Instagram Debut

Oh boy... Both my shoulders and neck hurt like crazy...

Mr. Tea Rose Home and I have been painting our garage the last two days and late last night we finished it! It was such hard work, but I know Mr.TRH worked three times more than I did. You see, because I am short, he was the one that had to use the ladder and extended roller to do the top portion of the wall and the ceiling. His neck must be aching big time. BUT, now we have beautiful walls in our garage. Yeah!!

I have been opening and closing the door to the garage since last night to just see the white walls. It is kind of silly, but this is the first time that we've painted our garage, and it's very exciting for us. I was carried away, and decided to paint the stairs and railings to give the garage a more "custom look".

I have been painting a LOT lately, I mean, some furniture, small decorative items, the garage walls... I feel like the fumes from the paint will make me even more forgetful. That is a scary thought.

I will share the pictures of the project some other time. I have other news to share today though!

I had a much needed break from the house and met up with my dear blogging friends, Christie from Lemon Squeezy Home and Sabra from Sew a Straight Line. Not only did I have such a nice time with them, they helped me get started on instagram! I have been wanting to do that for a while, but every time when I tried it wouldn't let me (well, that is my story and I am sticking to it). I know, I know, as a blogger, sometimes I feel like I should get around more on Facebook, twitter and so on. But, call me technologically challenged or a blogger behind the times (Mr. TRH revoked my Japanese card)I really need help in that area.

Check it out (wink, wink), on the right sidebar, I have a link to my instagram pictures! Taking the pictures on my phone, and sharing it that way is so much quicker than writing a blog post, not to mention it is so fun, I know I am going to be sharing some pictures there often. So if I haven't updated my blog post, you might find me there. I am still in a learning stage, but having so much fun with it!

Ok, now.

Mr. TRH and I are going to take a break tonight from the house and just vegetate. I will see you at my next post... or on instagram. :)

Review ~ Fall Wreath by The Wreath Depot

Before I begin this post...if you haven't had chance to read my Capri Sun review you might want to check it out. I shared one of my childhood memories. :)


I have been working tirelessly turning our house into a home. Though, I feel like I am having PMS... no, in this context, it actually means Post Moving Syndrome (well, I made up this words). After I put together the kitchen and the living room, I started working on the other rooms, but it seems like I get distracted and all the rooms are half way done. Sigh... it is fun, but it also can be kind of frustrating. I have a vision of what I want to do for a particular room, then, I don't really have the budget right now. So I guess I am going to take it slow and just enjoy the process.

I have a one area of the home that I can share with you today though... (huge grin)

I have been wanting to make my front door area homey and inviting and I was given an opportunity to review a wreath by The Wreath Depot! This offer couldn't come at a better timing than this.

I already had a rug and the flower pots, I was so excited to pick out a wreath from their website. They offer many beautifully crafted wreaths for indoors and outdoors. After thinking it over sometime, I chose Valencia Red Berry Silk Door Wreath.

When I opened the box, I was so happy to see the wreath. It was exactly what I thought it would look like (when you do online shopping, that is one of my fears). I had to hurry and hang it on my front door.

Check. it. out...

Isn't it beautiful? The wreath is full and the color is perfect for the up coming season, I couldn't be any happier.

Head over to The Wreath Depot to see their great selection of wreaths for your home.

I have a project I have been working on for my next post, I will see you then!

Dove ~Let's Make Girl Unstoppable/ Tea Rose Home Style

I am very excited to participate in the “Let’s Make Girl’s Unstoppable” campaign by Dove. They have produced a self-esteem activity guide for young girls ages 8 and up. It contains activities for mothers and daughters to do together.

You might ask: why has this resource been produced? What is it about? How will it help me?

Well, as I was reading through the guide, I felt the feeling of reassurance for what I have been doing with my little girl. Also, there were so many areas that I just wanted to underline several times and start implementing immediately! Let me share one paragraph from the guide:

"Research shows a link between a mother’s influence and her daughter’s ideas about health and body confidence. If mothers can become more aware of their attitudes towards their own bodies and those of their daughters, they can help their daughters stand up to the powerful influences in our culture that undermine their own sense of beauty and self-worth."

I am a firm believer in being there for my children, and that it is a mother’s primary responsibility to nurture and help build her children’s self-image and confidence. I was shocked to read this part from the guide;

"Satisfaction with body image decreases as girls progress to adolescence. While 75% of 8-9 year old girls say they like the way they look, but by age of 12 -13 years, only 56% of girls like their appearance." (Teens Before Their Time 2000)

Wow… really? My daughter, Rachel is going to be 8 this August and I guess she sometimes says things like, “I wish I had curly hair like so-and-so” or, “I wish I had blue eyes…” You see, I am Asian (Japanese), and Mr. TRH is Caucasian with fair skin and red hair. Rachel has silky brown hair with red streaks all over; it is such beautiful hair. Instead of her daddy’s blue eyes, she inherited my dark brown eyes. I might be biased but I think she is one beautiful little girl and I always tell her that. She also loves to hear the story how my husband and I named her. Her first name, Rachel, means “beautiful, beloved one”, her Japanese middle name is Kokomi; the Chinese characters we used for her name are “heart” and “beauty”. We wanted her to grow up to be beautiful, not only on the outside but on the inside also.

