2012 February

Random Stuff and a Peek at the Gray Owl Paint

February 29, 2012

I’m popping in quick to remind you that GFC is going away for me this week as I am in the process of getting a blog redesign and moving to WordPress. You can follow me through RSS feed, email or fb which is all located on the right hand side of the blog.
You would think with a blog redesign and moving to WP going on and just finishing the bub’s room last week that I wouldn’t be diving into anything else. Well I like to keep busy as I started painting the family room/kitchen and front entryway yesterday. The color I chose is Benjamin Moore Gray Owl which is a very light light gray. There were a few other colors I debated on but Gray Owl was showing up as a true gray compared to the other choices like Coventry Gray, Stonington Gray and MS Bedford Gray.
Here are a few shots from this morning, it’s cloudy out so not the best light for taking picture and my house is obviously not ready for a photo shoot so I threw some stuff up on the mantle and called it good.

Yesterday I was unsure of the color but I do like it today. Usually I go for bold colors so having a light color is quite a change for me. One of the only things the hubby and I don’t like is that the white trim doesn’t seem to pop like it did with the beige that was already on the walls. What do you think?

Next up is trying the Ektorp in here vs the leather. I moved the blue chair out of the corner and tried an ektorp. Stay tuned for more updates on the ever evolving family room! I’ll be back tomorrow to share about a great gift I received in the mail this week.

By ange 12 Comments Filed Under: family room, painting

Before & After: Little Boy Vintage Americana Room

February 24, 2012

After hours of editing photos, I’m finally ready to share our little boy’s bedroom with you.
To refresh your memory I posted this before of the bub’s room on Feb. 9th over with Lisa at Shine Your Light for her February Before and After party. The room was dark forest green and had nothing on the walls save for some cobwebs. I really did not like his bedroom and was just waiting for the inspiration to hit.

When I explained to my hubby that I wanted to make it a book nook he immediately wanted to build a ladder and a seat/bench area. I wasn’t crazy about the idea because I imagine what little boys like to do from platforms, jump off them and break their necks. Of course I may be over dramatizing this a bit, I’ll let you know if it happens. The hubs built his platform/ladder thing in the nook and I’m so glad he did. After he added the seat and ladder we knew that we wanted a light in there and book storage but it is a pretty narrow space. After a few options that just didn’t work out we settled for using some fabric storage bins that previously held his socks and grundy undies. The back of the nook was looking pretty plain and my original thought was stripes but then inspiration struck, barn wood! Thankfully we had some beautiful barn wood just sitting in our garage! After that the search was on for a light fixture and Lowes had the perfect one! I LOVE how the nook turned out and so does the bubs. Isn’t he so cute reading in it?

I kept his bed the same for now, he is still little and needs the bed rail on at night but for the pictures I kept it off the bed. The only changes to his bed are the new navy comforter from Marshalls and the pillow I recovered with fabric. The dresser was from our bedroom in the old house and I repainted it and added some new knobs. While browsing pinterest I found inspiration to try a chalkboard paint on this dresser. I sifted with a sifter some unsanded grout into the paint, mixed it in really well and painted it on the dresser. I’m still not in love with it and might repaint it the same color just without the grout. It’s definitely a chalky type of paint on there and I did try using chalk on the dresser but I just don’t love it.

UPDATE: We added some rain gutter bookshelves to his room by the bed. Handy to have for bedtime stories and library books.

Here is the before and afters for you, one more time!

Project Cost Breakdown:

Toy Bin from GW (Target) $10
Gallon of blue Pittsburgh paint from Menards $5
Blue Twin Comforter from Marshalls $17
Quart of Red Better Homes & Gardens Paint from Wal-Mart $10
Knobs for dresser from Hobby Lobby $2 x 8+ $16
Navy Curtains from Target on clearance $9.50
Metal Signs from Hobby Lobby at 40% off $15.00
Lamp Shade for Boob Light cover-up from GW (Target)$4
1 and 5/8 fabric for pillows – $10
Boards for Nook shelf and ladder – $20
Light for Nook from Lowes $25
Two Pictures from Hobby Lobby $30
Barn Wood – Blood + Sweat = Free!

Total $171.50

My goal was to do this room for $100 to $150. I came pretty close!

(The doors and trim paint were not included in the cost of this room because we are replacing the doors throughout the entire house and also painting all the trim white).

