Rakes are not just for leaves

I know I said I would post pictures of my daughters room when it was done but I felt a little under the weather on Sunday and did not get to finish it. We will finish it this weekend and then I will post some pictures:). 

Have you been on pinterst.com yet? If you haven't check it out you must! Warning it can be very addicting, almost as addicting as chalkboard paint. About a month back I was browsing pinterst and I found the coolest thing I have seen in a long time. One of my friends pinned a picture of a garden rake turned necklace hanger. Who knew! I fell in love! I have been wondering what to do with all my necklaces for awhile. My lamp shade was getting heavy. So a few weeks back I decided to hunt down an old rake. I didn't know it would be that hard to find an old rake on this island! I went to garage sales, the restore, the metal junk yard and even asked my neighbors. I came up with nothing. I did not want to buy a new one but when I was at Walmart I decided to check how much they were selling for. Walmart had one for $5! I was ok with spending 5 bucks so I bought it. I was so excited to come home and transform it into my new necklace holder.

First I cut the wood pole off with my hand saw and then spray painted it. I had grey spray paint on hand so I decided to use that. After it had dried I wasn't fond of the grey. I wish I would have used a brighter, funkier color. But I ended up wrapping some rope around the handle to add something to it and then I loved it!

Here it is done! I was so happy with the way it turned out.  I think my necklaces are happy and so is my lamp shade:)

My baby girl is a Tween

The only thing my daughter wanted for her 11th birthday this year was an owl hat from Clairs and a bedroom makeover. So I my husband, all the grandparents, aunty's and uncles all chipped in to make it happen. I have always adored her room. I guess because I pretty much picked everything out:). She has had the same room since she was 6. I bought the Pink Island Surf Bedding from PB on clearence many years back. It goes with are beach cottage theme house and she loved at the time but I could tell about a year ago she started changing.



Not the best picture but its the only one I have. This was taking a couple years ago. It looks nothing like this now. I wish I had pictures of how it looks now with my daughters twist on things but totally forgot to take a picture.

 One day she asked to use are old blue comforter on her bed. From that moment she started changing things in her room. From rearranging her room to putting things on the wall that she loved. Like a cute poster of an animal or a saying she found in her American Girl magazine. She started finding herself.  She always ask me first before doing something to her space. I could have been THAT mom and boy did I want to be but I let her find voice and let her create what made her happy. Even though her room this past year wasn't all matchy ,matchy and what I would call cute didn't me she didn't love it. She LOVED it and that made me happy. When she said she wanted a room makeover I was so excited! But I needed to hold it back a bit and remind myself that this is her room. She should be able to pick out what she likes and I should not sway her in anyway.
I am proud to announce I did just that! I was there if she ask my opinion but for the most part she picked everything out by herself. From paint color to duvet to accent colors. I was really proud of her. I think she did an amazing job. Everything she picked out was so her.
This weekend we decided to get started. The boys and her are going to switch rooms. The room are the exactly the same size but different layouts. My daughters room has a better layout for two people and the boys room will is better for one person. They are both very small rooms 10x10. So the boys need all the space they can get.
We got a lot done today. Her room is actually almost done. Paint on the walls, furniture is moved, new base boards cut ready to be painted and nailed and lots of accessories are spray painted. Tomorrow we will just put it all together and I will post a picture:). Very excited for the final outcome. I LOVE makeovers.
Lesson learned from this whole experience is that are kids are growing up. They are forming their own likes and dislikes. They are going to have their own opinions and things that make them them. We must embrace those things and let them run with it. We must not remake their bed after they already made it, decorate their room how we want it, buy clothes for them that aren't necessarily them. I am loving that my daughter has her own style and opinions. I love seeing her become the girl God created her to be. In that I am thankful and thanking God for what he is teaching me as a Mom and women.

More Fall to Maui

I decorated for fall way before Halloween but never found the time to get the rest of these photos up. Here are more photos of my "Bringing Fall to Maui" in our home.

Front Entry Table

I found these cute yellow flowers and orange pumpkins at Safeway one day while shopping. I fell in love with them! I had passed them a few times on numerous occasions but never bought them cause I didn't want to spend the money. I am a coupon shopper and deal hunter. I spend about an hour going over my coupons and ads before hitting the store. Don't get me mixed up with the extreme couponers. I am defiantly not there. And on Maui you can't. No store here will double and are prices are just to high. Anyway I did so good on my shopping budget that day that I went back into the store and bought these lovely things with my leftover grocery money. I was so happy!! May sound funny to use your leftover grocery money to buy decorations for the home but to me I thought it was a brilliant idea!! I made two arrangements one for the front entry and the other for my kitchen island.

