Top favorite Reno's - #5 Closets

I love a large organized closet - let's be honest... what girl doesn't? What Mulberry Forest lacked in closet space, 10th & Wash MORE than made up for it.

Mulberry Forest had two itty bitty teenie tiny closets. Two. In the whole entire house. Luckily for me they were in the bedrooms. The bedroom closets had doorways that were 6' tall, however inside they went to the 9' height of the ceiling. I ripped out the makeshift particle board shelving and replaced them with Rubbermaid Tightmesh shelving. I was able to add three shelves to the top and still make room for hanging items - not to mention these see through shelves and a fresh coat of white paint made these tiny spaces more manageable. Not ideal but do-able. My patience would pay off...

After living in a tiny apartment then Mulberry Forest (that while double the square footage of said apartment, was still tiny) I was used to making small closets work. So much so I was SHOCKED that I had enough clothes and shoes to fill the amazing closets at 10th & Wash. For a house built in the 1800's they sure knew how to closet.

The Master bedroom alone had TWO closets AND built in storage. The first closet you see when you walk in is a typical double accordion door closet with a single shelf above a hang bar. Thinking that this would be sufficient I was blown away to look behind the bedroom door to see a walk-in closet. I knew immediately that I would make the first a shoe closet.

Before

This was such a simple and fast project it felt like cheating. I tore out the bar and installed a shelftrac system so I could change the height of the shelves as needed. I cut five white thermally-fused melamine shelves down to the length of the closet and attached them with brackets. Voila. Instant drool worthy shoe closet.

After

Next project - replace the particle board shelving in my shoe closet at the Lakehouse with a shelftrac system... after the wedding. ;)

Top Ten Favorite Reno's - #7 Lighting

I LOVE lights. Tommy Thompson teases me about needing to have every light on in the kitchen, and he's right. The right lighting can change a room from dull to bright (see what I did there?? haha). But seriously a unique light fixture can develop a room both on and off in a way few other things can. My favorite... chandeliers.

Living as a single lady for many years I was able to avoid the dreaded ceiling fan and change nearly every room fixture to a chandelier. The first chandelier I bought was for the gold master at Mulberry Forest. It had a bronze/burnt orange shade with three arms dripping with black jewels. Similar to the wall color, I loved this chandelier so much I moved it to the master at 10th and Wash. I was even able to find nightstand lamps that matched the chrome arms on this chandelier. Not only did it function and fit the look I was going for it was affordable at just $159 on Overstock.com.

In the dining room at 10th and Wash while I went back and forth on the wall color, I always knew what type of light the room needed - a large black colonial looking chandelier. Way out of my price range new, I looked at Habitat Re-Store and on Craigslist for a brass fixture that I could paint. As luck would have it I found the exact light I was looking for already black on Craigslist for $40 - talk about a steal! Since the dining room had previously been a living room the light was not centered over the table so I added a hook to the ceiling and brought it down low right over the table making a dramatic and functional statement.

Before and After

10th and Wash is such a unique house with so much history - on a trip to the crawl space I found a brass and crystal flush mount chandelier in it's original Sears package from the 1920's. This fabulous find was the perfect fit in the guest bedroom, slightly vintage, slightly feminine and not too loud. I loved the idea of not only re-cycling a vintage piece but honoring the 145+ year old house by displaying it.

Hanging lights by yourself can be interesting... I do not recommend this method. 

My new light obsession is with under mount lighting. I had these at 10th and Wash and unfortunately had to take them out through the remodel process. When Tommy Thompson and started the plan for remolding the kitchen at The Lakehouse I knew these needed to go in. Not only did we add under mount lighting, we added a few more cans and a flush mount chandelier in the center of the kitchen. I feel like I say this about every project in that kitchen but lighting really was one of the areas that made the biggest impact.

More than any other room I think a kitchen needs to have ample light and ample options for lights. With a little re-wiring, we now have 3 separate circuits for ceiling lights (1. Can lighting in the overall kitchen 2. Can light over the sink 3. Center chandelier) so whether you're running in for a quick drink or decorating a cake and need a flood of light - this kitchen has it.

Under cabinet lighting during construction

The Little One thinks this chandelier is the best. As if I wasn't crazy about him already.... he loves chandeliers. 

