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Dawn: Posted on Friday, March 30, 2012 9:28 PM
Our days here at ~ No. 9257 ~ are split between activities with our young (and very social) teenager and fun filled Wednesdays with our grandson.  This past week, I found myself at the store on two separate occasions...once to purchase a potty seat and new undies for Nana D's house... and again to buy some  acne cream for the teen! Yes, it's that time...for both of them. On top of all of that, the hubby decided that he was going to start the "learning to drive" process with our teen... *SIGH* WOW...talk about living in 2 totally different worlds! I am not sure what is worse... potty training an energetic two year old or teaching a teen to drive! YIKES =/ Because the little one is about the be a big brother, the time as come to begin to encourage him to use the big boy potty...6 weeks until the new little bundle of joy arrives at the home on No. 8030, my oldest son and daughter-in-love's cozy and sweet abode. (View the little one's nursery here.) So, at last...I was ready to introduce little Caden to Nana D's Potty Training Boot Camp (I borrowed this title from the bestie, as she is also training her youngest. She texted me a S.O.S. message about how her boot camp was going...which she discouragingly wrote "MISERY"! Poor thing!) Here is what I used in my approach with him... * a new Elmo potty seat * new Cars & Thomas the Train big boy underwear * much needed reward treats which were housed in a cute jar for the guest bathroom. Check it out... And so, the training began...  Caden wasn't quite sure what to think and wanted to take his Elmo potty everywhere he went, to which Nana replied, "NO"! Ha Ha He soon got the hang of the whole running (very quickly) to "sit on Elmo"...he never quite made it in time, but he sure enjoyed his 2 m&ms for trying. Needless to say, it was a good thing that we bought 2 packs of undies...14 in all. He tried on at least 9 pair of freshly purchased undies within an afternoon's timespan. Remember...this was Day 1 of boot camp! Whew...and it was kicking this Nana's booty!!!  Ok, so that was a hard afternoon. Maybe I will have better luck in teaching our teen the 4 steps in the face washing process... (Tip...label each bottle or tube with a Sharpie marker ~ #1, #2, #3, #4. Just makes life easier! No more searching and trying to figure out which to use in what order.) So far, so good with this one! Our teen has even decided that maybe he should shower twice daily in order to keep the zits away...heavenly idea!!! LOL Our day ended with the family enjoying great convo over a new Pinterest recipe... How utterly sweet to walk out and catch these two enjoying the back porch swing together while waiting on dinner to finish cooking... Ooooh...we heard the ice cream truck rounding the corner in the neighborhood...sounded like a great dessert plan to me! Thanks Poppa for treating us... And there you have it! A day in the life of our family. Sweetness! Inspired, Dawn |
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Dawn: Posted on Thursday, March 29, 2012 12:49 PM
Hippity Hoppity...Easter is on it's way! That means...we are busting out the spring decor here at ~ No. 9257 ~ I found this cute little wire bunny at a local flea market for $2 and couldn't resist bringing her home. Because I live with a house full of guys, I am always looking for ways to play with some ribbon. This was the perfect opportunity to dress something up. =) This is what the inexpensive bunny once looked... My original plan was to spray paint the bunny black, and while I may decide to do that still, time just didn't allow on this spring day. I was eager to get the decor out of the attic and in the house to spruce things up around here. So...I opted for a single piece of ribbon (left over from another project) and tied it around the neck for a sweet, but contrasting look. Take a peek... Here is a pic of the guest bathroom where she sits...notice the sneaky Elmo bath toy that is peering around the shower curtain! It's a simple reminder of that precious little grandson of ours. My basket of eggs needed a touch of fun ribbon too... Another shot of the tiny space...  