NOW ON FRIDAYS! CORNER NEWS!

July 30, 2015July 31, 201513 Comments

Hey everyone! I know we haven’t been here on Fridays in the past, but we have decided to add something new.

Corner News will be just a little about what has been going on with us during the week. Nothing fancy, no big posts, just a little about us. So enjoy!

I scored this awesome beverage cart at a yard sale this last weekend! I can’t wait to fix her up and put her to good use again. Not sure what I will be doing yet…I am still looking for inspiration!

The shelves can be removed and become trays. So awesome!

I ~~took~~ was given this awesome aerial picture from my dad. This is the refinery where he worked for over 30 years. See the little building right in front of the trees at the front of the picture? That’s where we used to pick up my dad after he got off work! This picture was taken at the very beginning of its existense. The refinery became much larger in later years, but is now closed down. I just love the history of it!

This is what I have been busy with this week-more painting! This time in Haley’s room. She was very tired of turquoise with pink blobs on the wall! So it is a sophisticated grey with turquoise and white accents. More coming soon!

One more thing-just remembering what a great time we had at Disneyland and can’t wait to go again!

Have a great weekend!

What We Did On Summer Vacation!

July 30, 2015July 29, 20159 Comments

Hint: It’s the happiest place on earth!! Did you figure it out? Disneyland! We love Disneyland! We made a very short, whirlwind trip for our vacation. My girls are older, so we don’t have to worry about going on every ride, or taking naps (although I could have used one!), or how long the lines are. Each daughter took a friend, but we all hung out together. We had great weather and a great time! I have a few websites that are my go-to place to get good tips. LIke I said, my kids are older, so some of it doesn’t apply. But since we have gone so often during the years, we are always looking for new and different things to do while we are there.

These websites are wonderful!

http://www.disneytouristblog.com/disneyland-60th-anniversary-diamond-celebration-guide-tips/-tons of information on all the Disney parks and the pictures are incredible!

http://www.mousesavers.com/-Great practical tips and money saving ideas

http://www.yourmodernfamily.com/never-seen-tips-disney-kids/-Just found this one, but she has some good tips too, especially what to do when the park get busy!

http://funcheaporfree.com/2015/03/disneyland-on-the-cheap-part-1/ So. Much. Information! She covers everything!!! It’s pretty awesome. This is one to definitely check out, especially if you are going with small children. Did you know there is a Disney Nanny?!

We left very, very early (like 3:30 am!) in the morning in order to get to Ca. Adventure right around opening time. We were determined to get on the Radiator Springs Racers without having to wait too long. While my husband and I rented a locker, the girls ran to the Fastpass line and then we all met at the ride. We still had a bit of a wait, but 45 min. is nothing compared to the line later in the day. We also scored Fastpasses so we could ride a second time! There are lots of fun and interesting things to see while waiting in line too (besides people watching!). There are also Hidden Mickeys around. Look for one in the plants in the que line.

I wish changing the oil would only cost $.20! Did you know that Route 66 runs through these states and in this order? We did have some issues with rides breaking down during the day, but they did all eventually start running again. Disney will accept Fastpasses anytime during the day if the ride has broken down. After Radiator Springs Racers we went to Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. Even though the girls and I had seen it before, my husband and the other girls had not. I did take a few pictures, but most were blurry. I was trying to figure out the best settings to take pictures in the dark rides. TheTouristDisneyBlog has lots of great tips for photography. We ended up riding R.S. Racers again with our Fastpass before we even could get on another ride. We spent some time on Hollywood Lane, while waiting to see if Tower of Terror would reopen. We love going into Off the Page and playing around with the different stations. I liked the look of the lamps in the reflection of the Magic Mirror. There is also the Beast’s Library where you have your picture taken, answer specific questions and the book will tell you which character you are most like. Haley’s friend got Belle. After having some lunch, we headed back to Tower of Terror and waited in line. It went pretty quickly and the ride is definitely worth the wait! Right next to Tower of Terror is the Hyperion Theater which has the most amazing Aladdin Show. We have seen it many times, but it never ceases to amaze. The Genie is absolutely hilarious!! He is the reason we keep coming back! Look for the Hidden Mickeys here too! If you haven’t seen it before, make sure it is one of your stops next time! We also rode on Soarin’ Over California, which, in my opinion, is the best ride ever! I love it! We even got Fastpasses so we could ride again at the end of the night. We rode Toy Story Mania which is like a shooting gallery. None of us had been on this one, so it was a lot of fun. I actually did pretty good, compared to the laser kind, like Buzz Lightyear. I’m awful at that one!! After dinner at the Wharf, we headed back to Radiator Springs to watch the Sh’Boom. Don’t know what that is? Neither did I, until I read these great blogs above! You know how in the movie, the lights slowly go on, at each store, all the way up the street? Well, that’s what they do here too! It was very cool! When the lights come on, you really feel like you are in the movie set! Another thing to look for-go to the Cozy Cone Office. Look through the back window and find Buzz Lightyear! We headed back to the center area of Ca. Adventure to watch World of Color. The show is a water show where different scenes from movies are projected onto the water. It’s pretty hard to get pictures, plus we were kind of close, and the camara kept getting wet. I like the show, but I don’t like the standing. After being on your feet all day, it is really hard to stand. The show was good though. It honored Walt Disney and everything he accomplished. It showed a lot of the history and quite a few of the old movies. After riding Soarin’ Over California one more time, we finished off our first day. We were pretty exhausted since we had been up so early. We were ready for some sleep before tackling Disneyland the next day!

