Weekend Wrap-Up, and More! {DIY, Food, Thankful, Sandy Relief and How you Can Help}

I'm alive!  Of course if you are following me on {Facebook}, {Twitter} or {Instagram}, you knew this... if not, you should! *wink*

{Where I've Been...}

I took a much needed mental break.  You see, my brain works overtime coming up with awesome ideas, which I welcome... but unfortunately, along the way I sort of overwhelmed myself and had to step away to recharge.  We all need a little recharging every once in a while, right?

As you may or may not know, working from home and managing a business is a lot of work, never mind when one is also managing a family with active children and has a hardworking, yet supportive, spouse who is the main source of income for the household.   

During my re-grouping session (doesn't that sound professional?) I took a look at the big picture that is my life; I saw that I needed to re-prioritize my time to give my brain a break so that I can be present, physically and mentally, for my family, my business, this blog and for myself, too.

Here's some of what I've been up to, I'll fill you in on other goings on over the next week or so...

{DIY: My Master Bathroom Re-Do}

  It has been over a year since the fire in our home, and while most of the big work is finished, there is still kitchen back-splash to be hung, trim to be caulked and painted, and some other small painting projects.  I went through my list for the summer, and then accomplished very little... to get back into the swing I decided to take on a smaller DIY project of re-doing our master bathroom:

Un-Primed Builder Beige, blah!

Freshly Painted Grey

It was dark out when I took this photo, still the same grey!

I was excited to try homemade chalk paint for the first time with this DIY project.  I painted the shelves, which you can see were a dark cherry color in the Before picture, a light, almost-white, color called "Sweet Leaf". 

More about this re-do, including an actual After picture once it's complete, along with paint color info, the chalk paint recipe I used and my inspiration for it, coming soon.

I also lined the DIY Roman Shades from this post, and replaced the slats because our cat, Jack Bauer, jacked them all up... pun intended, ha!

The shade on the left is lined, right is unlined, see the difference?!

I'll update my DIY Roman Shade Post with How-To info along with Pros and Cons to the Mini-Blind Roman Shades!

{Good Eats: What I've been cooking}

I've been doing a great job of meal planning... well, for me anyway.  Since we are gone for gymnastics practice three evenings a week, I've been trying my best to make crock-pot and easy-to-cook meals.  But also, I've just been enjoying cooking for my family in general.  Here is some of what we've been eating.

Sunday Morning Breakfast: Thick-sliced italian bread French Toast, Baked Bacon, Mocha French Roast Coffee, Freshly Juiced Pineapple-Orange Juice.

Dinner: Country Ribs, Roasted Brussles Sprouts, Sauteed Sweet Potato w/Brown Sugar

This morning we had Steel Cut Oats- My little chicks loved this breakfast!- Inspired by this Pinterest Pin:

Source: thekitchn.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Follow Me on {Pinterest}

Want recipes? Let me know in the comments and I'll put a post up for ya!

{Thankful in November}

Everyone else is doing this, and it's a fabulous Idea, so I'm jumping on the bandwagon... I'll follow-up via Instagram & Twitter #ThankfulInNovember, but here are my first five:

1- I'm thankful for, this guy:  

I couldn't ask for a better friend, husband, and father to our girls, to spend forever with.

2- I'm thankful for, this chick: 

My first little chick-a-dee was born a preemie, at 5 1/2 weeks early, and weighed 4lbs 14oz. I couldn't be more proud of this girl, she cracks me up, loves school like it's cool, all while managing to excel in gymnastics and girl scouts. *tear*

3- I'm thankful for, this chick: 

My littlest chickie, does most everything on her terms... Miss Southern Diva, 'nuff said!

4- I'm thankful for, Coffee... because this is true:

5- I'm thankful for my Nan's Brother sewing machine, because, let's face it, it started it all!

{Hurricane / Superstorm Sandy Relief: How you can help}

I am thinking about everyone who has been affected by this storm.  Being that I am from NY, I am proud to say that if anyone knows how to pull together and get through tragedy, it's New Yorkers, but even they need a hand... here's what you can do to get involved and help everyone affected by this storm:

-Donate to the American Red Cross, here.  Or, you can text REDCROSS to 90999, which will donate $10 to disaster relief efforts from Superstorm Sandy.  It doesn't get any easier than that.

-Quilt Relief: Another way to help is to send your finished quilt tops to be quilted and donated to those in need.  So many people are still without power, and homes.  It's Novemvber and cold in the North East... a quilt can bring warmth and comfort.  Here's more info on how you can get involved: eQuilter Quilt Relief

Thank you to Lisa, @CrazyQuiltyGirl, for donating her time and tweeting about this project!

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Sign up for the SoChick Newsletter, which will go out this week, for info on my Handbags Shop and Fabric Shoppe Sales for the Holidays!  (Sign up is in the right column.)

Whew!  I think that's enough for one day!  Leave me a comment if you have any questions,  would like a recipe, or just to say Hi!.  You're comments make my day, I love to know if you're reading!

XxOo~ Melissa