Newest Addition...

...to my scraproom.....cabinets :) When I saw Cindy's room on Two Peas, I immediately fell in LOVE with her cabinets & knew that was the answer to my storage problems! I was so tired of my plastic storage & my 2 brown desks, especially since I was trying to keep a white & black theme in my room. I had been stalking Craigslist hoping to find some black or white desks on there with no luck, Then I even thought about moving our kitchen island into my scraproom, but Jim talked me out of that....for now. That is, until he gets his new kitchen cabinets that he fell in love with at Home Depot (sorry, babe, but the deck comes first!) :) So anyway, like I said, as soon as I saw the cabinets Cindy had, I decided to take the plunge (getting an income tax refund helped with that, lol). Here are the first cabinets we bought:

I say first because after I got them set up, I realized 1: how much of a pain it was to access the cabinet doors near the corner of the wall & 2: I NEEDED MORE DRAWERS!!! The storage in the door cabinets just wasn't cutting it, especially since the shelves weren't as deep as the cabinets. I even tried doing the pull-out shelves, but nope, that didn't really help either. So back to Home Depot we went to exchange the 2 big cabinets for these:

2 more of the 18" drawer cabinets & 2 12" base cabinets. Yep, that was exactly what I needed...more drawers...especially since I was replacing 7 Iris drawer plastic units. Then came the countertop.....I originally wanted to get granite & found an awesome price on a slab at Menards ($299) & it would have fit perfectly, but since I ended up spending more going this way on the cabinets, I decided that the granite was out.....for now, anyway. My sweet hubs told me that when we replace the kitchen cabinets & countertops, I can get my granite then :) I went with a $44.00 formica pre-made countertop at Menards in a color called "Gold Flake Granite"....hey, it has Granite in the name at least, lol. Once we set it in place on top of the cabinets, we realized we were about 1/2" too long & it was hitting the doorway, so a friend of ours came up with the idea to add a 1X4X8 to the back wall, push the countertop up against that & then add a piece of quarter round molding to the top to take away the gap in between the wall & the countertop. Also, if you look closely, I removed all of my hanging embellishments from my 'home-made' Clip-It-Up & will be taking it down since they would have been hanging too close to the top of the countertop, therefore, I wouldn't be able to put anything on top of the countertop.

Then the finishing step....adding the drawer pulls & knobs (I also copied this from Cindy :) ). At first, I was thinking about doing black ones, but when I saw how good these ones looked on Cindy's cabinets, I knew I had to get the same ones.....it took 3 trips to 3 different Home Depot stores to finally find them (next time, I need to remind myself to look for them online first to see which stores carry them before driving all over the place!). The cabinets aren't completely finished yet....tonight, we have to cut a hole into the top of the countertop & the back of the one cabinet to access an electrical plug & run a surge protector so I can plug in my Cricut & get some lighting hooked up....we thought about adding outlets above the countertop, but then I changed my mind because I really don't want to have cords all over the top of the countertop. Then it's just a matter of attaching the countertop to the cabinets & attaching the toe kick. I already have all the drawers filled. I will post pics of how I organized them all in my next blog post.

Until then, have a great weekend,
Benita

Finally.....the long awaited reveal....

....of my new craft room. When we first purchased this home, I couldn't decide exactly where I wanted my craft room to be....at first, it was in the 4th bedroom upstairs, but I realized I would hardly ever use it, being that far away from everything that goes on downstairs....and I didn't use it once! Soooo.....I decided that if I was ever going to scrapbook again, it needed to be moved downstairs & that's exactly what I did. I moved it into the room that we never really figured out what it's supposed to be.....a formal dining room? A formal living room? I guess it could be either, but since we're not 'formal' people, it became my craft room :) And I just love the fact that it has 2 doors in which to enter it through....one near the front entryway of the home (seen below with the glass door) and one off of the kitchen. It's so nice to be able to close the doors so you can't see the mess & the dogs can't go in there & get dog hair all over the place!

The entrance.

My antique window that I altered to look like a scrapbook page....I have this hanging on the wall in between the entrance to my craft room & the front door.

Welcome to my craft room :) This is what you see when you first enter the room.

Right as you enter the room, I have an Expedit bookcase laying on it's side underneath the one window which holds my stereo, my antique typewriter & lots of other decorations. I purchased the draperies from Target about a year ago.

In the corner, between the 2 windows (one thing I LOVE about this room....it gets LOTS of natural light!) I have a black storage cabinet that I picked up at a thrift store really cheap ($15.00) that was handmade along with some Michaels storage cubes & some boxes that I got at Hobby Lobby a while back. The pictures on the walls are mostly of my sister, Karen. The Spider Plant is no longer in this room....it was just there temporarily until I could figure out where to put it.

In front of the second window is a desk that belongs to Jim.....it was a gift from his Mom back in high school. Originally, it was unfinished pine, but this past summer, I finally got around to painting it. I really like how it turned out & it's actually getting used now (instead of sitting in the garage collecting dust!). I'm still debating whether or not I want to change out the handles on it.

