Suzanne McGrath Photography

Project Life 2013: Week 1 and Week 2

I am going to try something new here...accountability for myself.  I have a nearly completed Project Life album from 2009, 2011, and 2012.  But I never kept them up and finished them all at the end.  So, I'm going to try to post on my blog every other week or so.  

Since I don't print my pictures at home I end up putting together two weeks at a time.  Therefore, I have the first two weeks complete.  I have to say, it's really fun to go back and look at the albums I've put together.  I remember little details of life I had forgotten and that's really special.  

For the record, I am using Becky Higgins Project Life kit - Seafoam.  I love it!  It's so pretty and totally up my alley.  I also copy ruthlessly from both Ali Edwards and Cathy Zielske.    

Week 1:

(I thought I printed a photo for the bottom left-hand corner, but I guess I didn't.  Next week.)

 

I wanted to jazz it up a little so I punched a circle from one of the journal cards in the kit and just made my own Celebrate Today circle.  

 

I love Cathy Zielske's Week in review cards.  However, I really wanted the date included so I made my own in Photoshop and I just change the color each week.  

 

Week 2:

 

I don't have a ton of products and materials at my disposal, so I've been cutting up old cards from last year and using them like I did below on the "MY GUILTY PLEASURE" note.  Super easy.

 

Oops!  I forgot to change the Title in the Week in Review card.  It's really week 2.  I'll have to re-do that one.

 

I take a ton of vertical shots - probably more than horizontal.  Since I like to use the same page protectors (Design A) for ease of putting this together, I just shrink them in Photoshop and add them to a 4x6 canvas.  Presto!  I have a photo going horizontal.  (Bottom right photo below.)  

And there you have it.  The first two weeks done.  And I ordered photos for weeks 3 and 4 just tonight.  Woot!  So far, so good.

Have you been working on Project Life?  Any tips or secrets?

 

Six on Sunday

I don't really have much chit chat in me tonight so let's just get started, shall we?

1.  We love Darby.  We haven't experienced any allergy symptoms, thank goodness!  She has a little crazy streak in her but that's usually when she is feeling playful.  Mostly, she loves to be around us.  She loves to snuggle.  She sleeps in our bed and I love it!  The kids love her.  I'm so very happy we adopted her.  (She's sitting on my lap as I type!)

2.  I have been making progress on my 2013 House Goals!!!  This weekend I have painted 30 out of 74 spindles on my staircase.  That equals 41% complete.  Yes, I'm a math geek.  I admit it.  It is not fun work - I'm simply repainting them white so it's hard to see the difference.  But, it needs to be done because they are dirty and dingy.  The worst part?  It's oil-based paint.  Stinky!

I also managed to get two coats of poly on the second set of stairs.  I only have two more coats to go.  I can't wait until they are DONE!  

3.  I took the younger three girls to get haircuts today.  #2 and #3 just got a trim but #4 went short.  It's so cute and she is SO EXCITED to show her friends tomorrow at school.  

BEFORE:

4.  After haircuts we picked up #1 and her friend and headed to the playground.  Here's the after shot of #4:

It was really warm today so it was nice to get outside.  The downside was the wind.  But what is Kansas without the wind?  Regardless, it was fun to watch the girls.  They vary in age by 8 1/2 years but yet they still play so well together.  I don't know how much longer that will last so I'm going to soak in every minute of it while I can!

5.  I've been making several recipes from Iowa Girl Eats for the past few months.  Her food is so good!  Seriously, it's hard to narrow it down.  Check her out if you are feeling stuck.  It's definitely worth the read.

6.  That's all I've got folks.  It's time for me to catch up on The Good Wife.  Also, did you know Project Runway started last week?  And The Biggest Loser is back.  Parenthood just wrapped but I still have Nashville and Revolution is coming back.  Life is good:) 

Have a fantastic week!

 

Thrifty Thursday...#1's Room Reveal

Howdy!  Last week I showed you the little girls' room so this week I thought I'd show you #1's room.  I'm sure I've shown it before, but over the course of last fall we added some (easy) updates:

• new, cherry red, mid century nightstand
• recovered red benches (from Target)
• pinch pleated curtains for the window and closet
• upholstered headboard
• new bedskirt with gross-grain ribbon
• DIY pillows

Without further ado...