We bought the flush mount chandelier on Overstock.com for $101.99, and installed the Rationell Under Mount Lighting System from IKEA for under $600.00 (this price also includes the under mount lighting we added in the new bar off the kitchen). Tommy Thompson and I were able to install the under cabinet lighting ourselves one evening after work and despite the infamous 'bubble man' instructions that leave much the imagination, we survived this IKEA project. 

Top 10 Favorite Reno's - #8 Hardwood floors

It's hard to beat the timelessness of hardwood floors. No matter what shape they're in, a little TLC can go a long way for beautiful long lasting floors. I was super fortunate to have the classic red oak hardwoods at Mulberry Forest. It's one of the reasons I bought the house - despite all of it's flaws it had great bones, hardwoods being one of them. Years of neglect had left the flooring dull and covered in scratches, even stains in certain areas - but nothing that couldn't be repaired. I contracted a local hardwood re-finisher to do the work (power tools don't scare me, floor sanders do). I removed the trim to prep the floors, giving him a clean slate to work with. Just sanding alone livened the floors up instantly - I call this phase naked floors. I was going for a dark look so before sealing the floors I tested three stains, choosing a rich color that wouldn't be too dark or too red and also asked for two layers of top coat/sealant. The end result was beautiful. Talk about instant impact. With the exception of the kitchen and bathroom the whole house was transformed in a matter of two days. Fast forward two years and the addition of my sweet but ginormous, playful, clumsy English Mastiff Sweet Lucy - they floors were still in mint condition. For $2.85 a square foot this project transformed the entire home and was an investment I saw a HUGE return on when I sold.

Naked floors.

When touring my next house, 10th and Wash, I hoped and prayed for hardwoods under the carpets - not so lucky. When I created my list of to-do's, hardwoods were a must considering this house was 145 years old. Unfortunately given the massive project in the kitchen, installing solid hardwoods was not in my budget. It was important that the hardwoods help to create an increased sense of space within this small house, so after tearing down the wall between the kitchen and living room, I needed wider plank hardwoods going the length of the house including the hallway. Thus creating a seamless transition from the dining to the living to the kitchen. I settled on the Distressed Kinsley Hickory 4 3/4" wide floating floor. Admittedly I couldn't get the name out of my head, my first niece is Kinsleigh so it had to be - these planks just had so much character, just like her! The color, varied wood grain and hand scrape marks made it feel like the perfect balance between a house built in 1869 and a modern 2014 home. AND I got to use my brand new Kobalt Compound Miter Saw. Win. While the floors are floating, I ended up gluing each plank and nailing every third row to ensure these would last a long time. The hardwoods were the icing on the cake after updating the house and creating the open concept floor plan - they tied it all together.

Before the dining room was used as a living room. It made more sense to swap the living in dining to create an open concept floor plan. 

On our most recent remodel project, the kitchen at the Lakehouse, I suggested to Tommy Thompson that we re-finish the hardwoods in the dining room at the same time. Not wanting to add on to the budget we initially said no, however after seeing the kitchen looking so awesome, we couldn't help but re-do the floors. Not to mention it made sense since the house was already in re-model mode, just knock it out. So we did. Our fabulous contractor brought in his hardwood team and in one day, they sanded it, repaired an area that previously held a doorway and stained and sealed it with a water based sealant to keep the fumes down. We added the same tall trim with no reveal as we used on 10th and Wash to give the feel of taller walls, painting these bright white to contract the deep color of the floors. A minor inconvenience to clear the room of furniture and stay out of the house for a day in trade for beautiful long lasting hardwood floors that will hold up to our family for years to come.

Tommy Thompson and Sweet Lucy taking advantage of the large open room to wrestle. 

Top 10 Favorite Reno's - #9 Paint

Ok maybe not a renovation on it's own BUT paint is the cheapest, fastest way to make a HUGE impact, especially if the larger project is out of budget. I love to paint. Wait, let me clarify, I love to paint interiors. If I never paint the exterior of a house again it will be a day too soon. I particularly love cutting and I rarely if ever tape off a room. I developed my mad cutting skills after changing my mind on paint choices and re-painting a room multiple times (right Kayla???). That's the other fabulous thing about paint! Because it's so easy and inexpensive you can change the look of the entire room if you're in the mood! I get that mood often.

