Home Improvement Horrors

I'm linking this post up to DIY day on A Soft Place to Land. It's not a finished project yet, but all about the many things that can and will go wrong during home improvement projects.

Ok, they are not quite horrors, but it sounds more dramatic that way. It's more like small bumps in the road from the before to the after. Isn't that the rule for home improvement that everything will cost twice as much and take three times as long? So here are our current misadventures in trying to makeover our hallway bath. It was all the original builder grade 1994 style and I wanted to punch it up a bit.

The first hiccup came with regards to the paint color. I had another free Glidden quart from their promotion that I was planning to use. Unfortunately when the color was actually applied to the wall I quickly realized it was much to blue and bright. My shower curtain, towels, and bath rug have more of a bluish green color that I wanted to match. So my second Glidden paint sample was also a failure. (Go here to read about my first free Glidden paint disaster.) The color is pretty though so I may use it on something else someday.

So I had to run out to Home Depot at 7:30 at night and buy a new gallon of paint. I like the new color much better and you will see it in the final reveal. (If we ever finish!)


I have officially been to Lowe's 4 times and Home Depot 2 times in the past 6 days. Last night I had to visit Lowe's yet again to pick up a couple things. I was looking for a nail set to use when reattaching the trim so that we don't damage the trim and the nails set below the surface. Well, not really reattaching since we damaged the trim while removing it so now we have to buy new trim. (Grrrr.) Anyways, I had to ask 4 people working at Lowe's until someone had a clue what I was talking about and what a nail set was and where it was located in the store. It took me 40 minutes at Lowe's to find 2 items.

Now I have a set of three nail sets in different sizes. I need a new toolbox, I'm started to collect more and more gadgets and gizmos as this project progresses.

While I was out wandering around Lowe's, hubby was supposed to be installing my new oil-rubbed bronze faucet I purchased from Overstock at a great price. Instead this is what I returned home to:

Ooops. The plan was to keep the old vanity. Now we have to go shopping tonight for a new vanity top because the old faucet did not want to let go of the old vanity top. Hubby's reply was "You wanted a new vanity anyway right?"

I was still determined to complete at least one project last night. So I dragged out the new mirror I bought at Old Time Pottery for $20 and a can of Krylon Oil-Rubbed Bronze. The mirror was originally a dark brownish gold color. I taped off the front and started spraying.

After about 30 seconds the goofy "360 nozzle" of the paint can kept clogging up. I continued to try and wipe of the nozzle and shake the can, but it continued to clog. After a couple minutes, it refused to spray at all. My rating for Krylon's stupid paint nozzle-FAIL.

So now I have to buy another can of spray paint along with a new vanity. And wood putty. And plumber's putty. And who knows what else. Time for another trip to Home Depot or Lowe's.

This is what my parking space in the garage looks like now. Maybe someday my car will make it back in there.

I think it's time for some ice cream. Blue Bunny sugar free ice cream=Extreme awesomeness.

Restful Retreats

I haven't been posting as many inspiration photos lately. I've been so busy using some of those ideas in my own home. I hope to have one of our bathrooms finished up soon and some pictures of that to share after a long weekend of painting and laying down new flooring.


I also have some mini projects in the works in our bedroom. I want our bedroom to be a relaxing retreat and have the feel of a lovely cottage or a getaway at a charming Bed and Breakfast. One way to create a calming mood in your room is to use soft, cool colors such as blue. Here are several gorgeous bedrooms that are decorated with different shades of blue.

Coastal Living

Coastal Living

Coastal Living

Southern Living

Remodeling Ideas

My Home Ideas

Remodeling Ideas

My Home Ideas

Show Us Your Life-Vacations!

It's "Show Us Your Life" Friday at Kelly's Korner. Another fun topic today is to show your favorite vacation spots. I looooove to travel and would do it more if time and money weren't limiting factors. Two of my favorite vacation destinations are Alaska and Michigan.

First photos from the Alaskan cruise we took 3 years ago. If you ever get a chance to go to Alaska, you must go! It is so unlike the rest of the country and just too amazing for words. I would love to go back someday, but the downside of Alaska is that it is VERY expensive. I would have loved to fly there and drive around instead of being more limited on a cruise, but the cruise was the far cheaper way to see the state.

We flew to Seattle and took Amtrak to Vancover because it cost $300 to fly to Seattle opposed to $600 to fly to Vancouver. Our cruise was a roundtrip out of Vancouver.

