Musical Decor

I wonder how long I could go without moving things around in my house. Not long, for sure. :) It's totally like playing musical chairs, except with decorative items. 

I've been moving things around in my kitchen again. (Surprise!) I originally had this cutting board in another spot to cover up an outlet, but moved it over here because I liked how it looked next to the stand mixer and jar of cupcake liners.

So, how am I covering up that other outlet now? Well, I discovered these canisters do a pretty good job. Isn't it kind of fun to play around with your decor? It's like playing house or something. :)

 I know a lot of you probably have this same rug from Target...

Judging from the amount of pics I see of this very rug on IG, Target has sold thousands of them. Anyway, I really do love this rug and it's held up great! I've noticed it is pretty stain resistant too. I've spilled a plethora of things on it including all kinds of makeup, blush, powder, mascara, etc. and it's all come out with just a white wash cloth and a little water. Just thought I'd share in case you're looking for a rug. It comes in lots of colors too. It's the "Threshold Fretwork rug." 

One more quick thing...I was so thrilled to have Home Depot share our DIY SUBWAY TILE BACKSPLASH on their Instagram account!

So neat to be featured by them! :) 

Well, I just finished cleaning my house and now you can find me right here with my coffee and kindle for the next little while...

I had such a busy week last week, and it's nice to have a slow, relaxing day.
That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by!

~Lisa

Around The House

This post is kind of a mish-mash of things. Do y'all have a regular morning routine? I definitely do. One of the first things I do after the sun comes up (yes, I'm up before the sun most days) is raise all the blinds so Holly Joaquin can see out the windows. Umm...did I ever tell you her middle name is "Joaquin?" Yep. :)

She'll remind me to open the blinds if I forget. She also likes me to move a bar stool in front of the back door so she can see out that window too. Spoiled much? 

I'm cracking up at her question mark shaped tail! Ha!

So, I discovered these "pour and bake" brownies the other day...

I got them free at HEB when I bought their coffee pods. Love those "buy this, get that free" promotions. Anyway, you literally just have to pour and bake. Like, you just spray a baking pan, rip open the pouch, pour the liquid mix into the pan and bake. You don't have to add anything or mix anything up. Oh, and there's no refrigeration required, so you can store the pouch in your pantry until you use it. Such a great item to keep on hand for a quick batch of brownies when someone stops by for a visit. I hear Trader Joe's has their own brand of pour and bake brownies too. Good stuff!

So, now on to smoothies. Do y'all make them? Now, keep in mind, I'm not talking about the ever popular kale-inspired recipes. I'm talking old school here. I used to make these all the time when the boys were little and just started making them again. Here's what I use...

Basically, I put a handful of frozen strawberries, a handful of frozen blueberries, a container of yogurt of your choice (I used raspberry here), about 3/4 cup of milk, and one banana in my blender and whirl it all up together. This will make enough for two smoothies.

It's so good and is pretty healthy too. I like knowing that in that glass, there's a banana, strawberries, blueberries, yogurt, and some milk. Not a bad breakfast or snack if you ask me. :) 

Y'all have a great weekend!

~Lisa

Master Bedroom

Hello! It's been a while since I've shared some pics of our master bedroom, so I thought I'd share a few today. 

I was tagged on IG the other day to share a pic of my nightstand, so I took this pic. In true blogger fashion, I first stepped out back to clip some flowers for that vase. :) 

Normally I don't have flowers in it because of Holly. She LOVES flowers. A little too much, if you ask me. Lol!

Here's a close up of the vase. I bought it on clearance at The Bombay Company many years ago...

Our bedroom has a lot of grey and white, but there are touches of blue here and there, like these prints from my grandmother...

This chair also has a little blue in it...

Here's a close up of the fabric...

I'm still loving my cotton stems from Michael's. I keep moving them around the house, but for this moment, they're on the armoire in my bedroom. I really need to invest in a few more when Michael's has them again in the fall. I love decorating with them. 

Here's a tiny change I made in the bathroom. I decided to corral all my makeup brushes into this IKEA knock off planter from the Target Dollar Spot. I think I bought six of these planters. You'll notice there is another one on the armoire in the pic above. They're scattered all over the house. :) 

I used to keep all my brushes in a drawer, but I was always scrounging around looking for the right one, and putting them all in one place just made sense. It's so much easier getting ready in the mornings now. 

