Summer...Summer...Summertime!

Hi everyone ! Wow it has been extremely l o n g since I've posted anything on here. I've been busy with finishing final touches with the kitchen...WOW! who would have ever thought painting cupboards would be so time consuming ! I AM not touching the kitchen for probably at least three or four years doing all that work !! :)
Well, what I've been up to this past month is taking care of kids, cooking, cleaning,(mostly just surviving it just by 'picking up')... laundry, etc...the usual family stuff :) Since kids are out of school for summer vacation, its been really a little 'mad' around our household...No lie ask Bart ! LOL:) We are finally settling into a daily/weekly routine around here as of these past few weeks...and going to the lake (Spirit Lake) this past week was a breather for everyone (and I think we soooo needed 'round here). We are so fortunate that Bart's parents have a place on Spirit that we have been going to for 10 years now...Both Bart and I have many memories on that lake starting with our early childhoods, so its awesome that we get to share it with all our kids. Anyways back to decor stuff and what I've been up to in that department......I happened to make a few signs for Bart's parents place.


My best friend in the whole world is a thing called 'glaze'... I use on almost all of my signs 'cause it gives it that old worn out look without having to do all the distressing of it, which takes time....and lately I don't have a lot of it! :) So I glazed the heck out of these two here...making them look a little bit rustic in a way, esp the "HideAway" one.....
Thought the 'Waddell HideAway' would be perfect, and my sister reinforced my thought thinking it would be so neat ! So thanks Erika...Luv u lots !




Also, I 've been thinking a lot of the 4th Of July quickly approaching...and my clever, ever-so-know-me husband gave me this idea! :) I picked up this old wood table top on some one's curb, well...actually I gotta give Bart the credit on this since he was the one who got out of the van and loaded the HUGE thing !!...My mother in law, Judy was with us that day rummaging through junk day finds in Fort Dodge last Spring...I am sure she was thinking what in the world is she gonna do with that HUGE piece of table top ? Bless her heart, oh how I love her so...:) Well, I started on that HUGE piece of treasure 'artwork' these past few days... Its almost 5 ft x 3.5 ft...Its pretty HUGE, like I keep saying....Well, guess what is going on it? Perfect, just in time for the 4th? Yes, you guessed it a FLAG! Well, a 'tea-dyed' flag as a matter of fact....So I just got a few of the stripes started...Here is my before shot !! I'll post when I'm finished !! Wish me luck....Hoping to get it out in my front yard...or nailed to our garage before the 4th!!



Last, but not least...I'm really digging the zebra print items that seems to be real popular...I love it 'cause its so eye catching and seems to go in any room nicely ! So I've priced a few wall prints at stores with the zebra prints...WOW! I am not purchasing anything that is over $5 bucks to put on my walls....(Yes, I know I'm cheap, we have A LOT of it in our family...which I don't think it should be any other way!)
So I had this wood I painted just a print on it....for FREE!! I think later on when I got more time I'm gonna do a whole plywood sheet of it for the girls room....or even my bathroom. This was a great motivation for me to take that step. This really didn't even take that long!




Happy Summer Everyone !! Stay cool...

Kitchen Completed....Finally.

WOW! It has been quite a long time since I've wrote about the house. I think I ended up saying how I was gonna makeover my kitchen. Well, it is completed finally..with the exception of some final touchups here and there. I didn't end up doing the blue/aqua combo...I painted the walls that color, eww...I ended up not liking it after Bart mentioned something to me about having it being a horrible color. At first I was gung-ho about doing chocolate brown on the backsplash...the cupboards bright white...and the walls sort of the aqua/blue color. Well, the final colors as you can see are nothing like it, with the exception of the chocolate brown and bright white ! :)

My first area of the kitchen was removing the wallpaper on the walls. It was a country red check with bird houses, it bugged me from the moment we moved into the house. So bye-bye wallpaper it went with the help with my steamer...which are the absolute greatest things ever ! :) It is a Wagner...(from Lowes), case you ever wanna check one out:) Next, after wiping down the after effects of the wallpaper glue and residue, I primed all over the kitchen cupboards and woodwork with an oil based primer called Kilz. After completing all of the primer I rolled an oil based paint on the actual cupboards...it was a Valspar brand that I got on clearance for two bucks ! :) After completing the priming and the two coats on the cupboards. I worked on doing the glossy white around the cupboards and trim areas. I also used an oil based gloss on the trim and the outer cupboard areas...For this I used the brand Krylon. Next was the easy part painting the chocolate brown on the backsplash and walls. This went rather quickly since I again used the Valspar paint in Satin...covered nicely just in one coat...but still went over in two to be safe.

