How I took the Bachelor out of the dresser..Furniture Makeover

This is a story of a guy, a girl........ and a dresser . 

Once upon a time when the girl first met guy he was a hunky, hot, eligible bachelor. She.... a creative, smart, DIY bachelorette and not so bad to look at her self.

And although the guy was really hunky, his furniture ....well not so hot,but the girl fell in love anyways and since she was creative, she saw the possibilities in him and his furniture. 

 
And so the years passed, dating, marriage, kids and that same ole bachelor dresser.
 Their life was abundantly blissful and full of so much love for each other but unfortunately not so much for the dresser.... But all that was about to change.

 See, that's where the creative girl who saw the possibilities years ago transformed that dresser and gave it a new life and purpose.... as a credenza in her office.

In the end, the hunky guy was still smitten and very much in love with the creative, smart, DIY and not so bad to look at girl, and she with him. 

And the couple and credenza lived happily ever after.
The end.

PS- To see more of my home office click here.

Grateful for~

The guy

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Family Room Teaser

Do you ever get ahead of yourself....

and fall behind at the same time? 

 Chomping at the bit to start a new project, only to look around at all the unfinished one's? 

So that be me...and my family room. 

The hangout. 

The hub.

The place where the family congregates.

The place where I have no chance at the TV remote, and just lovingly smile through another episode of How's It Made with my husband.

But see this is where I get ahead of myself, wanting to show you the latest changes to the space without sharing the history and the "few" transformations of the room.

Oh and before I forget...did I tell you that this space that we all cuddle up on the couch on, was not even intended to be a family room and rather a screened in porch?

See after a "favorable" builder blunder, meaning we were actually glad that he screwed up, we were able to create a fully functional room by putting in windows and some solid flooring.

And just as fast as that remote changed the TV, so did the colors and styles of the space. We installed a wood burning stove and  years later an air conditioning unit, so until then, the room was primarily used in the fall and winter months....

Thus my fall like color pallet.

So after installing the air conditioner and feeling cooler, we quickly realized that we wanted to make better use of the space,  but not until I decided to lighten it up and change out the furniture for a  more "sun room" feel.

 

I think it's when we found a solution to move our TV into the room, that we began to use the term "family room" more freely to describe the space. So walls were painted, furniture cycled  it's way throughout the house and all was good and cozy, until.......

  I found this $10.00 coffee table.

  More on that, my stone floors and the latest room changes coming soon. After all..... I don't want to get ahead of myself, now do I.
So tell me , do you ever get ahead of yourself too?

Grateful for~

A loving husband of 14 years.... that I wish I knew my whole life

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Savvy Southern Style
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My Next Kitchen Assistant?

You know, I am still not sure I have what it takes to transform my

kitchen from this.....

to my inspiration kitchen...something like this

image credit

So it just so happens in my town of 500, there's not only a Piggly Wiggly around the corner but a Home Depot within driving distance.  And not only does Home Depot sell replacement cabinets but they also do cabinet refacing and refinshing. The three R's.

Be sure to check out the video below and see why Home Depot may just be my next kitchen assistant!

  

PS- You can see all of my kitchen ideas on my inspiration board here

Grateful for~

The chance to be apart of my kids end of school year activites.

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Be Careful What You Ask For!

Now don't get me wrong, I know I  have shared a few of my builders blunders here and here  but in all honesty, he did some things right..... well almost.....before we fired him anyways.

We went through an extensive interviewing process with a few of the local builders in our area. We selected our builder because he was was willing to let my husband and I put some of our own sweat equity into the house. My builder also came with a "specialty". 
You know, that builders trademark. 

You know, the thing that we absolutely had to have. 

The thing that we would not be able to add later down the road.

The thing that we would regret if we didn't add.

Well, in all this time, all 10 years of living in our home I can honestly say with no hesitation that I have not regretted that decision until....... recently, when I had to paint that trademark ceiling.

 You know, that signature quadruple 4 tier why didn't we do a standard when we built the house ceiling.

Without sounding like I am all that with a paint brush, I do consider myself to be the closet thing to a professional painter while retaining non-professional status, and this ceiling was a challenge. It took me more time to get this finished then most other paint projects. With the constant up and down on the ladder, two coats of the new color and two coats of the new trim color and head tilted back in an upright position, it was a bit more work then I thought it would be when I took the project on.

But this story does end on a good note. Other then some trim work around the windows, the painting is finally just about done.

Here's a sneak peek at the bedroom. When I get the new bedding and curtains up, I will show you the finished space.

So tell me, do you paint your ceilings or leave that for someone else?

PS- Moral of the story... when considering quadruple trey ceilings.....DON'T!

Grateful for~

Patience when painting

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Between Naps on The Porch

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The Best Pineapple Upside Cake You Will Ever Eat

Yes, you read  that correctly ...... The Best! 

