day 3.. If your wondering how I am doing and what I am thinking....

Christian Fasting explained - what is it?
What is Christian fasting? Biblically, fasting is abstaining from food, drink, sleep or sex to focus on a period of spiritual growth. Specifically we humbly deny something of the flesh to glorify God, enhance our spirit, and go deeper in our prayer life by going on a fast.

Christian Fasting - Focus Deeper on God
Christian fasting isn't some kind of a "work" that's commanded by Christ or required by Scripture. However, that doesn't mean that fasting isn't recommended as a part of our spiritual growth. The Book of Acts records believers fasting before they made important decisions (Acts 13:4; 14:23). Fasting and prayer are often linked together (Luke 2:37; 5:33). Too often, the focus of fasting is on the lack of food. However, the purpose of fasting is to take our eyes off the things of this world and instead focus on God. Fasting is a way to demonstrate to God and to ourselves that we are serious about our relationship with Him. Although fasting in Scripture is almost always a fasting from food, there are other ways to fast. Anything you can temporarily give up in order to better focus on God can be considered a fast (1Corinthinas 7:1-5). Fasting should be limited to a set time, especially when the fasting is from food. Extended periods of time without eating are harmful to the body. Fasting is not intended to punish our flesh, but to focus on God.
Fasting should not be considered a "dieting method" either. We shouldn't fast to lose weight, but rather to gain deeper fellowship with God. Yes, anyone can fast. Some may not be able to fast from food (diabetics, for example), but everyone can temporarily give up something in order to focus on God. Even unplugging the television for a period of time can be an effective fast.
Yes, it's a good idea for believers to fast from time to time. Fasting is not required in Scripture, but it's highly recommended. The only Biblical reason to fast is to develop a closer walk with God. By taking our eyes off the things of this world, we can focus better on Christ. "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matthew 6:16-18). 

Christian Fasting - is a Lifestyle of Servant Living
Christian fasting is more than denying ourselves food or something else of the flesh - it's a sacrificial lifestyle before God. In Isaiah 58, we learn what a "true fast" is. It's not just a one-time act of humility and denial before God, it's a lifestyle of servant ministry to others. As Isaiah tells us, fasting encourages humility, loosens the chains of injustice, unties the chords of the yoke, frees the oppressed, feeds the hungry, provides for the poor, and clothes the naked. This concept of fasting isn't a one day thing - it's a lifestyle of servant living for God and others.
"Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' (Isaiah 58:8-9)

Morning

* Begin your day in praise and worship.
* Read and meditate on God's Word, preferably on your knees.
* Invite the Holy Spirit to work in you to will and to do His good pleasure according to Philippians 2:13.
* Invite God to use you. Ask Him to show you how to influence your world, your family, your church, your community, your country, and beyond.
* Pray for His vision for your life and empowerment to do His will.

Noon

* Return to prayer and God's Word.
* Take a short prayer walk.
* Spend time in intercessory prayer for your community's and nation's leaders, for the world's unreached millions, for your family or special needs.

Evening

* Get alone for an unhurried time of "seeking His face."
* If others are fasting with you, meet together for prayer.
* Avoid television or any other distraction that may dampen your spiritual focus.

Fast Day Two

Hey all, I made it!
Day two, lol I still have a LONG way to go! The hunger pains were bad for a while then I prayed and drank some broth and I felt MUCH better. I actually have MORE energy today than yesterday. Tomorrow I have another liquid/juice day and then one Tuesday it will be water only. then Wednesday-Friday are juice days. and so on until i am done.

I have been doing good with taking in liquid calories. Enough so that my body does not hurt too bad. But on my water day I am sure it will be intense.

Whether your addiction be sugar, salt or TV, fasting cuts at the spiritual roots of addiction: fear, insignificance, laziness, self-centeredness, guilt, negative thinking, resentment and spiritual emptiness. Fasting, being still, prayer and reading the Bible have the power of a chainsaw on these roots. During your fast, you take an aggressive stance on a battlefield to face all your addictions. Urges come and you say no. They return with greater urgency, and you stay firm in resolve. With each resistance, the power of addiction grows weaker.
I like thinking of myself on the battlefield of life, facing the toughest things in my life and standing firm!

