Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Project 52: Week 2014.08

We survived a long week of fighting a virus and four teeth by cuddling with Lulu and watching Thomas the Train... or "Toot, toot!" as Winston calls him!  By Saturday afternoon, Winston was back to his normal self and we were able to enjoy the fabulous weather and the swing.  That kid loves a good swing!

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Project 52: Week 2014.07

On the Monday of the week of Valentine's Day, I received a beautiful delivery of flowers to my office from my sweet boys!  Brightening up my week and my workspace it was a wonderful reminder of the two biggest blessings in my life!  Benjamin worked hard on putting together Valentines for the ladies at the office.  A token of gratitude for the work they do!  I took Valentines Day off and spent it with my Winston.  Our day included a date to McDonald's, the grocery store, Gap and froyo!  

Friday, February 21, 2014

DIY: Kissing Booth

For Winston's Valentine's Day photos this year, I knew that I wanted to do something with a kissing booth.  Thing was, I didn't have anything that even closely resembled what I was after.  Enter Benjamin.  After describing what it was that I wanted, he thought through what I had described, measured Winston and headed to Home Depot.  Since I would probably miss a step or two, I asked Benjamin to assist me in writing this post.

And now for his debut.... heeeeere's Benjamin!

Sara said she wanted to make a mini kissing booth for Winston.  Being the computer oriented woodworker that I am, I immediately turned to the internet in search of plans for a kisssing booth, only to find none.  I decided that I would try to keep things simple and just make things up as I went along.  I ran to Home Depot and bought the following items:

3 - 8 foot 2x2's (watch out for warped ones)
1/2 a sheet of hardboard
two cans of spray paint
4 small hinges

I then measured Winston with a tape measure to get an idea as to how tall he was and decided I wanted my counter top to be 18" from the ground and that the entire booth would stand 4 feet tall.  After cutting the 2x2's in half, I cut a 48x18" strip of hardboard that was then cut down into two 11.5"x18" strips and one 24"x18" strip.  I cut another 48x10" strip of hardboard and cut it down into two 11.5"x10" strips and one 24"x18" strip.  I used a mitre saw and table saw for all of these cuts, but you could easily use a jig saw or circular saw if you don't have any large shop equipment.
Next I framed up the center and side sections separately.  Each section is 4 feet tall, the center section is 24" wide, and the side sections are 11.5" wide.  Using a brad nailer and 5/8" brads, I quickly assembled the three main pieces.  Ultimately Sara wanted to be able to write on the booth, so for the top support of our center section we elected to use a piece of scrap chalkboard instead of the hardboard that I had cut.
After assembling the three side pieces, I used two pair of 2" hinges to hook everything together.  Making the side sections 11.5" wide allows them to easily fold together on the back of the center section without hitting one another.  After the photo shoot this will allow the booth to fold down to 48"x24"x4" for easy storage.

At this point your booth is ready for painting, or you can use your scrap hardboard and any other piece of scrap 2x4 you have laying around to make the optional counter.  I would recommend measuring for the counter after you have assembled the booth so that your counter is cut to be a perfect fit.  I think I made mine about 6" deep and had it attach with wooden dowels so that it could easily be removed for storage and versatility.
In the end, the project had a total cost of $30 and about 2 hours of labor between coats of spray paint.  A small price to pay for a prop for some super cute photos that can be spray painted again to make a lemonade stand this summer.

Total Cost: $30

Tools used on this project:
Table saw
Miter saw
Pneumatic brad nailer
Random orbital sander
Cordless drill

Catching up at The Kitchen

At the beginning of the year, there is a one day orthodontic conference held in Houston by UT Ortho for doctors to get CE credit, learn something new, and catch up with friends and faculty.  Knowing that almost all of Benjamin's classmates would in coming into town for the event, he sent out an email blast a month or so before coordinating a dinner for everyone, kiddos and spouses included.  We chose White Oak Kitchen because of its delicious food, and relaxed and quiet atmosphere.  

Due to the busyness of the day with the conference, the dinner allowed for catching up with faculty and other doctors knowing that everyone could catch up later that night.  After placing our food orders, we went around the table giving everyone 5 - 10 minutes to share what had been going on in their lives since graduation.  It was a fantastic way for everyone to be able to celebrate with each other on life after school.  Since graduation we have had one engagement and one baby!  Plus each person has been blessed with amazing work opportunities and are settling into their daily routines.

I remembered to get a few pictures, but only after Monica had left!  With everyone scattered from Victoria to College Station to Washington, its something we plan on continuing as the years go on and the Class Family of 2013 continues to grow!

Sunday, February 16, 2014

DIY: Valentines that are {Star}Bursting!

