6.22.2015

Painting


I couldn't resist these paint covered toes!



 Caroline's first painting "Red Bird, Blue Bird" she even points the birds out and says "bird" and then "tweet, tweet"


19 Months




- You have been such a cuddle bug lately. When you are getting ready for a nap or going to bed you have been letting me hold you and putting your head down on my shoulder and falling asleep. Oh I soak in those moments before putting you down in your crib. You even fell asleep on mine and daddy's shoulders at the wedding we went to this past weekend.


- You had your first scraped knee this month, you love to walk into stores from the truck now, instead of having us carry you. I was holding your hand but you still tripped and fell in the Target parking lot. Quite a big scrape with blood but as soon as I picked you up you stopped whimpering and a container of honey teddy grahams and you were good to go. You are so tough, and you take most bumps and bruises in stride.

- You love to pick out your own clothes. We have moved them to the lowest bar in your closet so every morning you can pick what to wear. It's fun to see you examine a few items before ultimately deciding what to pick. You have gotten a few care packages this month from relatives so you like to wear your new outfits best. We still are stuck on the pink crocs, but some navy crocs are a close second place. Any other style though...good riddance :)


- You are in an Elmo and Donald Duck loving stage right now. You request to watch the shows by saying either Elmo or Donald Duck. Its so cute to hear you say the characters names, including Goofy, Pluto, and Minnie. And the way you ask to watch them it is really hard to tell you know with those puppy dog eyes you give us.

- This month you started calling my Mommy. Be still my heart. I love it. I hear you sweetly ask for me over the monitor in the mornings or after nap. And now when you are looking for me in the house you call for me, like a Marco Polo game I answer with your name back until you come find me. I hope you always call me that!


-Another new phrase you have been saying lately is "Oh Gosh" I am not sure where you picked this one up because neither your Daddy or I say it. But its cute when we hear you say it.


-We ended up giving you and old camera to take pictures with and you love carrying it around and saying "cheese". You have taken a lot of blurry pictures of the dog, your feet, our feet etc, but then every once in awhile you get a pretty good shot. You do you, girl.


 -You got to go Kayla and Trent's Wedding this month and you absolutely loved it! You danced and danced and had so much fun running around the reception hall! Everyone commented on how cute you were and loved your curly hair!





6.09.2015

Refinishing Bathroom Cabinets


I have been working on refinishing our bathroom cabinets for a few months now. The project itself was relatively simple. It was just trying to find the time to devote to it. Each step was easy, there is just some wait time in between each step that made the process take a little longer when you only work during nap times. I unfortunately did not get a before picture of the guest bathroom but the picture above is the after. All we have left to do in this room is replace the faucet fixtures. I think it turned out pretty good :) Below I have listed step by step (in pictures) the process. 

Ben's Vanity (Before)

Ben's Vanity (After)
Jenn's Vanity (Before)
Jenn's Vanity (After)
Step 1: Strip old vinyl off cabinet door faces
Step 2: Degloss the Cabinet Doors and Cabinet Frame

Step 3a: Bond Coat #1
Step 4a: Bond Coat #2
Step 3b &4b: Bond Coat on Cabinet Fixture

 The final step is a clear sealant coat and then reattaching the doors. We used a Rust-O-Leum Cabinet Refinishing product that I would definitely use again! I think it made the cabinets look much better in the bathroom! Ben made the frame for the guest bathroom mirror in the first picture and I think it looks great. I just need to talk him into doing the same for our master bath mirrors as well. Now for fixtures in all bathrooms and new paint in our master bath. But that's a project for another for another day.