>Changing Table is Done

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You’ve probably seen the changing table makeover a few times but I realized that I never made an official before and after post about it.

 In case you forgot, I scored this dresser on Craig’s List for $40.00. It started out like this…

Then looked like this…

 Then started to look like this…

 And turned out like this!!

 

 I lined the drawers with fun scrapbook paper. To see details on how I did it, visit this post.

I love love love the way it turned out. 

>Protect Yourself!

>On the Today Show this morning I caught the tail end of a segment in which an innocent man got in trouble because neighbors were distributing child pornography from his unprotected wifi. Yikes. Double yikes because our wireless internet has been unprotected since we got it. I know there is a way to put a password on it but I just never got around to doing it. Until this morning that is. It really wasn’t hard at all. I simply googled it and found this link to a tutorial. I got our internet password protected (finally) in about 20 minutes. Hope you do too.

>Ice Dams

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I’m sitting in my living room.

Above me I hear sounds of shoveling.

Out the windows I see mounds of snow falling.

My ambitious husband is on the roof…shoveling snow.

Yikes.

We’ve discovered a problem with our house.

Ice Dams.

It’s not uncommon in houses like ours-especially when you get close to 2 feet of snow. The long term fix is more insulation. Short term fix? Well, get rid of the melting snow.

Hope it works. 

The inches of ice building up on top of our gutters does not bring much comfort. 

But then again, neither does the sound of my husband shoveling a snowy/icy roof. 

 

>Please, Someone, Build Me This!!

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Source: Cottage Hill

>Changing Table Progress

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 Remember my $45 dresser from Craig’s List? The one I plan to use as a changing table for our nursery?

 Well, today I finally got to get my hands dirty and start its makeover. Since I would be doing some sanding and painting, I geared up appropriately 🙂 What a geek, huh?!

 I started by removing all the hardware and sanding down the surfaces. I started with an 80 grit sand paper, wiped down the surfaces and finished with a 220 grit to smooth it out. (I made sure to sand in the direction of the grain of the wood)

 Thank you Daddio for the electric sander!!

Since I planned on staining the top of the dresser, I sanded off the entire top layer. Dust was flying everywhere!

 All sanded and ready to go… At this point I was completely covered in dust. It was a funny sight to see.

My next step was to prime the drawers and base of the dresser. I tried out the odorless version of my favorite spay primer. It was a bit different but seemed to work ok.

 I gave the drawers a quick spray and let them dry.

Before I primed the base of the dresser, I didn’t want any primer to get on the top so I taped down a trash bag to cover it up.

 Worked like a charm!

 Now came the staining…

I chose a stain called “Dark Walnut.”

 I gave it a thick coat, painting it on with the grain of the wood. I then let it sit for about 15 minutes to get the deepest color possible. After 15 minutes, I wiped it down with a rag to wipe off the excess stain that had not soaked up yet.

 Oops. Put it on a little too heavy on this side. Good thing I hadn’t painted yet.

 I then gave the drawers and base two coats of “Mosaic White” paint. After letting it all dry for a few hours, we moved it all back inside. 

I put it together to get an idea of what it will look like.

 I still plan to add fun handles/knobs, give the stained wood a layer of polyurethane, touch up some of the white paint and line the drawers with some colorful paper. 

Even though it’s far from done, it’s rewarding to see it moving in the right direction!

 More updates to come soon!

>The Rebellion Continues

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The dogs continue their rebellion as a result of us telling them a baby is on the way. I came home from work to find this…

 This time, I think they’ve gone a little too far.

(I put up that wire fence to make sure they didn’t escape)

>I’m Giddy…

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 I’m giddy with excitement over my Craigs List find. I’ve been keeping an eye out for a dresser that can be used as a changing table in our future nursery. Today, I stumbled on this $45 solid wood dresser. It also came with a huge mirror that isn’t in this picture.

 I like that two of its drawers are extra deep providing lots of storage!

 Of course I have major face lift plans for this guy.

 I’ve really liked the two toned look of dressers lately. Especially with the top stained a deep color and the base painted a white. Here is some eye candy that has inspired me.

 I especially love the look of this one. I think I’ll have some fun finding cute handles and knobs too.

