, but it is the main bathroom for any overnight guests because our guest bedroom is also down in the basement. And since it is the guest's bathroom, I wanted it to feel fresh and welcoming for our friends and family when they come to stay with us. I know that bathrooms really can make a difference in how someone feels when they stay in your home. A nice bathroom can make guests feel comfortable and relaxed, whereas I felt that ours was dingy and out-dated. We weren't ready to give it a complete gut job, but I knew it wouldn't take much to give it a fresh, clean look.<br />
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Below are the before pictures:<br />
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As you can see, it was basically green and brown and very blah. </div>
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I knew I wanted to update the mirror. What I didn't realize was that when I took out the mirrored medicine cabinet, we would have a giant hole completely through the entire wall. This meant that Tim had to fix the drywall before I could do much more to the bathroom. Drywall isn't exactly his favorite thing to do, but he's a trooper and got it done for me. Meanwhile, I painted the sink cabinet and shopped for the perfect mirror, towels, and accessories. </div>
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After Tim finished the drywall, I gave the ceiling and the walls a fresh coat of paint and then he put everything up on the walls. </div>
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Since I didn't really take any progress pictures, we get to just jump right to the after pictures.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIEhO4PZ8I6DXQnSxwCM9wxRAEg4UPTHKnzNE4NuIw-PKqY_1vChblJxiH0hn6rRhtMQSiXlJiVqaVbn9g_ooVnwZVOdEx_8BaRlL2Ta0M4SSBVwVgUqVj7KBoFlvTs6hSo3cOzDDDd4/s1600/IMG_3530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIEhO4PZ8I6DXQnSxwCM9wxRAEg4UPTHKnzNE4NuIw-PKqY_1vChblJxiH0hn6rRhtMQSiXlJiVqaVbn9g_ooVnwZVOdEx_8BaRlL2Ta0M4SSBVwVgUqVj7KBoFlvTs6hSo3cOzDDDd4/s1600/IMG_3530.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I found this chippy cabinet at HomeGoods one day and it really was the inspiration for the entire bathroom. Before I saw this cabinet, I knew I wanted to eventually update the bathroom, but I didn't know what I wanted to do in there. I felt stumped and un-inspired. But this cabinet gave me the perfect starting point. </div>
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It brings in a lot of fun character and interest, not to mention a little bit of extra storage to this tiny little bathroom.</div>
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I painted the sink base with Annie Sloan's Duck Egg chalk paint. Chalk paint is so easy because there's no sanding involved. I just wiped the entire cabinet down and then started painting. Afterwards, I sealed it with Annie Sloan wax. </div>
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I really love how this bathroom turned out. It wasn't a big investment of time or money, but the changes are dramatic. And I hope our guests enjoy their newly updated bathroom. </div>
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Sources:</div>
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Walls - Behr's Irish Mist</div>
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Sink Base - Annie Sloan Duck Egg</div>
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Mirror - World Market</div>
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Chippy cabinet - Home Goods</div>
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Hand Towel - World Market</div>
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Towel Hanger - World Market</div>
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<br />Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-5348818157175192312015-02-17T21:42:00.000-06:002015-02-17T21:42:35.211-06:00Valentine's Day and House ProjectsIt's become a yearly tradition that I make Peppermint Patties for Valentine's Day. I use <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/peppermint-patties/" target="_blank">this recipe</a>. I add a little bit of red food coloring to make the middle pink and then cut them out with heart shaped cookie cutters before dipping them in chocolate. I've also found that I like using Bakers semi-sweet chocolate to dip them in rather than chocolate chips because it goes on much smoother and easier.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Y11rsFB9RlISGqnZTDuImdlGpD4cCVGeE4GFEMjeB5ioBPqodcas4ysPqeQYsXgpg_m68qdQ3YiqEKI-GBWyagTxr1vepyj6VEVsNqZzWgRiXa6JlwqZ-F3Ni8Y9M_peTOv6yb1na8I/s1600/IMG_2974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Y11rsFB9RlISGqnZTDuImdlGpD4cCVGeE4GFEMjeB5ioBPqodcas4ysPqeQYsXgpg_m68qdQ3YiqEKI-GBWyagTxr1vepyj6VEVsNqZzWgRiXa6JlwqZ-F3Ni8Y9M_peTOv6yb1na8I/s1600/IMG_2974.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3up0rdGXNCUX5tLsfZDMIexYdyrrmI01zoOQCmIxAFuCZQtDGl_wMyxU0K4l0A_mgRnex4FFjkG1UUlBQIsv2gE347936igd_MnPbaYydiH4zABuKmeEV6-jibcO28PmGuDBBQH0pq5w/s1600/IMG_2975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3up0rdGXNCUX5tLsfZDMIexYdyrrmI01zoOQCmIxAFuCZQtDGl_wMyxU0K4l0A_mgRnex4FFjkG1UUlBQIsv2gE347936igd_MnPbaYydiH4zABuKmeEV6-jibcO28PmGuDBBQH0pq5w/s1600/IMG_2975.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8FSf0fRnAUaC7-bNrGNdyBYew3Hup3MlB1n__MV5kdtddvGE4__DCUM447BkKFFvK8gH6vi6irCKS3_y8T44knXP5mL5LDNbgOCbwPmUdLfnEthl4OyP7KF-FK6cAtB7PvBraqA1TmM/s1600/IMG_2977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8FSf0fRnAUaC7-bNrGNdyBYew3Hup3MlB1n__MV5kdtddvGE4__DCUM447BkKFFvK8gH6vi6irCKS3_y8T44knXP5mL5LDNbgOCbwPmUdLfnEthl4OyP7KF-FK6cAtB7PvBraqA1TmM/s1600/IMG_2977.JPG" height="638" width="640" /></a></div>
