{Long Overdue & More Free Bathroom Printables}

I know, I know...I have been a very bad blogger!  Man, the past few months have been a crazy whirlwind.  There has been so much going on, and I know I need to get caught up.  However, today, I am again in a rush.  I do want to share another fun little bathroom printable I made for Kevin's bathroom.  We are having the blue version printed on a canvas. While I was at it, I decided to make a couple of other color options as well.  Feel free to download them for yourself by right clicking on your favorite and saving the image to your computer.  Enjoy!

My original bathroom printables were kind of a big hit on Pinterest.  I have had over 100 downloads...such a nice surprise!  Sooooo, I decided to add a couple of colors to match the prints above.  Feel free to grab these as well!

 

 

 Have fun with these!  I should be back to blogging normalcy next week!

 

{Happy Friday}

As we go into this weekend, let's remember that Easter is coming!

They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

John 12:13 NIV

^{Have a lovely weekend, friends!}

{Bathroom Printables}

As I have said many times before, the hubby and I are re-designing our bathrooms on a shoestring budget.  This especially goes for all things decorative.  Kevin is such a man...he sees no need for decoration.  I, on the other hand, LIVE for this part of the process!

Since my decorating funds are so tight, I decided to try my hand at designing some of these cute little printables that are taking over Pinterest and Etsy.  I wanted something that would be fun, pop art-ish, and easy for my 5 year old to read.  I am so pleased with how these prints turned out.  The boys love them, so I am beyond happy!

Feel free to download them for yourself.  They are high resolution images and should print well.  I actually sent mine to my professional printer, so that the paper quality and color are better.  I recommend Mpix.  I use their sister company Millers Professional Imaging for all of my Angel Kisses Photography print orders, and just adore them!  All you have to do is right click on the image and save.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

{Rust-Oleum Universal Metallic Spray Paint}

Our house has approximately 5 different finishes scattered throughout.  I really did not think it was that bad (or I just chose to ignore it). Then one day, I decided to check it out.  I was horrified!  I am all about the little details.  When we started our bathroom project, the OCD version of me had a massive hissy fit for two reasons:

1) We have a billion different outlets, A/C vent covers, door knobs and hinges.  The time that would be spent changing these things out would be ridiculous.

2) The cost of replacing all of those items would be astronomical!  Of course, my favorite happens to be an oil rubbed bronze finish.  This is also the most expensive in most stores. Womp womp.

Enter Rust-Oleum's Universal Satin Metallic Spray Paint in Oil Rubbed Bronze...

This little $7.28 can of spray paint is really a thing of joy!  One can has beautified every item on my wish list and then some. 

Now, we went a little crazy with the spray paint.  I found a chrome faucet with a really great shape at Home Depot for $22.00.  A similar ORB version was a whopping $80.00...Crazy!  That's a big difference, so we figured we would give it a shot.  We sanded the faucet down really well and then spray painted the heck out of it.  After it was dry, we lightly sanded it again and added another coat of paint.  It looked great for the first couple of weeks, but now has a few chips here and there.  We are making it work for now.  The great thing is, that we can just do a little touch up when needed.  Hopefully, in a month or so, Kevin will let me buy the real thing.  A girl can dream!

Fake It Til You Make It, Right?!?!  I am perfectly fine with that.  Anything is better than the situation we were dealing with before!

Here are some after shots.....

REVIEW: Rust-Oleum's Universal Metallic Spray Paint might have just saved my sanity!  For things like light switches and outlet covers, it works great!  The finish is perfect.  You would seriously never know it was spray paint.  We have been very pleased with the finish and durability on those items.  On the faucets, the durability is not as impressive.  But, hey, it was certainly worth a shot.  And, it's given us some more time to save for the real deal.

{If you want to see more of our renovation photos, follow us on Instagram at #theburtchsrenovate}

{Content}

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^7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake
    is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God;
    I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.

^9-10 I’m happy from the inside out,
    and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell—
    that’s not my destination!

¹¹ Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
    all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
    I’m on the right way.

Psalm 16:8-11 (MSG)

{Fasting, Prayer and a Little Music}

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Ever had one of those days when you feel like you have so many balls in the air, that you just know one is going to come crashing down? Yep...I know I have!  I am there right now.  These are some life-changing decisions we are contemplating, but PRAISE JESUS that they are all great decisions to be faced with.  Whenever we are preparing to make these decisions, we fast and pray.  It's funny that these seasons in my life always happen right around Easter.  Every year, for the past 3 years, we have done the Daniel Fast leading up to Easter.  Looking back, I can see how the Lord really began to reveal his plans to us, and really started to stir our hearts during the Daniel Fast.  The seasons have stretched my faith, and challenged us as a family.  I have had to reign my anxiety in, relinquish control and trust HIM!  The great thing is, that God's already got it worked out!  I wholeheartedly, passionately believe this!

