Changing an Ugly Picture to a Large Chalkboard

When we built our house and moved a year and a half ago, we had blank walls for a long time. We decided to have some people over and I really wanted something, anything, on the walls at this point. I hadn't brought most of our wall decor with us, because the color scheme didn't match, or to be honest, it was about 20+ years old and possibly from my college days. (Do you remember Jeff Foxworthy saying, 'Hey, if that's there on the side of the road after midnight, it's in my living room!') Haha. Okay, I'm exaggerating a little, but you get the drift...(and if we're being honest, occasionally I've seen some cute stuff on the side of the road!).

One thing I did bring with us was a large framed picture.  I didn't like the picture itself but I still liked the frame.  

I was wandering around the house wondering what to do with it when I thought I'd really love to put a big chalkboard in the kitchen area.  I had read somewhere about using chalkboard paint on glass...Hmmm.  So off to Lowe's I went.  I got a can of chalkboard spray paint (read on the label, it will say whether it will stick to glass, some won't). I covered the frame part of the picture with newspaper and painted the glass, spraying on three light coats. Bam!  It worked! I had a large chalkboard!

If you're not into painting, I heard that Hobby Lobby has sheets of chalkboard paper.  I bet that would work too if it's large enough for your frame. Before writing on the board, you have to prime it by taking the side of a piece of chalk and going over the entire board. Erase, then it's ready! If you skip this step, most of the time the words or drawings on your board will not fully erase.  I also learned that using a chalkboard pen became permanent even after I had primed the board.  Ugh. I had to paint the whole thing over, so be warned if you plan to use those, it could be there forever.

It really helps when you have a hubby who can draw on the chalkboard...if it was left to me, there'd be a stickman drawn there. He is so talented, it's has been wonderful to have a place to showcase his drawings in the house.  I just hate to erase any of them. 

He did the above drawing by covering the board with chalk and erasing until he had the image of a moose.

I know! If I tried that it would look like some sort of alien. 

We've had the best time drawing seasonal pictures (he draws, I watch) and letting the kids draw on it occasionally. Occasionally only, because with boys the drawing always end up being embellished with words like, 'poo' or something like that. If you don't have boys, trust me on this one. Boys are obsessed with bathroom words, which do not need to be near the kitchen.

I love to repurpose things, especially for just the cost of spray paint, plus it's one less blank wall! Tell me your repurposing ideas! I need more!

Meanwhile in other news, you guys didn't hear it from me, but I'm pretty sure Elizabeth was seen going through Wendy's drive-thru yesterday.  I don't think that No. 1 combo will fit in the little blue box. Love her heart.

Take care!

Elizabeth

Bear's Bathroom and the Clawfoot Tub Confession

I had to confess something to the Bear, because it was the right thing to do. I told a Big Fat Lie to him and kept it going for almost two years.

I know.

Mother of the Year.  

It's about his tub.  You guys, I really wanted a clawfoot tub in the house.  It's just so vintage and charming and I love them. Since I have a bad back and I'm clumsy, the tub couldn't go in my bathroom, I'd end up on the floor trying to get out of the thing for sure. Our oldest son flat out refused to bathe in a clawfoot tub being all of 6'2 and kind of grown and manly and all. That left Bear no option. He had to have the clawfoot tub. He was 8 at the time and really didn't seem to care about design decisions too much. Score!

So herein lies the problem. I didn't buy a new clawfoot tub, it was OLD and GROSS.  Big time old and gross, like from a horror movie gross. A friend of mine was demolishing his old abandoned apartment building and offered to sell me a tub out of it. Unfortunately, Bear was with me when I went to see it.  He was understandably horrified and flat out refused to consider it.  Actually, I was a little horrified too, but I could see the good bones. Good bones matter! Eight year olds cannot see bones. They can see black crud. He didn't care that I'd gone to church half my life next door and our puppet ministry team used to have practice in the apartment where the tub was. He didn't see how awesome it would be to preserve something from Mom's past and recycle instead of buying new.  I wish I had a 'Before' picture but it looked a lot like this one:

Photo from Bathrenovationhq.com

So we left and Bear said, 'I'm NOT taking a bath in that tub EVER.' I secretly paid my friend for the tub and hoped for the best. I'd never had a tub refinished before so I had no idea what I was in for. Then the lie began.