The picture above the bunny is a pencil sketch of "Tara Plantation" done by a very talented Arkansas artist. I actually picked the framed print up at a flea market because it reminded me of my bestie...Tara. I paid far less than what just the printed sketches go for. Lucky me! The room is also filled with other decor that reminds me of our childhood days of play and laughter... like this little flea market find... Be inspired to think outside the box...I used this metal magazine holder to house my tp for guests. That way, the guests don't have to dig around in a cabinet for more paper...it's easily found. The little stool was once used at my in-laws home for the grandkids, but she passed it down to me once it was no longer needed at their home. Now, it provides a helping hand to our little grandson when he visits. Again...using an item in a non-traditional way...this planter was the residence for a potted plant at one time. Now, it offers our visitors a magazine to read. =) A closer look... (The framed pic is my beloved bestie on her wedding day. That handsome boy giving her a kiss is my oldest son when he was a pre-teen. Precious memory!) I topped things off with a hand towel that says "celebrate" and that is just what I encourage you to do... ...Celebrate the risen Savior this Easter holiday. Hope you enjoyed the guest bathroom tour. Someday, may you... Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest! LOL Inspired, Dawn |
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Dawn: Posted on Friday, March 23, 2012 7:42 PM
Recently, I was inspired to clean out a cabinet at ~ No. 9257 ~ ...again...imagine that! I found an extra trash bin that I wanted to use in the grandkids room, but it was (oh so) plain. Sometimes I long for the calming, clean lines and not so busy look, but in this room I was going for color. So, my project for the day was to turn this boring white trash can into something a tad more cheery. Here is what I started with... The B was cut using my Cricut. I had several of them on hand too and was happy to find a purpose for one of the monogram letters. Next, it was time for colorful POLKA DOTS! I used the circle dabbers and craft paint for these... Then it was time to bring out the Mod Podge!  I glued the monogram B to the center...but after looking at it I just wasn't satisfied! =( It sorta looked like it just threw up polka dots everywhere! Ha!The polka dots were too small and I wanted some that were larger...scrapbook paper and my circle puncher helped me out.  I also jazzed it up by adding ball fringe to the top... Hmmm...Hmmm...Hmmm? What else to do to it? I still thought it needed another touch of something. So, out came my black paint again to distress it a bit. Oooops! Got a little carried away with the distressing technique! The top looked "messy"... Never fear...mistakes don't scare me! I pulled out the nail polish remover to take the paint off. And this is how it looks with the other room decor... It's too cute to put trash in now... =) Inspired, Dawn |
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Dawn: Posted on Thursday, March 15, 2012 6:46 PM
Coming Soon... Wait 'til you see this "Before" and "After" project using $1 tubs from the Dollar Tree. Inspired, Dawn |
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Dawn: Posted on Sunday, March 11, 2012 7:56 PM
 I am thrilled to share this project with you all...probably because it is a testimony to perseverance here at...~ No. 9257 ~ Remember, Grand baby #2 will be here soon and it was time for his big brother to transition to a new big boy room. Check it out...here and here! Initially, I suggested that the daughter-in-love put these spice racks up to hold the wall of books. This inspiration pic comes from Jen at Iheartorganizing.com. She used the spice racks (freshly painted a bright red) for storing books in her boys' bedroom... HOW CUTE ARE THEY???  However, we live in an area where there is no IKEA :( I know! How can that be??? And the spice racks were not available online...in store only. So, we were off in search of plan B... In the wee hours of the morning (when sleeping seems to be a luxury for me), I stumbled upon a Pinterest pic that immediately caught my eye...it would be PERFECT for little Caden's new big boy bedroom. The project involved using gutters as book shelving. Who would have thought?!? So thankful for the creative minds of others! :) Within days, my son and daughter-in-love were off to Lowe's to grab a few gutters...costing around $30. They cut them down to 2 foot sections and then they were ready for a colorful paint job. This is where the perseverance came in...it took MANY coats of paint (and a few different kinds of brushes) to truly cover the white gutters. Thankfully, we had some paint on hand from a recently painted loft area here at ~ No. 9257 ~... My daughter-in-love started the paint job... ...but wasn't really satisfied with the progress, so I took them over to relieve her frustration. Indeed...it was