This morning, as my mind was racing, I heard Chris Tomlin's song, "Whom Shall I Fear", on the radio.  The chorus says exactly what I needed to hear.  I love God's heart, and how he speaks through others:

I know Who goes before me

I know Who stands behind

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

The One who reigns forever

He is a Friend of mine

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

 

Don't you love that?!?!  If you are wrestling with a big decision, or just feeling plain defeated, I encourage you to take a couple of minutes and listen to this song.  It reminds me that Jesus is on my side, is fighting for me, and passionately loves me.  I pray it does the same for you! 

Happy Wednesday, Friends!



{DIY: Rust-Oleum Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit}

Better late than never...right???  It is a well know fact that I loathed our yellow bathtub, shower and counter tops.  They were seriously the bane of my existence.  However, our tight budget on the bathroom renovations did not allow for us to replace them.  So, we got crafty, did some research and found the  Rust-Oleum 1 Qt. White Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit.  These kits allow you to refinish the bathroom surfaces with a durable, high gloss epoxy acrylic paint.  We watched tons of Youtube how-to videos and read about a thousand reviews before we pulled the trigger and purchased the kits from Home Depot.  They are not currently available in store, so you can check them out HERE.  We are trying to take care of both bathrooms at the same time (crazy, I know).  We ended up purchasing four kits, which have taken care of a bathtub, shower stall, and 2 counter tops.  We were able to take care of 2 coats on all surfaces.  I would have liked to do a third coat for good measure, but we needed a functioning bathroom ASAP.  So, if needed, we can always go back and add that last coat.

Here is the process that worked for us:

Step 1: Clean, Clean, Clean!  We used a hefty dose of Comet to get a really good clean on all of the surfaces.

Step 2: Give the surfaces a good sanding with a fine grit sand paper.  According to Kevin, this was his least favorite part, but it makes a BIG difference in the end result.

Step 3: Pull out the painters tape and tape off all of the surfaces.  If this product gets on your walls or cabinets, it's not coming off any time soon.  Be sure to secure the tape, and you should be good to go.

Step 4: Mix the materials as instructed on the box.  FYI - the smell is pretty intense.  We are fortunate and have an attic fan.  We did this on a nice, warmer day, so we were able to turn it on and cut back on the fumes.  If you have children, you may want to get them out of the house for the day, open the windows and wear a surgical mask.  Seriously...it's tough to take in.  The smell doesn't stick around for too long, though.

Step 5: Start painting the first coat.  We used a foam roller and foam brushes for a more even finish.  I was a little wary after we finished the first coat.  I seemed a little spotty, and like the coverage wasn't going to be great or even.  The first coat dries super quick, so you do not have to wait a long time to start on the second coat...maybe 1 to 2 hours.

  

Step 6: It's time for the second coat of paint.  This will make all the difference in the world!  Once the second coat goes on, you will forget about the crazy color of your old tub or tile or counter top.  It's like magic!

Step 7: We let this paint dry overnight...just to make sure.

Step 8: Remove the painters tape.  Kevin used an x-acto knife to do this.  We wanted the edges to be sharp, so we didn't just rip it off the walls, like we tend to do with regular wall paint.  It was a tedious and careful task, but the edges turned out perfectly!

Here are the after photos of the bathtub and counter top:

REVIEW:  The Rust-Oleum Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit was awesome!  The price is great and we are very pleased with the results.  Are the surfaces 100% perfect?  No, there are a few spots where bubbles dried in the paint.  But, those are few and far between.  Honestly, I don't think you could notice, unless you did a detailed inspection.  I will do an update in a few months to let y'all know how it is holding up.  Fingers crossed!!!

COST: $103.88 (4 units @ $25.97 each + free shipping)

{Crazy Funny!!!}

Please do yourself a favor and watch this video...with sound!  I love Taylor Swift and animals.  So, to me, this is genius!  I laughed SO HARD!  Happy Thursday, Friends!

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTwwUtEeSE0

{Bathroom Before & After}

At the beginning of December, Kevin and I bought my great-grandparent's home from the rest of my family.  This home has been more of a home to us than any place we have lived (and we've moved a lot).  I have so many memories in this house from childhood.  I lived here after college.  This is where Kevin and I brought Hayden home to after he was born.  This house is sort of my happy place.  Since moving back from Florida, we have been thinking about pulling the trigger and buying this house.  So we are very excited to get our hands dirty and make the updates and renovations that we have been talking about FOREVER!

