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DIY Farmhouse Curtains

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So you’ve been on Pinterest and seen those amazing farmhouse curtains right??! The ones that look a little like burlap… the oh so natural looking… the perfect shade of neutral… yes those! Well if you search them online you will find that they are not only pretty, but they are pretty pricey! Here’s how you can get the same look for a fraction of the cost!

Paint drop cloths!!!! These are a super affordable option for farmhouse curtains!

I purchased two of these from amazon for $11.99 a piece. One drop cloth creates two panels so you’ll need just one per window. That definitely beats paying $40-60 per window for panels!

Here’s the link for the drop cloths:

Ok next you need curtain hooks! I also purchased these from amazon! Here’s the link:

These came in a pack of 24 so this covered 2 windows. I used 6 clips per panel.

Next I washed and dried the drop cloths. I added some bleach to lighten them a tad. Then I laid them out and cut them down the middle crease. So these drop cloths had the seam running 6ft rather than 9ft. So the curtains show the seam in the middle as you will see in my photos. However, when I made these again for my living room, I bought my drop cloths from Lowe’s and the seam ran 9ft so I was able to cut along the seam! You can also purchase seamless drop cloths too!

I did not sew the edges because I put the cut edges to the outside of the window and they aren’t really seen. However you could sew these to keep from fraying if you’d like. I don’t sew and as cheap as they are, if they fall apart I’ll just replace! I also am not opening and closing these curtains so in theory they won’t be touched.

Next I folded the tops over and clipped with the clips. Lastly, I hung them up!

Take a look!

All in all these curtains for two windows cost me $36! Since then I’ve also made them for my living room windows and they look amazing! Now you can make them too!

Xoxo,

MK

Let’s Stay Home DIY Projects: 5 Easy DIY Projects You Can Do At Home

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So we’re quarantined at home for weeks and running out of things to do! Here are 5 ideas for easy DIY projects you can do right from home!

1. DIY Farmhouse Signs

An easy way to add some cuteness to any room is to make a homemade farmhouse sign. Computer paper and an empty picture frame are all you need! Take your computer paper and sketch out the words you want to add. You could also type words in a fun font and print it, but if you’re like me you’re out of printer ink so we improvise! Then you use a Sharpie, black marker, or ink pen and go over your words. Let dry and add to any frame!

2. Re-paint something you already have to give it a new look.

Look around your house. You have tons of decor already! Pick something that you’re not afraid to change and paint it! I had an oar that was turquoise which didn’t go with my decor now. So I used some craft paint to give it a new look.

3. DIY Watercolor Art

You can also take watercolor paints and computer paper and paint your own artwork! There are plenty of how-to YouTube videos that give you step by step instructions on how to paint a pretty picture! I love painting florals, greenery, or landscapes! It will add a pretty touch to any room.

4. Wallpaper Shiplap

Make an accent wall with easy to apply shiplap wallpaper! I created a farmhouse entryway with a shiplap wall using wallpaper from Amazon! You can also find wallpaper from Target! These farmhouse hooks came from Amazon too!

Shiplap wallpaper: NuWallpaper NU3129 Reclaimed… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07482XYMS?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Farmhouse hooks: OUSHINAN Rustic Entryway Hooks |… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DNBM435?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

5. Create a Coffee Bar

Find a spot in your kitchen or dining room and move your coffee pot! I found these hooks from the Target dollar spot but Amazon also has them! Add your favorite coffee mugs and a cute ceramic canister to put your coffee in and voila! You have yourself an adorable coffee station!

There you go! Now you have 5 new ideas that will keep you busy for a little while longer! Stay hone and stay safe!

Xoxo,

MK

There’s no place like home

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I’ve always been a homebody. Ask my mama. When I was in preschool, I would cry and cry during nap time because I wanted to go home. When I was a little girl, I hated sleepovers. My mama even had to come get me once from a friend’s house late at night because I wouldn’t stay. As a grown up, I LOVE to travel but my favorite place will always be our home.

After Gene and I got married and we became his, hers, and ours… we began taking trips and opened our hearts and children up to how wonderful it is to travel. We aren’t rich by any means but we make it a priority to take vacations each year. We have made our own tradition to take the kids somewhere different, somewhere they’ve never been, every year. We are fortunate and proud to be able to provide these experiences for our children. Traveling with a big family is definitely something they will always remember!

