July Recap + Michelle’s Crazy Thoughts

Oh hey. It’s almost the end of August.  Time for the July recap. 

First. I must share the crazy thoughts going through my head.

1. I want camo skinny jeans.  It’s a new obsession.  Someone find me some cheap ones. JCrew has a beautiful pair but camo probably isn’t one of those closet staples that I should splurge on.  Nate doesn’t get it.  I think those Duck Dynasty boys are wearing off on me. 

2. I don’t know what is more embarrassing for me.  The fact that I watch Duck Dynasty or the Kardashians.  At least neither is on a regular basis.  I really don’t watch that much tv.  I clearly make good decisions when I do.

3. Someone send me a way to get rid of moles.  They are destroying our yard.  I might sprain my ankle.  This is serious stuff.  Nate has been fighting them for 4 years and he refuses to hire someone to get the job done. I’m going to make it my mission.  Or publicly humiliate him into it.  Probably the latter.

4.  Don’t Google nude scarf.  Don’t.  This and #1 are good reasons for me to stick to DIY projects and not fashion.

5. Ike lodged a complaint with me.  He needs a dog bed in the sewing room.  He told me to put a rush order into Sew Midwestern.  Poor thing.

Happy July recap!  Happy weekend!

July 4th Projects Exploring the Caves New Arrival Bathroom Progress Vintage Washboards Creative Copper Projects Craft Night Pottery Our Stuff on Other Sites Dream House Shiny Bathroom

InLinkz.com

Catch up on the rest of 2013 here:  January February March April May June

Being Fit on the Cheap

I often post pictures like this on Instagram.

I then get comments questioning how I don’t weigh 500 pounds.

Turns out that I don’t eat delicious donuts every day.  I only wish that I ate donuts topped in bacon every morning.  My usually egg and whole grain English muffin doesn’t look nearly as awesome.  Even with a filter.

I also like to exercise.  You read that right.  I like it.  I’m not a crazy P90x’er but I move.  A lot.  I’m a big believer in finding an exercise that you like and hop to it.  Exercise doesn’t need to be expensive.  (I sound all preachy pharmacist like right now.  I had a patient call awhile back and they asked for “the tiny one that likes to give advice”.  I think he meant it in a good way.)  There are so many free videos on-line.  I’m also a big believer in “cost per use”.  I “pay off” my exercise videos quite fast.

Today I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite exercise videos/sites.  (I always find this information fascinating on other blogs.  Pretend you do too.)  I promise to have house related things soon…ish.  As all good medical professionals recommend, check with your doctor before beginning an exercise routine.

I will start with my most expensive piece of exercise equipment.

This dude needs a lot of exercise.  He’s 6 1/2 going on puppy.  He definitely doesn’t let us skip our nightly walk.  We walk him at least 45 minutes (usually 1 hour) at least 6 days per week.

In addition to walking, I do some form of strength activities at least 3 times per week.

I’m a huge fan of kettle bells.  Strength training and huge calorie burn in a short period of time.  My favorite video set is the Kettlebody by Brook.  Cardio, strength and yoga DVDs in one set.  Highly recommend it.  She’s only slightly cheesy and I have seen good results with this set.  The three DVDs kept me from getting bored for a good few months.  I purchased my kettle bell on mega sale at the beginning of the year.  I hear Walmart has a super cheap set. (I can’t verify this because that place terrifies me.)  I started with the 7lb.  I currently use either a 10 or 15 lb for the exercises.

I’ve recently enjoyed this free 15 minute kettle bell workout.  Lots of calorie burning in 15 minutes.  And you get buff.  Boo-yah.

I’m a big fan of this free fitsugar arm workout from Cameron Diaz’s trainer.  It’s starts all nice and slow and by the end my arms are screaming.  Feel the burn.

One of my all time favorite yoga DVDs is MTV Yoga.  I’ve had this yoga DVD since undergrad.  So like 10 years.  Wow, that’s depressing.  But good for the video.  I like this DVD for stretching and going to my happy place.  Plus it burns the arms and thighs.

I talked Nate into picking up a free weight bench from my brother’s neighbor.  He fell for it.  Off to test it out and be beast like.

My newest addiction is the free app myfitnesspal.  I’ll probably be bored with it in a week but you never know.  You can use it as a food and exercise journal.  I like that it breaks down the amount of each nutrient you eat.  The food data base is huge making it easy to track calories.

Any favorite exercise DVDs?  What’s your favorite form of exercise?  Who wants a donut?