We have 2 bathrooms in the house.  The kids and I use the larger of the two, and Kevin gets his own smaller version.  Both were clad in that awesome 70's mustard yellow.  I am sure you know the color...can't miss it!  Well, my Paw Paw must have loved the color when he built this house, because it is everywhere.  Yep...the tubs, the counter tops and even the toilets.  Indeed, I have two mustard yellow toilets.  I bet you weren't even aware that they made colorful toilets.  Oh, they do my friend, and they are pretty special! 

Here is a peek at our before photos:

There is also a lot of dark wood in the house to spruce up, as seen in the picture above.

Our goal in renovating this house is to do it as inexpensively as possible.  We plan to stay here for a while.  But when we do move, we hope to use this house as a rental property.  That being said, we don't want to dump a ton of money into it.  We are getting creative with our updates and it has been so much fun!  This week, I will share with you some of the great products we used to renovate the bathroom.  For now, I will leave you with the after photo.  I am very proud to share this.  I think I am still washing paint our of my hair, but the end result is worth every bit of it!

If you would like to follow our progress and see additional photos of the process, you can follow us on Instagram at #theburtchsrenovate

{Yep...I'm Going Insane}



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So, it's about that time!  I am tired of being tired and not feeling healthy!  I am kicking off this new year (I just turned 32 on the 9th), and getting my lazy butt in shape.  I started Insanity this morning, and it was not pretty!  This is seriously the hardest program I have EVER done.  The first time I tried to start the program, I puked after the fit test.  Sad...I know.  But we all have to start somewhere, and for me it's at the beginning.  I am really hoping to be more Jennifer Aniston-esque in my 40's, than where I am currently heading with my inconsistent and virtually non-existent workout habit!

This morning, I did the first video on the schedule: Plyometrics Cardio Circuit.  Now, I am not a huge fan of cardio or plyo, so you can image how pleased I was that Shaun T decided to combine them.  Awesome!  I made it to the last round of the last circuit (which was a miracle) and started to fall apart.  When suddenly, Colton (my precious 3 year old angel) started doing the exercises with me...and encouraging me!  "Mommy, only 10 more seconds.  We can do it Mommy.  We're almost done!" Welp...who's gonna stop after hearing that?  Not this girl.  I may not be able to walk tomorrow, but I finished the video, sweaty and barely breathing, with the help of my baby boy.  God knew I needed motivation, and he sent me the best motivation in the world! LOVE IT!

Now, I am not going to update every day.  There's just no way I can promise that.  But I would like to update every Friday with how the week has gone, and if there has been any weight loss.

Thank you to Lauren Lewis for inspiring me to do this! If that woman can raise 3 kids, study for the MCAT, be super involved in the church, and become an organic foods specialist of sorts (with her wonderful husband of course), all while getting up at 5 am to do the program (not with her wonderful husband)...I can do it too!  She is a wonderful friend and a modern day Super Woman and I am thankful for her!

If you are interested in checking Insanity out for yourself...click HERE.

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Just looking at that photo makes my body hurt.  I'll be back at it tomorrow, though.  Have a great weekend, ya'll!

{Happy Valentine's Day 2013}

This is the Valentine we sent out to the grandparents and a few others.  Seriously...how precious are these boys?!?  They look so grown up!  I designed the card using a Photoshop template from Crave Designs.  Andee Tate is a creative genius in photography, editing and design.  I really love her work and use her designs frequently.  I did change some fonts and slightly altered the colors to make them as "boy" as a Valentine card can be.  If you would like to take a peek at the original, click HERE.

Valentine's Day in our house is celebrated a bit differently than in most homes.  I sort of feel that it's silly to promote a day to celebrate something we are called to do EVERYDAY!  God called us to love one another.  I think some people wait until V-Day to show the love and affection that we should express daily.  I also believe that it is a commercial holiday...big time!  Jewelry stores and chocolateers are salivating about right now, knowing that their bankroll will be enormous come close of business.  While I love V-Day, and enjoy exchanging little gifts with the boys and Kevin, I like to take this time to celebrate God's love for us.  We are shown God's grace and mercy and love with every single breath.  We are his children and he is madly in love with us.  I am pretty sure HE deserves the special day far more than I do!

That is one reason I am so thankful that Hayden goes to a private Christian school.  We are free to express that notion and speak openly about God's love with his friends and teachers.  Below is the Valentine that Hayden helped me put together for his friends (again using a customized version of the Crave design).  I saw the bible verse on Pinterest and thought I would "barrow" the idea.  I love how it turned out!

