A Marathon and a Wedding {The Non-DIY Moments in My Life}

November 17, 2011 AT 1:13 am 23 Comments

November 17, 2011 By traci 23 Comments

I wanted to share with you a couple of things that have gone on in our family’s life that are not about our kitchen renovation or home addition.

Yes. I do have a life outside of DIY. Smile

The first thing I want to do is brag about my husband.

He ran and completed his very first marathon in Columbus, Ohio in October!

This is a big, big deal, and I am so very proud of him.

He hasn’t always been a runner. Basketball was his main sport, and he played it through college.

But he had a buddy, Chip, challenge him to pick up running almost two years ago, and he hasn’t stopped running since.

He’s like a different man. He has trained and trained and trained. Running is his passion now.

He has completed several half marathons, but his goal was to run a full marathon.

And he did it!

We had such a special trip as a family up to Columbus to cheer him on.

Here is a picture of the boys anxiously waiting their daddy’s arrival toward the finish line.

When we finally spotted him, the boys ran out into the road to cheer him on.

The race day atmosphere is like magic. Everyone is so positive and excited, and so many people are accomplishing a goal that they have worked so very hard for.

I was honored to be there and see it.

Here we are after the race, 26 miles later….

They boys were soooooo proud of their daddy!!!

Cy said the boys are what kept him going during the race. He knew they would be waiting for him at the finish line.

They were so worried about Cy after the race, and wanted to take good care of him.

They were so relieved to have daddy back. Smile

Adam (in the front) was still very worried about daddy’s legs.

It was a very, very special day.

I am so thankful that my boys have a daddy who shows them that they can achieve anything if they set a goal and stick to it.

He continually amazes me.

So you know I love it when I get a chance to spend time with just him.

Like this past Saturday, when we dropped the boys off at our neighbors’ house (she was expecting them Smile ) and went to my cousin, Kelly’s wedding.

The wedding was absolutely gorgeous, and so was Kelly!!! (Don’cha think we look like sisters?)

It was an evening wedding which explains why my pictures did not turn out very well.

I had to use my flash for the pictures to show up.

But I took just a few to share with you.

The cake was amazing!

Here I am with my precious Aunt Pat, the mother of the bride.

Aunt Pat is my mom’s younger sister, and she is soooo much like my mom. I love every minute I get to spend with her because it is the closest thing to being with Mom.

And I wanted to show you a picture of my beautiful sister in law.

Ande is my brother, Blake’s wife. I love her sooooo much!

I feel so blessed to have her as my sister.

Blake sure knew what he was doing when he married her!!!

I caught a picture of my precious sister, Cyndi, and her daughter, Courtney.

(Both of which have blogs, so click on their names if you want to check them out.)

There was a photo booth set up at the reception for guests to take pictures.

They had a bunch of props to choose from, so Cy and I picked ours out and had some fun!

Let’s just say my boys loved these pictures when I showed them to them.

I think they will get a kick out of these pictures 20 years from now.

So that’s it!

Just a little break from the kitchen renovation to show you what else I’ve been up to.

I’ll be back later with an update on our kitchen floors. I love they way they look so far!

Also, if you didn’t enter the Nest of Posies giveaway for a chance to win the bag of your choice, click HERE to do so.

We love our Nest of Posies bags!!!

Have a blessed day!

Share on Tumblr

Filed Under mama's boys 23 Comments

Y’all Are Gonna Die When You See What We’ve Done To Our Kitchen Now!

November 15, 2011 AT 11:20 pm 66 Comments

November 15, 2011 By traci 66 Comments

Oh my good golly, Y’all!

I was looking through the pictures that I was getting ready to upload into this post, and I couldn’t help but laugh at myself!

I seriously laughed out loud.

Ladies, I’ve got issues!

Can we just step back one more time and look at what my kitchen looked like just a few weeks ago?… (Remember I was just going to paint those brown cabinets white.)

And here we are today….

Are you laughing with me?

(or are you laughing AT me?)

It’s okay. I deserve it.

I just wanted to paint the cabinets white.

We have now ripped up all the brick linoleum (that I know y’all have been coveting), and we are getting ready to install hard wood flooring.

Which explains the big pile of wood planks on my fireplace…

Doesn’t my den look lovely?

All I can do now is laugh.

And cry a little.

I guess I am sort of doing a crying-laugh.

You know the laugh someone does right before they slowly slip off into insanity?

Yep. That’s the one.

But we will persevere!

We will not give up or give in!

I’m the one who created this mess, and I am going to fix it. (Well, actually my husband is going to fix it.)

I owe him big time.

I might not live this one down for quite sometime.

