Now That We're Home....

Now that we're home, I've never been so glad, that we built garden boxes last summer! We came home, to a nice garden. :) Full of gorgeous plants, and a few veggies, that were ready to eat.

Of course, we have my parents to thank too! They came by and watered for us. 3 times a week. The entire time we were gone. But I'm 100%, that our garden boxes, just made it so much easier for them.



Not to mention, there is a lot less weeding, that has to be done with garden boxes. Watering is usually, fast and easy too! The picture above, was our inspiration. And in 1 Saturday morning, my hubs and I, were able to build 4 of these. Definitely a gardeners best friend! ~Maggie

Researching...

I guess I should start off with, my hubs and I bought a house. When we were very young! We've dated since we were teens!! Yes, we're one of "those couples." But we were so excited and proud, when we bought our first home. I was actually still a teen...I was 19!! And weeks away from getting married. We had thought about just buying a "first home." But decided to look for a "forever home" instead. That was the best decision, we could have ever made!

My hubs and I, had looked at so many different houses. But we kept getting pulled to one side of town. Our realtor wasn't happy with us. She wanted us to buy a brand new home. On the other side of town. One that was overpriced, in our opinion, for what it was. No yard. Yes, they were gorgeous houses. But it didn't feel like home, to us.

Instead, we bought an older house. On the side of town, that we liked most! :) That sits on an acre of land. It's a HUGE house. I remember thinking, what are we going to do with all this room?? Now I laugh at that! We're a family of 6 now. And it feels like, this house was built just for us!

Over the last, almost 12 years, we've done a lot to our home! A LOT!! In fact, just a few years ago, my hubs surprised us, with a swimming pool. :) How cool is that? These are the things, that an old house can provide for you. And a BIG yard!! The opportunity to grow. To customize our home.

But let it be known, an older house is also tough. There is ALWAYS at "to-do list." ALWAYS!! Weird things are always happening. And we usually have to contact 10 people, before we can make a plan. It takes a ton of money. Which is tight, for us. A family of 6, living on 1 income. Oh ya!!

We are lucky though. My hubs enjoys DIY projects. Honestly, he is so proud of himself, when he can do the job himself. And do it good! We also have lots of help. My parents, my in-laws, friends, some other family.

We've wanted to update our kitchen for years!! Nothing too crazy. Because we really do like the "bones" of the kitchen. I LOVE our old cabinets! They're HUGE!! Definitely not something I want to get rid of. But they are dark. And a little dated. We want to make some updates.

My hubs has his plans all mapped out. We actually took a 4 hour drive, not too long ago, to score a GREAT deal on tile!! We got it, for 70% off!! We just couldn't pass up that deal. Did I mention we also got our counter tops? Expensive ones....on a great deal!! We were lucky enough, to have some good friends, who went with us. They brought back the counter tops, and we brought the tile.

When we first moved into our home, we updated the appliances. I remember thinking, we are crazy!! Those other appliances aren't so bad. Why did we just spend all that money?? In the long run, I'm glad we did. That and a fresh coat of paint, were all the updates, that we made at the time. But now, it's time to update the rest!!

We have everything that we need. All our supplies. Paint and everything!! We're putting in wood floors. The tile is for the back splash. We also bought tile for the last bathroom, that we have left, to remodel. In less than 12 years, we've remodeled 3 bathrooms already!

But this is where we're having an issue. I'm almost 100% positive, that my hubs would rather buy some cabinets. New ones. Ready to roll. Me? I want to keep our old ones. But give them a "face lift." That means, lots and lots of research!!



I've talked to my cousin. Who in fact, redid her own cabinets. Because in her words, she's a "poor college student, that can't afford luxuries." At the time that she painted her cabinets, I think she had owned her home, for all of 2 years. And was eating Ramen every night! Ya, this was a necessity. Girl couldn't afford food, much less new cabinets!!

Let me tell you, we've spent a good 8 hours, talking about the process. She's shared all the tips. And tricks!! Then I found this little article. And I'm feeling pretty positive about this process. I bought all the supplies. Including new hardware! For about $100. A lot cheaper, than new cabinets!

I've even convinced my parents, to watch all 4 kiddos for a weekend!! I'm praying. I know my kiddos will be good. But I'm almost positive, this will be the 1st time, they take all 4 kids, at once! For an entire weekend!!

I've even let my hubs know, I'll do the cabinets. All by myself. :) This really did give me a lot of confidence! I'm going to do it all! Sanding and painting. I'm even going to try and install the new hardware. But my hubs has got to do the rest! Because let's be honest, what do I know about tiling and laying floors? If you have any tips or tricks, please let me know! And maybe even, say a few prayers for me. :) ~Maggie

Summer Fun!!

