6 Years

Today marks 6 years of marriage for us. Today I'm looking back on all that we've done in the last 6 years, and I'm wondering where the time went. It seems like just yesterday that I walked down the isle. After six years I can still say that I'm madly in love with my husband. He is the perfect man for me, the Lord's greatest gift in my life. 

 I added the song Marry Me to my playlist- it's one of my favorites.

Our Home: The Master Bath

For an update on how we finally arrived at a decision on tile, grout, colors, etc... click HERE to read about our conclusion to work with an interior designer.

Before...

• Wall Color: Some funky shade of blue
• Tile: The shower and floor were marble. It was originally laid crooked, and thus when we bought the home we had to redo everything. 
• When we purchased our home, the shower was unfinished and could not be used, and there were not any sinks.

My husband picked out the sinks and faucets.

 The doors, moldings, and baseboards were not even primed.

 This part of the bathroom was just primed sheet rock.

 No shower heads.

During the renovation.....

As you can see, all the marble had to be torn out. The entire shower was gutted down to the studs and then built back up in order to install backer board etc to prevent leaks... (which was not placed behind the marble originally). We also had two partial walls built up to give some privacy to the shower.

 Inside the shower.

 The day they started laying tile.

 We painted the room before all the flooring was put down. This is the day they began working on the boarder that goes around the bathroom.

After.....

• Wall Color: Woodlawn Colonial Gray
• Trim Color: Du Jour
•  Tile: 3x6 subway tile in shower, 6x6 on floor, 3x6 border around floor
• We had to paint all the doors, moldings, and baseboards.

His side of the shower and closet door.

 My side of the shower and my closet.

 Rain shower Heads

My husband picked out the sinks and faucets when we first moved in. I wasn't so sure about them, but this was the easiest thing to do, otherwise we would have had to cut the granite. Now that everything is finished, I think they look good.

Looking in from our bedroom

 His side....

 My side...

There are still things I want to hang on the wall, and decorative accents I need to put up, and I want to change out the vanity mirrors.. I've come to the conclusion that you're never completely finished decorating a room.

Adventures in Canning

I have discovered that canning can be a real pickle.

I decided to try my hand at canning pickles. My grandmother made some using an easy 3 step ready-made packet so I figured I'd go the same route. Being as this was my first time ever canning, I wanted a simple recipe.

I skimped on the nice canning equipment because this was my first time and I wasn't sure how it would turn out, or if I'd even survive. First mistake. I purchased a cheap starter kit, borrowed large pots from my dad, and set out to make my own pickles.

I planned to make 12 quarts of Kosher Dills. I ended up with 11 quarts (one jar busted, see notes below) that consisted of 4 jars of dill slices and 7 jars of spears. I was surprised they all sealed and turned out great. We've already consumed 2 jars of spears.

Lessons Learned:

1. Invest in one of these: 

2. The jar picker-upper-thingy has 2 black plastic handles. This is not the end that grasps the jars (figured that one out a little to late). I wondered why the black handle thingy broke so easily. I lost one jar and my favorite spoon rest  due to this mistake. The only reason I'm sharing this embarrassing tidbit is in the hopes that someone else might not make the same mistake as me.

3. Your home will smell like a pickle for at least 2 days. Any attempts to rid your home of the smell are futile. 

More Coupon Deals

7-1-11

Picked up 2 tubes of Colgate Total toothpaste.

On sale for $2.79 with $2 back in ECBs.
Purchased 2 and used 2  .75 cent off coupons, which meant I purchased them for $4.08.
Received $4 in ECB's = I paid 8 cents + tax

7-3-11

Purchased all items below (and 5 2-liter Coca-Colas, not pictured)  for a total of  $11.88 by using coupons and splitting it into 2 transactions to use ECBs. The toothbrushes were free because of coupons and the green deodorants were purchased from another store.

On the first transaction we purchased 9 items and paid .62 cents after coupons.

On the second transaction, we purchsed 5 items for $11.26

 

 

Our stockpile is getting bigger every week!

Happy Independence Day

July 4th means more to me this year than any before. Today I'm thankful for my freedom that cost the lives of so many. I woke up with my brother on my mind. I am thankful for him and all of the other soldiers who sacrifice in order to serve our country.

When it comes to freedom though, I think of my sweet Savior who died so that I can have the ultimate freedom.