Repurposed table into Chalkboard Table

I'm addicted to Pinterest... I've probably already said this but I'm saying it again. It is what it is.

 

Anyway, I'm always looking for new and exciting things to make my life easier as the mother of a toddler. If you have children of your own then you know (or will soon know) how much toddlers love to draw their fantastic pictures all over your furniture and walls and anything else their little legs and hands can reach.

 

So here I am scrolling through Pinterest and what do I see? A genius idea to take an old coffee table and turn it into a chalkboard table!



I have an old coffee table!  

In case you want to do this to a piece of furniture of your own lets go over some stuff you're going to need.


Table (or whatever you're wanting to make a chalk board surface on)
Sander (Though not necessary, it does make this project easier)
Sand paper
Chalk Board Spray Paint (If you don't have a big project to do you could go down to your local craft store; ie: Hobby Lobby, Joann, etc; and pick up a small canister of chalk board paint and hand paint the surface)


Now lets get down to business.

1st, Get your husband, grab a cold drink, and a camera.

2nd, make that man sand your table!

Okay okay, lets get serious here. Grab your sander and sand paper and sand the crap outta that table. Make sure you go over it really good to make sure all the gloss has been removed.

Next you're going to want to tape off anything you don't want covered in chalk paint. I didn't want the bottom trim or legs painted. Eventually I plan on grabbing some turquoise (that's my new favorite color) paint for the trim and legs. Jay came up with the great idea to tear a crappy trash bag and tape it around the table to make sure the legs didn't get any paint on them.

Now grab your spray can and go at it. Make sure you're spraying in one direction only. I chose to go length wise (with the grain) to make sure everything came out smoothly.

I did about 3 coats to make sure I didn't miss any spots. I was very happy with the outcome. I think Brooklyn was very pleased with her new toy.



The Best Shrimp Scampi

I've been taking advantage of my oldest two being gone for the summer and making dishes they won't eat.

I'm not a fan of seafood but I love shrimp, especially shrimp scampi so I went on the hunt for a recipe.

I found The Best Shrimp Scampi recipe (literally).  Now I did change just a couple of things. They are minor things so don't get too worried.

Instead of olive oil I used coconut oil, in place of mincing the garlic cloves myself; I used 1 tsp of already minced garlic, and instead of spaghetti pasta I used Linguine. See, no big deal!

I was very pleased with dinner that's for sure. This is a must-make-again recipe!

Happy 2nd Birthday baby girl!

My baby girl turns 2 today. Exciting times when your little ones have birthdays.

 Between planning parties and making sure you have the perfect gift and trying to get everything just right; the party ends up more for the parent and less for the child.

 I was rather disappointed in my Brooklyn's party just because more people canceled than actually showed up. Many of them had legit excuses that couldn't be helped (like being out of town) so I completely understood. That's okay though, my little princess still enjoyed herself.

She especially enjoyed opening up her presents. I think she was pretty happy their weren't any clothes this time (unlike her 1 year party).

The important people that have been there since day 1 showed up and of course it was nice getting to see my preggo sister.

I don't think we'll do this again though, maybe just family.

 

 

 

Left Behind

Well it's done. We took Matt and Binks to Alabama this past Saturday. It was bittersweet really. I was sad to see them go but I know they need to spend time with their father. Besides it will be good for them all. I remember what it was like growing up not knowing your dad and I would never wish that on anyone.

The trip was long and exhausting. We drove up through the panhandle of Florida into Alabama. The gas station on the border of the two, I think it was a Raceway gas station, sucked. I had no service whatsoever.

The majority of the trip was pretty peaceful. We all got up around 4am on Saturday morning so Matt and Bri slept for a while during the drive.

Burger King in Somewhere Lake City, Florida (lol, I can't think of the name of the city but will update when I can get to the receipts) makes a really crappy Caramel Frappe. The coffee in it was mega strong and tasted like gas station coffee, and our English muffins were burnt.  The rest stops had some beautiful flowers though. Matt wanted to pick me one but I told him they look better where they were and I didn't want them to die from not getting nutrients.

We also learned at a rest stop that Briahnna has never seen a pay phone. Guess she never noticed that Wal-Mart has them as soon as you walk in the side doors. Silly girl!

