Keeping My Summer Sane!

This year, I vowed to keep an organized and scheduled summer.  This is what I say EVERY year and it never gets done.  Except, this year, it actually did get done!  I was proactive and created chore charts, daily responsibility charts, bought workbooks for the kids and created a Consequence jar, a Get Along jar, and a Rewards jar.

The boys daily responsibility/chore chart is a blank template I pulled from this website, then altered to add more lines for the older two boys. It includes things the kids need to do all the time, every day.  Things that they will not get paid for, but just do because they live in the house. These things include: brushing teeth, bathing, brushing hair (you would think that those first three are just a given, but not with my boys..I have to remind them every day or it won't get done, hence putting it in their chart), making their beds, putting dirty clothes in the hamper, picking up their toys, picking up their bedrooms, putting away clean laundry (I fold and they put away), putting dirty dishes in sink, wiping table down after every meal, sweeping kitchen at the end of the day, and picking up the backyard.    

DAILY RESPONSIBILITY/CHORE CHART

             

Their paid chores are chores that they get to pick one of, every day.  Things like vacuuming upstairs/downstairs (they can pick which level), dusting their room plus one,

dusting baseboards upstairs/downstairs (they can pick which level), taking bathroom trash out, cleaning the bathroom, dusting the blinds (I stick an old sock on their hand and they dust that way), mop the tile, mop the hardwood.  My littlest bean doesn't do a lot of these, I give him just a couple of age appropriate options from this list. Our house is always neat and orderly now!  I love it!!!

DAILY RESPONSIBILITY/CHORE CHART

For behavior, we have behavior cards. a Consequence jar, and a Get Along jar.  The behavior cards are green, yellow and red.  I cut these out of cardstock I had lying around. These cards are just like the ones they use in school.  Green mean their good, yellow is a warning and red is grounds for pulling a stick out of the Consequence jar.  This has been pretty effective.  They definitely don't like changing their card to yellow or red. As soon as they do something nice or do the thing they were supposed to do, they get to change their card back to green.

THE JARS (minus the REWARDS JAR)

The Consequence jar is only used if their card is turned to RED.  They pull a stick and have to perform the task on the stick.  The only exception is my little Bean.  Some of the things he can't do yet, so he'll get to pick something else that he can actually finish.  I got this idea from this site.  I added a few things that were more applicable to our family. Here's what I have for our jar: 

CONSEQUENCE JAR

The stick that has 'Write 25 times, "I will not leave my things out", I'll change up a bit for whatever the crime that's been committed.  My middle Turkey hit his younger brother and had to write, "I will not hit." 25 times.  

The Get Along jar is another brilliant idea that I got from this site and it's used when the boys are fighting and can't resolve their differences on their own.  I give them one warning and try to help them out with a resolution.  I don't tell them directly what to do, I try to guide them to do something else.  If they can't get along and they are still fighting, they have to choose a stick from the Get Along jar.  Here's a pic of what I did:

GET ALONG JAR

The Rewards jar is a good behavior jar.  They get to pick a stick out of this jar when I see them doing something nice without being told.  It's little things that can be redeemed quickly. 

REWARDS JAR

I also tried to incorporate journal time and reading time in our day.  Here's our daily schedule.  It's not set in stone, but we do most things every day.

WORKBOOKS AND PRINTING/CURSIVE PRACTICE

DAILY SCHEDULE
Get up

brush teeth

make bed

get dressed

put dirty clothes in hamper

breakfast

put away dirty dishes

wipe table

2 worksheets and handwriting practice/sight word practice

1 chore (can't be the same as brothers choosing or the one they did the previous day)

free time

lunch

put away dirty dishes

wipe table

free time

reading for 20 minutes (usually when I'm making dinner)

dinner

put away dirty dishes

wipe table

sweep kitchen

pick up toys/backyard/bedroom

bath

put dirty clothes in hamper

journal time (10 year old writes 5 sentences on his day, 6 year old writes 2 sentences on his day and 4 year old draws a picture of his day)

free time

bed

If the boys have plans and are at a friends house, they do their worksheet and journal writing when they get home or the next morning.

It's been 2 weeks of us doing this and so far, it's been great!  Our house is picked up, the boys are {{s l o w l y}} figuring out what things they need to do every day and I'm not getting too upset with them for their behavior.  It's a win/win!

I'm hoping this lasts the whole summer and throughout the school year...I'll keep you updated!  

Father's Day Gift Ideas

I always struggle with ideas for Father's Day.  My husband generally likes gifts that are way too pricey or way too techy (or both) for me to get him.  So I usually end  up making him some sort of art piece from the boys and myself.  This year is no different.  I'm making him something from the boys and from myself.  

I recently found this awesome print on Etsy and thought it would be a great idea for the hubs from the boys.  It's an image of a soundwave of the boys saying, "Happy Father's Day. We love you, Daddy!"  The price tag was a little steep for me so I decided to re-create it on my own.  My version is not on canvas and is not as large, but I'm pleased with it!

Here's the Etsy print...cool, huh?

Here's the one I made.

That print will be from the boys to daddy.  The prints below are ones I created for our office space for him.  The hubs is starting to work from home more often and I wanted to have some inspirational pieces of art to make him smile and focus.  They make me laugh!

This is an 8x10 on a white background, so it's hard to see where the edges are.

Same with this image....8x10 on white.

What are y'all doing for Father's Day?  I'd love to see some more inspiration!

Mother's Day Gift

In my previous post, I posted some ideas for Mother's Day that we wanted to do in my son's fourth grade class.  Here they are!  I think they turned out great!

Mother's Day Projects for the Classroom

Today is my youngest son's birthday.  This reminds me that there are only 2 more weeks until my oldest son's birthday and then only another week till Mother's Day!

I was tasked this year to come up with an easy Mother's Day craft that my son's 4th grade class can do.  I searched Pinterest and came up with just 2 ideas that I thought would be easy, cute and something the Mom's would like.

The first one, will be a photo of each child sitting in front of a sign that says, 'I love you because...' while holding an iPad with the reason typed out.  This idea is from another blog.  You can visit it here.

Each child will have their pic taken and I'll print and frame it out for each parent.

The other idea was something easy and useful.  Well, at least for me. :)  It's a painted wine glass.  I'm still contemplating whether or not this is appropriate.  Maybe instead of a wine glass, we could paint a coffee mug...I don't know.  I'd get more use out of the wine glass!

Here is the website for this idea.  It's super cute and I can get these stemless wine glasses (or coffee mugs) at the dollar store.  

Super cute, right?

These are the 2 ideas that I thought would be easy and cute.  Is anyone else doing something like this for their class?  If so, please share your ideas!  I would love to see them!!!

Happy birthday to my little Bean!!

I can't believe this little stinker is 4!  Where does the time go??

SweetLeaf Cola Drops

OK, y'all.  I'm super pysched to tell you that I was chosen by Moms Meet to review SweetLeaf Liquid Stevia Sweet Drops Cola!  I know a ton of blogs review products and some of you bloggers out there are like, "Who cares?" But when I opened up my email and found my acceptance letter, I was like, "What the What?!"

You may be wondering why I'm so excited, so let me tell you.  First of all, I already use one of their other products, SweetLeaf Liquid Stevia Drops Clear, for pretty much everything and it's by far the best stevia brand I've found. Don't be fooled by other stevia products, some are as bad as the pink and blue stuff! It has no bitter aftertaste like other brands I have tasted. I LOVE IT!  When I got the opportunity to review the Sweet Leaf Cola Drops, I was on board!  Secondly, I don't drink soda.  Like, ever. I used to a loooong time ago, but realized how horrible it is for you, so I stopped.  Cold turkey.  It was one of the hardest things I've done.  I can proudly say now that I haven't had a soda in about 6 or 7 years.

