Hello everyone. (Waving hi!!) I am on lunch at work and now would be the perfect time to update my blog with photos. So as I stated here is a photo of the kitchen.....



and here is another view.
It is really coming along. And honestly I can't wait to get the few other things that I want done to it done. Like the multi colored glass backsplash, the new granite counter tops, the undermounted sink, the black faucets and of course more blings and some really nice curtains. Not to mention I will need to paint it some color that I still haven't decided on just yet. But it is starting to really not look like a builder grade room. And there are no plans for stainless steel, I got that question is an email. I know a lot people love it, but honestly I really don't. I love black applicances. But there was a time that I loved the idea of stainless steel, that time has since long passed.

I do also plan on getting a larger frigerator. Our family really does need a bigger one. We also need a deep freezer too. I can't see how I am supposed to be able to feed the crew without being able to stock up and freeze some of the great deals so I am surely going to be picking up one in the next couple of months. I am thinking that I will get the freezer before I get the frig because my frig works great (after all it was brand new).

And here is a picture of the lighting that I plan on putting above the kitchen table in the next couple of weeks too...


I will be posting some projects that I plan on working on in the next couple of days or so. Until then...smiles, Tracy

kitchen changes

I am super excited because my kitchen is starting to get closer to where I want it to end up. I have been talking about getting a new table forever. And honestly I thought it would be a few more months away from now before I would get one. Mostly because it was so hard to find the type of table that I could see buying new only to change it to fit the theme of my room. That was the hardest idea for me to get over. But I couldn’t take another moment sitting at the old conference table for dinner ever night. And so I headed back to the Potato Barn and bought a beautiful table that was unfinished on the top and the bottom was painted black. But the legs of the table are what made me fall in love with it. I really do love them.So here is a photo of the table I completely forgot to get a photo of it before I started staining it but this is what it looked like when I stated the staining process.

It still isn’t done but because it was our anniversary weekend and we had plans that I just had to have us do, I only got the first 2 levels of work done to it. I am not sure how distressed I want to go with it but I know that I plan on having the black stain show through a lot. I don’t want the chipp-y paint look though so it will most likely be a smooth finish. But one of the best things about this is that now my entire family can sit at the table together. And no one will touch one another and no one can complain about not having enough space to eat when serving platters are on the table. It is the perfect table for our family.

And on to some other things that I have changed in our newly built home…this is the light hanging above my kitchen island now.

As I look at the photo a see a price tag for $99 I wish I would have gotten this for that price. LOL I wonder what that tag was for?? But what I have learned about saying you are going to replace lighting fixers is that you will learn really quickly from a huge fixer if your kitchen island is center or not. LOL. But I am going to be uploading pics of the room again (a full view) so that I can show it to you almost done.

I think I 've found my master bed. I love this bed and can't believe that I haven't found it before. I am still going to be looking at beds this week but I love love love this one. The bed is at Ashley Furniture which means this week I will have to check it out and see the quality of it when I am off. But here it is...I like both below and have to make a decision. Which one would you like?
I love the above bed the most but when I invision my master bedroom suite and the theme of a tropical retreat it's honestly perfect expect it doesn't have posts that I hang shear curtains from...

And so the bed below is very close to what I like but there is one big problem...the posts are way too thin looking.


But I won't know for sure what one I will like better until later this week when I get the chance to get to Ashley but I am also going to head to the Potato Barn too. I can't wait to make a decision. But either way it goes we will have a new bed.

Its about time!!!

Seriously, the blog has been too low on my list of things to do and it is so sad. I haven't been on here in months and I miss being in touch with family and friends and of course my followers. Well that is if I still have followers since there is nothing to follow. So I was thinking with all the technology that I have it is sad that I haven't updated anything on here. I mean really nothing at all...

So I am going to do a few things differently going ahead. I am really going to do better at posting photos of something that I have done creatively or something that I am decorating.

I have only done a few things that are craft related since working, 1 was Christmas cards, #2 was a new book so that I could store my home decorating and shopping finds. I love using the book and have really been able to stay on top of a lot of things because I have the book. For instance I keep a list of home inventory items in the book. And so when there is a sale I check that list and decide if there is a need to get the items or not. And despite my honest attempts to continue to coupon I haven't been doing that nearly as much as I had when I was home.

And honestly I still use coupons and shop sales and competitors match everything. But I don't purchase newspapers as much because I was starting to notice the same things in them and despite that fact that I love deals and I am mostly not brand loyal, I also like having things that I will use and want. And I never really purchased things that I knew I wouldn't like, but since trying so many different things I realized that there were alot of things that my family didn't love and I'm not forcing myself to eat Bar S items when I'd prefer deli ham.

So that leads me to my latest shopping trips...Pros Ranch (aka Rancho market) had papertowels on sale for 39 cents. So because I was at work and that store isn't really on my way to the house I decided to match prices at Walmart. That was the best deal ever! I mean really, I got 6rolls of papertowels for $2.57 (tax included) vs waiting for a coupon or sale. And I stocked up. I travel almost an hour to get home from work so I stopped at 3 Walmarts each night and each morning of the sale. And once I had my laundry room filled I filled the cabinet above the masterbedroom toilet. And I didn't go overboard at all, I have enough papertowels to last us half way through the next 4 months. Or so I hope. Especially since the hubby is home with the kids and it seems we are using way more than we were using while I was home. It's weird cause he even stated the other night how the bills seem to be much higher since I am not at home. I didn't say a word. But I now know that when or if the roles are reversed ever again, I know he will then respect all the efforts that I put into budgeting.

Speaking of reversed roles...he is rocking at being home with the kids. I am 100% surprised at how well his at it. I am very proud of him as a Dad and a hubby. I really am! I mean the house is clean enough for me to be ok most days. I still do much work at home but he is amazing at making it a lot easier for me. He mentioned that he was impressed that I was still able to get laundry done and so much more before I needed to be at work.

I have also realized that I don't want to be a typical working Mom either so I have went many nights with only sleeping for a few hours here and there to make sure that I completed something I told the kids that I would do. I want to keep my word. I sit at a cubical all day listenng (not by choice) to other coworkers talk to their spouses and children and I thank God that he gave me the job but I will never treat my family the way that they do. I have heard woman cuss out their kids for calling. I mean really you are working 12-15 hrs and your kids call cause they want to talk to you and you cuss them out. Sad. Really sad. Well I don't cuss #1 but if I did I wouldn't cuss at my kids. Why do so many people think thats ok? But I don't want to sound like I am judging cause I'm not but I know how it feels to be cussed out by a parent...and I promised myself I would never do it to my kids. So far so good.

But enough talking about nothing...here is a photo of my house decorating log/ideas. I wish I had taken a photo of it before my littlest decided that she wanted to pull off the thickers lol.

And here is a photo of the new inspiration room for my teenagers bedroom.

I really don' t like the style but thats because I don't like IKEA furniture. But he likes the bed and the dresser thingie in the photo. So I am going to be picking those up in a few weeks when I get paid. And yes even with one income I am still able to get things here and there for the house. I have to really plan but honestly its not any different from when Vele was working...ok maybe a little, he made more money!

Oh I just have to show the photos of some of the papertowels too...no fun talking about them if you can't see some of them right? Having a stash of household items really helped this fall when Vele decided to become self employeed after being laid off! It lasted up until a few weeks ago when I needed to start working on getting things replenised. It would have been a lot harder living on our savings if we couldn't buy pullups, papertowels or wash clothes. But I am really thankful that I did work hard at having a home supply.