This “little” sprucing up of the kitchen will probably be brought up at the dinner table at many a family get-together. Smile

But it will be FABULOUS when it is done! (At least that is what I hope.) So taunt me all you want!

I wanted to thank you for following the madness. You are making this so much fun for me.

I love your comments. I love interacting with you through facebook and twitter.

Which reminds me….

if you do not follow me on twitter or facebook yet, you need to.

(Okay, maybe you don’t need to, but I would love it if you would.)

I’ve been posting updates and sneak peeks about my kitchen renovation on both facebook and twitter.

Like this tweet: Y’all aren’t gonna believe what we’ve done to our kitchen now! instagr.am/p/UVjQi/

And on facebook, my readers have been giving me great suggestions of paint colors for my kitchen.

So come join the fun!

Follow me on twitter HERE.

Follow me on facebook HERE.

Thank You!

Okay, here is another kitchen inspiration picture to keep us going….

mapleandmagnolia

Share on Tumblr

Filed Under New Kitchen Makover 66 Comments

I Love my Nest of Posies Bag! Here’s a Chance for YOU to Win One Too!!!

November 14, 2011 AT 11:27 pm

November 14, 2011 By traci

First of all, I wanted to tell you about a great little series that my friend, Beckie, from Infarrantly Creative is having.

If you need some pennywise Christmas presents, be sure to check out this series.

I am participating in the series this year, and you can see my post HERE.

Now to my post!

This year, I wanted to make sure I had a cute bag to take to Relevant.

Last year, I fell in love with Myra’s bag, from My Blessed Life. (But I love Myra more!)

It’s a burlap bag, y’all! How could I not love it?!!

So I contacted Kellie from Nest of Posies about having my own “Beneath My Heart” bag for Relevant.

I was thrilled when I got it in the mail! And I loved carrying my stuff in it at the conference.

Guess who else was sporting a Nest of Posies bag at Relevant?

Yup!

My buddy, Beth, from Home Stories A2Z.

Aren’t they adorable? (The bags, not us! You silly girls!)

One of the many things that Beth and I love about our bags is how big and roomy they are. You could carry a small child in these things. Smile

I love that Kelly was able to use the same font from my blog header and my blog colors for my fabric rosettes. This bag is ALL me!

(Click “read more” to enter this amazing giveaway!) [Read more...]

Share on Tumblr

Filed Under Sponsored, Uncategorized

I LOVE My New Pantry!!! {Painting Made Easy with Wagner Power Painter}

November 14, 2011 AT 8:41 am 39 Comments

November 14, 2011 By traci 39 Comments

This post is brought to you by One Project Closer.

Well, the pantry is finished!!

Mostly.

We still have to change the hinges and get some dummy knobs for the outside of the doors.

But that can be done later.

The MAIN thing is that it is finished “enough” to store my pantry food (and more) in it.

Thank goodness!

Having all of our food in Adam and Eli’s bedroom was not very convenient.

I am having a hard time getting used to having the food in the kitchen though. Tonight, I went into the boys’ room to get some syrup for our waffles. (Yes, we had waffles for dinner tonight.) Smile

I stood in the middle of their bedroom and thought, “Now, what did I come in here for?”

And then I remembered, “Oh yeah! The syrup! Which is now in our new pantry!”

Silly me.

This pantry has soooo much room! Yay!

I had to tell you about a new tool we have in our house that we l-o-v-e, LOVE!

It is the Wagner Power Painter (compliments of One Project Closer).

This was the perfect tool for painting our ceiling. It was amazing how smoothly it went on.

My husband kept shouting things like, “This thing is awesome!” and “Oh yeah, baby!” as he was painting.

That’s pretty cool when you are doing a project that usually makes you say things like, “$#%@%!@%&*!”

Cy said the best thing about this tool was the powerful motor. It made the paint come out strong and evenly.

There is a little bit of overspray, but not much. However, it was enough that we needed to cover our furniture with plastic, just to be safe.

Oh yes! It’s a glamorous life we lead here. Smile

I bet you are just pea green with envy looking at these pictures, aren’t ya?

The paint sprayer cut our work time in half. Literally!

And the finish it left on the wood was way better than a paint brush or roller. It is as smooth as a baby’s bottom!

We loved the Wagner Power Painter so much, we decided to use it inside or pantry too.

Can you say, “Glorious?!”

I usually hate painting shelves. It is a pain to get all the way in the corners and underneath.

Not a problem with our paint sprayer.

Cy had the inside of our pantry painted in just a couple minutes.

It was like instant gratification.

We let the paint dry and then gave it one more good coat.

Done.

