Going Greek

Hubby and I along with another couple are the organizers of a pancake breakfast fundraiser at our church.  Not only do we have a fabulous pancake breakfast, but we also have a $1 kid raffle, religious education tuition raffle, and silent auction.

Every year this event has a theme.  Last year's theme was Hollywood (you can check us out here).  This year's them was Greek ~ Ancient Greek that is :)  Really? A theme for a pancake breakfast you ask?  Well, the pancake breakfast we organize is just the beginning.  The following weekend there is an evening event (costumes preferred) which includes a LARGE silent auction, dinner and a live auction.  Drinks, food, fun and friends all while raising an amazing amount of money for the religious education of our youth.

Anyway, So Hubby and I dressed up for the breakfast ~ we're the ummm.... "hosts" after all AND we dressed up again for the evening event.

See, aren't we just Geeky.. I mean Greeky!  HA!

I actually found my dress at Nordstrom Rack for a STEAL!  Regular $395 ~ I purchased it for just about $25.  Hubby's fabulous outfit ~ Smiley's curtains, tied together with rope, a dashing red sash created with a bedsheet and he pulled out his old (we're talking college days) Birkenstock sandals.

Anyway, this is my very good reason that I've been a bit bloggy absent and let me tell you, when it was finally all said and done, this is exactly how I felt:

Oh, and I made some very fun centerpieces.  I'll show you those very soon!

Painting over RED walls

I finally did it!
I've only been thinking about painting over the red walls in my family room since May of 2010.

I just couldn't decide what to do with the big black square we call a TV that the previous owner had semi ~ built into the wall (poorly I might add)  and some crazy cut outs for components.   Well, all that is still there as I have yet to convince my husband we should rip out that silly hollow wall and get rid of the enormous TV.  But all in good time ~ I'll start with baby steps :)

Anyway.  The red we had on the walls was Boston Brick by Behr.  Initially I loved it.  Before we moved into our current house we owned a little 1940's bungalow in the city.  When I say little, I mean not quite 1000 square feet.  Our new (current) house had 2400 square feet (before we finished the basement!).  I wasn't use to so much space and was wanting to shrink up the rooms and make them feel more intimate.  Therefore we went with the red.  Anyway, fast forward a few years and I was definitely ready for a change.  Something lighter.... fresher.

Here's what our family room looked like before in all it's Boston Brick glory:

Then, with 1 coat of gray primer (it kind of looks blue in this picture).

This was a SUPER important step ~ the primer helped cover and block the red from bleeding through.

Finally, on to the "real" color.

2 coats of this:

(Sand Dollar by Sherwin Williams)

and we are feeling light and airy (maybe a little tired of holding a roller to, but so worth it)!

Oh, and we got new windows in the entire house ~ and I was lucky enough to get to prime and paint all of the new trim ~ which is why the window trim doesn't match the rest of the "ugly" trim... all in due time! :)

Love this picture ~ but I'm not sure where to put it ~ which is why the protective corners are still in tact.

Can you tell I'm ready for summer?

Love these Smiles

When Hubby's birthday rolled around I searched my computer for pictures of him.  Althought I take 90% of the pictures around here, he is in hardly any photos!  So, I've been trying to make a better effort to get him in front of the camera!

Here are a few of my newest favs.

Easter 2012

Did you have a nice Easter?

We certainly did, although it went way to fast!

Good day.. Sunshine

How about a little Beatles tune to start your day off,

Good day sunshine,
Good day sunshine,
Good day sunshine.

I need to laugh, and when the sun is out
I've got something I can laugh about,
I feel good, in a special way.
I'm in love and it's a sunny day.


Anyway, 
Yesterday, Smiley and I spent a good part of the morning at the park enjoying a beautiful sunny day!

and in case you didn't know, she's 3 :)

It was nice to get away from "the mess" and smile with her.

Messy

Everything seems a bit messy right now.

* My schedule ~ planning and organizing a fundraising breakfast, silent auction and kid raffle for 500 people.  I've been making decorations ~ promise I'll show you them soon, soliciting, entering and organizing information, getting volunteers and so much more.  Besides that, softball (Hubby is head coach for Sassy's fast pitch team ~ enter meetings and tryout that he has had to attend) and baseball have started up.  There go our evenings!

* Hubby has been gone off and on for the last two weeks for work, THANKFULLY he doesn't have any trips planned for the near future.

* We took the kids to a indoor water park and amusement center with 5 other couples last week for a long weekend.  It was a blast.  Nice to get away and not worry about house and fundraiser stuff.  Although, I lie, I did convince some  friends to volunteer to help the morning of :)

* Easter ~ I've been trying to be prayerfully aware during this season of lent and now Holy Week.  And while I've done ok, I feel like I haven't done this to the best of my ability this year.  I've been feeling pulled in too many directions.  And besides the religious significance of Easter, now my kids are beginning to wonder where their Easter baskets actually are....hmmmm me too!  The electrician rearranged my storage area to get better access and it is still in disarray (I think he is still coming back to finish some things up, so I haven't put it back together yet).  Maybe today I will find them...

* My house ~ a complete mess.  Well, it feels like it anyway!  I am having a hard time finding my home to be a calming sanctuary lately.

I mean,

Cardboard and plastic on the floor (yes, those ARE still Christmas trees in my entryway ~ ugh!) :

No kitchen:

A fridge still in my living room:

Plastic sectioning off my kitchen (pay no attention to the freshly folded laundry all over the couch!):

A kitchen island taking up 1/3 of my garage:

Appliances and "stuff" taking up the other 1/3:

Cabinet drawers in my basement:

My kitchen being stored in my guest room/office:

Sassy purged her room and piled up what she doesn't want anymore outside of her room:

Oh, and don't let me forget, we ran into some flooring issues (old floor doesn't match the new floor, even though it is the exact same stuff ~ darn sun fade!).  Which have been resolved, the best way I believe it could have been without having to replace the flooring on basically our entire main level.  Unfortunately this means the wood floor we planned on needing has doubled and of course it's on back order until the end of April.  Really no kitchen until May?!  I have a combined 12 family members from  my side and Hubby's side staying with us the last weekend of April for Action's 1st communion celebration.  This could be interesting!

So there you have it.  My life as a mess.  Hopefully things "clean up" soon, very soon!

Until then, sorry I've been so sporadic!  Thanks for hanging with me!