What’s your favorite part of California Adventure or what would you do first if you could go? Stay tuned for Part 2: Disneyland, next week!

We Were Nominated for A Liebster Award!!

July 27, 2015July 26, 201520 Comments

Guess what?! We were nominated for a Liebster Award! The Liebster Award is passed around the blogging community to those who have less than 200 followers. It is simply a way of getting to know each other!

We were nominated by Jamie over at jamie’s home blog. If you’re looking for some fun and cute ideas for decorating your place, this is the blog to go to! She has a great sense of humor and fun stories too! Be sure to take some time and check it out!

Now on to the show!

Rules

1. Link back to the person who nominated you.

2. Answer the questions given to you by the nominator.

3. Nominate up to 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers.

4. Create 11 questions for the nominees.

5. Notify all nominees via social media/blogs.

So here are the questions we had to answer:

1* What drives or inspires you to write your blog?

Pam: I enjoy doing crafts and DIY projects and it’s great to have a creative outlet to show others what I have done.

Lauren: My mom…because she always reminds me that I have a blog post to write! But, I also like to show my creative side and show people what I can do.
2* What is one item (this excludes your humans and your animals) that you absolutely cannot live without?

P: My bed and pillow!

L: Milk and cereal. YUM!
3* What is your favorite type of music?

P: Soft rock, broadway, soundtracks

L: Christian Rock (Skillet especially), broadway, acapella (Pentatonix)
4* If you could trade places with someone for one day, who would you choose and why?

P: The only thing I can think of is to go back into the past. I would love to be someone close to Jesus so I could listen to his stories and teachings.

L: Someone who lives in Paris France and sees the Eiffel Tower everyday because I want to visit the Eiffel Tower. And if I don’t have to pay for a trip to France, that would be awesome!
5* Your favorite memory?

P: The times our family has gone on trips and we have made new memories together. It’s a mom thing to say, I know.

L: I think my favorite memory would be moving into my own apartment. Big change in my life.
6* What is your go-to stress relief method?

P: Either taking a walk or reading a book

L: Watching YouTube
7* Your favorite moment in 2015 thus far?

P: My favorite moment was when my daughter Haley threw discus for track and field and threw her personal record and beat the school record. She threw107 feet 7 inches. It was amazing!

L: Getting a promotion at work that I never expected to get
8* If you could build your own home and had unlimited funds, where would you build it?

P: Bass Lake, Ca. Cool lake, beautiful pines, and nice weather.

L: Somewhere in the country where you are alone and don’t have people bothering you. Someplace that is open and you can see for miles.
9* What type of house would you build?

P: A cabin style home where my family and friends could go to spend time together.

L: Karianne’s house from Thistlewood Farms.
10* Do you have a favorite TV show? If yes, which’un?

P: Yes, Once Upon A Time

L: Yes, Castle
11* Name a goal you have for 2015!

P: Paint my kitchen cupboards

L: Figuring out the next step for a career after I graduate with a Bachelors Degree.

That’s it for us, now on to our nominees!

We have nominated:

Katrin from kreatvk.net

Nicole from faithloveandchocolate.com

Angela from settingmyintention.com

Questions from Us!

1. If you could go on a month long vacation anywhere, where would you go?

2. Who is a blogger who inspires you?

3. What is your favorite summer activity (examples: reading a book, camping, blogging)?

4. What is your guilty pleasure song?

5. Do you have a favorite post from your own blog?

6. If you could meet any celebrity, who would it be and why?

7. Do you own any pets? If so, what kind of animals?

8. How did you decide to start a blog?

9. What’s your favorite ice cream?

10. If you had a night out, what activities would you do?

11. Do you have a favorite quote or saying?

That’s it! This was a lot of fun and thanks again to Jaime for nominating us! We can’t wait to see what our nominee’s come up with for their answers! Please take some time to visit them too!

Guest Post: Declutter 101: Strategies to Cut Clutter

July 23, 2015July 25, 20154 Comments

We have a guest today! Say hello to Anna Aamone! She owns a small cleaning company in Kensington, London and has some great tips to cut clutter. As you know, Lauren and I have posted a few organization and clutter busting stories too. So if you struggle with clutter in your home, here are some good basic ideas to help you get started on cleaning up!

Anna: Clutter is a serious problem, which could make you and your family feel very uncomfortable while living in your own home. The lack of good organization and time are usually the main reasons for the appearing of this problem, which over time could affect seriously your life. However, you can easily avoid the complications by adopting the great strategies we will present to you in this article. There are some basic things you need to know, which will certainly make a difference. No matter how cluttered your home is right now, we can promise you that thanks to our effective strategies, you will solve this unpleasant problem before you know it.

