Because I'm feeling pretty down-and-out today about the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act...I'm going to focus on happy things. Like 30 of the best random things I love about summer.
1. Beach towels drying on the deck.
2. Wearing my swimsuit under my clothes.
3. Watering flowers every night.
4. Going on walks with Jamie.
5. Grilling.
6. Tubing down a river (haven't done this yet, but it's on the sched for Saturday).
7. Cheer camp.
8. Weddingssssss.
9. Lazy rivering at the pool for hours.
10. Feeling motivated to work on house projects.
11. Boating at Saylorville with the Boersma's.
12. Flip flops.
13. Laying out at the pool.
14. Walking on the deck or driveway barefoot.
15. Real estate is crazy so I stay busy at work.
16. Garage sales.
17. Hydrangeas and peonies blooming.
18. Being tan.
19. Sparklers.
20. Rainy days watching movies and taking naps with Josh.
21. Painting projects in the garage.
22. Blonder, natural, summer hair.
23. Thunderstorms.
24. Being a pool rat at the age of 24.
25. Green grass.
26. Seeing my niece in swimwear. Adorbs.
27. Loooong days.
28. Watching Field of Dreams 27 times per summer with Josh.
29. Reading on the deck.
30. Did I say being at the pool?
Because I just. love. the. pool. I wish it was socially acceptable for a 24-year-old to spend 8 hours a day at the pool for the entire summer without being a mom or a nanny or a lifeguard...but it's not.
And my heart is breaking because all I want to do it HOSE A FREAKING BATHROOM AND YELL AT A KID FOR RUNNING.
I might have to resurrect my pool managing/lifeguarding career at some point. I don't know how much longer I can survive.
MmB
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
BeePreepared
{ DISCLAIMER: Let me preface this by saying this post is meant to be sarcastic and funny...pleeeeease never take anything I say too seriously. Also, how much does the title of this blog remind you of The Lion King when Scar is singing with the hyenas and taking over Pride Rock? My thoughts exactly.}
"If you wait until you're ready, you'll never have kids."
I am so sick of this sentence. People are constantly telling us that 'waiting' to have kidlits is silly because you can never really be ready for parenthood.
I suppose that's true.
However this logic just doesn't really 'work' for me. I inherently plan things. For the past three years I've been doing everything in my power to make sure we are as prepared as possible so I don't instantly fly into panic mode whenever the bebes come.
Even if that means I spend most of my 20's preparing for kids we don't end up having until we're 30.
Whatever, it's fine.
1. I've been buying flowy shirts, cardigans, and blazers so when the time comes, I don't have to drop $500 on maternity clothes. I even browse the 70% off maternity rack every once in a while, and if I find a shirt for $4, I buy it and hang it at the back of the closet. I tend to think this is really practical. A Facebook friend selling their Old Navy, barely-worn, maternity winter pea-coat for $20? Sure, I'll buy that! Beats having to buy it for $80 in a few years!
There are tonssss of other expenses when preparing to bring a child into the world...and I don't really want to look like a ratty mess in sweatpants constantly for 9 months...so I figure it's a good idea. :)
2. Last summer I read somewhere that just having a baby can cost anywhere from $8,000 to $14,000.
My heart literally stopped.
That is just not happening. I promptly made an appointment to see our insurance man, Craig, to make sure we would not be stuck shelling out 14 grand on a new little blessing at any point in our lives. Come to find out, we will pay 10% of whatever the total hospital bill is.
Turns out we have pretty good health insurance. Huzzah!
And we better have the good stuff for what Josh is forced to pay in private health insurance because he's a small business owner...almost $700 a month?! Three years ago we were paying around $400...I hate Obama. Yep I said it and if you're offended, we probably shouldn't be friends.
3. Kitchen. Carpet. Gone.
This winter it's happening (well I hope it's happening, I think I have Josh 80% of the way talked into it). Tile is going down in the entryways, kitchen, and dining room. I want something that's simple, cheap, durable, and most importantly NOT CARPET. Am I being high maintenance? I'm not sure, do you love cleaning spit-up, soggy Cheerios, baby food, rotten bananas, silly putty, and green beans that have been ground and smeared into the carpet after small children have come to our house to visit for an afternoon?
I don't. This alone is a big enough dose of birth control to last a lifetime.