In the Bible we were told to fast and we were given directions on how to do it. I feel honored to get to share the suffering of Christ. Even though it is only in a small fraction of the suffering He went through.

Tonight I am going to take a long bath and dive into His word. I am going to try to get closer to Him the deeper into this thing I go.

Thanks for joining me on this quest and reading along, if you want to leave a comment I would love that! I hope to write every day to chronicle what God has been doing in my life.


XOXOXOXO

Fast day one

12 pm -Hey all I am on my first day of the fast, today is not a water day but a juice and liquid day. This way I prep my body for the harder fast.
Today so far I have had tea, and veggie juice. And now I am having some diluted broth. The main issue I am having is that I am tired, and my home is not the stress free environment needed to truly get into the fasting process. I wish I could just slip away to some other place for ten days to be alone.
But oh well such is.......

THE PRE FAST BLOG!

Hi all,
I am starting a new and exciting challenge! I am about to embark on a ten day fast to clean out my body, break my addictions (to caffeine and nicotine) and to become closer to God. I hope you will join me as I go through this. I would love to have your support and help for the next ten days!

Today I am prepping, mentally and physically. I am cleaning my house top to bottom, doi9ng all the chores and eating all natural foods today. Nothing processed, I will do this through tomorrow and maybe even into Friday we will see how I am feeling. And then probably on Sat I will start with three days of juice and water. I want to start off this way to ease myself into it. I know I have a bunch of crud built up in my body and if I go straight into a water fast I will get uber sick. So on day four it will be a water day, days 5-8 will be juice and 9-10 will be water. This is a good first time fast so i dont over load with toxins too quickly. I am hoping to get some help around the house and with meals during this time. And will look to cook as few as possible,( for my sanity!)

If you have done this before I would love to hear from you and if not you can join in on the "fun" with me. lol I have talked to a few friends who have done this before and they say the first few days are the worst, hence why I am doing it while my husband is home to help out.

Well here goes nothing I will keep you all updated and let you know what is going on with me!

I dont know what you think, but I think this is sick.....I would never allow my child to do these moves or wear those outfits in public....this feels more like kiddy porn than dancing....I would be PISSED if I was their parent...

It's Your LIFE!

Hi all,
Today I am diving into a topic near and dear to me. Mommy self esteem. I myself have had issues with this and I feel it is a topic often under looked by many. Sure the news media has in the past few years made some great stride in showing our Mommy worth but we as moms seem to have a hard time believing this. How many of you like me were once independent working women? How many of you once had dreams bigger than your mind could fathom. Wanting to be a doctor or a lawyer or a congresswoman or a movie star? I was once a girl with a dream to ride horses in the Olympics, big huh? Then through life's ever present twists and turns I find myself the queen of my home, the master of my vacuum and the chief of juice bottles and diaper changes. Although being a stay at home mom is a great thing it also leaves me with a longing.

Knowing that when I was younger I had feeling of power and potential leaves me often feeling let down by what life has given me. This is not to discount my kids or my role in raising them. But the truth of the matter is that I like many out there do not know where it is in my life that things went awry.

In this day of empowerment for women, with endless opportunities we who chose to be moms are often overlooked and under appreciated. I have had people in the past ask me "what do you do all day?" and "aren't you bored?" Well answers to that are ALOT! and NO....well kinda. Changing diapers and watching the same cartoons day in and day out has left me worn out. The adventure side of my life is less than desirable and my biggest fear is wake up one day and wonder where it is my life has gone.

I am not going to start spouting some magical advice for you nor do I have the answers to this other than we as SAHMs need to remember the little dreaming girls inside of us. I know this for sure, if you do not take care of yourself you cant take care of your babies. In the last year my life has become much happier. About a year and a half ago I was depressed, faced with the birth of our second child and the stark realization that I would be stuck doing this for a long time. I was angry and resentful. My life seemed like a never ending replaying reel of the same boring movie.
getup
get breakfast
change diapers
clean house
play games
clean house
get lunch
clean house
play
get snack
clean house
get dinner ready
clean up after dinner
bath and bed

the same movie over and over, toss in sex and wine once a week or so and it was complete! Now today I am still doing this routine but I am also going to school (online) and taking photos whenever I can, riding my Harley, and also I show my dog whenever I can, by myself...for two or three days at a time. Kind of a recharge for my batteries. Being here at home and charged with possibly the most important job I could ever have and loving myself a lot more has helped me more than I can say. Also developing a personal relationship with God has helped immensely. We as mommies of this new era need to take back some respect, weather you work or you dont it does not matter. You are a woman first and a mommy second. You are strong and powerful. You have a great impact on the future of this planet (your children!) if one of them grows up to be a doctor or a criminal you have an impact. So even though society looks down on us "poor" moms who are saddled with kids. We should be standing strong and letting everyone who is ignorant to our daily plight know that we are important, we are worthy, and most of all we are complete! We do not need parties and wild nights, hook ups and awards to make us feel accomplished and fulfilled. Rather we should rest in the fact that we are our nations greatest workforce making the next generation into competent and intelligent people full of compassion and dreams hopefully bigger than our own.
An whether you tell your little girl to do the opposite of what you did or whether you encourage her to strive for mommy hood too, know that you are not alone and your life is still your own. Someday your kids will grow up they will leave. And then who will you be? If you do your job right they will be on their own, living out their own amazing dreams. So in the mean time I ask you to really evaluate who you really are inside. What matters to you, and even to go and find a new dream. Maybe your dreams need to be altered a bit (due to finding a babysitter lol) but dont let your amazing talents fall to the wayside or one day you will wake up and realize you have no idea who you really are......

XOXOXOXO <3 I love you all! You are not alone! We are a sisterhood of mothers that has spanned through the beginning of time. <3

THIS LOOKS GOOD!

Genesis Photo

This is my buisness....enjoy and COMMENT!

Ok so I am strange, I know this all my friends know this but maybe some of my tips might help out one of you out there.


So have you ever been in a place where you cant really wash your makeup??? I know it really sucks when you have that day after eye liner ring around your eyes, a simple solution use lotion (either body or face) put a medium thin layer under your eye. Let it sit for a few second and then using toilet paper wipe it off. The oil in the lotion should pull your eyeliner right off!


Here is a strange one, if you are in a situation where you need to re wear or wear your clothes for a long period of time (think stuck in a airport) I carry a small bottle of Fabreeze in my purse and will go in the bathroom in the hotel/ airport and spray the fabreez on it. Then shake it out until its dry.....It may be awesome but it will get you through without making those around you pass out!

If you are road tripping with kids (which can be great and or HORRIBLE!) here are some tips
I have a young girl "C" with a very bad habbit of becoming car sick, so first I took a sheet and placed it on the seats under the carseats tucking it in everywhere. Then I take a large plastic bag and cut it down the seam and place it on the floor in front of where her feat go. Also I have a "puke pack" ready to go filled with

extra set of clothes
dramamine (sp?)
two towels
baby wipes
travel sized mouth wash
lysol
two plastic bags.....

and good luck!


also have car toys....toys only for use on the road. I have a cool magnet board a magna doodle and some fun small toys for the baby, all stay in the car and only get pulled out for trips over an hour.

also for road trip I keep special food in there for long trips, such as those pricey cookie and cracker packs. I try to get the 100 cal ones and whole wheat if I can. This way they are excitted about it and road trips take on a postitive light. a portable DVD player is always helpful too!


for diaper rashes I clean baby up and then blow dry his butt with a small blow dryer on cool setting, and then let him go in some soft shorts and no diaper around the house, if he pees I know because the pants are wet and I can change them,.... after that cream him up and diaper him! :-)

Trying out photography!