'NOOOO, of course I'd never buy that disgusting tub for you, honey bun! Only a new tub for you!'

I felt pretty guilty about it but I'm pretty sure my Mom used to occasionally lie to me, so it's a generational thing.

I just blamed lying to my child on my mother? I really can't recall any specific lie that she told me. I think I've just thrown my morals out the window for a clawfoot tub...

I was thrilled when I found a guy about an hour away to refinish the tub. He came and picked it up, reglazed it and I even got to match the outside paint color to the bathroom cabinet color.  He mixed some sort of epoxy with regular Sherwin Williams paint. I really like how it turned out. I was concerned that it would chip (he even left me some extra paint - that I've already misplaced), so far after almost two years, there's a couple of tiny chips but nothing that bothers me. The price was reasonable and after pricing new tubs that are the same size/look, we saved a couple hundred dollars going this route, plus we were able to customize the color. Someone had tried to convince me that the old timey clawfoot tubs wouldn't hold heat and Bear would hate it, but we've not had that problem. Another bonus, it's surprisingly easier to clean than my other tubs because soap doesn't seem to leave a film on it like a regular tub.

He was suspicious at first though.  'Are you SURE this isn't that nasty tub from that house?'

'Baby, absolutely not. No, siree. Brand new.'

I know, I'm horrible. I confess, my mother did not make me say this.

Thankfully he also likes vintage looking things like me (unless they're gross). He liked that the tub was deep and he had a handheld shower, exposed plumbing and that his bathroom was a little different.

Bear's closet door.

Bear was born on the 13th, so it's our lucky number...

So, if you're wondering about Bear's reaction to finding out the truth, he was none too happy.  He was NEVER...BATHING...AGAIN. 

And then....he magically forgot.

I felt SO relieved to get that off my shoulders. Shew.

My version of necessities for a clawfoot tub.  Bear in no way approved this message. Have you guys tried those LUSH bath bombs???? Wowsa. Yes.

So I feel extra guilty leaving the story here, where the moral is recycle things from your past and lie to your children, so I must say, recycle but don't lie to your children.

Or blame it on your mother.

But if you need to put a gross clawfoot tub in their bathroom, I totally understand.

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Thanks for reading! I really appreciate all of you who support the writing of this blog. You're the best!

The Junk Food Junkie Diaries Entry 2, A Recipe and Some Dark Days

IF YOU MISSED Entry One, find it here.

Day 7:

The Junkie is feeling surprisingly like a human. Maybe even feeling amazing! Has decided to be a grown up, just in this eating/exercise department. No more crying, no more pity parties and drinking stress away with Mt. Dew.  

Still loves Mt. Dew.

Has exercised every day and eaten 'clean' in the past week. (Learned that means more than the food was just washed). Ok, the bleu cheese dressing and a fried green tomato smothered in cheese was a stretch (mmm, there's a secret love affair with cheese going on), but otherwise every meal has been whole, non-processed foods, no preservatives, chemicals, etc..

OKAYYYYYYY.  There was one night of pizza and popcorn because it was the weekend, and that's reason enough.  So, keeping' it real, by end of week 1, there were two cheat meals.  Junkie feels no remorse.

The rollerblades have been banned to the basement. No child has been duct-taped anywhere. There is still the desire to do this, however, when the ten year old provides commentary during the workouts, or when tucking in at bedtime, when the kid says, 'Hey, Mom! Your leg looks smaller! Oh, nope, yeah, still just as fat.'

Kid is lucky to be alive. 

The house is clean, the music is playing, Junkie is twirling around like that lady in the Sound of Music and the family has been fed. Even likes them again. Has lost four pounds.  Proof that if a Junkie can do it, so can you. (Or if you are one of those fortunate people who have already have this down because of this fabulous metabolism or already follow this kind of lifestyle, Junkie will put you in the 'Friend I Like But Cannot Sit Next To In A Bathing Suit' category).  You know who you are.

And remember the Beach Body participant, Carolyn?  

Still an overachiever. 

