Cheap DIY's

My day started very early.

Not by choice.

A storm blew through about 5am. I certainly think that was RUDE. Could it not wait about 3 hours when every one was up and out of bed?! The lightning was amazing - picture a strobe light.

After going back to bed for another few hours, I had to get the girls going for the day. They have kept me busy this week running them from place to place. After dropping them off, I headed back home to get started on my many projects for the day. I needed to get some things done before I headed into work.

First project, arrange greenery on top of the kitchen cabinets. I have been lazy getting the finishing touches in there and it really brought character to the room. One down :}

I picked up some AWESOME wall words at Hobby Lobby. I LOVE that store but it is dangerous for me :} I saw them there last week and thought I would think on it awhile before going ahead and getting them. I decided that the dining room and kitchen both need some wise words. I found some great ones on ebay that should be arriving next week. In the mean time....

Here is what Project #2 looks like.....

I love the way it came out!

My biggest project of the day was getting the exterior lighting painted. My first light to be done was pretty much my guinea pig light. If it looked terrible, no biggy, no one really notices it anyway :}

Here is what I have to work with...


Yes, I know, it looks like it is going to fall off the house. It has done that for years and I have just finally had it. Here is a closer view:

I must admit that I am embarrassed at out poorly it looks. Our home is 10 years old and this was a cheap fixture but I sure fixed it up. Take a look!

I looks like it was made that way! I love the way it turned out. AND I got it put back up tonight. See...


I even fixed it so it won't look like it is going to fall off the house :}

I know you are dying for one more look...


It does work and I have proof in picture form. If you would like it, let me know :}

I now have three more fixtures in the garage drying as I write. I'll install them tomorrow and take down the two big ones to be done on Saturday. I saved at least $300 in fixtures. Total cost of two cans of spray paint = about $12. I have been looking for over two years and just could not find anything that I liked. I still love the fixtures I picked 10 years ago! I'm so glad I was able to just repaint them and call it a day, or two or three.

We had a tree replaced on Saturday. Our beautiful crab tree in the front yard died after something crazy happened to the root system. We had been babying it for over a year hoping to get "just one more year" out of it. Well, this year it just wasn't happening so we finally caved and got a new one. It looks so much like our old one! I love it :}

I'll post pictures when all the lighting is reinstalled. I'm so happy that our house won't be looking so run-down anymore! Ok, I was probably the only one that noticed the lighting, as I am my biggest critic :}

Hugs all!

It's going, going, gone!!

This weekend found us at a softball tournament. One of many this summer.

We started out early Saturday morning. We had to be at the field by 8am.

So,,,,,,

Up at 6:30 and out the door by 7:30. The girls were at the field and ready for play only to find out that the team they were to play were at another tournament. What?! So, four hours later, we play our first game. There were actually 2 teams that did not show so that threw the tourney into a mess. We won yesterday's game so we got to go home.

YIPEE, right?!

Yeah, until we find out that we have to be back to the field by 8am AGAIN!

Bummer! We were hoping to sleep in.....

Back to the field this morning. The tourney is double elimination (for those of you that are softball illiterate) You have to lose two games in order to go home.

We lost our first game. Well, we gave it away actually. Yeah, one of THOSE games.

So into the loser's bracket we go.....

Game two is a landslide win 13-0. Including a

GRAND SLAM

by our Gabby! That's right folks, Gabby hit a grand slam. I'm guessing the next time we meet up with this team they will back up a bit or a lot :}

Game three looked like an easy win until the last half inning where the opposing team gained 4 runs. We ended up winning 10-5.

Game four. Yes - GAME FOUR! We did not play well. Our girls were tired. It showed. We lost 6-3 and ended our game play today.

We are all feeling a little crispy and tired. We decided after supper to go get some...

I know!

Don't tell my boss!

I cheated on my place of business!

We were all in our jammies and just wanted to go thru the drive thru to get some soft serve.....

Sometimes you just gotta have some and I was a deadbeat mom and forgot to bring home the Coldstone. Such a FAILURE!

This coming week will be a little slower than last. At least we get to sleep until 7 instead of 6:30 :}

I have a new project that I'm working on. Our exterior lighting needs a face lift and I really don't wanna pay for new lighting so I'm gonna try my hand at painting it. I'll have pictures of this project. I'm praying it works cause I don't want to have to explain it to Bill if it doesn't. How would you explain it? Maybe something along the lines of....

"Honey, I don't know what happened. I came home and someone had taken all the lighting off the house and painted it. Can you believe that someone would do that? The nerve of some people!" Um yeah, I'm guessing that he would not completely buy that. He would know it was me.

Time for bed, my headache keeps going off and on. A combo of too much sun and too much caffeine.

Hugs!