A Day of Labor

The word “labor” was taken literally around here this Labor Day weekend. We decided we had had enough of our soffit which lowered part of our ceiling to the height of our kitchen cabinets.  It was time to go.

So this is what it looked like in the morning:

…and in the evening!

Now the ceiling is all one height with tons of light!!

My husband and his brother worked so hard and now we get to do the fun stuff, like picking out a new light fixture. Although with my indecisiveness, this will be no easy task. I’ll show you the new progress and some light fixture ideas soon!

♥ Katie

Oh, Oh, Oh, It’s Magic…

I have to admit, The Magic Eraser is my new best friend.

I wish I had more of the before and after pictures of ALL the things that I have used my new best friend for but I got so excited using it that I forgot that step.

I finally slowed down a bit and these knives were the perfect example.

I was so frustrated because they were getting rusty even though I hand wash them.

Enter Mr. Magic.

Now, the knives might look brand new but this poor guy did take a bit of a beating…

What have you used the Magic Eraser for?

Need ideas?

Your kitchen sink, interior of your car, cook top stains?

And I thought it was just for those crayon marks from the kids coloring on the walls!

I’m telling you - It’s Magic!

♥ Katie

*Warning - Of course read the back of the box for directions first before you use it. It is not recommended for certain surfaces and as always, test a small area with light pressure before use.

Window Boxes

This was a picture I took 2 years ago on our anniversary trip to Charlston, South Carolina. We were on one of these things:

Really that’s beside the point but I felt like I should use the picture somehow. Okay the point is - I have always loved flower boxes. And with David and my passion for reality TV comes many new shows that have given us some new ideas. I will not talk about Cupcake Wars and our trips into Kansas City to eat at Small Cakes — oh my goodness — to die for!

Curb Appeal: The Block is the show I’m talking about. We watch the show and then almost instantly think about what we could do to the house. This is the thing - I might have the idea but David can just create it. I have no idea how he does this, but it’s amazing. A trip to Home Depot and some cutting later…we have two window boxes.

Now let me tell you these are LARGE window boxes about 6 feet wide and we have a brick house. So things can get a little tricky. We decided to use some shimmy pieces to attach it to the wooden part of the windows so they can be taken off if they would need to and also so we wouldn’t have to drill into brick. Thank you.

We test it out then I paint. And fill, sadly with faux flowers/plants. I just couldn’t imagine filling that all with real flowers, especially since I really don’t have that much of a green thumb! And we are so late in the season to buy anything. (FYI These are just things I’m saying to make myself feel better).  I’m thinking next spring I’ll do them up right, but until then, were going classy faux.

Moment of truth….

♥ Katie

And we are not done yet. What do you think about painting brick? Adding a front door feature? Mailbox planter?

Yes, lots of ideas but lets really see what happens to our weekends when college football starts!

My Laundry Love

I love this!

All you do is pump it straight into your washer and your done. No cups, drips or big tubs to hog up your space. The only problem was I had to go to Target to get it. Then of course I bought a lot of other stuff that I didn’t really need.

And a Starbucks…but I needed that.

Happy Washing!

♥ Katie

Sitting Pretty

With the annual garage sale this year came some major changes in our furniture decor.

It was time to get rid of a couple unused and unloved pieces.

One might surprise you…our dining room table.

Now many of you might think of this as the family gathering place for homecooked meals and long chats about the day, and although we strive for both of those things — they usually happen at our kitchen bar area. So there was just no need for the table.

It was really only a launching area for Lucy to gaze at the birds and chipmunks…

Now it is a pretty sitting area that leaves a lot more room for running and playing.

And not to worry, Lucy still gets her look out point…

♥ Katie

Where Do All the Towels Go?

With all the swimming going on this summer, what are you doing with those beach towels being used? I finally decided to buy more than 2 towels for my 2 boys so I didn’t have to be washing and drying the towels immediately.  But then I didn’t know where to store them before their next use.

I also wanted my oldest to be able to reach them since it is his job to get his swimming bag together on his swimming days.
So the galvanized beverage holder/tub that I had bought back in the day when I thought I’d be having so many parties and beverages, came out of storage….and now it is filled with bright colored beach towels…ready for some wet fun!

Happy summer!
♥Katie

They’re Baackk!!

Yep, my “Happy Sink Flowers” have made a return for the season.

In order to spice things up a bit, I thought I’d bring my sea shell findings from a girls trip a couple years back and put them in the vase with the peonies….

Ahh, a little bit of the beach right in the middle of America.

…and this time to the middle of my cooktop!

♥ Katie

Easy Custom Notepads

As techy as this world is coming to — I can’t stop the enjoyment of writing on a pretty pad of paper…

Along with some of my other mom friends, we went to a local printing company and custom ordered our notepads. Because of ordering in bulk, they were able to give us a great price. We supplied the paper - they cut, printed, hole punched and perforated them.

Then we got to do the fun stuff — adding ribbon.

Here are some of the ideas my friends and I came up with…

✏ A Grocery List

✏ A Business Memo Pad

✏ Family Notes

✏ Great gifts for Teachers or Friends

✏ and even for quick Kid Thank You Notes

And if you want proof that I really thought up all of these — here is my proof. Yes, I do love notepads!

Are your wheels turning? What would you use one for?

♥ Katie

My New Passenger

I’m definitely a basket person,if you haven’t figured that out yet, but my new favorite one is this beauty…

It is a Reisenthel Market Bag and they come in so many colors and patterns - and are just so stinking durable. You can check out all the colors and styles at Reusablebags.com or click here.

It was a birthday gift from my sister-in-law last year and one of my favorite things from My Favorite Things Newsletter too. I knew exactly where I wanted to put my basket and that was in my car. I have 4 little hands in the back that love to play with things while I tote them around. Happy Meal toys, books, matchbox cars…you name it we have it in that basket. It is also a great place to hold that extra hat, mittens or water bottle so it doesn’t end up on the floor of the car.

Someday maybe I’ll go to the farmer’s market and carry it around looking all cool….

…but right now it fits perfectly as a mini organizer/passenger in the car.

Want another idea? Well, I returned the favor and my sister-in-law requested one for her birthday too — so her’s has found a place at the bottom of their stairs and it has become the catch all for things needing to go up. Great idea!

♥ Katie

Pillow Talk

Let’s talk about those throw pillows. It is the constant argument disagreement around our house. We buy the new sectional with the specific desire to lay out on the chaise part. But then I put pillows in that area - because obviously the leather couch needed softened…and then what happens…

No one sits in that spot.

Same with my Ballard pillow. It hogs the chair but I refuse to take it off cause it’s so cute.

But my real issue is with our bed. I have spent good money on a comforter and matching pillow covers — only for the decor pillows to sit hidden in the armoire.

So with the new spring quilt I just bought, I decided things had to change. But I had to be tricky because the husband would throw those pillows across the room if he had the chance.

Here is the bed made:

Here is the bed ready for bed:

Look closer — You see what I did?

I put the pillows with covers behind the regular pillows we use.

I guess it is important to understand what pillow number you are. I am a three pillow gal and David is a 2 pillower. I like 3 small squeshhy ones and David likes one small and one large one. So before I hit the hay, I just throw our covered pillows behind the others and you wouldn’t even know they were there. In the morning I just pop them back on top! Super easy!

And of course Lucy likes it - always faithful!

♥ Katie