What better way to commemorate 2012 than in pictures. Thanks be to Dweej at House Unseen and Robin at Farewell Stranger for the great idea and for hosting link-ups so we can all peek. If you haven’t yet reflected on the past year via blogging, you should mosey on over and join the fun.
Since projects are my main squeeze, my monthly memories are all DIY style. Here’s 2012:
Wishing you all a healthy, happy, and fruitful 2013!
There are no words to describe the sadness in my heart and every heart after Friday’s shooting. The only thing we can do is pray. Pray for the victims, the families, and for the world in which we live. I find so much comfort in the fact that heaven is many souls richer after that day with the souls of these children and adults. I hope that I too can live my life in a way that brings me to that beautiful place as well.
A good friend shared this photo (she found it here) on Facebook and every time I look at it the heaviness in my heart is lifted a little bit more. I thought I’d share it with you in hopes that you may see the profound beauty and reality in it.
May God bless Newtown, our country, and our world.
You might remember that a few months ago we gussied up our kitchen with white paint, new countertops, a new sink and faucet, a newly installed microwave, and a subway tile backsplash. 
It looks mighty fine and we love how bright it is now, but it’s lacking some serious color infusion. Well, I started that infusion with a few tweaks involving spray paint. For example, see the dark brown spoon holder to the right of the stove in the photo above? No? It’s there. It’s just melded into the color of the cook top, no individuality whatsoever.
Well that spoon holder’s singing a new song these days to the tune of “Lemon Grass” by Rustoleum:
If I’ve written it one time I’ve written it a thousand buuut, all I did was spray each of my items to be colored with a thin coat of primer, let that dry, and then sprayed them again with a few thin and even coats of color, making sure to spray at every side and angle of each item to get full coverage. 
So there we have it, a leedle bit more color in our stark white kitchen.
The best part about this whole paint party is that it only cost me $4 for the spray paint. I already had some spray primer on hand and the napkin, spoon, and paper towel holders were wedding gifts from Target five years ago.
Still on my back burner are a hand-painted/stenciled runner, some colorful cookbooks, random decor here and there, and maybe a spray-painted coffee maker? Not sure about that last one but I’m not going to lie and tell you I positively won’t do it…
Happy weekend!
Not this mama, this Mama:
So, I put my pointer finger to work with a little primer and the usual “few thin coats” of happiness in a spray can and gave Mama a new do:
The end…or is it?
*Before I start on my DIY rant and rave, I want to take a few typed words to announce to the www that it’s our fifth wedding anniversary! Holla! Neither of us can believe that it’s been five years! We’ve been verbally noting our happenings at ‘this moment five years ago’ for the past couple of days and it’s been so wonderful to relive those precious moments. This year is even more special as we have two beautiful little human beings that are the tangible blessings of our love and we are so thankful to God for them, for us, and for all the years ahead! Happy Anniversary Sweets!*
*Pst…You can get in on a smidge of our sappy love fest with this video! Otherwise, it’s back to normal programming!*
. . .
A couple of years ago, a friend gave us a really cool, antique mirror that’s been floating around different closets in our house, perpetually waiting to be the star of a DIY project. I had always envisioned replacing the old artwork framed at the top with a family picture or some custom art. Well, the twins came along and their nursery with them and it gave me the perfect spot and the motivation I needed to give my idea life. Before I had even started working on the mirror, I had Anthony hang it one day during a minute of his rare free time right next to the girls’ closet:
During the weeks of stripe painting it came down and I finally took a few extra moments this week to create a somewhat new mirror mirror on the wall.
I went back and forth between wanting to paint it and wanting to leave it gold. Once the stripes were finished, I thought it’d help my decision to bring it back into the room and when I did, I loved the contrast of the gold with the stripes and the pinks and peaches in the room and also liked the idea of less work so gold it stayed.
Next up was the artwork. The original artwork was held in place with some very stiff, very old cardboard and a few rusty nails. I simply removed the nails and pulled everything out.
Here’s a better glimpse of the old artwork that was inside this thing. It’s actually pretty cool and ‘vintage-y’ so I’m going to keep it for some rainy day project.
So, the artwork. I loved the whole feel of the mirror being not just any old mirror, but one with a picture frame atop it and so I wanted the frame to hold something that would be a reminder to our girls of just how special and beautiful they are while they’re looking into the mirror. With that, I whipped up this with pixlr.com: 
After I had finished the design, I had it printed on matte 8 x 10 photo paper.
I wanted a matte over the new artwork, but being an odd size and not wanting to get a custom matte made, I took matters into my own hands and made one myself. It didn’t come out the greatest (which might have a lot to do with the fact that I quickly did it last night around 11), but here’s how I made it anyway. The process worked, just not the creator. :)
First, I took the old cardboard that had been in the frame and measured out a rectangle a little smaller than my artwork.
