projects ahead...can I hear a hey yeah?

Projects ahead...I have some projects in the process..I am not sure how long they will take but I'm going to take my time and enjoy..there is the free farmhouse table to do..my sign is still waiting .. my master bathroom is in process.. doing everything cheap cheap cheap! I'm digging around my barn for cool stuff to refurbish and my hubby has chucked alot of my stuff! hey now!?!..so we will see what comes of almost nothing! Hope you have a great Monday..what are you planning to do today? I would love to hear! Thanks for stopping by! love ya mean it! Stephanie

When the Light shines..

The sun is out and I feel so good today! I love how the light is just shining in through the window and oooo....my windows are dirty again...it has me thinking ..that when light shines on something- it reveals the dirt and yet shows the beauty of thing that it shines on..without the light we cant see the dirt and when we cant see the dirt we tend to just ignore that it is there...I have had alot of dirt in my life and some of it has been from someone throwing it on me and some of its my own..I have been cleaning the dirt that has been thrown on me for a long time now and it seems like I am finally looking at the dirt I layer on myself..the stuff I choose not to look at because it is to painful..but the Light(Jesus to me) has been shining in my heart to clean up the dirt that I layer on myself and confess those things that I know and to just be what I like to call...in process that is where I am.. what I am ...right here.. right now.. that means I am becoming who I was created to be at the core..who I was created to be before I was..I have some dirt..but the light shines and reveals the beauty..that is me..and you..just like the bottles in the above picture..we are unique and individual..and when the light shines well, its quite amazing to think on..thanks for stopping by! Love ya mean it! Stephanie

Helloooo.. MONDAY! Well, first off thanks everyone for the sweet comments on my daughters room..is it not amazing what color can do? I am falling in love with certain blue /teal hues..maybe I'm just ready for spring...I have been in a decorating slump believe it or not...January and February are difficult months for me because I miss the sun so much and feel rather down around this time...sending the kids off to school and my hubby too..kinda gets weird for me sometimes. I guess I wonder what I should be doing right now..I'm the home cheerleader for my family and sometimes it gets a little lonely being there for them..do you know what I mean? I know it is good and right but I get the feeling I'm getting a little zapped out and could use a little TLC for myself...what do you do when you feel like this? Would love to hear some encouraging words from my wise and wonderful friends out there..have a great Monday! Thanks for stopping by! love ya mean it! Stephanie

before and after!

Well, here it is... my girls room on a Saturday morning after a full week at school...so it was time for a little TLC...

but first a look around ..

It was time for some light to shine in this little room...

even though we have the Eiffel tower and another lamp right below it...its just not enough..

oooo.. lets not shine light on this...hehee...

So Monday came and this is what happened...I took a little jaunt to Lowes and came home and did this..

The first picture I took because I couldn't wait ..it was gonna be a teaser but I decided ..nope you will have to wait..

this is with the flash...above

without the flash above...

curtains to cover up the chaos in the closet...

and a sweet little desk with a mirror above that I picked up at Goodwill and Camalee painted...

I made this years ago..so easy to make...

and simple Gerber daisy..left over from pink party...

A princess sign for each of them...

A view from up above ...that would be me trying to keep balance..and why this picture is so blurry..

oh I love it! I am going to have my handyman Danny hang some pink shelves above the mirror for all Camalees stuff..girly fun stuff...

A little detail..don't ya love it!

a little love reminder as they go out the door....

And a little chandy because it must be so...

I just love how it all turned out! I didn't buy anything but paint, the mirror and two new pillows...not to shabby..

Ella's side of the room ....

thanks for stopping by! love ya mean it! Stephanie

sneek peek...

Sneek peek at new project....wish this blue was me sitting on the beach somewhere..just saying..

what else is there to say?

This is what I came upon the other morning..nothing unusual about a mess...

but just as I was grumbling about it and wondering which one of my darlings left it like this... I picked up the plate and looked up..and set the plate down and just grinned..because I found this....

it says love....what else is there to say?

White farmhouse cupboards..Spill it..

Be honest..I mean it...if you have white painted cupboards in your kitchen.....

are they hard to keep up?..like clean and nice looking?....

I really have a romance going with white cupboards..but never really went for it before..I have five kids: two girls and three boys...now please tell me the pros and cons of white in your kitchen..I mean ..I have to do my homework here..and I gotta lean on my blog friends to help me out..so spill it! ..on me ..about white....Thanks for stopping by! love ya mean it! Stephanie

sorry not sure where i found the photos: credit to those who know..

How to make an ice skating rink...

Spend some quality family time outside this winter – without crowds of skaters cutting you off!
Situate the rink in an area of the yard that's relatively flat. Sturdy benches and chairs are must-haves for lacing up skates or taking a breather.

Materials and Tools
10 2” x 10” boards, cut to 8’ in length
10 1” x 3” boards, cut to 8’ in length
One roll of 10’ x 100’ vapour barrier
1 tube of tar caulking (for roofing use, not driveways)
3-1/2” deck screws
1-1/2” deck screws

Step 1
A plastic liner gives a flatter rink, helps protect the lawn and retains water during thaws. Create a liner using vapour barrier (available in 10’ x 100’ rolls at hardware stores) by cutting two 10’ x 27’ pieces. Lay a bead of tar caulking along the length of one piece about 3” from the edge. Overlap the other piece on the caulking and press pieces together so that the dimension is approximately 20’ x 27’.