I'm particular about my paint - good quality paint and brushes make alllll the difference, trust me. I prefer Valspar paint and primer in one from Lowes hands down any day. I am also a huge fan of smooth, or un-textured walls (this has become quite the point of contention between Tommy Thompson and I as he prefers the opposite, LOTS of texture). I was fortunate enough that Mulberry Forest had smooth walls so I was able to play with some fun techniques. Enter my first gold bedroom.

I love everything gold. It is my most favorite color so when it came time to choose the color of my bedroom it was a given, it would be gold. Valspar has a faux finish called Brushed Pearl in Simply Elegant that would give me the great color I wanted and add some dimension to the smooth wall. And it was easy! You roll and cut a base color (specified by the brushed pearl paint chip you select), let it dry, then working in small sections dry brush the tinted pearlescent color on top in large X's. While the X's are still tacky you take a plastic trowel and smoosh it all around in a circular motion. I did this process twice, letting it dry in between and the end result was gorgeous. So much so that when I sold Mulberry Forest I did the exact same color and technique in the master at 10th and Wash. 

Master bedroom at Mulberry Forest

Master bedroom at 10th and Wash

After the success with brushed pearl I was eager to try my hand at another fancy paint. I had been admiring the metallic teal in the shampoo room at my hair salon and wanted to try a metallic in my itty bitty bathroom at Mulberry Forest. Thinking teal would be a bit much for the small space I opted for The Valspar Brilliant Metals collection in Gunmetal (sadly is no longer available but trust me - it was fabulous!). It was a dark gray but had a fabulous shimmer to it that when paired next to the white subway tile looked stunning.

When I bought Mulberry Forest one could have confused it with a John Deere dealership. The body of the exterior was bright yellow with John Deere green trim. It had to go. Picking an exterior color was hard for me. I wanted bold yet I didn't want it to fade, it needed to make a statement but not the 'oh Lord look at that house' kinda statement. The little house sat under HUGE pine and deciduous trees so it needed to pop. I chose a deep blue with gray undertones in Valspar's Duramax paint which is designed to hold up to fading and cracking (something like this) with bright white trim.

To expedite the job, my parents came over to help along with our friends' paint sprayer. My grandmother was in town and wanted to watch the big event - so we set her up in a chair under the shade tree. We prepped the house, filled the sprayer and waited with cameras ready for the big moment. Drum roll.... nothing. We were all staring at the house anxiously waiting the new color and nothing was coming out. We turned to the sprayer to see what he had not set up correctly and there we saw it. No less than 5 gallons of my beautiful, saved for months to buy the good quality, blue paint - pumping all.over.the.driveway. After a brief laugh we jumped into high gear to prevent more from spilling and clean up the mess, painting the driveway had never been part of the plan.

By far painting the exterior of the house made one of the biggest impacts when it came time to sell. It brought the house into the current decade, gave it a fresh clean appearance and gave it that famous curb appeal everyone looks for. Next time however, I will make room in my budget to hire it out.

Another favorite paint project is the dining room at 10th and Wash. A dining room was on my 'Must have's/Non Negotiable' list when purchasing my next home. So when I found a house with the perfect dining space it had to standout. I found a beautiful 10-person dining set with a buffet but I struggled with the wall color. I teetered between a rusty burnt orange and a deep eggplant purple. It wasn't until I went to the store to buy the paint that I saw it - Dog Park Green. It was bold, unique, and I could justify it for nearly every holiday I would entertain for. Rolling it I was nervous that it was too much, especially considering the front door to the house is in the dining room, but the day after when I could see it in the daylight I was in love. It helped that in addition to the front door, two of the walls had large windows, add in the large buffet to break up the bold color, it was perfect.

My most recent favorite paint project are the kitchen cabinets at the Lakehouse. When we looked at remodeling the kitchen, new cabinets were not only not in the budget, it was unnecessary to change them. Aside from some grease and grime they were/are in great condition, they just needed a face lift. After painting cabinets in my last two kitchens with latex paint I knew we needed something heavier duty. Enter Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. The color selection was easy since ASCP comes in pre-mixed colors, and thanks to Pinterest I knew which one I wanted - French Linen. We de-greased the cabinets with Krud Kutter then organic de-natured alcohol and our prep was done (no sanding!!). Two coats of ASCP to each side, and two coats of clear wax (truth be told I still need to apply the second coat of wax...) and they were done. We added Ikea's Tyda handles and the kitchen was un-recognizable. Ok in fairness we changed the backsplash, counters, paint and more but that's in a later post.