This took a lot of time this room since I had so much going on in our family's lives with Neela's doc appointments...and kids attending school. I lost interest in this room rather quickly since it was coat after coat after coat...and so on! :P But I am very a happy with the after looks on the kitchen now. We are going to rip down that light/fan above the kitchen table just as soon as we go and pick out a nice modern one. Also, my fridge that is in the kitchen is almost like it was built for Barbie...way, w a y too small for the Waddell family. I am longing for a giant stainless steel one in the next summer months. :) Oh yea, and possibly putting in a dishwasher,well...eventually. And as far as a new sink...we are gonna put a large, deep one in soon, I hope ! :) WOW! lots on that wish list I'd say huh? Well, next room up is the boys room...which I have a dark grayish/navy with of course bright white trim. There is just something about bright white trim color...makes everything look astonishingly clean !

Happy Mother's Day!

What it means to be a mother?



Full Name: What you call your child when your angry at his/her actions.

Sterilize: What you do to your baby's pacifier by boiling it, and when your a busy mom of more than one kiddo...or if its your second, third or fourth child...Your own saliva works just as well.

Losing it: Something ya mumble under your breath when all hell breaks lose...and your kids look at ya like, "yea, she is...I don't know what her problem is?" :P

Whodunit? None of the kids that live in my house? :)

We'll See? Something you say until you actually get a moment to comprehend what your child wants. My kids always say, "Mom, that means... NO!"

Hot wheels: Why do they have to hurt the bottoms of your feet so much...and why to they always have to be your sleeping companions.

Did you clean your room? "Yupp!"...as you look under the bed it looks like a thrift shop gone wild!" And when ya open the closet door up it looks as if there is a daycare in there with all the toys built up.

Landry done: Lasts approx 3 to 5 minutes 'til someone pukes, poops, or spills.

Thunderstorms: "Can I sleep on your floor?"

Wet pants: Why does this happen when the one time you don't have a spare pair in the vehicle?

Dirty faces: Always when ya have to leave somewhere...and you have to go and unlock the house door to retrieve a wash cloth of some sort.

Calls to 911: Kids insist on the cat calling it frequently. Also because the dispatcher is mom's cousin...(what a hoot!)

Spills: Why does it always have to be cherry koolaid?

Clean house: Something that never happens unless family or guests come to visit.

Band-aids: A box lasts approx 1 day at even tho nobody has a cut or scape.

Candy at checkouts: WORST IDEA EVER!

Casseroles: Something that is dirt cheap to make, and makes a truckload to feed an army !

Nail polish: Who painted their nails? "Not me" as the nail beds are being covered up.

Barbies: Who knew 3 year old boys would play with them more than any of my girls did...:)

Why does the first day of school have to be so heart wrenching?

Macaroni and Cheese: Kids gourmet meal, so they think.

Sick Child: Something you wish you could take alway from your child and put it in our bodies.

Why do boys pee any place? And why does it always have to be when some elderly lady sees them? :)

Stares: "Evil eyes" from women at the grocery store...its almost like they forgot what it was like to have kids. Have kids really changed?

"I Love You"...something that your child says to you, and makes everything chaotic/crazy become not so bad.

Shower: 30 seconds to 1 min for most busy moms, if any.

Unselfish devotion: A mom to her children, and wife to her spouse.



~The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always be forgiven.

~For the hand the rocks the cradle, is the hand that rules the world.

~No gift to your mother can ever equal her gift to you - "Life"

~A mother's love is fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.

~There is love, my own dear mother bends with love's true instinct back to thee.


Wishing all you mothers a very Happy Mother's Day ! And to my own mother...your work, effort and dedication...Your vivacious personality got me to where I am today" Love always, Doobe

Kitchen Makeover....L o n g... Process!

Well, this is the colors I'm going for in my kitchen...Modern isn't it? Light aqua/blue on the walls....with chocolate brown on my backsplash.
The aqua/blue is done already...Now I'm priming my light/wood colored kitchen cupboards and trim...After the 1 coat of primer...I'm planning on doing a glossy bright white on them...I just loved how the white popped with this vibrant color. Its quite a long process since I have quite a few cupboards. I'm taking my sweet time with this room since the primer is oil based...(strong SMELL) about makes ya sick if you don't have a lot of ventilation. The oil based primer is the best to use since it seals the cupboards/trim from peeling away later on when the final coat is applied. Stay close, I'll unveil the final before and after pics soon, well...hopefully. I think I'm planning on adding a lot of red accents to the completed room when finished.


