Semi-Homemade Pirate Nursery - Where You Live Friday

Some of y'all have seen G-man's pirate nursery, so I'm adding a few extra pics! It's time for Nurseries on Kelly's Korner, so welcome to those of you haven't seen it. And either way, I hope you like it! My hubby Mr. Fix-It is a home builder and homes are our hobby. G-man's pirate nursery was soooo fun to do!

For G's room, we wanted big drama on a reduced budget (this damn recession!) . After spending too much on Big Sister's crib set, I picked a bumper from PBK and just bought solid sheets/crib skirt to go with it - done. From that, we decided to go nautical.... but with a PIRATE feel!

My favorite part of the room is the gigantic pirate ship over his crib (do you see a tiny g-man in the crib?!) It's a 5 feet long white vinyl decal and I worked with Camary at Hums and Tiddely Poms on Etsy to get it just how I envisioned. The Everythings came over last summer to help put it up. Vinyl decals are super easy to put up and super cheap. This one took up a huge wall and cost $50. And it's removable, which is important because we move alot, and the next people might not be into pirates. ;) You can get a vinyl decal to go with anything! Just go to etsy.com and search for: vinyl decal owls, sports, ladybugs, whatever!!
I have to give Mr. Fix-It alot of credit.... it was his idea to put up the beadboard (it's great because, as a builder, he sees alot of cool things and brings the ideas home!) I wanted to paint the walls navy blue and the beadboard white - lots of contrast!

Here is a 2wk old baby g on the changing table. I worked with Shelley at SingleStoneStudios on this Pirate's Life decal. Visit her here at her shop and tell her Elaine sent you!

This captain's wheel and oar are totally semi-homemade (just ignore the humidifier on the dresser!). I just bought them unfinished (for cheap!) at Michael's, took them out to the garage, and spray painted them with white glossy paint. Done! Speaking of spray paint... that dresser was Mr. Fix-It's as a kiddo! It was oak (we hate oak, sorry!) with awful hardware... he spray painted it black when Big Sister was on the way, we bought nickel knobs, and done! Totally new look!

And a few of the special pics in his room..... A belly shot of me with Big Sister:

And another shot from my maternity pics. I'm telling you... if you're in the Dallas area and looking for a photographer, Kristie took super NON-photogenic me and took THE best pics I've had in my life. And I was abou 9 months pg. She rocks! (Oh, and tell her I sent you - often she's running a referral program that would benefit us both!

Then, here are a few more details.... 3buttonsn2bows worked with me on the pirate night light, pirate trashcan, and the drawer pulls for the changing table (pirate ships, compass, parrot, treasure chest!). She caters to alot of the typical nursery themes.

Um, ignore that the trashcan is FULL! ;)

One of the drawer pulls - a pirate ship!

This rocking chair was Mr. Fix-It's dad's rocking chair. Maybe even his dad's dad's.... it's awesome that it's been given to use and we cherish it!

And finally - play time!!

How perfect is this cute toy? My aunt and uncle gave it to us when I was pg with G-man.... a little cement truck! I love it! (And there are 4 more construction vehicles - we'll have to collect 'em!)

Now to finish.... I'm on the hunt for some pirate fabric. I'm going to stretch it over a canvas, possibly have Mrs. Everything do some embroidery on it (G-man's Treasure Map or something!), and hang it over the rocker.Thanks for looking at baby G-man's room! I'd love to see pics of your kids' rooms (we move every 2 years, so I'm always looking for the next thing!) Email them to me at oursemihomemadelife at yahoo dot com!

Also, if you liked G-man's nursery, check out his Big Sister's Preppy Big Girl Room! More Semi-Homemade decorating.

For more of my Where You Live Friday tour, check out my:

Dining Room
Guest Room Suite

Kitchen

Living Room

ETA:
Part of Tip Junkie's Talk to me Tuesday! :)

Debut of Big Sister's Preppy Bedroom - Where You Live Friday

I'm finally ready to debut my Semi-Homemade Big Girl Room! It's Big Sister's Preppy Bedroom and it's all hot pink & lime green, all girly, and all fun! And how perfect that it coincided with the Where You Live Friday: Kids' Rooms & Nurseries on Kelly's Korner. (Be sure to check out G-man's Pirate Nursery, too!)



Big Sis and I literally just finished putting up the last of the birds this morning at 7:30. After putting up her monogram, we'd decided we needed more. (A note about the monogram.... this is obviously not it. It IS the same colors and scripts as the real thing, and I think it gives you a good idea.... her first and middle name are longer than 'Big Sister,' so I think it looks a little better, but...)

This is a little closer up, so you can see the birdies! Those of you who know me or read regularly know that my love of vinyl decals is bordering on the need for an intervention. I got this adorable monogram and the birdies from Marilyn at Decal Monograms on Etsy. Go visit her and tell her I sent ya!




A close up on that little cross to the side of her bed.... so sweet and the colors match perfectly!



I loved her black nursery furniture sooo much, that I searched the world over (okay, not the world, but definitely all of north TX) until I found the perfect Big Girl furniture. Love it!

