Mom News
Master Bedroom
I have been wanting to do a post for a while about my Master Bedroom.
It took a little while longer than I wanted to complete it and I really shouldn’t even call it complete yet.
I still need to get my curtains up, but I just couldn’t wait any longer.
The reason for this is because I went totally different than I normally would with the paint color.
I wanted something “Sultry” for the Master.
Z told me that if I said that word one more time, he was going to Puke!
Hey! Can’t a girl dream?
It’s always nice to know his Flame still burns for me????…..
Anyway, I know it’s not complete yet.
I haven’t put anything on the walls besides the TV. (Had to have the TV!)
The light coming through the windows is actually lightening up the color in the picture above.
It’s actually darker than the picture really shows.
We painted the wall, crown, and ceiling all different colors.
A lot of times, people forget about “the fifth wall”. (That is what they call the ceiling)
What most do not realize is how much it can do for a room when you choose to paint the ceiling.
It can either cozy up really high ceilings or it can just make such a bold statement.
You can either use a flat paint which will cover easier, or you can go with an Eggshell.
Eggshell will reflect the light really well on a sunny day, but it is harder to work with and will show any flaws you have in the ceiling.
For a DIYer, it’s best to go with flat.
I thought it best to give the man of the house the masculine dresser and just to make sure he knows which one is his,
I marked it with his initial.
You can never be too careful about these things.
Ahhhhh! Refreshing white is mine.
I love that dresser!
One always needs a fan humming at night to block out the snores of their mate and pooch!
I loooooove these pillows I picked up at Homegoods.
This is my beloved Chandelier. I drooled over this one for months before I actually pulled the trigger on it.
It is considered a “Champagne Bronze” and has glass pearls cascading down it, which I bought at The Home Depot.
I’m really excited because I just picked up the matching flush mount and the mini versions of it
for my Master Bath and Closet. ( I’ll show in a later post)
Here is another angle of it in the mirror’s reflection. I bought the mirror at Homegoods also a little while ago for only $29.
Here is another angle of the wall colors. It gives a little more accurate idea of the shade.
I will ALWAYS display my boots because I wuv them so much .
This is the view from the Master Bath, which should really be called “The Community Bath” instead.
I mean, let’s be honest here…..
Not until my children move out, will it ever truely be a Master Bath for just us.
Here is a link to the Wall Colors so you can check them out for your self:
*Keep in mind, that not all colors look the same online as they would on a wall.*
Wall – Wolf Gray by Benjamin Moore
Ceiling – Metropolitan by Benjamin Moore
Crown – Bright White (High Gloss) *Ask your paint salesman for a true Bright White (Most paint stores have a tendency to “gray” their whites)
*We used an Eggshell Paint which Z prefers to use for interiors.
If you have any questions regarding which paint to purchase for you next home project, email me and I will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.
I’ll even ask “the expert”. ( Z )
Until Next Time…..
-Esther
Walt Disney Family Trip (Part 2)
As I was sitting here thinking about how I was going to start this post,
I began to tear up.
Now that I am a parent and know how it feels to want to give your kids everything they want….
I know how it hurts when you feel like you can’t.
Back when I was little, my parents used to take us camping at the beach all the time.
It was kind of our family thing.
Some people camp at the lake or the mountains, but the Wall’s would always camp at the beach.
In fact, it was normal for us to go for 2 weeks at a time during the summer.
Well, they didn’t have the internet then with all the great deals flashing in your face everytime you hopped on it.
My Mom and Dad always wanted to take us to Disney and it wasn’t until literally about 5 years ago, that my mom realized she probably always could have.
She just assumed that it was something that was too expensive for them to take a family of 5 to, so she never looked into it further.
Everytime I talk about our trip, she shares with me how much it breaks her heart to know that with what they would spend on our
family camping trips to The Outer Banks every summer, she could have taken the whole family to Disney World.
However, that was then and this is now and who knows…..
maybe one day I can take her to The Happiest Place on Earth. ; )
Our first actual day at a Park had to be no other than …….
Magic Kingdom, of course!
And the first thing we did when we got there was get in line for “Enchanting Tales with Belle”.
This wasn’t a ride, but actually a storytelling adventure where they have the children be involved with helping reinact how
Belle and the Beast met.
Two of the kids were happy in this picture and one wasn’t….. can you guess which one?
The only problem was everyone else had the same idea we did. LOL!
It took us 60 minutes to get in.
We thought this was going to set the mood for the day, but luckily it didn’t!
I have to say that it was well worth the wait,
because…..
Because my little baby was chosen to be “The Beast”!!!
He was adorable…. and shy…… and TERRIFIED!
