Garage Sale Fun

Wanna know what happens when two real life friends (who both happen to blog) have a Garage Sale??
There's 48 hours of hard work, deals, sweat, laughter and of course, a couple of pics ...


Andy titled this one Where's Sarah & Allison?!
Oh hey, there we are behind all that STUFF!!! :D


And speaking of Andy,
wanna know what my precious husband did to help out?
He gladly shuttled kids, fixed us lunch and volunteered his manly strength for clean up.
AND, he took his earnings to buy me a prize!
Yep, he's the best!!!



Last but not least, here's my yard sale treasure...
Yes I did trade an unused TV for this adorable desk!

James is so proud to have his own desk that he didn't waste any time moving in.

I can picture it with a monogram right smack in the middle.
What do you think??

I'm on my way to spend a little of my new found riches on some fresh hair. ;>
God's blessings on your day!

Bearcats & Garage Sales

Hi bloggy world, I've missed you!
I'm still mid cleaning spree,
so there hasn't been much visiting going on.
Although I am changing gears for the next two days.
I'll be hosting my last yard sale of the season... PROMISE! ;>
Luckily ( or not ) I still had most everything setup from the last one.
With all the cleaning out I've been doing,
there's lots of stuff needing a new home.
My current motto is "The less I have, the less I have to clean"!

I can't leave you without sharing a glimpse into our Tuesday night.
Joseph had this year's first football game!
The CMS Bearcats won over West Point, 28-22.

As you know the prestigious players get to wear their jerseys on game day.
Here are Joseph and James strutting their stuff.


This is Joseph's number one fan,
getting ready to cheer him on to victory.

Boompa and Claire enjoying the fun.

The Bearcats take the field!

Here's our guy, #87.

Addison entertains herself by honking "Jack's" nose. :D

The little fellows play a halftime game of Bakugon.


Our defense receives a little coaching.

Here are a couple of Joseph's plays.


And finally, one proud Mama loves on her football hero!

Thanks for stopping by and God's blessings on your week!

$10 Gift Exchange

Since the boys started back to school,
Andy and I have a new routine.
We have a standing date for lunch on Fridays.
We enjoy good food, conversation and company.
For today's lunch Andy suggested we exchange gifts.
Our gifts couldn't exceed a $10 limit.
Hhhmmm, how I love a good challenge!
After a week of brainstorming and shopping around for bargains I came up with my inspiration...
A tutorial from Susie Harris on how to do a Pottery Barn painting recreation.

But, instead of normal typography I put a LOST spin on it.
LOST is Andy's favorite show and he loves collecting memorabilia!


Here's how I pulled it off.
First I took an old canvas and painted it with some leftover interior latex paint.

I traced off circles and painted them in with my one purchase for this project, black craft paint.
Since this was my first painting I had to touch up a few mistakes.

After a little practice I added in the infamous LOST numbers.

I also freehanded some accents.

After a little antique glazing it's all done!
What do you think?
Andy loved it, HOORAY!!!
He's already put it in his Man-Room. :D

And now here's what my Big Daddy of Love surprised me with...
He purchased the trivet for $4 and then got the candles on sale at the Hobby Lobby.

Now, here's the best part.
He scored an antique wooden cheese box for $2!!!

It reminds me of the boxes I've drooled over from Layla's kitchen over at The Lettered Cottage.

Look at how FABULOUS it is.
He earned major style points today!

Thanks for joining in on our fun.
God's blessings on your weekend!

Socks & SEVEN

Happy Tuesday loved ones.
While eating lunch I had some random thoughts to share...

First off, I wanted to say that I'm making it through the days without my boys.
Although I miss them dearly, I'm enjoying whipping my house into shape.
My plan is to have it cleaned, organized and decorated before next summer.
Why??
So that I won't feel bad about playing with the kids while letting everything fall behind, again.
I think I've discovered a cycle that will keep me moving in the fall,
and slow me down in the summer!
I promised Andy that I would match all the lonely socks before next May.
Please know that ALL equals two baskets FULL!
I thought I should set an appropriate timeline.
It's all about what works,
RIGHT?! ;>

Now on to bigger things.
Last night James was asking when his next birthday was.
(You know he's all about any holiday or event that involves money.)
I told him his birthday was in three months and he'd be turning
SEVEN...
And that my friends is when the elephant jumped right onto my chest!
My BABY will be turning SEVEN in three months.
SEVEN YEARS OLD!!!

Up until this point Andy and I have had a good little system worked out.
You see I fret over the oldest child ( Joseph ) and he worries about the youngest child ( James ).
It's not that we have favorites, it's just how it works.
Prime example...
I cried my eyes out over Joseph turning 13, while Andy laughed at me.
Andy was a little sad about James starting first grade.
I guess I've always been sentimental about our oldest growing up.
While in the back of my mind I've thought at least James is still the baby.
That is until last night when the big number SEVEN slapped me across the face.

I'm really sad that now my baby is growing up too.
I love being a mom and I know I'm being selfish but I'm not ready to give that up.
Could we please slow the sand in the hourglass?
What if I promised to match all the lonely socks before September??

Back-To-School Busy

Hi all!
I hope you're having a great Monday.
We have been busy little bees during our back-to-school week.
Here's a photo recap...

We decided to send Summer out in style...
Hinson style that is.
Totally fun, totally messy and totally documented! ;>





For those of you wondering,
100 water balloons equals 4 sink's full of fun!



Joseph's Middle School Open House


A delicious dinner out.



James' Primary School Open House.



First day of school... eighth and first grades.


James received the first Golden Apple Award of the year!


And just so this Mama doesn't go into Family Fun withdrawal,
we spent the day together on Saturday.
Lunch, a little Target stop and bike riding.
Maybe Fall won't be so bad after all! :D

The Hinson Boys Learn How To Shave

As part of our "Man Project",
Andy taught the boys the basics of shaving.

Of course he told them things I wouldn't have known.
It seems that shaving facial hair is quite an art.
Joseph did a beautiful job with his first time to shave.
He was starting to look like a catfish.
So even though it makes me sad to think about my baby shaving,
he really needed to!



James as usual, provided us with comedic relief.
He is so fun loving that he can turn an educational moment into a party!

Enjoy our video and as always,
thanks for joining us here At Home With The Hinsons.

Thrifty Thursday... Monogrammed Plate

Hi all and Happy Thrifty Thursday!
While on our way home from vacation this summer,
we stopped off at Priester's Pecans.
As we checked out all the delicious goodies,
I spotted the clearance section and decided to browse.
I found an adorable cheery plate...
for $1.99!
Andy's response was "What are you gonna do with ONE plate?"
Oh sweet hubby, how quickly you forget that I've been bit by the crafting bug.
I now look through eyes that see what it CAN BE,
not what it IS.
Once he saw that a crafty creation was brewing,
he was kind enough to indulge me.
He secretly digs my crafty creations! ;>

So one busy morning last week,
I decided I need a little crafting therapy.
I took my turquoise plate that I LOVE THE COLOR OF...

a monogrammed H that I printed on card stock...

and ***SqUeAL***, here's the result...

YOU LIKE?!?
After many stops through the house,
it now resides on the TV console.
My girly plate makes that GIGANTIC TV really pop! ;>

Hope you enjoyed my thrifty and crafty creation.
God's blessings on your day! Sarah :D