she got it from me.

My niece, Abby, was in her high school's talent show last night. I wasn't able to go (work stuff), but my mom, dad and Alex and Isa all went to support her.

She sang Gravity by Sara Bareilles. Acapella. Beautifully.

Hopefully Ellen DeGeneres reads my blog and signs Abby immediately.






She'd be silly not to. Right?

P.S. That talent?! She got it from me.

Sometimes 'Easy' can easily be replaced

I shared with you, earlier in the month, an easy art piece. I am no artist. It received only ONE comment (thanks, Suz!). So I tore it off of the wall and threw it in the trash.

Not. I will reuse it somewhere, I am sure.

But I knew it was going to be there temporarily.  I may have even mentioned that to YOU.

The other day, the cutie pie and I were out scavenger hunting. We found a few good thrift stores and old hardware places that sold things like vintage doors, etc.  Now remember.... We live in AZ. More specifically, we live in an area outside of Phoenix that is crowded with snow birds 6 months out of the year. Which means sometimes 'vintage hardware' just means something that came off of an old mobile home.

For reals.

Marcos and I came across a plastic window frame. It certainly had the look I was hoping for, but there was not any wood or glass involved. For $2, I brought it home with me.

I had left over wood from my office project, some unused chicken wire and I ran to Home Depot for shelf holder thingies. {I am sure they have real name, I just don't know it.}

I took the frame, sanded it a little... then spray painted it in Heirloom White, along with the board (that the hubby cut to size) and those THINGS. All white.

Last night, I attached the boards to those THINGS and made a shelf. Today, while multitasking during a conference call, I attached the chicken wire to the back of the window frame. And then screwed everything into the wall.

It's not perfect. It's not real wood and there is no glass... But it's mine. Another mini*mantel to call my own. It's not decorated for Spring yet... but I am getting there.

I moved the couch around. Not sure if it's staying, but I do love how it opens up that window. Here's a before. I am going to give it another week and see how I feel. Here it was before.

Here's a close up of my window/shelf/mantel thing.

The white pitcher I got at Goodwill this past weekend. The blue vase is from Michael's. So is the white bird. The clear bowl with wire, I found at Ross. The old butterfly frame (I know the shape is circular, but it's made out of butterflies), was my mom's Aunt Hazel's. It's really old.

One last look.
I know everything looks weird in there... The couch is short and we have 10 foot ceilings. Once I replace the curtains, I will definitely be taking them higher up. Hopefully that will help a little.

Hopefully.

Oh, the befores....

A bunch of befores... in one little space.

Here are the lamps before they were brown (in the above pictures):

So, with all of those BEFORES done and over with...
I ran across an art piece at Ross (love that place) for $19.99. It screamed at me. It's completely different than anything in my home currently... but I am not afraid of it. With only one and its long, rectangular shape, I figured I would hang it sideways and take down the ivory picture frames.

And then I found its sister. Brother!? Its sibling.

And here we go:

These pieces had a dark frame... one I was not in love with. I thought that they would look wonderful in a white frame. Out came my Heirloom White spray paint. Of course, I had to tape those babies up, off and on, to ensure none of the paint leaked through.

Here they are, outside... ready to be painted.

And here they are drying. So much fun, huh?!

It took a few tries, but I got everything lined up how I envisioned.

WAIT. Look at those lamps!

In that BEFORE picture above (way up there!) they were once clear glass. I then sprayed them white. And then brown. I was going to go back to white, but then I realized that I really wanted to bring some more GREEN into the house.

The space is certainly less cluttered than ever before. And I am really, seriously loving the white and bright of it all. I am taking a lot of that green and putting it in the formal living/dining room.

I still LOVE my radio cabinet. But, when we first got it, we talked about taking out the gold mesh and adding a different fabric to it. I think I am seriously going to consider doing that now. Heck, I may even paint the sucker, some day. Not any time soon though.