4. All our friends are having babies. Which is so great, because when I have a question about something, I'll have like, 20 different people I can call for help. There...half the legwork is done for me, right? :)
Josh and I were one of the first couples from our little group of friends to get married. And at times, that was really challenging, kind of lame, and meant we 'grew up' faster than everyone else. We were in a different phase of life and we didn't have many married couples our age to lean on, encourage, and learn from. Of course, I wouldn't trade these past three years for anything...But it will be so nice to have friends who have 'done it all' before us when the time comes.
5. Hand-me-downs!!! If we wait long enough, I'm banking on a decent crop of boy AND girl hand-me-downs from our niece and nephew. In fact, there have actually been times when I've found something adorable for Henley and bought it with the intent of borrowing it back someday.
What? You think Princess Ariel is going out of style?
Try again. The best twirly skirt I owned as a 4-year-old was Princess Ariel.
She's. Timeless.
Yes this post makes it verrrry clear how controlling and obsessive-compulsive I really am. I find that if I can control very unimportant, minor things like my wardrobe and our flooring...I feel better. That's fine, right?
Don't answer that.
MmB
"If you wait until you're ready, you'll never have kids."
I am so sick of this sentence. People are constantly telling us that 'waiting' to have kidlits is silly because you can never really be ready for parenthood.
I suppose that's true.
However this logic just doesn't really 'work' for me. I inherently plan things. For the past three years I've been doing everything in my power to make sure we are as prepared as possible so I don't instantly fly into panic mode whenever the bebes come.
Even if that means I spend most of my 20's preparing for kids we don't end up having until we're 30.
Whatever, it's fine.
1. I've been buying flowy shirts, cardigans, and blazers so when the time comes, I don't have to drop $500 on maternity clothes. I even browse the 70% off maternity rack every once in a while, and if I find a shirt for $4, I buy it and hang it at the back of the closet. I tend to think this is really practical. A Facebook friend selling their Old Navy, barely-worn, maternity winter pea-coat for $20? Sure, I'll buy that! Beats having to buy it for $80 in a few years!
There are tonssss of other expenses when preparing to bring a child into the world...and I don't really want to look like a ratty mess in sweatpants constantly for 9 months...so I figure it's a good idea. :)
2. Last summer I read somewhere that just having a baby can cost anywhere from $8,000 to $14,000.
My heart literally stopped.
That is just not happening. I promptly made an appointment to see our insurance man, Craig, to make sure we would not be stuck shelling out 14 grand on a new little blessing at any point in our lives. Come to find out, we will pay 10% of whatever the total hospital bill is.
Turns out we have pretty good health insurance. Huzzah!
And we better have the good stuff for what Josh is forced to pay in private health insurance because he's a small business owner...almost $700 a month?! Three years ago we were paying around $400...I hate Obama. Yep I said it and if you're offended, we probably shouldn't be friends.
3. Kitchen. Carpet. Gone.
This winter it's happening (well I hope it's happening, I think I have Josh 80% of the way talked into it). Tile is going down in the entryways, kitchen, and dining room. I want something that's simple, cheap, durable, and most importantly NOT CARPET. Am I being high maintenance? I'm not sure, do you love cleaning spit-up, soggy Cheerios, baby food, rotten bananas, silly putty, and green beans that have been ground and smeared into the carpet after small children have come to our house to visit for an afternoon?
I don't. This alone is a big enough dose of birth control to last a lifetime.
4. All our friends are having babies. Which is so great, because when I have a question about something, I'll have like, 20 different people I can call for help. There...half the legwork is done for me, right? :)
Josh and I were one of the first couples from our little group of friends to get married. And at times, that was really challenging, kind of lame, and meant we 'grew up' faster than everyone else. We were in a different phase of life and we didn't have many married couples our age to lean on, encourage, and learn from. Of course, I wouldn't trade these past three years for anything...But it will be so nice to have friends who have 'done it all' before us when the time comes.
5. Hand-me-downs!!! If we wait long enough, I'm banking on a decent crop of boy AND girl hand-me-downs from our niece and nephew. In fact, there have actually been times when I've found something adorable for Henley and bought it with the intent of borrowing it back someday.
What? You think Princess Ariel is going out of style?
Try again. The best twirly skirt I owned as a 4-year-old was Princess Ariel.
She's. Timeless.
Yes this post makes it verrrry clear how controlling and obsessive-compulsive I really am. I find that if I can control very unimportant, minor things like my wardrobe and our flooring...I feel better. That's fine, right?
Don't answer that.
MmB
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Sewing for Dummies.
Many people know that I like to capitalize on things I know I do well. Examples: cheerleading, organizing, cleaning, wedding dances...