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These things really are so delicious. </div>
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When Tim asked me what I wanted for V-day, I gave him a list of house projects I wanted him to do. We're romantic like that.</div>
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My List:</div>
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1. Finish hanging the kitchen light</div>
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2. Fix the drywall in the guest bathroom</div>
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3. Finish the shelves in kid's bathroom</div>
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Months ago, I ordered a new light to hang above the kitchen table and we finally got it just a few days before V-day. Tim hung it up for me right away, but both the electrical cord and chain still needed to be shortened for it to look right. So on Valentine's Day, while Peyton and I were at a friend's house for a v-day party, Tim fixed it for me. </div>
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Below is the before picture of our previous light fixture. This light fixture came with the house. There's nothing really wrong with it except that it's just not my taste and it doesn't really enhance the space in any way. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted there instead though (choosing light fixtures are hard for me), so I waited until I found something I loved.</div>
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The Before:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3idBcaJbJ9sIhlLORiVfaEans5YNYXac4gVtj_PqVc3UWPnEMJ_Ado6CZvGRv77m4cXUGIRJZNGzfA_58dKtOAVkORJOAbHsIfJQZBDyT5PumCxP25O-DdyDXzyiVQeOm9PTchDw8_90/s1600/IMG_2963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3idBcaJbJ9sIhlLORiVfaEans5YNYXac4gVtj_PqVc3UWPnEMJ_Ado6CZvGRv77m4cXUGIRJZNGzfA_58dKtOAVkORJOAbHsIfJQZBDyT5PumCxP25O-DdyDXzyiVQeOm9PTchDw8_90/s1600/IMG_2963.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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And here is the after! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3ryqcFvSg7k8OYmHGPaJF69gOyQ71etuTRIafeolB4af9mBWoJDCT7GFU876kEAyM_psEFCLaOCKk6GDwTPD7GegM8ELWe5qocms_johZJhfFgXQvXBcNKjn90s-DUGj5vQwxngSL6g/s1600/DSC_3954.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3ryqcFvSg7k8OYmHGPaJF69gOyQ71etuTRIafeolB4af9mBWoJDCT7GFU876kEAyM_psEFCLaOCKk6GDwTPD7GegM8ELWe5qocms_johZJhfFgXQvXBcNKjn90s-DUGj5vQwxngSL6g/s1600/DSC_3954.jpg" height="640" title="" width="428" /></a></div>
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We bought the Marseille Globe light from <a href="http://shop.magnoliahomes.net/" target="_blank">Magnolia Market.</a> I fell in love with this light when I first saw it in a home on <a href="http://www.hgtv.com/shows/fixer-upper" target="_blank">Fixer Upper</a>. (Please tell me you watch this show on HGTV!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPY5eMkFUqXa7SpMz2sdDWvjllR5q-gIansxR_3KChtvrKzegdpbTAawGEqqrzCo5vcUrYFGrRf-a1z76aiqwgf10yKFz6lulbhHV_9zNNBTrQ2fz3mU50obfoTem0jgnGNOPnmlak6w/s1600/IMG_3196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPY5eMkFUqXa7SpMz2sdDWvjllR5q-gIansxR_3KChtvrKzegdpbTAawGEqqrzCo5vcUrYFGrRf-a1z76aiqwgf10yKFz6lulbhHV_9zNNBTrQ2fz3mU50obfoTem0jgnGNOPnmlak6w/s1600/IMG_3196.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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I love that it's rustic, but simple too. I think it adds some really fun character to our kitchen. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcsHG7a90z5U3-Z56NnNto2FzmB9QQuzZFEwMgAS86wPrguVNlLf7Kvv9L5M9S3M460hHEEM2CWOhz5VQB2efINynfTGpmGmvYu2gXNskQdeF76OtNWgshfvpdZXvFqsyb9e6O2nX5AM/s1600/DSC_3964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcsHG7a90z5U3-Z56NnNto2FzmB9QQuzZFEwMgAS86wPrguVNlLf7Kvv9L5M9S3M460hHEEM2CWOhz5VQB2efINynfTGpmGmvYu2gXNskQdeF76OtNWgshfvpdZXvFqsyb9e6O2nX5AM/s1600/DSC_3964.jpg" height="428" width="640" /></a></div>
