It's a Monday....

Some random pics of the weekend and why I can keep on going, lol, despite the chaos!!!

(but read below for the story)

Racer getting Max!

Max, good strategy!!!



Daddy's Home



Shouldn't this be an ad???

Look at my haie, mom!!! (she says "haie" not hair") not a mispell, lol.

Oh, I am soooo thankful I have a little girl!!! Love her to pieces!!!

So, before you read this, maybe you should take a glance underneath the "chaos" tab and read that first..... just to give you a little forewarning about what you are about to read.....

This is not even the tip of the tippy top of an ice berg, like not even a shaving of ice, compared to what goes on with our crazy life sometimes, lol. GEEZ!!! So, still trying to get into the house....can I just say, Men---Women----two different ways of thinking!!! (I love you to pieces babe!!!)

We just had a third, yes, #3, yard sale since August. Sooo done with that. Goodwill, have fun!!!

Let's see, Racer's throat is hurting, po baby #1, Mia fell with a glass on the concrete and it shattered underneath her, cut her wrist and we had to pick out tiny shards of glass from her hand and arm, po baby #2..., Ryder got the biggest, ugly blister on the tip of his toe, or...a cut, not sure which, but whatever the case, it opened up and looks painful and it totally grossed me out, po baby #3...., Max, was getting tackled by Racer and Ryder was taking his cars and bike away from him, double-teaming....not fair....po baby #4, & Maverick slid down a piece of ply-board and scraped his entire leg from the knee down, po baby #5.

Mom and Aunt Melissa had wine at the yard sale, ummm., I'd say it wasn't even 10 am. yet....sorry, it's what the circumstances called for...

Did three colors & 4 haircuts in the "Lawn Salon" during and post yard sale.....then....

went to Portland Sunday, road trip, 4 hours......  Ikea, waited in line literally for 2 hours for returns...and in that 2 hours to find out that, yes, indeed this item IS on the receipt I had given, and no, I didn't need to call my husband 10 times and find out from our bank statements exactly what dates we had been there in the last 3-6 months, while my phone dies as I am talking to my husband, and they do not have a phone to call out on, then the person gets off of work and has to transfer me to someone else, get the manager to come look up receipts, all the find out....that again, YES, this item is on the receipt I gave them from the beginning which now takes less than 2 minutes to return......o.m.g. !!!!!

Dinner....uneventful, thankfully....

Longest drive home with kids (two 9 y/o) arguing, "he's touching meeeee!!!!! No, I'm not!!!!! It was just my foot! Yea, soooo, you WERE touching me!!!!" Since I wasn't driving, I actually crawled into the cargo space of our passenger van and stayed there until we got home at 1:00 a.m.

And....today is Monday morning, and all I wanted was to get up.....put a smile on my face because this is going to be a GREAT week, I'm going to get so many things accomplished, the kids are going to behave, the house is going to get done, my job is going to get done, and......all I need to start this wonderful, awesome, crazy, BEAUTIFUL chaos type of week that I'm going to enjoy......is one cup of coffee. Just one, I don't even need a refill, if I could just get one nice, hot, creamy cup of jo, it would make all these things come true.......

&$#@!

The coffee pot shattered & broke!!!!

Happy Monday Everyone!!!

I love my life, I love my life, I love my life, I love my life...just a little therapy.

xoxo, Felishia

Black is back....!

 Why a Black Kitchen?

Well, for me, because I already did a white one for one, and for another reason, I have 4 little people in my house who like to touch EVERYTHING!!! So, I decided to try reversing my favorite look by doing the dark kitchen and light floors to see how this holds up under their abuse :) ! In our last house, we had a white kitchen and I LOVED it!!! I'm a huge fan of white kitchens. I like them more then wood-toned kitchens. So, when we decided we were going to remodel the house we just bought, I thought, it's time to try something different. Don't get me wrong, I was very nervous actually. The kitchen is not very big and black is a BIG color for a small space...BUT....I had to try it and I'm glad I did. We are still working on all of the finishing touches. Still looking for that perfect backsplash that doesn't cost a fortune....but that will come with time. When it gets closer to getting done, I will definitely share the pics but for now, here are a few black kitchens that kept me thinking about it....



Love the window, starting from counter height. Makes for a good view. The natural wood top on island, great contrast for color in all black/white.

Adding natural elements

Nice display areas and love the stools and floor tiles

Glossy black and chandelier, dark floors, again big window, very classy.

Fun & Practical Display

Again, natural wood tones with black.

TOTALL LOVE THIS ONE!!!

White chair not happenin' in my household with 5 kids, but, very pretty and love the outline of black on french doors

Farm Sink, Chalk Board Fridge (interesting and cute, but would hate what it would look like every time you erased it....

More contemporary/modern, which is nice with black, as you can go many different design directions with.

For low cost backsplahs, love this one!!! Looks clean simple and softens black.

