Guess what I did..

My whole family left to go on a vacation to the Bahamas and I guess I was trying to recreate it in my home.

We went last year and I’m still hoping and praying we can go back. Ahh salty water and sunshine. Miss it.

But now– I get to think of it every time I open the back door! Win win.

How about you? Spontaneously painting any doors lately? Or jumping on a plane for a weekend adventure?

Keep up on our adventures outside of the blog on the facebook page!

It’s Friday already!?

This week literally flew by…. flew.by.

This was my first week working from home and it was nothing short of crazy..amazing..fun..happy..and BUSY. I’m sure Jared assumes I’m sitting at home eating bon-bons but it’s been actually appointment after appointment and it’s spring break so I’m trying to keep a few things “fun” for the girls since we didn’t get to go anywhere this year.. Whomp whomp.

A PUPPY TEAR. I die.

I have managed to get a few projects done and work a little more on the basement! I’m so excited to share it with you, however tonight is YOUR night to shine. Let’s do it people!

I’m so excited to have the ladies from Lolly Jane here today. They’ve got SUCH a cute blog that I stalk on a daily basis, I was extra excited when they wanted to stop over and share some of their work! I promise you’ll love them.

Hi there FOTF readers, we are so excited to be visiting on Rachelle’s cute blog here today! We’re twin sisters Kelli and Kristi from Lolly Jane, our DIY/home improvement blog where we share tips for painting and redoing furniture, holiday crafts, creating home decor on a budget and once in a while, we’ll even share some tasty desserts along the way. We love sharing our tutorials!

Take a peek at some of our most favorite projects:

Kelli’s dining room table redo was a bit hit with our readers as almost everything in this room is DIY… from the stenciled wall to the oversize bead board molding mirror to the PB knock-off rustic bench. Come take a looksie if you want to spruce up your dining space on a budget!

This mint dresser is even prettier in person! Kelli revamped this beauty for a client (yes, she even redoes furniture on the side of being a fulltime momma and blogger!) and it is simply gorgeous!

This is my most favorite of our kid craft posts! Kelli had her kiddos (ages 10, 8, 6, 4) paint their hands their and decorate it to their fave animal/creature. I know her kids so well (favorite auntie!) that I can see their sweet personalities in this handprint art and love to see it displayed in their playroom. Fun fun!

I (Kristi) am pretty organized by nature (sometimes I’m a freak about it! ha!) but this weekly menu board has kept my family meals in check. I plan out my menu (mostly so my hubby doesn’t have to ask each day but can take a peek on his way out the door) and shop each Monday for the whole week. So nice to have my meals planned for dinner/lunch leftovers. Easy peasy!

Okay last one… I freakin’ love Kelli’s accent ombre wall!! It has so much personality and she can tie any shade of blue into this space. She’s recently hung a giant chalk board on it and it’s become one of the kids favorite spots to color on. Lovely love love it!

Well there you have it, Lolly Jane in a nutshell! If you want to REALLY get to know us, take a peek at recent (cheesy) news debut! Dorks! LOL

If you’re looking for cute and inexpensive holiday creations to spruce up your space, be sure to check out our Valentine and St. Patrick’s Day decor and goods. Stop by to Lolly Jane to say hi anytime or you can find us on FB and Pinterest. Would love to see you!

Happy crafting, everyone! xo

Why hellooooo there.

It’s that time again, where we all join in for a group hug.

Just kidding, that’s a lot of germs this time of season. Less hugging more waving from a far?

Deal.

But in all seriousness if you haven’t been to FYF before, it’s where you come and join in and share what makes you shine. Feature..eh.. yourself.. if you will.

Loving this kitchen shelving idea.. Such a great industrial look!

Jealous of this bloggers $20 purchase from goodwill.. Wait till you see the before!

This family room makeover is fantastic.

Beautiful ladies! Before we party don’t forget that there’s a $25.00 GIVEAWAY going on over at my Facebook page. Check it!

I was thinking something the other day..

How our house doesn’t feel like it feels when I’m at my parents or grandparents. I can’t quite put my finger on it but I’ve been trying to make it more homey. Which is silly since we’ve lived here for oh, 6 yearsish?