And what's even more amazing about this delectable, finger licking, best Pineapple Upside Cake you'll ever eat, is how it's cooked.  Ready.... Cast iron skillet.... Really.

Most of us know a cast iron skillet for frying, searing and making up a batch of grandma's favorite cornbread.   But did you know cast iron has been around for 2500 years and if you season the pans  properly they can last for generations?

Cast Iron Skillet Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Ingredients

1 can of pineapple slices

2/3 cup butter
 3/4 cup brown sugar
Yellow Cake mix
1 jar of Maraschino Cherries
1/2 cup to a cup of chopped Pecan pieces* optional

1.  Place pineapples in the butter, sugar and pecan mixture. Put
cherries in the center of the pineapple. Cut the slices of
pineapple into halves and line the sides of the cast iron skillet
with them (standing up on edge).
2. Prepare a box of yellow cake mix following the directions on
the box to mix the batter (do not bake in a separate pan;
follow instructions below).
3. Pour the batter over the pineapple and cherries.

4. Bake at 350°F degrees. When the cake is done, loosen the
edges with a butter knife. Remove from heat and allow to sit
five minutes, then turn it upside down on a serving dish.

 Yes, generations of eating a cake from a skillet that is so moist and delicious that by the time

 you get in line for your piece... it will be all gone!  

Have you ever cooked a cake in a cast iron skillet before?

PS- To read the history and how to "season" your cast iron cookware click here.

Grateful for~

The chance to be able to head to Florida this weekend to be with my sister, Ron and Heather and the rest of my family.

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I Love The Underdog and a New Coffee Station

I don't know what it is, but I have always cheered for the underdog. The guy, gal, team or furniture, that has so much potential but

 just can't .......... make it

Until I saw this piece of course. Sitting there in the corner of the twins preschool with all the other 1970's oak wood rejects. 

Waiting to be discovered. 

Waiting to be heard. 

Wanting to get out of detention hall.

I had a vision for this soon to be coffee station, for the teachers that help shape my kids lives and......drink coffee.

Wanting so bad to be noticed and to fit in, I began to think of ways to help my little underdog out using a sign from the preschool as my inspiration.

 After a good cleaning and sanding , I applied some primer to the base. 
That alone got it out of detention.

The rest of the plan was simple.  Paint the base with two coats in blue and stain the top with a few coats of stain in ebony .

Now, not only is my underdog turning heads, it's been invited to this years prom and was voted most likely to succeed by all the other left over 1970's oak furniture and.....

 from the teachers drinking their morning coffee.

Who or what's the last underdog that you helped out?

Grateful for~
The gals over at First Baptist Preschool for the love and learning that they share with my children.
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Stop The Abuse....Of Your Hardwood Floors

I know, I know....Hardwood floors. Boooorinnnngggg.
Not a subject that we talk about frequently, but one that needs attention from time to time just like an orchid. 

But if you don't fall into the category of having hardwood floors, getting hardwood floors in your future or are a guru of home cleaning tips, you must know someone who has hardwoods and would benefit from this information. And if hardwoods still don't excite you,(for shame) perhaps my Spring Inspiration Board on Pinterest would here.

Back to exciting floors.  For the record I am not a flooring professional nor did I take flooring 101 in college, or am I being endorsed for my thoughts, but being the rightful owner and installer ( well actually my better half did the installation) of a house full in lots of sq feet of hardwood, I think I am qualified to share an opinion or two. 

I love my hardwood floors. I actually have 5 inch  #2 oak planks, which means they are in the second run when being processed through the mill. I wanted the #2 wood. I wanted them to have the knots, the holes and all the imperfections, but over the years they have lost a bit of their luster and shine.

With pink big wheels and roller skates buzzing around on these floors,  I will from time to time freshen them up with a product called reviver. I wanted to share  a quick demonstration of how it works so you can stop abusing your hardwoods too!

First clean your floors with whatever method you use. I generally vacuum and then use my Shark Steamer/Vacuum to clean the floors. 
BTW- another great product if you are in the market for a floor steamer. It omits just enough steam to NOT leave a wet residue on your floor surface.

After your floors are dry and you are ready to use your reviver product, you will also need a soft lambs wool floor applicator.  I picked the reviver product and brush up at Home Depot in the flooring section. I attached the applicator to a broom handle that I already had. 

You can follow the very small you may need a magnifier instructions on the back of the bottle or simply spread the product in a "S" shape on the floor and mop into your wood. It is important to use smooth even coats in the same direction when applying to your floors.

After my first coat dried I applied a second coat using the same process. Here's a pic of the finished floor with two coats of reviver.

At some point I will have to think about re-sanding and re-staining but for now, I am totally satisfied and love the renewed luster and shine 

 and this little girl buzzing around on her Pink Big Wheel.

Grateful for~

A wonderful mini vaca with the kids and my husband in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Lots of love, lots of fun and lots of memories.

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Sharing at~

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French County Cottage