So, Junkie will end this series for now (with updates here and there) and close out with her favorite breakfast recipe.  Because she writes it a week ahead and she already knows that week 2 brings on dark days.  DARK days, my friends.  You know the days,  where you get busy and don't put exercise first so you go to bed at night wondering where the day went.  The days when you attend a woman's conference for the whole weekend and somehow end Saturday night with your face in a delicious bowl of creme du brûlée mousse.  OH MY WORD. DELICIOUS. But she's hanging in there because Monday always comes back around and Monday allows for a fresh start. Week 3 will be awesome! Never give up!

But oh, those Saturday nights can be dark, my friends.   

On to the breakfast:

21 DAY FIX - BROCCOLI CHEESE EGG MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

• 12 eggs
• Veggies of your choice, I used broccoli, sundried tomatoes and artichokes (diced peppers and onions work, chopped spinach, whatever you have, like an omelet).  There's no right or wrong amount, I believe I used about two green containers full or between 2-3 cups.  If you're splurging a little, crumbled bacon or turkey bacon is good to add as well.
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of salt, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
• One cup of shredded cheddar cheese (optional) (A must in Junkie's mind)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray 12 cup muffin tin GENEROUSLY.  These muffins will stick in your muffin pan so bad you might just give up and throw the whole pan away. Not that that has ever happened over here.  
3. Saute or steam broccoli until soft and chop sundried tomatoes and artichokes into bite size pieces.
4. Mix all veggies in a large bowl with cheese.  
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the 12 eggs as if you are making scrambled eggs. Pour over veggie mixture and stir.  
6. Fill each muffin tin 3/4 full and bake for 20 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
7. Enjoy!  These lasted around three days in the refrigerator and can be frozen.  Great to make ahead for an on the go breakfast or snack.

For 21 Day Fix: Three muffins = One and 1/2 red, 1/2 green, 1 blue

Pin for later!

Low carb too! 

The Junk Food Junkie Diaries

A PEEP INTO THE LIFE of a Junk Food Junkie who has decided to eat healthy and get fit.  

The Day Before:

Naps instead of making grocery list. (Guys, it's Sunday). Is very grumpy. Is supposed to have groceries to cook in bulk by 6 pm- still has not made the list.

Cries about 5 pm. Overwhelmed at thought of not having french fries for a long time.  Two other family members who are already nice and fit have decided they want to do the program too, so Junkie has to make an additional two other meals to her one.  Food prep up 66%. Or something like that.  Doesn't like math either.

Cries again, blames it on sad episode of Cake Boss.

Finally makes grocery list at 9 pm.  Texts it to oldest son who is out and tell him to get these items so family will at least have enough for breakfast and lunch.  

He brings it.  Junkie wishes she’d just have given him the whole list but knows he would never bring home the right things (he once brought home FAT FREE cheese - NO), so just gave him the basics.  Now still have to go to grocery tomorrow.

Tries to figure out the color coded box system which comes with the Beach Body 21 Day Fix that Junkie has signed up for. Was hoping they'd just send her a new bod with the program. Hates the boxes. No new bod in there. Wants 10 blue boxes, only gets 1.  Blue box gets cheese.  Who can live with only a tiny box of cheese?

Already feeling withdrawals even though had Mt. Dew and Pringles while making the grocery list. Goes to bed feeling ashamed for being so grumpy with family.  While in bed looks at Facebook, sees member of the Beach Body group has started a day early.  Pics of food prep and sweaty selfie after her workout.  Dislike her immediately. Carolyn. Remember that name.

Official Day 1:

Wake up still grouchy and overwhelmed. Tell hubby his usual oatmeal is within the program and he can have that. Hubby looks afraid to talk to Junkie and politely leaves for work.

Must have coffee before making any decisions.  Thank goodness it’s on the program or someone might get hurt.

Day 3: 

Rest of Day 1 and Day 2 a blur.  Slightly remembers feeling like passing out during workouts.  Workouts not helped by 10 year old on roller blades circling around Junkie during the workout video, yelling, ‘Come on, Mom, even the fat lady on TV is doing better than you.’ 

Child may or may not have been duct-taped to the couch.  Who knows, still a blur.

UPDATES TO COME: (dramatic voice) - Will Junk Food Junkie make it through the 21 days??  Will family be fed at all?  Will rollerblading child survive?? Was he actually duct-taped to the couch???)  Stay tuned, there may be another installment in the Junk Food Diaries.  Or Junkie may have quit by tomorrow, in which case, this series is over.