P.S. Just ordered my first ever SEWING MACHINE!!! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. Yet another crafty thing to take on and conquer.

Happy Monday!

Task List Chart Completed [Spring Fever Diaries #4.5]

It took a little longer to get to this post than I thought, but at least the Task List is up and the kids know what they have to get done this week.

Of course... the picking of the tasks (blindly) didn't go without a little drama. I should have video recorded it for you, just so you can see how much I have to put up with from a certain almost 13 year old. Sheesh.

Not only did she give me attitude, she also temporarily lost her task cards... so the pictures below show her as having ZERO tasks... when in fact she picked Kid's Bathroom and Trash & Recycle. She was not happy about the bathroom.

Oh well.

Because we will have Nic always take on "Dust the Stairs"... that left 7 tasks for 3 kids. I've decided that each week, one kid will have 3 tasks. They will rotate... and only have to do 3 every 3 weeks. This is in lieu of adding another two tasks to take on. I mean, I COULD EASILY give up dishes, if they want. ;)


The bulletin board border (say that 5 times fast; I'll wait)... is from a teacher supply store. The pennants were part of a scrap booking banner pack and I used Martha Stewart stencils and a sharpie for their names. Easy peasy.

They are attached with Velcro, so I can actually rearrange the task cards each week. Of course, being as impatient as I am, I didn't bother with going to the store and purchasing the 3M Velcro. And I may have added the below Velcro right to my painted, dry-walled walls. Oopsy.

I am not TOO worried; I have Spackle and touch-up paint.
{Pretty soon, my whole house will be Spackle and touch-up paint! lol - more on that later! hehe}

And there you have it.
And to be honest. The kids are glad to have a list, something easy to look at with simple, but direct instructions on how I want the work done. In fact, they kept asking me when we were going to finally pick tasks. For realz.

Love it.

Sometimes it's not perfect, yet it's perfect.

Just a quick update... well, more like a quick picture share with a short explanation.

We spent all day Friday and Saturday doing Spring Cleaning type stuff. More on that later.

On Friday, we took care of some doggie stuff; we got Oliver her own crate and both dogs new harnesses and leashes. They are TWINS.

Friday night,  after a full day, some of our family members fell asleep. Downstairs, in the family room.

Olive is always trying to cuddle. Get a load of this:

Yes, I realize that there is a ton of STUFF in the above pictures. Let me break it down for you:

1) Nic
2) Olive
3) Ellis
4) Couch
5) Guitar
6) Side table
7) Telephone
8) Chloe (Nic's dog from Build a Bear)
9) Table leg
10) Anchor (Going to Goodwill today)

What a hot mess! All in that small area. lol... It was hard to get a good picture, but it was a photo-op I didn't want to miss. It was perfect.

Never Assume [Spring Fever Diaries #4]

As a mother to 328 kids {okay. not true, but it sure does feel that way sometimes}, I have learned to never assume they know anything or everything. I am not saying that to be mean... Of course not; I love my kiddos.

I am, however, saying it because if I tell one of the kids to set the dinner table, halfway through the meal, we realize Nic doesn't have a drink and not one of us has napkins.

In the more recent years, I've always assumed that the kids KNEW what was expected out of them, thus very few chore lists were ever distributed. I do not recommend this approach. Clutter, chaos and dust will ensue. Scout's honor.

Because we are focusing heavily on our Spring Cleaning around here, I've decided to go ahead and create a Chore Chart {of sorts} that should be pretty easy to understand. I looked at the things that needed to be done once a day or two times a week. I looked at what I could do vs. what the kids could take on. I even realized that Nic is old enough to have his own responsibilities.

Here are the things I decided on:

• Guest Bathroom
• Kid's Bathroom
• Declutter Downstairs
• Garage and Recycle Duty
• Set Table
• Clear Table
• Dust Stairs
• Dust Downstairs

Now, there ARE things around the house that still need to be done, but I've decided to take them on myself (like watering the plants and trees that are not yet hooked up to our watering system, feeding the dogs in the morning, vacuuming, and doing the dishes). And there are things that we will do every two weeks (like pulling weeds, giving the dogs their baths and sweeping the front porch and back patio). This will also help the keeps manage their time so that they can FOCUS on their schoolwork.

