Spring Please

It may not technically be Spring but it sure feels like it with this warm weather we've been having.  I decided that to go along with it, I was going to set out some flowers.  Here's to Spring coming soon!!

A Balancing Act

I can find inspiration in just about anything. I am always coming up with ideas and things I'd like to do inside and outside of our house. I could walk you through every single room in the house and tell you something new or different I'd like to do. My problem is that time and money don't always align with my project ideas. I accept that, most of the time. I use the winter to compile ideas and first sign of warm weather, I get started. Pinterest hasn't helped because it has provided inspiration and ideas well out of my realm of creativity and has tripled my "Want To Do" list for this year. I even have a "To Do" list app on my phone to help me organize my ideas by room and I have it at my fingertips when out shopping.

My goal in 2012 is to not have an overabundance of ideas and materials sitting around the house that I just don't get to. I have a dresser, wooden student desk, and some mirrors and frames taking up space because I never completed all of my 2011 projects. I painted the boys' room to decorate it like a big boy room vs a nursery and never did anything else to the room. I refuse to have uncompleted projects. I will find a balance between being a mother and creative soul and I will finish all the awesome projects that I set out to start!

Here's one I finished up at the end of last year before the weather turned cold.

I wanted to change the look of the house with small touches. First thing, paint the door.

I felt red would be dramatic and still go with the brown shutters that I have no intention of painting. I also added some pillows to our chairs to give an additional pop of color. The picture isn't the best and it's still a work in progress. We have a lot of yard work to do to complete the over look. The tree needs to be trimmed back, the flowerbed is going to be tilled and we are going to start fresh this spring. I also painted some flower pots red too but those haven't made their appearance yet. At the bottom, you can see the head of the yard owl I painted red too. I'm excited to get started on it again. Come on Spring!!!

Addicted to Pinterest?

Why, yes I am. I have been for a long time. Before I got my smart phone, I'd have limited time during the day to pop on the computer and look. I'd use my husband's iPhone at night while laying in bed to catch up on the pins I'd missed during the day from those I was following. The idea of Pinterest was genius! Collect all of your ideas in one location making them easy to get to. See something you like or want to try out there in internet space and pin it. Bam, there it is on your board to see and get back to. On top of that, you can see what other people have pinned to gather even more ideas.

Thanks to Pinterest, I've been cooking so much more, doing things from scratch. I used my stand mixer for the first time yesterday and it was a wedding present 6 years ago. I appreciate all the wonderful recipes and DIY tips and tricks it has opened my eyes to. The down side (because there has to be a down side) is that I want to look at it all the time. It's sad really. And after getting my smart phone over the summer last year, I'm able to do just that. For this reason, my husband has a love hate relationship with Pinterest. He loves that I've been cooking better foods, but doesn't like that I access the site all the time.

Saturday, Andriod sent me a message that there was a Pinterest app. Oh My Word. I had been waiting for it and it had finally arrived. Previously, I had just been getting on the internet to view things but no longer, or so I thought. I do not have good opinion of the app. Everything is small, significantly smaller than just viewing from the internet. My biggest complaint, I tried to upload a pin and it said I couldn't upload a pin unless I rated the app 5 stars. Uh, big NO. Back to the internet I go. I don't appreciate apps that tell me I can't use them to the fullest unless I rate them the best, no matter what they actually deserve. So Pinterest, if you ever see this, I'm not going hold this against you because I still love the site, but it definitely rubbed me the wrong way!

It's time to start weening off the site. I have tons of pins, just look . It's time to start actually making the things I've pinned. I mean, what's the point of spending all the time pinning and looking through other's pins, if I don't do anything with it?? So, here to come, look for my "Pinterest in Action" post each week. I challenge you also to complete one pin each week and tell me about it. We might even do a link party! Check back next week to see :)