This room turned out way better than I thought it would for $170. The feel is a vintage Americana, tied together by the fabric on the pillows. What do you think?

I’m linking up here:

By ange 53 Comments Filed Under: Before and After, Little Bub's Room, Our Home

Important Announcement – Changes Coming Soon

February 23, 2012

If you like following The Blooming Hydrangea and you use Google Friend Connect you will no longer receive blog posts starting on March 1st. The GFC button has already been removed from my blog so no one else can sign up to follow with it.
I will be switching over to Word Press sometime in the next two weeks and GFC will no longer be available for non-Blogger blogs. If you are signed up to receive my posts through something else besides GFC, you will not need to take any action. When my blog switches to WP you will all come right along with me. If you do use GFC, you will need to take some action to make sure you still receive updates from my blog. There are many ways to still receive blog posts from The Blooming Hydrangea. You can follow TBH on facebook. On the right hand side you will see a button like this:

When you click on this button you can have TBH blog posts delivered to your reader such as Google, Yahoo, Net Vibes, etc. If you use Google Reader clicking on the Google button will set you up in Google Reader.
You can also sign up to receive TBH posts through email on the right hand side of my blog by entering your email address.
Another great way to follow along is through a new follower tool called Linky Followers. Linky Followers is a free widget that lets you follow along with your favorite blogs and acts as a reader for the blogs you follow as well. This works for any blog that is signed up under Linky Followers, regardless if it’s a Blogger blog or WP or typepad, etc.
So there you have it folks, GFC is going away and I won’t see your beautiful smiling faces on the right hand side of my blog anymore unless you sign up with Linky Followers. If you have any questions or problems, please email me!
I love hearing from you and hope you will continue to follow along. Stay tuned because there will be a new look here soon, thanks to Elizabeth at The Mustard Ceiling Design Services who has done some excellent blog work for the likes of Cottage & Vine, Emily A. Clark, Saved by Suzy and All Things Bright & Beautiful to name a few!

Thank you for reading this blog, commenting and emailing me! I love to hear from you and hope that you will come back soon! If you have a blog that has GFC and it will be going away, please let me know so I can follow you as well!

By ange 6 Comments Filed Under: Blogging Fun

Blooming Blogger: Brain Farts Happen and the Hubby Takes Over Again

February 23, 2012

Ok, I was so busy working on the bub’s room this week that I didn’t send out my Blooming Blogger questions in time. What to do, What to do? I know, let my husband have a turn in the hot seat. He is insistent that he can’t be the Blooming Blogger because he doesn’t have a blog, but he does have a blog post. I think that qualifies, don’t you?

Today the Blooming Blogger is my hubby. He is a wonderful husband who gives great shoulder rubs and puts lotion on my feet without me asking. He is also the dishman at our house, the DIY guy, musician madman, math homework answering expert and dog poop scooper extraordinaire! Without further ado, here is The Blooming Hubs!

Hello again, Blogopolis!! Blooming Hubs here, glad to finally get an opportunity to use the “family” laptop. You’d think that I would have enough computer time after working with my mad computer skills all day, but in the evening I like to do a little recreational computing if you know what I mean. But generally, the evening conversation with Ange goes something like this:

Me: Hey hon, can I use the computer for a little bit to play Scrabble on Facebook?

Ange (looking up from the computer in a daze): Huh?

Me: The computer…can I use it for a bit?

Ange: I am in the middle of a Pinterest search and I’m finding amazing things. Plus I have a blog post I have to get out and I have 1.5 million comments I need to do on my post and on several thousand others. But yeah, hey, why don’t you just veg on the computer for a bit, go ahead!

Me: Hey, look what’s on TV!

OK, OK, so it’s not really like that, but I am glad to put my fingertips on the keyboard of our laptop from time to time. Anyway, thanks to my darling for letting me put yet another post on your amazing blog, you are awesome!!

What is your favorite room or project that you have worked on?

Hmmm…ok, putting the toughest question first, I see how this works! There is a lot to choose from, including our first major project where we finished the basement of our first house, the “summer of vinyl (siding)” in 2010, the many times we’ve installed laminate flooring, and many, many more (we have been busy the past 10 years, what can we say!). But if I had to pick one that really stands out that Ange and I both put a lot of effort into that turned out great was the original cloffice at our last house. I think that project taught us that we could be creative and yet design something that was very functional for our home. Ange will be the first to tell you that in our relationship I am the “functional” guy (“what are we going to DO with this project”) and Ange is the “form” lady (“how is this project going to LOOK?”). And that project worked well for both of those aspects and it turned out great!