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Last week, I decided to give our downstairs guest bathroom a small makeover. I've never blogged about this bathroom before because it's in our basement, there's not much to it, and we don't use it very often. But it's the one that our guests use when they stay with us and I've been wanting to make it more inviting. I've just never been very inspired on how to update it. Then while I was at HomeGoods last week, I came across a small chippy painted cabinet that I thought would look perfectly cute hanging over the toilet in that bathroom. Well, then I decided I needed to paint the walls before I hung the cabinet. And then this led to also wanting to paint the sink base. And since we were already doing everything else, I thought it would be best to go ahead and update the mirror too. (Does this remotely sound like that children's book, <i>If you give a mouse a cookie?</i> Ha!) So one thing led to another and before I knew it, I had taken out the old medicine cabinet/mirror and we had a giant hole in the wall. You can see straight through to the storage room. Oops! So patching that drywall is also on Tim's V-Day project list.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXr2-PCpnrF6Zg-jNmmZbfI3JwhM5fkVNEl7NX7bF5a82ToPxx3B3xLZ7fMtt35CguaY3fDKJqih0Jz8Rd0ho88qM66oFb8javUxF5RC1HeYGyo8r4ztjZEMYL95d6hLRouY80VzeE0rE/s1600/IMG_3019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXr2-PCpnrF6Zg-jNmmZbfI3JwhM5fkVNEl7NX7bF5a82ToPxx3B3xLZ7fMtt35CguaY3fDKJqih0Jz8Rd0ho88qM66oFb8javUxF5RC1HeYGyo8r4ztjZEMYL95d6hLRouY80VzeE0rE/s1600/IMG_3019.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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And hopefully I'll have a little mini-bathroom makeover to show you guys soon. </div>
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And the last project he's working on for me is the shelving in the kids bathroom. This one is nothing super exciting, just one of those things that needs to be done. When we moved in, I took the old shutter door off the front and left the shelves open because I love the look of open shelves. The problem was that it looked very sloppy and unfinished in places. It's been bugging me all this time, but it's always been near the bottom of the to-do list. Then a few weeks ago (right before he left for Belgium), Tim ripped out all the shelves and the molding, patched and sanded the walls, and then I painted them while he was out of the country. So now I am just ready to get this job finished and be done with it. </div>
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The before:<br />
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This past weekend, he put in floating shelves for me, and already it looks so much nicer than the old shelves.</div>
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Hopefully in the next few days, I will get them painted and then I need to hunt down some baskets to fit inside them. </div>
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Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-77149751101723282852015-02-10T13:04:00.000-06:002016-01-31T13:33:37.150-06:00De-cluttering and Simplifying with Kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Maybe it's due to the start of a new year or to the overload of stuff that comes with Christmas or maybe it's because I've been reading a lot of <a href="http://www.becomingminimalist.com/" target="_blank">minimalism</a> and even some tiny-home blogs, but lately I've been really motivated to de-clutter and <a href="http://www.thenester.com/2010/06/summerize-your-home-part-ii-keep-it-calm.html" target="_blank">quiet our home</a>. It's something I do pretty regularly anyway (I actually love to de-clutter), but then there are also times, like lately, when I get extra motivated to get the excess out of our house and find better ways to organize what's left. (Helpful hint: Always wait to organize until after you've first de-cluttered.) </div>
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Over the past several weeks, I've gone through clothes, kitchen drawers, closets, toys, books and even our basement storage and laundry rooms. I've been donating, selling things on Craigslist, and giving things away that we no longer need or use. It's not that I want to be a complete minimalist or live in a tiny-home (although I do find this a little bit fascinating), it's just that I love the idea behind all of it…. less stuff to maintain means more time to focus on other things that you love… your family and friends, travel, hobbies, whatever it is that you find important. I also love how my house feels with less stuff in it. I am way less overwhelmed when I don't have stuff everywhere to constantly pick up and put away. In fact, when I am feeling overwhelmed by the state of our home, instead of just cleaning and putting things away, I usually start tossing things in the trash and into the donate pile. And afterwards, I feel so much better! Give it a try sometime and let me know what you think!</div>