Now just because I don't drink soda that doesn't mean that I don't crave it every now and again.  That's why SweetLeaf Cola Drops is such a GENIUS idea! You can have your soda, but without all the harmful chemicals, HFCS, and major guilt.  This is an all natural, organic product.  You just put a few drops into some sparkling water and viola!  Soda!  It's also incredibly economical.  Much cheaper than buying soda.  And did I mention much healthier, too?  I'm so impressed with these drops!  It's something that you'll want to keep in your purse or backpack.

So how does it taste?  Well, the flavor is mild. Not mild like watered-down, but more like a less intense Coke.  I actually prefer the mild taste. And despite it's mildness, it is still very flavorful.  I can taste vanilla and caramel notes, which I absolutely love, so it was all good!  This product definitely has a "diet" taste to it, though.  It's not going to taste like a straight up sugary soda.  But, I don't mind the taste of diet sodas, so, again, I'm good.  It also does not dye your drink a weird brown color.  It stays clear.  The drops are brown, but that is because of the vanilla extract.  It will not change the color of your sparkling water.  This is a WAY better substitution than say, any other diet soda with aspartame or sucralose.  With all the food fiascoes happening in the world today, it's nice to have a company that produces quality products for their consumers.

All in all, I really like this product.  I will definitely purchase these in the future, and to top it off I actually feel comfortable giving it to my boys.


So, to recap,  here are some FACTS about SweetLeaf Cola Drops:

• SweetLeaf® Liquid Stevia Sweet Drops™ Cola is a healthy alternative to traditional diet sodas!

• How does it work? Simply add two drops of Cola Sweet Drops to your glass for every ounce of sparkling   water (or to taste), and you get delicious cola taste without the bitterness.

• Cola Sweet Drops are portable, convenient, and a great value at just 5¢ per serving.

• SweetLeaf Sweet Drops contain no carbohydrates, calories, sugar alcohols, methanol, aspartame or             sucralose. They are all natural and gluten-free.

• Like all SweetLeaf products, Cola Sweet Drops is made with USDA certified organic stevia.

• The retail price for SweetLeaf Sweet Drops Cola is $4.39 for 37 servings, or $14.99 for 100 servings.      Pricing may vary based on retailer.

I can honestly say that I am sold! I love the fact that I can now have a guilt free soda.  And thanks to the lovely people at SweetLeaf, now you can too!!!  

SweetLeaf is offering y'all an AWESOME deal!  Just use the code “ColaMD” at checkout to take 30 percent off your online purchase!

If you'd like more information on this product, find them here.  They also have a FB, Pinterest and Twitter page.

Try it and let me know what you think!  You won't be disappointed!!

I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms MeetSM program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms MeetsSM blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lash Mascara Review

Hello all of my beautiful readers!  Today we are going to discuss Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes. I'm sure you've all seen this product by now. It is BLOWING UP on all of your social media feeds. Well, I was given an opportunity to test this product out and give my honest opinion about it.  First of all, I'm no stranger to products that claim to make your lashes longer, thicker, fuller, etc.  I've had eyelash extensions. I've tried lash building serums.  I've worn fake eyelashes and I've tried several brands of lash lengthening mascaras.  Some of them worked and some of them didn't.  The ones that did work, only worked for a period of time.  Mostly because of price and the fact that I didn't want to continue with the financial aspect of it all.  Well let me tell you that I have just tried my very last mascara! No, really...I have found THE one.  I will never, ever have to search for that ONE PERFECT mascara EVER again.  

At first, I was a little dubious as to how well this actually worked.  Yes, I've seen all the before and after pictures.  But, everyone is different and everyone has different length natural lashes.  Mine are soooo short and sparse.  It's the Asian in me. But this mascara worked wonders.  It lived up to its claim to fame.  Not only did it lengthen my lashes, but it thickened them too.  

Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes comes in a pretty, quilted black case.  It's very fancy!  There are two tubes inside.  One tube is a Transplanting Gel and the other tube is a Natural Fiber.  The instructions for this product are very easy to follow.  First, you apply a thin coat of your own mascara, then let that dry.  Next, you apply a coat of the Transplanting Gel.  This gel looks like mascara to me. It's dark in color.  I can't tell if it's brown or black.  Then, before your Transplanting Gel dries, you apply a coat of the Natural Fiber. Finally, you apply your last coat of Transplanting Gel.  Then, BOOM!  Your lashes will look like you've just had eyelash extensions put on.  It's crazy how long they get!  If you want them even longer,  you can continue to put on the gel and fibers until they are the length you want.  I stopped at one application, because I thought they looked great at that point.

