Wednesday, July 30, 2014
CHRISTMAS IN JULY
I just love this tradition we started, spending one day in July indulging in everything Christmas without getting all the decorations out. Each year it's been a little different, but I love that about it.
We started our day off with Peppermint Mochas {a must} and homemade cinnamon rolls ON THE BEACH. Because hey, why not? Kensi absolutely loved it and even though the water was rough and we wouldn't allow her to 'swim' she had a blast playing in the sand with Mike.
Later we lit the firepit and cozied up with s'mores. To make them even better were the toppings: peanut butter cups, peppermint and dark chocolate. Yes we had a lot of sweets today and yes it was absolutely delicious! Kensi didn't like to eat a s'more as a normal s'more and instead ate it layer by layer. Such a goof.
Merry Christmas!
Saturday, July 26, 2014
OUR HOME: BENCHWRIGHT DINING TABLE
I'm so excited to have a finished dining table that seats more than four people! Honestly, I'm most excited to use this space and decorate it for fall and winter! Ever since my sister Trish and her hubster Walt built their table two years ago, we were determined to do the same. We found our plans between Shanty2Chic and Ana White. The table took only a full day to build and another couple of days or so to sand, fill and stain.
We also made our benches the following weekend. They were much quicker to finish, but in order to make things a little more difficult Mike accidentally spilled the entire can of stain on the garage floor leaving only enough for one bench. Seriously, just our luck. We used Rustoleum’s Dark Walnut Stain. We did one coat of stain and felt something was missing in the color so we mixed some Dark Walnut with Weathered Gray. It’s difficult to see in the photos, but with one layer of the combined stains it gave our table just the perfect touch of worn gray color we were looking for and it helped smooth everything out. The Weathered Gray is very thick even after stirring so we did an application and then quickly wiped and rubbed it into the wood.
While we were spending time putting the table together in the garage, Kensi wanted to constantly use the tools. She's always trying to put screws and nails into holes and walks around measuring different things. To keep her entertained we gave her a small mallet used for cracking crabs, a few nails and a potato. This was endless fun for her.
The boys did the hard stuff and I got to do the easy stuff: sanding, staining and sealing.
Okay, okay, so here's the kicker of savings. Are you ready? Because I’m such a nut on savings I did a breakdown on two similar Benchwright tables from Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware, two of our favorite stores. Both of the tables used for my breakdown are extendable tables and ours is not, but the style is the same. The breakdown includes one dining table in at least 86” and two benches in the same length.
RESTORATION HARDWARE
RH Salvaged Wood Table....$3095
RH Large Salvaged Bench......$1295
TOTAL: $5685
POTTERY BARN
PB Benchwright Table.....$2695.
PB Large Bench....$900.
TOTAL: $3700
Okay now hold your breath.
Our table which is the same style cost us $125 and each large bench cost $45 including wood and supplies.
RESTORATION HARDWARE
RH Salvaged Wood Table....$3095
RH Large Salvaged Bench......$1295
TOTAL: $5685
POTTERY BARN
PB Benchwright Table.....$2695.
PB Large Bench....$900.
TOTAL: $3700
Okay now hold your breath.
Our table which is the same style cost us $125 and each large bench cost $45 including wood and supplies.
$5685 and $3700 compared to $215
Not only is that a steal The word ‘steal’ seems so puny to describe this comparison! For us we wanted the style but without the price tag. We are very thankful we had the option to build it ourselves and it was worth every. single. penny. and every drop of sweat. I’m blown away!
We will eventually add two chairs to go on both ends and change up the wall color, along with adding window treatments. We picked out two large pendant lights on sale a couple months ago by Allen + Roth. They are a great mix of modern and vintage and Mike is so anxious to install them. He will have to do a little electrical work, but nothing that’s too difficult. Knowing him, he’ll probably do it this next weekend and then we can pursue the walls.
I just can't get over the $$$ difference. All I can say is THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Ana White and Shanty2Chic for being such an inspiration and giving us the confidence to build this ourselves.
XOXO
Friday, July 18, 2014
20 WEEKS
How Far Along: 20 weeks
Weight Gained: 7 lbs
Nausea: None
How Am I Feeling: Good
Maternity Clothes: I’m wearing a mix of clothes; some maternity and some regular
Sleep: I'm sleeping much better as I've figured out a way to sleep with all my pillows.
Cravings: Dolmades, stuffed jalapeños and sandwiches
Food Adversions: The word pork still gives me the heebie geebies.
Movement: Yes! Mostly at night when I go to bed.
Belly Button In or Out: Out! It popped immediately around 8 weeks.
Gender: Unknown. We almost gave in at our last ultrasound, but we stayed strong.
Names: Lately, they've been changing, so nothing is concrete at this point.
What I'm Looking Forward To: We just saw our little bean last week for our ultrasound and I can't wait to hold him/her!
What's Different With This Pregnancy: I'm still sore but since incorporating more yoga each day the pain has lessened significantly.
What I'm Missing: Sub sandwiches
How Are We Preparing: We're still working on nursery ideas and will begin working on the baby's furniture soon.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
ARE YOU KITTEN ME RIGHT MEOW
We have begun to really get our itch for fall in the last week or so. I can’t wait for Labor Day weekend to roll around in September just so I can pull out all our fall decorations. I’ve also been planing our Halloween porch decorations along with our costumes. Can you tell it’s the the start of the most wonderful time of the year?
I love shopping for a few cute October related items for Kensi’s closet and I keep coming across adorable kitten fashion that can do double duty because they are perfect for the whole year through.
Kensi is beginning to pick out some of her own clothes. She actually picked out the Kitty dress and the socks. Lately, she’s been obsessed with animal faced socks. Last year we scored a pair of owls and foxes from The Children’s Place and she likes to wear them with her jams. Last week while shopping she insisted wearing them on her hands since she was wearing sandals, I now just keep a pair in my purse in case a sock emergency should happen :o)
XOXO
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