...I've added 'sewing-in-straight-lines-and-that-is-IT' to this list.
This new talent means I can sew blankets, pillows, table runners, and now...CURTAINS!
A few weeks ago Josh said to me, 'Wow. You've really hit this sewing thing hard.'
To which I replied, 'Blame your mother.' :)
Yes yes, Patti Boersma taught me how to sew last winter. And it's a good thing she also lives by the 'eyeball it' motto because it makes sewing projects pretty stress-free. However, this motto of ours may or may not have led to us buying two yards of too much fabric for my chair-covering project. Oops?
Here are some of the sewing projects I've accomplished (with much help) since learning to sew:
I sewed these cute curtains for my mom's new dark gray laundry room. I literally just hemmed three sides, and then sewed the fourth side with a big hem for the curtain rod to fit through. Ta da!
My mom was nervous all morning that we weren't doing very much measuring. From what I hear, sewing with G'ma Rose was very stressful because everything had to be measured and cut to perfection.
I don't measure woman!
She'll learn.
As it turns out...I can only sew one 'style' of curtain. So here it is again. Very basic. Very straight. But nice and simple, and that's what I was going for in my new gray kitchen. My dining room has a big, open window without a curtain rod, so I hemmed a long piece of fabric and attached little ribbon loops to hang on the hooks (eyeballed it). I used every. last. scrap. of this fabric because I'm in love with it...so I even pieced together a little runner for the center of my island.
This chair sat in the garage for about two years. It was waiting to be sanded and primed and then spray painted. Again, Josh said I was crazy because, 'That chair has so many moving parts and you bought that thing and it's never going to get done.'
O ye of little faith.
I can't explain how this happened because Patti did most of the work, and I was just there for moral support. We basically drew around the existing cushions to make the pattern, and then sewed the covers. We attached the cushions to the chair with some gray ribbon and took care of the straight sewing by adding a throw pillow.
Here I'd like to feature some of my best 'straight-sewing'...I went on a pillow-making spree one afternoon and Josh wasn't sure if I was ever going to stop. I did eventually, but only after I had made new cases for 8 of our pillows. And these were just made from all the scraps and leftover fabric I had!
This was probably our most-involved sewing project. For this one I assembled all the forces in the Boersma sewing clan and Patti, Jill and I made a day of it (literally an entire day...I think we started at 9am, and I didn't get home until like 10pm...). This is pretty much just one GIANT pillow case, with our duvet in between, held in there with buttons.
I love it love it so so much. It's exactly what I was envisioning for our room. We have a Queen-sized bed with a King-sized duvet, so this freaking thing was a monster to sew by the end of the day...it was a good thing I had experts assisting me it was a good thing Patti and Jill were there to do everything.
-MmB
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
A Day in the Life...
Josh DID end up getting to come to the wedding last weekend. We had a lot of fun and I WAS SO HAPPY!
A few weeks ago my friend Kate, lovingly asked how much I worked, because it seems like I am always crafting. And it seems like Josh is always working for real. I'm assuming other people think this too.
Crafting is work yo.
Fine. It's not.
Fine. It's not.
But I think people wonder what we are up to, so I'm going to set the record straight. :) We never have two days that are exactly the same...but this is what an average summer day in the life of Josh and Mollie is like.
6:00am: Josh's alarm goes off.
6:30am: Josh's alarm goes off again and he says to me, "I should get up. Why am I always so tired?" It seems obvious to me that the reason he is always tired is because he works like a crazy person for 12+ hours a day...it's like he doesn't understand that would make a person TIRED. :)
7:00am: Josh's alarm goes off and he gets up to shower. I get up to pack his lunch, fill his water bottle, make sure he has pants, etc. Then I go back into our room and watch The Today show, text Josh the weather and nap. Some days I never hear these three alarms and accidentally sleep until Josh comes in to say bye...and then I feel bad because he has to leave without his breakfast, lunch, and ice water...
So I go buy him some bagels and his favorite candy and profusely apologize via text the rest of the day.
{Last week I decided I liked reading blogs that are 'real'...and decided that I should write mine that way...You should know I'm regretting that decision.}
So I go buy him some bagels and his favorite candy and profusely apologize via text the rest of the day.
{Last week I decided I liked reading blogs that are 'real'...and decided that I should write mine that way...You should know I'm regretting that decision.}
8:00am: Josh leaves for work in Ames or Ankeny. The days he works in Ames are my favorite because sometimes I go visit him and take him a Gatorade or mower parts he needs. :) I get up, shower, get ready for work, pick-up the house from the night before, start some laundry, check email, check some blogs, maybe do some work from home, etc.
