What I can believe is that had I not cleaned up this space, I would never have found half my tools again.

If you want to see more details and photos, check out the post at Organized Mom here.

I have also been cleaning and organizing all of the kids closets, pulling out clothes for spring and summer.

Lily was thrilled to discover several summer dresses in her closet. So thrilled in fact, she has been wearing them to all of her favorite locations such as: the sandbox, the chicken coop, the mailbox, and the pond just a few blocks from our home.

Needless to say, she is most likely going to need some new dresses.

Now if I can just get her to let me run a brush through that hair everyday, we just might have ourselves a presentable young lady.

Truth be told, I kind of like the wild three-year old.

I have always wanted to title a post that.

So. Here’s what’s up.

My sister is having a baby in a few weeks. All I can think about is babies right now. Holding babies. Rocking babies. Smelling babies.

(Not to be confused with a smelly baby.)

But, here’s the deal.

I’m done having babies.

Like, the heavens opened up and confirmed there will be no more itty bitty snuggly babies in this household.

And I cried with relief.

For weeks.

So even though I am done carrying babies, the maternal hormones still crave holding somethin’ itty bitty.

So I did what any normal human being would do.

I bought baby farm animals.

Two chicks to be exact!

I almost bought baby ducks, but alas I lack a pond.

Holy crap, baby ducks are freakin’ adorable!

So, without further adieu, here are our two new babies:

Feather is on the left. Fluff is on the right.

Fluff is very well-behaved. Feather is skittish and ran away yesterday for four hours and hid underneath the shed.

I spent an entire afternoon chasing her, and swearing, and crying with frustration, and wondering what on earth was I thinking bringing home two babies.

Then I remembered I always say that when I bring a baby home.

Now, let’s talk seriously for a minute.

I was thinking of getting a baby turkey.

How long do you think it would stay little?

And more importantly, do farmer’s generally accept fully grown turkeys left at their front door?

Yes?!

I think they would be okay with it too.

Bo-ho-ho-ring!

 So I am finally getting around to workin’ on some upgrades.

Mr. Wright brought home a bunch of scrap picture frame molding. I thought I would start with framing the mirror.

One problem: I was eight inches short to cover the entire mirror.

So I came up with an idea that will either go down in the books as sheer brilliance, or total insanity.

Jury is still out.

Here’s what I decided to do: Frame most of the mirror, and cover the rest with leftover tile from the kitchen.

In order to cover the mirror edge with tile, I did have to add a piece of flat wood on each side so that the tile would be level with the mirror on both ends.

I glued the base of the wood frame with liquid nails. After it dries it will help support the rest of the frame, and also give me a guide for my tile.

While the mortar and tile dried I glued the sides of the frame.  When they were dry I glued on the top. (The tape is just to help the pieces stay level, not necessarily to support them.)

After the frame glue was completely dry, I finished the tile work. It was super fast as I didn’t even have to rent a tile cuter this time.

I also updated the light fixture. Still can’t believe I figured out how to do that.

Ready to see how it looks?

‘Course you are.

Here’s the before again:

And the after:

I think I should change the hardware to silver.

And I am thinking of painting the cabinets the same almondy color as our kitchen island.

Or a sea foamy green like the tile.

Or purple.

Except not purple, because I hate purple.

We shall see.

Preference? What do you think?

And feel free to send your love my way as I totally rocked the 45 degree cuts on the frame and got the measurements right. It scared the hello out of me, but I did it all by myself. Yeah for mathematics!

So there.

Ben Behunin is a local Utah potter who sells some of his incredible work at local bookstores and art galleries.  Mr. Wright discovered his beautiful work a few months ago when he purchased this amazing bowl for me for Valentine’s Day.

We have it displayed on a shelf in our bedroom and I just love looking at it each morning. It is titled “Tree of Life”, and Ben has several other designs and one of a kind bowls that he sells all over the valley, each for around $50-$75.

Mr. Wright also purchased four of these matching necklaces for all of our children. I thought it was such an adorable gift for a father to give to his kids. They love them and wear them often.

Just this last weekend Ben opened his amazing home he remodeled for a Mother’s Day sale and home tour. I was so incredibly sad I was not able to attend, but thrilled to get a small glimpse online HERE. Ben did an amazing job giving his home a personal, vibrant, and creative feel.

