Bedroom mirror before + after

Stopping in quickly today to talk about my latest mini-makeover.<br /><br />I've been wanting to refinish our dresser mirror in our bedroom for the longest time. It has been calm here since the last weekend of crazyness, so today was the perfect day to get it done before the next wave of destruction & renovation begins. <br /><br />In our old home, all of our furniture was black... which was okay, but since  I'm going for the whole light-airy-beachy-natural vibe, I've been giving all the black pieces a facelift one by one. <br /><br />My first mirror refinishing experience, if you can remember back to February, went like this:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ST_7JipzdKfNo3CfWlPeHc46aYiOKzpzyiwlKnRW4-Ao9EcdZOil0iLh7QZtL3ZSAEAmj810XESthoitWHAGIC127zQMCewU3vN2UcJKih9EExen_i-tJE5TOiITT-hoxmodTZ8vdwae/s640/IMG_3766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ST_7JipzdKfNo3CfWlPeHc46aYiOKzpzyiwlKnRW4-Ao9EcdZOil0iLh7QZtL3ZSAEAmj810XESthoitWHAGIC127zQMCewU3vN2UcJKih9EExen_i-tJE5TOiITT-hoxmodTZ8vdwae/s640/IMG_3766.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before....</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXaI5gHqeRzW8Gu-E1HPPvjD-IsVqkY3UIQJiycwAiLSbWxGSaCRjPErzZdtZlunA8JVso72xskUNdS-Zbe6Z1fiiP10SmJxJHoLLgajJ6QXNsqDpSJgp4xbiHPiFV8oqTa0yZl-DZSCnl/s640/IMG_3842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXaI5gHqeRzW8Gu-E1HPPvjD-IsVqkY3UIQJiycwAiLSbWxGSaCRjPErzZdtZlunA8JVso72xskUNdS-Zbe6Z1fiiP10SmJxJHoLLgajJ6QXNsqDpSJgp4xbiHPiFV8oqTa0yZl-DZSCnl/s640/IMG_3842.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">....After</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />And this was our before, about 5 hours ago...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikACn_QutSxG42dFpxoiVURV4pp71_BZftt-ljsr_VUG65VZBqShaDuJ-Vydj1Ad0vXVyNBHlombZ6fG0FHNBJaz2-fXmVtVSHI4F81dN_d_UGl8ShGRCzNx3xjgBHZNjh4aDsWw6e9xsH/s1600/IMG_4908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikACn_QutSxG42dFpxoiVURV4pp71_BZftt-ljsr_VUG65VZBqShaDuJ-Vydj1Ad0vXVyNBHlombZ6fG0FHNBJaz2-fXmVtVSHI4F81dN_d_UGl8ShGRCzNx3xjgBHZNjh4aDsWw6e9xsH/s640/IMG_4908.jpg" width="474" /></a></div><br /><br />Since Brad won't let me get a new dresser (yet, I'm still working on it...) I figured I could at least do something with the mirror. I was debating between painting it white, a pale turquoise, leaving it as bare wood, doing some sort of distressing technique... in the end I decided I'd sand it down, see what the wood looked like, and then go from there.<br /><br />So the sanding began...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJuNp8agMnAhOOtQ6qX-YDIOinHfUKUiP9Bb7Blt7U5aOJ8EOWoir4wz_VdL4d0AnbDKCJsT681Xq9s_GH1fQfCWPlCw2opvcI3VeRNaZGvyv2L6P9jKvzz8j92r9AKeVCUo_83Mx3H_o8/s1600/IMG_4911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJuNp8agMnAhOOtQ6qX-YDIOinHfUKUiP9Bb7Blt7U5aOJ8EOWoir4wz_VdL4d0AnbDKCJsT681Xq9s_GH1fQfCWPlCw2opvcI3VeRNaZGvyv2L6P9jKvzz8j92r9AKeVCUo_83Mx3H_o8/s640/IMG_4911.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />It was taking a long time, as always, so I figured I'd pour some stripper on it and see if it helped speed the process up.<br /><br />It worked.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOlHiEoh501RKd2x7K41sS_3lnZ3c9obwBA32YKhG0iq8Gd-pYGj10u6lHPeOmqdqAhjfFL9fTNKngwC8IFMkPELsexdVSID1vf7QUsL-qfVgmtWdIIOjpgpjBG4XNS5DZOyE9nMgLyRi/s1600/IMG_4913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOlHiEoh501RKd2x7K41sS_3lnZ3c9obwBA32YKhG0iq8Gd-pYGj10u6lHPeOmqdqAhjfFL9fTNKngwC8IFMkPELsexdVSID1vf7QUsL-qfVgmtWdIIOjpgpjBG4XNS5DZOyE9nMgLyRi/s640/IMG_4913.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />In the middle of all the sanding, my neighbor stopped by with a present they caught in the river...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-c0nAI8eCE_JCESsTR28wHdTYZYdbRQ3-0bUxtsNHpHcoOtGfZzKJFwMnXCiMdeXLIHRLSlXSJvjOTLHbPXPXZLIf8w-zAIFUmczGCUcZ2SCFbiPiG8_55yXdTs8unm_UHjqG-6vCj1D/s1600/IMG_4916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-c0nAI8eCE_JCESsTR28wHdTYZYdbRQ3-0bUxtsNHpHcoOtGfZzKJFwMnXCiMdeXLIHRLSlXSJvjOTLHbPXPXZLIf8w-zAIFUmczGCUcZ2SCFbiPiG8_55yXdTs8unm_UHjqG-6vCj1D/s640/IMG_4916.