Painting the Deck {Opening a can of worms}

You know how when  you have a project to do, and every intention of starting AND finishing the project, other things somehow pop up that you have to get finished too. Ok, finished isn't the right word. Started is the right word for sure. Because let me assure you, nothing is finished. I came to this realization when I had a play group here the other day and found myself saying "yeah, that isn't done" more times than I care to count.

After writing my last post, I had every intention of starting and finishing refreshing/repainting/re-everything the deck. And I started. But I have to do everything during naptime, and by the time I got to having to move the grill and the picnic table, well, time was up. And then the next day it rained. And it has rained a drop or two most days since then, or, I haven't found time to do it.

 

If you look out this window it look finished!

 Why didn't I find time (my husband asks constantly because he is tired of looking at umpteen unfinished projects that have similar stories)? Well, you see...it's because I started another one when I couldn't finish the first one. I decided it would be a good time to spray paint a thrifted chandelier that I have big plans for.

And then a baby woke up.  

So, then the bathroom cabinet in the kids/guest bathroom was really looking dinged up I thought to myself. So I started just the end of the cabinet.

See that paint can "hiding" down by the toilet hoping no one will notice it? Geez-hello super terrible picture!

 And then a baby woke up.

Even before I decided the deck needed work (I blame the nice weather!) I finally had it with my disaster of a closet. Disaster isn't the right word. I blamed the horrible wire racks the builder put in. 

 

And then...well, the baby got sick. 

You see the pattern, right? I could probably count about 8 more of these with my eyes closed. 

 So, if you find yourself thinking, how does one get all of these things done with 4 littles, I don't know. Because I don't get them done either. In between laundry, vacuuming, meals, and many multiple etc's., I find just enough time to begin something. And that's it.

But you know what? I would rather start something (and eventually find the time to finish it)  than never start it at all, waiting for the perfect opportunity, the perfect idea, the perfect whatever.  

And just because the baby went to sleep, I ran up and actually finished a project! I KNOW!!! Ok, actually, it still needs a couple things. 

Dang.

xo-Chris

 

  

{Pretty} Pantry Organization

I know I haven't shown a final picture of the kitchen yet...it's ready. It's just been so busy around here with kids getting ready to go back to school and everything else, that I took a mini-break and figured I would get to it (and everything else I have planned) when they get back to school (TOMORROW!!). 

Along with school starting comes grocery shopping for school lunches. Along with school lunches comes packages, boxes, snacks...it all gets crammed in the pantry. Empty boxes get left. Crumbs get spilled. Packages get ripped open and left for the package fairy to come and take care of (has anyone seen her? She stopped coming around here). 

A dirty secret hides behind this door that I've made pretty to hide the UGLY truth. 

It goes something like this. Once a year I completely re-organize this space and make it useable and functional and usually not so pretty. But it works. The grand finale at the end of summer/beginning of fall looks like this...

Does yours look the same? It is so hard with a family to keep it functional, organized and pretty. Ok, we never even got pretty before. But at least it was CLEAN. Don't call the authorities on me just yet. 

While at Lowes checking out their clearance plants (don't you LOVE this time of year!!) I spotted this.

It's a Spanish Tile pattern on a "greige" background. It's SO pretty and mimics the handpainted stencil that Emily over at Jone's Design Company created. But I'm 5 months pregnant. And I really didn't want to cram myself into the small pantry and stencil, then paint, the walls. 

It's pre-pasted. But I have a bucket of paste and find it easier to slap the paste onto the wall and then put the paper up. 

Today...I want to hide in here until school starts. I cannot take another argument over Play-Doh. 

The red canvas bins weren't my first choice. But there weren't many good budget choices and I didn't want to spend $200 making the pantry functional. So these were around $5 each from Walmart. I thought the red worked since the EAT sign is red. 

 I may or may not have drilled a hole into the wall to allow the cord from the ugly toaster oven to be plugged in behind the refrigerator. Shhh. It never has to leave the pantry again. Can I get a BOO-YAH?

  

I shopped the house for these baskets because I didn't feel like spending $20 a basket at the store. The dark brown rectangles are from Big Lots (used to be in the Laundry Room) and the rattan one with handles is from Ikea. I've had it forever to hold magazines...which reminds me...I need a new place for the magazines.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The wallpaper is amazing. I would like all of my bins/baskets to match and for everything to be magazine worthy. But that's just silly (I keep telling myself). 

Should we do a cost breakdown?
Wallpaper- Lowe's, ~$26
Red Canvas Totes-Walmart, $5 each for the small, $6 each for the small = $42
Everything else I had...grand total $68! 

I'll be back soon...

xo-Chris 

Linking up to: 
The Shabby Creek Cottage 
Embracing Change 
The 36th Avenue 
Southern Savvy Style 
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Beyond the Picket Fence 
The Shabby Nest 
French Country Cottage 
504 Main- Tickled Pink Party 
Tatertots and Jello 
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia