Simple living in New Mexico...

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

"Paper Roses--sending you sunshine"



I have a friend here in town who is an amazing crafty lady.  After visiting her home, I have was so inspired to personalize mine more. I tend to lean more minimalist style, but frankly coming from her home mine felt pretty blah. So the girls and I have been working on adding more personal art to the house. We have let loose and are having so much fun!  So thanks Pam for the inspiration!
This is Hattie's bird nest flower.....

Ivy's bulletin board makeover!

Ivy's lamp addition.  We learned how to make these babies at our craft workshop at the coffee shop (from our dear friend)!

Hot glue madness.

Seriously, does fabric come any prettier than this stuff?


Another flower addition....

How is this one for texture!! !Made out of an old atlas book..
And feathers -- our latest thing!  After talking about doing a project ALL day with Ruby, we finally sat down tonight and did this one,  Should have taken picture from straight on, it would show the full effect of this "thing."  Finally a way for Ruby to use her paper cutting love!

Saturday, November 8, 2014

School Pictures

NOVEMBER 8, 2014

 A beautiful Saturday in November....
                                         10 years old/ 4th grade    Hobbies: basketball, football, soccer, & lunch!   Interests:harrassing his sisters as much as possiblesand taking care of the family cow. Favorite food:  the bean burrito..Currently, Student of the Month at his local elementary!    According to Ruby, "He is a very bad brother because he kicks our sand castles."   Sometimes he is very nice though, and he helps them pick out their clothes or even braids his little sisters' hair.  This past summer he did all the laundry for several weeks!  He also pops out of bed in the morning and gets right outside to do his chores.  He is very aware of the clock and when its time to get going!  He is often pushing his sisters out the door to catch the bus.  He was recently sick, so he stayed home from school; on that day the girls missed the bus!  He also waits to see who is winning before he pics any team to root for.  Clay is not sure what he wants to be when he grows up, but Hattie thinks he should be a wood chopper, or a football player in the NFL.


                                Hattie, 6 years old, Kindergartener.  Best buddy of Ruby!  Hobbies include monkey bars, learning to read, and eating ice cream.  Also interested in smelling flowers, popcorn with butter, wishes she had an ipod because she really likes them.  She loves pretty dresses and the colors pink and turqoise.  She loves pistachios,  eating roasts, watching cheerleaders, and hunting coyotes with her dad.  She is a daddy's girl, and loves to sleep under lots of blankets!  She loves cuddling up with her teddy bear or kittens!  Hattie is also currently Student of the Month of her Kindergarten class at her school.  She loves to have her picture taken, and hates to have her long, long, long, hair brushed out. Hattie has a talent in catching kittens and cats, she has the best luck in catching cats. Hattie really likes foxes, " I like their warm hair, the look of their faces, and the color of their hide."   When Hattie grows up she wants to be a doctor that works on peoples broken arms.

                              Ruby, 5 years old (in 6 days)!  Ruby loves going to preschool, visiting friends houses, having birthdays, and going to games, Her favorite food is macaroni and cheese, she likes to try it at every restauraunt she ever goes to. Ruby often plays with Hattie and likes it when Hattie is nice.  She really really likes to play with her friends.  She often repeats herself so much that she brings the whole family to a state of something and it makes everyone kind of crazy.  Ruby loves horses, even though she does not have one right now.   According to Hattie, Ruby is really good at riding horses(especially her friend Rogie's horse).  When Ruby grows up she says she wants to be a horse runner.  Ruby is a very good little girl.  We are so thankful to have her,




                            Ivy, 12 years old/ 6th grade.   Hobbies:  Reading, volleyball, basketball, old black and white westerns (Roy Rogers), and swimming.   Ivy is currently on the A honor roll student at her jr high school.  She is very good at working, cleaning, and helping.  She loves to wear pretty clothes, and doing decorating projects with her mom.  She loves middle school, and being with her nice friends.  Ivy hates mouth noises, and constant jabbering noises as well.  When she is focused she is a very capable person.  She dreams of driving a bright green mustang or an old pickup truck.  She likes boys, but does not enjoy talkng to them.  According to her little sisters, she is a very good older sister because "she is nice, and she does look pretty."  When Ivy grows up she wants to be a spy, ( Ivy is not sure what she wants to be, but Hattie thinks it would be interesting for her to be a spy).

