I'm feelin HOT HOT HOT

Well, actually right now I'm feeling rather cool, blogging in my nicely air conditioned apartment eating BLUE BELL COFFEE Ice Cream!!

But I was feeling HOT HOT HOT

Why? Because even though we've moved 19 times in 5 years (okay, 9 times in almost five years) we forgot to turn the utilities on at the house before we closed on it.

Whoops!

But, we only have a limited time to work on the house and A LOT of work to do, so we grit our teeth, stripped down to the minimal acceptable clothing in case neighbors could see in our windows and painted in an unairconditioned house with 100 degree temperatures outside.

Not exactly the most pleasant weekend ever. We got a surprising amount of work accomplished given our circumstances (no electricity, no water, 8 month old baby, etc.)

Don't you love the color we decided to paint our cabinets?

A nice country look, don't you think?

HA!! Pick yourself up off the floor, that's just the primer silly!! My favorite amenity in the kitchen: the 30 year old microwave cleverly (cleverly?) hidden in a cabinet above the stove.

The cabinet doors all lined up ready to be painted the dark rich chocolate brown.

Speaking of Chocolate brown, I completed an art project that I found in a Lowes creative ideas magazine. I just about peed in my pants when I saw it - so pretty.

Step 1. Paint your canvas that you got at JoAnne's for 50% off of $15.99 (or at least pretend like you're painting it because you forgot to get a picture of actually painting it. Don't forget your fake candid picture smile!)

2. Step 2- Align your rubber doormat that you got at Target for $19.99 on top of the canvas. The Doormat was slightly bigger than the canvas, so we taped off the outside border from the back.

Step 3. Apply your really cool $3.99 make-a-gun out of your spray paint can thingy (don't worry dad, it's not a real gun)

Step 4. Apply quick thin coats of spray paint

Step Five: Lift your doormat stencil off the canvas to reveal a BEAUTIFUL piece of art. Swoon.

Although I was originally planning on doing 4 of these, like I pictured here:

I decided on 3 because you're supposed to do things in odd numbers in design. It's a rule, I didn't make it up - but I think I might want to do 4 after all, but that would mean buying a whole 'nother can of spray paint at over $6.00 and another canvas at $8.00 so I may not. I told you we were doing this house for AS LITTLE money as possible. Including the doormat, this project only cost: $50!! And if you already had the doormat it would only cost $30!

Here they are practicing for their role in the new house:

I love them. But you wanna know what I love more:


Going on a momma baby date with the best boy on the planet to IKEA and eating momma's favorite gravy and lingonberry soaked IKEA meatballs and a free kids meal of macaroni and cheese and applesauce.