He was fine until the Pretty Belle started to talk to him.
The shoulders went stiff and he couldn’t speak a word.
He did manage to come out of it at the end and smile for the pictures, but they said no flash
photography, so unfortunately, this is the only shot I got.
You can, however, go online to Disney’s PhotoPass and order their pictures they take.
I probably will, but I haven’t yet.
From there, we quickly learned that if the kids are asking about something A LOT, then you best
take them to the ride and get it over with in order to maintain your sanity!
SO!
Our next stop had to be ……
The Haunted Mansion!
We loooooove that movie. Eddie Murphy is hilarious and the dead Master of the house doesn’t hurt the eyes either.
Anyhoo!
I love all the props leading up to the entrance. They even have interactive things to touch along the way.
I have to note that from here on out, the lines weren’t really bad at all.
I think the 60 minute wait at Belle’s was just the fact that everyone wanted to be in Fantasy Land.
Even Mr. Moose got in on the action.
BOO!
We went to Magic Kingdom on two different days. I have to say that I am soooo glad we did.
It is by far, the biggest Park and we really needed two whole days to do the whole thing.
Our AMAZING travel agent, Kim put together an itinerary for us to have in the parks.
I’m talking Major Itinerary!!!
She told us where to go first, second and so on. She told us what time to be there to do that first, second and so on.
She told us when the best time to get a Fast Pass would be.
It was like we had her next to us, holding our hand the entire time.
I gave a link to her site in my earlier post, but in case you missed it, here it is again.
I loved seeing the excitement on the kid’s faces everytime I turned around.
Even the “Big Kid’s” too!
On to our next adventure, Animal Kingdom! (*MOO!)
I have to say that this was probably our favorite Park.
It was definitely smaller than the other ones. (Atleast it felt that way.)
Which, by the way, we didn’t mind.
Since returning, I have heard from a lot of other people that it was their’s as well.
We started off the day with a Safari.
This, by the way, took no time at all to get to the front of the line.
They must have had a million of those cars, the way they came up so fast.
We saw Giraffes….
Elephants……
What I hoped would be followed by a fence…..
Then we rode this (Mt. Everest), which I thought I would only have to do once…
until my 9 yr. old said, “Hey mom! We still have two Fast Passes!”
Then my stomach began to roll and then we got in line again.
Can I just say that Animal Kingdom has it goin on!?!
In the center of the park, there is a big playground with ONE entrance and ONE exit!
And the BIGGEST SANDBOX I have ever seen where you can “dig for fossils”!
We rested there while the kids just ran crazy!
This was probably my favorite thing in The Animal Kingdom.
I’m pretty obsessed with Trees. When I say obsessed,
I mean REALLY CRAZY OBSESSED!
The Tree of Life is what they call this tree. It is just breath taking.
I almost felt like I was in a scene from Avatar.
If you look closely, you can see all the animal’s faces that have been carved into the side of it.
AMAZING!
We decided not to go with a stroller, so this is a scene that occurred quite often.
Z didn’t mind though. Just a Daddy and his little boy.
By the last day, we were all tired. Especially the smallest one.
We saw very little of Hollywood Studios because of this.
If I had to make a suggestion, I would say this…..
If you have smaller children, maybe think about taking a break in between a few days.
By that, I mean hang out around your Hotel.
Maybe go see a movie.
(We didn’t do this.)
So, by the last day, when little ones who are used to getting a nap during the day and didn’t……
finally had a meltdown….
we decided that next time we would not only take a break,
but we would incorporate a pit stop at the beginning of the trip and one at the end.
I’m so glad we did this trip. I do not regret one single thing.
Except for maybe the nap thing. 🙂
It truely IS the Happiest Place on Earth!
Until next time…….
Love,
Esther
*I want to note that we went during January and during the week when the lines are not as long and it is considered their “off season”. Some of the eateries inside the parks
were closed, but not enough to really notice. Lines are always longer during Holidays and breaks when children are out of school. Please keep this in mind
when planning your trip.
Disney World Family Trip (Part 1)
We FINALLY made it to Disney World!
We are that family that says every year, “THIS is the year we are going! We are ! We REALLY are going to do it this year!”
Then that time comes and goes and we say, “So!……………Next year?”
Well, this one kind of just happened.
Z and I had planned on going and taking advantage of the Holiday weekend recently and decided to
ship the kids off to my mom and dad’s and take off for a Romantic weekend to the Mountains.
BUT!
Because we are the CRAZIEST, COOLEST, MOST AWESOMEST parents in the world…..
we decided to go to Disney World instead.
Not only that,
we convinced the babies that THEY were going to the Mountains too.