Step 2
For the border, assemble the 2” x 10” boards to form a 16’ x 24’ rectangle. Set the boards on their edges and screw them together (screws make it easy to dismantle the structure in the spring).

Step 3
Align liner on top of the border with excess hanging over sides. Push liner down in the corners so it lies flat on the ground but don’t worry about wrinkles, it won’t affect the ice surface. Screw 1” x 3” boards on top of the border, sandwiching the liner underneath. The top boards should be placed horizontally on their sides. Trim excess liner.

Step 4
Fill the rink when there’s little wind — it creates ripples — and it’s at least -18 degrees C. Fill border using a hose until there is 5-7 cm of slushy ice (it takes about 30-40 minutes). Once the base is frozen, flood the rink after every skate by spraying on thin layers of water.



canadian house and home

Back in the day when I was superwoman(hehee)...I spent much of my time pondering the role of my life as mother and wife..I believed perfection ruled the day and I strived to be a good wife and mother (which is good)...but in this ceaselessly striving I became very tired and discouraged because I could never measure up..yet here I am looking at Martha Stewart's great ideas on organizing and still have dreams of at least touching neatness and orderliness on my tippy toes..

I mean look at this sweet string dispenser made from a flower pot..easy, inexpensive and cute...

and if only I could have a pantry area like this..

and my linen closet? a sight to behold...(look at those cute laundry clips hot glued to the containers! ) who doesnt want this?

but...I'm not superwoman anymore and that's ok..my goals have changed and I'm just doing the best I can..I like the ideas that come across my path.. they inspire me to be creative.. and I find in these hard times..its hard to do all the projects I want to do because there are more important things to think on and to spend money on..and its ok..doing things that don't cost money can still get me on my tippy toes (mostly dusting and arranging things around.hehee) but for now that's all I can do..its more important to support my husband and keep projects to a minimum so as not to add extra stress to our family..do you find yourself in this position too? I really want to be a good helpmate to my husband and a good mom to my kids.. wait does make me superwoman? hehee ...thanks for stopping by..love ya mean it! Stephanie

inspire me..

Happy Monday! What are you doing today? Do you have a project your working on..or a day of errands? Maybe your just taking a day for yourself..I would love to hear from you! You inspire me when you tell me what you get done on a Monday..So whats up?

image unknown

Nurture.

My good little mommy.. Last night I went to say goodnight to Ella (who was already asleep) and Camalee, who was putting the last curler in her hair before calling it a day. I looked down and saw this..baby tucked away for the night...I thought this picture really spoke to me as a mom...to see my baby nurturing her baby..Perfection.. to see my other daughter taking care of herself (which Im just learning to do! lol) Simply the best...what else could you hope for as you head off to bed..Thank you for stopping by..see you Monday..And don't forget..Love ya Mean it! Stephanie

Farmhouse table and new project...

Look what I got for FREE on Craig's list! Can you believe it! I'm thinking I'm going to paint it white to freshen it up and I wondered....... what do you think for the top a dark stain or should I paint the top white too? Let me know what you think...

It has a leaf ( is that how I spell this?) I can pull out when I need to..

And the legs are smokin' !!! heehee...

Next, is to paint and look for two chairs and see if I can sweet talk Danny into making some benches...this is going to go on the porch to give some farmhouse charm..

I found this at Goodwill for $2.99..Im going to paint it and figure out what and where its going to go..

I think sideways will look good ..which is how the checkout guy looked at me when he saw this..I'm thinking a Whispering Creek House sign for the porch too..O I cant wait to get to all this fun..but its like a freezer outside right now! It's 43 degrees out and feels like its gonna snow.. I have something to look forward to and that's so good..Thanks for stopping by! Love ya mean it! Stephanie

O Miss Cleaning Lady...

Dear Miss Cleaning Lady..why haven't you come?...I look around and cant find you anywhere..the kids are wondering where their socks are and the hubbie is using a washcloth for a towel...I would like to see the floor again..the kids need their bedding washed..and the toilets need a cleaning..where are you cleaning lady? ....anyone else having a hard time getting the cleaning lady to do her job? I have been so disoriented! The New Year has me full of pressure not knowing where to start first..I want to do projects, clean, organize and many other things..but there is only one me..how are you getting started on your lists? Please share your thoughts.. It will inpire the cleaning lady..

Check out this great givewayHERE!

My Skinny ISSUE..please come see..

I am about to show you something that is a terrible, terrible thing in my life..it plagues me day and night but mostly in the day..try to control the gasps and fainting spells as I don't want to scare the children...here it is...

My skinny stove..I would like to call it something else but I'm a good girl and I don't do that kinda thing...at least not in public..

She does not fit here..

or here...

And she needs your help...

I need your advice and help to get this skinny chic to "fit in"...I don't have anyway of getting a new counter top or stove so I'm looking for ingenues ways to solve this "issue"..Can you help me? I have thought of moving the counter top ..but that wont work cuz I have an "issue" with my fridge..So any and all suggestions I will consider....This is a challenge for you..will you take it? PLEASE HELP ME!! Thanks for stopping by love ya mean it! Stephanie