Category: 2012

2012, brown, craft, office, organizing, paint, project

Stereo stand to craft tower

by casadeberry22 Comments on Stereo stand to craft tower

This old stereo stand had been languishing in the kids’ playroom — and my office — for several months:

I thought it had great potential for craft storage, and decided to give it a new look.

First came a coat of chocolate brown paint for the outside, a coat of Antique Gold for the shelves, and a Command hook for the side:

For the inside I chose my favorite peacock paper from Paper Source:

I gathered craft stuff that was scattered all over the house, and some random containers were given a new life. I didn’t want things matchy-matchy, and neither did I want to spend any money. Everything was done with items I already had.

Here you can see some of my paper crafting and sewing supplies:

Paper punches, threads and ribbons, and my blank card packs. I have so many, I really need to start using them!

On top, my pencils and markers, decorative scissors, various adhesives, and random bits and bobs, along with a tray I painted a while ago with my newest craft book:

Yes, it is The Martha’s Holiday Crafts book, and it is awesome. Some of the crafts are a little advanced to do with my boys, but I’m working on adapting a few.

So here it is, my sweet little craft station. I love that I transformed it without spending a cent and that it is now a useful piece instead of just storing old VHS movies and gathering dust.

I hope you enjoyed this makeover!

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2012, dad

Happy Birthday, Daddy

by casadeberry2 Comments on Happy Birthday, Daddy

Dear Dad,

You would have been 78 today. Your friends at the coffee shop would have probably given you extra breakfast goodies, and later on, we would have stopped by to celebrate your birthday. The boys would have run around as usual, and you would have loved listening to all their new doings, their school stories, their new successes.

Dad

Thank you for having lunch with me every Monday for many years. I treasure those memories and I hope one day we get to celebrate your birthday together again, with a proper Peruvian breakfast, lots of Peruvian newspapers and magazines and great conversation.

I miss you so much, dad.

CB

2012

Zits and Wrinkles

by casadeberry3 Comments on Zits and Wrinkles

I swear, this was not the post I meant to write for today.  I have finished a little craft and am redoing a piece of furniture so I was going to write about that, but I can’t.  I just can’t.   My skin has taken over my life.  Or at least, my brain matter.

As I’ve mentioned before, I recently turned 40.  Okay, I’m cool with that.  My mom is almost 80 and does not look her age.  My sister is 63 and does not act her age 😀  And I am happy to say I don’t look like I thought FORTY would look like.

However, my skin is going a little too much in the other direction these last few days.  Because it’s zitsville here, people!  I never went through the teenage acne phase, but I had a bit of an acne problem a couple of years ago.  Well, it’s coming back.

My poor nose has been Ground Central, or rather, Zit Central for the past couple of weeks.   Then there’s one by the corner of my mouth that hurts a lot.  And the one that makes me hope you didn’t put creamer in your coffee – the ear zit.  Which, apparently, I was picking at during my sleep because I woke up with a sharp little pain in my ear and some bloody goopy on my fingernail.

Just keeping it real here.

I’m glad there are no pictures in my near future.  Behind the camera, sure; in front, heck, no!

Have a good, zit-free weekend.

2012, entertaining, friends, parties

Our New Year’s Day Brunch

by casadeberry5 Comments on Our New Year’s Day Brunch

The sixth (out of six) event we hosted this holiday season was a brunch to celebrate the first day of the new year.

We made it a potluck, with us providing pancakes and waffles, coffee and tea, and people bringing whatever else they felt like enjoying. We had a great turnout and many delicious goodies.

The living room mantel had been de-holiday-ed and has a pared down appearance:

Our brunch set up included this fun printable from eighteen25:

Hutches ready with drinks and platters for yummy goodies:

Glitter is always appropriate:

The food people brought was amazing:

The sausage on the top left plate was delicious. Oh, there’s none left. Yeah, it was epic, and it was gone the moment I would bring more out. Our friend J made it himself and I tell you, I usually HATE breakfast sausage, but this was fabulous.

My mother-in-law brought fresh fruit, which was the healthiest thing we had all day:

Auntie L brought this amazing gorilla bread:

Picture us diving in like raging beasts and pulling back with our pieces, leaving only a few nuts and crumbs on the plate.
She also brought yummy muffins and pumpkin bread. Oh man, inviting Auntie L is a dangerous thing, she is a fantastic baker.

We provided pancakes and waffles, and our friends S&C lent us their Mickey Mouse waffle maker:

Our friend K and her family brought bacon and ingredients for a yummy hash. Then she told me to leave my kitchen:

See that huge knife she has?

Yeah, I left.

But then she brought this out so I figured I’d been made to leave my kitchen for a good reason:

Our friends J&M brought eggs, freshly made whipped cream, and a yummy berry compote. Our other friend S was seen scooping up a huge spoonful of whipped cream and dumping it in her coffee. We all just smiled and nodded. S brought us homemade mulled wine, which we can’t wait to try, and many people brought sparkly wine and OJ for mimosas.

There’s no further pics because I was eating like a pig for the rest of the brunch. That, and making sure K didn’t have a knife in her hand anymore.

My dear friend M and her kids (her son is friends with my oldest) came over, which made for a nice end to our brunch. Then my husband started playing Lonely Island videos on the TV while the kids were playing outside. One little girl made it back inside and her dad promptly took her back outside so her tender ears would not be corrupted by our choice of entertainment.

My boys were still getting Christmas gifts, I swear, we are all severely spoiled. The final brooch on the perfect day we had was my friend M coming back to drop off some homemade posole for my dinner. I tell ya, we have awesome friends.

2012, about me

(20) twelve things about me

by casadeberry1 Comment on (20) twelve things about me

Last January 1st I told you eleven things about me, so I figured I’d make it a yearly ritual.

