The Challenge

Now that we are all unpacked I've had time sit back and assess each room in our house and I've come to a conclusion.




I really need to take the time to decorate. I'm not talking about hanging a picture here or a picture there. I mean seriously decorate........like an adult. Jacob and I still have the mixed match, hodgepodge furniture that we brought into our relationship. For example: we still have my bedroom furniture that I've had since I was 16. Our dining room furniture is a hand me down that my aunt gave me some 5 years ago. Mind you that she had the furniture some 10+ years before giving it to us. We have one couch my mom bought us and another couch a friend gave us (thank you so much by the way:), and an entertainment center Jacob had long before we met. The entertainment center has definitely seen better days. Oh and don't let me forget the ottoman the cats have destroyed down to the stuffing. Yeah a blanket covers that but I'm honestly getting tired of digging stuffing out of Nicholas' mouth. I swear it's like crack to him. Odd I know.

Let me give you some pictures so you can see what we're working with over here. Please excuse the mess in the photos as they were taken one day after moving in. Alright, here we go

The Kitchen



Keep in mind that we are renting and therefore can't paint the walls. So the kitchen is pretty easy. The only thing irritating me is that awkward space between the cabinets and the ceiling. I'm not a plate displaying kinda gal so other than that I really don't know what to put up there. I guess I could leave it empty but it makes the room feel, well....empty. I have to figure out what to do with that space.

The Dining Room



That's my hand me down dining room furniture. Yes it looks like it fell out of the 80's but I L.O.V.E. it and am going to try to do everything I can to hang onto it. They seriously do not make furniture like that anymore. OK they do but you are going to pay a pretty hot penny for it. A pretty hot penny that we don't have. It is solid, sturdy, and will probably be standing strong long after I'm gone.

Go ahead and take a look at the dining room picture again. Oh my Lord the paint colors are awful. Seriously? Gold trim? The first time I laid eyes on it I thought Well as Tim Gunn would say. Make it work. OMG but I can only do so much.

Master Bedroom



This isn't the best picture but you get the idea. I have a pineapple 4 poster bed and if you look closely you can see 2 of the posts are broke. My husband used to constantly remove a post because it was blocking the TV and my 4 year old thinks it's a riot to hang onto them and jump up and down on the bed. I have a tall dresser and a long dresser in the same cherry finish. I got this furniture as a birthday present when I was 16 and I have to say that it has seen better days also. The walls are still just as blank as the day we moved in.

The Living Room



Take a look at the TV. It's so old but somehow it's hanging in there. You can see the entertainment center and our one couch. The other couch didn't make the cut for the move here. The walls in this room are still as blank as the day we moved in too.

The Formal Living Room



We aren't exactly a formal type family and I don't usually entertain very large crowds. When I do, card tables with table cloths will suffice. I wish I was one of those oh this space is perfect especially for when we entertain type of people. You know, like those couples on House Hunters on HGTV. But I've come to accept that I'm not and I probably never will be. So what to do with this space? I'm thinking playroom.

The Lanai

I don't have a picture but I can tell you that we have no outdoor furniture. Our last house didn't have a screened in porch or a large patio. So as of right now there is ZERO out there.

So there it is, my challenge. I have to decorate this house but it's not as easy as it sounds. First off, we are on a budget. My husband is in the military and I'm a stay at home mom. I could go back to work as a teacher but we would pay out the wazoo for child care and preschool. And..... I'm not ready to go back. I'm very much enjoying being at home right now. The kids are doing great, we are making friends, and learning our surroundings. Oh the little extra income left after paying childcare fees would be great but as for right now it's not worth it. I would miss out on too much.

As if being on a budget isn't bad enough did I mention we are a credit card free family? That's right we pay cash only. Yes we have a credit card for emergencies, for the if in life. Having only one couch for people to sit on when they come over is not an emergency. Having to pay for an entire new brake system in my car because the previous auto repair place messed it up? That's an emergency. A $1,400 emergency. So I have to ask all of you out there. Did you decorate your entire house without the use of a credit card? This definitely adds to my challenge.