Only two things are holding me back from jumping in to this project. 1) It’s 20 degrees outside. 2) I’m pregnant. Which means I probably shouldn’t be the one staining, priming, and painting. Dang it! Looks like Daddy Conner might have to get his hands dirty.

Oh, I don’t want to forget to show you what I did with the mirror that was supposed to go with the dresser. It found a home on my mantle.

 Love a good Craig’s List find!

>Christmas Happies

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We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at my parent’s house. My mom is an expert at spoiling us when we are in town. This holiday was no different. 

Here are a few flashbacks from the weekend.

Here is “Christmas Cooper” as we nicknamed him. Yes, the dog is wearing a Santa suit.

 An appropriate shirt for the holidays…

 Look…look! The baby bump is finally making an appearance. However, it’s still small enough to make most people think I had one too many glasses of eggnog this season.

 Apparently Santa’s elf got a bit overwhelmed by the amount of gifts under the tree.

 Here’s a gift worth mentioning…

 

Isn’t this in the skymall magazine or something? Either way, I am excited to have one. I love the edges of brownies!

There were plenty of dogs around for the holidays as well. Here is a video of something hilarious we discovered.

http://www.youtube.com/get_player

Who knew we had such talented dogs in our midst??

Another gift worth mentioning that we got is a programmable thermostat. 

When we got home, I attempted to install this puppy solo. (Austin was busy hanging up his new pull up bar).

One of my weaknesses in house projects is recklessly rushing into things in an attempt to get it done asap. This project was no different. 

When Austin walked in and saw 4 different wires sticking out of the wall and me standing there with a screwdriver and instruction manual, he wisely took over the project. He quickly pointed out that I hadn’t turned the power off to the thermostat/furnace… woops. Thank you Jesus for not letting me electrocute myself. 

We couldn’t figure out which breaker switch would turn off the power in the room so Austin suggested we just turn off all of the power to the house. And that’s what we did. Hilarious. So geared up with a headlamp, flashlight and two candles we managed to install our new thermostat. Victory!

>Cozy Crawl Space

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I insulated our crawlspace today. 

By myself. 

No big deal.

Just got one of these HUGE insulation boards.

Had my boys a Lowes cut it into thirds so I could fit it in my car.

 Measured the crawlspace vents.

Used my box cutter to cut out my measurements on my insulation board.

 Shoved the insulation in my perfectly measured crawlspace vent.

Voila. 

Insulated crawlspace. 

According to this picture, it is VERY important.

>Dear Husband of Mine:

>Dear Husband,

First of all, I want you to know I love our home. I really do. However, as I bounce around from blog to blog, I can’t help but plan for the future. I thought it would be beneficial to share some plans I have for our next home. Since you are a visual creature, I will shower you with pictures of my vision.

For starters, a non-negotiable in our next home:  two vanities. I love you but I don’t love sharing one small vanity with you.

Lets talk about our kitchen. A breakfast nook with benches. Mmmm.

 What house isn’t complete without a colorful coffee station? I know you don’t drink coffee, but it’d be great for hosting.

 I’m loving the huge kitchen island. Add that to the list, dear.

Lets talk bedrooms a bit. This would make a great guest bedroom, don’t you think?

 And how about this one for a strapping young lad we might have some day?

Another kids room idea in case we have twins or something. Always be prepared!

Loving the clean, crisp feel of this one as well.

 Oh, here’s a living room I like too. Lots of big comfy chairs. Lots of natural light. French doors that open up to our glorious back yard.

 Speaking of yards, having a wrap around front porch like this one that is looking out on our front yard would be AWESOME. Can you whip that up for us, dear one?

 I think we’ve also learned that having a mudroom would be awesome. Don’t worry. I have some ideas for that too. 

 In the mudroom somewhere, we’d have this amazing sink. Dog baths, rinsing out dirty shoes, cleaning vegetables from our garden- you name it. This sink can handle it.

Attached to the mud room, would be a garden room. Yep. A place to keep all the plants, seeds, flowers, tools, etc. It would of course be clean and colorful. My two favorite adjectives.

 We’d also have a great outdoor space. Something like this.

 I’ve saved my favorite room for last. 

My craft room.

Excuse me while I wipe away the drool.

 I hope you have enjoyed a tour through our future home. We might both have to get three jobs and be in a constant state of debt, but it will be worth it.