It's the little yellow things…..

Hey everyone!!!

So there is a project that I have been wanting to do for a very long time; I think it was one of the first things that I saw on Pinterest a few years ago… a frame around our thermostat!

If you just search for "thermostat frame" on Pinterest and there are tons of cute pictures. I've looked around for a frame, but couldn't ever find just the right one.

This week I finally found the one that I love!

Ever since I redid our HALLWAY redo I knew that I wanted to find a bright colored frame to pop against our gray paint. So, when I found this beautiful yellow frame at Marshall's my heart skipped a beat!!! It was the best $5.99 I have spent in a while!

So, let me know if any of you guys have a cute little frame around our thermostat! I think it just adds so much happiness!

Essential Oil Allergy Pills!

Hey guys! Sorry I have been a little MIA lately; I was gone one week traveling for work, and we stayed extremely busy during Holy Week, so I am finally getting back in the swing of things!

Today I wanted to share with you guys one of the ways that I use my Essential Oils!

I have been using essential oils now for a little over a month, and I have found myself using them a lot more than I ever thought! Now when things happen around our house I immediately think if there is a way to solve it with my oils (or potions as my hubby likes to call them).

Well, in Alabama our pollen is so thick you can pretty much see it in the air; and this time of year is when it is at its peak! With pollen and Spring blooms comes some terrible allergies in our house so I decided to make our own allergy medicine this year. My husband and mom both use this everyday to replace their Claritin, Zyrtec, etc. So let me show you how I made them...



You will need empty gel or veggie caps; size 00 is best because they aren't too big, Lavender EO, Peppermint EO, and Lemon EO.

HERE is the link for the gel caps I ordered from Amazon; they are $6.11 for 250 right now which is a great deal! I use Eden's Garden Essential Oils; and my first purchase was THIS top 6 gift set which has all three of these in it; you can of course purchase them separate as well. These three EO are the most frequently used for most households as I have read; and I have already had to purchase more because I used all of them within a month.

So here is a size reference for you to see how big my gel caps are; I really wouldn't want a size any bigger to be honest.

All you need to do is take apart the gel cap and add 3 drops of your lemon, lavender, and peppermint oils. Then just put the top back on the cap!

I store mine in this empty prescription bottle! I have read several articles and have come to the conclusion that if you use this for just your daily allergy relief/prevention it is best to take it twice a day (and I would HIGHLY recommend taking it with food to avoid indigestion). If you are suffering from a full on allergy exacerbation you can take it every 6 hours and be fine. Just remember: always take with something to eat and not on an empty stomach; we all did this and realized it gave us indigestion, but it is totally fine if you take it with a meal or snack!

And there you have it! My natural and more cost effective way to beat Springtime allergies in Alabama!

I know this might not be for everyone, but for our family we have liked making this switch from the over the counter meds that we were taking before.

Navy Blue Buffet Redo!

Hello out there!

So lets dive on in!

We have been blessed since we got married that our families have gifted us a lot of furniture which has been awesome because we have not had to spend a lot of money to make our first house a home.

So, today I wanted to share probably my favorite piece of furniture that we have because it is so special. My mother in law gave it to us in December, and I absolutely love it. This buffet was actually bought by her father who Justin has always admired and looked up to so much. He bought it and since then it has worked its way down from Justin's mom to me and it is just so special for me.



I made a little gallery wall in our living/dining room (which I just realized I never blogged about...ekk) Anyways..... I love that I put it where I did because as soon as you walk into our front door if you turn your head to the left you see it. I love having it in a spot for us to see everyday as well as when people come over. So, here is the set up before...

One of the things I love most about this piece is that it has two sides that I can easily pop up to have more room to put more food on if we need it. I love that it is different than a lot of buffets that I have seen, and the shape is amazing. I also love that it has drawers, but is still open at the same time!

So, I devised my plan on what I wanted to do and gathered my supplies...

I knew that I wanted to make my own chalk paint which I had done before and I loved the result. So I needed...

• Fine grit sandpaper and a sanding block (optional)
• Zinsser white primer
• Angled paint brush
• Plaster of Paris
• One sample size container of the paint color I chose
• Empty container with a lid to mix my paint

*There is a foam roller in the picture that I thought I might use, but I didn't like the way the paint looked so I didn't end up using it in the end.