Super Easy Boxwood Wreath

Alternate title: How I Got Poison Ivy at Craft Night

Last Wednesday night was craft night.  We made boxwood wreaths. They are super easy to make.  Like we all finished our wreaths before leaving for the night easy.  (That says a lot.) 

Most of us in our craft night group had previously been eyeing boxwood wreaths but their high price tags kept us away.  Kim did a little Pinteresting (a verb) and found a tutorial from Liz Marie Blog for us to base our project off of.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Grapevine wreath
• I had one hoarded in the basement.  You can get them at Hobby Lobby (bring a coupon!)  You can often find them at Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc.
• A poor, unsuspecting boxwood bush
• I have a few growing in front of our house but they weren’t quite ready for mutilation yet.  Luckily Nici had a few that wanted murdered, I mean trimmed.
• Optional: burlap ribbon for a bow

Start by butchering the boxwood.  We mainly cut long pieces.  We ended up trimming some down as we went along. 

Shove the cut pieces into the grapevine wreath until it looks pretty.  This should take approximately 5 minutes. 

Fluff/prune for the next 15 minutes to make yourself feel like this project was actually a challenge.

Make Kim tie a burlap bow for you beings she embarrassed you by wearing the same shirt.

Hang it up the next day!

And then itch your feet off.  I somehow managed to get into poison ivy.  This summer is the first time I have gotten it.  Not cool.  Beware.  Craft night is dangerous.

Check out previous wreaths from the Decor and the Dog vault: Quirky Owl Wreath, Candy Corn Wreath, Whispy Ornament Wreath, Yarn Wreath

Have you had your eye on boxwood wreaths?  Any great ideas for our next craft night? Preferably something inside. ;)

Living Room Update

I haven’t shared anything house related for awhile.  Lame.  What kind of DIY blogger am I?  Oh yes, one with a job. I remember now.

We are about one weekend (at home) away from finishing up our master bathroom.  Hooray for the longest project in history! We maybe should have started this one in the fall and not during the busy Summer months.  You live and you don’t learn.

I’m also working on a new blog design.  Nothing super fancy.  Just cleaner.  It will be finished in approximately the year 2099.  Look for it.

Part of the new blog design includes taking some updated house tour photos.  And maybe a video.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

We snapped some photos of our living room in its current state.  Well, its current state with the added benefit of fluffed pillows and couch cushions.  Ike is anti-fluff.  I’m pretty sure he thinks his job is to smush pillows and cushions.  If that’s the case, dude needs a raise.

Without further ado (and more nonsense on my part), here is our living room.  One of my favorite rooms in our house!

I also think I need to do an updated post on the evolution of our rooms.  Write that down.  Remind me.

We have big plans for built-in cabinets and a fancy mantel.  We keep talking like that project will happen soon.  Which means probably about 2016. 

I bought that awesome olive lamp at Goodwill.  It was love at first sight. It’s the little things in life.

I asked Nate to photograph some angles that we don’t always show on the blog.  It’s hard.  The following is called “Your View If You Eat Breakfast With Nate, Ike and Michelle”. I promise bacon will be involved.

Here’s some room info for you. Because that’s what all of the cool blogger kids do.

• Wall color: Macadamia (Sherwin Williams)
• Furniture: Ethan Allen Retreat sofa, love seat, and chair
• I would hands down buy this set again.  It’s super comfy and has held up well.
• Shelves: JCPenney Leaning Shelf
• Coffee table and end table: American Furniture
• Rug: RugsUSA
• Accessories on shelves: thrift stores, Gordman's, gifts, TJMaxx, Marshall's

Who’s going to remind me of all of this stuff I should blog about?  What’s the favorite part of your living room?  Is your pet a pro-smusher?

Iowa State Fair

Have you seen those Lifetime movies where the couple has been together for 11 years and then the wife learns something shocking about her husband?

I’m the star of that movie!!!

After 11 years of being Natchelle, my world was turned upside down.  A hidden past came forward.

Nate is almost 32 and had never been to a fair.  What???  How could this be? I wanted to know if he really grew up in Iowa. I couldn’t even trust that his name was Nate at this point.  Mind blown.

I love fairs.  So very much.  The food.  The animal shows.  The crafts.  The smells.  All of it.  Growing up, the Webster County 4-H fair was the highlight of my summer.

That’s me with my reserve champion market hog.  That’s a pretty big deal when you’re a young 4-Her.

That’s me with my duck, Roger. She (yep, that’s correct) won best pet.  Such a good duck.  Ike would love her.  I later received a red ribbon for my hair.

So, clearly the fair is a huge part of my past.  And come to find out I married a man who had never ever been to a fair.  It was time to make that right. 

