The Road Less Traveled

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

...Robert Frost

All photos by Meredith Rineberg at MPhotography

$250 KItchen Makeover

Want to see a before and after picture?

Hopefully the $250 it costs us for paint, supplies, and ceremaic tile will hide the fact that we have a bright white countertop... and the fact that we don't have a dishwasher?

Oh, people will still notice those things? Dammit.

{Before... Mid tile job}

We added new backsplash and some paint... It really did wonders for this 50 year old kitchen.

The realtor asked us to paint the cabinets. She stressed the importance of using a primer before we apply the top coat. So, I send Chris to the store for some quality brushes and some primer. He comes back prepared and we get to work. A little later... We are putting on the top coat... and it's not sticking right. There are big white streaks still coming through the dark brown paint. So, we put on another coat... and another one. Finally, I realize that the can of primer states that it's for LIGHT TOP COATS ONLY. Well shit.

This probably doesn't shock anyone who knows us.

For the realtor to get pictures, we put moved the couch back into the Family Room... and took off 90% of what was on the built-ins.

Important Lesson of When I Should Do a Job Myself, Part II:

1. I asked my sister Noel to paint the back of the house for me. It needed two coats. The second day she went to do the 2nd coat and she realized that she didn't put the lid back on the can of paint.

2. I asked my sister Noel to lay some grass seed in the backyard, water the ground, and lay hay. I came home and still saw the seed in the garage. I asked her if that was left over from the backyard... And she replied, "Oh shoot, I just laid the hay..." So now I have a backyard covered in hay, without grass being grown beneath it.

3. I asked my sister Noel to paint two interior doors for me. At this point, I was desperate. I laid down a sheet and towel for her... as well as set up all of her supplies. How could she mess this up? I go into check on her and saw white paint prints all over the hardwood floor. She had steped in paint and didn't realize it.

4. Growing up, my sister Noel's only chore was to dust a hall-tree. You know, a wooden little hutch in the kitchen with knick-knacks. My mom was onto something...

Hello, Spring. My Two Year Old Loves You.

After a 10 hour work day, I come home and take this kid to the park. He runs, climbs, slides, and swings. Then I carry him to the car while he kicks and screams, come home to make dinner, give him a bath, and put his tired butt to bed. And because it's spring, I still have a little daylight left.

Operation: Sale House- Kitchen

Our house is for sale. Just seeing the sign in the front yard brings a smile to my face. :)

We have done a lot of work to this house with trying to conserve as much money as possible. There are a few cosmetic things that we are now doing to add a little eye-appeal to the house without breaking the bank, or lack thereof.

This kitchen back splash is 46 years old... and impacted into the drywall. The original owner decided that painting it was her best option. I disagree- covering it up is much better.

{Who buys a stark white countertop??}

This was in the middle of the job, before the grout. I will post picture after I get the cabinets painted, light switch covers put back on, etc. Or when I win the lotto and watch it burn down.

Haven and my brother thought it was more productive to watch Toy Story 3 back to back to back.

Funny story:

When the wet-saw was going off in the garage, the lights in the house kept flickering. I didn't think it was a big deal, so I ran a few errands and came back with groceries. The fridge light wasn't coming on and I just thought the light had blown out inside.

A few hours later in the evening, I opened up the freezer and everything had thawed... There was warm gooey chicken, melted Skinny Cows, soggy fries, the works. It was then we finally realized that the light wasn't blown out, it was the fridge that wasn't working.

I, in true Holly fashion, FREAK OUT. Like diarrhea-induced freak out. In the meantime, Haven is trying to get behind the fridge... so I take him in his room and tell Chris to check a different outlet with an extension cord, but make sure it's on a different wall in case it's the sockets.

A few minutes later he comes back in the room and says that it still isn't working and he has messed with the fuse box without any luck. By then, I start calling everything fridge repair person on this side of the Mississippi... and of course, on Sunday, no one answers.

So I start throwing all of our food away and bagging anything savageable. We run a few bags of groceries over to The Smith's... and come home to cry ourselves to sleep. Of course our fridge would break when we put the house up for sale.

The next morning, Chris stayed home from subbing to meet the fridge repair man. An hour or so into my morning, he calls to say that he got the fridge working. I was elated! ... Until he told me that it was just the outlet not the fridge. I asked him, "Well didn't you check another outlet like I had suggested." He replied, "Yes, but I just tried another outlet on the same wall."

--Silence. Counting to 10. Trying not to lose my mind in front of my work friends.--

"Okay, well thank you babe."

Mr. Potato Head Birthday Party!

For Christmas, my step-sister, Holli, bought Haven a deluxe Mr. Potato Head set. From that moment on, the little pork chop has been hooked on anything and everything Mr. Potato Head.

I found this etsy shop that made me adorable Mr. Potato Head invitations.

{He loved the attention all week from everyone. All of our friends and family made him feel so special.}

{This is the cake that I intended to resemble Mr. Potato Head himself. I used a really small round cake pan and made a total of five cakes. After they cooled, I stacked them and carved the top into an egg shape. I frosted him with a can of chocolate frosting and let him sit overnight. I stuck a plastic fork down the middle of him to keep all of the cakes in place. The day of the party, I mixed a can of chocolate frosting with a tub of Cool Whip until I got the right color and did another coat. I put him in the freezer until it was time for the party. Then, I stuck in Mr. Potato Head pieces... And wha-laa!}

{My sister and I made these treat sacks for the little kids who came. We filled them with candy and passed them out before the end of the party.}

{I found this cupcake holder at Marshall's a few weeks ago. Most holders only hold a dozen cupcakes, but this one holds two dozen. I kept the cupcakes simple with just colorful sprinkles and placed them in front of the balloon wreath I made a few weeks ago.

{And finally, we just set out most of his little collection in the family room as decoration. I had this room set up with a card table, balloons on the floor, and Toy Story 3 playing in the background. All of the kids sat and played in there for the majority of the party.}

Overall, the party was perfect. We enjoyed all of the visitors who came, called, text, and sent gifts. We are so lucky that so many people love our baby like we do! Now it's time to have another one because he isn't acting much like a baby anymore! :(