Projects...

Wow, haven't posted on here in light years, but here is a post explaining the most recent projects I have done lately. With the onset of a ferocious case of "nesting" I have not only gotten the majority of the house organized, but a few fun stress relieving projects in too!! Chester has been loving all the "awesome art" he has been able to help with lately :)



For the first project, I got the original idea from Pinterest.com. (if you are not on the site it is a GREAT place for inspiration and great ideas, not to mention just a great way to pass the time while your husband is on night shift lol).



I saw this pic, and really loved the quote and the wood look. Over the weekend we cleaned out our garage in preparation for a yard sale in a few weeks and I found this old wood frame that my Papa-in-Law had made us for another project.




(he has made it for this picture to bump it out from the wall about 2 inches, it is a simple wooden frame with a thin piece of wood nailed to the front of it. If you look at the finished project you will see what it looks like... could easily be made by framing out some 2x4s and finish nailing a thin piece of wood to the front, found at most craft/wood stores.)

Anyhoo, I found this piece of wood tucked in a corner of the garage and immediately remember this quote and thought it would look awesome on it!!

Day 1, I watered down some black acrylic paint (do NOT need much water)... wanting the black color instead of the mismatched wood that was there. (figured it would be easier as well instead of having to strip, re-stain, and seal the wood... yes, I was lazy!) hard to tell from the finished product in the picture but the wood grain shows through pretty strongly.




(Acrylic paint in craft section at Wal-Mart)

I then used Microsoft Publisher to design the lay out of the board. I wanted to switch it up a little from the original picture as far as the font and lay out. I then printed it out, matched up the paper, and taped it all together (being careful not to tape where any of the letters were).



I used the ol', scratch like heck on the back with pencil and then flip it over and trace over the letters, thus transferring the design trick. I am sure there could have been an easier way of doing it... but since I dont have a fancy printer, stencil maker, etc. it worked. And was fun to do with a movie playing on the tv :)







(tip: just make you you put plenty of "scratch" on the back so your design will transfer)

Next, I used the white paint and a small brush and started painting away. I cleaned the brush often to keep the brush at a point... makes the small lines easier to paint. (Some of my lines are actually slightly crooked, oh well)

I am still deciding if I will use a brown wash (way watered down brown/tan paint)to go over top to kind of "antique" it a little or just leave it with the bright white paint. We have a lot of tans and woods in our house, so I may be leaning towards that... but then again we have a lot of white trim. We shall see, I wanted to wait to get the opinion of the man of the house. :)

Hope this makes sense... any questions shoot them over to me!! Happy crafting!!

Oh and for these cute lil numbers over the window I used the tutorial here.... (and yes they are made out of TP rolls lol Gabe thought I was crazy as I have been saving the rolls for a while)




Tutorial:

http://fullofgreatideas.blogspot.com/2011/03/toilet-paper-art-on-my-0-budget.html

http://moderndaymoms.com/make-it-yourself-monday-tp-wall-art/

it is truly amazing the things these people make!!... I mean come on really???

.spring.

It is amazing to me how long I can let this thing go. I guess I got tired of updated... adding news to the mass, etc etc. who knows.

Lets see... since I have last written... Chester has turned 20 months, filled out his mouth with teeth, graduated from walking to running, and has added to his vocabulary a handful of important words. And of course added to his overall cuteness about 200 fold. (in my opinion more, but that is a mom talking)



Gabe... still working at TCI... and still loving it. After some guys (jerks... tho a stronger word could be used in some cases) left the people there sees to be a pretty down to earth group. It is nice to see Gabe enjoying work more instead of hating to go. (amazing what one person will go so spoil the whole work load... *clear throat) Anyways...

Me.... started working at Mercy Ships... and have since stopped. Well this week will be my last. yay. And now I have been running around with my head chopped off (not literally) trying to get caught up on all the projects around the house I have let slack. Poor Gabe who has been wading through all his dirty clothes for a while. oh well working on that.

As of now there is a "two month" deadline for me to find another job... according to Gabe. But who knows... kinda hoping maybe some fellow friends kids will fall in my lap that I can watch... or just find something on the side. I def know I am NOT returning to some places. Tho if something turns up... shoot... okay. lol anyhoo

Rearranged my house this week... that was fun. I like it better now.

Dishes are finally out of the sink.

I have a bedroom floor.

The grass is green and I have been spending hours tearing down vines, trees, etc. Seriously our back yard looked like the secret garden before. Nice that I feel a little better letting chester out there now that I know I wont loose him in the foliage. Ohh... and with the clearing of the green... I found two chair, wheel barrel, fertilize spreader, two old fashion mailboxes, and four bird feeder. Like I said... secret garden.

Getting together with friends tonight... yay. pizza and some drinks. altho I think Halo or poker is in the works for the boys.

this weekend... maybe the park........?

I need to practice taking some pics since I am supposed to be shooting a wedding in June... sheesh I am falling out of practice. Sadly I had shelved my camera for a while...still in a debate if I will pick my art back up or not.

