My deadly Costco run...

Seriously, every time I try and attempt a "family Costco trip" - I leave feeling like "Why on earth did I do that?!!!!"

I hadn't taken the whole crew in awhile so Mike and I thought we would try it out again, shop a bit and grab some yummy pizza. But low and behold - WHAT WAS I THINKING?!!!

Here is the run down:

• Try to shop but kids want to watch the TV's so we split up and do our thing separate (whats the point of going together again?).
• We get back together with the exact same items, should have cordinated I guess.
• Get our pizza and arrive at the table, boys are being silly and the people behind us keep starring at them.
• I finally call them out on it cause I can't stand people who stare at my kids!
• They feel bad and try to make small talk - kind of awkward.
• Then I feel bad and try to be nice back, should have just kept my mouth shut as usual.
  
• Kids start fighting and calling each other "POOP" names - classic.
• One boy drinks too much soda and pukes on the floor.
• While we are cleaning it up we get more fighting on the side. Positive we are getting lots of stares but too busy to care.
• Karly slips off the bench and whacks her head so hard. Loudest noise, whole room seems to stop to see what happened. Piercing screams come from Karly.
• As I am holding her I feel something wet streaming down my brand new pants. Apparently Karly didn't see the need to keep her diaper on when she changed her clothes for the 2 time that morning and I didn't see.
• Getting even more stares now.
  
• Squat down holding a crying baby and try to clean up pee on the floor at the same time while Mike is gathering the rest of the crew who is so worried about Karly. All I can say is get out to the car as fast as you can!
• Leave Costco after making the best scene ever with pee all down my clothes and trying to keep wet Karly warm with my sweater as we head out into the cold.
• Have to put Karly in Mikes new truck - who needs the nice new smell of a brand new truck anyway right? We are just wearing it in.
• Get home - EXHAUSTED!!!

So, needless to say, I am retiring from Family Trips to the local Costco...

My mom is a firm believer in curtains and has really help me value their appearance in homes. She makes all her own and they look so good! So, with the help of my fabulous neighbor Jane, we went to work to see how we could spice up my living rooms. I love these ones the best because they were so inexpensive!!! The gold swags were hand-me-downs from my great mother in law and the textured ones were on clearance at Walmart - $5 each! Finally my long 72 inch rod is from Ross - the BEST place to buy curtain rods - $20 compared to $60 every where else!

Small windows look great with a small covering and stuck in place by the $2 window brackets at Wal-Mart. I love using them cause I can install them myself and can take them down whenever I want!

Trying to get "manly" curtains for Mikes office was tricky, so I used some pins, 2 curtains spliced in half then sewn together and some rubber bands - wal lah!

These were so fun to do because Jane was so creative and helped me do it all. She just kept wrapping and folding until they turned out right. She was so sweet and gave me all the cream swags because they were left in her house when she moved in and she didn't like them! I love HAND-ME-DOWNS!!! We found these hooks at RodWorks (great website at rodworks.com) for only $3 each - such a steal.

Lots more windows to decorate - so little time...

My love of BIG photos!!!

I have had so many comments from friends about my posts of my house - so THANK YOU!!!! I even had a fun visitor this week who was a sister of a college buddy who popped over and wanted to see inside - so fun! Thanks for being so nice to me in my journey of decorating on a budget!!!

Large pictures of my kidlets are some of my most favorite things. So wanted to pass on the details of where to get them CHEAP!

• Walgreens is one of my favorites for 1 hour printing and I only use them when they have sales - which is all the time. I love them because they allow you to print in "true digital" print which is a 4 x 5.3 and doesn't cut off any edges. They offer amazing things there.
• Costco is still a favorite of mine even thought their print images aren't as nice. I usually have to fiddle with the photo and make it lighter than expected because Costco usually prints them darker. But you can beat their prices!!! My 16x20 prints were only $5.99 for posters. I love them. Also, they have the cheapest collage prints around. 8x10 and 11x14 are only $2.99 and you can pick background color and title.
  

These 12x18 were only $2.99 too! We had an Family Home Evening on how much we love it when our kids are happy and smiling. Then we had them search the house for these frames and hung them up in their bathroom so they could see how great they look when they have smiling faces. It turned out to be a wonderful activity, I would totally recommend it!

Finally, a few more of my favorite print websites:

• I have posted this before, but picnik.com (thanks Liza) is so wonderful! And its free to basic users. I signed up for the $24 a year fee cause it gave me lots more access. But you can do anything you want to your pictures - add words, redder lips, lighter skin, frames, etc... and it is so much easier than photoshop (for me anyway).
• I also love Artscow.com! I get soooooo many canvas prints, books, and about anything else you can think of for photos through them. Once again, I don't buy normal priced things, but only the sales, which they do almost every day. If you sign up you get 1500 free photos!!! Love this site a ton.