Oh, I did use a eyelash curler before I got started and I used an eyelash comb to separate some of the lashes that got a little clumped together.  The clumpiness did not happen on both eyes.  My lashes are weird on one eye, so I have to use an eyelash comb just for that eye.  It's the way my eyelashes grow, not a comment on how the mascara applies.  

If you are not used to using a two step mascara, it may take you a few times to get it just right.  So, don't give up!  Make use of all of your beauty tools.  I didn't start using my eyelash comb until I used products that made my lashes longer.  Now it's something I use every day.  

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Younique offers mostly natural and/or organic products, which I truly appreciate. If you want more info on this subject, read about it here.  The 3D Fiber lash is water resistant, NOT waterproof.  It comes off easily with soap and water but stays put on super sweaty days.  I used my regular facial wash to get it off.   

I have not tried any other Younique product....yet.  Now that I know how awesome the mascara is, I'll definitely be checking out the rest of their line.  

OHHH...I forgot to mention price.  It's $29 for the 3D Fiber Lashes.  Some of you may think that it's a little pricey.  It is more expensive than your typical Cover Girl nonsense, that doesn't do jack for your lashes. But, I've purchased Lancome mascara before that was right at that price point, and it still did nothing for me. So, $29 for a 3 month (give or take) supply is OK by me.  And it's cheaper and way better for your lashes than eyelash extensions.

SOOOO....Are you ready for some pictures????

Here I am with NO makeup.

This is the mascara I used before applying the 3D Fiber Lash.

Here I am with a coat of my mascara.

Here's the Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lash set.

See how pretty it looks!

One eye done with the 3D Fiber Lash. Can you tell the difference?

and BOOM!  Amaze-balls!

(My husband and my Mom asked if I was wearing fake lashes!)

If you've never heard of or checked out this product before, PLEASE do so!  It's FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC! My friend Cristi is a Younique Independent Presenter, she introduced me to this product.  You can check out her website here if you want to have amazing lashes!  She also has a Facebook page.  Check it out here and here.  Seriously, check it out!  You will not be disappointed. 

It's crazy how one product can take you from blah to BOOM!  Thank you Cristi for introducing me to this product!!

Mexican Chocolate Vegan Ice Cream

Summer is here!  And with summer comes HOT, HOTTER, and HOTTEST.  I'm talking about the weather, not Norman Reedus.  To combat this hotness, I figured it would be a good idea to make my vegan ice cream.  The boys don't care that it's vegan.  They just care that it tastes good....and it does!   It has 4 ingredients; coconut milk, raw cacao powder, cinnamon, and maple syrup.  It's sooooo yummy! You should definitely make it and let me know how you like it!

Here it is in the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker

Mexican Chocolate Vegan Ice Cream

The first thing that I did was put everything into my Vitamix.  Then blended it until it was all combined and threw it into the ice cream maker.  Thirty minutes later....viola!  The BEST vegan Mexican chocolate ice cream EVER!

Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream (using Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker)

2 cans organic coconut milk (I used Whole Foods brand)

3-4 tablespoons raw organic cacao powder (I used this brand)

3-4 tablespoons of organic maple syrup (I used Kirkland brand - use as much or little as you want)

a few sprinkles of cinnamon.

Place all ingredients into the blender.  Whirl it around until combined, then pour into the ice cream maker.  30 minutes later, you'll have the best ice cream, I promise!

The base is coconut milk.  You could put anything into this you want.  If you come up with a fantastic ice cream concoction, let me know!

Happy Summer!!!!