Don't be afraid to try new colors and never be afraid to paint over it. Paint is the easiest way to make a big change. Try different types of paint - while ASCP is a new fave of mine, my collection of spray paint will always be a plenty and nothing beats an old fashioned gallon with a roller.

Setting the Table is my Favorite Part

My favorite part of any dinner party is setting the table, which is funny because we never made a big deal of it growing up. Except for Thanksgiving and Christmas when mom brought out her china. She has a floral print, platinum band pattern that is beautiful, I always looked forward to holidays with this china and couldn't wait for my own. When I was looking to buy my second house, having a formal dining room was number one on the list, a non-negotiable. I could not wait to have a large dining room table and a china cabinet full of china - all kinds. My first set of china was gifted to me by my Aunt Lanita and my Grandmother - it was my Grandmother's china and is a beautiful soft pink floral pattern that I use for Easter. After finally having a dining room of my own I started buying Christmas china - the Lenox Holly pattern. While both are beautiful, neither was fitting for Thanksgiving, and since Tommy Thompson and I were hosting Thanksgiving at our house, Thanksgiving china was needed. Such a holiday could not be served on everyday plates - right?

I think setting the table for a party sets the tone for the entire meal (next to the invitation, I'll save my love of invites, envelopes and mail for a later post). A half-hazard table setting says you can't bother with the details of the table, what did you not bother with for the meal? Presentation is everything with food - just like judging a book by it's cover, if the meal doesn't look appetizing you won't eat it. There are so many ways to dress up a table for little to no expense and the added bonus is they make guests feel special. Not to mention the traditions they help create and pass down (I'm coming after your china mom).

World Market had exactly what I was looking for for turkey day, I just couldn't justify spending the money. Until I remembered that I had a bar stool still in it's box from 10th and Wash that needed to be returned... perfect! I waited until the plates were 20% off ($6.99 to $5.60) then returned the bar stool and got all 12 turkey plates, two table runners, a few odds and ends for the big meal and only paid 20 cents. It felt like I stole them. Since the plates were only 8" they needed a large plate underneath. Enter IKEA. I found 11" orange plates that matched the orange on the turkey plates perfectly and the contrast from the cream to the orange highlighted the scalloped edge of the smaller plates beautifully. The Fargrik plates (they must have a lot of fun naming items at IKEA) were $2.49 each but... I found the same plates in the clearance section for $1.99 each (hey, every bit counts) so my new Thanksgiving china cost me all of $24.00 plus tax.

The plates mixed with old fashioned juice glasses and gold silverware created the perfect mix of fancy and farmhouse - but I needed more gold (who doesn't???), and I needed place cards. I found a tutorial on Pinterest to make the quintessential Thanksgiving piece - the wishbone. I bought crayola air dry clay and molded 12 wishbones, cutting a small slit for them in the top to hold the place card. After letting them dry overnight I spray painted them gold and voila - individual wish bone place cards and more gold. Pinterest win. (tutorial here)

Now for the Pinterest fail... the menu cards. I am a firm believer that formal dinners require cloth napkins, and IKEA has the perfect napkin for fancy farmhouse. At 79 cents the Tekla towel  is cheap enough to stock up on and they bonus as dish towels after their first use as napkins since I loathe ironing. I found a tutorial on Pinterest on using Citrasolve to transfer paper printed images to cloth and was beyond excited to not just have menu cards at Thanksgiving but cloth menu cards. I printed the menu, followed all the instructions and as I lifted the paper from the napkin... nothing. I felt like Clark Griswold after the entire family came out and gave him a drum roll to light the house and... nothing. Add in the fact that Tommy Thompson was sitting at the table in anticipation of yet another silly Pinterest project... and it failed. I sent the menu to my mother to print thinking her ink would be the correct type, nothing. I would not give up. I sent the menu to our local Kinko's and had it printed on the two printers they had. The first (which was now my third attempt) garnered nothing and the fourth, my last try, yielded a faint and impossible to read menu. Pinterest fail. (tutorial here) Side note: I believe that had the napkin fabric been a tighter weave and had I not been printing a small font the image would've transferred through the copies made at the self-serve printer at Kinko's. 

Even without menu cards this year's Thanksgiving table setting was by far my favorite. Maybe it was the plates but I think it was more to do with the beautiful home I share with Tommy Thompson and the Little One and how much I have to be thankful for this year.