We joined one of my very dear childhood friends and her husband at the Iowa State Fair last Thursday.  Nate’s life will never be the same.  And I can now remain married to him.  Long live Natchelle.

Within minutes of walking into the fairgrounds it became clear that we needed to have some sort of food on a stick in our hands or we may risk being kicked out.  We grabbed some corn dogs, cheese curds and a lemon shake-up and joined Santa.

Nate was still doing okay at this point.  We did a little wandering after our first food stop.  We checked out the wine tasting, some antiques and some crazy entertaining duo.  We then headed to the animal barn to check out the sheep in disguise.

Nate didn’t find it nearly as entertaining as my friend and I.  I love the sheep barn.  The constant “baaing” makes me laugh.

We arrived at the pig barn just in time to see the biggest boar being led to his cage.  I played city girl and snapped a photo of this 1100 pound beauty.  I mean, can you get much better than this???  The pig didn’t want to move.  I liked his style.

We then hit up the fried dessert stands.  An Iowa State Fair must.

Nate had a fried Snickers.  I had a fried Milky Way and my friend had fried pineapple.  All of which were amazingly glorious and disgusting all at once.

I then took a nap.

This post is going nowhere fast.  I swear I’ll have some kind of real post…next month.

So, that’s the tale of Nate’s first fair experience.  Overall he said he didn’t hate it.  He thought it would be more redneck.  He thinks he can wait another 32 years before he goes ago.  Ohhh, Nate.

Are you a fair fan?  Were you in 4-H?  Ever have trouble naming a duck?

Craft Room Organization

I’m still working on my craft room.  Life keeps getting in the way of me finishing projects.  Pesky job.  Pesky dirty floors.  Pesky being an adult.

When I started my craft room, I cleared everything out and placed it in the spare bedroom across the hall. It looked like this.  At it’s best. And that’s just fabric. Oy.  There was more crafting junk on the other side of the room.

I decided that I should get to cleaning that mess up.  It was time.  My hoarding ways were catching up with me.

I started with the fabric.  Kim (NewlyWoodwards) is a genius and she gave me some comic book boards to see if they would help me get organized.  I liked them so much that I bought more (from Amazon) and got to work.

I can now easily see what types of fabric I have.  The tubs are easy to transport and store nicely in the closet.  It’s not the most adorable blogland storage solution but it’s super practical (and inexpensive).

Remember this darling green buffet and button art?

I was originally going to use the buffet to store fabric.  I was, however, concerned about the fabric starting to smell like old furniture so I put the kabosh on that idea and decided to use it to store other crafting supplies.

The top drawers hold paper items and sewing accessories.

The inside of the cabinet holds paints, jewelry supplies, glues, foam, etc.

I think I’m starting to get my life back in order. 

I have a few more things to hang on the walls and then I might get to a proper room reveal. Get excited.  But not too excited.  You know me.

How do you store your craft supplies?  Any other great fabric storage suggestions?

June Monthly Recap

Do you ever have times in your life where you feel that you are just barely keeping your head above water and you’re not exactly sure why?  That was our past two months.  Nothing major happened we just constantly felt behind.  And tired. And sort of grouchy.  The saddest part of all was losing my wit.  Lame.

We are back and feeling better than ever now.  Must have been that week at the lake.  Or this wonderful break in weather.  Or something else that old people say. 

My floors are shiny.  The shower is clean. And my ability to be a smart aleck is back.  Oh, yes.

Beings that June and July disappeared in a flash, it’s not surprising that I’m behind in my monthly blog recaps.  And I was doing so well.

Let’s catch up.  Here’s what happened in June.  It’s almost more fun to most the recap a month late. That’s what I keep telling myself.  Looks for July’s around October 19th.

DIY Patio Table Blackberry Cobbler DIY Flower Tower Method's Cute Pet Contest Change of Art Gallery Wall Sew Midwestern Etsy Shop DIY Beer Tasting Flight Carrier Create a GIF Curb Appeal Pink Bathroom Makeover Life As We Know It

InLinkz.com

Catch up on the rest of 2013 here:  January February March April May

Has your Summer disappeared right before your eyes?  Isn’t Ike ridiculously cute?  Even when he’s stealing my new blanket.

Vintage Wash Tub Beverage Cooler

I’d like you to meet the newest addition to our family.

Isn’t she cute?  She has nice legs.

This vintage wash tub turned beverage cooler was all Nate’s idea.  Most girls get all gushy when their husbands do things like bring them flowers or take out the trash.  Those things will never happen in my house so I will get gushy over his new found love of junk.  Totally better than flowers.  (I would still be head over heels if the trash somehow found it’s way out without my help.  But I’ll totally take junk.)