I decided that I wanted to paint it navy blue because I wanted to have some color, but I didn't want to do anything too out there; I was really going for a timeless look because I love this piece of furniture so much. I chose Blue Spell by Behr...

I only needed a sample size because I knew that I would be priming it before I painted

So, my first step (after removing all of the hardware) was to sand really quickly in all of the nooks and crannies of the piece. I have found that wrapping a sheet of sandpaper around a sanding block really helps this go faster, and its much more forgiving on your poor fingers.

Here is what it looked like after the sanding step. Really, I just spent maybe 5 minutes quickly sanding; it doesn't have to be perfect. Make sure that after you sand you clean the piece really well before you prime.

Now I know that one main reason people us chalk paint is to avoid having to use primer, but with this piece I really wanted it to be as close to perfect as I could get, so I didn't want to take the quicker route. Here is what it looked like after one coat of primer...

And then I did one more coat of primer....

While the last coat of primer was drying I went ahead and mixed up my chalk paint. You will need Plaster of Paris (which is not expensive at all, and I will last you FOREVER), the paint color that you choose, and water. I have found that mixing it in a plastic container with a top that you can get at Home Depot or Lowes is awesome because you can store any left-overs you have, and you will need a paint stirrer.

For this sample size of paint I mixed 3 tbsp. of Plaster of Paris and 2 tbsp. of water with the paint. Always remember to add a little and then if you need more water you can add, but you can't take it away! One recipe that I saw said 2 cups paint, 5 tbsp. Plaster of Paris, and 3 tbsp. water.

You want it to still be a paint consistency, but a little thicker. It is okay to have a few clumps, but not too many. Just make sure to mix it really well.

Here is what it looked like after the first coat of chalk paint. I was getting nervous because it looked much more bright blue than the deeper navy color I was going for and I got extremely nervous.

At this point it was dark outside so the lighting isn't the best, but here is what it looked like after two coats plus one small coat of touch ups where I needed it.

The last step after everything is dry is to wax which serves as your "sealer" After you use the chalk paint on a piece of furniture it literally feels like a chalk board and it is not fun to touch, and it is very easily scratched. So, I used this wax that I got from Home Depot in the "Natural" color so it didn't alter the paint color in any way. All you do is apply it with a rag or old (clean) t-shirt, let it sit and set for about 15-20 minutes. Then, take a clean rag or tshirt and buff it. It definitely gets your arm workout in for the day!

The next day after it was all dried and waxed I put the hardware back on and started styling; which of course is the most fun part!!!

Here is the final product....

This is the view that you have from the front door when you walk in and look to the left...

All of the things that I used to style it with I already had in different places around my house so I just went shopping in different rooms and moved stuff around. So yay for not spending money that I didn't need to!

I love the drawers in this buffet too! I love the top drawer with it's dividers for serving utensils. It is amazing...

And the bottom drawer now holds all of my table runner, placemats, and napkins!

One last look..........

And there you have it guys! I hope that you enjoyed today's little makeover, and maybe get inspired to try making your own chalk paint for yourself!!! 

My Tupperware Storage

Hey out there!

I hope that you guys are having a great week so far! I honestly can't believe that it is already Wednesday!

Today, I wanted to share with you guys a quick update I did this past weekend. As some of you may know, our kitchen definitely has some issues….. a floor and a few appliances that are probably more than 30 years old, dingy cabinets, and not a lot of natural light BUTTTTT one thing that we do have and that I absolutely love is our cabinet storage. We have a lot of cabinet space which I am beyond grateful for! Because we have so much storage I am able to have two shelves for my tupperware, but lately it has been nothing less than a disaster!!!!

Over the past two years it is amazing how magically all of the tupperware pieces and their lids completely disappear into some kind of black hole. I think it is the same place where socks and pens escape too. 

Anyways, just take a look for yourself. It got pretty bad in there….   

 I decided that the only solution was to get rid of all the mismatched pieces and start fresh. I got this huge tub of varying size containers from SAMs for $19 and I am so glad that I did. It has the perfect sizes for us and what we use them for which is mainly our lunches. 

So first thing first is I washed all of my new pieces…

Then, I decided to put some new shelf paper down to make the shelves a little more exciting. Seeing how dark and dingy the inside of our cabinets are just makes me so much more determined to get them painted this year. 

