Randomness...

*****Be sure to go check out my GIVEAWAY if you haven't already!*****

I've been working on a lot of little projects lately and I keep thinking that none of them are substantial enough to blog about. So I decided to just lump them all together into one post so you can see what I've been up to.


Starburst Mirror

Remember my Master Bedroom Remodel? Remember how I had intended to make my own Starburst mirror like the one I had seen at Under the Table and Dreaming? Well my DIY plans changed when I saw this Starburst Mirror at IKEA for $20.


It was perfect for the space so I decided to spend the 20 bucks and save myself some time and energy. I think it looks great in this space (although my math must've been a little off because it was supposed to be even with the top of the door frame).

I'll probably move it down 4" or so, but for now I love how it fills up the space.


"Letter" Art

If you're lurking in blogland for any amount of time, you've likely come across this cool Letter Art.

{My 3 Monsters}


{Measuring My Life in Love}

I'd been seeing them for awhile and wanted to give it a try. One of my girlfriend's birthdays was coming up and I decided that she would be my guinea pig. Since it was her birthday, I didn't want to do a family piece like I had seen. So I decided on her initials. Her initials are MMM and she often shortens it to M3 (M cubed) so I thought that would be a fun thing to make her. I used tutorials from My 3 Monsters, Measuring My Life in Love and Under the Table and Dreaming, and of course Leo Reynolds' awesome Flikr letters. And here's what I came up with...


I made mine in Photoshop (since my husband knows how to use it and was willing to help me!). I printed mine as a 4x6 on my own printer so the actual artwork cost me nothing! If I were making the big family picture, I'd definitely print it bigger, but for the initials, I liked the smaller size.

Then I hit my local Goodwill and found this metal frame for $1.


And voila! A personalized, original piece of art that (I hope) will make a great birthday present!



Banana Muffins

The "kids" and I made banana muffins yesterday. These are a real treat at my house and everyone loves them! I had frozen some ripe bananas a while ago but I'd never used them before so I wasn't sure how the muffins would come out. I came across a great tip for using frozen bananas. You simply place your frozen bananas in warm water for about 5 minutes, peel the banana and let them thaw out.

I guess there's some debate in the cooking world about whether or not to use the banana "juice" once it thaws out. I used it and my muffins came out great! I would also highly recommend the rubber muffin pans (I'm sure that's not the right terminology, but you know what I'm talking about). They really cook the muffins so much more evenly.


A coworker of my husband's gave me this recipe at my baby shower when I was pregnant with my son. It has never let me down!

3-4 ripe bananas (I've added applesauce and even baby food bananas if I didn't have enough ripe bananas on hand)
1 cup sugar (I usually half this and they are still plenty sweet)
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour (I use whole wheat and they're delish!)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1/3 cup butter (I usually melt mine in the microwave)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Mix it all together. Bake 20-25 minutes (mine are perfect after 20) on 350 degrees
Makes 12 muffins


Goodwill Treasure
I could not believe my luck when I found this wooden microwave at my Goodwill for only $8! I just needed to tighten the screws and clean it up. I checked their website and similar microwaves sell for over $50! What a bargain!

(Pants are optional while cooking.)

(Ok, so my kids like to be naked. And pardon her scabby nose, she had a run-in with the sidewalk.)

So there you have it. In addition to the above projects, I've been working on a few others that I hope to have finished soon. And I've also got a giveaway to tell you all about, so stay tuned!

Linking up here:

I Want the World

Ok, not the world, but a GLOBE. The space on top of our entertainment center has been sorely neglected. I have been taking my time trying to figure out what I want to put on top of it. I have scoured blogland, deconstructed the latest Pottery Barn issue, and looked through every decorating book I own in an attempt to figure out the perfect accessories to place atop our TV. This is a tricky area because it is a large space, but I would like to have room to hang pictures above it as well.

I remembered how much I LOVED this house and one of my favorite rooms was her living room, where, surprise, she has a collection of globes!


I actually had been wanting a globe for some time because my son is really interested in maps right now so I figured it'd be a great way for him to learn some geography. I wasn't even thinking about it's decorating potential!

Here are some more of my favs that I've come across in blogland.

{Lovely Design}

{Silver Lining}

{Silver Lining}

{Better Homes and Gardens}

{Better Homes and Gardens}

Aren't they just beautiful? I love the color, the shape, the history that a globe brings to a room. So now I am on the hunt for a globe. I have seen them many times in antique malls, but they are way too overpriced. I will have to start hunting the garage sales and Goodwill. Any of you decorate with globes? I'll keep you posted on my hunt for the "world"!

You Know You're a Mom When...

Instead of singing "1234, tell me that you love me more; sleepless long nights, that's what my youth was for" from Feist's song 1234...

I find myself singing "1234 penguins that were by the door. I love counting, counting to the number 4..." from her appearance on Sesame Street. And dang it if that version isn't super catchy!