If you could choose a different career, what would you choose and why?

Another tough one. For those that don’t know, I’m currently a software developer, programmer, computer geek, whatever you want to call me. I do get great joy out of telling my computer (and many others like it) what to do even if it doesn’t always listen to me. But I also have always been involved with music in my life and currently spend some of my time volunteering on our church’s worship team.

So I think that some sort of music career (even being a worship pastor) would be something I would love to do because I love the beauty of music, and in particular worship music and how it soothes the soul if you know what I mean.

What is your favorite food? (It better be something I make or you are in big trouble.)

Ummm…do you make Red Vines??? J/K my love! My absolute favorite is Stromboli, Ange makes an amazing batch for us quite regularly. But a close second is pasties, a dish that reflects my heritage from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and another one that Ange makes an incredibly delicious version of.

If you could vacation anywhere, where would you go and why?

Somewhere warm, for sure. Ange will tell you that I love the warmth and tolerate the cold where we live. But not sure if somewhere like Hawaii is something that I would like or not. But there is a certain majesty about the ocean, sandy beaches, beautiful sunsets, and the thought of sharing all of those with my beautiful bride that entices me. So maybe somewhere like Florida, the Carolinas, California (not the metro areas, though) would be nice. I’ll stick to somewhere that Ange and I can drive to. And another place of intrigue to me would be Australia, not sure why but it just seems like it would be cool to go “down under”.

Favorite Date Night?

Dinner and a movie and a nice walk and conversation. Somewhere to eat that we can have a nice quiet booth (where we would likely be found sitting on the same side of the table so we can be close!). Then a nice little stroll hand-in-hand, talking about our life together, dreaming, etc. Then a late movie (not a chick flick!) that we both laugh and enjoy with a side of popcorn. Then ending by coming home to a quiet house and…..well, I’ll let you imagine the rest! Since by now you all know how shy I am about that stuff!

What are you reading right now?

Ange’s blog!! Just kidding, although I am an avid reader of this wonderful blog, you know! The book I’m reading right now is Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell. I am big into apologetics and theology (boring, I know – told you I was a geek!) but even this book is quite a bit on the “heady” side for me. On the casual side, just enjoyed the Hunger Games recently as well, looking forward to reading the other two in that series soon.

Favorite tool?

Many to choose from, we have a lot, but my favorite would have to be the air compressor brad nailer we bought for like $50 and have used it like a million times and it’s still holding up very well!

If you could re-name my blog for the both of us, what would you name it? (We are not doing this, I am just curious what he would say. Although I am moving to WP very soon and my blog name is up for renewal, hmmmm…………………….)

…hmmm…ok, maybe this is the hardest question after all! Naming things is a difficult process for Ange and me to do, just ask her sometime about naming all of our kids! But off the top of my head maybe something like “A Wink and a Smile” (since that’s how we go together if you know the song I’m referring to) or perhaps “Form and Function” maybe? Or how about “Just Doing Our Thing Together”, I don’t know. I’m already way past my allotted time on the laptop, Ange is hovering over me and making me stop so she can get back on Pinterest or something.

Anyway, it’s been fun, time to go trim my ear or nose hair or something productive like that (why does hair have to grow THERE when you get older). Thanks for listening blogland, and Peace Out!

The Blooming Hubs

Ok, thanks honey, I think. Wow, if you know my husband in real life you are probably amazed at how much “talking” he just did on here. Give the guy a keyboard and he can’t shut up. Well at least it was mostly good things…..just for the record I do not hoard the laptop. He just takes a really long time when he’s playing scrabble because he’s trying to get a “Yahtzee” or something. Anyways, I think he “talked” enough for both of us today so I’ll end this now and will be back tomorrow to share our new bub’s room. It’s coming together and I’m really excited about it even if my IKEA tripped was snowed out. Until tomorrow……………and tell what you think, would you still read this blog if the hubby was more involved?

By ange 8 Comments Filed Under: blooming blogger series

Help Me Pick a Side Table, Any Side Table

February 21, 2012

The Master Bedroom is coming along, slow and steady. Last week I stopped into a furniture consignment shop and found this green leather chair for $42. I liked the look of her and as seems to be my way, she was a single gal, no partner for her. The end of our bed is in need of something and I thought this might fit the bill nicely. A bench was originally on my radar for the end of our bed but I have not found anything at all.