Nate asked me to be on the look out for a vintage wash tub.  He was with me a couple of weeks ago and we found this wash tub for $30.

It was quite rusty and chippy.  We were debating keeping it that way.  After thinking about it, we decided to make it a little more us. 

Nate purchased a 3M Paint and Rust Stripper and got to sanding.

It turned out all shiny.

I then taped it all up and gave it 2 coats of Valspar’s Red Queen Outdoor paint.  We decided to paint the legs to make it prettier and to help protect it from the elements.  We’ll probably store it inside but we may leave it out every now and then.

Ike likes that it matches his bandana.

Who doesn’t love a quick and easy project that ends with a fun before and after?  No one.

Who’s glad wash tubs are now for booze and not laundry? 

Looking for more booze fun?  Check out our DIY beer tasting flight carrier!

Linking up to: Thrifty Decor Chick 

Vacationing in Green Lake, WI

You know what’s cooler than blogger vacation photos?  Blogger family vacation photos!

Last week Nate and I spent the week with his family in Green Lake, WI.  A week in one house with the in-laws. A form of torture in some countries.  I kid. I kid.  We actually had a great time.

I did learn a few things.

• I’m glad I wasn’t born into the Duggar family. 12 people in one house was plenty.
• Children are loud.  Very, very loud.
• Children are cute.  Very, very cute.
• Pack warm clothes any time you go to a lake.  Even in July.
• We are lucky to be a part of such a great family.

The week was pretty low key.  Nate’s parents rented this house for all us.  (They are very generous.)  The house had 6 bedrooms.  3 1/2 baths.  The decor was interesting.  I should have snapped more photos.  But the house was pretty much always a constant state of chaos.  And loud.  Did I mention children are loud?

Nate and I’s room had a double set of bunk beds and a map wall.  It was a romantic getaway.

Lake life is pretty sweet.  We spent time catching tiny fish.

Well, some fished.  The rest of us played with worms.  Way cooler.

We spent a good chunk of one day on a pontoon boat.  We froze our hineys off but it was still a good time.

Yes, I wore that hello shirt for an entire week.  I may or may not have washed it.

We also used these inflatable kayaks a lot.  Nate and I went daily.  I’m thinking about joining an Olympic rowing team.  I don’t really think Nate was paddling much so I’m sure I’ll qualify.

Ike went with us too.  He had a little bit of a rough vacation.  He’s sort of an only dog.  He doesn’t understand why vacation has to have so many rules and why children are so loud and poke him.  He did enjoy daily long walks and lots of time outside.  He also got to share the bottom bunk with me every night which he loved.  Unlike my back.

Nate and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary while in Green Lake.  We attempted to get a decent photo of us together.  It went well.

We’re pretty much incapable of taking a normal picture.  That’s why the fine gem below is a keeper.  I wish we would have had the Ike man with us but we took it right before dinner one evening.

And I’m still baffled that I’m wearing a jean jacket.  It feels like I’m in high school again.  Except I don’t have braces and my hair isn’t bleached.  Wait.  Should I be wearing a jean jacket? Eh. It was cold.

Do you take family vacations?  Do you love lake life?  Why are children so loud?

Shiny Bathroom Post

Remember our bathroom that we started tiling 17 years ago?  Yeah.  We’ve made no progress.  Go team. 

We are, however, sick of sharing a vanity.  #firstworldcoupleproblems

We hope to hop back on the tiling train this weekend.  Hope being the key word.

We have started to finalize some other plans and today I am going to share with you.  Because that’s what I do.  Overshare.

Our plans include shiny objects.  My favorite. 

I dare you to turn this post into a drinking game.  Drink on “shiny”.  Go.

It all started with this beautiful light.  It is the Pullman Bath Light from Shades of Light.  So shiny.  Shiny. Shiny. Shiny.  (I hope you’re playing the game with coffee.)

The polished nickel finish is shiny but also limited some of my other options.  Oh well.  Shiny for the win.

Shiny lights led to shiny faucets.  Like the Park Avenue Faucet from Pfister Faucets.  I didn’t know a faucet could be so beautiful.  And shiny.  I can’t wait to pet it.

And last but not least.  Shiny mirrors.  We decided on the Gatco 4589S Laurel Avenue Rectangle Wall Mirrors.  The mirrors were a tough decision.  We had originally thought framed mirrors but we later decided that we want to let the tile shine (different from shiny).

Our final decision is shiny hardware for the cabinets.  That, dear readers, is still a work in progress.

Are you a shiny object fan?  Who wants to help us finish tiling?