One Nutty Girl » Favorite Things

Good Morning!

mj — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:50:07 +0000

Good Morning Birdie!

It is 8:36 am and I am whipping out a quick little good morning post! I’m at Wrightsville Beach, NC (since Sunday) with my man. We are celebrating our 10 year anniversary that is actually tomorrow! I’ve been a good little techo girl and have not done anything but spend time with him, except a little Facebooking on the iPhone!

I have not even gotten my new camera out! I just shot these few pictures from our room, a walkout to the beach, while the man is still sleeping.

I could stare at this all day!

So, while I was waiting for this picture to download into my post a bird flew into my room! Oh my goodness, so glad he flew back out! I have now shut the door!

good morning tree!

It is now 8:47 am. Keeping my time online short and sweet! I’ve got a few hours before we depart back home. It was the perfect little getaway. I’m ready to return to the kids and dogs for a few more days until the weekend!

Blessings to all and have a wonderful day!

Vacation Planning ~ I need your help!

mj — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 04:53:22 +0000

Our 10 year anniversary is coming up on September 1! Wow, a decade of togetherness! We did not have a honeymoon when we got married because, well, we eloped! The first 2 weeks of our marriage was spent in separate cities until I moved into a hotel with him for a few weeks in DC until our house was finished being built. The plan was to take a BIG honeymoon vacation on our 1 year anniversary. We decided on a cruise. Well, by the time the 1 year anniversary came, and we were sitting on that cruise ship, I was 10 weeks pregnant and SICK! I was miserable, tired and no fun to be around! I was mostly stuck in that TINY little room!

So, here we are 10 years later and we have never taken any sort of a vacation, except weekend getaways, without our children. This means I’m feeling all this pressure to have the perfect “honeymoon” vacation. We are planning it for late March or early April and I NEED YOUR HELP!

I’ve checked 3 books out of the library about the Caribbean and the Bahamas and I have read 2 of them cover to cover. I’ve looked at tons of websites for resorts and private villas. I’ve obsessed over this trip. I’m more than confused than ever.

Look at all these choices??? What is a girl to do??? She is turning to you all to weigh in! Give me some advice, tell me places you liked and even disliked!

I don't want this!

I’m not into HUGE resorts with lots of people. I’m thinking semi remote. I like the idea of the all inclusive, but then it worries me as well. I am very picky about my food. I don’t like buffets. What if I get tired of the food? Maybe discovering local flavors is more fun. Thoughts on all inclusive?

I’ve ruled out a cruise because we already did that. I don’t want to feel pressured to get on and off the ship and pick excursions, ride transportation to get to them and all that. Nothing scheduled for me on this trip. Just waking up and decided to do something or lay on beach and do nothing.

Here is my picky criteria:

1. Not too much hassle to get there from NC. I don’t want to spend an entire day traveling to get somewhere.
2. Not too big of a resort or hotel. No more than 3 stories.
3. Good food. Good food. Good food.
4. King size bed!
5. Open to renting a house or villa

Anybody got any advice for me? I might even be willing to pay for comments today! I beg on bended knee to dish out anything you got! Oh yes, pray for my parents too who will be on boy duty!

Inspired by Board and Batten!

mj — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:49:50 +0000

before shot of hallway

When you enter my home from the garage entry I have a long hall. The laundry room is on the right. I’ve done and redone this hallway several times. In the preschool days I painted 6 layers of magnet paint covered with chalkboard paint. I could adhere all the artwork via magnets and they could doodle all over the wall. I got sick of the dust and painted over it awhile back.

step 1

My next plan….Board and Batten! That plan entered my brain quite awhile ago when I first saw it popping up all over Blog Land. Well, I finally got the job done. This is not a tutorial. I’ll show you the first step….because that is all I have a picture of! I just got busy with the project and did not take any! {To make matters worse I dropped my camera when taking the final after pictures and it has gone to its grave. I’m am cameraless!}

I painted the 2/3 of the hallway with Sherwin Williams Super Paint White Semi Gloss. I figured the wall was going to take some serious abuse so I need all the protection and washability I could get. Also, let me add that those plastic pour containers with the lid that screws back on are GONE! What a great idea at first. I can’t tell you how many times I could not get those lids off when I wanted to paint. I would just keep trying until I got it, but I would get soooo frustrated. Maybe it was because I was lazy and did not clean the paint off the rim before I shut it. Oh well, just glad the old can is back!

The After

I got the guy at Lowes to cut all my boards. I’m sure he was cussing me under my breath when I left too! I did help him measure everything out and mark it. My neighbor pointed out that I was quite rude for not tipping him. Honestly the thought really did not cross my mind. In my mind he was just doing his job. {of course I had no cash anyway} Feedback here…would you have tipped him? Because I will be going back on my next project. Do I need to switch to Home Depot in case I am recognized as the loser who did not tip?