quite a task to get these suckers looking red! But here is how it progressed... Here you can see that I used a coordinating brown color (again on hand from a previous project). This color added a little depth to the inside of the gutters. It also helped to disguise the coverage of the paint. While the last coat of paint dried, I was off to the laptop to create a monogram for 2 of the gutters... Then...the Cricut got some use... Mod Podge was used to glue the scrapbook Cricut cut letters and monograms on. Then an overall couple of coats was applied to the gutters for protection... Finally, the gutters were installed on the walls using gutter clips for support...cute, eh? :) Enjoy your adventures in reading, Caden ! Inspired, Dawn |
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Dawn: Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2012 9:44 AM
Yesterday was project day here at ~ No. 9257 ~ My little helper and I headed out to collect a few supplies for a creation that was requested a few days ago. Here is the inspiration piece that I was working from... The sweet grandson was in tow and I wasn't sure what to expect of our adventure to Michaels craft store. He's still a bit unpredictable, as most 2 year olds are! Thankfully, we made it out of the store with only what was on our list and no fits...whew! As a treat, Wendy's french fries was our next stop before our project could be started =) Our toddler didn't even make it back to Nana D's before his nap began, so I had a few minutes of project time alone...invaluable, precious moments! LOL Here are a few of the supplies that I used... You will also need: picture frame foam paint brush & foam circle paint dabber Mod Podge scrapbook paper for letters & E-6000 glue or hot glue gun Last week, I found an unfinished wooden frame, however...the opening was a 5x7 instead of 4x6 AND it didn't have glass or a stand . So, plan B was to purchase an inexpensive frame and just repaint it. Wal-Mart doesn't have a huge selection, but they happen to have had a frame for $3.88 that was the size I was going for. It needed to be painted anyway, so I didn't feel bad covering up the design that was originally printed on the frame. I had prepped my frame the day before, so the paint was dry and ready for something pretty... So, that brings us to this... And then this... Add some interesting detail... Using my Cricut, I cut out letters for two separate frames and Mod Podged them on... Now, for the fun embellishments! For these particular frames, I used feathers ($2 for a bag), ribbon (I found these at Wal-Mart for $3 each and will be able to make several bows out of each spool) and jewels ($2 for a bag of 12+ at Michaels.) I used E-6000 glue to adhere everything, but you can certainly use a hot glue gun as well. It's finished off with my "Handmade" info...DB Decor =) Somehow, I think the messy red unprofessional look on the back of the frame balances the cuteness of the front of the frame...Kidding! Looks like a "Hot Mess!" These labels were printed from www.vistaprint.com, which does make the project appear a tad more professional :) Don't worry...here's a tip for you! Use a nail polish remover felt pad to remove excess paint... Package it up and it's ready to go... Thanks for the challenge, Erica! Hope it inspires someone else as well... Now...back to playing with the little guy. When he calls "Nana" I just can't say no! Inspired, Dawn |
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Dawn: Posted on Sunday, March 04, 2012 7:42 PM
 Race Day has come and gone, and AGAIN I found myself on the side of the course, cheering on the runners instead of running a nice, smooth pace in the race myself...maybe someday... *sigh*!!  I must admit that watching the runners whizzing by, nearing the finish line, gave me a ounce of envy and regret...I was proud of their determination and drive to finish the race, all the while wishing I had been inspired to bust out there and race with them.  The fam was delighted to be there at the Little Rock 10K race in support of Poppa T...who was representing our household ~ No. 9257 ~ The "Fan Club"... (Look carefully and you will see our Daughter-in-Love and Grandbaby #2 hiding out in this pic!) Some of us waited more patiently than others... =) Until, FINALLY... we saw Poppa T cross the "Finish Line!" So very proud of him!!! Thanks, Poppa T, for being our greatest source of inspiration on this beautiful March day! Maybe eventually we will be running alongside you... hmmmm, but don't hold your breath! :) Inspired, Dawn |
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