Fun Family App: Night Sky

Have you all seen this?? Shout out to Bart Reed who discovered this app out at the fire the other night. Simply down load it for just .99 (apparently there is a Night Sky 2 now, but I like mine just fine) And you can see the names of the stars, constellations and planets all around you. Simply AWESOME!




Check it out with some smore's SOON!

Teach Me Time Clock: QUICKED COOL

Kids Teach-Me-Time Alarm Clock

This QUICKED COOL clock can do WAY more than teach time. It is the perfect nightlight for when your little one is transitioning from the crib to a big-kid bed, because even though the kids cannot tell time just yet- the color changing feature is why I LOVE IT!!!

So, here is how it works- it glows yellow all night (you can set timer for nightlight to come on at bedtime and go off in morning) THEN here is the FABULOUS part... not only can you set the nightlight to come on, but you can set when you would like it to change to green. GREEN- is the magic color in our house. My now 3 and 4 year olds' know that they can only come into Mommy & Daddy's room when their clock is GREEN!
(I am using CAPS a lot in this post- but you know what its worth it!!)

Every morning someone will appear by my bed and say... "Mommy, my clock is green." This lets me know its after 6am and that I should get moving, or let them crawl in for a morning snuggle before we all get going. I love it.

Other fabulous things about this QUICKED COOL CLOCK...

• It comes with different color rings so that snap on the front so that it can be personalized. (Baby boy's is blue, Baby girls is pink)
• It talks. (Ok, when my kids first caught on to this, I wanted to HURT this feature) But- it is a good teaching tool if you are teaching time. Press the button and it tells you the time. Downside.. the lowest volume setting is still LOUD at 2am.
• You can turn the types of clocks on and off. So, if you don't want it to show the digital time whiel you are trying to teach the hour and second hands, you can set it that way. Pretty cool. And this measn this clock can last may more years as my kiddos learn. 
• Finally, it is an ALARM clock, so once my kiddos are ready for that- it can do that too.

So, the almost $40 price tag seemed a little high at first... but think about it mom's, in the end this clock is providing you PRICELESS sleep time. It is SOOOOO worth it.

Enjoy!

Julie 

QUICKED COOL: The Fabulous Fonicle

Ok- this one may be one of my most favorite "Quicked Cool's" thus far... The FONICLE.

What is that you ask?
Well, let me start by saying- I often hear folks talk about how Facebook is a stealer of your time. However, with Fonicle it can SAVE YOU SOOO MUCH TIME, and make you a rock star mom too! YES, it' true.

How you ask?
The handy app called Fonicle allow you to upload your ENTIRE Facebook existence and make it into a book!

I often joke with people that while having two children under the age of two in 2010... I don't remember much. And honestly, I don't. I don't know who had tubes, when or where and whose first word was what!?!

(Seriously- look at this picture: same hospital, same room- just 13 months later. If it weren't for the hat - how would you keep it all straight?!)

Its one of those things I used to make fun of my mother for, and yet now I know as a mother- YOU LOSE BRAIN CELLS... rapidly. But you know what- Facebook remembers. :)
I was also working from home at the time and often Facebook was my only connection to the adult world. So, needless to say my FB friends knew every of almost every move the kiddos made. Yes, it was inevitable.
However, recently when discussing with a friend (shout out to Change Maker Whitney Bishop!) how my children's baby books were yet to be done, she mentioned an app that will print your FB photos and statuses and make them into a book- EUREKA!!! It works!!!
Now if you would like all of your memories in beautiful color and with a hard cover... you can quickly rack up a tab over $400. (that was from 2005-2012) The paperback cover leaves much to be desired...but this will just have to be another Quicked Cozy project for later!

BUT- I was perfectly happy with black and white and paper back. (I mean you have the picture in color somewhere... you posted it!) The grand total= $85
Here is what she looks like inside:

Now- its not the most beautifully formatted, however for me - it means I have white space to add "the rest of the story..." for my children. You know- the FB inappropriate things that we dance around as not to humiliate our young children on SM. (sometimes ;)
Are there statuses that are completely uninteresting and unnecessary- of course! But there are also heart warming memories of my babies doing and saying funny things... Ahh! It covers everything from heading to the hospital, announcing the birth and the first full night of sleep that we all like to shout from the rooftops!!!

Talk about the instant gratification I love so much... BABY BOOKS COMPLETE!!!

Whoop whoop!! Hope you can check it off your list too. :)

Letting it go #itdoesnthavetobeperfect

So this blog started back in the fall and I haven't been consistent like I hoped I would be.

Every time I thought about blogging, I would get overwhelmed with the ideas and possibilities, and then the pictures- or lack thee of, the links I would want to add, the unfinished projects that I wish I could post first... And by that time, there was no blogging done. 

And so it continued- until recently. I reviewed my blog ideas and got excited all over again. And strangely enough I was motivated by this free-spirited fellow standing outside a local Taco Bell singing with all he had. 

He wasn't focus on the little things (i.e: his mic was not plugged into anything, he was quite dirty and umm...no one listening) But who cares right!?! As long as YOU are having a good time. 

