Our New Favorite Dinner

I had to share this. You can thank me later.

Southwestern Pulled Brisket. From Smitten Kitchen. 

Seriously, go there now and get that recipe! And look at her pictures, because, well, mine looks pretty rough. This recipe also happens to be for a slow cooker, which I love! The first time I made this, I used brisket because that's what I had. But since then I've been using various cuts of beef roast with great results (brisket is usually pricey). It is a bit more prep work than the average dump-junk-in-and-go slow cooker recipe, but well worth the extra effort. I promise. And do yourself a favor, make the suggested Quick-Pickled Red Onions. They are amazing. 

At the Store With Dad

     

The kids LOVE when Caleb takes them to the store. 

The rules are a bit different with Dad.

 And also, he gets them candy.

Little White Bungalow Tour - Bathroom

The bathroom. 

Before I flash these before & afters, I'll fill you in on everything you need to know about our bathroom. It's small and there's only one. Ok, that's it. Here we go!

Yeah, it's like that. But I saw potential.  

Adorable, right?

This outdated fixture cracks me up. Bows? HAHA! Needless to say, that was the first thing to go.

We chose something basic and unfussy. And cheap. We're not made of money over here at the Little White Bungalow. One bathroom, remember? You're livin' large if you have more than one of those!

The vanity was actually pretty new. But the drawers were busted. 

Then I broke one of the doors. 

Then it hung funny, even after buying two different replacement hinges.

Then I was angry. So I busted the drawers and doors out with a crowbar. 

And then I felt great!

But then our once hidden bathroom stuffs were exposed.

Then it stayed that way for a couple of months. 

Then I finally bought some white paint and painted it. 

And then a couple of weeks after that, I bought some navy and white striped fabric at Ikea. 

Then a few months after that, I whipped up a curtain to cover the result of my fit of rage. See? All better. And it only took half a year!

I also painted the weird and ugly but useful cabinet that hangs above the toilet. I bought that snazzy shower curtain from Target. When we needed a new shower curtain, it's the first place I thought to go. Some people (crazy-rich people who probably have more than one bathroom) might think to browse Pottery Barn, Anthropologie, Ballard Designs or other purveyors of fine shower curtains. Why would you do that? These days Target is so, so good at knocking those guys off...

I love you, Target!

The opposite wall had four randomly placed towel bars. I took 'em down.

And I hung pretty things there instead. 

And we now hang our towels on hooks on the back of the door. Because wet towels don't deserve to be on display.

The wreath was a gift, made by my talented sister. (Thanks, Becky!) 

The white frame was $1 on clearance at Hobby Lobby. It had baby blue and white striped backing with a 'G' initial. I busted out the back, ripped off the 'G,' lined it with some gingham fabric and added a photo. Voila! 

I painted the Illinois canvas myself. It's a total knock off based on these paintings on etsy. 

Well, there ya have it. Our (one and only) bathroom. We like it!

Punks at the Pool

Hi.  So, I haven't blogged since early May. Awesome, huh?

I took the kids to Sholem Aquatic Center this morning. It's a really fun public pool/water park that has a nice toddler pool with fountains and a slide. The toddler pool area is only for kids 3 and under, which works out perfectly for us! Kids 3 and under are admitted for free and adults are just $3. So, it's a fun and budget friendly way to spend a weekday morning. I took some photos with my iPod.

Walking to the pool.

Running and splashing!

Silas liked playing with other kids' toys.

Nella loved the slide.

Silas loved jumping in.

Snack time.

After swimming. They were wiped out!

So very exhausted after a morning of swimming in the sun!

Little White Bungalow Tour - Living Room

Our living room then:

Oh, hi little 9 month old Silas!

And now:

This is actually the only room in the house that we didn't paint. We didn't mind the neutral gray/green/blue so we just left it as is. I still like it and have no plans on changing it anytime soon. The leather is super masculine and not my first choice, but man, is it super easy to clean! Pee, poop, puke, milk, smashed craisins, you name it, it's wiping right off. I like low maintenance furniture.

And there's 19 month old climbing Silas.

Oh, there's climbing Silas again.

That basket is full of neatly-folded blankets that probably need to be put away for the summer months. But anyway, let's have a closer look at my new lamp.

 The lamp is from TJ Maxx and I love it. When you turn it on, you can see the gingham fabric through the canvas shade. Adorable! The chalkboard is currently blank. And those are ultrasound pics of the kiddos in that frame. And those flowers are from Mother's Day.

The trunk was Caleb's grandfather's Army trunk. It's probably my favorite thing in the room. It hides our random junk. Nella likes to jump off of it and Silas thinks it makes a great surface for lining up toy cars and trains and then pushing them off.

Family photos and some artwork by the Nella Bean. She loves to paint.

The huge old map has been in my family for ages. It's beautiful and special.

Living Room To-Do List:

pillows for sofas (i plan on making some. someday. next year probably.)

replace blinds on large window (the others are new, but the big window needs a special order. big window, big blinds, big $)

window treatments (ugh, i'm so lost here. i have no idea what i want. suggestions more than welcome!!)

And if you missed it, here's the kitchen.

Little White Bungalow Tour - The Kitchen

We've lived in our little white bungalow for about a year now and I've yet to give the tour I promised. I even put the photo tour on my 2011 resolutions list and I'll be glad to cross that one off.

So, here we go. Starting in the kitchen, complete with before and after photos - get excited!

 

It's seriously amazing what a little paint can do. 

Oooooh yeah. Love that fruit border. We totally painted over it.

 

What? Like you've never seen dirty dishes in the sink. Just keepin' it real.

Why yes, that is our under cabinet lighting hanging down. Thanks for noticing! I have the clips to repair that, buuuuut, ya know. Just haven't gotten around to it.

 

We still have the Green Giant. Ah, love that fridge.

Kitchen To-Do List:

tack up that dang rope lighting

replace floor (that's a big one we're planning for this summer)

paint tile back splash (i'm still researching this. any tips?)

replace counter top (this is low on the priority list)