Design on a Benji

I have spent countless hours sitting in this boring, beige room while the twins played. With a little inspiration from one of my favorite shows---Design on a Dime---I finally decided to do something about it and make it look fun. Only I didn't exactly have a "dime" to use. So my version is called Design on a Bit More Than a Benji. I am not usually a fan of slipcovers, but with my budget limitations that was about all I could do to change up the loveseat. Dan and Lois gave us the loveseat when we were first married and I think they had it for about 10 years prior to that. It was definately in need of a facelift! I made some throw pillows to dress it up a little. Poof! We have a fun, "new" loveseat.

My biggest challenge was finding a way to add some color to the walls. I really wanted to paint the walls, but Andy was adamant that they remained the color they were. I even offered to paint them myself. But he still didn't want them painted. Why? Who knows. But I found these things called Wall Pops that are like giant stickers for the wall. They are dye-cut and repositionable.

I even cleaned out the closet I was using for storage and put up some Wall Pops in there so the kids would have another place to keep toys and play.

Some of the other elements that I used to create visual interest were foam letters, a steal at just $0.60 each! (I am patiently awaiting the store to get more X's and Y's so that I can finish things off.) I also added pegs to hang things like feather boas, hats and buckets on. Hmmm. . .look at how terrible the paint lines on the wooden pegs are. Maybe that's why Andy didn't want me to paint! I created the artwork for the pictures using my computer and some photo paper. I bought the frames one at a time using my 40% off Michael's coupons and got three unique pictures for $35!

I think the crown jewels of the room, however, are the end tables/toy boxes. These were my very talented Dad's idea. If you can imagine it, he can build it. The trucks have wheels on the bottom so you just reach under the grill and pull the whole box out. There is a shelf for storage inside the table that you can put books or puzzles on. And the bed of the truck serves as a toy bin. These are awesome! Brayden loves to back the truck into its "garage."

And speaking of my very talented father. . .check out the link on the side of my blog to his Etsy shop. There are only a few things in it right now. But he is quite handy with the scroll saw. And the lathe. And any other tool you put in his hands! Like I said before, if you can imagine it. . .he can build it. If there is something you would like custom made, you can contact him at finewoodcraftsbyljm@comcast.net.

There is still more I would like to do with this room, but that's it for today's episode. Join me next time for a high-style, low-cost renovation on Design on a Bit More Than a Benji.

A Girl and her Shoes

Andy does not like to get the kids dressed. He says that whenever he does I always tell him something doesn't match---socks, shoes, whatever---and end up changing them anyway. (Imagine that. A Mom with better fashion sense than a Dad? Shocking, I know!) Today I asked him to dress the kids and PROMISED not to say a word about his choice. Makenzie looked so cute in her lavender, blue and green striped shirt. And her cute lavender pants. And her hot pink shoes? Not exactly a great match, but I didn't say a word. I left to go run some errands and came back to find the aforementioned pink shoes in the middle of the living room floor. Makenzie frequently takes her shoes and socks off and runs around barefoot. I figured this was the case. But when I took them into the nursery to put them away, Andy informed me that it was just the pink shoes she had a problem with. She took them off, threw them on the floor and went to get her white shoes. Then she held them out and whined until Andy put them on. At this point I couldn't hold back anymore. I just started laughing and said, "Smart girl!" She knew her shoes didn't match and wanted to look her best!

My Little Super Heroes!

Introducing Captain Underpants. . . . . .and his loyal sidekick, Miss Panty Waist!

Together they fight crime and keep their nemesies, the Wicked Wedgie Woman and Senor Skidmarks, at bay.

OK. . .seriously. . .what am I going to do about this? I thought it was just a phase, but it has been going on for months now. Every time Andy or I need to take a shower or get ready in the master bath/bedroom the twins immediately go to the dresser and start emptying our "drawers" from our drawers! They pull them over their heads, wear them like backpacks, move them from the dresser to the night stand, and sometimes even throw them in the tub. I am so sick of picking up underwear! We can't put the child locks on our dresser because of the way the drawer is. Does anyone have any brilliant ideas to prevent this?

Christmas Fun

Christmas was a lot of fun this year! There were so many memories, but I will just share a few. Santa brought the twins this cute picnic table. They got to eat their breakfast at it and thought it was pretty cool that they didn't have to get strapped into their high chairs. When you turn the table over it becomes a rocking bench. They have had many hours of fun playing on it together and with their cousin Ember who is visiting from Texas.

Makenzie got a cute little purse with a doggie in it. She played with it for a few minutes and quickly ditched it to play with Brayden's new racecar. True to form, Brayden decided the purse was pretty cool.

Andy's fellow managers gave us the best gift of all. They texted him Christmas morning and told him they would cover for him so he didn't have to drive all the way to South Jordan in the snow. It took them a lot of convincing, but Andy finally decided to stay home. He felt a little guilty because the theater was still so busy, be we all enjoyed having him home and spending some quality time together as a family.

My side of the family after Christmas Brunch.

The Sounds of Snow

Is there anything cuter than "ffwt, ffwt, ffwt" sound that you hear when little kids walk around in their snow suits? Probably just the kids themselves bundled up like a scene from A Christmas Story and ready to play in the snow for the first time.

"Ffwwt, ffwt, THUD! Aaaaah!" Brayden's fallen and he can't get up!

"Shswooooosh." We decided to take the kids for a test drive on the sleds we got for snowshoeing. We can't wait to traverse the trails near Snowbasin!

"Fweew!" That's me breathing a sigh of relief after we come inside. I think it took Andy and I longer to bundle the twins up that we actually stayed outside for. But it was worth it. . .we all had fun!

Ring Around the Rosie

At least once a day, the twins and I play Ring Around the Rosie. They are so cute when we play! I normally wouldn't post something that shows just how big of a dork I am (I have no idea why my sweater is tucked in my pants. . .I guess I should just be greatful that I don't have TP stuck to my foot) but the twins cuteness outweighs my dorkiness.

Anyhoo, without further ado I present Ring Around the Rosie for your viewing pleasure!

Balls, not dolls!

Balls, not dolls! That is the mantra that Andy is trying to teach Brayden. He doesn't care what kind of a ball. Basketball, football, even a ping pong ball. Much to Andy's chagrin, however, I don’t think it is working.
Meet Iris. Iris was my favorite Cabbage Patch Kid when I was a little girl. A few weeks ago I got her out for Makenzie to play with. Kenzie wasn’t all that impressed. But Brayden took an immediate liking to Iris! He squeals when he picks her up and hugs her. Then he turns back into a typical boy and drags her around the house by her braids. So one might think that there is no need to worry.

But worry Andy still does. Why you ask? Because Brayden also loves to play with my purses. So there you have it. Two of my son’s favorite toys are dolls and purses!

Note: I intend to keep these pictures readily available for blackmail purposes in the years to come!