Pajama Party!

Having a PajaMa ParTy is a regular occurance in our home.  Sometime after dinner my daughter yells out, “Let’s have a pajama party!”  Our PaRtY usually consists of vegging out in the living room, chasing each other in the front yard, or even helping Dad make chocolate chip cookies :)

It is easy for one to think they have to create something oUt of tHis World in order to have a memorable experience.   More often than not, the MomeNts that are cherished the most are the ones that take the least amount of effort and come so NatuRally in our day-to-day routines.  Is there something that you are already doing that has become a sPeciAL tradition in your life?  Comment below…I’d love to hear what you do!

~Lara

AnTiQuE-InG

Ok, so I really like AnTiQuE shops.  This past weekend I visited some Kansas City shops once again.  This time around I thought I would feature one I enjoyed visiting last time called, “BoTtOmS Up”. 

I like this place for many reasons, one BIG reason is the building it is in:  (There are a lot of other things I really like about this place such as old, industrial furniture taken out of banks, warehouses, factories, etc. to name a few.)

It is the old StOwE HaRdWaRe aNd SuPpLy Co.  How cool is that?

So, you step into this old warehouse and here are the stairs.  (The eLeVaToR isn’t working so enjoy the three flights of steps!)

What an InTrIgUiNg stairwell!

The ChiPpeD paint gives you the feel that this building is really, really old!

That is because it really is oLd!!

I love this tile mOsAic!

Here’s what I would have LoVeD to take home with me had:   1.) I had the room to transport it, 2.) The price was right, AND 3.) I had room for it in my house.

For some reason I am eNamOrEd with old tables.  This one came out of a Westport hardware.

This old table I absolutely loved!!  It came from an oLd sHoP cLaSs and had so many unique characteristics.  I loved the metal legs that bolt to the floor, but most of all, I love that names that had been carved into the wood by students.  (Sorry, I didn’t get a close-up of that – didn’t think of it until after I left.)  What a cool piece to have as an island in your kitchen!

Like the LoCkErS!

Does this flag ReMiNd you of something?  (For those of you who didn’t see that post, I made a homemade flag – similar to this one – around the 4th of July.)

They do have a FiEe EsCaPe.  I had to take this pic for my friends Mark & Marilyn.  (To see Marilyn’s I Am Story, click here.)

 

Anyone need a BaRn DoOr?

Browse a LiTtLe.

Wouldn’t this make a cool LoFt apartment?

BrOwSe some more.

More cHipPed paint.

So, what was I looking for this time around?  Old caMerAs.  I’m starting a collection of them.  By collection, I mean three or four.   And although I enjoyed my time at Bottoms Up, I hit JaCkPoT at Good Ju Ju.  (For our past Good Ju Ju posts, click here. )

Yet another SuCeSsFuL day of antiquing!

:)

Robynn~

{By The Way}:  If you like antiquing, there is a heap of antique shops in this area of downtown Kansas City.  You can park and walk from shop to shop!

My way is the right way!

When I first started dating my husband, he always said something that really stuck with me: “Different strokes for different folks”.  It wasn’t as if I had never heard that before, but that day it rang a bell in my mind as to how we should ReSpeCt the way people run their lives. 

I think as humans, we all have a tendency to look at other people and CoMpaRe what they are doing to what we do.  Often times we ask the questions “Why in the world do they do it THAT way”, “Why don’t they do it like WE do?”, “Don’t they know OUR way is so much better?”

The hard part of this social comparison is that we don’t know the specific circumstances.  Often times there are several PatHs that people can take that can ALL reach similar end goals.  I too struggle with social comparisons, and when I do, I need to take a step back and RealiZe the other person may know what’s best for their situation.

~Lara

The Challenge Finale!!

It is hard to believe that we have just completed mOnTh FiVe of the six-month dream challenge!  For the last month (September) we are going to be FeAtuRiNg women who are LiViNg tHeiR DrEaM.  We are excited to showcase their accomplishments.  These women will be our Woman Of The Week (we will share their story on Fridays).  We hope you EnJoY!!

