Friday, December 9, 2011

red door and christmas decor!

when we moved in our dining room looked like this:
yep, that's a giant fishing pole.
more recent pic of the door:

that door was flat on one side and paneled on the other. weird.  anyhow, i decided i wanted to put in a door with a window (our house super lacks natural light and windows.  in fact, the 2 windows in the dining room lead out to the sun porch...and they are too far apart and really close to the door/wall.

i digress, mr.tsl and i were at habitat for humanity and i saw this door:


for what?!?  $10, that's right $10 and it comes with it's own security system:

i feel safer already.  if a bad guy broke in to the garage, went through another locked door and managed to get to this door he would be met with the wrath of this sticker.  an obvious blocker of all things bad.

mr.tsl put the door up for me and i asked for your opinion...red door or black door.  you all picked red, just like i wanted you too!  you must really know me :)

the towel keeps out the draft and loads of style :)
i am not going to lie to you. this project sucked.  i primed the door and started painting.

let's talk about that paint.  so, i head to wal-mart for groceries and stop off in the paint dept.  paint dept guy knows me.  he's at lunch, sporting goods guy is there.  he doesn't know paint very well. or at all.
i hand him a can of banner red spray paint and tell him i need a quart of paint color matched to it.

he looked at me like i was crazy and said "you know this is paint right?" {whilst, holding the can of spray paint}.  i just said "yes, but i need brushable paint, i can't spray paint an interior door."  what i wanted to say was, "no, really? do i look like a f#$%ing retard!?!"

then i had to explain to him how to use the color match machine...woohoo he did it.  then he grabs the paint and starts mixing.  at this point audrey is climbing out of the cart and pulling all the leaves off the $3 poinsettias i have. irritating.

i say, "i'm going to go get some other stuff, i'll  be right back"  when i get back the paint is done and more mauve than red.  he just looks at it and says "oops, i have to get back to sporting goods, i have a customer."

i love dealing with morons.  as i am walking to the grocery section paint guy is coming out of lunch, i explain and he says "did you know krylon makes a banner red you can brush on?" then gets me the can. amazing, the exact color i wanted and it's $5 cheaper than any quart can!

i buy my $5 can of paint and get to work....i am not kidding you it has 8 coats of red paint and i am pretty sure it needs more and am even more sure it's not getting them.

it's like the ugly girl that is far away looks okay, but upon closer inspection is not all that easy on the eyes.

after all that, here is some more shots of the door and the rest of my christmas stuff!!












12 days of christmas nutcrackers!




the stick looks like an antler :)

charlie brown tablescape!
lindsey,
if you read this, i don't know how you can type in all lowercase...i like it, but i naturally want to capitalize stuff :)

-fa la la la la, la la la la

SUNDAY: The Girl Creative ,The DIY Showoff ,Sisters of the Wild West ,The Tattered Tag ,Flamingo Toes, Under the Table and Dreaming I Heart Nap Time  MONDAY:Skip To My LouThrifty Decor ChickC.R.A.F.T.Sew Can DoDittle Dattle, Between Naps On the Porch, Homemaker on a Dime,  Making the World Cuter TUESDAY: Tip JunkieA Bowl Full of LemonsToday's Creative BlogFunky Polkadot GiraffeStrictly HomemadeA Diamond in the StuffHandmade TuesdayStories from A to Z WEDNESDAY: Primitive and Proper, Blue Cricket DesignNot Just A HousewifeSomeday CraftsHandy Man, Crafty WomanSew Much AdoOrganize Your Stuff NowSeven Thirty ThreeSugar and Dots The Mommy Club  THURSDAY: My Repurposed LifePaisley PassionsHouse of HepworthsBeyond The Picket FenceThe Shabby Chic CottageSomewhat Simple, Inspired by Charm FRIDAY: Remodelaholic, Fingerprints on the FridgeMiss Mustard SeedChic on a ShoestringShabby NestTidy MomLittle Lucy Lu, My Simple Home LifeWhipperberry
SATURDAY: Funky Junk Interiors, be Different Act Normal, Tatertots and Jello, Young and Crafty

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Chevron Runner and my 30th Bday!