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />They made me hold him.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxg_WRc_6QiYPW2oeUwoboCATxzEQ-doevfoEZMNLGxeb_dznQvu1OFGKKFic31n6lRuDi59Ze-jshY-8ctnA3PA-1FHMTsKQetPTZXiTunk_76aIScgX5dRz4QFR5cFnqu71p5stmr63/s1600/IMG_4918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxg_WRc_6QiYPW2oeUwoboCATxzEQ-doevfoEZMNLGxeb_dznQvu1OFGKKFic31n6lRuDi59Ze-jshY-8ctnA3PA-1FHMTsKQetPTZXiTunk_76aIScgX5dRz4QFR5cFnqu71p5stmr63/s640/IMG_4918.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />I felt bad for the poor little guy, but they set him free in our pond so we'll be able to keep an eye on him.... and hope he doesn't grow too fast. <br /><br />Anyway, back to the mirror. Another hour or so of sanding and I was pretty happy with the results. I decided not to paint it, but instead to leave it as more of a natural/distressed type finish. The wood color was slightly too warm for me so I decided to give it a thin wash of white paint and water:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidcaWtjwEsGq5f5ibGrAeEBQVAOOPiJRQMjLvtnJnT5OVf2dHJMiInwQoHaP2_UqucGUCnYSTsFb3TohAlZ62D9yjSZCA47btQpKj5d1nIA3ZEDD_wZ_5HtlD7WlVKuTHFzJgPo71e6Y9p/s1600/IMG_4924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidcaWtjwEsGq5f5ibGrAeEBQVAOOPiJRQMjLvtnJnT5OVf2dHJMiInwQoHaP2_UqucGUCnYSTsFb3TohAlZ62D9yjSZCA47btQpKj5d1nIA3ZEDD_wZ_5HtlD7WlVKuTHFzJgPo71e6Y9p/s640/IMG_4924.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I rubbed a thin layer on with a sock:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DEGCI_iw_VETbQ9umL7Wv8sZ3Z4pAkFA141-dgY3xGi_lphrLOjuWXPwce1QUMoOkqGj4LQI0a8-LZAxU9Fj6K4FAE2ju9zQOhQsR_Htx5iIS8bZIqjT1W8LxYQRK2-KbLkQSNJ-SeKc/s1600/IMG_4927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DEGCI_iw_VETbQ9umL7Wv8sZ3Z4pAkFA141-dgY3xGi_lphrLOjuWXPwce1QUMoOkqGj4LQI0a8-LZAxU9Fj6K4FAE2ju9zQOhQsR_Htx5iIS8bZIqjT1W8LxYQRK2-KbLkQSNJ-SeKc/s640/IMG_4927.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />And it lightened the whole thing up just the right amount.<br /><br />So here's the new and improved afters!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOKIGlRJnvQ94xmBiO5dn_gs9_kB466M50hSlJfsGs_L9UZgsnyw4ldlW_etgl7CzkThJM0MjZig1vg9iVSEzUVxSgRR_v5BqAyJj4OqKKXkz4cy_IN4n4YurAChLsjzhKC_NkJZG4tE1/s1600/IMG_4938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQOKIGlRJnvQ94xmBiO5dn_gs9_kB466M50hSlJfsGs_L9UZgsnyw4ldlW_etgl7CzkThJM0MjZig1vg9iVSEzUVxSgRR_v5BqAyJj4OqKKXkz4cy_IN4n4YurAChLsjzhKC_NkJZG4tE1/s640/IMG_4938.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Yay, no more big black mirror to wake up to every morning!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6BRs3xDSHtfbAweXID1Y8sUH1wb5arSiNfLsuUuO-ebZsvcH4-eJY22PmrPe1wkRxJGSdoY4yB4bgl5rIQmPc6iPcVbwfjdDjRulZ2hQa9CC2F-3b55pvRkqiANV8O7Axreyorp1BgXl/s1600/IMG_4931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6BRs3xDSHtfbAweXID1Y8sUH1wb5arSiNfLsuUuO-ebZsvcH4-eJY22PmrPe1wkRxJGSdoY4yB4bgl5rIQmPc6iPcVbwfjdDjRulZ2hQa9CC2F-3b55pvRkqiANV8O7Axreyorp1BgXl/s640/IMG_4931.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqahLfDpqavhZfmyWmSHh_LtvxtU28m_b6rLXOufCMZWRR5yxI5js5iLhqVanDDmT7AF53oGDGMifDcxm6jTxtHOzpJ6Rs9wzmnJJUmJx5vvWgdeh8xRSyotIq_ltSwhOPgXBBTNIkzoO/s1600/IMG_4933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqahLfDpqavhZfmyWmSHh_LtvxtU28m_b6rLXOufCMZWRR5yxI5js5iLhqVanDDmT7AF53oGDGMifDcxm6jTxtHOzpJ6Rs9wzmnJJUmJx5vvWgdeh8xRSyotIq_ltSwhOPgXBBTNIkzoO/s640/IMG_4933.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The two turquoise frames used to be black also—I picked up at the dollar store a while back and simply spray painted them and filled them with some personalized art.