Homemade Cheese Crackers

Cheesy Crack - a - lackin Crackers

I've been wanting to try some cracker recipes and the very first one I try, I LOVE!  It has 4 ingredients and some spices.  THAT'S IT!!  It didn't make a whole lot, so next time, I'll double up on the recipe.  But, it's a nice small amt for two people having some wine and cheese :)  

This is how I made it:  I grated up some cheese, added some butter, threw in some paprika, cayenne & salt, then some whole wheat flour.  Mixed that all up with a couple of tablespoons of water and rolled it out to about an 1/8" thickness.  Then I used a pizza cutter to cut my squares, put those on some parchment paper in the oven and in 15ish minutes, I had homemade, better than store bought, crackers!!!  

I only used one type of cheese here, cheddar.  If I had used parmesan along with the cheddar, I think they'd have been even tastier.  

Do any of you have a cracker recipe that you love?  If so, please share!

Crack - a - lackin Crackers

1 cup loosely packed shredded cheddar

2 tablespoons room temp butter (very important that it's room temp - you need to be able to smoosh it)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspon paprika

a shake of cayenne, or more if you want it spicier.  But this amt gave it a nice heat on the back end.

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of cold water (more if the mixture is too dry - but in small amts, like a another few drops)

Mix everything together, except the water, with a spatula until combined and the butter is all the way through.  Then take a fork and make all the bigger pieces tiny pieces.  Once you have your mixture looking like crumbly sand, add the water and mix with spatula again.  Your dough should be coming together.  If not, add a few more drops of water.  It doesn't take much water!  Your dough should be squishy and together, but not sticky to the touch.  Form it into a ball and wrap some plastic wrap on it and throw it in the fridge for about 30 minutes or so.  It rolls out much nicer when you do this.  Preheat your oven to 375 near the time your will be taking the dough out of the fridge.  Once the 30 minutes is up, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out until it's about 1/8" thick.  Then take a pizza cutter and slice it into little squares. Once the squares are all cut out, take a skewer or chop stick and poke some holes into each cracker.  I did 5 on each cracker.  This way, they won't puff up or be uneven.  Lastly, place the crackers on parchment paper on a cookie sheet, or a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes.  They should be golden brown on top.  Let them cool completely before eating.  Otherwise, they won't be cracker, crisp :)  

OH, and I should add, that if you want to try other cheeses, like parmesan, I'd cut the cheddar by 2/3 or 1/4 and make up the rest in the other cheese.  I'm going to try this soon with parm.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Our New Patio Table

A couple of weekends ago, the Hubs made a patio table for me.  I LOVE it!  It's like the ones you have all seen on Pinterest.  It seats 10 and fits perfectly on our upper deck.  It's made from redwood and gas piping. The wood, we purchased at a lumber yard.  It was on sale and cost around $75.  We also purchased stain and sealer bringing our total to about $95.  The piping, we purchased at Home Depot for about $30.  We had our measurements ready, so they cut and threaded it for free.  I read on another blog that their particular HD charged them per cut and per thread.  Ours did not.  So, I don't know if that was a mistake or if they just don't charge here.  I'm in northern CA, by the way.  So all of my prices are going to be a lot more than say, Texas, or anywhere else for that matter.  We used 3/4" piping and 6 boards that were 2x8.  The boards didn't have to be cut.  We just sanded those bad boys so there wouldn't be any splinters.  We connected the bottom of the boards with three 2x2x3's and used a Kreg jig to attach the long boards together.  The Kreg jig is a very important tool for this job.  If you don't know what one is, check it out here.  We are currently working on a bench for one side and I'm looking for some Tolix like chairs for the other side.  Once we have the bench built, I'll post that too.  All in all, our patio table cost less than $200.  That doesn't include the bench or chairs I'm going to buy.  I'm really please with the outcome.  I've looked all over for a LOOONG table and can't find one that isn't thousands of dollars.  This table is perfect for our family and has room for friends, too!