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Over the years, I've learned a lot about keeping the stuff in our home under control. I still have more to learn and this is an area I always push myself to do better in because it feels so good to have a tidy, organized home. One of the biggest challenges to having a tidy home right now is all the things that come with having three kids. Early on as a mom, I bought a lot of stuff for my kids. If it was on sale and I liked it (and we had the money), I bought it. It didn't so much matter if they already had all the shoes they needed, if I found a great deal on a cute pair of shoes, I would buy them. If Gap had a sale, I was there stocking up on cute clothes. This was not such a big deal when I just had one kid, but as we had more kids, the stuff just grew and grew. The more kids, the more stuff, and at times it just overwhelmed me. I felt like I was always picking up and putting things away, organizing and re-organizing. And finding spots for it all was challenging and frustrating. I don't remember when it happened, but overtime, I learned that constantly buying so much just wasn't working for me or helping me keep a tidy, un-cluttered home. So I started de-cluttering and it felt so good that I just kept doing it. Somewhere along the way, I learned about minimalism and although I don't think I would ever be true minimalist (I like warm and cozy spaces with textures and layers too much), I am so inspired by their perspectives on life and stuff. I could read minimalism blogs for hours. And over time, I feel in love with de-cluttering and organizing our home.</div>
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This really is a never-ending process because as much as I try to limit what comes in to our home, there is always stuff coming in. Whether from Christmas or birthdays, paper clutter, free things given to my kids, hand-me-downs from others, or stuff we buy on our own, there is always stuff coming in. So I have learned that I have to be very pro-active in consistently getting things out of our house or the stuff starts to take over. </div>
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In a sense, I am constantly challenging the things that are in our house with the statement, "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." (quote by William Morris) Once an object stops being beautiful or helpful to our family, it's more of a hindrance to us if we keep it because then we have to maintain it, store it, clean it, pick it up, organize it, step over it, etc. Getting rid of things we neither need or love frees up both our time and our space to allow other things that are more important to us into our life. </div>
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Here are a few tips for de-cluttering that I have learned over the years... </div>
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1. Throw stuff away….all the time. Plastic junk toys (especially if they make noise!). Free stuff. Broken toys. Toys with missing pieces. Magazines. Socks with holes. Trinkets. Art projects. School papers. Random objects that you are clueless about. Just throw it away. Secret tip: when you put it in the trash, cover it up with another piece of trash so your kids don't see it and pull it back out like it's their long lost most favorite thing in the world. </div>
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2. Always have a donate box. Whether you keep it in the basement, laundry room, garage, or closet, have a box that is specifically for donating. Then when you come across anything that you know you no longer want or need or like, you can quickly just toss it in the box. So as soon as your kid grows out of a pair of shoes or pants, instead of shoving them back in the closet or bottom of the drawer to deal with later, just toss them in the donate box. It's that simple and you don't have to give things a second thought or waste a lot of time going through things. When the box gets full, donate it. And then immediately get another box and keep that process going. Another secret tip : Keep this box hidden from your kids or they will go through it and beg you to keep all the things!</div>
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3. Have a "toy holding box". This is a secret box or black garbage bag that you keep out of sight from your kids where you toss their toys, books, or stuffed animals when you notice that they don't play with them anymore. Don't donate these things right away, unless you're sure they are done with them. Wait and see if your kid asks for the toy in the upcoming weeks or months. If after a few months, your kid never even notices that you took away a toy, it's probably safe to donate it and it will never be missed. On the other hand, if they miss their toy soon after you take it away, it's great to be able to pull it out of the box and hand it back to them. </div>
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I do a very similar thing with their drawings, crafts, and art work. I will put it in a drawer for a while and see if they ever ask to look at it again. Sometimes they will and I can pull it back out and give it to them. But if several weeks go by and it's been forgotten, then I toss the picture, craft, art work, etc… in the trash (unless it's super special). Otherwise, I would have these things coming out my ears. </div>
