{I DIY}

So in between advancing the world of Quakerism (part of my job, people), cleaning toddler noses, and saving the world (moms ARE superheros, right?!) ...

I also like a good DIY project.

I've been collecting ideas for jewelry storage from all over blog-world and have been itching to create something for our bathroom to hold my earrings, necklaces and rings. I was especially inspired by this one from Nishka's Niche's Etsy shop...

And this one from Smart and Sassy with Sprinkles (what a fun blog name!)

I have most of my jewelry stored in our laundry room (don't ask...it works for me, OK?) but I like to keep the pieces I wear the most in the bathroom so I can grab them when I'm getting ready in the morning. My previous system was a little milkglass cup on the bathroom counterfor my rings and earrings, and on occasion our hand towel hook for my necklaces.

It was just a tad dysfunctional.

So enter some creative thinking and this lovely mirror that had never found a new home since we moved into this house...

I first removed the mirror and the hooks. Spray painted the frame white and the hooks with an oil rubbed bronze finish spray paint. Then, I used some brown jewelry wire from Hobby Lobby and staple-gunned (that's a verb, right?) it to the back to create rows for my earrings.

And....voila!

Isn't she gorgeous?

I love how I can see almost all of my earrings now and I'm wearing ones that I didn't typically wear before because they were buried underneath my old standbys.

The hooks work perfectly for my rings and necklaces.

The only thing it lacks is somewhere for my stud earrings. So Mr. Milkglass is still on the counter for now. But even those are easier to see since they aren't tangled up with all of my dangly ones.

And I think it really perks up the corner of the bathroom.

What do you think?

It was a super easy project, and only cost the $1.25 or so for the jewelry wire. (I already had the spray paint from other projects).

Do you have a recent DIY project that you are proud of? I would love to see it!

Shared on...

{over}

You name it, I'm over it.

Over work.
Over my allergies.
Over emails...and more emails...
Over the million plus thoughts swimming around in my mind that all want center stage.

I'm majorly overwhelmed.

This pic of Ben when he was just a little guy pretty much sums up how I feel today...

Or this one of Landon...

Or maybe this one (a face only a mother could love)...

Work this week has gotten crazy busy. I work in higher education so late August is when things go from 0 to 60 in a matter of days.

Or minutes.

At least that is what it has felt like this year.

But on a much happier note, the weather here the past few days has been absolutely GORGEOUS and I'm hoping it will hold up for the weekend so we can get outside as a family to enjoy it.

It is starting to feel like Fall and that makes me SUPER (yes, I'm really, really) happy. I think I would actually use the word giddy.

Fall is like everything that is good about life bottled up into a season.

I have a love affair with fall.

If I could marry it I would.

But back to reality...

We are taking a little road trip on Sunday for a family event and we'll be in the car for 6 or so hours. Thank goodness for the coworker who is letting us borrow her TWO screen DVD player for the car.

I don't care if I have to listen to Toy Story, Caillou, Word World, Sid the Science Kid etc....for 360 minutes...it will be worth it.

And 6 or so hours of time to look at magazines...knit...stare out the window and do absolutely nothing...

Ahhhhhh...

(This post was really just an excuse to pull out my favorite funny pics of the boys as babies)

Until next time...over and out. :)

{swoon}

My lovely friend, and talented photographer, Kelly, purchased one of my knitted cocoons for her infant photoshoots and a few days ago she shared this picture on her blog...

Ahhhhhh....I was smiling for hours!

It is the definition of cozy, right?

{you}

You love building tents in Ben's crib...

And you love tearing them down even more...

And asking me to build them again...

You like to say "OK, ready to GO!!" when we get you buckled into your carseat...

You like to point out all of the BIG things you see when we are driving...

BIIIIG truck!

BIIIIIIIG Flag!

BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG House!

You like to fix things and make sure we know by excitedly declaring..."There! All fixed!"...

You always wear your hats backwards....

You prefer Mom and Dad's bed over your cribs...

You carry my heart in your soft little hands...

Every second of every day.

{love list}

I'm a little late with my love list this week, but hey - its Friday! What's not to love about that?! So here we go folks...