These are the shelves above my main work desk area which hold all my jars of Prima flowers, some baskets with stamps, etc., some antiques & my homemade clip-it-up hangs underneath the bottom shelf. Eventually, I will be adding shelves to the side wall as well as a tv somewhere.

This is the wall in between the 2 doorways where I have 2 Expedit bookcases....a 8 cube one (like in the other picture) standing vertically as well as a 16 cube one.

The 16 cube Expedit holds all of my albums along with some magazine holders, jars & nick-nacks. The baskets in the bottom row hold lace, loose ribbons, etc.

The 8 cube Expedit stores all of my 12X12 papers, both pattern & cardstock, in Cropper Hopper paper holders that I have turned on their backs. I didn't want to cut the tops off of them & actually like it this way better because I can access the paper easily....you don't have to pull the paper holders out since the paper faces outwards.

Above my Expedits is my Mom's memorial board that I made for her funeral & framed into 3 frames. I had the hardest time trying to decide exactly where I wanted to hang this when we bought this house, but then when I put my craft room together, I knew it had to go in here & it fits perfectly above the bookcases! My Mom has always been my inspiration to scrapbook & although I did take about a 2 year break from it when she passed away, I am finally getting back into it & enjoying it, once again.

Well, there you have it....my new space. If you have any questions, I'll gladly answer them. Thanks for taking a tour of my new room & have a great day :)

Benita

Happy Love Day

Today is Valentine's Day....a day for lovers, aka another reason to go broke buying overpriced flowers that die within a few days; another reason to gain weight getting chocolates from your sweetie.....I think you get the idea. I told my hubby a month ago that I didn't want chocolates or flowers for those very reasons & this time, he actually listened :) He got me the most romantic card (sorry, but I'm not sharing what he wrote inside ;) ), along with a 'blooming' paper flower and these:

(He went to Jared, lol)
2 new charms for my Pandora bracelet....the newest Breast Cancer one & a heart cut-out one. Can I just say that....I LOVE THEM BOTH!!! He really hit the nail on the head this time :) Although I think our sales lady at Jared probably helped him out in picking them, lol. Either way, it doesn't matter.....I'm so blessed & lucky to have the best Valentine in the world.....my husband of 22+ years, whom I love with all my heart & soul! Today, we are going to see a matinee movie & then go out to dinner afterwards & then.....who knows ;)

Happy Valentine's Day!
Benita

P.S. I honestly do have plans to start updating my blog more often.....I just started working on my version of Project Life about 2 weeks ago, so I need to take pictures & post them. Hope my faithful blog readers haven't given up on me :)

Happy 2012!

Today is a new day to another new year....2012! This year will be a year that I embark on a lot of new memories.....and hoping that a lot of those memories will involve this little girl:

I am so grateful that I am finally getting a chance to spend some time with my granddaughter again! She truly is a blessing to me!

2012 will also include some milestones.....for one, I'll be turning the BIG 5-0 this year! I'm still not sure how I feel about that number yet. But I'm determined to continue on my weight loss journey & lose at least 50 pounds by the time I hit 50! I figure I have a little over 9 months to do it & it's an attainable goal. After all the food/jello shots/pudding shots I had last night at our party, it made me realize that I need to change....and I need to change starting TODAY!

2012 is also going to be the year that I get more organized & that is going to start today! Our basement is a complete mess ever since we put up the Christmas decorations, so today & tomorrow is "decoration take-down day"....that is, after the Lions football game is over :)

Speaking of the Lions.....Jim & I had an absolutely FANTASTIC time at the casino/hotel & the game on Christmas Eve....his words summed it up perfectly: "it was the BEST anniversary present ever!" And now I think he has me completely addicted to watching the Lions...ssshhh.....don't tell him, though :)

Hats off to 2011 & bring on 2012! Happy New Year!!

Benita

22 Years Of Wedded Bliss

(note: I wrote this earlier & set it up to post on the 24th)

Today, Christmas Eve, Jim & I are off celebrating our 22nd anniversary at Greektown Casino & Hotel in Detroit & then we're going to the Detroit Lions vs. San Diego Chargers game. Finally.....after 22 years of wedded bliss, we are actually doing something together on our anniversary! :)

We reserved the hotel for Friday night instead of Saturday so we could be home with our kids on Christmas Eve after the game. On Christmas Day, we will wake up & watch our kids open their presents, go see our granddaughter & watch her open the presents we got for her, then come home & make dinner & afterwards, we're going to some friends to play cards. It's going to be a very LONG, but fun Christmas weekend :)

Wishing you all the best for this wonderful holiday season!
May you & your families have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Love,
Benita

What A WONDERFUL Night!