Cy said the only negative about a paint sprayer is the clean up. It is not fun to make sure you get all the paint cleaned out of the spray nozzle. However, he said it was sooooo worth the clean up process in order to paint our ceiling and pantry so quickly and so professional-looking.

We are using our Wagner Power Painter on our lower cabinets too. I am so grateful that we have this tool.

We are planning on using it for many more projects in our home, especially when we paint the exterior of our home in the spring. (Y’all have probably been wondering when we are going to do that.) Smile

But for now, I am enjoying my beautiful newly painted pantry…

I haven’t organized the pantry. There is a bunch of stuff on the floor of the pantry and the top shelf that won’t be there once we get our kitchen completely finished.

And I still plan on adding a film to the window panes on the door so you will not be able to see in the pantry quite so easily.

So here is what we are up to today…

Cy is going to finish painting the lower cabinets when he gets home from work, and I am going to try and get the paint for the walls today. Picking a wall color makes me really nervous. Wish me luck!

I am also going to look at getting hardware for the cabinets.

Later this week, we will be ripping up the linoleum floor and installing hard wood!

Can’t wait to share it with you. Smile

BTW,

Would you like to save money on your

next home improvement project?

Here’s how:

Sign up to receive One Project Closer’s weekly home improvement coupons newsletter!

When you sign up, you’ll receive information about the best coupons from some of your favorite home improvement stores, like The Home Depot, Lowes, Sears and many more.

You will receive an update each Friday with verified, on-going discounts and promotions that can save you hundreds of dollars.

Click HERE to sign up.

Share on Tumblr

Filed Under New Home, New Kitchen Makover 39 Comments

Best DIY Highlights {and a glimpse at my new pantry!}

November 12, 2011 AT 12:20 pm 13 Comments

November 12, 2011 By traci 13 Comments

Wow! Y’all, I’ve been crazy busy!!!

This little kitchen renovation has taken over our house. I am thrilled with how it is turning out, though. I know it is going to be worth all of the chaos.

We are trying to get things done more quickly than usual because of the holidays coming up. I really don’t want to have to sit on my skill saw to eat my turkey dinners. Smile

I’ll show you a sneak peek of the pantry at the end of this post.

GREAT NEWS!!!

There is a Haven ticket up for grabs at Creative Kristi!

She is giving away a ticket to our Haven 2012 Conference in Atlanta, Georgia! And I want YOU to be there, so please drop over there right now and register to win!

Now, I am so excited to share with you some highlights from my Best DIY Projects of October linky party!

You guys rocked it!!

Jenny from One Day at a Time made this adorable burlap wreath! Y’all know you’ve “got me” if you make something from burlap!

Oh good golly! I love that wreath! Great job, Jenny!

Being Brook created this beautiful farmhouse desk and shows you how to age wood.

What a precious little spot to read and blog!

DeZeal, from Moorland Home, just re-did her stairs, and I think she did an amazing job!

I am soooo drawn to older homes, and especially older stairs in older homes. I am hoping to find an old newel post for the new stairs to our addition. I want the stairs to have an “older home” feel.

Thanks for the inspiration, DeZeal!

Heather, from Commonplace Beauty, used chalk paint to re-do this beautiful vintage cabinet!

I have not used chalk paint yet, but I am dying to. I will find a piece of furniture to use it on soon! Smile

Thank you for the inspiration, Heather!

You have got to stop by and say hello to Timmy the Time Out Turtle!

Ashley, from AtoBeing Creations, made this adorable little stool with a salvage store find and a coffee sack. That thing just makes me smile! Smile

Okay, this NYC Subway Sign Dresser from Lindauer Designs makes my heart skip a beat!

My boys would soooo love a dresser like this in their new rooms, especially my oldest. I just love it! I am going to have to keep this project in mind when decorating the boys’ rooms.

Beth, from Nashville Pug, shows you how to make Roman Shades using mini blinds.

I used this “trick” in the office of my last home, and it really is an easy way to get a very custom look. So go check it out!

Well, that’s it for now.

I am going to leave you with a sneak peek of our pantry!

I am beyond thrilled with having a place again to finally put my food!

The inside of the pantry is not organized the way I want it, but I will worry about that later. Smile

I am heading out today to find some new hinges and hardware for the pantry. (I don’t want the brass hinges.)

We should have the lower cabinets painted by the end of the weekend, and I will show you the progress soon!

Have a blessed day!

Share on Tumblr

Filed Under DIY projects, New Kitchen Makover 13 Comments

Paint and Putty

November 10, 2011 AT 10:10 pm 22 Comments

November 10, 2011 By traci 22 Comments

Well, yesterday was a day of painting.

That is not the fun part, but it has to be done.

My sweet daddy came over to help me.

I love any chance I get to spend with him. Even if it is painting a ceiling!

We had the country music up loud, and of course he bought me a coke from McDonald’s to keep me going. I love that man! Smile

We focused on putting a coat of paint on the ceiling and the pantry.

We only had about a half a day to work, so we did as much as we could.

I put the first coat of paint on the ceiling, and I already love it.

Unfortunately, the nail holes and natural wood holes show up once you paint it white.

So now we are filling in the holes with wood filler. Not a hard job…just tedious.

Here is the wood filler we used, and the paint I am using on the pantry doors. I will also be using this paint on the bottom cabinets when I paint them. (Hopefully soon!)

The pantry doors still need one more coat of paint…

Whew! We are getting there!

My husband is off work from the bank tomorrow, so our goal is to finish the pantry and the ceiling.

He is also going to make some cabinets for beside and above the stove.

(I’m going to share more about that in another post.)

I am also going to try and make a decision on what color I want to paint the walls.

I am going for a very light color on the walls. Maybe something with a hint of gray?

I love the color For the Love of a House has on her kitchen walls.

For the Love of a House

I also love just white walls. The are so bright and crisp.

houzz.com

Do you have any paint colors you think I should check out?

Any inspiration pictures you want to share?

I’ll have a conversation going on my Beneath My Heart facebook page if you would like to chime in!

Have a blessed day!

Share on Tumblr

Filed Under New Kitchen Makover 22 Comments

Crown Molding and Pantry Shelves

November 9, 2011 AT 5:22 pm 29 Comments

November 9, 2011 By traci 29 Comments

Hey friends!

Thank you for your VERY SWEET comments on my last post. I know I am prejudice, but I think I have the sweetest readers and followers of all the bloggers! (Shhhh…don’t tell ‘em.) Smile

I wanted to give you an update on the kitchen.

Last night, my husband finished installing the crown molding.

He started with 1x4x8 pine boards.

Then he nailed 3 & 3/4 inch pine crown molding on top of the 1×4. This is just a personal preference for us because we like the look of a thicker molding.

(I don’t know if I have ever taken a picture of the other side of our kitchen and shared it with you. In the above picture, that is our laundry room on the left and the doors to our back patio on the right.)

It is a fact that installing crown molding is one of the hardest things that DIYers do. I’ve seen crown molding make grown men cry.

It takes a “few” practice cuts to get it right. (Hence, the photo below.)

If you have never installed crown molding before, I suggest you watch some videos on utube to help you figure it out. The corners can be very frustrating.

In other news…

I am dying to get the pantry finished so I can get my food back in it.

So yesterday, I installed the shelves all by myself. Seriously ladies, I am trying and learning a lot of new DIY skills during this renovation. And I am loving it!

(Those were some powerful BIG GIRL panties I put on!) {wink}

The first thing I did was to use a level to draw a line where I wanted my shelves.

Then I used a hammer and nail to find where the studs where in the wall. If the nail goes right through the drywall easily, there is not a stud behind it.

If you have to hammer harder and it takes a while for the nail to go in the wall, you’ve hit a stud. You MUST hammer into the studs in order for your shelf to be sturdy and strong.

They make “stud finders” that you can buy, but the old fashioned way works just as well. Smile

After I found the studs, I measured and nailed my 1×2 pine boards to the wall.

Then I cut 1×12 pine boards to length for the shelves and nailed them to the 1×2 boards.

I actually installed four shelves, but the picture below only shows three.

I am going to LOVE this pantry. It is soooo roomy, and it is going to be so easy to see all of our food.

If you ever have a chance to install a pantry in your home, I highly suggest a long, shallow pantry vs. a short, deep one.

The kitchen is coming along!

Today, I did some painting.

I will share that with you tomorrow.

What do you think of my new pantry and crown molding? Got any questions? Feel free to ask! Smile

I hope you are having a great week!!!

Share on Tumblr

Filed Under Uncategorized 29 Comments

Some things I hope to NEVER Create on my blog

November 7, 2011 AT 10:42 pm 104 Comments

November 7, 2011 By traci 104 Comments

I’ve been thinking a lot lately. (I know…dangerous.)

I’ve been thinking about YOU.

You have been heavy on my heart.

I wonder what you think and feel when you visit my blog.

One thing I know is that God has placed this blog in my life.

I also know that it is HE who gave me a creative mind. I feel God’s pleasure in my life when I am creating.

But lately, I keep thinking about things I do NOT want to create.

I do not want to create…

discontentment.

