photoblog

our home: the boys’ happy little bathroom

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

I have been waiting until the last finishing touches were added to the boys’ bathroom before posting before and after pictures. You can see a couple of pictures of their bathroom before we took possession of the home here.

These were taken after a little bit of work had already started:

Gray cabinets and countertop. Blue sink and bathtub.
Detail:  Hardware, cabinet doors, and CARPET!
Extreme close-up of the lovely coordinating towel ring.
And on the mirror/medicine cabinet — remember this for later!
STUNNING blue bathtub + handicap accessible grab bar + track from shower doors.
Track from shower doors is gone.
I’ll spare you the five billion DURING pics.  Ryan’s dad worked tirelessly on this bathroom.  He spent several work weeks in this little room while Ryan and I were at work.  
We saved the original gray tile bathtub surround, the medicine cabinet, and the cabinets.  That’s about it. 
AFTER!!
Looking in from the hallway.  My husband laid the beautiful versailles patterned flamed granite floor from Tile Shop (as well as the laminate in the hallway).  Adorable hot air balloon vinyl decals from The Custom Vinyl Shop were those finishing touches I mentioned before.  I’m obsessed with how cute these turned out and I have been holding onto them for a few weeks, scared that I would mess them up somehow.  So easy!
Overview of vanity.  New and improved!  I stained the cabinets black.  We replaced the gray formica top with white cultured marble.  Ryan’s dad added the tile backsplash surround.
New lighting.  Also, notice the framing around the mirrors on the medicine cabinet.  Ryan’s dad built them.  Threw away the ugly swirly patterned ones above and BUILT these new ones.  That saved us a fortune!
New sink faucet.
Extreme close-up of the tile backsplash surround.
Another overview – notice the new brushed nickel hardware.
More of the decals!  And a new brushed nickel vent cover. Painted all the baseboards white.
Our beautiful shower curtain!  I fell in love with the simplicity of this and had to have it.  Painted the walls a sky blue to add some color to the room.  I purchased the shower curtain on clearance from Urban Outfitters. 
Original light gray tile with new accent stripe and toiletry shelves/boxes, no grab bar, and new jetted tub! New towel bar.
New tub faucet.
This custom tub apron was the source of a lot of discussion and agony for us.  It held up progress while we were trying to determine how to combine the old gray tiles with the new.  This is the design that Ryan and I finally came up with and Ryan’s dad put it together for us.  I am so proud of this and love that it is totally custom.  Every time I bathe the boys in this bathroom, I’m happy.  One of the smallest rooms in the house, and definitely one of my favorites.
Another angle.
While I felt somewhat compelled to go with bright colors, I like that the room is whimsical and fun without being too childish.  This bathroom also serves as our guest bathroom and I think the colors/design will grow with the boys’ changing interests.  I’m not crazy about the idea of characters but if that’s what they want one day, the tile is neutral enough to look nice with a variety of themes.  I can’t even believe the transformation this little bathroom has gone through.  Now we just need to work on the rest of the house.  
I’m excited to hear your feedback!
xo,
~C~

skinny sweet treat: cake batter yogurt

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

At work myself and a few other lovely ladies are using MyFitnessPal to stay on track with our goals for 2013 of living healthier.  Some of them are doing Weight Watchers as well.  One of the girls brought in this amazing “cake batter yogurt” today and allegedly, it has only 100 calories per 1/2 cup serving and 2.5 WW points.  That sounds great, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that probably most ice cream has about 100 calories per 1/2 cup.  Right?  Just a thought, but a pointless one because it doesn’t matter.  That 1/2 cup was the best, most decadent 100 calories I’ve had all week.  So I bought the ingredients and made it at home for my family.  HUGE HIT.

Without further ado, friends (get ready to PIN the sh*t out of this), I give you Cake Batter Yogurt.

1 box of Funfetti cake (or cookie – whoops) mix
2 cups of plain nonfat yogurt
1 cup of Cool Whip Lite
*I added gummy bears to the boys for funsies and cutesies*
Seriously. That’s all there is to it and it is soooo good.  It’s almost too rich to eat with a spoon. It would be great as a dip (graham cracker sticks, maybe?).  
But is it good?  Proof is in the pudding, er, yogurt!  
Does he look like a satisfied customer or not?
So rich.  Must have milk.
And that’s cake batter yogurt!
xo,
~C~

things are poppin’

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

We’ve been enjoying some yummy new treats, courtesy of my new Zoku quickpop maker.  I’ve been wanting this thing for at least a year.  When I finally got it for Christmas, and read the instructions, I thought hmm….maybe this was dumb.  But turns out, it’s not complicated at all and these pops are so GOOD!  The boys love them (and so do I).

Aunt Michelle and Uncle Bob popped into town to pick up our nephew Spencer, who had been staying with Ryan and Michelle’s parents…the beloved duo of Nana and Pop Pop, since New Year’s Day.  Theo and Dexter had a blast playing with Spencer.  They loved having a sleepover!  
Saturday we went to Shapiro’s, a well-known spot in Indy, for lunch.  We chowed down on some giant sandwiches (I watched my portions, y’all!).  
this kid, however, cleaned his plate!
Nana and Pop Pop’s three grandsons sure do love them!
And everyone loves Dexter. 
OH and one other thing that popped this weekend…..
My sister had her sweet baby girl, Penelope Quinn today January 6, 2013.  I am bursting with joy and excitement for them and wallowing in a little self-pity at the same time because I’m not there.  I now have 2 nieces and 2 nephews and this is the first time I wasn’t there, at the hospital, for the birth.  SAD!  Even sadder because there’s a 99.999% chance that this was my last chance to be there for a niece/nephew birth.   Without further ado, Penelope, Isabella, and Malachi.  
xo, 
~C~