The morning we were leaving, we decided to let them in on the little surprise.
At first, they were shocked,
then they were in disbelief,
then my little one told me that it was ok!
We could just go to the Mountains after we go to Disney World. (How nice of him and his Large Bank Account!)
We made a pit stop in Savannah for the night and then the next day, we were off to “The Happiest Place on Earth!”
Since this was the first time we were doing this, I had to ask for help.
I didn’t know anything, so I turned to some friends who then gave me the sweetest travel agent’s info.
Her name is Kimberly Hill with Mouse Tales Travel.
I thought she would have tips for us, but I had no idea how much she would actually do for us!
(More on that later!)
Her company specializes in all things Disney. Whether you want to go to the Parks or want to do a cruise, she can plan it all for you.
Did you know they even have Disney Trips to other countries?
Might try that out when the kids get a few years older.
If you want, check out her site here.
On the way from Savannah to Disney, I was trying to get the kids excited about getting there, so I decided to video tape them.
If only I didn’t have to deal with my crazy husband…
Here is the video I took.
Try to make it to the end…… it’s worth it!
Now that you see how crazy my husband can be, let’s move on. : D
We stayed at The Art of Animation.
Our hotel ROCKED!
Even though I don’t really have anything else to compare it too, I think you can agree that anything “themed” is a win win for Families!
The hotel was themed in Finding Nemo, The Lion King, Cars, and The Little Mermaid.
We stayed in The Lion King suite, so our whole suite looked like it.
The kids got such a kick out of everything being so BIG!
Just in case you can’t see what they are doing….
What?
Oh! You didn’t know they were over the top models?
PUT YOUR BACK INTO IT !!!
SPIRIT FINGERS, LEE!
WHERE ARE YOUR SPIRIT FINGERS????!!!!!??????
(*I swear I’m not a “Stage Mom”????)
They even had an “elephant boneyard” to climb and explore in.
This was perfect for my climbers.
This one especially! She climbs on EVERYTHING!
I definitely wouldn’t want to run into one of these guys while out strolling around.
OR! One of these!
Since, we didn’t get there early enough to really enjoy one of the parks that day, we decided to go to Downtown Disney.
It was VERY COOL! They had a Lego Store where there were so many Life Size Characters all made out of ….. you guessed it…..Legos!
ROAR!
No wonder they call this the Happiest Place on Earth! This was my happiest place!
Well, that was our first day!
I’m going to break this up into a few more posts because there is so much to cover.
I promise I will try not to be boring.
Well, atleast not too much!
-Esther
Lavender Sugar Scrub
I think everyone needs a good Scrub.
Sugar Scrub that is.
Whether you are a Dude or a Dudette,
we all get dry skin in the Winter ,
AND
for some of us, Summer too! (Umm, yeah that would be me.)
I have an easy home recipe here that takes less than 5 minutes to whip up.
Most of the ingredients can be found in your pantry.
The only ingredient that most do no have is the essential oil.
Other than that, it is just Sugar, Olive Oil (I have Extra Virgin), Chamomile Tea, and your favorite Essential Oil.
The Essential Oil will give you your scent. I used Lavender which gives a Soothing quality so if you are going to bed afterwards, it really helps to calm you.
Lemon is a great scent too!
I almost did Peppermint, so when I run out of this one, I’ll probably do that next time.
You can find Essential Oils at your local craft store, but I bought mine at my local Health Store, called Bay Naturals.
Here is a link to their store: www.bay-naturals.com
The best thing about this is the fact that it makes your skin feel SOOO smoothe when you are finished.
You will have a glow to your skin and who doesn’t love that, right?
Recipe: Lavender Sugar Scrub
Ingredients:
– 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
– 3/4 Cup Olive Oil
– 1 Chamomile Tea Bag
– 1/2 Teaspoon Essential Oil such as Lavender
Directions:
– Cut open tea bag and pour into medium sized mixing bowl.
– Add Sugar and mix well.
– Using 1/4 Cup at a time, add Olive Oil to Sugar mixture until it is the texture of “wet sand”.
– Add essential oil. *If you would like to use more than recipe suggests, that is fine. Add to your liking, but be careful! A little goes a long way and may end up being too strong if you are not careful.
– Store in air tight container.
In shower:
– Wet skin and using scrub, gently massage onto body.
– Allow to sit on skin for 2 to 3 minutes before thoroughly rinsing.
*Be careful, shower floor may be slightly slippery afterwards, so use caution and REMEMBER: A little goes a long way!
Have fun with it! Try your favorite essential oil!
( * This was not a paid advertisement for Bay Naturals. I simply bought my ingredients there. )
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