The Cottage Around the Corner

I have had a lot of fun on CraigsList recently. Not near as much as I would like, as people are really overpricing their items, but I have found some great deals. Like this china cabinet:

I have always wanted a china cabinet, but they were either too expensive, or too large for the space. I found this one for $100. Yeah me!! I love the style. I need to replace the glass shelves since the glass is old and brittle, but that won't cost very much. I plan on painting it as well, I am just not sure what color. I love the idea of a cherry red china cabinet, but if I painted it black, I could put red and white polka dot paper in the back. I have such a thing for polka dots!! I could even switch it out with toile, which I would do for the winter holidays. Polka dots just seem to jump put at me in the spring and summer. There is another shot below.
I have several sets of china (5 to be exact)... 2 belong to my daughters. I received one from my MIL, and I think it is soooo pretty. It is a bamboo pattern. My boys love that one since it is less feminine than all the pink rose ones that my daughter have. I will have to post those another day as I have them packed away in the garage. I ran out of cabinet space in my kitchen and I didn't have the china cabinet yet. I loooove china. I even bought a pre-chipped set for the girls and I to use outside for tea. That way I would be broken hearted when one breaks. I found that set at a thrift store. The girls were thrilled, because they know there is no way Mommy would take out an intact set of china. Really... how fun would tea be if Mommy broke out in tears every time someone inevitably chip the really nice china? I prefer to not have that come out in the therapy office when they are older. You know, fear of china. Call it china-phobia, stemming from an unnatural fear of china due to the crazy behavior of a mother. That doesn't sound that fun to me. Of course, since I got the china cabinet, the kids are planning out who gets it when I die. I must admit, that makes me a wee bit nervous.... ;0). I think they all realize how special it is to me, even though I haven't been able to paint it or accessorize it like I plan. How fun would it really be if everything was done all at once? I think that makes it look too contrived. I want it to look like I have been working on it for years. I think that makes it much more lovely. Do you have a china cabinet and how did you treat yours? You know, with paint and accessories? I hope to get to the painting in the next few weeks, but I am having trouble on the color. What do you think? Black, antique white, cherry red or turquoise? Now remember that I am counting on you here. ;0) I am at a most indecisive stage. So, tell me what you think and I will let you know what I finally decide!! Thanks for stopping by and I promise to post more frequently.

Things have been crazy around here. I haven't posted since February. I know. Bad, bad blogger!! I promise to self flagellate later. You see, the longer I stayed away... the more I thought that the next project had to be big. The longer, the bigger. You understand. So, there was a lot of self imposed pressure I was placing on myself, and with 5 kids.... big projects are kinda hard to get done. They tend to be long term ongoing projects. So, I didn't post. Then there was the guilt. You know, for not posting. Yes, I know. You are right. I am kinda psycho.
To top all of this craziness off, I have been battling major depressive disorder. It is kinda funny when you think about it. I have been too depressed to do anything and then I was filled with guilt for not doing anything. Thankfully, I am feeling better for the time being and I admit that that is absolutely crazy funny. Hey, if you can't laugh at yourself when you've lost it.... what is the point???
So, I promise that I will behave myself better. No more feeling sorry for myself. The worst thing I could do is sit on my butt and do nothing. Yes, I have the gift of guilt trips. And I am especially good at doing them to myself. I always say, "If you can't afford a real trip, then take a guilt trip!". Ha.
Try not to think of me as too pathetic, if you do that is OK. I have gone through this long enough to not care what other people think. If I did that, well, I think I would always be depressed.
Ok. Enough of that. On to something interesting. The month of April should be a good month around here. We are planning several painting projects. Namely, the shed out back. We need to replace siding on one side, but after that it is all paint. And plants. Did I mention that it is currently my homage to weeds? I could say it is currently a science experiment to determine the types of weeds prevalent in our area. We are also currently conducting science experiments in the fridge... which reminds me that the fridge is on my list for today. Oh, dang. And the bathrooms. Why did you have to remind me?
Well, I now have a ton of stuff to get done. And I hope you guys are still around. I plan on getting quite a few things done here soon. And no procrastinating this time!! I promise!!

I know I said I would post this on the 26th of January, but we have AGAIN been dealing with sickness. Aurrgh! I am soooo ready for spring!!
I haven't had a lot of time to do a ton of stuff... yet. That is all coming.... soon!! I promise!! For right now, I am just uber happy to get this up here!! Quick! Before the kids see I am on the computer...!!!

Make-up organizers can be pricey. Too pricey if you ask me. Maybe I am just too cheap, maybe frugal is a better description.
Here is what I did:

I went out to WalMart and bought a $10 fishing tackle box. I also went over to the craft section and got some bead organizers for my earrings. It is a beautiful thing when you can actually find your accessories!! ;0)

The earrings fit nicely in the bottom drawer, along with some of the larger eye shadow compacts that I have. The rest I just divided up and...voila!! I can actually find stuff!! Yippee!! Here she is... by the way I named her Martha...:

Here's a quick pic my awesome husband took on my old camera this morning!

OK OK, this is really Kelly's husband. As part of setting up Kelly's new MacBook Pro, I'm setting her up with a much easier blogging workflow and this post is simply a test of that new workflow. I couldn't help but throw in that shameless plug...

I am a Bzzz Agent. If you aren't you are really missing out. I get to try out new products and rate them. I have even gotten to try out different medications, like allergy meds, that worked great. And it didn't cost me a dime. I didn't even have to pay for shipping.

This is such a delicious recipe for biscuits. If you prefer biscuits without sugar, you can just omit that. We found that these are good with anything... especially jelly (the kids' favorite!!). Faith made this batch and I think she did a great job!! This is a recipe I got from our pastors wife when I was a teenager. There is nothing quite as homey smelling as fresh baked biscuits and homemade bread. Enjoy!!