Good Housekeeping

Happy Monday!

After a fun and productive weekend, I was up with the birds, getting things squared up for the week ahead. Here are a few housekeeping items I've been wanting to share for a while, but just haven't gotten around to it. 

First off, I was turned on to an amazing organization called Art Feeds by a very special young lady, Olivia (<<< How cute is she?) who has babysat for us, is one of Collin's awesome Sunday school teachers and also an intern at Art Feeds (I know, busy lady). Art Feeds exists to mobilize creative healing and encourage creative development in Joplin. They conduct mobile programs within schools and after school programs on a consistent basis with elementary students who have undergone trauma and overcome obstacles. As you can imagine, there have been many lasting effects of the May 2011 tornado and the physical clean-up is only the very beginning of the healing process for this city. So much attention goes to an area in the immediate aftermath of a disaster like this, but there is such a strong need for on-going, sustainable care-- especially for the kiddos involved. The programs use therapeutic art and creative education that comes free of cost to the participating students and schools.

Here is how our giving can help:

$1 provides one deserving student an Art Feeds lesson

$10 provides the essential Art Feeds Art Pack given to every child at the launch of our programs

 $22 provides the average classroom with their lesson cost for the week

$46 provides one child with Art Feeds programs for one school year

$250 provides our average school with lessons for every student for the week

$792 provides a classroom and all its students with Art Feeds programs for the entire school year

$1000 Provides lessons for 1,000 students

Would you consider joining me in continuing to make this amazing program available to the children of Joplin? Please visit Olivia's fundraiser page here.

Secondly, per request, I am sharing a better pic of Collin's cute tee from Gretta's Organic. This shot was taken about a month and a half ago. I was going to snap a new one of him in the tee now, but guess what? He's outgrown it! I seriously cannot keep up with his crazy growth spurts! Definitely  check out these shirts and consider snagging a few for your kiddos or as gifts. They are so soft (click on the link to Gretta's shop to see the fun, flip-up bellies on these tees).

On Supporting the Little Guys and Poppin' Some Seriously Good Corn

There is a charming little True Value hardware store in downtown Joplin which we try to frequent as much as possible. It's much more convenient to buzz on over to the Home Depot, which we definitely do, but if we have the time and are up for some good old Midwestern hospitality, we head over to Pearl Brother's Hardware to support "the little guy" and meander through the crowded aisles. This place is such a gem. You truly feel like you have stepped back in time when you look up at the tin ceiling or have an extended, casual conversation with one of the sweet older gentlemen who run the place.

(Have no clue who this man is, but he's standing outside Pearl Brother's 

and that is enough to illustrate my story!)

It's the kind of place that sells everything from paint thinner to barbecues to kitschy lawn ornaments and candy. I'm pretty sure there are some products in here that have been on the shelves longer than we've been alive. The other day we went in with a list and came out with more than what was on said list. Namely, we are now the proud owners of an Orville Redenbacher Presto Popper!

Being that our kitchen is less than state of the art and our built-in microwave doesn't turn without winding and then when wound turns painfully slow, we decided to avoid the fire hazard that is microwave popcorn and go for a popper. We could have gone for a stovetop popper, you know the kind with the crank, but our electric stove is not so good at evenly distributing heat, so electric it was!

Sidenote- for all who are wondering, yes, at some point we will be remodeling the kitchen, but it's not our top priority, as of yet. We'll revisit the idea in a few years OR upon winning the lottery. ;)

I cannot begin to describe the goodness produced from our new popper. I've always known microwave popcorn is a feeble attempt at air popped goodness, and that it's chock full of unhealthy stuff, but now I am fully convinced I never ever want to go back to our old ways. Just a few small pats of butter and a sprinkle of salt is enough to season this fluffy goodness and you don't get that gross, oily build-up on the roof of your mouth, like you do with most of the microwavable variety.

