The big snow melted... but don't worry. We got more.  :)

I've had this gorgeous thing on my hand for 2 years now! Hard to believe! I still love it just as much as the day he gave it to me.

This is us as "babies" when we first started dating 5 years ago! #throwbackthursday

I'm addicted to this stuff.

Brand new tanks I thrifted from Goodwill. Love it when that happens.

Hubby worked all day then came home and made yummy BBQ Chicken for dinner. He's the best!

See, I told you... more snow!

Things I'm Loving Thursday : Polka Dots

Our prayers have been answered, ladies... Polka Dots are back in fashion! This is one of my favorite girly fashion trends of all time and I'm going to take advantage of every second that it's around! The last time we saw Polka Dots was 20+ years ago so wear 'em while you can cause they won't be back for awhile. So far I have a pair of polka dot pants, a polka dot scarf, and a polka dot button up. And don't you dare think I'm finished shopping for and sewing all things dotted! LOVE. THEM.

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14 Days of Love

***** SPOILER ALERT : If your name is Darren Hutslar STOP reading this post right now! I'm so serious! *****

Darren and I have gradually become really bad about making it a point to surprise each other. I think it all started the year we decided to just buy our own birthday gifts so we could get exactly what we wanted (I wanted a specific pair of boots and he wanted fishing stuff). It was a great plan and we were both happy... the only bad part was that we have continued to do that for every event since then. As much as I hate getting surprised I actually LOVE being the one who does the surprising. It's so fun to be sneaky about what you are getting each other and try to keep it a secret! So last night we were talking about Valentine's Day and our wedding anniversary I suggested that we make it a point to surprise each other for at least one of these occasions. He agreed. All I could think was "Let the games begin"! 

Thanks to Pinterest, I have some really great Valentine ideas. It was actually difficult to narrow down what I wanted to do, but I kept coming back to the 14 Days of Love idea. It's giving your Valentine a little gift every day starting on February 1st - 14th. I'm planning on getting him something else for his "real" gift, but I wanted to do something a little more this year. This has been a difficult year, and he has been so strong for me. I want him to know how much that means to me. Some of the gifts are kind of corny, but the whole point is to just let him know that he is appreciated. Ashley of Mommy by Day Crafter by Night, came up with this whole idea and has the CUTEST free printables to complete this project. I rearranged the days a little bit and I'm going to customize the gifts to things that I know Darren likes. So here is the game plan!

14 Days of Love

Day 1.) You "Rock" My World

Yep, it's corny, but I'm counting on him thinking it's cute 'cause it's from me. :)

Day 2.) I'm so "fortunate" to have you

I am going to try to make some paper fortune cookies to put inside the Chinese take-out box with a Bass Pro Shop gift card ($5).

Day 3.) "Chews" me

Just get a pack of gum. Easy peasy!

Day 4.) You make my heart "bounce"

You can use anything bouncy for this. I will probably get bouncy balls because my husband will enjoy throwing them all over the house. :)

Day 5.) I "heart" you

Anything heart shaped will work for this one. There are tons of these things at Walmart & the Dollar Tree this time of year. 

Day 6.) Have a great day, "cupcake"

You could even use a Little Debbie cupcake for this. No need to go too fancy (he's a man... he won't notice the difference).

Day 7.) You're one "hot tamale"

He totally is.

Day 8.) What are the chances I have a "shot" at being your Valentine?

Darren (my husband) will LOVE this one! Yes, I know he will shoot it at me for the rest of the week, but it will make him happy so I'll deal. :)

Day 9.) Love potion no. 9

Darren isn't a Jones Soda kind of guy, so I'll probably use Gatorade for this one. Any red or pink drink will work though.

Day 10.) 10 things I love about you

Put little notes in a jar.

Day 11.) I've got a "crush" on you

Hehehe! Another silly one... oh well! It works.

Day 12.) It's a "treat" being your Valentine

Anything sweet or a special treat will work here.

Day 13.) Coupon book of love

Mommy by Day Crafter by Night has another set of free printables for this coupon book HERE. I plan to use this on Day 13.