To learn more about Ben or to purchase one of his pieces, visit his website HERE.

1. Restoration Hardware is the most amazing awesomesauce place in the whole wide world.

2. For every plate of awesomesauce that Restoration Hardware sells, they charge a million billion dollars.

Whew!

That place is pricey.

Though I only came out of the store with a stack of catalogs, (hallelujah they are free!), I did see a recurring theme in their stately decor.

Books.

Or for a more defined description: Trashed books.

Books were strewn everywhere, and not a single one was left unscathed. With covers torn off, and string and twine wrapped multiple times around, they definitely made for a bold yet simple decorative piece.

Just check out some samples from the catalog online:

(Pictures via Restoration Hardware here.)

Well, I might not be able to afford an $1,800 19th century old world artistry deconstructed wingback chair, but I sure as heck can rip the covers off a few books.

Am I right?!?

Who’s with me?!?

Anyone?

Here’s what you need:

A spool of twine…

And books.

You will also need a box cutter, which I didn’t take a picture of because I have yet to meet a box cutter pretty enough for a photo shoot.

All right, you got me. I forgot to take a picture of the box cutter.

Don’t forget to send your mother a picture of the trashy book covers and say, “Mom! You totally used to read books like this when I was a kid!”

First she will yell at you, and then she will say she will never ever babysit again for you to go see yet another Twilight movie with your giggly girlfriends.

Touché.

Now, this project is super duper easy, as long as you cut the right part of the book. Don’t cut the pages, just cut the edge to remove the outer hardbound cover.

Just… like…so.

If you cut it right, the spine should peel right off from the cover.

Ta-da! Now hang on a sec while I save that trashy cover in a special hiding place…

Kidding!

(Awkward.)

Next, take your twine and wrap up your books. I did sets of four as that’s what I saw in the store, but you can vary your numbers.

The older the books the better. My 80′s romance novels seemed aged enough, and the .25 cent garage sell price tag was an added bonus.

Voila! I can’t wait to make space on my fireplace mantle.

Not bad for $1!

At Restoration Hardware they also had some fabulous rolled paper in vases that I am going to try out next.

I don’t think I will be using trashy romance novels as you might actually be able to read the pages.

Meh.

I bet nobody will notice.

 You’re just going to have to trust me when I say it’s harder than it looks.

That hula hoop was the best $1 I have spent in long time. The girls spent several days training chickens to jump through it.

Now if you will excuse me, I am off to buy chicken sized swim goggles. If it means many more hours of outdoor entertainment, I am determined to persuade my girls to teach the chickens to swim.

I think I will pick up some pint-sized skateboards while I am at it.

Pin It]]> http://www.natalme.com/how-to-train-a-chicken/feed/ 0 http://www.natalme.com/artist-feature-heart-of-haiti/ http://www.natalme.com/artist-feature-heart-of-haiti/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 12:00:07 +0000 Natalie Wright http://www.natalme.com/?p=2968 This Mother’s Day, I’m working with Clever Girls in support of Macy’s Heart of Haiti to shine a light on the “trade, not aid” program, which provides sustainable income to Haitian artisans struggling to rebuild their lives and support their families after the 2010 earthquake.

Mothers Day is approaching, and  I always struggle to find the perfect gift for my mom. She is an amazing humanitarian who is always serving and thinking of others. She has taught me the importance of not just being a wonderful mother, but also recognizing my talents and using my creativity in my home and life. So this year I am giving her the necklace above.  It was made by amazing women (and men) who have found strength and courage through their artistic abilities with the Macy’s Heart of Haiti program.

What is Macy’s Heart of Haiti? Heart of Haiti is a “Trade, Not Aid” initiative launched by artist and social entrepreneur, Willa Shalit, The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, and Macy’s. Already, Heart of Haiti has led to employment of 750 artists in Haiti, providing financial benefits for an estimated 8,500 people in the country.

Each item is a one-of-a-kind design and handmade by a Haitian master artisan from raw materials such as recycled oil drums, wrought iron, papier-mâché and stone. The collection features more than 40 home decor items including quilts, metalwork, ceramics, jewelry, and paintings.  They’re made almost entirely from recycled and sustainable items such as old cement bags, cardboard, oil drums and local gommier wood.

The purchase of Heart of Haiti product helps artists preserve their cultural history, restore their homes, and rebuild their communities. It also helps the artists send their children to school because public education in Haiti doesn’t exist.