Merry Christmas from the Family

I've made my Christmas cards and have had them printed out.  Unfortunately, they are not at the quality I would like, so I'm hesitating sending them out.  If I wait too long, people will get there cards too late.  I had them printed out at Wal-Mart.  I had to do it twice...and they still aren't what I want.  First, they cut off the sides of my cards.  The second time around, they printed out really dark.  I really don't like going to Wal-Mart.  It's a pain in the rear and I never see the "people of Wal-Mart" while I'm there to entertain me.  So, I can send them out via email, but is that tacky?  I personally like getting Christmas cards in the mail.  It makes me feel warm and fuzzy and loved.  Every time I open up that mailbox, my heart beats just a tiny bit faster. BUT, I'm erring on the side of caution since I am having a problem with printing.  I printed them at Wal-Mart because they were cheap.  Plain and simple.  I'm thinking now I should have paid the extra money to get them printed out like I originally wanted them to be.  Well, here's my card.  I'll probably be going back up to Wal-Mart to get them to fix it...again.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer

Have you seen the Pinterest pins for Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer?  Yeah, me too.  It looks super yummy, doesn't it??  Well, I whipped up my own version of this delicious sounding concoction.

I combined half and half, spices, vanilla extract, maple syrup and, of course, pumpkin purée.  Cooked them for a bit then strained it all into these two containers.  

I think it turned out pretty good!  Try it and tell me what you think.  

I like the fact that it is made with items in my fridge and pantry and has absolutely no chemicals or preservatives!  

By the way, I like to keep the creamer bottles from the store and reuse them.  I think they are perfect and they look cute!

Here's the recipe:

2 cups half and half

6 Tbls pumpkin purée 

6 Tbls maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 

1 tsp cinnamon 

Combine all ingredients in a pot.  Whisk until smooth.  Cook until you see some steam or bubbles on the side of the pot. Remove from heat. Strain liquid into container of choice.  You can use cheesecloth or a regular strainer.  I used my tea strainer.  Let cool.  Kept in fridge.

Hope you like it!

studio5124

INTRODUCING studio5124!!!

I've started something new.  My very own Etsy shop.  If you haven't heard of Etsy, you need to check it out!  It's a website with tons of handmade items for sale.  So, if you're looking for something unique for yourself or for a gift, you need to check it out.

My shop features custom invitations, cards, art, and posters.  I design them, put your information or pictures in them and email them to you so you can print them.  This lowers your overall cost, yet you still have the uniqueness of a custom piece.

I have just started so there's not too much.  I am adding more items everyday.  If you are looking for a custom invitation to your party, or if you need a cute Christmas card (coming soon), please stop by my shop!

The shop is called studio5124.  Please Check it out!

Thanks!!!

Wordless Wednesday

National Lasagna Day

Today is National Lasagna Day!  So guess what we're having for dinner??  I'm making my favorite lasagna which I talked about here.  It's the BEST LASAGNA EVER.  Really.  You should make.

This is a pic from ages ago.  SOOOOO YUMMY!!!

Bacon Bacon Bacon!!!

Last night I had a little gathering of friends come over to compete in Best Dish.  Best Dish is a competition to see who can cook up the BEST DISH.  We have this once a month and every month the "secret" ingredient changes.  It's not really secret.  I guess it's technically the star ingredient.  Anywho, this month's ingredient was BACON.  Everyone prepares a dish where bacon is the star ingredient.  We bring enough of our dish to share, we try all of the dishes, then vote on who we like the best.  You can't vote for your own, though.  The hostess, does not participate, because she will be the one providing the prizes for the Best Dish.  It can be any prize of any denomination.  Last night, I provided drinks and 2 prizes.  The prizes were $10 gift cards to Trader Joe's.  We had several great contenders, as you can see.  All of the food prepared, and drink, was excellent.  But, there can only be one winner...well, in our case, two.  And the winner is....... (drumroll please).....BACON WRAPPED JALAPENO POPPERS & BACON INFUSED BOURBON!!!!!!!!

                                       

Bacon Chicken & Pineapple Kabob

                                           

Bacon and Cheese Muffins

                                           

Bacon Brittle

                                           

Deviled Eggs with Bacon

                                           

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

                                           

Bacon Infused Bourbon for Old Fashioneds

Was I Being Scammed??

