Slow down...

School has only been out for 2 weeks now, but it seems like summer is flying by already!! We've been busy, but making progress on our various to-do lists!

June

• Finished two online summer school classes in session one! YEAH


• Took a short trip to the beach with my mom & superson.


• Had handy-dandy neighbor install ceiling fans/lights in our two spare bedrooms. Normally, this is something we would tackle ourselves but there was NO overhead lighting in either room. Funny the things you don't pay attention to when house-hunting.

Now, we are looking forward to a relaxing July & hopefully more items off the to-do list will be completed!!

Missing in Action...

From the looks of my blog, it seems as though I have been MIA for a couple of weeks. It's been super busy at home & work. Super-son's last day of school was June 14th & there were lots of festivities beforehand -- field day; 3rd grade class picnic; etc. On June 15th, superson & I headed down to Atlantic Beach with my mom for a short get-away. It was lots of fun & very relaxing. This week, I'm finishing up the last week of summer session one which means two papers to write and a final exam to study. I'll be back soon!

Meanwhile, check out these blogs...
Muffin-Tin Mom - love the creativity in her "muffin meals"
Love of Home & Family - lots of great DIY ideas for decorating and gifts - I've linked my lastest favorite
She's Kinda Crafty - more great craft ideas, for the crafter wanna-be in me
I Heart Organizing - lots of organizing ideas - makes me realize how unorganized I really am :(

See you soon!

Memorial Day weekend...

Happy Memorial Day! It's quite humbling to think of all the men & women who have served this great country to protect our freedoms. Thank you to all those who have served or are serving as well as their families. Hope everyone has a GREAT day honoring and remembering those who enlisted!

We did not take a trip to the beach, so we've been working on various things around the house. I wish I could tell you my "to-do" list is now DONE, but does that ever happen. :) Remember, this blog is about keepin' it real, so I show "real" pictures. Here is a before of the room...

I have made some progress on our spare bedroom. It looks MUCH better, but I still have alot of work. And an after pic... (Remember I still have work to do!)

Super-husband and I have brain-stormed about a couple of different options for that room. We really want to reclaim that space. Part of our problem, it's a multi-purpose room - office; exercise; and spare bed. The closet is small & currently - FULL - so one of the things we need to do is go through the closet and minimize what is in there to at least HALF of what currently resides! And, then - I love this idea - office closet anyone? I think this shows how much potential a closet can offer! This would completely eliminate our corner desk which is a current complete waste of space (in my opinion). Next, we would like to save some pennies & purchase a wall-mount TV for that room. Nothing super-duper fancy - but this would allow us to get-rid of the big TV (it's old, but works) that currently resides on super-son's old play table. We could then shift my hope chest underneath the TV. (In the pictures, this would be the wall to the left (it has the TV/table & closet). This would free up approximately one side of the room -- sorry, but the treadmill & bike are staying for now (we don't have a basement, so this is as good as it gets). I'd love to find a chair&a half with a pull-out bed -- this would make for a great lounge space & in the event someone needed to sleepover -- we'd have room! The other addition on the wish list (and probably the most likely to happen soon) is a ceiling fan. I like this one & one in white for super-son's room.

I know it's hard to visualize what I'm talking about without good pictures -- I really need to get better at posting pics! Anyone, that's my dreamin' for another room. One day, we'll actually be able to make progress on our projects. Just takes patience and money :)

What are you working on this weekend?

Weekend To-Do's...

The verdict is still out on what we will do this weekend, so I figured it was worth making a to-do list either way... hehe!

Beach

1. Relax


2. Soak up some rays.


3. Read a good book.


4. Grill Out


5. Repeat starting at Step #1.

Home

1. Declutter spare bedroom.


2. Pick out ceiling fans for super-son's bedroom & spare bedroom.


3. Get paint sample for kitchen. Right now, I'm leaning toward Jekyll Grand Dining Sea Mist by Valspar.


4. Dare I attempt to start scraping the popcorn ceiling in the kitchen/dining area??


5. Invite some friends over for a cookout!

What are your weekend plans?

Busy week...

Photo is a "sneak peak" from our session on Saturday night! LOVE it. She's an awesome photographer!!!

It's been a busy week... Superson has EOG's (don't even get me started on that soapbox)... summer school session has started for me and I'm taking two classes (woohoo -positive thinking y'all) and it's just that crazy busy time of year for me at work. Thank the good Lord, super-husband is laid-back and doesn't demand much out of me! LOL But, hey - it's already Wednesday and we are cruising into a long weekend... lovin' the idea of that already.

I'm not sure what are weekend will entail... there have been mumblings of a beach trip which sounds like a fine idea to me... until I discover I do believe our dog is coming "in season"... sigh! I had considered boarding her (until THAT came up) and this really cool place that has opened in town. We've never taken her on a long road trip before (the beach is 5 hours for us)... so decisions, decisions! Not to mention, we have PLENTY of projects at home too!

Regardless of whether we stay or go -- I hope grilling out and a flag cake are on the menu! :) I found this awesome cake recipe earlier -- alot of work, but oh so cute! Personally, this Kraft one is still a favorite tho.

Summer Recipe Party

I'm linked up to the Summer Recipe party at Rhoda's place... Grab a glass of sweet tea and venture over for some delicious looking treats! I posted my "light" Pimento cheese recipe -- I had to y'all -- it's a southern thang. If you've never tried it on grilled burger -- DO!

What are you cooking up this summer?

Weekly Menu...

If you haven't tried weekly menu planning, I highly recommend it. Our evenings go so much smoother on the weeks, everything is ready to go! Here's this week...

Saturday - We had family pictures made, so we grab a bite to eat afterwards at K&W. :)
Sunday - grilled hot dogs, chips and homemade brownie sundaes
Monday - salmon patties, mashed potatoes, sweet peas
Tuesday - Sour Cream Noodle Bake
Wednesday - Chicken Pie, green beans, corn on the cob
Thursday - slow cooker Asian Chicken and mixed veggies with brown rice
Friday - leftovers or sandwiches

What are you having this week?