 

Yes, the curtain rod does look a little wonky.  I missed it when I was shooting in there.  Oops.

And there you have it.  It's a real, lived-in room.  Is it perfect?  Nope.  But she likes it and it's really functional.  My favorite part?  The headboard!

That's it, folks.  Have a great weekend! 

 

Family Pictures at Ermine Case Jr. Park, KCMO

OK.  So I actually had a few photo sessions last year and I failed to show any of them.  I thought it would be fun to post them in January since it's too cold to actually shoot outside now!  This family was tons of fun.  Lori and I run together but this was the first time I had met the rest of her fam.  They were great.  And her kids?  How cute are they?!  Take a peek for yourself...

 

 

And these last four.  I die.  If Ava were my daughter I'd totally do a series of these on canvas.  I'm thinking big, like 16x24.  Don't you think that would be awesome?!  

Seriously, I could have easily posted another 10 shots.  These guys were so fun to shoot!  It's hard to believe this was less than two months ago and tomorrow it's going to feel like -10*.  Crazy!

 

 

Six on Sunday

I'm blogging a little early due to a Girls Night Out tonight.  We're just going to dinner and a movie, but I'm so excited to see Silver Linings Playbook!  It will also be nice to hang out and chat with a bunch of other moms.

1.  We got a cat.  I really wanted to get a dog, but we're so busy and not everyone was on board (hubby).  I don't want to say we settled, because I've always loved cats.  I've just always been very hesitant to get one because I'm crazy allergic to short-haired varieties.  Not only that, every time I've looked for a rescue cat I haven't been able to find one with long hair.  Well, not this week!

Wayside Waifs had FOUR long-haired cats.  But once we met our girl, we knew she was the one.  We sat in her "room" for about 20 minutes or so and both #2 (the other allergy person in our house) and I did just fine.  24 hours in and we're still good.  Knock on wood.  

We named her Darby and she is settling in just fine.  She likes to be around us but will only sit on our laps when it's her idea!  She plays a little, but not very much.  She's between 3 and 5 years old.  We're all thrilled with her.  The girls just LOVE her.  And I'm so glad they have an animal in our house again. 

Isn't she just gorgeous?  And here she is with #1.  (None of the other girls are ready to pick her up yet.)

2.  I ran a few errands yesterday.  On my way to JoAnn's, I stopped in at Salvation Army.  I totally wasn't looking for china, but I happened on the absolute cutest set and just had to have it!  It's Castlewood china manufactured back in the 50's and 60's.  The pattern is Windermere.  Not to mention it matches my dining room perfectly being it's gray AND gold.  Hello!  It was a sign.  And the price?  $35.  Way.  For a 12-piece set of dinner plates, salad plates, cups and saucers.  Even the hubby couldn't be mad.  

Seriously, I am still giddy looking at those petite gold handles!!!!

3.  I found two possible fabrics to use on #2's room for new Roman shades.  Of course I like one and she likes the other.  (Her choice is on the right.)  No matter.  It's her room, not mine!

 

4.  Last year we instituted a police of having the little girls pick out their clothes the night before.  It really helps our mornings flow more smoothly if they already know what they're going to wear.  Plus, they usually wake up pissy anyway, so I'll take any sort of help!  

This is what it looks like at night: 

 

5.  I have been catching up on my Project Life from last year.  I already have a good start on it this year.  It's a lot of work but probably because I'm trying to do 52 weeks at once!  It's kind of fun to look backwards, though.

This was week 5.  I'm currently on week 24.  All the pictures are filled in, I'm just added a few notes here and there.

 

6.  I have a vacation day tomorrow.  The hubby sanded the stairs I haven't stained yet so I'm going to do that tomorrow.  Wish me luck.  We'll have to quarantine Darby so as not to have little paw marks all over my house!

Have a great week.  

Thrifty Thursday...the Evolution of a Bedroom and a Mid Century Ombre Dresser

Phew!  That was a long title.  It's been much too long since I've posted any fun projects so I thought I would rectify the situation tonight.  

Back when school started #3 moved out of #2's bedroom and in with #4.  It just made sense.  The two little girls go to bed before the big girls.  We needed to get #2 to bed earlier and the only way to do it was to have her move in with her little sister.  They resisted slightly at first but the protesting didn't last more than a week.  

