A Little of This and That

One of the first projects we tackled for Operation Making a House a Home was the floors in the entry way and den.  We wanted a cohesive look throughout most of the main floor.  We initially thought we wanted it throughout, but after living here for a month or so, we decided to leave carpet in the family room. The hardwood in the kitchen and dining room was fairly new.  We were able to match it easily with the identical flooring that was used.  We found the floor (MoHawk Golden Oak) at out local flooring store.  The installers did a fabulous job at feathering it in with the existing.  Below is a photo of the very dated entryway tile.  It was in great condition, but very indicative of the early '90s.  To the right is the den that had a newer yet very light colored carpet.  Not our style, nor is it conducive to life with kids and a dog.  We did the demo ourselves, but left installation to the professionals.  Here is a shot of the foyer after: It's hard to tell

About nine months ago we purchased a new home.  We loved our home and our neighborhood.  The decision was not easy, but when an opportunity came up in our same neighborhood we couldn't say no.  The house was the perfect size and layout, but the interior was not quite our style.  Having completely remodeled the home we were currently in, we had vision and knew we could make this house into our next home.  The bones were great, and the changes would mostly be cosmetic....bringing this 1990 home into 2015.   In the three long months between accepted offer and move-in date, we had basically gutted and remodeled the house in our heads.  We were very gung-ho and full of ideas. All of us, kids included, had ideas.  I think we watch too much HGTV.  Once we moved-in though, we decided to slow our ambitious ideas and get a feel for how we lived in the house.  I decided to revive my blog to document our renovations...something I wish I had done with our first remodel. Well, here we are nine

Just before Christmas, a friend's husband asked about Alex and Ani bracelets as a gift for his wife. I must say that I had not heard of Alex and Ani so I googled...it was love at first click. The bracelets are bangle and expandable. I have very tiny wrists and bangles are generally not my friend. These, however, are smaller to start due to the fact that they are expandable. They are also made in the US and promote a positive (+) energy vibe. The story of Alex and Ani can be found here .  On top of all that, they are super cute and look great stacked. The charmed bracelets come with a card explaining the significance and meaning behind the charm. After spending much time on the site, I finally made some choices... I really like  love my new bracelets.  They look great on, but the best part is that they have meaning too. There is personal meaning behind each one that no one really knows except me.  So I say thank you to the many compliments I get, but I know that to me

This Midwest winter weather is leading to fairly regular past vacation reminiscing. Today's daydream... Dreams Villamagna  in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. In actuality it is in Nayarit, but a mere 40 minute cab ride to PV. It was our first visit to the west coast of Mexico. We previously honeymooned in Riviera Maya south of Cancun. Let me just say I loved the Puerto Vallarta area. So much so that vacation #2 is in the works, but that is another post. Dreams Villamagna is all-inclusive and right on the Bay of Baderas. The bay is also surrounded by the Sierra Madre Mountains. It doesn't get much better than that. The room was spacious. The layout would be a bit awkward (read: not much privacy) for a family, but perfect for a couple. The balcony had views of the resort and ocean. The back of the resort had beautiful views of the mountains. It was simply paradise. Beautiful grounds and pool. Palapas and chairs on the beach. Waitstaff to bring you drinks. It was very relaxing

It's been a while... a long while. A lot has happened since the last post. Two days ago revisited this blog for the first time since 2011. Must be something about snowstorms...  Anyway, I have decided to get back at it. Some posts will be current and others will revisit happenings of the past. As of now I am the only reader, but maybe this time that will change. If not, that's ok too because in reality I am doing this for me.

I have recently embarked on a new approach to parenting my two girls.  After hitting bottom with my oldest, I decided that it was time to seek help.  Initially, I thought to look for outside help because obviously what we were doing was not working.  Outbursts were frequent daily.  Yelling was becoming the norm.  Tears flowed freely and emotions were running high.  The distance between us was growing every day.  It was not healthy.  If this is how it is now, where are we going to be during the teen years?  I started doing some research online.  I stumbled upon a book, Kids, Parents, and Power Struggles by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka.  As a parent, I found it hard to admit that what I was doing wasn't working.  Surely it wasn't me, was it?  In a nutshell, the book focuses on emotional intelligence and being an emotional coach for your kids.  You essentially coach them on how they are feeling and how to express those feelings with words.  I am only about half way though the book, bu