Jenna

Kiss My Glass

Published on March 24, 2014April 13, 2014 by Jenna1 Comment

I recently discovered a local artisan who does stained glass pieces and ordered this beautiful whale for my mom’s birthday. The hubs catch a glimpse of the piece before I shipped it off and was a bit upset that we weren’t keeping it, so when the artist posted a new pattern of two whales with special multi-colored glass I knew I wanted one for our home.

Even though she follows a pattern, each piece turns out a bit differently, due to the glass variations and hand crafting. She can also create custom pieces like this, which I’m remembering for later! 😉

I decided to hang our whales in the guest bathroom, where I have all the nautical décor. I had been feeling like there were too many fish in there with the fish plates on the wall and the hanging fish in the window. I simple adore my fish plates, so the hanging fish had to go. Now the glass whales hang in their place look a million times better! Plus the colors coordinate perfectly with everything else in this space.

The artist calls her side business, Kiss My Glass Alaska. Isn’t that the most perfect name ever?! It was so great that I had to borrow it for the title of this post!

You can see other designs she’s done on her Facebook page and while you’re there be sure to click like so you see future creations too!

I’m a huge proponent of supporting small business, especially as a small business owner myself! These kitchen table shops make a huge impact on the economy and directly support American families, rather than line the pockets of corporate tycoons. And it doesn’t hurt that they make the world a prettier place too!

Planning by the Yard!

Published on March 21, 2014April 10, 2015 by JennaLeave a comment

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m ready for warmer temps and the chance to get the yard landscaped. I’ve already shared my plans for the vegetable garden that will fill the alcove between the house and the garage and mentioned that we plan to add a deck off the Master to match the one off the Family Room, with a stone patio between for the hot tub and fire pit.

We also plan to fence in the cleared area behind the house and along the side, which will be hydroseeded to create a lawn for the dogs. We decided on using the hog panel fencing with a strand or two of electrified rope I have from an old horse pasture back home to keep what belongs in, in and what belongs out, out.

I’m considering planting my berry bushes along the bedroom side of the house within this fence so they are protected from wildlife, but I might need to add a layer of protection from the dogs since Tequila has figured out how to pick her own berries and I’m sure it won’t be long before she teaches Stoli and Bacardi! I’m anticipating blueberries, raspberries and salmon berries if possible. My strawberries will be grown in the freebie barrel I picked up last summer.

I also plan to install posts around the yard which will become mounting spots for Tequila’s favorite toy, the over-sized balls on a rope that Uncle Mark and Auntie Mere sent some time ago. This set up should prove much tougher than tying it to a tree branch, which only lasts a few minutes. I also want to use the posts of the fence to hold bird houses and feeders in strategic spots where we can see them from inside the house. I’m sure Luna will appreciate that.

Our wine bottle tiki torches will return, although I’m not sure if they will be hung on the remaining fence posts or from the posts of the pergolas we’d like to have over the decks. The pergolas might not happen until next season, so I may start with some on the fence and add more once the deck covers are finished.

Out front, I plan to do flower beds on either side of the front porch, with a walkway of some sort to garage. Because we intend to use the space off the front corner of the house for extra guest or trailer parking I anticipate adding an odd shaped area of grass between that and the front flower beds. I also want to DIY one of these pot fountains between the garage and the front door. Since my vegetable garden will take up most of my ‘gardening’ time I want these beds to be filled with bulbs and annuals that bloom in sequence such as:

Tulips
Daffodils
Iris
Daisies
Hydrangea
Lilacs
Salvia
Lavender
Hosta
Basil Lime (natural mosquito repellant)
Smoke bush

My rain garden will be located just down the driveway in a lower-lying area to collect run off rain water. I’m envisioning this space being my ‘cutting garden’ with:

Fireweed
Wild geranium
Forget Me Nots
Lupine
Daisies
Iris
Campola
Salvia

Here’s my horribly simple rendering of the birds eye view of all this glory. It’s not exact, but you get the idea of what’s going where.

I anticipate there will be some trial and error with different plants in various locations, so feel free to make suggestions if you know of things that grow well in the Pacific Northwest, particularly Alaska!

Spring Fling? More Like Break-up!