Still needing something at the end of the bed, so I thought a side table might be nice. Here are the three options I found in my home. I would prefer not to buy anything and am wondering what you think of the following choices.

Option 1 – Blue ~~Chewed on~~ Distressed Beauty

Option 2 Gray Leggy Girl – which I wouldn’t mind painting

Option 3 – Round Robin

So cast your vote now, Options 1, 2 or 3. I am open to painting 1 or 2 a different color but I think I need to leave 3 as an original.

And just in case you thought my room looks picture worthy at all times, here is what it looks like behind me, doors waiting to be painted and installed in the bub’s room this week along with the closet door from the hallway. I think my hubby is tired of me getting paint on the carpeting so the saw horses are my hint to not paint the doors on the floor.

The old IKEA table from our previous playroom which was used to hold up the end of the bed because we don’t have a proper frame for it to be attached to. Resolve used to clean up dog pee from the schnauzer who was mad we left her home this weekend with a doggy sitter. She finds peeing on our bedroom carpet to be a good way to extract her revenge. Little does she know she’s just helping along my cause to get laminate flooring in here, soon. That’s why we have a ginormous garbage can in our room, it’s for the 7,000 tissues I use while sleeping in the night, thank you dust mites!

Still waiting to put the vent back on the wall. Oops. We also like to hide red balloons under our dresser and play balloon tag after the kids go to bed. Maybe naked. Was that too much? Ok, we really don’t do that but maybe we might start now.
Apparently leaving pony holders in doorways are an excellent way to remind your mom to put your hair up before school starts.

Did you catch a peek at the free dresser? I painted the drawers when it was really warm out one day but apparently 42 degrees isn’t quite warm enough for spray painting. They look ok but need a few more coats of white. Guess that will have to wait another month or two.

I’m eagerly awaiting your votes on the tables so tell me your thoughts!!!

By ange 18 Comments Filed Under: master bedroom

Blooming Blogger MIA

February 21, 2012

For those of you who are regular readers, you may have noticed that the Blooming Blogger post did not happen today. I totally spaced on sending out the email and questions so by the time I realized it, it was already too late. Then I thought maybe my hubby could be the Blooming Blogger for today. The questions were typed and then he never answered them because we were just busy and didn’t really have access to internet this weekend. The bub’s ended up getting sick on Friday with a fever Friday night and a yucky cough. We left Saturday to go back to where we moved from this summer, we had some doctor appointments, hubby went into work, we were able to see lots of our friends and even family and worshipped at our old church. A great weekend but the bub’s is still sick, I have a sore throat and I think the eldest might be going down for the count next.
The bub’s room is all painted, even the trim, hallelujah, so we just need to wrap up a few things and hopefully be done and posted for Friday morning. Wish me luck and maybe you’ll see a Blooming Blogger post from my man too! I have lots of blog reading to catch up on and answer some emails too. It was a nice weekend away but it’s back to life, back to reality. So tell me, what did you do this weekend?

By ange 4 Comments Filed Under: blooming blogger series

Friday Fun – A Game of Tag

February 17, 2012

If you follow me on facebook then you know that I should be painting trim right now. Well I am not. I’m trying to psych myself up for it and thought maybe playing this game of Blogger Tag might help. Lisa from Shine Your Light tagged me and I’m supposed to answer the 11 questions Lisa came up with and then tag 11 bloggers who have to answer the 11 questions I come up with. Now that I think about it, painting trim might have been easier.

1. What’s your favorite place in the United States?

Hmmmm…….anywhere there is water. After growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and being about 15 minutes from some really great lakes including Lake Superior, I really miss being near water so any city or area that has pristine lakes, that is my favorite!

2. Where would you love to visit that you’ve never been before?

This is a hard one but I’m going to go with Tennessee. When we originally thought of moving last spring, Franklin Tennessee was first on our list! This summer while on our way to Haven we will be stopping here so I can walk down the streets and take a gazillion pictures. I love history and towns that have their historical buildings like Franklin are places that I would love to visit. I also think Charleston and Savannah are on this list as well.