Until next time, happy decorating!!!!

I love wall quotes...

Wall quotes are some of the most helpful things for me as a mommy. I can see them constantly and am reminded often of their sweet messages. They help me everyday. Mikes cousin Jenni prints these for me and I adore her work! You-said-it.com is a great place to get ideas and she has amazing prices.

This sign I bought at Roberts and had to use my 40% off coupon, but it was worth it. I love seeing it in my living room.

This is one of my favorite quotes of all time from Sister Dew. Her talk on the pre-existance is one of the most enlightening ever!

I am always trying to be grateful for my lot in life. As I do my dishes I read this many times a day. My sweet neighbor Jane helped me with the curtains and had the ideas for bows - I would have never thought!

Some things that I am grateful for today:

My computer that works
Joey's sweet face
Karly's calm personality
A doggy that is almost potty trained
A husband who is so thoughtful to me and whom I adore even more than ever
A phone call from an old friend
I fun Mom who calls me just to chat
A son who finally feels better to go back to school
Another son who goes to school even though its not his favorite place
A house that is still standing
A washing machine that works
Shoes that fit
A warm shower that I get to look forward too
Knowledge that my Heavenly Father thinks I am so wonderful and the peace I feel when I think of him...

Karly "Kooking"

Karly is really trying her hand at cooking - I am thinking she will go really far!

One of my favorites!

I love this wall! My dear friend Erin did it in her sons room with orange, green and cream and I just had to do it too. I shopped at Roberts and Michaels for the letters, picked 4 colors of paint, and found one drape panel that I loved from Ross. You use the extra fabric to add accents to each letter, making it unique.

I wanted to display my kids artwork in the same room, so I used the same paint colors to match the wood frames (Roberts), then used once again the scraps from the curtain to make ribbon. You can update the pictures as your kids get older (I still have some holes to fill!).

All I needed was some valences here, so I cut and spliced the one curtain that I got and sewed away. It cost me $7 for all the material for the whole room. I even had some left over to make 2 decorative pillow cases for the bean bags!

Dollar store frames, fun stuff from yard sales, and signs from Roberts was a great way for me to accent the top of our book cabinet. All the colors go with the ABC wall.
My favorite thing to see in the morning is all my boys laying on the bean bags reading in their library, waiting for me to get up. I always remember how President Hinckley used to talk about the library he has in his home, and that it gave him a love for learning. I am hoping I can do the same...

Inexpensive Creations...

I am determined to decorate my home on a budget, so I don't go broke and don't cry a river if my kids accidentally wrestle into it - which happens on a consistent basis.

My thoughts come as I sit and stare at empty places and realize I am tired of seeing it so empty. I start my search of the right piece - at my favorite inexpensive places (Ross, Walmart, Michaels, Roberts, Tei Pan, etc...)

This adoreable green vase was at Tei Pan and I fell in love with it. Its a deeper shade than my walls, but in the same color scheme. I had no idea what to put in it but got it anyway. Then I searched high and low for the large Gerber Daisey - which are some of my favorite. Michaels and Roberts are my favorite for these flowers - but you have to be careful cause they only sell these colors in the spring. When I realized what I wanted, it was winter, so I had to wait for them to arrive. But I do love them!

Rounded windows are really tricky. I am still not satisfied with these, but wanted to post how I control the light in here. I purchased from Joanns the light blocker material and a crib sheet (same one that is one the crib) for $10 total. After some ironing and sewing, I matching them up and hooked them to a really simple curtain rod from Ross (favorite place for rods) with the rings that hold them together. Now I have the light blocked when I need it but can open them easy with one arm - and they match as if I ordered them from the same company as the bedding!

The wall above the closet was the hardest for me to figure out. At first I painted 3 canvas pieces for it, but after awhile realized I am no Michaelangelo - bummer. So I came up with this. I covered the canvas (10 for $15 at Michaels) with a coat of paint then cut scrapbook paper to match it. Stamped/chalked the edges of the paper to add some color, then got more of the daiseys (sale at Roberts for $1.50 each) - chopped off the stem - and hot glued away. I was very pleasantly surprised on how they turned out!

This creation was my first one I ever did in our house, finished it before the carpet was in. I used darker shades of the wall paint (Horseradish from Sherman Williams) to paint the grass. I was so nervous cause I never paint walls well. So I ended up using paint tape to create the grass molds, painted them in, then slowly peeled it off when it was alittle wet. This helped the edges leak alittle bit which added to the leaf look. After one coat was dry, I did another layer of grass with an even darker shade. I was going to make my own flowers but found these on www.butterflycraze.com (Heart to Heart) and just love them. I adore this website and am always waiting for their sales. One is going on right now and you can get the flowers for $2 and $4 each - a steal!!!! All their items have the same color scheme so whatever I order matches. Perfect girly website...

Anyway, until next time - happy decorating!!!