Published on March 19, 2014March 19, 2014 by JennaLeave a comment

Tomorrow is the first official day of spring, but we do everything a little different here in Alaska, including Spring. When you live near the Arctic Circle spring doesn’t include pretty little green sprouts popping up after misty rain showers. Here, spring brings a continued chance of snow, slushy roads edged with puddles and grey everything – not the 50 shades kind either.

Spring is known as “break-up” season in Alaska, because that’s when the ice on the rivers starts to break apart and move downstream. In fact, traditions are based on it. Many native villages hold contests for residents to guess when a wooden tripod placed on the thawing river will fall as the ice below it gives in to rising temps. It’s usually the talk of the town and you’ll find everyone available on the river bank watching, because it’s what you do in rural Alaska.

One of the things I love most about Alaska is the change of seasons, but now that the beautiful snow of winter is melting and we’re left with wet, slick ice splotches I’m ready to fast forward to summer’s greenery. Maybe it’s spring fever because I didn’t get a “spring break” like the school kids did. Or maybe I’m just eager to get my garden set up and my landscaping installed.

I have big plans for the yard, including hydroseeding a lawn for the dogs, flower beds near the front door and several birdhouses with feeders nearby so our feathered friends stay. Watch for a post on the full plan soon. But none of that can happen until the ground thaws and the warm temps are consistent. Until then my ‘yard pretties’ will remain stashed away in their cabinet in the garage and I’ll continue to day dream about the pretty flowers I’ll be planting.

Feelin’ Lucky

Published on March 17, 2014March 19, 2014 by Jenna2 Comments

Because neither of us have Irish heritage and we aren’t big drinkers, St. Patrick’s Day isn’t a huge to-do in our home. Regardless, I still like to put up a little green here and there. I usually round up whatever green and gold décor pieces I have lying around and mix them together with the small stash of stereotypical St. Patty’s theme items like leprechauns, gold coins and rainbows I’ve accumulated over the past few years. Here’s what I came up with this year to bring a bit of luck to our home.

On one side of the mantel I used a framed Irish phrase I found online and printed with some Celtic graphics for a border along with some green and gold accents. The other side holds my newly thrifted green vase with some white hydrangeas, another gold votive and our pretty D monogram which has hints of gold to it as well.

The button rainbow I created a few years back fit perfectly on the little side table between the chair and couch. A little potted succulent next to it added a bit more green.

The space on either side of the TV got a little attention with more mix and match green and gold. Split peas in a glass jar keep my little leprechaun contained with his gold. I also paired a white crock I picked up at a thrift shop recently with faux clover I found on sale at JoAnns last month. A pretty green bird and some more gold votives finished off the look.

I made this blarney stone back when we lived in Kodiak and love how it looks with gold coins in this pretty cloche which I placed on the buffet in the dining room.

More split peas in a white tray with white pillar candles makes a super simple, but elegant centerpiece.

The entry way was the refuge for all the left over green and gold, which I compiled into two little vignettes around my green filled Scentsy . It was also the perfect spot to hang my lucky leprechaun sign.

And of course I had to make a little green bling for myself to wear today! I put this small pin on my green cardigan and have a larger version on my coat lapel. Irish or not, I’m not getting pinched! 🙂

Do you do something fun or unique to celebrate this fun holiday? Leave a comment and tell me about it!

Dog Tired

Published on March 12, 2014March 11, 2014 by Jenna2 Comments

I’m a night owl by nature. I detest getting out of bed and require hitting snooze at least twice before doing so. Given the choice, I’d stay up all night and sleep till noon. But that’s not feasible with a full-time job, a commute and two side businesses. Plus I typically feel guilty about wasting half the day when I do sleep in on the weekends, although that’s a rare occasion these days.

The hubs new work schedule is 6 am – 2 pm, which means he’s up at 3 and leaves around 4. After two decades in the military he’s pretty much able to function on any schedule, so this doesn’t seem to bother him much. He is pretty good about keeping the noise and lights to a minimum when I’m still asleep, but I do still usually wake up at some point during the process. While that’s not a huge issue, when I go to bed at 10 pm and don’t typically fall asleep until around 11, it does cut into my rest cycle. And now that I’m in my 30’s my body isn’t as game to function on a measly 5 or 6 hours of sleep anymore. So I decided to try something new.