<br /><br /><br />Speaking of art, I've just introduced a new coordinating set to my <a href="http://jennasuedesign.etsy.com/">shop</a>! Summer is here and the bugs have been out in full force, so I took some inspiration from the season and designed this set that would be perfect for a garden themed nursery:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bjr9UHBlN9PrGGeDxsvrWYtFuaBO3oT4XGWDykUK3WyzS5UPpWNaG2dglrTz65Pf7uISh2Kt1_z_B_cNg3BSySOt8c2YsIeGpr0sVdeOCpWZHdIrtZIQbffEwXy2juewIB1wtylj9i57/s1600/Dragonfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bjr9UHBlN9PrGGeDxsvrWYtFuaBO3oT4XGWDykUK3WyzS5UPpWNaG2dglrTz65Pf7uISh2Kt1_z_B_cNg3BSySOt8c2YsIeGpr0sVdeOCpWZHdIrtZIQbffEwXy2juewIB1wtylj9i57/s640/Dragonfly.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6OoXYp35tYOM0ZcTIy8dY8MdDmVmkFFrrrJ6clPMj3ywgSLxN6nVZSxERQBqCP7enxtJKTu08uYQMt95L0pcRS8XCtHD-HgZh63yCH1HjdkCBClfU7eaPEsPY5NAx0DiQ0DhIyv-aMjr/s1600/Bee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6OoXYp35tYOM0ZcTIy8dY8MdDmVmkFFrrrJ6clPMj3ywgSLxN6nVZSxERQBqCP7enxtJKTu08uYQMt95L0pcRS8XCtHD-HgZh63yCH1HjdkCBClfU7eaPEsPY5NAx0DiQ0DhIyv-aMjr/s640/Bee.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrPRDnuDViAbqi3Ijj916xpTzuCCnH1czVxkWHvBj1hu9bGWs5VfZRjD-SHFSNvIo2ipQ4IdcyvGUL_jQt3zfY5xvokg8BD5nsEDs6AJnI-8SuJZE9r7Lb2lnUXXV0pFZc7j5TQmvrq3m/s1600/Butterfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrPRDnuDViAbqi3Ijj916xpTzuCCnH1czVxkWHvBj1hu9bGWs5VfZRjD-SHFSNvIo2ipQ4IdcyvGUL_jQt3zfY5xvokg8BD5nsEDs6AJnI-8SuJZE9r7Lb2lnUXXV0pFZc7j5TQmvrq3m/s640/Butterfly.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />That's it for now... the dinner bell is ringing... have a happy warm summer filled week everyone :)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1k3GJg6hJKCDdgoGcXH9vfD0gax5UJLzLuEMDDb17ckEy4I6yc2NwstRbrxeml8F5iPgvjcvqqX46FcfrxlRuQcUSVFA66idSMnX33G8QH8KvjnKGjm8hXCtt7eybYrKyQ47awx6Z554/s1600/Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1k3GJg6hJKCDdgoGcXH9vfD0gax5UJLzLuEMDDb17ckEy4I6yc2NwstRbrxeml8F5iPgvjcvqqX46FcfrxlRuQcUSVFA66idSMnX33G8QH8KvjnKGjm8hXCtt7eybYrKyQ47awx6Z554/s1600/Signature.jpg" /></a></div>

Bedroom mirror before + after

Stopping in quickly today to talk about my latest mini-makeover. I've been wanting to refinish our dresser mirror in our bedroom for the...

Read more »

Moving right along...

First thing's first—shout out to all the Moms out there! Hope your Mother's Day was filled with happiness and love :)<br /><br />And now, onto our big changes! Yes, it deserves an exclamation point, because this is the biggest stuff that's happened around here since we first moved in and re-did our floors, walls and ceilings.<br /><br />Let's start with something I am super excited about... our kitchen reno.<br /><br />Our cabinet addition arrived on Thursday!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4w-HxmksLCpvqSVqwiRAnEwKMo9Ss4FLX4knMSmvki2s1W0SW2rksrRkQIq8OBHB4HMwUO05bIUzrIAADruGIN28RgLwdlUFL0uxbmuljaU43Us6cBynPLTsL7tP5uJwOsyaFtW8ftb9u/s1600/IMG_4847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4w-HxmksLCpvqSVqwiRAnEwKMo9Ss4FLX4knMSmvki2s1W0SW2rksrRkQIq8OBHB4HMwUO05bIUzrIAADruGIN28RgLwdlUFL0uxbmuljaU43Us6cBynPLTsL7tP5uJwOsyaFtW8ftb9u/s640/IMG_4847.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Installation shot:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsvz_3yzbmOXwCNeoRiKOMhz5JdufuRlfezFxUyA_EG5vRJ-jTqS2zPKGDqjZdUyr5IUl8FOsR1GV4qg_FUm_zG-80YILkrhFnGWteO1B-ppjq6mM5-WZhtvj91yJMHiqNVGfmLYcjhrB/s1600/IMG_4848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsvz_3yzbmOXwCNeoRiKOMhz5JdufuRlfezFxUyA_EG5vRJ-jTqS2zPKGDqjZdUyr5IUl8FOsR1GV4qg_FUm_zG-80YILkrhFnGWteO1B-ppjq6mM5-WZhtvj91yJMHiqNVGfmLYcjhrB/s640/IMG_4848.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />With the wine fridge:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7FVVAVF0YU9sCTIcEgZVw4fCxjKRuWwcrMkF265YhXHRLrGx5tEzTWFNhTJWd7dWubiGIjVFzWxSdnyxUtQ9hqi-ne9IViNWFmQKlN4mSSunImwCgHuoGjhX6HU6OSC4T1N3ZsRkOTUn/s1600/IMG_4851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7FVVAVF0YU9sCTIcEgZVw4fCxjKRuWwcrMkF265YhXHRLrGx5tEzTWFNhTJWd7dWubiGIjVFzWxSdnyxUtQ9hqi-ne9IViNWFmQKlN4mSSunImwCgHuoGjhX6HU6OSC4T1N3ZsRkOTUn/s640/IMG_4851.