We woke up bright and early to get the turkey in the roaster then enjoyed mimosas and quick breads with my mom, daddy Jack and Chris then ten of us celebrated daddy Paul's birthday over turkey dinner and chocolate bacon cake. I hope you had a fabulous thanksgiving as well!

Never mind the paper plates for dessert... ;)

Santa is coming - I KNOW HIM!!!!!

I feel like a calendar year starts at a slow roll, then picks up speed at 4th of July and by the time you hit mid October it is running out of control fast. Fall spoils us with it's length and similar holidays (Halloween and Thanksgiving) to fully enjoy fall decor, treats and fun things to do. I start putting the fall shwag out in early September and it stays up until the day after Thanksgiving. That's nearly three months to put up, re-do, tweak, create and add on to all my fall favorites. Christmas on the other hand one.lonely.month. As queen of the captain-over-commit club I always way over commit December. I agree to too many parties (is that such a thing?), too many volunteer projects, too much shopping and 'just one more gift' syndrome, too many crafting projects, too many baking creations (again, is that really a thing?) and too many hosted events. It's awesome.

A few years ago my mother finally convinced me to start a Christmas savings account - this was a brilliant idea. I may run out of time but I rarely run out of additional holiday funds thanks to this mindless little automatic deposit the 15th of every month. Subsequently my father has showed me that gathering trinkets and gifts throughout the year as you think of people or while traveling makes holiday gift giving more meaningful. While that is all nice and swell - none of it helps me tackle the ginormous to-do list I want to accomplish every December. So I did what every thirty something woman does... I went to the source. Pinterest.  

I saw a pin titled '12 month planning guide for Christmas' - I thought it was absolutely ridiculous and couldn't get past the third line BUT... it got me thinking. I LOVE to-do lists, why don't I make a to-do list for the things that are important to us this holiday season? Just the other day I told Tommy Thompson how much I was looking forward to THIS holiday, to be settled in our home together (last year I bought 10th & Wash two weeks before Christmas) and be able to enjoy all the crafting, baking, entertaining and celebrating that we can cram in. So here it is, in no particular order - my 2014 Christmas to-do list. You'll notice I've already crossed one off, I find so much pleasure in adding things to my to-do lists that have already been completed (I know what what you're thinking, that's cheating but actually it's positive reinforcement) and you'll also notice some lists within lists. Kind of like conversations within conversations. It's fun. 

1. Make an advent calendar with both chocolate and an activity, a few in the calendar:

     a. Decorate our trees 

     b. Find items of your own to donate to a needy family
     c. Unwrap a new book to read      
     d. Have hot cocoa and cookies
     e. Pick out your ornament for the season and hang it
     f. Write a letter to Santa      
     g. Go sledding
     h. Watch a Christmas movie
     i. Wear new jammies to bed and read the Night Before Christmas (Christmas Eve)     
     j. Decorate cookies 
     k. Decorate gingerbread houses
2. Take family pictures to use for Christmas cards and gifts
3. Go to the 'Catch the Glow' Parade in Estes Park, day after Thanksgiving
4. Visit a tree farm and cut down two Christmas trees, one for upstairs and downstairs with a picnic and hot chocolate (Tommy Thompson when you read this... trust me, two trees will change your life. I promise)
5. Start a list of family holiday traditions
     a. Everyone picks out an ornament each year
     b. Make an ornament from a cutting off our Christmas tree like this 
     c. New jammies on Christmas Eve
6. Attempt the Elf on the Shelf game with the little one 
7. Make my favorite baked goods: sugar cookies, gingerbread men, butter dreams, holly clusters and mince meat bars
8. Send Christmas cards out the first week of December (I bought a deal on Amazon local in early October, I'm halfway there!)
9. Host annual holiday party (I've hosted a holiday party every year since college) 
10. Add to my Lenox Holly China collection 
11. Make a new wreath with a skull like this
12. Watch all of my favorite Christmas movies... twice (White Christmas, Santa Claus THE Movie (Dudley Moore), The Santa Claus movie series (Tim Allen), The Grinch, Love Actually, Fred Claus, Family Vacation, ELF (I know him!!!), The Family Stone and Miracle on 34th St.  - Oh and  I promised Tommy Thompson I would watch A Christmas Story (no... I've never seen it)
13. Wrap presents like this, and this, and this
14. Make unique name cards and menu cards for Christmas Day dinner 
15. Sing along to my favorite Christmas song ever 20+ times 
16. Decorate the day after Thanksgiving
17. Show proof that Santa really came like this 
18. Donate items to a family in need
19. Play in the snow
20. Have lots of hot chocolate and bailey's at the bonfire 
21. Spend time with as much family and as many friends as possible
22. Enjoy mimosas and quick breads on Christmas morning
23. Make small gifts for friends, family, teachers, tenants
24. Make wassail
25. Kiss Tommy Thompson under the mistletoe 587 times
26. Enjoy no less than 20 eggnog lattes 
27. Make a Christmas card book like this

