New patio and bedroom makeover

We have wanted a bigger patio ever since we moved to to this home 15 years ago.
And now we finally have one 😄

It extends from our backdoor, under the pergola, all the way to the tornado shelter, my husband's shop and a good bit under the basketball goal.  

It's big enough for the picnic tables and chairs, and still plenty of room for the grandchildren to ride trikes or play.  

It needs prettied up still. The tables will get refinished and I want to add some planters with color.  My husband also needs to move back his grill and smoker.  We will add extras as we can but for now,  we are just thrilled to have the concrete patio.  

We like to do things ourselves but concrete on this scale is out of our ability range.  We hired a local man and he was so honest, skilled and hard working.  

In our bedroom, we wanted an adjustable bed.  My husband has bad knees and sleeps best when his knees are elevated.  I sleep best when my head is elevated a lot.  

So, we shopped on Amazon and picked out the motorized adjustable beds frames and compressed mattresses.  We learned through the reviews, that the bed frames are heavy.  So we thought we should replace the 17 year old white carpet before we put the heavy beds in.  We shopped at Lowes for some but there was a waiting list for installation.  So we decided to do the carpet ourselves with carpet tiles from Home Depot.

Before we pulled out the carpet, we moved out everything in this room.  While it was out, the walls were cleaned and paint touched up and the window blinds and window were cleaned.  

Doing all that made it feel like a brand new room.  

I ordered a king size bedspread but it was way too small as this bed is rather tall.  After shopping for 2 days for a big enough bedspread, I decided to order 2 king size fleece blankets and sew up one that would be big enough and still machine washable.  

My husband built the ladder to display quilts. 

I sewed the curtains and changed around the things on the walls.

We bought this vintage Ethan Allen vanity at our favorite thrift store a few months ago.  I didn't have it set up until we redid the whole room.
The lid lifts open with a mirror inside and cubbies for cosmetics and such.  I am really enjoying this vanity.

Actually, we are enjoying all of these improvements and are so thankful we could make them.

If anyone has questions about the bed or carpet brands,  I'll answer.

So after these two big expenses, can anyone guess what the theme at home will be for a good while?
Yep,  we are back in frugal mode and I plan to have quite a few frugal posts through July.  

Homemade - child craft and a meal

Hello everyone 🌞 It's summer and we're doing summer things. 

My grandchildren love to do crafts and when I saw this easy craft on Pinterest, I was pretty sure it would be a good one. 

The craft uses those glass pebbles sold in about every craft and floral department, clear glue and a base like a plastic lid from a yogurt carton. And something for a hanger like a piece of cording.  I first used a bent paper clip and was not crazy about it.  Cording works better.  

I made this one as a sample and test when no children were here. 

The grands made all the rest.  

Just squirt out a layer of the clear glue on the plastic lid and then put in a hanger and the glass pebbles in any design you like. 

The older grandchildren planned out their designs before using glue. The younger ones just had fun putting the pebbles into the glue with no plan.  

we used Elmers clear glue- bought at Walmart in the school supply section.  

The only drawback to this craft is the glue takes a long time for the glue to dry- close to a week.  

The children had to leave these here until they were dry and I kept them where I could check them often.  I put the glue on thick enough so I was confident the suncatchers would hold together and maybe our glue is thicker than needed to be.  

Once the glue is dry,  the sun catcher will just peel right out of the plastic lid.  

The lids can be reused for a second batch,  which is what we did.  

The ones hanging in the window were made a week ago.

The ones still drying on lids were made yesterday.  

here is a peek out one of our back windows.  Can any one guess what is going on in our backyard with a cement truck and a very hardworking contractor?  We just had a much bigger patio poured and I am so pleased and excited about it.  More on that later......

One of our favorite meals is grilled burgers and I decided at the last minute to cook them.  

I looked online and tried a yeast bun recipe that is ready in about 30 minutes.  They did mix up fast and easy.  And they were great in a pinch but I do prefer my old recipe over this one.  

The burger toppings were all grown in our backyard except for the pickles.

I cooked some fried potatoes and onions- both the potatoes and onions are also from our backyard garden.  

I call them "fried" as I cook them in a nonstick skillet with just about a teaspoon of oil.  But they are oil heavy like most deep fried potatoes  

my husband grilled the burgers in the backyard and they were so good!
this is his plate.

I hope all my readers in the northern hemisphere are having a nice summer too.

New wreath and this week's to do list

Now that my craft room is organized,  I knew what I had and decided to make a wreath for our front door.  People have been making these fluffy wreaths for years.  You just need a wreath form  and fabric squares.

Actually, you will need lots and lots fabric squares.
More than in this photo, I had to cut more.  Mine are 4 inch squares.  They do not have to be perfect and if some are really crooked or too small, they will still work.

I used an old foam wreath. 

You also need a "poker" I used a plastic paint brush end but knitting needles or a screwdriver would work too. 

Put the fabric square around the poker and dip into a little glue,  then poke the fabric in the form, about a 1/4 inch deep.
The glue is optional.  But I live in windy Oklahoma, so I wanted to add a little support.

Then just fill in the wreath, front and sides with  fabric squares.  

 Close up and I did put fabric on the back of mine as our front door has a window.  I didn't want to look at the bare back of the styrofoam wreath.

And here is my new to do list for this week and my press on nail manicure.  Impress is my favorite brand. 

Have a good week everyone ❤️