Then I grabbed a razor blade and a cutting board and cut along the ruler to get this:
I cut too quickly however and my top and bottom edges turned out a little less than straight which means that one of these days I’m going to have to make another matte but until then, the perfectionist in me is letting this one slide. A few coats of some white, flat spray paint, a quick reinsertion, and back in with a few rusty nails and here we are:
I still have the editable Pixlr file, so if anyone is interested in printing it out for your very own, just email me (because I’m not tech savvy enough to include a download) at beaninlove@gmail.com and I’ll send it right over (for free of course). You can mess with the colors, the background, the font, the size, whatever you like. Then, just get it printed, frame it, and zootolo, some words to live by. :)
Have a great weekend you flawless folks!
We seem to have a hairy situation here. My hair is falling out faster than you can type ‘follicle', partly due to the great nature of post-partumness and partly due to four tiny hands finding, yanking, and coming away with 100 or so strands every five minutes. Cecilia is on the sure path to Mulletville as her mane is sparse on top with a whole lot of shiny, dark hair in back. And then there’s Seraphia:
Right side:
Left side:
Something had to be done. I was having daymares of my sweet first-born turning into Peg from Edward Scissorhands in a matter of months and down that hair style lane I was not willing for her to go.
So, a little snip here and a little snip snip there…
and she was back on the straight and narrow, albeit the left side still a smidge more voluminous, if I can even say that for the ultra-fine nature of her baby soft locks.
The back however, is another situation for another day. 
“What are you dressing for the color blind or something?” That’s what came out of the hubs mouth as I walked out in my Sunday best tonight before mass. “Go bold or go home” is what I should’ve said. Instead I spouted that “Actually, I saw someone wearing these colors together and it looked good”, withholding anymore info than that for fear of opening a door Anthony would love to walk through.
You see, last night we were indulging in some mind-numbing tv viewing whilst trying to coax two over-tired babes into a peaceful dreamland when my brows perked up at a particular outfit one of ‘The Big Bang Theory"’ nerds sported. I thought “Hey, I can do that”.
And so I did:
Deets:
Shirt: Hand-me-down from me seester
Pants: Tarjay clearance rack
Shoes: Fashion Bug and then capped by yours truly
If I were a little more spunky I’d have added a gold necklace or two or three and maybe some bangles or a bright colored scarf but I played my usual role as plain jane as far as accessories go and slipped some studs in my ears, calling it a done deal.
There’s many much more (Brian Regan anyone?) pretty, pretty ladies with much more fashion sense than I over at Fine Linen and Purple so hop, skip, and interjump over there for more.
Happy Sunday! Go Giants!
I finally finished striping the nursery walls circa eleven in the pm last night, one hour before Anthony’s birthday! Happy Birthday to the love of my life and my babies Daddy! So, in lieu of writing up a wordy post all about how long it took me to check off this project, what’s next on the nursery agenda, or the various thoughts that painting provokes, I’m just going to put up some pictures and spend that time with my three loves.
If you want to put up some lines too, click here for last week’s pre-reveal tutorial!
I’ll be back next week with another project down in a much more organized nursery! Until then, have a great weekend everybody!
Quickest post ever because we just got the little beans down and this big bean is sure to follow. But, not before I over share and easily fall into the ebb and flow of the cool crowd over at Camp Patton.
Here, ladies and gents, is what I wore to eat and eat and eat and eat…
Anyway, it’s no surprise that my entire outfit hails from various Target clearance racks of the past few years. My black wedges are Target too but were purchased at a discount store, Dirt Cheap, for $4.
More importantly though, here’s what the mini-Tobins wore:
Well, I did it. Okay, I sorta did it. I tried, boy did I try. I took Mary up on her Challenge to hunt down an entire outfit at a thrift store only my one trip to seconds heaven turned up lots of options only they were ‘in need of alteration’ options and half-way through scoping out the racks, the twins woke up from their peaceful slumber so the heck outta there I went. So, I thought I’d just try one night this week while Daddy was on duty but then luck would have it that Daddy got sick leaving Daddy Daycare closed until further notice. Luck would push even further and get this lady sick today. So, thrift store outings no more will I make before the deadline.
Soooo, with all of that said, I didn’t want to call it quits so I pulled a few thrifted threads out of my closet and called it done. Here’s what I’ve got:
Back to the thrift store finds though:
Shoes: $5
Belt: $.75 (found in the little boys section)
Total: $11.75
I’m back to jostling the two sprouts, sniffling and sneezing as I go. Go see Mary for more thrifted finds!
Oh and by the way, the challenge ends next Tuesday, so get on it if you haven’t already!