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So, today I am loving that for $2, we can buy a big bag of corn and have enough popcorn to eat every night for the next month, although I know that wouldn't be the wisest of choices, and I'm loving that we get to play a small part in keeping Pearl Brother's alive... Here's to old fashioned hardware stores and good old fashioned popcorn!

Family, Flowers and Fun

This weekend Nick's parents were in town and what a fun weekend it was. They spent lots of time playing with Collin and helping us with projects! I think Nick and I had hit a wall, so to speak, when it came to knowing what to tackle next on our endlessly long list of projects. Well, these folks are the most hard-working pair I know and boy did they just roll up their sleeves and make it happen with us. We are thankful!

One area, just one- haha, I have no expertise in is gardening. To be honest,  I've been afraid to tackle the overgrown jungle that is our yard, flower beds, courtyard, etc. Luckily for us, my mother-law is a gardener extraordinaire! I feel like I took a crash course this weekend. She can identify just about any annual, perennial or tree known to mankind and has such a gift for knowing where to place them so the landscaping looks nice in both summer and winter. I have to say, I've got the bug now! It's really fun!

So, Nick and Dad hammered out a bunch of projects while we spruced up the courtyard and front of the house. There is still a lot to do, garden-wise, but having someone who knows what they are doing helping me map out a plan, especially for the perennials, really gave me hope that we can make this happen!

The back of the truck after one of our nursery/Home Depot runs!

Collin just loved all the Grandma and Grandpa hugs and kisses and we enjoyed two extra sets of hands helping us give him baths, put him to bed, change his diapers and overall keeping him entertained!

How cute is this little play kitchen they bought him!? He is in love with it!

A highlight to the weekend was the chance to go out on a date with this handsome fella! We checked out a fun little Italian place downtown and when we came home, found our whole house vacuumed, kitchen cleaned and all my leftover tomatoes boiled, peeled and frozen for future cooking. Thank you!!! This weekend was truly a treat!

Plate Walls and Dinner Parties and Haircuts, Oh My!

Hi friends,

We've been busy around our house. I just finished up a blog design project for a client and can now get back to this ol' blog for a spell. If you have a chance, take a look at the blog and read about Hope at Home's amazing ministry to adoptive and foster parents.

Last week I tackled a project I've long been wanting to do, even in previous homes-- a plate wall in the kitchen! If you know me personally, you know I'm not exactly a measure it out kind of a gal. I typically just throw things up on to walls and play with their placement. 900 empty nail holes later, I have a a satisfactory configuration. This time, I decided to go out of character by tracing my plates on to butcher paper in order to create a bit of a non-comittal schematic.

And below is how it turned out! I have a few tiny, vintage plates currently missing in boxes, but once those surface, they'll go up on the wall too.

On Friday night we had some sweet, new friends over for tapas. Our whole married lives all we've ever had is a small kitchen table (which we crammed astounding numbers of people around and food on), so you can imagine the feasts our new, big table can hold! It was really fun to prepare a spread and still have room for everyone's place setting. This was, of course, the first of many dinner parties in our home. We do love hosting and toasting. I couldn't help but miss our dear Atlanta friends and wish I could somehow combine all of our worlds into one place. The pretty, white Anthropologie vase is a gift from the mother's group I was a part of in Atlanta, so it felt like they were with me in spirit! For all those reading this, feel completely and totally free to send me Anthropologie goodies whenever you feel the urge! Haha. ;)

Aaand, this week Collin got his second big boy haircut. I cannot keep the mullet at bay! His hair just keeps getting longer and longer in back and staying relatively short on top. He was such a cutie pie at the salon. The stylist gave him two combs to play with and that, coupled with the fun cape, was enough to keep him happy and distracted. Good boy!

Nick's parents will be in visiting for five days, so we are gearing up for some fun family time. I keep telling Collin Gooma and Grandpa are coming and he says "um hmm!" like he knows already. It will be great to have them in town. Then, we have a week of no visitors and the following week my parents come! It's going to be a good May.