I just love black furniture.... and the lines on these pieces are so clean....




And all the preppiness of the pink & green wouldn't be complete without all the birds - they're everywhere!


A black iron wall hanging by the door:



A couple birdies walking on top of her closet:


Some of the other special touches were moved in from her nursery. Here are some pics I took of her as a baby - her foot, cute face, and tiny hand.

My sister's best friend (who is like another sister to me!) painted these for Big Sister's nursery - they matched her Dance, Laugh, Sing bedding.... I switched the ribbons out to this hot pink (you can have your staple gun back, Mrs. Everything!) and voila! The birdie ties it back in to the theme in her big girl room!

This hung on her nursery door, too, and I still love it...

Just wanted to show off the paint job (you know by now that Mr. Fix-It is a GENIUS when it comes to paint color and different ideas. He came up with the pink & white stripes below the chair rail and it's so cute!

A few of Big Sister's friends sit at the ready for a tea

And Pete (the FAO Schwartz bear) has been her best friend since birth.

Before bed everynight, Big Sister likes to name off every kiddo in her class, using their class picture. (She later thanks God for them and her teachers in her nightly prayer - it's cute!)

If you liked Big Sister's preppy bedroom, you haven't seen nothin' yet! Check out her baby brother G-man's Pirate Nursery - arggggh! ;)

Also, the links weren't working by the time I got the pics posted for my Dining Room last week, so check it out, too!

Woo hoo! I won!

Susie at my flip flopz has announced that I am the winner of her stationary give away. Moi. I am insanely excited. These are perfect! I am a HUGE writer of thank you notes. Almost every week, it seems like I have someone in my life to thank for something! And these are so pretty, but casual... (Y'all know how casual I am!) Thank you, Susie! Can't wait to see them!

If you haven't checked out her blog, go!!! And she has the cutest shop on... my fav place, of course, Etsy! Go visit her here for all those cute painted signs (and more!) Don't ya think Big Sis needs this one:

Speaking of..... be watching THIS WEEKEND for the debut of Big Sis's Semi-Homemade Preppy Big Girl Room (whoa - a mouthful!) Also, a rerun (with a couple updates, I hope) of G-man's Pirate Nursery for Kelly's Where You Live Friday!

From the Semi-Homemade Cookbook: Brisket Tacos

Y'all. The other day, I got the brilliant 'idea' to make brisket tacos and they were soooo good, that I had to share. Okay, this isn't my idea, per se..... Brisket tacos are on many the menu at mexican restaurants around here. And I never order them. But they always LOOK so good.... So, I found this recipe on Gourmetmomma's blog and I'm going to share with you 2 ways to make amazing brisket tacos!

Okay, first, her way, which was how I intended to do it. I even bought the ingredients. I just had an issue with one of them.... you'll see....

Okay, first put the brisket in your crockpot (you know how much this working mommy loooves her crockpot!), fatty side up. Yes, fat. I know, I know, you like to cook healthy like I do... but there's no getting away from fat when you're cooking a brisket. It's required!
Put raw garlic cloves (mmmm!) on top of the brisket, about an inch apart, and then add salt. (My BIL swears that sea salt is better for you, and it actually tastes better, so I use that.)

*** Source of all pictures are Gourmet Momma!***

Add a layer of oregano and cumin. This is my kind of cooking... no real measurements. Drives Mr. Fix-It insane. ;)

Then pour on green salsa. Salsa is one of my absolute fav foods. It's why we moved to Texas. Just kidding. Kinda.

Turn on your crockpot and do something else for the next 6-8 hours... my brisket was about 3ish lbs and, at 7 hours, it was per-fect! It'll look something like this, swimming in all that juice:

Pull the meat apart until it looks like the picture at the top. Steal a few bites to 'make sure it's okay.'

Okay, so now for the semi-homemade version....

Like I said, I bought ALL these ingredients. But when I went to get the brisket, they had 2 options. (Now, you know we're in a recession, and I was at wal-mart... I'm assuming a 'real' grocery store might have had better options, but....)

Option #1: a 30+ lb brisket. Not kidding. I had to check to make sure I wasn't at Sam's.

Option #2: a 3-4 lb brisket, that was already seasoned

I went with #2. (Duh.) And can I just say.........OMG. It was perfect. I was working late the night we ate it (of course), and Mr. Fix-It called me at work, just to tell me that it was the best thing he'd had to eat in the last 6 months, at home OR in a restaurant. Wow! That's probably the best cooking compliment I've ever gotten!

You can serve with whatever you like, but it honestly doesn't need much doctoring. I liked it just with corn tortillas and Mr. Fix-It's famous homemade guac. Mmmmm.... Add cheese, salsa, lettuce, tomato, if you want... but I think less is more here. Try it - you'll love it! And this is one recipe (walmart shopping or not!) that is truly easy on the wallet...

Money won't buy happiness.... or A/C, apparently...