If Elizabeth, er, I mean 'Junkie' continues this diet,  I"m going to Grandma's.

A Wife For My Husband

Just so you know, my hubby will be totally taken care of in the event of my death.  Not that I plan on going down that path any day soon, but it pays to be prepared.  Bear actually has planned it all out, which came about as follows:

On our way to church several Sundays ago, we spotted a car stopped with their hazard lights on.  In the car was a very attractive woman and her two small children who’d run out of gas.  Being the knight in shining armor that my husband is (after 23 years, I still really like that guy), he volunteered to get her gas from our garage.  Bear was beside himself with excitement.  The thought of helping a pretty lady was almost more than he could take. 

On the way to get the gas, he says, "You know, mom, she’s VERY pretty….I’d say you are #1 when it comes to pretty and I’d put her as #2.....Except for in the mornings, then she’d be #1."

Well, gee. Thanks so much. I had a good thing going until that morning part.

We got back to Pretty Lady and Bear helped his dad carry the gas can and fill up her tank.  He hopped back in the car and announced, "I’M A HERO!" He was very proud to say the least and still very taken with the beautiful woman.

I’d just about recovered from being demoted to #2 Pretty status when Bear says, "Ya know Mom, I bet if you weren’t around, Dad would marry her."

Whoa Nelly.  Say whaaaaat??

Needless to say, that woman mysteriously disappeared from our area. 

Ha, just kidding!

So, I haven’t felt too secure in the looks depart since this 'pretty' incident, and I'm rethinking that fuzzy plaid purple bathrobe I wear every morning. I do know that if something happens to me, Bear will make sure that my babe has an instant replacement. 

I bet she won't wear a fuzzy purple bathrobe.

And she’ll be #1 Pretty. 

❤️, Elizabeth

I love the purple bathrobe. 

A Boy's Room- Bear's Bunkhouse

I found out Bear was a climber when he was 2.  I'd been occupied with his brother for a few and then I couldn't find him (I know, bad mom).  Then I spotted him, he was sitting on top of the refrigerator, eating out of a family size bag of Lay's potato chips. When I held out my arms to coax him down, he dumped the whole bag of chips on my head.  Turns out he's not fond of sharing me with his bro.

When we were picking out bedrooms in the house plan, Bear specifically wanted the room closest to his dad and me.  Right across the hall.  It was the smallest room in the house, but had tall ceilings, a walk-in closet and his own bathroom.  I decided since he wouldn't have much room in there, we'd build up instead of out, perfect for a climber!  

I was afraid to put in a twin bed because that I think Bear is going to end up a big guy and I didn't want him to outgrow it too quickly.  A queen would have swallowed up all the space in the room, and a full is the same length as a twin so that could still end up being too short.  Ugh.  Then I discovered another size I'd never heard of - an extra long full!  It's perfect, the length of a queen and the width of a full!  Who knew!  Sheets can only be bought online with no cute prints that I've found, but I can deal with that. 

My original plan (it only changed twenty times!) was to put in two beds end to end but two wouldn't fit.  Not even two twin sized. So I thought it'd be fun to enclose the top, put a ladder on the end and make it a bunk/playhouse area.  The two panels at the very top can be opened and the hinge can be put in a locked position so it stays open if Bear wants.  The bottom ones are stationary. 

Sorry no pics from the inside. Last time I was in there I got stuck and couldn't get down.  It took an additional ladder and two people to get me out.  Thank goodness it wasn't the fire dept.

I had a desk built at the end of the bed.  Sometimes it's a catch all, but it's great for all his stuff!  

You see that furby in the basket?  I dislike that guy. A lot. 

Same goes for the large drawers under his bed.  Huge amount of books, etc. in there!  And it stays hidden, hooray!

Shiplap is on the back wall behind the bed and desk.  I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed shiplap.  I love the look but had never considered the durability. We have it in our hallway leading to the garage also and it's great because kids can ramble down the hall, backpack, etc., hitting the wall and no problem, no damage!  Plus it's so easy to wipe down if it does get handprints or whatever.  (I'm usually afraid of the 'whatever'). Joanna Gaines knew what she was talking about!