Love, 

Steph

Making a House a Home

Good Friday morning, friends! It's thunder-storming here in Joplin and, although the sun yesterday was nice and I am longing for warm weather, I rather enjoy sipping coffee as I watch the elements from inside my cozy home.

Speaking of home, two things this week made me feel like this is truly our home now. First, I baked. When you first move into a house, you may or may not spend a few days eating off paper plates and drinking out of a large, plastic Northside hospital mug, as you locate your proper dishes from the recesses of boxland. Then, things improve as you unpack the kitchen and start acting civilized again, at least in your food consumption habits. But you have not, dear reader, truly made your house a home until you use a major appliance to prepare a meal. That could be the blender, crockpot, food processor, or in my case, the Kitchenaid Mixer.

On Wednesday I was invited by my new friend Amber to an informal gathering of mammas and I decided it was time to do what I would normally do in my home, make a fun treat! What sounded good? Something fruity and spring-like. So, I whipped up this delicious recipe for Banana Pineapple Cake. I always consider it a feat to find a recipe that does not require me to go grocery shopping for ingredients!

You know what else has made this house feel like a home this week? Plants! Not only do they improve the air quality, they make everything feel fresher, more lived in. I am loving my adorable, mid-century dachshund planter, "Doxi," from Phoebe's Treasure Chest. This Etsy shop is full of vintage trinkets and ephemera from letterpress blocks to scrapbooking supplies to puppy figurines. Please check out Michele's fabulous shop and scoop up some of her vintage goodies while they last.

Our pantry/hallway window felt like the perfect spot for a succulent filled Doxi and vintage melmac sugar bowl.

Tonight we are having our first real dinner party here in Joplin! I guess, in our case especially, having people over is another big step towards making this house a home. Some sweet, new friends are going to come over to warm our house over tapas. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sneak Peek at Things Coming Together

So, we've offcially been in this house for 9 days and it's, slowly but surely, starting to feel like home. While I am so, so grateful Nick's company paid for packers and movers (don't know if I can ever go back to moving the normal way), I can't tell you how many trees must have been sacrificed to wrap and box our entire house in Georgia. The funny thing is, they must have to really cover their bums for liability reasons because every.stinking.thing was wrapped in five sheets of paper. While that is most certainly useful for fragile items, the over-wrapping of a single woodden spoon or a small, plastic toy is a bit ridiculous. Hence, the unwrapping of every.stinking.thing has taken quite some time. We'll get there!

In the meantime, I've managed to put a few areas of our home together! My utilitarian husband, if he had it his way, would not decorate a stitch of this house until everything was unpacked, but come on! Mamma's gotta nest! And he admits, the homey touches, in the midst of boxland, have been nice. And really, boxland is almost gone, save the upstairs guest room/attic storage staging dump.

So, according to my calculations, about one full weekend away from feeling settled. I say weekend because the amount accomplished during the day, by myself with a toddler, while Nick is at work is not always the greatest. Yesterday I kicked some serious booty by organizing the hall closet and completely finishing Collin's room, all whilst keeping him from setting the house on fire. Other days haven't all been so productive in the unpacking area, especially since I'm still simultaneously running a business, but we have been learning to give ourselves extra helpings of grace at the Bradac house-- be it myself and the long list of things that don't always get accomplished or Nick whose new job is wonderful, but also overwhelming at times.

Take a peek at some finished vignettes:

One corner of Little Man's room.

Gallery walls can be dangerous... Especially for those of the "more is more" inclination like myself. Eventually I just had to cut myself off, ignoring the cries of "Look at me! I'm a gaping open hole, fill me! Fill me too!"

I mainly just took this pic to show you the fun new light we got on sale at the Home Depot! This area will be our dual purposed sunroom/office. I'll have some shots on here of the awesome shelving Nick built me soon.

Millie seems pretty comfortable with her new station, which gives her a birdseye view of the front door...