This year, I had a ton of goodies left over from my Valentine Mini Treat Basket.  We were able to put together a special V-Day gift for the girls and boys in his class.  All items were purchased at Hobby Lobby.  I bought them right after they were loaded on the shelves and took advantage of a 40% discount they had just put up.  The bags were ordered last year for Hayden's birthday from The Party Fairy on Etsy. I ordered more than I needed because they were cute and knew I would use them again at some point.  I loved the football for the boys and the "My Heart Belongs to Jesus" bracelet for the girls...so cute!

My favorite items are the God Is Love Conversation Hearts. Hob Lob again. Man, I love that place!  Hayden picked out the Love themed magnets for his teacher at Kohl's.  They were originally $12.99 (way more than I would normally spend on something like this), but I had $10 in Kohl's Cash, so I got them for $2.99.  SCORE!

Here is the final product!  I added a little name tag on each one.  This is a Freebie on the Crave Design Website.  It's a pdf, so you can use them even if you don't have Photoshop.  There are several really cute designs. 

This particular Valentine is for Simone.  This precious little girl has been Hayden's girlfriend since the second week of school  They go everywhere together at school, and he just adores her.  Ah, young love!  What can I say...he's a one woman kinda guy!

Hayden & Simone - Fall 2012

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!  I pray that God blesses you all with an abundance of hugs and kisses from the ones you love!!!

My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. 1 John 4:7

{Flashback: New Years & The Orange Bowl 2013}

This year, Kevin and I got to have our very first Adult's Only NYE since Colton was born.  To say we were excited was an understatement.  I mean...last year, we watched the ball drop from bed.  And, I was barely hanging on for that!  We're OLD. 

We started off the night with James and Lauren Messing.  James is Kevin's best friend.  He was the best man in our wedding, and I am pretty sure the only reason Kevin survived college.  His wife, Lauren, is a dear friend of mine, and quite possibly the cutest pregnant woman I have ever seen!  They have the most precious and dainty little girl named Kate, and are expecting another in a few months.  It was so nice to see them, and spend some QT catching up...it's been way to long!  We ate dinner at Rebel House, a new restaurant in Boca Raton that is owned by their neighbor.  The food was AMAZING.  The portions were small, but the flavor made up for it in spades!

After we said good-bye to the Messings, we headed to Sandbar in Delray Beach to meet up with Ashley and Noah. 

 If you are ever in Delray (and I highly recommend you go), you MUST check this place out!  I honestly cannot think of a better place to have spent NYE.  We had our toes in the sand, a bon fire keeping us warm, great company, football playing on the tv's and even a corn hole tourney going on.  It was the PERFECT way to ring in 2013!

On New Year's Day, we ventured out with the boys to the Orange Bowl.  Florida State was playing and Kevin had been telling the boys for weeks that we were going...even though we did not have tickets yet.  You see...Kevin is "thrifty".  Even though the tickets were selling on StubHub for $6.00 each the day before, Kevin had convinced himself that we could get them cheaper on the day of the game from scalpers.  WRONG!  We wound up spending $40/ ticket.  What we didn;t expect was that the NIU fans would travel like an army!  Good for them for supporting their team.  I can't really blame them though, I'd want to get the heck out of IL in January too!  Not a fan of extreme cold!  Anyway, lesson learned.  We had a great time and the Noles won the game.  The boys had a blast and we made some pretty special memories!

Are you starting to notice a pattern?  The child can sleep anywhere!

{Flashback: Christmas 2012}

We had a VERY active holiday season this year.  Like a lot of families with out-of-town relatives, we alternate holidays with both sides of the family.  This year, we traveled to Florida for Christmas (for 11 wonderful days), so we had to get visits with my side in prior to leaving. 

We started off in South Carolina, with Dad and Beth.  We love visiting them!  The boys get to see their cousins and we get to enjoy the outdoors a lot while we are there.  Not to mention, God blessed me with the world's best Step-Mother!  If you've got to have one, you'd better pray for a lady like Beth...what a blessing she is to my family, and to my Dad.  Not to mention, she came with the most amazing family of her own.  Matt, Sarah, Nathan, Will and Katie Beth...we just love them!  Anytime we get to go and spend the weekend with them, we're all in!