Between 9 and 10:00am: I get to C21 and start my workday. I'm an assistant to Tami Hicks, a super successful, veteran, realtor at CENTURY 21 Signature Real Estate in Ames, and good grief I love it there. I'll save this topic for a blog titled: "10 Reasons Why I Love My Job." Basically, I work 30 hours a week, so if I go in early I can leave early, if I go in late, I leave later or do some work from home.
At some point during the day, Josh usually calls me saying something has broken, gotten stuck, spilled, won't start, a customer is unhappy, customer's aren't paying, customer's are confused about their bills, or his brother's showed up late for work or left early (don't even deny it boys, it happens about half the time :). I listen and then try to make up something really profound and encouraging to say because Josh claims that makes him feel better, but I basically say the same stuff all the time and I feel like I'm faking being cheerful and encouraging.
Such is life for the wife of a business-owner. :)
There is only so much I can say when Josh gets a flat tire or a belt breaks for the 589th time in a summer. So here are some words I live by...'fake it til you make it'...meaning, I pretend like I'm super happy until I actually am. :) It works...try it.
Between 3 and 4:00pm: I leave work for the day.
I spend the rest of my day getting groceries, oil changes, take care of other car maintenance, run errands for Tami, take Jamie to work if it's raining, meet with a friend for coffee, run more laundry, get gas, spend a few hours at the pool, swim some laps, buy bug spray, sunscreen, and 5-hr energy for Josh, stuff C21 and BLC mailers, write notes to BLC customers, go to connection group, help Josh reply to emails/voicemails, help with the billing, go on walks with Jamie, blog, tan, craft, paint my nails, paint things, clean the house, pay bills, read Jen Hatmaker books, occasionally prepare a real supper, volunteer at Informed Choices, reply to emails, scrapbook, and craft some more.
Obviously I don't accomplish all of this in one evening...but I attempt to. :)
Every once in a while I hit a wall and get absolutely nothing done all day (I had one of these days yesterday).
And then I feel like a lazy pile because my husband is out working hard in the heat until the sun goes down and I'm watching the latest episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians (just whatever, I love them). So I clean a bathroom and refill the ice trays (two tasks I absolutely loathe) during commercial breaks and find some laundry to fold so I can feel like I accomplished something.
I spend the rest of my day getting groceries, oil changes, take care of other car maintenance, run errands for Tami, take Jamie to work if it's raining, meet with a friend for coffee, run more laundry, get gas, spend a few hours at the pool, swim some laps, buy bug spray, sunscreen, and 5-hr energy for Josh, stuff C21 and BLC mailers, write notes to BLC customers, go to connection group, help Josh reply to emails/voicemails, help with the billing, go on walks with Jamie, blog, tan, craft, paint my nails, paint things, clean the house, pay bills, read Jen Hatmaker books, occasionally prepare a real supper, volunteer at Informed Choices, reply to emails, scrapbook, and craft some more.
Obviously I don't accomplish all of this in one evening...but I attempt to. :)
Every once in a while I hit a wall and get absolutely nothing done all day (I had one of these days yesterday).
And then I feel like a lazy pile because my husband is out working hard in the heat until the sun goes down and I'm watching the latest episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians (just whatever, I love them). So I clean a bathroom and refill the ice trays (two tasks I absolutely loathe) during commercial breaks and find some laundry to fold so I can feel like I accomplished something.
Between 9 and 10pm: Josh rolls in from his workday...he spends some time on his phone with his dad, updates his calendar, and takes a very long shower. I unpack his lunchbox and clean the garbage out of his truck (okay, but sometimes if I'm in the middle of painting a chair, Jamie does this).
10:00pm (or sometimes later): We eat supper. ri.dic.u.lous. I know. Just insane. Most humans are in bed or headed there at this hour. But at 10pm the party is just starting at our house. We eat, hang out, watch some How I Met Your Mother, and go to bed between 11 and midnight...sometimes later if rain is in the forecast for the next day.
I'll admit I'm a little scared to post this because it seems like a pretty lazy, easy-going schedule. But it's what works for us in the summer. If Josh doesn't go off to work until 9, he is still working 12+ hours each day for 6 days a week. THAT'S 72 HOURS A WEEK (and sometimes more!). I can't put rigid, stressful schedules in place because that would just be setting us up for more stress and failure. So, in an attempt to go with the flow (something that is nearly impossible for a planner like myself), we stay up until midnight so Josh can have some time to relax and unwind.