Stay tuned for a yummy Banana Pineapple Cake recipe and my super cute Dachshund planter!

Our Time Capsule Stairwell

Unpacking is going well, but I thought I'd come up for air and share a bit more about this old house. One of its most unique features is the wheat pasted collage that adorns the walls of the basement stairwell. It's completely wallpapered in 1930's and 40's magazine ads, newspaper clippings, ticket stubs, maps, high school graduation programs, menus, buy war bonds posters and even a filled out IRS form. As previously mentioned, some of the pin-up girls are a bit, ahem-- scandalous, so we might need to sticky tack up a few strategically placed clippings from the same time period, but I truly love that every time we go down to do laundry, we have the opportunity to step back in time. 

I can't help but wonder what was going through the mind of the occupants of the house during that time. There are concert programs dating to mere months before the US got involved in WWII. You sort of get a feel for the mood of the era by reading the comics or looking at the tongue in cheek New Yorker covers. If I didn't have a toddler and a house to unpack, I think I'd be spending more time down there... One of these days I'll pour myself a glass of two buck chuck and spend an evening immersing myself in the 30's and 40's.

It's tricky to get good lighting for pictures, but I hope the following shots give you a glimpse of this treasure trove of a stairwell.

Bob Spurgeon (see name above) was the owner of the house at this time.

They appear to have been a well travelled bunch.

 War bonds poster reads "Hercules son is flying and buying bonds too! How about you?"

Looking up to the ceiling

Caption on this one reads "It's Christmas and they began saying good bye in August."

Going back up the steps

One of the more modestly clothed ladies of the stairwell. Love her face....

That's cheap, but they probably made all their money off concessions. ;)

I'm pretty sure this is Eleanor Roosevelt... Not exactly sure of the significance of her painting a room blue, although it could be Democratic party related. October 1943 was well into FDR's second term, at this point things were looking promising for the allied forces. If you have ideas on the meaning of this depiction, let me know.

Also, I kind of like the look on Eleanor's face because that's how I'm feeling about painting rooms these days. I'm back and forth about wall colors all the time. If that wasn't difficult enough, there is a china cabinet and chairs that need painting as well! I have the most massive pile of paint swatches known to mankind. I told Nick I wished I owned one of those big swatch book/deck thingies so that I didn't have to continually raid the displays at the Home Depot and he pretty much summed things up for me by saying, with a trace of exasperation in his voice, "Steph, owning a swatch book still wouldn't help you make up your mind!"

Today is the Day!

(source)

The movers are coming! I woke up at 5:30 and couldn't fall back asleep. Too much on my mind. We officially get to move in and I am so excited. I know unpacking will be a job and a half, but this symbolizes the end of limbo life. The end of living in temporary housing and schlepping Collin's Pack n' Play back and forth so he can nap while we work on stuff at the new house and the beginning of really, truly living in Joplin and not just feeling like we are on a weird vacation. 

I am thankful.

For all who were wondering if we ended up getting the clawfoot tub, I present to you Bessie Mae, our cast iron beast of a glorious tub. Adopted this weekend from Pea Ridge, Arkansas. She's a beaut! So worth the trip and the $200. We'll need to strip and repaint the outside (a fun color, of course), so for now she's hanging out in the garage, awaiting her makeover.

Here is a verse I read this morning that greatly speaks to me:

"If you wake me each morning with the sound of your loving voice, I’ll go to sleep each night trusting in you. Point out the road I must travel; I’m all ears, all eyes before you." Psalm 143:8 (MSG)

Have a great week friends! Hopefully I'll be able to emerge from unpacking world to show you some cool shots I took of our 1930's basement stairwell art.

Peace,

Steph

We've Moved!

Dear reader,

I'm so terribly sorry to have neglected this space for a while. There have been some interesting developments in our lives as of late. Nick was offered a transfer/promotion to his company's Joplin, Mo facility in January and what has ensued is a virtual whirlwind of activity. Packing, spending our last moments with our sweet Atlanta friends and coordinating logistics has kept me away from blogging, but I now have a bit of time and space to pick it back up and loop you into our new adventure.