1 – I turned 40 almost 2 months ago. I celebrated the milestone with a trip to Napa with some friends, and a big party back home for lots of lovely friends and family. It was awesome to see so many people from different areas of my life.

2 – For my birthday, I requested (those guests who asked) seeds or garden stuff for my veggie/fruit garden. I got so much that I am not sure if I have space for everything, and I have a pretty big backyard, a raised bed on the side of the house, and a front yard.

3 – I canned produce for the first time a few months ago. Although I ended up with a deep cut on my finger that didn’t totally close for three days, I am actually going to try it again this year. Don’t worry, I threw away the pear I was cutting when I had my accident ;D

4 – My youngest is autistic. He is officially a HFA, PDD-NOS (say what?) — High Functioning Autistic with a Pervasive Developmental Disorder—Not Otherwise Specified. Meaning, he has some developmental issues but doesn’t have “typical” autism symptoms. He has always been a happy, sociable boy and thanks to wonderful teachers and some medications, he has made great progress. These last few months, in fact, have been amazing.

5 – My color tastes have gone from All Burgundy, All The Time, to Turquoise and Olive Green. Who knew? I still love burgundy but it makes up a much smaller percentage of my closet.

6 – Life is better on amphetamines. LET ME CLEAR THAT UP. I’ve always been super scattered, like that California cheese commercial where the cow is intent on winning the race and all of a sudden “ooh, dandelions!” — so I asked my doctor for some help on focusing and I tell ya, it’s like night and day. I honestly don’t know how I spent 40 years the way I did. I ran out of my prescription for a couple of days and it was awful, I would literally stand in the middle of the living room with no idea of what I was supposed to be doing, and with 1,000 ideas of what to do, all at the same time. Now I actually finish things instead of starting 5 projects and leaving them all half-done. This is in NO WAY a recommendation or suggestion for anyone to take amphetamines, but just sharing what my experience has been.

7 – I have become a nail polish and perfume whore. Both of which I can blame on others, thank goodness 😀 My dear college friend took me to this place where the pricey polishes are all 1/2 off, which is the only way I’d ever buy them. My husband is always getting me new perfume – he’ll ask people what they’re wearing if he likes it and then buy it for me. This one waitress kept looking at me when he asked her, and I’m all “no, really, he’s not being creepy, he just wants to buy me whatever it is you’re wearing.” After wearing one or two scents for years, I now have added LOVELY & Hanae Mori to my repertoire.

8 – I am a voracious reader. Even though I utterly failed in my “50 in 2011” challenge. To be fair, it was a super busy year, but now that my husband and some friends chipped in to get me a Kindle Fire for Christmas, I think I’m going to be doing a lot more reading. My favorite genres are mysteries, urban fantasy, historical fiction and biographies.

9 – I need to learn how to walk in heels. Again. Having two small boys has meant running around in Skechers for the past 7 years, but it has also meant that when I need to wear heels I look like a major loser. I don’t plan on being all Victoria Beckham, wearing stilettos to the playground, but I really need to get my high heel groove back.

10 – Thai food is my cooking goal this year. My husband loves it but I can’t really have hot spicy foods because a) I have GERD, and b) I just don’t like it, so going to Thai restaurants is an issue. The solution is for me to learn how to make all his dishes and then be able to control the amount of spicy heat on my portions.

11 – I have never watched The Exorcist, Paranormal Activity, or any of those movies. And I never will. I learned this lesson after watching The Blair Witch Project and then realizing my roommates were out for the evening. I slept with the lights on that night.

12 – I am blissfully happy with my husband and my kids. Sure, there’s always those days, but I am glad we found each other. I was an old maid of 31 when I got married and I am sure many people were shocked to (finally!) get a wedding invite from me, but the way I see it is, if I’d just wanted to get married I could have gotten married years before. I wanted the wonderful marriage, not just the wonderful wedding. We’re still the goofy silly dorks we were 10 years ago, except older and wider. But we’re going to work on that “wider” part ;D

So that’s my 12 for (20)12 – I love comments and questions, so please say hi!

2011, 2012

Goals for 2012

by casadeberryLeave a Comment on Goals for 2012

Our project list for 2011 was about 90% done by the end of the year.  The main item that was left undone was canned lighting on the kitchen ceiling – our budget called it quits and it was a cosmetic want as opposed to a need, so we decided to let it go this past year.

We did get handles for the kitchen cabinets, make fancy new pillowcases, get a new fence for the backyard, plant tons of veggies and fruits in our backyard, revamp my little office area, celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary, transform a coffee table, made a lavender wreath, build a shed, build a new mantel, made a super cheap fall-themed door wreath, get a new toilet, make a fabulous Godzilla costume, re-floor the bathroom, processed our first canned goods, and I turned 40!

For 2012, these are some of our goals:

Have a bigger and more productive veggie garden
Can, dry, and freeze more homegrown food
Take better pictures
Get canned lighting installed in the kitchen/dining room
Re-paint living room/dining room/kitchen
Re-paint master bedroom
Re-think living room art/decor (we’ve had the same art on the main wall for 8 years)
Go through all my craft stuff once and for all
Streamline my office area
Streamline my closet
Convert my husband’s old desk area into media center/storage/charging center
Plan more road trips with the boys

and on the Only-If-We-Win-The-Lottery Category:
Deal with decking outside master bedroom (either enclose it or rebuild it)

I wish you a wonderful New Year, may it be filled with hope and happiness, health and joy, and may you be surrounded by those you love throughout the months.

We will be celebrating 2012 with a New Year’s Day brunch – our last event this holiday season.

See you next year!