Getting ready to sail under Lion's Gate Bridge while leaving Vancouver:


Magnificant Hubbard Glacier. We cruised up to this mightly glacier for several hours. It was very cold and windy out of deck, but the beauty of the glacier almost made me forget the cold. Almost.






This was the Pultney Point Lighthouse I think. It's on the way to Skagway.



Our first port was Skagway. We rented a car and drove the Klondike Highway into Canada.
The sceneary was gorgeous.





There were beautiful hills, mountains, and deep blue lakes.





This is Emerald Lake and where we turned around and headed back.



In Juneau we splurged and took a helicopter ride to a glacier. It was raining all day in Juneau so the pictures from the ride weren't the best, but the view was awesome.



We landed on the glacier and walked around for awhile. It was slippery and cold, but not as cold as your would think standing on a big hunk of ice would be.



Our last port was Ketchikan. The former "red light" district of the town is now home to shops and restaurants on Creek Street.



Another lighthouse we passed on the cruise. I love lighthouses!



On our last day sailing back to Vancouver we sailed near a pod of killer whales. They were everywhere and kept jumping up out of the water. It was amazing to watch.





The last sunset of our cruise. =(






Another favorite vacation destination is Michigan. Living in the Midwest, the Great Lakes are the closest thing we have to an ocean and beaches. We have spent the last 2 years visiting areas of Michigan.

This is the lighthouse in Ludington. We climbed the stairs to the top and I was freaked out because of the height. The view was incredible from the top though.



This is the graceful Mackinac Bridge connecting the lower part of Michigan to the upper peninsula. We drove across it to St. Ignace where we had dinner.



We also took the ferry across to Mackinac Island. The island is a charming Victorian community. Cars are banned from the island so everyone rides bikes or in horse carriages. Even the UPS guy drives a horse and wagon to make deliveries. It was odd to see houses without driveways or garages, but the homes are very beautiful.



The view from Fort Mackinac on the island.



This is the view from our room in Traverse City.



We also visited Sleeping Bear Dunes. There is a scenic drive you can take with many places to stop and some short hikes to some amazing views. The water in Lake Michigan is a deep blue-green color. The water around Traverse City is supposed to be some of the cleanest water on the planet.



The sunsets on Lake Michigan are awesome. This photo is from when we returned to the state last year. This was taken in Holland. Holland is a quaint town complete with windmills and tulips.



And of course another lighthouse shot. The shore along the Great Lakes is full of lighthouses. This one is in Muskegon.


A final lighthouse shot from beautiful South Haven. South Haven is my favorite town in Michigan. It has that laid back beach town feel.



We are headed to Colorado in just a few weeks so I'm sure I will have another favorite vacation destination and lots of wonderful photos to share!

DIY Thursday-Sweet Apple Coleslaw

(Edited November 23rd to link up to the Recipe Party on the Shabby Chic Cottage and Embellished Bayou.)

It's that time again, DIY day at A Soft Place to Land. I loooove Thursdays!

While I am in the middle of a bathroom makeover, I don't have any more finished projects to show off just yet. So I decided to post one of my favorite recipes that we had with dinner Wednesday night. I found this recipe online and tweaked it a little to fit our tastes. This recipe is called Apple Coleslaw, but it's also affectionately known as "Sara Salad" since I bring it to family gatherings and it's a crowd favorite. My hubby normally hates regular cole slaw, but this one he loves. It's a bit sweeter and less mayonnaise based than traditional cole slaw.



Here is the ingredient list for 4 servings that I normally make for hubby and myself and then have leftovers for lunch. If you are making it for 6-10 people it's easy to just double and use the whole bag of coleslaw.

-1/2 of a 1lb bag shredded deli cole slaw mix

-1 apple of any variety, chopped

-2 green onion tops, chopped

-1/4 cup brown sugar

-1/4 to 1/3 cup mayonnaise(I don't measure exact, I just stir it around until the mix looks lightly coated. I also use light mayo.)

-1 Tablespoon lemon juice

-1 teaspon apple cider vinegar

-2 or 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds. I usually use walnuts and I don't normally measure. Just put in as many nuts as you want.

Then just mix it all together, making sure the apples are throughly mixed in with the lemon juice and mayo so they don't turn brown. This cole slaw tastes awesome the next day too after all the flavors have blended together. It's one way I can get my hubby to eat his veggies and with light mayo it's fairly low in calories and fat. Plus the apple and nuts are good for you and cancel out the brown sugar right? Enjoy!