This year, Dad and Beth took all of us to a farm, where we enjoyed a horse drawn carriage ride, with some of the most beautiful horses.  The property was stunning, and it was just cold enough to feel like winter, but not too cold for comfort.  We got to have a picnic right beside a stream, and play football in an open field.  The entire day was right up our alley.  After that, we got to have a bonfire at a little fort in the woods of the property.  The boys (all of them) had a blast!  What boy wouldn't?  The place was like a little boy's wonderland!

Once we got back to their house and ate dinner and opened presents, I forgot to pick my camera back up.  It was nice, because I was able to really enjoy the moment, but I do wish I had at least gotten a few shots of the boys with Pop-Pop and BeBe.  It was an awesome weekend though, and a great way to kick off our Christmas celebrations!

Our Christmas celebration with Mom was equally as awesome.  My Mom's husband Jimmy is another great blessing in our lives.  As far as Step-Dad's go...he's the best!  We all love us some Jim-Jim, and he loves us right back!  He really is a great man, and a great Grandfather to our children and a great husband to my Mom.  This year, I realized how truly blessed we are by the new family in our lives.  It our family different than I thought it would be...Yes.  Is it better than I thought it could be...Absolutely!  I never imagined that Zach and I would have a total of 3 Step-Brothers, but we do and I am so thankful for them all!

We started our celebration by hitting up Lake Lanier's Magical Nights of Lights.  All 12 of us packed into a 14 passenger van and rode through the light display and wound up at the carnival.  Now, I am a roller coaster junkie!  Few things in life make me happier than a good roller coaster ride.  I was a little nervous about how the boys would react, and if they would like the rides.  Verdict: They both LOVED the rides!  Praise Jesus!!!  I cannot wait to take them to Six Flags now!  We had so much fun with the family that night, and it was so much fun to see the kids (even Little Bobbie) be so brave, and really enjoy themselves.

Again, when it came to dinner and present time, I forgot about my camera...Oops!  But again, I got to enjoy the craziness of the evening...and it was a fun one!

Wiped Out!

The Saturday before Christmas, we headed South to Florida.  One the way down, we got to stop and visit with Uncle Ray and Aunt Mary.  Ray is one of Kevin's best friends from college.  We have done a lot of life with them over the years, and they really are more like an aunt and uncle to our kids, than family friends.  When Hayden was born, they drove up from Florida to meet him.  The send the boys birthday and Christmas presents every year.  They gave Colton his beloved Doggie, that he cannot sleep without.  They are such a blessing to us and the boys.  In true uncle fashion, Ray suggested that we meet them for lunch at the World's Largest McDonalds in Orlando.  Pretty much, the most incredible thing the boys had ever seen...MINDS BLOWN!

Once we got to Florida, we got to meet Kevin's new sister, Lucy MacGillicuddy Burtch.  He He!  It's a Burtch Family Tradition to give pets funny middle names.  MacGillicuddy was Lucille Ball's maiden name.  Ashley is a HUGE Lucy fan, so it fit perfectly.  The first Burtch dog, Snickers (R.I.P.), had Lurtch for a middle name.  I think Lucy fared much better...don't you?  How stinkin' cute is this dog???

We got to do so many fun things with the Burtch side of the family while we were in Florida.  Again, I am pretty sure we have the best family EVER!  I know I am blessed with the best in-laws on the planet...hands down!  Here are some of our adventures:

1) Swimming in December  2) Movie Date Night @ iPic Theater w/ Recliners, Blankets & Pillows  3) Hayden's 1st Game of Twister  4) Spending Time With Tatiana (oh, how we've missed her)

1) Skateboarding at the Park  2) Madagascar 3 + A Crazy Clown Wig  3) Largest McDonald's in the World in Out PJ's



1) Christmas Eve Services at Church By The Glades...AMAZING night of worship and celebrating Jesus' birth! 2) Colton fell asleep during dinner. The anticipation of Santa was just too much for his little body to take.  3) Sweet boys snuggling on Christmas Eve.



This year, instead of Christmas cards, Brenda decided to send out New Year's cards.  That way, shoe could have the whole family in the photo.  So, I set up my tripod and camera timer and took these photos for the cards:

I love Colt's face in the bottom one.  You can tell he's super excited to be taking another picture!  The life of a photographer's child...that sounds like the title of a book I need to write!

Christmas was an amazing experience this year.  11 days was a long time to be away from home, but we got to make up for lost time with Kevin's parents, and that was something we all needed!  We missed them so much, and it was nice to get to do fun things with them.  But also, just to sit and talk...it was comforting for us all. 

I am exhausted from just going through our month of December.  Not sure how we crammed so much in...but it was worth every second.  It did take us most of January to recover, though!

Speaking of January...Tomorrow, I am posting about New Years and the Orange Bowl!