winter project

Saturday, January 29, 2011

We have been doing little things to our back porch ever since we moved, and it's finally starting to take shape. We've painted the walls and floor and added coat hooks and a rug.

One of Mike's winter projects was to make a bench to go out on the porch so we can have a place to take our shoes off. He drew his own design and went from there. He really likes design things and is really good at it. At least I think so. :)


Mike did a great job on the bench, and it was less than $20 to make. Can't beat that! It was a great weekend project, he built it on Saturday and we stained it on Sunday. So simple. We added baskets to put hats and gloves in to finish it off.

I want to put a nail in the wall above the bench and then change out seasonal wall art. I just need the wall art! :) I guess I better get shopping....

our fire wood rack

Friday, January 28, 2011

 I am finally getting around to posting this....sorry! Mike and I built this firewood rack before Halloween. It was Mike's first "plan" that he designed and it worked really well, we bought the correct amount of lumber and supplies and only went to the store once.


before....
 

.....after!
We really had a good time working together on this project. And as you can see, we now have plenty of room for firewood. I don't know if I've every told the blog this, but we have a fireplace insert in our living room. I really enjoy a fire, and with the insert and the blowers, it actually keeps the downstairs warm. It's really nice to have (and it's also nice on the heating bill). :)

onesie factory

Thursday, January 27, 2011

FACT: Everyone is pregnant it seems like!!!
FACT: I enjoy making baby onesies.
FACT: I am not one of these pregnant people and I'm ok with that! :)

I don't know what it is about baby clothes, but I LOVE them....so cute! When we do have children, Mike's going to have a problem on his hands...me making baby clothes and onesies! I really enjoy making them and I love giving them to the ladies in my life.

So here is what I've been up to lately....

Two Turkeys for girls I work with that gave birth right before Thanksgiving!


necklace for Millie!
....and a ruffle butt to go with it!
I LOVE the ruffle butt!! I have plans to make some Valentine's Day onesies' with ruffle butt. I can't get enough.  :)

living room built ins

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Our built ins in the living room needed to be repainted. The previous owners painted over oil based paint with latex paint, so the latex didn't adhere to the bookshelves properly and was just peeling off. And when it peeled, you were able to see this lovely turquoise color that apparently was a favorite color of someone....because they used it a lot.

We gave ourselves a deadline of Christmas to get them painted. They needed to sit empty and dry for a long week, so we knew they were cured. 

Mike was the scraper. He did a great job!



loving the fact that I'm covering that horrible color for good!

finally looking a bit like home.
 They aren't done yet, we have a bit more to do with them. We need to repaint the bottom part. This will be easy, because there isn't the paint problem down there, so it'll be a light sand and paint. We also still need to add some trim. We are waiting to do this because we want to replace the green tile with a solid surface (not sure what it'll be yet). We are moving this picture to the guest room, so we need to find a bigger picture to replace it. And of course, there is still some more decorating. Now that I see what I have and the spaces that are left, I think it might be easier.

There is also room to grow with these shelves - I'm always going to buy books, and I will always be shopping for nic nacs. I'm glad there aren't full to the brim already. :)

my first quilt!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

I don't know if you all remember, but all last year I talked about making a quilt. Well, I did it! And it really wasn't that hard to do. I'm glad I picked what I picked for my first one - crib size, simple pattern. It didn't take anytime at all. I worked on it for a total of 4 days, then sent it off to get quilted. Easy as can be!

I made it for my friend Jennifer. She is expecting her first baby, Millie, in March. I'm so excited for this little one to get here! Jennifer is my oldest, best friend, and I knew I wanted to make something special for her first little one. It is still crazy to me that we are old enough to have kids....where did the time go. :)

all the fabric! I love the colors.

me with the finished product!
picture's from jen's blog. :)


My next quilt is for my first nephew! He will arrive in May, and me and my mother-in-law are going to do it together. She is sewing half the blocks and I'm sewing half the blocks - it's going to be a fun project!

resolutions

Monday, January 24, 2011

I have never made a new year's resolution before. I know, it's about time! I think I never made one because I know myself too well, and I wouldn't follow through. But for some reason I did actually think of quite a few, and I figured I would put them out here. Then, sometime in December come back to this list and see what was actually done and what I've kept up with. It may be fun, but I guess we will just have to wait and see!

new kitchen.
We have finished the planning part of the kitchen design. There are a few things we do need to figure out though, like flooring, wall color, and what kind of windows. I have my finger's crossed that the original hardwood floors flow into the kitchen and are in awesome shape under the layer's of linoleum. (hey, a girl can dream!) But if they aren't, we will be going with a porcelain tile of some sort. Since the plans are complete, all we really need to do is wait for warmer weather, so my hope is to have it complete by September.

finances.
Mike and I are actually pretty good on this, but I just want to continue what we started. I want to continue to pay extra on the house and the car (our only debt). But the improvement I want to see is with our saving ability. I already put 10% of my paycheck in the savings, plus what ever is left over from the month; but I would like for it to be 25% by the end of the year.

get healthier.
We need to improve on everything in this category- being more active, eating better, going to doctors in a timely manor, etc. We both want to lose weight - simple as that. All we both have done since being together is gain, and that's not good. We joined a gym last week, and have already gone (which is big). I've never worked out in my life, don't know how, so we are going to set up appointments with trainers to find what is best for us both. This is going to be the hardest resolution by far. This resolutions means a total life change for us. 
 new master suite.
Our house is a 4 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath home. But we are going to be making it a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath home!  So this plan involves taking down a wall between two bedrooms, adding a master bathroom, and where there were 2 small closets, making one walk-in. I need this to be done this year.All the bedrooms are the exact same size. Mike and I are pretty cramped. This wasn't at the top of our project list until we actually moved in. It's just unbearable right now. And actually, it may be our first project of 2011. The new bathroom doesn't need to be complete right away, just walled off, so our new bedroom looks done.

Wish us luck in 2011!

recap.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

thanksgiving.
We had a great trip to Michigan! Loved seeing family I hadn't seen it a very long time. Mike and I stayed a day longer than the rest of my immediate family and got to go to these little towns on the western coast of Michigan and shop with my Aunt and Uncle. We had a great time, and Mike even said he would like to come back when we had more time. That is BIG - Mike hates to travel, so we are definitely moving in the right direction on this one! :)

christmas.
I had to work until 2 on Christmas Eve (UGH!) so we got to drive home in the horrible snow storm that hit the Midwest that night. You know, every year I hope for a white Christmas, but I think all that hoping is done since we now travel for the holiday. :( But we had a great holiday, even if it was short. We got to see both side of our family, and I was able to see Jennifer's baby bump in person and catch up with her.We both wanted to have more time for friends, but it just wasn't in the cards.

I wish my job would allow me to take more time off around the holidays, but it's just not possible. I am afraid that this Christmas was just a preview to all future ones, and I'm not a fan. I would love to be able to just be off for the week between Christmas and New Year's like Mike.... :(

new years.
Mike's friends, Matt and Dustin, came from Indiana. While our friends, Brad and Lindsey, came from Illinois. They all came so the guys could go off roading at a park near us, Flat Nasty, and Lindsey and I got some girl time with some antique store shopping. It was really nice to have a full house! We've never had that many people stay with us. It was also nice to be able to shop them all our new town and house, since it was a first time visit for everyone.

Anniversary