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />And stocked with wine and bar glasses:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgYg4ADI1udgKz8VQMHKtfcUcFIs2VIux2makzszD5T90oIFQ5zx95OrRpWD_MNwNtMEmA4dJA44nSBC4r-A7N1pHxgB-n1X0oIqPP019IJUzoT3Z95I3RCQN7cDK3riOJzmnhHaCSH8X/s1600/IMG_4896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="606" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgYg4ADI1udgKz8VQMHKtfcUcFIs2VIux2makzszD5T90oIFQ5zx95OrRpWD_MNwNtMEmA4dJA44nSBC4r-A7N1pHxgB-n1X0oIqPP019IJUzoT3Z95I3RCQN7cDK3riOJzmnhHaCSH8X/s640/IMG_4896.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwNZqUC5brHprStI15m5NnxfOh8_Qma6rchBpmCN9NohWK1TCWgvs6S2jAM1_U4x12LXkIYmfSq68j_Fk9WU17BazAE6cv3emlOwdTygVe3XPvKpmL34KNF8LIaZhQmPRPq5tqs0IGtlD/s1600/IMG_4900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwNZqUC5brHprStI15m5NnxfOh8_Qma6rchBpmCN9NohWK1TCWgvs6S2jAM1_U4x12LXkIYmfSq68j_Fk9WU17BazAE6cv3emlOwdTygVe3XPvKpmL34KNF8LIaZhQmPRPq5tqs0IGtlD/s640/IMG_4900.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />I am *so* glad we thought to do this because we've added so much more counter space to the kitchen, which we desperately needed. And we'll also get to install some open shelving above it for even more storage. <br /><br />The counters should be ready by next weekend, and the Lowe's installer was here Saturday taking the final measurements:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieelvq_JuUrxq73DL3QGauhyTe1xLy8uTryaatGlq-G3tTnrpGe8oRQpM2oueUKmJTK_QL5ScCJZZJ3GEUgVfNHTj-4VZL49nOieAbhffR5yOWJ_sExBnqTy1iwgYMXMKjfawodBRDwEDV/s1600/IMG_4860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieelvq_JuUrxq73DL3QGauhyTe1xLy8uTryaatGlq-G3tTnrpGe8oRQpM2oueUKmJTK_QL5ScCJZZJ3GEUgVfNHTj-4VZL49nOieAbhffR5yOWJ_sExBnqTy1iwgYMXMKjfawodBRDwEDV/s640/IMG_4860.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />We decided to save ourselves a few hundred bucks and rip out the old counters ourselves. Here's Brad demonstrating the painstaking process:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNALqhEgHhV1kX5pgFtS5mBJqYe2wlpqfODGOiAhVf70Yiep7n3zQ-oFlEQ1rnU8HqK4CqJI3nXBQwbptUgFCJEzUGKmG6xm5QAharo3TQv8fMY5Z1xyPCpG2_Y8WrVH8juLLuuwcPr4i6/s1600/IMG_4886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNALqhEgHhV1kX5pgFtS5mBJqYe2wlpqfODGOiAhVf70Yiep7n3zQ-oFlEQ1rnU8HqK4CqJI3nXBQwbptUgFCJEzUGKmG6xm5QAharo3TQv8fMY5Z1xyPCpG2_Y8WrVH8juLLuuwcPr4i6/s640/IMG_4886.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8Kd5ZQyfUem2mxyhSkmIn6OtyKNrQhomBDtQ2Qe_V_mf3-CkCXGL9sGJlqJhxzk9hf0wmEmIBtSB5IjsAMRZUD4ODTh-voGQ8pT2RTuRapCrb7uBl4N6rsXHe50NMlmo0UvOanWIgCAA/s1600/IMG_4888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8Kd5ZQyfUem2mxyhSkmIn6OtyKNrQhomBDtQ2Qe_V_mf3-CkCXGL9sGJlqJhxzk9hf0wmEmIBtSB5IjsAMRZUD4ODTh-voGQ8pT2RTuRapCrb7uBl4N6rsXHe50NMlmo0UvOanWIgCAA/s640/IMG_4888.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Ok, so it wasn't <em>that</em> painstaking.... but there was some pain involved on Brad's end...<br /><br /><br />*Warning: graphic image below*<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwkVxQKYdf2z3OWzInL7YJYr9MgUf_mWDKrdSWnTEFKcoEgtQurHZLleRxRWyCqTT-YRzst8qSJU08U5xt9-Ri3k38zBbNcbcZddkMZSS9uPV2djLCeiAtgm5YGXlb651akMiN55c0Gzq/s1600/IMG_4892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="518" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwkVxQKYdf2z3OWzInL7YJYr9MgUf_mWDKrdSWnTEFKcoEgtQurHZLleRxRWyCqTT-YRzst8qSJU08U5xt9-Ri3k38zBbNcbcZddkMZSS9uPV2djLCeiAtgm5YGXlb651akMiN55c0Gzq/s640/IMG_4892.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Yep... that's blood... the counter attacked Brad's finger and ripped part of his nail off, trying to get this long piece off:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt57NxOOafPpVTxGRynBVeS87J6h7J6zSKmNwl2YbfQ43P9gBz6xWsbULB0VWREw35DApOAF7aLRi-Lo5Z2yQanfCbiomfxhrixtAqOsTrEVl80CpWLQ_qQzFnfaUgeCsy81tYaE8yUO9o/s1600/IMG_4889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt57NxOOafPpVTxGRynBVeS87J6h7J6zSKmNwl2YbfQ43P9gBz6xWsbULB0VWREw35DApOAF7aLRi-Lo5Z2yQanfCbiomfxhrixtAqOsTrEVl80CpWLQ_qQzFnfaUgeCsy81tYaE8yUO9o/s640/IMG_4889.