Family Room Gallery Wall

Recently I have been motivated to whip my family room into shape.  There were many steps to make this happen (including removing the popcorn ceilings...yuck!).  I started by collecting some inspiration from Pinterest and came up with a gallery wall idea that includes a collage of frames and vinyl wording. I just love it!  Toss in some new throw pillows a striped rug and I'm well on my way to making this room feel complete.  Hope you like it too!

Trisha

Renovation Success!

Almost 4 years, ago my husband and I decided to buy a 1968 "fixer" in a fantastic golf course neighborhood.  Before we purchased it, we had all these plans to renovate before we moved in.  Of coarse life has a way of foiling our best laid plans.  We ended up moving in as-is.  Fun right?  This was our lovely entry way until I got the crazy idea to completely change every part of it.  How hard could it be to renovate a house we were living in, right?  So I scoured the Internet, reading every blog that showcased DIY staircase make-overs.  I was so inspired by the many stories from busy moms like
myself who have made it happen for their homes.  After finding a Craftsman style I liked and convinced my slightly hesitant hubby, we began demo!  Just  about everything had to go and it had to progress fairly quickly since it was a safety issue not to have a banister.  Luckily, when we ripped the carpet off the stairs we discover wood treads underneath.  They were pretty beat up but would end up saving us a lot of money if we could refinish them.

before

Don't you just love all that wallpaper?  How about the yellow popcorn ceiling?  One of my biggest complaints was the wobbly banister that was surely not kid-safe.  When we walked though this house before we decided to buy, I was so excited to find a vaulted entryway.  Of coarse I was thinking about how hard it would be to remove the wallpaper or even change a light bulb in the chandelier.  All I saw was potential.  We became very familiar with renting, assembling and using (I left this part to my hubby) scaffolding.

after

Quite the improvement, right?  There are still a few things I need to do in this space:

• Add more to the gallery wall
• Possibly paint the cabinet
• Pain the newel posts a glossy white

All in good time though.  Now that it's summer, I'm busy enjoying the amazing weather so these projects will have to wait.  Check back soon to see the updates and more pics on my other spaces!

Trisha

Monday Matters-Beach Camping Trip

I would usually like to start the day with this post, but considering that its Monday, I'm just now getting around to it even though it's almost Tuesday.  This typical Monday has been made a little easier with the beautiful sunshine.  I just looovee summer!
 Last week the family and I went to Cannon Beach for a short camping trip.  After looking up the cost of hotels in that area, I quickly decided that camping was the way to go.  Luckily, my parents have a fifth wheel trailer that we can borrow at our leisure.  We have been camping with our kids since they were babies and let me tell you, trailer camping is the way to go.  Camping with young kids is hard work ( and tons of fun!) in general.  Add to that the glories of "roughing-it" in a tent without electricity, a faucet at hand or a fridge and you have increased your work load significantly.  That said, I much prefer camping in a trailer and would highly recommend it to anyone considering that option.  We spent 3 nights at Cannon Beach RV Resort which is just a short drive (or long walk) to the beautiful beach.  There are a few things I look for at a campground, things that make camping with kids more enjoyable for everyone.  I always love to find treasures like a wooded setting (kids love trees!), swimming pool and playground.  We found all three of these and that truly makes it a camping resort.
The town of Cannon Beach is a great place to stroll down the street and look at or in all the cute and funky shops and also happens to be a great place to stop for lunch.  Being that my 3 year old daughter is gluten intolerant, it's always stressful to vacation because there are not a lot of restaurants that offer kid friendly gluten-free menu items.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a handful of restaurants that offered a great selection for her to choose from.  Yay!  Crisis averted.  Because this town is in the Pacific Northwest it has somewhat temperamental weather.  Most of our days where chilly and mostly cloudy, but our last day was clear skies, sunshine and warm temps.  We were in heaven!  We played at the beach the entire day and even found a pet for the day, "Hermie" the hermit crab.  My 5 year old is always one to seek out some kind of creature and is very quick to make it part of the family.  Luckily, we were able to convince him that Hermie was better suited to ocean life and released him back into the wild at the end of our fun-filled day.  I hope you are all able to take a beach trip, short or long, this summer and hope this post will encourage you to make it a camping trip!

~Trisha

Surprise Disappointment

Today started much like any other day...another cool but promising morning in the Pacific Northwest.  When my alarm went off and I finally decided to drag myself out of my cozy bed, I was greeted with the news that my husband's car was stolen out of our driveway sometime during the night.  Not a particularly joyful way to start a morning, let me tell you.  So after talking to the police we received the not too positive news that our car was probably either headed to a chop shop or would hopefully be abandoned in the near future.  The news from our insurance agent was just as sunny...we won't be getting a big pay off if the car doesn't turn up because of it's age (1995).  Double ugh!!!  I've been trying to think positive and this is what I've come up with.  It's just a car and can be replaced.  That's all I've got.

Trisha

Crank up the DIY

Summer is here in the Pacific Northwest and I'm gearing up for a couple DIY projects that have been waiting in the wings.  Budgeting on one income for a family of five doesn't really allow me to spend our hard earned cash on brand new art, furniture and decorations.  That said, I'm always trying to brainstorm ways to repurpose & renovate some of the items we already have.  I finally tracked down a dresser for my boys on Craigslist that needs some love and can't wait to dig in!  The hard part...deciding exactly what I want to do to it!  Come back soon to see pics of the process and of coarse the results!

Food Stuff

My family and I have been transitioning slowly into the Paleo lifestyle.  I call it a lifestyle because to us it's not a diet but rather a way of life. Eating Paleo consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots, and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, potatoes, refined salt, refined sugar, and processed oils.
Throughout my life I have put up with the uncomfortable intestinal issues that come from eating foods your body has a hard time processing.  Because I don't have any severe allergies to foods, it's become a guessing game to try and figure out which ones cause the most discomfort.  Frankly, I was stumped.  Every doctor I saw just told me to add more fiber to my diet but that resolve the bloating and gastrointestinal pain that came after most meals.  So, as I became interested in lowering my body fat percentage and increasing my muscle mass, I wandered my way into some amazing Paleo blogs.
1year later, both my husband and I eat mostly Paleo with the exception of grass-fed beef and buying everything organic.  We do as much of that as possible but our grocery budget simply doesn't allow for all things organic.
All this to say that within this last year I have been able to figure our precisely which foods cause me to feel tired and like my stomach is in knots.  I still eat a small amount of those foods now and then, but I know my limit and I steer clear of it!  Ah, now that's better...

Summertime

Summertime...something I really start to look forward to come January.  Long, lazy days filled with outdoor activities, sunshine and Popsicles.  The reality...waking up to my alarm clock telling me it's time to get ready for the gym, ferrying my kiddos to and from summer camps and lessons and realizing that I haven't actually been outside (besides walking to and from my car) as I flop onto the couch after the kids are in bed.  Yes, it's not quite the pretty and relaxing picture I painted in my day dreams but it's summer all the same.

New Beginnings and all that

  Today is an exciting day as I take a leap and start a blog!  I have been so inspired by many wonderful blogs and the people who share them.  I can only hope that the craziness that is my daily life will reach others in a fun and identifiable way.  Happy reading to all who visit me!