At Considerable Cost

Remember how much energy Tom Sawyer had to spend in order to manipulate his friends so they would beg, even pay, for the opportunity to do his fence-painting chore for him?   Well, I never imagined that I could ever one-up one of my childhood heroes, but I managed to do it.   Thanks to The Big Event , a one-day service project hosted by Texas A & M University as a "thank you" to the community, I was able to watch as our entire backyard privacy fence was painted.   Oh, the day those fences go up, they are so pretty.   A few months later, they're still pretty, but after a year or so, they settle into a weathered grey state, made worse by the marks of sprinkler system spray patterns.  Before I looked on-line for pictures of painted fences for color inspiration so I could find a color that was cheerful and one I would not tire from too quickly.     Purple: goes GRAPE with everything Blue and green wer...

Today, I'm linking up with Hallie at Moxie Wife for Five Favorites since I have a few odds and ends that don't really need their own individual posts: 1.  Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner  Picture from http://www.amazon.com/Trader-Joes-Conditioner-Peppermint-Eucalyptus/dp/B002LMNJDA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389756745&sr=8-1&keywords=trader+joe%27s+conditioner My youngest daughter has beautiful blonde curls.   If you've ever tried to comb--even finger comb--through gorgeous curls, you'll know why I spend more on hair products for her than I do for myself and I'm always on the lookout for good detangling and styling products.   Recently, I read a few reviews for this conditioner from Trader Joe.   It is FABULOUS!   It leaves Clare's hair soft and loosens the curls a bit so it is easier to finger-comb or brush her hair.   She even wakes up with soft, non-frizzy hair!   All the fema...

Before move-in I found out the weeds between the pavers LIKE salt.   I poured salt between the squares and the weeds have thrived! The ceiling fan was white and rusted, so I just painted it black.   It worked perfectly well; there was no reason to replace it. It's been nearly two-and-half years since we moved into this house.   It's taken almost all of that time to get our back porch together.   And it's not a large porch.   The poor place has been a dumping ground for tools and toys some of that time.   I made several attempts to pretty it up, but each time, something fell apart or I got lazy about keeping it together. We had a mild spring and June this year.   It gave me the opportunity and motivation to get outdoors and spruce up some areas which had been neglected.   My back tells me I overdid it a bit, but that's another story.   In addition to front flowerbeds and the front...

To continue where my last post about our house projects left off,  I have some new pictures to post. I wanted the kids' rooms to be finished before the first day of school, so it was a mad rush to get it all done.   There are still books on C's floor since we have run out of bookshelves!   I know the kids' room colors are terribly traditional and awfully stereotypical, but they chose them. E's Lavender Room  Update: I exchanged the white bed skirt for this ruffled lavender one.   It looks better and it was on clearance at Target for less than $5. This was the girls' dress-up center, but now it's Emmeline's dresser.   The next project for her room is painting this, since the finish and wood quality are not great.   I don't like seeing wood pieces painted, but the damage on this one is too great for a refinish. Mama bought the "Emme" boutique hat box after Emmeline was born.   There is ...