Hey hey hey!!!! I am trying my hand at doing personal photography, I had one of my first real shoots yesterday with a lovely girl. Here are some of the prints, let me know what you think!


And here is the link to see them all.....

http://www.facebook.com/LizLacroix#!/album.php?aid=2068160&id=1012682465

Honey I want to be famous...lets have ten kids!

WARNING- this is my personal opinion, just because I feel this way does not mean I think you should I am just venting it out! :-) Enjoy.....


I know there are MANY MANY blogs about the multiples shows out there. But there is a new one I want to talk about, it has been on my mind for a while now. The new TLC show Quints by Surprise....

First off how was this a surprise? You buy some sperm shoot yourself up with hormones and then are surprise when you are carrying a litter??? Have we learned nothing from John and Kate + 8??? Now Kate+8...... Then you say how poor you are....how destitute the situation. I understand you built your mansion to sell but really you are living in a mansion! Then when time are "tough" you move into a mini mansion....that place is HUGE! you shop at designer stores and buy groceries from the whole food place. Seriously I am telling you this is NOT poor!

Poor is have nothing, no money, not enough food, no vehicle, a minimum wage job (if any) government support, and your home is definitely not a 6 figure establishment.

Give us all a break and please state what you really are, a yuppie upper middle class ( or lower upper class) family who had a ton of kids instead of adopting one. I know you wanted to joy of pregnancy again but hon your husband isn't even the father wouldn't it have been better to open your heart to a child or children who are already on this earth and who are desperately in need of a home???

I am sick of it and I refuse to watch, I tried to like you I did but I cant.....

TO the DUGGARS.....
Please for the sake of the human race, stop having babies! If every married couple had as many children as you our world could not sustain the population and we would all starve. Why have you been so selfish??? If you really want a football team of children ADOPT! or foster or something....This is just sad when there are couples all over the country who cant even babies yet you continue on your quest to see how far your uterus can take you....

To OCTO crazy MOM..... I feel for your kids, this month you sold all your valuable belongings including furniture to make your house payment. If you had no job no aspirations and no source of money to feed clothe and care for them why in the world did you have them??? ALL 14 of them!??! It is not a question of single moms not having the same rights or respect rather that a single mom who is forced into being one who has no option but to care for her kid/s would be disturbed to have you align yourself with her. You chose this! You made this life for yourself and now you refuse to receive any sort of help form the government. I Don't really want to have to pay for your life choices but I don't want those kids to suffer because of your thoughtlessness.


All in all can we as a society stop making these people famous??? Can we stop treating them like they have done some great awesome thing??? They  may not seek the fame but they sure as heck dont turn it down when they get it. Book deals and movie rights please can we just get a grip??? This is not reality TV it is just sad.....

Lest anyone forget Dionne Quints...here is a recap
http://hubpages.com/hub/Human-Exploitation---The-Dionne-Quintuplets

IM just saying.......

poor boo!

I hate it when my babies are sick and I dont know what is wrong.....I try to make them comfy and love on them push fluids and take temps but nothing can soothe someone who does not know why they hurt...that hurts my heart.... poor boo!

BALMEX DIAPER RASH STICK REVIEW~!

Product Review

Balmex Diaper rash cream stick

CLEVER MOM-E RATING-  B+

This product is a great idea and long coming. It reminds me of deodorant, actually it is the same exact design. You twist the bottom and the cream comes out the top like deodorant.

My only worry is sanitation, if any germs get on the top and are not cleaned off....so you must make sure the BUM is clean and dry and after applying it wash the top of the stick and make sure it is REALLY clean.....

Overt all a great new product worth the $4.99 I think....

Foot IN Mouth..... fo sure

Good Morning ladies!

