How Do You Handle Unexpected Challenges In Your Day?

My husband picks up the mail every night when he gets home from work. On Wednesday, this is what he found:

This letter is marked November 30 and we got the letter December 2.  At least 24 gallons of water every day for 4 days has been leaking, somewhere in the water system of our home.

Bah Hum-Bug! Yes, I said it!

Growing up I remember cutting a comic out of the Sunday paper for my dad, the Lockhorn's, depicting Mr. Lockhorn begrudgingly putting up Christmas lights, spelling out Humbug in the front bushes.  That's kind of my mood this year.  Not kind of, that IS my mood this year.

I haven't put up a single decoration and I really don't care if I do or not.  When we built our home my husband wanted a tall Christmas tree and now, well, I really despise that tree and have an adult temper tantrum (that's a real thing you know) every time I have to put the lights on.  I'm getting too old to be standing on a ladder precariously balancing in a ridiculous effort to string lights on a "pre-strung" tree that hasn't worked from day one (but don't get me started on that one).

My boys are grown and really don't care if I decorate or not so I'm giving myself permission to opt out this year.  It's really quite a relief.   Have you ever had a year where you just weren't in the mood for all that jazz and decided to keep it simple?  The world didn't end, did it?

How To Easily DIY A Stone Backsplash

When we were building our new home I knew I wanted a rock backsplash but I didn't want the standard mosaic tiles, I wanted the full profile of the rocks, with all their flaws and oddities. I fell in love with these rocks at Old Time Pottery and bought enough to finish off my project.
 
My husband was leery, to say the least, so he made plywood backs for me to work on instead of putting it directly on the wall. That was fine with me because I had enough work to do at the house (tiling, painting, countertops, etc) this I was able to work on in front of the T.V. and get a break from the craziness of building the house.

How to Update Your 50's Kitchen On A Budget

I've been helping a friend update her 50's ranch.   Our goal, major impact without breaking the bank.  One of the first areas that needed tackled was the kitchen.  A complete overhaul would be wonderful but that was not our plan.  We opted for some paint and elbow grease.  What an amazing transformation to such a dingy old kitchen.

To subscribe to our Cheat Sheet Postcard Series and get today's postcard, a free printable with ten different ways to update and add some flair to your kitchen, please click here:

10 Ways To Update Your Kitchen On A Budget

How To Make A Unique Piece of Furniture With Concrete

 I am completely infatuated with concrete, call me weird, (that's alright you won't hurt my feelings) but the incredible things that people are doing with concrete keeps me excited and inspired to do more.

My love affair with concrete prompted me to add a new postcard to my Cheat Sheet Postcard Series, a collection of postcards to collect and reference on a variety of topics.   For your free Subscription to the series, click here:  10 Ways to Decorate Your Home with Concrete. 

This is a conference table my husband and I made for his work.  Here it is all framed up.  You can see the edge liner we used and the veining that was added with caulk.  We will be using Buddy Rhodes Countertop Mix for this project.  After mixing you place it by the handful, gently twisting as you put it in the bottom of the framing and work it up the edges.  As you add handfuls you will be forming crevices that you'll fill in later with a contrasting color, makes for a great texture.  This technique is done upside down, so the bottom of your form will be the top of your table.

How To Easily Fix The Hole In A Furniture Top With BarnWood

I bought this adorable desk at an estate sale for next to nothing. I have never seen a desk quite like it.  From the bottom where it rests on the floor to the way the handles line up down the front, I was in love from the moment I saw it and had to have it.

One of my favorite finds are furniture pieces that have great bones but need a little personalization and TLC. 

This piece had really only one problem, there's quite a hole in the top of the desk,  a "make it work" moment.

One Really Cool Way We Used Concrete to Finish A Fireplace

I really love the many ways concrete is now being used.  From counter tops and tabletops to light fixtures (yes, I said light fixtures) and decorative floors.

I'm always surprised and totally inspired by the creative uses people come up with for such a common product.  I've added a new postcard to my Cheat Sheet Postcard Series, a collection of postcards to collect and reference on a variety of topics.   For your free Subscription to the series, click here:  10 Ways to Decorate Your Home with Concrete.

We had done quite a few concrete projects around the house but this is the first project I've done inside. It's messy, so lots of prep-work is involved, but well worth the effort. You can personalize it and get as creative as you want.

We built this house a couple years ago (the Spec House) adding a concrete hearth and mantle with a carved vertical concrete fireplace surround, very fun project!