For the last week I’ve gone to bed at the same time my hubby does, around 9 pm and get up at 4 am just as he’s leaving for work. That means I should get around 7 hours of sleep each night. It also gives me an hour of uninterrupted time each morning to work on my side businesses before getting ready for my full-time gig.

For the most part it’s working well. There have been a few nights where circumstances had me up a little later than my new self-imposed bed time, and I actually gave up my extra morning time to sleep a little more one day due to this. But getting up and moving, then putting my brain to work before setting about my normal routine has me feeling more awake and productive during the day.

I think it will take a bit longer for my body to fully adapt to the new schedule. I’m usually tired when I get home after work, but then I get a second wind an hour or two before bedtime and have the urge to stay up and attack things on my to do list. Unfortunately, that gets me recharged about the time I’m supposed to be winding down. I still try to be in bed by 9, although I usually end up surfing the web on my iPad or watching TV to relax before actually falling asleep around 10. And that means I’m back to my 6 hour sleep pattern, so I’ll need to be more diligent in starting the wind down process a little earlier.

Or maybe I just need to take a page from my hubby’s book and nap when I get home each evening since that apparently works for him and Stoli.

Granted, his job is much more physical than mine, but I still feel “dog tired” and wish I could just kick back and catch a few winks. Unfortunately, my brain just won’t let me until at least a good chunk of my to-dos are done. And if I try to ignore those tasks I just lay there thinking about when I’ll do them, so I might as well just get it done. The hubs calls that “being an over-achiever.” I just call it being me. 🙂

Pinterest Pass/Fail Roundup

Published on March 10, 2014 by JennaLeave a comment

Not many posts on this blog don’t mention Pinterest, so I figured it was high time I do a recap of which Pinterest projects were considered ‘pass’ and which were a ‘fail’. So let’s look back and see just which is worthy of it’s own “nailed it” joke.

Passes:

Pantry Spice Rack – Although we deviated from the original design a bit, it still worked perfectly.
Cache Pot – Still the easiest Pinterest project ever, although I’ve found that the glue dots don’t hold quite as well as I thought they would and opening the jar can be a bit of a pain since it seals so tight. I’m still trying to figure out a bag system so the inside won’t rust, but overall it does what it’s supposed to.
Mason Jar Soap Dispensers – We’ve had a few of the pump heads pop off, but I blame that on the quality of the item. I’ve screwed them right back on and they worked fine.
Crown Molding Shoe Racks – These turned out a little different than I envisioned but they are working great. Now I just have to get around to painting them!
Washer & Dryer Pedestals (post coming soon) – I love having the washer and dryer raised. Unfortunately, our platform was damaged during construction and hasn’t been fixed yet, which is why the post hasn’t happened.
Closet Laundry Baskets – Still one of the best Pinterest finds in my book. We again deviated a bit from the original design, but it works for us and that’s what matters.
Baby Shower Diaper Cake – Granted mine wasn’t quite as pretty as the Pinterest version, but it got lots of ooohhhs and ahhhs at the party.
Cupcake Stand – I love how this turned out, although the hot glue wasn’t strong enough to hold for transit back and forth. I plan to reattach the pieces with a stronger adhesive when I need such a piece again.
Party Punch – Yummy and simple. Can’t beat that!
Upholstered Guest Headboard (pre-blog) – It was so simple I showed the hubby a picture and he did it one afternoon before I got home from work without any direction. Our design was similar to this, but with different fabric.
Kitchen Island Glass Insulator Pendant Lights – Still one of the most visited projects on this blog and one of my favorites.
Permanent Marker Removal – Who knew! And it works!
Desk – It’s still not my dream set-up, but it works for now and it’s sure better than a folding table!
Gold Toed Shoes – I’m not sure mine are as cute as her’s, but I might be a bit self critical.
Curly Bun Updo – A success from a fail. Gotta love that.
Lemon Blueberry Bread (pre-blog) – This recipe has created addicts and raised over $300 for charity! I bet it’s original creator never imagined that.
Stove Cleaner – I certainly don’t miss the flat surface stove, or cleaning it.
Natural Cleaners – I actually need to make up another batch of DIY Febreeze because I finally ran out. Love how both work and plan to continue using them. I also started using the DIY makeup brush cleaner recipe and am pleased with that as well.
Terrariums – These suckers did so well that the plants literally outgrew their containers and had to be replanted. A few didn’t survive the transplant, but that happens.
Drop Cloth Curtains (update coming soon on how these are being used at the new house) – So glad I found this idea now that we have SUPER tall windows!
Magnet Bobby Pin Holder – A close runner-up for easiest project yet. And it works like the dickens.
DIY Laundry Detergent (post coming soon) – I wanted to use the recipe for a while before talking about it, but so far so good. And it’s not that complicated to make either.

Fails:

Ombre Shirt Dying – This project didn’t turn out all bad, but it certainly didn’t end like I thought it would, which is why I’ve classified it as a fail.
No Heat Curls – Epic failure. Maybe it’s the magic of YouTube or minimal detail on web cameras, but whatever it is, my hair does not respond well to this method. Seems I’m destined to get my curls the time-consuming old fashioned way (shakes fist in the air)
Rug Stop Silicone – I’ve seen this idea all over Pinterest, and with two rambunctious pups running around it seemed like an easy solution to a constant problem. Unfortunately, it did NADA for our sliding rugs. However, the store bought rug stop under the entire rug does seem to do the trick.

And the winner of the “nailed it” award is….No Heat Curls! It was so horrible I couldn’t even take a picture of it! LOL

Now that I’ve rounded up the good and the bad and the down-right ugly, it’s obvious that the majority of the ideas I find are acceptable passes. I guess that means my Pinterest addiction isn’t that bad after all. 😉

Cast Iron Charm

Published on March 5, 2014March 11, 2014 by JennaLeave a comment

I found these pretty cast iron medallions at a local antique shop recently and knew I wanted to use them in the Master bathroom, although I wasn’t sure exactly how. I considered making hooks out of them for our towels, but didn’t want them to be covered up most of the time. I also thought about attaching them to a board and making a piece of art, but that didn’t feel right either. Finally I decided that putting them above the window over the tub would be just right.

They also made a great visual anchor for the hanging terrariums I had the hubs put up in here. I think they fit perfectly with my eclectic Alaskan spa theme in this space. I’ve been incorporating a few Moroccan pieces and patterns in this space and these medallions follow that trend, without being over powering.

I’ve got a few more projects planned for this space, but will showcase what’s been done so far when I do a whole house tour in the coming weeks. 🙂

Coins on Display

Published on March 2, 2014March 11, 2014 by Jenna1 Comment

Most military wives are familiar with the coin tradition of the military. There are coins for missions, coins for units, coins for special occasions and even coins for secretaries of each branch. And any military member who’s been around a while has LOTS of them. After just shy of 20 years in the Coast Guard my hubby is no exception.

Although I was proud of all the accolades and moments he had collected, I wasn’t enjoying finding them all over the house or stashed away in storage. I’d heard about coin display boards thanks to this post by one of my favorite bloggers, and decided to get one for the hubs for Valentines day. When we moved and set up the curio cabinet at the new house I had the hubs sort through his coins and decide how many he’d like to have displayed. I casually showed him the different stands available and asked what he’d like his to say, then acted like it was something we’d have to get “one day”. Once I knew his preferences I secretly put in a custom order a few days later.

There wasn’t any major reaction when it arrived, but I can tell he likes it. He filled it with the coins he’d chosen to display and I made room for it in the curio cabinet, surrounded by his other keepsakes. The rest of his collection is in storage, but at least they are no longer floating around the house. There’s still room for a few more if he decides there’s others that should be on display or picks up something new during his retirement.

It’s the perfect addition to the other displays in our home of both the hubs and his Pop’s service. What displays have you created in your home to honor your family’s military service?

Bringing a Little Bacardi to the Party

Published on February 28, 2014March 11, 2014 by Jenna2 Comments

Our little family will be growing by four more feet in a few weeks when we adopt a new baby blue heeler! A woman we met through a local buy/sell page had a litter of blue heeler puppies and was expecting another, by accident.

We contacted her about the dogs and got good feedback so we made arrangements to meet the expecting momma dog and see what her personality was like. Although she wasn’t very social with our dogs – who could blame her a week from her due date – she was well behaved and definitely people friendly, especially when those people gave ear rubs.

The woman who owned momma dog was excited to hear that we had a Rottie as well, which is the other breed in their home. She also liked the fact that we are previous heeler owners so we know what to expect and have plenty of space for such an active breed. She liked us so much that she told us we had first pick once the litter was born!

A little over a week later she emailed me to say there had been 3 boys and 3 girls born the day prior. We knew we wanted a girl, so she sent pictures of those three. One was all white with just a snip of black on the tip of her ear. Another had a black mask on her head, but no other spots. And the runt had a black mask with several body spots. Including one shaped like an upside down heart on her side.

We discussed it and unanimously agreed we wanted the runt. As you can guess by the title of this post, we decided to continue our alcoholic theme and name her Bacardi.

She will be ready to join our family in mid-April and we’re excited to see how everyone reacts to her. Baby momma’s owner says momma and the pups are all doing well and although little Bacardi is by far the smallest, she’s a fighter and does get some one-on-one time with mom. Sounds like she will fit right in around here.

Hopefully, the Alaskan spring will appear soon after she comes home and we can get the yard finished so everyone has plenty of space to romp. Regardless of weather, I foresee many puppy photos in the near future! 😉

What the BEEP?!

Published on February 26, 2014 by JennaLeave a comment

I could hear the shower going as I woke this morning, and realized I still had an hour to sleep so I promptly rolled over to snuggle back into the covers. Just as I was about to drift back off to dreamland I heard it. Loud. Shrill. Annoying. BEEEP! Immediately followed by a voice saying “Low battery.”

What the…?! Somewhere deep down I must have known it was the smoke detector and refused to get out of bed, but the half-awake part of my brain pondered if it could be something else. That thought was followed by “Can a smoke detector really talk?”

Apparently that mystery wasn’t interesting enough to keep me up, because I started nodding off again. Until… “BEEEP! Low battery!” I’m pretty sure that’s when I buried my head in the pillows. A few minutes later the shower stopped and I mumbled at the hubs that the smoke detector was beeping. He went to investigate, but it didn’t make a single noise for him. Typical, dysfunctional mechanical things always know when the man is listening for them to resonate their problem and therefore don’t!

I went back to sleep and the invisible lady in the detector kept quiet until after the hubs left for work and I had gotten up to get ready. Just as I’m crawling out of bed, she returned. “BEEEP! Low battery!” I’m pretty sure I flinched at the sound as I headed into the bathroom and turned on the shower to drown her out. Once out of the shower, there was a solitary “BEEEP” every minute. Apparently, there was some sort of cycle the warning ran on. How wonderfully annoying.

Tequila was so upset that she came into the bathroom and hid in the water closet a “please make it stop” look. A bit later Stoli joined her, looking confused every time it beeped. Even the cat came in to complain at one point. Like any good mommy would, I talked them through it, telling them it was ok, but that I wasn’t about to climb a ladder at 6 am to fiddle with the darn thing. Finally, it stopped and we all continued our morning routine in wonderful silence.

Then just as I was picking out shoes to go with my outfit…. “BEEEP! Low battery!” Jimminey Crickets! I texted the hubs to tell him about the situation and he promised to check it when he got home tonight. Luckily, it didn’t go off again before I left, although I probably rushed a bit at that point, so I was able to get all the kiddos out of the bedroom and close necessary doors before they had a chance to hide from the noise again.

Now don’t get me wrong, I know full well the importance of these devices, but how do they always seem to need batteries in the middle of the night? I’m positive the batteries don’t go in at that time, so maybe the manufacturers need to add another 8 hours to the battery life so it warns us in the afternoon! And perhaps our builder should have warned us that our smoke detector talks, but then again, perhaps he didn’t know there was a tiny little woman with a voice 100times her imaginary size in the detector when it was installed. And at that rate, why is the battery dying just shy of us being in the house for three months? That must have been some clearance rate refurbished battery!

Clearly, my sleep pattern was disturbed and my patience is limited today. Thankfully by the time I got home my husband had evicted this invisible female fiend. If he hadn’t, I might have found the need to re-enact the recent “Duck Dynasty” episode where they had the same situation and determined that smashing the detector to pieces was the best solution. After the 10^th “BEEEP! Low battery!” in the middle of the night, that solution seems perfectly reasonable. 🙂