Entry Table and Chalkboard Makeover

My husband and I bought a home last year, in our home you walk right into a wall right when you come in the front door.  I needed a piece of furniture that was not too wide, that was cute and affordable to go in that space.  I also did not want it to be too personal with pictures of my family in case someone strange knocked on my door.

I finished this project about a year ago, but I got an email from Wood Creations Furniture that they wanted our Color Story for Red, White & Blue Projects.  They inspired me to write this up!

I spent a total of $40 on our front entry furniture plus paint. 

This is the end result....

Now, it did not look like that when I bought it...   This is what the entry table looked like before....

It was VERY sturdy, all WOOD, great BONES, very narrow, $40 and EXACTLY what I wanted except for the color.  My decoration style is definitely Farmhouse/Shabby Style so I definitely need to paint it.   I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in the Pure White.  I painted it with two light coats of paint then I heavy roughed it up with sandpaper.    I LOVED the results!

I then needed something to go above the entry table.  I really wanted to do a family picture, but my husband didn't want everyone that came to our door to see our family.   So, I decided on a chalkboard. A while back my sister, Brittany, gave me an ugly picture and frame that she was going to throw away.  I stuck it up in my attic thinking that I would eventually come up with something to do with it.  I decided to make it into the chalkboard...

  I took the picture apart and painted the frame with the matching Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White.  Then I used Chalkboard Paint and painted the glass for the actual chalkboard.   You cannot even recognize it is the same piece!!!

I absolutely LOVE how my entryway looks now especially for $40!!!  The Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is SUPER easy to use!

My New Project-Sewing Hutch

As Briana said in her last post, we bought a house at the end of October and have been completely remodeling it.  Don't worry, I will post pictures... 

It has definitely been an adventure, to say the least!

Right now, I am currently trying to get my sewing room completed.  I have never had an actual "sewing room" so it has been super fun buying furniture for it.  

My most recent project is this hutch....

I found it on Craigslist for $75 and it is one heavy and Sturdy piece of furniture!  I am planning on stripping it and giving it a new white finish!

Here are some pictures of the hutch taken apart...

        

DoTerra Essential Oils- Citrus Bliss Water

This water is FANTASTIC!   We served it at our Doterra Essential Oils Party.  I actually liked it so much that I now add oils to my water to drink. 
Citrus Bliss Water -Citrus to cut up. (You can use Oranges, Lemons, Limes, Grapefruits, etc) - Water  -Ice - DoTerra Citrus Bliss Essential Oil - Optional- Sweeteners such as Agave, Honey, Stevia   You can do different variations of this.  My personal favorite is the DoTerra Grapefruit Essential Oil to use in my water. Directions are pretty self explanatory.   Cut up the citrus.  Add several drops of oil (the amount depends on personal preference and how many people you are serving.  Add sweetener if you want.  Then add the ice and water.   Like DoTerra Essential Oils?  Check out our other recipes HERE!

Black Bean Salsa- DoTerra Essential Oils

As many of you know, I recently had a DoTerra Essential Oils Party and have been in the process of posting the recipes that we used on the refreshment table.   This one was AMAZING and SO good!  

  Black Bean Salsa with DoTerra Essential Oils
1 (15oz) can Black Beans drained
1 (15.25 oz) can Corn
3 large Roma Tomatoes diced
1 Medium Avocado peeled and diced
2 jalapeños seeded and diced
½ c. red onion chopped
½ c. cilantro chopped
3 drops Lime Essential Oil
1 (.6 oz) packet of Dry Italian salad dressing mix

Mix together and chill. Serve with tortilla chips.  

  For more Doterra Essential Oils Recipes click HERE!

 

Easy FUDGE made from DoTerra Essential Oils

I recently had a DoTerra Essential Oils Party.    For the refreshment table, I wanted everything to have some oils in it.  I tried one of the DoTerra Fudge Recipes I found. It was complicated and did not set up right.   I decided to try something different and it worked great!!    

