Home Sweet Home on a Budget: Our Living Room

Our living room is pretty simple.  It's the only tv area/living room in the house, so we make the most of it.  Most of our things are handed down, found by the side of the road, or thrifted.

The curtains are drop cloths and the rods are outdoor chain link fence posts.

Woven shades are my fav!

Vintage children's shoe molds climb the wall in this small nook.

My dad gave me this dictionary from the early 1800's.  It's one of my most treasured possessions.

the industrial cart was a Valentine's gift from my husband, about three years before they became popular and way overpriced.

We did spend to upgrade our fireplace mantel to poured cement.   So glad we did.

This Nichols & Stone chair was at a small shop near where we live.....for $15.....I drove away like I had stolen it!

My old school desk that I kept in my classroom.  The kids fought over sitting there ; o )

My Grandmother's Nichols & Stone rocker.  The most expensive piece of furniture in the room is Travis' leather chair.  We all fight over who will sit in it for movie night....  

Ikea sofa....super cheap, but not so comfy.  Replacing that soon....

My grandmother's writing desk painted with Graphite and Old White Chalk paint.

The china hutch is used as a display cabinet. Full of odd things like glove molds, vintage medicine bottles, nautical maps, player piano scrolls,  and my Fisher Price Aeroplane ; o )

Travis found this old typewriter in the trash.   I love to print up letters to put in it.  Currently we are featuring Jane Austen.

Hubby built the tv console and the doors are backed with my favourite industrial linen...at about $1.40 a yard.

The table was a Craigslist find.  The basket is Homegoods.

The clock is from Pier One...you should have seen my mom and I trying to shove it in the back of her Jetta.  Good times.

One of my favourite lamps....from a garage sale. 

I love this lamp.....it looks like a pineapple.  

Well that's the tour.....short and sweet and definitely on a budget.  I'd be glad to answer any questions!
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How does your garden grow?

We planted a vegetable garden.

Don't laugh.

Okay, laugh.  I know, I am the last person you would think to be interested in growing things.  Outside.  Where you have to go to get said vegetables.

But we did....

Jalepenos!

Green peppers

Maters ; o ) Nothing tastes better than homegrown tomatoes!

Basil (pronounced : Bah-zil, not Bay-zil)

The other side of the garden is flowers.  I love that it's the flower bed that we look out on from our bedroom window.  Sunny and cheery : o )

Any suggestions for the veggie garden?  What has worked for you?  Not worked?  Pesticides?  Help!

Dance Recital 2012...

Anne's dance recital was this past weekend.  What used to be a morning of me trying to get myself, three kids, a husband, and a daughter's stage makeup applied has turned into only having to get myself ready.  The other three are independent, and Travis had to work!

Anne did her own makeup this year. and in my opinion she did a great job....

Not only did her makeup look great, but she danced fantastically as well!

I am so proud of that kid!

A Special Prom...

Sara's prom is tonight.  She's not a senior, but a "senior plus" since she has two more years in the public school system before aging out at 22.  She loves music and dancing, so prom for her is a HUGE deal.

Travis went out today and bought her a corsage.  The Best Buddies came to class today and did the girl's nails, and a local beauty school came out to do their hair.  My mom and dad took her dress shopping earlier this week for the perfect pink dress, and it melted my heart that my dad participated in that shopping trip.

I know we only have a few more prom nights left...more than most get I suppose, but I will miss the excitement of getting ready, primping, and posing for pictures.  Moments like these always seem like trying to grasp onto the wispy tendrils of smoke as they float away.

Embracing Mommyhood

I am not a "natural mom"  by that I mean that I am not very coddle like, nurturing, or lovey.  Even still, I always knew that I wanted to be a mom.

Growing up I had the best example of what a mom should be.  My mom made homemade cakes and gave the best birthday parties, teaching me that birthdays were special.  Holidays were made memorable by how she would buy the PERFECT gifts for us, ones that said she really knew us and that she took the time to think about how the gift would fit our interests.  My mom would drive us to the bus stop (literally outside our driveway and to the corner stop sign) and sit with us in the car if it rained so that we would not get wet waiting.  She packed lunches that screamed I LOVE YOU, both in the food content and the little notes she put in them for us to read later.  I never wanted for anything and I always knew how much my mom loved me.  I still do.

Hunter gave me a mother's day card this morning that read:  "Relax mom, do not do schoolwork."  That message resonated with me, especially now.  I am not returning to teaching full time next year, instead I will tutor and substitute teach.  As much as I love teaching, I realized that my children at home needed me more.  It was painful to give that up, but I know that my kids need to come first.  When I went back into the classroom four years ago I thought that it was the perfect time as a mom since my kids were getting older.  I was so wrong...it seems the tween and teen years are ones that require more of my attention and availability.  I need to be more present for them, and more open to enjoying the years I have left with my kids at home.   I am pretty sure that making this decision was the best mother's day gift I could have ever given myself.

Now I am off to spend time with my family and enjoy the day.  I hope you are doing the same!

Get set, GO!

Sara participated in the Special Olympics track and field meet this weekend.


The irony in this is that we are not the running type. That is to say that if Sara and I were in a horror movie and running would save us, we would both lie down and say "Uncle".


But this weekend, Sara delivered:

Turns out Sara can run, and run she did, coming in 1st place in the 50 M dash!  


Way to go, Sara : o )