Here is just a small sampling of the many amazing products that can be purchased:

Aren’t they beautiful?! I love and want them all!

Thank you to Macy’s Heart of Haiti for sponsoring my participation in this “Share Your Heart” promotion. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Heart of Haiti products are available online at Macy’s.com.

Photos with my phone for the month of April.

I quit Instagram. I am still old schoolin’ with Flickr.

Whatever. I’m still cool. Hang on a sec…

I’m cold so I need to go slip my Tom’s over my socks.

I don’t care what you think!

Do you think I should give Instagram another try? Maybe?

I rearranged and renamed all my Pinterest boards. Gave them all awesomesauce names like totally not trailer trash and pillow talk.

Now when I go to pin something new, I can’t remember what I changed the names to.

Dang it!

Oh, well.

I’m not changing again ’cause my chicken pin board name rocks.

Yeah.

I’m still cool.

If I ever die, people will always say, “Man, she had a nice rack. I even pinned it on Pinterest.”

What?

Pfff. You guys are gross!

Seriously, get your mind out of the gutter. Unless there is a broken rake there. Then, well, go ahead.

Here’s the before:

And after:

If you don’t have a really old rake, guess what? It will rust and age with time.

My rack is really old and rusty.

What, again?

Seriously! You guys need to grow up.

It’s amazing we can even carry on a normal conversation.

Especially with you guys always talking about TV shows on Netflix all the time. Geesh!

Oh, wait. That’s actually me.

Dude! Have you seen Lie to Me on Netflix?

It’s okay.

For the tomato cage topiary, you just flip it upside down, and tie the prongs together with twine. Knot it… no hot glue. That’s a big no-no outside if you remember.

I embellished mine with clothespins and flowers made out of burlap.

Here’s how it looks in my backyard. I intend to get a taller plant in the pot, but you get the idea.

And for the final Studio 5 project, we have a banner made from twine and burlap. This was taken yesterday after two weeks of sunshine, rain and wind outdoors. It shows a little wear, but otherwise it’s in great shape. I would recommend stitching it together, again not using hot glue.

That’s it for all televised projects, nervous twitching, night sweats, and overabundant sighs of relief because I will never ever get used to being on TV.

Ever.

Done and done.

The whole idea was to take a boring and inexpensive clay pot and come up with some fun and cheap perk-up solutions.

Here’s the boring before:

Now let’s go through these one at a time speed reading style.

(That means were movin’ fast so keep up, will ya?)

Ombre pot.

Use three similar shades, or metallics, with spray paint. Freehand the top and bottom, let it dry. Freehand the middle with one hand while holding the pot top with the other and slowly turning it. If you mess up just let it dry and start over. No taping needed. I promise.

Quatrefoil pot.

The clay pot came in this lovely dark brow. Same pattern from this post, just printed smaller. Trace the pattern lightly with a pencil, and then use a paint marker to draw it on. Seriously less than five minutes to do this one.

Twine pot.

Glue it. That’s it.

Alright, I will give you one tip, don’t use a glue gun unless this will be in the shade. Glue gun glue will melt in the hot sun. Use gorilla glue instead.

White wash pot.

I totally forgot to talk about this one on Studio 5, and it’s my favorite! Here’s what to do: Take a damp rag and dip it in white latex paint. You do not need to dilute the paint but make sure your rag is very wet. After dipping the rag in the paint, rub it on the pot in straight lines, like you were following wood grain. I waited for the paint to dry and did a second layer, but you don’t have to. When it’s dry, rub a handful of dirt all around the outside. Yes, I am serious. The dirt makes it look old like it has been living outside a few years. And y’all know how I like things to look like they have been living outdoors. If my children look that way, the house decor might  as well go along with it. ‘Nuff said.

Last but not least: Fabric ruffle pot.

Sadly, this one was lost in the shuffle of moving all the pots all over the place when we originally thought we were filming outside, then hurried and moved everything in. No worries, the flowers survived. For this one I just used gorilla glue to attach a torn piece of fabric and flower to the side. I did not sew the gather, just did it while I glued.

Whew! Done and done.

Last post of Studio 5 projects coming at you first thing tomorrow!

Maybe.

I have a date with my bath tub and the entire eight seasons of X-Files on Netflix.

