I wanted to take a post to introduce you to a wonderful new blog friend of mine, Bonnie from Creating a House of Grace. One thing I love about the blog world is meeting other women who have similar interests. Bonnie and I both love yard sales, a good bargain, and caring for our homes. We also both run our own businesses with little ones hugging our knees. Here's a little more about her...
What is your favorite household chore? Least favorite?
Ha, you would think that this question would be easy for me. The truth is that I am always switching up my favorite “chore”. Lately it has been vacuuming. I think that it is my favorite because I need to do it the most. With three young children, including a one year old that tries to eat anything he sees, I NEED to vacuum everyday. I also love wiping down my counters. I spray and wipe them down at least 3 times a day. My least favorite chore is probably no surprise….toilets! I think that is because I have a 3 year old son who is still learning how to aim, lol.
What is your decorating style?
Hmmm, What is my style? I guess it is traditional, simple and a little modern at the same time, if that makes any sense. I have dark cabinets and floors, a lighter countertop, and neutral colored walls. I love bronze accents and I get EVERYTHING from garage sales or the Goodwill (or my Mother-in-Law). I like classic decor that is very simplistic because I usually have so many toys out that I don’t want to seem to cluttered. For me simple is less stressful. I had reds and greens in my family room and I just switched to the blues and browns. I love decorating with plants and topiaries. I just got my first dining table so I am really excited about doing real tablescapes.
What is your favorite spot in your house?
My favorite part of my house is my kitchen. I spend most of my day there. Because our house has an open floor plan, I can watch the kids play in the family room when I am working in the kitchen. When I am not doing dishes, cooking, baking or cleaning, I do school work and arts and crafts with the kids at the counter or kitchen table. I love my kitchen because it is our family’s gathering place. I love our family dinners!!!! I also love to entertain and eat food!
What is your best decorating decision to date?
Good question, you are really making my think! Ummm, I guess it is to not buy anything NEW. My husband and I had to make a decision: buy a less expensive house and nice furniture or buy a more expensive house and buy used furniture. We went with the house we really wanted and decided to get ALL used furniture. I am so glad that we made that decision because I love my house and finding used stuff is sooo fun. I have found so many neat finds at the fraction of the “new” price. I seriously didn’t buy one piece of “new” anything in our whole house. I am now addicted to garage sales, lol!!!! Plus, with the kids banging stuff up, I am not as uptight about my stuff. I feel like I can really enjoy my home rather that always saying, “Don’t touch that!” I am also realizing that I love to change my mind. I am always switching things up. I know if I paid full price, I would never want to get rid of it. Check out my family room, my dining room, my guest bedroom and guest bathroom to see what I got for cheap.
What is your favorite find/bargain?
My favorite find was this awesome Pottery Barn table. It has 2 leaves and 8 chairs and I got it from a garage sale, of course,…….it was only $200!!!!! That’s right, only $200!! It was a light wood and we painted it black. I love that it has so many chairs for entertaining! This was defiantly my favorite find.
Why did you decide to start a blog?
This is funny because a year ago I had NO CLUE what a blog really was. I have heard of them before but I never read one before. Last fall, my sister-in-law told me that she was going to start a blog and since we do everything together, I said, “me too” not realizing what I was getting myself into, lol. Once I started reading a couple of blogs, I was ADDICTED!!!! “Blogs, where have you been my whole life?” I can’t believe that I didn’t know about you sooner!!! I love reading about decorating, cooking, organizing, crafts and motherhood. I wish that I read blogs when I was a stay-at-home mother with one baby. I had so much more time then. I had no idea that blogging could help my business when I started. I love how bloggers are so supportive to “mommy businesses”. I also love being able to help so many people with my products that I would not of met if I wasn’t blogging. I have met some of the most amazing people through blogging. I am so glad that I started!
Would you like to know how I got my stove top squeaky clean without using any harsh chemicals?
Click here for my review of the Shaklee cleaning products, more about Bonnie, AND a giveaway for 10 lucky readers who leave comments.