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />But all is well, because our backsplash is finally off ready for tile:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHJpdzL8_TSY6eFUwKEXqxRHGAFk7BuULd_3SWF4MSjtT5A2-molCgFHJweHZjgvV_7g2WIVZ76j4LCduYKv89rQWFYdXbMkLsQAIOCtHJkW2XqTbbCFK6tGg5xBkJn7W02FaahizB-fK/s1600/IMG_4895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKHJpdzL8_TSY6eFUwKEXqxRHGAFk7BuULd_3SWF4MSjtT5A2-molCgFHJweHZjgvV_7g2WIVZ76j4LCduYKv89rQWFYdXbMkLsQAIOCtHJkW2XqTbbCFK6tGg5xBkJn7W02FaahizB-fK/s640/IMG_4895.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />We'll be ripping out the rest of it when they give us the final call the day before the counters are ready. Let's hope no blood is shed in round 2.<br /><br /><br />Ok, enough of the kitchen for now.... our house is no longer pink!<br /><br />Let's do a little before & after... here is the "Before" pic I snapped last week:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnY3DKfxkqMPtUs4U4dFT7OA6PSHvFhNhsvPGxOr_lhEInJ00zQ9omk4VkXdqxVEAViXnjm3PV6MvcIhz7cJ6suquiGoHssdzrF8IsSNGKZ0-Sv1fFg3pKIygAG01ZmUY3UNNSpfarAy6/s1600/House-Before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnY3DKfxkqMPtUs4U4dFT7OA6PSHvFhNhsvPGxOr_lhEInJ00zQ9omk4VkXdqxVEAViXnjm3PV6MvcIhz7cJ6suquiGoHssdzrF8IsSNGKZ0-Sv1fFg3pKIygAG01ZmUY3UNNSpfarAy6/s640/House-Before.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />And here is the after!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4GmgIHmKD1ovw2YvO5ZY8MwiE2WG3eP887MeVF2Em5CRezcisxVGMgw0K4sSlaFRCGHlGVJHoQ6p_K6ol8BKIcivM3HzRYIa6CZYBSgLfnpP3CZvpl-fZMRHc5LpI3sGys2gEkboEOe_/s1600/IMG_4905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4GmgIHmKD1ovw2YvO5ZY8MwiE2WG3eP887MeVF2Em5CRezcisxVGMgw0K4sSlaFRCGHlGVJHoQ6p_K6ol8BKIcivM3HzRYIa6CZYBSgLfnpP3CZvpl-fZMRHc5LpI3sGys2gEkboEOe_/s640/IMG_4905.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Originally we had chosen BM's "Herbal Escape", but we ended up going with a different painter at the last minute who used Sherwin William's, so I picked out a similar color called Functional Grey, and I love it!<br /><br />We also had them repaint the door, here is the not-so-lovely mauve before:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkVFarzegto_TYbTpMNqipGKVLZ1dOhJuC8wc-m8YdZb40PR3qrulVJLaZdFlSzdMbo2-wDVwzjPBoQKJEbNEHeySL4srFg7AIyC334Ql3UUw-ciDZVNmosOk-buL-YtRf7miueXos_SW/s1600/IMG_4802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkVFarzegto_TYbTpMNqipGKVLZ1dOhJuC8wc-m8YdZb40PR3qrulVJLaZdFlSzdMbo2-wDVwzjPBoQKJEbNEHeySL4srFg7AIyC334Ql3UUw-ciDZVNmosOk-buL-YtRf7miueXos_SW/s640/IMG_4802.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><br />And after:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkr2bIh3DWckXwNJZ9OdNOvwAo4vWmHYuMEftuoGakLj57zuoHNRwzqb411Z3YBQtehsqAPH0LTGv4NlBoYE_ifS8D77-LshfX6gNSGDsQy7w_zr4CZ9TcLX7n8JMSpyb4-E9nFf0CAFS3/s1600/IMG_4901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkr2bIh3DWckXwNJZ9OdNOvwAo4vWmHYuMEftuoGakLj57zuoHNRwzqb411Z3YBQtehsqAPH0LTGv4NlBoYE_ifS8D77-LshfX6gNSGDsQy7w_zr4CZ9TcLX7n8JMSpyb4-E9nFf0CAFS3/s640/IMG_4901.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><br />I chose a dark brownish-greyish-blackish SW color called Urbane Bronze, and I also love it :) All we need is some nice frosted glass to replace the outdated glass and metal pattern and we'll be set.<br /><br /><br />But that's not all because..... we have sprinklers! And grass!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeMRMV8zUwKjhIpHNcIFELHzwxvR7toMLah6wf-j4k4yU2t7CQtaVEojwXdGfe90Fkk6scgeMLhXODyhKcoHT5RTG70WTNftw-x29w7swCsv2lWTf-81xBgV1hWuux5lvKWzxpszmbTLw/s1600/IMG_4857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibeMRMV8zUwKjhIpHNcIFELHzwxvR7toMLah6wf-j4k4yU2t7CQtaVEojwXdGfe90Fkk6scgeMLhXODyhKcoHT5RTG70WTNftw-x29w7swCsv2lWTf-81xBgV1hWuux5lvKWzxpszmbTLw/s640/IMG_4857.