It is very easy to look at all the beautiful home blogs out there and feel discontent with what we have in our own homes. If you are like me, I sometimes look at other blogs and think, “Wow! I wish I had a house like that!” or “My house would look so much prettier if I had her furniture.”

Do you ever do that?

It is my prayer, that you do not find discontentment when you visit my blog. I want to inspire you to try new things and encourage you to to flex your creative muscles. However, I do not want you to visit my blog and feel discontentment because you cannot do or have something you see on my blog.

Please know that it is not the things we possess in this life that bring us true joy and peace. True contentment can only be found in Jesus. If we have him, we have all we need.

Whenever I feel discontent with my home or with my circumstances, I remember my sweet mother singing to me, “Count your blessings, name them one by one…Count your blessings, see what God has done….”

Oh, how good He has been to me.

And Oh, how he loves you.

I pray you find rest and contentment in Him.

I do not want to create…

frustration.

I pray you do not get frustrated with yourself. You may feel like you never do “enough", or that your “enough" is not as good as so-and-so’s.

Please understand that my blog has become my business. I now make money from my blog. It is my “job” to provide good content for my readers. I am always thinking about new projects that I can tackle and share on my blog.

If I were not blogging, believe me, I would not be putting out as many projects as I am right now. Yes, I would still be doing DIY projects with my husband. We’ve been doing that in every house we’ve owned for the last 15 years. But I wouldn’t be doing them as quickly.

Do what you can do, and don’t worry about the rest. It really doesn’t matter in the big scheme of things. Rejoice in the things you do accomplish, however big or small they may be.

This may be silly, but sometimes I worry about your husbands. Smile

I am very fortunate to have married a very handy man, but I know that I am in the minority. Please do not get frustrated when your husbands do not have the desire to do major renovations in your home. Please do not give them a guilt trip by showing them my blog and saying, “Look at what Traci’s husband did!”

Maybe you do not do that. But I’m not as sweet as you. Smile

I will confess that I have given my own husband a guilt trip to try and get him to do something I wanted him to do. And I shouldn’t have.

Ultimately, our relationship with our husband is way more important than any home improvement project. Can I get an Amen?!

I do not want to create…

a false picture of who I really am.

Of course, I would love to always put my best self on my blog. I would love for you all to think I had it all together.

But the reality is, I am usually a total mess. I am always behind on laundry and dishes. I yell at my children and hate to clean my house. I’d rather eat out than cook. I dye my hair to cover the grays, and I am desperate for a miracle cream to get rid of the ever-appearing wrinkles on my face.

And though it is humbling, that is who I want you to see on my blog. I do not have it all together, and I never will.

But I am beginning to find beauty in my messed-up self. Smile

I love the old Amy Grant song, “All I ever have to be is what HE’s made in me.”

God loves me as I am. HE is the only one who can make me into a better person and more than I could ever dream to be. It is my heart that matters most. I pray that He sees beauty in my heart.

I pray that you see me as someone just like you. And I pray that we can uplift and encourage one another along this journey called “life.”

Here are a few things

I DO hope to create on my blog…

1. A place of inspiration.

2. A place of encouragement.

3. A place of authenticity.

4. A place where you see and feel the love of Jesus.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for following my blog.

Thank you for always supporting and encouraging me.

You are a blessing in my life!

Share on Tumblr

Filed Under Uncategorized 104 Comments

How to Install Wood Ceilings

November 7, 2011 AT 2:49 pm 23 Comments

November 7, 2011 By traci 23 Comments

I am gonna do my best to tell you how to install wood on your ceilings for a beautiful farmhouse look.

I’ve always wanted to have wood ceilings. I was hoping for an inexpensive way to get the “look”. So when I saw Kevin and Layla’s post about installing wood ceilings in their dining room, I knew I could make it happen. They used pine tongue and groove boards that came in a bundle at Lowe’s.

The most important thing in installing the wood is finding where your ceiling joists are so you know where to nail the boards to the ceiling.

We used a chalk line to help us see where we were suppose to nail. I show you how we did it in my video.

I used a power saw and a nail gun for this project. These tools make the project a whole lot easier. I cannot imagine nailing those boards in by hand!

Here is a video I put together of the process. I am a visual person, so I hope this helps some of you “see” how I did it. (Yes! I installed the whole ceiling all by myself!)

(If you are reading this post in an email or reader, you may need to click on the post title to view this video on my blog.)

We decided not to paint the boards before installing them. Either way, I think it will be a pain. We used SO many individual boards on this ceiling, that I cannot imagine painting each one individually, then waiting for them to dry, and then installing them.

We are going to use a paint sprayer to paint the ceiling, and I think that will much better than rolling it. We’ll see. Smile