Bedrooms Redone and Garage Converted

Whew its been a long time since I updated this.  Hope to start blogging again, as I love to have a record of times past by.

Clay's Bedroom:

Walls are glazed with some Ralph Lauren goodness.  Finally a spot for cool NM map!

A few Saturdays ago we made this bed with barnwood from old shed we took down in backyard.  From a shed to a bed!  We do have the windows trimmed out but, they were not yet done the other day when I took these pics.  Navy linen curtains...

Ivy's Room
 These are the new windows in Ivy's room.  We went with our dark taupe glaze in here too.  Ivy was ready to have warm and cozy walls after the blue and white stripes...
 I took these pics without cleaning!  OOPS.
 A much needed bookcase.
 We added crown molding and big trim in here as well. Windows are done in here too.


Master Bedroom:
 This one was what we were working on all summer.  This was a whole entire family project as the kiddos took up the slack with housework and laundry so we could work on this on Saturdays!
 Big south facing windows!  We have not bought anything new for this project, we just spread our house out.  So nice to have more room!
Don't mind the dresser drawers, didn't clean for this!  We just LOVE this color!  I mixed the glaze color somehow with some outdoor trim color and a few other cans after a mess up and a panic and I couldn't tell if it was wonderful or horrible until all the trim was up and the concrete was stained....So glad I left it.  Ralph recommends taping off panels to make it look like fabric panels. I did this in this room but not the kids.

Next on the list is Hattie and Ruby's room.  Its going to be fabulous I think!

Monday, August 25, 2014

Someone needs to be blogging here!

Hattie on her 6th birthday!

Ivy (6th grade), Clay(4th grade), and Hattie's (Kindergarten) first day of school, August 20, 2014

Ivy turned 12!

Clay's 10th birthday, August 17th1

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Couples...

We had the privilege to attend a 50 year anniversary dinner for a couple who are like family to us...So conveniently, here we have some wonderful couples who have been together many years....  What a wonderful thing to appreciate!
Fred and Kathy

Dogie & Joyce Anne

Me and Mine, (whew-whee I am looking like my Grandma!)

Another nice one!  Janie and Preston

Who are these wonderful people?

Almost 50 years together!

The newlyweds, they are glowing!

Another happy couple and the sweetest little girl ever!

And here they are, 50 years together!  What an example for us all.


Monday, January 20, 2014

Mill Iron Open!

Our first week under our belt...

South sunlight to sit and rest your weary bones.

Coffee sacks and old tools...

I am selling these bags for $8.00 each!

Breakfast and homework bar!

And here is the coffee bar....

Friday, January 3, 2014

Coffee shop update and schoolroom redo!

The only thing missing is a permit and my espresso machine which I am going to miss having at my house!

Morning sunshine; the banner was one of our fun December projects....

We have a little inventory....working on more!

My mom and Ivy made this easel, we will stick it outside when we are open...

The powder room....I don't know if you remember the horror picture I posted from last summer :)

Bath door, chalk paint and upcylcled lumber for trim...

School room with the kids hard at work this morning, we have a lot of stuff in here!

The little girls area, first breakfast!

Paintings with chalk and buttermilk--Children's Art Lab....

Ivy'a corner...

The  art/project end of the studio....

Still moving in art, ans soap making supplies etc....what a mess!

Kindergarten art projects...

Clay's inspiring corner :)

Our office with snacks and groceries needing to be put away....

This is the butler's pantry, with our three compartment sink and a mop sink!