I myself am guilty - proud even - to wear Old Navy capris with BCBGirl wedges. Wear a target dress and carry my HUGE Coach Carly bag. I get that. But.... this combo didn't seem to 'go' as well.
Rehearsal at Scmallardia.
Rehearsal dinner at Courtyard by Marriot. In a conference room. With catered BBQ. Honestly, that part of the evening was more my laid-back style. And that BBQ was YUMMY! But after the grandieur of the Schmallardia, the Courtyard felt a little more like... Motel 6. Know what I mean?

And as I sat in a nearby Braums last Sat afternoon.... thinking thru this.... Mr. Fix-It was honoring his groomsman duties. He had 3 hours of photos (like the cheesy one where all the groomsmen jump in the air, etc!). I was catching up on thank you notes and eating choc frozen yogurt. Duh. Watching the temperature on the nearby bank climb. It was supposed to be 82. But it was already 93. At that moment, I get a text from Mr. Fix-It. "The a/c appears to be out in the area where we are holed up." Lovely. Ironic. Hilarious. Except for poor Mr. Fix-It. In his tux. I bet he was ready to high tail it back to the Courtyard and their air conditioning...

Later that weekend, he filled me in with much, much more blog material from his 3 hours at the Schmallardia, but I'll spare you all the details. Just know that Pompass Ass followed them around for 3 hours, making sure they didn't touch anything. I kid you not. Someone got near a marble table, and he proceeded to tell them all how much it cost. Geez.... And when they broke out the beer (outside drinks were strictly prohibited!), I thought he was going to have a coronary!

Oh, and that top pic? Just another reason why I love Sasha! People ARE crazy. So bring on the beer. But don't forget the air conditioning....

I don't do pretentious

I like nice things, I do. And I've worked hard to get some nice things in my life. But.... my parents are super down-to-earth, hard working, real people. Ditto for my sweet in-laws. And maybe that's why I just don't get the attitude that sometimes comes with money.

So, why this rant?

This weekend, Mr. Fix-It was a groomsman in a wedding at a super classy country club in OKC. THE. Country. Club. Of country clubs. If you know the area, you know it. It might rhyme with Schmallardia. Maybe. I'm just saying.

Anyway, Fri afternoon we met my mom in OKC and she took the kiddos that last hour north to her house. We picked up Mr. Fix-It's tux (I'll have to locate some pics, he looked hand-some! My MIL had her camera, so I'll grab some from her). Anyway, we decided to head to Schmallardia since we didn't know how long it would take us to get there, didn't want to be late, etc. We'd get dressed and settle at the bar for an overpriced drink and appetizer before the big rehearsal.

As we drove in, the homes were everything we expected them to be. Homes are our hobby, you know, and living in the Dallas area affords us tons of opportunity to peek in on this same type of living. We gawked a bit and headed into the Clubhouse.

We wandered in and found a man wearing a suit who we assumed could point us in the direction of the bar. He asked us if we were there for rehearsal, we asked him where this elusive bar was located. He hesitated.... then asked if he could get us something - a water or a coke. You see.... the bar is for:

WTF?! (Excuse this pic... I took a pic of the ACTUAL SIGN that was posted everytime you turned around, but it's on my phone and I'm not techy so I don't know how to get it from phone to blog.)

After I tried to keep my eyes from rolling straight outta my head, I told him we'd love some water. ;) He returned with these:

because apparently the real glasses are for members only as well.

Pompass asses.

Seriously, when Mr. Fix-It and I are rich ;) we won't be any different than we are today. Which is nice to strangers. And inclusive. Even if you're not rich like us. (But maybe we won't be nice if you're stupid.... then you probably DO deserve a little attitude!)

The evening did get better - we left the grounds for the actual rehearsal dinner. And the wedding was lovely - beautiful bride, amazing detail at the reception.... but the wedding day provided for even more pretentious crap. Still to come. ;)

Where You Live Friday: the Dining Room

It's time for Where You Live Friday at Kelly's Korner again! I told y'all I'd be late, with the holiday weekend and all... In fact, I'm trying to finish this up before the kiddos get up from their naps - Mr. Fix-It and I are on vacation today!!! Woo hoo! And when they get up, we're playing outside with some new water toys!

My dining room is done, except for curtains... Wish I could find the swatch of fabric that I found when shopping with Mrs. Everything... it would make PERFECT drapes in this room. A dark brown with an orang-ish damask pattern (the color would match the walls in the guest suite!)

The view from the kitchen, which is how I usually end up in the dining room.

My dining room with one of my semi-homemade centerpieces - don't ya just love a bunch of lemons? So fresh and spring-y!

I love the chair rail and the color below it,especially......

Took us ages to find a dining room table we wanted! Nothing too traditional with scrolls, etc.... but def not anything modern either....

Entering the dining room from the entryway...

Okay, just thought I'd add in one more to show off the ceiling - love it! (Good job, Mr. Fix-It!)

Okay, and this isn't my dining room, but look what's in our backyard today! This is one of THREE gigantic hawks! Isn't that crazy? We've never had anything like this in our yard before...