My dining room floor got a little upgrade when I painted it all Chevrony and stuff!  I still love it.  It's so much better than the subfloor!  I still can't wait to put down the wood floor as soon as we get some tax money back.



Until then, the painted floor does me fine.

With one exception...the kitchen floor.
It had that nasty foam backed tile-looking crapet (yep, I said crapet)


Please note the crapet in the above pic....the decor was left from the previous owner and found its way to the GW or the trash can :)


After a wild hair up my ass, I pulled the carpet up to expose this nasty ass yellow foam crap that I had to scrape off.  It was awful!




Paint made it light years better!  However, where the foam use to be is a serious stain looking dirt collector.  Gross.  I can scrub and scrub and just the paint comes off.  Boo.

After a few months, the spots reminded me of flashing.  No not the kind where you show your boobs.  The kind when you paint over a patch on the wall with out priming . The wall is shiny except where the patch is.

Long story, well long.  I decided I would have to paint over it to make it look clean.  Problem is I am out of the green paint.

Looks like a new runner was in the works.

So, I sat down and taped off the floor and started painting.

Things I discovered.  The painters tape pulls the paint up that is on the foam yellow crap.  So, the runner looks cool, but you can see the tape marks...oops.

My second discovery.  The vent on the front of the fridge looked like it was nursing a batch of kittens.  I couldn't even see the vent.  Honestly, I thought the carpet was covering it.  If you look at the pic above you will see that there was a bit of carpet left under the fridge, dishwasher, and stove.

When I pointed out the batch of kittens to Mr. TSL and I decided the fridge would have to wean them, it was time for them to be on there own...in the garbage.

So, after that tirade...here it is.


It's not life changing, but it does make the floor look a little cleaner.  I am totally irritated that the tape pulled up like that though.



Now on to my birthday...
today is my 30th Birthday!!!

Crazytalk.  So, I had this list.  I am a list maker.  I will make them and check them.  However, I abandon anything I feel like I am not got to thoroughly complete.  This list pissed me off because I knew I wouldn't complete all of it.

1.  Lose 30 lbs--didn't happen...still working on it though.  I am thinking more like 50-60lbs now and I plan to do that over the next year.  If I grow a pair, maybe I'll share it with you guys.
  
2. Get my wedding ring fixed- I bent the crap out of it when I was carrying in paint cans.  I don't know if that's how it got bent, or if that's when I noticed it.  But it happened in like January...needs fixed pronto!-didn't happen either.  I never remember to go to the jeweler when I run into Wichita.  Maybe, I will put all of the stuff in my purse and go do it Saturday.  I would really like it fixed.  


3.  Go out to dinner only 2 times a month-only on kids eat free night!  This should help with our budget :)  For the most part we have stuck to this.  However, sometimes our family pays for it, so I don't count that.


4.  Finish painting the kitchen and dining room floor-yep I started it!  DONE  :)  Read about it here.


5.  Finish painting the green dining chairs-they may be gray..not sure yet. They did end up gray.  Read about that here.


6.  Exercise twice a week-anything else is a bonus.  Totally slacked off on this one.  A few weeks this happened, but not every week.




7.  Organize the kitchen cabinets-totally did this one!  I am excited to start the kitchen redo for realskies soon!


8.  Help mom decorate her house-we didn't finish, it's a work in progress.  They are redoing both bathrooms, then we'll move on!


9.  Floss daily  I have managed to do it around 5 times a week, better than my old 2 times a week :)


10.  Build a baby gate-Mr. TSL is making one for me :)


11.  Get a mani/pedi-  I've had manicures twice, but never a pedicure!  So, I didn't go get professional mani/pedi. But Hayley did them for me, so it totally counts!


12.  Take vitamins everyday. 


13.  Paint dresser in the garage for Morgan and Hayley- I totally need to post it.


14.  Drink a cup of tea before breakfast. I've been drinking lots of tea...I quit drinking pop a year ago and it's fantastic!


15.  Build book shelves-still working on them.


16.  Do something nice for my brothers-all of them- I made them all Thanksgiving dinner and prayed for the one who couldn't make it. 