I know I'm missing some and I'm sure Tommy Thompson and the little one have some to add as well. I cannot wait for a fun holiday season! 

Third times' a charm

I promised myself when I bought my first house I would blog about it. I bought a marijuana grow house to remodel after all - there would be no shortage of commentary. The first set back was losing my camera charger in the move, hard to blog about before and after accomplishes with grainy Blackberry pictures. Then there was the internet. $50 a month for internet could go a long way towards the reno budget. Oh and I can't forget my absolute fear of learning how to blog... but then my friend Lily sat me down and went over it step by step. Like a teacher would a fifth grader. 

Project after project I SWORE I would catch up and write down my progress, the injuries, the phone calls to my mother swearing I had no right to buy a fixer upper as a twenty something single woman, sharing my accomplishments, how much I hated the process getting there. Then suddenly, my project list shrunk, and I found myself re-painting rooms just because (actually, I did this even when my project list was ginormous, if you know me you know I like to re-paint rooms. And re-paint again). The house I swore I couldn't tackle was done. All grown up. Lucky for me the market had grown up as well and it was time to sell. In just over a month my very first home was under contract and I was on my way to a new town, a new job and the hunt for another home to tackle. And sadly, no blog to recount the beautiful disaster that it took to get it there. 

This time, THIS house I would blog about. I had no excuse, I could well afford internet now. And I not only had an iPhone to capture before and afters but a fancy schmancy DSLR. Not to mention a blog domain I had been paying for monthly for the last year and a half - and I thought about Lily helping me all those months ago. No excuses. Then life happened, as it always does, and my beautiful 119 year old house grew up in half the time as the first one, and so did I. I started a new job, met the love of my life, prioritized my remodel list and staked a rental sign in the front yard to start my new life in yet another town, with my beautiful quirky new family. Still - no blog. 

They say the third time is a charm and this being the third time I promise myself I will blog. I'm going to do it. It's a scary thing starting a blog. I think about Carrie Bradshaw writing about her life for all to read and it seems so glamorous and easy. And then I remind myself that opposite Carrie in New York, I live in Longmont Colorado, own not a single pair of Manolo's yet far too many Target brand shoes - but most of all, who would want to read what I have to say?

This year has been amazing - probably my best year yet. By no means has it been easy - just amazing. So I decided... I care what I have to say (in true only child fashion) and if nobody reads this but me - that's ok. I won't do it just because I promised myself I would but to document my life. (This makes me think of my beautiful Aunt Lanita who studies our ancestory - wouldn't it be grand if our great great grandmother had just made the time to write a blog Lanita?) I would write it to remind myself why I chose certain paths, and what I learned from them. To look back on all that I've accomplished and what I have left to continue working on. To laugh and cry over the memories and to remind myself each and every time I look at this blog how lucky I am. 

My new promise to myself is to make this blog fun. Focusing on the things in life I love most, the projects that I get so excited about (both completed and on my to-do list), the people that I can't live without, the places we visit and those we dream about, my sweet little Lucy and food - gosh I love food. And maybe, just maybe to give back. To let those people in my life that I can't live without know how much I love them. To share something I learned - especially if I learned it the hard way. 

Rules for reading this blog... If you haven't noticed already I write just like I talk. My first boss out of college told me that and if there ever were a place to make this trait shine, well here it is. I like to write incredibly long sentences and I catch myself having conversations within conversations. It's fun, you'll see. I absolutely love to entertain. I have an addiction to china, cake plates, brass candlesticks and anything gold. Pinterest makes me feel like wonder woman so you will see many a project that I pinned, even the Pinterest fails. You should know that I give things, people, places, experiences - everything - a nickname. 

Whether this is the next Pioneer Woman blog or merely a place for me to vent - thank you for looking on with an open mind.