This move necessitated more storage in their now-shared bedroom.  Therefore, we moved #4's adorable dresser (3 down) into the closet (which made me sad to have to hide it), moved a desk in at the foot of the bed to corral all the junk that comes along with a 6 year old, and removed the bedside tables and replaced them with a dresser for #3.  

Here is the before shot of the dresser.  $40 off Craigslist.  A steal.  

 

And here is the after: 

Isn't she cute?  After painting all kinds of things I have to say, dressers are my favorite.  They're super easy to sand and paint and the impact is always HUGE!  I painted the white using those pre-mixed cans of Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch.  Love that paint!  I can't remember if I used oil-based or not?  But if not, I used semi-gloss and it's perfect.  Super smooth and shiny.  For the drawer fronts I just bought 3 samples of Behr.  Each green is two colors different from the next.  I've learned from experience that if you only vary one shade you won't see enough of a gradient.    

To make this post even more fun, I thought I'd take you on a journey of how this room started.  First, there was a crib!

 

Although you can't see it, there was a rocking chair on the other side of the window.  We removed that and put in a twin bed.  

 

With that switcheroo we added a different night stand and removed the round table.  I also painted the back of the bookshelves:

 

#4 finally decided she was ready to give up the crib so we added in the second twin bed and I made upholstered headboards for another punch of color:

 

I added a little pizzazz by sewing rick rack to the bedskirts:

 

 

It stayed like that for just over a year until we moved #3 in here.  Now it looks like this:

 

One final shot:

 

Cute, huh?  Anyway, we love it.  But then again, I do so love color!  Have you been painting anything lately?  Any big plans for the weekend?  

 

Six on Sunday...Making Progress

Howdy!  I'm here for the second week in a row.  As I was working on my Project Life scrapbook yesterday I realized I wasn't very good about blogging on Sundays.  Hopefully I will get better this year.

1.  We are making progress on my list of house goals.  Sweet.  Last night I put the second coat of poly on our stairs.  Only two more coats to go before I do the rest of the stairs.  (I have to do every other stair so we can actually get upstairs!)  They look much better after the second coat so I'm feeling good.  

Today I painted the half bath downstairs.  I loved the existing color in there but it didn't match our vanity which we got on sale at Home Decorators last month.  So I went with a lighter shade - Dolphin Fin by Behr.  So far, so good.  Once the paint is dry we can install our vanity and faucet which I picked up today while buying paint.  

Two projects in one weekend?  Outstanding!

2.  Last night #2 and #3 and I went to the Mother-Daughter Skate Night for their elementary school.  I know #2 had a little more fun at the skate rink because she could skate by herself.  #3 never really got the hang of it and after she fell pretty hard, she was done.  We redeemed ourselves, though, with a stop for pizza with a gang of girls afterwards.  They both had a lot of fun at Pizza Shoppe!

#4 was royally pissed when we left her at home.  Poor baby.

3.  I managed to fit in 9 miles this morning despite the cold.  The wind chill was 3*!  It was definitely cold but manageable.  Mostly, I was just glad to run it and then be done with it.

4.  I took a 20 minute shower when I got home.  Duh.

5.  #1 started soccer again this week.  I missed the game last night since I was skating so I'm excited to watch her play again.

6.  The hubby is at Costco right now buying food for the week.  What are we having?  Here you go!

Sunday:  cheeseburgers, corn on the cob, and fruit

Monday:  Mmmm saucewith lots of stuff for dipping like cucumbers, carrots, pretzels.  We'll supplement with fruit.

Tuesday:  homemade spaghetti with zucchini and yellow squash

Wednesday:  chicken enchiladas and fruit

Thursday:  potato soup and broccoli

Friday:  pizza from Costco or Papa Murphy's

Saturday:  Quinoa and black beans + veggies/fruit

Have a great week! 

Six on Sunday...2013!

Holy Smokes!  We're already a week into 2013.  I always meant to post pictures of my new Christmas tree, but I never got it up.  It's my favorite - ever - but I guess you'll have to wait another year.  

I'll just give a short recap of our Christmas vacation - mostly a photo diary version.  I have to preface this recap by saying this was our worst Christmas vacation ever.  Hands down, without a doubt.  Why?  Sickness.  Lots and lots of sickness.  Everyone is better now, but it was not fun while it was happening.