Love the 3 prong hooks

I got these great 3 prong hooks from Home Depot for $3.23 each! I love them because they give you 3 hooks in one to hang stuff on. Each boy can hang their backpack, jacket and hat! Hopefully they will hang these items up!

Adding a little bling

I wanted a coastal feel {really I just want to move to the beach!} when you first walk into the house. On my recent trip to the Outer Banks I got some great starfish at one of my favorite stores, The Cottage Shop.

Driftwood!

I also got this great piece of driftwood from the beach!

A hook for everyone

Here is another view. It is very difficult to get a good picture because it is a hallway. I had a blast doing this project. I made a few mistakes and learned a few new things. I used a nailgun for the first time {loved it} and found out I’m a pretty good calker!

This look is very addicting as well! I’m thinking about tackling my master bedroom next!

All in all it was relatively cheap to do as well. The board I cut up was $24 and I sill have 1/2 left. The hooks were $3.23 each. The starfish were $12 and I had the rest!

Please leave me a comment if you have any specific questions about the project and I will get right back to you!

I’m linking this project up with Melissa at The Inspired Room! She is so inspiring! Check out her Friday Linky Day!

The Reluctant Entertainer ~ I’m a guest writer today!

mj — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:38:17 +0000

I was tickled pink when Sandy from The Reluctant Entertainer asked me to guest host on her blog! I was blessed to have meet her at Blissdom this past February. She rocks Entertaining and has written a book about it that is going to be released in August! So, what could I possible have to say?

Come check out my post on Entertaining on Vacation over on her blog The Reluctant Entertainer.

Feel free to leave me a comment here on my blog as well!Become a Facebook Fan or follow me on Twitter too!

Inspired by Friendship

mj — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 03:49:13 +0000

She looked at me 8 years ago for the first time and “She Knew”.

She Knew I was a new mom.

She Knew I was struggling.

She Knew I was clueless.

She Knew we needed each other. She just Knew!

Meet someone who I often refer to as “My Soulmate”. This is Bernadette. I’ve never know any other Bernadette in all my life. I believe she was hand picked by God and placed in my life at just the perfect time. Yeah, perfect time….a baby that cried all the time and quite frankly terrorized me. {She had been terrorized too….so She Knew!}

Isn’t she just gorgeous? She is inside too! She has taken care of me all week. My husband is gone for the second week in a row! Thank God I had me some Bernadette. She had me and my kids over for dinner three nights in a row! She cooked for us, served us and cleaned up! She spoiled us rotten!

We totally just crack each other up. I love how she is two fisting a cup of coffee and a glass of wine here. Not to mention the fact that she is carrying mountains of crap around for me all day a few weeks ago at the Drake Naylor Invitational!

We have the same hair dresser, wear the same size {a much better deal for me b/c she is the one with the clothes} and we even have dogs that are brothers! OK, so am I getting my point across or just making you nauseous?

The point is that it is tough being a women. God gave us a big amazing job to do. I don’t believe for a second He gave it to us to do alone. He gave us the ability to encourage, support and love each other in ways that our husbands simply can not do.

I hope each one of you has a friend you can laugh until you pee your pants with {not me I had 2 C sections but it seems there is a group of you that pee yourselves a lot!} and cry big sobs with. Pray with. Confess deep down secrets. Even if that special someone is a friend you have made online. These bonds we form are important. They can be our lifelines!

Sometimes it is hard to reach out to someone that you know may need a friend. Sometimes we say to ourselves I’m too busy or I don’t need any more friends. Sometimes it is easier to be friends with some and not with others. Some friendships are a lot of work, others are just natural and fall into place. Some are healthy and some are not.

I pray that each of you get to experience a great friendship in your life. Bernadette is one of my most treasured…I’ve got a few more tucked away too! I love you all…you know who you are!

⁴² Jonathan said, “Go in peace! The two of us have vowed friendship in God’s name, saying, ‘Godwill be the bond between me and you, and between my children and your children forever!’” 1 Samuel 20:42

My Mini Cooper

mj — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:02:55 +0000

I spied this car in this color in a parking lot on Sunday. I was smitten at first sight! I’ve always thought the Mini Cooper was super cute, but when I saw the new Laser Blue, it was all over for me.

Not too bad for almost 40!

I’m thinking I might look pretty cute driving around town in this car. I’ll be 40 in 26 days. I’m thinking this would be a great birthday gift for the days when I don’t want to drive the 8 year old Odyssey with the black electrical tape on the bumper. {don’t get me wrong I’m extremely grateful and blessed for what I have!} I can just picture Mr. and Mrs. Fuggles {my Shih Poo’s} riding along side with the breeze blowing in our hair/fur! {which reminds me I need to introduce you to the Mrs. We just got her last week!}

visit the mini cooper website

Just for kicks I went to the Mini Cooper Website and had a blast building my own. Super fun and so many choices for design, paint, interior, etc. According to the website there are over 10,000 combinations available! Mine was sweet looking! I actually picked white hardtop on the laser blue with a big sun roof.