Things are gonna get pruney fast my friends.

Just bein’ real with ya.

Course you are!

Up next… pots!

The decorating kind, not the smokin’ kind. Even I have standards.

This one was my absolute favorite: the silhouette!

Which, by the way, I realized spelling silhouette proved to be far more difficult than painting one. Seriously, what would we do without spell check???

First: prime your pot. Use a matt finish, as paint markers don’t adhere to glossy spray paint.

Next, print our your pattern and shade the outline in front of a window.

Tape your pattern to your pot, and then take a pencil and trace again. You should now have a faint pencil outline on your clay pot.

Paint away! Well, marker away. Hobby Lobby sells paint markers for about three dollars in a variety of colors. The paint dries fast, and I found two layers of paint did the trick.

That’s it! Super cute way to personalize your home or porch. Paint markers would also work great if you want to write your house numbers, or draw a pattern… you get the idea.

Stay tuned! The rest of the clay pots are gonna be smushed into one more post tomorrow, and then may I never post about television appearances again.

And when I say never, I really mean at least a few weeks.

You totally need a lamp bird bath.

By the time I am through with y’all, there’s going to be lamp bird baths lighting up your hood!

Bahahaha!

Lighting. 

That’s awesome.

So here’s what you need:

Lamp. Drill. Bowl. Epoxy glue.

And spray paint if you wish.

First things first: cut the cord.

(No husbands deeply attached to their mothers jokes if you please.)

Next: Take it apart. Most lamps are made of sectioned pieces that all fit on a metal rod. After removing the lightbulb and shade support, you should be able to twist the lightbulb housing to the left. Of the three bird baths I made, two twisted right off, one I had to use some needle-nose pliers to help get it off.

You want to remove enough pieces so that the top part of the metal rod is exposed. (See below.)

This exposed piece is what you attach your bowl to.

Now you need to drill a hole in your bowl. Make sure you use a drill bit wide enough for a snug fit. Also, if you decide to use a glass bowl, be sure to use a drill bit intended for glass! Very important.

After drilling the hole, slide your bowl over your lamp base. Next, use 5 minute epoxy to glue your bowl onto the base. If you have a metal washer from the top pieces you removed you can add it now, but the epoxy will be strong enough without. While you still have mixed glue, I would also recommend adding an embellishment to the top. If your lamp had a decorative finial on the top, this would work well. Think of it as a decorative touch, or a special seat for birds.

Awhhh. So nice.

Side note: You can use other glues or adhesives, but I found epoxy worked best. DO NOT use a glue gun. Glue gun glue will melt in direct sunlight. Just ask the Easter wreath I made last year when I found five billion cracked Easter eggs on my front porch. Oh no wait, you can’t ’cause I threw a tantrum and then chucked it in the trash.

Give your bird bath at least 24 hours to set and dry, and then it’s ready to move outdoors!

Here’s how mine turned out:

And here’s the third before:

And after:

And finally, a peak at how they look in my yard:

The cool thing about this project is no two bird baths are going to be the same.

Unless you are my internet stalker, and you cut your hair the same way and wear the exact same clothes as me everyday. If so, you totally need to get some highlights man.

Seriously, if you go to a thrift store or search yard sales, chances are you are going to find totally different items that would work. And you should! Have fun with this, and be creative!

Want to see more of my Studio 5 segment projects? Stay tuned for ceramic pots coming up first thing next week!

Yes?

Didn’t I do awesome!?!

Well, since I actually pre-scheduled this post to go live as soon as the episode finished airing, truthfully I have no idea how I did. I am probably driving home right now.

Let’s just set this up for different scenarios, just in case.

Scenario 1:

Hey! Did you see me totally biff it? Wasn’t I totally graceful? Even with the blood gushing out of my head, I totally pulled through!

Scenario 2:

Dude! Can you believe I totally sneezed all over Darin? Good thing he was wearing a light suit today. Geesh, he sure wasn’t happy with me! Brooke sure thought it was funny though.

Scenario 3:

Oh. My. Gosh.  Can you believe I totally forgot to wear lipstick? And makeup, and shoes, and all of my clothes? I can’t believe I totally went on air butt naked. (No pun intended.)

Whew!

That about clears up all of my pre-show fears and possible worst nightmare scenarios.

That, and crashing my car and not showing up.