1.  We headed to Omaha the Saturday afternoon before Christmas.  That night #2 started to succumb to the illness.  She woke up Sunday and looked horrible.  I was sure she had strep throat due to a high fever and sore throat.  Nope.  Just a nasty cold.  Evidence:

Here are some other shots from Omaha:

This is aunt Erin and Uncle Chris.  Since they live in Dallas we don't see enough of them.  The kids ADORE them!  

 

I'm desperately allergic to Grandma and Grandpa's dog.  Hence, I require a hotel.  (Yes, I'm high maintenance.  I admit it.)  The little girls stayed with us.  The big girls stayed with Grandma and Grandpa.

 

The girls - snuggling with Grandma and Grandpa - wearing their new PJs.  (They get to open one present every Christmas Eve and it's always PJs.)

 

Christmas Eve outfit picked out by #3.  Notice the shoes.

 

Christmas Eve outfit smuggled in by #4.  This is really a "dress-up" dress.  Oh well.  She's dressed.

#2 didn't go to church since she felt too crappy.  I forgot #1's dress in the hotel so we were in such a rush I forgot to take a picture of her outfit.  Darnit.

 

#3 with her godmother, Mikaela.  #3 idolizes Mikaela.

2.  We headed home on Christmas day.  (#2 was supposed to fly out to Dallas on the morning of the 26th but was too sick to travel.)  My side of the family came over after we had our family Christmas.  I have to say, I'm not sure why #1 isn't in more pictures and I'm going to have to work on capturing her more often!

 

Here is #4.  She came down with the illness on the 24th.  So she was chilly and covered in the blanket here:

 

Here is the bunk bed I made for #3's American Girl doll.  Cute, yes?

 

We are on year 3 of Want, Need, Wear, Read.  It is still working very, very well.

 

This is the dollhouse the hubby and I made for #4.  She has played with it quite a bit.  Phew.

 

Christmas night brought the annual cousin's performance of Jesus's birth.

 

3.  We headed to the Aquarium a couple days after Christmas.  The hubby is missing from this picture because he was down with the illness beginning late Christmas night.

The aquarium is nice but I wouldn't want to get an annual pass.  Once you've been through it once, you're good to go for awhile. 

 

5.  After the hubby started feeling better (after FIVE days of just LAYING ON THE COUCH), we headed out to Weston to ski for a day.  I really wanted to get #4 on skis so she'll be ready for spring break.  #1 brought a friend because #2 was in Dallas with her BFF.  

Success.  #4 really likes to ski.  However, I'm not sure how well she'll do in ski school when she has to go by herself?!

 

This lunch photo was snapped before #3 was struck down by the illness.  Yep.  She spiked a fever at the ski slope.

 

Here's #1 and her friend.  They had so much fun until her friend fell and broke her collarbone.  Yep.  True story.  I felt so bad that it happened on our watch!  And she was doing so well.  She picked it up really fast!!

 

5.  We got a little snow over the break which I loved!  Here are the 3 little girls hanging with their former nanny, Ashley.  (#1 was off shopping with her friends.)  Aren't they cute?

 

6.  Our buddy, Chad, is installing wood steps for us.  They are beautiful.  They're close to being done and just need some trim.  Now it's my turn.  I have to stain and poly the steps.  Then I have to paint the trim work and the banister.  I'm not going to lie, I'm not looking forward to all that painting.  But it's going to be work it because it'll look awesome.  Here's the progress shot:

 

So there you have it!  A recap.  I'm really looking forward to 2013.  I think it's going to be a good year.  We've got a couple trips planned so far - Breckenridge and Hilton Head.  And mostly, I just love January.  I love the fresh start.  

With that, I'm out of here.  Have a great week!

 

2013 Design Goals

Happy New Year!  We celebrated but were still home in bed by 10:30.  I know.  We're crazy like that.  Anyway, I absolutely love January.  The year just feels fresh and like anything is possible.  Ahhhh....

Since I really wish I had written down my design goals for 2012 (I didn't), I'm going to write them down for 2013.  I hope to achieve these by the end of the year, but you never know what will pop up along the way!  So here goes.  Room by room...

1.  Foyer.  This is a priority for me since it sets the stage for the whole house.  And after spending all that time and money on the stairs it would be a shame to just leave it as is.  For reals.