Well, that's all for now. Hope y'all have a great day!

~Lisa

Wilton Sugar Sheets, Williams Sonoma Dish Towels, and $1 Starbucks Travel Cups

Hey, y'all! I'm back today to share a neat discovery. Have y'all heard of these edible Sugar Sheets for cake decorating?

How cute is that houndstooth?!

They're made by Wilton and come in a variety of solid colors and designs including this cute zebra one...

This screen shot kind of explains how to use them...

It's basically edible paper with a sweet taste that you can cut (or even use your punch) to cut out different shapes, then just place them on your cake! So easy and convenient! What a great way to fancy up a regular ol' birthday cake. :) You can find them in the cake decorating aisle at craft stores. 

Here's a pic I took at Joann's...

I also wanted to share my favorite dish towels with you. Not very exciting, I know. But these are by far the best ones I've ever had. They're from Williams Sonoma and it's $20 for a four pack. That's only $5 each! I've paid more than that at Walmart. Here's a pic of mine...

I tried to provide a link to them on the WS website, but it wasn't working. Here's a screen shot from my phone.

Anyway, I've had mine for over a year now and they've been washed at least once a week and have held up great! They're very absorbent, made of Turkish cotton, have a loop for hanging, and are a generous 30"x20"size. I always get the "dish TOWELS" instead of the "dish CLOTHS" because the towels are so much bigger. I think the cloths are only 15" square. 

They come in grey, black, red, navy, khaki (this is what mine are in the pic) and yellow.  

I also wanted to tell y'all about these Starbucks reusable travel cups. Lots of Starbucks locations have huge bins of these for only $1! I posted about them on IG and apparently people have been buying them up like crazy. :) You could even wrap it up with a Starbucks gift card and give it to a teacher or co-worker as a little pick me up. :) 

Here's a funny pic for you. I picked up Chick-fil-a for dinner the other night and wanted to make sure it arrived home safely, so...

Lol! I have not been into cooking lately. We've been picking up dinner more often than not. :)

My mom and aunt have a saying that every woman has a set amount of meals in her to cook and once you reach that number, it's over and you don't want to cook anymore. I think I reached that number. :)

Oh, one more thing. Here's an interesting read if you have a few minutes...

What I wish I had known before buying an older home

I've always loved older homes, but this perspective really makes you think before you buy. 

~Lisa

Spring Gardening and Favorite Sunscreen

Hi there! Have y'all started gardening yet? We spent a recent weekend fertilizing the grass, putting down Preen to prevent garden weeds, and planting Zinnia seeds. 

I know I've mentioned Preen before, but since it's almost summertime, I thought it deserved a repeat mention. Here's a pic so you know what I'm talking about...

You just sprinkle it on the mulch around your flowers and it prevents any weeds from coming up for 4 months! Now, you do have to pull the existing weeds first, but other than that, you just sprinkle it on and lightly water it in and that's it!

Be sure to keep the Preen off the grass though. It'll kill grass. Also, try not to disturb the flower beds after you apply it. If the area gets disturbed frequently (from walking on the mulch, digging, etc.) it won't work as well. 

Anyway, I've been using it for years and I really don't have to pull weeds. Love this stuff! It's about $15 at Home Depot or Walmart. I'm sure you can get it on Amazon too. 

Like I said, we also planted some Zinnia seeds. I had three pouches of seeds in my cart before I noticed some of them had a little pic of a flower pot with a check mark on it. I assume that means they'll do well in pots and since I'm only planting them in pots, I had to switch a couple out for the checked kind. :) 

Are you ready for the pretty pic of what my flower pots look like right now???

Hee hee! I usually don't have the patience for seeds, but last year I had some Zinnias, and after the flowers bloomed, I sprinkled the dried, spent flowers (which contained the seeds) into a pot filled with soil and was really surprised at how quickly they grew. In just a couple of weeks I had pretty good sized plants. I'll try to keep you posted on these. 

I will say that I was really disappointed in the amount of seeds per packet. Most only contained about 6-7 seeds. What's up with that?

