Our "Pottery Barn" Daily System...

If I had unlimited space and money I would create a daily system like Pottery Barn...

But I don't...

So my version is smaller and $240 less expensive...

I found the small square whiteboards on clearance at Michaels for $4.99 each...

{I am not crazy about the fact they are metal but they work...}

We will use one as our activities/events tracker and one as a menu planner...

The letter bin was a STEAL...

I had been searching and searching for a wall mounted organizer just like this but could NOT find anything other than Pottery Barn's version for $44 {plus tax and shipping}...

I finally found what I wanted on Bed Bath and Beyond's website for about $36...

Of course it wasn't sold at our local store and I did not want to HATE paying shipping...

When I went to Hobby Lobby in search of the HORRIBLY DIFFICULT TO FIND Prang water colors for Aidan's Pre-K class, I stumbled onto my coveted letter bin with key hooks for $34.95 ON SALE for an additional 50% OFF...

Yes, I was ecstatic...

I already had an "S" and decided to use it here...

However, I wasn't happy with the empty wall beside it...

Everything looked uneven...

So I took the "S" down... 

 It may not be PB but just fine for this house...

What do you think?...  "S" or no "S"?...

A Fair To Remember...

I rarely take the boys anywhere by myself...

It is A LOT of work and at times nearly impossible to help one do something while keeping the other one from running away...

But lately with my husband in school during the week and working on the weekends, the boys and I have had to venture out on our own...

Saturday I decided we would attempt to see "The Smurfs"...

We made it through the first hour before Kamden decided he wanted to leave...

Aidan of course did not...

After possibly disturbing everyone in the rows around us by Kam's fit in the aisle...

Aidan {bless his little heart} decided we could leave...

I won't bore you with the events that followed...Kam's fit because we were leaving {obviously he didn't know what he wanted}...Aidan telling him to calm down when the movie came out on DVD we could buy it...

And my crazy decision to {instead of going home and calling it a day} drive 30 minutes to a nearby Fair...

But I will tell you...

My boys and I had a GREAT time...

It wasn't easy...

Far from it...

 

But on the drive home as I listened to Aidan Kale and Kamden Kane talk about the rides...

The animals...

And everything in between...

I knew it didn't matter if everything we did together went perfectly...

In fact I knew it wouldn't...

All that mattered was in the end my boys would still be smiling just because we tried... 

I Am A Horrible Decision Maker...

I can remember being at Sears with my Grandma and Grandpa when I was younger {elementary school age}...

I can't remember if I asked or they just offered...
 But they said I could have the reversible raincoat I'd been wanting...
 It was a solid color on the outside and whales on the inside...

You might remember these they are currently listed on Etsy as VINTAGE...

I can remember that Sears carried pink and purple...

And that I absolutely could not pick...

I was so stressed over my decision that their once generous offer became a burden until finally my Grandpa said if I didn't pick one, I wasn't getting one...

I chose pink...

And even as they were paying {though I didn't dare say} I knew I should have chosen purple...

I tell you this story to illustrate how incredibly difficult decisions have always been for me...

So when it was time to buy bedding for Kamden's new full size bed...

It should not come as a shock that it took me TWO months to make up my mind...

I found what I wanted at Pottery Barn Kids...

However being the frugal shopper I am...

I could not bring myself to purchase the bedding at full price...

PBK does not participate in any type of cash back program like Ebates...

The only coupons I could find for PBK {a whopping 10% off} were for sale on eBay...

I even tried calling customer service to ask about 10% off since I would be making a large purchase...

They weren't impressed...

I checked eBay daily to see if I could score what I wanted at pre-owned prices {I found a few things but was shocked to find pre-owned bedding sold for as much as new}...

One evening after the boys were asleep I was once again going over which bedding I should buy with my husband...

He looked at me and said "just buy something it isn't that hard"...

I'm not gonna lie, I was a little irritated...

But a few days later...

I pulled the trigger...

I opted for less expensive sheets {$34 vs. $109) and "throw" pillows from different stores {JCPenney and Target}...

But I did buy the quilt and 2 shams {one personalized} from PBK...

And even though I think PBK is a very selfish company...

They are a brilliant company who sells good quality bedding to mothers like me who buy it regardless...

And once the bed was all made...

This little guy seemed to be right at home...

Now his room needs new curtains!?...

Dad Gum...

A few Saturdays ago I took the boys to see a local attraction that until then had completely escaped me...

If you've ever watched the dialogue at the end of Mater's Tall Tales...

Then you know that Disney Pixar got its inspiration for Cars Tow Mater from a boom truck along Route 66 in Galena, KS...

So I loaded up the boys and told them we were going just a few miles down the road to meet someone special...

This is Tow Tater {Disney asked that the truck be renamed for copyright reasons}...

The boys were excited to take a seat at Mater's wheel...

 We also climbed on an old Fire Truck that looked just like Red...

{Look at Red's windshield}...

{SO TERRIBLE that some people insist on vandalizing these old vehicles}...

Melba from 4 Women on the Route {where Mater can be found} also told us that a scene from the original Cars movie was inspired by this wall right here...

After some disappointment once the boys realized Mater wasn't real...

And that Lightning wouldn't be also be in attendance...

I think they had a DAD GUM good time GETTING THEIR KICKS...

On Route 66...



You Will NOT Believe This...

Last week I found a brand new thrift store...

 At first glance, I almost turned around and RAN back to my car...

But instead I started sifting through racks and racks of clothing...

Determining I wouldn't find much and it was a wasted trip...

Until...

I found this...

Tags still attached...

For $1.00...

Yes, that is right...

Once this mulberry shift dress was clutched tightly in my hand...

I knew there was more to be found...

At the end of my trip...

I spent $8.50...

And came home with...

• Dress pictured above
• A pair of Gap jeans
• A pair of Old Navy stretch skinny jeans
• 2 pairs of shorts
• 2 pairs of dress pants

AND

• A Ralph Lauren Polo shirt for my hubby

I am so glad I braved the unknown and gave the store a chance...

I wonder if they have a frequent shopper program?... 

Do You Pin?...

I am a fairly new user of Pinterest...

Only signing up in June before Aidan's 4-Year photo shoot {I wanted to keep all my inspiring photos in one place}...

But if you are a "pinner" you know there is a lot more inspiration to be found...

For example...

My summer mantel...

First I pinned this from diydesignfanatic.blogspot.com...

And then added a pin from here while browsing for Fall decor because I loved the look of layered frames...

While attempting to decorate with two boys and feeling less than creative and more in a hurry to get it done...

I referred to these images...

And though not nearly as perfect as the original...

I was pleased with the end result...

FYI...these pictures were taken with my iPhone and edited my new favorite free app Instagram...

Find me on Pinterest here...

{WARNING~it's addicting}...

My First Edited Photo...

I have searched the Internet looking for Photoshop Elements tutorials...

Frustrated because I prefer written to video {weird I know}...

But finally...

Something clicked...

And I understood just enough to actually do a little editing...

What do you think?