17.  Stencil a wall
 (I stenciled a tray and LURVE it!!) Read about that here.



18.  Host Thanksgiving for my family

19.  Plant flower bulbs in the fall, so we have beautiful flowers in the spring! 


20.  Go for a couples massage!   We'll be doing this soonish.


21.  Dress up for Halloween-I was a black cat! Meow:) 


22. Carve pumpkins and decorate the house at the beginning of October


23.  Make a faux fireplace mantel-Mr. TSL is working on this :)


24.  Make the girls' lunches everyday
 They like to eat at school, so I'll make their lunches when they ask me to.


25.  Declutter the house-Working on it!!  This is a work in progress


26.  Spend less time on the computer.  Only after the kids have gone to bed, or before they are awake. Still working on this.  I am only on it while Audrey is sleeping!


27.  Put clothes away after I fold them--I wash them, dry them, fold them and stack them on the dryer. Totally suck at this one.  Told Mr. TSL if we had a stackable washer and dryer I couldn't do this...no dice.


28.  Make dinner by 5:30 every night


29.  Teach Audrey to walk and wean her around 12 months or so.
  She is amazing!!



30.  Read Janet Evanovich book 17



-Make your life beautiful!!


SUNDAY: The Girl Creative ,The DIY Showoff ,Sisters of the Wild West ,The Tattered Tag ,Flamingo Toes, Under the Table and Dreaming I Heart Nap Time  MONDAY:Skip To My LouThrifty Decor ChickC.R.A.F.T.Sew Can DoDittle Dattle, Between Naps On the Porch, Homemaker on a Dime,  Making the World Cuter TUESDAY: Tip JunkieA Bowl Full of LemonsToday's Creative BlogFunky Polkadot GiraffeStrictly HomemadeA Diamond in the StuffHandmade TuesdayStories from A to Z WEDNESDAY: Primitive and Proper, Blue Cricket DesignNot Just A HousewifeSomeday CraftsHandy Man, Crafty WomanSew Much AdoOrganize Your Stuff NowSeven Thirty ThreeSugar and Dots The Mommy Club  THURSDAY: My Repurposed LifePaisley PassionsHouse of HepworthsBeyond The Picket FenceThe Shabby Chic CottageSomewhat Simple, Inspired by Charm FRIDAY: Remodelaholic, Fingerprints on the FridgeMiss Mustard SeedChic on a ShoestringShabby NestTidy MomLittle Lucy Lu, My Simple Home LifeWhipperberry
SATURDAY: Funky Junk Interiors, be Different Act Normal, Tatertots and Jello, Young and Crafty


Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Christmas Questions and Answers


I came across this Christmas survey on Welcome to Heardmont this weekend and I thought I’d fill it out for fun.  Here are 22 things you might not have known about the holidays at The Sunset Lane!
1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?
Both!!  It must be Braum's Eggnog and homemade hot chocolate from this recipe.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?
He wraps them.   Santa always uses different wrapping paper too! Morgan's first Christmas, Mr. TSL and I didn't wrap the presents until Christmas Eve (I was too lazy/busy to do it before then.)  This started the tradition of all the presents coming from Santa....last year Hayley asked why Mr. TSL and I never got them any gifts, just Santa.  Some of their friends at school get gifts from their parents.  Oops!  This year there will be presents from mom and dad too!
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
I like white lights on our tree.  The lights on the house are colored, but I would prefer them to be white, but the kids love them and that's all that matters!!
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Yes, it's actually an ornament that looks like mistletoe and Hayley always tries to trick Morgan so she can kiss her....Morgan hates it!
5. When do you put your decorations up?
I would have them up in July if left to my own accord.  From Halloween on I beg Mr. TSL to put them up....he is the Christmas nazi and says not until after Thanksgiving. Boo!
6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
I make a kick butt cranberry salad, but my favorite is my mom's stuffing....made in the bird, not the Stovetop crap (I love Stovetop though!)
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?
Laying under the Christmas Tree with my brothers.  We would lay under there for hours looking at the lights!  I also miss putting all the decorations up with my brother Michael.  Even after I moved out, he would call and have me come to mom's to help him put it all up!!
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I don't remember.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
We did a few times when we were little. But i don't usually wrap the presents until that night, so the only gifts under our tree were what we get in the mail.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
I like a combination of ornaments in a certain color scheme and sentimental ornaments all on the same tree.  Maybe one day we’ll have another tree just for personal ornaments. 
11. Snow! love it or dread it?
LOVE IT!!!  If I had my way, we would move to Colorado and we would have more of it!! I think watching the girls play with their mittens and little pink noses is amazing!!  
12. Can you ice skate?
Nope, I've never been. :(  My little brother and his fabulous wife took the girls last year and they had a blast!  they got back and had the most gigantic bruises on their knees...ended up being stain from the blue ink in their new jeans getting wet :)