EASY DoTerra Essential Oils FUDGE

Ingredients:

1 Bag White Chocolate Chips (12 oz)

1 Can Vanilla Frosting (16oz)

13 drops of DoTerra Essential Oils

Food Coloring (if you would like)

Directions:

Spray a 7x7 or 8x8 pan with cooking spray.  Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave.  When you can stir it smooth, add the Frosting and stir again until smooth.  Then add the DoTerra Essential Oils and stir.  Spread in the greased pan and chill. 

Notes:

The flavors I made for the party was Peppermint Chocolate, Slim and Sassy, Lemon, Wild Orange and On Guard.

For the Peppermint Chocolate, I used Regular Milk Chocolate Chips and Chocolate Frosting. 

There are several other Doterra Recipes that I have for you, so stay tuned!!  

EASY Toddler Bed Makeover!

We recently moved from Amarillo, TX to Mesa, AZ.

During our move my daughters bed got destroyed!  When I found this toddler bed at a yard sale I knew I had to redo it for my daughter.

This is the bed in my daughters room now!  

It definitely fits her Shabby Chic room!

This is what the bed looked like when I bought it... 

Pretty dinged up, but for $5 I couldn't resist.

We were actually lucky it made it home in one piece, because it blew out of my truck driving down the road!!

To redo the bed, I used Krylon Paint & Primer Spray Paint.  I roughly sanded the bed down and then went to town with the spray paint. 

 This bed actually used 3 cans of spray paint.  It was SUPER easy and definitely worth the $5!

Help Needed... Chore Charts?

I need some help or advice.... I am looking into doing a Chore Chart/Allowance System for my children, but do not even know where to start.  My children are ages 4, 2 and 8 months.   All you professional, organized mothers out there- what kind of chore charts do you use?  What sort of allowance do you give your kids?   I looked into a few chore chart and here are a few of my favorites.   Have you tried any of these?
Briana made a Chore Chart a couple months ago with some magnets...

  Would a Printable Chore Chart  be better?

I could just order some Chore Charts from Abbies House on Etsy.  They are SUPER cute.        Please HELP! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!  

Chocolate Graham Cracker Peanut Butter Bars

I love Peanut Butter and Chocolate!

If you are LOVER of these ingredients you definitely need to try this one out!!

Chocolate Graham Cracker Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients

10 Squares of Chocolate Graham Crackers, Crumbled

2 Cups Peanut Butter

3/4 Cup Butter (room temperature)

4 Cups of Powdered Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

2 Cups Chocolate Chips

Directions

1. Cream together the Peanut Butter, Butter and Vanilla until soft and smooth.

2. Add the Powdered Sugar and blend well, then add the Graham Crackers and mix.

4. Spread in a 9x13 inch pan.

5. Melt the Chocolate Chips and spread over the top of the Peanut Butter mixture.

Refrigerate until firm, then cut into bars and serve. 

    

       

No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Butter
1/2 cup Milk
1 cup Peanut Butter
1 tsp Vanilla
3 cups Rolled Oats

Directions

 Mix sugar, margarine, and milk in a large pot and bring to a full, rolling boil over med heat.
Boil for one minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until peanut butter is melted, then stir in the oats. 

By spoonfuls drop the cookies onto waxed paper and let cool.

 

If Sugar-Free is your thing, try our Sugar Free Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies!

Graco Backless TurboBooster Seat Review

I (really my son) was privileged to review a Graco Backless TurboBooster Car Seat.  This has been a really fun review mostly because my son was SUPER excited about it!

He got even more excited when he saw the color of his NEW booster seat.  He got a GREEN one with Motorcycles on it.  His favorite color is green so he was thrilled.  In fact. so thrilled that he laid it on the floor and wanted to sleep on it!

This booster seat has been really nice.  It is really light and super easy to transfer from truck to truck (super helpful because my son has been going to work with dad on the farm).  It also has 2 cup holders that hide away into the seat when they are not in use.   My son uses one for some snacks and one for a drink.  My son can also buckle himself in, which is really nice for Momma!

We have really enjoyed this booster seat so far and my son definitely approves of it!!

Smile Brilliant Review & {GIVEAWAY}!