Kitchen Island

I thought the arrangements look a little scarce so I put some tree branches that I got from the side of the road and connected cut out book leafs I had already been making for a wreath. I will post on how to make those on a later date. They are so easy.  I used wire to connect them to the branch and they turned out beautiful.

A couple more pictures. I left my shells out and put one black pumpkin. Remember the ones I painted for the pallet shelf. I had one left over so I put it in with the shells. I thought it looked pretty cool. I also had one more chalkboard frame that I put the kids picture in. Then I filled my lantern with white beans and added a berry garland around it.

Usually my candle sticks are filled with shells but for fall I fill them with white beans and this year I added some wood pieces. I wrapped a shear ribbon around the candle and used my leafs I already had on hand with rope. I am pleased with the way it turned out. I love my shells but love fall more!

Its actually cold this week. I had to close the windows one day and bundle up. I loved it! Me and the kids have been drinking lots of hot chocolate with home made whip cream. Oh so good...

Thanksgiving Advent Calander Part 2

My sweet friend told me she made her own Thanksgiving advent calender too. So I stopped by the other the day to take a look. It turned out beautiful!! She used a piece of wood she had lying around the house painted it brown and nailed nails in it. Then she decorated mailing tags with sticker she had bought and hung them from the nails. It came out so lovely! I wish you could see it in person .






Transforming home and soul

Are little house is located on a hill side over looking the ocean.  The view is breath taking and you can hear the waves constantly crashing from every room in the house. Many people from the mainland think that living on Maui means you are rich. Speaking for my family..we are by no means rich. Are mortgage might be extremely higher then a average person in the states but we also don't have all the other expenses. We don't have a car payment, we don't keep up with the Jones, etc. and we definitely don't have to buy three seasons worth of clothes:)  I love life on Maui and I love my little house by the ocean. Even thought it has taken a lot of work to get it were we have wanted it, it was well worth it. We learned many lessons along the way.

When we had are third child we decided we were out growing are condo. So we decided it was time to go house hunting. After many months of hunting we decided to a buy a brand new house in a brand new development. We would get to pick everything out and watch it build before our eyes. It was very exciting. I loved that home! It was just beautiful. The staircase opened to the whole house, vaulted ceilings, brand new everything and a study! Who has a study? :) As building started I went to take a trip back all by myself to see my family and when I came back my Husband said he wanted to show me something. He had found another home. I looked at him and said , "WHAT"? I could not believe that he was house hunting after we were already in the process of building are beautiful home. He told me to hear him out. So after he picked me up from the airport he drives me to are good friends neighborhood. I have always loved this neighborhood and most importantly loved the ocean view. He turns down the same street that are friends lived on and pulls up two doors away to a one story little house. He said " This is it". All I had in my mind was my brand new beautiful home getting built as we speak. The seller welcomed us with open arms and lets us come in and take a look around. It was apparent him and my husband had already talked many times. The seller were an older couple.  So sweet and loved are kids. They had built this house from the ground up. The home needed some TLC and was only a little bigger then are condo. I looked around with a smile on my face and was very gracious. My husband took my hand and guided me out to the back porch and said "This is why I love this home" I looked up at the beautiful open ocean and knew from that moment that this was are home. I am not saying that I moved in without kicking and screaming.
My heart was so attached to the big beautiful home that I had picked everything out in. The day I moved in this new home I cried. Not tears of happiness, tears of sadness. You might be thinking how spoiled I was or how ungrateful. I was!! I completely was. Even though this home was not brand new and it needed some work I did not know what God had for me in the end. I just saw what I wanted to see. We had no money to put into are home except money for new floors. Months went by and has I crossed one more thing of my list my heart started changing. I was the one working on my home making it what it was. Painting and being resourceful. God was turning ashes to beauty. He knew what this place could be and he knew what we needed. This home is a way better investment then the other home  and cost much less believe it or not and two this view has carried me threw many bad days. I was in bed for many months and stared out to the ocean and saw God, who he is, what he has done for us and whats to come.
There are still so many projects I would love to tackle around here. My yard could be on HGTVs worst yard episode but hey its all mine. This house has taught me so many heart issues that I needed to work out. The Lord is constantly working in me and working out all those places I have to fully give him. God doesn't always use a house but with this women he did and this house is a representation of that.  He knows what we need more then we know. God makes all things beautiful in his time.