Oh yea, and the vacuum above...oops almost forgot....This little life saver has came to the rescue at our house. I recently purchased this suction less vacuum...(a large roller under it kicks back everything...and I mean EVERYTHING, including nails, beads, pins, cereal) which I absolutely have fallen head over heels for. Any mom/dad/child/ grumbling teenager...human being..would love one of these. I have retired my broom and dust pan, (which I used to use four to five times a day on my kitchen a dining room floors). This vacuum is a Shark, its cordless...rechargeable battery (within 30 min, and usually lasts that long, as well)...it goes in vehicles, under couches...and has a swiveling handle...Can I say anything more about this God-send of a household item :) The best thing about it...only $29.96...at WalMart...I know, I know, some of you don't step foot into WalMart, I'm sure they'd have 'em at Target/maybe Kmart.. as well. :) They are completely worth every cent of that amount.. for sure ! Man I should be on their advertisement team for a commercial...whatcha think?

Rooms Slowly Getting Completed !

We have completed a few rooms in our house so far. Our Family Room has almost a dark olive green color to it... very warm and relaxing, I must say! Our toy room has almost a aqua/blue color, its called St. Croix...I need to finish making a few more signs to add into the decor. Our bathroom: we painted a red, khaki, and bright white trim. Let me tell ya, if you are thinking about painting with red of any shade...be prepared to use at least two to four gallons depending upon what your painting over.
(We painted over white, I'm sure that makes a heck of a difference... We used two gallons, and our bathroom is relatively large, but not large enough to use two gallons of any other color paint. When Bart rolled the first coat, we instantly looked at each other and thought, "What in the heck are we doing? It looks 'hot pink'!"...After three coats of red...it finally deepened up quite nicely...thank God ! :) I need to finish a few accents for the walls in there, and purchase a double sink, since the counter space is large enough for it, Yea! Five kids fighting to brush their teeth before 7 am... is almost too much. The boys ended up acquiring the basement shower/sink since it enables them to move more freely, and not get the girl's routine out of sort... :) Imagine that, boys trying to get a rise out of their sisters:) We ended up getting our Den/Sitting Room finished up a month ago...it is a tea dyed color...very pretty. We inherited some nice furniture from my parents that goes rather exquisite in there....its fun to read/study/rest in that room. My last accomplishment was the hallway...I painted that in a dark gray in color...I added some accents to the walls so far...Gonna do lots of white frames and such....Haven't quite gotten that far. My next hurdle is going to be my kitchen, which currently has wallpaper from floor to ceiling with red check, bird houses...basically more of a 'country' theme...Definitely not my taste in decor. So I am anxious to get this accomplished, since I do spend majority of my time in there making meals and cleaning up. I am not sure what color as of yet...But I am steaming off wallpaper today...(btw, are the best things in life, thanks to my mom giving me the idea in purchasing one) I'll let you know when I accomplish some much needed work in my chef area...... :)

More Thrift Finds...

The yellow tea set is another of Bart's super thrift finds...(I swear he loves shopping more than a woman, which I love that 'bout him...) $3.99 for the both :)
The olive green delicates shown here is what my latest weakness is for 'vintage' style decor...I just am drawn to all of it, not the bright green, just the olive in color...I acquired all of this here shown for under 5 bucks.
The white delicates in this top hutch is what I started collecting when I moved into our house...I got about everything shown for under $10 :) Antique dealers are selling each piece for 7 to 8 bucks.
The sage green lamp is a vintage lamp I scored on a month or so ago...We ended up paying $3 for it, then I got a shade for it at WalMart for around $3...so a vintage style lamp for $6 bucks.
The purple flower tea cup set I purchased at an antique dealer for $4...Now that makes about a dozen that I have in my collection. They are so neat, I collect any tea cup saucer sets that are in my price range ...The are displayed in my Dining Room.

Jackpot Thrift Finds !

This beautiful piece of furniture was found by Bart..It was $35 bucks! It had the inside tray...and even a key attached. I would have kicked myself if we didn't buy it...:) Makes a great addition to our family room I must say !

This high top chair was found by Bart as well :) Neela instantly took to it, even sat on it inside the cart...I have big plans for painting this piece of treasure, stay tuned !