I also added this under-the-cabinet storage that I knew would help multiply the amount of space. If you like the idea and want to get your own you can get it HERE

Then I just started filling in all of the empty space with my new containers! I am not 100% sure this is the exact layout I will stick with, but I can tell it is already so much more organized and easier to grab what I need in the morning to get lunches ready. 

And that is it! It took only about 30 minutes to clean out and get a better organization plan, and it was definitely time well spent because it has really saved me time this week getting lunches ready!

Lavender and Coconut Oil Body Scrub

Well guys I was a busy little bee this past weekend playing with my new essential oils. Justin kept asking me what new potion I was working on haha. I must say that so far I am really liking my essential oils and finding ways to use them everyday and as substations for harsh chemicals and medicines. 

So the first thing that I made was a body scrub that only requires three ingredients...

 All you need is 1/2 cup coconut oil, 1 cup sugar, and 4-6 drops of an essential oil. I used lavender, but I am excited to try this with lemon, sweet orange and my lime that I just ordered a few days ago. I also want to try to make a peppermint foot scrub which I think will be awesome! So pick which scent you want to use and get started! I wanted to also share with you guys that I got my coconut oil at SAMS for $15. It is HUGE (54 ounces)!

Start by putting your coconut oil in a glass bowl. Using a whisk, mix in 1/2 of your sugar until the coconut oil and sugar are well combined. Then add the other 1/2 of your sugar and essential oil. Mix until well combined.

And that is it you guys! I was really glad that I chose this as my first "potion" as Justin calls it! It is easy and not intimidating at all! Just remember to store it in a glass container though; essential oils exist to destroy toxins so if you have them in any plastic they will destroy it.  It is good to invest in some glass spray bottles and canisters. Oh, and make sure that if you put a tag on it you actually spell lavender right…whoopsies  haha

I use this on my legs, feet, and arms about 3 times a week and I absolutely love how soft it makes my skin! I am getting my skin ready for warm weather!

Szechuan Shrimp

Hey guys!

I have a quick and yummy recipe to share with you guys today! It is a great way to eat a lot of veggies, and the shrimp is of course great too! Stir fry is a great weeknight dinner choice, and there are so many different combos and ways to make it! This recipe is super easy, and the best part about it is you can customize it for your family depending on what you eat!

Ingredients

• 24 unfrozen shirmp
• 4-6 cups vegetables of your choice (I used mushrooms, snow peas, onion, broccoli, and carrots)
• 2 tbsp oil (olive, canola, wok)
• 2/3 cup Szechuan sauce (this sauce is spicy so I suggest starting with a smaller amount even though it may not seem like enough)

 Directions

1. Clean and prep your veggies
2. Put your oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high heat
3. Add your shrimp, veggies, and sauce to the wok. 
4. Cover and cook until veggies are tender and shrimp is pink; stirring occasionally. 
5. Serve with rice and enjoy!

The Breakdown

This recipe has 3 large servings or 4 small. Without rice it comes out to about 168 calories per serving if you divide it into thirds.

Quick junk drawer organization!

Hello out there!

So, we all have one…. 

The drawer in the kitchen that makes you cringe every time that you open it. Come on guys please tell me I am not alone here. You know the one; every now and then you try to open it, but since you have stuffed it full something gets lodged back there and is stuck so you can't even open the drawer!!! 

So, my drawer was stashed full of utensils and was so dis-organized that it made me cringe when I opened it everyday to cook. 

Because I love you I will give you a peek at what it looked like….

I saw this utensil holder on clearance at HomeGoods and I had an idea….

Here is the difference that this $5.00 utensil holder made...


The same amount of things, but it is amazing what a little organization will help do. I put the utensils that I use most often where they are easy to get to.
This is just one idea on how to organize your drawer of secrets as I like to call it. The one that always gets stuffed with crap and is a little embarrassing if someone were to decide to open it.

Here are some great options for drawer organizers that I have found in case you want to work on our own!

These are great because you can completely customize storage for all of your drawers if you wanted to. They aren't too expensive either with is always great! You can find them HERE

This option is great for true catch all drawers; and it can definitely maximize storage in the smallest of drawers! You can find it HERE

If you like the idea of a flatware organizer like I used this is a good option, too! I love that it is bronze! You can find it HERE


Since I made this change a few months ago I have loved it! I seriously open this drawer multiple times a day, and I am so happy with it!
So, dive in and get that drawer organized!!!!