• Finish painting/staining our staircase.  Duh.  This WILL get done.  Before January is over. 
• I need a campaign dresser painted in Emerald green.  (I swear I had that color picked out BEFORE Pantone named it color of the year.  Cross my heart.) 
• I'd like a cool, gold/brass mirror to hang over the dresser.  Any suggestions on sources??? 
• I want to either make or re-purpose a round table for the nook in our curved stairs.  Topped with a cool lamp. 
• Of course a new rug for the front door would complete the look.
• Paint all the floor trim boards.  Gross. 
• Paint the front door black.  Boom.

2.  Music room:

• Paint my piano white.  There are simply too many different wood tones in the music room (doesn't that sound fancy?!  ha!).  I think toning down the piano with a soft white would actually look really nice.  Plus, it's not like it's a collectible, so painting it should be just fine.
• Paint the trim around the window.  (It's only needed it for a year and a half.  Just keepin' it real!)
• Paint the floor trimboards, courtesy of the Hubs handywork.

3.  Family room:

• I'd love, love, love a new couch.  It's been held up by a scrap of 2x4 for years.  But I have to wait until #4 stops using it as her own, personal coloring book.
• Replace the cabinet tops with stained 2x6s.  That will be so easy but gooooorgeous!

4.  Deck.  Last year we spent some serious time and elbow grease re-purposing a Craigslist table.  It actually turned out better than we had hoped.  So now it's time to spend a little elbow grease on our deck.  In all actuality, I'd love to rip it off and replace it, but that isn't in the cards this year.  So I'll settle for a new stain, instead.  And maybe some cool flower pots! 

5.  Kitchen.  This is big.  I have to get the hubby on board.  That means I'm going to have to work on him!

• Fill all the hinge holes with Bondo.  Replace hinges with European (hidden!) hinges.  Currently, half of our cabinet doors don't close correctly so this would be huge.  (something like 50 hinges.  yikes) 
• Repaint cabinets.  We painted our cabinets about 9 years ago and I've really loved them for 9 years.  But they are seriously starting to show some wear and tear.  Now I'd like to go with a two-tone scheme (well, again) but use a dark gray and white this time. 
• If I get wild and crazy, sew new curtains or valances in there. 
• Paint the french doors black.  Bam.  Again.
• Repaint all the floor trimboards since getting the bamboo floors installed.  Yuck.  Barf. 

6.  Dining Room:

• Get some chairs for my awesome, homemade table.
• Paint those d*mn floor trimboards. 

7.  Power Room (Doesn't that sound fancy?!):

• Install the vanity and hardware so we actually have a sink in there again.  I know.  I know.  I'm aiming high, here!  (Yes, we have it just sitting in our garage.)
• Install the mirror.  (Yes, we already have it.  It's sitting behind the couch.)
• Paint floor trimboards.  Gag.

8.  Master Bedroom:

• Paint my bed a dark gray.  Right now it's 90s pine.  Yuck.
• Re-cover the cushion on the MCM bench at the foot of my bed.  (Yes, I even have the fabric just sitting here next to me as I type!)
• Re-upholster the awesome chair I bought a year and a half ago.  I know.  A year.  And a half.
• Install my cool, painted chevron bedskirt.  Again, just sitting in the chair from above. 

9.  Master Bathroom.  This is beyond anything other than a gut job.  So I'm going to ignore it for the next year.  Pretend it doesn't exist.  Go to my happy place. 

10.  #2's Bedroom:

• I promised her a redo since it's been years.  We've picked out an AWESOME new duvet from PBTeen.  We'll design her color scheme around this.
• Paint her MCM desk - probably another ombre effect. 
• Get her a cool bean bag or other tween chair. 
• Sew some curtains - we already have the rod installed so this will be as easy as finding the fabric.

11.  Basement:

• Trim out the windows that have been sitting there, unfinished, since right before #4 was born - oh, almost 4 years ago. 
• Cover the circuit-breaker box (or whatever it's called)
• I'd love to install the bar, but I don't think that's in the cards for 2013.  Someday.  Sigh.

And there you have it!  If the hubby saw this list, he would die.  Seriously.  But in my head it's really very do-able.  Honest!  Do you have any design goals for the new year?