Random Thursday

Long time no see!  I hope everyone is doing well.  I have missed blogging, reading blogs and even chatting with many of you but the summer has been busy, the calender is filling up and school will be starting very soon!   I thought I’d just share some bits and pieces of life that have been going on around here, random stuff that doesn’t really fit into a category but I’d like to share anyways.

A few weeks ago, I was able to meet up with the fabulous Janel from , formerly known as Hating Martha.  Although our meeting was brief, I just know that we would have a fabulous time together!  I mean, look at my face, I’m already having fun.

Janel even made me two gifts for my laundry room, aren’t they fabulous?

I did manage to bring her a few cupcakes without eating them, my favorite is the lemon curd.  It was a close one but they made it to her safely.   Janel & I share a love of cupcakes…..this blogging friendship is meant to be.

my friend Andrea from came to visit me.  It was not a quick drive for her but I’m so glad she did it anyways!  We had a great time working on some projects, painting and shopping.  So glad to have real life blog friendships!  Friends that paint together stay together.   Andrea brought some with her, you know it’s going to be good when your friend brings paint and a van full of furniture!

We recovered one of her stools with some fabric I had on hand and some of the AS Paris Gray paint.  I stole this picture from Andrea, mine wasn’t as cute as hers.

My coffee table received some AS chalk paint treatment as well.  I really really want some AS chalk paint, so I’m saving my pennies!

Before Andrea came to visit, the hubby and I decided to take our own marriage advice, we managed to sneek away for a night, thanks to our awesome friends who watched all of our children for us!  We will pay them back by putting their kids to work cleaning our house watching their kids for them in the fall. Spending time alone together was fabulous and we didn’t even do anything exciting, just being together alone was excitement enough for us.  We did splurge on this shake and shared it together, oh yeah, and we bought a succulent.

After a busy weekend away, we came home and I decided we needed to spray paint our shutters black.  The faded cranberry just wasn’t working with the new roof color.  So after breathing in fumes for a few hours, the house looked much better but I wasn’t quite done.  Time to do the light fixtures as well.  For about $40 I changed the look of the front of the house, for the better!  Well ok, so the roofers helped out but I think I had the hardest part of the whole thing.

Next year hopefully is the year we get the front landscaping done.  I’m not a big fan of the shrubbery and weeds.  The hostas are bigger than Kim Kardashin’s head and they need to be split.

I also worked on the laundry room and it’s close but no cigar.  Not even sure what that saying means but I do say it a lot.  Here’s a quick before and after for those of you that aren’t following me on , and you should be because it’s fun and I like to talk on there.   Plus I share stuff on there, like my swollen sweat gland and stuff.  Back to the laundry room, it might be done soon.  What do you think of my dramatic color pic?

I’m off to paint trim in the two older girls’ bedrooms, one bedroom is painted, bedding is here and I’m about 1/2 way done with, the other room the bedding arrived and that’s about it.  We are clamping down on the budget so the bedrooms will be done with a small amount of money but I think I can do it!  Speaking of budgets, I am considering doing a series in September with some other bloggers about budgeting, groceries, decorating a home, repurposing, etc.  Would you be interested in a series about budgeting?  Also in September I’ll be back to regular blogging and blog reading!  I’ve missed you all!  Talk to me, do you like the laundry room color?  Have you met friends from the internet in real life?  Do you like lemon curd cupcakes?  Inquiring minds want to know!