Target Finds

Snow has been falling steadily since Sunday. Last night David took all three kiddos out to play in the snow...20 minutes to get them dressed, only 5 minutes until there were tears to come back inside. Sam has already outgrown his snow-boots, he never even got a chance to wear them. Are you as tired as I am of having to struggle with winter coats and car seat straps?

Though the snow is beautiful, I am ready for spring to get here. Quite literally actually. I've done most of the girls summer clothing shopping already. And I'm really proud of myself for doing it at Target no less. I didn't even use my Gymboree Circle of Friends coupon last week-end. That was a hard decision, but the right one. There will always be more cute clothes, right? *sigh*

Anywho, I was so excited to find these adorable shorts at Target. I bought 2 pairs of each color. They will be adorable with all the little blouses I plan on making from my stash.

I love the little scalloped pockets, the longer (more modest) length of them, the cute pink buttons on the denim pair and the plaid that reminds me of Gymboree's past Tutti Fruiti line. And you can't beat the price of just $5 a pair! Well, I actually bought them on sale at $3.50 each a couple of weeks ago. But still, $5 for cute shorts, that's a steal. I bought them in 5T which ran big for us, but I figure I can sew a little pin-tuck in the waist (unfortunately, these don't have adjustable waists, one reason they are so cheap I'm sure) and they may still fit next year too.

I thought these dresses were so sweet! My motto has always been coordinating, not matching, so these were perfect for that. But that's actually starting to change a little, I'm finding it kind of sweet to see them matching and it makes getting dressed easier. I think these were about $8 a piece.

Then there's the cute, bright cardigan. And the jeans fit perfectly now and will be great as capris this summer. I found them in the Big Girls section. Can't believe we are already shopping over there! I loved this one so much that I bought them matching outfits. I hesitated on the matching part for oh, about 2 seconds. This outfit was the biggest splurge of the day. Both pieces were about $10 each. One or both might have been on sale?

I bought a TON more there. So if you haven't checked Target lately, you should. They've got some really cute pieces at great prices.

I also picked up these for myself. I haven't had rain boots since I was a smallish girl. Hey, kids can't be the only ones to have fun in the puddles. And for $6, they had to come home with me.

April showers, I'm ready and waiting for you. Please hurry!

Not Me! Monday

No, I did NOT dress my son in a Sleeping Beauty dress. Nope, not me. I mean I would never do that. And I for sure would not have taken a photo. So there would of course be no proof of it. No way, no how, would I, could I do that to him.

And I did not teach my son that he can turn lights off by blowing on them. That would just be silly. So of course I was not the one holding him in the kitchen and flipping the switch every time he blew at the light. Nope, not me!

And I could never be accused of wearing the same pair of jeans five days in a row. Without. Washing. Them. Nope I would never do that, even just to lighten my work load. Seriously, who is that lazy? Wouldn't that just be gross? But somehow my laundry IS lighter by 4 pairs of pants. I wonder how that happened?

and


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Your turn!

Click back to McMama to see what she and everyone else have "not" been doing this week.

Play Room Redo Part III {Inspiration: Knock Off Wood}

I've struck gold over at Knock Off Wood. Ana's blog consists entirely of her plans for how to make knock-off versions of popular furniture. Mostly popular Pottery Barn pieces. It's a real goldmine!

You'll find plans for the following pieces, plus so much more. My mind is spinning and I just had to get all these links and photos down in one spot so I wouldn't lose them, or have to search for them again. I found her by googling "Pottery Barn Tutorial" in an effort to make some things for our playroom re-do. So glad I did that!

Just click on the titles to get to her blog posts for each item. These are all items I personally have been drooling over for a long time. Maybe you have too.

Dollhouse Bookcase

Bankable Bookcase



Activity Table



Simple Bookcase



Tall Bookshelf



Play Stove



Magnetic Chalkboard Tree



Cubby Open Base
Cubby Open hutch
Hutch with Doors



Cubby Base Drawer
Cubby Open Hutch



Entry Shelf and Bench

Collector Shelf

Thomas Wide Bookcase

Farmhouse Bed I would love to make this in a twin for Sam.



Trundle Bed (just the pull out part)



Craft Organizer

Cooking Hits & Misses

The Hits

I made Stromboli for the first time ever tonight and it was soooooooo yummy. David loved it, the girls loved and Sam especially loved it. It's a keeper. I found it on Rhonda's blog and I'm so glad I happened upon it.

The girls and I made pudding from scratch yesterday. I adore Tapioca pudding so that was a hit for me. But before we got started cooking, the biggest hit of all came when Emily said to me "Oh goody, you are teaching us how to be a Mommy!" She just melted my heart. I adore my girls so much. And I consider it pure joy to be their mother.

The Misses

I tried to make the Stromboli for the first time on Friday. I had bought Rhodes frozen bread dough, just like Rhonda uses. I put it in my glass dish to let it rise and it didn't rise. I have the worst luck with frozen dough and yeast in general. I can't even tell you how many times I've ended up throwing it away or having to start over. So after seeing that it wasn't rising yesterday, I ended up changing to their quick-rise method and putting it in the oven with a pan of water. But, when it got to 200* I forgot to turn the oven off. I ended up cooking the bread! Bread or yeast and me just do not mix.

So after the pudding was cooled they each got to eat some of the pudding they had made. Allison had made the tapioca (her favorite) and Emily made chocolate (her favorite). Allison took one bite and left the table saying "I like the store kind better." Oh well, more for me.

