Mother Runner

So I am delayed in getting this posted but the chalkboard was a huge success and the kids were thrilled!  They have played on it a lot and have even invited their friends over to color on the chalkboard with them. So after I applied the layers of chalkboard paint and let them dry, I took a piece of chalk and laid it on its side and "colored" the chalkboard with it.  You are doing this according to the directions to help prime the surface for use. After you color it and let it chill, you then take a damp rag and wipe it off.  Sounds easy enough, right?  Well, it is!  I was nervous about  it not working because I may have some how missed a step along the way...I even googled the directions just in case!! I also added a really cute and perfectly, imperfect burlap boarder to the chalkboard.  I had initially planned out creating a wood boarder for it and painting it to match the colors from the playroom pillows but ultimately decided against it and I am so glad that I

So in just about 2 months exactly I will be in Berlin Germany for a work trip!  I am super excited about getting to travel and am really looking forward to putting together some great outfits for the trip.  The flight is going to be about 13 hours total, so comfortable attire there and back is also a huge must.  My flight was only 4 hours to Panama so my attire was a maxi skirt, short sleeve shirt, jean jacket and knock-off Toms that are some of the most comfortable shoes I own. There is never much down time so all of my attire has to be business casual or business professional.  Last year, I went to Panama City, Panama so I can't take the same outfits since the climates are drastically different.  So over the next few week, I will be sharing ideas I have for what I will wear for the conference.  And what items I will be adding to my wardrobe :) I am really hoping that I will have a bit of time to run with a co-worker so that we can see some of the sights

So now that the laundry room shelf is done and I pleasantly surprised myself with how well it turned out I have decided that there is no reason that I cannot make the kids a giant chalkboard for the playroom! They kids know that they are getting a surprise for Valentine's Day and that it is something that I am making, but they have not figured it out yet.  One of the main reasons that I decided to do this is because they need another creative outlet.  I don't let them color with crayons or markers all of the time because they have colored on the walls, the floors, and each other....  Secondly, we don't have enough wall space to keep every single thing they create. The girls are very creative and really like to color together.  James like to color and draw as well when he is not playing Minecraft or creating elaborate train tracks that no one is allowed to help with... So, I have painted two coats of the chalk board paint on my sanded down plywood.  The sanding down pr

So this is our newest family member, Elliot!  He came to his new forever home with us on December 24, 2015 and life has been a little more crazy since :) The above are just a few of the wonderful pictures I have currently of him on my phone.  As you can see, he fits in very nicely to our family and we wouldn't have it any other way. He has made himself comfortable on every piece of living room furniture for long naps and cuddles.  He has tested out the level of comfort of every bed upstairs and downstairs.  He has even joined the girls for dress up time as the lovely Queen Elsa. He has even fulfilled the role of my running buddy for those morning runs that I have a love/hate relationship with.  He is a bit like me if it is really cold in the morning - he would rather come back inside and snuggle on the couch until the kids wake up and its time to get ready for the day. He has also filled the important role of protector even though he can be a bit nervou

So, when we bought our house last year I didn't give the laundry room much thought although I have always wanted a larger laundry room than we have had in the past.  The room is rather small and serves as an entrance from the garage - one door in front of the washer and one door to the side of the dryer...  With the doors there is literally no room to keep a laundry hamper in there because the doors won't open without hitting it. I also have no where to fold laundry other than on the couch or love seat and with a dog in the house that is not  great idea - hello hair, smell and random socks disappearing :) Anyway, I came up with a project about 3 weeks ago that my husband didn't like from the very beginning.  My project was to get each of the kids there own small laundry basket so that they can carry it up and down the stairs and to install some sort of shelf or table top on top of the washer and dryer.  My reasoning for the table top was to have somewhere to fold the la