The above eight chores will help keep the house clean, free of clutter, and will allow for people to step inside my home. If the kids complete them and do so correctly, I will be one happy momma.

And since I want to be one happy momma, I made it easy for them. Now remember, while I *am* at home all day long, I do work full time. Some days, I can easily work a straight 10 hours. I have job that requires me to listen in on meetings, manage projects, write communications, etc. I also have Nic home with me. I juggle... a lot. But thankfully, God gave me 3 capable teenagers and one handsome five year old to help me out a little.

Here's how it works. On Sunday, the kids will blindly pick from one of the 8 tasks. I created cards, with SPECIFIC instructions on them. For example, for Set Table, they must remember to:

• Wipe down the table
• Use clean placemats
• Use 6 clean bowls or plates (depending on the meal)
• Place out necessary utensils
• Ensure everyone has a cup and a drink
• Ensure everyone has a napkin
• Ensure salt, pepper and condiments are on the table

The kids are all home by 3pm. This particular task of setting the table must be completed by 5pm. Even if I don't serve dinner until 6 or 7 (egads), at least the table will be set and ready to go. The kids will know how to set the table based off of our menu plan (more on that later in the week).

Now that I had the specific tasks, I had to come up with a way to turn them into a Chore Chart {of sorts}. Here are the supplies I used.  I LOVE Scotch's self laminating sheets!  There's also a ruler, scissors and the tasks I made using Picasa (of course, they can be made in Photoshop, but I already had the template loaded into Picasa, I just had to change the wording and then print).

Another must have?! A large sweet tea. Yummy!!

You know... for energy.

The laminating sheets are so easy to use.... See!!:

You may notice that on the specifics of Trash & Recycle, I don't mention bringing the bins IN. That's because I am going to take on that task. Well, Nic and I. That way, we have an excuse to get outside a few times a day (you know, between meetings and stuff).

After printing, laminating and cutting... here is the end result of the task cards.
Doesn't TASK sound better than CHORE?!

Tomorrow I will post part two, showing you where I have the cards set up so the kids can grab them to take them along on their task. Something that can't easily be lost or destroyed, and something the kids can refer back to should they suddenly forget what they are supposed to be doing in the guest bath.

Those silly kids.

Hey. You can click here to see the other posts related to the Spring Fever Diaries...

Got Bit by the Bug [Spring Fever Diaries #3]

Yesterday was the first day of Spring. And although we were officially on Spring Break last week, I am declaring this upcoming weekend as our Spring Cleaning week.

During our staycation last week, we got a whole lot done around the house. But not any true, lemony, deep cleaning. Oh, I can hear the screams of joy from the kids right now.

Here is our line-up:

I am giving us four full days to get everything done. The kids *will* be glad to learn that two of those days, they will be in school and the husband and I will do most of the work.

Besides the usual purge of unwanted or unnecessary things, we will also focus on really deep cleaning the house. We've lived here for a year and a half now, and there are some things that REALLY need to be focused on.

Here is a list of products and tools we will use:

I will be sure to focus on each room and how we tackle them in more detail later on this week. I think it's always helpful to see what other people do - in case something is missed! Like, changing the air filters?! I always forget to do that!

As I mentioned, we did get a good start last week by completing some outside work, cleaning out and making pretty our laundry room and by Dropping, not Shopping at Goodwill. On Sunday, I had a Mazda full of bags and boxes I handed over to the Goodwill Guys. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures. But I promise, the back of the car and trunk were FULL!

* * *

The kids are in their last 9 weeks of school... and to go along with the No TV Rule...we've moved the larger TV back downstairs. They need to focus on their school work and their chores. Smack Down, baby.