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4. Be very selective and buy less. This is a big part of keeping your home tidy and de-cluttered. The less you bring into your home, the less you have to pick up, maintain, and find places to store. Remind yourself before you buy something that you will have to find a place to keep it. This thought automatically keeps me from buying giant plastic toys that will take up a large amount of floor space and become part of the room decor. I also remind myself that most likely I will be the one cleaning said toy or clothes or shoes up off the floor a lot. When you are buying birthday or Christmas presents for your kids, really think through each purchase because you are going to be the one tripping over it all the time. Think outside the box of just more toys too. You could get them tickets to a special event, sign them up for an extracurricular activity, camp, a sports team, piano lessons, etc. </div>
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I've read articles about <a href="http://www.becomingminimalist.com/why-fewer-toys-will-actually-benefit-your-kids/" target="_blank">how having less toys benefits your kids</a> in many different ways. It really makes me think about how much my kids have and I feel better about limiting the amount of toys in our home. I also read about <a href="http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2012/09/14/why-i-took-all-my-kids-toys-away-why-they-wont-get-them-back/" target="_blank">this mom who took her kids toys away</a> and although I don't think I will ever go as far as she did, her story has stuck with me and I am intrigued by all the benefits like contentment, creativity, less fighting, and patience that she noticed in her kids afterwards. </div>
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When you are more selective and buy less, it also affords you the possibility of buying better quality things. Whether we are talking about toys, clothes, shoes, tools, or house stuff, less really is more! I finally learned that my kids don't need that many clothes and shoes. They almost always wear the same clothes over and over anyway. They have their favorites and the rest just takes up drawer and closet space. They just need enough so that I don't have to wash laundry all the time without them running out of anything. I feel the same way about shoes, the less the better. Otherwise I am constantly tripping over their shoes or trying to find the particular ones they want to wear. It's so much simpler to have less shoes. </div>
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5. Ask your kids what they don't want anymore. If they have 40 toy cars, could they pick out their top 20 or 30 and donate the rest? Can your daughter narrow down her baby dolls or stuffed animals to just a few favorites? If you have an older child that is reluctant to part with things, offer to sell their stuff on Craigslist or in a garage sell for them and let them have the money (This always motivates Tyson to find things he doesn't really play with). Or challenge them to find 5 things they don't want anymore, then celebrate with ice cream or a cookie. Baby steps. </div>
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6. Get rid of extras/multiples. Shampoo bottles and other bathroom supplies, duplicate toys and books, sheets, towels, blankets, travel coffee mugs, dishes, the list goes on. Figure out how many of something you really need/use and get rid of the rest. We don't have to be prepared for the apocalypse. Let some things go and trust that you will be able to survive with less. This will open up a ton of space in your cabinets and closets. </div>
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So those are my tips.</div>
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What about you guys? Do find it hard to keep your house de-cluttered? What's your biggest challenge in this area? Do you have any great tips for me?</div>
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One last tip: Start with the easiest stuff first and then work your way to the harder things. This way you will see a difference faster and be encouraged to keep going. Have fun!!</div>
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Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-23661095071880875462015-02-03T08:38:00.000-06:002016-01-27T07:31:27.189-06:00LOVE Marquee Letters<br />
A few weeks ago, while we were at Kohl's shopping the after Christmas sales, I came across their Marquee signs and letters on a big discount. I had been wanting "LOVE" in metal letters and although these letters were red on the outside (which wasn't my favorite), I knew I could spray paint them another color, so I snatched them up because the price was too good to pass them up.<br />
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I debated spray painting the outside of them black, gray, and white, but since I had a can of white spray paint on hand and didn't want to go to the store, I decided to try white first. And I ended up loving them white.<br />
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I've tried them out in a few different places in our home, but really like them on my faux fireplace mantel where I can see them often. I don't usually do much, if any decorating for Valentine's Day, but I like that these letters are simple and understated in a way that works well with Valentine's Day but will also continue to work in the coming weeks of winter.<br />