Okay... I have someone tugging on my sleeve for a snack. more later

.cheers.

coffee.shots.lovin

Today was a blur. Last night was another night of up until 5am not being able to sleep then up at around 8. This has been my sleeping schedule for almost the past month. Nothing like feeling totally drained and weary... and yet not being able to sleep, or staying asleep. Anyways that aside... this morning after several cups of coffee and some sluggish cleaning of the house... Chester and I headed out for the afternoon.

We drove to pic Papa (gabe) up form work early (yay!!) and headed off to Canton. Since Gabe started working for Texas Cell Net we learned we could get free medical care at the Daily Medical Clinic. Apparently the owner of TCN is the doctor there and he give free service to all the employees and their families. Today we were heading in for Chester's 1 year check up and so Gabe could get his updated tetnis shot.

The clinic is amazing!! Not only are the nurses and doctors some of the nicest I have ever met ... the place is so nice and professional! It is SUCH an answer to prayer... as medical insurance is so expensive! And here we have a free service (or little to nothing).... thank GOD! Now I dont feel like we have to ignore things going on health wise because it would cost too much.

(just last month I had to take an emergency trip to the er and nothing was done but I was given some pain meds... and a big $2000 bill.... sigh, still working on paying that one)

Chester was such a trooper! I am so proud of him... I never realized how hard it is to see your little ones get shots. I dont know maybe it is just me... but when they look at you tear in their eyes, I just want to cry right along with them! :( I am so thankful for Gabe taking the time off of work to be there... for both of us lol

All in all a very good day... and stamps of health all around. Even Papa got a bandaid ;)

Now I am off to cuddle with my little man... he is all sleepy with the lack of an afternoon nap, sore legs...he is so sweet... he wrapped himself in his favorite blankie and is sucking finger in my lap... :)

I love mommyhood <3

Well tonight we met up with the realtor to look at some houses. Oh my goodness, I am in love. We looked at three houses tonight... all that I narrowed down from about 25 houses in the area and that are in our price range. (It is amazing how big the house market is right now!!)

The FIRST one we looked at was amazing. My goodness, Gabe and I both looked at each other so many times while we were looking it over saying... this is so the house!

It is an older home, but has been TOTALLY remodel and revamped...and my goodness, the elderly woman that lives there now has kept it up so well. Seriously, you could have eaten off the floor. It was beautiful. Large windows, white/wide trim, fireplace... three bedrooms, two baths. And it really had that old house feel to it with the old wooden doors, built in cabinets etc. Much to our delight we also found that under the house carpet the old wooden floor is still there, and it is BEAUTIFUL! Not only was it wonderful inside, but it had a beautiful back yard (BIG trees!!), pretty landscaping, and a huge workshop in the back that Gabe can turn into a studio. (Yay, no more drum sets in our bedroom lol) Yes... it would be a perfect house for sure.

The realtor we met with also gave us a contact for a local bank in the town that offers really good rate and hardly any closing costs. So my homework for tomorrow is to give her a call and set up a meeting. Whether this is the house for us or not, it would be great to get the approval over and behind us. (such a bother!!) But the good thing is we already have about 1/3 of the house cost already saved up, so we can bypass most of the paperwork we would have otherwise needed to do... yay!

Well.... even tho it is a beautiful house... I know if we are supposed to get it, it will still be on the market when we go for the contract (a contract was already placed on it but fell through last week.... whew.....) and it someone does get it before us... well I know GOd has an even better place for us :) Either way it will be home!!

I am excited for the days/weeks to come and look forward to what may be unfolding in this new chapter of life :)

CHEERS!!

Well we are on the hunt for a house! It is an exciting time... and slightly stressful. Right now the options are to A. move into Gabe"s grandparents empty house... or B. find another one in the area, close enough that Gabe wont have a very long commute to work.
Option A.... as of right now Gabe's other grandparents have been planning to move up into the house from Houston. It would be awesome to have them closer... esp as they are getting older and with multiple health problems we will be able to take care of them more. They also wanted to move into the house because they would be able to pay it off and in time hand it down to someone in the family. They had planned on moving up at the beginning of the year, but time has passed and they aren't sure if they want to move up... and if they do, if they want that house or one that would be more handicap acessible. And so as of right now we are waiting for the talks to finish to see if they will be moving in to the house or if we can. This house is SOO amazing.., all of it custom designed by Gabe's Nana, and built by Pop.


But we are also not holding on too tightly as if they decide they do want to move into it... well then the house hunt will continue and I am sure where ever we end up it will work just fine :) And then we can make it home.

As the anticipation builds for a new house I find my love for vintage has been coming out strong. I have had such an urge to paint, sew, and go thrift shopping for old tables, chairs, etc to paint, recover, and transform. I am trying to rein in those creative juice, but it is sure hard!! I can't wait to make our house a home....
Anyways... I must go as Chester and I are about to head out for a walk... the storm this morning has brought in a wonderful cool breeze!

