DIY Project: Industrial Stool Turned Side Table

This corner of our living room is my favorite place to sit.  I keep my laptop and iPad charger just behind this oh-so-comfy Ikea chair along with whatever book I am currently reading.  I guess you could call this "my spot".  But I was missing a side table here.  A place to rest a cup of coffee and such.  I had my eye on a cute little industrial table from Target, but the online reviews were awful and when I went to see it in the store, I realized why.  The top was made very poorly.  So there in the furniture aisle at Target, I spied this industrial stool on sale for $50 and I knew that there was a $10 off coupon code for furniture online that week.  The stool looked just like the bottom of the table I liked and I knew that we could build a much better top, for much less than the $80 table I had come to look at.

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Spring Living Room

Happy first day of spring!  We are expecting a few inches of snow this afternoon and they have already called for an early dismissal from school today.  So I am focusing on the inside of our house, where there are many signs of spring.  And hopefully any snow we get today we get today will melt tomorrow when some warmer temperatures return.

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Spring Kitchen

Welcome to our bright and sunny spring kitchen!

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Spring Family Room

Welcome to our spring family room.  This is the lower level room in our split level home.  I made a few changes to lighten things up in our family room for spring.  I like this room to feel warm and homey whatever the season.  I added a quilt (from Marshalls last year) and some new throw pillows to the sofa.  Over on the mantel, I added a window pane mirror that I had in my basement and painted the letters to make up the word "bloom" with spring green craft paint.

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A Day Trip

  We had our first 60 degree day this week.  After the cold winter we just had, 60 degrees felt like summer!  Seriously, we saw people in shorts and flip flops walking around with all the snow melting into huge puddles.  Billy happened to be off that day (there are some perks to his crazy schedule), so we took a ride to Putnam County in Upstate NY in our convertible.  We crossed over the Hudson River on the Bear Mountain Bridge, a picturesque bridge over a narrow portion of the river.  The day started out cloudy and cool and I was beginning to think they were wrong about the forecast.

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Spring Entryway

We have officially enjoyed some spring-like temperatures in NJ this week, so I thought I would add a few spring touches to the very first place our visitors see, our entryway.   

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Spring Dining Room & New Tablecloth Curtains

On a recent trip to Target (I wonder just how many of my blog posts start that way? :), I spotted new fabric tablecloths in some fun, spring-y fabrics.  I have been craving Spring so badly that 2 of them just sort of jumped in my cart.  I stopped at the grocery store on my way home for some tulips and I came home and added some Spring to our dining room.

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My Target Dollar Spot Addiction

As I write this post, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and at least a little bit of snow is melting away.  Oh happy day!  Today, I wanted to talk about my latest addiction, the Target Dollar Spot.  I have to admit that I used to walk quickly past the Dollar Spot with, perhaps, a quick glance over, on my way to the end caps in the home decor department (still my favorite spot in all of Target).  But, Instagram has made the Dollar Spot more of a destination for me.  My Instagram friends are always posting their fabulous Dollar Spot finds.  So I decided to join the party.

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Winter Weekend

Last weekend, we headed up to Schroon Lake, NY for a little getaway.  My husband and kids wanted to do a bit of snowmobiling and I reluctantly joined them.  I am so over this winter.  Not sure if it is that I am getting older or what, but I have just felt cold.  For months.  I want spring and warmer weather.  However, the Adirondack Mountains worked their magic and I was reminded how beautiful winter can be.

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Easier Weekday Mornings With Jimmy Dean & $100 Visa Gift Card Giveaway!

Most days, it feels like the main part of my job as a mom to three growing boys is keeping them fed!  My kids are 16, 13 and 9 and they have big appetites.  On top of that, they each attend different schools with different starting times.  They need food fast, especially in the mornings when time is short and everyone is hungry.  One of their go-to breakfast items are Jimmy Dean Breakfast sandwiches.

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Closet Organization Ideas & Our Master Closet

This year, in an effort to share the more real side of our home, I am highlighting some areas that I have never shared before.  A couple of weeks ago, I shared our front entryway closet and I have to admit that I smile every time I open that closet to grab a roll of paper towels.  Today, I am sharing our master closet.  I never shared this closet when I did the reveal for our master bedroom and bathroom because it definitely wasn't photo ready.  Here is a picture from our master bedroom reveal with the closet door tightly closed, hiding all of our clutter.

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