Robynn~

{A Lesson From H.S. Seniors} – “Live Like You Were Dying”

I first heard this song at a HiGh ScHoOl GrAdUaTiOn sung by a group of SeNiOrS.  What made this song so PoiGnAnT and left an ImPrEsSiOn was the fact that they had experienced, first hand, how short life can be.  One of their classmates had died the previous year of cancer.  They dedicated this song to her.

I especially love the words:

“…and I loved DeEpeR and I spoke SwEeTeR and I gave ForGivEnEss I’d been denyin’…”

Thanks for the lesson Humboldt High School Class Of 2005.

Robynn~

Birthday Girl

Last summer for my daughter Abby’s 1st birthday I bought a silver ChArM bRaCeLeT to give to her.  My husband and I planned a LaDyBuG themed backyard birthday party to celebrate her first year and invited all of our family and friends.  Since the ladybug theme seemed to be taking over our home in the form of BaLLoOnS, plates, cakes, CuPcAkEs, dresses, and hairclips I decided it would be fitting to find a LaDyBuG cHaRm to put on the bracelet as a reminder of her very 1st BiRtHdAy. 

And so aTrAdiTioN wAs BoRn…

Along with the ladybug charm, I wrote a ShOrT nOtE to Abby saying that for her first birthday she received a silver charm bracelet with a ladybug charm on it to SyMbOliZe her first year.  In this note I explained that every year on her birthday, she will receive a new charm for her bracelet with a special note to go with it, and when she is 13 she can keep and wear the bracelet as a reminder of the years leading up to her becoming a TeEnAgEr. 

This year I picked out a teddy bear charm for Abby’s 2nd birthday.  She has been carrying around a little TeDdY bEaR with her since last fall that she doesn’t let out of her sight.  It was the first thing I thought of when it came time to select this year’s charm!  I am looking forward to all of the possibilities for my DaUgHtEr’S fUtUrE and can’t wait to fill up her bracelet and finally give it to her with all of my letters when she is truly old enough to ApPrEcIaTe it.

Guest Writer Robyn, from New Jersey

Paint Your Countertops/Kitchen Makeover

When we MoVed back to Kansas a few years ago, the counters in my new kitchen were not very pretty.  They were off-white with light pink and light blue stripes!  EeKk!  I didn’t want to buy new countertops, and after doing some research I disCovEred that you can paint them (this was before Rustoleum started making their own DIY countertop kits!)  I don’t have a before picture, but here is a couple AFTER pics!

Up CLoSe!

A good friend saw them and wanted me to give her kitchen a new look.  Here is a BEFORE picture!

And AFTER….drumroll….!!!

As you can see, I painted the countertops, we painted the walls, touched up the cabinets and spray painted the existing hardware!  We were able to transform this kitchen for $150!  For instructions on how I painted these countertops CLICK HERE.

Doesn’t this get you ExciTed to tackle a room in your home?  Paint can go such a long way!

Happy Transforming!

Lara

The Safe Side

Have you ever wondered how CoNfUsiNg and contradicting we as parents can be to our children?  First, we tell our kids not to talk to strangers and then, when a stranger such as a cashier says “Hi” to our child and our child doesn’t answer back, we say, “Can you say “Hello” to this lady/gentleman?”  If I were a kid, I would be confused too!! 

This is one reason I love this DVD.  It was created by JoHn WaLsH, host of “America’s Most Wanted” (his son was abducted and murdered which resulted in his relentless effort to get criminals off the street) and does a great job at explaining to children the safety precautions they should take as they come in contact with adults.  Is it corny?  Yes!  But does it get the point across?  I think so!!  My kids are frequently referring to adults as “Don’t Knows”, “Kinda-Knows”, and “SaFe-SiDe AduLts” – the three categories that this DVD places people in. 

If you are a parent, a grandparent, work with kids, are friends with kids, etc I highly ReCoMmEnD it!  I purchased it on Amazon, where you can read all sorts of reviews.  (The DVD scores a 4.5 out of 5.0 by the over 300 reviews.)  I also checked with our local library and although they do not have it on hand, they do have access to it.  So, check it out.  It very well may save your kid’s LiFe!

Robynn~