Favs on Pinterest

It's been a while since we posted last...our Little Miss has been very under the weather. And while I love blogging, I love snuggling with my girl a whole lot more. So, while we're hanging out on the couch again today, I thought I'd share a few things I'm digging on Pinterest (as you'll see, there is no method to the madness). We're still in the middle of an insane in the membrane house search so obviously that's all I look at nowadays! Enjoy..

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These are just a few of my favs right now via my pinning of interests. Hopefully you'll run across some cool finds too..I'd love for you to share them too! 

FREE Spice Storage

We have a ton of baby food jars left over from Maddy's food lying around the house here. And instead of pitching them (well, recycling really), I wanted to make use of them for our spice storage. This way, the storage will be uniform and I can eventually make cute labels for them. The cupboards were a complete disaster to say the least. We always struggled to find the spices we needed, especially the tiny ones that seemed to float to the back abyss of the cupboard.

Forgive the chipboard, brown (ugliness). Straight out of the 70's those are. I had $0.00 for my budget this time around so it was time to rummage the house for left over boxes. I found two cereal boxes that we were throwing away and since they were the same width, it was decided that these would make a great riser for our cupboards.  Risers at stores and online can be found for inexpensive prices, but use what'cha got, right?

I measured 4" for the first height, 3" for the second and 1" for the third and shortest "step" (Oops Alert: I totally measured that last step one inch too short) . Cutting the boxes hot dog style, they ended up pretty straight. It helped me to just measure and draw a line around the entire box. I pasted the cut-outs together with Mod Podge and just to cover that cereal box beauty, I slapped some craft paint on them. The paint and Mod Podge also did a nice job of hardening the cardboard for better stability.

Eventually, I plan to convert all my spices into baby food jars or another variety of small glass jar with a more permanent label attached to them. I will feel much more motivated when I can put these beauties in their rightful place in our new home! But, for now, this is a great storage solution and it's a heck of alot better than what it was before.

Ah...much better!

The Little House Is Blossoming

We are incredibly excited to announce that we are on the hunt for our first home! This has been a long awaited moment for our family and we are absolutely itching to get out there and look. The hubs and I sat down to discuss what our "must-haves" and "could-haves" for our house would be. Now, this is where we are starting to realize some big differences between us. It doesn't matter how long you've known someone, it's still a shock to see your spouse's "house side". *wink*

Our positively must haves:

• 3 bedrooms
• 1.5 baths
• Garage (detached or attached)
• Basement
• Appliances (Fridge, Stove, Washer/Dryer)

Things we wouldn't mind having:

• Laundry located on the first floor
• Wood floors
• Mudroom
• Fenced yard (for those kiddies and our future pooch)

These lists are simple yes, but the discussion around them has been anything but! The hubs actually prefers a yard that's not fenced and is HUGE. As long as it's private, he seems to think no fence is okay. I'll admit, I like the idea of the yard being enormous and private, maybe backed up to a wooded area? That would be great for all those BBQ's we're planning to throw. But what about our water bill? Yikes. Hubs also feels like we don't really need a basement as long as the storage within the house is enough. I feel like I'd like one not only for storage, but just in case we have a real bad storm brew up, we all have a safe place to hide. But I understand where he is coming from. We may not find a home with a basement because of the style we're looking for. We won't know what we're in for until we get out there. The good thing? We agree on the really important stuff and he's my bestie, so we'll work it out!

Being mentally house crazed, I've been on Pinterest pretty much 23/7. Yes, that's one hour of sleep you see there. I'd love to share a few ideas we'd love for our new home. They aren't in any particular order or category, just a few things we love.

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How cool is this flooring? This is ceramic tile made to look like wood planks. LOVE for our bathroom. We'd love to have wood flooring throughout our home too, even if it's laminate made to look like wood. Plank style laminate would give us better durability with kids and pooches running around. 

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 If we have stairs anywhere in our home, this business is happening. What an awesome and functional way to store belongings. I can't get over how much happiness this idea brings me. The piles of blankets and dozens of board games are now tucked away, but easily accessed.

 

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One of my favorite rooms in a house is an organized mudroom. The function of this space is great for kids, teaching them cleanliness, organization, and to pick up after themselves. This area would be amazing for the entire family, keeping all our shoes, bags, coats and winter items stored away. It brings such character into a home too.

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I cannot stand stacking my baking dishes and baking sheets. What's better than keeping them standing upright and separate? So very excited to be putting something like this in our cabinets. It will be so much better than our hott mess of a baking cabinet now! (It's so bad, I don't have the heart to show you)

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Lovely. My one word definition of this space. It's open and airy, but so welcoming and intimate. I am digging the country style here and the differently colored (moveable!) kitchen island. Check out the apron sink too. Adore. Open shelving is a current trend that allows the top half of your kitchen to not feel so heavy. Shelves would be a great place to store everyday dishes and glasses as well as pops of fun color. 

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This is my version of a fresh office. The crisp whites and touches of metallic are calming but oh so glamorous. Such an organized space. I can just feel the amount of work getting done in here.

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This tote can be used for anything. In the mudroom, Little Miss' room, the office, my closet. I plan to get myself a few of these to use around the house. Slap a label on it and I'll have color and pattern in my room. Bam.

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If you're anything like me, the wrapping paper is in one place, the ribbon in a drawer in the basement, and the tape somewhere between the office and kitchen. This over the door storage spot is the mecca of wrapping stations. Cards, tissue, ribbons, paper, tape...whoa! All in the same place. Imagine that. 

