Custom Built In Bookshelves Revealed!!

It's time for our custom built in bookshelf reveal!!  The biggest challenge of moving from a vintage home with lots of character to a new build is that I'm always looking for ways to add in character and charm.  Our family room feels so much cozier and the room feels more balanced thanks to these built in bookshelves.  We talked about this project for months.  I did the planning and designing of what I wanted and my Dad did all the building, measuring, executing and installing.  My job was definitely easier, but we make a good team :)

We had some building meetings :)  If you find yourself in a new build - reach out to your builder and ask paint colors.  We wanted our shelves to be the same color as our trim.  All whites are not created equal.

And then Dad got started right away.  He worked fast!  Although I'm guessing the building process felt much faster to me than to him.  My mom and dad sent us updates :)

Ouch!  A few injuries along the way.  And lots of progress!

Our Family Room BEFORE:

This is what our family room look like at our walk thru before closing.  It's a big, bright room that could use some character. 

Family room AFTER: 

Hello, cozy character!!  We're SO happy with how they turned out.  I asked for timeless double book shelves on each side of the fire place.  Open shelving all the way down.  We have tons of closet storage so I wanted this to all be open storage.  Then I added on the built in bench seating on both sides once the project got rolling on both sides to add in a little extra storage and seating for the kids.  I knew there wouldn't be room for a chair on each side so a built in bench seemed like great use of the space.  I really love having one of a kind pieces in our home.

Look at that cute bench seat!

Dad made the shelves adjustable so we will likely move them around a bit once I collect a few taller things for the shelves.  I added in some plants, some pretty baskets and containers and are filling shelves with books and treasures that we love.

A close up for the bench seating.  I'd love to have some bench cushions made at some point.

The bottom shelves are all very kid friendly - baskets for toys, stacks of library books and things they can easily access.  Then the books, frames and holiday decor will go on the upper shelves.

Great work, Dad!!  I'm so happy to have these bookshelves built by you.  We had always hoped to do some built ins bookshelves at our last house, but we didn't live there long enough to make that happen.  I think Dad would agree that this project was much easier now that we live 20 minutes away.

He humored me and signed the shelves for me.  Everything is attached to the wall, but it makes me happy to know his signature is there.  He's already moved on to his next project and we've always got ideas for new projects when he can fit us into his calendar.

This is the hardware I selected for the drawers.  They'll be installed soon!

I'm thrilled to have this big project done!

Simple Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!  This week was just a regular week - church,, school, PTO meeting, work and house projects.  We're getting into a good school routine (although Fletcher keeps a weekend countdown going all week long) and the kids seem really happy with their new classes and new friends.  Yay!

Kevin and I started watching Only Murders in the Building and LOVE LOVE LOVE it.  I wasn't so sure about it a few minutes in and then we got hooked.  The characters are so good.  I'm binge watching the newest season of Virgin River.  I've got a couple of episodes left and I'm not sure how to feel about all the big story lines that are playing out.  Stay tuned for more thoughts on that next week.

The best parts of our week were:

1 // Fall Wreath - I've been on the hunt for the perfect Fall wreath for my red door and I finally found it at HomeGoods.  I have seen a few that were okay, was tempted to make my own, but then found this beauty for $34.99.  I may add a few more berries or greenery to it, but I love it so much!  Now is the time to be on the lookout for Fall decor if you need any and want the best selection.  Tip: Wreaths that have a good variety of items included for under $40 are usually a good deal.  There are 6 different things in this wreath so I know I couldn't recreate it for cheaper.

2 // Turtle Rescue!  I won some major mom points this week because I rescued a turtle from the road while the kids were at school.  He was strolling across the road so I scooped him up and they had fun with Timmy for a couple of days.

3 // More Books!  I've been making more of an effort to read books instead of be on my phone especially when I'm with my kids.  I've finished several and am currently rereading Anne of Green Gables.  I loved the show Anne with an E so it's been fun to read this again.  One of the kids said to me - Grab your book and come outside with us while we play.  It made me so happy to hear them say grab your BOOK instead of grab your PHONE.  Progress!!

4 // Manis and Makeovers - Olive asked for a fun manicure and curled hair this week.  I had so much fun teaching her about curling her own hair.  Then I picked up some cute little manicure stickers from Olive & June.  There's a bit of a learning curve with them, but she loved them.

5 // Farmer Kevin - He's growing jalapenos and sweet peppers this year and requested some homemade salsa.  I'm no pro, but it was fun to make it for him.  He requested SPICY salsa so I never even tried it since I am definitely a MILD girl.

6 // Early writing.  I love seeing Fletcher working so hard to sound out words and come up with some great inventive spelling.  I had him read this to me.  "I am special because I have a cute baby brother!"  What a sweet guy!

Later followed up with a "Kick me" sign on the back of his cute little brother.  Haha

7 // Always Hold My Hand.  Leo has started reaching for my hand more and more when we're out and about.  It's so sweet (and so appreciated after hopefully starting to outgrow the toddler runner phase.)

8 // I read a novel with the big kids every night and it's always a highlight of our day.  We're currently reading Frindle.  Sometimes when we're done reading, Fletcher offers to give me a hairstyle.  This one was extra wild!!  Hahaha

9 // Hiding from Leo.  The cats sure do get creative to get a little peace and quiet.  Pearl likes this spot!