Oh no. maybe I didn’t even make it on the show! In that case, please disregard scenario #2 and #3. Let’s keep #1 as it happens on a regular basis.

Anywho… I know ya’ll are eager to see the garden slash patio projects from the show. Here’s a peak at one, and I will try and get the rest of them posted throughout the week.

Sound good?

One of my favorite projects from the segment are these glass bottles. Super simple, super cute.

Here’s what you need:

-Glass bottles

-5 Minute Epoxy

-Rebar or wood dowel

Sometimes I call rebar rebarb purely because I want to. And I think it sounds better. And I used to think that was really was it was called.

You can leave the rebar as is, or kick up the color with spray paint. Use spray paint, not brush on paint. Spray paint is way more outdoorsy.

As for the glass bottles use what you have on hand. New glass Coke bottles work great if you just remove the label. Wine or sparkling cider bottles work wonderfully too. Look for a fun color since they really light up when the sun hits them in the morning and evening hours.

To attach the rebar I  mixed a little bit of 5 minute epoxy and just added it to the end of the metal bar. Carefully slide your glass on top and center it on the bottle. You will want to stick it in the ground, or a bucket of sand so it can dry while it is level.

Wait a day for it to dry completely, and then it’s ready to stick in the ground!

Rebar comes in all different lengths. I bought three and four feet pieces for these bottles. Home Depot sells them for between $1.80-$2.50, depending on your store.

You can embellish your bottles too if you want to.

Of you can embellish the story about going on live television and post about it on your blog before you even get home.

Isn’t technology amazing!

Now who’s taking me out for a Diet Coke? I need to mentally check out for a few hours.

Okay, I admittedly want to make more of these for my yard too.

For some reason I seem to be attracted to vintage colors that look similar to what escapes my children when they are feeling ill.

Gross, but true.

Unfortunately, this baby is in bad shape.

Then I took a closer look at the small tear, and somehow it became a bigger tear (accidentally intentionally) and then I just ripped the sucker apart.

Ahhh. That’s better.

Underneath was a lovely clean layer of masonite board.

Nothin’ a little primer can’t fix.

And two Dream Bars. They make every day a good day.

Which is why they should be eaten every day.

Not that I do that.

One paint brush, two coats of primer, and three articles of  clothing ruined by a certain someone.

Next up: two layers of turquoise paint. After it was dry I got to work with a stencil I cut out of a cereal box.

Corn Flakes to be exact, ’cause I know I am going to get like a bajillion people asking me, “Dude, what kind of cereal box should I use?!?”

Or maybe not.

This is a quatrafoil pattern, available from the loveley Jones Design Company HERE. She actually did a double layer but I am…um… lazy for lack of a better word.

Purdy, no? For the lighter color I just added a little white to the turquoise paint I already had.

Ta-da! Let’s see if from another angle…

Love it! Here’s a few more shots…

Dude, where did she come from???

Hey, Mom! Take a picture of me!

Darlin’ I am trying to take a picture of the table.

Bahahaha! You can’t ’cause I am in the way fool!

Well I will just shoot it from above then…

Darn it.

One hour later…

I Got it! Hahaha!

No, I got you man!

Lily! If you don’t get out of the way…

Hey! Hey Mom! Look at my arms! You can’t see the table! Hahaha!

Lily! Get out of the way! And don’t you dare flash me those adorable…

She did it.

She flashed me the dimples.

All right! FINE! Let’s take your picture.

Wait a sec…

Where did she go?

Yeah. I have had enough with this table.

Where’s the freakin’ Dream Bars?

In fact, after unearthing our concrete floors I felt like the kitchen floor and island just kinda melted together in a big brown sludge.

I have been itchin’ to paint all the cabinets, and since painting cabinets is new to me I am starting small with just the kitchen island.

Here is the boring brown before:

First I added beadboard to give it some depth and create a lovely juxtaposition between the panels and flooring.

Know what I hate?

When home decorators overuse the word juxtaposition.

I had to entirely walk away from season five of Design Star because I just could not take it anymore.

No worries, I faithfully returned to season six.

Don’t you dare tell me who won! I am still catching up online.

Don’t you just love the white box challenge they do every season?

I think all DIY bloggers online should have to do a white box challenge. The room shaped boxes could just randomly show up on their driveways, and they have to hammer, paint, primp, and starve for forty-eight hours all whilst dueling to the death!!!