And the last part of my challenge? My style! Please tell me I'm not the only one out there that has a hard time deciding what they like. I went through the whole dark, cherry wood phase. It's beautiful furniture but it's just not me. I then went through the whole Tuscan, french villa phase and again that's just not me. I like everything. I love to go to yard sales, antique stores, thrift stores, flea markets, and brand new, out of the box, department stores. So what style do I call that?

Lucky for me I stumbled across a magazine with an 8 page spread on a woman who described it perfectly. She called it Fresh Vintage. She loved to mix new, refinished, homemade, antique, and secondhand items. Almost every piece she owned had a story behind it. Now that is me. I don't know why I always thought a room had to be all vintage or all cherry or all whatever.

My first goal: to decorate the entire lanai with only $200. Please remember we have nothing out there!

I knew I wanted white wicker but I didn't want brand new. I love the look of worn wicker, like it's been used and enjoyed for a long time. I hunted the antique shops but they were wayyyyy over priced. Some stores were asking $70 for 1 wicker chair. One store was asking $130 for a wicker loveseat and that's without any pillows or cushions. Obviously antique stores were not going to be the way to go. Why not Craigslist? And wouldn't you know.....



I found exactly what I was looking for. Comfortable, sturdy, yet vintage looking wicker. In my eyes the slightly worn down chair legs, beautiful. The white paint that has worn thin, perfection. I couldn't believe I got the 2 chairs and loveseat for....are you ready.....$45.

Jacob and I got down and dirty with some antibacterial pine-sol and gave it a much needed cleaning. Now I needed some cushions. I knew I wanted bright, mix matched yet somehow still matching pillows. I knew I wanted each chair to have 1 large and 1small pillow, and the loveseat to have 2 large, 2 medium, and 1 lumbar or rectangle shaped pillow. Yes I'm so anal that I already had it planned out.

I started looking around at Pier 1, Target, Kohl's, and so many other stores. They were so expensive! I didn't exactly find what I was looking for but just by pricing them I was going to end up spending around $300 for outdoor pillows. Not going to happen. Then it came to me. In order to be thrifty, I was going to have to make an initial investment.





That's right peeps. I hand stitched nine pillows.



Sike! Do I look crazy! I did however get a sewing machine for my birthday. So I trucked my tail down to JoAnne's Fabric and Craft store to pick out my fabric. I have never walked around a fabric store before. There is only one way to describe it.

Yummy

All of the different colors, textures, and patterns were just pure eye candy. I spent 2 hours in there and wouldn't you know it. They were having a sale on their outdoor canvas. $9.99 a yard. They were also having a sale on their pillows. Not pillow stuffing but actual pillows that can be washed. They were buy one get one free. I wish I had a picture of what my shopping cart looked like because it was overflowing.



Sewing machines are addicting! I'm not into sewing clothes or anything but if I weren't on a budget......let's just say this house would be overflowing with pillows.



The total cost of outdoor pillows in the fabric I wanted and in the sizes I wanted, $100.



I'm the type of person that isn't happy to come in under budget. Oh no! I like to spend all that is in my budget. I still have $55 dollars left to spend and I'm currently on the hunt for just the right pieces.

As of right now the total cost for my little piece of fresh vintage heaven

$145. Not too shabby.



Or is it shabby chic =)

Where Has the Time Gone?

When I first started this blog I thought to myself Really Cheryl. Lets see how long it takes for you to totally ditch it. You will probably only do 1 or 2 posts and then forget the whole thing. But months later here I am, still blogging, still documenting where life is taking our family.

And I must say I'm getting pretty comfortable over here sharing details of my family's life. I figure it's a win win situation:

1. My family can keep up with us as we work our way through this duty station.
2. Friends can keep up with us
3. And I know this is a long shot but maybe, just maybe, years from now my kids will be able to sift through my blog archives and see what their lives were like before their memories kicked in. It's a long shot......but who knows.



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First off we've had a huge milestone in our family. When Matthew was first born people would always tell me to enjoy every moment because it passes so quickly. And I'm not going to lie. I would nod, shake my head in agreement, and say I know, I know. But deep down I was all when is he going to hold his own bottle, when is he going to walk, when is he going to talk, when is he going to feed himself, when is he going to go to school because mommy needs a little break during the day.

Here's a little trip down memory lane.....

waiting for your arrival

nana and boppy




you and auntie Sarah

You were such a beautiful baby


1st birthday. You were so sick and slept through most of your party


Happy 1st Birthday. My baby boy is already a year old

2nd birthday

1st time eating pizza

Happy 2nd birthday big boy. Where did the year go?

3rd birthday breakfast with mommy. I love how you only ate the tops of the donuts. And yes I think you did "eat" 6 of them

3rd birthday party




Happy 3rd birthday. You are growing up so gosh darn fast.

4th Birthday

4th birthday party




You were very happy with the Ironman Cake.......me on the other hand......=)

Happy 4th birthday big guy. I should have listened better when people told me how fast you'd grow up


Well damn....here it is. The whole school thing I mean. It's here and Florida has a program called voluntary pre kindergarten or VPK. It's not all about easing the kids into school by going 2 or 3 times a week. They go everyday, 3 hours a day, and they can only miss something like 2 days a month. Oh yeah! They have an attendance policy for preschool.



The first day he was pumped to go and I thought this was going to be an easy process. I was worried because Matthew is a homebody. He loves being at home, it's his comfort zone and he doesn't deal with change very well. But he got up in a great mood and even let me take pictures. He hardly ever lets me take his picture anymore. I guess he's grown bored with having a lens in his face every 5 minutes.





Poor kid woke up with a sty. Isn't that how it usually works out. Important day, important pictures and there is either a bruise, a pimple, a cut or in his case.....a sty.



I really want to say it ripped my heart watching him clutch his book bag as he climbed into the car and it did tug at my heart a little. But every time I started getting choked up he would turn and wail on his brother. Yup.......school really is going to be a good thing.



And the coolest thing about preschool, OK obviously his education is the #1 cool thing(yes there is a hint of sarcasm here), would be the nifty things he brings home for us to hang on the fridge. According to him I need to hang it high enough so his brother doesn't eat it. I'm not sure if the kids picked the letters themselves or with the help of a teacher but his letter fits him perfectly.



That kid can put away some Dunkin D.'s.

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VPK eats up a good chunk of our day but I like to keep us busy from sunrise to sunset. Now that things have settled and the house is unpacked we've joined 3 local playgroups. I have also met some wonderful women at Matthew's school. I was a little hesitant joining playgroups because of past experiences but I've learned it isn't playgroups it's the women in them that can make the experience crappy or wonderful.



And the women here are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. They have all been warm, welcoming, and extremely helpful. I don't have pictures of playdates because #1: I'd like to know them a little better before scaring them with my mommarazzi camera and #2: some of the playgroups have rules about pictures, which to an extent I can understand.





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Since the weekdays are filled with school, errands, and playdates, we try to soak up as much family time as possible in the evenings and on the weekends.

We recently checked out Glazer Children's Museum and I think we can add another membership we will be getting with our tax returns. Once again we were entertained for hours.







Check out this climbing thing. It goes pretty high and I thought Matthew would not go for it. He's our more...........cautious kid.



It's crazy how you think you know your kid but then somehow they always tend to surprise you. Homeboy rocked it like he's been climbing his whole life.




Nicholas is hardly cautious and would go head first off anything. We thought he would be safe in the fenced in toddler area, but even then he climbed up on a tiny slide and flipped head first off of it. Another mom looked at me like I was crazy because I didn't catch him when he flipped. Then she saw him do it again, again, again, and again. He's crazy I tell ya! Jacob and I had to tag team it at the museum. Nicholas really does have to have someone behind him at all times. Bless his little heart he just tries so hard to hang in there with the big boys. He does a good job for the most part.





There were just so many activities for the kids to do. Nicholas was hands down all over the place but Matthew is at that stage where he can actually engage in all of the different games, puzzels, crafts, and play areas.

Hang in there bud. You're almost tall enough to get on big boy rides.







And check this out. When you've had all you can take being inside they have an awesome park area outside. Breathtaking is the only way I can describe it. In the middle of the city they have this little piece of heaven for everyone to enjoy.









It's the perfect area to pack a lunch, a frisbee or ball, and don't forget your swimsuit. We are quickly learning to just leave a spare swimsuit in the car. Everywhere we go has something to do with water. Your kids can either run through the mist





Or you can go to the other side where they have a bunch of shooting fountains.







A little slice of heaven, right?



P.S. Can you believe we've already been here for a month?