Have you ever had one of those moments...you know the ones...while in public, those mom brained moments?? lol funny story

insert foot in mouth and continue... :-)

yesterday we went to our local library and I see the toddler reading group is there. I ask the guy at the desk



me- "when did you change to program for child reading time?"
him- " what do you mean?"
me- "When did you change it to Wednesday's? I didn't know...and your sign is wrong"
him- "ummm I have not hered anything, here is a flyer"
me- "that is strange they wouldn't tell you!"


and I walk away,

later

I come up to the group of moms and kids

me- "HI! when did they change this to Wednesdays???"
them......SILENT......
me- " I wish I knew when things were changed! anyhow, what is the craft for today??"
them " yeah....um apple drawing"


After I leave the Library I  call my friend and tell her all about the library and their mistake...
she says
" hun.... Today is Tuesday!"


OH...not feeling so clever at the moment! massive foot in mouth moment! 

God and kiddos

On days when i am most frustrated with my kids, with my life, I need to stop re group and remember that God has entrusted these little people to me. God Himself created these little beings and gave them to me to care for while we are here on earth. What an amazing honor. To love your babies as God does is not always an easy task, believe me there are days when I think only God could love the kid who flushed my makeup down the now overflowing toilet.....but seriously when was the last time you really thought about the gift from God children really are?

The Bible in the book of Psalms says this

Psalm 139:13-14 (New International Version)

 ¹³ For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother's womb.
 ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well.         


knit us together, can you just picture the Creator of the universe deciding if I would have green eyes or blue how tall I would be, my laughter my heart. God loves us and our children.
I wish I was perfect so I could be a perfect mom, but that wont happen in this life time! :-) instead I will try very hard to remember where my babies came from and who loved them first.

baby L and little C

                                                                                EPIC FAIL

Laugh so you Dont Cry

So these are not my kids (thank goodness!) Or I probably would have lost my mind. But I know what it is like to have a mischievous child in the house. My Daughter "C", She is wild and free spirited. Some of the funniest stories i have of her are from when she was so naughty I need to either take a break or laugh. Remember laugh or you will cry moments I must have had a thousand with  C and her daily antics. She is 4 yrs old now and although she is getting better at grasping what is wrong and what is right and what she needs to hide from mom before she wakes up..... lol
The first story i can remember that was of any signifigence is when she was about one. We had her in a huge over sized pack n play because she figured out how to escape the crib. Anyhow she got out of the pack n  play and proceeded to paint with her own poop all over the walls...this happened during the night and when I woke up i had to get her and the walls clean before going to work. I was still active duty Marine and my husband was in Iraq. Anyhow that was the start of the madness.
Another fun one was when she came out of her room and ended up hiding behind the couch eating bisquick out of the box scared I was mad! lol We had hidden all the good stuff on high shelves so Bisquick and pasta was about all she had access too!
Then just a month or so ago she built a stair way in her room, and proceeded to jimmy open the lock on her bedroom window. Then she popped the screen and jumped out!!! We were in the living room watching TV and thought it was a cat outside! The next morning she comes out of the play house as I am letting the dogs out and was like HI! like nothing was wrong! I said where were you??? And she says "I slept outside!!!"
 Oh great mother of the year right here! :-)
I have many more and will probably share then eventually but unless you know this little girl you probably wont believe what I say... next time I will tell you all about the time she got ahold of the garden sheers (the small ones) and proceeded to give herself and the dogs all haircuts!!

Till next time remember this, if you are the mother of a spirited child know it is not your fault, the first step is to admit it, and someday they will make GREAT stories for the high school yearbook so take pictures and record everything! 

Here is my own lil C during one of her finest performances!

Greek Chops!!

I made this up last night when I ran  out of eggs....

4 trimmed pork chops
1cup Greek yogurt, either in plain or in honey ( in a bowl)
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs Italian style ( on a plate)
salt/pepper

pre heat your oven to 375


drop your chops into the bowl of yogurt one at a time  making sure they are coated.
Then take them out using a fork to move them and lay them on the plate of bread crumbs.
switching sides and making sure the entire chop is coated.
then transfer them into a pre warmed and buttered/or greased pan.
cook the chops until they are Golden brown on each side,
then transfer to a greased pan for the oven, if you want super juicy chops cover the pan with aluminum foil and place into the oven for around 45 min......

THE MAN YOUR MAN COULD SMELL LIKE!