Maybe not to the death.

But something just as entertaining.

Anywho, to apply beadboard you need to:

1. Glue

2.Nail

Do not skip #1, and do not skip #2. You gotta do both.

Whatcha don’t gotta do, is use as much glue as I did. Got a little carried away there…

If you buy the white beadboard, it’s already primed and ready to paint.

If you buy the brown beadboard and intend to paint it just to save two dollars you are crazy and not welcome here.

If you buy the brown beadboard and intend to stain it like it’s 1987, well then I don’t even know why we are friends.

Here’s how the island looks after some fresh paint:

I don’t have a name for the color. I went to Home Depot and was feeling saucy and challenged the paint expert.

I bet you guys can’t match spray paint colors, cause you know, it ‘s a different kind of paint and all that stuff!

Yes we can.

Oh yeah? Well then match this random can called almond!

Um. Okay. 

So they made a gallon that matched perfectly, and then I realize on moral grounds I should probably buy the paint.

FYI: I did prime before I painted.

Here’s the island with the infamous red stool that Lily spends more time on then I do working on projects in this ‘ol house.

Most of the time she climbs up, takes one bite out of every piece of fruit in the fruit bowl, flips me off with her middle finger, and then walks away.

Okay, she doesn’t flip me off. But she does glare at me, and by golly it’s just as scary.

That’s it!

Cabinets are next!

If I can muster up enough courage!

And find the time!

And survive my three year old!

Why am I so excited about all of this!?!

Oh, sorry.

Sugar rush from finishing off twelve pieces of half eaten fruit in the fruit bowl.

The super amazing co-host of Design on a Dime Kelly Edwards contacted me this week! She is publishing an amazing Design Cookbook, and asked me to contribute two images from my home! I am seriously so excited! The book doesn’t come out until next year, so I will keep you posted on the details! The images are of Matthew’s room, and another featuring the mail sorter.

Seriously, this made my week!

On a side note, if you want to see more behind the scenes stuff around here be sure to follow my Facebook page. You get to hear amazing happenings, like how I spray painted all my garage tools turquoise and then immediately felt remorseful afterward.

Or how I attempted self-taught electrical work, and then regretted yelling at my children to stop telling me the lights still weren’t working.

Or about all the random crap I buy on ebay and then wonder why I have an addiction to random (but still really cool) crap.

Meh.

Maybe I actually don’t want you reading that stuff.

In other news… I am going on studio 5 again!

Yay! So exciting!

Wait a sec…

Hang on…

Sorry.

Just had to vomit there.

Whoever said I wouldn’t be terrified the second time around is a BIG STUPID MEAN LIAR.

Oh, wait. I said that.

Yeah. I am freakin’ out all over again.

Thursday, April 26th is the big day.

Maybe.

Maybe I just won’t even tell you!

Okay, it really is.

Dang it!

You can also check out these project features from the last few days…

Several of my DIY projects were featured on iVillage HERE.

Our playhouse was featured on Stylist Sight HERE.

My dish soap cake stand was featured on HGTV.com HERE.

My article on Photo Composition at Tech4Moms is being featured on the homepage of BlogHer today! You can find it HERE.

And in other news… I joined Instagram ages ago, but am finally getting around to posting pictures there. I feel awkward to suddenly start posting pictures on Instagram when Flickr and I have had such a nice daily thing going.

It’s like I am trying to break up with Flickr, but then keep calling to just hang out.

And Flickr picks up the tab, but it’s really not a date. We’re just friends, you know?

Friends with benefits.

Eh. I think I might just get back together with Flickr…

Your welcome teenager!

Here’s Evey and Taylor’s room before:

And after:

The pillows I made, and the bedspreads came from Target HERE on clearance for $40. They are super cute, but I wanted something simple so I have them turned upside down. I actually did the same thing in Matthew’s room. ‘Tis the cheap way to get whatcha want!

I also made the new window treatment. It’s just foam board wrapped in batting and fabric and glued together with a glue gun. Easy peasy.

Here’s the dresser across from the beds in case you haven’t seen it before.

The girls love the changes in their room!

I have on my to-do list to find a new rug (the pink polka-dot rug I moved to Lily’s room) and change the light fixture.

I have a billion other things I want to do before going rug and lighting shopping, so I will get around to it eventually.