1. This adorable door mat from Mod Cloth...



I want this for our entryway. What could make you happier than stepping onto this when you get home?

2. Parks



Having two toddlers makes me really appreciate the wonderful local parks we have in our town. The picture above is from one I want to check out this weekend - doesn't that playground look like FUN?!

3. This scarf tutorial from Amanda...



I love wearing scarves but sometimes I feel like a dork trying to figure out how to make them look stylish. This was just what I needed. And Amanda has amazing style.

4. This fabric flower tutorial from Jenn...

These are so adorable and seemingly easy to create. I think I might try a few using felt for my hats.

5. This necklace from Jaros Designs...

Wood + green = love.

And last of all....

6. THE WEEKEND!!!

Hope you have a great one friends...and please take a moment to tell me what you are loving today!

{heaven}

If heaven is a yarn store, I'm convinced it would look like Loops in Tulsa, OK....

(such a cute name, right?!)

{reenactment}

We like to keep things as real as possible around our house...



Poor Woody.

{nostalgic}

Now that the boys are on the verge of moving into big boy beds, and they are anything but babies, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic (and OK, a tad weepy) thinking about their first nursery.

I loved it.

I guess every Mom would say that. It is the room you put your heart into decorating and the room that your little one (or ones in our case) sleep peacefully through the night (a mom can dream right?!).

So if you don't mind humoring me, I'm going to take a trip down memory lane and share the boys' nursery in our first home. Maybe some of my readers weren't around two years ago so this might be just as exciting for you! ;)

The room was actually my scrapbooking room when we found out I was pregnant... (yes I once had a room solely for the purpose of crafting. Sigh.)

We turned it into this...

The cozy brown walls...the modern but simple green bedding (which was from Walmart!)...it all just made me smile...

The room had a very natural feel with lots of owls scattered around....

This was an antique drying rack that I painted and used as a photo display. It is now in our family room being used for the same purpose...

And here were the boys the first night they slept in the room (they were 1 month here). So hard to believe how tiny they were...

So that's that.

Now I need to move onto the exciting world of toddler beds. And crazy little boys who will no longer be prisoners in their rooms at night.

Cue the action/adventure movie music

It should be an interesting ride.

{aquafina}

No, this isn't a post about bottled water. Not really.

I don't blog much about my handsome husband because he is not a social creature. He refuses to facebook. Actually, he feels a little more strongly about it than that. He thinks facebook is the devil.

Seriously.

But I still love him.

He is also very honest. Brutally honest. And not just on occasion. Pretty much all of the time. Even when we are shopping and I say I think something is cute (that's my word for everything I like).

He'll usually make a face and say "really?!" or "that is hideous". And he means it.

But I still love him.

Last night we were at the mall and something similar to the above happened. I did my usual eye roll and my mother-in-law was with us so she joined with me which is always reassuring. Eye rolls are always better in pairs.

I told him that you can be nice and honest at the same time. He laughed and of course disagreed.

(I'm too nice and pretty much anyone who knows me can attest to that fact. But I try to be honest in the nicest way possible...really I do.)

I told him that he has no filter. He is like hard water. The hardest, most calcium-laced water you can find.

If we were a science experiment it would look something like this...



And I said he makes me look like Evian. Or maybe Aquafina. I won't pretend to be that fancy.

Did I mention that I still love him? I really do. But maybe I should buy him one of these for Christmas...



(Just kidding honey.)

{love list}

It is storming outside and I'm daydreaming of taking a nap on our cozy couch...and also about cooler fall weather. Here are a few things I'm loving today...


1. Old Navy's fall clothes for boys

Can you stand the cuteness?! I'll take one - make that two- of each please. Here are a few of my faves...






2. This Blog



If I could get our house even half as organized as Jen's I would be a happy camper. Lots of great inspiration here. I need one of these for my jewelry asap...

3. The Cincinnati Reds



My husband is a long time Reds fan and since we started dating I've slowly become a fan of the game. This season, the Reds are kicking some serious butt (OK...no pun intended even though they got in a fight with the Cardinals last night). I'm proud to say that I actually look forward to watching the games and cheering them on.

GO REDS!!

4. This

What is on your love list today friends?