Source: preservationnation.org via Ange@thebloominghydrangea on Pinterest

3. Favorite song you’re loving right now?

Ooh this is hard. I listen to many different styles of music but this song has really been in my head and on my heart lately. God is Able by Hillsong. The hubby and I saw them live in concert in November and it was awesome! I really feel like this could be a theme song for me, it’s true, our God is Able.

4. Good book recommendation?

I just finished reading The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton and I loved it. The beginning was a bit slow but she did a great job of combining history with modern day to make for an interesting story that weaves together three different lives.

Source: books.simonandschuster.com via Ange@thebloominghydrangea on Pinterest

5. What’s your best quality?

Well I think it would be my ability to make friends fairly easily, I like to meet new people and feel pretty at ease in social situations. I can say for sure I don’t have social anxiety instead I worry about everything else.

6. What is something about yourself you’d like to change?

There are many things I’d like to change about myself, anxiety being number one. If we are going with physical aspects, I would say my hair, this growing it out is for the birds.

7. What is the number one thing you hope to accomplish in 2012?

Driving somewhere outside my comfort zone, alone. That would be a big accomplishment and ties into number 6.

8. What is your favorite project that you’ve ever accomplished?

Wow, well I am going to say my first cloffice. I think the reason it’s my favorite is because it opened my eyes up to the home DIY blogging arena and gave me my first taste of room design, planning and making something functional and organized in our home. I have always loved painting and decorating but this past year has been so much fun!

9. What is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Oh man, I’m sure if I thought long enough I could come up with something but I have nothing. I need to get back to painting the trim!

10. Favorite kitchen or home improvement tool?

My favorite home improvement tool is the Wooster paint brush. Love this thing and without it I’m not sure how my trim would look! It is nice and small, with a flexible handle for hard to reach spots.

Source: amazon.com via Deb on Pinterest

11. What do you enjoy about blogging?

It might sound cliche but I love all the great people I’ve met this past year. People who get what I’m talking about when I talk blog talk or DIY/home decor talk. I also love that I can share things from my own life like miscarriage and even anxiety, people not only encourage you, pray for you and let you know they have been there but it also puts it out there for someone else to find that might need to know they aren’t alone.

Thanks Lisa, for tagging me, this was fun! If you haven’t been over to see Lisa, you need to go and check out her blog. She has done some awesome things like her entryway and staircase, has great recipes and now a cool monthly link party where you link up your before and later in the month your after. Best of all though, Lisa is just a joy to chat with and she is so sweet. You will love her blog, I promise!

Now for the hard part, I probably shouldn’t be doing this after inhaling paint fumes all day but here are the 11 Bloggers I’m tagging.

Lisa Before Meets After
Andrea Our Blue Front Door
Patience White Lacquer
Shan Family Brings Joy
Brandi Do Not Disturb This Groove
Lauren Baylor Says
Aubrey All Things Bright & Beautiful
Kristy Hyphen Interiors
Anna Directions Not Included
Judy DIY by Design
Lisa A Room with A View

Here are the 11 questions!

1. What are your favorite pizza toppings?
2. If you could swap lives with someone for a day, who would you choose and why?
3. Do you drink coffee?
4. If you could vacation anywhere, where would you go?
5. What was your favorite book as a child?
6.   If you were a color crayon, what color would you be?
7.   Best thing of 2011?
8. Are you an early bird or night owl?
9. Do you prefer a bath or a shower?
10. What is your favorite childhood memory?
11. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Rules
**You must post the rules
**Answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you; then create 11 questions to ask the people you’ve tagged
**Tag 11 people and link them in your post
**Let them know you have tagged them

By ange 5 Comments Filed Under: Blogging Fun

My Anxiety Story Part 2

February 16, 2012

The first part in this series was mostly about my childhood/teenage anxiety years. I realized that I left out one very important part that from my childhood. When I was maybe 6 or 7 years old, I am not sure of my age but I remember this well, there was a thunderstorm during the night and it woke me up. Of course I was freaked out but I remember praying for God to help me not be afraid. A peace passed over me that was amazing and I was able to watch the thunderstorm out my bedroom window without fear. I was not raised in a Christian home and we didn’t attend church so I’m not really even sure how I knew to pray to God and ask that, but I did. I blogged about this same thing a few years ago and my aunt remembered me telling her this same story as a child so I know this is real and isn’t something you think happened as a child but really didn’t.

On my wedding day one of my biggest fears is that I would pass out in front of the church. Thankfully that didn’t happen but I don’t really remember much about the ceremony. In fact, our friends were married a few months before us and all I could do was worry I would pass out while standing up there in front of everyone.