Normal people with normal jobs probably read this and think sleeping until 7, 8, or even 9:00 is completely ridiculous. But I honestly believe that it's vital to our marriage to spend some time staying up, hanging out, and talking. If I went to bed at 10pm and started my day at 6 or 7am like many people do, I literally wouldn't see Josh at all. Our relationship would consist of texting, 2-minute phone calls, and sleep.
And that's just not happening. :)
So there you have it. A peek into what our life is like in the summer. Sometimes we love it, and sometimes we hate it...but as we head in to our FOURTH (what?!) year of marriage, we continue to be reminded how blessed we are to do what we do, have what we have, and love who we love. :)
-MmB
I'll admit I'm a little scared to post this because it seems like a pretty lazy, easy-going schedule. But it's what works for us in the summer. If Josh doesn't go off to work until 9, he is still working 12+ hours each day for 6 days a week. THAT'S 72 HOURS A WEEK (and sometimes more!). I can't put rigid, stressful schedules in place because that would just be setting us up for more stress and failure. So, in an attempt to go with the flow (something that is nearly impossible for a planner like myself), we stay up until midnight so Josh can have some time to relax and unwind.
Normal people with normal jobs probably read this and think sleeping until 7, 8, or even 9:00 is completely ridiculous. But I honestly believe that it's vital to our marriage to spend some time staying up, hanging out, and talking. If I went to bed at 10pm and started my day at 6 or 7am like many people do, I literally wouldn't see Josh at all. Our relationship would consist of texting, 2-minute phone calls, and sleep.
And that's just not happening. :)
So there you have it. A peek into what our life is like in the summer. Sometimes we love it, and sometimes we hate it...but as we head in to our FOURTH (what?!) year of marriage, we continue to be reminded how blessed we are to do what we do, have what we have, and love who we love. :)
-MmB
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
TOP FIIIIVE...
...THINGS PEOPLE ASK US ABOUT OUR HOUSE
1. You have a man living in your basement?!
Yes. Yes we do. And let me tell you something.
It's by far THE BEST FINANCIAL DECISION WE EVER MADE. This mysterious man who lives in our basement 'came with the house' and pays us $550 in rent each month. And I'm not kidding...he literally came with the house. We bought it, and he was happy to continue renting. And we were more than happy to have someone paying half our mortgage payment for us.
2. Is that so weird?!
I'm being 100% honest.
Not. At. All.
Occasionally his parking interferes with our entertaining, but we figure he's paying to park there, and our lovely friends are not. So sometimes people have to park in the church parking lot across the street. #firstworldprobs. He works nights, so he's home during the day when we aren't and vice versa. It really couldn't be more perfect.
3. Can he come up into your house?!
It's easy to miss, but the steps leading down to the basement go right under the door to our side entry. The basement entrance is completely separate from our house. I suppose he can get into our house just as easy as any of the rest of you can, since knocking and ringing the doorbell is somewhat of a rarity at 422 13th St.
4. There was a hot tub in your dining room?
Ugh. By far, my least favorite thing about our house. The flooring is atrocious. It's atrocious because the man who lived in our house 15 years ago decided it would be a great idea to put some nice tile down, and plunk a giant hot tub in the dining room. Yes the dining room. Apparently putting it in the backyard made too much sense.
Most people have a light above their dining table...we have a fan vent.
Most people have a light switch in their dining room. We have a fan timer.
Most people have flooring that is cohesive with the rest of their house. We have special tile in a perfect square where the hot tub was. That means in one common space, we have FOUR different kinds of flooring. This haunts my mind daily as I covet people who don't have carpet in their kitchen (that's right folks, this man took time to put nice tile under his hot tub, but left his kitchen CARPETED), so along with my annoyance, I can't help but laugh at how ridiculous this is.
Josh doesn't get annoyed with our floor because if I weren't around, there would have already been a hot tub in the dining room for the past three years. So I suppose I should be thankful that's not the case. Josh also takes after his G'ma Junice, and thinks that having carpet in the kitchen is a nice, luxurious amenity.
It's definitely not. :)
5. You have a trampoline in your front yard?
Would you have expected anything less from Josh Boersma? Seriously, people.
That trampoline resided at Josh's parents house for many years, but as it turns out, the only people who really jumped on it were Josh and his renegade friends. So Josh hauled it to The Lodge, where he lived during college and it served as an excellent backyard activity. Until PPM (the property management company) told the boys it was a liability and they had to take it down. I guess getting a running start from the house and jumping off the 2nd story deck wasn't allowed. Now it has found it's permanent home in our front yard and friends and our younger visitors enjoy it often.