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<br />Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-4447415407024083312015-02-02T07:49:00.000-06:002015-02-02T07:49:24.242-06:00Giant Wall Clock DIYI wanted to pop in here to show you guys a project I did recently. Over the last few weeks, I've seen giant wall clocks popping up around the blogosphere. But when I started looking around for one to buy, I discovered they are quite expensive. Then I got the idea that I could DIY my own.<br />
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The first thing I needed was a large round piece of wood. So I went to my local Habitat for Humanity Restore to look for a table top I could use. <br />
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I found this wooden antique table and thought it would be perfect once I took the legs off. Plus the guy sold it to me for $25 which I felt was a steal. It's almost 4 feet in diameter, so it's large.<br />
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I considered leaving it the natural wood because I loved the aged look it had, but it blended in too much with the color of my wall and I really wanted it to pop, so I decided to paint it white. I printed out the Roman Numerals "X, V, and I" in a font and size that I liked. Then Tim figured out the center of the circle so I could find the correct placement of my numbers. This was the hardest part and it took some trial and error. And it's definitely not perfect.</div>
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I used tracing paper to trace the numerals onto the clock and then painted them in. And finally, I gave it a good distressing. We have a large blank area on the wall in our entryway and I've been wanting to put a large statement piece there, so this is where Tim hung it up for me.</div>
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I know there are clock kits you can buy to turn it into a real working clock, but I'm kinda loving it the way it is right now.</div>
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<br />Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-63440896517912468982014-12-27T08:13:00.000-06:002016-01-31T13:34:14.236-06:00Barbie Dollhouse DIY<br />
For the past few months, Tim and I have been working hard on a secret Christmas project for Peyton. <br />
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She had been asking for a dollhouse for her Barbies. Of course, we could have just gone out and bought the Barbie Dreamhouse right off the Target shelf, but where's the fun in that, right!? And honestly, I just don't love big plastic pink toys. Plus months and months ago, I saw <a href="http://www.thehandmadehome.net/2014/01/the-dollhouse-diaries/" target="_blank">this dollhouse</a> at Handmade Home and was totally inspired to do something similar for Peyton one day. So back in October, when I spied this bookcase/dollhouse at Goodwill, I snatched it up with the intention of giving it a huge Barbie dollhouse makeover just in time for Christmas.<br />
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I cannot even tell you the amount of hours and money we put into this thing. Tim gets so much credit for putting up with me throughout this dollhouse renovation. Basically, he was the carpenter and I was the interior designer. I made lists of all the projects I needed him to do and in his free time, he worked so hard to get them all done. (And then I would add more to his list!) And this isn't so much his thing, but he did it for me and for Peyton. I am so thrilled with the final product. And best of all, Peyton loves it too. She is the type that notices and appreciates pretty design and fun decor, which makes it extra fun for me to do something like this for her. </div>
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So if you're interested, I'm going to take you on a little tour. If you're not into dollhouse renovations, you may just want to skip this post. </div>
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We'll start with the roof. Tim cut all these little pieces of wood and attached them for me. Then I stained them. It gives the dollhouse a fun cottage feel.</div>
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Next up, the bathroom.</div>
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I modge podged the walls and the floors with scrapbook paper and then Tim added the beadboard (left over from our <a href="http://www.jaimescott.blogspot.com/2014/01/foyer-closet-turned-mudroom.html" target="_blank">mudroom project</a>) to the walls. I found the bathtub on Ebay.</div>
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The bathroom mirror was a tiny picture frame and I glued a mirror on the back (which is hard to tell in this photo because it's reflecting the wallpaper). The towel holder is a ring pull. The vanity was a tiny drawer that I cut and glued wood slabs on to make it look like a cabinet. It was both fun and challenging to figure out creative ways to make dollhouse furniture and accessories throughout this project. </div>