Plus, my elder sister keeps telling me I need to watch GCB and I am not one to turn down Kristin Chenoweth.

And I hung it up in my house ages ago too.

And it has been in the background of many photos on this ‘ol blog.

Quick! Someone Where’s Waldo my blog and see how many times I have accidentally shown it!

No seriously don’t do that.

I am not even willing to do that.

Anywho, Mr. Wright thought it was too heavy to hang above the TV, so I just waited a few months until he forgot about it, then hung it above the  TV.

I know it’s a little taboo to have a “TV”  in front of the TV, but you have to trust me here.

We have a cool little 3M Pocket Projector that hooks up to our iPhones and iPad.

It works perfectly for showing home movies with the kids, and since we shoot most of our video with iPhone’s, it’s become a really fun way to watch family clips on it. The kids really get a kick out of seeing themselves on the big screen.

We can also stream clips from YouTube with the 3M projector. We can already stream YouTube with our Apple TV, but I must say, a movie that requires complete darkness just has more of that movie theater feel than a regular TV.

Sometimes I feel like it’s taking two tech steps back, but the kids sure think it’s more fun.

And if you know Mr. Wright and I well, you know the kids rule around here.

Except for when it comes to my ice cream.

Nobody dares mess with that.

Hola.

Mr. Wright and I snuck away for a few days sans children.

It was pure bliss!

Muy bienaventuranza!

Yeah, I have no idea what that means.

I speak some Spanish. Sometimes when people cut me off while I’m driving I yell at them, ” AYE CHULETA!”

That means pork chops.

Or a small pony.

A quién le importa?

Anywho, we are home again.

Why is it so hard for an adult who has napped everyday for a week straight to transition into no longer napping?

Why is it so easy  for a two year old who has napped their entire life to suddenly stop napping?

Dunno.

I am looking forward to returning to the reality of blogging, crafting, and not napping…

Oh! I forgot I have children.

I am looking forward to returning to the reality of blogging, crafting, not napping, and quatro niños.

Expect some serisouly bueno projects coming soon!

Whoa.

Wait.

I am setting my standards waaaay too high.

How about this:

Sorta expect at least one semi-cool completed project hopefully in the near future. Probably towards the end of the week, maybe.

That’s better.

This post is sponsored by Country Crock. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Since I have a few picky eaters in my house, I have had to kick my food creativity up a notch. I have been trying to make cutesy bento box style lunches for school, and so far the kids have loved them. I thought it would be fun to try and be more creative at home too.

Anywho, I found out about this great website by Country Crock called the Country Crock Chronicle. It’s full of all these amazing recipes and tips for families. In fact, they even joined up with the amazing food photographer Clare Crespo to create an awesome cookbook that you can download for free HERE. I LOVE creative food photography, and this simple cook book is full of ideas for making creative meals and snacks for your family. If you have a hard time getting your kids to eat their veggies (ahem… yours truly) then you will love the ideas found inside.

I let my six year old help me choose a recipe, and one of the many we decided to try is the Beautiful Butterflies recipe. It’s a very simple recipe, all you need is a yellow squash, Country Crock Spread, baby carrots, garlic, and herbs like parsley, dill, tarragon, or whatever else you favor. We also used a cucumber since my younger kids love sautéed  cucumbers.

First, sauté the garlic with a few tablespoons of Country Crock. Then add your veggies and sauté them for about seven minutes. Add whatever vegetable seasoning you like. My kids tend to just prefer salt and pepper with sautéed veggies.

Now time for the food styling! To make the butterfly antenas I just used the stems from some parsley. Chives work great too.

Lay out your sautéed veggies on a plate, and use fresh parsley or dill to embellish the wings.

I seriously could not make these fast enough, my two little girls just kept gobbling them up! We added a side of fruit and this ended up being a delicious lunch!

I am very much looking forward to making more creative recipes from the Clare Crespo Cookbook! And I must sat I love how Country Crock makes veggies delicious without  feeling the need to hide them in food in order to get my kids to eat them!

Are you looking for quick and simple tips and recipes to make serving veggies more fun? Download the free Clare Crespo Cookbook here for fun and whimsical recipes your family is sure to love! You can learn more about Country Crock on their Facebook page HERE, or follow them on Twitter HERE.

Disclaimer: I was financially compensated for this post, however all opinions are mine.