You know that feeling you get when you think you're being scammed?  Well, I had this feeling yesterday.  It wasn't overwhelming, it was just riding under the surface.  Still, it was there and I was aware of it, but not screaming in my face.

I bought some running shoes yesterday.  The hubs and I joined a gym and I haven't bought new shoes in 10 years, so, I went to the mall and found a store that sold workout kind of shoes.  I decided to go in and check it out.  It was a typical store with blaring music and tatted up sales people.  The kind of store, where in my 20's I'd think was kinda cool.  But now in my 40's, is completely annoying.  Why does the music have to be so loud?  Loud enough that you practically have to scream to hear each other speak.

My sales lady was very "energetic" (I put this in quotes because her energy seemed to be coming from a pill and not a natural high) and helpful (thankfully).  I've heard from a friend that this store can be horrible with customer service.  Many times she has walked out for blatantly being ignored.  Well, this should have been my cue to leave.  But, the sales lady was already in the back pulling shoes for me.   This was when the first inkling of me being scammed came washing over me.

She comes back with my shoes, they aren't quite right, so she goes back to find another pair.  In the meantime, another sales guy comes to help me.  They all seemed nice enough and played with Bean while I was busy trying on shoes.  They had their little banter session then rang me up.  This is where I really felt like I was being scammed.

I walked up to the register.  They were already in the process of ringing me up.  I saw that they had placed two spray bottles of something next to my shoes.  I'm assuming some kind of protectant or cleaner for the shoes?  Anyway, I witnessed an odd interaction between the two sales people that were helping me.  The girl says to the guy, to ring it up with her discount.  This is all said with a hushed tone and averted eyes.  Then she leaves.

The guy says to me what the total was and I asked why it was so much.  $45 more than what I had expected.  He proceeds to tell me that what the spray is for and how to use it and I stop him and say I didn't ask for that.  I did not want that.  He looks at me and says, "Oh.  She said she told you about it and was giving you her discount".  Well, that was a total lie.  She never mentioned that to me.  Plus, I never buy stuff like that.

She comes back to the register and he says to her that I didn't want it.  She looks at  him and, I swear it was a look of "Why did you say anything?" and she walked off.

My total was adjusted and I left.  I will never shop here again.  It made me feel uncomfortable.

Do you think I was being scammed??

My new shoes :)  Aren't they cute?

Wordless Wednesday

Happy 4th of July!!!!

What is everyone up to today?  I'm bbqing with friends and enjoying the hot day!  Here's a pic of a tiny piece of our beautiful nation.  

Happy Birthday America!!

This was taken on our way back home from Healdsburg (Sonoma county).  I'm always taken aback by the beautiful scenery that is so close to me.

Dresser Rehab

I wanted to rehab a dresser into a TV stand.  You know, like all those cute ones you see on Pinterest?  Well, I came across this little beauty on Craigslist for $40.  Not a crazy bargain like I've seen on some blogs, but I think it's a pretty good deal.  First I removed all of the hardware, then removed the doors and drawers.

I did not sand this piece.  Not one single bit.  I purchased a quart of Zinsser Cover Stain Primer at Lowe's and got a FREE quart of Clark + Kensington Paint + Primer at ACE Hardware.  ACE occasionally has a Free Paint Saturday, so I snatched a quart during that time.  They will tint it for you and everything!  For FREE!  

Here are the doors after one coat of the primer and one coat of the paint.  I liked how it turned out, so I stopped here.  I was planning on painting another coat or two to give the dresser a more saturated look, but, I really liked this!

 Here are the drawers...same thing, 1 coat of primer, 1 coat of paint.

 The top

A close up of the paint

And the doors...Oh and the Hubs cut out the middle part of each door with a router.  We did this so the electronic components would be able to work with the remotes.  I plan on putting chicken wire in the holes to  make it look a little more rustic, but need to figure out how I want to "age" the chicken wire before stapling it to the backs of the doors.

The finished product.  I placed rope in the top drawers for the pulls, but will change those out as soon as I find something I like better.  This project took about a day.  Maybe two if you add more paint.

Hope you find this DIY semi easy.  I thought it was!