And also here are some pictures of my big boy who has turned one already! :) I love you diddle man.
Gabe did a nice spike job on him when he got out of the bath lol

Seems my boy is always smiling :)

Life...

It is amazing how much I promise myself I am going to update everyone and blog... and how little it happens. Lol, which is usually why a lot of my posts start up with apologies with not writing soon lol... oh well.

Ahh our life lately.... busy!! Goodness, Gabe and I were finally able to sit down together last night, which ended up us falling asleep talking lol. Of course it was almost 11pm. Oh the days when we could pull all nighters then wake up to go to work the next day.

Anyways, Gabe has started his new job at Texas CellNet as a techniction. (internet service) Much to his surprise he has climbed quite a few towers already, not to mention the 2 on his first day! lol (thanks to rock climbing in Colorado he is already ahead of the other guys already) Altho I didn't expect to see him in a harness again! He is liking it alot and is learning so much! Which is nice cause his last job he was SOO bored... and oh a lot of days they didn't have enough work so he would spend it digging a ditch or raking leaves. I mean come on. All the guys at work have enjoyed hazing Gabe a little, after all he is the "new guy". It is all fun tho... but I can now expect if I get any call from Gabe during the day to have a running commentary or shouting in the background from his partner in crime, Justin. It is rather funny.

The other day Gabe and Justin came here to work on our tower (yay for FAST, FREE internet...yay perks) and Chester really got a kick out of watching Papa climbing the tower. Chester kept looking up very confused as to why Papa was up there... which he explained to me by pointing and yelling very excitedly... lol, it was really funny to watch.

(okay I have rotated this pic twice... not sure why it is being so lazy)

Also with this new we have health care... YAY! I am so tired of paying for medical bills. Defintily feeling a little more secure now and not so worried about something bad happening and no way to pay it.

Chester... already 11 months!! Where has the time gone! I can't believe we are coming up on his first birthday already... seems like just yesterday I was waiting around (very grumpy) for him to come already!!

I am so proud of him... he is learning so fast. His new found freedom in standing and now running in his walker makes him so excited. Oh course now it seems like it is in the split second momma turns away that he is into something again. I tell ya I just need a sterilized padded room ;) We know he is going to be just like Gabe tho with being tall... as Chester is already in 18 month clothes! And with the amount of food he has been inhaling I am sure it will just continue. I think he has also had a renewed discovery of his vocal cords... as you usually always know where he is. And also when he is getting into something because it will get very quiet lol.

Oh and I have to share... Chester LOVES music! If he is in a bad mood all I have to do is turn on some tunes and he is smiling, laughing, and dancing all around. It is SO cutelol. I will have to tape his "head bobble" he does and post it soon! He is my lil happy boy... and even when he isn't feeling well or teething, he usually has a smile :)

As for me... lately I have been sorting through editing pictures. From the last two weddings I shot, I have had over 5,000 pictures to go through. Tho it is taking me awhile, esp since I got sick in the middle of it, I LOVE it! Shooting weddings are like my high. Seriously the warm fuzzies are there too lol. Even tho it can be up to 8 hours on my feet and going, goin, goin... it is a highlight. It amazes me how when I shoot a wedding I begin it with clients, and end it with friends. It is wonderful. Tho I usually always tear up during the ceremony and reception... to be able to catch those moments for them... ahh priceless. I can't wait till I can shoot more weddings soon. It is definitly giving me more confidence with my art... to where I am not so nervous anymore and really have a lot of fun!

My next wedding (so far) is at the end of August. I am really stoked about this wedding, because not only is it a good friend of mine, but they are flying me back to PA to do it. Which works out just great as we are thinking we will be able to make it into a trip to see my family! It has been about 6 months since Chester and I saw everyone... and over a year since Gabe has... so it is about time!! I think they are going to be so amazed at how much Chester has grown! I am so excited :)

Well, I have more to write but Chester is yelling "mama" from his crib as a sign he is awake, so I am off for now!

Cheers all and hope you are having a great day!!

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Well I think it is officially spring time in TX... at least it is more of a spring then I am used to anywhere else i have lived! IN PA and CO is it still pretty cold... but we have been sporting our T's and shorts. So nice! I love all the green. i will have to take Chester out for a walk in the woods soon and get some pictures. We were all geared up to go today, but woke up to rain this morning. But we will soon!

Chester is growing like a weed. Just like his daddy, so tall and thin, i know he is going to be towering over me lol. He is crawling all over the place and we are having to childproof EVERYTHING! And just like a kid... the one thing you don't pick up he finds and gets into it! He is loving solid foods and is eating like crazy! BOTH his legs must be hollow!

Since moving down here it has been a bit of a change, and I am really hoping to find some good friends soon. I miss a good girls night!

prayers would be great as there are a lot of options on the table for Gabe and I. As far as jobs (which could potentially move us again), school, etc. Really praying for Gabe right now as there is a lot of pressure on him depending on which direction we go in!

But we are excited, and tho we never expected some of these things to even be a possibility, we know God will open the doors He wants us to go through.