Beautiful.

This is almost the exact layout of cabinetry in my kitchen. LOVE the display of dishes. Working on if I want to do this in my own kitchen.

Good display again. This is the kind of display that works in a home with kids. It's not often that we will be able to have bookshelves that are open where little hands can crawl up and get into but above the counters......good place!!!

Love the contrast! And, amazing chandelier!

Display, again. Very nice.

Great backsplash and use of light and dark. Love contrast!!

Gorgeous

Love the style of cabintry. Gray color great with natural wood tones.

Notice a theme in these pics?? Black with natural woods. Beautiful.

Amazing decor in this house from Amanda's house in the movie The Holiday.

xoxo, Felishia

Making Life a Little Bit Easier....

Awesome tidbits & reminders on how to make our lives a little easier as moms!

**Sent by my good friend, Bri!!! Thanks for sharing!

These are all the things we have "good intentions" of doing, right? Then, what happens?? Who knows!? But...whatever it is, it makes it so these seemingly easy things get away from us and then there we are again....disorganized and running around like crazos! So, here's to keeping ourselves on schedule! 
 

10 habits for a well-run home

One way to overcome some of this overwhelmed feeling is to create some daily habits for taking care of your home and family.

There may be different habits that you decide you need for your family, but these below will get you thinking.

 1. Wake up early. I know this one stinks, but it is the best way to get a jump on your day. Otherwise, the day seems to be in control rather than you controlling the day.

 2. Waking up early starts with going to bed earlier. I know that you like the time after the kids have gone to bed for yourself, or for working on projects, or even for trying to catch up on housework. The fact is, shutting down and turning in earlier will make for a better morning and you will likely be more productive. This may not be accurate for the true night owls out there, but I urge you to give it a try.

 3. Evening preparations. Make sure everything that is needed to leave the house in the morning is prepped and where it should be. Teach your children this habit as soon as you possibly can, it can make your life easier.

4. Institute meal-planning. Whether you have every meal for the week planned out, or you have 6 dinners to pick from each day, find a way to make meal planning work for you. Look at your meal plan the evening before and see if you need to do any prep like take something out of the freezer, or prepare the crock pot.

 5. Do one complete load of laundry a day. From start to finish. Build a habit of grabbing everyone’s clothes after bathtime and tossing in wash. and then toss in dryer before bed. Or in the morning when you get up. Take 5-10 minutes to fold and put away that load (or have your kids do it!) One load a day may or may not be enough for your family, but doing at least one load every day will help you stay on top of the pile.

 6. Do your best to get your dishes done in the evening before going to bed. I know this can be hard sometimes, but think how much better it feels in the morning to come down to a clean sink. Build this habit and you will appreciate it. Again, if your kids are old enough to do the dishes or at least help, then let them!

 7. Take 5 minutes and buzz through the bathrooms with a damp cloth. Straighten, wipe, and keep a toilet brush handy for swishing the toilet. Take any dirty towels and clothes to laundry room. Some days use a paper towel with windex to shine things up, including the mirror.

8. A place for everything and everything in its place. We have heard this our whole lives and it is true, it makes life a lot easier. One problem is that we have accumulated too much stuff so that we have a difficult time keeping things in their places. Work on clearing clutter and designating homes for regularly used items. And teach your children this as well. I know well how discouraging it can be to walk into a room and multiple things are sitting out. On the reverse, think how calming it is to walk into a room where everything is tidy and orderly. (notice I didn’t say spotless)

 9. Have a bedtime routine that includes putting away toys, books, dishes, trash, etc and picking out clothes for tomorrow. Having this routine in place will help your kids learn responsibility and know what is expected of them.We are their mom, not their maid!

 10. Do not say YES immediately to new requests. Come up with a response, such as “Let me check my calendar and get back with you.” Or if you know you need to say NO, get it over with. And don’t feel like you have to explain why. A simple, “Due to other obligations, I won’t be able to ________”.

 

 

 

We're In!!!

We made it!

First few nights in our house!!! Of course, it didn't turn out exactly like I "dreamed" it would:

"Welcome Home Burchard Family!!! (Ty says in the megaphone), "MOVE THAT BUS"!!!

and then, happily and tearfully, walking into a completely finished, down to the last nail hole, dishes on the table, fresh flowers, etc. etc. etc. house.....but....ya know, it was close ;)

So, it's still a work in progress, I must have forgotten somewhere along the way, that I have lots o' kids, husband, and a job, and, and, and...... So, I am coming to the conclusion, that, even with best intentions, you just get to it when you get to it, period. So, here we are, still looking for the toaster and some dishes and socks, ha, but making it work.

What we've been doing so far, though, I love! Here's a sneak peak at some of the fun stuff we've found along the way to to decorate, I'll get to the nitty-gritty of the whole house remodel as time goes on, but for now, here's a few fun things we found and are going to be working on.