This pandemic has put a halt to life as we know it, especially to anyone’s travel plans. Who knows if we will even get to take a vacation this year. As sad as that makes me, it doesn’t bother me to stay home. I’m not one to always have to go somewhere. I value the time I get on the weekends to stay home and clean. I always find a way to be productive around the house. There’s always a project that can be done! Gene is the same way. He would much rather be at home in the yard with the kids or grilling in the backyard than running the roads.

I know there’s many of you that say you aren’t cut out for being a stay at home mom or that homeschooling isn’t for you. But for me, I could actually swing it. If you know me, you know how organized I am. Creating my own schedule for the day and organizing our day for the kids is definitely something I could thrive on.

I know this isn’t true homeschooling fashion. I’m totally fine with letting them sleep in, and letting them go outside to play. Honestly, what’s being required of them now that school is out is too much. Yes, they are used to sitting in a classroom at a desk for 7 hours a day but they can’t possibly do all of that work they would normally do at school, at home.

Number one, there are too many distractions here. My home is not set up to be a learning environment. Number two, I might be a teacher but I’m not a Spanish teacher, okay? I can’t assist them with everything. They need help from teachers that they would normally receive in the classroom but it’s not that easy to receive that kind of support at home. Number three, our kids don’t know what to do. This is a crazy time and they are just as unsure of everything as we are.

So no I’m not going to make them sit at our kitchen table all day. I’m going to let them go outside and play. I’m going to let them watch movies. I’m going to let them go on 4-wheeler rides and sit by the fire pit past bedtime.

I know this pandemic is an awful, terrible thing that has caused so much disruption and chaos, illness and death. We are disappointed that we, like the rest of our country, are having to sacrifice many things we love. We may not be able to travel again for a while. We aren’t going to be able to have the kids visit our hospital room when the new baby is born. We can’t spend this spring going fun places. The girls may not be able to celebrate their birthdays the way they’d like to.

But above all of that, today we are healthy. Today we are together. Today we can hug each other. And we are just going to take one day at a time being grateful that the world has slowed down a little bit.

We may be quarantined, but honestly there’s no other place I’d rather be.

There’s no place like home.

-The Wizard of Oz

Xoxo,

MK

Antique Dresser DIY Remodel

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Have you ever had a piece of furniture you didn’t know quite what to do with and were debating on dumping it?

My husband wanted to take this dresser to the dump….. here’s the story: We purchased new dressers for our bedroom from IKEA and gave our old dresser to our daughters to use because it was in much better shape than this one. So this old thing went to the front porch until I could decide what to do with it.

Right before it was about to go to the dump I had the idea to paint it.

This dresser has lived through 3 generations. It was my mother’s when she was growing up and matches and entire bedroom suit that we still have pieces of here and there. I used this same furniture when I was growing up too and then passed it on to my daughters.

Over time, it has gained a few scratches, pen marks, crayon coloring, and broken handles.

This project took two days. However, I’m 8 months pregnant with 4 kids in my house so I’m certain someone can do it all in a day.

First, I removed the handles. Then I cleaned the dresser and the drawer faces really well with a multipurpose cleaner. It was already pretty clean other than some minor “guk” and marks so nothing more was necessary for cleaning. However I would recommend something like “Krud Kutter” if you have a really dirty surface.

Next, I sanded the dresser with a hand sander. This isn’t as hard as it sounds. I always see where people are posting “no sanding required” projects. My hand sander makes it super easy and since I did this on my front porch there wasn’t any mess! I went over the faces of the drawers and the entire body of the dresser several times to take the old finish off.

Then, I primed the entire thing and drawer faces with KILS paint primer.

Once that was dry, I started brush painting the dresser then the drawers. The paint I used was Sherwin Williams Swiss Coffee. This is the same paint I used for my kitchen cabinets and was leftover. I’m famous at using things I already have laying around! Be careful that you don’t have any drips. The hardest part was getting into the little crevice that made the unique design on the dresser body.

I let all of this dry for several hours. I put a fan on them to help the drying process.

After everything was dry, I inserted the drawers back into the dresser and brought it in the house to finish setting so that pollen and bugs from outside wouldn’t cover it!

I let it finish drying and setting for several days and then applied a coat of poly to seal it and keep the paint from getting easily damaged.

Finally my new handles came in and I installed those. These came from Amazon! Added some decor and voila! Project complete.

It turned out great and I’m so happy with it! I love having pieces of furniture in our home that are meaningful. This one is definitely full of memories!

What’s your next project?