And this beautiful, little girl is why it was a WONDERFUL night! After not being able to see this gorgeous granddaughter of mine for over 2 years (Thanksgiving 2009 was the last time I got to see her), I couldn't have asked for a better early Christmas gift!

I am so thankful that God brought this little girl into my life!

Although she isn't very little anymore.....she has gotten SO tall! Definitely takes after her Daddy there!

I have been having dreams about this night for the past week & right now, I am on cloud 9 :)

And if everything goes as planned, I will hopefully be able to see her again on Christmas Day :) And this time, I will definitely make sure my memory card is in my camera (hence the fuzzy cellphone pictures :( )!!!

Blessings,
Benita

Miss You Mom!

Remembering my Mom, today & always!
12-28-32 ~ 12-7-09

And missing her more than ever!

6 Months

I can't believe that 6 months ago today, we closed on our new home! Wow, how time flies when you're having fun.....or should I say, doing repairs, painting, gardening, replacing fixtures, etc., etc., etc. The never-ending joys of home ownership! But every single day, I am thankful for owning this home......every single day! We looked for MONTHS until we found the perfect home for us.....and luckily, we had an amazing realtor that never gave up on us! She was there for us all the way & we've now become close friends. The above picture was taken the day we looked at the home & put our offer in on it. Notice where the for sale sign is.....we have since planted a Magnolia tree in it's place as a way to 'mark' where our sign was :)

And here is what our home sweet home looks like now (after a rainstorm). We've taken out the two bushes along the garage near the front sidewalk as well as the little pine bush, currently working on bringing the grass back to life (we've been told that the previous owners never watered it last year), added a bunch of angel figurines, hanging baskets, some rose bushes, fixed the fountain, installed a storm door, replaced 3 light fixtures (front porch & by the garage), resurfaced the blacktop driveway & put our rocking chairs on the front porch.....and that's just what we've done to the outside! The inside is a whole nother story (see previous post about all the painting we've been doing)! And in case you're wondering, yes, Jim & I do use the rocking chairs quite often in the evening, sitting out there relaxing, listening to the birds, frogs & crickets & just enjoying our new home :) I can honestly say that with the 3 homes we've owned in the last 20 years, this one is by far my favorite of the three! We both absolutely love our home & our neighborhood & realize just how blessed we are to be here! It truly is our Home Sweet Home! And I told Jim that he's going to have to bury me in the backyard cause I'm NOT moving again :)

Truly feeling blessed,
Benita

Buh-Bye Boring White Walls!

After living in our new home for the past 5 months, we finally added some color to it! I just couldn't take the white walls any longer.....the kitchen was white, the family room was white, the entryway was white.....everywhere you looked, white, white, WHITE! I felt like I was living in an apartment! But I gotta say, I am glad that the bank had the walls painted before we bought the house because from what we've heard, it was almost all blue.....navy blue! They also replaced all of the carpeting, which was also blue & there was wallpaper in the kitchen (see first before picture), which they removed, thank goodness! We had the kitchen painted first & here is what it looked like before (pictures were taken before we purchased the house):

And what it looks like now.....color is called Hazy Sage & I really like it, although now, we need new countertops cause the greyish/blue now looks too blue, but that's gonna be a while until we replace them:

Next was the 2 story entryway which took 2 days to get it all done along with the hallway upstairs & the entry area to the garage & laundry room. Here is the before of the entryway:

And the after.....this color is called Mushroom Bisque & I absolutely LOVE IT! Sometimes I just stand in the entryway & stare at it :) It matches really good with the carpet & my 2 Thomas Kinkade pictures:

You can see the hallway that leads out to the garage in this picture which I had painted the same color.

I was so scared when Woody (our friend that did all the painting for us & at a VERY reasonable price, I might add) did the part around the steps. He had a 2X12 board going from the steps to a ladder then an extension ladder on the board. Rose, his wife, and I had to leave & went garage sale shopping so we wouldn't have to watch! Luckily, Jim was here to help him out that day.

And lastly (for now), the family room. Here is the before (picture taken before we purchased the house):

And the after.....this color is called Fortune Cookie.....cute name, huh? :)

Woody just did this room yesterday & I truly love it! Before, the fireplace got almost lost in the white walls....now, it just pops out! And the color is almost an exact match to my curtains. Last night, Jim, Shawn & I went to the Tigers game, so we had to leave the room completely torn apart to let the paint dry, but when we got home, Shawn & I put everything back in order because I just couldn't go to bed until it was done. I have been looking all over for this ceiling fan as Rose & Woody have one exactly like it & I've always loved it, so one day, I was searching craigslist & stumbled upon it for.....$50.00! This fan retails for $250, so I'm very happy with that price :)

Next up.....the master bedroom, hopefully next week. This gives you a hint of what the color(s) will be :)

Until then, have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend & stay safe! Jim & I are heading up north for a one-night getaway.....he deserves it after all the hard work & long hours he's been working!

Benita

Happy Easter

Hope you have a wonderful & happy Easter!

Benita