10 // I got to help give Kevin's office a little overhaul this week.  I love that kind of stuff.  He hates it so we make a good team.  I'm on the hunt for the perfect office decor pieces for him in the coming months.  I'm not in a hurry so I will be collecting things I think he'd love.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  See you back here on Monday :)

Linking up with Momfessionals

Hug From Home

What's the biggest challenge for you with packing school lunches??

I'm a couple of weeks into packing school lunches and we are hitting our stride.  I almost always pack lunches right after a get dinner cleaned up.  I'm still in cooking mode and don't leave it to do right before I go to bed.  I pop them in the fridge so they're ready to add to lunch boxes in the morning.  I write notes and lay out everything I need the night before.  It makes my mornings go easier.

I pack 10 lunches every week.  I try really hard to meal prep, grocery shop regularly and keep the fridge and pantry stocked with healthy food options for my crew.  I really love taking care of them this way. 

We have added some new favorite foods to the kid's lunch menu this year.  My goal each day is to fill their lunch box with food that they love so that it feels like a giant HUG FROM HOME in the middle of their school day.  I'm also working on adding hot lunch options to their school lunch.  I haven't perfected the hot lunch Thermos method yet so stay tuned for a post once I get things just right. 

I hope you find a new food or two that you think your kids would enjoy!

Yumbox lunch favorites:

Grilled chicken leftover from dinner the night before.

Pub Style Pretzels from Aldi

HARIBO Gummy Bears

Nectarine Slices

Mini Naan Dippers from Sams

Honey BBQ Fritos

Homemade cookies

DOTS pretzels

Watermelon sour candies

Snaps pretzels

Hershey Kisses

Cheese cubes - usually extra sharp white cheddar

A slice of homemade bread

Protein bites/balls - search my blog for a couple different recipes.

Do several different bites of fruits and veggies in each slot.

Fritos & fun shaped pretzels

Gummy Nerds

Turkey Pepperoni & Turkey sausage links

Rainbow Goldfish

I save fun napkins from holidays, parties and add them to the kid's school lunches.  These were from shark week last year and the kids loved them.

I am excited to use these cute lunch box note card sets from Aldi.  They're in store now.  180 note cards for $4.99.  My store had two different packs so I got one of each.

I love to include a note in their lunch.  I've been switching up who does the note writing - mom, dad,  kid to kid notes, baby brother colors them a note and sometimes the cats even write their notes.  Post-it notes work great for this.

If you want to make protein bites for snacks/lunches - make a big batch and keep them in the fridge for the week.  The kids love the cinnamon (left) and I love the chocolate chip.

These are our favorite lunch packing supplies - Yumbox Originals, Funtainer Thermos and Pogo water bottles.  Each kid takes a big and small water bottle to school along with their yumbox.  You can head over to this blog post for links to all of our Back to School Favorites.

 

Happy lunch packing!!  Let me know if you have any questions.

Amazing Aldi Deals

Hey friends!  I know that it's been a long time since I have put together an Aldi post for you.  I decided I'm going to start going once or twice a month to stock up on my favorite items to save us money in the grocery department.  The Aldi closest to my house isn't my favorite so for all of you that have told me you don't love shopping at your Aldi because it's old, run down or dingy - I get it.   

I'm going to encourage you to power through and get the deals!!  

Aldi prices are hard to beat on so many things.

I'll start with my favorite dairy and end with my favorite purchase of the day!

Favorite Dairy:

Gallon of milk $2.48

Blocks of cheese are $2 and then $3.89 for the fancier blocks

Bags of shredded cheese were $2.99 for 3 cups

String Cheese is $2.79

Favorite Snacks:

Apple cinnamon pouches $5.75

Gushers $2.68

Freeze dried apples $2.99

Pub style pretzels $1.99

Banana bunch $0.99

Favorite Meat:

We LOVE this beef shaved steak.  It's so good with some teriyaki sauce, roasted broccoli and rice.  We've also eaten it as fajita meat for tacos.

It's $6.13 a container.  I always stock up and freeze them.

Favorite Chips:

Tortilla chips $1.79!!  Tostitos have gotten so expensive at about $5 a bag sometimes.

Aldi wheat thins $1.05 - we love name brand wheat thins normally but these are good and a fraction of the price of name brand!

Favorite Dinner Staples:

Chicken broth $1.29

Black beans $0.71

Mini Naan Flatbreads $4.29 - great as a pizza crust!  They freezer perfectly so I stock up and freeze them.  Then thaw them on the day we need them.

Farfalle - $0.92 - My store was out of rotini and angel hair.  It's all a good deal so I just stocked up on Farfalle this time.

Tortilla shells $1.75

Favorite Baking Staples:

Brown sugar $1.69

40oz Jar of Creamy PB $3.39

Vegetable Oil $3.15

Other Favorites:

Green olives - $1.35

Premium Vodka Sauce - $3.99 - so good!!

I love their seasonal items!  They're great for charcuterie boards.

Artisan Crisp $3.59

A friend tipped me off to these cute lunch box notes!  They're perfect to add to your kids or your maybe even your spouse's lunch box.  You get 180 notes for just $4.99!  I got the girl and boy packs and can't wait to use them.  I found them near the cooler bags and lunch box stuff in the aisle of fun.

Did any of those prices surprise you??

What good deals did you see?  Each of these is at least $1 more per item than other stores near me so it's totally worth it for me to go and stock up at Aldi.

Go and check out an Aldi near you!