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The girl's room.</div>
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I modge podged scrapbook paper on the ceiling and painted gold dots on the floor. I found the dresser, small chest, and the wood pieces (to make the bunk beds) all at Michaels. </div>
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The chandelier is a Christmas tree ornament. </div>
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I sewed the bedding, pillows, and curtains all from a shirt that Peyton owned but didn't like to wear.<br />
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The kitchen:</div>
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The light fixture is a drawer knob/pull. I found the "subway tile" in the dollhouse section at Hobby Lobby. It was actually a plastic sheet of red brick, but I painted it to look like subway tile. Tim made the cabinets, countertops, and refrigerator from blocks of wood, which we then painted, stained and embellished. The "faucet" is just a hook that I painted gold.</div>
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The chandelier is another Christmas tree ornament that I painted. Tim made the farmhouse table and bench. And I found the small chalkboard at Hobby Lobby. The floor is modge podged scrapbook paper and the rug is a piece of burlap (found in scrapbook paper section of Michaels). I sewed the curtains from scrap fabric. </div>
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Living Room:</div>
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It's hard to find Barbie size furniture that's not pink and plastic, but I found these wicker chairs (as well as the wicker furniture in the girl's room) off of Ebay. Most everything else is just wood scraps that I glued together in order to make the fireplace, mirror, and wood sign.</div>
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The chandelier was something I found on clearance in the wedding decoration aisle at Michaels and I decided I could make it look like a fun chandelier. </div>
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I designed the washer/dryer/shelves and Tim made them with wood scraps. I made the mop with a paintbrush and yarn. And I painted to floors a checkerboard pattern. <br />
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And finally, the master bedroom...</div>
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Again, the chandelier is a Christmas ornament. I made the headboard with wood scraps. I sewed the bedding and made the pillows. </div>
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The chest of drawers was a drawer from a small jewelry chest. I just turned it on it's side and glued wood pieces on to make "drawers" and painted it. The sign is a small print by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/thewheatfield" target="_blank">Katie Daisy</a> that we already owned. I just made the frame to go around it. And I used a scrapbook paper with a stenciled pattern to paint the fun pattern on the floor.</div>
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This project was really a lot of fun for me. I don't think Tim enjoyed it quite as much! But we both love seeing Peyton enjoy it and play with it. And maybe one day, our grandkids will play with it too!</div>
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<br />Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6039225572756538425.post-11415816244602543572014-12-13T07:48:00.001-06:002016-01-27T07:31:45.267-06:00Christmas Home TourHappy Saturday!! Here we are with Christmas just under two weeks away and I can hardly believe it. It seems like we just went trick or treating with the kids. Thankfully this Christmas season has not been too terribly stressful when it came to present shopping and just the general busyness of the season. We knocked out almost all of our Christmas shopping on Black Friday while sitting at home in our pjs, drinking coffee, and hunting down the online deals; which was great. And this year, I just haven't attempted to fill our schedule with too many things. We've made gingerbread houses and watched a few Christmas movie favorites. I still want to fit in making cookies with the kids and one night we will all hop in the van, make a stop at Chickfila for peppermint shakes, and drive around and look at Christmas lights, but I don't want to stress out about doing too much. I want to enjoy the anticipation that comes with this time of year. I want to be present and aware. I don't want to be so busy <i>doing</i> that I miss the <i>being</i>.<br />
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My favorite thing right now is to get up early in the morning, when it is still dark outside and while the kids are still nestled snuggly in their beds and dreaming of sugarplums, sneak past the kids' bedrooms, plug in the Christmas tree lights and the lights on my mantle, make a cup of coffee and sit with Jesus. This is where I find peace and hope for my day. This is when I hear Him whisper to me. <br />