So thank you brave man on the street corner! For you, I begin to blog again. #itdoesnthavetobeperfect

Gettin' ready for Gardening!!

This was my garden at the old house last year...

This year, thanks to my AWESOME neighbor - I have upgraded!! WISH ME LUCK. 

Handsome Hutch

Here is the first project that I took on when we moved into our "Forever home". I actually had a hutch that I refinished in house #2. (We have lived in 4 in 7 years of marriage, so we affectionately refer to them by number :) Anyway the hutch I refinished in house #2 was a consignment find while in Murray, KY working. I paid just $200 for it. Here is what the first one looked like. (Sorry only picture I had) :)
So, I do wish I still had this piece- I loved it. However, when selling the house the buyer was asking for closing cost and when we said no... they said if we left the hutch that they would pay closing costs! So- guess what I just saved $2,000-$3,000 with that hutch! So I cut ties quickly! ;)
So, there was no room for it in house #3 anyway so.. fast forward to house #4 and there it was the PERFECT space for my old hutch :(
Time to refinish again!!
So- the only challenge I find when looking for a hutch to refinish is finding one that has modern lines and will translate well into the "pottery barn" look. A lot of the older ones are frilly or have flowers etched in the glass... not my thing!

So, after some searching (not much let's be honest- I'm impatient and when I want it I want it!) But just night or so on Craigslist and I snagged this one for just $140!

Ok- do you see the vision?? ;) There is no frilly glass or petal like trim to worry about. Some paint and hardware and DONE!

First set up- its changed many times since. I moved the plates to the wall for example. :)

Slowly added more to the wall- ignore the random office chair and clorox wipes :)

Everyone who comes over loves this piece and I do too. The bonus to pieces like this are that they are not only decor & a space filler but STORAGE! 

As usual, I did not sand at all. I wiped this piece down and painted with a flat Rustoleum paint. It did take about 3 coats. Then I added the brushed nickel hardware. 

PROJECT IN SHORT:

- Hutch/Buffett: Craigslist $140

- Paint $11

-Hardware $20ish

Total cost= $171

Pottery Barn one that is similar: $2,500 THAT'S A DEAL!

Pleasing Planner.. UPDATE

Hello all, 

It has been a couple weeks- well, 10 days exactly- since I received the highly anticipated planner. But considering how its changed my life it seems so much longer!!

It did- it changed my life. Here are a few reasons why...

1. I feel more grounded. I had forgotten the satisfaction that come with flipping pages and scratching out things when I complete them. Yes, I have all of the task list sand notifications in my phone- but eventually it all became watered down and too easy to press "ok" and never see them again. This way its here, in front of me, EVERY day.
2. I have taken the time to plan things that I would previously let slip through the cracks. Meals, date nights, doctor appts. Having the pages in front of me each morning makes me plan and I this has already improved my sanity as a mother and wife. Meals and grocery visits are planned, and babysitters are booked for Date Nights through June! No more excuses. :)
3. I have a place to keep things. Receipts, coupons, bills, etc. When I transferred my life completely to the iphone, I carried only it and a small wallet. That left everything else floating around somewhere or even worse to be smashed and bent in my purse (I HATE THAT). So not I have a pocket that is just big enough to hold what I need and just small enough to let me know when it is time to sort through it. - HEAVEN.

I just know you cant wait until the end of this blog so... here is a sneak peak of the inside... (but keep reading!!)

So, the next question I have received the most... why the Erin Condren Life Planner? Is it worth it? Answer: YES. Here's why...

Packed in purse

The size. It is the perfect size. It is 7.25" x 9.25". A little bigger than most I have seen before. This helps if you fold over a 8.5x11 piece of paper its not sticking out anywhere and getting beat up (again- I HATE THAT) It's also super durable which helps too. 

My personalized stickers

Other stickers

The stickers! You may have heard of them before, but the Erin Condren planners some stocked with stickers some of which are personalized. They have already come in handy for me to stick on a bottle of wine on when invited to someone's house for dinner and on the way to a baby shower when you pick up a gift on the way- slap on a sticker and you look UBER prepared! :) There are also your basic "pay day", "birthday", etc. stickers to decorate with. :)

The time slots are Morning, Noon, Night. Nothing bothers me more than when you have to squeeze an appt. in the little lines provided by the planner. I write big. And if its a BIG deal.. I write bigger.. and decorate!

The annual birthday calendar. There is an annual birthday calendar in the front. Where you can record all of those birthdays that you truly care about. You see, I had lost some here and there along the way when transferring between Outlook, Google Calendar, iCloud, etc.. then my iphone would so nicely populate the ones that I have in my contacts- and I had so many I didn't pay attention to ANY of them. ANNOYING! Now, I can return to the super good friend I once was (ha) and send some love some other way that an FB wall post! Fab!


BONUS: The little twinkling sound when you drag your mouse on Erin Condren's website... it just makes me happy! ;) If you dont visit for any other reason- visit for that. 