I am in the process of updated their chore lists and working on ideas to help lessen their idle time. Abby will be getting ready to head back home to her daddy this summer, so we do want to spend some quality family time together before that happens. Electronic free, of course! ;)

 * * *

Are YOU working on Spring Cleaning?! I'd love to see how you work things out... drop me a line (err, link?!)

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Mirror Mirror that is so dark...

How can I lighten you up?

Without painting you? Or replacing you?
{cuz, come on, you weren't that cheap!!}

Why not use some glue dots and some thin cream ribbon from Michael's?!

The glue dots I have on hand, the ribbon was only 50 cents for a roll. 

It didn't even take a roll, so super inexpensive.

I think it lightens the IKEA mirror up nicely... which helps lighten up that side of the room.

I'd love to eventually replace the chairs for my formal dining room. I LOVE the table, but the chairs are not my favorite. But, I am not ready to replace EIGHT chairs just yet.

So, just wanted to share my mirror's little makeover.

5 minutes, less than fiddy cents.

Score.

Weather Girl, at your Service

Seriously?!

I am so confused. Every 5 minutes, the weather changes. 5 minutes of hail, 5 minutes of rain, now there's sunshine.

Someone made Mother Nature good and mad. Please apologize ASAP so I can have my 80* back.  I don't like the rain nor the cold. The hail was kinda cool, but in MARCH!?!


And while this may not seem like a newsworthy topic to you, please remember, I am in central Arizona... These are rare occurrences, and this type of "news" gets blasted all over the local media. Hopefully nothing else important happens today, otherwise, it may get pre-empted by the winter storm.

Crazy.

Betcha don't know what today is?!

Two things to tell you about. So that makes it a SPECIAL day!

First. I bought an ironing board today. I've never, ever owned one before. I've had an iron for years, but never a board to iron on. Random, I know.

Second....
I wanted to share with you the theme for Isabel's impending birthday party...

Isa (eee-sah, just in case you didn't know how we pronounce that!) will be 13 in ONE MONTH on April 18th. It was time to decide on a theme and get shopping.

For Isa's Sweet 13 (or trece ducle as we are calling it), we are doing everything in rainbow colors. We had a blast shopping today. We went to Michael's, Target and Party City and got most of the decorations (some of which are pictured below).

I was going to make our own invitations, but they had such cute ones at Party City, I decided to hand-make other things, and leave the invitations to the party people.

Isabel is going to invite 5 of her closest friends over for a slumber party. We are working on the details now, but it should be COLORFUL and fun!!!  Here's a link to the Pinterest Board I made in the girl's honor.

P.S. One more thing. It HAILED and SNOWED in our neck of the woods today. We've been dealing with a crazy winter storm... in MARCH!

It was 85-90 during Spring Break this past week... and then this?! Crazy!!

Be Obsessive. B - E Obsessive.

First of all.

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Second of all...

Did you know that Queen of the Creek has its own Facebook page?

And a Twitter account?

I would love for you to at least "like" my FB page. I plan to start using it a whole lot more, 

and I'd hate for you to miss out on any of my fun.

Really.

Third of all...

Just got back from the late night showing of 21 Jump Street.

Remember the 80s TV series version?!

So different from the version I saw tonight with my honey.

The husband and I laughed so hard, yet you could hardly hear us over the laughter coming from the people around us. I wouldn't let my two younger kids see it, a little 'too much' in some of the scenes. But other than that, the movie itself was HYSTERICAL. 

And Channing Tatum was an Executive Producer on it.

And the sound track was great.

Go see it.

:D

I can't wait until it comes out on DVD. One to own, for sure.

Fourth {and last} of all...

Off to bed, for later on today (it's just after midnight now), I have to make Shepherd's Pie for our family's St. Paddy's day dinner. I've never made it before.

Wish me luck.

Or just send over a four-leaf clover, if you will.

Better yet, how about a pot of GOLD?!