The Girls' Valentines

With over 75 valentines to give to friends and family, I know our girls' hands would tire from writing

We Heart Summer

Summertime is here - yay!

Photo Source

I saw this a few weeks ago (Awesome blog - lots of great ideas!).
I L-O-V-E lists, but it made me tired thinking about cutting all those strips of paper.

New Love

I just wanted you to know that I'm in love with black doors:

Beware of future posts declaring my love for them
and my desire for The Husband to paint all of ours ASAP.

Paint Project Complete

You might remember my excitement about this paint project...I got my inspiration from a blog I love

and this painting:

I also enjoy:

It reminded some of my friends of Rothko's art.
One of my faves:

Bill was out of town for a few days earlier this month - a perfect opportunity to start my project. After I put the girls to bed, I popped The Proposal (love this movie) into the Mac and set up my "studio." And so the painting began...I was slightly nervous at this point. That stripe is really - green.
Now my fear was of a Crayola-ish painting......probably completed by one of the girls.Oops.
I forgot to take pictures as often as I wanted.
And this is how the evening progressed......which I thoroughly enjoyed by the way.Voila!
(with and without flash)
I was excited.
Are you?
This is when it's helpful to have The Husband around.There you have it.My little DIY art hanging on our dining room wall.

Door Envy

I have lots of things on The Husband's ToDo List for our home.
It's pretty long.
Our schedules are pretty full,
so we don't really have a lot of time for house projects
(and really by we, I mean he).

However, that doesn't stop me from falling in love
with new ideas like this one:
I love this door.
I would love to put this door in our kitchen.
I just might have to put chalkboard paint on
my shopping list very soon.

His Hers Yours

Do you have a place for your keys when you walk in the door?
If not, make one of these:

I did, and I put it on a table right by our front door.
So stylish AND functional.
Now if I could only get The Husband to use it.

Window Wonderfulness

I would like to make one of these for our kitchen:

Photo courtesy of: Apartment Therapy

I saw this idea on one of my favorite blogs.
I know, I know.
I have to finish my paint project first.

Isn't it adorable, though?

Paint Project

I'm excited about painting this...

...for our dining room.

Here's to hoping for good art!

Let's Make Soap

Homemade laundry detergent!
You know you're a domesticated mother of three when you're excited about making soap.

I am not ashamed.

Thanks to my efficient friend (Thank You, Becky!), here is a wonderful recipe that you should try - sooner rather than later.

Laundry Soap ... Under $1.00

water
bar of Fels Naptha
3/4 cup 20 Mule Team borax
3/4 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
essential oils (optional)
4 quart pot
spoon
container for homemade soap

Grate a bar of Fels Naptha, put in a pot on the stove,
and add 6 cups of water.
Let water get warm enough to melt all of the soap.
Pour 4 cups hot/warm water into the container
that will hold your homemade goodness.
Add borax and washing soda to the pot on the stove.
Stir until completely dissolved.
Add essential oils (optional).
Pour the soap mixture into your container of hot/warm water.
Add 1 1/2 gallons of water to your
container of homemade awesomeness.
Stir.
Put the top on your container, and get all excited because YOU just made your very own laundry soap!

"How about them apples?"
Guess which movie that line is from.
Do you own it?
I would like to borrow it and watch it.
Thanks.

Happy Soap Making!

Side Note:
The recipe above almost filled a 15qt container.
That almost makes me excited to do laundry.
Almost.
I still have plenty of borax and washing soda to make more. I'll just have to pick up a bar of Fels Naptha before
my next soap making adventure.

Photo by: Erich Ferdinand

Mommy's Playdough

Today I made two things that I've always wanted to try at home. One has nothing to do with the other,
but both will get great use in this household!

This month it was my turn to make playdough for Gianna's preschool class. Her teacher sent home the recipe last week, and here it is:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 cups water
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
food coloring

Mix all the ingredients together. Cook approximately 5 minutes on medium heat. Dough will pull away from pan when ready.
Knead until smooth.

Easy enough, right? Yes, it is.

But why does it always take me extra long to find the one spice I need (cream of tartar) among the 1,092,387 spices on the shelves?

I digress.

Just make sure the playdough is totally "done" before you take it out of your cooking apparatus. I took mine out a little early and ended up with yellow goo slowly creeping off the cutting board. I stuck it back in the pot for just a minute or two more, and me & Mr. Playdough were good to go. Let the kneading begin.

Gianna was quite proud of the yellow playdough mommy made -
and who are we kidding? Mommy was a little proud, too.
It's the little things.
I know - I am easily amused.

See what else makes me happy tomorrow
when I share my other fun project.
Again - it's the little things.

Photo by: Robert S. Donovan