Beef... he's what's for dinner...

...next summer that is, after we fatten him up! Meet our newest farm animal / dinner entrée...

Mark tried to name him Travis Pastrana 199 (big surprise there), but Ty overruled and named him Beef. Mark calls him "Beef Travis Pastrana 199" half the time. Don't let that sweet look above fool you, although he is halter broke, he does have his mad cow moments...

Did you know the universal cow sign for "you are making me nervous and a little frustrated" is throwing up their head and rolling their eyes, with the optional flinging of snot? It is.

Anyway, husb did a side job and the guy offered Beef as a trade. He is a beef / dairy cross and we are told he won't get as 'beefy' (haha) as a beef cow, but he will still be good eating. I have looked into it online and read only good things about them - some people say they prefer Holstein and will never go back to Angus or other beef breeds. They also say it is a good idea to get in with a dairy farmer and you can get cows from them that are past their milk prime, but mature and ready for butchering. Then you don't have to raise your own. Since we have been seeking out at least grass fed, if not organic beef since watching Food Inc., and we have pasture, he jumped at the deal. I'm interested to see the cost of growing our own vs. buying; I'll let you know how that goes.

I know I've not been posting frequently, but I have exciting plans... but not so much money, so things are moving slowly at my place. I do have a couple room plans to finish up and will share them here soon (I know- you've heard that before)! And a couple projects to do on the super-cheap, so stay tuned, bear with me, cut me some slack, calm down and get off my back... just kidding. Seriously, Susie and I have been super sick for the past week and I am just now getting the dry cough that means it is almost over. Thanks for your patience!

The Power of the Spray Can

Lately, I want to spray paint everything I see! First of all, I am over trying to paint furniture with no brush strokes! It doesn't matter whether I use a cheap brush, expensive brush, the chemical stuff you mix with paint to reduce brush marks, foam brushes - it still makes me crazy. I spray painted a stool (see my brand recommendation) and a telephone table and I am sold. But lately it's not just furniture. Enter, before and after...

That corner was so clear and blah before! I bought a new canister every couple weeks or whenever I could scratch it out of the budget. A little hit of spray paint to their lids and ... wah-la! I used the leftover spray paint from painting my stool. The lids were stainless steel, so I had to buy spray primer (same brand as spray paint), and give them a coat of that first. Then the paint stuck perfectly!

Some day when I'm feeling spunky and have some money (ha! never?) I might get more paint and make each lid a different color. But I am just happy to have color in that corner for now.

Moral of the story: spray paint = happy in a can. Other possibilities: pottery (for decoration only), vents, lamps, curtain rods, cabinet hardware, furniture... and many more!

Nielsen Engagement Photos!

Two friends recently gave me the honor of capturing their engagement photos, and I got several favorite shots out of the half hour session! Here they are...

Thanks so much Erik and Amber, you were easy to work with and I have many more shots to edit, too. Congratulations on the engagement! I am looking forward to capturing your wedding, coming up!

My Lame Fall Decorations and Homeschool Started

I struggle with fall. First of all, husb gets all pouty when the summer comes to an end, and understandably so, since he works outside in the Pacific Northwest. So I tend to feel bad for him and hold off on rubbing it in that it is fall until it is completely undeniable. By that time, the color outside tends to satisfy me enough I think. Plus, my living room is done in brown earthtones with lots of orange, so it is basically fall year round in my living room! Anyway, after everyone around me decorates for fall I end up feeling left out and busting out my puny stash of fall decor...

That is it. Now Christmas? Christmas I have about three of these boxes full plus a couple more random things in their own packaging. But fall is pretty dinky around here. All I really have to show you that I accomplished is that I added some pumpkins and a gold mercury-glass votive to my display by the TV...

I know, really minimal. By the way, please notice that I did find a home for Mr. Squirrel (from Farm Chicks).

I finally convinced myself that he had no soul so it would be okay if I suffocated him in the cloche to save him from little fingers and dust on his belgain burlap. I gave an armful of tiny leaves...

He is happy. The only other things I did is put the rest of the pumpkins on a shelf in my entry way, but it is too pitiful to show you (maybe I will dress it up a little and share it later), and all the little votives are lined up in my windows to try to draw a couple trick-or-treaters in, but I'm not holding my breath. One of the hardships of living in the sticks.

In other news, I started Mark in homeschool! We are still working on getting all our books together and start following the curriculum (which I will share later if I love it), but every day while Susie takes her first nap, we work on homeschool for a good hour or more. I think I will have much to share on the topic if there is any interest. This "decor blog" is already scatterbrained enough, why not bring in one more topic!? We'll see. Anyway, this was one of our first cool projects...

I saw the idea displayed on a bulletin board at my teacher-friend's school. You write their name nice and big (a longer name might need a bigger paper) and then let them man the glue stick and cover their name in torn pieces of paper. Mark helped me cut some of the paper while I tore some. He is learning to use his kid scissors, finally. He liked it and it helps work on fine motor skills and get them more familiar with the letters as they work on it.

Okay I have been debating sharing this but it is too funny and I must share. Mark drew a guy and his arms and legs were floating in the air - he had no body. My teacher-friend tells me kids usually start out drawing people that way. So I told him, "good job, but he has no body, can you draw him one?" and he added something in the middle of the arms and legs which I will let you see for yourself...

I said, after choaking on a laugh, "oh, what are those?" and he said "those are his buns." Ohhhhhh.

Garage Sale finds and Pacifier Solution

A dear friend reminded me that last weekend was the Mill Creek Community Garage sales! I always neglect to keep tabs on those big 'rich neighborhood' sales, but they can be so good. So we stuffed the girls (my baby and hers) into the backseat and headed for the sales! I spent $20 and came out with this:

Got some fun stuff including hardbound books (always a decorating necessity for me), kids books and a counting game, new train sets for only $1 each, picture frame for my bedroom collage and a great little red lantern. The sales were decent but I bet the one earlier in the year is better and more people do it when it is warmer. Truth be told, if I had more money there were a couple pieces of furniture I would have come home with! The community is only allowed to have sales on two weekends a year. I will surely do it again next time!

And, I showed you my weird sleeper solution... well now I have an awesome pacifier solution! Susie likes to spit out her plug like a projectile, or better yet, throws it and gets mad (yes we are at that stage), and I hate the ugly paci clips they sell in the stores, so I thought I could make my own...

I cut a piece of ribbon and melted the ends with a flame. Then I tied it to her paci and to her outfit. It even works when they have a button up on; just loop it through the holes (around a button) and tie. It's so great, and I especially love it in public, so she doesn't drop her paci out of the cart or carrier and onto nasty floors! Happy mom!

Stay tuned, I am working up a couple of room plans and will share them with y'all as soon as I can get them ready. I wish I was from the south so I could say 'y'all' without feeling like a poser.