Happy New Year!

Wow!  And just like that a whole year and some has passed since my last post- bad!  I probably can come up with a million excuses but it's all irrelevant at this point.  So much has happened in our lives and around our home that I can't wait to share.  From driveways to walkways to activities and marathons, many things have happened.

 Right now we are all just recovering from the Christmas holiday, staying warm from the frigid conditions outside.  We have experienced ice storms, power outages and now ice quakes over the last two weeks.  The elements are too harsh to even play outside (most days reaching -33 with the wind chill factor).  I have been off the last week and have enjoyed this down time with my family. Between resting, we have managed to pack away Christmas for another year (sigh) and re-organise all of our bedrooms.  Purging and organising are both therapeutic and rewarding.

I look forward to being more on the ball this year with posts and updates!  For now, I 'll leave you with a few shots from around our home this past holiday season, cheers! 

 

 



Mmmmmmm Dilled Carrots

With fall just around the corner, I am getting the itch to get my canning on!  I l-o-v-e growing/picking, preparing and enjoying my very own creations.  A couple of my favourites are pickled beets and sweet chili sauce.  To kick off the weekend I decided to start with my easiest recipe, dilled carrots.  There is minor prepping and no processing of the jars.  Truly, very simple.  You will need:

Carrots

Fresh Dill

Garlic Cloves

Vinegar

Water

Salt

Jars

I started with one bag of carrots.  Peel, cut in half, cut into strips and wash.  Place one to two gloves of garlic and a spring of dill into each jar( I did this part after the carrots:).  I managed to fill five 500ml jars for this recipe.  Then pack your carrots upright into each jar.  Next you will bring to a boil 3 cups of vinegar, 3 cups of water and 3 tsp of salt.  Once boiled pour brine over carrots in jar leaving about 1/2 space from the top.  Seal with your lids and forget about them for about one week and then enjoy!

Back to School Just Around the Corner

 It's so hard to believe just how fast this summer has passed us by.  Time flies when you're having fun so I guess that's a good sign.  Although the countdown to school has begun, so has the countdown to Disney.  Our children will attend the first day of school and off to Orlando we go.  But we still have to make the prelude to school just as exciting.

While doing my daily surf of Pinterest, it's hard not to notice all of the neat school themed ideas.  From pre-school celebrations, to printables and teacher's gifts, the ideas are endless.  I would like to share a few of my favourites.

This adorable school supply cake. 

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These school notes are great.  Check out the other neat printables

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Back to school breakfast idea

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Free checklist download

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More downloads!

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First Day of School idea.  Great for the scrapbooker

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Adorable teacher's gift

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So many wonderful ideas!  What are you waiting for, get planning!

MDF Framed Chalkboard

I am currently in the process of updating the children's playroom to make it a more brighter space. I have recently painted the room a soft blue and cannot believe the difference already.  The chalkboard that we painted on the wall a couple of years ago has been lacking a little itself.  When we initially painted it we just squared it off with painter's tape and that was it. Really, it has served it's purpose and the kid's don't even notice....but I do.  I decided to trim it out with some moulding to give it a much nicer look.  

Home Depot has a great selection of trim for a reasonable prices.  I only needed two pieces which cost about $13.  We decided to use a No More Nails product because the frame was not lined up with any studs in the wall.  By the way, it dries in 10sec;).  A few simple cuts, some glue and a couple of air nails secured everything in place.

 No More Nails on the back of MDF

 a few air nails for extra support filled in with DAP

 I used some base moulding cut on a 45 degree angle for a nice edge

The bottom includes a ledge to place chalk.

Hope you like!  I love the clean straight lines and the overall decorative look.  Parker and Avery like it as well!  Will post more pics as I complete this room.

Celebration of Love

Just dropping in with a quickie today, as my husband and I celebrate eight years of blissful marriage.  I cannot explain in words the depth of our love and support of one another.  I can honestly say that I have married  my best friend and soul mate.  Here's to many more years of "us"!

$5 Thrift Store Chandelier

This has been the week of sweet deals.   I have lucked into some items that I have been on the hunt for and have purchased these things for well under anticipated. I hit one of the local thrift stores early this week and spotted this six bulb chandelier hanging there with flashing lights all around it.  I have been looking for either a candelabra or chandelier to give us light under our gazebo.  We rely on candles to give us some light which really doesn't do the trick.  Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to see the $5 tag on this beauty.  My husband basically snipped off the extra chain, stripped the wire and re-wired with an extension cord.  We ran the extra cord along the frame of the gazebo to another extension cord that comes from within the garage.  Other than the minor wiring there were no other cosmetic changes.

End Tables-Finally Done!

It has been a long 3 months since I picked this pair up (here)and now they finally have a place to reside.  I have been on a mission this weekend to wrap up some projects that have been kind of tossed to the side and I am succeeding!  These tables did need a little tweaking, though.  We replaced the wood on the bottom and also added some small feet which were actually curtain finials that I picked up in the clearance bin at Fabricland.  Initially, I had given the tables a couple of coats of spray primer, so I just needed to prepare the bottom skirt and feet.  Once dried I applied two additional coats of Rust-Oleum Heirloom White.  I did try to glaze the front of one of the tables but did not like the effect so I repainted it white.  Some light sanding and a spray varnish nearly completes these bad boys.  I repainted the original  hardware, attached and BAM!  Complete!!  This is one project that I am so very happy to finish not to mention they are also a great addition to our family room, that is slowly starting to bloom.

 

I may consider trimming out the bottom with some moulding at some point to add an little more detail, but for now I am quite content with the outcome.

Kathryn

xoxo