Laser Blue

My Mini Cooper S had a base price of $22,300. After I finished building and painting it my grand total was $27,100. Cheaper than the base price of the Cooper S Convertible that starts at $27,150! Shall I put a Pay Pal button on the site for you to start donating? Ha Ha!

So come on….you know you have laundry to fold, toilets to clean, maybe some kids hanging on you. Instead, waste some more time online like I did and go build your own! Leave me a comment on about your Mini if you do it!! You know you want to!

Inspired by Blue at the Beach!

mj — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:15:24 +0000

Here is our big fat blue beach rental at Pine Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We fell in love with this house a few years ago and have been renting it ever since. Well, my parents have been renting it ever since! Thanks Mom and Dad!!! I love the pale blue color and the gingerbread cut out shingles.

Here are some of my blue beach scenes from the week:

Blue Acents!

Blue!

Beach Front at Pine Island

I love cloudy days at the beach!

Vintage Blue Bronco

Loving my Liquid Time Necklace!

I loved wearing my latest piece of Liquid Time & Co. jewelry designed by Connie and Kevin Kissel. They rock! I’ll be bringing you lots more information on them and their jewelry real soon!

What inspired you this week?

House of Boy’s

mj — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:12:04 +0000

It is a house full of boy’s this week at the Outer Banks of North Carolina! Here are a couple of shots for Sweet Shot Tuesday over at Life with My 3 Boybarians.This is a shot of the latest addition to the family, the fourth boy Desmond, with his proud Papa Matt.

Hungry Boy!

What do boys like to do? EAT! We have plenty of good food on hand. I love cooking and I love cooking at the beach even more. Kinda crazy huh?

Cheese!

I roasted some fabulous Organic Free Range Chickens the other night! Super easy and crowd pleasing!

Waffles for Breakfast

My Dad (affectionally known ad Gwandad) is in charge of breakfast. He is king of the waffle maker, while the parents are still snoozing! Here is my nephew Owen with his Mac Daddy Waffle!

Have a fabulous day! I’m off to soak up some sun and sand with the boys!

Inspired to Decorate with Letters!

mj — Fri, 14 May 2010 02:56:12 +0000

Lately I am totally inspired by decorating with letters. My last name is Taylor. So I choose to decorate with T’s! This one dresses up my “rescued from the side of the road window” {hate me!}. It is an old type set T I found in a local antique store and of course I painted it blue.

My favorite!

This is my latest addition to the collection and currently my favorite. I was shopping in Historic Franklin Tennessee {loved it there!} and I found this fabulous store called Redo. I so could of bought one of everything in that store! I fell in love with this T and HAD to have it. I met the owner Mitzi and grabbed a card from her store just in case I have to have more I know where to get them!

Tantilizing

I hung it on my backsplash over my stove!

A Turquoise T!

I took my red T from inside my Christmas wreath and changed it up for spring with a quick shot of turquoise spray paint. I’m working on a front porch makeover. Not loving the greenery in this door bucket….so just focus on the fabulous T!

It is a sticker!

How about this T on the front of my black painted knife block? It is a sticker from a pack of letter purchased at Michael’s. How simple is that!

more to go...

The T projects are not over yet. I’ve got two more waiting in the wings for a proper place.

Last but not least my favorite T of all…..

Trish!

It is Trish from Life to the T! I’d be lost without her! If you have not found her blog, she needs to be your next click!

Thanks Melissa for hosting another fabulous Inspiring Friday over on The Inspired Room! I love Fridays!

Do you have something you are inspired to decorate with lately or a favorite person who inspired you?

Inspired by ChalkBoard Ink!

mj — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:16:01 +0000

I have a quirky confession to make. I have hated chalk all my life. Hated the way it felt in my hands as a child and still do. Hate the dust. Hate the sound it makes when you write with it. Just plain hate it! So, I was Over The Moon when a reader told me about Chalk Ink after my post on Organizing With Cracker Jars.

Slate Tags With Chalk

Here are my Cracker Jars {I bought them at Wally World} when I used plain white chalk.

The After

Here they are after I re wrote the tags with the incredible Chalk Ink! Gone was the horrid feeling I had just holding the chalk in my hand! Plus, my handwriting is so much better!

The most important jar in the house!

Are you loving the slate tags? I got them in Melissa’s Open Sky Shop at The Inspired Room!

black board

Be Thankful!

The Chalk Ink Markers are not just for chalk boards. You can write on glass, mirrors {I use my bathroom mirror and my ah ha moment place} and plastic. They wipe right off with water too! I got mine at Michaels.

Have you heard about these or are they new to you too?