There are several meaningful activities in the guide, and I decided to do Activity No. 3, which is “Where I’m From.” We talked about how our family is unique and different, with mixed race and culture and all. Also, I talked about how I grew up in Japan, and my daughter’s heritage. Then I decided to have a cooking session and teach her how to make sushi!

She loves cracking eggs.

It's ready to roll!

It is so much fun to work in the kitchen side by side. We girls love to talk.

Ta da! Rachel's first sushi! Her daddy ate it all after the photo shoot and that made her so happy.

I turned 40 this year, and I have met and observed many women. Looking beautiful is really only skin deep. It doesn’t last forever. I think after a certain age, how we have been living our lives and our character matters more for making us beautiful. To me, over time, qualities like genuineness, kindness, passion for something you love, so-on-and-so-forth shines through. As a mother, I hope I can help build a foundation that lasts a lifetime for my daughter to feel beautiful no matter what or when.

Thrift Store Treasures

While I am putting the house together, I have been drawn to thrift stores a few times in the last couple weeks. Now we are in the house and living in it, it is so much easier for me to picture what I want for the house. I can't help but hear this small voice inside of my head saying..."Hey, you might find XXXX or the XXXX you have been looking for is at the thrift store."...

I certainly don't want to fill up our house with lots of stuff, but hey, if I can find something I have been looking for, for the fraction of the cost compared to the regular retailers, why not?

Do you wanna see what I found???

IKEA furniture. It is very sturdy and in mint condition. At first I didn't know what this was, so I went online and looked it up. It is actually a TV stand. Guess where I put it. In our coat closet by the garage. I was planning to buy a shoe organizer, and this actually fits perfectly... It only cost me $6!

Beautiful milky vases. There are many things we want to do around the house and some of the projects are very costly. So I don't want to spend a lot of money for decorations. I love some unique and inexpensive pieces I can find at thrift stores! What about $1 each for these beauties.

Is this a vase? Nope, this is a...

Before I begin this post...if you haven't had chance to read my Capri Sun review you might want to check it out. I shared one of my childhood memories. :)

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Glass Lamp Shade. See how it's open both sides?

I love the color and the design on it. So pretty...

Glass lamps are hot right now, but I wanted something a bit different. I found this one with etching on the glass for $6. It is pretty big and I love the vintage feel this has. With the right shade, I know it will make a great addition to a room. The lamp had the original sticker on which said "Alsy". Hmm...does anybody know anything about this lamp? I am very curious.

I have been interested in screen printing and such for a while. when I found a practically brand new condition of Lotta Prints book I couldn't pass it up! $3 verses $15.35 + shipping on Amazon (it is originally 19.95), that is a big discount.

I don't hunt animals on hunting season but I love hunting for decorative items and furniture and it last all year long. Next time when you are passing by a thrift store, maybe you might want to give it a try and see what I am talking about. :)

First Painted Wall

Before I begin this post...if you haven't had chance to read my Capri Sun review you might want to check it out. I shared one of my childhood memories. :)

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You might be wondering what I have been up to...

There are still a bunch of boxes to empty out, though, I have been enjoying some interior decorating. I didn't have a grand plan nor the budget, but there were a few things I had in mind.

When I decorated our house I wanted all of my family too feel...

* A peaceful and relaxing atmosphere
* That they belonged
* Cheerful and happy

My personal decorating goals are...

* Incorporate kids' arts and family photos
* Decorate beautifully (without making my family feels like they can't really live in it)
* Mix some new pieces with vintage items and create a unique and personal style

Above all... to have fun!

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I am a budget conscious thrifty girl. I research the best price before I buy anything and I love to make things if I can. I will share some of my finds in a different post, but today, I am going to share some of the photos of what I have been doing.

I wanted to try beadboard wallpaper for a while and I decided to do that on the kitchen island. I am trying to decide which color to choose... I am leaning more towards the blue.

I painted a few walls and things since we moved in. Here is the taped wall by the stairs in living room. Oh, by the way I love painting the wall, buy I hate the prep work! I almost wanted to do it without the tape... Anyone have any advice?

Then, here is the painted wall...

I was so giddy when I pulled my family photos out of the boxes and decorate the wall. I hung one, two and three... and kept going. I know I have more pictures somewhere, but I feel like at least this wall is "ours".

So, here is the painted and decorated wall...

The kids are usually couldn't care less about how I decorate the house, but when they woke up and saw the wall the next morning, they loved it! I feel like I met one of my decorating goals. :)