Day 14.) Valentine's Day

On Day 14 I'll give him his actual gift and Valentine's Day card.

If you want to use this idea just head over to the Mommy by Day Crafter by Night blog HERE for all the "days of love" printables (there are even a couple more I didn't use). Wish me luck that Darren thinks this whole thing is sweet and not "creeper-ish"!

DIY Powder Laundry Detergent

Some of you may remember when I shared that I  made my own liquid laundry detergent for the first time back in October. Well, I JUST ran out of the first batch that only cost me $.75 to make! It lasted over 3 months. Yes, I'm so serious! I really liked the liquid detergent, but I didn't enjoy having to shake / stir it every time I used it. I know... I'm lazy. So when I saw THIS recipe for powder detergent on my favorite "make your own" blog (One Good Thing by Jillee) I decided to give it a go. 

The results? It was just as easy to make as the liquid detergent only I could make more of it at a time, it took up less space, and I never have to stir it. I would estimate it only cost about $25.00 to make a huge bucket full of it. You only use 2 tablespoons per load so it's going to last a really long time (I am not going to attempt to do the math on that one). Just trust me... it's a huge money saver!

I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and so far I have nothing bad to say about this recipe! It's done just as good of a job as the liquid detergent did. At this point I think I have been officially converted for good. I don't ever want to buy a 64 load detergent for $12.00 again!

Upholstered Wingback Chair Project

Remember when I told you that I was going to be doing some reupholstering? I have been dying to get started on a wingback chair for our living room, but since I ordered the fabric online I've had to wait for it to be delivered. Well, guess what?! It just arrived!!! I am hoping to get started this week, but I thought I'd keep you in suspense and give you another teaser first. I am attempting to build up your excitement so you'll be as hyped as I am! Here is the "before" shot.

Yes... it's an ugly mauve pink right now, but the shape is great and that's all that really matters since it's going to be reupholstered. I really wanted the chair to be a statement piece and statement piece to me = bold fabric. It was hard to decide, but I finally settled on a Premier Prints fabric called Amsterdam True Turquoise. What do you think?

 I can't wait to see what the fabric looks like on the chair! Wish me luck, lovelies!

The Little Things in Life

 

How cute is this?! It's snowing in Indiana this morning so I let Simba out to play in it (yes he really likes the snow). When I went to check on him I found these. I can hardly handle the adorable-ness! It's the little things in life, isn't it?! Happy Friday, everyone!

Things I'm Loving Thursday : Poufs

I'm currently crushing on the "pouf". It's kind of a modern and more sophisticated twist on the bean bag. MUCH more sophisticated! I love poufs because they are versatile. They fit into almost any style of decor depending on the shape or fabric that you use. See for yourself!

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Thrifting Projects

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I have been doing a lot of housewares and furniture thrifting lately. It's partially due to the fact that we are penny pinching and more importantly because I'm finally brave enough to attempt some bigger DIY upcycle projects. I can't wait am bursting at the seams to show you what I have planned! Right now I have about six different projects sitting in my basement waiting to be transformed. It just blows my mind that you can find so many amazing pieces that have such character for next to nothing at places like Goodwill! All they need is a little love and time which is what I plan to give them.

More than likely Project #1 will be to reupholster a wing back chair. I had been looking for a good wing back to redo for awhile when I recruited my mother-in-law who is an avid Goodwill-er to keep an eye out for me. She took the challenge and found a great pair for $30 a pop within the week! Yippee for me! I want to put one of the chairs in our living room, but have been indecisive when it comes to choosing a fabric. However this weekend I jumped into the water and ordered. So this means that I have to do it now even though I'm secretly scared out of my mind to attempt a reupholstery all by myself. It's a good thing I didn't realize how extensive of a project it is going to be before I bought the chairs... Anywho, I'm totally going to try it and if it turns out I will save a whole lotta money on a custom upholstered chair!

So stay tuned! The fabric should arrive this week! Wish me luck!