Today I Am…

Stalking: Blogs for Easter ideas

Praying: That "the missing" will go away

Working on: Too many things! First and foremost, getting ready for my Accessory Swap party on Saturday, which includes finishing up the paint job on my built-ins (there is crap decor scattered all around my family room)

Wearing: Ann Taylor pants {brown}, Ann Taylor Loft cotton sweater {white}, yellow ombre scarf and spring floral ballet flats…comfy

Eating: An orange and a banana

Dreaming of: A vacation by the ocean and the beach

Impatiently Waiting: For my Coach bag and wallet to arrive {maybe in time for Easter?}

Anticipating: Some {MORE} changes that could be coming our way

Loving: The weather…when the wind is NOT blowing

Feeling: Very blessed!

Mighty Oaks From Little Acorns Grow

And actually this post has nothing to do with that saying - ha! Other than I am {SICK} and {TIRED} of my oak cabinets, as I have mentioned several times on this blog.

I am getting some major push back from Handsome and others (who shall remain nameless) to NOT paint my kitchen cabinets...so {for now} there has been a stay of execution put in place.

Meanwhile, I not only have that lovely oak in my kitchen, but also in my family room...the built-ins are built out of it. Here's my logic - paint the built-ins and maybe,

just maybe, it will downplay the 80's oak in the kitchen.

You with me?

It's like wearing a belt to emphasize your waist and draw the eye somewhere

other than where it would naturally go...that's my logic (or illogic). Ha!

This weekend, I decided to start small...on the built in bookshelf because I have two other much larger bookshelves flanking the fireplace. I figured I would try this first and see how it looked before doing the whole shooting match.

Here is what we started with (sorry, this is the fall picture of it)...not bad, I'll give you that, but just wait...

And here we are in process...I used Valspar Black Satin paint, because it is what I had in the garage and I'm trying to save money for more important things...like food (not my experimental paint job). The background is Valspar Mark Twain House Olive, which looks a lot lighter than it does in my kitchen.

And there it is with all my "stuff" on it - I did try to declutter and do less.

I {LOVE} it!

It gives the room a whole different feel and looks more like a piece of furniture, rather than a built-in...and it draws my eyes away from the oak cabinets in the kitchen! Can't wait to get started on the bigger cabinets.

By the way, that aquarium holds our newest family member "Tank" - a baby box turtle...

Home Sweet Home - The Finale

Whoa! Where did last week go? I don't even think I had a last week!

As promised, here is my most {FAV} room from my home...and it is outside!

When Handsome and I bought this house, the yard was H-I-D-E-O-U-S! We tried to hire a landscaper, someone professional, but they were all booked and no one would call us back.

So, I handed Handsome a blank sheet of paper and said,

"Draw what you want the backyard to be."

And I did the same.

Holy coincidence, Batman, they were *nearly* the same...only mine had rounded edges, where his were all square.

(isn't it funny how different men and women are?)

So here is the beginning...these are the only before shots I have and the one below is after we started - we put up the fence and pulled out all the dead grass (man, I was WISHING for a landscaper at that point - 2 tons of crap grass we pulled out of there!)

Ha, look how little my kids are - cracks me up!

Yep, it's a REAL showstopper...this yard. So much so we never went outside!

And below...the beauty that is now our outdoor living room - and, yes, we do live out there (when the wind isn't blowing 60 miles per hour). We even have an outdoor heater and fire pit so we can be out there in the winter.

{LURVE} it!

In the picture above, you'll note that the walls on the north side of the yard are that lovely prison gray cinder block and the walls on the west side are not...long story, but the short of it is I couldn't stand the cinder blocks, so {my kids} I painted and fauxed all the brick...fortunately,

the north wall is now done.

My son did the paintings on the wall...to help fill it in until the plants get bigger and fill the space. He did such a great job!

Now I can't wait for it to all be green and lush again...

if only Mother Nature would cooperate!

Well, that's it for my house tour...although there are always projects in the works - one I worked on this weekend, in fact (pictures to come). And, since we did such a great job on our backyard (self-pat-on-the-back), we are getting ready to do the front!

Thanks for stopping by our humble abode at 5405 in the 505!