For a while now, I’ve been wanting to go through our home and just make some changes, decor wise.  It’s not always easy when you’re on a very tight budget, but I finally did come through on our family wall.  I actually was inspired by a post that I saw on The Inspired Room, in which she showcased a stairwell, covered in picture frames.  This stairwell was created by Sandra over on Sawdust and Paper Scraps.  The colors inspired me, the variety of frames inspired me, and I decided to see what I could come up with.I ended up digging through my crates and finding old frames that had older pictures in them; I also went to Dollar Tree and picked up some nice frames.  Finally, I went to Lowes and picked up a few sample cans of paint.  These little containers were under $3 apiece, and I picked out just a few different colors that I couldn’t otherwise get in a dollar can of spray paint.Finally, I painted all the frames, picking out which ones I wanted to be certain colors.  Painting them was super easy; the hard part came when it came time to pick out which pictures to place in which frames.  I printed out all my pictures in black and white on my photo printer, and then Dan helped me make a few mats for the larger frames; we made the mats out of cardstock.  There is just something about a black and white picture; it just gives a room a more classic, defined look.  Most of my pics, I printed out either 4×6 or smaller.  There are a couple of 5×7′s.Lastly, I arranged the pictures around vinyl lettering I’d gotten a while back for a review.  It came from Giggly Gumdrops, and it says Home Where Our Story Begins.  I arranged pictures of our boys and us around those words, and then I fanned out on the wall with pictures of our parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles, etc.  It turned out really beautifully.  To me, as it’s the start of a color scheme change (I’m trying to go with a lighter atmosphere), it almost looks a bit out of place, but it’s a start, and it makes me so happy just to see those pictures every single day.  (You’ve probably noticed the empty frame; it’s for a picture of my grandparents that I’m hoping to get a copy of next time I’m at my parents’.)  One thing I do love about the wall is that we can add or take away from it anytime….there’s no end to what we can do with it.In my opinion, as I’d posted on Facebook last night, I really have started to feel that our home is a haven for our family; it really should make us happy when we walk in the door; it might even make us giddy with joy.  Even if you take small babysteps along the way, work with what you have to make your home that place of giddy joy.  It will show not only your finger prints but your heart prints along the way.:)

The boys and Dan have been busy lately, building a treehouse. He’s recycling old pallets, and then he’ll cover them over with wood he’s been able to get at the mulchpile down the road.  Honestly, between the free 2×4′s and the inexpensive pallets, he’s not really got a whole lot into it.  I’m so happy for the boys and so excited that they’re getting to spend some quality time with Dad….here it is so far….hopefully, it’ll be done soon!:)

It’s got a cool trapdoor to come in and out from underneath….

It’ll eventually have swings off to one side.  Makes me want to be a kid again….heck, you’re as young as you feel, I guess.:)  Happy summer!

Yesterday I put up strawberries….yummy, delicious, super red strawberries.:)  All in all, I came out with 8 quart bags of strawberries, all sugared, cut up, and put in the freezer….12+ pints of strawberry freezer jam, and a bunch of berries left over to eat with the homemade pound cake I’m planning to make today.  Yum!
Yep, it’s that time of year again, the time of year when I get the spring fever to start planting and planning what all I’ll make.  I’ve finally decided that I’m going to can this year.  I’ve always made excuses in years past, but this year, I’m hoping to actually put some stuff in both our pantry and freezer.  Maybe make some salsa, spaghetti sauce, put some corn and green beans up, maybe even make some pickles.  Who knows?  The sky’s the limit!  I love spring!

Now if I can just get my garden in this weekend….rain, rain, go away for just a couple days….

Now for a bit of Christmas cheer.  The other day, we were going to meet my parents for lunch, so the boys and I stopped off at Goodwill along the way.  Guess what I walked out with?  You’ll never believe it….a 6 foot, pre-lit Christmas tree that was only $5!  I was pretty excited; that kind of deal doesn’t come along every day.  As Jacob piped up and said, “Man, Mommy, Goodwill is the place to be!”  LOL  Anyway, I got home with it, and was digging into it, getting ready to set it up, and alas, there were no legs.  (This shouldn’t have been a surprise to me, since it seems that everything is this way lately).  LOL  But Dan stepped in like a hero, and he quickly built a little wooden stand for it, and it works great!  I cannot complain.  Yeah, this tree is a slightly skinnier tree, but it’s still really pretty, and how could I resist $5?  I mean, it’s practically brand new too.  We even went to Dollar Tree and splurged $5 on the ornaments for it.  Then instead of tinsel, I wrapped some ribbon I had around it.  It’s gorgeous, and it just lights up our bedroom quite nicely.  So, now I’m one of those crazy people who has 2 trees: One in the living room (with all its memory-filled ornaments):

and our $5 tree in the bedroom.

(Oh yeah, and my mom went and got herself a couple trees too; she got a slightly bigger one, and she got some smaller mini trees).  So, next time you’re driving by Goodwill, stop in; you never know what kind of Christmas cheer you might find.:)  Merry Christmas!