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Some months ago, I had gotten out of the habit of getting up early and spending quiet mornings alone with Him. I was getting up right before I had to get the kids up for school. Then after sending them off to school, I would attempt to sit down with my coffee and Jesus, but Hudson was not usually very cooperative during this time and needed my time and attention. I would end up getting frustrated with him for interrupting me. And so it just wasn't the same. There is grace for mommas in all seasons and I've been in seasons when time alone with Jesus just wasn't happening. That is okay and there is no rule about having quiet times. But my heart misses Him when I don't get that alone time with Him. So then a week or so ago, I told the Lord if He would wake me up early, I would get up and spend the quiet mornings with Him. And you know what? He did. Day after day, He's been waking me up and I love it. There is something special to me about this time of year and spending the mornings with Him. I can't explain it. At night, when I go to bed, I look forward to the next morning. And I even started setting my alarm because I really don't want to miss it. But He's still been waking me up just before my alarm goes off. <br />
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While I'm here writing and you're here reading, I thought I would give you a little Christmas home tour. This year, I really wanted to keep the Christmas decorations simple. I didn't want a lot of red and green decorations sitting around, cluttering up every nook and cranny of my home. There is nothing wrong with that of course, but for me, simple is peaceful; and less is calming. Too much stuff overwhelming my home gives me anxiety and then I just start going through the house throwing things in the trash. Seriously. <br />
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A few months ago, I read a quote by Nate Berkus that has stuck with me. He said, "... my goal is to create a feeling for our homes, not a theme." And that is exactly what I want in my home. When you walk into my home, I want you to feel warm and cozy. I want it to feel Christmasy, but not look overly decorated or styled for Christmas. For me, neutrals, natural elements, candles, and cozy textures make it feel warm, cozy and Christmasy without screaming "Christmas", so that is what I used this year. <br />
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I am hoping that after Christmas, when we toss the trees in the trash, most of the decor will still be versatile enough to just stay up through the winter. </div>
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The pom pom garland is from Anthropologie. I've seen it all over my Instagram feed and just love the thick, nubby texture of it. The pom poms remind me of snowballs, but still have a cozy, warm feel to them. </div>
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A simple boxwood wreath from Trader Joes filled a blank spot on my wall.<br />
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I'm sure I've mentioned by now how much I love Joanna Gaines and the HGTV show, Fixer Upper that she does with her husband, Chip. Well, she also has a shop online called <a href="http://shop.magnoliahomes.net/" target="_blank">Magnolia Market</a> and it is filled with such fun, unique things. I found these bells in her shop, as well as that cotton wreath. <br />
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And a sweet friend, who knows me well, surprised me with a winter candle from her shop. It makes my house smell so Christmasy. </div>
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Last year, we put our Christmas tree downstairs next to the fireplace instead of upstairs on the main level. But I really missed smelling the tree during the day and seeing the tree all lit up in the evenings (since we don't hang out much downstairs). So this year, I decided I really wanted a tree upstairs to enjoy. We had to rearrange a few things to make it work, but I think it was worth it. I kept the decorations very simple.... white lights, burlap ribbon, and a finger crocheted yarn. Tim got me this leather pouf last month when he went to Morocco. </div>
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Another thoughtful friend saw this woodsy ornament and said it reminded her of me. It is the only ornament that made it on this tree because it is perfect and I love it.</div>
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And I plopped a bird's nest with a wooden owl at the top of the tree in lieu of a star.</div>
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The kids got to decorate the downstairs tree as wild and crazy as they wanted. They used colorful lights and every single ornament we own. I didn't even go back and spread the ornaments out evenly among the branches after they were finished. I just let it be... perfectly imperfect! This is progress for me! </div>
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Have a wonderful weekend!<br />
<br />Jaimehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756028119750155214noreply@blogger.com11