before and after …and in-between

I am so bad, y’all…

I used to write here every single day… it was my outlet.

Then, life happened literally. New babies every few months for four years straight took a toll on my priorities here with this little blog. And, this “little” blog has seen me through a lot, good and bad. Remember Frito Lay? And that other video for Lactaid? Oh boy those were the days… getting glammed up for for food promos… nowadays, getting glammed up means putting on eyeliner.

But, I wouldn’t trade it for a thing.

So, as we move along I have a little buffet of slices of life for y’all… and tomorrow I have a special recipe planned as well.

Since the pandemic hit, life has morphed to a comfortable trot/gallop/derby with three toddlers. Homeschooling has taken on a new pace, and- honestly life has gotten into a predictable pattern that brings a sense of comfort, in an otherwise unpredictable time.

Our home was blessed with a well overdo makeover, all set into motion from a kind hearted gentleman and his counterparts. And, I don’t know about you but I love before and afters… especially with homes.

I was… (we all were )and still are… astonished at the transformation of our home. Everyday I feel like I’m waking up in a beautiful tropical resort.

Personally, I LOVE before and after pics, so: I finally put a group of them together for y’all!

Our house was this ugly band-aid color… nestled among overgrown shrubs..I originally wanted to live in this particular home, because I grew up in the house next door, where my mother (at the time) lived alone, she’s a cancer patient, so I thought it would be convenient for me to remain closely.

The elderly couple that owned it before me, had lived in the home over 30 years, not much was changed from it’s original 1950s build; and the yard was allowed to flourish with just about anything that wanted to grow… including weeds.

A LOT was done upon moving in, but certain things were just not in the budget for improvement. Quotes for fence replacement were outstanding, and with four kids, and a hubby that works 55 hours a week… it just never happened.

Needless to say, it is still was little tropical bungalow that is HOME…. but it had this potential…

 

but wait! There’s more….

but wait, there’s more!

and…

We ended up putting the Snake plants in large colorful pots, because the have a tendency to spread, and we like the tidiness of them in pots…

Words really can’t express how happy we all are, even the dogs. God has blessed us in extraordinary ways that astonish us everyday….

Now: the in between…

We are still in “phase one” of reopening… which means that playgrounds are still closed. So, we really don’t go much of anywhere, (still) but this has afforded us all the opportunity to deep de clutter and finally get life in order to where it runs at a smooth pace … in other words: I’m caught up with laundry. (For today.)

My oldest daughter and I have made homemade butter, bread, cobblers, cookies, pelmeni, zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, coffee cake, had picnics, and BBQs…. we have drawn, painted, made peg dolls, used our solar oven, crosstitched, sculpted and re-decorated our homeschool area. We also started making homemade candles and soap, and we have an Etsy shop in the works… because even I don’t know what to do with 16 bars of homemade soap. More updates on that to come…

Until then, enjoy your day, your time and your life. Be joyful and grateful. Remember the little things…. I’ll be back sharing more recipes, and obviously, A LOT more DIY projects to share.

see y’all soon, be kind & be safe.