As of February 27th, we now live in Joplin, Missouri! Crazy, I know. And yes, this is the town that had the horrible E-5 tornado in May of 2011. We know. This didn't scare us off. :)

Until we can close on a house, we are living in a corporate studio apartment type place... with a toddler. The first night was a challenge, figuring out how to block noise and light out of Collin's doorless room so that he could sleep and we could actually have a life past his 7pm bedtime (i.e. watch TV, run the water, talk above whispers). To say it's been interesting is an understatement. I have had my share of "What did we do and why are we here?!" moments, especially with a stir crazy eighteen month old on slushy, cold days when Nick is working.

So, my days thus far have consisted of exploring every inch of the apartment complex's parking lot with little man (highlight- yesterday we found a lady bug and it crawled all over his hand-- he loved this!), driving to parks, grocery shopping, tidying up toys and counting down the hours until Nick gets off work. :) Being an extrovert, I'm feeling like a total recluse. On Monday I'm going to go to a local MOPS group. I need people. It's seriously bad. I get ultra weepy and lame-o without people. Probably an introvert's dream, but a personal hell for me! :)

Nevertheless, God has given me more and more reason to hope for good things here. He is so faithful. A key verse for me during this time has been a portion of Psalm 23. "Surely your goodness and your love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." What a comfort. We cannot get away from his goodness. It follows us and ultimately our home is not here on earth-- it is in the house of the Lord. I know he will bring us friends-- a community, a good church, a nice neighborhood and the rest. He delights to give good gifts to his children!

Oh, and if you are wondering how we are all faring when it comes to naps and bedtime-- we are great! Our solution to the pseudo one room living issue was to put up a black out curtain over the doorway and download a noise machine app. I realize so many people around the world live in one room quarters and have never been more thankful we haven't had to thus far. Collin has done so well, it's made me reconsider what we think we actually "need."

So, over the next season, if you are interested, I'll be updating the ol' blog with our adventures in home-ownership and renovation. The following is a detailed account of the adventure thus far. Feel free to stop reading if the minutia will bore you! 

We have been on a bit of a home-buying roller coaster thus far. Our first love home-- a cute 1920's craftsman bungalow was looking like it was in the bag when the inspection revealed a number of issues. This caused us to "freak out" and pull away. Then, after a day or so, we more level-headedly decided to investigate the cost to fix these issues. The bids came back and, while none of them were too terribly pricey, they added up to being a substantial chunk of change, so we initiated a termination of negotiations.

We then moved on to place an offer, contingent upon release from the craftsman contract, on a 1950's ranch style home-- not nearly as charming and frankly kind of cosmetically ugly, but the fixes needed were interior, not structural, and we knew could really do some fun stuff with this house for cheap. 

During this time, the seller of the original, craftsman home came back to us and asked if there was any way we would reconsider. We said no and were happy to move along and dream up what life could be like in the ranch home.

Last night, the craftsman's owners came back to us with a ridiculously low price. I mean, ridiculously low. They wouldn't, however, cover the closing costs at that price. So, we have made a bit of a higher counter offer with closing included. We'd prefer to keep some of our liquid assets to use on fixing the issues upfront, but aren't against paying closing if we can settle on a good price. Now, it's a waiting game.

If you know me, you know that I have both homes totally decorated in my head! The picture up top illustrates a sneak peek of the direction things could go depending on which home we end up with.

I honestly, equally love both Mid Century Modern and Deco/Traditional decor styles, much in the same way people love each of their unique children. Odd? I know. Maybe I'm a chameleon, but I can see endless possibilities with each style!

So, stay tuned! Thank you for reading. We'd appreciate your prayers for a smooth transition. We'll know something before long!

Find out which house we ended up with here!