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Last and certainly not least, these delightful little seating arrangements. I bet I can find them at our local thrift shop (popping tags) and jazz them up just like these. Such a fun solution for seating at all our BBQ's! The great thing about painting them is that if you ever change your mind about the color, just spray another one on. 

The list could go on forever. But I promise to keep you fully updated on our progress. We are so excited to start this journey and can't wait to start sharing our transformations with you all. I'd love for you to share your first home experiences too! 

Love Starts In The Kitchen

I've been in the mood lately for all things Kitchen. Everything from storage containers to pretty drawer liners to funky colored equipment. If I could have my dream kitchen right now, it would have every one of these products in it. Can you imagine bright and fresh white cabinetry with black soapstone countertops? Then add in these brilliant pops of color. Adore. Here's a holla to the coolest Kitchen gadgets around:

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1.  My Kitchen would not be the same without my KitchenAid Mixer. I love to bake and this tool has been my best friend in doing so. My hubs sure appreciates it when I get to make him his favorite cookies. KitchenAid has been coming out with wild and bright colors and I cannot put into words how in love I am with them! 
2. These jars are just too cute with their chalkboard label. Need to change what's inside? Just erase the label. They are so functional and classic and would look amazing sitting out on your counter. 
3. Made by the same brand as the sugar jar, these salt 'n' pepper shakers are irresistible. I love the simplicity of the letters "P" and "S". These are modern because of the type font, but classic because of their detail.
4.  These bakeware items come in several fun colors and double as great serving dishes. I can picture these at a fiesta themed party. Wouldn't these also look great behind glass cabinet doors? 
5. Another fun server, this tray brings life into your kitchen! Not only would this work in your kitchen, but it could also work on top of an ottoman in your living room, or as a piece of artwork in your bedroom. 
6. This beautiful pitcher has fun detail and because it's glass, the color of the drink will also add a new level of festivity to your party. How nice would this be with pink lemonade or green tea inside?   
7. A yellow, happy blender. Need I say more? We love to use our blenders for smoothies, food prep, milk shakes,  and so many other things that make us happy people. Why not make your blender happy too?
8. Forgive the terrible picture, but this spoon makes me smile. The face of the spoon actually has a face on it! Anything to keep you smiling while making dinner. And the color is marvelous. 
9. We have plenty of bright colors in this collection of Kitchen items, but adding pattern may be even better. I love polka dots and found this frying pan to be a very positive addition.
10. Yes. You read this mug correctly. For some, this may be vulgar. But I think this is stinkin' hilarious. Admit it y'all. You have great bathroom breaks after that first cup in the morning. And really, what's the heart of the home without a little humor?
11. Last, but certainly not least, the amazing Kohler apron front sink. This is just one of many beautiful colors that would definitely bring a sense of brilliance to any Kitchen. It's unexpected and therefore a conversation starter. I, for one, would not mind cleaning my dishes in this pretty little thing. 

These are just a few items I think would add so much fun to a Kitchen space. I will be adding a few of these to our Kitchen and I hope that will be soon!  

Get it together!

I was browsing through one of my favorite blogs out there, IHeart Organizing, in the archives way back in March of 2010 (I think!) and the incredible Jen caught my attention with her project of the month. In our household we are constantly trying to find ways to be more organized both physically (like space, clutter, storage) and mentally (peace of mind, knowing where to look for things, keeping our sanity). Now I see that January is Home Office month! Woot! So, I borrowed Jen's amazing idea and attempted a "household" binder chalked full of stuff important to our family.

There is a whole lot I'd love to fit into this binder:

• House Cleaning Checklist
• Menu Planning
• Bill Payment Checklist
• Address book
• Emergency Contact Info
• Travel Checklists (we visit family out of town often)
• Product Warranties/Instructions
• To Do Checklist
• Blog Post Ideas
• Important Dates to Remember
• Password/Log-In Info
• Personal Sections for Goals/Resolutions
• Monthly Calendar
• Kid's Daily Routine/Schedule
• Auto Maintenance Checklist
• Pockets to hold checkbooks/envelopes for date nights, cash, gas
• Finance/Bills Checklist
• Our Monthly Budget

The sections in red are the things I'd like to include in our binder right away. To narrow down the list a little until the binder gets fuller, I plan to use dividers labeled with the following:

• Emergency Contact Information
• CPR Illustrations for Infants
• Household Cleaning
• Menu Planning
• Household To-Do's
• Household Info (Important Dates, Password Info, Auto Maintenance)
• Blog Ideas
• Finances (Monthly Budget, Bill Payment Checklist, Pockets for our envelope system)
• Monthly Calendar
• Address Book

We already had a white binder and some pretty scrapbook paper so I just slipped some into that clear cover and Bam! Love it!

I also had these fun colored dividers lying around from our university days. I popped those into the binder and used my label maker to create tags for our household sections.

Here is an example of one of our charts we have for household cleaning. It's broken up by individual days of the week, weekly, monthly,  semi-annual and annual areas. This way, we can list by day what needs to be done around the apartment as well as things to be done monthly and throughout the year. I know they are a little plain, but color printing can get pricey sometimes, you know?

Our address book is its own entity, but I wanted to still include it in our household binder so everything is located in one place. Every member of the family knows what's in it and where it is.

 

We keep our binder in our Dining Room sideboard, right underneath our little office nook on the wall. As far as what's in the rest of those cubbies? Well, that's another project in the works!

 That's a wrap on our Household Binder project. I am really excited about how our binder is going to help us get organized and keep organized! How about those of you out there? What sort of small household projects are you working on?