Goodbye Cave Dwelling!

This was our living room 

(of course I started tearing it apart before I snapped a picture and yes, that is "Deliverance" on the TV- "you got a purty mouth, boy").  

On Saturday morning I said to the Mister "Could we PLEASE get the new trim put up today?" and that started the whole ball rolling.  He said he really wanted to paint the walls before he nailed the new trim up and then...

he said he really wanted new carpet and so we might as well do new tile around the fireplace before we had new carpet installed!

Here's a picture of the fireplace before the tile was removed:

after the tile was removed...so creepy!  I was afraid a critter was going to crawl down the chimney and run loose in our house!  But then again, isn't a wild possum lose in the house a bloggers DREAM?

I was never a huge fan of this wall color, it was SO dark in here!  

The kitchen after the cabinets got re-painted, but pre granite and tile backsplash.

I get a little crazy about picking paint colors, I always 2nd guess myself.  After my hideous entry way disaster I've been shell shocked and afraid to pick a color for the great room because it's a huge area with no real breaks, so I had to pick 1 main color.  I went with Tobacco Leaf, which is just that, kind of a khaki color.  With the 1st swipe of the brush, I knew I didn't know if I liked it- I saw the panic on the Mister's face but I had 3 full gallons of this color... Now that it's up, it's so much brighter in here!  

There's still a LOT to do: trim, fireplace, new carpet, new lights and someday...

new furniture! Don't ya know when you freshen up one thing, it makes everything else start to look ratty.  I'm talking to you faded red couch!

Anything you're working on in your home?

Anything you need to do but want to avoid (like me and my entry?!)?

Happy Tuesday friends!!!

Mama needs a nap!

Well, not really... I don't like naps, but I had a busy weekend!

The Mister got a boatload of mulch and in Michigan you gotta make hay while the sun shines or shovel mulch, whatever the case may be!

Don't be jealous of my outfit...jealousy is any ugly thing.

These are my "poop boots".  I had to get them because our old dog (RIP) use to poop giant poops RIGHT where I walked in the yard.  I hear these are boots for KIDS that live on farms, they call them "barn boots".

So how happy am I with my newish yard?!

Before:

After:

New Lavender rose:

Lupines (do you have one? go get some! they spread, come up every year and are gorgeous!)

it made a baby:

then I tore out that plastic trim by our front walk:

After:

After all the mulch and stones we went and got tile for our backsplash.  We ran to Home Depot, Menards, Lowes and some tile shop!  I wanted to make sure I didn't pick the 1st one I saw because I knew in 2 weeks I'd find another that I wished I got.  There was one place that we didn't go because I KNEW I'd go into tile overload!  We ended up with the 1st tile I saw.  We had to go to 2 different Lowe's stores 3 times to get all that we needed- apparently it's been pretty popular!

We're going to do the tumbled marble and then cut the little glass/marble mosaics and insert them randomly.

The Mister is really excited to cut around ALL the outlets:

1, 2

3

4, 5

6, 7

While we were at Home Depot we parked next to this van:

It seems that perhaps they're having some trim trouble... The Mister wondered if it whistled while it went down the road?!  I feel bad for this person, I think they need a glue gun, but the Mister's comment struck me so funny i just cracked up again while typing it!

We went to Target, I got new PJ's

I like the pink ones better but they didn't have the pants in my size (they had stars instead of stripes) the Mister said "you've got enough pink already"

I said SHUT YOUR MOUTH!

All in all it was a productive weekend, which i like!

I've decided I need all new Stainless appliances, so I'm going down to the studio because at the rate I sell things in my etsy shop it's going to take 72 years to make enough $$!

Have a great day!!

and...

Here's my little plug about the BABY HAT DRIVE 

As most of you know, my daughter was adopted from China and I left a little piece of my heart there.  I'm collecting hats to keep the children and babies warm in the winter.  Many live in orphanages that are without heat.

1. make a baby hat, toddler hat, or kid sized hat (you can take the non-crafty way out and buy one if you must)

2. email me at: chinamommy_04@yahoo.com for my address.

3. I'll take care of shipping them to CHINA next fall.

any questions- please feel free to email me!!

It's your right, go VOTE for my blog!!!

Ok, you know I can't help myself,  I'm going to beg!

ALL you have to do is click on the following link: 

http://bloginterviewer.com/randomness/china-mommy-misschell

Just click on the THUMBS up at the top of the interview!  

You can also leave comments... go ahead, you know you want to!

Oh, I just read I could WIN... I don't think it's a white Range Rover, but still... i want to win, even if it's a years supply of hot dogs that I have to donate to some hot dog eater! (don't even get me started on my EXTREME HATE of hot dogs, right up there with fly's that stand on poo... UGH!).

Anyway... GO VOTE!!! (pretty please?! and ignore my lack of spell check)

Darling Daughter's bathroom has been undergoing a minor remodel for the last year.  Nothing too major, we painted, took out the pedestal sink and put in a vintage dresser and the bought a vessel sink 

and the faucet

BUT...the sink is still setting on the dresser and the faucet is under the dresser in the box... We want to put a granite top on the dresser.  The mister talked to a place last year, we decided we'd go with them but then just didn't get them out to measure and don't ya know... they went out of business!  Wheww, glad we didn't give them a deposit or anything!

the room was Barney purple before..

the room is still a bit blah, so i went to my fave "boutique" (Target) and picked this up for a mere $12.99!

boy, i really blew out the wall color, didn't I?

notice there are RHINESTONES on it!!

❤❤❤

she likes it!  I let her add the rhinestones.

it looks kind of small here, I think it's my wonky angle?

I like how it turned out... now if we can just get the sink situation fixed so darling can use HER bathroom and NOT mine!!

(don't you love how the paint color looks totally different in every picture... the middle one is the real color.  It's a Disney color from Home Depot- I think it's "thatta boy blue").

I really, really, REALLY want a new kitchen next... 

Ewww.... I do NOT like this kitchen!!  Are the white appliances GLOWING and the purple plastic counter tops?  ugh!  Hey, I've had worse in my life, don't get me wrong, but... I believe it can somehow be improved without spending the GIANT bucks!

  While we were at home depot this weekend, I saw these great bluish, turquoise cabinets and had a moment of inspiration!

Due to the fact some low-life parasite owes me $30,000 I will not be getting the kitchen of my dreams this year, but... I'm pretty sure I've convinced the Mister to help me paint the cabinets!  Or, it can be like the time he came home and the island was black!

(I've still got to distress the edges.)

or the time

he went on a hunting trip and came home to the bedroom having all the oak trim removed and the walls re-painted! (I did the painting, he put up the new trim- i'm not THAT handy!)

it was RED RED RED before this!

Of course I wanted to get painting THAT night (after we got home from Home Depot), but since the Mister is all organized and responsible he said "NO, it's 9 at night!  We're not starting till we can take all the doors off and paint outside".  Geesh, he can be a real spoil sport sometimes!

Ok, enough blabberings, I've got to get down to my treadmill - I'm walking EVERYday until my cruise at the end of April!!  As long as those crime shows are on, I don't mind... at least that's what I'm telling myself!  It's called: Positive self-talk! :)

Have a GREAT day and.... (wait for it....) 

GO VOTE!!!

Thanks everyone!