Knowing that Valentine's Day was around the corner, Benjamin asked me to start thinking about something little he could do for the girls at the office.  A token of appreciation for jobs well done!  When thinking about doing something for the ladies, we had a few things to keep in mind: we needed gifts for 18 and we didn't want it to be too mushy.  

I set out to the best source for ideas: Pinterest.  I found a list of over 100 things to do for Valentine's day and started rattling off my favorites to Benjamin, tweaking them here or there to make them office appropriate.  The winner for this year's Valentine was.... Bursting with joy that you're part of the team!  
 
To make this Valentine (for 18 people!), we purchased the following:
6 bags of Starbursts
1 pack of large cello bags
4 spools Valentines Day ribbon
We used cardstock that we already had at home.

Benjamin divided the Starbursts up into the bags
Then using the starburst form in PhotoShop and our our Silhouette, the tags were created!  I then tied the bows and voila!  A cute token of appreciation bursting with flavor!
These would also make adorable Teacher Appreciation gifts or Just Because gifts for neighbors, students, family, friends, co-workers... the list goes on and one!

Project 52: 2014.06

On Sunday night we busted out Winston's Hot Dog.  It was just too cute not to take pictures of!  The cutting aspect of it worked fantastically although we did have to take the dog off in order for his fingers to get to the pot of ketchup.  He gets a kick out of dipping food into ketchup...so much so that we have a "one dip, then eat" rule!  The lounge for our bedroom arrived and shortly after it's construction, Benjamin and Winston good made use of it.  We constructed the stand for our photo shoot (diy post to come!).  And sweet Winston got his 15 months shots.  We enjoyed a treat at McDonald's and he was a goner before we even left the Starbuck's drive-thru!

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Project 52: 2014.05

We wrapped up January with a new hair do at Flair Salons, watching the rockets with friends and of course having tons of splish-splashes at bath time!  I also thought I'd put in a little proof that I do work during the day...with a really fun huge wall white board!  

Friday, February 14, 2014

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's the day to celebrate love!  
These days we love spending as much time as we can with this little cheeser!
He brings joy and light to our life!  His facial expressions and personality are so comical.  He is a precious tiny human!
 Who LOVES Hershey Kisses!  
Who ate about 4 of them during the time it took us to take these photos.  You just think he's being sweet to give me the kiss...however he is asking for it to be unwrapped so he can enjoy the chocolatey goodness!  He is a chocolate lover!  
 Just like his mama.
We wish you a very Happy Valentine's Day from our family to yours!

Outfit: Gap Kids

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Olympic Epiphany

We love watching Bob Costas announce the Olympics as much as anyone.  But we love it even more when we picture him as Hammy the cartoon squirrel.
Not much of a stretch...
Thanks for the entertainment, Bob!
#Sochi2014

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Valentine's Printable

Since this Superbowl is Superboring, I took this time to create a Valentine's printable!
Feel free to click here, download and print!  It's set up for 8x10.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Master Bedroom: Phase 1

When Benjamin and I first got married we put the full sized bed and little side table that was in my apartment into our spare room eager for guests to come and visit us!  That left us with the need of finding a new bed that would be ours.  We popped over to Ikea and purchased a bed frame, two night stands and a dresser, made a second stop for a mattress and called it a day.

When we moved into the Crazy Crib, we knew that our trusty bed set would become the spare bedroom furniture and we would get something new!  We are one of those people who let our dog sleep with us and with the size of the new room, we decided to upgrade to a king bed.  {Not a California King Bed, but you know that song plays in my head every time I say king bed.  Not saying I'm proud of it - it just happens!}

After weeks and weeks of him-hawing around, we took advantage of one of Winston's Saturday afternoon nap times and did some searching, eliminating, and selecting of master bedroom furniture.  That day we picked our headboard and in the next weeks to come we chose our bedding and side tables.
The headboard arrived first and turned out to be a bit darker and a smidge more green than it shows in the pictures online.  However, we were still pleased with it and felt that it was of good quality for the price!  Our bedding we ordered from Anthropologie and love it!  It is the perfect blend of colorful + "hey, we're adults!"  
The side tables were found online at Target and originally we ordered them in the yellow color.  When they arrived at our house, corners on both tables were broken.  Benjamin loaded them up in the truck, headed to Target and was determined to exchange them.  Unfortunately, the yellow was only sold online.  So he came back home with the damaged yellow ones.  The next night we  decided to try the bluish-green ones and we are glad we did!  They compliment the quilt perfectly and are a spot on color match to the headboard!
The item I am most excited about is the Bang Lamp.  This lamp has been on my list since it was released.  We finally found a vendor that had it in stock and I am anxiously waiting for it's arrival!  
While we have made a good start, we still have a ways to go.  On our list to finish out this room is: a settee, a little table, new side lamps, paint and a new light.  And curtains.  
A thank you goes out to MIL and FIL for helping move furniture around!  
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