Sometimes if Josh is done getting ready for a date or church a little early, I find him out there jumping by himself until I'm ready to go.
And then I watch him for two minutes from the kitchen window and die laughing because he's adorable and because at times, I'm married to a 25-year-old man who runs his own business, but other times, I'm married to a 5th grade version of Josh Boersma who likes to eat Sour Patch Kid's, watch Indiana Jones, and talk about re-building his mini-bike.
Shoot. Now I miss him. And he won't be home until 10pm.
I guess I better go craft something.
-Mrs. B
Monday, June 10, 2013
BLC Update
Josh's full-time employee (also known as his little brother) is back! After suffering through the past three and a half weeks without an employee and without a REAL day off, Josh is finally starting to settle into the swing of things this season. While Caleb was on a mission trip in South Africa, Josh was doing the work of TWO men (with occasional help from his other younger brother, Nathan) and I'm extremely proud to say...he didn't get behind and his customers are happy!
It's amazing what 20 inches of rain in one spring can do for the success of a lawn care company. Good grief.
So Josh has a BIG week of spraying Round 2 chemicals and staying caught up on mowing, but I'm hopeful we will be able to sneak away on Saturday afternoon for our 2nd wedding of the season. Fingers crossed nothing breaks down this week and it doesn't rain another foot.
Not sure if I've shared this yet or not, but I'm pretty proud of the work I did to finally get Josh's truck branded with the BLC logo and information. The next time you're driving around, pay attention to what most other lawn care company's on the road look like. Then think about that rusty, run-down truck and it's owners taking care of your yard. I believe that if a company doesn't take good care of their vehicles and maintain their equipment, that same work ethic is likely to carry over to the service they provide to their customers and their lawns.
I may be biased, but this is the best looking truck I have EVER seen. And usually it's being driven by the most handsome business owner I've ever known.
I know 'judging a book by its cover' isn't the best idea, but would you eat at a restaurant where the floor is always sticky, the tables are always dirty, and the silverware is never clean? Chances are, the customer service and the food aren't that great either. The same logic applies when looking for a lawn care company that will treat your yard like their own.
And that's the kind of service Boersma Lawn Care strives to provide everyday. :)
-BLC Marketing Director
It's amazing what 20 inches of rain in one spring can do for the success of a lawn care company. Good grief.
So Josh has a BIG week of spraying Round 2 chemicals and staying caught up on mowing, but I'm hopeful we will be able to sneak away on Saturday afternoon for our 2nd wedding of the season. Fingers crossed nothing breaks down this week and it doesn't rain another foot.
Not sure if I've shared this yet or not, but I'm pretty proud of the work I did to finally get Josh's truck branded with the BLC logo and information. The next time you're driving around, pay attention to what most other lawn care company's on the road look like. Then think about that rusty, run-down truck and it's owners taking care of your yard. I believe that if a company doesn't take good care of their vehicles and maintain their equipment, that same work ethic is likely to carry over to the service they provide to their customers and their lawns.
I may be biased, but this is the best looking truck I have EVER seen. And usually it's being driven by the most handsome business owner I've ever known.
I know 'judging a book by its cover' isn't the best idea, but would you eat at a restaurant where the floor is always sticky, the tables are always dirty, and the silverware is never clean? Chances are, the customer service and the food aren't that great either. The same logic applies when looking for a lawn care company that will treat your yard like their own.
And that's the kind of service Boersma Lawn Care strives to provide everyday. :)
-BLC Marketing Director
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Kitchen Overhaul
It was about two weeks ago that I decided I couldn't stand my tan and red painted kitchen and my purple dining room wall anymore. Something has been 'off' with the 'flow' of our house for a while and I think I finally pinpointed it with the tan color that stretched from the entry to the kitchen to the dining room. The problem is, once I decide that something like this bothers me, nothing else in the world matters...I have to fix it. So last weekend I spent about 24 hours total painting my kitchen to perfection.
We have a very open floor plan, and when I tackled painting and designing this house three years ago, I will be honest. I didn't know what I was doing. I'd been in some houses where people had red kitchens and I thought that was fun. Once I'd seen a really pretty purple dining room, hence, my choices. I plucked all those different ideas from all those different homes (as well-done as they might have been) and mashed them all together in our house.