 

Ikea Sofa w/chaise (not all "pillowed" up yet, just testin' :)

 

Kitchen Cabs-Ikea/Burlap Light Fixtures World Market

 

Off-set sink with counter-Ikea

 

Black Ramsjo Cabs--Ikea (this one we, well, not "I", but the big dude modified a kitchen cab with drawers to be the bathroom vanities because they have way more storage. 
 

So, all in all, we are getting there, it's been a long time a'comin. We totally gutted this place, new flooring, new doors, added mill work, new kitchen cabs, new carpet......pretty much everything but the walls, and, we did some adjustments there too!!!

I'll share some of my "inspiration" pics with you in the Inspire Me tab!

xoxo, Felishia

Katie, the sassy picture-taker

 

I want to feature my talented friends on this blog so that other people can benefit from their talents as well, first, I want to share my friend Katie with you, our "in house", photographer, because no matter what kind of awesome camera I use......I am still horrible at taking pictures!!! She, on the other hand, has skills!!! She's cute, smart, funny and you are going to love reading her posts about how to become better at taking pics, so we can be those cool modern moms that have a big fancy camera for a reason!!!

 

Here's Katie:

 I first realized I had a passion for photography in my senior year of high school.  I took my first photography class that year and it stuck. The ability to look at something a little different than the rest of the world and create something is a really cool feeling. I love using film! It's kind of dying  but I enjoy being in the  dark room watching my photo come to life.  I'm still learning a lot, It's been a hobby for 5 years now but I've just started really pursuing it this last year. Hopefully I can be some  help on your endeavors and as I learn more I will share it with you!

Here are a few of my favs:    

   

I call this one "weeds"
Benton City, Wa

Shadows, West Richland, Wa 

Central Park Performer

Brooklyn Bridge

About us.....

 

We have an awesome crazy & chaotic life, in a good way...most of the time....You too? 

 

Amidst that life of chaos with kids, a husband, a job, etc..etc....etc...

 
I've decided it's not that big of a risk to share what you love. And, what I love, is of course, my family, given, but, I have a true passion for houses and decorating& all things creative! A place to share our projects, how-to's, decor & design savvy, finding looks for less, and sharing a crazy story or two, or three, haha, and sharing the talents of some of our talented friends is a must for those who need that creative outlet!

 

My favorite "alone time", used to be a glass of wine and a ton of home magazines that I could critique (haha) and study to dream all of the houses I wanted to decorate and now, it's the computer and my iphone (and still the glass of wine). I have been a wannabe designer & decorator at heart for as long as I can remember. When I look back at the stuff I have done in the past and not documented it, it makes me a little sad...who knew someday we would be able to share and document on such a large scale?

 

So, with a glass of wine and no kids tugging and crawling on me or wiping their snot on my leg ( I am very serious), and hiding in my closet-office, I am going to try and start this thing.....documenting our journey in turning this house into a home!

Here's a quick low-down of the Burchard 7

Patrick, my partner-in-crime, best friend, super-all-talented, can do anything and everything kind of guy, the person I admire most in my life, my hubby.  He's also the private type, so, he's not all that comfortable with attention, blogging, totally not for him, but he's such a great supporter, he's all on-board if this is a good creative outlet for me! Yep, he's awesome!



Sweetest Guy Ever!!!



the kids: First, we have the Maverick. Our firstborn. Such a cutie pie! He's 9 and starting to sound like a young man and not a little boy anymore! Time flies!



Our first Baby, the Mav-Man!

Then......drumroll please:........... We have QUADRUPLETS! (and, yes, that would be 4....you wouldn't believe the amount of people who ask if they are triplets, when there are 4 of them.




 

Cutest Things Ever!!!!
Brittney Kluse Photography

Here's the conversation: Oh, are they triplets??? No, they are quadruplets. Oh, so there are three of them? No, there are 4.....they are QUADruplets..... So 2 sets of twins? umm, I guess you could say that if you want but that would still be "quadruplets", 4 , "quad", get it? Oh, you have quadruplets.....were they all born at the same time?....

Yep, that is what we deal with at least once a week!

 
But, about them lil' Q's.....they are a complete and incredible story of their own, one I hope to document for ourselves and share with others, of course, when I get the "time" (ha, that's funny) to get it all down.

Mia, Racer, Ryder, & Max. They are 2.5 years old and are doing wonderful! It's been the most life changing, crazy, unexpected, incredibly difficult, thing we have ever gone through. But, at the end of that ever crazy, chaotic, wanna hide away in a closet and rock, (haha), day, is that they are healthy, happy, & beautiful kids!!! That's what matters most in life........decorating a close second, ;).

I hope you will stop by, say hi, laugh a little, get a good idea or two, and check out what's goin' on in the Beautiful Chaos of the Burchard 7!!!

xoxo, Felishia