The chocolate was completely executed wrong, by me. I've discovered that I'm terrible at reading instructions when I've got 2 wiggly girls standing in front of a hot stove and I'm trying to make the changes needed for chocolate pudding, from Betty's vanilla pudding recipe. Instead of changing the sugar from 1/3 cup to a 1/2 cup, I put in both a 1/3 cup and a 1/2 cup. It was gag-me sweet. And I also forgot to add the cocoa powder right away, before adding in the milk. It was lump city. But Emily and Sam both loved it.

Playroom Re-Do: Part II {Inspiration}

It's finally time for the playroom to get a little sprucing up. I haven't been able to get myself to commit to anything permanent on the walls. Until now.

We have been needing some additional storage solutions in here and my mom let me do some free shopping at her house. Isn't that the best kind? Thanks Mom! So now we've got a long, low, 2-shelf bookcase coming over soon. Yea...toy storage! That's going on the long wall behind the train table, which was a gift from friends who didn't have space for it. Thanks friends! The bookshelf is begging to be painted (Aqua...White...Apple green?) and have some trim added to it, maybe even beadboard to the inside back or doors to the front. I'm so excited for spring so I can get painting. If I leave it as open storage I'll need some fun bins to separate things in to, but they will need to be inexpensive. The budget on this venture is just my personal monthly spending budget.

The tallish bookcase on the right is covering the crawlspace storage area. When we moved in, the basement wasn't finished, no flooring or trim and a gas fire place that didn't work (we removed the hideous fireplace and covered the opening with beadboard and put the piano on that wall). We'd still like to put real doors on that crawlspace, but I'm trying to think of something a bit more creative. Like a bookcase that sits on casters and slides in and out of the space. Or, one large door that I can Mod Podge a US map to or paint with chalkboard paint or make into a fabric pin board. So many options!

And that office desk chair is calling for a slipcover, don't ya think?

Above the new bookshelf, I'd love to hang 2 rows of cable wire for art display. The girls come home from school with backpacks full of projects and we have no place to display any of it. Especially now that our fridge is no longer magnetic. I think I like this system from Ikea the best. It's meant for hanging curtains, but would do the same thing this Pottery Barn Kids one does, just without the red stars.

Photo Pottery Barn Kids

And above that I'd like either the words ART, PLAY or READ in large red letters. Like in Meg Duerksen's playroom. If you haven't been reading Whatever, you are truly missing out. Her house is beautiful and the reason I know I was meant to live in a home with white woodwork. Color looks so much better with a white background.

Photo courtesy of Meg Duerksen

The desk is working great where it is. It used to be an "L" shape that took up way too much valuable floor space. I bought it from my work about 8 years ago. I used to work at an office furniture dealership and sometimes we would need to buy back the clients old furniture to make the sale. This used to be in a bank and I paid $100 for it. It's solid wood and super heavy. But I sure would love to see it in white with a distressed look to it. The edges are already beat up. Cute brushed nickel pulls like these would be fun too.

The little table area, on the slanted wall across from the desk needs some sprucing up too. I love these pieces from Pottery Barn Kids, but they are just too expensive. I'd like to copy the design of the schoolhouse, but in paint and use chalkboard paint in the center. I don't think we're skilled enough with a saw to make a frame out of wood. I'd also make it more square to fill the space over the tables nicely. I'd either add a ledge to the bottom for the chalk and eraser, or a little bucket hanging on a hook right next to it.

Photo Pottery Barn Kids

I've got several peg hook bars from Michael's that just need paint and installing. I need to dedicate one area for the princess dresses and a full length mirror (probably at the end of the hall). And another to hold tote bags and backpacks (probably on the slanted wall by the crawlspace). I'll also be adding one behind the door in the girls room to hang some cute hoodies on.

Here's another find from my free shopping at Mom and Dad's house. This is also needing a new paint job and maybe a beadboard back to it and possibly a cushion on top since we'll have the other new shelf for more toys. I'm thinking aqua for this shelf and maybe the word PLAY in red over it kind of welcoming you into the space. Hmm...although maybe that bench should hold books underneath and say READ on top? Too many options! And if I do a cushion I'd have to find a new spot for the dollhouse.

Since there is no longer a couch in here, I like the idea of three Euro sized throw pillows on the floor. I'm thinking I'd cover them in either Michael Miller red and aqua prints or use this rainbow heart duvet from Ikea. I could even make the bench cushion out of the heart print and paint the bench pink. Oh how the girls would LOVE that! Or I could go super cheap and find something in my stash, a patchwork would be great for bringing in more color. Now that I've thought it through, that's probably what I'll end up doing.

I've been in love with this Magazine Rack from Pottery Barn Kids for forever. Again, it's not in the budget. And I don't know if we are up to the task of making one ourselves, but I'm thinking about it. I found this tutorial here, and I have a magazine tear out that shows how to make one too. I'd love to see it at the end of the hall or behind the girls bedroom door (in place of peghooks that will go in those places). It's so cute, I just love looking at it.

Photo Pottery Barn Kids

Here's another photo from Meg's gorgeous home. I love that she found an old school map. Something like this would be so fun to have, though probably impossible to find. And I love that she hung it on the back of a door. Which got me thinking about putting something on the back of the larger door to our crawlspace. It's right next to the door going upstairs and I've always disliked that there are two ugly brown doors right next to each other. So maybe I could upholster a pin board to it and add trim around it to finish it off. Or possibly even hang picture frames on it?

Photo courtesy of Meg Duerksen

Hmm...lots to think about. And I would love any suggestions you may have (if you've even read this far, sorry it was so long).