Here are a few more pics from around the backyard...

The bottle brush tree is beginning to bloom and the plumbago in front of it is going to be covered in little blue flowers soon. 

I always look forward to this Saint Joseph Amaryllis blooming. It's proven to be very hardy and comes back every year like clockwork... 

A closer look at some roses and the red bottle brush blooms in the back. 

Speaking of spending time outside, I recently got some new sunscreen I wanted to share with you. Big surprise, it's Neutrogena brand! I promise y'all I'm not getting paid to endorse their products, I just really love them. :) 

The one complaint my family has about sunscreen is how their skin feels sticky after applying it. So, I did some research and kept coming back to this stuff. The "ultra sheer" Neutrogena is non-greasy and very light weight. It doesn't really feel like you have sunscreen on and it absorbs into the skin quickly. We usually start with the cream and then follow up with the spray every couple of hours. 

Here's another really good one we like...

This one is by Kiehl's. It's oil free, lightweight, fast drying, non-greasy, paraben free, and non-comedogenic. What else could you ask for in a sunscreen? :) 

Do you have a favorite sunscreen to share? I'd love to hear about it! Hope everyone has a great day and thanks so much for stopping by!

~Lisa

Covering Up Those Kitchen Outlets

Hello all! I've been rearranging things in my kitchen and had to come up with some new ways to cover up a few outlets. Y'all know how much I hate cords and outlets, right? Lol!

Here, I'm using the Keurig and my stand mixer to cover up two outlets. Actually, the Keurig is plugged into one, but the machine hides it. I just rolled up the cord for my mixer and stuffed it into the mixing bowl. 

The addition of those little cabinet feet still make me smile every time I see them. One of the best $6 purchases ever!

I just discovered how great cutting boards are at covering outlets! We use this one all the time, so I brought it out and propped it up in front of an outlet.

Over here, I'm using the planter with a faux boxwood ball to cover up an outlet.

And this sweet nest printable is covering up the outlet the lamp is plugged into. I was happy to bring out my nesting measuring cups again. I think I've had them stored away since I started decorating for all the holidays back in the fall. 

My diy boxwood wreath frame is covering up this outlet that never gets used. If you look closely, you can see the outlet behind it. 

And here's one I just can't do anything about...

I've tried to store our toaster in the cabinet, but my boys had a fit since they use it daily. Turns out they were right, so I pulled it back out. :) Speaking of the toaster, have y'all tried the limited edition Chocolate Toaster Strudel? So good!

And can I just say I'm still so thrilled with how our painted and stained kitchen table looks? I can't believe spray paint did such a good job! I'm so happy with the stain we chose for the table top too. 

What clever ways do you hide outlets and cords in your home?

~Lisa

Laundry Room Changes

So, I made a few changes in my laundry room. It all started when I replaced the little wooden box in my kitchen with this diy boxwood frame...

I've had the wooden box there since we moved in many years ago. Here's an old pic of it...

I bought it at Target about 15 years ago. It's got two drawers in the front for storage and I still like it, but it was time for a change. 

So, once I moved the boxwood frame in that spot, I had to find a new home for the wooden box.

I decided to put it in the laundry room. I'd been wanting to move things around in there anyway because for some weird reason, I've always kept the extra paper towels on the top shelf where everyone had to stand on their tippy toes to reach them. Why we lived like this for years is beyond me. Lol!

Here's an old pic of the laundry room...

I must have been out of paper towels when I took this pic, because they're normally stored on the top shelf, next to the soup tureen. I eventually moved the soup tureen to the dining room, but kept the paper towels way up on the top shelf. See how high we had to reach? Ridiculous. 

So, I moved them to the middle shelf where they're a lot easier to reach. I also moved the yellow wooden box to the bottom shelf and swapped a few accessories around...

Ahhh...so much easier to reach now!

I don't know if I've shared a close up pic of these prints before. I got them at Walmart years ago. I think the prints were $1 and the frames were $2. So inexpensive!

Here's two more. I hung them with some black and white checked ribbon. 

Here's a close up of my favorite one. Doesn't that looks like a lovely place to spend an afternoon curled up reading a good book? 

Hope you have a great day!

~Lisa