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Here's how the backyard has looked since we've lived here:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5XutlKDoYpER93LicLohZkP26Qfru6Jk5gXqR73qfl9uFAC5nGvGgHxewlJHKWD_JnUWrPImkcG87yLDMt8EOX23gz4vz-Ozy7XRY5b9P_FhiiQ_c7tuMXHNkCJVfHuufNVBNCTgDNXI/s1600/IMG_2086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5XutlKDoYpER93LicLohZkP26Qfru6Jk5gXqR73qfl9uFAC5nGvGgHxewlJHKWD_JnUWrPImkcG87yLDMt8EOX23gz4vz-Ozy7XRY5b9P_FhiiQ_c7tuMXHNkCJVfHuufNVBNCTgDNXI/s640/IMG_2086.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHH7NXbC-VaUiEdKU7yO4nEWa3cXLQ4pW5_PqmvrIVeVsjUxD-S7gdsn2kHZFIkIS7-mKdRcntaG_lAP5Ao_8nbUhLEMsVsQZZZvrX8Lref76YRX4POl-SdBbSOyaZYiohEQBoIu1kILC/s1600/IMG_3664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHHH7NXbC-VaUiEdKU7yO4nEWa3cXLQ4pW5_PqmvrIVeVsjUxD-S7gdsn2kHZFIkIS7-mKdRcntaG_lAP5Ao_8nbUhLEMsVsQZZZvrX8Lref76YRX4POl-SdBbSOyaZYiohEQBoIu1kILC/s640/IMG_3664.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Half the yard had become a giant dirt patch and we were over it. So Brad went ahead and had a sprinkler system put in, complete with new sod in the back. And it feels like now we finally have a "backyard."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFD-ArrmZGu3MEbQU1gM6ppV8wz8iMRN0CmdQdeiidsfZhIqwYUb0lPnnnk_UKpz1kt57OR4ddVFi6ZVD7NN2Rpc2vGIRMckJs6cDup6aq7bwo7FY1Db_g0Qqqr-Ehm49Y6u2zAB6EgMP-/s1600/IMG_4879.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFD-ArrmZGu3MEbQU1gM6ppV8wz8iMRN0CmdQdeiidsfZhIqwYUb0lPnnnk_UKpz1kt57OR4ddVFi6ZVD7NN2Rpc2vGIRMckJs6cDup6aq7bwo7FY1Db_g0Qqqr-Ehm49Y6u2zAB6EgMP-/s640/IMG_4879.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtegix_ErHX6MDT2WabnHTskXo4-2cwMCiCQBjH7rJqJ5jLlWmlWkeSqgB7LFSWLq83A0RGDThffH5fGOTzjCAQHrOTH4qwcVNW__iqtufRJVaq9KtkuysRbDdnqksrI8pa-grO__h9W5D/s1600/IMG_4880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtegix_ErHX6MDT2WabnHTskXo4-2cwMCiCQBjH7rJqJ5jLlWmlWkeSqgB7LFSWLq83A0RGDThffH5fGOTzjCAQHrOTH4qwcVNW__iqtufRJVaq9KtkuysRbDdnqksrI8pa-grO__h9W5D/s640/IMG_4880.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9acRCPJL57lrlLIMN3YikTcrfLlY5o0Td1l4F9x3Zpslb_CKDseoESpjAGKP2Hutuq9eAg5cLPjtQY91d_ez6BVMWk6EqlZkNxnNFLhjT1Fra4OOi3E7czjDDw2rkokM75WyOQc3PyGE/s1600/IMG_4881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9acRCPJL57lrlLIMN3YikTcrfLlY5o0Td1l4F9x3Zpslb_CKDseoESpjAGKP2Hutuq9eAg5cLPjtQY91d_ez6BVMWk6EqlZkNxnNFLhjT1Fra4OOi3E7czjDDw2rkokM75WyOQc3PyGE/s640/IMG_4881.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Now that the big news has been discussed... we had time to squeeze one little project in.<br /><br />Remember how I transformed our brass handles to oil rubbed bronze with a $3 can of magical Krylon paint?<br /><br />Well... I had a dirty little secret.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR35C8kCVpPnsEecTLLouIl1Wcx-uuWiktoiMnzAJvjuJJV3K1nu0ZVW4F6VkwGkQcM9DkjJRYG3e5Q4wDXqqaNQFzTqSkMQXJAARETt2ROU2upsVlbhSXk6iXRo9YJek9FrgMkNR9p7jV/s1600/IMG_4868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR35C8kCVpPnsEecTLLouIl1Wcx-uuWiktoiMnzAJvjuJJV3K1nu0ZVW4F6VkwGkQcM9DkjJRYG3e5Q4wDXqqaNQFzTqSkMQXJAARETt2ROU2upsVlbhSXk6iXRo9YJek9FrgMkNR9p7jV/s640/IMG_4868.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><br />I was too lazy to finish the job and paint all the hinges to match, until last week when I finally had enough of looking at them. So last week I started the long process of removing them, one by one, and scrubbing all the old paint and rust and gunk off to prep them for paint. <br /><br />After about an hour I was starting to think it just wasn't worth my time and energy, and I hopped online to research how much I could buy the real thing for.<br /><br />Surprisingly, they weren't all that expensive online (I'm sure at HD or Lowe's they would have been at least twice as much), but I found them for around $2/pc shipped, hardware included, on Amazon. I had about $30 in Amazon gift card credit, so my total came to just under $12 for all 21 hinges. Sweet!