kitchen | backsplash...

last April, we started our kitchen redo and it has taken me a VERY long time, like 14 months long, to find and pick between two completely different tiles to use for our backsplash. a lot of it had to do w/ cost and deciding whether or not the more expensive one would have been too busy of a design against the granite. so, i made up my mind and kept it simple using a neutral stone subway sheet tile instead, which i love much more.

this past Monday we began our project. it was quite stressful in the very beginning and we didn't start until after lunchtime. we didn't get as far as we had planned, but the process ended up going along quite smoothly after getting the hang of it. Tuesday we spent that day finishing up. i think we felt like pros by this point, ha. Wednesday, the man went back to work and i inspected a few areas and that needed adjusting. and today, i hope to have the last tiny pieces of tile installed in places that are hard to get around. wish me luck, b/c the tile cutter makes me nerves as it is.









xo...

LB | digital die-cut freebie...

guten morgen! it's digital die-cut freebie day... but first, here is a layout i created for the Lily Bee blog today using one of my border strips i created that can be used with any die-cut machine...



the five different border strips you will receive in the free download...


please enjoy this free digital die-cut file... Fall Border Strips and visit the Lily Bee blog to read more about the project i created...

have a lovely day, xo...

food | weekend cooking...

over the weekend, i made a few favorites meals but w/ a twist... i'm always pinning recipes on Pinterest, but i rarely make any of it... so, it's time i start! my goal is to make one or more items from my foodie board and anything else i pin in the near future and once i've tried it, move it over to my new foods we tried & loved board..



absolutely delectable... the family LOVED it, which made me happy. to make this i did substitute the milk in the icing with Coconut Milk, since my girl is lactose intolerant... and instead of using 6 cups of white flour, i split it & and other 3 cups i used an organic sprouted whole wheat flour and it turned out yum. i've not told the family the difference, b/c i wanted them to tell me the truth. the man is in the kitchen, as i type, eating a few slices :D


for Sunday's dinner, we enjoyed a new pork dish... the look on my sons face while devouring his portion was priceless. it's a great feeling when your family loves something that you've made. i was super happy and know that this main dish will not be a stranger on our menu and the man grilled it to perfection... it truly was outstanding! my marinade wasn't as pasty as shown on the website. more liquid, which i didn't mind. i actually preferred the extra liquid for a juicer marinade...

xo...





LB | autumn toes...

i'm super duper excited for fall!! it's a wonderful thing to wake up every morning with windows open allowing for a wonderful cool breeze to flow throughout our home. i've been having fun pulling out all my favorite scarves to wear and thinking of adding new colors to my current collection. washing all the fall throws and blankets so we're warm and cozy as we find comfort lounging our couch and in our beds. fall also has me wanting to indulge in some of my favorite comfort foods like homemade soups and slow cooked meats in the crock pot. time for me to start meal planning back up, as i don't plan our meals during the summer months.

i created a layout using a few fall colors to get my into the moment. i used a single photo documenting my love of blue jeans and bare feet in the fall... yes, it's still warm enough in VA to be barefoot in the early season of fall ;)

this weeks theme is to scraplift a design team member or a FAN on the Lily Bee blog... today, Diana, Nicole and I share our interpretation inspired by an adorable beach layout created by one of Lily Bee's members on the LB blog today... check it!



xo...







week in the life | 9/15, Sunday...

ok, finally done. as usual, this was a fun project to participate in and i'm happy w/ the end results. this is the only time of year i actually update my blog seven days in a row. so, thanks so much for taking the time to stop by this week and for putting up w/ all my fb link posts to my blog... photo count for the day was only 31...  ---> visit Ali's blog to find out more about this project

Ty & his friends always end up on the couch watching movies into the wee hours of the night...

this pear didn't stand a chance this morning, ha...

met up w/ my friend for our Sunday morning power walk...

breakfast at Panera. i had their steel cut oats, was good but not as good as mine ;)

a little retail therapy after breakfast and we bought some new workout clothes...

waited for the lady to price check a water bottle i bought that seemed to take her forever...