 

 

 

I really wanted to get a pic of the kids with their dad and Tiffany (their step-mom) when we got to Birmingham but Bri and I had to pee so bad from being stuck at a red light for 15 minutes in Montgomery then 50 miles of road jam that we rushed to the bathroom. I was trying to make sure we covered everything with Matt's school work, papers needing to be signed and stuff like that I just straight up forgot about the photo. Oh well, there's always August!

I was sad to see them go but so happy to be back in Florida. I had to get back home to my two babies here that were waiting.

 

*Side Note: Why does the state government spend money on a new Governor so-and-so sign when that money could be used for much better stuff. Like raises for our teachers or Corrections Officers or even just the schools in general?

 

 

Matt and Bri seemed happy to be up there. I haven't spoke to them yet but Tiffany has been nice to send me a couple of pics. I'm so glad we can get along better now. No reason for us to dislike each other when we have the same goals in mind; we just want the best for our children and for them to happy healthy lives. I was in her position once so I know how she's feeling when it comes to making sure Shayne has time with his children and they him.

 

 

 

Matt (12), Jimmy (2), Bri (11)

 

Alexis (14), Matt, Jimmy, and Bri



***Next Week***

Minnie Mouse Cupcakes!

Busy Bee

Things have been a tad hectic around here lately.

Matt and Binks finished this year of school. Now I have two Middle Schoolers, man am I old! Matt has to complete the 2nd semester of Language Arts again as he failed that class. Good news is if he finishes it over the summer he will be able to be fully into 7th grade next school year.

We are currently getting ready to take a short (7 hours) road trip to Birmingham. Matt and Binks are staying the summer with their dad. I'm a little nervous since they haven't been in 4 years but I'm sure everything will be fine.

Brooklyn's birthday party is coming up on the 22nd and her actual birthday is on the 27. Not to mention Jay will be on vacation the week of her birthday so of course we plan on going down to Orlando. There's also been talk of going to Bradenton/Sarasota some time that week as well.

June is just a busy busy month for us so if I don't post too much, don't worry! I will blog about our short trip/birthday/and vacay as soon as I have the time.

Now for your throwback!

I chose this photo of me because it hides a lot of deception. I remember this day very well. I felt very beautiful this day until I got a little message over on Myspace. The message was from a woman that worked with my ex-husband (Not my older children's father; just wanted to clear that up). This was the day she forwarded me the messages that took place between them the day I left for my dad's funeral and the few days I was away.

I'm so glad I have a better man now that loves me and would never betray me. I thank God for the times like in the photo just because I love my family and myself so much now and I know that wouldn't be possible if I didn't learn the truth and grow from it. I'm so thankful for everything that has happened in my life whether it be good or bad!

Throwback Thursday

Oct. 2009

Jay and I met back in 2009. I'm still very much in love with this man. He takes great care of his family, puts us first, is a wonderful father, and a very hard worker.

I would never have imagined we'd be here today with 2 more kids. He's been my rock over the last almost 4 years. He's always believed in me and always lifts me up when I'm down.

I look forward to many more years of growing with this man.

April 2013

Homemade Chocolate Chip Frappe (McCafe' knockoff)

Who doesn't love a great Frappe? I sure as hell do! I'm particularly in love with McDonald's Caramel Frappes.

Here I am this morning thinking to myself "how great would it be to have a frappe right now"!

"Hmm, wonder if I could make one myself."

Yes! I can, and you can too with just a few simple ingredients.

1.Frozen coffee.  Freeze your left over coffee in an ice cube tray (or brew some coffee just for this purpose).



I was too impatient and didn't let my coffee freeze completely (don't do that, let it freeze).

 

 

2. Chocolate syrup. (I didn't have any but I did have baking chocolate; melted it). Use as much as desired. I would suggest about 1/4 cup, but you can adjust depending on how strong you want the chocolate to taste.

3. Blend frozen coffee cubes, 1/4 cup milk, and chocolate until mixture is the consistency of a frappe.

*I added some chocolate chips into the blender, as well as to the finished product. If you have some ready whip, spray that shit on top and add a chocolate drizzle if you want to get fancy!