That same summer of our wedding, my husband’s brother and his fiance were married. I was a reader for the wedding and I did not want to do the reading, I was so freaked out. I did it, sort of, because as I was trying to read scripture and having a panic attack at the same time, people could barely hear me reading. Not my best moment. A few years later our good friends were getting married and both my husband and I were standing up in the wedding. Of course after my whole reading in front of the church episode from the last wedding, I was worried that I would have another panic attack during the ceremony. So of course, panic attacks go hand in hand with the cycle of worrying. I worried about having a panic attack which in turned caused me to have the panic attack. I had to get off the stage in the middle of the ceremony because I thought I was going to pass out. How embarrassing that was. It makes me feel yucky just typing it and the worst part is, I didn’t want to distract from their wedding day, I just wanted to quietly slip off the stage and run away.
A few months after our wedding, my awesomely smart husband graduated from college and we packed up our life and moved four and a half hours away from our friends and family. I was very excited to move, I had lived in the same town and the same house for the first 18 years of my life. I think I have a bit of wanderlust in me as I always wanted and hoped we would move when I was child but it never happened.
The hubs and I moved to a small town for his job ready to begin our life together. The first day hubby went to work he drove our only vehicle. He didn’t have a cell phone or a work phone and told me he’d be home at 5pm. When 6:30 rolled around and he still wasn’t home I started to get panicky. I was stuck in a town where I literally knew no one and was without a vehicle. I had no way to contact my husband to find out where he was. I finally went to the other side of the duplex and asked if they could possibly give me a ride up to my husband’s work. Right as we were about to head out my husband pulled into our driveway. This might have been the start of my intense anxiety time because a few months later I was in full fledged panic mode most of the time.
A few months after we had moved and settled in, I landed a job at a law office answering the phones and helping out with filing, etc. The job was fine but one of the secretary’s there was a mean old biddy. She always had some snide comments for me and I was starting to hate my job. One day after a really bad day at work I remember driving to our rental which was about 10 to 15 minutes away. All of a sudden I was dizzy, I was seeing spots, my hands and feet were numb and tingling, I felt like I couldn’t breathe, I was freaking out, what was wrong with me? I called my hubby from the cell phone, turned the vehicle around and drove back to his work. Not really sure how we resolved that day but from then on, I hated driving, I was freaked out it was going to happen again. Pretty soon I was holed up in the house all the time, I quit my job, I didn’t go anywhere without my husband, I stayed in our bedroom most of the day with the phone in bed with me. I wouldn’t go into stores by myself, I was quickly being overcome with anxiety. Finally I ended up taking a test on National Health Day and being diagnosed with GAD or Generalized Anxiety Disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health GAD is described as follows:

All of us worry about things like health, money, or family problems. But people with GAD are extremely worried about these and many other things, even when there is little or no reason to worry about them. They are very anxious about just getting through the day. They think things will always go badly. At times, worrying keeps people with GAD from doing everyday tasks.

GAD develops slowly. It often starts during the teen years or young adulthood. Symptoms may get better or worse at different times, and often are worse during times of stress.

People with GAD may visit a doctor many times before they find out they have this disorder. They ask their doctors to help them with headaches or trouble falling asleep, which can be symptoms of GAD but they don’t always get the help they need right away. It may take doctors some time to be sure that a person has GAD instead of something else.

This is me, I worry things will go badly most of the time. I call it “waiting for the other shoe to drop.” Just ask my husband. I will share with you just a glimpse of what this is like for me. This is so hard for me to do but I’m doing it because maybe it will help someone else out there. This summer we are taking a family vacation to Atlanta Georgia for a few days and then heading on to Florida. We are driving because I would never fly and plus we made a deal with our kids that we would visit all 48 states before they all graduated. So this is the first big trip in a series of trips we have planned over the next few years. Here is what I am already thinking/worrying about:

I am sure that we are going to all die in a car crash while driving to Haven in Atlanta this summer and it will be my fault because I won the ticket to Haven and we wouldn’t be going if I hadn’t won the ticket. Yes, I am already worrying about that. I also worry that while I am at the conference hubby will be out with the kids and get in a bad accident and I”ll get the call during the conference in front of all the bloggers. Or maybe we are going to run into bad weather or tornadoes during the drive down and we will be staying in a hotel and there will not be a basement to hide in. I will need to know how far the nearest hospital is on the drive down, no matter where we are on the road.