I love this commercial! Probably more than I should! lol

“Hello, ladies, look at your man, now back to me, now back at your man, now back to me. Sadly, he isn’t me, but if he stopped using ladies scented body wash and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like he’s me. Look down, back up, where are you? You’re on a boat with the man your man could smell like. What’s in your hand, back at me. I have it, it’s an oyster with two tickets to that thing you love. Look again, the tickets are now diamonds. Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady. I’m on a horse.” [Smell like a man, man. Old Spice]

 Anyhow, why do I like this so much, I guess it is the underlying truth to it, like if there was one for women, the girl would be HOT on an island, and a bed, in a bikini, and so on....Guess it is the undertones of what they should be doing! lol although I cant see my spouse on a horse! Well enjoy the video ladies, he is probably gay or married......

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/old-spice-commercial-roundup/ Here is a good grouping of old spice

Frugal and Easy meal planning!

Frugal meal planning can be difficult for someone that works full time and has a family. Trying to prepare cheap easy meals is obviously more time consuming than buying convenience foods. But, some  recipes are really easy. Let’s start with beans.

Pinto, kidney, navy, lima, Great Northern and other bean varieties taste good and they are good for you, too. If you tailor your frugal meal planning around beans, you can satisfy a hungry family, stay on budget and know that everyone is well-nourished.


Frugal meals that include beans are not difficult to prepare, but they do require just a little planning ahead. You buy dried beans in a bag and soak them overnight. If you are used to buying canned beans or bean paste, you might have to ask where the dried bean and lentil section is located. They can be a pain in the butt but if the price is right they can be a good choice

There are many frugal recipes that include beans as the main dish. They are the most inexpensive form of protein, pound for pound, unless chicken thighs are on sale. Chicken thighs and quarters are good choices for frugal meals, but you might need to be careful about the fat content. Quarters include a thigh and a drumstick, bone-in. It’s dark meat and the fat content is higher than breast or white meat.  I sometimes wait until chicken breasts are on special, you know the one it should say BUY NOW OR IT GOES BAD TOMORROW! lol so I buy it up, wash it and freeze the chicken  for later.
I have some ground turkey in my freezer now i got for $1.20 original $5.99!!

If you want frugal recipes that are low in fat and you are not a bean fan, buy regular chicken breasts, instead of boneless-skinless breasts. The skin is easy to remove; you simply make a few cuts and the peel it off.
If you want cooked chicken, cut up, throw the breasts into a pot, cover them with water and let them boil until the meat is white and done throughout.If you season the meat while it is cooking, such as with lemon and ground peppers or garlic and s/p (salt n pepper) . Once the meat is cooked and cooled, it is easily removed from the bone. Frugal meal planning usually involves a little more cooking. But, don’t be afraid. Cooking just takes a little practice. If need be, you can practice cooking frugal meals on your day off, until you get the hang of it.

Look for frugal recipes that include dry pasta. Egg noodles, spaghetti, small shells and other types of pasta are easy to cook and inexpensive, as long as you buy the store brands. or with coupons you can get some AWESOME deals on name brand! I love those new protein, wheat omega pastas! With coupon I have gotten them as low as 50 cents per box!

Instead of buying ready-made spaghetti sauce, buy tomato paste, puree, cooked tomatoes cut up or tomato sauce and make your own. Load up on dried spices like pepper, garlic, basil and oregano. You’ll only need to buy them every couple of months. And fresh veggies galore! If you like carrots, onions green bell peppers and mushrooms, all can be added to sauce to give it some flair! slow cooking it for 4-6 hours makes a great sauce....

Hmmm maybe I will give you guys my slow cook recipe soon!

Frugal cooking does not have to be so hard! getting good ingredients cheap and then learning how to incorporate them into your families lives is the secret!

Easy Lava Cakes

These are fab! and so very easy!