But maybe it’s my fear of knick-knacks? My parents always had those around.. Is that what was homey? I don’t know. But I want to try and make things warmer around here, cozier, and when people say “You have a white couch!? You’re nuts” I want them to see that YES kids live here.

Because it’s their house too.

So I started with a fun center piece, to encourage creativity for one.

To bring in COLOR.. lots of color.

And, to say yes, I have kids. And they like it here.

Plus it’s all in one tray so if I had to move it I could (We do at dinner, it gets moved to the buffet/dresser next to it.)

Oh, and we got a new bench. But more on that diddy later.

So we left off yesterday with all the details that went into our little bedroom switcheroo.

Today I’m here to tell you where everything came from.

Headboard- Amazon which is about 50.00 cheaper than what I paid right now. But, like I said. Rickety.

Mirror- Pier 1 (Christmas gift from my Mother In Law)

Sheets- Target I first saw these sheets in one of the Nester’s bedroom posts and I just loved the little design.

Quilt & Shams- Meijer (Holla for Grocery store bedding) I don’t think they carry it anymore in the store but it’s by Katie Brown.

Comforter- TJ Maxx (Also at Marshalls)

Lamps- Target haven’t seen them in the stores lately either. They’re a few years old.

Shades- Target

Frames- Hobby Lobby

Sign- Me

Bench- Me

Blue pillows- Me, they were place mats on an end cap at Target

Round pillow- Target

Whew! There you go. One more time.. Because I love it.

It’s Feature Yourself Friday

100th Episode!

We’ve spent 100 Fridays linking up and enjoying each others talents. Is that CRAZY or what?! So so crazy!

Small things like that make me giddy.

So this post will be full of things going on, Features, and Sponsor shout outs.. Just because, it is a party after all! Who brought the Ro*tel?

First off, I want to thank my lovely sponsors who help me run this crazy train

They’re pretty awesome, if I say so myself. Check them out, won’t you?

Speaking of Sponsors.. I’m going to try and take a different approach this year, and offer new types of sponsorship.. and what a better way to start that than offer $10.00 ads for January.

That’s more than 50% off for a 125×125 ad people. When I said crazy train, I meant it! If you have a blog, shop or you basically just want to get some exposure for your fancy face.

Okay, and since it’s the New Year and we’re talking about upcoming exciting things.. what you can look forward to in the near future…

1. We’re still finishing the bedroom, and guess what?! It’s so close to being done. Next week I plan on blogging all about it. I’m so excited for you to see the finished project.. with the wall from hell. My claw hand is still recovering.
2. Since we’ve put the house on the market– eek! We’re working on little finishing touches in the house.. The bathroom is getting a mini redo and so is the girls shared bedroom. Oh, and did I mention we gutted the basement? Well, the wood and dry wall has been purchased and so has everything for the basement bathroom– sinks, showers, toilets oh my!
3. If the house doesn’t sell, which we’re NOT holding our breath for, I mean, we do live in Michigan and all.. The basement will turn into an office, which I’m so so excited for. I’ve been pinning like crazy.
4. I also want to add more family posts. Not only to share my favorite faces that I get to see everyday but I also get a lot of emails asking how things are going. We chose to share our story with you, and I continue to do so.

There’s just something about the New Year that has me so MOTIVATED. Why can’t I bottle this up and save it for, say..August when I’m starting to feel ehhh again.

And, now for the Features!

This pretty lady has a pretty amazing husband, if you ask me. Check out this knock off table he MADE for her!

A Beautiful nursery.. Love it.

And lastly a GORGEOUS bedroom reveal. Wowza!

Time to Party on!

Source, Source, Source,

This year I jumped on the Yearly Word Bandwagon. And, it’s very fitting for where I’m in my life right now, I think.

It could be little things, like cutting my hair.

To bigger things, like putting our house on the market, again. (Surprise)

To buying a ticket to a blog conference and flying hours away, to a place where I don’t know anyone. (Just breath!)

To knowing that I put way too much of my happiness and security in someone else’s hands when it should be in God’s hands.

I have a lot to work on.

I get scared to be alone.

I get scared of change.

I get scared of what people will think.

Why? This is my life. Not anyone elses.

It’s time to be Brave.

Do things that I’ve wanted to do, things that I feel I’m being pulled to do. And, I can’t wait to see how things play out.

Bring it on 2013, I’m more than ready.