This is just a glimpse into my brain, scary, right? So I hope you won’t all hit the unfollow button after reading this article, writing this series has been extremely challenging for me but it’s also been really good. I can see by typing this out just how much anxiety has a control on my life and I don’t want it too! My eyes are being opened to many things regarding myself the past two weeks and I’m hoping to start taking care of business and getting on the road to a better mental state of mind, one with less worry and “what-ifs.”

There is one more post in this series so if I haven’t scared you off yet, be on the lookout for part 3!

By ange 19 Comments Filed Under: anxiety

Master Bedroom Update (again) Painted Nightstands

February 14, 2012

One day this room will be complete and the title will read Master Bedroom Complete! You won’t even know what to do with yourself because this room has been progressing since November. Really I’m so close to being done, I just need some artwork and to figure out a bedskirt. The last update from a few weeks ago I suggested it was time to paint the nightstands and you all gave me such wonderful color ideas. I tried green but it wasn’t looking so great. Next choice was coral and we found a winner!

Just a refresher, here is the room a few short months ago, a mish mash of stuff with some temporary red curtains, boring beige walls that looked like purple poop at night and the nightstands I found for $35 total.

The color of the nightstands is Benjamin Moore Rhubarb. I used a semi-gloss paint to get more of a glossy sheen on them.

I used some rub n buff to goldify the handles of our nightstands. They were somewhat gold but it was a bit tarnished, this brought the gold factor up a level and it has a little more pop now.

Here is the nightstand before and after:

Thanks for all your help with the nightstands! I think they look so much better and add a nice punch of color to the room. What do you think?

I’m linking up here:

By ange 45 Comments Filed Under: Before and After, master bedroom, Our Home, painting

Happy Valentines Day!

February 14, 2012

Ah Valentines Day, one of the most commercialized days of the year for love, well after Kim Kardishian’s wedding that is. Or was it her divorce? Did I just say that out loud? Oops!

Source: bakerella.com via Ange@thebloominghydrangea on Pinterest

According to the Urban Dictionary, the definition of Valentine’s Day is: The reason so many people are born in November. HA! Unless your birthday is in November, then maybe you are a little grossed out right now.

Source: thisisphotobomb.memebase.com via Ange@thebloominghydrangea on Pinterest

Ok for real peeps, I don’t really care that much about Valentines Day but it is fun to celebrate with my spouse and also my children but we do not go all out in our house. To me it feels like a forced holiday, I don’t want flowers because of a day that says you need to buy me flowers, buy me flowers because you want to. If for some reason you want to buy me flowers I love yellow roses the best but really almost any rose color will do, except for the ones that are yellow and red, I am not fond of those.

Source: flickr.com via Ange@thebloominghydrangea on Pinterest

We try and do the simple cheap things around here, like love notes, candy, a nice dinner at home and maybe a date on a different night of the week if we are going out. Last year we had this for dinner, Italian Bow Tie Pasta Skillet.

This picture doesn’t do this meal justice, it’s really good!

Today we are having Stromboli which is kind of like rolled up pizza, my family’s favorite meal. I’ll be happy because everyone will eat without complaining and dinner will be pleasant. (Note to self, take an after picture of stromboli and post to the blog). Dessert will be some banana cake with cream cheese frosting, yummy!

Hopefully there is cake left by the time dinner is over, seriously I could eat the whole thing right now.

Maybe you aren’t prepared for Valentines Day and you haven’t had time to run to the store and purchase your man a card. All the good cards are gone by now anyways, trust me. Never fear, there is still time to get your man a card and it requires no running to the store. I am sure he will even put it in his wallet or sock drawer and take it out from time to time to read it. You can write him a Respect Letter.

You could get creative and maybe craft up a card but even just some lined paper, folded up with his name on the front will work. He really won’t care about the pretty stamping or scrapbook embellishments, trust me.

Maybe you are not excited for Valentines Day this year because your relationship isn’t doing well or maybe you just want to read a really amazing story about love. You will want to read this blog post, A Redeeming Love Story.

This is a true story, I have their permission to share this story and it is one that I am happy to share with you all.

No matter what you are doing today, I hope you are having a wonderful day and get the chance to tell those special people in your life how much you love them! So from me to you: