Resolution Check-In & Fun Bathroom Pics

Hi there! We've almost made it through another week, folks! Woo hoo! Before I do anything else, I want to show you this awesome piece of spring artwork made by my 8-year-old daughter. She did this all on her own without any prompting or direction from me, and I love it! I am using it to decorate my entry table.

That's a box, some pipe cleaners, tissue paper, crepe paper, tape, and printer paper that she colored and cut out. She's so artistic and resourceful. I love her so much! 

And here we are at the end of another month! That means it's time for me to do a check-up and see how I'm coming on my resolutions. Yikes!

• To be more intentional about giving - We are definitely making progress in this area. We were able to make a family donation to the American Red Cross to help in Japan. It was just a bit under $60, which isn't a lot of money in the grand scheme of things. But to kids, that is a pretty big amount and they really got excited about being able to contribute and feeling that they were really making a difference.
• To be more accepting of people...including myself - I feel like I'm making progress here, at least in terms of other people. It takes a conscious effort, but it's working. As for being more accepting of myself, I have found this especially challenging over the last month. I am just not the person I want to be! But I'm trying to give myself some credit for trying :-)
• To focus more on how to fulfill my kids' emotional needs and less on how my kids can fulfill my emotional needs - It's funny how one month I find this goal challenging with one kid in particular, and then the next month my relationship with another kid is more challenging. So, I have been making progress on this with one of my kiddos who I was finding particularly challenging over the last couple of months. I'm happy about that. But I've done a little back-pedaling with another of my little darlings. Still got work to do!
• To work through the year on handmade [Christmas] gifts instead of scrambling at the last minute - Well, I've been working on some ideas. I mean, I've been working on the ideas themselves, not on the projects :-) But it's still early in the year, right?!
• To stock my Etsy store - Okay, I still haven't done this, but I have an excuse a reason. When I first set up my Etsy account a couple of years ago, I worried and worried over what my user name would be because Etsy administration makes sure to explain very well that you cannot change it. Like, ever. And guess what? I want to change it. Which means I need to set up a new email address so I can set up a new account. I know that's not really a huge deal, but now I'm worrying and worrying again about what to call my shop this time around. So basically I'm procrastinating, but I don't really know why. It's {possible} that I have been trying to do a little too much lately.

Now I want to move on to showing you the fun "after" pictures of my bathroom redo!

This is my fun new curtain! The fabric is from Michael Miller and I got it at fabric.com. It's part of the Flora and Fauna line by Patty Young. I love the hummingbirds! I decided that I want this bathroom to have a whimsical feel and so I want to fill it with things that make me smile. This fabric definitely fits the bill.

When The Hubs took down the cabinet over the toilet to make it easier for me to paint the walls, he started by taking off the cabinet doors. And suddenly I loved it! And then he said that he wanted to take the cabinets out to the garage and paint them black while I was painting the walls (an idea we had kicked around, but I hadn't really expected it to amount to anything) and I fell in love with him all over again! I still have to play around with decorating the shelves, but check this out:

The color's a little better in this pic if you can forgive the glare. Do you like that moss-covered initial on the top shelf? I learned how to do it at ordyandjoon and it was fast, easy, and cheap (score!). The shelf is a work in progress while I seek out some groovy apothecary jars and whatever else I find that I can't live without :-)

On one wall I have my butterfly specimen art and on another wall I have this quote from Willa Cather: "Where there is great love, there are always miracles." I found it in a book of vellum quotes that I've had for years. I put the vellum sheet over a piece of scrapbook paper, popped it into a $3 frame from Wal-Mart, and - voila!- art! Okay, maybe not art, but suitable wall decor anyway.

But the best part of all? No water spots on the walls! Yea!

It's a small room, but I was thrilled to be able to do a complete makeover for (way, way) less than $100. There are a few more accessories I'd like to add (um, like a new soap dispenser maybe?), but even as it sits right now it is such an improvement that I am happy happy happy.

I won't be here tomorrow, so I hope you have a fabulous weekend and I'll see you again next week!
~B