I don't even know where I first found this picture, but it made me so happy! Because it would add a functional space, to our backyard. We live in the southwest, so there is plenty of sun around here. :)



I asked my hubs about it. And he told me, this project should be an easy one. If I do the sewing!! I think I can manage this project. :) I might even try to figure out, how to cover the top too!! We get so much sun, that it would be nice, to have a little shade. But not a heavy fabric. Something lightweight. That still makes it a fun and functional space. ~Maggie

Getting Crafty in the Backyard

Now that Spring is officially here, I've been looking for some projects to work on. With my kiddos. I came across this project. And I just knew, it was perfect for us! Bird feeders for our backyard!



On Friday, I called my Mom. I just knew she'd have the bottles. She had 8 of them. :) And I happened to notice, that Hobby Lobby was having a good sale. This week. On the rest of the pieces! The wooden bits. And I had a bunch of lids. Years ago, I bought a vintage suitcase. When we got home, I noticed it was loaded with old canning lids. I didn't know what to do with them. So they sat in our garage all this time! And we have tons of spray paint. Any color you'd need! I knew this project was meant to be!

This weekend we each made our own bird feeders. We have a lot of birds around here. 6 feeders just seemed appropriate! :) We helped Audrey with hers. And the rest of us, worked on our own. It was really an easy craft! And in less than an hour, we were done! Then my hubs painted them all! Everyone picking out their favorite colors. :)

Jake was so excited! He and my hubs went to buy birdseed. And they came back with a few different kinds. We filled up our bird feeders. And spent the rest of the weekend, watching all the cute birds. It's nice to have some useful projects in our yard. You should trying making one of these too! ~Maggie

Perfect for My Girls!

Very rarely, I find something on the internet, that I must try. I'm not a big DIY-er. I'm just not that skilled. Drills and saws, scare me. So when I find a project that I want to recreate, I generally have to convince my hubs. And he is usually game. As long as it doesn't take months to finish. And we have room, for the finished product.



Having 4 kids, we don't have much extra room in our home. We have a large home. But we also have a lot going on. This clothing rack, is just perfect! At least for my girls. They have so much going on. Play clothes, pretty dress, and tons of dress up clothes. I say, we convince my hubs, to make 3!! ~Maggie

Adding Color

I was reading some blogs on Friday. And this picture kept showing up. I had to just stop and take it all in. We've got some wooden spoons, that have seen their better days. Oh ya! Not only that, but it's Spring. And don't you feel like, in Spring, you clean and refresh your home? I feel like you do!



Well, I decided our wooden utensils needed some sprucing up. On Friday, I picked up some non-toxic, enamel paint. I also picked up another 4 pack of wooden spoons. Wally World just has some good buys. I think in total, I spent $10.

We had some bad news last week. And we've had a difficult time, scheduling our week. Because we are waiting to hear, about my uncle's final services. We didn't want to plan anything, because we weren't sure if the services were going to be Sunday, or early this week.

Saturday, we decided to stay home. But the weather was so nice! I wanted to do something crafty with the kids. Preferably outside. I convinced Jake and Bri to help out. Beth and Audrey were happy helping daddy. My hubs was busy with yard work. Yes, it turned into a nice and colorful weekend. Complete with painted utensils, and new flowers in our backyard. It turned out to be a very nice weekend! ~Maggie

Entire Reason I Learned How to Sew

Little projects like this, are the entire reason, that I learned how to sew. No stinking lie! I wanted to be able to create special things, for my kiddos. Now if I just had a ton of time. And a good fabric stash. I know my daughters would love to play, with something like this! ~Maggie

They Need Their Own Space

I've been looking for some fun projects. You know, it's almost summer. And I'll have all 4 kiddos home. We need some things, to keep us entertained. Isn't this a great idea? I just love it! I'm wondering, if my hubs can make a bigger one. Maybe 2. This would be a good reason, to try my hand at sewing again! :) ~Maggie

Clouds for Audrey

My grandma used to crochet. I still remember going to her house, and playing with the blankets she made. They were so colorful! My grandma past away almost 14 years ago. My auntie and my cousin, both crochet. And very recently, I inherited some special doilies. That my grandma made decades ago!

I've always enjoyed crochet items. They remind me of my grandma. I regret, that I never got a blanket from her. She made the most amazing granny square blankets. Ask Lola. She's got a few. :)

I was lucky enough, to get some crochet lessons. In late December, I learned from my auntie and my cousin. And I haven't looked back! I'm having so much fun. That's why, when I saw this little tutorial, I squealed in delight!



Remember those doilies I was telling you about. I'm going to use them, to make Audrey some little clouds of her own. My baby girl, is not quite 7 months old. And she just loves watching everything. I think these would be perfect, to hang in the playroom. That way, Audrey has something fun to look at, while her brother and sisters are lost in play! Time to get sewing!~Maggie