If you ask your friends, you will notice that each of them has his/her own way of coping with the clutter at home. The most important thing is to choose a strategy that works for you and which you will be able to follow. Remember that you will probably need at least a couple of hours to put everything in order, so better start planning early. Except time, you will have to be more organized and concentrated, otherwise you won’t be able to achieve the results that you want. You may even have to change some of your habits, but we can assure you that it will be all for the best in the end. Here are some strategies you could try:

• Make a weekly schedule – You will be amazed how fast you will solve the problem with the clutter with nothing more but good organization. Instead of wondering how you will be able to declutter the whole house for a day, you can save yourself a lot of troubles by spending a couple of hours every day in cleaning and organizing of the rooms. This is a great strategy because it prevents the accumulation of unnecessary things in the different premises of your place. Since you know best how much free time you have, you can create your weekly schedule any way you like.

• Don’t leave today’s work for tomorrow – Simple habits, like deciding to go through the pile with mail later for example, could be responsible for the mess in your home. That is why we advise you not to leave today’s work for tomorrow. No matter how busy you are, try to spare a couple of minutes of your time to sort through the mail today. The same applies to all of your other tasks for the day, like the cleaning of the wardrobe, the organizing of the kitchen cabinets and others.

• Divide and conquer – No matter how hard you try, however, it is not always possible to declutter your entire home in one day. In order to speed things up, you can purchase 3 empty boxes. One of them you can use to store the things that you want to keep after the decluttering. The second one you can use for the things that you could donate or give away and you can leave the third one for the stuff you plan to toss out. This is a simple sorting system that will save you time and will allow you to maintain your home always organised. You can go through every room of your place with the boxes and when you finish cleaning, you can decide what to do with the things you’ve collected.

You will see that it will be a lot easier to avoid the mess with the previously mentioned strategies. They may look simple, but we can assure you that they really work and you will achieve great results from the beginning. Don’t wait any longer, but start decluttering your home right now.

<a href=”http://www.cleantoperfection.co.uk/end-of-tenancy-cleaning-w8-kensington/“>TenancyCleaning Kensington</a>

Thank you Anna, for all your great tips! Hope everyone has a great rest of your week!

Master Bedroom Reveal

July 20, 2015July 20, 201514 Comments

I am back today with something new! Since we are relatively new to blogland, I haven’t had a chance to show you around my house. Not that you are going to see it all, because some of it is bad, really bad. We are talking half finished or 1980’s bad! There is lots of work to be done! But I do have the Master Bedroom done…at least for now! Things are always changing-just ask my family!

This is the view from the door as you walk in. I just changed to bed to this side of the room last month. I also painted it white. It had been where the dresser is now, but I was constantly having to walk around the bed to get to anything. So far, I am liking this better.

I bought the lamp bases from Goodwill several months ago, but they were still new with tags, from Target. My mom and I just found the lampshades last week on our shopping trip. I added a sisal basket with some seashells and a large plate with the year of our marriage. There is also a picture of the family when the girls were small. Above the table are Lauren’s senior pictures. The long denim dress she is twirling in, she made herself! It was a team effort to sew through all that denim!

Next up is the dresser. We inherited this dresser when we got married from my parents, who inherited it from my dad’s sister. We figure it is about 60 years old. My mom calls it blond wood, but I really don’t know much about it. The wicker chair is part of a set we bought when we got married.

The little set of drawers in the middle came from my Grandma. It was my mom’s and her sisters when they were little and it held their doll’s clothes. I changed the knobs on it, but left the wonderful old paint color on it. A few other touches help to add to the beach look without going overboard!

I bought this old fabric box from Goodwill. I thought it was a hat box, but do you see what it says on the side? “Silk Longs.” It must have held somebodies silk stockings!

On this side of the bed I used a set of blue wicker drawers for the nightstand. The box is an old cigar box and then I added just a few seashells to keep it simple. On this side, I have Haley’s senior pictures. I love the one of her holding her baby picture. So precious!

I have an extra little corner in my bedroom that was added on after the house had been built. This extra space is what sold me on the house! I have a wonderful drop-leaf table here which belonged to my grandma, along with the chair. I added a sailboat and a mirror. There is an old suitcase underneath.

Across from the table is another old cabinet. I bought this one from a yard sale from a lady who is a big collector of old things. I have placed all my quilts in here. I love how they looked all stacked up! Some are old, but other are new. I just love all the patterns and how cozy they are. I use these for all different occasions, but especially in the wintertime.

Here is the view from this side of the room. Do you see the things peeking out from under the bed? Just a few random things that I had no other place for!

Let me show you one of the coolest secrets about this room. See this little piece of paneled wall? Well, if you pull on the hooks, it will open to reveal…

A shoe cupboard!! Do you see where Lauren got her love of shoes from! I love this cupboard! I’m sure my husband thought I was crazy, but this is the best thing ever!!

I hope you enjoyed the tour! You can check out Laurens bedroom/guest room here, my hallway and one corner of my living room here, and part of my dining room here and here. I will keep plugging along on my different rooms and one day I will be able to show off the whole thing!