WARNING: This is not a good way to pick colors for your home! I WISH I had done more sketching and inspiration boards and research before I slapped 13 different paint colors up our house. That's what I get for being a quick decision-maker I guess. Sometimes it comes in handy, but sometimes it gets you in trouble.
My husband is reading this and saying, 'I told you that.'
So little by little, I'm going back through our house and taking my original inspiration and color schemes and just toning them down a little. This is a horrid picture, but I'd like to share what this house looked like before we moved in. This was a picture taken by the listing agent:
MUCH better. But still not my favorite. It took me a while to get settled in and figure out what I liked. These pictures were taken pretty early-on so some things changed, but basically I was just really over, those red curtains, that red ceiling, and those tan walls. Here is what my kitchen looks like today!
I started by priming and painting the back splash a high gloss white. Then moved on to painting the ceiling the brightest white known to mankind (by far, the worst part of the process). Touching up the white woodwork in my house and the doors that are painted white took the longest time, but I am so happy with the finished product. I think my kitchen is lighter, brighter, and I was still able to tie in some small touches of red.
Here's the semi-finished dining room (Shutter still waiting to be hung above the buffet):
Overall, I think these colors will lend themselves better to the decorations I change throughout the seasons. Red worked well during fall and Christmas, but not as well when I was in a springy-summer season. And purple never really 'worked'. I'm so happy with the hard, detailed work I accomplished last weekend (even if it drove my sister nuts that it was taking so long and she didn't have anything to do).
Now come over and visit so I can show it off. :)
-Extreme Painter
We have a very open floor plan, and when I tackled painting and designing this house three years ago, I will be honest. I didn't know what I was doing. I'd been in some houses where people had red kitchens and I thought that was fun. Once I'd seen a really pretty purple dining room, hence, my choices. I plucked all those different ideas from all those different homes (as well-done as they might have been) and mashed them all together in our house.
WARNING: This is not a good way to pick colors for your home! I WISH I had done more sketching and inspiration boards and research before I slapped 13 different paint colors up our house. That's what I get for being a quick decision-maker I guess. Sometimes it comes in handy, but sometimes it gets you in trouble.
My husband is reading this and saying, 'I told you that.'
So little by little, I'm going back through our house and taking my original inspiration and color schemes and just toning them down a little. This is a horrid picture, but I'd like to share what this house looked like before we moved in. This was a picture taken by the listing agent:
Which is perhaps the reason this house didn't sell when it was listed. The owners ended up taking it off the market and listing it themselves, which is when we discovered it. This is what it looked like after I had worked a little magic:
MUCH better. But still not my favorite. It took me a while to get settled in and figure out what I liked. These pictures were taken pretty early-on so some things changed, but basically I was just really over, those red curtains, that red ceiling, and those tan walls. Here is what my kitchen looks like today!
I started by priming and painting the back splash a high gloss white. Then moved on to painting the ceiling the brightest white known to mankind (by far, the worst part of the process). Touching up the white woodwork in my house and the doors that are painted white took the longest time, but I am so happy with the finished product. I think my kitchen is lighter, brighter, and I was still able to tie in some small touches of red.
Here's the semi-finished dining room (Shutter still waiting to be hung above the buffet):
Overall, I think these colors will lend themselves better to the decorations I change throughout the seasons. Red worked well during fall and Christmas, but not as well when I was in a springy-summer season. And purple never really 'worked'. I'm so happy with the hard, detailed work I accomplished last weekend (even if it drove my sister nuts that it was taking so long and she didn't have anything to do).
Now come over and visit so I can show it off. :)
-Extreme Painter
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
The More Chevron, the Better
Well folks...like I said. I was having a hard time not painting everything in our house with a flat, paintable surface, chevron.
So I settled for painting this table I found on Craigslist for $15. It's actually a super nice coffee table, and when we have a basement or a 2nd living room someday, it will just be perfect. For now, it's going in our spare bedroom when Jamie takes the day bed with her to her first apartment.
With storage and organization always on my mind, I'll be putting baskets underneath (actually, cardboard diaper boxes covered in burlap or twine is my goal) in an effort to corral things like magazines, BLC stuff, and all the random crap that I tend to shove in that room. Here's a little bit about what the process looked like.:
I actually don't have a true before picture because this table started out as espresso with some nicks and scuffs. I did some light sanding last fall and then this table sat in the garage for 6 months. Woops.
Then I primed with spray paint primer (because I'm lazy) and did three (yes THREE) coats of high gloss, white Valspar paint. After it had about a week to cure, I knew it would be safe to tape off. Again, I free-handed and eyeballed this process (because I'm lazy).