<br /><br />And now we're all matching and happy...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Tf0yRPS8XTnPK3giKTSKQllkTzEZFp0tGvqwBOKLolwjGJ4tVKI3KMgv0TkRUs7vuc5XyJvOL_QBlOnGpl_X8LnfROgk62iHqyCXzch9jUiQaF-VENfwarEGe93HHZaKCN4bstmz7BWG/s1600/IMG_4876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Tf0yRPS8XTnPK3giKTSKQllkTzEZFp0tGvqwBOKLolwjGJ4tVKI3KMgv0TkRUs7vuc5XyJvOL_QBlOnGpl_X8LnfROgk62iHqyCXzch9jUiQaF-VENfwarEGe93HHZaKCN4bstmz7BWG/s640/IMG_4876.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4frSvGnBbSYoDd96lWcVVwsPKKOwL1xFgDtUZwspLgxaIGb02a0FVBFKhHqB1xDlJlwz4CFM1K3RQj5ldlfHR7h74mR78ekeFf6jxXWAEKo8_tTbY0DsPfop_zWT90I8Ma_3V89K6XXS/s1600/IMG_4878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4frSvGnBbSYoDd96lWcVVwsPKKOwL1xFgDtUZwspLgxaIGb02a0FVBFKhHqB1xDlJlwz4CFM1K3RQj5ldlfHR7h74mR78ekeFf6jxXWAEKo8_tTbY0DsPfop_zWT90I8Ma_3V89K6XXS/s640/IMG_4878.jpg" width="434" /></a></div><br /><br />I think I've covered everything that's happened this weekend... so I'm off to finish this Sunday with some chardonnay and crab legs with the neighbors... have a great week everyone!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1k3GJg6hJKCDdgoGcXH9vfD0gax5UJLzLuEMDDb17ckEy4I6yc2NwstRbrxeml8F5iPgvjcvqqX46FcfrxlRuQcUSVFA66idSMnX33G8QH8KvjnKGjm8hXCtt7eybYrKyQ47awx6Z554/s1600/Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1k3GJg6hJKCDdgoGcXH9vfD0gax5UJLzLuEMDDb17ckEy4I6yc2NwstRbrxeml8F5iPgvjcvqqX46FcfrxlRuQcUSVFA66idSMnX33G8QH8KvjnKGjm8hXCtt7eybYrKyQ47awx6Z554/s1600/Signature.jpg" /></a></div>

Moving right along...

First thing's first—shout out to all the Moms out there! Hope your Mother's Day was filled with happiness and love :) And now, onto ...

Read more »

Our new patio furniture!

With pool season in full swing here in Florida, we've been desperately needing new patio furniture. <br /><br />The old PVC-pipe special set had seen better days...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBDTwtJMOVyK4J_gevxje3ovug8U5vegND-vGE3yFnzC3ajhuuCCGNUohr-99608qxSgohu1oRW_ToPwjtLy7Ix4tmE8G_j8Uu1PwJl3TR3dKmIJOx1UfvyKmngF6eivS-sMVwUPL-mBY/s1600/IMG_2085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBDTwtJMOVyK4J_gevxje3ovug8U5vegND-vGE3yFnzC3ajhuuCCGNUohr-99608qxSgohu1oRW_ToPwjtLy7Ix4tmE8G_j8Uu1PwJl3TR3dKmIJOx1UfvyKmngF6eivS-sMVwUPL-mBY/s640/IMG_2085.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />You can't see the broken chair and ripped cloth in this picture, but let's just say we were slightly embarassed making our guests sit on them at pool parties.<br /><br />And so began the hunt for a nice replacement set. We knew we wanted a dining area (with an umbrella) along with a set of lounge chairs. The problem is.... outdoor furniture doesn't come cheap. And with all the other major projects we've got going on around here these days, we needed to keep costs down.<br /><br />Weeks spent on craigslist yielded no results, and I wasn't really feeling the mid-priced sets at HD and Lowes.<br /><br />But then... randomly shopping in Target one day, I happened to walk past the outdoor aisle and this beauty caught my eye:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i53.tinypic.com/ilezhu.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i53.tinypic.com/ilezhu.png" width="319" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>When I went in for a closer look, I was happily surprised to find it was on clearance for $550 for the 5-piece set (4 chairs and table) plus another $100 or so for the umbrella and base. That's still a decent chunk of money, but in the world of rattan patio furniture, it's a steal.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So Brad borrowed his work's truck after work and we got straight to assembly:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcJQ24RTM_IS-dUnyNhkJqhcgIunuN6o2IeRPjaTOWO0HF7pgoNaUQR6Cwg4GumIw0moba01DP3ByLTdsoj08c6DkMGlVeepP0h9qBQu3gHUTugKnm-IHpz4nP8HETC-gY5U8wkrYprEG/s1600/IMG_4808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcJQ24RTM_IS-dUnyNhkJqhcgIunuN6o2IeRPjaTOWO0HF7pgoNaUQR6Cwg4GumIw0moba01DP3ByLTdsoj08c6DkMGlVeepP0h9qBQu3gHUTugKnm-IHpz4nP8HETC-gY5U8wkrYprEG/s640/IMG_4808.