13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Mr. TSL got me a huge painting print of Van Goh's Starry night, he hid it behind the piano and I never saw it!  Good thing I don't dust! :) 


14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you?
The look on the girls' faces when Christmas morning arrives!
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
All of them!!  
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
We read the girls "The night before Christmas" on Christmas Eve. But, it's a close second to driving around Wichita looking at lights!
17. What tops your tree?
An angel!
18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving?
Absolutely, hands down giving!  
19. Candy canes: yuck or yum?
Eh, their okay.  
20. Favorite christmas movie?                                                                                                     National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation -from the dickie with the sweater to the "Shitter's full" (which we say ALL the time!)


21. Saddest christmas song?
Can't think of one, but the Folger's commercial with the brother and sister kills me!  When my brother was in Afghanistan it made me ball!!


22. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Baby it's cold outside! 
I’m curious to see how you guys would answer these questions.  Do we share any favorite Christmas traditions?  If you play along, leave a link so I can come visit and see your answers!



Thanks Meredith for the Holiday Fun!!

-Make your life beautiful!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Charlie Brown Christmas Table

Every year I ask for some Christmas decoration for my birthday!  What can I say? I love Christmas!!

Last year, I was obsessed with the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree at Lowe's.   Mr. TSL got it for me!!

This year our table is just simply done with the tree as our center piece!
I didn't put out any linens or anything yet because we eat at this table and I'm not putting all my dishes out, then putting them up and then getting them back out again!  I pick up enough around here with Audrey taking the ornaments off the tree while I cook or do dishes!










Want to join in on the Tablescape Link Party


-Make your life beautiful!!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Kitchen Progress: the microwave

I hate microwaves.  While convenient, they are really unpleasant looking.

Our kitchen is shaped weird and has little counter space where I do most of the prep work, so I knew I wanted the microwave away....far, far, away (in my best Shrek voice).

I actually wanted to put it in the pantry, but it's small as is with the washer and dryer and I was afraid it would be awkward.

I actually wanted to put it above the fridge in a cabinet to be built at a later date.
Like this one:


But, Mr. TSL said he didn't like it...then my mom said what if your taking out hot soup and spill it on yourself....okay okay we won't do it there.


I also like how this one is hidden, but it still takes up too much space on the counter.



Over the stove it is. Then our regular microwave died...:(  or is it :)
I found a black over the stove microwave on Craigslist for $60 and now we have quick heating again,
after 3 weeks of heating stuff up on the stove. (which totally sucked the big fat one btw!)

Before we moved in:


Now with the new microwave:
The cabinet was moved higher and the microwave installed.
After all that, I must say I like it.  But, I LOVE the light underneath it.  I didn't realize how dark it was where I was cooking!

Stay tuned for red door and the painted kitchen floor :)

-Make your life beautiful!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Happy Birthday Oh Har Har Dog!!

Today is our Border Collie's 5th Birthday! :)






swimming at the lake!


ball in her mouth....

throw the ball someone!!

She is the most amazing dog in like ever!!  Border Collie's are fantastic family dogs!

Happy Birthday Harley!!


-Make you life beautiful!

Happy December!

I am so excited for Christmas!!  I have been decorating and working on my kitchen this week.  Details soon to come :)

Here are some pics to Pinspire you!





















Images via pinterest


PS. One week from today I turn 30.....crazy talk!

-Make your life beautiful!