I paid more attention to sealing down the tape and also started with the middle line and worked my way outward, so it would end up being more even. Because the edges of the coffee table have some detail, I thought taping off the whole outside create a nice, clean look.
I used extra paint I had leftover from painting my dining room wall and voila!
I do have some minimal touching up to do, but I'm super happy with the results! Yay chevron, chevron everywhere!
-Chevron Queen
So I settled for painting this table I found on Craigslist for $15. It's actually a super nice coffee table, and when we have a basement or a 2nd living room someday, it will just be perfect. For now, it's going in our spare bedroom when Jamie takes the day bed with her to her first apartment.
With storage and organization always on my mind, I'll be putting baskets underneath (actually, cardboard diaper boxes covered in burlap or twine is my goal) in an effort to corral things like magazines, BLC stuff, and all the random crap that I tend to shove in that room. Here's a little bit about what the process looked like.:
I actually don't have a true before picture because this table started out as espresso with some nicks and scuffs. I did some light sanding last fall and then this table sat in the garage for 6 months. Woops.
Then I primed with spray paint primer (because I'm lazy) and did three (yes THREE) coats of high gloss, white Valspar paint. After it had about a week to cure, I knew it would be safe to tape off. Again, I free-handed and eyeballed this process (because I'm lazy).
I paid more attention to sealing down the tape and also started with the middle line and worked my way outward, so it would end up being more even. Because the edges of the coffee table have some detail, I thought taping off the whole outside create a nice, clean look.
I used extra paint I had leftover from painting my dining room wall and voila!
I do have some minimal touching up to do, but I'm super happy with the results! Yay chevron, chevron everywhere!
-Chevron Queen
Design Thoughts Pt. 2
I want to keep running with the idea from my last blog...but first I want to share this fun picture from Josh's birthday weekend. I read that Oddfellow's was voted #1 in Best of Story County for their burgers. Josh's favorite restaurant food is a good hamburger, followed by a very full tummy and a reclined seat during the drive home...so I thought this would be the perfect place to celebrate his birthday.
It took me a while to realize, but I believe God blessed me with the spiritual gift of hospitality. I love having a clean, organized, perfectly decorated house to entertain, host college kids to do their laundry, and throw Christmas parties. We have an open-door policy here so people feel comfortable dropping by anytime (sometimes a little TOO comfortable :). It's common for people to crash on our couches, spare beds, and even the floor. This results in me constantly being worried about prancing from the bathroom to the bedroom in a towel after my shower (because I never know who has dropped by in the meantime), but it's something I've adjusted to. :)
I'm not a great cook, so we know people aren't coming to our house for amazing snacks and meals. We don't live in a mansion, live on a lake with a hot tub, own go-carts and snowmobiles, or even have a Nintendo Wii...so sometimes Josh wonders why people like coming over to our house at all (I try and tell him it's because we're adorable and funny but he doesn't buy that).
I believe it's because everything I do to our house, revolves around comfort, relaxation and 'homey-ness'. I want people to feel at home when they're here. Rummage through the snack cabinet, take a nap, do some laundry, grill, etc...And I believe this homey, comfortable feeling goes hand in hand with good design and charming household decor.
I tend to be pretty laid back when we have people coming through our doors constantly, which is why I think people are comfortable spending time at our house. Glasses accidentally break, leaves get tracked in, and I spend an entire day washing bedding and towels after big weekends...and while I race around the house to get all those chores done, I'm reminded of the wonderful friends who stayed up chatting around the fire pit until 2am, and it actually makes me happy to cycle that laundry through. I love that our home has become a place for friends and family to gather and play games, fire pit, or watch movies.
I think that's what having this house is all about.
The reason I'm always painting furniture I find on curbs and sewing throw pillows until I can't see straight is because all those little things contribute to one big thing...I want to continue to use the best of my crafty abilities to be creative in a way that gives glory to God. I want people to come into our home and witness a household and a marriage that is a testament to His love and faithfulness. And also to admire some adorable glitter jars.
Bouncing off the Proverbs 3 sermon from last weekend...Josh and I understand that everything we 'own' is not ours...it's been given to us by God, which means everything is really His...down to the last little touches of Christmas decor. And in order to be good stewards of what He's blessed us with, it's our desire to share our cozy, decorated house (and our washer) with everyone.
Thanks for the inspiration Edith Schaeffer. And Lauren Chorpening. :)
-Mrs. B.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)