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br />After an hour or two of labor, we had this:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbuEBjFjTxxBixMOI3tUmn_SY5Dd8kqsz472-sy10T0_bPI1dRWy94mFQOW80NgplIGdZH-CHnmmepLrZYknmf2jE8Bd-iMBzl92YCQCk0QNMoncmr5LgZC4TMWQed-1U8IEt6Ql_UBM0/s1600/IMG_4820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbuEBjFjTxxBixMOI3tUmn_SY5Dd8kqsz472-sy10T0_bPI1dRWy94mFQOW80NgplIGdZH-CHnmmepLrZYknmf2jE8Bd-iMBzl92YCQCk0QNMoncmr5LgZC4TMWQed-1U8IEt6Ql_UBM0/s640/IMG_4820.jpg" width="454" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Don't you just want to have a dinner party there? I do! <br /><br />And if we ever miss our old busted furniture, all we have to do is glance to our right...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZc3MhNt_XaAxYBpoZ6TzVIe0WSTF6S3UDDt0ZzhTNHq-egfMfPTSteJG8aoWUIf5vmFOcgSk3wYmwqbUhfnsopwhQR30JHGseqMT4qy-9p0-IPEWS5qOxnR70xfT5Da1dyJD9egcR1xJD/s1600/IMG_4810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZc3MhNt_XaAxYBpoZ6TzVIe0WSTF6S3UDDt0ZzhTNHq-egfMfPTSteJG8aoWUIf5vmFOcgSk3wYmwqbUhfnsopwhQR30JHGseqMT4qy-9p0-IPEWS5qOxnR70xfT5Da1dyJD9egcR1xJD/s640/IMG_4810.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Because they are now living in our neighbor's yard (yes, they wanted them....)<br /><br /><br />But our patio set was not complete without the lounge chairs.<br /><br />Target sold some nice matching chaise lounges, but they were completely sold out (in store and online)... and at $250/piece, I'm not sure I would have wanted them anyway.<br /><br />So we met up the next evening at one of my all time favorite stores, Garden Ridge.<br /><br />(I didn't snap any in-store or assembly pics for this, so let's just skip to the good part...)<br /><br />Here they are!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3R6KaTEK6Ko6i104Ke3nV1yAFim7MJkcVArF2hb-3DI7vZUJ7LSsVeb6n16VtvMeq3Sk4QqcGukiF4ThLfB52_DN3hbHUyKSfns9VEmDzK83GFmz2HY3G03b7xKVqaVx9u3ADjkbQH7cr/s1600/IMG_4813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3R6KaTEK6Ko6i104Ke3nV1yAFim7MJkcVArF2hb-3DI7vZUJ7LSsVeb6n16VtvMeq3Sk4QqcGukiF4ThLfB52_DN3hbHUyKSfns9VEmDzK83GFmz2HY3G03b7xKVqaVx9u3ADjkbQH7cr/s640/IMG_4813.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />The chair frames were $100 each (ouch, pricey for GR, I thought), the cushions were $30/ea and the table was $30, for a grand total of $330 with tax. Not a whole lot more than what just one of those rattan lounges would have cost, not too bad!<br /><br />I think they go with the dining set quite well...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHkOq6qW8XyifpiJ1Fz73WuRtXbUhMlhFJMlLHmnI3Kxr3DmSjAt2azJc-kYUFZYGgQBZWi1uxUL2L8xpFMdg7Zj_p-ai-FOVvkaMAJMlP5ucVzHtEnVMZy56Ag4Wka32LBSUAgJfyLfi/s1600/IMG_4821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHkOq6qW8XyifpiJ1Fz73WuRtXbUhMlhFJMlLHmnI3Kxr3DmSjAt2azJc-kYUFZYGgQBZWi1uxUL2L8xpFMdg7Zj_p-ai-FOVvkaMAJMlP5ucVzHtEnVMZy56Ag4Wka32LBSUAgJfyLfi/s640/IMG_4821.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />So that's the latest from our backyard. With the temps consistently in the 90's now and only getting hotter, this furniture had better get ready for some usage!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1k3GJg6hJKCDdgoGcXH9vfD0gax5UJLzLuEMDDb17ckEy4I6yc2NwstRbrxeml8F5iPgvjcvqqX46FcfrxlRuQcUSVFA66idSMnX33G8QH8KvjnKGjm8hXCtt7eybYrKyQ47awx6Z554/s1600/Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1k3GJg6hJKCDdgoGcXH9vfD0gax5UJLzLuEMDDb17ckEy4I6yc2NwstRbrxeml8F5iPgvjcvqqX46FcfrxlRuQcUSVFA66idSMnX33G8QH8KvjnKGjm8hXCtt7eybYrKyQ47awx6Z554/s1600/Signature.jpg" /></a></div>

Our new patio furniture!

With pool season in full swing here in Florida, we've been desperately needing new patio furniture. The old PVC-pipe special set had see...

Read more »