Xoxo,

MK

Yes I have 4 kids and yes my house is clean!

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I’m not superwoman. I’m not a miracle worker. I’m just a mom who likes a clean home… and likes the value it brings in raising our kids!

I’m not going to lie.. there are days and times when it’s NOT the neatest. Muddy footprints. Dog hair. Spilled milk. Pencil marks on the wall. You name it.. our kids have probably done it.

So when I say I’m a mom who likes a clean home… I do… but I work my butt off cleaning up after everyone on a daily basis. (And have come up with a whole bunch of life hacks along the way!)

Here’s how I do it. I’m giving you all the secrets!

1. Make the kids help. (And hubby too!)

One day when our kids are married their spouses are going to thank me for training them so well! The truth is I can’t maintain this house all on my own! It’s a team effort. Unloading and loading and washing dishes are a daily chore for our kiddos. Laundry? Uh yea they do their own! And from time to time they vacuum and sweep for me!

2. Set expectations in your household.

All humans who live in my home know how I like my house. They know if they track muddy prints in I’m not going to be happy. They also know if I walk by their room and see dirty clothes all over the floor, I’m definitely going to stop and say something about it. They know better than to leave dirty dishes on the table. Once you set these expectations and don’t let them get away with failing to uphold them, life will be a whole lot easier. Think about how much of this you don’t have to worry about because they will just do it… without you having to ask!

3. Do something each day.

I was getting overwhelmed on the weekends trying to do everything in one day or sometimes just a few hours. It’s so hard when your weekdays are busy with work and after school activities. I was waiting to do it all on the weekends which most working mamas probably do! For me, it’s much easier to break my household chores up and do a little bit every day! Find things that will help you accomplish this such as a Swiffer Wet Jet or by keeping your favorite multipurpose cleaner out in an easy to grab spot. My biggest challenge is keeping my floors clean. I chose that to be my daily priority. The Swiffer has made keeping the dog hair to a minimum and saves me a lot of time! It’s a quick and easy way to go over the floors in the evening either with the wet pads or dry pads. Pick something that’s feasible to do every day and commit to it!

4. Have a take-your-shoes-off at the door rule!

Hands down the easiest way to maintain clean floors is by making sure no one wears shoes in the house. Our home is definitely a no shoes zone! If you think about everywhere your shoes have been… public restrooms, mud puddles, stepping in dog poop… then you would jump on the opportunity to enforce this rule!

5. Declutter often.

Don’t let things pile up! Dedicate a weekend every few months to go through kids’ rooms and discard broken items or trash and donate toys and clothes that are no longer wanted! Do the same thing with the other closets such as the coat closet, linen closet, and YOUR closet! Recognize “clutter hot spots” in your house and rearrange or change things up to force you not to leave “stuff” laying there. For us, the kitchen bar always gets piled with random “stuff,” including mail, wallets, can coozies, pens, and the list goes on. I put a cute wire tray there with a basket in it for mail and a lamp beside it to deter my peeps from piling stuff up on an empty counter. Trust me it works!

Being neat and clean isn’t just me being seriously OCD! It’s teaching our kids how to be independent and responsible. It’s also teaching them how to give things up, because having an abundance of material items isn’t necessary to be happy. It teaches them compassion when they choose which of their old toys to donate to Goodwill. It teaches them teamwork. Have you ever seen THREE kids unload the dishwasher at one time? Our kids have it down to a science! It allows them to contribute to running our home. Acceptance. We aren’t just the mean ol’ parents fussing at them to do stuff. We value their hard work! They aren’t just spoiled rotten and lazy… which don’t get me wrong sometimes they are! But they are being taught to work hard for rewards. They are being taught that we work for what we have and that things don’t always come easy to us in life. We are teaching them that life is full of “I wants” but first we have to do the “I musts.”

I’ve read blogs where mamas believe in spending less time worrying about cleaning. That the dishes can wait because they are only going to be little once. And those mamas are completely right. It’s NOT always all about keeping things neat and tidy. There are times we say “screw it,” let’s enjoy staying outside a little later than normal because it’s a nice evening. Oh, we definitely do that too! But keeping a clean home is more than that. Our time with them as kids is going to go by so fast. And we will always, always make time to enjoy them. I’m also looking at the big picture. I’m thinking about teaching them these values. I’m thinking about what they will be like when they are raising their own families.

I am proud of how we are raising our big family. So yes, my house is clean and neat… even with four kids living here!

Xoxo,

MK