1/2 cup butter
5 1-ounce squares dark chocolate
2 lg eggs
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
3 tblsp all- purp flour
4 truffles, I use Lindor drk chocolate truffle bars

Preheat oven to 400 deg spray either 4 ramekins w/ cooking spray ( i use evoo spray) or  lg muffin tins (great for lil kids!)

The using two sauce pans one 1/2 filled with hot water on the stove and the other one add the chocolate and butter (not the truffles) place the second pan with the chocolate/butter inside the first and turn the stove onto high.

Then in a med bowl, beat the eggs, and yolks with the sugar at high speed for about five min or its pale and thick. add the melted chocolate and flour stir all ingredients until they are just combined.

Spoon batter into the ramekins or prepared muffin tins. place 2 truffles (if small) or 1 if lg inside the center of the baking dish.

bake for 8-10 min if in muffin tins, or 12-15 if in ramekins. remove from oven when the cakes are firm on the tops and let cool 5min the slide a warm knife around the edging and turn the ramekin over onto a plate so the cake is bottom up.

Garnish with cream and fresh fruit!
enjoy while warm for the best taste!

ENJOY!

Part one The $200 bathroom redo!

Well here is my first series! The $200.00 bathroom redo!

 The challenge: redo the "pink" bathroom in our 1980's middle class ranch
Time frame: Whenever I can get to it! lol
Projects:
 1)counter top resurface
 2)flooring
 3) paint w/ faux finish
 4) theme
 5)color palette
 6) refinish vanity

Start Date: 5/2010

ok so here is the pink room! pink floor, pink toilet cover, pink vanity top, old vanity w/ peeling finish

So my first project is the vanity top and toilet cover, Eww whoever invented a rubber fluffy toilet seat cover should pay a large fine! lol this thing was probably 20 years old and no one had cleaned behind it for God knows how long! taking it off was a project in and of itself! I replaced it with a white hard cover with brushed nickle fittings! yay!

Next was the counter top, this has been harder for me because on a 200 dollar budget I cant get a new one. SOOOO I decided to re cover it. This is funny though because in this instance I did not do the research I should have. I went into the HI (home improvement) store and looked around, I didn't ask anyone (bad idea) and I formulate the idea to spray paint it. So I picked a beige colored textured (again bad idea) spray paint used for plastics. Also I picked up a clear enamel spray to cover the top, I had a clear enamel paint left over at the house from a former cabinet project.

I started by taping all no paint areas, then ventilating the room as well as I could ( a fan and window) I also used a face mask. I spray painted the textured stuff first, then after it dried I sprayed a non textured paint then sanded it sound gently to create a smoother finish. BTW textured is bad! Dont use it unless you never plan to clean the surface! Then about a hundred ( ok maybe 15) coats of enamel.

It is now white-ish and works for now, eventually I plan on replacing it but for the $200 bathroom it had to do for now.  I will post a pic of it soon..... Oh and why it was a bad idea to use spray paint.....They make a counter top cover paint in a can, no fumes no mess...lol thats what I get for not asking!

Well thats it for #1 in the $200 bathroom series.  Hope you liked it! if you have any questions feel free to comment them!



a little about me!

My name is Elizabeth ( hence the E in Mom-E) and I am a SAHM with two kids, I am also a student. We live in a middleclass home on one solid income. my job here at home is to save our money, stretch our dollars, and try to come up with the coolest ideas with the least cash. :-) I am an avid coupon lady and a big DIY'r in the home. I think I have started many MANY ideas for making money, some have worked many have not lol. My greatest thrill at home is knowing I have stretched our money to provide the lifestyle we want for us and our kids without breaking the bank! I hope to share with you all my ideas and lessons learned and through our Facebook page I Hope you all will share with me and other clever Mom-E's your stories tips pictures and advice! We will have weekly themes and daily updates I hope to see you all there! and please share my pages with your friends!

Find us on FB under The Clever Mom-E!

Thanks again for sharing this new journey with me!

Clever Mom-E first post!

Welcome to the new Clever Mom-E blog! I hope to post ideas and stories for the clever Mom-E's out there! I hope you enjoy it and pass it on to any clever mom-E's you know and love!