arrived home to find everyone upstairs, Corinne tried to hide under the sheets...

not sure what my husband was thinking working out w/out his sneakers and then he complained how the his heals were hurting him afterwards...

i also went to Target before coming home and bought Corinne a few quick and easy fall crafts to put together. she started working on them before i even pulled them out of the bag...

pulled laundry and had fun playing w/ the static and Corinne's hair, hehehe...

all you need is lite cool whip and low fat graham crackers and you have yourself a really delicious ice cream sandwich!!! i add sprinkles around the sides for my kids, too. they love it...

selfies on the couch (i am so tired at this point... the girl and i took a little break before dinner and watched two food shows on the travel channel. we were practically salivating the entire time...

while the kids showered, i debated about cleaning up my desk after working on one all week long (it NEVER takes me that long to work on one layout, but i'm not in the most creative mood when the man is out of town either...

story time for Corinne...

xo...

week in the life | 9/14, Saturday...

Saturday i was a bit tired.. rushed getting ready to attend a scout outing, but made it on time and the rest of the day went smooth... photo count for the day was only 53...  ---> visit Ali's blog to find out more about this project

quick and simple breakfast..

scarf weather, yay!

played board and card games at the Wilburn Gardens home in the Alzheimer's ward. it was challenging getting some of the boys to chat, but once the games began, it was a lot of fun...

Ty & i came home to Corinne doing her hair...

we attended a dog festival down in Locus Grove Lake of the Woods and we got to meet Prescott along with five or six other horses...

i had my character portrait drawn... weird sitting there as others watched. my jaw was sore for smiling the whole time, ha...

lunch was nasty a$$ Sonic. we were all hungry and just needed to grab something and go since we had to get Nala home to drink and eat after the dog festival, which seemed to wear her out...

Corinne wanted frozen yogurt, so her and i hit up Crave, her favorite place...

Ty's best buddy, Ace, hung out playing games...

picked some roma and cherry tomatoes in the garden...

Corinne danced for almost two hours to the same song. i even recorded her, but was told to not share her secret dance moves online... hahaha.

roasted bell peppers and red onions to go w/ dinner...

dinnertime w/ the boys... their conversations crack me up...

me cleaning dishes... Tim snapped this pic.

the three of us relaxed on the couch watching National Geographic channel...

one of the shows we watched, The Secret Life of Dogs, was really cool. i loved the story behind this dog taking the initiative to feed his owners baby lambs on her farm...

xo...



week in the life | 9/13, Friday...

825am... i drove the kids to school today b/c i had to bring in Tyler's nebulizer tube and mouth piece along w/ paperwork from the Pediatrician. i hit up the gym right afterwards, cranking out the cardio and weightlifting. the gym was empty, for like a split second. so, i took advantage and set up the phones self-timer... it was a LONG workout and a lot of calories were burned...YEESSSSS!!!

1020am... arrived home to unload the dishwasher, turn off the a/c and open the windows and started working on my assignment that i've been working on off and on all week long.

1230pm... baked lunch in the oven, tilapia and fresh roma tomatoes from the garden and sipped on lime infused water all day long. then back to work i went...

345pm... sat outside in the sun waiting (vitamin D feels so good every now & then) for the school bus to arrive. when the kids came home, they snacked and then headed out to run some errands. we also enjoyed dinner at Noodle & Co.

630pm... bought up Kids Bop 24 for the kids at Target and we jammed, it was comical and fun. the suv was shaking. i'm sure onlookers thought we were quite cray cray!

900pm... Tim FINALLY arrives home from being in Connecticut for work this week. his train was over 2 hours late. you could tell he was exhausted and just wanted to get home to relax! he brought home gifts for us all, too...YAY!

1000pm... kids were gifted a google and apple store cards and they both instantly bought Minecraft. they sat on the couch way too late. but it's Friday, it's the one night they can stay up late during the week. and i enjoyed super, duper cheap wine while creating :)

photo count for the day was only 37...  ---> visit Ali's blog to find out more about this project 


















xo...
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