Now it's your turn. Finish this sentence "you know you're a mom when..."

My Faux Family

Whenever I'm at antique malls or estate sales, I'm always drawn to old photographs. I love the story they tell. And for some reason I feel the need to rescue these forgotten memories. So I've been collecting old photographs that "speak" to me. Some I like for their color, others for their story. But I love them all.

They are now proudly displayed in my entryway and I affectionately refer to them as my "Faux Family."


I picked this one up at an estate sale a long time ago (I think I paid $10 for it). I love it for it's color and it's size. They are the matriarch and patriarch of my faux family.


I don't remember where I picked these up but I love the sassiness each of these women possess. I also love the subtle coloring of them. And they were both in their original frames which is an added bonus!


My husband actually bought this photo for me. He loved the happiness in their faces and theorized that this picture was taken outside the courthouse after they just got married.


I love this naked baby picture. It really could be any baby from any era. I think it's so funny that the baby is laying on an oriental rug out in the grass.


I love the long pictures that I'm sure you've seen in antique malls but they are always so expensive! I searched high and low for one that I could afford and I finally found this one. It's a photo of the "Lovejoy Reunion". The tag on the back says it's from Ithaca, NY.


I really had to dig for this series of photos of a baby being bathed in the kitchen sink. I found one of them in a basket full of old photos. I kept flipping through the photos and found the second and third photo. I love the story these photos show. And the baby's smile in the third photo is priceless!


And finally I found these two photos at a flea market when we were visiting Paris (I know, we sound so cosmopolitan!). The love that you feel between this mom and baby is just precious.


So there you have it. My faux family. I even have a little room on each side to pick up a few more photos :)


Am I alone in my obsession with old photos? If you collect old photographs, what do you do with them?

Thanks for visiting!


Linking up to these fun parties:

I'm Packing My Bags

Ok, so I'm not really going anywhere, but I totally wish I could live in this house.


I came across this post on Vintage Sassy, appropriately titled "OMG...the cutest house!". It's a tour of this adorable, colorful, cheery house that belongs to Kelly Rae Roberts. The night I saw the post, I spent probably 45 minutes carefully deconstructing every photo of her home. I love everything about it. I love the color, the old mixed with new, the bright linens. Everything!


And I'm totally stealing the idea of her Wall of Letters.


Remember the "M" I made to hang above my husband's nightstand? I'm going to start collecting more letters to hang with the M!


So after stalking her home for the better part of an hour (I know you're a voyeur like me, just admit it!), I realized that Kelly Rae Roberts is an artist and I have one of her prints! Now I love her even more! So go check out Vintage Sassy's post because there are more pictures (Yay!) and definitely go check out Kelly Rae Roberts' website and keep an eye out for her art. It's so cute!

P.S. I have revisited this site several times because it makes me smile :) and I hope it does you, too!

Inspiring Creativity Through Literacy

A couple of weekend's ago, I attended the Texas PTA Summer Leadership Seminar. Mostly I was in workshops related to Membership as I somehow got talked in to being the Membership chair of the Early Childhood PTA that I belong to. But I did get to attend a couple of "fun" workshops as well.

My favorite was a workshop by children's author Melissa M. Williams. She is the author of the Iggy the Iguana series. If you ever have the chance to attend a workshop or series with her, you should definitely go!


She talked about the importance of inspiring creativity through literacy. Children are exposed to so many different role models through TV, movies, music. But it seems they are less and less influenced by characters in books.

One way that she encouraged parents and educators to inspire reading and a love for books is to help them "write" their own stories. If your children are old enough to write, you can literally help them write their own story. She has lots of great resources on the Iggy the Iguana website including writing tips for kids, contests, and bios for the author, illustrator and characters.

Since my children are 3 and 18 months, I was trying to figure out a way to incorporate what I learned that was appropriate for their age level. With my 18 month old, I just try to nurture her love for books by reading to her before her nap and bedtime and all times in between.

But for my 3 year old, I decided to try letting him "write" his own story. After we read a couple of books (per our normal nightly routine), he gets to make up his own stories. I start by asking him "who's going to be the character in our story tonight?" Sometimes he names an animal (bunny, dog, dinosaur), sometimes he says himself, and a few times he's wanted the family cat to be the character. Then I ask him the character's name (we've had Buddy, BatBallHat, a snake named dog). Finally, I ask him what the character likes to do (play soccer, spin around getting dizzy, fly). Then I proceed to tell the story about the character that he invented doing whatever it is that character likes to do. And he LOVES it! Sometimes there's a message in the story, sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's neither. But he always seems to enjoy them.

I was afraid it was going to be a little abstract for him, but he really likes the stories and he loves being the one to give the details. It's been such a fun nightly routine for us. I've written several of his stories down so he can read them someday...who knows, he might be a budding author!

So give it a try with your kids. And if you do, let me know how it goes!