I'm not sure where the obsession came from with the British flag, but obviously it's all over the room. I admit it's too much but there's a lot of cute flag stuff out there!   I found the rug on Etsy here (love Etsy!).  They had some fun handmade Turkish rugs to choose from and actually ship it from Turkey.  I was a little leery, wondering if it would really get here without my money mysteriously disappearing, but it all worked out. The only downside is it's a very low pile, so it's not super cozy.

The British flag pillows on the bed and desk chair came from antique shops but are new. The flag over the desk isn't quite the British flag but I stumbled across it in Texas at an antique nautical store.  I love nautical stuff and this place was unbelievable with old portholes, huge rope knots, etc. They had a ton of large old flags and they were only about $10 each.  I looked on their site, pieceofship.com, and they said they are running out of the flags made of the grain sack type material like the one I have, so I hope they have not upped the price.  A lot of them are nylon now but I believe you could still find some grain sack ones there if you are looking. (I've heard of them being used to reupholster chairs, how cute is that?!) Everything else in here is from antique stores, HomeGoods, TJ Maxx or Burke's and most are under $30ish each with a few exceptions. The office chair was an antique store find that I painted and it was also in the $30 range. I love to decorate on the thrift if I can!

Moving on....The ladder.  Y'all I couldn't resist.  Hubby thought I'd lost my mind.  I changed this room up a bizillion times until I thought the builder was going to wring my neck  :) Above Bear's room is a large bonus room, about 14' x 45'.  I talked hubs into finishing it for a guestroom/playroom for the boys.  I'm so glad I did because I ended up with more usable space upstairs and it doubles as a guest room.  Private with one exception.  There's a trapdoor.

I'd have a slide instead of stairs if I could, ...oooh and a hidden room with one of those bookcases that covers the door and only moves if you pull the light sconce... but a trapdoor was as far as I could take it, guys.  There's reality.  Called the Husband.  Who would actually like to pay for electricity and running water instead of a slide.  Sigh.  (In all fairness, he did think a hidden room would be cool, yet that darn factor of budget kept getting in the way).  I'm not sure how everyone in those Scooby Doo episodes afforded all those secret rooms.  

I'm rambling.  Back to the ladder and trapdoor.   

The ladder leads to a trapdoor in the floor of the playroom, so when guests stay, they are thrilled when Bear pops his head through the floor to say good morning!  It's always a little interesting around here.  When our foreign exchange student stayed in that room for nine months, we had to totally ban the use of the trapdoor.  Bless her heart, the relationship between Germany and America will never be the same.

The landing at the top just below the trapdoor. The mini ladder was added after the build when we figured out it was difficult to make it up through the trapdoor.  I really don't want to squish myself in there to paint it so I'm going all rebel and not doing it.  

The room from the landing. I didn't know if I was going to make it down from here.

Trapdoor in guest room.  Fun times unless you're the guest...

One thing that always got me about looking at pics when we were building is that I never knew the dimensions, so I never knew if the designs would work in my space. I'll end with all the dimensions just in case you are interested.

Our builder surprised me and came up with the design for the ladder himself.  

The ceilings are 12' high.  If the bed was lowered, this design would still work with an 8' ceiling height.

The room is 12'3" by 11'5", with the bed along the 12'3 wall.

The height of the platform where the mattress sits is 28".  Because of the high mattress, the end result was much higher than we anticipated and even I have to use the stepstool to get onto the bed.  Although it was a mistake, it's kind of fun to have a bed so high.  On the downside, later if it's used as a guest room (I anticipate Bear taking over his older brother's room at some point) not all guests will be thrilled with literally climbing into bed.  (Though these kind of people probably would not have appreciated a hidden room either, so I'm not sure we can be friends).  The platform of the upper bunk is at roughly 7 1/2' which leaves about four and a half feet of head room in the upper area. The desk is 5'4" wide and two feet deep.

I hope this is helpful for anyone building their own bunks or just a fun, quirky room.  We've had a lot of good times here so far!  

Elizabeth

Edited to add:   - I've had some questions about the lighting and floors.  The light fixture and flooring were suggested by a local designer who chose all the flooring and all but a couple of lights in the house.  Unfortunately, I don't have the brand name of the light but the floors are hickory.  If I come across the brands we used I will add them in a future post.

I don't like that furby guy either.