What are you waiting for?? Get ordering!! :)

Here are some more photos: 

Weekly view

Monthly View

Pocket in back

Front

Some Serious Stenciling

Wanted to get back to some projects - so here was one of the most intense ones I took on while at home for a month... Stenciled curtains!
It started with my purple chairs.

I bought these babies from my old boss when he purchased and office space and didn't like the contemporary furniture that came with it. They were a STEAL!
So, since then they have traveled with me through 4 houses and finally found a true space big enough to hold a cute little conversation area.
So now, that they had a home, they had a lovely picture window across from them and wanted curtains to tie them in. I searched fabric online - although I don't sew, i have an aunt who is a seamstress and could whip some up. But, I couldn't find a print that was as large as I wanted. Here is one that was close...

So, I recalled a Pinterest post I had seen a while back on stenciling curtains and looked it up for some guidance and inspiration. 

The first step is to get some white curtain panels. I found mine at Home Depot. They are the Martha Stewart white cotton tabbed panel. Then you just use any color of plain old acrylic paint with some added fabric medium. Just ask at Michael's they can show you where to find this. I had some trouble. I found more of a selection of wall stencils at Hobby Lobby. See some here.  One more tool that is essential is a small paint roller, sometimes called a stencil roller.  I originality thought I could use sponge brushes, but I was sorely mistaken! 

So - I laid down a large sheet and taped my curtains panels down. This project was not a "quick" or "easy" as I had hoped- by the time it was complete I was DONE! 

TERRIBLE picture, I know but it was my first steps...

Here are some things I learned that complicated things:

1. Use cardboard or something THICK to place under the curtain panel... the paint WILL bleed through no matter how lightly you apply. It went right through my usual painters sheet.

2. PUT ALL ANIMALS AND CHILDREN OUTSIDE!!! Ok, so I was not dumb enough to even attempt this while kids were home, but ANIMALS were my issue. Painted paws marks were not what I was going for!

3. Make sure you have LOTS of space or time to let each panel dry before starting the next. This was very annoying to me again because I want to start and finish before there is a need to was my roller and start over. So, I just moved my sheets around until I had enough room for each panel.

 As you can see my pattern was NOT perfect. Aligning the stencil each time was time consuming and I lost interest! (Did I say I need things to be QUICK) ;)  As soon as each one was dry enough I hung it up. 

Here are some more pics while in progress...

Sorry the pictures are dark- there is no lighting in the room. 

(See my next post... Yard Sale lamp Makeover!) 

So over all, this project took a bit more patience than I prefer... but I am happy with the result- it is the look I wanted.

Project in Short

- 2 Martha Stewart Curtain Panels $35

- Acrylic Paint and Fabric Medium $15

- PATIENCE... priceless.

What do you think?? Will you take a stab at it?

UPDATE: So after a few months passed, I felt like I needed more panels and Lord knows I was not looking forward to stenciling anymore! So, I decided to add some solid color panels to outside to add warmth and contrast. Now, finding the right color was not easy- but thanks to Ebay I snagged these for $35 and after a little handy ork (aka: scissors to remove some frilly details I didn't like) I think I love it. :)

Sorry for the not so clear picture. There is not much light in this room. But there is one cute dog! ;)

Blessings,

Quicked Cool: GOgroove FlexAMART X2

QUICKED COOL IDEA #3
Have to share my latest quciked cool find...drumroll please...

GOgroove FlexSMART X2 ADVANCED Wireless In-Car Bluetooth FM Transmitter with Charging, Music Control and Hands-Free Calling for ANDROID, iPhone, Blackberry and Windows Smartphone

Yes... that is it's crazy long title. But let me tell you in short what it will make you- COOL! ;)

This bluetooth (dont let that scare you - its not your momma's bluetooth device that you have to put on your ear!!) device plugs into your car's power source and wireless connects to your phone each time you get in the car. You can then instantly play all music, audiobooks, etc directly through your car speakers. And it is SO much clearer than your old CD/tape radio transmitter...

Oh yeah! Anyone else have this sweet mess of wires and contraptions in your old ride??? 

Well if you are so luck y to have a car where you can just plug in your iphone... Now you can upgrade to this:

ooohh ahhh!!!

BUT WAIT... there is more. Not only can you play your music, books, etc it will also interrupt your music with the GPS so you don't miss your turn. And finally...  WAIT FOR IT... if your phone rings you can answer it and talk to the person through your car speakers and the mic attached to this device. HANDS FREE!!!! All of this for $50!! 

It's the little things right. ;)So I may one and only complaint is that when you are on the phone with someone you will need to crank the volume a bit, and if you forget to crank it down you will find out soon enough. But honestly is you are working hard not to be playing around on your phone while driving- this device is DEVINE. And as Sassy (code for my daughter ;) will tell you  can attest to - you can hear Daddy's voice through the car and play the Wizard of Oz soundtrack EVERY TIME we drive. What better??? ;) (can you hear the sarcasm in my voice) ;) But seriously- the kids love being able to hear daddy while we chat. And those I have talked to on the speaker phone say it sounds clear enough. WHOO HOO!! 

Go get you this Quicked Cool gadget today and be cool... quick! ;)