Everyone LOVES whiter teeth!  I don't know about you, but I have tried several Teeth Whitening Systems...  So, I was thrilled when Smile Brilliant contacted us about review their new LED Professional Teeth Whitening Kit! 

This whitening kit includes some teeth trays, the whitening serum, and a LED light.  I really didn't know what to expect when I received this kit, but I have really enjoyed it!    How it works is you apply the serum directly to your teeth, put the trays on and then add the LED light.  NOTE- I had to do the LED light when my children where asleep because they wanted to play with it!   But, you can whiten your teeth without running the light the entire time.

This is a picture of me before I tried the whitening kit.  

My teeth usually get SUPER sensitive when I have tried OTHER kits.  I did not notice any sort of sensitivity with this product!  You can also use this product with already fitted teeth trays and that is what I did.  I used my clear retainer and it was super convenient!

Here is a picture of me and my daughter after one week.  You cannot tell much of a different from the picture, but I assure you...  There is a HUGE difference!  I definitely recommend it!

Smile Brilliant has offered to giveaway to one of our readers a LED Whitening Kit-  a $39.95 value!  

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Blessing Dress Holder

My little girls room has a Shabby Chic theme- white furniture with glass knobs, old windows etc... I have been wanting to display the dresses that they were blessed in but i didn't quite know how.

The other day I was at Hobby Lobby and found these Glass Knob hangers and thought they would be perfect! 

 So here they are...

In case you were wondering, I did not make these dresses.  But, I got this next dress from a amazing shop on Etsy called Debra Lee Originals and she is absolutely amazing!  I definitely recommend her dresses!  

We're officially in Arizona!!

I have been MIA for a little while...

But, I think that I had a good excuse! My family and I made the huge move to Mesa, AZ from Amarillo, TX!

We made this move with are 2 diesel pickups, 2 UHaul trailers, and 3 kids (3 and under). Here are a few pictures of the move and our old house.

We are MOVING!!!

Hey Everyone! I have a little announcement that I am SUPER excited about!   Our family is going to be moving from Amarillo, Texas to Mesa, Arizona!!  I have not lived close to family since I got married, so I am really excited!  

  My children are also excited to live a lot closer to their cousins!! Mesa, Arizona- Here we come!!!

FAMILY!

We had all of our family together during Christmas!  It does not happen too often, so we took a family picture. We would like to share with you!  

  Here is our family with all of our children!   Briana has 7 children expecting number 8, Brittany has 6 children, Bridget has 4 expecting number 5, Brooke has 3 and we also have a brother with 2 children.  There is going to be a total of 25 children and the oldest are only 12 years old!  We LOVE when all of us are together!  We have some GOOD and LOUD times!
Thank you Jess Roussel for taking our pictures at the last minute!!!

Little Gems Creations Review & {Giveaway!}

As many of you know, we LOVE boutique baby items!  

We love everything about them!  We were absolutely thrilled when Little Gems Creations contacted us about doing a review & giveaway.

It was SO fun because Little Gems Creations sent us all different headbands for each of our little girls!  The girls had a blast taking pictures of the headbands!

This headband had a Navy and Red Shabby Chiffon Flowers with a Yellow Ribbon.  It was SO adorable and reminded me of Snow White!

 

These Hot Pink Bobby Pins Bows are perfect for pig tails!  

So Cute!!!

My little girl was sent this Double Rosette Headband with Buttons.  I would have never thought putting buttons on a headband, but I LOVE it!!
 And so does my daughter!

The last one we received is this Purple and Pink Shabby Chiffon Headband with Jewels on it.  My little one wore this headband to church on Sunday and she got SO many compliments on it!  

I LOVE this one!

Now, you know that you would LOVE to have a few of these ADORABLE headbands...

Now is your chance!!!

Little Gems Creations is going to giveaway 2 Headbands of the winners choice and also either the Hot Pink or Black Bobby Pin Bows.

So the winner will win 3 items!!

Just enter the Giveaway below...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Little Gems Creations is also offering the readers of Babblings & More a 15% coupon code during the giveaway!!  

The coupon code is GEM15!